Decorating...

I've spent most of half term redecorating C's room and it is finished at last!!

Before

During

After

As you can see, she has gone for a more "grown up" colour scheme of cream and gold, I love pink but hey - it's her room!

She loves it and so do I!

Sleepover Swap

After some delays (cars, families, work etc etc!) Sharon and I finally met up on Saturday to exchange our sleepover swap parcels.

We met here and it is a lovely place with a lot to see and do.

I made her a customised cross stitched note book



and gave her (but forgot to photograph) a pink CK-esque mug with different types of Hot Chocolate in, some choccies and a DVD of Charlies Angels.

She gave me this gorgeous pink drawstring bag


a lovely padded heart (For some reason I can't load this photo - sorry)

some popcorn (which has been eaten already!)

these lovely cake plates


some smellies and scented candles.



Thank you Sharon, you are very kind!!

Random Acts of Kindness...

A couple of weeks ago I asked the lovely Catherine of mollycupcakes to help me with a secret project.

Not only did she agree, but in one of our exchanges she sent me these lovelies - because "she saw them and thought of me"




Thank you sweetie - you are so kind (and thanks for the help ;-))

Christmas Stocking Swap

I've signed up to this run by Becki



My partner is Vicki - Hello Partner!!! :-)

Things are a bit chaotic in the Cake household at the moment as C is poorly - off school for the first time in 3 YEARS!!! and feeling very sorry for herself.

I've managed to make the Christmas cake(s) today but other than that am feeling a bit groggy (poorly child = very little sleep) and finding it difficult to focus on anything today.


I promise I will get my a*** into gear soon and normal service will be resumed shortly....

Wedding Cake

I'm sure I haven't told you this yet, so Mum and R are getting married next March!

It's all very exciting!

I am to be Matron of Honour, Sis will be Maid of Honour and C will be bridesmaid.

Dresses have been ordered, church and reception venue are booked and we are having great fun making lots of plans!!!

To that end, I am making the wedding cake and the first part has been done!

They have decided on a traditional fruit cake for one tier and then lots of cupcakes, so the fruit cake has been made and is now maturing nicely...



Lots more wedding news will follow so watch this space...

Car Booty

A few weeks ago on a sunny Saturday, I persuaded hubby to let us go to a local car boot sale.

I have to say I don't do this very often - usually it's too early in the morning but I thought it would be good!

And it was - I got some brilliant bargains


A beach hut shaped storage jar for my bathroom - 40p


2 Christmas plates - 50p the pair



A jar of glass pebbles - 50p



A lovely embroidered tablecloth - £2


2 embroidery frames - £1 for both

11 kids books - £1



6 books for me - £2


Result!!

300 post competition winner

Thank you to everyone who left a guess about the price of my lovely tea set.



The actual price was.................................................................................................

£5.95

What a bargain!!!

And Sharon was the closest with £6 so some goodies will be on their way to you soon Sharon!

Charity Shop Treasure

Have I mentioned how much I love Charity Shops - and I know I am not alone in this, but wow! I just love them.

C and I went out for a girly day last week, you know - shopping, lunch and the cinema (Aliens in the Attic - quite funny really!) and we kept popping into various charity shops (as you do!) just before we reached the cinema we went to one and found something so gorgeous and so perfect and such a bargain I could not believe it was meant for me...




I really didn't want to carry to the cinema with me (we were walking) and I decided that if it was really meant for me, it would still be there when we came back...




and do you know what...




it was...




and it was all I could do not to squeal with delight and jump up and down in the shop.

It is, a beautiful, 6 place settings - tea cups, saucers and cake plates in delicate bone china with such a pretty design and in fantastic condition.

Isn't it just lovely


swoon...


I was thinking that I would just tell you how much it was, but as this is my 300th post (how did THAT happen??!) I will do a little competiton and say that whoever guesses the closest will win a little prize (not the tea set - sorry, that's all mine!)

*Mum - you can't enter cos I told you how much it was!

I'll pick a winner and tell you the real price in a week or so...

FRIENDS Swap

Sometime ago I took part in the FRIENDS swap, where you had to send an item beginning with every letter of the word FRIENDS

I sent

F is for Frame

R is for Ribbon

I is for Inkpad

E is for errr.. I can't remember (I am so bad)

N is for Noah's Ark cross stitch


D is for Drawstring bag



S is for Scented Candle

Sadly I was in such a rush I forgot to photograph everything except the things I made.

Even more sadly - I don't know if it ever arrived at it's destination - depsite making several enquiries to my partner she has never responded and I have never received a parcel either :-(

Sadly it looks like they have both got lost in the post.

I am VERY, VERY sorry to my swap partner,

Please, PLEASE get in touch with me if you did receive the parcel and if not PLEASE let me know so I can send you something else - I really don't know what else I can do. :-(

Kenilworth Castle

Mum, R, C and I went for a day trip last weekend to Kenilworth Castle,

It is a beautiful, fascinating place and worth a trip for the gardens alone, they have recently been rediscovered and renovated to the layout that Robert Dudley designed for Queen Elizabeth I.

Sadly I wasn't able to take many photos as my memory card was full but I did get some nice ones