Sam | Sams Craft Room

Wedding Journal

January 4th January 2019

So this happened this month…WE GOT ENGAGED!!!!!

I was having a restful evening watching Amazing Hotels on TV when I heard a bing on my phone. I looked down and saw that Rob was on facebook live. He NEVER does stuff like that, so I continued to watch. He said not to swear, he knows me so well. I heard him coming down the stairs and I jumped up and ran behind him as he continued to show “our friends our newly refurbished living room and the shelf that I don’t like”. As he was apparently was heading to the dining room, I was still hiding behind him when he switched the camera around and proposed. About 20 of our friends were watching including my Mum, Brother, Sister-In-Law, and Nephews. I said yes obviously. I cried, laughed, screamed, and swore.

We sat down and out came a bottle of sparkling wine and chat. I asked if we could have a vegan wedding and he said yes (YAY) as long as he can have a Hog Roast? . The phone calls then started, first to Mum, who just laughed, my brother was next and my S-I-L said that she cried. Rob told me that he asked my Mum when she stayed at Christmas and my brother when we visited on Boxing Day, He’s a crafty one, and that’s usually ME! I then set up a WhatsApp group for my Sis-In-Law and my bestie called “I’m getting MARRIED! About 4-5 messages in I said that my SIS was my Maid Of Honour. It took about 3 messages after to click what I had written, she cried again. She is so excited ?

As soon as I started telling people our exciting news, the big question, “When’s the happy day?” ? 2021 is my standard reply. So, hello Pinterest, hello UK Bride & Hello Instagram for inspiration. I always wondered how Facebook knows stuff like I need a wedding venue and rings. I clicked on the little icons and asked why am I seeing this ad? It said, you recently got engaged and then it all made sense. I clicked the ‘I don’t want to see this anymore’ button and that was that!! The planning has begun.

The first week, I was thinking about it before I went to sleep and again when I woke up. It was actually driving me insane, then I told myself to stop thinking or I will lose my mind. I haven’t stopped but I’m not thinking about it obsessively anymore. Just every morning, when I should be getting out of bed to get ready for work, I look at Pinterest or Insta.

I have requested a LOAD of wedding brochures, all but a couple are in our price range. With this in mind, I had to think outside the box as to what venues are available to us. Think, village halls. I did ask Rob for a figure that I could work from and it is £2000. That’s a start and the most amount of input that he has given to me.

We went to a wedding fair this weekend just passed which I enjoyed and Rob actually partook in. I thought he’d walk around with a strop on but he was faced with a wall of doughnuts so that was a good start. We talked, we saw, we enquired and picked up a few ideas, including a bar, the letters LOVE in lights and maybe even harp players for my love of classical music. We also have a date with a venue that had a good price, 3 days all inclusive, I do have to look at the website though, which I have not had a chance to do just yet.

So there is my 1st wedding journal done…

Planting Herbs

I’ve been wanting to plant my herbs since last summer when they decided to die…?. As I had lots of seeds from last year here they are again. Let’s hope they spring up soon and last me through the summer.

Parsley is thyme and chives are coriander!

You see little miss cow in the background looking disapprovingly at me. Lets cross our fingers! They grow.

S. Xx

House Renovations part 2

Sew the floor sanding is going really well. After 2 shreddded sheets and one not sheredded, the bloke is using the last 40 grit we got from the hire shop. It is coming up nicely. Diagonal passes are done, and he’s doing along the grain now. Cannot wait to start painting next week if this finishes well!

House Renovations

Sew, as our quest to make our house of bricks and mortar into a home this is the weekend where the living room will become liveable again. The plastering has been done and the floorboards laid. It going to be a messy, dusty and noisy 2 days.

The bloke rented a sander and edge sander after I complained and said this is not a job to be done by hand… Let’s see how this goes.

This is a small part by the front door. I wanted our sofa back, that’s what’s on the right of the picture. All these boards have been treated, rough sawn and the wood is Scandinavian Larch.

These are all new treated boards in the front bedroom. The bloke finished this last night and I’m so proud of him. X

Late again

Sew. I have parties every 2 weeks for most of the summer. As usual, each person is unique and I have to find something unique for each of them. I have found projects for 2 people who are sharing a birthday date so that makes things slightly more complicated. One is a cat mad unicorn and cat lover, the other a movie geek, but still girlie. The cards will be no problem but what do I make them? I can just about access my sewing machine but obviously need more fabric and materials to make what I want. No canvas in my fabric statch which is a shame, and I need a heavier fabric for one of the makes! Hello Amazon. If I had though about this earlier in the week I would have the things here now. But my car was sick and that was the only thing on my mind. Wish me luck. Xxx ❤️

The season of cards

Sew, tis the season to make cards. I’m not talking Christmas Cards, I’m talking family cards. I have 8 to make between mid-October and the beginning of January. And as usual, I wait until the last minute. Will I ever learn, ha, nope?

Below was actually the 3rd card I made and done in super quick time, 2 hours. It was for the OH Dad. Very pleased with it.

Before this one I had my Nephews and the OH Mum to do. They had to be ready on the same day. As before her card took about 3 hours. The Nephews took about 6 hours over a few days but very happy with the results.

Used my quilling comb for this.. LOVE IT!

My piece da la resistance… I’ve picture edited the sun in over his name

If you’d like more details about how I made these… Just ask.

Now, off to work xx

Bunting

Sew, The boy and I decided to have a Braai BQ. It was originally supposed to be our moving in Barbeque, but was changed to an end of the summer one, as we realised that we would not be moving beforehand 😥

The boy got LOADS of meat,far too much in my opinion, but what would I know, I’m only a woman and a vegetarian. We had also bought some plates and platters about 2 months ago that had cactusus on them and also colourful bowls that would go with the Mexican theme which we decided upon.

I had wanted to make bunting for sometime now and this was the perfect time to do a project.

Tehe butiful fabric, from my stash — The beautiful fabric, from my stash. I didn’t use the small flower fabric at the end!

This is fabric that I already had in my stash. It was actually a Christmas bundle that I bought from Elephant In My handbag. I was going to use it to make a baby cushion, but couldn’t part with it…my bad!

Sew, I bought 2 yards of bias binding in a gorgeous orange colour.

I cut out 22 flags (11 flags in total) that were 23cm on both sides and 10cm across the top.

Each fabric was a fat quarter so it was plenty.

Now usually you can measure exactly where each flag was going to go but I lay the bias binding down, taking a bit off the ends to allow a loop for hanging. So the first flag was 23cm from the end and each flag was approx 16-26 cm apart. That seems like a lot but the first one is 16cm the next 26 so it varied. I did kinda do them so they were about the same, by sight first then with my ruler.Crawling around the floor.

It was good to have bias binding as I only had to sew the flags to the bunting rather than all the way along. Also I wanted them to last so I sewed them together rather than leave a raw (pinking shears) edge

So the flags were all pinned together, sewn, leaving the top open, turned and pressed so there was a clean crisp edge.

I then pinned each flag to the pre determined point on the bunting and used a decorative stitch to attach

Sew that was that! I guess you could applique letters on a plain flag for a child or event and next time who knows what my bunting will look like xx

Presents and cards

Sew, it seems all my close family have birthdays in the last 3 months of the year. First my brother, then 1 Nephew and the bfs Mum. Then the bfs Dad. My Mum is next, in November as is the boys. My birthday at the beginning of December and then my Sis-In-Law at the end of December. My other Nephew is

Enchantment Under The Sea Dance (On Saturday)

They’re supposed to go to this….Sew…Last weekend I went to a dance. An Enchantment Under The Sea Dance as they did in one of the greatest movies EVER made. Organised by Nicki of PPHV, The Positive People Of Hill Valley Preservation Society, which I have mentioned in another post. This was all organised to raise money for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinsons research and to pre celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the date that he goes Back To The Future (Which was 4.29pm) October 21st 2015.

So I went with my partner in crime Connie. As I have said before, My go to girl for girlie stuff. Sew as usual I was late, as I had a late night and started doing my hair late:took way too long. I didn’t have a dress, which I had planned to make, left that till late as well, so panic bought 5 dresses hoping one would look the biz and one did. If I do say so myself…what dya think? 😆

If you want to buy my dress CLICK HERE to see mine and many more dresses

Sew Today in Wales

Sew Today was outta London.

There was a friend that I hadn’t seen for ages and he invited me down to Wales to spend a few days. He was my Manager for 5 years and became the person that I phoned from work on a Friday afternoon. We’d talk about work and personal stuff, it was such a nice way to end the week. He became ill a little while ago, so when we finally were able to contact each other again, I jumped at the chance as I knew he was on the mend.

I got the Coach down there so I could chill out and have a snooze; the journey was only 3 hours long. He met me from the coach and we gave each other the biggest hug.

We chatted for hours and he tried to fatten me up on homemade welsh cakes. I met his daughter and Grandson who has the most plump cheeks I have seen on a child for so long. I had to stop myself squeezing them like I do to my Nephews.

On the first day he cooked a fabulous meal and I slept in a big bed with an en-suite.

The following day we went to meet another of my ex managers who now runs a coffee shop (The Coffee Post) in Fairford, which in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire.

It is picturesque little town.