makery for baby #1

I have made oodles of things for the girls, I'm not so sure if it was easier or more natural as it was 'girl' stuff, themed and with a hint of girl print, colour and pattern but with this time the bump is a boy and not being involved with as much boyswear design or boy print designing I thought it would be a fun challenge to get into the boy mood and create some bits and bobs for him, they might work out they might not but the sewing, stitching, drawing, cutting, sticking, will all be fun.
So what am I going yo get going on first....

As with all parents we like our babies and children to get a good night sleep it's good for them....and us! On that note my first baby make is a dreamy cloud with home grown lavender filled dream drops.

striped linen & liberty cotton lawn

cut out shapes ready to go

hand stitched detail to cloud 'dream'

                         

 finished cloud with lavender dream droplets


I'll be back to the makery fun again tomorrow whilst my girls are at afternoon day nursery and after my independent midwife visit. Tonight I'll be thinking about the next makery for baby.

Sunday lunch with friends

My father-in-law kindly culls the local 'bambi' population so from time to time we acquire some rather tasty joints one of which I'm roasting up to share with friends today for a family friendly good fun lunch....

some of the things needed to get going on the prep

after chopping and drizzling we have a delicious orange fennel red onion and olive salad on a bed of water cress and rocket leaves served with a simple dressing of e.v.o.o and lmon juice

orange fennel red onion and olive salad on a bed of water cress and rocket leaves

into the aga..... venison sitting on a bed of tiny tatties 

Have a lovely Sunday all and if the sun shines with you enjoy the added pleasure!

simple pleasures

We kind of did nothing today but had a really happy easy fun day. The sun was out, complete blue cloudless skies, mid 20's and lollipop making and eating and when the lollipop was licked clean away we played with the sticks, such simplicity but happy and entertained for a long long time.

woohoo for our super heroes...aka dad & pa-pa!

"Dadda I love you" I can't tell you the amount of times I hear this in a morning and evening usually followed by "I have a cuddle for you". Mr Loveliness is simply as happy as can be by these words and huge hugs. I think the thought of having girls was a little shock for him back then but the relationship he has with them because they are girls is beautiful.
My sister and I are like this we have always been incredibly close to ours and the girls think the world of their Pa-Pa too. A dad symbolises security and comfort, they help us and as we get older we help them, they're our bestest friends and our super heros. My mum has retold the story many times of the little me with the health visitor at my 3 year check when I was asked to draw a picture of mummy or daddy I replied I'd draw daddy and got straight to it with crayons and paper. When the health visitor took a look she pointed out to me that I'd told her I'd be drawing daddy so why have I drawn a picture of mummy? I apparently at the age of 3 curtly put her in her place explaining that it was daddy, daddy has curly hair and daddy is mine and I love him lots. (I'd be the same now, except his hair is not so much in abundance as back then!)
When mini1 draws she will almost always draw Pa-Pa it must be a trait I've passed on!

a private midwife 'the meeting'

I'm sitting waiting for Elsie to arrive, she is the private midwife I spoke to just over a week ago to discuss the option of private midwife care. I had no need to do this back in SE London as East Dulwich had the wonderful Brierley Group. The Brierley worked from their offices based in the old East Dulwich hospital but were part of the NHS and if required you'd be accompanied to Kings (around the other corner) in a flash. Worcestershire however is very very different well this is my experience to date.
With the Brierley I had two wonderful homebirths in 2008 and 2010, both planned, both quick, both comfortable and really there is nothing like being in your own home and bed.
Back to todays meeting...already I've received a call with the progress they are making which is just a few minutes late. I find it strange and a little sad that I'm having to go down this route but the support to date both in wanted a home birth and in calls I've made has been been. A month ago I had to make a fairly urgent call, I appeared to be leaking! I called my community midwife team, left a voicemail (it was around 11am) I explained what was happening very calmly as this is #3 and asked if they could return my call to advise on what I should do and if possible shed any light what could be happening, to this day I have not had a call on either my landline or mobile! That plus a few other incidents has left me not feeling confident with the system so, that's why I'm here hoping that we and the private midwife all like each other and have her part of our homelife where she will dip in and out over the next few months and a big dip in for the birth!
Cars pulled up.....fill you in next week!

making dresses

With the big event of pre-school nursery taking place this Tuesday, we acquired Suzy Bear from our lovely day nursery, she'd act as the link and friend between both nurseries and be on the journey with mini1! It worked well and she is still with us as she is joining the girls for their sleep over at Nanna and Pa-Pa's this weekend. Her clothes and pj's were washed today ready for the trip and she sat naked, but that's okay said mini1 you can make her a dress. Well of course what a great idea, then minimini1 wanted a dress for one of her beloved hop-hops (she has 4 so I feel at the moment I have got off lightly)

Well here is Suzy Bear and Hop-Hop 'dressed' up in their new frocks!

Suzy models Laura Ashley floral hearts with vintage cotton lace trim and polka-dot tie

Hop-Hop models Liberty throughout with vintage cotton lace trim

lotsa rain ... lotsa love

All this rain is making the flowers and garden grow like crazy and the plants are loving it.
Last night the rain started at 6 ish and just poured and poured and poured all through the night, this morning lots of flowers are standing happy but a few have had their heads rained off.
To round up it's pretty much like this illustration I've been cutting and sticking at!

copyright & protected, author&illustrator of Journey of Loveliness

These are the days...

I remember back in my late teens I met Mr Loveliness (the older man) and he is the one I give thanks to for introducing me to the wonderful lyrics and voice of Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 manics.

Just now we have been playing some of those 'old' songs from the olden days!! 

This one holds so much for me both then and now, enjoy listening and if you like listen to more of her as there is plenty.

natalie merchant

princess polly peg & the pea

As a lover of crafting, making, doodling and textiles also collector of bit and bobs I have lots of things in my make room. Before the girls when I worked in busy fashion studios producing prints and such I'd make like a busy bee in my own free time oodles of dolls, softies, this and that.
Since having the girls people with other kiddies have seen them and asked for one of this or that and I really love making the for presents and for other friends. The other day we got playing with the peg dolls and putting her to bed and this reminded me of the princess and the pea I've made in the past so today with the minimini1 we made a new set, can't say that the little one really helped (only just 2) but she loved the fabric and especially wrapping herself up in pretend headscarves.
We decided to give our Princess Polly Peg the same colour hair as mini1 as she was not with us but we were thinking of her as she played at forest school, I might need to do another set before pick-up as I feel there could be a little competition for playing PPP&TP!

Take a Peek ... our home #1

If you remember me mentioning in an earlier post about a few things on the list I wanted the 'new' home to have it was fireplaces, although this one here situated in one of the top floor rooms is boarded up I really love it. We have had fun doing wax crayon rubbings on the patterned iron and the boarded up section provides a sweet little back drop for a piece of artwork called 'little one'

On the mantle there is the work of one of my absolute favourite designer maker Julie Arkell

 whose work is the doll and chair and along from this is a small framed print by Belle & Boo. 

A vintage pouffe that I remember sitting on as a small child in my nanny p's old country working farm house and a random fun straw giraffe.

happy fireplace holding a little nostalgia and a happy memory.

new adventures and a distraction

What a day....mini1 is happily settled in her day nursery but with reception class looming in September and a drive away we thought it best to enrol her for the term before school starts at he pre-school nursery that has the connections with the school she will be going to. Today was the day she started, and...... she did GRRREAT!
Phew!, relieved or what I only called once and she was doing fine, I was so happy and very proud. Later she told us of her new friends and to think what trouble and upset we had a year ago but with an amazing day nursery and this new one she has been a real star.
I was lucky too, i had my mind taken off the matter by my wonderful cousin coming over and having a sewing demo, she requested for the demo she would like some fabric accs to be created so here is what was created, floral wrist piece using navy linen and liberty cotton voile, vintage buttons and gro-grain tie, plus a single vintage floral linen wrist piece that my lovely cousin models here by sowing it in it's multi use form as a pin brooch.
We did well, happy all round and the next workshop will be.....

Aaarrgghh I forgot.....

Listening to Radio 4 this morning I took in the stories of ladies and men who had forgotten their children.
I can see how this happens - well some of them. My forgetfulness isn't forgetting the children possibly because they are so loud, vocal and chatty you can't really miss them let alone forget them but mine is forgetting dates if they're not put down (with a reminder!), forgetting what I went into a room for and forgetting that I have put something in the aga. This absent mindedness peaks and troughs and I think at 5 months pregnant we're seeing a peak, what have I forgot today?
Well little ones have been collected from their nursery session, bathed and fed and are now sitting colouring whilst I sort supper for me and Mr Loveliness.....aahhhh so there is my lunch! I have just opened up the aga to find my succulent home made breaded chicken pieces burnt to a cinder, how did I forget it? did my hunger pass, did I get caught up doing something else? I have no idea but at least with supper being in there now and it's no just for me I am unlikely to forget it, also the wonderful aroma that is in my kitchen at the moment is not allowing me to forget. I can already see the roll of Mr Lovelinesses eyes!
Enjoy your supper all.

Fun with a pic shot & photobooth

 Mini1 just loves to be let loose on photobooth and picking up a 'real' camera! A few months back we brought her her very own 'real' camera and she loves it. Today we made up more folders in iphoto and downloaded them before nursery. I didn't realise quite how many she had taken and who and what her subjects were. I think we might have a food photographer in the making (show you in a later post) as there are many dishes that she has snapped at before snapping up!
The one that made me smile most though is of her little sis not looking entirely happy, I just love this expression.

i am not amused!

 The photobooth folder also provides much entertainment and the bonus with this is she is in the pic!
Here are a few of her latest experiments with mirror imaging, colour and multi frames, such fun!

'cheese'

'double trouble'

'take four!'

Out with the Old & In with the New

Third time round you have pretty much everything even the things that got passed about came back, but I don't know if it's because this time it's a boy or that I know deep down that this time it's 'my last' time that I feel the need for a splurge. With some items it's a sure thing we'd be getting new but with equipment...moses baskets, seats, cots, high chairs then I should be using what I've got.
With both of the girls I had a fairly standard moses 'basket' I lined it out and fitted it with my own handiwork of textiles which say it myself looked great, moreso second time round but that could have been to do with the glorious sunny summer months that followed the birth?
So what am I thinking, well I reckon if I wasn't pregnant then I'd be planning because what better reason than a moses basket from Moba, I found the review on Bambino Goodies and as my little ones would say "we NEEEEED it", I just love them, they're ultra modern, simple, clean, in a funky colourful rubber (well not really rubber as Nat says at BG "for the detail hungry it's low density polyethylene") babe baskets with airholes and after little boy boo has grown out of it I can already see a whole load of things it can be used for; laundry, toys, pegging out basket, sprinkler.....
The colours are great, it's wipeable, breathable, made in the UK, and it won't scratch your legs when carrying it! You really don't need much more convincing (if you do check out links above with more tech details). We love you Moba and thank you for this uplifting inspirational new take on the wicker moses baskets. Now I just have to make sure this one doesn't come too early (like mini1) so we can get one when they launch this summer, oh yeah and pick a colour, now that will be tricky!

hello again little boy boo & hello inspiration

Yesterday we got to see little boy boo again as last week at the scan we got to see everything all except his stomach! So I was booked in for another scan and hoped that we'd be seeing little boy boo with a full tummy which shows up as a little black blob......woohoo we did.
Third time round after two fantastic no trouble pregnancies and births I would be taking this pregnancy in my stride but I seem to be more bothered by this one than ever before ? I think knowing too much is the problem but from now I'm going with the flow and putting a stop to looking at certain sites, instead I'll be sourcing and hunting wonderful boy inspiration and product from sites which will do some of the inspiring and some of the shopping these include some of my favourites....

Baby Style File
Bambino Goodies
Sisters Guild
love it love it love it
Ferm Living
Molly Meg

I'll share my finds and who knows purchases too.
Happy weekend all x

with wings i can fly

Mini ones (and big ones) just love a little dressing up, whether it be full on attire or simply a pair of 'magical' wings. This little fairy was flying high in the clouds with birds and some other things that I couldn't quite work out. The imagination is wonderful and I too was flying by simply  watching her...happy moments.

I can fly

a weekend of planned & unplanned events!!

Hello again and sorry for the absence, it seems we already have following who are keen to see what loveliness and journeys we have been having so here we go...

Well how was your Jubilee weekend ? Ours liked I'd mentioned in a previous post was to be filled with family activities, some focus on the littlies and even a short focus on me and mr loveliness. Mmmm strange how things can take a turn and the unplanned crops up!
So we kicked off Friday evening with the youngest minimini1 being popped to bed at 6.50pm (& went down a treat as always), Mr.L and mini1 took the hound out to the woods and I prepped supper. Well 40 minutes later the door went and a sad face looked up "I've been sick...I've got bugs in my tummy" Yes the D&V bug going around for what seems forever and we have successfully avoided decided to share itself with us at the start of the holiday!
I won't go into the rest of the evening as it's not that pretty, very tiring with little sleep and sad faces, but I'm sure you get the idea!
Unfortunately the next day; Saturday, mini1 did not leave her room, we had to miss the day of magicians and face painting but if I fast forward to Monday afternoon the neighbourhood party took place and the girls made crowns in the morning and waved their flags too.
There was some confusion about Queen Lizzies absence...."we can't start yet, Queen Lizzie hasn't got here" followed by "why is she not having the party at her house and we all go there?" questions soon dropped when the singing and play started and picnics began.
In the end all was good, the weather was dry and the family were together (almost) Mr L had to stay behind and attend to some emergency, not animal related but DIY!

crowns modelled by Lennie (by ceramist Olivia Brown)

  

but where is the queen?

Time with the family....

the big plus for me with the long bank holiday weekend in celebration of the Queen Lizzie's Diamond Jubilee is that the family get extra time to spend together. Later today we must find time to finish off our crowns, tomorrow there is magic and face painting and friends for the girls, Sunday is family and Monday we have a gathering with neighbours enjoying outdoor picnics and games.
I'm sure our friendly garden squirrels and neighbours cat will have a little get together too, well this is just what I imagine of course...

We'll be back soon with pictures and tales to tell and don't forget if you ever want to share yours it would be great to hear from you. Enjoy x