Springtime/Easter swap

Sorry ladies, I really meant to compose a "button" (a little illustration for your blog) to go with this swap, but time hasn't been on my side.

Anyway, today's the day to find out who your swap partner is, if you click on their name it should take you to their website, so you can stalk them, find out who they are and what they like. I suggest you swap email addresses too, as you'll need their home address for posting your gift. I know that lots of us are struggling in the current economic climate, so if you and your partner would prefer to work to a budget I suggest you set that at the start.

Lets see if we can get our swaps in the post by Friday 15th March, and blog about them just before the Easter weekend, shall we?

So,  without further ado, here are the pairings:

Sue and Sara

Dawn and Simply Vintage

Kat and Lizzy

Hannah and MBags

Tracy and Kimberley

Ellie and Jean

Debi and Crafty in the Med

Jille and Joy

If, for any reason, you are unable to get in touch with your partner, or you no longer wish to participate, please contact me.

Good luck and Happy Swapping.

A month of starts . . .

. . . but as yet, nothing finished.

Eight seat covers

Ten placemats for the dining room, four for the kitchen

Something for the new baby grandchild, due in May

Some crochet motifs

although one of them was finished and used on a birthday card

Also started : some tomato seedlings

some lobelia seedlings

some sweet pea seedlings

and some garlic

This happy chappy was a visitor to the park last week

and this is how he looked yesterday, shattered.

Curtains

I had this set of curtains which I was intending to use in the new dining room

but unfortunately the wallpaper that we have chosen doesn't match, so I've bought some new fabric for that room instead

which left me with a nice pair of full-length (unfinished) curtains going spare. After a chat with GM, we decided to use one of them across the front door, which, although it's double glazed and entirely weather- and draft-proof, still looks a bit like a black hole at night. As he's in charge of curtain rails, hanging etc, I left the problem of how and where to put it to him, and this is what he came up with . . .

. . . not bad, eh?

I don't know if anyone else out there makes their own curtains, but if you do, how do you finish your bottom hems? I like to hand-stitch mine (except for the lining, which I'm quite happy to do by machine), but pinning the length is quite difficult, I used the bedroom floor.

 (yes, that's my foot on the left).

So that's one of the pair used, now where on earth can I put the other one?

New door

Just in case you didn't see, or cant remember, this is the old door from our soon-to-be dining room into the conservatory/greenhouse

Yesterday two chaps came, took out the old door and windows, and did a bit of wall demolishing

Here's what they ended up with . . .

. . . . a much larger aperture, into which they fitted

Its wonderful and we are delighted. Plasterers due in sometime next week, watch this space.

Green Day Friday, Hyachids and Orcinths, and a new door.

Its Friday, and once again the lovely Fiona at Raindrops and Daisies has posted a linky for us here for our Green Day Friday entries.

I'm very excited, because in about half an hour from now the men arrive with our new door to be fitted in the dining room, so hopefully I'll be able to "show and tell" tomorrow. Today, however, will be noisy and dusty.

Hope you have a lovely day, I understand the snow is all going to be washed away during the course of today, so thank goodness for that, and roll on spring.

Random bits and pieces

1) Springtime/Easter swap (see here)

One week left before the draw, so if you would like to join in, please either comment below or on the original post.

2) Seed swap club (see here)

I've had a little think about this, and for those of you who showed an interest, please email me joy at treetopsystems dot co dot uk so I can email you with my ideas, it would be interesting to have some feedback.

3) My other blog (see here)

This is a 365 with a difference, I'm doing (I hope) a photo a day and posting weekly, and would really appreciate a few more followers.

4) These, I promise, will be my final snow pictures

Just in case you haven't seen enough, here are a few more snowy pictures

From inside the conservatory

Market Day

Cassie running way

From inside the Studio

My little fig tree

GM and GT (Green Man and Ginger two) clearing the front paths

Broom, broom,

On Friday . . .

. . . . it snowed.

And it snowed.

And it snowed.

It was snowing when we woke up in the morning, and it didn't stop all day. Along with Gloucestershire and South Wales, we were the worst hit part of the country.

It looks nice though.

Dining room update

We are working on our dining room, see this post.
Progress so far:
Walls completely stripped of paint covered wallpaper and dado rails, skirting boards removed.

Fireplace opening filled in, and two power points relocated (one in alcove would have been inaccessible with furniture in front of it, and one on the party wall with the conservatory is in the wall to be partially demolished for door/window replacement).

Wallpaper chosen, 15 metres of fabric for curtains, seat covers, etc. purchased

Curtains and seat covers cut to size.

Replacement door/window booked for Friday 25th January, plasterers booked for week following, central heating engineer booked Saturday Feb 2nd to fit replacement radiator.

Another update next month.