Malta Adventures

I managed to drag my boyfriend away from work for a week at the end of August, and we had a fabulous last minute holiday to Malta. Coincidentally, some very good friends also booked the exact same hotel, and were there for 5 days overlapping us which was great!!

We always try to go to at least one new country every year (although my boyfriend had already been sent to Finland and Barbados with work - grr I know!!) so Malta seemed like a fab new place to explore, and more importantly, so so hot and sunny!!

As it was so hot, we did mostly live in the sea and pool, but we did also manage a lot of sight seeing too. 

Here are some photos:

The pool at our fab hotel. We stayed at the Seashells at Suncrest Hotel in Qawra and it was gorgeous! The food choice was insane!!! Also there was an adults only pool....what's not to love!!

Visiting the beautiful old walled town of Medina. So nice and cool to wander the quiet, narrow streets.

On a boat trip to the Blue Grotto. Going in and out of caves around the rocky coastline was fab!!

And then jumping in for a swim afterwards!!! The sea was so lush and warm, it was dreamy to float around in there for hours!

Our view from our room. Such beautiful buildings. We were at the back, so didn't have a sea view, but got the evening sun on our balcony, after the pool had closed, which was lovely. 

Wandering round Valetta. Such windy, old streets, and very tall buildings. I hate to say it, but it was almost too hot in Valetta, so we escaped to the war museum, which was thankfully, mostly underground!!

The view from the old town in Victoria, on Gozo. So much fun to wander around. 

Swimming in the Blue Lagoon. Heaven! Just look at the colour of that sea!! We swam away from all the crowds and went over to the quieter side. 

I also went exploring and snorkelled into a cave!!

Beautiful fishing village of Marsaxlokk. So quiet and colourful. 

I would very much recommend a visit to Malta, and we will definitely be going back. There is so much more to see, and everyone was so friendly. Plus the sea was warm, the sun shone every day, and the food was delicious, so what's not to love?!?

Cornwall Adventures - Treyarnon Bay

I've just got back from a fabulous week in Treyarnon Bay in Cornwall. I can definitely be guilty of looking abroad for summer holidays, and forgetting quite how beautiful the UK beaches can be, although the weather was traditionally British - wind, rain, clouds, thunder and hail!!

Here are some photos....

First view when off the bus, and just a little way along the coast. I got the overnight Megabus from London to Newquay, which is brilliant. It can be as cheap as £10 and seems like the best use of time to get here, as otherwise it is very far from London!! The bus leaves London at 11.30pm and gets you into Newquay at 6.50am so very reasonable timing. 

Dramatic skies over Constantine Bay after a very soggy coast path walk along to Trevose Head Lighthouse. 

Having fun in the sea with my Go Pro. It was mad that almost every person in the sea was wearing a wetsuit - and you needed too!!! In August though it does seem a bit wrong!

Lots of dramatic bays and caves to explore at low tide....

The one day it was warm (just enough) to go in the sea in a bikini and without a wetsuit! The sea was stunningly clear and a beautiful turquoise.

We holed up in the caravan one particularly terribly wet afternoon and made scones! Mmmmm! I know I'm eating them the Devon way which is probably illegal in Cornwall, but this is my favourite way to make them!!

Sadly there were hundreds and hundreds of jelly fish and the super clear water meant you could see them coming!! In a wetsuit though it doesn't matter quite so much but it's still not so nice. I did think this one looked particularly beautiful though, and very like some glass painting I did with friends when younger. 

It was a fantastic holiday, but I am very much looking forward to going away to Malta in a few weeks to get some hot hot sun and beach time!!

*New Mobile Design* Transport Felt Baby Mobile

Again, another felt baby mobile that I've had in my mind to make for ages, especially since I made some cute felt name banners, one with a tug boat and the other with a tractor.

Although I try and keep a lot of my mobiles very neutral, I do have more girly options than boy options, and I like to keep it fair, so I thought I would make a transport mobile.

Here are some photos....what do you think??

I am very pleased with it! One part of it I think looked particularly fabulous in felt, so I have made one with just those....watch this space for more details of that one to come!

Fairly Amy on Big Cartel

Due to the interest in my Folksy shop completely dying in the last year or so (I don't know why - Etsy is going well!!) I've decided to look at other options, and so have opened a Big Cartel store.

I've gone for the free 5 listing option to start with, to see if there is any traffic, but here it is! I do love the layout and how easy it is to open....

http://fairlyamy.bigcartel.com/

Wind in the Willows - Velvet & Tweed Animals

For the Mini Boden & Wind in the Willows photoshoot earlier this year, along with lots of other fun props, I also made these luxurious velvet & tweed wind in the willows creatures. They were great fun (although fairly fiddly - velvet is not my favourite fabric to sew) to make, and I am very pleased with how they turned out!

Badger & Mr Toad

A bunny friend

Mr Toad likes to drive his car very fast! Poop Poop! Here he his accessorised with some racing goggles and a lovely scarf.

Moley, Ratty & Badger - complete with accessories too!

Wind in the Willows for Mini Boden

Back in March, I worked on a Mini Boden photoshoot which was a collaboration with the new stage production of Wind in the Willows.

Aside from working on the shoot in Suffolk for a week, I also made loads of props. Here are some photos....

Mr Toad, Moley, Badger and Ratty Face Masks - Felt, Velvet & Tweed

I got asked to upholster a chair in about 15 mins....not a bad job, using a staple gun and gaffa tape!

When you can't attach wallpaper to the wall, so tape strips together, and then use lighting stands to hang it like a colourama. Worked quite well!

London Balcony Garden

In our old rented house, we had a lovely little garden, which was great. But it never got any sun. And was very boggy....so even the grass repeatedly died. So not the place for green fingers. The house, whilst lovely, didn't really have any windows, or window sills (it was a tiny cottage) so I couldn't even have any house plants.

So when we bought our flat last year, my main criteria were light, and outside space. And we ended up with both!! Our lovely flat has windows on 3 sides, with really deep window sills, and a decent sized balcony which gets the sun ALL DAY!!!

So when we moved in in December, I immediately bought house plants for every room in the house. And then make me so happy.

Then, in the Easter holidays, I went a bit mad on the balcony. I bought pots that sit either side of the railings, so that they didn't take up too much of our precious space inside the balcony, and then planted everything I fancied. My idea was, that I'd plant loads, and if even half of it grew, I would be so happy.

Turns out, my balcony is a prime growing spot. I planted:

Strawberries
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Lettuce
Peas
Courgettes
Cauliflowers
Tomatoes

I've since added in: Chillies, Basil & Mint

Here are some photos.......I am SO proud!!

The first thing I do every morning now is go and check on them, and water them, and I love going out to make a salad, and picking some lettuce, adding some basil, maybe a tomato or two! I love it!