Patchwork... and Bird Sand!

My friend popped in this morning and I was able to show her the patchwork of tiny hexagons I've finished at last. I mounted it on a cover as I didn't want to make any more little hexagons, they really are too small and fiddly.

Later, in the garden I was busying myself at the table, my husband walked by, opened his mouth as if to ask a question, closed his mouth, shook his head and walked on. He knows me well and has come to understand that any strange thing I might be doing is connected to miniatures.
Why else would I have a table filled with plastic boxes, kitchen sieves of different grades and a plastic spoon? I was happily sieving bird-cage sand of course!
Now I have a small container of 'large' pieces and two tubs of fine sand. (One for my friend, as always).

Next weekend is the dollshouse and miniatures fair in Fuingorola, Malaga! Today we spoke of little else, very excited!

Swap with Kaisa

Back in March I showed you the fabulous sofa-bed Kaisa made me. My part of the swap was to make bedding for her own sofa-bed. Kaisa has now received it and so I will show you what I made her and how it looks on the bed she made me.

 Thank you, Kaisa for this lovely swap and all the nice things you said about my bedding. Now I have to make another set for me and I can't decide whether to make the same - or different - if only real life problems were this simple! Ha ha!

Spanish Groceries

For a few weeks now, I've been working on a patchwork made with minute hexagons which is fine to do outside in the sunshine but during the evening when the light is not so perfect I like to play on my computer and design some boxes. This weekend I made these for my shopping basket, all  from  groceries bought here in Spain.

If you like them and want to make some for yourself I have prepared a downloadable PDF file.
Followers of my blog send me your email address and I will email you a copy, for personal use. There are lots on the sheet so you can make plenty for your shop or to share with your friends but please don't sell the sheet or the finished boxes.
Have a good week!

Birthday Tea and Easter Greetings!

The beginning of April is a special time for our family as my daughter celebrates her birthday! This year her husband treated her (and himself) to an extravagant tea in a London hotel where they ate cake until they giggled because they felt so sick! I have made a small scale birthday tea for my lovely daughter.

The beautiful tulips by Cristina - www.etsy.com/people/fortunateislandsmini

I also made some Easter lemon bunny slices and then got completely carried away with Easter and made a whole range of goodies.

Easter Cakes, Chocolate Teddies, and bags of Mini Eggs  
Lemon Slices topped with Bunnies, Chocolate Teddy and a Maggie Mae Easter Egg!
'Maggie Mae' is a special little girl I know xx

Easter Chick Cake

Happy Easter everyone, watch out for the Easter Bunny and don't make yourself sick eating all that chocolate!

Spring Cleaning Seaside Cottage

Seaside Cottage has to be prepared for the summer and as the little people don't get much time for housework I helped with some spring cleaning today.
Set in the 50s/60s this little cottage has been put together a little 'tongue in cheek' and is full of the kinds things I used to see on my holidays as a child.


This chair, made by my old friend Bob, is a copy of a 'bed-chair'. It is fully functional and by removing the bar along the back it drops down to form a bed.

The smokers use the ash tray with 'Mind the Carpet' written on it.

Upstairs in the loft is a child's room. Robert has tidied up.

He has a little fish in a jar and a bird's nest that fell from the roof.

In the kitchen everyone has stopped for something to eat.

Walter has been a long time pouring the sauce onto his breakfast!

Hazel has her favourite seaside canisters and she just loves the chickens serviette holder and cruet set!

No one wants to wash up, even though there are real rubber gloves!

It's time for a new cooker. Hazel wants to re-vamp the cottage but everyone loves it the way it is.

Here she comes to clean the kitchen

Outside there's a fishing rod and basket, a boat, deckchairs and a ball hanging in a string bag.

Someone really needs to repair the broken window, a bird has made a nest inside.

That's the end of the tour of Seaside Cottage.
I've had this little house 20 years. It cost only 15 pounds and I've had a lot of fun putting it together. Some things I don't like and I would do differently - maybe one day, Hazel will get her 'make over'!