Good friends...

Good friends really are quite hard to come by. Especially in foreign countries where there may be a language barrier...or just because the new country never truely feels like home (well at least for a little while). I am very fortunate to have some good friends here, but even more fortunate to have found a friend who likes sewing and creating as much as I do! Even more fortunate that we work together and very often have a good old gloat over new fabric, new ric-rac and so on in the staff room :) Well, my very good friend made this adorable little cat for me a while back and I have been meaning to share it with you....how cute is he??? He sits so quietly and well behaved on my shelf and keeps an eye on my spools for me :)

Today, the weather is stunning! It´s 22 Degrees here and just lush!!! Summmer is just around the corner! :) We are still in packing and sorting mode and start to move things accross at the weekend so things will be a bit hectic from then on! Hope you are all managing to share Mr Sun with me!! Happy Thursday everyone! x

The big move!

The big move has slowly started. For the next fortnight we are going to be packing, cleaning, sorting, binning, buying, moving....the list goes on!!!

It is truely amazing to me how easily you can accumilate rubbish! So far I have found 8 bin liner fulls!!! :)

So because of the move - things may be a little slower around here....but I will keep you posted!!

Happy Tuesday Folks! x

Me & My little helper...

Whatever I am doing in the house...be it, washing.., cleaning.. or gardening (lol!) I always have a little helper. Milo goes everywhere I go and follows me around looking for ways he can "help". Which normally means putting his paws in things or his nose :) lol

This is a picture of Milo "helping me". Lol.

Pink "iced" Gingerbreadmen!

I came up with a great girlie "pink iced" gingerbreadman the other night. So I decided to make a pack of three up and upload them for like-minded pink freaks onto my "The Gingerbread Mama" Etsy shop! ;)

I´m back on the mend after being ill for the last two days...so back to work today! Hopefully it´ll be easy-ish day back!

Happy Tuesday folks! x

Ribbon order!

There are some seriously cute ribbon and fabric shops on Etsy. It´s an awful temptation while working on the shop and seeing new lush items from other sellers!

So, I ordered some new pink shades of ribbon (as you can never have enough!) ;) and they arrived yesterday! :) Please check out Rosy Blossom´s shop on Esty: http://www.rosyblossom.etsy.com My favourite is the cupcake patterned one...soooo cute! I have no idea what I am going to use them for...but I was naughty and ordered some pink shades of fabric as well..which I am still waiting for, so I am certain I will get some inspiration soon! :)

Happy Sunday everyone! x

Lunch @ Lucy´s...

I love going for lunch at my friend Lucy´s!

She lives out in the country in a village about 20 minutes away. Being a country girl that lives in the city, I use my trips to Lucy´s to get my "country-fill" :) So on Friday, we both had a day off work, so I went over to see her and have a nice spot of lunch on her very sunny terrace and also do some plant shopping at her local garden centre which I am totally in love with as it´s so quaint and pretty.

So I have had my country fill and plenty of fresh air!!! :) lush!

Happy Springtime feelings!

I am just LOVING the weather over here at the moment! All of the daff´s are out and the sun is shining brightly :) Infact, it was so hot the other day I got a bit of a tan ;) mmmmmm....nice!

I spent this afternoon potting up seedlings and re-planting plants for my "new-soon-to-move-into-house-with-a-garden" I got very excitied about the prospect of having a garden and not having the little balcony we have now! Not long...3 weeks! :) Happy Saturday guys! x

Happy Saint Paddy´s Day!

Happy Saint Paddy´s Day! :)

As some of you may, or may not know, my dad´s family is Irish, my surname (Boyle), is as Irish as they come and my Grandad has the sweetest Irish accent I can ever remember hearing. So I always have a special place for St. Paddy and his day!

So, here´s wishing the luck of the Irish is with you today! Happy Thursday! x

To be patriotic or not? that is the question...

My lovely American friend Val (*Hi Val!) writes a fascinating blog (http://www.valmoniz.wordpress.com/) and she recently wrote about the different areas of Spain and different offical and unoffical languages of this wonderful country. As you know, I live just outside Barcelona - within Catalunya (the orange bit on the map!). Catalunya, as with other regions of Spain was ruled over by Franco in 1939-75, Franco prevented the use or teaching of regional languages, for example: Catalan, other than Spanish. Areas such as Catalunya were supressed and controlled. I cannot imagine how this would have felt, especially for this amount of time. Because of this, the different regions in Spain have become very proud of their areas and regional languages. My friend Val does not have that "regional patrisim" that I have. She is extremely proud to be American, but doesn´t feel particulary "Delawarian" (or however you spelt it Val!) I however, can identify with Catalan people, and all regionally proud people. I´m originally from Yorkshire in the North of England...or the "Norf" as we call it :) I am extremely proud of being from the Norf, I love everything about it; the regional accents, the regional food "Yorkshire Puddings", the scenery, the people...everything. Go Yorkshire! Go Catalunya! :)

Just another insight to my little world....

Happy Wednesday folks! x

Busy week ahead...

I knew this week was going to be a busy one - 90% of my classes have exams this week and I have lots of paperwork to crack on with :( urgh.... The joys of the day job!

So knowing this, I spent the weekend cracking on with lots of lovely new items for the shops :)

The Gingerbread Mama is starting to take shape now and I have some items listed...lots more to crack on with - but at the moment no more time to sew!

Sam´s Shennigans is fit to burst right now! :) It is stuffed full! I have had a few custom orders as well :) Which I love to do!

I am going to be having a FREE GIVEAWAY again soon as well - To celebrate my new shop and the amount of posts I have on here...so keep your eyes peeled...it´s coming soon!!!

Happy Monday everyone! x

Wet and rainy...

It´s wet & rainy today....so I got cracking with items for my new shop :)

Welcome to......

The Gingerbread Mama!

Here are my Molasses Gingerbread men and mrs (mixed pack) available at my new Etsy store!

Find them here, along with other gingerbread people: www.thegingerbreadmama.etsy.com

Sometimes a rainy day is a good day ;) Happy saturday everyone! x

Custom orders!

It´s such a lovely sunny day again today! Yay! :) Doesn´t it make you feel 100% better when the sun come out? :)

I´ve been a busy bunny...and so has the shop! I have had a number of big custom orders and lots of designs to get cracking on with - as well as a bit of sewing and painting to do! I love doing custom orders - They are such a creative process as you are taking someone elses basic idea and creatively playing with it - plus I have to design :)

So happy bunny!

My cat on the other hand...will not be a happy bunny soon....His behaviour is spiralling out of control and last night he kept us up most of the night scratching at doors, throwing things off tables, throwing his water bowl all over the place...etc...etc... Something i have never experienced with other cats I have had - the difference between my other cats and Milo? My other cats had the snip! So Milo is going into the vets for the op!!! We can take no more!!! :) lol

He´s a house cat (unlike my other cats) so we didn´t see the need in the op - but now...we do!!!

We have signed the papers for the new apartment as well!!! :) Move in date is the 8th April! :)

I´ll have a nice new space to work in - not my own room...but none the less plenty of space! and a nice big terrace to hand sew in :) I´ll keep you updated and post photos once we´re in :)

Happy Thursday everyone! x x

A lush Monday...

It is such a beautifully sunny day here today! It really is starting to feel like Spring now as well :) LUUUUSSSHHHH! It is so lush I made these felt strawberries in red and white polka dot felt to celebrate the Strawberry season :) My favourite fruit! I can´t get enough of them!!! Yum..Yum..

What a lovely weekend!

What a lovely chilled out and relaxing weekend I have had :) The last fortnight had been so emotionally charged up and so busy with work that I was near exhaustion on Friday night. I didn´t sleep too well on Friday/Saturday but last night I slept so deep - for 12hours solidly! :) You know your tired when...!!!

We went and did some clothes shopping on Saturday which at the moment I hate, I´ve put on a bit of weight since moving here and it´s way over due me moving my butt and loosing it...! But I had got to the point where the only clothes I was wearing were looking a bit shabby and old. So my lovely boyfriend took me out and did some amazing confidence building that really helped. I managed to get a few bits sorted and get organised for the big diet starting tomorrow. Plus my boyfriend has said he is really going to help me - so I´m feeling positive. Today we have been very lazy, watching films, playing with Milo (pictured - helping daddy in his office! lol) and basically being very lazy. But it´s been blissful! :) Next week at work I am having a chilled out week (fingers crossed!) as it is offically the state schools half term (although my language school is staying open) so I am expecting quite a drop in number of students ;) Nice for a week eh?!

Plus I am loosing two classes due to the half term as I teach in two other schools...so even better :) I am planning on getting some creative stuff done so the shop is looking good! I am also expecting a fabric order and a ribbon order in the week :D Which I can´t wait for!!! I will, of course share the goodies on here when they arrive! :) Happy Weekend everyone! x

Dear Lee...

I am determinded today, as they put you to rest, as they lay you down to your final journey, that I remember the times we laughed, the times we just "hung out" as kids and that I remember you just as you were...A truely nice, kind, happy and thoughtful person. It is true that the good ones die early. It is only a few years ago we lost Louis and I remember talking to you about that then. He was so similar to you in those ways. I can´t blame the big guy upstairs for taking you both, If I was him I would too - but I hope he knows he´s got his work cut out with you two! :)
I used this photo for this blog as you will stay forever young, I however will get older and gain more and more wrinkles. I want you to know that some of those were caused by you! :)
I will miss you Lee and I will think of you often. Thanks for the memories and the laughs and rest in peace. When I get to the pearly gates - you better be there waiting for me! x x x x