A Royal Affair...

Final countdown to the Royal Wedding of William and Kate...

It's a very Royal Affair here at River Cottage...
The excitement is building and preparations have began...

The pearls are dusted off...

The tea is brewing...and cakes are cooked...

It's not too late to Call Me William !!!

Decorations and Royal memorabilia everywhere...

Let the celebrations begin...

Oh I almost forgot...

I have a cottage William...

If that helps...

I think that this may clinch the deal...

Don't you?

Going High Tech...

Going High Tech...

The granny way...

E-Book and Laptop bags...

I made Sara's Boutique bag a little bit longer for the E-Book Bag

and the Laptop Bag wider and much longer...

I have popped these two into the shop in town...

and I hope they find a new home over the weekend...

I hope everyones weekend is as bright and granny good as the colours of these...

New Look to Mr Vintage...and a NEW CUSHION...

Mr Vintage has a new home...
He is looking rather cute and loves his new look...
Here he is decked out for a few pics...
In Granny Goodness...in all it's glory...

These two super Granny blankets will be in my etsy shop soon...

They are made by my Mum...

and full of grannyness...

I had some help today ...

And as you may notice from the next pic...

This is my Newest cushion...

Granny Flats…

My granny lived in a block of flats
three storey’s high,
I can picture it right now
and I don’t even need to try.

Frangipanis in my hand
teddy in the other,
Slowly up the many stairs
walking with my mother.

I’m staying with my granny
time that I now miss the most,
Her flat with many windows
overlooking the city to the coast.

I would hug her tight and breathe her in
and smell that granny smell,
There’s nothing that replaces it
a tear rolls, it’s just as well.

Hand in hand through the park
and down to Darby Street,
Past our favorite bench
where we would sit and rest our feet.

Talking to the grocer
memories of a time now past,
When bread was bread and milk was milk
and fruit and veg would last.

Heading back with bags now full
much slower than before,
Spending time together
always meant so much more.

Now days grow old as we do
and noon turns into night,
Till there is no city below us
just a sea of starry light.

Teddy in hand and snuggled down
between blanket and blue sheets,
The soft warmth of comfort
puts me straight to sleep.

My granny lived in a block of flats
Three storey’s high,
She would see me from her window
as wave to me goodbye.

I still need to test this pattern out...With Kate...

So it might be a little while before it is out...

In the mean time...

Grab a cuppa tea and a few biscuits...

Nab that comfy chair...

and enjoy the veiw with me...

Well worn grannyness...

After seeing these boutique bags

on Sara's blog

I knew they had just the right amount of 

Grannyness

to give them a try...

After taking a few snaps...

I remembered my mother saying...

"when your my age your hands will look just like mine"

yes...

mine are looking very much like I remember my mothers looking at my age...

Maybe a few more gallons of
Vaseline intensive care could help...

Or maybe that's just what they are meant to look like...

older...wiser...and well worn...

I hope this Easter brings

much joy and lots of hugs from some

older...wiser...and well worn hands

from family and friends you adore...

Working Day Out...

What a week it has been...

I have been crocheting till I can no longer crochet anymore...

and them some...

I have worked for the day in a little Gift-Nursery Shop

in town that not only has some gorgeous

items and plants...

But also sells my Granny wares...

It was a rather brisk and cold wet day...

But I didn't mind...

Lots of amazing plants everywhere I looked...

Fantastic organic seeds...

Very quirky shop fittings...

Like this drum tin cupboard...

and vintage dress dolly...

Both of which are not for sale...Oh I wish...

These two Beanies were whisked away by some lovely shoppers

by the end of the day...

and just SO much to look at...

I wasn't at all weary by the end of my day...

I do hope you enjoy seeing some of my pictures of my day at work...

I shall leave you all with some Granny Goodness...

A beautiful bunch of Dahlias...

Bursting with colour...

Nothing like a lovely burst of colour to start a weekend...

Sunshine...

Family...

and lots of crochet...

Just what I am looking foward too...

How about you?

Just So Darn Cute...

Thank you all so much for the amazing response 

to my latest Grandma's Picnic Cushion

listing...

I am thrilled as

all 5 patterns ran out the door...

The Grandma's Picnic cushion pattern is now re-listed

without the bonus offer...
Sorry for those sweeties who may have missed out...

Granny Square Apron...
Pattern and inspiration to make it ...
Found on Sara's Blog...

I have loved this pattern so much
that I had to make another...

I could even do more...

This is just the epitome of Granny Goodness...
A unique combination
that has all the right elements...

Apron...
Which conjures up everything from baking, kitchens, sharing,
working, teaching and comfort...I could go on and on...
Granny Square...
Where do I start,
the distinctive image that is conjured up for crochet the world over...


But really...I just think it is so darn CUTE!!!

Exclusive Offer for My New Pattern Release...

Grandma's Picnic Cushion PDF

and exclusive offer of ONE free pattern...
If you buy this pattern you will be able to choose one free pattern from my etsy shop...
Just include the name of the pattern you would like in the "note from buyer" section on checkout...

then these two patterns will be e-mailed to you for the price of only 

the Grandma's Picnic Cushion pattern...
This offer will only be for this pattern and will only be for a limited number...

There are 5 patterns listed at this offer... 

Once offer ends...It will re-listed at the original pattern price without free pattern...

 As thank you for all of your lovely comments 

and encouragement with this new pattern...

I have listed this special offer for 5 lucky readers...

So please be quick if you are in need of crocheting some sunshine and summer

into your home...

The cushion I crocheted above was for a bargain price of $9 in yarn,

some buttons and a cushion insert...

and I think that is pretty amazing and affordable for most people...

You don't have to spend a huge amount of money

to make something that is pretty and practical...

My grandma was a firm believer in this...

Through recycling, reusing and rescuing vintage finds and practical items

we can all incorporate some Granny Goodness into our everyday life...

I will be back very soon

with more colour and granny crocheting...

My Heart...

Thank you all for your lovely

sweet words about my

latest cushion...

I will be adding this to the shop soon...

But while I am still tweeking

I just popped in to say HI!

Hows your week panning out...

Has it been raining buckets or has the sun been shining...

I have spent my week 

Doing some school activities...

Weeding the garden...

Cleaning up my very, very messy room...

Lots of washing...cooking...and more washing...

These jobs may seem boring and ho-hum...

But sometimes they surprise me...

I am lucky that I have a family...

that needs me to do these jobs...

and make them feel loved...

That's important to me...

Grandma's Picnic Cushion...

My latest cushion is all about summer and picnics

and all things bright and cheery...

Something that I think we all need some of...

 

Summer Picnic…

I love our summer picnics
no dishes to be done,
A soft breeze is blowing
sitting here in the sun.

The pond is full of water
and ducks are paddling by,
Children run and chase them
only to watch them fly.

Cozy pillows, books in hand
watching clouds float past,
The warm rays of sunshine
will inevitably not last.

But not before the games are over
and laughter had by all,
patting backs and shaking hands
and promises to call.

Can these days go on forever
I wish they really would,
A longing for nostalgia
when summer felt so good...

I will be having a giveaway of a slightly different sought this time...

So I will wait till the end of the week 

when the pattern is ready to put up in my etsy shop...

and let everyone know what it is...

I hope my dears are all having a lovely week...

with lots of 

inspiration

and a few sunny days...

Nostalgia Festival

Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival 

 is recognised as a NSW Tourism Flagship Event.

The weekend attracts over 30,000 people to the region and town centre and is all about Rock n Roll, Classic Cars, Hot rods and the 50's and 60's.

There are lots of great 'rock n roll' and 'rockabilly' dances...

There’s a classic car and hot rod show
with over 400 cars on display,  rock n roll dance workshops,
talent quests, feature bands, markets stalls,
Vegas wedding renewals,  and much more.

 

 It was a great Day out

and so much fun...
The clothes and outfits were so lovely...
I could be easily converted to become a rockabilly wannabee
and wear some very, very cool outfits...


I found this stall...
Gorgeous!!!

Granny Square Apron...

After spotting this pattern on Sara's Blog

Tangled Happy

I had to give it a try...

 

I will definitely give this pattern another go...

and find some Cotton worsted weight yarn...Or equivalent...

As I think mine turned out a little bit smaller

than it should be...

I still think it is pretty cute...

and quite like wearing it

while I work...

or sit...

or blog...

Thanks Sara...

It gets

a Granny Good

hug of approval...

Baby Felt Owl

 

I made this little cutie today...

The pattern was in a old issue of Notebook magazine...

The design is by the very talented

Katia Donohoe

Of Plushkacraft...

Her blog is well worth a visit...

 

Tracking down the templete was a little bit tricky...

But I found it HERE...

It was quite fun and not very hard to do...

and even turned out just like the picture in the book...

Don't you love patterns that are like that...

On Explore

 

I recently found out that quite a few of my 

pictures have made it onto

Explore...

Now I would love to enlighten you on what this is,

or better still what it means...

But I don't know either...

What I do know is that this

makes for a pretty picture in itself with

a lovely looking border...

and you can find it on bighugelabs...under scout...

It's a Flickr kind of thing...

At home this week I have been making progress with a new pattern...

Yes I do realize that it was not very long ago that I put

my latest one out...

But I must be on a roll...

And have managed two in a month...

 

While I busy myself...Writing and Reading

and thinking of a name for

this new pattern...

I will leave you all with a Sneak Peek...

of the back that is...

As gosh I am loving the buttons that go so well

with the yarn...

Yum!!!

Miss Milla and a Giveaway winner...

I received a lovely e-mail from the delightful

Kirsten of Miss Milla...

Sharing lots of sweet words and gorgeous pictures

of her finished 

Grandma Daisy cushion...

Kirsten

 was inspired to make her Grandma Daisy cushion

after seeing it on Kate's blog Foxslane...

You can find Kate's cushion here...
and I am so glad she did...
as it looks just perfect!!!

The Miss Millas website also offers a range of online suplies

Like embroidery patterns, fabrics and supplies from knitting to crocheting...

Just delightful for us crafty types...

find these here...

 Also on the subject of delightful things
The winner of the Grandma Tic Tac Toe pdf pattern is...


TBIRD77
After reading this comment I couldn't stop thinking about
how sweet childhood memories really are...

tbird77 please e-mail me at ( kludas@bigpond.com)
your details and I will send this pdf your way...

tbird77 wrote...
Noughs and Crosses!
Brings back childhood memories of a boredom moment
which enabled us to find quirky ideas of where to play.
On a steamed up kitchen window in the middle of winter,
on the patio using wet foot prints on a summer afternoon.
This is such a happy pillow!
Would be great as a throw too. Its just happily brilliant!
***

Thank you all for entering the giveaway...

Be sure to lookout for this pattern in my etsy shop...
and a HUGE thank you to Kate
for testing this pattern out...
Stay tuned to her blog
for some lovely pictures of how it turned out...

I will be back very soon with more crocheting adventures
and maybe even another pattern...

Granny Tic Tac Toe Cushion and PDF Give-away...

My granny’s lost the plot

But she’s ever so nice,

We sit and play games

And take turns rolling dice.

Tic tac toe,

yahtzee and snap,

Games to make you think

so you don’t and take a nap.

She always seems to win

which is awfully strange,

 For a granny so doddery

of a ripe old age.

At last I can show you my latest design...

As always I am still writing this pattern out...

I have had a few set backs with adapting to new programmes 

and saving small file size pdf's.

Now at long last these "high tec" things are soughted

and I am back on track...

It will still be about a week before it is all looking lovely

and ready for my etsy shop...

The lovely Kate

is also helping me out with testing...

Which reminds me...

Sorry Kate for the long delay with getting it to you...

 Very soon...Promise...

Now...back to the give-away...

Please leave a comment...

Tell me if you like it...or not...

If you liked playing Tic Tac Toe...?

Or much preferred to call it "Noughts and Crosses"...?

any comment at all will go into the draw...
And I will pick one winner for a free PDF...

That easy...

I will let everyone know how it is coming along by the end of the week...

And for anyone wondering about the little dolly in the picture...

I made her a very long time ago...

Inspired by the amazing Shannon of Aunty Cookie...

Who's fabric designs and illustrations are just "ACE"...

And the sweet little stripped Cat is called Felix...

He thinks he's the "Top Cat" around here...

and has a air of "grandness" and "distinction" about him...

And is quite happy with begin the only one of his kind

living at River Cottage...

Till next post...

Please stay safe!!!

Hug someone you love...

and keep up the Granny Goodness..

Edit:
Entries are now closed...
Thank you all for your kind words and lovely thoughts...
I will post details very soon...
And this pattern will be available in my etsy shop...

Begone my slumpy ways...

 

What a relief...

I hear you say...

Yes my slumpy ways have headed for darker pastures...

and left me to create...

and there is nothing better than a new cushion design...

I will have to leave everyone

with only a tiny sneak peek...

sorry...

Just know that I will be sitting down tonight and starting to write

everything out and try and make sense of my sticky little notes...

Luckily I have taken all the photo's so even if I get stuck I will have them to remind me...

Till next time...

Keep up the granny goodness...

Union Jack Cushion by Amanda

Union Jack Cushion a photo by Manda's challenges :) on Flickr.

I huge thank you to Amanda for adding her
finished Grandma English cushion to
the flickr group...
There are a few photo's of finished ones on Ravelry...
and I just love seeing them...

I hope everyones Monday morning
has started out well...
We have lovely weather here at River Cottage...
Blue skys, slight breeze...
A freshness in the air...that smells like Autumn...

Just Perfect...