In July

July has been somewhat of an interesting month. We had our job interviews. At the moment we are still waiting to hear but should know by the time we return to work next week. I hope the news  will be good as due to the heat wave we enjoyed this month work on our plot has raced ahead so our estimated moving in date has gone from May to March. This has added a little bit of pressure to our situation as we still obviously don't know on the job front but we've been very honest about this from day one and because we have kept them up to date and they know the job confirmation should be soon they seem to be happy enough. The week after our holiday we've got some appointments to make to really get the ball rolling and sort out all the scary grown up details about mortgage choices and the like. I am excited about moving, just want the go-ahead to get starting on planning but fingers crossed it won't be long now, the time since we first decided to go ahead has gone quickly but this last stretch is starting to get to me a bit.

What else have we been up to? It's been fascinating seeing how quickly the allotment has changed every week we've been home for David to do driving, we've also been lucky to see our little canine nephews getting bigger all the time and enjoying going out for walks now. The weather has been so glorious for the past few weeks, I can't remember a time we've experienced heat like it. They say it will be/has been hotter than 1976 which although I didn't see, was pretty hot and dry by all accounts. Being by the sea we have taken advantage with a couple of Sunday night BBQs and we saw dolphins out in Cardigan bay too which was really lovely.

I treated myself to a few new Tatty Devine pieces in their summer sale, am now on major self-imposed spending ban to save for the house, I hope the good weather continues so I can show them off. Crafty Creatives turned one this month with a funky box of floral goodies, can't wait until we move and I can have a more dedicated space to making bits and pieces.

Finally, we enjoyed a couple of day trips. First we popped down to St Fagans and last week to Powis Castle, both were as wonderful as ever and the sunshine was an added bonus, especially at Powis as rain and thunder storms had been predicted across the area. I took lots of photographs too, something quite inspirational happens when the sun comes out and creates interesting shadows so I'll leave you with some of my favourites from the past month

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tatty Devine Summer Steals

I love Tatty Devine as I've previously written about on here so when the summer sale comes along it can mean only one thing, the collection gets added to. As much as I was hankering after some of the larger pieces I decided to be sensible as they've brought forward the completion date for our house! It was due to be finished in May but because of the good weather they've been able to get work started on our plot. So now I have to try and keep control of my pennies, how well I will do is another matter but I am making an effort. From the Tatty Devine website I snapped up this lovely little red ladybird from the Hot House Collection and this lotus bud necklace from the Indian Spring collection. I may have also got a goddess hand necklace and tortoise necklace from another online stockist after missing out getting them on the website.

I really don't think I could pick a favourite piece but I'm leaning towards the lotus necklace, am still incredibly tempted by the larger garland version but I must start saving money... well until at least the new autumn collections are unveiled, I can't wait to see what temptations await.

We're off to London for a few days next week, may even take a cheeky trip to the Brick Lane and or Covent Garden store, will have to see if I can persuade my husband as he knows I would more than likely not be able to leave empty handed!

Crafty Creatives Box 13 ~ 1st Birthday box

Last week Crafty Creatives turned one with box 13, I eagerly awaited it and was not disappointed when it arrived! The theme is floral, the same as the first box but a little bit different from all past boxes. This month included a guide on how to make five different flowers using the lovely bits and bobs from the box. So what's in the box this month -

• Two different colours of felt, I had pink and yellow
• Blue stocking fabric
• Thick wire
• Pearl like stamens
• Floral tape
• Thin wire
• Seed beads, gorgeous purple and red ones
• A5 card, mine were blue and green
• Hair slide
• Styrofoam ball
• Crepe paper roll in a lovely pale pink
• Diecut flower shapes
• Three floral buttons
• White carved floral pendant
• Hummingbird pendant
• And a hot pink balloon to celebrate

As ever a wonderful and well put together selection of items. The addition of the guide and step by step tutorials to make not one but five different pieces is really inspirational if you struggle to decide what to make with all the goodies we receive every month. I took part in the recent survey about Crafty Creatives so far and what we liked and what we thought could be incorporated to make it even better. I really like the email to say the box is on the way so I can get ready for #pinkboxwatch! I admire the ladies behind Crafty Creatives and the passion they have for all things handmade. Here's to many more crafty birthdays and lots of beautiful things to add to the crafty stash!

Powis Castle

I first visited Powis Castle near Welshpool back in early summer 2006. We have been pretty much every year since, seeing it in spring through to the end of July and August. Powis looks like your typical medieval castle which is exactly how it started life and has constantly evolved like many other great homes that are now under the care of the National Trust. The garden is particularly famous with both French and Italian influences as seen in the orangery and the beautifully created terraces adorned with statues. On Tuesday we met David's parents and sister Holly there for the day, we were incredibly lucky with the weather despite packing raincoats and umbrellas which stayed firmly in the boot. One of my highlights was seeing the baby peacock especially in light of the arrival of the Royal Baby the previous day. As usual I fell in love with the garden furniture in the shop, if only my car had been big enough I would have been very tempted by the Fallen Fruits seat, I can already imagine the sweet peas climbing up it! Hopefully when we move I'll be able to have something like it. With the weather on our side I was able to take lots and lots of photographs, here are some of my favourites