On A Countdown

It has been a beautiful Autumn don't you think? I know we can all be guilty of having a good grumble and moan......  "oooo hasn't it turned cold", but it is a glorious sight for the eyes with its almost unnatural vibrant colours. I have however had a bit of a panic set in when I realised that there is one more payday before Father Christmas visits! My fabulous daughter, Emily Monkey Socks, installed a fabulous app on my phone (said with a dose of sarcasm) about 2 months ago, which kindly ticks down the days, hours, minutes and seconds till Christmas. I think we started off at 118 days. I hate to break it to you, but this is today's reading.......

It is my very favourite time of year. This year, I have vowed to buy from small independent businesses and to support the little man rather than the multimillionaire monopolies....so please leave me a link to websites if loveliness if you have any to recommend. I just purchased this beautiful brooch from Hens Teeth....

It is completely beautiful and I'd quite like to keep it for myself.

I've also purchased a couple of these from Tilly Designs

What have you been planning???

And something else that's been going on at Chez Josephine, is a spot more patchwork obsession of the wallpaper variety. Yep. Had to do another wall. Couldn't help it. I hit the bathroom because it's tiny and hopefully isn't too overwhelming.

I love this little chap who flies just above my toothbrush holder!

I also hit the inside of my rather rickety bathroom cupboard, nailed together by the previous occupant. This is a before.....

And this is the after....

I used paper napkins to cover the inside of the doors, and although I don't like the overlap effect, I much prefer it to the before. And that is it for any revamping pre-Santa. We decorated in December last year, and I'm still not fully recovered! 

Enjoy Autum lovely friends x

It Won't Fit The Kitchen Sink In.....

It seems like a bit of an age since I made it on here. Last week we were both off work for half term with the girls, and ended up having rather a roller coaster ride. Of course, I had planned one of those idyllic weeks that just never come to fruition. You know the kind.....where you imagine yourself with a bluebird on your shoulder whilst you bake a pie, with the sweet smell of fresh laundry lingering in your home, the sound of loving laughter from your children who are playing monopoly together, hot tea by a roaring fire.....get the idea? This did not happen. No. Man went fishing and dragged home lots of wet smelly fishing stuff, the girls are 11 and 15 and not speaking to each other, and the dog got ill, really really emergency surgery kind of ill. The Moo is absolutely fine thank goodness, and that is the most important thing. I didn't realise quite how much I loved her and all her muddy paw prints until I nearly lost her.

What I did achieve, was this.

I made an actual bag! 

I have wanted to try patchwork for forever! It looked a bit intricate, and like precision and patience was pretty important, and I was unsure just where to start. I met with my cousin and my sewing friend, and we talked it through.....

It ended up being not as scary as I thought, and so I went home, gathered up my favourite pieces of fabric, and I made a template.

I think the thing I found most difficult, was getting the fabric neatly folded around the paper templates. I'm sure that this would quickly become much easier with practise.

When my panel was complete, I started to contemplate what it should be. A cushion? Should I keep adding and try out a quilt? A bag? I wanted a small project really so that I could make my mistakes and learn my lessons, and not attempt something too big and get cross and out myself off. I settled on a bag, and spent a while admiring my tiny stitchery, and planning how I would line it, and working up to getting the sewing machine out.

I'm so SO pleased with ow it turned out, as needle and thread is not in my comfort zone, and I didn't quite believe I'd manage anything as well as this as an impatient novice. So the sewing machine and I have started to get to know each other, and The Moo is fighting fit and back on doggy form....so all in all, a terrifically rollercoastery week!