Every cloud . . .

 . . . has a silver lining.*

Hellloooo. . .   it's been a while, hasn't it?  Way longer than I'd both anticipated or expected.

  So much has happened since my last post - some good and some fairly rubbishy.
 A much-loved one and a most-adorable-pup-in-the-world are not well, and requiring just a little bit more tlc for now ; and then there's the bit where I most suddenly and unexpectedly found myself without a job from one day to the next.
 But such is life sometimes, and quite frankly the best option is to focus on the positive and keep moving forwards.
 So on the brighter side of things, here's what I've been up to lately . . .

• A lovely day out in London with a cherished friend that included a first-ever visit to the oh-so-delightful Loop . . . be still, my beating heart . . .

• Getting a few yarny projects finished and new ones started whilst keeping above-mentioned much-loved one company . . .

a sweet little cardi and a delightfully mischievous elf-in-progress.

free pattern from Heart & Sew

• Finally finishing this quilt - it's a gift, so I'll show you more once it's been delivered . . .  but in the meantime, thank you lovely Natalie at Hungry Hippie for the pattern & idea.  Do pop over and have a wee peek.

• Working on my Spice of Life CAL, just a few rows at a time whenever I can.  It really should have been finished ages ago but I'll get there eventually. 

• Making a couple of scrappy Christmas wreaths, then teaching a whole bunch of lovely ladies to make them too.

the sweet little angel is a Vanilla Squirrel creation - ain't she sweet?

• Sharing an oh-so-yummy early Christmas dinner with my Book Club gals at Lord Morton's  -  it's become our annual tradition and is just the perfect pick-me-up, complete with carol singing, champagne swilling and laughter of the best kind.

• Fuelling my addiction   delight of all-things snowman, and creating these happy Tilda inspired cuties:

 

Aah, it's good to be back  :-)   I'm off to catch up with your news now . . .

Wishing you a happy Monday, filled with silver linings.

'til next time,

xoxo

* this sweet cushion is made by Velvet Paws -a kind gift from a lovely friend. Dankie my skattie, xx.

A little pootle . . .

I've been going to visit my family in the pretty little town of West Kilbride, in Ayrshire on the beautiful west coast of Scotland for years, but it's been ages since I'd had the chance for a wee wander around.

So a couple of weeks ago, my lovely cuzzies & I took ourselves off for a little pootle and I got a peek into some of the fab shops that contribute towards the Craft Town of Scotland accolade that West Kilbride holds.

Our first stop was Old Maiden Aunt Yarns - what a great wee shop, filled to the brim with oh-so-lovely hand-dyed yarns in all sorts of yummy colours.

I spied the dye pots simmering away in the back, and was lucky enough to have my curiosity satified by an explanation of the whole process that they use to achieve all the pretty colours.  

It was at this stage that I mentally cursed having a restricted baggage allowance for my return flight, so whilst I did make a little purchase, I had to be suitably restrained.  But I'll be back.... with more available space in my suitcase next time!  

A little further down the main street, we popped our heads around the door of McHattie - a yarn boutique that at that moment was full of a big group of nattering, knitting ladies, and no space for us & my littlest cuzzie's stroller. So we carried on along the road, and will hopefully stop in next time I'm in town.

Just a few doors along, we discovered another exciting little shop - Weft Blown.  Now I don't think I've had a chance to tell you this yet, but the Hubby gave me an Ashford Knitters Loom for my birthday - so stepping into Weft Blown was a delight. Friendly, helpful and happy to chat, with soooo many pretty things on display that have really inspired me to get weaving :-)

So lovely peeps, if you ever find yourself pootling around the west of Scotland, don't skip a visit to this crafty town - it's well worth a wander.

Oh and of course if you're in need of a holiday, I can highly recommend THE Best Travel Agent in the World . . . LAH Travel, right there in the main street too - tell them I sent you ;-)

'til next time,

xoxo

ps. West Kilbride has also been nominated in the Great British High Street Awards 2015.  I think they deserved to win!

pps. Also linking up today with Small Things weekly Yarn Along - so do pop over and see what everyone else has been up to.

On my travels . . . Part 2: Vancouver, Canada

How I'm loving going through all our holiday pics (did I mention there are in excess of 900 snaps? ), and smiling at all the lovely memories.  

On leaving Alaska, we flew south again from Anchorage to Vancouver in Canada where we spent a fabulous few sunny days in this beautiful city, catching up with family and friends.

My lovely cuz, Wendy had a whole lot of fun things planned for us to do and certainly was a host &  tour guide extraordinaire.  So from Grouse Mountain to Granville Island, and everything else in between, we set about exploring the delights. 

It's hard to narrow down the highlights as we just loved it all.  The view from the top of the mountain on the Sea-to-Sky gondola does rank right up there though.  As did those yummy donuts following our hike at Deep Cove  : - )  And then of course there was the time spent just chatting & laughing & sharing meals & making memories with our loved ones, who even though we're far apart, hold a special place in our hearts.

(If you're reading this:  Thank you all the Martins & the Goosies for making our time with you so special)

Of course, with all the outing-and-abouting, there wasn't much time for crafting, but stay tuned for Part 3 coming soon . . . 

'til next time,

xoxo

Oh baby . . .

Little things that make my heart happy . . .

• THE cutest cake you ever did see
• yummy marshmallows
• fluffy pink candyfloss
• raspberry lemonade
• and celebrating the imminent arrival of my new little cuzzie with her mama & aunty

I had such a fab trip to Scotland - the sun shone and the fresh sea air blew away my horrible hayfever - it was so lovely to spend time with my family and catch up with my gorgeous Glasgow girls.  

Busy days here, but it's almost, almost time for our summer holiday - can't wait . . .

Happy weekend, lovelies . . .

'til next time,

xoxo

ps. Linking up with lovely Amy at Love Made My Home , for her Five on Friday feature - do pop over and see what everyone else is up to.

Tales from Wales . . .

Hello lovely peeps, are you having a good week ?

We've been away for a little sojourn to beautiful South Wales - the Gower peninsula, to be precise.  

Having lived in the Midlands for almost 6 years now, you'd think we'd have explored Wales too by now.  But besides a day in Cardiff to watch an SA v Wales rugby match a few years back, we'd never actually ventured across the border so thought it was high time we did.  That, and we really wanted to take the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world to the beach.  Living where we do, right in the middle of this big island of the UK, we're about as far away from the coast as one can get.  So we packed up the car and headed south-west.

Rhossili bay

It poured with rain all the way there but then for the rest of the time, the sun shone and we had a glorious few days exploring this "area of outstanding natural beauty" in the Gower region.  Our home was a beautiful converted barn, literally a short walk (albeit a steep one) from Slade beach.  Seriously peeps, if you're ever looking for a place to stay in the area, look no further - Slade Barn is simply lovely.  It had everything we needed, and then some - and very dog-friendly too.  

Slade Barn

Oxwich beach

just up the road from Mumbles

Rhossili - and Jerry-dog keeping a close eye on the sheep . . .

Worm's Head, Rhossili bay

We had a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing time . . .  wending our way around the coast from Mumbles and Oxwich Bay to Port Eynon and Rhossili (definitely my favourite place), and we left for home with a promise that we'll be back again some day.

Oh, and I did find some time for making too . . .  a little bit of knitting, and my first ever attempt at needlepoint tapestry - so I'll be back to tell you all about that soon.

'til then

take care of you,

xoxo

Day or Night ?

Oops, it's been a little while . . .

We've got my lovely SIL visiting for a few weeks, so between the usual weekly routine things and running around doing all sorts of fun touristy stuff, there hasn't been much time for blogging, or much crafting either, for that matter.  So please do forgive the sporadic posts that will ensue over the next couple of weeks, and I'll pop in whenever I can.   

But I do have a little sewing project to share today . . .

I first came across this lovely pattern on Love, Lucie's blog - it's the Day-to-Night Drape Top from Maria Denmark.   Lucie has a whole array of them, and I love this simple yet pretty style, so I just had to get the pattern and give it a go.  It's a download & print pattern which I normally tend to shy away from as to be honest, I find the whole process of printing and matching and taping together, a little tedious mostly - but as this pattern only has two pieces, it's a doddle to do.

It's a really easy-peasy top to make, and a perfect addition to my summer wardrobe.  It really does what it says on the tin, and will do for daytime casual or nighttime elegance, depending on your fabric choice & accessories.  And best of all, it took less than a meter of fabric - so it's an inexpensive make too.

So, thanks Lucie - I'm sure I'll be making lots more of these too  : - )

And if you haven't yet discovered  Lucie's lovely blog , do pop over to say hello and have a little peek at all her lovely makes. 

Hope it's been a lovely weekend wherever you are,

'til next time,

take care of you

xoxo

ps. whilst I'm slacking a bit on the blog side of things, I am at least Instagramming, so if you'd like to follow along please do.  You'll find me @ gilly_makes - or click on the link in the right hand column of this page.

Moon walking . . .

We did it . . .

The Moon Walk 2015

15.1 miles  (25km)  through the streets of London town . . . overnight . . . in our bras . . . to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.

A huge thank you to everyone who encouraged us, sponsored us and spurred us on. 

 Together with my lovely sis, we've raised nearly a whopping £900.  Our weather prayers were answered too - no rain, a light breeze and a mild overnight low of 8C.  

 Last year (read all about that here) was freezing, windy and drizzly so I  was all geared up this time around, but only needed my hoodie & scarf to ward off the early morning chill. 

 And we beat our 5 hour goal too, crossing the finish line at 3 . 24 am in a time of 4 hours & 49 mins.  

 To those whose lives have been turned upside down by cancer, a long walk, some achy muscles  and one sleepless night is no match for what they endure.  Thank you again, lovely peeps, for your generosity and kind encouragement in helping me to contribute my little bit towards fighting this horrible disease. 

'til next time,

be blessed and be of good courage

xoxo

I've been . . . {another List}

• busily preparing for the celebration of Christmas

• to Scotland & back

• catching up with loved ones

• making.  Lots of making.

• baking 

Mary Berry's Orange Spice Cake -  absolutely deeelicious . . .

• sewing

• knitting

• shopping

• wrapping pressies

• swapping pressies

my lovely creative & talented Book Club ladies

• swapping crackers

Thank you lovely Sue from Crafts@home, my swap partner who completely spoilt me with an abundance of yummy goodies in the  Cracker Swap organized by Tracey over at Mad About Bags.  Squeee . . .

• making up our guest rooms for our family arriving to stay next week

• trying to keep on top of the laundry, the household chores, and muddy doggy paws

don't let that sweet face deceive you . . . those paws are mud-magnets

• planning my "week between Christmas & New Year" yarny project

  - a lovely Vector Wrap/Scarf Knit-A-Long with Rachel at Tangled Yarn.  This pretty Mirasol yarn arrived in the post today and I can't wait to cast on.  If you're looking for a project too - do join us.  (Just pop over here or have a wee look on Ravelry) 

 

So,
 are you "making a list & checking it twice" ?

Only 6 more sleeps . . .   ; - )

'til next time,

xoxo

* * * * * * * 

For Claudine, who was kindness personified,  truly beautiful inside & out, who loved to make . . . and who delighted in a good List too.  

RIP my sweetest friend . . . 

(1969 - 2014)

* * * * * * *

to Infinity & beyond . . .

So what's a gal to do when it's cold & rainy outside, she's done all the chores that need doing,  and she's expecting a delivery that is scheduled for "between 2pm and 9pm" ?

Why. . . put the kettle on, brew up a mug of hot chocolate, break out the Lindor and get some sewing done, of course  : - )

But before I show you my sewing, let me tell you the wee story behind my 

special hand-painted mug . . . 

We were still living in Scotland when my lovely Canadian cuzzie came to visit in the summer of 2008,  we girls decided that a crafty day out was called for and we spent a fun few hours at Daft Craft on a Raft, a little studio situated on a barge moored outside a pub on the Forth & Clyde canal, near Kirkintilloch. We popped our names in a hat, and pulled out one, then we each painted a mug especially for whomever we'd picked.   You'll see by the pic that none of us are particularly artistically talented (sorry cuzzies, if you're reading this... but truth must be told) , but we had fun. 

And that's the story of my lovely treasured mug, hand painted with love, especially for me, by my Canadian cuz (that's her in action in the pic above).  

: - )

Right, so back to yesterday and the sewing . . .

A little while ago, talented sewing guru Jules at Sew Me Something posted a tutorial for an Infinity Scarf which I loved.  (I think it's the pom-pom trim that draws me in every time)  So I decided to have a bash at making one myself.

The tutorial is oh-so-simple to follow and I'm so chuffed with how it turned out.

It's a perfect Spring/Summer/Autumn additional to my wardrobe and would make a lovely gift too, so I'm definitely going to be making a few more. 

Wishing you a happy rest-of-the-week

'til next time,

xoxo