ON AN ENGLISH BEACH

another pic from the archives. i love my grandparent's photos and a lot of them feature family holidays. this one sees my grandad c on the left...he of the very white legs! and then my mum (facing camera) and sisters all sat on the one towel having a picnic. i think grandma must have taken this and i'm sure it's got to be on a beach in norfolk...there's a tradition going way back to take summer trips there in our family.

mum has the sweetest looking swimming costume on. if only i could see the real life version!x

TEAR SHEET TUESDAY :: 003

a rather lazy gathering of tears here
(from august 2008 red magazine)

but how great are these fabrics?
sadly they are all way out of my budget. celia birtwell candy flower in betty blue above is £85 per metre!

but i am very much inspired by the colours and the whole greek setting of the photos. all on my mind right now as me and my mum have been working on a wall hanging commission based on the bride and groom's home in hydra for a wedding gift...back tomorrow with a couple of pictures from the finished piece.

GOOD GOOD PEOPLE

i baked you a brownie!

it's to say a heartfelt thank you for the good luck wishes and lovely words left following the last post. each and every one gives me an extra boost which helps heaps right now.

week one of waiting has been fine. i've spent time with my mum on a new commission (more of that to be shown soon) and indeed she looked after me and ciaran for the top part of the week which was brilliant! lovely dinners...watching films...a foot massage...just having you around made me feel calm and collected mum : )

we also made the most of a few days off together once it was just the 2 of us and took a couple of gentle day trips out. a picnic at the seaside...a punt on the river cam...ice creams aplenty and afternoon naps. relaxing and keeping the happy feelings flowing!

and to top it all off i have been the recipient of the best kind of mail lately...suprise goodies!

when a man in a van brought flowers to my doorstep i thought these have got to be for a neighbour...but these pretty freesias in all colours were for me and make me smile each time i look at them. lynsey you are such a precious friend to me!

and a squidgy jiffy bag of delights also dropped through the letterbox to brighten my morning..ok are you ready to see a very cute bunny rabbit?

she is handmade by lynn...one of my best blogging buddies from the early days. lynn has shared so much with me over the last few years since we "met"...from the best and easiest cake recipe to a thrifted cardigan. we email on random subjects...anything from woodburning stoves to tv crushes. and now i have a gorgeous new softy who i'm keeping close. i'm thinking of her as my lucky mascot : )

under the label of florence hope lynn works on the most gorgeous things along with lovely stella who made this bag especially for me. isn't it sweet? it is beautifully sewn...the perfect shape for summer days and even better i think there are more bags on the horizon so i'm keeping an eye on their shop.

lined in my favourite green!

so things have to kind of get back to normal here tomorrow. we both head back to the day jobs. carry on waiting. some new projects. birthday cards to make. catching up with emails. ironing. and all the while keep positive!!

WAITING

keep calm and carry on...

i believe that's the appropriate mantra.

friday saw us making a dash to our 2 remaining embryos. the day before 7 had been taken out of the deep freeze. i remember on wednesday evening me and c had talked about what was around the corner. wondering how things were going in the place where the white-coated-people are. thawing the embryos we made in april...how crazy-amazing is that? and we both felt quietly optimistic. so the next morning a phone call from the clinic took us by suprise. 3 hadn't survived the defrost and another 2 had gone overnight. it was a case of drop everything and go. it seemed the best bet was to get the transfer done straight away whilst we still had 2 good embryos...and so that's what we did.

and now we're home. and i'm not quite sure what to think. it's a bit like...did that all really happen yesterday?

today i've been to see my acupuncturist which made me feel a hundred times better. i lay there with the sunshine on my head. needles in my ears. and her soothing voice making me feel centred again.

putting the feet up and taking it easy now whilst we wait. bosco has gotten the laid-back-bug too. ciaran has kept me smiling. and my mum is coming to cook us a sunday dinner tomorrow. having her around will keep me positive. oh and the comfort of a roast potato...that's got to help!

TEAR SHEET TUESDAY :: 002

i can see this becoming a regular feature...so many magazines to wade through in my house! today i'm feeling the love for these 4. some i can pinpoint the origin...some i can't. like the chrysanthemum which i don't think i've ever seen in that colour in real life. (actually i believe this may have come from a martha stewart living...i just found some other tears that look like they follow this page)

the fashion image is from a v old british elle. i can tell by the type layout. probably late nineties. oh yes. i am a self confessed magazine-geek when it comes to these things! right now i'd love to be that girl on the beach.

i'll have a guess on these. plates from vogue...obviously torn out in an "i heart green" moment. i'll never shake off my love for that colour. and lastly to image 4 which i have deduced comes from an ancient living etc or maybe a good homes. taken for keeps as i made a pact with myself to one day live in a house with a bathroom painted that very colour...soaking in the tub as i admire the prettiest dress hanging on the door. oh to dream!

please feel free to join in by the way. and to dear shari who asked how i store all these sheets...currently in very haphazard fashion! i'm hoping to move them from boxes and bags in to beautifully catalogued folders. yeah right. i should probably get round to putting my wedding photos in to an album first! but one day i will store these properly and you never know maybe someone in years to come might love them as much as i do?

BIRTHDAY GIRL

happy birthday marian!
xxx

TEAR SHEET TUESDAY

an image hoarder. that's me. can't shake it off but i'm trying to edit my reams of magazine tear-outs from many many years. some can go but some i need to keep.

my selection process? if upon looking at said page makes me smile...it stays! these 2 have made the cut today. i think the top one is from country living. the pink pool? no idea but it sort of sums up the kind of summer we have here this week in my part of england.

A SUMMER SKIRT

the £1 thrift skirt got a little makeover with a linen add-on hem + a vintage lace trim...now i just need some tanned legs to wear it!

i couldn't resist these pretty doilies.

and to round off my old-english town visit i bought two pairs of floral curtains which are wonderfully soft. a little faded along the edges but i'm thinking they may have a new life as cushion covers...patchwork pieces...even another summer skirt? you know i love my curtain-tablecloth skirts!

THE CAT ATE MY HOMEWORK

naughty naughty. i do believe i said i'd write a post yesterday about my charity shop finds...

hmmm...i got a little sidetracked by the day job + lunchtime sunshine + evening tennis! if i was back at school i'd probably have to use bosco for my late-homework excuse!

and today? well i took myself off for tea + croissant with a lovely friend to see her wedding photos + crazy honeymoon bungee dvd. so i'm not quite finished with one of my thrift projects...can i postpone 'til tomorrow please?

signing off now for a chilled out friday evening. it is a beautifully sunny one here. burning some may chang + geranium oils. waiting for c to get home...union bar nuts to eat with a little drink before supper. have you tried them? so easy to prepare + extremely moreish!

wishing you lovely readers in america a very happy 4th of july + wishing everyone who stops by here a very happy weekend ahead. xxx

DAD'S TOWN

i made a trip over to see my granddad g this morning. we had a cup of tea and a chat...talking about everything from cooking duck to servicing volvos! then instead of rushing off home i took a stroll round the town. this is where my dad was born and bred. somehow today i saw it with fresh eyes. it's gearing up for a festival at the weekend so there are a lot of flowers around...the shops are making a special effort with hanging baskets + dressed windows.

the town itself is pretty tired in places. old-fashioned but not trendy-old-fashioned if you know what i mean. but in taking a bit of time to look closely today i was pleasantly suprised at what i found. really beautiful tones. market town quirks. reach for the roof hollyhocks. colours that shout-out vintage england. i liked it a lot. especially the sweet floral fabric banner that stretched across the garage forecourt!

i also found a new charity shop to rummage in! some worthy finds made their way home with me...went straight in the washing machine and are blowing on the line right now. back here for a show + tell tomorrow!