OOOOOPH ....

I'M MELTING ....
BOY IS IT HOT TODAY !!!!

Archie has spent the day at the vets ... foreign body up schnozzle, AGAIN, possibly bee stinger, possibly the bee itself. (serves it right for getting in the way, mind you nothing stands much chance when a Springer is on the hunt, nose to ground, sniffing all and sundry).

I'll have to stuff his nose with corks from now on, stop him hoovering up crap and costing us excess on the insurance. They'll be putting up our premium soon :(

Bless im, couldn't stop sneezing, and not just little polite sneezes either ~ Ruddy great, shuddering, oomphing sneezes. Poor little lad didn't know what to do with himself. He'll be getting his own suite at the vets soon I reckon :)

Summer Ball and a Posh Frock ...

(And this was at the very beginning of the evening)

Boo's school held a parent Summer Ball at the weekend and Mr Boo & I decided we'd go as we are very sad and don't get out very much !
The company was great and the evening was such a laugh, we were so glad we went.

(A little black Monsoon number)

I'm not one for dressing up, I'm usually to be found in jeans and wellies or my Fitflops or crocs. We went to Royal Ascot the week before so to get all dolled up twice in such a short period of time was quite a shock to the old system. But y'know what ? I really quite enjoyed the whole pallava.
I bought a new Lancome foundation which must have worked as my friend kept saying how young I looked. I even bought some 'Smokey Eyes' Benefit make-up ... Ooh La La as my friend Edyta would say.


Can you see Mr Boo's reflection in my eye ?


Having a real laugh during dinner. Mr Edyta was very, very naughty and had me in fits on more than one occasion. In fact all 'the boys' were very naughty as I seem to remember a wager which contained the words 'Knickers' and 'Not'. Hmmmm .......... detention boys !

This is Edyta, we always say she'd look good in a black bin liner. How glam eh ? She could wear something from the cheapest of cheapest shops and still look like she's walked out of Chanel.
We hate her ! (only joking)


Mr Boo, who incidentally is the real James Bond. Scrubs up well eh ?


And this my dear friends is how not to attempt to sew. A 12kg Springer Spaniel sat on your lap is probably not very sensible but he just wanted to come in and have a cuddle and share his smelly old knotty with me.
He doesn't like to be far away from me ~ I call him my little shadow.

Well, only 5 days left to Handm@de Winchester, Aghhhhhhhh. Panicking me ? Nah .... Gulp !!!!!

Ballerina's and Busy'ness ...

Hello everyone !
I'm sorry I have been quiet on the blogging front but I do have good reason, honest. I have been really busy with commissions and also preparing for Handm@de Winchester which is only 2 weeks away now ... Yikes !

I wanted to share Boo in all her pontification ready for her first dress rehearsal for the show on Saturday because in my own biast opinion I think she looks absolutely beautiful. I had to put her hair in a bun, OH MY GOD ! But, for a first attempt, hairnet and all, I don't think I did a bad job ?
We had to add a bit of lippy and some rouge because apparently the bright lights on the stage will drain their little faces. I hate make-up on children but I understand why on this occasion.
Fortunately Boo has the most amazing long dark eyelashes so the mascara stayed in the make-up bag !


This little lady will be winging her way to Winchester to hopefully find a new home. I think this one is my most favourite version to date, I love the dotty floral fabric, so old fashioned & nostalgic ~ it reminded me of one of my Nans skirts from way back.


And these three funky mutts are more of my dog lead hangers about to join the existing pack that are sat on my dining table ...
These three are a bit more bright and funky than my previous examples, more for the girly dog owners out there ...


And this gorgeously soft heart started life as my cashmere jumper but it shrunk slightly (or I got stretched slightly ... nope, that's not right, I've lost 10lbs on Slimming World :).
So, I've made use of it and have made some appliqued stuffed 'thingy me bobs'.


Leading on from the 'Pirate' boy themed textile picture I recently made, I wanted to make something else aimed at little boys. A 'brmm, brmm' car in a fabaroony blue gingham with wool felt detail.



And this, my dear friends, is Archie's creative contribution !!!!!!

It WAS Boo's bicycle helmet. She'd left it on the lawn and of course the temptation was just too great. I was stitching away and just happened to look out of the window only to witness Archibald romping around the garden with the remains of the helmet in his mouth.

He was having a jolly old time out there, tail held high, bouncing about. The grey chewed wooley thing inside the helmet was 'Once' a woolen pompom ~ stolen by my mutt out of a basket in my studio. Yep, that got the 'chomping' treatment too.

He's a little monkey. Mr Boo on the other hand wasn't quite so generous in the name calling.

A Lovely Weekend !

Class of May/ June 2009 .....


Archie at 12 weeks, after several RSPCA foster homes he finally settled with us. Lucky, lucky us !


Archie at 9 months old, and look at him now. Proud as punch displaying his rosette for passing his Grade One Gundog Test. OK, so he hasn't got a clue what he's done, it's all a bit of a game to him but I am very proud of my little man.
We had a 100% group pass rate with some very high individual scores so a huge thank-you to our trainer Alan and his wife Sue for all their help, advice and support.

Archie really is the best family dog and he enjoys his training too so on we go ....

The first photo is of our training group (in no particular order) ~ Archie, Jess (Archie took a particular fancy to this little lady), Ollie, Purdey, Alfie and Meg.

I'd like to say thank-you to a fantastic bunch of ladies, supportive, friendly, fun and very talented !!!!


Back to family life and Boo and Moo having fun in the garden. Moo was staying for a sleepover in readiness for the girls ballet show dress rehearsal the following day. Poor Boo has inherited her mummy's ginormous shoulders (sorry sweetheart),but they do come in handy, Boo is a very good swimmer. I wish I had a squidgy bot bot, I might fill me jeans out a bit better ...


She's even got her goggles on ready. All very necessary when the paddling pool had all of, Ooh, about 4" of warm water in it.


Ah, that's better ...
Photo's of the ballet rehearsal to follow in a day or so. The girls looked truly gorgeous !

Something for the boys ... and a little girliness

Ah Hah Me Hearties ...

A recent commission, quite different from my normal girliness but quite lovely I thought ? I really enjoyed making this textile picture and the Pirate theme was a new one on me.
When Mr Boo saw it finished he looked at me with a slightly squonky look as if to say 'Shit, how can I tell her she's spelt Pirates wrong'.
I played a long for a bit as I knew what he was thinking ...
Then I said "What? What's wrong" ...

Eventually, I put him out of his misery and said "It's OK, it was intentional. They are child pirates don't ya know. And they can't spell !"

"Phew ! I know what you are like" he said.

It's made from cottons and 100% wool felt and is lightly wadded for a bit of 'Oomph'.

Back to the girliness, I've been making headbands this week. Mainly for the Handm@de Winchester event on 5th July but I've already got a couple of orders for birthday presi's.
This little number is a Cath Kidson fabric.

Boo has picked out the most unflattering of fabrics for her own headband ... I may have to hide it and present her with some alternative prettier Amy Butler choices.
Hmmm .... but will I get away with it ?


Boo trying out the longevity and robustness of the headbands ... Not doing too bad after a bit of gymnastics.


Still OK after a bit of disco dancing ...

A bit more Saturday Night Fever ...


More prancing around in the garden when she should be in bed ...


The hair will be coming off after her ballet show (she has to have a bun, yikes !) ... Boo wants a bob. I'm not so sure though. Better for the summer and our hol in Cyprus I suppose. No more Weetabix stuck in it. No more hassle at hair brushing time. I'm coming round to the idea.


Right madam, bed !

Gundog Test tomorrow ... Agh ..........................

Where can I find ....

The time to fit everything in ?

Oh to be this age and not have a care eh ? Imagine the only thing you have to worry about was who was coming to play or who's house you were going to for tea. Innocent simplicity ....
Here's Moo & Boo having a "Who can achieve the widest, cheesiest grin" competition !

A close run thing I reckon.

It's such a cheery picture, just the ticket to give me a boost.

This week has/ will be completely mental. Firstly, hubby won't be around much, I have commissions to complete, I'm trying to make stock for Handm@de Winchester on July 5th, searching for a Royal Ascot dress, ballet show dress rehearsals, birthday theatre trip, and children's birthday parties to name but a few goings on.

And then there is little fella ...


He's such a rufty tufty gundog eh ? He just loves his cuddles and will flop all over you just to be close. So, why is he taking up a lot of time ? Well, we have our Grade 1 Gundog test on Saturday and so training has been stepped up a tiny bit this week.
It's weird because after completely losing the will in previous weeks, the penny has finally dropped a little bit and he's doing really well. We are honing our heelwork, increasing our time and distance on the 'sit & wait' ~ both disciplines are very difficult for an uber busy little Springer man !

His retrieving is amazing but the return is a bit hit & miss as he prefers to run around the field, dummy in gob, head and tail held high, showing off to all who will look, saying "look at me, what a clever boy I am".

My whistle is going mad trying to recall him into me and he does eventually come but it's not quick enough young man ! Still, we won't fail on the delivery so it's not a problem.
A pass is definitely possible but it all depends on Archie's mood on the day, whether it's windy ~ if it is, we are buggered. Wind and concentration do not go together in Archie's book.

Still, it's only the first rung of his formal training so we have a long way to go. He enjoys it and it's the perfect way to channel his natural instincts.


This handsome fellow is one of Archie Gt Gt Gt Gt Grandparents, Badgercourt Druid. He was a brilliant working dog and a Field Trial Champion. He didn't get all those cups and trophies for eating toffees ...

Archie has his completely Liver coloured head and I think he looks just like him. Druid sired my uncles working Springers and they were exceptional dogs too. So, if young Archie has just a tincy, wincy bit of the Badgercourt Druid genes, I think we'll do just OK.

Right, well I'm off for our morning training session. It's raining, it's miserable, it's chilly, I'm stressing about getting my work done but I'm determined not to be able to say to myself ...
"I could have done more"

Come on then Archie, wake up, get yer wellies on, we have a date with a cold and wet field.

Tippy Toeing Through The Daisies ...

Say hello to Daisy, my latest textile picture which has been in the pipeline for a bit ...
I eventually got her finished today and whizzed her outside in the sunshine to get a decent photo before the clouds descended.


I've been working really hard on my website and have revamped it completely. I'll be adding new products as they are finished but if you want to take a peep ...

Archie and I went out for our 2nd training session of the day this evening and all was going quite well until .....
Bunnies. Fluffy Bunnies. Lots of Fluffy Bunnies. Scurrying Fluffy Bunnies. Scattering Fluffy Bunnies. Fluffy Bunnies with Fluffy white tails.
Archie was off. Nose to the ground. Back Legs overtaking the front legs. Tail going round like a windmill on acid !
The whistle was completely ineffective so I just waited until he'd finished his round up. He'll never tank off and disappear into the distance BUT he's brave enough to ignore me up to about 100ft away. The little munchkin !

When he'd decided he'd done enough to scare all those pesky bunnies, he came back to me. he didn't get a telling off, pointless after the event, so we just sat in the middle of the field and had a cuddle, a scratch, a tummy rub and a bit of a chat. In the serious world of Gundog training you are not supposed to chat to your dog.

However, Archie and I are often found to be putting the world to rights. He has a pretty simplistic view on life which is very endearing. It goes something like this ...

Wake up, have a wee and a poo, have a cuddle and a chat, do a bit of training, come home, have a fart and go back to sleep, wake up and have lunch, have a stretch and another wee and/ or poo, tank around the garden for a bit with a bucket on his head, come in and have another cuddle and a chat, drag all the bits of thread and fabric cuttings from my bin, fart a bit, have another cuddle and chat, go back to sleep, wake up, go out for another training session, come home, have tea, have another wee and/ or poo, fart a bit more, drag more rubbish out of my bin, have another cuddle and chat ..... sleep !

There is rule attached to training dogs. Never, never, ever let your dog know your secret !
Can you guess what that secret is ?

Ssh .... 'listen very carefully, I will only say this once' ...
'You can never catch a dog in open countryside if it so chooses to bugger off '.

You may as well sit down, get the flask out (Vodka if you have a Springer, Tea for any other breed - Oh, apart from a Beagle ~ and then you may as well go home and just wait for him to return the following week), take in the birdies and sunshine, have a little sunbathe and wait ....

Blimey is that the time ? Must get off to my bed. At least it'll be warmed up for me. Move over Mr Boo .... xxx