So We Got the BUG ! great

What a week........... my son Dexter has had a sick bug, great !

It came for a night, it went for a day, it came back for 12 hours, now fingers crossed its gone ?

My week has been........nursing, cuddling, cleaning, washing, nursing, cuddling, cleaning etc etc

I've washed my hands so many times they are like sand paper (ouch !)

I've sprayed the entire house with anti bac 20 times a day ( just to be sure x)

I've used a whole can of air freshener trying to get rid of the smell (am I paranoid ?)

The poor washing machine has never seen so much action (how un environmental)

The only consolation has been I've found time to do some making !!!!!!!!!!!

A coat of paint and some cuddles..........A coat of paint and hang the washing out..........A coat of paint and more cuddles..........a coat of paint and watch a film..........a coat of paint and clean.......etc

The result 6 stars, 7 hearts and 2 name plaques nearly complete !!!!!!!!!

Will give you the finished items soon, hope you dont catch it xxx

Coat Hangers

Just thought I'd share with you an order I have just completed and some things I've just listed on Wow Thankyou. Haven't done many coat hangers for a while but I have a sign in the shop advertising them and get the odd order from time to time. Normally they are for birthday and christening pressies, this one is for Tilly's first birthday. I get told all the time "its got to be pink please" but not this time, apparently Tilly is often dressed quite wacky, colourful and bright and rarely in pink. This made a nice change doing a red one for a girl !

I have put 3 girls ones and 3 boys ones on Wow Thankyou, all different so hopefully appealing to all tastes ?

..........and The Award Goes To ............

As I told you all in my previous post, last thursday I kindly accepted the 'I heart your blog' award from Sarah at Blueberry Patch. Thanks again its my first !! as I'm new to this I have linked back from Sarah's award to find the rules and here they are.

The Rules:

1.) Thank the person who nominated me

2.) Copy the award and place it on my blog

3.) Link to the person who nominated me

4.) Nominate 15 bloggers

5.) Post links to the 15 blogs I nominate

So I would like to pass it onto the following blogs, they are all really great, really interesting and a real inspiration. Please check them out, they are all worthy of it.........

Dots and Spots

Coco Rose Textiles

Ark Designs By Anna

Sixty One A

That Crafty Fish

Kris's Color Stripes

Winnibriggshouse

Today I Saw

Dizzy Izzy

Print and Pattern

Blonde Design

Dinky Daisy

Bliss Knits

Little Gem's World

Heartfelt Handmade

Thankyou All its Means Alot !

Well its not just the sun making me smile, I have had my first award passed on from Sarah at Blueberry Patch this means so much as its my first one :) Thanks Sarah you really deserved it too thanks for passing it on, it will look great at the top of my page.

Thanks and welcome to all my new followers who are represented in the pic below. Great to find you popping up on my blog this week and thanks for all your comments. Welcome Sarah, Mummy Boo Bear, Moody Cow Designs, Justine, Emma, Michelle, Vintage Bettys, Beautiful Dee's and Wendy Mcqueen. I'll let you decide which one of the nine you are in the picture !!

Too tired tonight to engage my brain into passing on the award but will sort it in the next few days, I have so much to read and so much to check out, all very exciting.

ttfn Jo x

Oooh Ahhh Fresh Flowers Part 3

My quest for a kitchen with fresh flowers continues. The lilys lasted nearly 2 weeks and the scent was so strong it will be really missed. Popped to Co-Op for milk and spotted these. So pink, so green, so ME! Against my pea soup green walls they look so vivid, I just love them!!!

So sticking to my £3ish budget we have...... Chrysanthemums from Co-op for £3.00.

The Cath K Influence

It occurred to me yesterday whilst pegging out my white wash (well whitey, pinky, bluey) that my 6 yr old daughter has caught Cath fever! After watching me paint polka dots and decoupage Cath Kidston papers and grow my Cath mug collection she has become a fan.

This time last year she would have chosen a rather bold collection of clothes branding all sorts of graphic images and text. High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Seaquins, Glitter prints, 80's influences and denim would have been high on her list and she would have been twisting my arm to let her own the lot. She did twist my arm on some of it and she wears what fits her but as for new things she is in the shabby, pretty, english rose zone.

This Easter hols we did a food shop in Asda and Sainsburys so I picked her up a few bits, I was amazed what she chose. The knickers on the line are a 5 pack from Asda forget the Disney ones she chose pretty, the rose pj's are also Asda (£6 I think what a bargain) and she thinks they are real Cath Kidston! Then in Sainsburys I got her 2 cheap £4 t shirts for playing in the garden, it had to be english rose and polka dots. The detailing on these lets face it cheap clothes are un real. The neck of each is even lined in a contrasting fabric making the shabby influence even stronger. The Joules t shirt was a birthday pressie, I only wish it was mine, again great detailing under the collar and the matching buttons.

Back to my opening comment a "white wash" god I sound like my mum does anyone still do a white wash? I dont as I said I do pinky, bluey, white ones. I remember my mum doing a boil wash and a line of crisp white bedding, tea towels and undies. Dont think that really happens does it ? Nearly everything is so colourful these days ?Do people still have pure white undies drawers ? Sorry I'm rambling so best stop but please let me know your thoughts .

Yeah Comments Please !!!

I dont know why but my "add a comment" bit at the bottom of each post has disappeared lately and a few of you have contacted me via email & my Folksy shop to tell me the problem and leave me feedback.

I have kind of avoided solving it as the settings bit of my blog scares me to death and I kind of do things by accident when playing about. Well tonight I have put my "not at all techy" head on and been brave enough to fix it !!! Dont understand how or why but I followed some advice on a forum about backups ? templates ? html ? widgets ? and default ? (what the ?)and did what it said. With everything crossed I clicked it and hey presto !!!

Phew I need a cuppa and a biscuit now to recover. Shame I drunk all the wine with my BBQ tea, anyway its all fixed so in future comment away, thanks xxx

Thankyous and welcomes

Just wanted to do a quick post to welcome this weeks seven new followers. Welcome to Muddy Puddle world and thanks for stopping by hope you enjoy my blog. Special thanks to Viv at Poppy Sparkles for featuring me on your Folksy Friday.

Now a post wouldn't be complete without a photo, just love this, have a good weekend xxx

New Products

Despite telling my kids and myself that I would put my paint brushes away for the Easter holidays I have managed to get a few bits made. We have had a busy 2 weeks and the weather has meant great times playing outside, picnicing, visiting friends, going to the park etc nearly every day but I have really missed making.

So with last Saturday and today being my day to work in the Emporium I took my paints and between customers managed to get these pieces finished, which has been great!

These knobs are new product for me, something I've been meaning to do since buying them from B&Q in January! I've loved doing them, so colourful, so cheerful and refreshing and a nice change from painting flat plaques. I love decoupaging and think combined with my signature polka dots it looks so shabby!

These kitchen plaques get a good reaction every time I put them in the shop so have done 2 more to add to my area, I may also put some on Folksy ? Anyone woman who is the only female in the household or any mum of teenagers always have a laugh at these and cant resist buying one.

Oooh Ahhh Fresh Flowers Part 2

As you may know I am on a quest to ensure my kitchen always has fresh flowers in it, by not breaking the bank. My newly revamped kitchen I feel deserves it so I pick up a cheap bunch of whatever at whatever supermarket I happen to be in and have decided to share it with you.

This week its Lilys from Aldi at £3.49, what a bargain, the smell from them cheers me up no end.

Also treated the kitchen wall to this beautiful willow twig heart that I picked up in a gift shop in the Mumbles over the Easter weekend. I tell my hubby I'm treating the kitchen and not me so his moaning about the amount of hearts I buy subsides a little!

Blog & Talent Spotting

With the exception of last night when we had friends over for a BBQ I have been so bored the last few evenings I have been having a mooch about on blogger and folksy. Been checking out blogs and Folksy shops and feeling so inspired by all the talent that's out there. I have found 6 great new blogs to follow and you really should check them out if you haven't already found them!

This felt heart brooch is one of my fav things, Hearts (check) Pink (check) and buttons (check) its by Little Gem's World. She has lovely things in her shop and her blog led me to Emporium Tea Rooms. This is such an inspiring place, a tea rooms , a craft shop and a venue for art and craft courses for all ages. What a great facility for the community. If that was on my door step I'd have my son on the toddler courses, my daughter on the sewing courses and I'd be dreaming of teaching there and spending my wages in the shop! Another teacher at the Emporium is Sandy from Three Potato Four her work with the kids on the craft courses is great and very inspiring.

This pretty cup cake card is by Button Patch really simple yet effective cards, loads more designs worth having a look at.

Moobaacluck produce a colourful range of wood craft and I am so tempted to get one of these for my niece who is cat mad!

Jim Jam Sandwich produce great textiles and these little brooches are a great price, so cute and dinky, I want one.

My 6th and final blog is winnibriggshouse , she a great talker and makes me smile, and if the picture on her header is her studio at the bottom of her garden I want to move in with her!

Hope you take a look at these 6 blogs, they have kept me going these last few days, great inspiration girls xxx

New Plaques and New Follower!

Been spending a bit of time getting a few new things together to add to my Folksy shop. I have decided on 3 plaques as I haven't done any plaques yet. There are so many of them out there but in saying that I've not seen any like these so I'll give it a go. I have decided to list things in 3's due to the layout of Folksy in organised rows of 3's. I think its the neatest way of doing things. (I am a bit of a straight and symmetry freak so bear with me). Too tired tonight to do the listings but they should be on by the end of the week. I am also in the process of putting a few bits on Wow Thankyou, has anyone tried this one ?

As well as introducing 3 new lines to you may I say thanks and welcome to Marie over at HeartFelt Handmade who has become my latest follower. Why not check her out, I love the fact that she sews the lot by hand and never use glue!

Easter Weekend Away!

I had a few days away with the hubby & kids this weekend in Cardiff Bay. What a fab place, it has it all going on great architecture, good food, craft markets, exhibitions plus all the normal waterfront things like boat trips, ice cream and an old faithful carousel. We had a great time wondering about taking it all in visiting "Techniquest", "The Welsh Parliament Building" and "The Visitors Centre". The whole place is really well done and really quite trendy & cosmopolitan, not a tacky shop or amusement arcade in sight! As its only an hour along the M4 to the Gower we also had a day on the beach, in the sunshine, which was a bonus. I'd recommend it to anyone.

As well as enjoying the sights we also had fun with our new compact camera (Sony DSC H55) the one they advertise on tele with the sweeping panoramic feature. Its fab, you just stand, point and sweep around 180 degrees and voila a wide angle panoramic shot. We got a few funny looks doing it but the results are great!