café convalescence

It's not much fun being cooped up in quarantine when you're 3. Pearl is a very sociable tot and loves being out and about- especially in places that involve eating, but naturally the chicken pox has put the muckers on that this weekend. So this afternoon we thought we'd try and cheer her up by creating her very own café in the girls' bedroom.

Pearl carefully took our orders from her little playhouse/shop and served us all delicious cakes, juicy fresh strawberries and yummy pink milk. Service par excellence!

Clearly, nobody is every too poorly to eat a ladybird-shaped chocolate truffle!

pretty in pink

Happy Saturday! We're having a quiet weekend snuggling in doors, as poor Pearl has chicken pox and we're all a bit worn out. I'm hoping to get up to the allotment tomorrow, weather dependent, to plant my garlic (overdue job, I know!). 

This week, I saw in my 32nd birthday and I was spoiled with lots of lovely cards and presents. I also ran my first ever 5k, probably a bit of an odd thing to do on the evening of your birthday, but I'm feeling very proud as I've never ran further than the bus stop in my life! I'm hoping to run in a proper organised event later in the year, but I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to do a half marathon just yet.

I finished off the week with a rather exciting Pyrex purchase, spotted in a charity shop on a work-related trip to Somerset. 

It's the coral-pink sister of my blue Gaiety divided dish, that I was so excited to find last year. £2.50 of utter Pyrex joy!

Don't they look happy together?

I also had another nice Pyrex surprise this week, when a parcel arrived containing this fab pot stand:

These were being given away on the modern Pyrexware website last year, but were only available to those living in the USA, so I had asked an American friend to apply for one on my behalf. I had completely forgotten all about it until she contacted me just after Christmas to check my address. I absolutely love it- so much fun! 

I can't quite decide what to do with it, as it is far too lovely to use, so for now it's hanging by the bread oven in my dining room, complimenting some of my other favourite Pyrex-related bits and bobs.

weekending

What a beautiful, bright, crisp weekend- I can't tell you how happy the sunlight has made me. I managed to squeeze in two chilly woodland walks, a blissful child-free night away in an Oxford hotel and several hours digging on my first trip of the year to the allotment, all in two days. Signs of spring are already peeping through the frost.

tangerine pyrex embroidery hoop

Happy Saturday everyone, I for one am delighted to see the sunshine peeping through the clouds on this January morning. 

This week, I picked up a gorgeous scrap of thrifted vintage fabric and decided it would be perfect for a little freestyle embroidery hoop, but I was rather indecisive about picking a subject. In the end, I thought I'd stick to what I know...

I'm so pleased with how doodley my lidded casserole dish turned out, and the randomly sized lazy daisies seem to lend themselves so well to giving the impression of a vintage Pyrex design.

I love the sunny tangerine tones too- just the perfect remedy for those threatening January blues!

if i had a hama

The last few days of the school holidays have been spent getting up late, snuggling, drinking hot chocolate, a trip to the cinema and lots of fun making and doing. 

Having now taken down the Christmas decorations, Flora and I decided to make some pretty dangly things from the bumper tub of Hama beads that Father Christmas had brought her. Partly inspired by Lou's lovely Hama window decorations, and partly inspired by Tiff's tremendous Happy Hangers of Joyfulness, we made some cheerful little mobiles to brighten up this dull, dismal January.

I started off by making this little woodland-style mobile to hang in the girls' window. I'm hoping it will shine chirpiness into their room, even when it's wet and windy outside, as it is today.

Meanwhile, Flora set about creating hers, which features a random assortment of brightly coloured bits and bobs to hang over her bed.

I especially like this  cute little face (me apparently!) because she patiently sat designing and making it entirely independently.

I found myself feeling a little envious of the sunny little dangly things and promptly decided to create a few of my own in the shape of some of my favourite things- can you tell what they're meant to be?

This one is my personal favourite....

OK, so you know you must be ready to go back to work when you start making Pyrex dishes out of children's craft materials!

What are you doing to keep the January blues away?

erin ink pyrex calendar 2012

I was especially thrilled to welcome the new year this morning, as it meant I could begin using my 2012 calendar. No ordinary calendar for me, no sirree, my clever husband surprised me with this gorgeous recipe calendar, filled with beautiful illustrations of vintage Pyrex, all hand drawn by the uber-talented fellow member of the Pyrex Collective, Erin Mowry.

He also bought me these beautiful prints of more Pyrex dish drawings (please ignore the washi tape, I will be buying proper frames this week). What more could a Pyremaniac wish for?