Dear all. The house is twinkling, the cards are sent, the presents are wrapped and after one more day of work I'm off for Crimbles! So before I switch off I just wanted to drop you a message to say a big Happy Christmas to you all. Thank you so much for being such lovely friends and followers this year, you really do make this blog a pleasure for me to write. Have a safe, and peaceful time this Christmas and all the very best for the year ahead. I shall leave you with Ralphy, who insisted on writing his own message to you. 

With much love, 

JM x

If you fancy doing something a bit different with your Christmas decorations this year, here is a very pretty and affective way to add sparkly to your festive season. This string of ceiling decorations are so easy to make and you can easily adapt it to your own style. I had a lot of leftover baubles so I came up with this garland to make use of them. I like to keep mine simple with brown string, fairy lights and mis-matched baubles but you could easily keep them uniform or even add tinsel! 

A length of brown string / twine / ribbon

Battery operated wire fairy lights in silver or copper

Selection of baubles 

It's nearly CRIMBLES!!! YEEEHAAA!!!! I'm a big fan of Christmas (can you tell?) and my decorations will be going up this weekend. We returned from an incredible week in the wild and wonderful North Wales last week. It was so beautiful dear reader, if you've never been I highly recommend it. I had to pinch myself on several occasions because the scenery was so utterly breathtaking. We walked through sun, rain and snow - up mountains and in actual fairytale moss-covered forests with waterfalls! At one point I'm sure we even entered frost-covered Narnia! I'll share some pictures with you soon. In the meantime the only thing that's cheering me up is the promise of CHRISTMAS!!!!! Here's our month in pictures x

Well last night was Halloween night, and I managed to work my way through most of the sweets I had bought for the neighbourhood kiddies ... happens every year, and I know I'm not the only one. Hubby turns into a big kid on Halloween night and takes great pleasure in scaring the children that are foolish enough to come to our door. Last night he found some super spooky music (creaky doors / sound of children singing nursery rhymes over an organ playing in a minor key etc etc) so each time there was a knock, the music would play and he'd open the door wearing a cloak and holding a candelabra. The kids were unfazed, and walked straight to the sweetie basket! I think their parents appreciated it more. Ralphy was oblivious of course, if not slightly confused. I had organised a ghost walk for my town which went really well! We roamed the streets, torches in hand, passing other ghost hunters on our travels. They all seemed to really enjoy it, so I'm really pleased. Aside from all things spooky it's been a lovely month of Autumn walks, crafting and with the chilly nights upon us I've rediscovered my love of knitting. Here's out month in pictures ... PS. Did you see last weeks Poldark? well I never! 

Hello all. Well I was about to get cracking on my very late 'month in pictures' but I also felt like just having a chat. I don't do this often I know, but this has been one of the most busiest and stressful months of my year so far. As I write this, I am collapsed in my dressing gown, and I am thoroughly crafted out. Aside from working my regular job, and trying to get my album finished (I'm a singer/songwriter, and I also front the KTBush band and occasionally write songs for other artists too, did I ever tell you that?) I also write this blog and a craft column for the local paper which I think most of you know.

 Anyway, I've been finding it all extremely hard to juggle recently - and I have to admit I'm a little burned out. As you've probably gathered by now I'm a 'look up and smell the roses' kinda girl ... I keep the photo above near my bedside because it reminds me to do just that. I like the simple life, slow-living, and I like moving with the seasons so I'm not sure how I'm managed to fill my days to such an extent I don't currently have time to put the garden to bed, or pick rose hips. I'm not complaining - I just know most of you probably understand - and have faced similar struggles. I love my life and those in it, and I've had some wonderful opportunities plonked in my lap, but I know that in order to be happy and healthy, something has to give ... there's a fine line between being busy, and being overwhelmed isn't there? that feeling of anxiousness, of not being able to keep up. But what should give when nothing can? or at least we think nothing can.

Hi Folks, well it's the end of August. Boo! Actually you I don't mean that, you know me well enough by now to know I love the autumn and the cosiness it brings, but I shan't be wishing away what's left of our summer just yet. I know August can feel like the end of summer for many .... kids are back to school, mums everywhere heave a sigh of relief, and the word 'Christmas' starts popping up in conversations but here in the UK September is such a beautiful month too, so I'm happy to stay in the moment for a little while longer. We've had a lovely August here at AHC. Ralphy and I had a birthday and although we haven't escaped for a holiday yet we've had some lovely days spent with our friends and family, and the good weather also meant I could tackle some bigger craft projects! Here's out month in pictures .... 

This week I had a wonderful afternoon chatting with Canal folk artist Duncan Burrett, who is owner and captain of a delightful narrowboat called 'Zendu' that is moored on the River Stort. Duncan has lived on the boat for 22 years with wife Zena. Ralphy and I often stop to admire Zendu, because not only is she the prettiest boat along the canal, but Duncan also sells a wonderful selection of old antiques and wares on the top of his boat which he paints in the famous 'Canal folk art' style. I have always loved the colourful vibrant style of Canal folk art but I didn't know anything about it until meeting Duncan. So when he invited us aboard to show us his work and give us a demonstration, I jumped at the chance. 

Duncan is a self-taught artist and used to specialised in oil paints and animal portraits. But it wasn't until 20 years ago he turned his hand to creating and selling canal folk art. "It started 20 years ago when I was sat on the boat painting a teapot, a lady stopped by and asked if it was for sale, so I told her to come back in 10 minutes and it would be!" Now he even demonstrates in schools, and is often commissioned by other boat owners. Duncan decorates all sorts with this style, especially old fashioned wares such as old watering cans, tea pots, urns, and even old boots ... and he also encourages people to bring their own objects along for him to paint. I had a lovely afternoon with Duncan, we chatted about his life, about the realities of boat-living, the interesting history behind folk art and how to paint in the folk-art style. He also makes a cracking cuppa tea! Read on to hear all about it ...

Happy July you lovely lot! 

Well, what a July it has been. After moaning about the the weather in last months post it appears the weather-fairies heard me, because the UK has been blazing hot this month! who knew old blighty was still capable of having more than just a few days of summery weather? the girlies have been donning their hats and flip flops, and the men have been sporting their sunburned heads and naked beer bellies (always a treat of course :-)) and over at AHC HQ we've been up to all sorts, though mostly furniture makeovers. Here's our month in pictures ...

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to be invited down to my local Coopers department store to cut the ribbon for their new craft department. I walked down the red carpet as the crowds lined the streets and cheered me on (!) .... okay well that's not quite true, it wasn't as glam as all that, but my little craft club 'The Cottage Crafters' were there in full attendance because we are over the moon about the new craft department, as will the rest of our local crafters be when they discover it for themselves.

Hello all, I hope this finds you all well in your worlds. We've had a lovely month of May in AHC headquarters. Hubby and I escaped to the country for a few days to celebrate our anniversary which was just what I needed ... we stayed in a gorgeous little cottage in a little 'chocolate-box' village in Suffolk, which I'll be sharing with you soon. We've also had some lovely walks and I've enjoyed some crafty challenges this month too! Here's my month in pictures ...

A few weeks back I was invited to take part in a blogger challenge by the Luxury Silk Bedding company Gingerlily. I love a crafty challenge so I was more than happy to join in the fun. We were sent a box of silk flowers and some other bits and bobs, and with the Chelsea Flower Show as our inspiration we were told we could create anything we wanted using the silk flowers as our main element of inspiration. 

For a day or two I kept wandering past the flowers on my craft table, while I waited for them to shout out to me and tell me what it is they wanted to become - I toyed with a fairy garden, then a summer dining display ... but these flowers were so pretty I wanted to wear them ... so I asked myself in what scenario could such flowers be worn? of course ... weddings and festivals!! So here is my floral crown - inspired by the fresh flower crown I made for my own wedding day. This would be perfect for a flower girl, a bride, and I'll certainly be dancing around wearing it at festivals this summer :-)

Finally ... here is my new workshop craft room! This used to be our music room (AKA hubby's man cave) but since he's moved it to other premises it now mean Jodie Podie has a CRAFTY ROOM! We gave it a lick of paint and I went about sourcing myself a new craft table and some rustic storage. Welcome to the new AHC headquarters ....

The first thing I wanted was a rustic craft table. They're expensive to buy so I created one, which I've already showed you in my previous post: How to make a scandi-chic trestle table. Trestle tables are ideal for craft rooms & workshops as they are collapsable, should you need to make room for large floor-projects. The top of my table has two large holes which is ideal for threading my sewing machine leads through. I also pop my bin under the other one and knock through any rubbish / threads. Is so nice being able to leave the sewing machine set up for long periods of time, it means I actually use it. 

I love farmers markets, so I was pleased as punch when a monthly craft & farmers market popped up in my hometown. Wandering around the market with my little basket, I tasted cheese, chatted to the local sellers and was reminded of bygone days - when food was grown, sourced and reared locally, by local people. This is how our grandparents brought groceries on a daily basis. But such produce seems to be a luxury to us nowadays. I know many would argue the produce at such markets can be overpriced compared to your local supermarket, but it's vitally important to recognise the difference between the two. Much of our supermarket food is mass produced in factories, and crammed full with preservatives and (cheap) artificial ingredients to ensure a good profit. So while it may not be practical to buy from a farmers market on a daily basis, treating ourselves and our bodies to fresh, quality produce when we can, whilst also supporting the lifeblood of local family businesses, really is worth every penny, and it makes for a such lovely afternoon out! Here are some of my highlights ...

Hi all, and happy Easter! I hope this finds you all safe and well after a choccie-fuelled family weekend! We've just returned from a lovely weekend with the in-laws. I made decoupaged eggs with my little niece and nephew - and they did enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as my hubby and his mum did! It's been a busy month here but there so much I've been wanting to share with you .. I still haven't gotten around to showing you my new craft room! but I shall, once it's tidy and once hubby stops using my new craft table as his 'floordrobe' (floordrobe is hubby's new word for the pile of clothes he leaves in one corner of the bedroom, he thinks that giving it a name, legitimises it's  existence - his inventiveness did make me laugh ... until 'floordrobe' reared it's messy head on my craft table!) Anyway, here's our month in pictures ... 

With easter almost upon us I wanted to make some pretty decoupaged eggs to decorate a branch with for easter weekend. So my craft group and I had a fun-filled day of making. I used real duck eggs for this project and we found they worked much better that plastic ones but you could use whatever you prefer. This is a lovely little project and it took me just two hours to decorate six eggs. It would also be an ideal project for kiddies too - just be prepared to make a lot of egg-based dishes afterwards :-)

Hi popsicles! I hope this finds you all well on this chilly March morning. I've just been for a brisk walk with Sir Ralfred .... my hands and toes are icy cold and I can't WAIT for summer to warm our cockles now. As much as I love the cosiness of autumn and winter, I'm so ready for flip flops and hazy days now. Roll on bluebells and bring forth the sunshine! This was our month in pictures ....