Camping, country and craft!!

More pictures than words as I'm really tired.....

First our great three night camping trip to Eskdale...

A beautiful campsite in a beautiful area...

Right next to the fantastic La'al Ratty (otherwise known as the Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam railway) 

Then it was back home..... to then go to 'Country Fest' at a very wet, and cold showground!! Still we managed to have lots of free food tasters from local producers, stroke some animals and see Peter Gott make sausages!! (those of you who follow Jamie Oliver may know who he is!!)

 

and we met this gorgeous Shetland pony called Georgie-girl....

THEN.....today was off to the monthly Prom Art at Grange-Over-Sands to sell some crafy stuff!! We had lovely sunshine and I was sharting the table with some great friends so it was a lovely day. After a slow start, lots of browsers and very few buyers, it all ended on a high note when I suddenly made quite a few sales right at the end!! Hooray!

Tomorrow is another busy day and then I think I will collapse in a heap and sleep!!

Normal Service.....

will resume shortly!!!

Been a mad week, spent three nights camping in the lovely Eskdale valley, came back to then go to 'Country Fest' yesterday and now just off to the monthly Arts and Craft Fayre on the prom.......phew!! Really need a rest, just not a mad rushy kind of person!! Will be back with lots of photos and chat later (or maybe tomorrow!)

Stained Glass Seaside!! - Folksy Friday

This weeks Folksy Friday is a kind of combined one, all stained glass AND all about the sun and seaside! Some of my favourite things! At the top of my stairs I have one of my efforts at stained glass which is a lovely lighthouse (well, I think it's lovely!  ) and just recently I've come across some amazing stained glass artists on Folksy and thought.....why not?! let's blow their trumpets a bit, they deserve it!!

  Stand Alone Stained Glass Suncatcher 'Sailboat' - Cherished Stained Glass

Sea to Sun Stained Glass Panel - Diomo Glass

Star Point Light House - AmyOrangeJuice

Sail Boat Stained Glass Suncatcher - Joys of Glass

Sea Horses (set of three) - Gorgeous Glass

Funky Fish - Glassprimitif
(ok not strictly stained glass ...but they are glass and gorgeous!!)

Hard life!!

Yesterday was gorgeous sunshine here in the Lake District...so after spending all day working and then digging  the garden we decided to get out and enjoy the day ...at least for a little while...so off we went to Lake Windermere for tea! Sausages sizzling in the pan and flies trying to eat all the salad but it was blissfully lovely!! We lay around and enjoyed the sunshine .......

while the kids played......

Discovered a little mermaid sitting on her rock!...

and a handsome, long haired prince.....

Aaaaah it's a hard life!!

Gnomeads Crafting Extras is here!!

My new shop is now officially open on Folksy!! Just listed some destash items and more will be added all the time. Go and have a look at my great, fun banner....I love it!!

Gnomeads Crafting Extras Shop

New Shop!!

Yes I have finally decided that I really need to open a new shop! WoollyLakes, will of course, still carry on, the new one is for materials, stock and destash items only. Just ordered a lovely new banner and avator from the fantastic Bonnita of Bonnita Graphics and Momoaby so it's getting there. The reason for this is the simple fact that I have a lot of items lying around which I don't really use and someone else may be able to and that I have managed to get hold of a few different materials recently which I will never get through on my own!! I'm not giving any more secrets away until the shop opens properly!!

Pirate Day ......

Today was 'Dress Like A Pirate Day' run by a local pub in aid of Alzheimers charity. I had booked a 'craft' table and duly turned up at 10 am to set up. I had been informed earlier in the week that I would be in a marquee ....great! warm and I didn't have to worry about the weather!! Well....true but realised as soon as we went in that I wasn't so much a 'craft' tent as a plastic fantastic tent!! Situated right in one corner with a double table full of cheap and nasty plastic pirate stuff and two lucky dip boxes full of sawdust.....hurrah!? Ok.... I'm not ungrateful, it was a free event, just a donation given at the end and it was their first year of running it and it was a family fun day not a craft fayre as such.

However, being between the plastic fantastic table and a lovely table with some very delicious local Damson Gin (with free tasters!) I knew it wasn't going to be great sales wise. So this is how it went....the kids dragged their parents in to buy plastic guns, swords and to have a go at the lucky dip, the poor tired parents caved in and while the kids were choosing their latest toy which would last them five minutes, the parents were gazing longingly at the Damson Gin table. As soon as the money had been handed over and the kids appeased, the parents were already slurping at the free tasters.....bypassing my table completely! HARRUMPH!!

There were actually only two other 'craft' stalls there so I hope next year, more will decide to come along!! I did have some lovely chats with people and was even given a bag full of gorgeous Alpaca wool (just little bits) by one of the other 'craft' stalls who had some equally gorgeous Alpacas there!! Quite a few people took cards and a few people bought something.... so all was not lost.

Meanwhile my little man (6 years old) and Mr WoollyLakes went off on a Bike Treasure Hunt which ended up being about three miles long along roads and bridleways. For a little man who only started riding his bike a few weeks ago he did brilliantly and got a lovely medal at the end which he is very proud of and we were very proud parents too!!What a star!!

Sewing Machine Appreciation Club!! - Folksy Friday

Those of you who read my Facebook page will know that this week my sewing machine and I have had a falling out (again!) We have a love / hate relationship which tends to end up with my sewing machine sulking and throwing wobblies just when I need it to do whatever I tell it to!! After a couple of days of not speaking to each other I'm beginning to feel a bit guilty and feel the need to honour my 'lovely' sewing machine with this Folksy Friday (said through gritted teeth with a forced smile!) .....so here we are.....to my poor unloved sewing machine who has been on the naughty step for two whole days.....

  I Love My Sewing Machine - Heroine Industries

Grey Sewing Machine Felt Brooch - Fox Bunting

Vintage Fridge Magnets - Craftypagan Designs

I Love To Sew Coin Purse - DinkyDaisy

The Sewing Machine (Ink Drawing) Print - Ink and Stylus

Loot Bags....

Where do you put all that treasure you find?.....in one of these!!

 Or maybe a different version?

My hubbie is off to Scotland this weekend on a canoeing trip...a bit of male bonding (he's going with a group of fifteen blokes!) and some wild camping....should be fun!!!? So my Folksy Friday this week is all about Things that remind me of Scotland....Och aye!!

Wee Highland Cow - Quernus Crafts

Murray of Atholl Tartan Bear - Slack Stitches

Eat Haggis and Ceilidh On - hole in my pocket

Lochside - Damian J Kelly

Tunnocks Pin Badges - Nikkimade

Wee Jock The Scottie Dog - Cherry Blossom Candles

Pirate Party Anyone?

Well, I got some of the pirate bits finished, although these were made for my stall at the Pirate Charity Day I decided to put them up in Folksy as well (I can always make some more!!)

Now onto some Pirate loot bags!

Ponies, Picnics and Puppets!

Meet Bob and Charlie!!

Today we have had a lovely day with some of our Home Ed group, at a barn on a hill with beautiful sunshine!! We met up in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere (although actually quite near to Penrith!!) and joined Barney who lives in a lovely barn with no electricity and an outdoor compost loo. We were welcomed by a lovely warm bonfire and a hot kettle..always a good start and the day went on from there.

First his Mum led us all in a fantastic Shaddow puppet workshop in the dark barn, complete with sofas and soft cushions, and then the kids made some of their own puppets to make into little shows of their own. Mixed into this we also had some fantastic music from Barneys girlfriend who has the most amazing voice!  Not the most brilliant picture but it gives you the idea!!

Then a picnic lunch in the warm sun with the bonfire blazing, and on to pony trailer rides with two beautiful cart horses who patiently went around a field lots of times with noisy children (and adults!) on the back.

The barn had lovely woods and fields around so the kids were free to run and play for hours and it has been a fantastic, relaxing day (even with the outdoor compost loo!) 

On the craft front.......I've had two sales this week...Hurray and managed to get four sets of Pirate Bunting finished last night. I'll try to get photos tomorrow!