Retail therapy and Happy Families!!!

Retail therapy and Happy Families...well not quite. Its been an emotionally charged week which has left me with a serious need for comfort and in true style of a fabric and yarnololic I have been doing some serious work on my addiction...my own form of Prozac...buying fabric and yarn...When something arrives and looks this good...you can not help yourself as your smile creeps across your face until you look more like a silly clown than someone with the grumps!!! Hurrah! I found an Internet fabric shop that does not rely solely on paypal The shop is Button berry...so I rummaged through their on line shop and clicked away at all the stuff I have had my eye for a while especially the Melly and Me pattern's I have craved for for some months now...
Yer I know its not the greatest of pictures, let me assure you the goodies are amazing, as I type quite a few of the fat quarters of Amy Butler and Heather Bailey fabric are already cut up and waiting for me on my cutting board ready to be made into this years 'handmade' Christmas gifts for my friends...No I can not tell you what it is, although I am confident that none of them read my blog (except for you Caroline:-)...yep even you are going to be subjected to the usual 'Suzie Sews' handmade goodies...'Not again' did I hear then?)
Anyway I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all the people who left me comments and emails about Wednesday...it was a difficult day, I spent a lot of it either in tears or trying hard not to show any emotion. I had my little one with me as he was still a little off colour and he was a rock for me. He gave me lots of cuddles and big smiles. I visited the Hospice where my Dad passed away and I spent a little time at the graveside. I saw the wonderful nurse that my Dad had called an Angel...I still could not go up to her and thank her as I was trying hard to hold it all together. Then I pulled on the armour to visit my family, my family are a bit 'stiff upper lip' so me falling apart just would not do. Sadly my brother did not make it and it was just my Mom, me and the little guy. I think I had rather thought we would all be there for each other, but maybe we are all emotionally in different places. I am pleased I spent some time in the place my Dad and I spent special time together before he passed away. I have a post in memory of my Dad, I will post it up to the blog maybe at a less intense time.

So it was ironic when I was thrifting on a retail therapy shopping trip...I found this amazing pack of Happy Family cards (see above picture) the cards are lovely...I have great plans for them...
What about these shell buttons...stunning...they are large and will make great corsages with some beautiful fabric...I use Wise Craft's tutorial a lot when I make my little flowers, if you have not tried it yet...I assure you its good results and very addictive.
Then I came across a scruffy little bag you could hardly see through...I had a peek and was delighted to find all these lovely vintage cake decorations ideal for little Christmas Fairy cakes on my Christmas Eve party table, OK the Shaun the sheep is not vintage but I know someone who will be very happy to give him a good home especially if he comes with his very own cup cake!!! (The jar of decorations came from my Mother in Law, I rescued them from being thrown away when she had sadly passed away.) With all that retail therapy what about a little crafting activity...Would I let you down??? I finally got round to making my Amy Butler tissue box cover (Search under Amy Butler in Amazon and the kit should be there) from the sewing kit box...I do find Amy's instructions very complex and it has put me off using her detailed patterns (I adore her weekend bag pattern) this one was marked as easy and I struggled to master it... especially the top bit with the hole as it is fully reversible...I unpicked it and put it back again...then the Penny Dropped...I got it, once you know how it really is easy...I took my time and followed it word for word...most unlike me as I usually go off and do it a different way...I like it...only my tissue box was not square...
Ah knitting..I feel I have neglected my knitting on my blog, yet I knit every day...I had bought a sale ball of this lovely red yarn and mixed it with a Debbie Bliss Cashmarino Arran yarn...as I mentioned I like to do it my way...I had no pattern for a little hat so I got a little baby hat pattern and tried to master the maths of knitting and make a hat for me. I think it was when I knitted the first couple of rounds I knew I had not worked it out correctly...stubborn me though I carried on...I worked all evening on it until the wee hours...assuring myself I could add a fleese lining it to make it fit my head add buttons and embroidery on to the stripes...Once finished I fell about laughing...It was HUGE. It was tried on by all the family amongst silly comments and giggles. Once the house was quite the next day I sat down looked at the hat and had a brain wave...its wool..I will felt it...now its perfect for my little one...Ah at last a Happy ending!!!

Have a great weekend and I will see you for cuppa on Monday!!!