summer lovin'

Please excuse the cheesy title, but WOW, what a glorious summer it has been! First the Golden Jubilee celebrations and then the spectacle that was the 2012 Olympics. I can't believe that summer is over. But over it is and now the nights are rolling in there seems no good excuse not to flex those bony fingers of mine over a keyboard once more and get blogging.

A couple weeks ago we celebrated the birthday of one of my dear friends with a tea party in her honour. Considering the rain has played as big a part in the British summer as the Olympics itself, we were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of the sun in the sky.

see, those meringues are tiny!

Holdsworth House was the perfect setting for our gathering and after drinks in the garden, were were taken to a private room where we were served with our quintessential English fare. Although I am a lover all all things kitsch and vintage, and am hosting my very own tea party myself next week (more about that in future posts) I have to admit I actually don't like the taste of tea or cream* (I know - shocker, huh?!). 

obligatory vintage china

But fret not - I didn't go hungry. After drinking my own body weight in coffee, I quickly polished off smoked salmon sandwiches, a chocolate muffin and  five a few mini lemon meringue pies. Delicious!!

the aftermath

 It was the perfect birthday treat for my most girly of girlfriends and the perfect send-off to what has been a great summer. If you're interested in booking Afternoon Tea at Holdsworth House, then please click here.

Michelle x 

ps. the only 'downer' to the whole afternoon was the strange picture in the corner of the room. It gave a weird slant to the party, I must say. I tried to look away, but my eyes kept being drawn to it. Bit of a buzzkill to be honest, see for yourself...

I mean, really

REALLY!!

Anyhoo, Happy Birthday Lucy - I hope you enjoyed your day!!

(I know, you can't stop looking at that painting, right?)

Bye for now

Michelle x 

* don't judge me, I have tried to like tea, honest. 

confessions of a lazy blogger

Dear Blogspot

I know that we've not seen much of each other recently, you've probably been wondering what's going on and where you stand. It's true, we have grown apart, but I feel you should know, it's not you  - it's me. 

When we first got together things were really great - everything was new and it was all full of excitement. We spoke every day, sometimes more than once a day, and I would tell you what I'd done with my time, show you photos and I would even share my innermost thoughts with you. So deep was our mutual appreciation others would even comment on what they saw.

But something happened. We started talking less, conversation became stilted and before I knew what was happening, I was reading other people's blogs. Please don't blame yourself, there was nothing you could have done differently, it's just that I'm not ready for that kind of commitment right now. You want more from me but I'm like a bird. I need to fly. So if I visit a local beauty spot or see a great view I won't beat myself up for forgetting my camera. If I make a great looking meal, I won't feel guilty for scoffing it immediately before taking the time to take the perfect shot and if I spy a great bargain in a charity shop, I don't have to tell you if I don't want to.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy spending time with you. For starters you're a great listener, low maintenance and your memory is amazing, but I can't guarantee that I will always use correct grammar and that my pictures will always be in focus. 

Please don't try to change me. This blog will never be A Beautiful Mess, but I promise I will try harder to make it work. For example, I saw these and thought of you.

I love you, but I'm not in love with you, so I think it's better that we remain just friends.

I promise we'll speak soon

Yours

Michelle - aka the lazy blogger.

shop love: the village haberdashery

Every so often my adventures on the internet make me say, 'Oh my gosh, breathe..!' and when I found this shop I said just that. The Village Haberdashery is, well....a haberdashery. It caters for knitters, needlepointers, embroiderers and crocheters (I would have included those who sew, but no one wants to be called a sewer...do they...?). I found the site just over a week ago and every time I find myself on the internet (which is a lot - Housework...? What's that?) I keep finding myself back in the shop musing over what dress pattern/fabric I might buy.

The layout of the shop is great, it's simple and easy to navigate, but more importantly, I'm in love with the beautiful items they stock. Here is my wishlist (I may have to hide my purse).....

The 'Birthday Party' dress pattern by Oliver + S. Cuteness in a packet. 

The 'Scirocco' dress pattern by Figgy's. So gorgeous. I can't decide which one I want to make for my girls.

The 'Banksia top' pattern my Megan Nielsen. It's currently sold out, but I've got my eye on this one....

... and finally, this fabric by Michelle Engel Bencsko. To. Die . For.

So, that's my wishlist. check out The Village Haberdashery for yourself and see what catches your eye!

Bye for now

Michelle x 

Sunny Saturday

Those of you that hail from outside Britain may be baffled by the British obsession with the weather. But if you look at the weather we've had so far this year it's very easy to see why. Back in March we had a week of glorious sunshine. Suntan lotion was applied, ice creams were eaten and children played in the garden. However, just a week later the ground was covered in snow. Moving onto this season and our summer has been largely punctuated by rain with the occasional day of sunshine. British weather is extreme and it's unpredictable - it's no wonder why we talk about it all the time!

Anyway, on Saturday afternoon I spotted something yellow in the sky. On further inspection it turned out to be the sun (yay!) so me and my eldest daughter seized the opportunity, donned our wellies and went fruit picking at Bentley Grange.

After a couple of minor mishaps (I forgot to bring sun cream and cash, thankfully the lovely folks at the farm took cards), me and my eldest daughter took to the fields...

'Look Mummy! horses!'

squelch!

The fruit of our labour - no pun intended

We picked strawberries and raspberries (although they also grow blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries). They grow the strawberries on tables so it's not even back breaking work. It's a great way to pass the time with your kids. Whizz Kid loved it and I can't wait to take my youngest when she's old enough next year. The fact that the sun came out topped the day off quite nicely, but even in the rain it would have been fun.

Do you have any PYO (that stands for Pick Your Own by the way - yeah, I speak the lingo) farms near you? I can highly recommend paying them a visit - even if it's raining!

Got to go - I've got strawberries to eat!! Yummy!!

Michelle x 

soundtrack to my life : Julia Stone

Sometimes a song gets into my head, sets up camp and won't leave. It plays on repeat and acts as a backing track to all that I do. I slowly drive myself and those around me crazy singing it all the time (not to mention humming the bits I don't know).The song doesn't even have to be good (Go Compare anyone?). But sometimes, only sometimes I get a song in my head that's actually good.  This one is by Julia Stone and it's called  'You're The One That I Want'. It's a cover of the song from Grease, but don't let that put you off. I've listened to it countless times and I still love it. I thought I'd share the love.

See what I mean? It's beautiful. I can't get enough. How 'bout you?

Bye for now (ooh ooh ooh....)

Michelle x 

New balls please!

Has anyone else been watching Wimbledon? Well, if you're British, of course you have! Usually, the spectacle of people hitting balls at each other leaves me cold but I've really got into it this year. Is it the display of skill? The prospect of an actual British champion? Yes and yes, but there's also one other thing that's luring me in....the Wimbledon umpires jackets. Have you seen them? Ooooh! They are works of art, things of beauty, and with all things that remain elusive, I want one.

They are made by Ralph Lauren and the ones I have seen for sale (on eBay) are considerably out of my price range, but here is a selection of sporting blazers available on the interweb - ranging from the outright expensive to credit crunch affordable. Enjoy!

Credits: clockwise 1, 2, 3, 4

Well, I'd better go now. Anyone for tennis?

Michelle x 

I made this: doilie necklace

We were on holiday a couple weeks ago, so the days leading up to our departure were filled with packing and last minute travel preparation. Or at least they should have been. Ever the eternal procrastinator, I found myself tinkering away in our spare room making this and that. One of the first diys I made for this blog was my crochet doilie top. I still had some doilies left over so I decided to make this necklace.

All you need to make a necklace like this one are: 

* crochet doilies (you can find these in all good charity shops)

* jump rings (you can find these on etsy/eBay)

* broken necklaces and jewellery bits and bobs (if you're like me, you can find these in your drawer!)

* pliers (if you don't have any of these, a blunt pair of scissors will usually do)

1) Find the centre of the necklace and snip.

2) Attach jump rings to the necklace ends and attach to the doilie.

3) Embellish necklace as much as you please.

The finished result looks like this...

Pretty simple, huh! Have you upcycled any old jewellery recently?

Over and out

Michelle x 

ps. Sorry about the badly lit pictures folks, it's been dark and rainy here for AAAAGGESS! Nice weather for ducks.......