Catching up . . .

Hello lovelies . . .  well, I started this year off with a determination to find my seemingly lost bloggy mojo and here we are, already almost at the end of January and still nary a post since the beginning of the month.

I'm not sure where it's been hiding (the mojo, that is) - perhaps in a little corner recuperating from the higgledy-piggledy-ness of the past few months.  But here I am again . . . it's Monday,  the chores are done, the dog is walked, and I've got a cup of tea and a yummy biscuit to hand, so let's catch up - shall we?

Here's what I've been up to over the last little while . . .   some crocheting, a bit of sewing, a dabble in clock-making, and lots of walks and play time with the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world . . .

. . .  more sewing, a little knitty project, taking time out to read, sorting & tidying my craft space, enjoying the first snowfall of the year, and taking much delight in having my little quilt featured by @craftastherapy.  : - )

So that's it for now, neatly condensed into three little collages.  Hope you're having a happy January, and let's chat again soon.

'til then,

take care & be blessed

xoxo

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

Caution: Work(s) in Progress

Every creative person I know,  has a constant myriad of works in progress.  Some more than others and some who very diligently finish one or two before they start another.  

Oh how I wish to be the latter.  But alas, it appears I am not.

And so it is, that today I find myself in my little craft room feeling just a wee tad daunted (overwhelmed, perhaps . . . but that seems too dramatic a word to use in this circumstance) by all the projects I currently have on the go . . .

Firstly there's the Maria Denmark "Day-to-Night Drape Top" that I've cut out and started sewing, and the new "Cordelia Dress" from Sew Me Something that has been cut out, but not even had it's markings marked or pins removed yet  . . .

. . . and another knit top that has as yet only made it to the "take the fabric out of the wardrobe and place the pattern on top of it" stage.

Next in line is the quilt that I made for the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world.  Their old one is, after 5 years of faithful service, looking decidedly bedraggled so it's time for a new one.  All I have to do is the binding.  It really won't take long . . .  once I actually get around to it.

So whilst we're talking quilts . . .  I should mention the new one I'm making for the guest room, which I started several months ago and have made very little progress on since.  Guests have come and gone, and been none the wiser - but I really would like to get stuck in and get it finished soon.

Oh, and I'm also in the process of making a quilt for a little girl that we hope will be joining our clan sometime soon.  But no pics of that, just in case her mama-to-be is reading this - I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Then there's the little old chair that a friend gifted to me, that has been all painted and spruced up, and waiting patiently for its new seat cover.  Another project that really won't take long at all - I've just got to find the time to do it.

Perhaps most urgent is the the making of my costume for the London Moon Walk  that I'm doing at the end of next week.  My lovely sis & I will be walking around London, through the night, in our bras to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer charities.  The theme for this year is "Saturday Night at the Movies" - can you guess who I'm going as ?  Not terribly original, but a simple outfit to make.  We're on track with our training, but I really need to get that mousey outfit made ASAP.

And as if I don't already have enough on the go, the Postie delivered this today . . .

Inspired by the lovelies, Jo & Daisy, I really want to give this a try too.  It looks fun, don't you think ?

So, there you have it . . . my extensive but by no means complete list of WIPs - let's not even get started on the knitty & crochet projects that are currently on the go or waiting patiently in line  ; - )

Right, so what I really need now is a team of little elves to take over all the housework and errands and general daily activities & duties, so that I can retreat to my little craft space and create to my heart's content.

Sigh . . .
   if only . . . 

'til next time,

xoxo

ps. if anyone would like to sponsor me for the MoonWalk, here's the link to our fundraising page.  Every little penny counts and would be most appreciated.

pps.  it's a miserable dull day today, so please forgive the equally miserable quality of the pics.  My little craft space is also the darkest room in the house.

We did it !

Team ROCKABOOBIES rocked the London Moon Walk 2014 and together we raised just over £3500 - woo hoo . . .

We set off for London, full of enthusiasm and a wee bit of trepidation for the predicted weather, but the first glimpse of the big pink tent lifted our spirits just that little bit higher.

It was cold.  

Verrrry cold, actually. But no sooner had we arrived and settled into our allocated zone . . .

. . .  when Sarah whipped a little camping stove out of her Mary Poppins bag,

 and put the kettle on

 : - )

A cuppa tea, some yummy pasta and a muffin filled our tummies and fortified us for what lay ahead.

An unanticipated delay meant a bit of a long wait, and at risk of freezing, we added several fleecy, wind- & water-proof layers before we eventually crossed the start line at 00.45am - and so began our big adventure through the streets of London town.

What an amazing privilege it was to see this great city by moonlight.  

The route wound its way from Clapham Common, through Battersea Park, all the way along the Thames Embankment past Westminster and Big Ben, the Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre and the London Eye.  Across the river and onwards to St James Park, where the beautiful dawn chorus heralded the arrival of a new day at the 10 mile mark. That was definitely a highlight for me - hearing the little birds singing as the dawn emerged from the night.

Then across Hyde Park and around Kensington Gardens, through Knightsbridge and Chelsea then back across the Thames and ending in Clapham Common again.

It was cold - did I mention that already? - , it was rainy, it was oh-so-blustery, and never before have I so enjoyed a bacon buttie and a hot chocolate as I did when we crossed the finish line, but 

we did it.

it's all over, bar the stretching . . .

 

Was it a challenge ?  Definitely.  Was it tiring ?  Oh yes.  Were our legs & feet aching ?  Yep.

Was it an unforgettable & slightly amazing experience ?  Absolutely.

A  H.U.G.E thank you for all your encouragement, support, sponsorship and kind comments.

Now it's time to rest these legs for a wee bit, and get back to some more sedate crafting and making.

Oh, but before I go - in case you'd noticed and were wondering why one of our team is sporting a veil in the  top pic . . . 

Jules is getting married in two weeks time, and us taking part in the Moon Walk was all her idea.  

Quite a unique Hen Party it turned out to be  : - )

'til next time,

xoxo

 

Walking the walk . . .

tsk, tsk . . . more than a week since my last post . . .   I know I've used this excuse many times before, but it really HAS been busy around these parts lately.  Can you believe we're into May already ?

Anyway, so first up - thanks for always popping by and leaving such lovely comments even when I seem to be AWOL, I do so much enjoy them - and a BIG welcome to my newest followers too, I hope you have fun following along with my crafty adventures.

A wee while ago I mentioned (here) that on Saturday, 10th May I'm participating in the London Moon Walk - and I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that has sponsored me. It is sooo much appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you . . .

 So as much as possible, I've been getting out and walking, in preparation for the big night.  Some days the weather has been better than others, but mostly it's been fun and the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world have certainly enjoyed being a part of my training too.

This morning's walk saw us meandering through the beautiful Warwickshire countryside on part of the Centenary Way.

 Even the exuberant pups have to slow down and catch their breath sometimes . . .

 

 But it's not been all-walking-and-no-crafting, because yesterday,  our team got together to plan our trip and decorate our bras . . .

The whole ethos behind The Moon Walk is to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, so everyone walks in their bra - even the men.  

And so we spent the whole morning decorating . . .

There was sewing and glueing, sequins and feathers, flowers and buttons and pom-poms . . . and lots of nattering and laughter, and of course the inevitable and essential, yummy cake  : - )

And the (almost) end result:

So preparations are well under way for the big night  -  wish us luck and pray for good weather.

* * * * *

And on a completely different tangent - do you know it's "Love Your Yarn Shop Day" tomorrow here in the UK ?

I'm popping along to my lovely local Sew Me Something for a wee bit of knit & natter. . . or maybe crochet & chat . . . in the morning.  Should be fun . . .

 oh, and apparently there will be cake  : - )


Happy weekend all,
'til next time
xoxo

Peek-a-boo . . .

Just a little sneak peek at what I'm having fun making for the Cosy Autumn Swap over at Blueberry Heart .

It's a beautiful sunny morning here, so the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world & I are heading for the hills to take advantage of the early Autumn sunshine, but I'm hoping to have some crafty time this afternoon to finish my swap goodies and make a start to Row 2  :-)

Have a happy Thursday,

xoxo

Ready to Row . . .

Wow, Friday already . . . where has the week gone ?

It's been a busy one here, but the plan for yesterday was to get all my chores and errands done in the morning and then spend the afternoon sewing my first row in Lori's Row Along over at Bee in my Bonnet.
Well, the best laid plans of (wo)men & mice . . . etc, etc . . .

First my friend Heather called to say she just HAD to show me something, she'd only need an hour of my time, and she'd pick me up at 10am.  Oooh... I LOVE surprises ! Especially good ones. And a good one it was.  A new Haberdashery/Yarn/Fabric shop has just opened a mere 10 minutes away.
YAY (happy face)
So, a wander, a browse, a few wee purchases and lots of chatting turned into the rest of the morning.

Right - onwards & upwards.  A quick run to the village. . . dry cleaners, post office, pharmacy, groceries . .  then back home, load the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world into the car and head to Cofton Park for a lovely long, sunny walk.  So far, so good - there are still a good few afternoon hours available for sewing.

Alas, I spoke to soon.  En route home my car started making awful "thdunk, thwack, thdunk" sounds - not helped by the fact that Jerry clearly didn't like the sound either and starting howling.
Drove home quickly, praying it wasn't anything too serious and that we'd at least get home safe & sound. Dropped the pups, called the local garage who said to bring it over straight away and they'd have a look at it.  Hop back in the car to drive to the garage, only to find that the "thdunking" and "thwacking" has completely abated.  Go figure.  
Took it into the garage anyway, told my story to the lovely mechanic who had a good look and couldn't see any problems.  A good thing, but puzzling nonetheless.

SO to get to the point of my story:  by the time I got home again, and got started on the Row Along, it was 4pm !

And it was 6pm by the time I realised it was time to get dinner started, and I hadn't actually even had lunch yet !

But on the plus-side, I'm half-way through Row 1  :-)

Off to Brum now for some shopping and lunch with my cuz, but hoping to get the other half done later.
Watch this space !

Happy Friday
xoxo

A walk in the woods . . .

'Tis a beautiful warm sunny day here and the two most-adorable-pups-in-the-world are looking at me longingly, wondering when exactly we're going to go out for a walk . . .  but we've got a busy little weekend planned and I really, really wanted to get the baby quilt finished today.

And here it is . . . Ta Dah . . .

 Don't you just love the fabrics? It's mostly  "A Walk in the Woods" (Aneela Hoey for Moda) that I got at Purl Soho in NYC, with a mish-mash of  "Delilah" by Tanya Whelan and a couple of Cath Kidston squares that were in my stash.

And the back is also Cath Kidston.

Next up on the quilting front: I'm joining in with Lori's Row Along at Bee in my Bonnet so I can't wait to get started on that. 

But first . . .

 WALKIES    :-)

Have a lovely weekend,

xoxo

A walk in the woods...

After what seems like weeks of dull, drizzly days, yesterday the sun came out and it was a lovely, warm 17C.  Yes yes, I know... to my fellow South Africans and those of you that dwell in usually warm climates, that doesn't seem warm at all!  But having been in the UK now for almost 8 years, we've adjusted our expectations, and believe me, it's warm :-)

So the Jerry-dog and I headed for the hills for a lovely walk with the other Gilly and cousin-dog, little B. 

  The bluebells are in full blossom and everything is just sooo pretty.

 We had to leave the Ben-dog behind at home as she's still recovering from an op on her paw.

 But she's almost mended, so it won't for much longer...

Let's hope Spring is finally here to stay... well, at least until Summer arrives!