Toby Tea Cozy

Goodies!

2010-12-29T05:39:00.000-08:00

Hello again, hope you had a lovely Christmas! We had a lovely relaxing day and I've been revelling in time off work!

No big pic of the tree, but my favourite Stanley/Toby decoration:

My Secret Santa Swap goodies are wonderful, my first swap and I must say I really enjoyed choosing little gifts for my swap partner, blog land really is a lovely place! My Santa was very generous indeed and I had a lovely pile of goodies to unwrap, pictured before and after:

I'm definately going to make some of the lovely cookies suggested in the book, and the quilts and fabrics and lovely trimmings provide real food for thought! Soaps, lipbalms and the lovely melt are well in use and the chocs are no more I'm afraid! Just need my Mr to help me pin up the heart hook, I'm a sucker for jewellery so have one more place to hang necklaces! Thanks Santa!

Comfort and Joy

2010-12-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

A week to go and then I can flop down and relax! University work is going really well, I bagged 84% on my first assignment so I'm really pleased I seem to be managing to juggle full time work with my studies :) This year Mr TTC and I have decided for the first year of our 10 together that we will have our Christmas dinner just the two of us (and Tobydog of course!) and I must say I'm feeling good about doing something special just for us. Every year we have the 'whose parents do we go to' discussion, there's a lot to consider and I felt that last year I was pulled in all sorts of directions! I'm looking forward to home comforts and a peaceful Christmas whatever happens!

I hope you have a restful time and a break fellow bloggers, all the best for the festive season! Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Snow business

2010-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hello again! It's been a bit of a boring old week of getting to grips with my new job, handing in my first OU assignment and doing a bit of wedding planning on the side. That said, in the last few weeks we have made good progress, I have a dress and a headband, we have a venue for the service and the reception so things are well on their way, and we have lots and lots of ideas waiting to be pulled together!

We've been a bit stuck in on account of the North East weather! I love the snow, it's beautiful, I only wish I had time to stop and enjoy it like the kids near us, we didn't get to see it with its roof on but I was impressed with the construction so far!

We did however get out on a walk with Toby this weekend and had great fun clambering around and about the snow, carrying our little terrier across the deepest patches, I've a pair of wellies on order and Mr TTC has been wearing some 'interesting' footwear this week! Better prepared next time though!

Snow's here!

2010-11-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

We've had a LOT of early snow today, naturally Tobydog is making the most of snuffling and digging in it, carnage on the roads, public transport ground to a halt, late for work, but my goodness it's so pretty! Feeling all festive tonight!

Crisp winter day walk

2010-11-13T06:16:00.000-08:00

When we woke up this morning this beauty was grazing on the field at the end of the street:

Gorgeous weather for a walk out, a little muddy but that's never stopped us!

A short post, because I've really got to get some uni work done! Hope you have a lovely weekend! x

Wedding talk

2010-11-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Hello again, uni work and a new job have been distracting me of late and I've been keeping up to date with your lovely blogs, but not my own! I am just about to be promoted, which is lovely and a real compliment, but terrible timing as I've just started my part time degree and I know this is mad, but we've set a date for our wedding next July too! I've been spending lots of time mulling lots of things over of late, work wise and home wise while we've had an interlude from doing the kitchen.

Mr TTC and I have been in love for nearly ten years, each other's first loves, and yet planning the wedding has really made me reflect on what marriage means! I've loved thinking about music and readings and making it a special day for us, and our family and friends, and the fact that it's a small affair makes it all the more special! Outside of the planning though it's been lovely to take the time to reflect on our partnership, how we've grown up together, and the promise of what the future holds - how exciting!

I'm still thinking about a fiftieth post giveaway, so watch this space - camera is getting a rest as it's out of action at the moment!

Hello again

2010-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long, the kitchen has taken longer than expected owing to some unexpected problems but I'm back online, we have a working fridge freezer, oven, hob and washing machine but it's still a while off being finished, can't wait til I can show you some final pictures. In fact, this lovely sign Mr TTC did in the kitchen mess says it all:

In the meantime, a huge thanks to Melissa at Country in the Town for these wonderful giveaway prizes, they arrived at a particularly low moment in the kitchen process, thanks :) x

Beautiful things:

Gorgeous mug in situ in the new kitchen:

Autumn is here, but not for long, lots of lovely colours to see on walks with Toby but the leaves are falling fast and we've had some very cold nights.

Luckily my new biscuit barrel is keeping me company, but not for too long as I am having a look in a wedding dress shop this weekend!

A new toy

2010-10-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to http://serendipitychild.blogspot.com/ who introduced this new toy from this website http://www.blyberg.net/card-generator/ I am using it to let you know I'll be awol for a wee while whilst the kitchen revamp is underway, I'll have time at work lunchbreaks to read your lovely blogs, but little time to post, and no photo facility! When I return I'm planning a 50th post giveaway which is pretty exciting! See you soon!

New beginnings

2010-10-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Well I've had a busy few weeks but I'm back! First we saw my little bro head off to Uni, I think he's gonna really enjoy it but I really miss him, he'll be back soon for his birthday though so I'll have to spoil him rotten with stuff to take back to his Halls of Residence! And it's back to uni for me too, really odd to have a Student Union card after five years of being away from academia but I'm really looking forward to it and the OU seems really good. Mr TTC treated me to a fab new lamp for the study, I'm a sucker for glitter and lava lamps so combining the two is great!

These beauts also turned up on the same day when I returned from work, gorgeous smell and all, I love gerberas!

The spare room is also in much better nick ready for me starting my studies, this beauty came from my parents house and I wouldn't let them throw it out, I love it, I'm going to get our joiner to fit shelves for me to store my crafts (btw kitchen refit starts next week, eek!) the paper is underfoot as it had just been moved and was a bit wobbly but it looks good in its new home!

And this wee kiddies bookshelf was an old antiques fayre find, looking much better now my clutter has had the boot!

It's a busy old time at the moment but we've taken time out for lots of walks with Toby and this reminded me not to complain about the rainy day walks!

That's all for now but I'll be back soon with some exciting kitchen pics I hope!

Sundown

2010-09-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love a good sunset? This is probably one of the last ones of the summer, gorgeous night, we just sat out on the field by our house with Toby and watched it go down, perfect!

I'm having a really busy old week with work and getting prepared for uni, who doesn't love buying new stationery though? Pics to follow when I get my bags unpacked!

Three of my favourite things...and a wedding venue, hurrah!

2010-09-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

It' s been a quiet sorta week, we took three days off together, so we had a short working week which was lovely, followed by a weekend of R&R. My three favourite things from this week were:

Exhibit A: Fry's Turkish Delight, never could resist that pink wrapper!

Exhibit B: Airing the house out so a hound got up on the bed - "what do you mean I'm not supposed to be here?"

Exhibit C: Gorgeous dusky rose plant, engagement present from a lovely friend from Uni!

We found time to see the wedding venue we've been thinking of, we both agreed it has everything we need and more and would be a lovely backdrop, but a blank canvas inside. I don't want to give too much away, but am too excited not to share a sneaky peek with you! It won't be a huge wedding, or a hugely expensive wedding either, but we've fallen in love with the setting and it's a place with lots of happy memories, not least of all because we both came here as kids before we even met and now share our own memories of the place too! I am really looking forward to the crafty ideas I have in mind, better get a guest list together eh!

Wow, that's a bright cardigan!

2010-08-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Mr TTC treated me to this beauty today, one of the very few items of clothing purchased in the last six months, but worth breaking the 'no spend' rule because this is by far my favourite ever colour! It's a little more orange than this, more a mustard colour. Mr TTC no longer rolls his eyes when I ask for quite random photos for my blog! Have a lovely weekend sweets!

Books books books! and a plea to visit your local library if you don't already!

2010-08-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Having re-visited the local library I'm amazed at what they have on offer now! When I was younger I was an even more avid reader, but started to find I'd read all of their stock! Now I have new interests and have found lots of lovely craft and cookery books at my local. I picked up this little gem, I was going to buy this a while back, how thrifty is that! It's a lovely book, part thrifty ideas, like a cakestand made from old plates and dainty teacups; part designer furniture, lots of inspiration here.

I'm also re-reading these beauties from my own collection, lots of snippets, tips and titbits to dip into so they're kept by the bed, I adore their covers too! My love of macaroons spiralled out of control after reading the Laduree pages! Apologies for their jaunty angle, problems with the editor!

And finally, a Lapin and Me buy, a 100drine tin for my love letters from Mr TTC, they were getting a little worn and faded so now they have a lovely home! I'm a sucker for a love letter, we send each other little notes now, but the ones from the early days, from when we were 17, now they're really special! I'm getting all mushy, time for a cuppa I think!

A day out at the beach

2010-08-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Had a fantastic day out yesterday, a good friend called over to pick me and Tobydog up for a day out at Marsden Rock. It was all clear skies and a little bit of sun too.

Toby really did me proud, he was fabulously well behaved in the car, and with my friend's two dogs and we had a really nice long walk to blow the cobwebs away. I think you can see from his little face and his salty beard that he enjoyed his day out! Days like this really make me wish Mr TTC and/or I had learned to drive! Although I like to think we're an environmentally friendly family having a car would definately enhance the way we spend our weekends, so I'm encouraging my man to learn soon in the hope that we could maybe just hire a car as and when instead.

We're off to the flicks tonight to see The Secret in Their Eyes, an Argintine film at our lovely little independent cinema, will let you know how it was!

Troc Broc and Recup's Magazine Swap!

2010-08-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to be taking part in my first blogland swap! I'm a real magazine fiend, if you are too then check out the swap being hosted here! Floss' french blog is a lovely place to stop by and read and I think this will be a popular swap judging by people's reactions to the last one!

Come back summer!

2010-08-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

We've had some stinking weather recently in Gateshead! The driving rain and cold nights have really been getting me down but Mr TTC has been keeping my spirits up, this is the special coffee he made me on Sunday to cheer my spirits, with squirty cream and cinnamon, yum!

On Saturday the weather was vile but we buttoned up and headed to the coast for the night to blow the cobwebs away. As a surprise my lovely fiance (still love saying it!) had packed a dinner so we didn't get fish and chips, instead we had still warm quiche on a little bench on the seafront! I love eating outside, everything tastes better don't you think!

I promised an antique, here they are, a stunning engagement gift from my in-laws-to-be! So thoughtful and so us, I still can't get over how sparkling they are, a lovely surprise from lovely people!

A fab book recommendation

2010-08-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

We've taken a long weekend together but the weather has been absolutely rubbish! I did something I haven't done for ages and ages and headed to our local library. I read my book in just one day, that's right, it was that good. The chosen book was The Italian Wedding by Nicky Pellegrino, I think the taste of Italy on a rubbish rainy day is what made it so appealing, it was brilliant and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a bit of escapism. Now I must read her other books!

No photos, but I do have a very exciting antique to show off tomorrow!

Treasures!

2010-08-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I have finally sat down and filled out the forms so I will officially be a student again come November, I hope full time work and part time uni will be manageable but suspect crafty activities may unfortunately suffer, that said, I might be well on the way with my first patchwork quilt by then and might need somewhere to hide from all the work!

Thought I'd start by showing you the lovely giveaway goodies I received this week from Sal at her beautiful blog Sal's Snippets - thanks Sal, they're gorgeous and my shaky cam doesn't do them justice, the smell of lavender in my wardrobe is divine and the lacy beauty now adorns what was a very bare bookshelf!

I'm a big fan of minitures and would love to own a dolls house, hence I tend to covet tiny treasures, latest finds, a pretty little teapot bangle, very Alice in Wonderland, no? Also a lovely little pin picked up at the lovely new shop Made in Newcastle perfect for my autumn wardrobe.

Finally, this week saw the return of an old treasure, my now 27 year old baby blanket as made by my mother when I was a tiny dot, much loved, passed from me to my siblings and then onto cousins and extended family, I thought it might never return but it has, a little worn and faded and in need of some new binding and TLC but still precious to me!

Rotary cutter pain!

2010-07-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

No photos or crafty Sunday today, sustained a hideous rotary cutter injury last night, it bled a lot and just thinking about using it again for a little while gives me the heebie jeebies! Loving how the patchwork squares are coming along though so I'll get back on in the next couple of days!

Hope you're having a restful Sunday, I have Mr Rosenblum's List by Natascha Solomons to read and my dear fiance (still love saying that) has a creamy blue cheese pasta on the go with a nice glass of red wine, perfect Sunday evening in our house!

Engagement week off!

2010-07-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

I just have to share the pics of the beautiful engagement cake our lovely friend made us, I wish I could keep some for you but it's going fast, and it tastes as good as it looks. We have some wonderful friends, can't wait to share our wedding plans with them!

Big thanks to Janet Clare for her recommendation of the Fat Quarters at Blackhall Mill, it did not disappoint. The surrounding area was lovely, we had a really nice walk and then I picked up a Moda pack, a scrap pack which was great value, and some other bits and bats, I am pleased with the colour choices, now on with my first quilt ever!

We spotted this lovely little beauty:

Moda fabrics:

Scrap pack - lots and lots to see here:

Bits and bats:

Toby is sporting a very fine bandana made from a piece from the scrap pack, I was getting bored towards the end of our week off!

Well it's back to earth with a bump, lots of people to tell our exciting news to, but lots of work to do at the same time!

We're Engaged!

2010-07-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

I've been having a lovely week off work and it all started with a very romantic proposal! I'm over the moon, head over heels giddy that I started the week with a lovely boyfriend and by Thursday evening went off to dream land with my fiance!

We got up on the first day of our hols and as I was hopping into the shower he came through to say he was nipping to the local shops to get a drink. After half an hour I got a text message to say 'there's no cash in any of the atms so I've gone into town be back soon.' Nearly two hours passed, this was really out of character, so I texted back to say 'is this a joke? all this time for a can of pop?' more messages followe and he was soon back in the house where I quizzed the poor man for about ten minutes about his whereabouts!

We had a lovely day and then headed out down by the sea at Tynemouth for fish and chips where we got blown about like mad, then headed for home.

Then, at about 9:30pm on our favourite walk with our Tobydog we sat down on the little grassy knoll where we've so frequently watched the sun go down, and before I knew what was happening he was down on one knee and reaching into his pocket for that little box!

The ring is a beautiful yellow gold vintage solitaire which I adore and cannot stop looking at! We took a few days for it to sink in and now that I know it isn't a dream and we've told our parents, family and friends we have a little party to plan, and much more to plan too!

Lots more holiday photos to follow, including our trip to The Fat Quarters and Blackhall Mill, for now I'm back to floating on my cloud!

Oh, the peacock was spotted on our favourite walk the day after the big proposal, an odd sight in a built up area, I think this is a sign of good luck!

Horsing around

2010-07-12T14:20:00.001-07:00

Another lovely weekend has passed and I am super relaxed because as of Thursday I am off work for six lovely long days! I have a few things planned, not least of all heading to Blackhall Mill to The Fat Quarters to seek out materials for my first ever quilt (and some other projects)! Thanks to the lovely Janet Clare for confirming my suspicions that making the journey into the more rural parts of Gateshead will be worthwhile!

We met these beauties on our usual Saturday walk, so gentle, it was lovely to stop and stroke their silky noses, next week calls for an extra bag of apples I think! Wish you could see the trees they're under, that's another photo for another week I think, maybe you can help me identify which kind they are too as I've struggled to come up with anything yet!

These ones look like they're in love (I'm so childish!)

Toby took the time to explore my Mam's back yard and I managed to snap a quick pic before he hopped on out again!

And finally, this is an old photo from about a year ago which is on my desktop at work, I'm a sucker for a colourful beach hut and these ones at Whitby are gorge, snapped from the boat tour I took with work when I first started in June 2009:

Crafty Sunday

2010-07-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm flat out knackered! Work is crazy busy at the moment, mainly with me running training events which I absolutely hate but I am seeing my confidence at public speaking starting to grow, very very painfully slowly!

This weekend has been a much needed break; Saturday saw a trip to the local secondhand book shop, with these two lovely books which have been keeping me busy, I also snapped up a Sociology text book for £5; I have finally come full circle and decided to take the plunge and start my Social Research Masters with the Open University in November, it'll be costly, hard work and I'm under no illusions that full time work + part time study = a very busy Angela but I'm definately up for the challenge and it won't hurt to keep my brain busy!

Whilst I still have the time I made this necklace today which I plan on wearing for my big training day on Tuesday, a whole 5 hours of people listening to me! I needed something for a confidence boost and I hope the sparkles make me sparkle! The glass pendant at the base is one from my fused glass class earlier this year, I'm quite pleased with how it's turned out.

Scent-sational Roses

2010-06-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sal http://salssnippets.blogspot.com/ for her lovely rose garden photos, they reminded me of the rose garden near us at Saltwell Park, we went too late last year but this year they were just perfect, if I could bottle that scent I would, a close best is the YSL Paris Roses that I wear every spring/summer, it's a real old fashioned scent but always cheers me up.

This one is my absolute fave, I love the yellow centre and gorgeous waxy peach petals, they're so big and blowsy

We just spotted this cheeky chap on the way for an icecream

Pooch friends and a WIP

2010-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

We've had a lovely day Toby and I, for the first time we had a friend round with her two pooches, one little labrador puppy (a real andrex puppy!) and a lovely old boy. Our little rescue pup was a star, don't know what I was worried about, they played really nicely all afternoon and it was a joy to see, think we'll be having friends of the canine kind round here more often! He's asleep now bless him, this is the only photo I got, a flurry of tails!

This is a work in progress, as you can see I stitch sporadically, it's nearly done and I have a little frame and ribbon waiting for it for my front room, I love swallows, they're beautiful and I also have a thing for these 'tattoo' type designs, it's an Emily Peacock design that came with this month's Cross Stitcher mag, I'm not a regular reader but this design jumped out at me!

I hope you're enjoying this lovely weather, it's been blissful today, I'm off to read the Guardian out in the sun!

Cath Kidston goodies

2010-06-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to have a work team building awayday to York this week - Mr TTC and I don't drive and so I rarely get the chance for a day out! We had a terrific terrifying time at the York Dungeon and I had the chance to pop into the CK shop to stock up on two Crush mugs to replace the one we broke and so we also have a spare (I'm such a sucker for a matching set!).

We've been saving to get our kitchen done for so long that treats have been few and far between, we started our frugal living plan in January and said this would be a month of little treats to keep us going (hence my shoes, the lovely earrings and book!) I couldn't resist these CK teatowels which will be put away until the new kitchen is done in September! The little lighthouse lamp was spotted at an antiques market last year and I bartered it down so I could spend our last tenner on it, it's a fave in our house!

Crafty Sunday, and new spring shoes

2010-06-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've spent this weekend making a little gift for my sis's birthday, she asked for vouchers but I hate to give them without a little something, hence this little bird in the style of the lavender birds in CK's Sew! book. I think the scrap of fabric is an Amy Butler offcut, but could be wrong, the wings are felt and the beads were picked up in John Lewis recently, a huge pot of pink, gold and plum waiting for the right jewellery project.

New shoes are very exciting in this house because I have big feet and find shoe shopping a trauma at the best of times! I'm overjoyed that New Look now sell size 9 shoes and so when I saw these beauties in my size I had to have them! They fit like a glove and I love the range of flowers and vibrant colours, no more clumpy trainers for me! They're probably the prettiest shoes I've ever had, these and a new haircut have really boosted my mood this weekend! I'm back to a short blonde crop again which is lovely and light, and now I have a spring in my step too!

Help! My dog has turned into a football hooligan!

2010-06-12T02:26:00.001-07:00

Now Mr TTC quite likes to watch a match or two, I have little interest but am quite happy to read quietly in the background with one eye on the score, the game makes no sense to me at all. Imagine my surprise when I found out yesterday that my little Toby dog is quite keen on football too, so now I'm outnumbered two to one!

He went from this, lovely happy dog on a walk:

To this:
To this, note the teeth, that's a growl that says gerrof Dad, it's mine!

He didn't burst the ball himself, a bigger dog did that earlier in the day!

Beauties!

2010-06-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I have the best boyfriend in the world! He had a day off yesterday and when I returned from work he'd bought two gorgeous pizzas for dinner and a little later on presented me with a beautiful pair of earrings from the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle! I'm so lucky! They're by Allison Wiffen and they're made from ceramic white clay overlayed with a printed photo of one of my favourite buildings, the Baltic Flour Mill in Gateshead. They're divine!

I thought I'd share two of my other faves, the first is my birthday handbag bought in March by aforementioned lovely man, I love structured doctor's bags and fell in love with it when I saw it in a little boutique in Tynemouth, especially the punchwork!

The second is Herbert Spencer (I did a politics degree hence his name!) the Steiff bear my parents gave me for my 21st birthday five years ago. He lives under a glass cloche bell jar that my parents carefully carried back from an antiques fair in Holland in the hope he would fit, and he does! He's ever so solemn but I kind of like that!

Kitchen revamp and a very good read

2010-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

I'm suffering from fuzzy brain today, I have three times been to the kitchen to make a cuppa and each time returned with food but no drink, I'm now sitting comfortably!

We have finally saved enough money for our kitchen makeover. Living in a Tyneside flat we have a tiny tiny galley kitchen which is a difficult thing to work with. As it feels so small we have decided to get base units only, and have the upper walls open shelved to hopefully give a feeling of more space, currently we have upper and lower units and I think it feels oppressive and darker than needs be. I'm not brave enough to post a 'before' pic as it's a tip at the moment but I promise I will in due course!

So onto our plans. We definately want the IKEA Varde freestanding units and I'm praying they will be a good fit and not too wide as to leave even less space down the centre of the galley. I definately want this because it has such lovely character! I'd also like to ask our joiner if he can make something like this which I could paint in a similar colour to the plate rack so I can get all my lovely crockery on display!

So to this weekend, on Friday, after a particularly long and difficult working week I returned to these beauties from my lovely other half, he's a gem, he also made a huge pan of chilli which is seeing us through the weekend and probably most of next week!

I thought I'd share my lovely lady with you too, she was found in a vintage shop in town frame and all for just £8, I just love the headband and her darling smile, the darker border shows from some slight damage to the back but adds to her charm! The picture has a blue/green tint that you can't see here, she's by my front door and I love her!

And finally, a new book, a recommendation from a friend, I ordered it through Amazon and thought this version in hardback with pretty roses was particularly lovely, then when I opened it I thought, hang on, that's very CK, and it is indeed an anniversary CK edition! I'm about a third of the way through already, it's incredibly witty, quite a gentle read but perfect for a bit of escapism on a Sunday afternoon! I well recommend it myself!

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

Cath Kidston Sew bag finally!

2010-05-31T03:38:00.000-07:00

I have a confession, I love to sew but I am terrible at it! Blood, sweat and tears went into this bag, most of it is hand sewn after my machine broke down half way through; it's the first bag I've ever made and the fabric was precut with the book and I have no excuses for how bad it is or all the corners I cut, but it's finished at long last! I have to say for a first attempt it's not that bad, but as the granddaughter of a fantastic seamstress I should be better at this!

(Apologies also I appear to be suffering from shaky cam!)

I returned home from a rubbish day all the way to London and back to Newcastle for a one hour meeting to find these beauties in my living room, my Mam walks Toby most lunchtimes so these were a more than welcome surprise from her front garden.

Des Macarons...the prettiest of all the cakes?

2010-05-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, today I spied some Raymond Blanc macarons in Waitrose, at £6.50 for a box of 12 they're not the cheapest Saturday treat but they are just to die for, melt in the mouth and are the most gorgeous pastel colours, I wholeheartedly recommend them! Not Laduree but a close second!

A perfect day

2010-05-22T13:01:00.001-07:00

Today has been just beautiful, this weather really brings out the good in me, it's supposedly the warmest weekend of the year and we've really made the most of our Saturday. Mr TTC took Toby out this morning when the sun was at its brightest and warmest. Then a quick trip to the shops for picnic food, and a cider and sandwich in a new found quiet spot down 'the path,' our favourite walk. When we first moved here people said this was God's little acre, I like that, and it was true today! Finally we ended the day on a last walk out with Toby, the final rays of the day glinting through the trees. You can track our wee terrier's mood in the photos, hot so having a lie down and a rest, sniffing and nibbling on the grass and then a big yawn at the end of a long day!

A wet and windy Monday and a ramble

2010-05-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again, thanks for your lovely comments after my extraction op, I'm not yet fighting fit owing to antibiotics but I definately look a lot less 'chipmunky' than I did over the weekend! As I'm not back to work until tomorrow I'm having a fairly lazy day, I headed out with the hound and my Mam along my favourite path, it was wet and windy but just what we needed to blow the cobwebs away and it's so nice to see bluebells and forget-me-nots at this time of year that the weather hardly matters!

Now I'm settled down with said dog and another mug of soup for me and a bag of Bob's sweet potato french fries for him (healthy dog treats). Did you know that sweet potato makes dogs drowsy and half a potato is good for bonfire night for calming scaredy dogs? Not sure about these treats mind, he seems awfully excited about them! I'm a real geek for health and food facts and regularly watch medical shows like Embarrassing Illnesses so that I can offer my diagnosis before the doctor gets in, a secret calling perhaps? Or just a good pub quiz team mate that spends too much money on women's magazines!?

A tip for CK fans, this month's Easy Living mag has a rather nice plastic CK freebie bag which I used as a jolly hospital bag and have since been carting my meds round in!

No decent pics from the walk because of the rain, however I did get a couple of bright beauties last week from Mr TTC's Mum's garden:

My wise teeth are gone

2010-05-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wisdom teeth were removed successfully, but possibly the most painful thing I've ever experienced, apparently I'm gonna wake up looking like I've gone a few rounds in a boxing ring, so that's something to look forward to! I'll post again in a few days!

The black hole of time

2010-05-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

I have found a new way to lose whole hours, The Sartorialist is one of my new loves and is very good for distracting the mind from this awful toothache that kept me awake all night. Roll on Wednesday 12th, extraction day!

A lovely surprise!

2010-05-05T12:21:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to have won Laura's giveaway at her lovely blog Bugs and Fishes I returned home today to find this fabulous brooch waiting by the front door! I've had a rubbish few weeks with niggly wisdom teeth and I'm not looking forward to my extraction next week, but this cheered me up no end, there's nothing like a big red poppy to raise a smile! Here is it on, thank you so much Laura!

Bank holiday weekend

2010-05-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

I had a busy week last week, I ran my first ever training day which went well and had better than anticipated outcomes, a lot of productive meetings, and a meeting with my work mentor which has given me a real focus. All this work has meant a very quiet weekend, time to look at the Varde kitchen we want from Ikea and time to see a friend's brand new labrador puppy, adorable! Today was also the day of our local fayre, I have a huge slab of gingerbread in the kitchen and a new tea towel screen printed with Swallows hanging up as evidence of a good day out!

I finally took the plunge...

2010-04-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

So at the grand old age of 26 I decided to get my ears pierced, five weeks on, just one more week to go and then I can wear my first ever pair of dangly earrings. I chose olive, citrine and amber coloured beads with gold coloured wires, and a piece of gold chain from my jewellery scrap box, and these are what I finally came up with. Having neither purchased nor worn anything like this, there was a lot of holding up at the mirror. I hope to capture a snap of them in situ around this time next week! PS I am a wee bit nervous about taking my sleepers out but at least these are my incentive to be brave and get on with it!

And finally... my wee lad will hate me for doing this, but I found this photo on my camera and it never fails to make me smile, my funny little terrier!

My first Suffolk Puff

2010-04-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here it is, made from an offcut of a vintage scarf. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I think I have seen these, or something like it, described as yoyos which I quite like too!

Slow slow weeks

2010-04-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Spring is on the way

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

More glass!

2010-03-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

These are the finished pieces from my course. I thoroughly enjoyed all ten weeks and I'm thinking about doing another sometime later this year.

I'm revisiting some music I love at the moment, watching Wonders of the Solar System with Mr TTC and the wee hound himself reminded me of Clem Snide's Moment in the Sun and Ed Harcourt's Watching the Sun Come Up <3

Why thank you, I made it myself!

2010-03-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

Was overjoyed today after receiving a compliment about the necklace I was wearing and was able to say I 'made it myself' I've been bitten by the bug after 8 classes! I was wearing the mustard coloured one to a meeting when the lovely lady commented. You can just make out the sparkly dichroic.

Just a couple of cool things to share, firstly my magic garden before it shed its colourful plumes, and real flowers bought as a gift for me on Mr TTC's birthday, always lovely to receive flowers but these hyacinths are especially scented and fill the room with their heady fragrance, just gorgeous!

A mid year resolution

2010-03-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

I resolve to return to blogging!

After a week off work I'm not overjoyed to be returning tomorrow. This week has seen our bedroom revamped and much closer to the space I always hoped for; as a childhood room sharer I'm pleased to have reclaimed my dressing table and have re-discovered my pretty Roberts radio so hopefully the new look is here to stay (photos to follow) and the mornings will be a little brighter as we move into Spring.

A Lovely Sunday

2009-04-26T10:31:00.001-07:00

Mr TTC and I spent the morning pressure washing our backyard and went for Sunday lunch with our lovely friends as a reward. Roast beef and a lovely walk up by Causey Arch - perfect. Back home to more pressure washing (so much more fun than it sounds - we argued over having a go!) and voila! a sparkling yard followed by a shared Cadbury's Flake, yum!

Hello

2009-04-19T04:50:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my first ever blog and my first ever post!

I named this blog in dedication to my first ever pet Toby "Tea Cozy" the working-type Lakeland Terrier who is basking at my side in the sun as I type.

A bit about me - I am a full-time researcher and part-time crafter of cards, scrapbooks and now sort-of-sewing . I love tea and cakes, Mr Toby, Mr B and our wonderful teapot, flea markets - other people's junk is my treasure - and I think crafting is just about the best way to relax alongside strolling along the beach, my all time favourite day out.

Thanks for reading!