The Big Man has FINALLY Learned

The Big Man and I have known each other for a fair few years and finally after all those years he has come up trumps with his present buying.

Lookey what he gave me yesterday.

It's a gorgeous Johnson Bros Rose Dawn Coffee Pot.  It's in perfect condition and will be proudly displayed on my dresser.

Not only is it gorgeous and perfect, it was also bought from a charity shop.  Double points for the Big Man.

The Big Man done good!

A Handbook for Christmas

Come December, the shops are choc full of guides and handbooks on how to have the best Christmas ever.  How to dress your tree, how to serve a Michelin starred dinner and how to make exceptional presents that will become heirlooms.

Not one to deviate from the bandwagon I found the best Christmas handbook ever published.  Bought for a meagre £1 from a charity shop last week, the book has given me a lot of  lightbulb moments and a few chuckles.

It covers everything you need to have a very merry Christmas for all the family with recipes, decorating ideas, craft ideas and even instructs you on how to take down and store your decorations for next year. 

By far my favourite section in the book is the "Choosing of Presents".  With a handy illustrated guide on which presents to give and not give each member of your family.  For example,  who knew giving Gran a corset for Christmas would elicit this response from her?  

And it is really not a good idea to give Mum toilet paper and a scrubbing brush?

The kids would take exception to receiving a school uniform or writing paper.  And poor baby should definitely not be reminded of his incontinence.

There's also a chapter on how to decorate your tree to a theme with great crafting ideas for ornaments.  There's the Children's tree.

With wool and stick stars.  I remember making these at school.

Sweetie garlands which will no doubt rapidly become an empty sweetie wrapper garland.

And fluffy woolen pom poms.  Did these at school too and hated it.  They are so monotonous to do.

There's also the Victorian tree with gravity defying doves at the top of the tree.

A Soft and Safe Tree for baby with cotton wool garlands and paper chains.

And my favourite tree is the Wildlife tree for your garden.

Who needs gawdy Blackpool lights in your garden when you could have this lovely creation?  It's so simple to make and the little birdies will be kept happy through the Christmas season.

The book also gives some handy tips on how to build with snow.  Who'd have thunk you could use a cardboard box to make snow squares or a wasing up liquid bottle to make towers?  Genius!

All I need now are four trees, two feet of snow and definitely not toilet paper or scrubbing brushes.  

The Wee Man Pulls a Sicky

The Wee Man spent Sunday night with a raging temperature, 38.8C, and being sick.  So he had a day off school and instead of the obligatory sofa, duvet and telly watching, what did he want to do?  Well there was.....

...shortbread making straight after breakfast...

...followed by the making of disastrous cinder toffee or crunchie guts to you and me...

...making and decorating salt dough gingerbread men Christmas tree ornaments...

...making roast chicken and bacon wraps for lunch and...

...puffy paint snowmen pictures.  (These need some features added once the paint has dried.)

Today he demanded to go to school, "I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!".  Looks like I didn't keep him entertained enough yesterday(!)  Note to self: Must try harder.

Advent Swap 6,7,8,9

I've had a couple of tense days recently and the lovely daily gifts from Jill in our Advent Swap has really cheered me up.  Every day is like Christmas Day.

Here's what I got for days 6,7,8 and 9.

A beautifully knitted dishcloth which will never ever be used for washing dishes or washing anything of any kind, it's just too beautiful, and a gorgeous crocheted star garland.

Also another gorgeous Christmas bauble, a box of yummy chocs a delicious smelling bar of soap and a mind bending puzzle.  At first I thought the puzzle was easy despite the blurb on the box saying it was difficult and proceeded to prove myself well and truly wrong.  It's blinking difficult but luckily the answers inside the box. ;0)

Can't wait for tomorrows gift.

Advent 4, 5

I'm really enjoying my advent swap.  It's so lovely to have a little something every day to bring a smile to my face.

Here's what the lovely Jill gave me for the 4th...

It's the most gorgeous hand knitted coat hanger.  I am at odds to use it as I won't then be able to see it.  How can I display a coat hanger?  Hm, I feel a Google search coming up.  There are a few more coat hanger shaped parcels from Jill and I am very,.very tempted to rip open the parcels.

And for today's parcel, I got a great quilting book.  I see so many gorgeous quilts on blogland and I dream of having the ability and patience to make one.  Hopefully this book will inspire me to take the plunge.

Parcel number 6 tomorrow.  I can't wait.

Car Boot Loot #12

Has it really been three months since my last Car Boot Loot post?  Whoa!  Where did the time go?  Needless to say in that time I have snaffled me one or two bargainous lovelies.  I must take some photos of them and post about them.

The car boot season has sadly come to an end in my town.  The Big Man, Wee Man and I have been feeling a great loss to our weekends.  Luckily on a jaunt to a neighbouring town yesterday we drove past a sign for a car boot sale and we followed the signs expectantly.  When we got there most of the sellers had either packed and left or were in the process of packing up to go.

Luckily I was able to snag me some goodies.  I found a great stall selling all manner of vintage china and I pretty much screamed at the seller to stop packing his stuff away.  He did give me a "Let's humour the loon" kinda look and gave me this lot of pretty saucers and tea plates for £2.

My eyes were then drawn to another stall where I found all these gorgeous Minton dishes.  They were stickered 50p each but I got the lot for £1.  I know the little round dishes are pin dishes but I'm not sure what the rectangular dishes are.  Anyone know?  Maybe for jewelery or something?   

And of course you all know of my little addiction and I got this beauty to help feed it.  20p and I got me a fix.

That was my lot from yesterday and now that we've found this new car boot sale, we'll be heading there every Sunday.  Yippee!


This post is shared on Time Travel Thursday Thrifty Things Friday  Magpie Monday

Advent Swap (1,2,3)

This year I decided to take part in the Advent Swap that's organised by the lovely LaaLaa .  I was partnered up with the ever gorgeous Jill who has a fabulous internet shop called Stockton Crafts.  She sells the most gorgeous cotton yarn and accessories.  Go have a look see.  She has lovely sewing kits and toys for the little ones and the most delicious buttons any button-aholic would love.

We were both slightly late with our swap parcels, so we're both as naughty as each other, which meant when I got the parcel this morning I got to open three of the goodies.

Lookey what I got.  A beautiful advent candle which will be lit tonight once the Wee Man is safely tucked up in bed.  I've never seen an advent candle before.  It's so cool.  A bar of very lovely chocolate, which I may have consumed for breakfast (oops!), a beautiful Christmas bauble which will be hung on our tree this afternoon when it gets put up and a beautiful framed photo of a tea cup.  I LOVE teacups.  Jill has got me down to a tee.

Thank you so much Jill and I hope your parcel has arrived safe and sound.

Have yourself a Merry BIG Christmas

I was in London yesterday and I was struck by how huge-mungous all the Christmas Decorations were.  I never really noticed before but I had the Wee Man with me and he was in awe by the size of everything.

We'd gone to London to see the Lego Christmas Tree at St.Pancras station and I had expected a six or maybe eight foot tree but instead....

It's a whopping 33 feet (10metre high tree) is made with  600,000 Lego bricks, has 1,200 Lego baubles, 172 Lego branches and it took two months to build.  It is by far THE best Christmas tree I have ever seen.

Onto Covent Garden and we were met with a mahoosive reindeer and ginormous baubles.

Image credit 

I remember several years ago the Big Man and I were in awe of the decorations on Carnaby Street.  They were giant fairy light bulbs and we, being young with plenty of time on our hands, followed the cables to a giant plug on the side of a building.  It was hilarious and very, very memorable.

Unfortunately we didn't take any photos of the decs and I can't seem to find any on t'internet.  I have however found more Carnaby Street Christmas Decoration delights.

Big really is beautiful...enjoy.

Carnaby Street 2011

Carnaby Street 2007

Carnaby Street 2009