You'll never guess...

I cannot believe this - I have won my first ever giveaway! The very generous giveaway from LoloDesigns. I am so excited! I know I'll have to post what I make with all this loveliness - watch this space :)



I'm back at work full-time now. It has been tiring work getting back into the swing of things. I am sure it will get easier as term progresses and I am looking forward to it. Over this week and next I will meet all of my classes and the real work will begin :)

Toodlepip!

Check out this giveaway

For those of you who love crafts you will want to check out LoloDesigns - a lovely blog that happens to be having a very generous giveaway of the following:



So much loveliness! Head over there now for your chance to win.

Toodlepip!

Brambley Apple Jam

I spent a day in the holidays with my Mum picking blackberries and apples then making our very own Brambley Apple Jam :) It is our hybrid of bramble jam with added apples.

First we had to find our blackberries on a little country walk:



Then we washed and debugged our crop:



We added water and sugar to our apples and blackberries. We also added lemon juice and tied the rind and pips in a muslin bag which helps release natural pectin to help with the setting process. The colour and smell was amazing:



We then poured the ruby liquid into our previously sterilised jars:



Right up to the top:



After a label session our production was complete:



We are planning several more jam and chutney sessions now, in preparation for Christmas :) Trev will be pleased. He enjoyed his role as supervisor:



If you haven't made jam before, I highly recommend it. It is a very satisfying process and you get to enjoy your creations for ages (unlike meals and cakes etc).

Now to decide what our next preserve will be... any suggestions??

Toodlepip!

"99 red balloons floating in the summer sky..."

Ok, not quite 99 and not all red but there were over 50 hot air balloons that took off at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta this year. For the first time in well over 10 years we went to the day event armed with a picnic and it was such a wonderful day.

I think the pictures speak for themselves:



















A few days later was a friend's birthday and they had a chinese lantern given as a present. Here it is in action:



Very impressive! I wasn't sure how I felt, ecologically-wise, I guess I am still unsure...

A crafty update to add to the bottom of this post...

A good friend has recently had a baby so out came the knitting needles and I searched on Ravelry for a free and quick baby pattern. This was the result of an evening's efforts:



Check back in a few days for some Brambley Apple Jam production pics :)

Toodlepip!

De-fluffed

It was becoming apparent that hand stripping Trev's coat on his back was no longer enough. (For those not familiar with the hand stripping process, some dogs need old dead hair to be removed rather than clipped. It is not painful to the dog and it is a gentle process of gently pulling on the dead outer coat.)

Trev had developed what we were calling 'Bat Wings' and his ears were getting more and more scruffy. His coat on his back also looked in need of another strip... this became evident after taking a few pictures of a sleepy boy (in a messy room that has now been tidied):



And the resulting bed hair:



The stripping process saw a much tidier boy:



I do my own hand stripping and Trev is very obliging although he does get bored easily so I tend to do it in several small sittings.

We thought Trev was looking the top dog so at our local dog show we entered him into Most Handsome Dog...



The poor boy didn't even come into the top four - the judge saying he was cute, not handsome, now, I ask you??

The events of the dog show took it out of him, so much socialising for a small boy!! This was the morning after (yes I did allow him and Sophie up on the bed while I drank my morning coffee :) ):



I thought that given my tardiness of late, it was only fair that this entire post was dedicated to Trev :) I know he has a few fans out there too and I'm sure you'll agree, he was a handsome boy for his first show ;)

Toodlepip!

French Sojourn

Where have I been? What have I been doing? How long has it been?

In reverse order... too long... doing lots... all over the place!! :)

I have had the relaxing summer I had planned but it has gone by in a flash. My blogging has been poor so I am hoping to redeem myself...

Back in July I went to France to visit my Aunt and Uncle who live out there in a lovely rural village just off the west coast. They have been doing up their beautiful house:



They have a river running past their house which creates such tranquility:



They also have an island in the river!! It is perfect for dens, picnics and adventures:



Then you can fish off the 'beach' on the island:



Just beautiful!! Now you can't go to France and not eat lots can you?? ;) When I saw a burger and chips PIZZA on the menu, I couldn't resist - how mad is this??



Now, just to clarify, I do love french food, I just couldn't resist the novelty of this meal.

Some friends of my Aunt and Uncle in France have decorated their garden wall with lovely mosaics:





A stroll around a car free village was a must on a glorious day:



Well, you would, wouldn't you??

Now, it has been an ongoing joke in my family about my knitting passion, and that I'll take a project anywhere with me in case I have the opportunity to sneak in a few rows and this have developed into my latest craze... Extreme Knitting!!





Do you have any Extreme Knitting pictures?? If so, I'll set up a Flickr group :)

As always, a post wouldn't be a post without a little bit of Trev. Here is the pirate dog himself (my mascot at a pirate themed party!):



I hope to be back soon. Hope all is well in blogland.

Toodlepip!

Etsy!

Well I never thought I'd join those of you on Etsy but I'm giving it a go :) It all started when I made myself some buttons to put on a dress and now I've found a new home for the dress the buttons I made are now spare buttons... hence I've joined the Etsy crew.

These are the buttons in question:



Take a look on Etsy where I'll try and add a few more things in the next few weeks:

http://dancinpuffin.etsy.com


I thought I would also update you on some great events from last week - Trev passed his Kennel Club Bronze Award! The tester said he loved Trev and wanted to take him home with him :) Here is Trev with his rosette and certificate:



Here is the latest progress on hubby's tank top too:


I'm really enjoying spending some time doing a few things for me as work is starting to slow down for the summer.

Hope all is well where you are.

Toodlepip!