Knitted Crown

My youngest daughter loves wearing crowns. Let me give you an example......The last week of school, before they finished for the holidays, she wore one into her class EVERY day. 

However, we do have the problem that homemade card crowns just aren't up to the job of staying together for more than a few days. So this week I knitted her a crown adapted from another pattern. Apparently its very soft and comfortable. (I do insist she takes it off at bedtime though)

Socks for Henry

My lovely cousin Jenny gave birth to a gorgeous little boy named Henry a few weeks ago. So I got knitting this week and made a pair of socks and a little hat for him. It only took one ball of Rainbow wool and I was really pleased with the result. Hope Henry likes them.

Les Vacances

Holiday time here in France which means two weeks off school! I've been trying to keep the two oldest monkeys busy and this week we had friends over for some mask making and general good fun. Of course it also involved a few cakes here and there and a few homemade chocolate lollies which were a big hit.

One week down, one to go - Phew! Next week I'm going to try and teach the girls how to make friendship bracelets. Sounds good. Back soon!

First Food Swap in France

So we are up and running as the first food swap in France. Yay! Come and like our Facebook page here and find us on the Food Swap Network here. It's a brilliant idea to swap surplus produce and I really hope we can get a good group started. Watch this space for details of the first event and if you have any ideas please leave a comment. Thanks!

Out with the old......

...and in with the new. I recently sold a whole bundle of clothes on eBay. This not only made space in my wardrobe but raised some valuable funds and allowed me to buy a selection of fat quarters.

I have some plans for this bundle and it begins with these lovely goodies from the store M is for Make.

 Whilst drooling over new fabrics I have found time to bake a Caraway Seed Cake......

Oh, and I made a few candles with natural beeswax yesterday too. I've been waiting until I had enough of these pretty tins to make a nice set of candles and here they are. Really simple and pretty cool huh?

Sunshine & Daisies

It's been a beautiful few days here in the Charente Maritime. Sunshine, blue skies and the kids have been outside in t-shirts (in February!). Joy. Here are a few photos I took this morning.

Because of the sunshine the grass is now dotted with daisies so we picked a few......

and inspired by The Edible Flower Shop made some daisy petal cupcakes.

The petals could have been a little neater - they were a bit fiddly for the kids but they seemed to enjoy the challenge !

Rainbow Club:February

February's Rainbow Club arrived in the post this morning and it didn't disappoint. Check it out.....

I was expecting a totally different colour, perhaps a green or orange, but the 'Dulverton' colourway is wonderful. Can't wait to get started on the next section. It's so exciting not knowing what's coming next....

Its been a beautiful day here today. All blue skies, sunshine and warm. The kids have played outside for the WHOLE day including at least 2 hours making a home for a caterpillar that they found. Its half term here for two weeks so I will need to find more caterpillars to keep them busy. Beats being stuck inside.

Back in the kitchen I made another batch of carrot cakes. This time I added a chocolate carrot which was a big hit with everyone. One things for sure they won't last long.

Love is sweet....

Just a cute little Valentine's parcel I made for the kids (oh ok and one for Mr Llewellyn too). Filled with sweeties, hair clips (not for him) and goodies and waiting for them when they return home from school. I love those monkeys....

On my needles.....

 One of my Rainbow socks is finished and here it is......

I've started the other one and its on my needles. The wool is Knit Picks Felici in Rainbow. Its awesome..... and I am getting my sock mojo back thanks to inspiration from Jane.

My other project, from The Rainbow Club (I know, there's a theme developing....) is also coming along nicely. I'm knitting a moss stitch blanket and each month they will send me another skein of wool. One down, eleven to go.

We've all eaten too many pancakes too!

Arc en Ciel

Spotted this from the window at the weekend......rainbows just rock, don't they?

Back in the kitchen we ate Cranberry & Raspberry Scones and I finished one knitted sock (photo coming soon). Sometimes simple is best.

Knitted Hearts

There's still time to knit up a few of these of your loved one this coming Valentine's Day. The pattern is free and you will find it here. For the last couple of years I have made these for my husband. Stuffed with lavender they are brilliant for popping into clothes or sock drawers to keep them smelling fresh.