When I saw this idea over at HungryHippie's blog I knew I had to give it a go ! I had quite a few pumpkins and
sqashes left over after a friend dropped by our house with literally a
truck load of them.
I bought some 'Chrome' spray paint ......
And started spraying ..........
I just LOVE the result , they look so sparkly and reflect the light in a lovely way !
Wahhoo I have now got to over 3000 likers on my facebook page! Now a lot of this was due to hard work but I also had a lot of help from my lovely facebook likers sharing my page. Thanks to you all.
The winner of either a brooch or a hairclip holder is ....................... Karen S (twannywun)! Please send me an e-mail with your choice of gift and your address x
Thanks so much to all of you, I really wish I had the time to send you all something :-(
Just a quick blog post to share this little tutorial I did for my facebook page - I hope you enjoy it :-)
Make sure you keep an eye on these if using tea lights to make sure they do not melt the milk bottle or you could use battery operated little lights in them for peace of mind. It is best they are put outside to keep the bottle cool.
The Sweetpeas have a new member of the family who I would like to introduce, meet Katie the T2 Camper. Whilst the children had their Summer holidays we came across an advert for Katie and she was located not too far from us so we decided to take a look at her. We travelled to her location with a friend who already owns a vintage camper to see if she was in good enough condition to buy, well it turns out she was :-)
Katie on her trip to her new home.
We have wanted one for some time but when it came to saying yes to buying her I felt a cold sweat running over me. Since I was 19 we had only ever bought what we needed and not any big items that we wanted, unless something broke we would never replace it - we still have the pops and pans we were given when we married 15 years ago, yes some have missing lid handles but why replace them if they work? We still have a 'big' tv in our bedroom, it still works so why buy a flat screen one .... you get the picture lol. This made it very hard to buy something just because ..... just because we wanted to .... just because it would make us happy ...... just for fun!
Mr Sweetpea explained that she would be a good investment and that swayed me :-) Ohhh am I glad he talked me round. She has been nothing but a joy to have so far ..... the Sweetpeas adore her.
Little Sweetpea loves seeing her when we get home and riding in her - obviously I had to make a retro Ele just to keep in Katie the Camper out of 1970s fabric to match her age.
They have all had dinner in her and picnics ......
She has taken us to Old Hunstanton beach with my crochet in the back :-)
Three generations of the men in my family have had many a happy minute laying looking at her from underneath ....... yep I don't know what they are looking at either but they seemed happy :-)
And best of all she makes us smile and everyone we drive past smiles at her too - oohhh and we get some fantastic waves from fellow camper owners.
Yes I did feel sick for about a week after buying her at the thought of spending all that money. Yes I did feel sad taking her away from her previous owner (who looked on sadly as we drove away in her which made me have a few tears) and his partner, 4 yr old son and dog (the dog got so excited when we got her out to look at as he thought he was off to the beach and the son made friends with our little girl and wondered why we were taking the Camper away :-() but I hope we will do them proud looking after her and I am sure she is a good investment. I am so glad Mr Sweetpea talked me into buying her afterall ...........
PS thanks so much for all your comments on my last blog post, little Sweetpea is settling into school well and I am now getting used to her being away from me too. I still miss our time together and am coming to terms with her overtired tantrums due to being at school (she is throwing a tantrum as I type !) but I know we all have to move on with our lives :-(
Well the time has come, I can't stop the clock, I can't turn back time, I must accept that life moves forward (sometimes at breakneck speed!). When little Sweetpea was born nearly 5 years ago I felt like I had all the time in the world with her.
I was lucky to be able to stay at home with her all week and find a job when Daddy was at home to look after the Sweetpeas. I was very lucky that she was a very easy going little toddler (we will forget the colicy days and later temper tantrums :-)), this was a blessing but then again not so as it has made it that much harder to let her go. Sometimes I feel I know her more than I know myself.
We have both had to say goodbye to the groups we attended together (we won't mention me gatecrashing them with no child in tow :-)).
She started Ception (Reception) class in school a few weeks back, firstly half days for two weeks - that wasn't too bad. She then went to full time last week .... oh how I miss her!
I miss our weekly food shop together, I miss her getting excited about going to Music Hayhem (really called Music Mayhem) and Little Lambs, I miss her knitting (or really sewing) with me, I even miss her photo bombing my photographic shots. Don't get me wrong, I did feel the need for 'me' time but I don't need this much 'me' time .....
She is loving going to school and I know I am lucky to have had her at home for nearly 5 years. I know I will adapt to this change but it will take time ......
Well, I am off work ill today due a lovely virus, it not only made me sick but left me feeling like I had been hit by a cricket ball all over - lovely. They always come just in time for the school hols these bugs don't they! To make myself feel better I thought I would post a blog about my recent creativity :-)
Since learning to crochet and how to use my sewing machine I have had such a lovely creative journey. I have made lots of new creative friends and really do feel a sense of calm when I can sit and create something I love.
Here are a few of my recent makes:
These elephants really do make me smile when I make them, I especially love creating them from vintage fabric. The one right at the top of the blog is created in a lovely vintage Sanderson Pippa fabric (and she is mine ALL MINE :-)), I so wish I could find some more of that fabric, it was such a lovely fabric to work with. I have worked out (with the help of a lovely creative friend) how to add names to ribbon which adds a lovely touch, it makes these elephants even more personal :-)
Since learning to crochet last year I have really enjoyed trying out different patterns. Whilst on my last holiday I set about creating a rose, to my astonishment it worked! I was so happy with the result and so surprised that I had worked out how to create it. I turned them into rose brooches and made some leaves out of a felted green woolen scarf, the two textures and colours work so well together. I also made the school teachers some crochet cup coasters as part of their leaving gifts from the children, I backed them with felt to make them feel sturdy. In that photo you can also see a birdy created by the lovely Linen Cat and a gorgeous cup that I found in TK Maxx)
I recently created some cute little crochet flowers too, not sure what to do with them I decided to make them into a garland for little Sweetpea & middle Sweetpea's room. I added some crochet leaves to each end of it - another crochet learning curve :-) Of course there had to be some felt creations in my creative mix, I have been making some more of the popular rose hairbands and daisy clips (which are now my signature piece :-)).
oohhh I have made cakes too, crafting get togethers (well in fact, any get togethers) aren't as much without cakes being involved :-)
Now before I got I wanted to share with you a lovely, lovely, oh so lovely gift that arrived in the post for me a couple of months back. The gorgeous creator of the MuffinPies dolls, Monique at Blueberries in the Fields sent me my very own MuffinPie! How generous and sweet hearted she is, she knows I love her creations and after buying the children their own MuffinPies I longed that one day I would own my very own so I was so touched when Monique posted me one to live here. She is settling in well with my retro elephant as you can see :-) Thanks again you gorgeous person Monique xxxx
Just a quick blog post sorry, I have been busy building up my facebook page and now have around 2100 likers. I want to get to 3000 by September so have offered a giveaway of one of the above when I get to that number (the winner can choose which they would prefer - one is a hairclip holder and the other is a crochet rose brooch).
Now as I am in the mood to share the love I have decided to share the giveaway here too for my loyal blog followers :-) If you want to be in with a chance to win then just comment here and if you would like to share my facebook page or blog then that would be lovely :-)
If you haven't been to my facebook page and are on there do pop over and say hi, I would love to see you there :-) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Scented-Sweetpeas/120450814687153
Being the bad blogger that I am at the moment this blog post is way overdue! Some time ago I signed up to take part in LaaLaa's Travelling Craft Box. Basically you get sent a box full of creative delights, you pick which items you like and then add that many items back into the box.
Well back in mid-June the lovely Pretty Little Jewels posted the box on to me. I was amazed how quickly it arrived from hers to be honest as she had just got married and had been on honeymoon too. Goodness knows how she fitted time in to post this off (pop over to her blog for some very heart warming photos of her wedding and some lovely inspirational wedding ideas).
When this large box arrived in the post I found this lovely little parcel just for me :-) The lovely Jewel had popped in a fab book on creating cushions which I can't wait to use when the kiddies go back to school, some lip balm and some lovely clay decorations. Thanks so much Jewel x
Now I can't show you what I popped in the box and forgot to take photos of what I took out - fab blogger moment again there :-) I took out some lovely pink polka dot buttons, some sequin thread and a lovely hand made bracelet created with felt and beads. I then promptly posted the box off to Scratchy Cat Crafter so hoepfully she will blog about it soon x
Well lets try again, this blog post seems to have taken me ages to get sorted what with issues trying to upload photos etc. It seems like ages since I have been to my little writing space (and as I type little one is shouting at me as she is bored as this has taken me far too long to do :-(). I had better be quick ....
We have been away to our little bolt hole in Mallorca (or Morca as little Sweetpea calls it). It is a place in the hills away from all the hustle and bustle of life - no mains elec, no phones, no tv - bliss. It is nice to get away from all the electrical items that modern life brings us.
We went to the beach every day.
We ate fresh sea food.
We watched the children grow in front of our very eyes.
I created new pretty things whilst watching the children play in the sea. I even went in the sea myself this year :-o Mr Sweetpea was rather shocked at how well I could swim - I usually hide under the trees sewing or looking after the children :-)
I even found time to paint my nails !
We saw some amazing little creatures
Rock Mouse, Octopus, Angry Snail, Crab
The children kept themselves busy - most of the time :-)
Eldest Sweetpea is getting rather hormonal which did make some of the holiday testing. After a real pep talk towards the end of it he calmed down a bit thank goodness.
Right I had better be off, little one is now starting to drive me very crazy and I have spent far too much time on this new blogger layout. I will leave you with on my of my fav views - I do love hanging washing out in the sunshine. Take care xxx
Way back in October last year my little Sister called me to tell me that Orbital would be playing at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge and asked if I would like to go, we had been to see them several times before and knew it was a guaranteed good night out. The old outgoing me really wanted to go but the shy tired me was screaming NNOooooo! After a few palpatations I went ahead and said yes knowing that I could pull out if I wanted to and forgot all about it.
Fast forward to the bank holiday Monday we had in April and the evening had arrived. I had spent days before worrying about if I had the confidence and energy to go whilst also pondering on what had happened to the old me who used to go out most weekends.
When I was a child I was always very shy, I was a very happy child but shy with it. My Mum used to make me go to several clubs to try and give me more confidence and it did work a little but that shy me was still there. I went on to Secondary School where I was bullied for quite some time but managed to get through that and meet some lovely thuggish friends who used to protect me :-) Nothing like having your own bouncers to give you a little more confidence :-) Fast forward a few more years and I had met my future husband and was out pubbing and clubbing it with our mates most weekends, I got a fab job that I didn't even dream I would get and was feeling a whole new level of confidence.
I had my first child in my mid 20s, life stayed very similar to how it had ever been at this point but when I had my second child 19 months later I think this is when my confidence started to reduce and the old shy me returned. Looking back it was probably tiredness, the reduced amount of socialising and lots of new scary experiences like the little ones starting pre-school, then school etc that reverted me back (goodness you really do feel the tension of new things like that for your children don't you). I could feel the old me coming back a bit when my youngest was about 4 but then fell pregnant with my littlest one. Exhaustion set in again and 4+ years on she is only just showing signs of sleeping through so I am just about seeing signs of the past, confident me returning .
Goodness, sorry I digressed a lot there ! The night before the concert my middle child was ill and spend all night in our bed with tummy pains, after many wakings and getting up at 1am running a bath for her etc we finally got a little sleep. The day of the concert I really wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go , I was so tired and felt sick with nerves and exhaustion. The time ticked by and it was time to get ready, I could do it, no I couldn't - I was constantly struggling with myself to push myself to go. I got in the car and started to drive there listening to an Orbital CD to rev me up. Ooohhh I was getting excited, the old me was coming back :-) I walked to meet my sister who gave me a big hug and we went in to meet her mates and my Uncle and Cousin - the vibe was great and the old me was back. After some comical warm up lunges in the entrance hall we went to find our spot, we walked towards the stage, then further towards the stage and then we got to the front - eeekk could I cope with a mosh pit :-s
The lights dimmed, two men with head lights (so they can see their decks) arrived on stage, the crowd cheered and the music slowly started building up until we could feel the base giving us chest compressions. I could feel every hair on my face move in time with the music (didn't know I had such a hairy face!), never before have I experienced such a heavy base. At this point my Sister asked if I was OK or did I want to move back (we were standing right next the the 7ft high speakers :-)), thinking she was just worrying about me and not wanting to ruin her fun I said I was fine. We then did a toilet visit at which point she told me she really wanted to move as the base was making her feel sick - I thought I was just being uncool feeling the same way :-)
We moved further back in the crowd and found a fab dancing spot. One young women seemed to be rather annoyed at our new dancing spot and dropped a drink down my sis and kept punching me in the back whilst dancing. A peak in the music and a pogo style dance move whilst moving back slightly seemed to sort that issue out and she moved - hhmm I hope her toes weren't too bruised ;-) I danced for 2 hours non stop - the old me was well and truly back that night :-) I wish I had done more warm ups now, I pulled muscles I didn't even know I had lol. I am looking forward to meeting the new/old me more often as time moves on and little Sweetpea begins to finally sleep better.
PS Any of my mates reading this will think I am writing about another person :-) I am not shy in most of my every day life but when I get invited out to events the old shy me pops up and I have a real battle with her :-) Aren't humans funny creatures :-) x
If you have never heard of Oribital here is one of their tracks :
For the last couple of years the kids and I have been doing a bit of guerrilla gardening around our village. On the first year we planted sunflowers in random places - this wasn't very successful as we had a very dry Spring so most of the sunflowers didn't survive. Last year we pop seeds around with variable success. This year I came across the idea of flower bombs via a blog (sorry I can't remember the blog name :-() and had to give it a go :-)
I had a rummage in the children's art cupboard for any old paper that wasn't very useful ....
I popped it into a blender with some water and blended it up. My Mum popped over to visit at this point and did look slightly concerned that little Sweetpeas wakings were finally getting to me until I explained what I was doing :-)
We squeezed the wet paper out so it was damp rather than soaking and then mixed the seeds in (a mixture of seeds I collected from our flowers last year). We then made them into little balls and left them to dry naturally overnight. They did fall apart slightly so I may try making the compost and clay version next year.
We then went for a walk round the village .....
and flower bombed random areas :-) I will be going round with the children and planting cosmos in random places in a month or two, these plants seem perfectly happy if not watered and look so lovely. I hope the bombs work and we see flowers popping up around the village :-)
We will plant these later in the year.
Also last week we were very excited to receive our caterpillar delivery for the pre-school. We love watching them grow each year and turning into butterflies.
On the chick front, I am afraid to say that poor Bubbles at the front of the photo passed away :-( Bubbles hadn't been too well for some time and I am glad he/she went of their own accord rather than Mr Sweetpea having to put him/her out of their misery. Tiny is doing very well and is still happily chirping away thank goodness.
