Pouffe Palavar (it wasn't really a palavar, I just couldn't think of another "p" word)

I always love it when something I've been hoarding for no particular reason or purpose actually comes in handy.

I'm talking about the single duvet languishing in a bag under the spare bed together with the cushions that had lost their oomph.  What I was keeping the cushions for, I know not.  They really were useless and not fit for purpose. 

Anyway, I decided to knit a pouffe and use the duvet and useless cushions as stuffing. 

I was inspired by Pickles' so-called Puff Daddy here:

Cute huh?

I couldn't quite follow the instructions (because I'm a fool) but I found this one easier to follow.

I used this deliciously soft chunky yarn which is 51% wool and 49% acrylic.  It's probably far too lovely and soft for an item of furniture but it was cheaper than the equivalent 100% chunky acrylic.

Now, I would have liked to show you the steps leading up to the pouffe's creation, but Little Miss J and P has, YET AGAIN, deleted the pics from the camera *tries to suppress evil thoughts*.

Anyway, if you follow these instructions you can't go wrong AND it's the same principle, would you believe, as my round cushion here .

So, you knit a large rectangle, sew together the two short sides to make a cylinder, gather one end of cylinder with running stitch, stuff with spare duvet and useless cushions, gather and sew the other end so it looks like this:

I didn't much care for the gaping hole at either end so I knitted two small squares and stuffed them in the holes at both ends:

Aah that's much better

Here it is in situ:

 

And here it is, for some reason, posing proudly on the sofa:

 

 

The pouffe cost just under £20 which isn't bad when shop bought pouffes cost a whole lot more.

 

On another note, rejoice with me, dear readers, as there are a whole TWO jumble sales to go to tomorrow.  I am so excited that I fear I won't get a wink of sleep tonight.....Seriously.....

 

Bye bye one and all. xx

Only I could get excited about a kitchen sink

When we visited our friends in Holland in the summer, I told Little Miss J and P beforehand that the kitchen sink in our friend, Marianne's, house was simply the bees knees.

Little Miss looked at me as I was some sort of fool and said "Seriously, mum, no-one cares."

Little does she realise that my readers do care about such things.  Don't you?  (Don't let me down now will you?).

But before I show you a pic of said kitchen sink (I really know how to ramp up the excitement don't I?), I had a good old snoop round Marianne's house and took a few pics.  Just for you, dear readers.

Cute stag head in pink downstairs loo:

Cute lock on toilet door:

Cute little shrine thang going on - still in the downstairs loo:

I've always lusted after these Jielde floor lamps.  Sadly, they're really expensive and I am, as you know, a complete skinflint.

A foolish person posing next to the floor lamp and getting in the way:

I should have taken a photo of this Agfa (what the hell is it??) light box thingy when it was lit up:

Another pretty floor lamp:

I love these handy storage canisters in the kitchen:

Nika is their daughter:

Near vertical stairs are common in Holland.  They stem from the 17th century when canal houses were taxed on their width:

I adore this vintage wallpaper which they bought from a well known vintage wallpaper shop in Ghent, Belgium:

The wallpaper shop in Ghent which I visited a number of years ago.  It really is stuffed to the gunnels with rolls of to die for wallpaper:

And now, for the kitchen sink:

Sadly, not the best of photos but it's pretty fabulous is it not?  A blue and white tiled kitchen sink:  what's not to adore?

Who'd have thought that I'd be lusting after a kitchen sink for Gawd's sake?  Aaah, the thrills and spills of my little world.....

Actually what was genuinely thrilling was winning the Vanilla Squirrel's giveaway in the summer:

This is an adorable squirrel pin cushion (Cath Kidston if you please) which is currently on display in our front room as it's far too lovely to be put away in our sewing box.

How lucky am I?

Byeeeeee  xx

What we did last summer

Blimey, it's been so long since I last posted anything, I literally could not remember how to create a new post in Blogger. How mad is that!

So, we went on holiday to Holland for a week, came back for a few days then onto Portugal for a week, came back and then onto the Lake District for another week.  I'm not complaining but all that packing and unpacking was a little, how can I put it, boring.  The holidays were great though.

Before we went on holiday we ate Ramadam bread:

Yes, that's two loaves of delicious Turkish Ramadam bread

In Holland:  we snickered foolishly at "bastard" sugar:

Drooled over these beach cabins:

Marvelled at this shop which sold only sheep pillows:

Snuggled with an actual real live sheep:

Put on too much sun cream *raises eyes to heaven*:

In Portugal, we admired its many cute pastry shops:

Errrr.  Not so cute.  Yes, they really are meringue penises and boobies.  Gawd help us....

Windsurfed:

Took, what I thought were, arty schm-arty photos:

In the Lake District, some of our party climbed Scafell Pike - the highest mountain in England:

Grandpappy and Little Miss at the top

Grandpappy looking rather fetching in his knotted hanky.

Good old Grandpappy:  he's a mere 86 you know!  And need you ask where I was?  Charity shopping.  Of course I was!

Cumberland wrestling was the best ever this year with contingents from Brittany, Scotland and Iceland:

Kilt action

We found ourselves driving behind the Boogie Bus:

Blimey.  Perhaps we could get our car kitted out this way.....