Catching the Travel Bug- Dingle-Ireland

Things have been crazy busy the last few months which is why this entry is sooo late....
So last October I went to Dingle with my best friend. We stayed at Fiona's B+B  The room reminded me of an old boarding school, but it was clean and comfortable. There was a lock on the door and the owner told us the hotel was actually run by her daughter! Our journey to the hotel was longer than the actual plane ride. There is one airport in the area and everywhere else is out in the sticks!
Dingle is in one big circle and is often referred to as the Dingle Peninsula   We walked around town as we arrived in the afternoon and found most shops were actually closed and no real music starts until after 10pm!! We found an amazing Chinese restaurant to eat in.... Disclaimer- *We must have been tired as the second time we went there the food wasn't as amazing*

We found the coolest music shop that held concerts on most evenings so planned to go there the tickets were 15Euros They played traditional Irish songs and did one in Gaelic as well The shop is called Siopa Ceoil An Daingin They even had Cooney and Begley playing one night which we went to see. My phone was being poo so the pictures didn't come out too well :( . We went back in the day and the shop has the cutest assortment of trinkets and gifts all around it. Some you could by and others weren't for sale...

We met a solo traveller who took us around Dingle and we all had a fun day out checking out the Peninsular. We saw the Beehive Huts, Went to the beach... Found some hidden coves as we explored the mountains.

You know how I love my food and in Ireland they sure do make sure you get your money's worth! The portions were huge, but we found ourselves finishing the meal...One day we had 5 meals.... We had no idea how or why we ended up eating so much.... The cup featured in the larger picture. I ended up buying two as the cafe was also a pottery shop.... 

Dingle is a very peaceful little town and is out in the countryside if you enjoy long walks and beautiful scenery. I would definately go again to check out more concerts and enjoy some good food! 

Another holiday down and another great place to go back and visit even if just for a long weekend. 

Watch this space for the next installment....this one won't take 4 months to add...(she says)

IBeCheraldine =]

Catching the Travel Bug-Scotland-Edinburgh!

Hello it's me again with another instalment to the travel bug adventures!
This holiday was to Edinburgh, I went with Mother dearest as a treat for her Birthday and Mother's day present rolled into one. September 2015

We stayed in the Holiday Inn-Waterfront hotel, which the bus ride there was actually longer than the plane journey! It was a good thing there was a lot of nice scenery on the way. There was another couple on the bus going to our hotel as well. The room was spacious the beds were comfortable. The breakfast was complimentary which is one thing I always look out for when booking a hotel as it saves time in the morning having to look for a cafe. The hotel was in a very peaceful part of the town with a good parade of restaurants a stone's throw away from us.

On our first day we discovered we were right by a shopping mall! We went around it and found there were some restaurants on the top floor of which we obtained some menus to take back to the hotel and a few late open shops we mooched around. After going through the menus we decided to go back out and eat at WagaMama  The food was a little disappointing as I was expecting it to have a little more flavour.

We had already booked tickets for the bus tours which was handy as the queue was quite long to buy them! It enabled us to go on 3 different buses which took you to different sites and attractions. All tours began at Waverley Bridge which reminded us of Piccadilly Square in london as it is full of high street shops, restaurants and there was a large park as well.

On our trip we went to

The Scott Monument-All 287 steps up the monument and 287 steps back down! We don't know what inspired us to go up it, but hey You Only Live Once right?! Our legs felt like jelly after we came out and we made the mistake of sitting down! If you can walk it off people! Walk it off!!

The Museum of Childhood-We were both quite disappointed with this museum as we were expecting perhaps a few more toys and games and even some interactive things, but alas it was not to be. Most items were behind glass cases and there was a rather scary room filled with Porcelain dolls!

Our Dynamic Earth- This had a tour of the past present and possible future of the earth in different interactive levels the tour lasted a little under an hour then there was a show on space and possible alien life on planets yet to be discovered.

The Botanical Gardens- Not the best idea when you suffer from hayfever, but it's worth a wander round if you love plants and flowers. They had some beautiful sculptures in hidden places around the garden.

The Royal Yacht Britannia-  We purchased the tickets before the trip as they were at a discounted price and Mother had been raving about it for ages! This was a rather interesting tour where you had a giant mobile phone to listen to the different points of interest around the Yacht

The Leith Mill/James Pringle Shopping Outlet

-Rather Underwhelming unless you want to purchase various pieces of Scottish clothing, food or souvenirs. We were not here for long...

The Royal Mile-Central hub of most of the souvenir shops hiding a few attractions and museums along the way. We went here a few times through the trip to pick up souvenirs, we also go to watch fudge being made

Other than the breakfast in the mornings we didn't really get to sample any proper Scottish food. Mother and I weren't too keen on trying Haggis! We did get our Chinese Takeaway which delivered to the hotel! We ate out at an Italian Restaurant Giuliano's!

We missed out on going to a few museums, which we said when we go back we would visit as they did look rather interesting and it is a lovely place to visit. Where we stayed was perfect as a bus tour when by our hotel so we could catch it into town!

So that was Edinburgh keep watching out for the next holiday breakdown.

IBeCheraldine =]

Feeling a little stuck...

I feel like I haven't written in ages. I used to keep a diary and I'd write in it everyday without fail...Then that changed to a HahahaLOL book where I'd write in it when the mood struck me or something particularly interesting happened. I then started to blog and could add pictures of what I had made almost a virtual online diary. Since work happened I haven't been writing much at all. I haven't even been reading as much as I used to. Work seems to have taken over a little more than I expected. I really just want to sew. Make a few dozen things and actually get a chance to finish them. I have projects I want to make and have a lack of motivation to both start and finish them.
 I guess I just feel a little stuck.... I've finally opened my Etsy Shop

 I've listed things in there that I've made over the past couple of years and finally gotten around to taking pictures of and creating a listing for them. I figured now was as good a time as any to finally be brave enough to open it. I've been meaning to for years and life and my heath have got in the way. There is no guarantee anything will sell, but you don't know until it's out there and you just have to take that chance...


The one thing I don't have listed is quilts. I start to make them. I finish the quilt top and then it's the finishing the quilt that always takes me forever. I'll tell myself I'll finish it that weekend and then I don't because something will get in the way. I love the making of the quilt tops, the cutting of the fabric. One thing I don't do is binding. I find it so tedious and the few times I have done it I regret adding it on. So now I just don't bother.

I won't lie and say I've been awfully busy. In truth I spend a lot of time procrastinating as I'm not sure what to do next.... HELP!?

IbeCheraldine.....

Quilt Colour Schemes part 2

Following on from Yesterday's Post I've been searching the internet for inspiration, flicking through magazines I had lying around as I was sure something about them caught my eye.

Some really grabbed my attention and then I decided to look through the 12 unopened packs of fabric from the two stash clubs I've joined. One is the Pink Castle Stash Stack Club and the other is the FabricShoppe Colour Your Stash Club. I then also found some other fabrics I had purchased that were already set in two colour ways.
After buying the latest copy of Love Patchwork and Quilting . Which is currently issue 10. I found some quilts I thought would go really well with the colour schemes I discovered.

Here are some colour combo's that will feature in my upcoming quilts and projects. The colours are just examples of the fabrics. Mind you I wont be using solids..... All fabrics however cane be found in the Fresh Modern Fabric Etsy Shop

The sketches for each project are already in progress. Templates have been made using some of my previous project designs. I thought about tutorials, but so many projects have been done, sold, chopped and changed, I thought why bother with the hassle.

I'll share the sketches once they are done. I even found graph paper to make them look all neat and professional...check me out! I bought some new colouring pencils and a ruler since mine broke in half....then I lost both halves....

So continue to watch this space. 

Cherie =]

Back to Blogging?

Hi good people of the blogging world. I have partially returned...slowly but surely whipping up some quick projects here and there I have yet to take pictures of.....when the weather decides to co-operate. The plans for my Etsy shop have slowly been coming together...I have written descriptions...taken photo's...now to sort edit and upload. Does anyone know of any good free photo editing sites? Business cards need to be designed and ordered. Mother dearest has been a great help setting out a plan for me....


So I have been behind the scenes checking out Etsy every now and then to see the new fabric lines I've totally long misses *Sigh* and what's up and coming. I was checking out my favourite shops and clicked on to fabricshoppe where I was checking out the bundles and fabric packs and came across this Colour your stash club also on Etsy here Colour your stash club. I ummed and ahhhed before thinking: it's monthly so not just one huge price, you can opt out at any time, different colours per month, potential great goodies, a great way to expand my fabric without having to scan the shops, colour bundles to increase my lack of variety, no hassle just pay as you go......and I haven't bought fabric for maybe over a year so why not aye......

So if you're interested check it out, tell your other blogging friends, spread the word....spaces are limited so I've read so get in while you can. If there are any other groups or fabric lines I know I've missed that are too good to pass please let me know as I would really like to get back in to sewing and blogging again.

Bye for now blogging Friends

I be's Cheraldine!

I'm loving it!

Sometimes I just like to take a little break from sewing. My weekends are usually dedicated to kicking back and chilling out. Whether it's watching TV or grabbing my sketch book. Here are some things I'm loving today

Bed covered in sketches from quilts I bookmarked to make blocks from.

Sewing table next to bed for easy access and sketching up blocks in a neater form

The stack of cushions that I love seeing right now! The Younger Giant will be getting one (made specially) for his birthday present.  (remind me to get a bigger gift bag!!)

My Graze snacks UK followers can get a free box here just follow the instructions to grab some great yummy goodies. Tell you friends too just use the code 6NB7W5L, code can only be used once.

Also saw this swap which will start on Monday. Click the button for more information

Not pictured....

• Going into the random sells everything shop and putting something in Father's hand (for myself) which he actually bought! 
• Gaining yet another Tesco stalker...I know they work there but even still, seeing them in every aisle was rather funny! 
• The pricing on a product that cost £1, but an offer said you could get 2 for £1.....
• A random lady in Tesco at the till,  pointlessly arguing with a guy that was doing her no trouble and actually alerting security, who turned out to be the guys friend! 
• This Alpro soya yogurt that tastes so good! 

Now does anyone know a program/website I can use to make a banner for my blog? Help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Next up I may get those liberty blocks finished up along with more sketches...

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Love Patchwork Magazine.....

So remember the magazine I showed you all yesterday? Found here They are not paying me to review it this is just my take on the magazine as I haven't found many that I really like.

I took some snaps of a few of the projects inside

There are many others.  Full of colour, inspiration and a lot of different tips on sewing, cutting and buying fabric. It's good for beginners to advanced quilters. It's very detailed when describing how to make the quilt. I'd of liked there to be a few more diagrams on some of the steps, but it's still a great magazine.

I decided to chill out today and take some time to watch TV and relax a bit. I made a plum, pear and mango crumble for dessert the mango is a little sour)

I got some more sewing done and it's going together quicker than I thought. I have a few more to go then I can move on to step 3.

I have quite a lot of pieces left over so may whip up some cushion overs with them......

Volunteering tomorrow. Cooking session this time! 

Siya'll tomorrow =D

What's in your bag?...

So yesterday I had my full day 2nd interview. Full day being from 12-8.30! The company wasn't what I expected at all. The advert on the website I found it on was very misleading. It didn't highlight exactly what the company truly did and made it seem like it was an office job. It wasn't! We were out walking for all those hours. The job was for those people that knock on your door and ask if you've received a grant for house insulation. (the stuff that goes in your loft and walls to make it much warmer without need for heating!)
It was a very strange experience and almost seemed rude going into peoples houses. Sure we weren't selling them anything, but it didn't seem like something I could feel comfortable doing. We walked up and down the same street 3 times in 3  different time frames. The houses where people didn't answer on the first leg we had to knock back at on the 2nd and possible 3rd if they still didn't answer. It's a commission based job so the more people you sign up the more you get paid.
I wasn't keen on the idea you may be walking all those hours and could potentially make nothing for the day. My parents and the Older giant weren't impressed either. I didn't get home till after 10 as I had to wait for the last assessment then catch the bus. I think I would have gotten the job, but it wasn't the right job for me so I told them I wouldn't be interested in working there and it was left at that.
Mother kept me company as I ate dinner and she said I made the right choice. I could have left during the time, but I wanted to see the whole day through to get a better understanding of the company. I like seeing things through, just encase I miss something and wonder, should I of stayed.

(warning the following post has a lot of pictures!)

The title refers to what I was actually carrying in my bag yesterday as I wasn't sure if we had breaks and such and some other stuff was bought before the interview started

 My new bag that I've been using for a while as it was just sitting there and I spent a fair bit of money on it when I first bought it a year or 2 ago. I always have so much crammed inside it. Probably somethings I don't even need. If you look good you can see some handmade items I got from swaps or bought...the floral purse is not one of them!

This morning in the post I got my Graze Box my code for you to get a free box is here. The food looks so good!

After getting in from a lengthy shopping trip! I found this awesome magazine, which has some really great quilts, templates and inspiration inside. (Mother said to mention that SHE directed me to it..which she indeed did as the aisles have all changed again, so I actually walked past it) I'm not sure if it's just exclusive to Tesco. I found it on this site too..it's a little pricey though at £9.99 approx $15, but worth the money I'd say. I'll take a few snaps of the projects inside tomorrow for you to see.

Then I made some great progress on part 2 of the secret project. Even though I'm still achy from yesterdays walking, I pushed that out of my mind and got sewing up a storm...

Sewing table just before I went down to eat dinner. Yes I use a deck chair at the moment...folds down for easy storage...(and to hide the mess under the table.....Shhh)

I have a few jobs to apply to tomorrow one I need to pop my CV in the post. I'm looking forward to the volunteering on Monday! No 8 hours walking....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Rainbow scraps!

With my sewing mojo gone for a vacation, I played around with some templates. Father bought two large cake boards a 16"circle and hexagon. I flipped them over and divided them on the back to  get wedges to eventually make up some pillows. I just need to decide what prints to use and eventually get cutting.
The bowl is a template for the smaller circular pillows using the HST blocks I made.

I flicked through some magazines hoping the projects would help inspire me on what to make next. I found a few things that caught my interest. Some blocks and one had some cute fabric flowers, that can be turned into brooches or hair slides (well it didn't say that, but I think they could work)

They require 3" circles to make the petals, so I pulled out my fabric basket containing some 3" x 5" strips and cut those down to 3" squares saving the scraps for my jars.

My jam jars plus some other jars I found are now rainbow scrap jars...as well as one for white, black, brown and grey scraps. I even pulled out my scrap draw and cut some of the pieces in there into strips to add in.

Oddly there are a lot of purple scraps though I have no major purple fabrics! Smaller pieces of fabric have lead to that.

I then tipped out my strip bag ready to trim them down to proper sizes to put into another draw. There are various different fabrics here, some cotton, linen and upholstery weight fabric. I'll leave them at the length they are as most of my scraps are smaller pieces.

I'm seeing some scrappy pouches in their future....maybe some log cabin blocks....
I broke my fabric ban slightly to get a better range of rainbow colours for my stash. I ordered some mystery colour bundles from My Fabric House I spent £30. The bundles are 10x12" pieces which works great for what I need them for. I'm going through the fabrics on Pink Castle Fabrics to possibly get a custom bundle made up with some rainbow inspired prints.

Not a very interesting day, but at least I found something inspiring in my search.

Siya'll tomorrow =D