Attic24

Out of Town

Yesterday morning I was out doing the usual thing with J, our early morning walk in the semi darkness. Although I'm generally happy enough pottering through my same old daily routine, yesterday I realised that I've not actually been out of town since I went to Dorset at the end of October, so it's been two weeks without a change of scene. We've not even driven into the countryside to walk, so all my photos from the past fortnight have been local walks and the same old views, and I suddenly felt a really strong urge to escape from it all. 

So I did!

On a whim I hopped onto the 10:25 train to the city, and it felt absolutely marvellous, I was so happy to just be in motion and to be somewhere with a totally different atmosphere. I had a few things which I wanted to look for (new bedding and towels) and a few things which I needed to buy (something to wear for a fairly posh weekend ahead) but other than that, all I really wanted to do was wander around the streets and shops and soak up the city vibe.

As you can see, the shopping arcades were already in full-on Christmas mode which caught me by surprise as I don't generally begin to think about Christmas until December.

I love this arcade which is a relatively new build and houses some lovely shops including John Lewis which is one of my favourite department stores to browse in. This flooring though, it gets me every time - it's sooooooooo shiny!! It has a very reflective surface and combined with the zigzags it makes me feel all off kilter and wobbly, it's the strangest sensation.

Anyhow, John Lewis was dreamy and I spent ages riding up and down the escalators and ummming and aaahhhhing over the household textiles, like you do. I didn't end up buying anything because I didn't want to have to carry it, but it was good to see and feel and make notes for a future online shop.

Leeds has some really stunning architecture which includes these historic shopping arcades, and I absolutely love them. They are so beautiful and atmospheric....

....I mean, just look how glamorous it all is!! You can read more about them ((here)), they really are quite special.

My shopping trip was a success, and I did manage to find something to wear for the weekend which I was relieved about. I'm not a great shopper and really don't enjoy trying things on or making decisions about outfits so I very rarely do it. I have a very small wardrobe and wear the same clothes over and over and over, for years, until they fall apart or look far too unkempt to be acceptable. So yeah, job done, and I'm even a teensy bit excited to wear my new dress on Saturday.

I loved being in the city for a short while and wandering around just immersing myself in the commercial world for half a day gave me a real energy buzz.

Today I was also out of town, and the contrast with yesterday really did make an impression when I looked at my photos this evening.

My good friend who I meet with every week for coffee is off work this week on holiday, so of course I offered up my services as Outing Companion and agreed to go anywhere that took her fancy. I admit I did quietly suggest that the seaside is wonderful at this time of year, but she obviously didn't get the hint and instead she suggested we drive ten miles out into the Yorkshire Dales to the picturesque village of Burnsall. 

We both know this riverside walk very well, and I've pootled along here countless times over the years with the family. It's beautiful in all weathers and seasons but is especially lovely in Autumn.

It's an easy, scenic walk and we had a very specific midway destination in mind....

....leaving the river behind and following the footpath through fields, we arrived.....

....at one of my favourite little watering holes. Doesn't it look welcoming? This is the Old School Tearoom and somewhere I am very fond of when I'm in need of a bit of brunch and a really good coffee.

On this quiet, misty grey Thursday morning in November, the café was quiet when we arrived which allowed us to nab the very coveted window seat. Oh, happy, happy day!! As you can see, the view out of the window is absolutely beautiful....

.....with the café's free range chickens wandering around on the grass below. It really is an idyllic spot to sit and rest for a while in the cosy warmth while waiting for food and drinks to come to the table.

We stayed in the café eating, drinking and chatting for almost two hours, long enough for the mist to eventually lift and the sun to make an appearance. Doesn't it look gorgeous out there? Anyhow, aside from the scenery and greenery, I know that what you're really interested in is my coffee of the day, so here you go, I photographed it especially for you......

.....ta-dah!!!! It's a beauty!! This was actually my second cup of the day, uh-huh, I did splash out and have two, sometimes one just isn't quite enough. Do you want to see my brunch too? I thought you might......

.....now doesn't that look like it would really hit the spot? It was scrumptious, it really was.

It was early afternoon by the time we started to make our way back across the fields.... 

.....and the sun made such a difference to the colours of the landscape, it was really beautiful.

The river Wharfe is quite wide and fast flowing along this stretch but there are spots close to the riverbank which are more shallow and still. 

I kept thinking about my day in the city yesterday, and how today couldn't have been more different. It was extremely tranquil, not an inkling of hustle or bustle to be found along the riverbank.

I read somewhere that the village of Burnsall (in particular this old stone bridge) is one of the most photographed villages in the Yorkshire Dales. I've no idea if this is true, but it certainly is very photogenic.

It was built in 1609, over four hundred years ago. Amazing history right there.

Well it's been lovely catching you up with my comings and goings, I've had a really happy few days doing different things and I do feel that it's done me good. This weekend promises to bring even more out-of-routine delights, because I'm off with Little Lady to look round another city University, and this time we've booked a hotel stay to make a weekend of it. I'm really excited actually, me and my new dress are ready for some city adventures. Bring it on!

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Routine Feels Good

Following on from yesterdays chat about my new-found Springtime lockdown routine, today followed a similar pattern and I felt really good about making it happen. I didn't manage to get out quite so early this morning as I didn't set an alarm and woke naturally at 6.30. But I tell you, it felt wonderful to wake up and know that I already had a plan in place, and that there was no need to ponder on things. I can't tell you what a difference it made, it was quite remarkable how much more settled I felt when I woke up. I was striding out the door at 7.20, and it was a truly beautiful day to be out and about. 

I appreciate the feeling of stillness that hangs in the air this early in the morning, there is something very calming and tranquil about the day being still in it's early waking hours.

It must've rained in the night as everything was damp this morning and the hedges were still holding onto the raindrops.

I love to see the signs of spring slowly appearing and the fresh zing of newly unfurled leaves never fails to make me happy. It's a magical time of year and I can see why so many people are spring lovers. 

J and I set out to walk early again this morning, around 8.45 I think it was when we left the house. The sunshine was glorious, and it was just about warm enough to ditch the coat and manage with a warm hoodie. It felt so good after many months of woolly layers and wellie boots.

We walked home through town so that we could pick up our coffee, and on a whim I stopped to buy a loaf of bread from the veggie stall on the market. I figured that fresh crusty bread would go well with my homemade soup for lunch so I bought a brown sourdough loaf made here in Skipton by a local chef who started up his own micro bakery last year. It's hands down the best sourdough I've ever tasted, the flavour is so so so good. Of course it really didn't help me with my quest to kick the toast and sugar cravings to the curb, but that's a burden I'm willing to deal with. Everything in moderation.

It was a happy delivery day here today as not one but two parcels arrived in the post this morning. I bought myself a new dress (this one) from one of my favourite clothing companies, it's a really soft cotton material and I can't wait to wear it on days when it's warm enough for bare legs and flip flops.

I also purchased some of my most favourite chocolate (again, NOT helping with the clean eating mission, but I ordered it at the weekend when I was in full self indulgence mode). Lime and Sea Salt dark chocolate, honestly the flavour combos in this chocolate are like heaven to me.

Hmmm....I'm seeing a seasalty theme appearing here......guess I must really be missing the sea?!

This afternoon I felt the pull to crochet and it felt really good to sit for a few hours to quietly work with hook and yarn. Do you like the look of the yarn? Isn't it a feast?! This is a brand new product from Stylecraft and I've been lucky enough to get my hands on all of the colours available - there are 38 in total. This is a DK weight organic cotton which comes in 50g balls, and I absolutely love it. It's soft and smooth with a matt finish (it's not a mercerised yarn) and it's a delight to crochet with. I was worried that my hands might not like it as cotton doesn't have any elasticity and can quite often be tough to work with. But I haven't had any difficulty with this yarn and I think it's going to become a firm favourite. 

I spent the whole afternoon lost in the bliss of these soft, spring like colours, crocheting up a pile of flowers and leaves. It's been ages since I felt inspired to dive into some decorative making, and it felt so good! Happy, happy me!!

So I have a bare twiggy branch that is waiting for Spring to arrive - tomorrow I'll show you when these flowers find their twiggy place. See you then xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

  

 

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 17

The above photo was taken back in the spring around Easter time (hence the hot cross bun) and I was on the final stretch of stitching this lovely cross stitch. 

I really love cross stitch designs, I think they are such a beautiful combination of simplicity and complexity and I've found that I am especially suckered in if the design includes flowers. I was sat looking at this particular cross stitch yesterday, admiring the satisfying neatness of all those hundreds of little stitches blending together to make the overall design work.

It was a WiP for quite a long time, almost two whole years in fact. I purchased and downloaded the design from an Etsy shop called "Tiny Modernist"* at the height of my cross stitching frenzy in 2018, and this was the fourth hoop that I stitched.

You can read about the first one ((here)) and the second and third ones ((here))

This design fits really neatly into an 8 inch hoop, which not only makes it a joy to stitch, but also gives an easy option for framing and displaying the finished work.

I like to use a "flexi-hoop" as they come with a little hanger attached at the top instead of the traditional screw that you find at the top of a wooden embroidery hoop. You can find them in all different sizes online, there is an 8 inch one on Amazon ((here)) which is similar to the ones I use.

I actually don't mind the wood grain effect but as I already had some pretty blue spray paint in the cellar (purchased for another project) I decided to have a go at changing the hoop from brown to Mediterranean Blue. It was a bit messy, and I discovered that I am veeeeeery impatient when it comes to waiting for things to dry thoroughly (note to self - tacky is not the same thing as completely dry). But on the whole I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Once I wrestled the cross stitch back into the flexi hoop and was happy with the way it looked, I trimmed the fabric with pinking sheers, then stitched around the edge with a strong length of embroidery floss so that I could pull it tight to gather in the edges. I like this simple way of finishing a cross stitch hoop, it's a bit homespun but I like the idea that the back of the stitching remains visible. I'm quite proud of my stitchy backsides as I do try and keep them neat and don't feel the need to hide them away.

Finally, I painted around the cut edge with a little PVA white craft glue to stop any fraying ends of fabric escaping, and left it all to dry thoroughly. Not  a tacky surface in sight, but thorough dryness you understand. 

Want to see how it turned out?

You know, with the blue frame instead of the brown?

OK...

here

you

go.....

......ta-dah!!!!

It looks pretty good I think?! I added a final little ribbony flourish and it was ready to hang.

A few months ago at the start of the summer holidays, I decided that trying to write on my laptop downstairs was just not working out for me. It's nobody's fault, we were all stuck at home and we only have one single room downstairs (aside from our miniscule kitchen) where family life happens. I found it impossible to concentrate with J and the Little People coming in and out of the room, the cat mithering me for food and the background soundtrack of television invading my thoughts. When J decided to re-watch the whole of The Sopranos from start to finish (oh my goodness, the language! The noise!) I made my mind up to relocate myself ASAP.

I had a little narrow desk down at my studio which wasn't being used, so I fetched it back home, shifted an old heirloom nursing chair out of the corner of the bedroom and made space for a new work area. It's not ideal having a work space in the bedroom, but there isn't really any other place in the house where I could go, so the bedroom it is for now. I still do my creative work downstairs at the dining table or sat on the sofa (or the floor in front of the fire too) but I am really appreciating being able to close myself off from the fam when I need some peace and quiet to write. 

We haven't decorated in here since we moved in thirteen years ago, but as the walls are simply white washed they have been fine for us to live with. However, I would very much like to add some decoration to this space above my desk, maybe a little shelf and some pretty things to hang on the wall there.

I decided a few weeks ago that I'm going to slowly begin collecting some art work especially for my new desk area, and I'm really excited by the whole idea of curating a little space especially for my own enjoyment. This week I received two very lovely parcels in the post, and thought I'd share them with you.

The first parcel contained the above print which is by the very talented artist Brie Harrison. I am a huge fan of Brie's work, and have a few of her postcards dotted about the place. When Brie contacted me and asked if she could send me one of her prints by way of a thank you for a spontaneous shout-out I gave her on social media, I was really touched. I spent a while deliberating over which one to choose (all her giclée prints are just beautiful) and in the end I opted for the one shown above, called "Oaxaca Plant"

I can't tell you how beautiful it is in real life, I've never actually seen a "giclée print" before and oh-my-goodness, the quality is incredible. The finished print is very matt with the most vibrant colours, it honestly looks as if it has been freshly painted. I really love it, so much.

My other parcel contained a rainbow, oh yay for brightly coloured fluffy, frivolous things!

I purchased this from a lovely lady I follow on Instagram, her name is Natalie and she sells her work under the name "Love Indy" *. I saw that she was busy making lots of colourful new stock to re-open her online shop a few weeks ago and I was powerless to resist the lure of the pompoms. This is such a beautifully made decoration and I could tell instantly how much love and care has gone into perfecting the design and making the pompoms absolutely perfect. 

When I laid the above three things out to photograph earlier this afternoon I was immediately struck by how well the colours all go together. Don't they look lovely? I'm calling it a win!

So now I need to decide what kind of shelf I'd like before I begin knocking nails into the wall to hang my pretty things, but I'm excited to make this tiny little corner of the room a lovely spot to call my own. 

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@brieharrison on Instagram ( ♥ thank you Brie for the beautiful gifted print ♥ )

@love.indy_ on Instagram (*pompom rainbow not gifted)

@tinymodernist on Instagram (*cross stitch pattern not gifted)

 

 

 

 

Blogtober 2020 :: Day 10

Helloooo my lovelies, so good to see you in the Attic on day 10 (ten!) of my Blogtober journey. Today has been so, so nice in a very gentle, quietly productive weekendish way. Firstly, I relished not having an alarm waking me up and slept in until almost 8 o'clock which was heaven. During the school week my alarm goes off at 6.30am which is actually OK for me as I am most definitely a morning person. 

I'm really happy with my weekday routine and love getting up early and doing my morning workouts, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy my weekends off! I love the change of pace at the weekends, and Saturdays and Sundays still hold something of a special feel for me even though I spend every day of the week at home.

Around 9.30 J and I walked into town together to do our rounds of the market and local shops. We visited the cheese stall and the fruit/veg stall on the market, then called into the baker, the butcher and finally a quick whizz into M&S foods for a few weekend treats.

Saturday is generally the only day of the week that I don't always cook from scratch - we bought pizzas for the Little People and J and I had a ready-made meal tonight, a really delicious Thai veggie curry from the M&S "Plant Kitchen" range. Often I do cook for J and I on a Saturday when the LP have pizza, and I choose something that would be harder (and way too expensive) to do for a family of five. It might be steak for example, or pan fried seabass fillets which are a fave. But honestly, I do really appreciate the times when all I need to do is cook up some extra veggies, pull a pizza out the oven and wait for the microwave to ping.

After our shopping we walked home with heavy bags full of fresh produce, stopping off on the way to recuperate over a coffee (ohhhhh, can you see a pattern emerging here? Please don't judge my coffee habit!). I don't need to tell you that it was outRAGEously good haha! I practically inhaled it, well honestly at one point I really did literally inhale it because J was making me laugh so much.

We always buy looooooads of stuff from the fruit and veggie stall, enough to last us almost a whole week. I load up on masses of fruit as all of us eat fruit daily so I fill two huge fruit bowls in the kitchen with apples, pears, satsumas, bananas, and then berries and grapes etc in the fridge. I buy whatever veg looks good as the variety of produce varies from week to week. Today I bought the most beautiful looking red pointy peppers which inspired me to make my "Red Soup". The Little People named it the red soup when I first started making it years ago as it has red peppers, sweet potato, red onion and tomatoes in it, making it the most glorious colour.

I bought a basil plant to use in the soup, and to (hopefully) keep growing on the kitchen windowsill - I wonder who remembers my crochet herb pot which I made forever ago? I still really love that quirky little make.

I had soup on my mind when I came home from the market so decided to make it straight away so that I could enjoy a bowl for a late lunch. Here is the recipe in brief....

Chop up 2 red peppers, half a large sweet potato, two large handfuls of baby plum tomatoes, 2 onions and 2 cloves of garlic. Spread it all out on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil, then season well. I used this salt which I recently bought after reading an article about the Dorset Sea Salt Company in Country Living Magazine, it adds a real depth of flavour to cooking which I love. Plus, it comes from Chesil Beach which makes it extra special, a little taste of home.

Roast the veg at 200C for about 40 mins, giving it all a toss around at the half way point.

Make up 600ml of vegetable stock and stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato purée.

Mix the roasted veggies in with the hot stock, then whizz it all up in a blender, doing it in batches if necessary.

Last year we bought a new blender and it's one of our most well used kitchen gadgets - we absolutely LOVE it and use it almost every day. The Little People regularly make smoothies (we keep a bag of frozen berries in the freezer at all times), and I use it to make cooking pastes and sauces, pancake batter, and of course soups. It has a powerful motor so doesn't complain at the frozen lumps of fruit and ice cubes, and it whizzes up a very smooth soup in no time at all. I can highly recommend this one if you are looking for a multipurpose blender (find it on Amazon HERE, it's the 1200W one).

So yeah, I put half of the stock/veg mixture in the blender at a time with a large sprig of fresh basil and whizzed it all up.....

Oh. My. Goodness. SO GOOD!!!!!

This red soup has a very rich, satisfying flavour - I grated a little strong cheddar cheese on top and had it with fresh sourdough bread. I think I'll be making weekend soup more regularly from now on as I really, really enjoyed it - do tell me, what is your favourite soup to make?

My lunch was a late one (2pm ish) and afterwards I noticed the weather was bright and I fancied pottering outside for a little while. I had a sudden urge to bring some colour into the front garden, it was honestly a MaJoR compulsion to go do it right there and then. So before I could even question myself, I had pulled on my coat and was racing down the hill to find me some floral colour. Just like that - one minute eating soup and the next minute I absolutely had to go buy plants!! I do wonder at myself sometimes.

Twenty five minutes later and I was home again with five little pots tucked in my bag. They cost £1 each from the supermarket - two ivies, two cyclamen and a winter cherry, aren't they cheery?

↑↑ This was the place I had in mind for them - this little old wall basket sits to the right of our lower cellar door at the front of the house and it's been making me feel a bit sad just lately. It still has the old stalks in it from last year's deceased geraniums and every time I caught sight of it I would feel bad about it's neglected state. 

Time to make amends!

↑↑ This little pile of green gorgeousness made me so happy because it is Home Grown!! There is a patch of grass beneath our old wooden bench in the front garden that has become more moss than grass, so I was gently able to lift some of it up to use in my wall basket, to stop the earth tumbling out of the gaps. You know how much I adore moss (like I love it very, very much) and so to have my very own growing mossy stuff is like a dream come true. 

And this is how it looks after my £5 investment, plus a little bit of time and minimal effort really. There is still a bit of a gap at the front so I think I might look for some pretty violas to go there as I do love those cute little things. 

Whilst I was searching for floral colour in Morrisons I found this ready-planted terracotta pot for only £4, so that came home to number 24 too, to sit on my front step.

I love the little splash of colour that greets me now as I climb the nine steps to my front door. Note to self - do not forget to water the new growing things. Must. Not. Forget. 

After all the gardening activity, everything came to a sudden halt inside my brain, and I needed to sit down and re-group for a bit. I think I just got over excited being all domesticated, what with making (and eating) soup from scratch and gardening all crammed in together...well, I needed a small frothy coffee and a little bit of gentle yarny stitching to quiet myself. 

I finished off the second half of the gusset decreases on the second sock (I'm knitting two socks together), so that was a good job done. Now I've got the pleasure of whizzing down those easy foot rows and before long I hope to find myself at the toes. J will be pleased I think, he's wearing the other two pairs I made him every day on repeat.

Just as I was cooking dinner retrieving food from the oven and microwave, J shouted to me to come and look out of the window. We'd had a sudden heavy rain shower and the most beautiful double rainbow was arcing over the rooftops right in front of our house. It was so beautiful, a real uplifting sight for sure.

I hope your day has been wonderfully weekendish, do tell me a little of what you've been up to, I'd love to hear......

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City Delights

I am very much enjoying having J at home with me this week, it's a treat for us to have so much child free time together and we're having fun going out and about. Today we went on the train to The City to do a little bit of Christmas shopping which is something of an annual ritual for me at this time of year. Having the Mister with me made it a different experience altogether, and also made me remember that we are both completely different when it comes to shopping.

Our first stop was a new shopping arcade which only opened in October, and wowsers, what an impressive thing it is. I wished that I had taken more notice of the outside of the building as it looks incredible from the pictures I've seen (have a look here to see what I mean). Inside was quite overwhelming, everything was just soooooo shiny!! So much gleaming, reflective, shiny materials, my eyes felt like they might just pop out of my head trying to take it all in. The floor completely did me in, those reflective zigzags made me feel like I was going to trip over any minute. The shops were all incredibly posh too, and were a little bit over the top for me, but then again I was kind of expecting it to be that way. Aside from wanting to just experience all the shiny new-ness, we actually needed to visit the new John Lewis store to pick up a particular gift.

I do have a soft spot for large department stores, there is something rather exciting about having access to so much beautifully displayed stuff on such a large scale. And I happen to love love love riding up and down escalators, it greatly pleases my inner child which I suspect is very much more giddy than is normal for my age.

I left J in the technology department and wandered across to the christmas department to gaze in wonder at the vast displays of ornaments. I had an urge to go and stroke household textiles on the floor below (I am inexplicably drawn to the shelves of fluffy towels arranged by colour), but J was having none of it. He shops like a missile - knows his target in advance and goes straight to it, acquiring it with the minimum of fuss and not a millimetre of diversion. I am the complete opposite, I am a browser and a wanderer and am so very easily diverted it's ridiculous. I have secretly decided to go back to this amazing store at another time and spend an age wandering and stroking, riding up and down through all the levels as many times as I can.

The older shopping arcades in Leeds city are just incredibly beautiful, and I love strolling around here.

I didn't see anyone else really taking in their surroundings, but to me it was impossible not to stand still and gaze about.

We were passing through this arcade so weren't shopping here as such....

.....but I couldn't resist taking some photographs of it looking so glorious and festive.

Ahhhh, gift shopping.....what can I say? I don't enjoy it all that much, and I'm not very good at it either. I picked up a few things from favourite shops for friends, and some small bits for the Little People. But ultimately, after going at it for 3 hours I felt drained and as if I'd failed somehow. 

J suggested we use our last hour in the City to sit and have a drink rather than traipse around more shops, and I was so happy about that idea. 

He took me to a place that he sometimes visits with friends - it's actually a hotel bar, but the fact that it's on the 13th floor makes it rather special.

The views from up here in the SkyLounge Bar are spectacular, so different from my green rural Attic view, but stunning all the same.

We ordered drinks and decided to sit outside on the narrow terrace which runs along the whole length of the thirteenth floor. Despite it being winter and the fact that we were so high up in the air, the terrace was sheltered and warmed by outdoor heaters above each table, and it felt absolutely lovely to be able to sit outside.

I was a bit naughty and ordered myself Hendricks gin and tonic to take the lingering edge off the shopping experience, gosh I really, really enjoyed that drink!

We had time before our train to have a little wander around this area which is a curious mix of historical and new, residential and commercial. It was interesting to see the canal boats here, and it suddenly occurred to me that this is the very same canal (the historic Leeds-Liverpool canal) that runs through my town.

Walking home from the train station along my own familiar stretch of canal this afternoon, I felt a surge of relief to be back. I do enjoy the occasional city visit and a change of scene every so often, but oh it is so so so nice to come home again.

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 More little snippets from the Attic....

Seasonal

Up Hill and Down Dale

Dorset Summer 2015

Seasonal

❄ A bowl of leafy clementines on the table, bought as much for the vibrant colour as for the fruity goodness. I've got an annoying cold at the moment, a head full of cotton wool and a very sore throat so I'm snacking on these little oranges and hoping the vitamins will do me good ❄

❄ The scent of a gorgeous seasonal candle filling the whole house. I love lighting these candle tins during the day when I am home on my own and don't have to worry about the hazzards of hot wax+Little People. I've got a Christmas Spice candle ready to light tomorrow when I shall be Decking the Halls (ie the fireplaces) ❄

❄ We had our first mince pies of the season this weekend, deliciously baked by good ol' M&S. Personally, I much prefer shop-bought mince pies to homemade ones and don't mind admitting it even though my friends tut disapprovingly ❄ 

❄ Sitting on the sofa, keeping warm by wearing my woolly poncho whilst crocheting the edge of it. I finished it last night and blocked it this morning, I can't wait to show you. It's very satisfying to make something wearable that can provide much needed warmth and comfort at this time of year ❄ 

❄ A few weeks ago I hopped on the train and journeyed to the city to do some Christmas shopping in the Big Shops. It's something I do every year, but this year was even more fun as I went with friends ❄

❄ The beautiful old shopping arcades looked even more beautiful than usual, decked out in their seasonal finery. It was a joy to wander around gazing at it all and marvelling at the sheer number of teeny tiny lights ❄

❄ I'm almost done with my Christmas gift buying now, I've bought from local shops as well is in The City and on line. I find all the festive purchasing and decision making very draining I must say, I'm glad I'm nearly done with it all ❄

❄ A seasonal Attic view, I love this December photo very much. As you can see, it snowed here at the end of last week, just a few icy flurries for us here in town but up on the hills there was proper real snow ❄

❄ Walking to school last week, listening to the excited chatter of the Little People as they discussed the possibility of imminent snow fall. Oh my, I love their excitement so much, especially Little B who recalls with vivid clarity the day I took him sledging when he was two years old and is desperate for a repeat performance ❄

❄ My Christmas cards arrived! Really, really pleased with them. Just need to get down to the business of writing and sending them now. I'm also enjoying my advent tree very much during these December days, the little woodland critters make me smile every morning ❄

❄ I definitely want to make more cards, the whole process of designing, making and photographing, then waiting for the box of cards to arrive from the printers is really exciting! I know it's a bit late for this year, but I wanted to tell you that I decided to upload my owl photo to Flickr so that it's there for anyone who wishes to download it and use it to make their own cards. I've left the image un-cropped as I found it easier to crop at the time I actually made the card. You can find it {h e r e} ❄

❄ ...just a few of the seasonal things that have made me happy during the past few weeks.....I confess I struggle a bit with this time of year and find I'm not generally at my best in December. It's the Winter Solstice on Sunday, I shall be celebrating the fact that each and every day next week will be a little teensy bit longer than this week. Roll on Spring...❄

 

❋...more little snippets from the Attic...❋

This Week...

December Flowers

Crochet Christmas Card

Cowl-neck Poncho

Scrumptious

It's half term here this week, so I am home slobbing about with the Little Peeps, relaxing and unwinding and generally trying to be as lazy as possible. J is home from work for the week too, although he isn't quite as good at slobbing as we are. This morning, despite the grey skies and threat of imminent rainfall, he managed to chivvy us all out of our pyjamas and out into the cool of the morning to Take A Walk. It was good actually, the right thing to do, and there were only a few spots of rain. We stopped at our favourite local bakers up the road and purchased paper bags of sweet baked treats, then walked up the hill, past the chickens, behind the castle and into the damp woodland. A stop beside the pond to tuck into those paper bags (mmmmmmmm caramel shortbread), then on up the steep steps to emerge in the open. I didn't have my camera with me or else I would be showing you pictures of twigs and green moss and waterfalls and a beeeeeautiful carpet of snowdrops. You'll just have to imagine all that, see it in your minds eye, if you don't mind.

What I can show you are the things I brought home with me. Some little twigs of sweet catkins plucked from the fallen branch of a tree. Such shocking storm damage, it was heart breaking as the tree was quite considerable in size and had been completely snapped in half. But I didn't feel bad about bringing the catkins home in my bag to make a lovely little posie with some snowdrops from my front patch and some of the bendy-droopy narcissi from my mantel. I love assembling a little posy of seasonal stems to pop into my old ink bottle, it really does give me such a lot of pleasure to do this simple thing.

I also brought home these scrumptious leafy clementines that I picked up from the market on our way home through the town. Ten for one pound, their incredible colour and fresh zesty presence on the table gave me a little heart flutter. And oh my, the taste. It's the taste of sunshine for sure, so juicy and sweet and a fabulous antidote to a grey English winter.

Mollie Makes arrived through the post this morning too. I have been a subscriber from the very first issue, but to tell the truth I am about to end my subscription as I don't always find a lot in those pages that makes my heart leap these days. It is a tad too On Trend for me, lots of cool, quirky designery people doing cool, quirky designery things. It is a bit too over-styled for my taste too, but that's just my personal opinion and I can see that it's still a very well loved magazine for many. Funnily enough, the thing I most like about browsing this magazine is the advertisements. I love to find new people, new shops, new sources of creative inspiration, and today I felt like I unearthed a diamond.

The diamond is delightfully called The Homemakery, an online shop selling yarn, fabric, haberdashery and papercrafts. This is a truly beautiful wesbite. Very visual, charming, wonderfully designed and inspiring from the start. The products for sale at the Homemakery are really scrumptious, just look at these ribbons!!!!!!!

And this wonderful bakers twine too, oh yum yum! There is so much to tempt in this gorgeous place, and it gave me such a lift just skipping from item to item, drinking in the colour and the creative possibilities. There is a sweet blog too. I love making new discoveries like this. Do you have any favourite places on the www that you can recommend? Anywhere you routinely go to when you want to feel inspired? Do share!

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♥...more little snippets from the Attic...♥

Sociable Crochet :: Part I

Better

Pom Poms and Pretty Things

October 2012

Dorset Summer 2012 :: days 5&6

Virtual Gardening

When my Dad and Lady B came to stay back in May, one of the lovely day trips we took was to Salts Mill in Saltaire. My Dad is a David Hockney fan and as it's only a short journey away from Atticland it seemed like a great idea to hop on the train and go to gaze at some artwork.

I really love Salts Mill, I've written about it before on my blog when I've been with the Little People. It's hugely inspiring, with an atmosphere that is both refined and exuberant. The building itself is really amazing, as is the artwork (I am also a Hockney fan) but it's the merchandise which blows me away every time. There is soooooooo much Good Stuff for sale here! Art materials, cards, stationery and a truly jaw dropping selection of books, all beautifully displayed and utterly desirable.

Even if you end up keeping your purse firmly shut in here (near impossible), it is still hugely enjoyable to spend a good hour or two browsing. Ahhhh the joy of browsing....not quite so easy with a three year old. But actually, to be honest Little B was remarkably well behaved in here, and he loved looking at all the books.

When a weeny amount of tension started to creep into the browsing, we headed straight through to Salts Diner for a spot of refreshment.

I had a frothy cappuccino and some rather delicious toasted crumpets slathered in butter and Tiptree jam. The tension slipped away and I felt refreshed and revitalised.

After finishing round two of browsing in Salts Mill and after I had made one or two purchases (nope, my purse did not stay shut, it refused), we went out to stroll in nearby Roberts Park.

This was back in mid May and the blossom and magnolia trees were in full magnificent bloom. It was so pretty!

Our walk around the park ended in an impromptu detour to the decking of the Boathouse Inn right beside the river. I don't usually drink in the daytime, but having my Dad there made it feel like I was on holidays so I ordered a beer at the bar without even thinking about it. Goodness me, it felt rather naughty to be sat beside the river sipping ice cold beer in the middle of a School Day afternoon! Naughty but rather nice. Mmmmmm, happy memories :o)

Anyhow, sorry, didn't mean to get caught up in Memory Lane. I have to show you what made me open my purse in Salts Mill...........

It was this. Port-a-Plant. What do you think? Isn't it just a delight?

Look! Plants you can't kill, and no watering or sunlight required!  Instant, virtual gardening, and in full colour too.

I've been waiting for an opportunity to bring my Port-a-Plants to life, and with me not being able to crochet at the moment, today seemed a good day to get creative with cardboard instead.

All the components (pots, plants and leaves) are printed onto sheets of card and pre-cut, so all you have to do it press out the pieces and slot them together. No cutting, no gluing, just happy, mess-free assembly.

Oh I had the best time growing my plants!

It was really great fun. A little bit fiddly at times (my leaves did keep popping off), but with a little bit of concentrated effort I was soon well under way.

Oooooo I like this kind of gardening, I like it very much. I like how instant it is, and how insanely satisfying and nostalgic.

I think the finished results are great, well they pleased me enormously at any rate. Simple but effective.

I think they look very at home on top of my studio shelves, they've delivered some big happy smiles today for sure.

If you'd like to try this sort of indoor gardening (and I can highly recommend it), here is where you can equip yourself....

Port-a-Plant (Amazon.co.uk) :: Port-a-Plant (Amazon.com)

On our way home from the studio this afternoon, Little B persuaded me to walk back "The Tricky Way". This involves walking down Back Bridge Street and then along a precarious narrow path with no fence and a sheer drop straight down into the beck below. The path finally (with a huge sigh of relief) comes up a steep flight of old stone steps to emerge on the canal tow path. It is a short cut of sorts and very picturesque, but boy oh boy, I swear I hold my breath the whole time and almost feel like I want to pee my pants with nervousness. Anyhow.....walking along Back Bridge Street, I was completely captivated by this gorgeous garden outside a small run of town houses there.

I just loved the exuberant climbers under-planted with a mixture of plants and flowers and crucially the way it looked delightfully low maintenance.

This is definitely giving me some inspiring ideas for my own little back yard. I would love a more permanent set up with much more greenery. Maybe some raised beds for climbers that I can under-plant with shrubs, bulbs and perennials. Perhaps not this year, but I would love to alter the way I garden so's that I can remove the annual guilt factor. I think this year I will mostly be a Virtual Gardener. A Planner and a Dreamer in readiness for next year.

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De-Lighted

Finding the time to spend at the studio is proving rather tricksy at the moment. Although Little B loves to spend time there with me, I've found that I can expect approximately 40 minutes of Good Behaviour before it all goes rapidly downhill and we end up in a tizz with each other. Which is understandable really as he is only three years old and is a very active, on-the-go kind of boy. He finds it hard to sit still, and his attention span for things like books and drawing is still pretty short. I can keep him happy for a reasonable length of time if I give him a) tools of any kind, b) a length of yarn or c) food, but these things inevitably end in damage/trouble/mess and it's simply not worth it.

He is currently at playgroup for three mornings a week which gives me a 90 minute slot of child free time on those mornings. Oh that time feels veeery precious! I try to have at least one of those mornings at the studio if I can, but it never seems long enough to get anything constructive done.

A month or so ago, we purchased some flat pack from Ikea. We had been trying to resist the temptation of quick-fix flat pack, preferring to take our time and look for pre-loved furniture with some character/history to it. But when it came to storage, Ikea just couldn't be beat. Tracy and I both have this same combo, which is a Billy bookcase (mine has some extra shelves added in) and a Benno DVD tower.

I managed to secure two whole child free hours to spend in the studio on Saturday morning, and it was bliss. Absolute BliSS. I got sooo much done. Number one job was to start filling those shelves with colour. It's still a work in progress, but I'm thrilled with the results so far. It's a good practical solution to storing the large amount of yarn I've accumulated, but it's also very visually inspiring and fabulous to gaze at.

As you can see, my little creative corner is starting to fill up! I love it so much. I feel like a happy bird sat in a warm woolly nest :o)

Number two job on Saturday was to play with install my de-lightful new lights. Yes, this box of colourful balls is actually going to transform into Studio Lighting, how fabulous is that?

I first saw these lights on a really beautiful blog called Tales From A Happy House, do you know it? Gillian is a great writer and photographer and we share a lot in common. You can see the photo of hers that made me giddy with excitement and weak with lust right here, and then what she did with her beautiful lights here.

The lights are from a wonderful company called Cable and Cotton and are gloriously simple and rather beautiful. In a nutshell, you purchase a string of 20 fairy lights, then select 20 coloured cotton balls to act as little lampshades. There are about 40 colours to choose from, so you can have a fabby time mixing and matching your own colour combos. If it would help any of you who might (like I did) have a sudden attack of The Wanties after reading this, I will list my colours for you....

I have two of each colour, as follows ::

bright orange, raspberry red, fuscia pink, pale pink, pale blue, sky blue, sunflower yellow, pale yellow, lime green, anais green.

I had a dickens of a job deciding on positioning. Vertical or horizontal? Up and down, or draped across? As you can see, I finally settled on the vertical, after much indecision, coffee, and jigging about. The above photo shows them unlit.....

.....and this is them all lit up. They glow so beautifully! De-lightful indeed!

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Love love love love them!!!

You can see things are slowly coming together in the studio. I now have some above-desk shelving and my notice board and pictures have been hung. A new little cotton rug too, although I might later replace it with a larger version. The paper circle bunting was a sweet gift from Caroline Rose Art, you can find it in her shop here.

It's all looking very jolly and Attic24-ish I have to say.

Tracy wrote a lovely blog post about our Open Studio event with some pictures of the café etc., do go take a little look if you like. We are really looking forward to opening our door in a couple of weeks and welcoming you in, it's kind of thrilling and nerve wracking in equal measure.

I'm hoping to get these cute little cotton circles worked up into some sort of window bunting this week, although my finger is still acting a bit weird. Wish me luck.

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Happy Sunshine Days

I have to tell you I'm having a delicious week. Busy, but delicious.

It's been wonderful to finally feel a little smidge of warmth in the air. I have loved walking about town with Little B, allowing him to lead me the extra-extra long way home from toddler group via the old Corn Mill, the woodland (past the house that keeps chickens) and the canal side. Walking from A to B the long way round has been really enjoyable. Gosh, that boy has so much energy. It fizzes out of him from the minute he gets up (at 5.30am) and carries on fizz-popping throughout our fourteen hour days. Even total strangers comment on it, he just seems to radiate energy somehow.

Our sweet little piggies have been introduced to the joys of outdoor grazing this week. They are indoor dwelling pets, and it has simply been too cold and damp to put them outside before now. We purchased a run from the local pet shop and they are doing a stirling job of trimming my overgrown grass. Yipppeeeeeeeeeee, no more cutting the grass for me!

We decided on a walk this afternoon (up a stupendously long steep huff-puff hill) to spend an hour at a lovely peaceful rural field/park. It's known as The Rec, as it's not really a park as such, but there is a bit of play equipment for the Little People and a well placed picnic bench for Mums. The sun was warm! Yes, really it was! I removed my cardigan!! I even felt (shock horror) a little sweaty at one point. It's been a good half a year since I sat out under a truly warm sun (probably October when I was in Provence), and it made me feel super-happy today.

Even my flowers this week look as if they've been touched by warm sunshine. These tulips came from the supermarket and were a mere £1.80.

I just love the way the light shines through the petals making them look as if they are glowing.

The light in the studio is pretty awesome I have to say. Even on gloomy weather days it feels light and bright, and when the sun streams in through the windows, well it's pretty marvelous. As you can see, I was hard at work at my desk on Wednesday. Hard at it. Well you can tell can't you?

I'm in the process of trying out some new yarns for future crochet workshops,  getting used to the colours, getting a feel for the yarn and how it works up. I spent a while familiarising myself with the colour palette, which basically involves drinking coffee and having a bloomin' good play. Lining them up, arranging them in groups, making notes of the colour codes etc.

I need to catalogue the colours cos I like my yarn to be naked. The paper wrappers get in the way, so as soon as I've noted it all down in my notebook, I whip em off. This yarn is pretty fabby. It's Drops yarn, do you know it? Drops Design is a Norwegian company which produces all sorts of different types of yarn. The one I'm using here is called Paris, it's an aran weight (5mm hook) 100% cotton  and comes in 45 brilliant shades. I'm also trying out some different merino weights, I'll show you more of those very soon.

Now then, do you like my new jug? Affectionately known as my "Ken", the arrival of it on my shelf has made me really rather ridiculously happy this week. I have lusted after a Ken of my very own for a long time. Years. Many years. And last week seemed to be the right time for a little personal, spontaneous splurge.

For those of you who don't recognise the Ken reference, I shall explain :: the jug was made by the very talented and successful ceramicist Ken Eardley. His style is very distinctive and easily recognisable, and I absolutely love the simple quirkiness of it. His work is highly collectible and in great demand, and there is often a lengthy waiting list if you should wish to buy one. My Ken came from the wonderful Janet Bell Gallery, and luckily for me and my spontaneous impulses, Janet always keeps a stock of Ken's in her shop. I told her "red flower" and she emailed me a picture, and that was that, I fell in love and nothing would have stopped me from getting my hands on this beauty.

This is a picture from Yellow House Art in Brighton, showing an amazing range of Ken's ceramics. they look fabulous en masse, I think I need to be careful that I'm not forming an expensive addiction here. Steaaaaady. One Ken will have to suffice for now. But oh I love the blue leafy jugs. Love 'em I do.

The lovely Julia Crossland has been unwittingly aiding and abetting my Wanties with images of her gorgeous paintings feauturing Ken jugs. This springtime one is especially sweet don't you think?

Talking of sweet, Little B made me this heart yesterday. We had an hour or so in the afternoon when we were trying (unsuccessfully) to rest a little before the school run. He got out the Hama beads and decided all by himself that this is what he would do. Each bead was carefully selected with tweezers and placed on the peg board with great ceremony. He loves tools of any kind I've noticed. He loves doing stuff with tools. Or sticks. Or bits of string. We have lots of things tied up with string in our house. Or wrapped in sellotape. Busy busy happy happy.

The blue blue sky this morning made my heart soar skywards. Same again tomorrow? Oh I very very very much hope so.

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