Tuesday 2 September 2008

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!

49 comments:

quiltdude said...

Didn't you do well? I hope your birthday was a good one and you didn't dwell on age too much!!
I also hope there was lots of wine for the many quiet evenings of reading and crafting that will be needed to get through that stash of books.
Happy Birthday from all the quilties. xxxx
Clare

. said...

Happy Birthday Mrs Locket Lady :)

That's some serious birthday pressie hall you've got there. What fun :)

I agree about the Amy Butler instructions, they do look a bit scary, but I made the sleep mask and they were actually okay to follow.

xMx

Eileen said...

Happy Birthday Lucy.. you deserve all the goodies.

monda-loves said...

Looks like a great birthday haul there Mrs Locket. Happy belated birthday :o)

Monda
x

Crafty Things said...

Happy Birthday to you. Looks like a lot of lovely books for you to make you way through!

marit said...

Happy belated Birthday! Lovely presents there!

Selina said...

Happy birthday!

our shabby cottage said...

Happy Birthday.
Gee, I wish I was as spoilt as you on my Birthday!! Lucky you.

Jo in TAS said...

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Lucy!
Happy Birthday to you!

You certainly got a lovely stash of goodies!

Quinn said...

Happy birthday (although I expect it will birthday-plus-one when you read this comment)!

Wishing you all that you would wish yourself...but wait...looks like you've already got that!

Best wishes for a lovely new year :)

Gina said...

What a lovely lot of goodies Lucy. a very HAPPY belated birthday to you.
Gina xx

Mrs Moog said...

Glad you had a lovely day Lucy and enjoy playing with all your goodies. I love your card from the Little Lockets but most of all I love that they shut you away upstairs while they got on and made it...and with room service too!!!

xxx

p.s. glad you found the button!

Leanne said...

Looks like the birthday was a good one....lots of fab pressies - lucky you.

Anonymous said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY! Looks like you'll be busy reading and sewing and drinking wine and beer! Does wine taste the same when drinking it out of a coffee mug!? ;) Hope that you had an awesome day! Many happy returns.

Anonymous said...

Ohhh... I meant to say... my mum bought a book the other day that made me think of you and Clare also. It's called "Mrs Harveys Sister In Law And Other Tasty Dishes"... it's an awesome old style recipe book. Mum bought one for her sister's birthday and was so impressed she bought another one for herself!! It's great!!!

Simone said...

Belated Birthday wishes! I notice in the cake picture that there is a dinosaur missing (top right)! You can just see the shape of where it was laying! LOL!!!

April said...

Happy birthday Lucy Locket! Sounds like you had a fab day. I'm thinking of putting Aplles for Jam on my Christmas list so let me know what it's like!

April xx

French Knots said...

Wow what super presents Mrs L!
Worth getting another year older for such great books, fabrics and treats.

Lucykate Crafts... said...

hey, happy birthday chicken : )

have a lovely day, x.

Chloe said...

In the words of Brucie
"Didnt you do well"!

Happy birthday.

silverpebble said...

So glad you had a good one - look at all that birthday goodness. Love Lesley's package and the jelly dinosaurs!

Am multitasking - chatting to baby (well, blowing interesting raspberries anyway), listening to radio and blogging on Mr P's laptop.

JuliaB said...

Happy happy birthday!!! What a wonderful stash of pressies!!! x

Greedy Nan said...

Well, happy birthday to you! What generous friends and family you do have to give you such fab stuff on your special day. Nevertheless [what a terrific word that is] I expect you deserved every last one. You are going to be one busy Locket with all that reading, crafting and drinking going on.

Unknown said...

bugger...I missed your birthday! Hope you had a fab time xxxxxx

Jane said...

Wow! it sounds like a fantastic birthday, glad you had a happy day. Happy birthday love Jane x

dottycookie said...

Belated Happy, Happy Birthday Mrs Locket! I can't think of anyone who more deserved to have a good one. Hope the wine glasses have been well and truly christened!

Thimbleanna said...

Happy, Happy Birthday Ms. Locket! What a fabulous birthday you've had -- just to prove just how well loved you are by all! And what a dear that sweet Lesley is -- she's a keeper LOL!!! LOVE that purple sock yarn!

Anonymous said...

happy birthday to you, there are some great presents there. Im sure you will love the Gil McNeil book I read it recently and had a job putting it down. Love the card from the little lockets - so sweet.
lisa x

Busters Mom said...

Happy Birthday to you!!!! You got lots of nice presents. Enjoy each and everyone of them.

julia said...

Fabulous gifts, happy birtday to you!
Julia xx

dutchcomfort said...

Happy birthday Mrs. Lucy Locket. That’s some wonderful stash of presents!!

Twiggy said...

Big Happy Birthday Mrs Locket, what a list of loveliness. Great books, I'm always drooling over that lovely Etsy shop fabric, great parcels from friends, scrummy cake and gorgeous cards from your little Lockets, magic!
Twiggy x

Charlie P said...

What a lucky lady! I bet now that the little Lockets are back at school those books and fabrics won't last a second ;) Despite your description over the phone, I wasn't quite prepared for the fabness of that birdy box. Gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Lovely gifts, you lucky Locket! Kinda makes you wish your birthday was everyday, doesn't it?

:)

rachelmp said...

Happy Birthday Lucy! What great gifts. I hope it was a fantastic day. I think I might have to get myself a copy of the Material Obsession book too..

trash said...

Pshaw Monkee Maker! A birthday everyday!? Surely you know those who rush to the front of commenting queues don't deserve luvverly treats like that!

Cele said...

Happy Birthday to you :)
Wow what lovely pressies.
Enjoy your day
The cards are just lovely.
Cele

Nicky said...

Happy Birthday Lucy, Hope you had a lovely day. As a prep/grade one teacher I must say I am extremely impressed by Fred's writing (as I always like to look at those kind of things now!)
All the best,
Nicky xo

Jenny said...

I hope you had a wonderful birthday-sure looks like you were spoiled rotten! GOOD!

pink-petal-designs said...

Happy belated birthday! You have some lovely gifts there.I can't wait to get my hands on the new Needles and pearl book.
Sarah x

Annie said...

Happy Birthday Lucy - what a great birthday you've had. I enjoyed hearing about all your presents, and was surprised to see one of my cards in there amongst it all. I recognised it straight away, and had to think for a moment. Now for the quilt, it is called a disappearing 9 patch. It is the same one Ric Rac made for her Granny. Quick and EASY! Make a 9 block of squares, and then cut down the middle one way and then the other. It gives you 4 blocks for each 9 patch, and looks tricky but it isn't. Have a go and good luck.

Ally Jay said...

Totally love the cupcake apron and oven gloves. What a grown up girl she is now, hope secondary school is being good to her. fabulous pressies, how clever of you to make sure people knew what to buy. All the gifts are lovely. I didn't realise there was another Katie Fforde out.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday from one virgo to another!! What delightful pressies...can't have too many books or fabric lol!! xx

Lina said...

Happy birthday Lucy! A little late I know - but hope you had a good one!

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Lucy, wow you had a lovely lot of pressies, I love the look of those spotty ones!! all you books look good. Xx

Anonymous said...

Lovely prezzies esp from your mad old friend.

Next blog will definitely have to be of you drinking out of your new glasses, reading one of your new books and in the background your latest creativity with your fabrics or yarn!

Lots of your love from your BIG sis

Ally x

Carin said...

Happy Birthday! Hope it was fantastic!

Kylie said...

Happy Belated Birthday Lucy, hope that you had a great day.

est said...

happy belated birthday, lucy!!! i'm sorry for the belated wishes. seems like i'm having blog-lag after i'm well!