A Nostalgic Rush!

...... that's what I got when I did a quick blog hop last night before turning in.

As an avid follower of Diane's blog, her post yesterday sent me scurrying to find the old Girls Annuals I bought from ebay a couple of years ago. They're copies of Annuals I had when I was aged 10 - 12. It's amazing how a simple book can wipe away the years!



At that age, Saturday mornings meant a bit of a lie-in and waiting for the sound of the paper-boy dropping my favourite comics through the letter-box - I loved the stories and articles, and as I went into my teens, the pin-ups too, which were 'pinned up' liberally over my bedroom walls (you could barely see the wallpaper), David Cassidy, Donny Osmond to name just a couple. Every Christmas I could guarantee that two of my pressies would be my favourite Annuals, which I could never wait to get my hands on.

This 1970 edition of the 'Bunty' Annual though was my best find, as it contains a story that absolutely captivated me at the time (when I was 10) .......... I must have read it dozens and dozens of times:




and even to this day (before I bought it on ebay) I could have told you the substance of the story - it was about a deaf, mute, orphan girl taken in by a convent of Nuns. The girl turned out to be a pretty good artist, and as a consequence uncovered some long-lost gold and thus saved the day!! We all enjoy a happy ending don't we!! And to re-read this story (which I now know was called 'Bianca's Golden Gift', and all the other features nearly 40 years on, was pure nostalgic bliss!




Who remembers the regulars in 'Bunty', such as 'The Four Marys' ............ in glorious black & orange:



.... and 'Bunty's Cut-Out Wardrobe:





I remember well sitting with my scissors and dressing her in her different outfits - from the weekly comics anyway, I didn't cut up my Annuals!! Perhaps not too different to me now with my love of making Rag Dolls eh!

Anyway, thanks Diane for another trip down memory lane - it was great!!

Back to Blogging!

If you're reading this, thank you for sticking with me ....... and not deleting me from your blog roll!! LOL

It's been more or less 4 months since my last post and although I don't want to go into detail, I will simply explain that my absence was due to the sudden loss (shortly after my last post) of a very close family member, and so it has been a very difficult time. I won't dwell anymore on it here though!

This is a crafty blog after all!

I didn't sew at all for about 2 months, but have been doing bits since just before Christmas. I was eased back in by making a small cross-stitch pin cushion for a young lady for Christmas.





I was also going to show you a cross-stitch needle/scissor case I made for a close friend who was celebrating a big birthday in January, except I forgot to take photographs (what a numpty as Wendy would say)!! I'm waiting for my friend to email some piccies to me, so hopefully I'll be able to show them later on.

Then I made this cushion cover







.......... it's for my nephew's girlfriend who spent several months last year studying in Paris (lucky thing). The fabric on its own may have been enough, but I did embellish it a bit with some buttons and beads and I did a bit of appliqué on it too. She hasn’t seen it yet actually, but I think I’m safe – I doubt that she’ll be reading my blog ……. too busy having a great time at Uni in Manchester if she has any sense – which she has!!

At the time (referred to above) my lovely bloggy friend, Wendy, and I had agreed to a little Christmas pressie exchange, but with what happened, it was impossible for me to see it through – Wendy was very understanding of course. Then just after Christmas (I think) I received a lovely package from Wendy – she had still gone ahead and made things for me, and this is what she sent to me



a woolly crow on a stand; AND



Gingerbread Jam!!

aren't they gorgeous? I just LOVE them both and was so pleased with them, as they are both things I had admired that Wendy had already made previously either for herself or for another friend.

So I can now say publicly – a very big THANK YOU to my lovely, lovely friend Wendy!! Of course, I had already started what I was making for Wendy (I was about 75% through making it), but simply couldn’t finish it at the time. I have, however, since finished her pressie and made something too for her birthday (leap year baby), which I sent to her recently, but I’ll show those next time.

Anyway, I’ll leave it there for now, apart from to say that I have discovered just how much of a comfort my sewing is to me - it has truly been my solace and I should count myself lucky for that!

I’m very happy to be back in the world of blogging – it’s so addictive and so much fun, although I must resist being a slave to it in future, as I end up feeling guilty about the amount of time I spend at this computer blogging and blog hopping!