It's 7 October...

...and the countdown to Halloween is well under way.

The shops have had Halloween decorations & the like on display for several weeks now and locally, posters have started to appear concerning a variety of up & coming events.

Barleylands will be having their pumpkin carving for the kids...

...and the orange globes are already starting to fill the fields on the approach to the craft village.

The weather has taken a very chilly turn but so far we have remained lucky with the days remaining dry and quite bright...it was a shock to the system though to start digging out the jumpers & fleeces.

Perhaps the chillier weather was the reason behind out biggest turnout so far for the Knit & Natter.

Not only did we have a couple of new folk join us but we also had a few 'visitors' who just wanted to see what it was all about - so word seems to be spreading. One visitor said she used to knit squares for her church so they could be made into blankets but she hadn't knitted for a long time due to problems with her sight - she said she felt that she would like to get her needles out again...so may be joining us next time.

It is lovely having folk sharing their crafting experiences and just enjoying a bit of time doing something "mindfull".

I'm looking forward to the next get together to see if we get even more interest (might need to find a larger room LOL)......................................................

Sunday I said...

..."Bye-bye" to the Focus.

Mum decided that after 18 years, she no longer wanted a Mobility car so I arranged to return it.

It was strange taking everything out of the vehicle knowing that this was the last time I would drive it...

 ...18 years driving the same style of vehicle (Focus Estate) has almost become second nature...

 ...but I have to say, one thing I have noticed over the years is that the 'finish' on the vehicles has become quite poor...

 ...these two panels over the front wheel (driver's side) were misaligned when we received the car two years ago and things like welding around the tailgate was very rough...

...but on the whole, the car was a pleasure to drive and met its purpose.

This was the first time that Mum had chosen anything other than a blue car and it reminded me a bit of a gingerbread house. So bye-bye "Gingerbread House" and thank you for all the safe miles that you provided us with................................................................

£731.75...

...is our current total for the RNLI.

Things are still going well with the fundraising, as you can see from our current total - we're still aiming for £1000 (fingers crossed).

We had another load of books donated and a couple of craft bits so I re-arranged the display...

 ...I only have a limited area where all this can be displayed so I have to move things around...

 ...to keep it looking interesting. I think it works as after this move around...

 ...we had another lot of sales. I've tried to make the books & crafts two distinct areas to make it easier to browse...

...and this resulted in a lot of Shaz Silverwolf's beautiful cards being snapped up.

After taking these photos we had someone bring in another suitcase full of books so the trolley isn't looking quite so tidy. But hey-ho, it's all for a good cause.

Our new CEO visited in September and he purchased some tickets for our Shipping forecast sweepstake. I emailed him last week to let him know that he wasn't the winner and I got a very nice reply from him (the next working day - not bad for someone responsible for 60,000+ staff).

So there you go folks, we are still rocking along nicely and I will keep you up to date with how things are going...............................................................

It seems like ages...

...since I last made a mini album.

So it was lovely to attend a workshop over at Pinnacle Crafts where Irene was showing how to make lovely little books that can help with your 'stash busting'.

I haven't finished decorating mine yet but here is the basic book...

...just 4.5x7 inches - so a lovely size for making a 'brag book' for grandma or a mini planner for an up & coming event. The pages are all attached using 'hidden' hinges...

 ...and there are plenty of pockets & panels for photos, journaling, general notes and keepsake storage...

...and you can add as much or as little as you like.

This book was made using: -
1 x A4 Greyboard
6 x 12x12 PPs
1 x A4 CS

So you can see, it doesn't require loads of materials and I'm sure you could make something similar and use up some of that stash mountain - you know, the one that we crafters all have tucked (???) away filling every nook & cranny.

If you have friends or family that have a special event coming up, you could make one as a gift so that they can fill it with photos/keepsakes after the event. I know that I'd like to get a few of these made if I can stretch a few more hours in my days.

Thank you Irene for a lovely day......................................................

Autumn has...

...officially been with us for a week now.

There doesn't seem to be much evidence of the lovely 'Fall' colours just yet but the leaves are starting to fall...

...these leaves are not from my garden but the Elder is starting to shed. This will be the last year of Autumn colour in my garden as the trees come down at the end of November - if they don't the garage wall will cave in as the trunks are pressing against it.

At primary school, we all entered a competition to write a poem.

We were provided with a start line - "Autumn leaves are falling down" - and we had to continue from there. I was lucky enough to win a prize and have my poem read out on the radio but unfortunately our poems were never returned and the only part that I have ever remembered was:-

Autumn leaves are falling down,
Orange, yellow, green and brown.
They lay in heaps along the street,
And make a carpet for my feet.

I know there were more verses but after all these years (and there are a lot LOL) I'm surprised that I even remember that much.

So Autumn is with us and after a hot & humid Summer it is noticeable that the temperatures have taken a nose-dive. But it is dry and the days have still been warm - it's just the very chilly starts and the now chilly evenings because it is getting dark so much earlier.

Most definitely knitting & crochet weather.....................................................................

The Knitting Loom...

...had a good 'workout' at the weekend.

 In addition to my paper-crafting stuff, I had a 'play' with the knitting loom again...

 ...so quick & easy to 'cast-on' and in no time I was away. The knitting grows very quickly...

 ...and before I knew it, I was finishing off not one...

 ...but two children's "Santa" hats...

 ...all done & dusted, just waiting for the pom-poms.

The photos don't really show how pretty this yarn looks as both the red and the white are sparkly.

A couple more items for the sale table at work......................................................

Plenty of colouring...

...was completed at Saturday's crop.

I wanted to 'play with my newest snowman stamp...

 ...isn't he fabulous. Such a great image and such fun having the penguins too.
The stamp is a good size as you can see from this photo...

 ...I placed one of my Copics over the image so you can see the size.
With the addition of some Stickles to the fur on the hats...

 ...this was another image completed and ready for use on a card.
The next stamp that I had a 'play' with was this one...

 ...I fell in love with this image as soon as I saw it at Pinnacle Crafts but this was the first time that I had actually inked it up. Isn't it just adorable.
I had some more of the snowman stamped so I coloured some more...

 ...two different colourways from what I did to begin with...

...and just awaiting a bit of sparkle (it was too late to use Stickles at this point - it wouldn't have dried by the time I was going home).

Debbie & Suzie were busily working on the albums for part of their Kathy Orta "Trunk" project - they are looking amazing (but soooooooooooo much work).

So there you have the photos I promised of part of my weekend crafting activity. Tomorrow I will share the rest.......................................................