DAPHNE AND HER CROCHET

Good Morning to you,

When it comes to my home, I really am a creature of habit.

I am not influenced by the latest trends, because I have found my style and remain happy with it.

.... but every now and again I have a yen for a little change.... and this is one of those moments.

For a little while now, I have been toying with the idea of changing the colours in my conservatory. Nothing too drastic, just a different colour added here and there. Now this will really surprise my daughters, as when it comes to my home, they know I am resistant to change, but they also love the fact, that no matter where George and I live, our home has a familiar feel, with most things remaining the same. So the fact that I want to change something will make them smile.

.... and this thought of change, all started with,

this navy blue ball of wool,

which turned into a crocheted throw. Admittedly with the addition of many more balls of wool, but this was the very first ball of wool which led to the change.  

I had thought about buying a navy throw, but I felt I could save quite a bit of money by making one myself.... thrift is never far from my mind.

I crocheted a large square, so that it could  be folded and draped over the arm of the sofa, but still large enough to use during the winter time.

.... but the throw was a little plain so I decided to add a frill.  Only 1 frill mind, not 3 as I had done before.

.... but there was still something missing, the navy  blue needed lifting. You can probably tell that I am a visual person and  not a planner of projects.  This applies to anything I make. I tend to work on a piece and whilst working, I can see the direction I want to head in.  

I had 2 colours to choose from, should I lift the navy by using mustard or white wool?

I plumped for white wool. I don't think that is much of a surprise.  The minute I added the white, I knew I had made the right choice.

I am thrilled with how this throw is evolving.  I still have a little more to crochet in white, but that will not take me very long.  I just have to wait for this sultry weather to finish.

.... but I discovered a snag.... not a big one, just a cosmetic one.... the current cushions would not go with this new throw.

I had seen some lovely cushions in M&S, but I felt they were a little too pricey.  I also felt sure that I had some suitable material, so I looked through my material cupboard.... and there, I found 2 perfect pieces of material which would look lovely made into cushions.

This first piece of material, I had bought a few months ago, when I went with a friend to Fabric Land  and I loved the feathery design the minute I saw it. In actual fact I had other material in my hand, but that was returned to the shelves in favour of this feathery design.  I had intended using this blue for a quilt, but that has gone by the by, as a cushion will be its final destination.

This 2nd piece of material, I had intended making a pair of culottes.... yes I am a child of the 60s and I still love culottes.  I find them to be so comfortable and a change from wearing trousers.  I thought the culottes would look perfect in the summer worn with a white top.  But once again, that was not to be.

I love the contrast in the design.  There is a slight difference in the colour in this photograph, but actually they compliment each other very well.

The final thing I needed to complete the task, was some navy blue chord, which I discovered left over  from a previous project.... we crafters can usually find what we need, tucked away in our craft cupboards.

Now I wonder, as a contrast cushion, should I try white. No I don't think so, as the sofas are white and they would disappear into the sofa.

How about a bright pink.

What do you think?   

A step too far?

Probably.

Also I would have to try and convince George that bright pink would work with the blue. George's opinion is important, after all, he also lives in this house.

.... it doesn't matter how I wrap it up, somehow I don't think he will be convinced.

But what I do know is, he will love the new blue and white scheme.

I can't wait to finish the throw and the cushions. I will let you know how I get on at a later date.

Take good care of yourself and I will catch up with you next Saturday.

As Always,

ART WORK AROUND MY HOME

Good Morning to you,

Oh my, oh my.... this English weather of ours.

I had fully intended to update you on the progress we have made in our garden, but the weather interceded and I had to change my plans. The rain just keeps pouring from the sky and it seems to be never ending.

.... and on Monday we experienced some very strange weather.  At about 2.00 pm  an eerie haze appeared in the sky, it felt more like dusk than early afternoon. We watched for a while, thinking the haze would pass, but it stayed for an hour or more.  Later that evening we discovered the haze was due to sand from the Sahara Desert, travelling on the wind, mixed with debris from the dreadful fires raging in Portugal. It was certainly an odd thing to witness.

Although this is not the first time we have experienced this phenomenon, as a similar thing happened when we lived in Cyprus. During October, we would often wake to discover trees, shrubs and paths were covered in fine red dust and it was a devil to remove from the car, but interestingly the dust never effected the sky.

Then yesterday we endured the last throws of Hurricane Ophelia. I still went to my sewing group, but my goodness, it was difficult to walk, as the wind took my breath away.  Then today the rain has poured from the skies.  I was keeping my fingers crossed for a break in the weather, but it didn't appear.  So I had to have a re-think what I was going to do today.

I was sat on my settee, looking out at my garden, when the penny dropped.  I could not show you my garden, but I could show you the art work around my home.  It was the colours from the garden that gave me the inspiration.

Now art work is subjective.  You might love the pictures which hang on my walls, or you might not, but what I think you will agree is that our collection is very eclectic.

We are all very different when it comes to deciding what to hang on our walls. Some people, find that wallpaper provides the colour and interest they are looking for, whereas I  prefer adding pictures  and objet d'art, as each piece provides a memory of our years together. I can look at a piece and remember exactly where we were when it was bought.

Our art work is mostly inspired by our travels and sometimes from rummaging around junk shops. It is amazing what can be found. Sometimes the most perfect picture can be found in the most unexpected of places.... such as a charity shop. Maybe the frame is wrong, but the picture is perfect.  This can be easily remedied by replacing the frame to fit in with your decor. I genuinely never tire of each and every picture which hangs on our walls, each individual piece  is still loved, as much as it was the first moment it was brought into our home.  The pictures may change their placement, but to be honest that does not happen very often, once something has found its home, it tends to stay there.

For instance, I love hanging pictures in my kitchen, if there is a space, then it is filled. You can tell that I am not a minimalist. My current kitchen is not as large as my previous kitchen, but there is still plenty of wall space for me to cover,

and this vibrant Matisse print is perfectly placed in my new kitchen. I love this print because it reminds me of the days when we lived in Cyprus.  It really fills my heart with joy when I look at it, as the blue is the colour of the summer Mediterranean sky and the lemons remind me of when we grew our own lemons.  I remember the first time I made houmous (hummus), I picked the lemons from our tree, I squeezed them to release their juice, forgetting how juicy fresh Cypriot lemons were, yes you've guessed it,  I added far too much lemon juice and my houmous (hummus), well, it felt as if I was actually sucking on the lemon.

My new kitchen is an L shape kitchen, so I have plenty of space to enjoy these Cambodian dancers by Auguste Rodin. Whilst I  cook I can imagine the dancers swishing their sampots as they dance.

I love how they have been drawn, they are almost ethereal. As I love dancing around my kitchen these are the perfect prints to be hung on my kitchen wall.

This photograph makes me happy and sad at the same time.  If you have ever visited a Middle Eastern spice market, then you will know how vibrant the colours are, but there is a tinge of sadness to this photograph, because the market is almost empty, it makes me think of all the displaced families in the Middle East.  This should be a spice market which is filled with noise, with people busy buying their spices.

.... and in complete contrast, I did say I had an eclectic mix of pictures, are these two beauties,

which I bought in Italy. They are both hand painted and the frames are handmade in wood.   Because they were handmade, I love the thought that no two paintings are the same.  I adore the large frames because they make me feel as if I am looking through a window, actually, I would say I would be discreetly looking between the beautiful plants sitting on the windowsill.

Now this piece of art, you may love as I do, or you may dislike it, as members of my family do.  This was bought in New Dehli from a cooperative. Villagers would bring in their goods and the cooperative would sell them and make sure that each piece was priced fairly.  The brass has been hand beaten to create this beautiful design and I love the fact that the beauty of the brass is offset by the dark wood.

I loved visiting India, it is such a beautiful country with so much colour and vibrancy, but it is also a country with huge poverty levels. When I look at the picture it reminds me of the extreme poverty I witnessed and each day it reminds me to be thankful for the quality of my life.... it also reminds me to focus on what I have and not what I wish I had. 

Now these beautiful young ladies were bought on a visit to France.  I loved this print at first sight and knew exactly where I wanted to hang it.... but there was a problem.... there were two different prints which I loved as much as the other.  But as is always the way, money comes into the equation and I could not afford 2, so I had to choose which one to buy.  So after much consideration and a lot of mind changing, I chose these two lovely girls.

We brought the print home and the minute it was placed on the wall, we fell in love with it, all over again.

.... but I also had the perfect space for,

this beautiful girl who was left behind.  Now I was not the only one who loved these prints.... George did.  So a month or so later, George decided to go to France for a day trip,  in the hope that this young lady was still waiting for us.... and do you know she was still hung in the shop waiting to be bought.  It was destiny, she was meant to come and live with us.

.... and the final piece of work I want to show you is,

this 1960s inspired piece of applique and embroidery.... I absolutely love it.  I was a teenager during the late '60s and I vividly remember the use of oranges and golds.  In 1970 these colours were popular for the home as well as clothing. I remember having wallpaper with large orange and yellow flowers, I think this was the only time we had wallpaper on our walls. That was a feast for the eyes.... popular then, but nowadays I could not imagine living with such bright colours, although I do believe they are coming back into fashion.  Phyllis said when she visited our first home, the living room was so vibrant, it felt like she was visiting a discotheque.... do we even use such a word nowadays. 

.... and guess where I found it?

At a car boot sale a couple of years ago.  It was propped up against an old mangle.  Well of course the mangle caught my eye first, because I thought it would be the perfect garden ornament, but the vendor was asking far too much money for it. Which was a shame because George remembered, as a child, his grandmother using a mangle in their backyard and he had the same thought, as I did, that it would be lovely to have climbing roses scrambling through the mangle, but it was not meant to be. So I decided to walk over to look at this piece of embroidery which was propped up against the mangle and I loved it.  

At first glance it looked like a 'naive' piece, but in actual fact it is a well thought out piece.  When I looked on the back of the frame it came from the Grant Iveson Ltd Gallery in Whitley Bay. There is a lot of light and shade in the piece, which, disappointingly,  I have not been able to capture.

I am sorry that you can see the roof of my conservatory, but I tried every which way to take a good photograph.  I propped it up on the end of the sofa, whilst I lay down so that you would not see my reflection.... but that did not work.  I lay it on the floor, again that did not work.  I lent it against my unit, but the vibrant colours could not be seen, so I tried my trusty mannequin, my wicker chair, and whilst you can see the reflection of the conservatory roof, I feel it doesn't detract too much from the design and the colours are perfect.

Actually, each piece I have shown you, had to be removed from its usual home, because of the reflections which could be seen in the glass.  I really must change the glass to non-reflective glass.... maybe someday I will get around to it.

This is just a small proportion of art work I love and I wonder what you feel it says about me.

It is an eclectic mix, but each and every piece I absolutely love.

How about you, what sort of art work do you love? and have you changed your style over the years?

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

As Always

HEATHER COLOURED CROCHET THROW

Good Morning to you,

I do love my home.

I take great pride in the fact, that during our marriage, with each move, of which there have been many, I have made a comfortable home for George, Natasha and Danielle.

Sometimes, the houses were large, with lots of space, which I loved and sometimes the houses were much smaller, and it was a case of squeezing 2 pints into a pint pot, not an easy thing to do, but with all the moves, I always took comfort, in the fact, that I would be able to pack up our home and transplant it, into another county or another country and that once everything was unpacked, it would feel like home again.

So I thought, today, I would show you a little corner of my home. Are you surprised? A little unusual for me isn't it, because you associate me with cooking and baking, but I do have other 'strings to my bow', I love interior design.

.... and the reason I am sharing my home with you is, I wanted to show you this fabulous throw which I have recently finished. I know, it is very un-English of me, to blow my own trumpet, but do you know, I can't help myself, as I am thrilled with the end result.

It was not complicated, and I did not use a pattern, as I have mentioned to you once or twice before, I start with a germ of an idea and the idea grows as I sew, embroider or crochet, until I end up with the look I want.

Which is what happened with this throw. Are you disappointed? Are you now wondering, what all the fuss is about. I grant you, this throw looks simple enough, a basic treble stitch.

.... but look what I added,

Three rows of fabulous frills.  I love the heather colour of this throw.  

This throw is made up of  treble stitches, which I merrily crocheted, until I reach the length I wanted. When I finished, I knew I wanted to add something else, to make the throw a little more striking and fortunately, when I was visiting a friend a month or so ago, we decided to pop into a local wool shop.  It was there that I discovered this dusky pink wool. It was the perfect colour, there and then I knew I wanted to add some frills to the throw. I have no idea where that idea came from, but I do find ideas pop into my head, if I touch material, or I see a certain colour, they just speak to me and tell me what to do.

To be honest with you, I hadn't a clue where to begin, but I just thought, I know how to increase stitches when I am knitting a sweater,  so I picked up my crochet hook and from there, it was full steam ahead.

First I added the frill to the bottom of the throw using the dusky pink, but I felt it needed a little more 'vava voom' so I crocheted another two frills.

I liked what I had achieved, but it needed a little something extra. So I decided to add another row of the Heather wool to bring the throw together.... and I think it looks fabulous.

This is a corner of my living room, which I love, perfect for the summer months, as it is so light and airy, but I wanted to add some warmer tones for the winter.

So my summery, light living room, went from this,

to this,

to this, and I couldn't be more pleased. I am so happy with this throw that I have decided to make a Christmas version as well, using red and green.

Danielle saw this throw and loved it, so I have made one for her, in grey and dusky pink.... and then Natasha saw my throw and also loved it, so I made another one for Natasha..... which is now sitting on her settee in America, ready and waiting for the colder, winter weather, which I believe, is heading her way this weekend.

.... and if you are thinking that the frills would be a little uncomfortable to sit on.  Don't worry as the throw lives over the arm of the settee when it's not being used.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little corner of my home.... you never know, it might not be the last.

Take care and I will see you on Thursday.

This week I will be joining,

Share Your Cup with Carol from Art and Sand

and

Sweet Inspiration with Mary From The Boondocks

and

Snickerdoodle Sunday with Laurie from My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies

and
Home Sweet Home with Sherry from The Charm of Home

As Always,