Friday, April 26, 2013

acting like a granny

when i was younger, well quite a bit younger, being called a "granny" was the ultimate insult. it meant you were poking your nose into things you had no business poking your nose into! secretly i've always rather liked grannies, even the scary ones in fairy tales, and i especially like all the stuff they have crammed into their  homes.


granny china


my own grannies always had nick knacks on display, colourful blankets and highly coloured paintings in ornate frames. their homes smelt of potatoes cooking on a kerosene stove, wood polish and coffee, such a comforting blend to all the kids. even the whiff of an old book can transport me back there now.



granny painting


all this nostalgia goes some way to explaining my love of second hand shops. i can always find some granny goodness there like the dinner set and the painting, and like all grannies i love to save a few pennies while i'm shopping!



the honorary granny - dottie angel


the next best thing to finding original granny gear, is creating it yourself. i love nothing more than making piles of crocheted blankets, hand knitted jumpers and bags to stuff all those projects into. strangely though, all this activity never seems to reduce the yarn stash, another granny habit i'm happy to adopt...



granny string bag

Saturday, April 20, 2013

there and back again

it's been very quiet on this blog for a while, but it's true to say that our lives have been anything but. although we have been busy trying out new crafty stuff, learning a new career, dealing with kids and actually making things, the will to share all of it with others hasn't been there.

our beautiful Mum passed away on the 12th of March, loving and calm to the end, and there's a huge hole in our lives that can't be filled. even though we know she's no longer in pain and in a much better place, we miss her enthusiasm for life, how she cheered us on in everything we did no matter how insignificant.


a happy young Mum

she taught us all how to knit, sew and crochet and was a keen gardener, but what was most important to her was to be a Mum, a homemaker and a wife. this blog would never have happened if it wasn't for her encouragement, so it seems right to continue on, and we have some big plans. expect to see some changes and, all going well, a little Etsy shop to get a small piece of excellence!