Number 24 :: One Year Today

I am having such a bright and gorgeous day today, there is blue sky and sunshine yet again in my patch and I am glad. I am full of the joys, full of those little fluttery bubbles of happiness that make me want to skip down the street like a big kid. Today is a happy, bubbly day and I am so glad you have popped in to say hello and share it with me, you are so very welcome. H e l l o !!

As you may know, today happens to be a special day for me and my little family, because today is the day that we are celebrating one year living here at number 24. This exact day last year, we were arriving in this new town, this new street, this new house with all our possessions in the back of the removal lorry, accompanied by all the excitement and apprehension that a change of location/house/school/nursery brings to ones life. It was an exciting, scary time. And I still remember that day so well. Still remember that amongst the chaos and the upheaval, the boxes and the mess, there was an overwhelming feeling that we had finally arrived H O M E. That this house was the right house for us, and that our new life here would be good. 

And oh it is!! Good that is. Life is good. And I am celebrating today, celebrating the warmth and happiness and comfort and security and belonging that I have found in this house. I don't think I've ever felt so attached to a place before (and I have lived at 15 different addresses in my life so far, in seven different city's/towns/villages). Like I say, life is good.

So. Do you recall that on Wednesday, when I was rambling away about Parcels and Lovely Things, I promised a little G I V E A W A Y ?? In celebration of my first housey-versary?

Well I spent a fantabulous time yesterday up in the Attic, getting reacquainted with my sewing things. I had to crawl into the cupboards under the attic eaves on my hands and knees to get at some of it, had to re-arrange furniture to set up a little working space, but it was all good fun.

I have not accomplished a great deal of sewing this year, and it has been an age since I had to think about designing something. So it was exciting and challenging to do this little project. I knew I wanted it to be something housey, and so this little textile picture was imagined, drawn, cut, pieced and stitched.

I am nervous, can you tell?

Can you tell how much I am hoping you like this little housey picture?

Can you just imagine my fingers crossed behind my back, imagine my wishful thinking??

There is a lot of love and happiness in this picture. I had such FUN making it!! I had forgotten how hugely exciting it is to create with colour and fabric and thread in this way, yes, I truly enjoyed every second.

My little cotton fabric scraps were snippety snipped (fifty two individual pieces cut for this picture), and stitched with love by machine and hand.

I designed and made it a bit like a fabric postcard. It has the same dimensions as a  postcard :: it measure 15cm x 10cm, and fits nicely into this Ikea Ribba frame (it's the 18x24cm one).

And there's more. After the picture, I could not stop. I could not drag myself away from the fabric, threads, ribbons and beads in the Attic. So after the Little People were tucked up in bed, I sneaked back into the Attic to stitch this little cotton and wool felt house. Such fun!!

 

I've made it as a keyring, as I had made one for myself once before and love being able to use something small and handmade every day.
 

So :: this is what i am thinking :: if you would like to receive these handmade housey goodies as a gift from me to you, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of today's post.

I'd like you to tell me a bit about the house where you live, maybe what it looks like, your home style, what's your favourite thing about living there. 

And I'll draw the winner in one weeks time, on Friday 5th December.

I can't wait to hear all about your houses and homes :: nothing pleases me more than talking House-and-Home (well possibly eating cake comes a close second).

And for the record, one of my favourite things about my home is, as you would expect, the Attic. That little room up two flights of stairs which has given me so very much. A room to create it in, a room that inspired me to start my blog, and that view across the town to the hills. Love it today, in the hazy winter sunshine, more than ever. You can read a little more about Number 24 here.

And just before I go, a view of my hyacinths, which seem to have reached their peak. They look and smell  just beautiful.

Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you are up to :: we are away tomorrow, on a little jolly to the Lake District. I love weekends away (we are Youth Hosteling again), and will no doubt be telling you all about it....
....see you next week
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Comments

[Lisa]

Gosh what to say, well Luce my house is in the south and being a northen girl i like you had alot to get use to when i moved. you have seen the photos of my house when i had it all done up and my garden. and i love it all. I have no real fav part only i know deep down this is home this is the house i want my my boys to grow into men in and grandchildren to play in. ahhhhh home is such a wonderful word. and wow i have enjoyed seeing yours and i feel apart of your home as well.
have a great w/end
lisa x

[LittleGem]

Beautiful picture Lucy I like it very very much indeed there is so much detail and care put into it! Happy Housey - Versary! At the moment I split my time half and half between my parents house and my bfs house. Neither of which I get much say in the decor but I love my bedroom because it is totally me...girly and floral xx Gemma

[katy]

I really really NEED that housey picture, really need it, or I will probably keel over and drop dead. Soooooooo pick me? Please?

As for my house....well, I do like my house, once I get inside it, but I really want to move to somewhere older with higher ceilings and proper fireplaces (not a huge great brick inglenook one which takes up the whole sitting room), closer to a town centre, with fewer cows that moo and chickens that squawk. I'm a city girl at heart and living in the countryside makes me feel a bit isolated. In fact, i rather like your house, so if it's ok with you I'll pack up my stuff and move in, ok? ;)

[Funkymonkey]

What a fabulous picture Lucy. I love it especially because it it just like where I live. I've lived in our row of four terraced houses for 21 years now. It is a much loved house and very, very cosy. However, it is getting a little tatty around the edges and we are planning major re-furbs to kitchen and bathroom next year (which I will hate whilst the work is going on.)I can't join in with the neutral theme which is so fashionable and much of the house is yellow with my son's room being red! It is a dark little house and neutral colours just make it feel cold. Unlike you I don't have an attic to blog in but a little bedroom we call a study - so perhaps I should re-name my blog Study52!

Congrats on your 1 year anniversary.

Tracey.

[maria amélia]

Lovely picture. I can see... your house is a home, you showed it in your picture. Be happy for many many years at this house! Good weekend

[Nicola]

Oh Lucy I'm so excited that maybe maybe maybe I might get a wee parcel in the post. As you know we are currently at my parents house which is a lovely semi in a small village but close to town and the canal which we can walk along to the Falkirk Wheel. It has a lovely long back garden although it needs a lot of loving. My style is modern mixed with florals and colour. The favourite thing about the house is that my parents live there (mushy I know!) and how much I'm grateful for all the support they have given J and I over the past few years. Happy houseyversary to you all lol. Have a great weekend away.

Nicola xxxx

[Deb]

Oh beautiful Lucy, you really are clever! Congrats on you + No 24's first anniversary!

My house is nothing special; half-refurbished, messy, chaotic and therefore quite annoying. It could be described as plain or ugly and a bit small, for all of us.
But it is home and for one simple reason that my family is here. That's all.

Debx

[Deb]

Hi Lucy,
Happy House Anniversary! We've been at our house now for 18 years, but I still feel the same joy and thankfulness as I did when it was new to us. In fact, yesterday it was a Thanksgiving house, full of the sights, sounds, and smells of Thanksgiving. From the smells of the turkey roasting in the oven with its herbs and vegetables, to the music of the marching bands at the Macy's Parade, to the sight of my family around the table enjoying dinner as we have for these last 18 years, I had much to be thankful for. Our houses hold us, our memories, and our futures and so we do need to celebrate them and care for them. Wishing you many more years in your house,
Deb

[Jude]

Happy home anniversary!!
Love both the items-and amazed you can get the inspiration, cutting and making, all completed so quickly!
I live by the Somerset coast and my favourite room is our loft which was converted about a year ago. I love it because its biggest lightest room in the house and even on an awful rainy day there is something great about being up in the sky. Its painted in 'sea mist' a lovely soft blue/grey which is very calming. Can't quite see the sea, but its only a few minutes walk away.
Our red brick house was built in 1901 as one of six semis and am just thinking a key ring reflecting its shape would make a fab gift for our neighbours...
bye for now xx

[ginny]

Happy housey year Lucy.
I love the sweet picture... such a happy picture.
My house is small but just right for us.. it is our home.. i love the wooden floorboards. My favourite space though is the garden and the studio space half way up where we all come to create... we are so lucky to have it.
have a happy weekend.. wrap up warm!
x

[Michelle]

I just recently discovered your blog and I'm glad I did! Congrats on your one year anniversary at your house - here's to many more happy years there!

[cathleen]

Oh Lucy, I am so excited...your little housey creations are lovely and I would love to win them. I can see you put lots of 'Lucy Love' into your sewing. Do you have any idea how adorable you are? My home is my haven. I LOVE my home. It's cozy and comfy and old. I love all the windows and the sun shining in....but I also love night time when the candles are glowing and everything looks peaceful and quiet. I love being outside and seeing a kitty sitting in one of the windows or seeing the curtains being blown by a light breeze. I love waking up in the morning and walking down to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and my house seems to welcome me. My little two story house is surrounded by the little cottage garden I created....it's just a sweet heavenly place to be, to me.

[Alexis]

I love my house. We moved from a larger, quite soulless modern colonial to the little 100 year old farmhouse that we're in now about two years ago. We did some renovations and an addition, but managed to keep the spirit of the old house alive! It is snug and cosy and perfect for my three girls, my husband and me.

And I have a perfect spot picked out for your brilliant housey picture!

[Lesley]

oh how completely lovely is the housey picture you are a clever lady :-)
hhhmmm my house (my 3 year housey versary this weekend by the way !)
its an victoria farmhouse with 3 storeys of which I very rarely make it to the top but then love the view from the top attic window of just miles of fields and trees in the distance looking towards North Wales :-)my house style used to be very modern and clean lines but since finding blogging I have completely embraced spotty things (red and white of course) flowery tea towels, lovely paintings from talented bloggers, and purchased my first ever sewing machine!!! my favourite place is the large table in the kitchen/diner when it is scattered with childrens crafty stuff in progress and my new hobby of fabric hearts (usually have about 3 in progress at one time!) and I ALWAYS have flowers in the house its a rule that I must have them :-D
good idea with the ribbon around the hyacinths as mine are looking like the leaning tower of Pisa at the moment but still smell delicious :-D
have a lovely weekend apols for the long comment!
lesley x

[frances]

Many congratulations to you on your anniversary at 24. Your celebrating with a fabric house surely does show how your location (with that view) inspires you.

Where I live is so different. My tiny apartment is very near Central Park in NYC. I cannot see the Park from any of my four windows, but know that all that green is just a short walk away.

Although the bustle of Broadway is also close by, my little refuge is very peaceful, and totally cluttered with books, and tools and supplies for oil and watercolor painting, knitting, crocheting, needlepointing, sewing, cooking.

How I wish that my demanding full-time job left me more time for these other pursuits.

It's grand to read your posts. Cheers!

[MarmaladeRose]

Oh, Lucy you are so kind and generous. There is sooo much love in that picture, it seems so personal, I'm surprised you can bear to give it away. It’s so bright and jolly, it would really cheer me up after my traumatic week. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
I love my little house, because it is the realisation of our dream. Not the house itself, but the location. We have worked so hard to achieve our own ‘escape to the country’.
Like you my favourite room is my little attic room, where guest sleep, I sew and create and nature blesses me every day with the view from the window. Home really is where my heart is.
Thank you for this opportunity. Your are like a daily dose of tonic. (Zingy citrus flavour)
love Fi x

[Jenny]

Oh what a precious housey picture! You are SO talented!

My little house is an older fixer-upper...it's a Dutch Colonial with wooden floors...there's a huge To Do List full of all the things I want to do to it. But, even though the project list has not even had a dent put into it after 5 years of living here, it's home to me and 11 glorious kitties. There's much love here!

Thanks for sharing your creativity and warmth with all of us!

Best regards,
Jenny

[simone]

It would be dull for me to tell you about my house. My house is uninspiring except for in the evening when it takes on a whole new mood. The living room becomes cosy and warm with table lamps lit and scented candles fill the room with a familiar and comforting scent. The curtains are drawn and we feel safe in our little space. I would love to live in your keyring house with the stripey roof. A blue house with button flowers. Now that would be my dream house.

[Tracy]

Hi Lucy and happy house-versary! I've been admiring your blog from afar for a while now. I love the picture - I think it would look great in my new spare room (when it's finished!).

I live in a lovely little terrace house, which is a stack of rooms, one of top of the other. Our kitchen is in the basement, lounge on the ground floor, spare room and bathroom on the first floor and our bedroom in the attic. I love attic bedrooms, probably because I've always had one, but sometimes going down 3 fights of stairs to put the kettle on can be a chore! I wouldn't have it any other way though.

We're in the middle of a big refurb, which will hopefully inject a little more personality into the house and make it more homely! It's such a cute little house, it definitely needs more cushions and blankets adding to the decor to make it more cosy!

It's nice when you like your house. I love coming home from work when it's cold outside and knowing I'll feel safe and cosy when I get inside. The only thing I'd change is the location - if I could move the house further out of town and add a garden I'd be in household heaven!

[Cláudia]

Hello Lucy!
Yesterday waiting for you!
I loved their creations. Relamente are very beautiful.
I live with my husband in the house of my mother. At the moment we are not in our own home. I also have lived in several places and, like most, find the house of my life, as you found. But I hope in God and know that we will soon be there. In the meantime I do my crochet (love of passion). I am starting a ripple blanket based on its beautiful blanket. I have a preference for arts lines and have no children, take the time that's left to do my work. I live in Guaruja - Sao Paulo - Brazil and I hope a day to receive something of his creation, for less than seja.Ficarei immensely happy with only a message of your own.
Good things always.
Kisses and congratulations on your home life and colorful.
Thanks for sharing with us their joys.
May God bless

[Rachel L]

Happy Home Anniversary! I love your little picture and keyring, they are both beautiful. My house is nothing special - a small, boxy 1960's semi with no character or period features - but it is our home and, although it still could do with some tlc and redecoration, it is filled with things (some might say clutter!) that make me happy, not least my husband and two children - and that is why I love it.
Rachel x

[Hen]

Hi Luce,
Happy Housey-versary! So glad you've settled so well in your lovely colourful home. I think you're going to be inundated with comments for this lovely giveaway of yours. Very impressed you whipped that up - in one day?!
Our house - here in South London, we have a Victorian house, built circa 1875, lots of original features: fireplaces, cornices, ceiling roses, sash windows, stained glass doors. It has very high ceilings and big rooms - costs a fortune to heat and never feels that warm unless you get those cosy fires going. My fave bit is my den and most of my time is spent in there; I have to be dragged out to pick Munchkin up from school and cook! Style here is quite modern, pale walls (a few now have funky wallpaper), wooden floorboards and classic 20th century furniture. Contrasts completely with our cottage in Somerset: built 1500s, teeny tiny proportions, 2 bedrooms, low beamed ceilings, inglenook, flagstone floors. Very flowery and vintagey. Not sure what I'm going to do when we eventually move into one house for good!
Have a marvellous weekend.
Hen x

[Sara]

Love the picture -

My house is not one of choice- we had to move when i became ill and couldnt work so we downsized into a bigger house but worse area if that makes any sense ????

But it is the home of my choice - I love anything old and we have loads of 1920s / 1930s furniture - we restored the open fires in both the dining room and lounge which we all love.

The garden was big so we now have 6 free range chickens and two free range rabbits ?? (who think they are chickens) and two lovely cats.

Loads of old china, embroidered tablecloths, vintage jugs and glass sets etc

So though we came here through financial necessity we do have a little bit of country in the town.

Love your blog - just starting mine but really apprehensive

XX

[Liz]

Absoultely gorgeous, I would love to win your house picture. Your blog is so happy and colourful, it really puts a smile on my face. I have lived in my house for 25 years, and never want to leave. I love it!

[A Thrifty Mrs]

Congrats on one year in your house! I bet timed has flown.
Love the house pictures and key ring.

Have a really lovely weekend away.