January...ing

 Here we are halfway through the month already so I thought it was time for an 'ing' post.  I am loving the month so far and trying my best to stay on track with all the things I want to do. How are things where you are?  Is the new year treating you well? I'll get on with it then...

Planning a couple of trips away in our caravan, so we are in a group on Facebook for people who own T@B caravans like ours and the good thing about that is that everyone ahres all the lovely sites they are on and pictures too.  So you get reviews on where is good to go,  I had spotted one site last year that someone had shared and we have got in touch and will be having a  weekend away at the same site.  It is not for a few months so I will share that at the time. Another one we booked is a place we visited last year while in the lake district,  we were not actually staying there but loved the place it is called Grangeover sands so we have booked a site near there too that one is for a week.  

Walking daily, I have always walked a lot because I have dogs but not always as far and as much as I'd like week days as the dark nights and being out all day affected when  I could do this.  Well now I am taking advantage of the weather at different times of the day and fitting what I do around that, it is much better and very good for the mood to be out in daylight in the winter.

Here is the glorious sky in the park yesterday, today we went early while everything was frozen, again beautiful but in a different way but no image as I didn't have my phone with me.  Many teenagers would gasp in horror at that statement!

Watching a few new things on the TV, so we have NOW occasionally, and other things based on offers my husband spots but not all the time.  Recently we have had these things so have had the option to watch a few things. Yellow Jackets has been good, a bit of a blast from the past with the music, we have loved the soundtrack to this series and it is worth a look.  We watched a film last night called The Tender Bar, based on a memoir, starring Ben Afleck and I really enjoyed that. I nned to find something else now, 9 in the evening is my sit down viewing time. 

Reading  The Dutch House, I have just started this and I am enjoying so far but it is early days I do hope it goes somewhere if you know what I mean.  The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People now I know I read this years ago but it doesn't hurt to reread some things and we are always different when we read stuff years later so it is on round two. 

Eating something different for breakfast each day in an attempt to trick my stomach, still not quite right so I though I would try and pin point the culprit that bothers me.  So far it is not working  so I guess I am just having a not so good month with this, I do get like this now and again then things settle down. This morning my husband came doen to find me making Gf fruit scones early as another option to have, he said it's like living with Mary Berry, ha ha not quite;)

Sorting through my fabric scraps still, the issue is where to put them all in a more orderely fashion,  I use them for my bags and I am quite hap hazard at creating with them so they are in lots of places.  I don't want things to be too pristine that I don't want to disturb them but I want some sort of sytem.  Keep working on it is my motto for this one.

Sewing all kinds of things this week, still not sure what I am allowed to share at this point from the video making projects so I am linking a few on the Minerva blog feed if you follow me there.

Then I made this Freya top and a video for youtube to go with it, please have a look and if you do could you like, subscribe and comment please that would be a big help.  The link is below

Freya Top, How to

Bag making, a few so far as you may have seen and here is the latest...

Find my bags here

The lovely pink upholstery fabric in two shades thank you to Jo at Three Stories High, a butterfly lining some striped canvas I have left from another project and a few craft cottons.  My messy approach to bag planning worked well here again.  A note here, this bag sold immediatley to a friend. 

So what are you all up to ? Please let me know in the comments I love to read them, take care and have a good weekend. 

Treat Yourself

 Hello week two of the new year and all is going well so far, I am keeping an eye out for objects to declutter and sticking to my daily lists they are really helping me.  I hope you are all keeping up with your good intentions.  I did  hear someone say the other day that January is the worst for motivation due to the gloom but we can only try to do what we can.

The meals have been looking a bit more intersting as I try new things from my books, also a few made up side dishes with potatoes.  We are having something I know we all like this evening and that is jackfruit with wraps and my special rice. I do have to add a bit of meat for my son as he is not meat free so I just cook him a portion in the oven and add it at the table.

Looking for little ways to reward yourself on a dark day is the wasy to go I think, there was this little chocolate bar in the cupboard that a friend bought me so I had that yesterday with a cup of Christmas tea ( I know it is not Christmas anymore but I can drink the tea!)  How do you treat yourself during the dark winter days?

I finished The Mercies, a few days ago and I have to say I loved this book, I do have another by the same author that I picked up in a charity shop but then realised it is a childrens book I will read that one now anyway as she writes very well. 

  So The Mercies is set in Vardo, a Norwegian Island in 1617 and during a storm forty fishermen drown during a terrible storm.  The book is about the women left behind and the actual event did happen, the  focus is on relationships, how they coped and the consequences of being strong women in a time when women were seen as something to be feared if they did not fit a certain mould or ideal of what a woman should be or do.  I love anything that has basis of truth to it and it always inspires me to look further into that part of history, the location and so on.  The author Kiran Millwood Hargrave, did a beautiful job of capturing the characters in the story, I hope you will  give this one a try if you are a reader.

Here is another little bag with various bits and think they go very well together if a little quirky ,but then I do like quirky.

Well enjoy the rest of the week and be well. 

Weekend Charity Shop Find

 I hope you have all had a good week, it is dark and wet here at the moment like a proper winters day. Yesterday we had a trip to the charity shop I took some of my decluttering, five books, a top, a jacket and some bits and bobs.  Still on track with the declutter but I don't want to overwhelm the shops so I will do this weekly.  

I did come back with one thing, so exciting well I think so!  The Tilly Walnes Stretch book that I ordered from the libaray over a year ago and made some lovely things from.  It was just sitting on a shelf for £1 and in brand new condition.  Well rushing over to my husband he didn't know what all the fuss was about but this is an expensive book that is why I ordered it from the library and I did love it so to pick it up at this price was just fabulous.  Today I am wearing a sweater that I made from it.

The pattern piece sheet in the back doesn't even look like it has been unfolded, someone must have bought this on a whim and never done anything with it.  So I am thinking of working my way through this again and possibly doing some youtube on it, I can't decide if that will be a good use of my time as I already make vidoes for Minerva.  I also don't get that many views on youtube, if you think this is something that will be useful to you please let me know in the comments or I will be just talking to myself in the videos;)  Either way the book will used and loved.  Feeling very pleased with my bargain today.   My husband had strict instructions to not let me come back with lots of books but as this is non fiction and so useful it slipped through the net. 

Yesterday I added a trim to the neck of a dress I had made, I found the nekline on the pattern low for me.  It is just me personally but as I am petite I felt it was just showing a large expanse of chest despite  being a really good fit.  I think if you are larger up top this can be ok as you push the garment out and it gives a different appearance.  There is the option to add trim on the pattern but I didn't have any so I pleated a long folded piece of the same fabric to create my own trim...

It just gives me an extra 2cm and I will feel a little more covered that little bit can make all the difference.  If it was just a pattern I had created myself I would have changed the neckline but as I was showing a pattern here I have to make it true to the pattern, and just resist my urge to modify everything.

We watched a good film last night called the Last Duel, it had Matt Damon, Ben Alfleck and a few other big names in it and was based on true events.  If you get the chance give it a go, I do like films that have a bit of history to them and it is always astounding what women had to put up with and also the ridiculous ideas of the past that saw women burned based on the ideas and whims of men!  That is also a theme of the book I am currently close to finishing The Mercies, I know women in some parts of the world still suffer horribly due to superstition and religion. 

Anyway I will leave on an upbeat note, I have enjoyed my week of sewing from home and there is plenty planned for next week.  I hope you are having a super new start the year, back soon, Take care.