Thursday 16 June 2016

The Coach House - A romantic hideaway in Suffolk


Cottage holiday home - The Coach House in Suffolk


Last December our little trio (that's me, hubby and Ralphy the dog of course) headed to Suffolk for a relaxing pre-Christmas holiday. As soon as I saw The Coach House on cottages.com I was smitten - it's a beautifully decorated, rustic, detached converted stable featuring it's own 2 acre woodland! Set in a lovely rural location between the historic market towns of Framlingham and Saxmundham, and while it's an wonderful spot for walking, rambling and cycling, it's also perfect for exploring the quaint little villages of Suffolk and spending the day at the idillic seaside towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh. As you know I usually prefer my holiday cottages to be completely secluded, but while the owner does live close by, you can rest assured you'll be left well alone (though he's such a lovely man it was a pleasure bumping into him when we did.) This was our stay at The Coach House.

Where is it: Suffolk
Price from: £441 for a week
Pets: 2 welcome
Sleeps: 2


The Coach House - Photograph courtesy of cottages.com

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Thursday 9 June 2016

Cutting the riboon for Cooper's new craft department

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.


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Wednesday 1 June 2016

A month in pictures - May

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 ...



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Wednesday 18 May 2016

How to make a flower crown + for weddings, festivals and flowers girls

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. 


how to make a flower crown


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 :-)


How to make a flower crown

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Thursday 12 May 2016

My new craft room + storage for small spaces


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 ....


creating a craft room


Tips on sourcing a workshop / craft table

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. 



rustic trestle table
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Tuesday 3 May 2016

A month in pictures - April


It’s May - the bluebells are in full bloom and buds are bursting all over. We had a lovely walk at the weekend. It was a new walk and we got lost twice and had to find our way through woodlands, over babbling brooks and fields. Getting lost is truly one of my favourite things … I just love it. It’s one of the few times I find I’m able to stay fully mindful and in the present. When I find myself on a walk I’ve done a hundred times before, I find it so easy to let my mind wander back to work, back to chores that need doing, back to the mundane ‘to-do’ list. I try so hard to stay in the moment, and it frustrates me that I can’t always leave such things behind. So escaping for the day, and getting lost is sometimes exactly what I need because there’s nowhere to be but right here, in the moment. How strange that it takes getting lost, in order to feel found? Oh that’s quite profound for a Tuesday afternoon eh? Anyhoos. I’m sharing my new craft room later this week. It’s still finding its feet, but it’ll be nice to show you where I’ve been crafting of late. In the meantime, here’s our month in pictures!



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