Sunny Day Fun

As we are not having a go-away-somewhere type holiday this summer, Mr Locket's rare days off are a treat for us all. And as the weather forecasters have got it wrong again and it is not turning out to be a "barbecue summer" a rare patch of nice sunshine made today even more special!

We bribed the little Lockets to go to the allotment by offering them a trip to the beach afterwards as long as they helped pick the crops.

This is the basket of veg that we dropped off with Granny and Grandpa Biscuit on our way to the seaside.

And here are the motley crew getting themselves well and truly soggy!


and we have photographic evidence of Dot splashing Daisy

of Daisy doing some weird acrobatics!


and then the three of them just looking gorgeous


I tried to get a photo of the three of them digging together so that I could update the one on my header which is now 2 years old but I didn't manage to get one they all liked so it will have to wait until the next trip to the beach.

Filling up the Pink Room

I've been busily moving in to my lovely pink room and anyone foolish enough to be passing by gets dragged in to admire it! So I thought I'd show it off again to you guys!

Extra shelves have been put in and filled up but I have done a lot of editing too so that the sewing room doesn't get too cluttered. My books have also stayed inside just incase it gets damp as they are the one thing I couldn't wash!

So now it is all looking pink and perfect I really need to get on with some crafting!

I did make two things while it was being created:

1. A new cover for my ironing board because there was no way a brown stripy ironing board was coming into my beautiful pink room!


(I used this tutorial but bodged it badly so don't look too closely)

2. These rather wild and wacky crocheted cushion covers inspired by Lucy at Attic24 and pattern explained by Moogsmum!


And the first thing to be properly sewn in the new room were the borders on this quilt as the central panel has been sitting in a box for AGES!

I'm now, very badly, hand quilting it. How do people do it properly???? Mine's all wrinkly and puckered on the back and my stitches are dreadful! Good job the fabric is so pretty!


And for those of you who thought I'd be locking the door on my pink room to keep little monsters out I thought I'd better clarify matters. The little Lockets are very welcome and have even been making some "sewing with mummy" vouchers so they get one to one time with me!

Strimming with the Red Arrows

To give you all a break from me gloating about my lovely pink sewing room I thought I'd share some allotment pictures with you instead - although I'll probably be back with more pink room news soon (sorry!)

The alternating hot and wet weather we have been having lately means that the allotment has gone into overdrive - the crops and flowers are growing really well but unfortunately so are the weeds.

So we did a trade with Granny and Grandpa Dog and let them borrow the three Little Lockets while we borrowed their strimmer and yesterday morning Mr Locket and I went up and quickly attacked the allotment.

The experience was made more interesting (including the 2 mile journey there that took over 40 minutes) because it was the first day of the Sunderland International Airshow.

Our strimming was accompanied by the Red Arrows!!!!


(they were noisier!)

Moving in!

Pinky was ready to move in to this afternoon after Stuart spent Sunday afternoon being very cleverly electrical resulting in this

and all these lights and sockets


and after Mr Malcolm Powder came again and put up even more shelves and moved all the hanging rails that he had so carefully put up in the dining room for me recently! (sorry Malcolm!)

So here are some photos for you - I haven't taken the funny angled ones in an attempt to be arty-farty - they just show more of the room!

There are still a few jobs to be done - including covering (very badly in my case) the rest of the burgundy boxes because they just "don't go" in my lovely new pinky-ness, but I'm so very happy with the end result!

And what I forgot to tell you all is that this new room has been created from half of the garage in the garden - a much better use of the space!

Pinky and Polly

Well, there's just one more day left at work for me and school for the children and then we have 7 weeks of play, play, playtime in my bubble gum pink sewing room!!!!!


Lots of you guessed exactly what I was getting excited about and here are some updated photos after my fab neighbour Malcolm and his son laid the lino, built in some cupboards and work bench, put up shelves, rebuilt a desk donated by a friend and cut down a cheap table! At the weekend my friend's husband is coming to replace the lighting, put in a heater and about 6 double power sockets!!!!


Weeeheeeeeeeee! I'm so excited!

The children are excited about coming and being creative in my new playroom.

And Mr Locket is rather excited about all my craft stuff being moved out of the dining room!

And you know I said that my next door neighbour is really fab?

Look what I found when I got back from work and went to inspect the new developments........


And just to show you that I am worthy of having a dedicated sewing room to play in, here's what I made yesterday on my day off:

A nurse Kinder Doll inspired by Jodie's new friend Nan.


(with a dark blue dress too, in case she gets promoted to Sister!)

I started Miss Polly at about 3pm yesterday and worked right through til midnight only stopping to eat some supper so that she was ready in time for my lovely mother in law's birthday today! Fortunately Mr Locket had the day off too so he was there to do the school run, make the children's tea and all the other million jobs!

My M.I.L used to be a nurse - a midwife in fact - but also, as some of you already know, she was rushed into hospital last week with heart problems which was a real shock to all of us. So Miss Polly has gone to stay to keep an eye on her for us.

But just so she is well prepared she has a reversible apron so that she can help Granny Biscuit indulge in her favourite past-time of washing and cleaning!!


Happy Birthday Granny Biscuit - we love you millions!




And we really love my pink sewing room too!!!!! ;o)

Hmmmmmmmmmm.................

I think I need to take these guys to the beach


so they can build some SANDcastles instead!

What do you think?

Something exciting ..............................

Isn't that a lovely sight?


No?


Then how about this?


Looking better?


Just you wait til the weekend...............................


something very exciting is happening in Locketland this week
so come back again to find out more!

And just so this isn't a craft free post, here's a picture of the bag Dorothy and I made for her favourite teacher who is sadly leaving her school this week.


Miss M teaches music and is totally inspiring - Dot is devastated that she's going so we made this bag to show how much she has been appreciated - and Dot did all the embroidery. The design is adapted from an Anni Downs pattern in either Homespun or Country Threads magazine - can't remember which at the moment!


Unfortunately my job finishes at the end of this week as I was there for maternity cover. I'd always hoped that the other lady wouldn't come back but unfortunately she is. I'm really sad about leaving as I love the job and all the people I work with so this week is a bit tough - especially as I've been working overtime so I'm there nearly every day. I sat at my desk yesterday with the pink paint card from the secret project in front of me to cheer me up. And as the secret project is so exciting it nearly worked!!

What's made me happy today

At supper this evening I asked everyone in turn what had been their best thing about the weekend:

Fred said
"When daddy painted the spider white"
WHAT?????

Daisy
"When I did something on the trampoline"
(the "something" being a flip which isn't allowed!)

Dorothy
"Cooking"
(she made Spaghetti bolognaise for supper tonight and a delicious lemon drizzle cake yesterday)

Mr Locket
"Bringing Lucy toast and tea in bed"
(what can I say, the man is a saint!)

Me?
A last minute dash up to the allotment this evening to pick strawberries before the heavens opened in a spectacular thunder storm.

(my very first sweetpeas!)


Coming home and making strawberry and redcurrant jam from the neglected fruit that I had picked last weekend.


Having fabulous neighbours who, when asked for "some empty jam jars pretty please", produced a proper box of Lakeland jam jars with checky lids and labels! (and all I'd been expecting was some old marmalade and coffee jars!)


Finding the time to quickly make some of Moogsmum's Banana and Chocolate Muffings in time for pudding.


And having a really beautiful daughter to model the muffings for me!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

Lucy x

P.S. The gorgeous jam badge is from a lovely giveaway by Snapdragon's Garden.
(I'll be sending some photos pronto!)