The BBB Winner is....

Thank you for taking part in the Birthday Blog Box giveaway, if you did. There was a load of entries, some coming in via email, some via blog comments, others via Facebook.  There were names popping up all over the place!

All the names were put into a random name generator and the button was pressed......  you can see it HERE.

The winner was LEZLEY W.

Well done Lezley, this box of bits & bobs collected throughout the last couple of months is yours.  It will be with you very soon.

BIG BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

In October I wrote THIS blog, explaining that on the 19th February 2014 I would have been blogging for exactly 5 years.  Wow, where did that go?

To mark this anniversary I decided to make up a Birthday Blog Box full of bits and pieces that I had come across, or made since that date in October.

So let's have a look at what is what is in the box .......

A crocheted facecloth in 100% cotton.  So luxurious to use, but natural too  :)

Three pairs of beaded earrings - fun, fashion jewellery on plated wires.

A cutesy memory wire coil bangle, easy to wear and just the thing to brighten up any outfit.

A chunky cosy earwarmer head thing  (daughter not included) in muted shades of green.

A folksy style felt hanging heart decoration.  Suitable for all year round. not just for Christmas  :)

A pair of purpley crochet cotton coasters.

A bar of handmade soap.

A cutesy crocheted Owl as mentioned on THIS blog post.

A Bead & Wire bracelet kit.

A hand-made fused glass pendant, made by me :)

9 tubs of different colour glass beads in various sizes.

A set of tutorials for beginners Beadweaving.  Colour, step-by-step print outs so you can learn all these stitches and clasps too!

A gorgeously clashy necklace in pale pink, red and hot pink, with a silver plated clasp.

A little bluey lilac crochet rose on a brooch pin.

A Snowflake Obsidian pendant  :)

An earring book by Bead & Button.  28 pairs of earrings to make - but it's in Spanish!   However, I am sure someone can work them out from the photos.

6 beautiful crystal buttons.

And I might have dropped a few more bits in on the way ....

A couple of lavender triangles for your undies drawer  :)

A ceramic pin badge in the shape of a super cute cat.

And some surprise bits too.

So, what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning the Birthday Blog Box I hear you ask.  Well it's very easy actually, all you have to do is let me know.

This can be via a comment on this very blog, or a comment on the Facebook page link, or even an email.

The winner will be chosen by a random name generator, I just type all the names in and it gives me back a randomly picked one.  I will accept entries up until 7.00pm on Sunday 23rd February 2014 (British time) and I will do the draw after that on Sunday (or perhaps Monday, if I should forget :) ) 

Anyone from anywhere can enter and the winner gets everything listed above.

Good luck, and feel free to share if you do not fancy putting your name down.

A day of beaded jewellery

On Tuesday I ran a class called "A day of beaded jewellery" at Hobbycraft in Carlisle.   Only one student attended, there was another booked on but she had got times muddled up and could not make it unfortunately.

But we had a great day, lots of beading and chitter chatter.

I just had to share with you what was made - such a gorgeous selection of mix & match pieces.

I had a little time to bash out some bits as samples too.

This is a gorgeously clashy necklace in pale pink, red and hot pink, with a silver plated clasp.  Guess where it is going?

.....Yep! In the Birthday Blog Box.  Only 6 more days to go  :)

Crochet heart wreath

I don't usually do sweet and twee, I never buy Valentine cards or barely remember the day -  totally unromantic.  So I surprised myself a little when I picked up this heart shape styrofoam form from Hobbycraft.

What to make?  Well, why not go the full Valentine hog and do something hearty and rosy?

So I did.

A long strip of double crochet.  Long enough to wrap around the heart.

Then sewn up.

Next, roses, I did the strip method, there are loads of free patterns out there.  Try HERE for some nice ones.

Then they get sewn up into cute little rose buds.

Finally they get attached to the heart for a big Voilà moment!

I bashed up another little bluey lilac heart too, and added it to a pin to make a sweet little brooch for the Birthday Blog Box  :)  (only 9 days to go!!)

The final day in the big wooden shed

After seven whole working days, with three days of help, the Shed tidy is finally done!   Whoop!!

Everything in it's place and floor I can dance round, if the mood so takes me.

All nice and neat and I can find things in a millisecond now as opposed to a week of searching bags and boxes.

Oh, I bought this cute stand from a charity shop when I was taking boxes of stuff in - I know, I know, but it was only a fiver and I thought I could hang scarves off it.

Gordon!

Shall we do some before and after shots?

Before

After

Before

And before again..

After

Before

After

Oh, and to thank you for reading all these tidying up blogs I will pop this into The Birthday Blog Box.

It is a Snowflake Obsidian pendant  :)

and relax....

Day five in the big wooden shed

Five and a half days really as on Tuesday it took me over two hours to sort out magazines and put them into issue order, but that is all I did, so I can't really brag and say I did a days work.

I also had to flick through each one as I wanted to keep the issues that I have projects published in - still not sure I have them all, but I have a good pile  :)

If you want to see some of my projects which have been in magazines, I have a Facebook album HERE which you can peep into  :)

And these are all the ones I have sorted to sell off  :)  Back issues anyone?  I have 'Bead', 'Beads & Beyond' and a few 'Making Jewellery'.

Also, tucked in amongst the magazines I found this earring book by Bead & Button.  28 pairs of earrings to make - but it's in Spanish!   However, I am sure someone can work them out from the photos so I am going to pop it in the Birthday Blog Box.

So, today, Mother Vera came round to help again.  Another good few hours of hanging stuff on the walls and getting rid of boxes.

You may be wondering where all these boxes have come from, but we had a biggish shop and then my daughter, Shona, ran her own market stall for a while with the stock on a sale or return deal - when it came back to me it just got piled into boxes and forgotten about.

Now that's what I call progress!  Hoovered too.

I've got one corner to do now, unfortunately it contains my desk which is overflowing with stuff, so it might take a while.   Not sure when I am going to get back in now as my son, Iain, is moving house this weekend so tomorrow and Friday I am on 'packing & moving the small stuff' duty.   Then Sunday I am off to Eden Workshop in Plumpton to do a Crochet Course.

No rest for the wicked, as they say  :)

The Birthday Blog Box - content update

At the beginning of December I did an update of what is in The Birthday Blog Box, this is your final update as in less than a months time the box will be offered up as a prize draw!  Whoop  :)

So let's have a look at what is what is in the box right now.......

A crocheted facecloth in 100% cotton.  So luxurious to use, but natural too  :)

Three pairs of beaded earrings - fun, fashion jewellery on plated wires.

A cutesy memory wire coil bangle, easy to wear and just the thing to brighten up any outfit.

A chunky cosy earwarmer head thing  (daughter not included) in muted shades of green.

A folksy style felt hanging heart decoration.  Suitable for all year round. not just for Christmas  :)

A pair of purpley crochet cotton coasters.

A bar of handmade soap.

A cutesy crocheted Owl as mentioned on THIS blog post.

A Bead & Wire bracelet kit.

A hand-made fused glass pendant, made by me :)

9 tubs of different colour glass beads in various sizes.

A set of tutorials for beginners Beadweaving.  Colour, step-by-step print outs so you can learn all these stitches and clasps too!

Oooo, it's like the Generation Game isn't it?  Perhaps I should get you all to recite what is in it to win in  ;)

There are still a few days left for things to be popped into the box, so, watch this space.... as they say  :)

On the 19th February I will open a draw and whatever is in the box will go to one lucky (randomly chosen) winner  :)