Blog Award!

I've got another one! A big thank you to the lovely Mathea from Lolavie, who already presented me with an award a while ago.

The rules of accepting this award are as follows:

- thank and link the blogger who has given you the award
- copy & paste the logo in your blog
- share seven facts about yourself
- nominate fifteen other great bloggers
- comment and let them know about the award

So, here goes:

1. I wanted to have six children when I was younger. I had the names ready and all... I cut the number in half later on, so I would still love to have another baby one day. Even if not, I'm really grateful for my two treasures.

2. I love being near the water but not actually in it, I don't like getting wet unnecessarily.

3. I adore porridge, yummy!

4. I'm desperately in love with purses, I already have a large collection and still can't resist a new one. I particularly love clasp frame purses with antique metal frames.

5. I'm also mad about brooches and pins. The more colourful, the better.

6. And scarves. I get this from my Mum, she loves her scarves. I used to admire her collection when I was little. I have my own now... but we still borrow from each other whenever the need occurs!

7. I have three bicycles. I ride all of them (not at the same time, obviously...).


Yikes, now I would have to name fifteen bloggers and pass them this award, but I'm not very good at this. I love the blogs I follow but most of the lovely ladies behind them have already shared many facts about their lives, so I'll just let anyone pick up the award if you fancy and tell us something we don't know about you yet.

Thanks again, Mathea!

I Love Cupcakes II.

I promised you another post on my birthday weekend yesterday and I definitely plan to tell you all about my lovely presents but today I'd like to share my excitement with you about this beauty:

My cupcake bicycle bell from dringdring that I won on SimplyBike has finally arrived! Isn't it pretty? I'll put it on my mountain bike eventually but right now it's sitting on my desk and being admired by me.

I'm one lucky girl, aren't I?

Birthday & Blog Award!

It's my birthday today, and yay, I've got the best blogging present, a blog award!!! Thank you so much, Ladawan from Lolavie, for presenting me with 'The Versatile Blogger' award, I really appreciate it. What goes with the award is that I have to share

Seven Random Facts About Me

So here they come:

1. I'm head-over-heels totally truly madly deeply in love with Great Britain. Everything about it. Some people feel they have been born in the wrong body (male/female) and I'm absolutely certain I was born in the 'wrong' country. I'm British, I can feel it!
2. Perhaps this should be mentioned under number one but I'll list it separately: I also love the British Royal Family. It was Princess Diana I first fell in love with as a little girl and I started learning and loving the English language because of her. Naturally, I'm all excited about the Royal Wedding this year!
3. I met my husband when I was sixteen. We've been together ever since, married for fifteen years. He's the man of my dreams, his only 'fault' is that he's not British...
4. I love languages. I have been learning foreign languages ever since I was little. I got particularly 'language-obsessed' in secondary school; there was a time when I learnt six foreign languages at a time. Alas, I'm only fluent in two, English (my 'mother tongue' anyway...) and German.
5. I used to play the piano. I can still play simple tunes but I have a plan to freshen up my skills at one point in my life. And I would love to learn how to play the saxophone. I love the instrument, I think it's really sexy...
6. I also love singing. I sing in the local church choir and another one outside the church.
7. My hands and feet are always cold. Freezing, in fact. I work at my computer for several hours a day and wear woollen handwarmers most of the time. Not to mention the woollen socks and fleece blankets wrapped around my legs & feet...

OK, this is it. I pass this award to the following bloggers:

- Lucy from Attic24

- Julia from julia crossland - artist

- Felicity from Joshy And Belle

- Laura from Side Street Style

- Teeny from Teeny And Yet Not Teeny At All

- Saskia from Join My Joy

- Lorena from My Everyday Wear

Please accept the award simply by:

1. Thanking and linking back to the person who presented you with the award.

2. Sharing seven things about yourself.

3. Passing it on to seven blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy.

4. Leaving your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

Wishing you all a lovely feast of Epiphany!

100th Post & Giveaway!

Yay, I'm writing my 100th blog entry today! I'm not quite sure whether this makes me a good blogger or not, as I started my blog (exactly to the day!!!) six months ago - let's just say I'm OK...

I've got a thing with living my life 'exactly to the day' - my husband and I got married seven years (exactly to the day...) after we'd started dating, and now this blog entry... I didn't plan this, honestly! And tomorrow, we will have been married for fourteen and a half years (15th wedding anniversary coming up in six months!), it will have been twenty-one and a half years after our first date (in six months' time my husband will be celebrating half of his lifetime spent with me, he was twenty-two when we came together...). So much to celebrate!!!

Which is why I'm doing another giveaway, yay! If you're interested, all you have to do is leave a comment on my blog (let it be a nice one, please...) and if there's more than one entry (... hopefully...) I'll draw a winner next Monday. I'll let you know all about it!

The prize is one of these two bracelets - once the winner is announced, you will tell me which one you prefer. They're both hand-made by me and - if you follow my blog - I'd like you to have one!

See you tomorrow, y'all!

Earring Cushion!

Remember my gorgeous Harris Tweed pin cushion I won in the giveaway from my friend Alison? I absolutely adore this pin cushion and ever since I got it I've been thinking about alternate uses of the pretty thing. You see, I don't really want to use it as a pin cushion. I'm not a pin person. I don't use pins very often, but I don't want to shove this beauty in my sewing box and only occasionally lay eyes on it.

I'd been considering wearing it as a brooch or a pendant, but let's be honest - it is slightly too big, even for my taste (and I do like wearing huge accessories...). Then it occurred to me - this pretty cushion could become a home for my accessories! I've stuck some earrings into it and it looks really pretty! Plus I get to keep it on my bedside table (or my desk, for that matter, as I want to take a look at it every now and then when I work at my computer...). Perfect solution!

What do you think, dear readers? Any suggestions? What else would you use a pin cushion for (as lovely as this one, of course!)?

Stripes & Dots

An outfit pic again, finally. I had a wee break after the Wardrobe Challenge and then the weather turned sour and I didn't feel like dressing up. And my sweats are not all that interesting. Since Saturday I have been able to smell spring again. There's still plenty of snow around but the sun is getting stronger and I'm hopeful...

This is today's outfit. I'm afraid the bottom part has been seen many a time before but at least the top part is a bit different. The polka dot scarf I'm wearing is very much vintage - it's my Mum's, from when she was young! She'd say that was a long long time ago but, to be honest, she doesn't show it!

boots - Humanic
tights - Polzela (local brand)
skirt - eK Jeans
striped top - Petit Bateau
cardi - Tulchan
scarf - Mum's, vintage
corsage - Etsy (lovely seller rosetutu)
angel pendant, earrings, bracelets

Another set of dots (and some stripes, vertical & horizontal!) came in the post today. I'm so happy! I've won the main prize in my friend Alison's give away! I'm very much looking forward to crafting my own ladybird - I sincerely hope I can manage to squeeze in some 'quality crafting time' tomorrow - and I'm oh-so-impressed with this beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, exquisite... pin cushion! Isn't it just the prettiest thing ever? I'm not sure I'd like to use it as a pin cushion, though, I'm thinking about its possibilities as an accessory... a brooch, perhaps? Open for suggestions!

Surprise Package Safely Home

I have just got a note that the surprise package I'd posted about a couple of weeks ago finally reached its destination. I was getting really worried as it usually takes one week at the most for the post to arrive from Slovenia to Great Britain; I do realise however that the postal strike must have had something to do with it.

Anyway, this is the surprise: a bead bracelet! And it travelled all the way to Alison from Tweed thoughts, my very first blog follower - which is why I thought she deserved an award!

My Very First Blog Award!!!

Yay, I'm so excited! I've only been blogging for about a month and a half and I have already been awarded the most wonderful Blog Award
by the lovely Alison from Tweed thoughts :

http://idreamoftweed.blogspot.com/



The instigator of the award is Aunt Pitty Pat:

http://www.auntpittypats.blogspot.com/

The rules of The Aunt Pitty Pat's award are: Accept the award and post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I won't be able to find fifteen newish blogs, I'm afraid (not this afternoon, anyway), so I'll just follow Alison's example and choose five. They aren't exactly new, most of them already have many many followers but they're fabulous and really worth checking! So these are the blogs I'm passing the award to:

http://applique-designedbyjane.blogspot.com/
Jane is a very skilled artist, she makes the most beautiful felt flower brooches; she writes about her work and her family life. Charming!

http://doyoumindifiknit.typepad.com/do_you_mind_if_i_knit/
Vanessa illustrates books for children (fancy that, and I write them!) and she has the most amazing sense for colours in her life. Great read and absolutely gorgeous photos!

http://blog.fensismensi.com/
Another blogger from Slovenia. An extremely skilled artist, makes the most gorgeous purses and brooches. Do check her shop, there's a link on her blog! Lovely photos, too.

http://orangesapples.blogspot.com/
Franca is the best! Hers was the first blog I'd encountered (I might have mentioned this a few times...) and her colourful life really is an inspiration. Highly recommended!

http://thesmallfabricofmylife.blogspot.com/
Not a new blog, but recently discovered by me! Great outfits, great lady!

Right, this is it. I hope the receivers will not mind getting this award. I really enjoy following their writing and the gorgeous photos. Do check them!