Merry Christmas...!

I hope that everyone has a truly wonderful day.

Merry Christmas!!

BH xx

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas.....

There's nothing like a bit of snow to make you feel all festive!

On and off blizzards here today....

Nice to look at out of the window when inside and all warm and cozy...my poor little berry plant is hopefully a tough one!

This was the scene today.....

It made everything look so Christmassy, it gave me the shove I needed to eventually get some decorations out....

I've just finished decorating the tree...

Decorated the fireplace too...lots of candles and twinkling lights here....

There just cant be too many candles at Christmas for me....I just love them....

This cute little burner currently has 'Jack Frost' melting happily in it....it smells lovely and crisp...like snow......

My favourite one...lovely Mum bought it for me about five years ago and it is always out at this time of year, glowing away.....

Hope everyone is enjoying the run up to Christmas too!

BH x

Seasonal Shopping and a Santa Swap......

Another lovely festive Saturday.....


I dragged (almost literally) my t'other half to Durham this weekend. Didn't get much shopping done though, but we had a lovely time just walking around the City. It's decorated beautifully for the season with several choirs dotted about different corners and even a brass band to add to the atmosphere.

One of the things that evokes Christmas memories for me is the smell of roasted chestnuts and there was an old fashioned stall selling them by the bag. Hot chocolate stalls laced with brandy or even Baileys....oooh, the temptation....


The central market place was bustling, as was the Christmas Fair that was being held in a marquee on the green outside of the Cathedral. I tried to take some pics inside, but they didn't turn out too well, lots of pics of shoulders and backs of heads! But to paint a picture for you, there were homemade jams and pickle stalls, gorgeous home wares (although I couldn't get up close enough to have a proper look) cards and candles for sale too. I left t'other half outside with a cup of coffee listening to a choirs whilst I was inside, so he was occupied!



There's something about old postboxes, the era that they're from, the letters that have passed through them...just the image they conjour of times gone by, especially at this time of year. Imagine this one after a snowfall....

This was all I managed to pick up on our wander about....sparkly so of course caught my eye...

Should have perhaps bough another box or two though....

When I got home, there was a parcel waiting for me...... I hadn't ordered anything that I could remember....so there was no chance of getting a photo of the wrapping as I opened it far too quickly before I realised.... Secret Santa Swap!!!!!!

In one of my blonde moments I realised that you also receive a parcel as well as send one...!
So beautifully wrapped inside.....
A lovely card....






And the most beautiful box inside......
How gorgeous is this??!
All the way from Wisconsin for me!!








Thank you so much to Janine from Sparkle-Soup, it was a lovely surprise!!

It's been a lovely weekend, and I even managed to get my blogshop up and running too so if you feel like taking a little look, please pop on over.



I'm now sat in my comfy seat watching the Come Dine With Me, Hugh Fernley Wotsit and Jamies 'at Christmasses' shows to get me all inspired for some christmassy cooking!

Have a great evening all,

BH x

Decembers Here....

As you may be able to see, (if you've been here before that is!) I have had a bit of a re-vamp and gone all festive. As the song goes...' it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....' well it's definitely in the air, something to do with December 1st I think, the frosty weather and the sprinkling of snow we had here the other day which has helped too! It's the feeling of this time of year, the atmosphere of the festive season which is what I love. Not fussed at all on the commercial side.

So tonight I am well and truly 'cosying' up... fire is on, candles lit, soft lamp by my side - I have a peach bulb in it; it gives a lovely warm glow - shame they wont be around for too much longer..must remember to get a few to stash in the drawer

The other day my mag subscriptions came but there's not been the chance to read them as yet, so cup of tea and the obligatory jaffa cake (or 3...) and a comfy cushion or two to snuggle against, well tonight fellow bloggers...I am a happy little soul...

I dont remember the last project I stitched out of a mag, but I still make a note of what I'd like to make but stitching has fallen by the wayside recently...

The new Dibor catalogue came too...soooo many lovely things in this, especially lots of heart shaped things- there's even a chest of drawers with cut out hearts....gorgeous!! Where would I put one and how easy would it be to sneak in past t'other half????...hmmmmm!!!

Even the front cover screams "you'll covet everything in here!"

I'm a terrible one for suffering backaches and this smells soooo nice in hot running water it melts my aches away in no time!! I dont like the boxes though, too easy to spill as they dont seal up again...if you are clumsy like me that is....!

So instead of the box, I tarted up an old jar and hung two hearts, a glittered one and a snowflake decorated one from some sparkly elastic around the rim... there's so many uses for empty jars, I hardly ever get rid of any for recycling...

I was on a bit of a roll with my little makeovers at the weekend - in the diy shops there are some great terracotta plant pots that you can pick up for literally pennies. These are great for decorating to match a room or to match the season...painting one gold and adding some red ribbon round the middle is great to put a poinsettia in...

This pot had it's makeover in cream (my favourite) simply decorated with a sparkly heart and some sparkly stick-on rhinestones (more favourites!!)

A nice little home for my newbie plant!


Good night all!

BH x

A Little Festive Trip to York....

Hello everyone. I am back after a severe bout of laptopitis. All self inflicted unfortunately due to me stupidly removing the battery out of frustration when a tinterweb page I was surfing just 'froze'. Well we all know how frustrating that is - so I thought I'd speed things up a little.... well after a trip to the techie Dr Fixits, my oxygen supply is now back up and running - YAY laptop back and working!!! Was like having a lost puppy returned to me, I missed it sooo much!! I did manage to lose a whole load of programs but I have been busy putting it back to the way it was pre-stupid blonde moment...

Sorry to all who've left comments or emails recently and are awaiting a reply from me. Thanks too and a big 'Hello!' to all of you who've kindly become a follower recently. I must say I am normally a more frequent blogger and dont drop off the face of the earth all too often!!

It must be about a fortnight since I last posted, and I am sure events will spring to mind, but in the meantime (and cos its fresh among the ickle grey cells) I thought I'd post about my lovely trip to York yesterday.

Me and my Mum went shopping, purses full (ish) and keen as mustard to spend away, but as always when funds allow, not quite possible! The main reason being that it was just soooo busy. I mean so busy there were queues to just get into some shops....

It was still nice despite the crowds. A lot of 'noses pressed up to glass' looking into windows and browsing the outdoor markets.

These are a few pics, some give you a clue of as to just how chaotic the shops were!

How good are these cakes??? The 'Strictly Judges' cake is sooo clever..

See what I mean about the 'bustling crowds'...!
The shop called 'Porcupine' had the most gorgeous beaded hearts, none in cream left though so I left empty handed...sniff....

Some gorgeous interior bits n bobs shops...the kind where your eyes just cant take in all the goodies...I thought the slipper bath full of hearts was great!

We mooched around the Minster, too busy to get inside but fab to look at especially on a lovely clear sky day....at night it is bathed in pink lights which my camera made look a wee bit spooky...to the naked eye it was just so soft and pretty looking..

There was a florists which is the kind that's trendy and stylish with some really different and eye catching plants...I managed to pick up a 'Baby's Tears' which I've been after for ages...lets see how long it survives in my 'care'....I will try....

I'll post a pic when I've decorated a pot for it...cream of course...!

When we first arrived, both Mum and I were shocked by the water level....so many homes and businesses on the waterfront I hope there is not too much damage for those affected.

At the CK shop, I could only manage to get inside the front of the shop - it was heaving!! So a few photos only, not even close to buying anything as I could see the queue at the till was HUGE....

The little robin was so cute, a bit of tinterweb surfing and it will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine....

Hope you enjoyed the 'virtual' trip around York! No crowds to squeeze through here!!

Have a fab Sunday evening all

BH x

Fridays Finds....

Now I aspire to be green fingered and be able to nurture plants both indoor and out, but alas even the hardiest of weeds I could manage to see off....

This was my favourite plant in flower this time last year....



This is it now.... looking a bit on the sad and depressed side in comparison....!!
I had hoped that there would be more buds but it seems not to be.....

So I have bought another one....

At the minute Ikea have so many things in stock with a heart theme so of course when I called in on Friday I was in my element!

This cute little plant pot came home with me to house the newbie...

The only plant I've bought from Ikea before is a cactus which is still going strong too...well I suppose it is a bit difficult even for me to see off one of those....

I also bought this bulb....I think its a hyacinth??? It's sprouting along nicely, so fingers crossed!!

A few more things leapt into my Big Yellow Bag...a few projects for the weekend....

These may come in useful for the lavender which was cut and dried from the garden at the end of the summer...

This frame is for a gift I've been planning on making for ages for t'other halfs sister....left it late as per usual to start it though - I have two days...AHHHHH!

These fleece throws were ridiculously inexpensive, and for the fabric alone they were a bargain...I feel cushions need to be sewn.....

M&S on Friday had a Christmas Penny Bazaar. I was lucky enough to pick up some goodies and all the donations at my local store were in aid of Breast Cancer, so a very worthy cause indeed.

No piccies published here because I went along with Mrs C and we picked up exactly the same! So if you'd like to have a peek at the contents of the goodie bags, pop on over to Mrs C's blog; The Travelling Mam a few photies there to peruse!!

Have a good weekend all

BH x

A Flying Visit....

Yesterday I flew to London (work, not pleasure unfortunately!) and managed to take some photos of the sights from the air. It was a calm and misty morning with dawn just breaking. It must have been about 7.30am when the plane was coming in to land and the view I had was absolutely amazing. Being a Northerner I get all touristy and the camera comes out at virtually every opportunity when travelling to London.

The Gherkin is such a stunning building, so sleek. Thees pictures dont do the view justice, I'll have to take t'other halfs camera next time instead of my old relic...!

The Olympic stadium looked huge!

As it was early morning, there were still so many lights of the city visible....

I travelled into Reading later on, and had a bit of a wander around the shops...Starbucks was all festive inside, candy canes and tree decorations on sale already! I had to have a hot chocolate beacuse it was just soooooo cold!!

Crabtree and Evelyn had a lovely window display...I wanted the bath shaped soap and hand lotion holder set, but I wouldn't have been able to take the liquids through security at the airport with me, so I'll have to surf tinterweb at some point to get my grubby mitts on them (sorry for the pun!!)

There are some lovely old buildings and churches in Reading, this one really caught my eye. I loved the checkerboard style of the building...

Such a tiring day after having a ridiculous o'clock start in the morning meant I was shattered! A bit of retail therapy at the airport later on perked me up a bit!!

Jo Malone...need I say more...??? Gorgeous....and spoilt for choice... a 4 wick candle was almost purchased....if only i could have chosen which one....

Oooooh, I just love F&M too.....

Want, want, want a F&M basket!!!!! Not sure it would have fitted in the overhead stowage though...!

I've a huge soft spot for minis....was a bit surprised to see one in a shop with Paddington Bear as the passenger...!

This Christmas tree in Terminal 5 reminded me of the film 'Love Actually'....no idea why, it just did!

All I eventually bought myself was this.....



Well I am physically unable to walk past a Chanel counter.....such a weakness of mine! I have to say this is somewhat of a wonder colour - I wore it today and it gives a healthy, soft and sparkly look... no mean feat on my pasty face at the moment I can tell you.... see - Chanel's worth every penny...!

Workwise everything got shuffled around at the last minute and brought forward (hence this little day trip) which means I now cant make it to the Country Living Fair as I had planned...sob....sniff....I was sooo looking forward to meeting lots of you too...

Have a GREAT time all, please take LOTS of piccies so I can see what I am missing out on!!

BHx