Terracotta Army, nearly

You will have heard of the Terracotta Army, the warriors created by the first Emperor of China, there are over 8000 of them and they are life size - they must be amazing to see in real life, well they would still be terracotta but I'd be real!

Well I found my own little Terracotta Army this morning in the workshop

OK so there is nowhere near 8000 of these, but they are life size! Well egg size anyway.

All my wooden eggs lined up after their first coat of undercoat ready to be sanded and painted with their easter colours.

And I managed to master the art of taking a picture this morning too!

Got one of my muddy beast fresh out of the nearest puddle! Good old Bedfordshire Mud - sticks to your boots when it is wet, making digging nigh on impossible and sets rock solid as soon as the sun comes out, making digging nigh on impossible - do you spot a pattern? Not a lot of digging going on here.

Back to my egg army I go, paints in hand.

Take care all

Sarah x

Computer malfunction

Once again my computer has decided that it doesn't want to play anymore and has point blank refused to connect me to the internet.

So this is just a quick note to say I'm still here, sort of, suffering with a rather large dose of frustration and the hiccups. They are not connected (like the computer) just happen to have got the hiccups! Never mind, worse things can happen, and it will get fixed just not right now which is what I would like to happen! So I am off to see what everyone else is up to then off to work.

Take care for now
Sarah xx

Birds on a hot tin roof

Yes I know it should be cats, but that wouldn't fit in with my story, neither would Bird on a Wire, and as far as I know it isn't a tin roof either!

Recently I have been taking the same journey at the same time every week, not something I usually do as I am not really a creature of any habit at all! But, anyway, this journey takes me through some very pretty villages, one of which has this house.

Nice, yes, but fairly unremarkable and no reason why it should stand out any more than any other house in the street. Until you notice that this house has a rather large collection of birds, mainly pigeons sitting on its roof.

And they are there every week, every time I drive past. Not a single bird on any other roof along the road, all just taking their elevenses on this one particular house!

Well, talking of elevenses, I had better get ready for mine and warm up with a 20 past nineses, I only came in to print some labels off, back to the workshop I go!

Take care all
Sarah x

Puddles and Blue Skies

I have just made a really good discovery. Yesterday when I took the dog out for a walk I thought I would like to listen to the radio whilst I was going. My phone, I remembered came with some earphones which when you plug in effectively turns the phone into a portable radio - brilliant!

Not only that, but it will take a good photo too and you don't even have to turn the radio listening bit off to do just that!

The only issue I have with this is operator error!

Here we have a picture of George looking really really cute with his ball just at the edge of the giant puddle being really careful not to drop it in the water.

But I don't expect you can see George can you? That is because every picture I took yesterday has captured the image of whatever it was I was pointing the camera at a few seconds after I thought I had taken the picture! I guess even a clever bit of kit like my phone needs a little more time to do more than one job at the same time.

This was actually intentional - just a joy to see blue sky and lots of it. It was an absolute delight to be out across the fields with the sun on my back, so warm and pleasing. I'd like to be saying the same about today but I have just watched the biggest snow flakes falling, like golf balls they were that big. I'm waiting for the heater to warm up the workshop a little before I head out there for a spot of sewing.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

Take care

Sarah xx

Pretty parcel

Good evening fellow Button Friends! I had a surprise delivery today, all wrapped up in pretty paper.

With a dinky little tag attached

This was my gift from Sal at Sals Snippets from her recent blog giveaway.

Oooo look at the bright and cheery treasures inside.

Woohoo! Buttons!

And a delightful little bag to store them in too.

Thank you Sal x

I have spent a crafty morning with my Mum making a mess of the workshop whilst making cards, isn't it amazing how much stuff needs to be out in order for you to make just one greetings card! Anyway, we both had some success and managed to create some new cards, I have come back indoors without taking any pictures so you'll just have to take my word for it that I did some!!

Now that I have finished playing with my hot stencil making pen I am back indoors to raid the larder for food, why do I always get distracted until I'm too hungry to think of what to cook! Good job that we live in a village with no shops or I'd just be walking round to the chippy!

Take care all,

Sarah x

Buttons buttons buttons

Warning - this post contains buttons

Lots of them

I spent a lovely part of my afternoon washing my button collection

Not just something I decided to do on a whim, it is because all these are recycled buttons and they do have a tendancy to gather dust and dirt from all those button boxes they have been kept in for years.

After my first soapy bowlful of buttons I discovered that using the colander was the best way to do it, then you can rinse the soap suds off and not lose any stray ones in the bottom of the bowl which take an absolute age to fish out from under the bubbles!

There is every chance that I am alone in this, but don't they just look lovely shining in the colander?

Please someone tell me they like buttons too!

My kitchen is covered in little blue cloths with buttons a-drying tonight all ready to be put into their jars and back to decorate my workshop

Yum yum yum, just loverly!


Right, I'm off before anyone realises that I may have lovely clean and shiney buttons but I don't have a single marble left!

Take care all
Sarah x

Rattle those pots and pans

Time really has been running away without me recently and it is causing me to start losing those last remaining marbles that I have been clinging on to.

Yesterday I was sat at the table having my super healthy breakfast of a chocolaty cereal when I heard, and not for the first time, the china clinking together in the cupboard. As I had already noticed this noise earlier on but ignored it based on the grounds that it would more than likely to have been either the dog or cat knocking into the cupboard, this time I knew I had to investigate as all animals were elsewhere in the house.

I gingerly approached the cupboard very aware that if anything did come hurtling out of the door as I opened it I would need to have a clear route of escape. I am well known for my ability to jump at the slightest thing, much to the amusement of those whom I love but think it is an amusing attribute which they can abuse for their own sport.

Cupboard door number one, nothing.

Door number two, still nothing jumped out

Last door, well it had to be this one...................................... no nothing!

Curiouser and curiouser, why is the china making noises like it is being rattled if there is nothing and no-one any where near the cupboard and not a single little critter hiding inside the cupboard?

And then, penny dropped thanks to George Doggins walking past the dining table, what was on the table? My new, old, tea service! It had been right there infront of me the whole time, it was me making the table move and therefore the crockery rattle.

It is a delightful little tea set and a complete bargin in the local charity shop, still it got good value out of me didn't it! Making me worry like that!

It has beautiful coloured flowers painted on with a gold border and pale green edges.

Hubby just does't see the attraction but I do like it and it shall be housed in my new cupboard just as soon as I have finished (well started would be a good thing) sprucing it up!

Been spending a lot of time in the workshop getting stock ready for the Country Living Fair, I have plenty to be doing for the next few weeks. I'm thinking that it would be nice to have a giveaway here as I have been writing this blog now for a whole year, can't belive how quickly the time has gone. More details just as soon as I have thought of them..........................

Take care all, til next time!

Sarah xx

Missy meets a friend

Whoops! It's February already, wow, that came round quick.

Lots of news and catching up to do today. At the weekend we hosted another Swap and Shop day here to raise funds for the village charity the Goodwill Fund.

The Goodwill Fund helps other organisations in the village as well as individuals with hospital transport and prescription collections, Christmas dinners for the elderly and outings for the the youth club just to name a few things.

The Swap and Shop day is loosely based on the Swishing parties where you swap clothes just in this case we swap all things! The idea is that you bring bits and pieces you no longer want, check out what others have brought and hopefully leave with new items that you can make use of! We provided tea and cakes and people poppped a donation in the box if they wanted to and if they could afford to, that way it helps everyone. We had a lovely afternoon and got to catch up with lots of friends and neighbours and raised just over £120 for the charity too.

Photos of the day are non exsitant as I was far too busy chatting to people and forgot and Hubby was safely away in the Man Creche with the other menfolk!

Missy made friends with a tiger!

Although she was none to impressed when it appeared to move by itself!

I don't know about everyone else but we have had some rare moments of beautiful sunshine here over the past few days, back to the dreary drizzle today unfortunately.

Betty Chook grabbed a sunbaking opportunity over the weekend on the warm cobbles sheltered by the fence.

My other news is very exciting and just a little bit scary - Land Cuckoo is going to the Country Living Fair in March this year! Yikes! Not going alone though, Maggie from Sunflower Fabrics and I shall be sharing a stand together. We will be found on stand number H75 and will be going under the name Sunflower and Land Cuckoo. We will have some lovely products there, beautiful quilts and wall hangings, smellies and bunting, things for childrens rooms, gifts for the home and a colourful collection of wonderful fabrics.

So now I must away to the workshop and make more stock for the show, I'm sure you'll be seeing pictures here as we get nearer show time!

Take care all

Sarah xx