The winners of my giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered my very first giveaway. I have now drawn the two winners, using the random number generator at psychicscience.org (the first one I came across on Google!!). The two numbers it generated was 7 and 17, which, taking just the first post from everyone in order, means that Thrifty Mrs has won the first set of goodies (with the soap), and Louise at Surfer Rosa has won the second set of goodies (with the notecards). So that I can send you your prizes, please email me your addresses to deravelled (at) gmail (dot)com, replacing the bracketty bits with the usual symbols. :)

Well done, you two. :) Thank you everyone who left a comment - I really wish you could all have won! However, I will be having another giveaway in the not too distant future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Fabric Scrumminess and Mr Cat

For my birthday, my mum ordered me a load of fabric from Laura Ashley in their sale. Despite her ordering it on 5th of January, as of today, only one metre of it has arrived, which, as I do not need to explain to you, my fellow fabric afficionados, is incredibly frustrating. However, one metre has arrived, and has now been washed and pressed ready to be used in a future project.

I thought I would take a photo of it to show you - it is a pretty well known print (Erin in Chalk), and is 80% cotton 20% linen, so has a lovely luxuriously heavyweight feel to it. However, whilst photographing it, our gorgeous old boy, Mr Cat, decided that he wanted to get involved, as he was concerned by the lack of photos of him on this blog.



So here he is. Well, parts of him, anyway!! He's a grand old man (on 1st May this year he'll be 17!!), who we rescued when he was 11. Mr Deravelled loved him because he said he looked like a lion. lol And he's a wonderful cuddly lap cat, who loves his food and knows to the minute when his next feed is due. Woe betide you if you forget to feed him at that precise moment!!



And here is one of him posing nicely :)



Hasn't it been a glorious day today? A chilly start gave way to a lovely sunny afternoon, and it was a delight to drive home from work today with an orange setting sun warming the fields as I passed them. :)

I feel sad

For several reasons (which I will go into when I have more time) I feel very sad this evening. So any cheeriness that you girls can send my way would be very greatly appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT: Thank you everyone for your kind comments. Basically, I have just found out that the place where I work will be closing in April, leaving me in a position of uncertainty as to my future with the company. When I told Mr Deravelled last night, instead of the support I was hoping for, he instead said that we couldn't afford for our monthly income to go down, and what was I going to do about it. Not the most supportive thing to say!!

But your kind comments have helped me get a little perspective, thank you. :)

Gemma x x

A skirt for the Moomin

I have made the Moomin a skirt. It is only very simple, and I didn't use a pattern. I just cut a length of my chosen cotton fabric, from selvage to selvage, to the length I wanted it to be plus enough for hemming and waistband, then sewed it all together.

For the waistband I used 1/2 inch non-roll elastic. Because it is really sturdy, the resulting waistline is really neat and even.




I finished off the skirt with a trimming of broderie anglais, which has a lovely delicate botanical design on it (and it as a bargain from Hobbycraft, too!!). The Moomin has received many compliments when she has worn it, and Mr Deravelled says how great it looks every time he sees it. It's almost as if he can't believe that I could make something so nice!! The cheeky so and so!!



Also, if you haven't already, don't forget to leave a comment on my giveaway post below, for your chance to win some lovely goodies!! :)

I am currently planning out a fleece blanket for the moomin, so more on that later......

My first giveaway!!!

Finally, here it is. The first ever Deravelled giveaway!

Since I started blogging last summer, I have met so many wonderful people in blogland. So, as a little thank you to all of you for being so friendly and inspirational and wonderful, I would like to offer you my first giveaway.



I wonder what's inside?



Lucky winner number one will win the following: a shabby chic botanic style stiff card box (the perfect size for photographs); a shabby French chic inspired hanging heart with ivory satin ribbon and black reclaimed button (made by me); a still wrapped bar of Culpeper Elizabethan triple milled hand soap (the most delicious vintage fragrance ever!) which is no longer made, so a rare find indeed and taken from my personal stash (aren't I kind!):



And finally, you will also received a handmade card, perfect for Valentine's Day, featuring two entwined hearts joined by a silver gemstone heart. It also features a real metal "zipper" charm, with the word "Love" embossed onto it.



This card, made by me, come complete with a matching pink envelope.

Lucky winner number two will win the following:



You will win a handmade Valentine's card, but this time with the word "Together" embossed on the zipper charm.



You will also receive a set of three handmade shabby chic note cards with matching envelopes, featuring fabric-look floral papers and skeleton leaves:



And finally, you will win a shabby French chic inspired hanging heart with ruby red grosgrain ribbon and ivory reclaimed flower button (made by me):



So, if you'd like to win one of the above two prizes, simply leave a comment below (and state your preferred prize) before I draw the two winners next Sunday evening, for your chance to win. :)

Thanks again for making my time in blogland a happy one.

Gemma x x

A lovely afternoon

Today we went to a local park to blow away the cobwebs and push the Moomin around on her Iggle Piggle trike. Although cold, it was lovely and sunny - a perfect winter's day.



Then we walked up to a pub that backs onto the park, and had a scrummy meal in the warm. Lovely!

Tonight we're going for another meal - this time with my parents, sister and her other half, to belatedly celebrate my birthday all together. :)

A little shopping spree

Today the Moomin and I went to our local indoor market to pick up some new thread. As you can see, we came away with a little more than the planned white gutermann!! I found some nice denim fabric, which I bought a metre of to make into a tote bag for a friend (she saw mine, and decided she had to have one!). To go with the denim, I picked out a lovely smoke grey zip, to turn the tote into an everyday handbag, with a bit more security when carrying keys and purses, etc.



I got the white thread (hurrah!!), but then also had to take home a spool each of ivory, sunshine yellow, tangerine and nut brown threads, as they were such gorgeous, happy colours. I will use the yellow thread to sew the Moomin's new curtains (I ordered the fabric yesterday - a lovely cheery yellow cotton with white polka dots - the Moomin's choice!!). The ivory thread will be used to sew a skirt I am going to make for myself, the tangerine thread I chose to compliment the denim fabric I bought to make the bag for my friend, and I haven't yet decided what to use the lovely nut brown thread for yet - sometimes it's nice just to know you have it!!

After searching for nearly two years, I also finally found the perfect sterling silver charm bracelet for the Moomin. She received several precious charms for her first birthday and naming ceremony, and I have been searching since then for a tasteful charm bracelet, to no avail. I found this one in H Samuel purely by accident whilst I was waiting for them to replace my watch battery for me. And even better, it had been reduced from £50 to £29.99!! Whoop whoop! :)

I also couldn't resist picking up the latest issue of Country Living magazine. I am trying to curb my obsession with all things home-making magazine this year, but I decided to treat myself to a little light reading, seeing as it was my birthday on Tuesday!!

Right, I'm off to make a cup of tea and get the Moomin some juice. Then I've got to decide what to make for dinner, as Mr Deravelled will be home in about half an hour, after an exhausting drive home in heavy traffic. I'm thinking fish pie. Or maybe stir fried chicken breast in hoi sin sauce with rice. Mmmmmmmm..... :)