You can get involved in the bunting making events and donate to charity at the same time. This looks really fun and I am going to try my best to attend.

On Sunday 18th May 2013 they are also holding a Clothes Swap event. I have always wanted to join a clothes swap but have never found one near me. It doesn’t cost a penny and you gain new clothes to wear whilst also clearing out your closet quickly. Always a win in the ladies eyes! Theres just a few rules which are:

This was taken in our hotel resort. Some trees were growing green plantain but we couldn’t work out was these berries were…

This little beach was the smallest one I have ever seen. Barely enough room for two towels but so private. It was on the edge of Devils Bridge which we walked to from our hotel in Willikies. Devils Bridge has this name as this is the rock formation where people would come to jump off instead of having to endure the life of a slave. A bit morbid I know but I think history is very interesting.

This photo is of Half Moon bay. This is beach to me summed up paradise. It is so picturesque and beautiful.

Then I saw the crafty side of Antigua, they are very creative people. This little stall was a creative sweet shop in the airport terminal. I love the design and think it is just so cute!

This set up was at Shirley Heights, one of the most famous landmarks on Antigua. We sat here for lunch looking over the English Harbour wondering how different it would have been years ago with pirates invading! Inside was a small craft fair selling homemade cake, jams, sauces etc.

This was outside on the balcony area of Shirley Heights. Local people were making jewellery such as necklaces, braclets, earrings etc. They seem to be very happy on the cliff edge in Antigua making jewellery, lets face it, I would be too.

Keep an eye out for my next post including the full recipe for baking Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!

He follows me around the house helping me with ideas for my blog… Or so he thinks he is. Most of the time his tail appears in the middle of a photo shoot or he knocks my knitting out of my hands loosing stitches but when I was working on my Knitted Socks post he was in a very happy and helpful mood, even posing for this photo. It’s one of my favourites :) he’s super cute.

I’m always cold at home so can never have bare feet, these will definitely come in handy for this reason. I love thick and fluffy socks so knitted ones are just perfect. These are the first pair I have ever made and I found them pretty simple. I can now work on making a complex pair… I’ll let you know how that goes.

I also had the idea of making all my Christmas presents this year for my New Years Resolution so I think these would be a great gift idea. You can whip them up in a day and even the simplest patterns can be made to look complicated by using different patterned wool. I you can see I used a brown wool with teal and cream flecks running through it. I think its great way to use up the last of your wool as they only take one ball.

I got my pattern from my monthly knitting magazine called Simply Knitting however you can pick up some great free sock patterns right here on the world wide web. Give it a try!

Our neighbour told us about the woods when we first moved in and in the snow it looks just like Narnia!! If you don’t believe me heres the proof:

I think its safe to say that Murphy absolutely loves the snow. In the garden he just lays in it with his nose buried under it. You would think its was summer and he’d found a warm patch in the sunshine. He’s just different like that, like us :) It became difficult to tell what was snow and what was fur on his legs and face. The snow clumped together and stuck to him in little snow balls. When we got home he had to sit on the door step with each paw in a bowl of luke warm water until the snow melted off, he loved that too.

Well I’m back to work tomorrow and it has just started snowing outside :\ I hope this doesn’t cause to much chaos at the airport again… wish me luck!!

So here is a list of my favourite craft books, from knitting to sewing and everything else. I’ll take through each subject and explain why these books can help you so much like they have me.

I have created such a huge collection over the year of starting my blog, some have turned out to be a bit rubbish and quite frankly useless but others are life savers. I’m writing this post to save you all from spending the money you don’t need to and giving you a short heads up to what actually does improve your talents.

I’m not forcing you to buy these particular books but I think its always handy to know what makes a crafty tutorial book really helpful. Then you can go out knowing what you’re looking for and can choose the right book for your needs.

So you can see that Varun has treated me to my very own rocking chair! I never really wanted one but now I have it and realise he put a lot of thought into this gift I absolutely love it! I know what you’re thinking, ‘how old are you?!?’. I don’t care I like it and I like to be different :)

My next idea now is to sew up my own cushion for the base of it. As it’s all wood it can be a little harsh on the bum. Look out for that blog post which is sure to be coming soon.

All you need is a paper mache shape (for a wedding present I chose a heart), a sharpie pen in any colour of your choice and an acrylic paint in any colour of your choice. I got my paper mache heart from my local Hobby Craft store in the sale for 63p but you can always make it yourself. It came completely with string glued to it to hang it up. Firstly paint your paper mache shape in your acrylic paint, I used two coats of white, and you should end up with something like this:

Then I found some ribbon in my sewing box to use but it is completely optional. I tied it in a bow and glued to the middle front of the heart. I then wrote the word LOVE using my sharpie pen in black. Let it dry for a few minutes and there you have it!!

The good thing is it’s so easy and quick that you can rustle it up whenever. It’s cheap and fun to make and can be adapted for different occasions and tastes.

I think it goes really well with the Cath Kidston bunting and I’ve made it extra special with words on the back. I can’t give you too much detail in case she reads this.

Tin Can Knits is giving everyone a Christmas gift – a free pattern of your choice. How awesome is that!
Earlier this year I fell in love with their Antler cardigan, so I had to choose it. I love the cream colour they have used so I’ll be making mine in 2013 :) Head on over there now to get your FREE pattern as the offer ends on the 1st January 2013.

Next to it is the Family Calender I designed and made myself (with a little help from my Dad and his printing company). It includes pictures of me, Varun and Murphy on every month of the year. I love it. Then I got a canvas printed of me and Varun in Disneyland Paris earlier this year online. I won’t tell you who from because their service was so bad I wouldn’t want to generate them any business!! *rant over*

It is placed above our little gas fire and looks very cute :) Also you may remember an earlier post of mine called Yarn Covered Letters. I made these super sweet wool wrapped letters and they ended up just laying at the bottom of my knitting basket in my sewing room. I didn’t really have any idea what I could do with them until I found a box frame in my local HobbyCraft store. It cost me £7.99 which I think was fair for a frame, especially a boxed on which I couldn’t find anywhere!! When I got it home I wrapped the back board in a cream coloured silk from an old dress I didn’t want anymore. Then placed the letters on it and hung it up, I think it looks blooming marvelous!!