Thursday 3 December 2015

A month in pictures - November


November ... which means it's almost December ... which means it's almost ... CHRISTMAS!!!
I've had some lovely days out this month and discovered some wonderful artists which I'll be sharing with you soon. The big news this month is that hubby has moved his music studio out of the house into a premises which means one thing friends ... I HAVE A CRAFT ROOM!!! Well I can't tell you how nice it is to have some space to work. It's almost there, and I made sure to take a 'before' piccie for you so as soon as it's ready I'll give you a peekaboo! I hope you're all keeping well and cosy, and I hope all my friends over the pond had a lovely thanksgiving with their nearest and dearest. Here's this month in pictures ...



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Thursday 12 November 2015

Introducing Norfolk artist and textile designer Lottie Day + "Feather & Egg napkins"


Lottie Day's  'Feather and egg napkins'


I recently came across Norfolk artist Lottie Day - a textile designer who produces a range of hand-printed, hand-made textile products for the home, the garden or the beach. I love the natural simplicity of her work and thought you might too. Lottie’s unique illustrations are inspired by the beautiful Norfolk countryside and feature original line drawings of allotment produce, wild hares and sea creatures ... you can see why I love her work can't you? :-)

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Thursday 5 November 2015

A month in pictures - Autumn in October


It's been a busy month as always at AHC HQ. I've been knee-deep in recording my album this month which is coming along wonderfully, and I can't wait to share it with you when finished. I've been enjoying autumn crafts, the cosy nights, hot ribena in a flask on our chilly doggy walks and enjoying the scenery of this beautiful season. There has been some lovely clear days, but there has been plenty of drizzle too - only today I was wondering why I had wet feet on our dog walk, and it turns out the soles of my boots had come completely unstuck! Another good reason to own a glue gun me thinks! Here is our autumn month in pictures ....



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Thursday 29 October 2015

AHC Halloween Special!!! Pretty pumpkins and spooky nights out & about

I LOVE Halloween, and I love all the cold, misty, spooky, spine-tingling titillating things it brings to out murky October evenings. I seldom trick or treat nowadays, unless my nieces and nephews drag me kicking and screaming. I much prefer to be huddled somewhere telling ghost stories, surrounded by friends, a warm fire and some glowing pumpkins - OR I like to take part in a spooky evening of sorts. So today, I'm celebrating all thing Halloween, from pretty Pumpkin carvings to Victorian ghost walks .... so read on if your dare!! 


Halloween special

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Thursday 15 October 2015

Dried autumn flowers heart wreath


With each season I like to have a little change around in my cottage ... the light pastel cushion are replaced by warm, earthy tones and the light summer blankets are swapped with their chunkier knitted cousins. As for the walls I thought some autumn decor would be nice this year, so I whipped up this Autumn flowers heart in just ONE hour. This is a super quick and easy project that has brought all the wonderful warm rustic tones of Autumn into my little cottage, and as they are dried flowers it can be re-used year after year!


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Thursday 3 September 2015

A month in pictures - August


August has always been one of my favourite months as it means birfdays!!!! Ralphred Muss Muss turned 6 this year, and I turned the grand old age of 17 *ahem* ... OK add a fair bit more to that. This month I've been busy crafting and and I've also shared one of my latest, most favourite cottage getaways. This was our month in pictures ....



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Wednesday 26 August 2015

A glimpse of heaven at Titchbourne Cottage - Shropshire


Rustic holiday cottage - Titchbourne Cottage


I have a treat for you today quirky cottage lovers. Remember in the Spring, when my little family and I headed to the Shropshire Hills and spent the week at the quirky cabin The Dipping Shed? well the following week we also visited this cottage, which I discovered on Cottages.com and it has quickly became one of my firm favourites. Titchbourne cottage is nestled amongst the Shropshire hills on a 200 acre farm, perfectly secluded in an AONB (area of outstanding natural beauty) with walks straight from the door and views of the beautiful valleys all around. The mature garden is bursting with flowers and wildlife, and the cottage itself is cosy, rustic, and full to the brim with charm and character.

Where is it: Shropshire
Price from: £324 for a week
Pets: 2 welcome
Sleeps: 4


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Tuesday 4 August 2015

A month in pictures - July - Summer Madness


Well what a glorious month July has been. OK, so it's not so great now - the rain has been torrential this past week and "Oh I hope this isn't the end of summer" has been muttered at least once in every casual  conversations. But I have every faith our great British summer will return! July has been quite busy for our little house - work hasn't stopped but we've managed to escape for occasional day of fun! Here's our month in pictures ....


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Wednesday 29 July 2015

A Q&A with Mad Man Knitter - Gregory Patrick


A few months ago I shared a story called A little brown bear saves a mad man knitter - which was about a man called Gregory Patrick; writer of popular blog Mad Man Knitting. Gregory had come upon hard times and was made homeless. With no car, home or money he threw himself into knitting to keep his mind occupied. He then began knitting and selling bears which enabled him to survive, and over time, flourish. Gregory has now published several books, and his little bears and knitting patters are well in demand. As a keen follower of his blog, I was interested to know more about Gregory, so I got in touch to see if he'd be interested in a little Q&A session with me, and as he's such a nice man of course he agreed :-) 


Photograph by Mad Man Knitting.

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Tuesday 14 July 2015

A day out 'picking your own' at Cammas Hall Fruit Farm


This week I had a wonderful day out at Cammas Hall Fruit Farm. The farm is run by the Lukies family and has been for the last 128 years. I had only intended to pop in and out of Cammas Hall, but having seen the vast amount of goodies on offer, not to mention the lovely cafe full of homegrown produce I ended up staying far longer than I anticipated ...





I wasn't the only one either ... friends, couples and families often spend the whole afternoon here; catching up over lunch while the kids play in the adventure playground, followed by a leisurely stroll around the fruit farm, picking and nibbling as they go (though bear in mind ready-picked is also available if you're in a hurry).  If you fancy a slightly longer amble, Cammas Hall have recently introduced a nature trail through the beautiful surrounding countryside - what a lovely, nature-inspired way to tire out the kiddies during the summer holidays, don't you think?

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