Spring makeovers and a spot of crochet

Spring is on its way and so everything around here is getting a bit of a makeover.  I've started going to the gym, had my hair done and have booked in for a mani/pedi ready for my forthcoming holiday.   I'm gathering stuff to sell on eBay so that I can treat myself [guilt-free] to a load of pastel-coloured clothes.  I will pick out a new perfume and every inch of my body will be scrubbed, buffed and moisturised so that I'm ready to bare my lily-whites when the sun comes.

Let's not talk about the fact that I've been to the gym eight times over the last fortnight and have still not lost any weight.  I come home with a bright red face, dripping hair (I'm not kidding) and halfway through the class I feel as though I'm going to throw up.  The fact that I haven't lost any weight is like a great big poke in the eye.

I've been to zumba and body combat classes.  They are killers!  Although I have picked up a little tip for reducing aches the next day:  have a glass of milk after you exercise.  Don't know if it's coincidental [probably] but it has totally worked for me. 

Notice anything else around here that's had a bit of a makeover?

Yep, I decided to pimp up my blog so I approached Sarah of essbeevee.  I really like Sarah's blog - she's witty, stylish and verrry cool.  I love her illustrations and did not hesitate to commission her to prettify my blog when I saw that she takes this kind of work on.

What do you think?  Obviously the little illustrated icons in my sidebar will link to proper pages with actual words and photos when I get a chance to update them but so far I am thrilled.  Skippy-happy!  

I ought to just acknowledge Sarah for doing all the technical stuff for me too.  She made sense of the html codes [etc] for me and was very patient with my blonde moments.  

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Did someone mention blonde moments?

I've been crocheting egg cosies this week.  I thought I'd followed the pattern to the letter but it finished up just a tiny bit too small.  Ha!  I'm proud of the pom pom though - aren't they fun to make!  You can expect to see more pom poms around here, oh yes you can.

I've had a go at crocheting flowers too.  They were a little bit more successful than my attempts at egg cosies, probably due to the plentiful advice from CupcakeJoJo.  Thanks lovely!  *blows kiss*

Aw.  It's a pretty little thing that's now attached to a crocheted tin cover.

I've started a new book - A Room Swept White by Sophie Hannah - so I'm off to read that shortly.  Before I sign off I thought I'd share a photo of the adorable little Easter pegs I've bought recently.  They will be perfect for my Easter tree. 

Husband:  "What Easter tree?"

Me:  *rolls eyes and saunters off importantly*

I collected loads of twigs from the fields when we were walking the dog over the winter.   They are drying nicely in the barn and then I'm going to spray them with matte white paint.  Stuck in a steel pot weighed down with pebbles they will form our Easter tree.  We haven't had one before but I think they're kind of cute and I like an excuse to decorate.

See those little envelopes in the picture?   I made them at the weekend.  Here's a close-up:

I bought a tiny little wooden template and the paper was free with a craft magazine at Christmas.  They are such a lovely little size and are perfect for the purpose I have in mind.  Which I will tell you about next time.

Oooh, what a cliffhanger.  :-)

Hope you're all having a great week.  Nearly the weekend!

Nicki 

x

PS Thanks so much for all of the cheery comments that you've been leaving.  I love reading them (although I received my first spam comment the other day which I promptly deleted!) and  I do like to respond to everyone.  Thing is, I work full-time and the evenings seem to fly by.  Some of you are no-reply bloggers - if you pop your email address on your profile page it will let your blog friends respond via your comments.  This is much quicker for me, certainly, and means that I can catch up from my phone when I'm waiting in the post office queue (or whatever).  Hope I'm not being bossy... 

Instructions on how to do this are here kindly provide by the Scrap Shoppe.  Cuckoo shared them a while ago.