Snow and an offer.

What an a very un-Cornish weekend it's been: we woke to a scene of snow on Saturday which looked so beautiful in the bright sunshine and then were snowed in yesterday as more fell, billowing over the landscape and turning our steep hill into an icy impassable skid bowl. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures!

So, no school, no post bring my much needed box of notebooks and envelopes and labels and definitely no getting orders to the post office.



Instead Isabella and Daddy steamed the Christmas puddings they had made at the weekend



Lucy and Elias played - trains followed by Tarot with Daddy to the sound of Edith Piaf floating on the air



and as for me? Well, I sewed of course! Thank you by the way to everyone who entered my giveaway and well done to the winners. For the rest who may be interested, I have put a special offer in place for the Dove and Mistletoe Christmas Hearts. They are now available for £14.00 each or £23.00 for a set of two until Monday 6th December.

In the meantime, the sun looks set to shine here so it's back to normal routines...sigh.



Have a good day x

Sewing and Knitting and Mud.

I think I have been revelling so much in the festive feel racing through blogland that I had sort of missed the fact that the Big Day is actually also racing, ever closer, ever faster. Lucy has just informed me she has eight school days left. EIGHT SCHOOL DAYS!!!! How did I miss that? Of course, there are weekends in amongst it all, but even so. Ah well, I have thoroughly enjoyed my perusing of everyone's wonderful Christmas makes, decorations and feeling of good cheer, so thank you one and all. Now, on to my own little blog and here's today's Christmas Mug Shot




Now, I did promise some crafting. You may remember I had put myself firmly back in the world of sock knitting only to find I didn't like the wool I was using? Well, its garish tones are growing on me as the sock itself moves along. It certainly isn't something I would choose, but I guess it will be good to wear something different by the fireside as I snuggle down for the evenings. This change of mood was much helped along by Mr Davy who announced that he would be happy to wear them if I made a larger - much larger - pair. Lor', the very thought of knitting such long socks again made them seem beautiful to mine eyes. Not sure I could stomach the sight of them on his mannish feet either!



This wonderful piece of pink knitting is my dear Lucy's own. She has been knitting now for a couple of years and has moved on so much just lately in terms of progress. Her tension is becoming better than mine - afraid I am affected by mood and knit furiously when holding an imaginary conversation with someone or there is some action film playing in the background, particularly if we are watching a psychological thriller. The needles fly and although mistakes are fortunately rarely made it does mean the tension varies with the plot! Lucy is the image of calm and can now even work out how to correct some of the mistakes she makes. not bad for an eleven year old is it? (Dave take note, and stop asking me to pick up your dropped stitches please!).



Today's orders waiting for finishing and packaging include some of these Little House Notebooks



and a couple of these Butterfly Bags, one in each colourway which makes for a lovely bit of variety on this dullest of days.



So much rain is falling outside that a cheery boat picture is just not possible today, so I will settle for one of the nuddiness that is Mylor Creek; so beautiful when the tide is out, but Saturday wasn't playing fair with me and the rain, grey skies and gloopiness of the mud made me ever-thankful for the cosy house waiting for me.



Now I am off for a blog catch up with my mug of coffee before starting the real work of the day.



Have a happy Monday x

A Christmassy Ramble.

Such a beautiful day today with sunshine and crisp breezes. Isabella and I have just returned from a treat of a shared hot cholcolate in Thorntons; a rare treat, but one made all the more special for the scarcity. Her little face was so excited. I swear she radiated happiness and it was returned by the other shoppers smiling at her chocolatey face. back at home a few things have continued to make me smile such as these dried apple rings piled high in a flowery jug. They will be gracing a door wreath any day now, but for the moment I just love the sight of them in our kitchen.



Waiting on the worktop is my most favourite Christmas mug, a present from Mr Davey a couple of Christmasses ago. No doubt you recognise it as a Caroline Zoob design. She is someone whose delicate embroidery I admire hugely and I covet one of her beautiful pictures. Of course, I also aspire to be as good as her in my own embroidery work and should any potters out there wish me to design a range for them I would not be too slow in saying yes!



Ho hum... well, on to decorations. I love handmade - obviously - but am also lucky enough to own one or two exquisite baubles thanks to my dear dave. This fragile beauty has been gracing our tree for a number of years now and is made of the finest glass painted with the sweetest circus scene. So fine is it that the light shines trhough turning the colours into glowing jewels



much like the stained glass orange slices dried earlier this week - have you done yours yet? Bossy again, eh.



Let's mix things up a little as a change from the festive scene. I think I may have mentioned how much I love to cook and so here's a recipe I would like to share. No need to be precise about measurements. Just take a mound of peelings - potato, sqush, leek for example. Add some chunks of said squash, some left over apple pieces, pumpkin seeds,porridge oats and anything else you would normally add to your compost bin; add some water and cook gently till slightly softened.



Blitz with a blitzer (!) and ta da, you have a meal fit for...ducks and hens obviously. What else were you thinking?



Ok, intermission over and it's back to Christmas with a tree made by Davey who makes a new decoration every year or two depending on how the mood takes him. I love this one with its touch of hand embroidery and tweedy squishyness.



And of course, the best of all are the ones made by your chldren aren't they? This is the angel made by my eldest son Tom almost 22 years ago when he was five - and for those of you trying to do the maths, there is almost 24 years between Tom and our youngest, Isabella. Come to that, there is four and a half years between Tom and Lauren, seven between Tom and Sam, fourteen between Tom and Lucy (eight between Sam and Lucy) and as I said, 24 between Tom and Isabella (eight between Lucy and Isabella). Add to that Dave's two gorgeous children Matty and Elias (we hate the word step-children as it suggests you are distanced from them and I most certainly am not!) and you can see maths comes hard in this house! Anyhoo, back to Tom's angel fondly known as the 'Angle' Gadriel - and yes, the 'Angle' is intended!



Back out with the Christmas cookery books and first up is Elizabeth David's classic which, though I love her writing, I do wish there were more pictures to complete the scene she sets so evocatively.



Well, I think I have rambled quite enough for one day, so will leave you to enjoy yours with a picture of the magnolia stellata buds which are forming their furry bud coverings quite nicely and reminding us that spring is not so very far away. Back next time with some more crafting, some more decorations and possibly some more christmas china too. I can feel the anticipation!



Bye for now x

A Bit of Food and Chat.

Goodness, wasn't that a stormy weekend? We had the works: rain, winds and sunshine too. Today is yet another wet day with skies so dark that the photos I took from Pendennis Point this morning have a strange quality, almost like paintings captured behind the glass of a frame rather than that of a lens.



I quite like the effect, though the murkiness of this one showing the need for St
Anthony's Lighthouse to gleam dully through the sheet rain gives some idea of how wild it is out there.



Despite the weather the weekend was busy with friends visiting and endless cups of tea being served. Isabella anounced she wanted to make a cake and we chose carrot as there seemed to be rather a copious amount of the orangey roots lurking about. She weighed and grated and mixed so well, I am beginning to think this little three year old has a natural knack for cooking, though maybe I am leaping ahead somewhat.



Her apron is so worn out now that an idea for a Christmas present of a cookery set consisting of cutters, tiny wooden spoon and measuring spoons - she loves using these - all wrapped together in a brand new apron, made by her Mama of course, came to mind. I made both Lucy and Isabella's original aprons about two or three Christmasses ago and am so pleased they have almost disintegrated from overuse!



In the meantime, Mr Davey made the Christmas Pudding on stir-up Sunday. We both like to do this and so take it in turns; this year was Dave's and he worked to his own recipe for a gorgeous, rich and boozily moist Figgy Pudding made with our own figs preserved in sugar earlier this year.



We phoned all the children who weren't here so that they could make their wishes while we phoned (though we are still trying to get hold of one of the seven!).



Golly, this is a food-heavy post (just for a change), but food is something very important to us as a family. The chance to cook together or chat around the table is something Dave and I really enjoy, always eating with the children unless there really is something that stops it. I hope this will pass on to the youngest three the nurturing side of sharing food and they will have the same fond memories of these mealtimes that the older children have, often coming out with funny stories of things that happened long, long ago now at meals which have long passed into the realms of time. I know it sounds cliched to say, but surely that is what it's all about, this often hard, often exhausting and frequently worrying thing of being a parent? Well, that's what I think anyway, though don't quote me when tiredness turns me into a screeching harridan of course! Note those shadows under my bleary eyes in the picture below...says it all I think, don't you!



On that note I must be off to work and stop frittering the time away. Bit tired and unfocused, but sure it will all come together int he end. I will leave you with a final boat picture



or two and an apology for my haphazard rambling of today.



Have a good Monday x

Christmas Emporium!

Forgive me if it is a little too early for you to be thinking of Christmas - I do understand; after all, Hallowe'en and Bonfire night are barely behind us, but in the world of the small business and retail in particular I am really running late. Still, not to worry. If it is all too much just click away to a more autumnal blog and return another day, but if you are ready to think of all things festive...well, here we go. ( Grab a coffee - it's a long one!).



A suitably Christmassy picture to start us off at the top followed by a Holly & the Ivy Christmas Stocking. This is big enough to hold plenty of goodies and made from a soft linen/cotton fabric. Fennie, please note Lucy's Babbit modelling for me - He gets in on everything!



a little close up of the hand embroidered detailing - holly leaves, berries and silver starts.



I have focussed on holly leaves and scarlet berries for much of my range this year as I love the simplicity of this most traditional of motifs. Some items, the stocking being one such, also have delicate silver thread tracing through the sprigs and silvery stars scattered throughout to catch the light and bring a little something extra to the whole. The theme continues with the Noel and Merry Christmas Hearts



The Noel Heart



and Merry Christmas, both featuring my hand embroidery.



Something a little different? What about a Noel Tea Cosy? I drink a lot of tea and seem to make endless cups over the festive season, what with older children home for the holidays and a steady stream of visitors. This cosy is inter-lined with a layer of wadding and lined in cheery ticking to keep your cuppa snug till the last drop.



I have scattered clusters of scarlet berries throughout this cosy as I love the cheeriness of them which is so in keeping with Christmas.



and finally, for now anyway, Dove and mistletoe Hearts



Elegant and simple



A touch more colour



Phew, well done all of you who are still here and thank you for looking through my Christmas emporium. I will be adding more no doubt as there are still some things in progress - some more gifts including something for little boys who I have sadly neglected thus far, and possibly a decoration or two to come.



Hope you enjoyed it and should the need grasp you to pop over to my website then any of the links will take you there as will the actual website link at the top of this page on the right hand side - or click here if it's easier. Lord, she does waffle on doesn't she?



Have a wonderful weekend. I'm off for a cuppa and a lie down! x

P.S. Hurrah for the end of the postal strike!

Views from the River Bank.

The tide was out and mud was present; thick, gloopy, squidgy river mud which for once had no particular smell. Penryn River Mud is somewhat renowned around here for that pungent pong of an ebbing tidal river. I, of course, quite like it.



Doesn't it make you want to stick you feet into it? Actually, now I think about it the river was flowing gently back in, not ebbing, the drift of the tide seeming not to move and yet rapidly setting the boats lined along the banks free from their muddy moorings.



I love the way boats tilt at almost impossible angles, waiting to come to life again like some sleeping ocean creature.



This houseboat fascinates me, though I have no idea why. I have walked along the bank where the path runs high above it many times and still am no wiser about it.



So pretty in all its guises: high or low tide, rain or sun, the river is just magical.



Well, that's me for today. Hopefully tomorrow will be a post about this and all things related



or maybe I have now guaranteed it won't happen just yet - curse my doubting heart. We'll see and in the meantime...

Have a lovely day x