Happy Birthday to ME!

Prepare yourself for loads of photos because here come some of my gorgeous birthday presents!

After taking all your advice, probably ignoring some of it and following my own instincts I gathered a lovely selection of birthday books for various people to give me


The crafting books are lovely - Material Obsessions has some gorgeous quilts with interesting combinations of pattern, fabric and design. I probably wouldn't make any quilt exactly the same but I've got some great ideas and I love looking at it all. The Amy Butler book has some great patterns and lovely pictures but I'm a bit intimidated by her instructions!!! The children's See and Sew book is just a nostalgic treat and Apples for Jam is delightful - I love the introduction and the recipes are super (and do-able too!)

The novels are a real treat too - I have always loved Katie Fforde - happy escapism, ditto Jill Mansell, and I can't wait to read the new Gil McNeil book as I totally loved "Diva's Don't Knit" and re-read it immediately after I finished it. The two Robert Muchamores are sort of shared with Dot - she got some for her birthday and I'm totally hooked now so we did a deal!

Another present that I sort of chose for myself was this selection of fabric from this Etsy shop - really reasonable and fairly speedy postage too - and I LOVE THEM!!!


The children made me some gorgeous cards including this one which was a Team Locket production - I got to lie on Dot's bed reading for the afternoon with supplies of tea, coffee and then wine delivered by room service while they worked on it - and that was before it was even my birthday!


and this is the message on the envelope from Fred's card

which reads "big hug (arms and hands) big kiss inside" - so adorable!

and my lovely niece Em (you meet her in the comments sometimes) made me this fab paper crane mobile - with her last sheet of ladybird origami for the top one.


I had lots of other lovely presents including wine glasses (so I don't have to drink from mugs anymore), beer glasses (ditto), beautiful chicken bowls, money for clothes, jewellery, a Sandi Thom CD, a beautiful mug and some very funny magnets (more of them in a later post) and this scrumptious cake from Granny Biscuit


decorated with jelly dinosaurs by the little Lockets.

Then I received two parcels through the post.....................

One from the other side of the pond

a gift from Clara - aka Working Mom Knits


these gorgeous height chart patterns for both boys and girls and a lovely card by Annie. Thank you so much Clara - it is such a lovely gift and a real surprise too!

And then one from closer to home - my lovely mad friend Lesley!

Everything came in a cardboard box wrapped in newspaper so I got to read some of her southern gossip and when I opened it I found this


one of Lesley's absolutely beautiful fabric boxes with my favourite birds appliqued on the front - and it was full of all these other parcels.

and an envelope with this message


and what a fabulous birthday card it is too


with the fabric like my childhood duvet cover on the back


I absolutely love it - it will be going on my quilt wall soon but for the moment it is on the wall opposite so I can enjoy it all on its own!

and then look what was inside all those parcels - loads and loads of gorgeous goodness

sock wool, stickers, badges, lavender soap (is she trying to tell me something?) and some very professional looking "hand made" labels - and see if you can spot the beautiful ceramic button - all fabulous! But look at these gorgeous fabrics


I'm so excited by these - but don't know if I can bear to cut into them! Lesley rang me from the shop when she was buying them - just as my car had broken down, so it was a lovely diversion!!!

So as you can see I have had a fabtastic birthday and my wrist is pretty much better now - well it was until this evening when I caught my thumb in the bib of my apron when I was cooking the children's supper and bent it back hard jarring my wrist again :(

But enough of that - I'll leave you with a photo of the gorgeous wrapping paper from my BIG SIS


perfect isn't it? Thank you Ally!