Oh my, a week since my last post. Terribly sorry readers! I've been doing a bit of much needed nesting, well, only because I had to! I've been tidying the old craft room (still!), sorting out OOOOOLD clothes and things to go off to charity and other bits and bobs. It seems I'm not the only one nesting around these parts. Saturday morning I sat for a good half hour while eating breakfast watching a squirrel building a nest in our sycamore tree. You can just make out a pile of leaves in the middle of the branches that don't quite look like they should be there it was fascinating.

Oh, for any family/friends reading and wanting a quick update.....due date is 17th July, bump still quite high up, hospital bags almost packed ready and we're just waiting around!

Sorry for the awful title, but I was out in the front garden this afternoon (once the sun eventually started shining!) and noticed we had the start of peas forming so got a little over excited and had to go and grab my camera. I loooooove fresh peas and really must sew another few rows before its too late in the season! YUM, YUM, YUM!

We've had an advancement on the craft/utility room too! I ordered the vinyl flooring last week and got a call Friday to say it had already been delivered and how soon would I like it fitted. The soonest was today and it looks great! This is the only room in the house that we've properly decorated and we've been here 2 years so far! We don't like to rush these things!!!! I still have to decide on fabric to make some curtains with so it's still a way off being completely finished, but at least all the hard work has been done! So here it is just in need of some storage.....my new craft corner!!!!

And the view the other way...

Please ignore the grubby back door. I'll give that a wipe over this week - honest guv! I've had quite a busy day considering I'm on maternity leave and should be getting some rest. Don't worry, I'm not nesting yet! I think I'm just excited to have the utility room finally finished and want to crack on with painting some of my 'new' storage stuff. I've had this set of drawers almost 2 years, they were liberated from school before they were due to be thrown in the skip along with my desk but I've just not got around to stripping all the thick blue paint off so I can repaint them a snazzy red colour and use the button knobs I bought about a million years ago for them. Today all that changed and I made a start with the stripping. Still more to do later this week but the plan is to do a little every day and get the buggers ready to use! Here they are 'before' I started the transformation.

You can see that I did actually make a start sanding the drawers last summer, but under the thick coat of blue paint is a thick coat of red and it was proving far too difficult for just me and my sanding block! This year I bought a heat gun thingy so I can have it done much quicker and breath in a lot less dust! I've also managed a little Christmas themed sewing, but I don't want to show you everything just yet as we've only just passed the summer solstice!

Today was a lovely morning and I managed to waste most of it parked on the sofa in my PJs! My excuse is that we had a hospital appointment at 11:30 so there was no point getting up too early or doing very much - so I didn't! I did manage to pop outside (once dressed!) and take some photos of a few things I've been sorting this week. I've made a start on tidying my craft room and got rid of some wool (via freecycle) to a nice lady who knits hats and blankets for the local hospital neonatal unit, and a big bag of fabric bits and bobs that I no longer wanted. Still more tidying and organising to do before craft room becomes a nursery and only 4 weeks till my due date (EEEEEK!).

I've even been organising some of my button collection (there is A LOT more than this!) and some sequins for making smiley sardines! Yesterday I managed to whip up another 7 bibs and forgot to take them outside to be photographed.....DOH! In the evening I decided it was about time I tried out my walking foot as I'd found the patchwork quilt-top-thingy I made about a million years ago and the wadding I bought. I'm always full of good intentions and then just ever get around to finishing things. This was originally intended as a blanket for our niece when she was born......She's over 2 years old now!!!! So, instead it is now going to become either a pram blanket OR portable play mat/bag-type-thing for our baby. I've not quite decided which one yet! Maybe it'll be finished in another million years?!

I didn't do anything exciting to it, I've just sewn around the patches (on J's suggestion) to make it look a little pooffy. This whole venturing into the world of quilts is quite new too me, but don't worry, I shan't be inflicting these on anyone in the real world - just our poor baby and the cats!

William with 'morning fur'

........how lovely are thy buttons? I've had a busy day yesterday, well, relatively speaking. I had my feet up trying to avoid getting big puffy feet as I can't fit in any of my shoes any more...boo-hoo! As most of you know I'm not really one for sitting still and not doing much so I had my sewing box on the sofa next to me and got cracking on sewing up and stuffing some Christmas trees. I'm still trying to get ahead of myself so I can have some time off from my etsy shop once the little one arrives! Today the weather is lovely so I'm off to sit sewing sequins onto sardines while the sun shines!

So, here's the plan....I've now got 2 weeks holiday before I start my maternity leave officially. I have a HUUUUUGE list of jobs that need doing before Bunny arrives (in approx 5 weeks!) but I still need time to put my feet up and relax and get all those little sewing jobs done that I've started and not quite get around to finishing. This is going to be my summer sewing retreat - on nice days I plan on sitting out in the dappled shade of the ash tree with my feet up sewing. The only thing that would make it even better would be a large G&T but I guess I still have to wait a while before I can have one of those! ;)

We had a great weekend with our friends Joy and Danny. We decided to go for a day out to Warwick Castle and had a lovely time! We also went for a very nice curry in the evening - I was very good and didn't have anything too spicy as we don't want any early arrivals(!!!!). Today Joy and Danny were superheros and helped John finish off the utility/craft room while I pottered around the garden supervising from time to time. The second coat of paint has been done, the freezer and fridge have been moved AND the old manky carpet and floor tiles have been pulled up all ready for me to order some nice new lino this week. Thank you soooooo much Joy and Danny! Now all I have to do is sort out all of my craft cr*p, decided on some sort of storage and then we can make a start on the nursery! But for now I'm off to put my feet up in the garden while the sun is still shining and do a spot more sewing before tea! I'll also leave you with a photo of my nice round (35 week) belly!

...I love blog land! It's full of such lovely, kind and generous people! Today I got home from work to find a little purple package on the door mat. At first I was a little worried that I'd been ordering felt and buttons in my sleep. Not a tricky thing to do at the mo as I'm quite sleepy most of the time and very forgetful! So I opened the parcel what did I find.....

.....a belated birthday/thank you (for monkey swap organising) of lots of pretty things! A gorgeous card (which may have to be framed and popped in the nursery), a fantastic fabric basket which will take pride of place on my desk (once I've tidied it!), a matching little purse AND inside the purse were these gorgeously bright and cheerful buttons! I feel ever so spoilt! THANK YOU SO MUCH SARAH!!!!!! You are fantastic! x

Well, so far being 32 isn't too bad. I've had a few nice presents, a few nice meals and baked some flapjack. Yesterday was my birthday and we went for a nice lunch and off to John Lewis to spend my birthday vouchers (thanks Annie!!!). I thought as a special treat I would get some of the rowan cotton DK that I've had my eye on for a while now. This year my 'new thing' was going to be learn to crochet - the aim was to learn to make granny squares. I'm hoping this gorgeous pile of wool will encourage me to at least make a start!

I also got a lovely big bunch of flowers from J. He took the hint very well that he should go and see what the new flower shop at our local shops (for local people) had to offer! I do love receiving flowers, a little piece of the garden on the dining table. Especially good when this week is looking like its going to rain most of the time so there won't be a lot of gardening going on!

Secret Monkey Swap Update: Monkeys should be finished and posted now. There is a flickr group all ready for photos of lots of fun and possibly cheeky monkeys!

To celebrate my 30somethingth birthday on Sunday I am offering 15% discount on all purchases - including those in my clearance section - made from either my ETSY or FOLKSY shops for anyone who says HAPPY BIRTHDAY in the message to seller during check out.

This offer will be running all weekend (from NOW till Monday 9am BST). Discount will be given as a refund via Paypal after the transaction has been completed (not including shipping). Those spending over £15 or $20 will also receive a free mystery gift so why not make a purchase and wish me a happy birthday! ;) 

Yesterday was a good post day. I like good post days and as it's my birthday this weekend I've had a couple of good post days ! Well, I can't be sure but the few parcels I have received have felt good! I have to wait till Sunday to open the contents! Anyway, this was particularly good post as it was my parcel from my secret monkey swapper! HURRAH! I'd managed to resist the temptation to look in my sent items box and find out who was going to send me a parcel - my lovely husband did all the detail sending to make sure I got a nice surprise too!

Relaxing in the garden and having a stretch after his postal experience!

Meeting and greeting some of the other house monkeys.

He seems to have fit right in with the rest of the house monkeys. He doesn't have a name just yet, but these things can take time to choose. I'm sure he'll get one as soon as we've worked out what sort of personality he's got! I would like to say a big lovely THANK YOU to Talia, my secret swapper! He's lovely!!!! I've also started a flickr group where other monkey swap pictures can be posted!

...Oh dear, I'm turning into a terrible blogger and I'm ever so sorry! I did have every intention of having a bit of a blog on Sunday then sat and watched a movie instead! I'm finding it quite uncomfy to sit at the computer these days but if I will get myself into this sort of situation!!! (approx 6 weeks until the wee ones due date now!) Anyway, the weekend here in the UK was gorgeous so we spent a lot of the time outdoors. We popped down to see the inlaws Saturday and had a lovely afternoon in their garden. Sunday, back in our own garden was mainly sitting reading the paper under the dappled shade of the ash tree...wonderful! After the paper had been finished with I decided to do a little crafting out in the garden, grabbed my scissors and glittery felt and started cutting out triangles.

These are slowly destined to become Christmas trees (similar to the nice green one from last year). I know, I know, it's faaaaaar too early to be saying the C word, but with the bun due in a matter of weeks and I can see that I won't get a chance to build up a bit of Christmas stock over the summer as I'll be far too busy attempting to look after a baby! With this in mind I thought I'd get ahead of myself slightly so that come September I can reopen my Christmas shop without worrying that I've not made anything for it!

Today was also good post day! No bills, no other rubbish just a parcel I was expecting from my friend (another Claire. There were a lot of us in our year at school!). She'd only told me that she'd sent me a parcel and it wasn't a birthday present so I could open it straight away (It's my birthday on Sunday!), and this is what it was. Some lovely fabric from Ikea called 'Fabler', it's ever so cute and now my mind is running away with all the lovely things I can make it into for the nursery! But tonight I need to get beavering away on my secret monkey swap items so that they are ready to post by the weekend!