When I was a little girl my Mum was a keen crafter. Dried flower arrangements, paint stencils and patchwork were the main things that went on in the house. Me and my brother both have a patchwork quilt each and I have a patchwork cushion as well. However as more siblings came along such things were replaced with painting, felt tip pens and ensuring none of us ran around with the scissors.

However my littlest sister is now 12 years old and able to be arty without assistance (although that didn't stop our brother helping her with glue and tissue today) and in the past year she has started to get back into patchwork sewing (and is currently learning to crochet). Both my sisters now have their own quilts, one was made as a Christmas present for my grandmother, another is being made for the living room, and at some point me and my brother have been told that new quilts will be made for us too (mine has gone all over the place, from my parents home to university and back again and now to Kew as well).

My cousin is currently at university and her walls are a bit bare, so my Mum made her a lovely patchwork wall-hanging.

Excuse the slight blurriness of the photo, it was taken with an iPad. As you can see, my Mum went with bright colours for this so it's a lovely, bright, cheerful quilt. The back is in the same dark pink and has my Mum's initials and the date embroidered in the corner. She did the edges in long strips of blue.

She alternated the thread used between royal blue, dark raspberry and a bright grass green so it shows up against the contrasting material (you can just see the green around the edge of the pink in this picture).

And for those of you wondering if we're an artistic family, my Dad dabbles in photography, my Little Brother is training to be a carpenter, Eldest Little Sister is a bit of a graphics/design fan and is a dab hand with a needle, and Youngest Little Sister is constantly doodling, painting and making things out of card and glue, and I write and also dabble in photography.

I think it's fair to say there's a bit of interest in crafts of all kinds in all of us XD

Have a good week everyone!

London Marathon

Last year, when I had only been living in London for a few weeks, I went to see the London Marathon with a bunch of people supporting the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Some of my readers may remember this charity from the sponsored walk I did back in August, for those that don't know the MNDA is my favourite charity and I do what I can to help out when possible.

Last weekend was the Marathon again and so I donned one of my MND Association t-shirts and headed to Limehouse in the docklands to cheer loudly for all the runners and then cheer extra loudly for the MNDA runners. I clapped so hard that my hands hurt on Monday, cheered so loudly that my throat was still sore on Monday, and the supporter group also had a DJ with them so I was still a little deaf on Monday as well. But it was well worth it and if any of the MNDA runners are reading this I want you to know I am in total awe of you. I can barely run 26 yards let alone 26 miles.

Hence also why this post is on a Tuesday instead of a Sunday, by the time I got back to my flat I was a bit too dazed to write anything.

The MND Association's colours are blue and orange, and so to celebrate my favourite charity and the amazing people that work for it, support it, and fundraise for it by running a marathon, I bring to you some blue and orange items!

Blue and Orange Wedding by JulianaWJewelry

ZigZag Lap Quilt by becauseimme

Feather Fascinator by MaddieLus

Blue and Orange Necklace by Karismabykarajewelry

Have a good week everyone!

Snuggle Time

Autumn is here, the clocks have gone back today so it’s getting dark early in the afternoon, and I keep finding myself feeling chilly during the day. And for some reason this in turn makes me feel a bit sleepy, possibly because I can’t help but want to snuggle down in bed and hibernate like animals do in the winter.

Summer Afternoon Quilt by CarleneWestberg

Obviously one needs a quilt to curl up under. Personally I prefer a nice thick duvet but patchwork quilts can give an extra layer that adds to the warmth.

 

 Sweet Candy Cushion Cover by lisaghove 

 

Cherry Blossom Linen Pillow by HomemakerMovement

You need a nice cushion or two to prop up your head. Actually you’d ideally need some pillows but I love both these cushions so I decided to pop them up on here instead.

And then of course you need something to cuddle while you’re napping.

Alexander Skarsgard

Hmm, very nice but I don’t think he can be called “cuddly”. At least not with the fangs he has in True Blood!

 Ben Barnes

Again, lovely and I’m sure he’s snuggable but it’s still not quite what I’m looking for.

Blue Steel Bear by clarebears

Ah, perfect! The best thing to cuddle while you sleep is something that doesn’t snore, move around in his sleep, or complain that you snore/fart/mumble while you’re asleep. Although sadly this lovely fella won’t make you a cup of tea when you wake up, but some sacrifices have to be made for comfort.

And finally I think it’s nap time! Have a nice week everyone! Now, where did I put Ben Barnes?