A Truly Magickal Weekend!

My Trav and I were handfasted on Sunday. It was done in celebration of us being together 10 years, and so that we could be married in my faith, which is Wicca. Ten long and lovely years ago when I met Trav and moved him in with me within the week, many of our loved ones could be heard whispering "that will never last"........ Well how wrong could they have been!!! We are so suited to each other, such a perfect fit that I don't think our relationship could do anything but last!!! So with six months full on planning, making and stressing we pulled off the perfect handfasting to make our marriage even stronger! I haven't see many of the photos yet but here are a few I have pinched from a friends FB page. I will post more as I find them and once the photographer sends us our copies. So in no particular order;

The Broom and Table my dad made for us, it is tradition that the handfasted couple jump the broom on leaving the ritual circle, couples attending are also invited to jump together to reaffirm the love for each other.

Some of the crafting bits and bobs I did to make the woods even prettier

The band, Beachcomber were brilliant!!!!

I love this photo

The Altar

Waiting to be smudged with white sage before entering the circle

Cutting the cake (I made a red velvet with vanilla frosting)

Heart!

Another fab photos that I love!

Trav had a good few tears during the ritual (as did I)

Gracie watching us and the bubbles

So great to see one of Trav's sons there! This is his eldest Mike.

No!!!! nothing norty!!!! I'm sorting his shirt out before we pose for photos!!

My lovely Carys!!! modelling a Nanny Dog hair creation.

We had the most amazing weekend, with some of the most wonderful people!!!

I would like to say a huge THANK YOU!!!!!! to all the members of my closet circle of friends, you know who you are; S, Tee, M, G. (and two extra members of this circle for the day) C and B you guys ROCK!!!!!. My wonderful friends the Coltmans for all their support, Cuddles (most important!!) the loan of camping equipment and of course dogsitting Maggie, Digg and Bella. To all the members of our family and friends who were able to travel from near and far to join us celebrate this very magickal day.
And most of all THANK YOU to my lovely scrummy husband Trav for being so supportive of me in every way! Love you always!!!!!
I would like to NOT thank all the Bastard woodland bugs that have biten me to pieces, so that I'm scratching now like I have fleas!!!!!!

If you have managed to9 stay with me this long, I thank you all for reading :)

A very happy Mrs Lumpkin
Pxx

Hooking Rainbows on Rainy days

Here are a couple more cushions for Jenni (the caravan I don't own yet). I finished them both off yesterday, but they have taken my just over a week to hook. I have really enjoyed making these, they are quick and simple but very satisfying to look at once completed. I have already started on another patchwork style cushion in different colours.

The stripy one was the easiest to make but all those ends to weave in nearly drove me insane!!!!! I'm so pleased I finally figured out how to make the rose like flowers, I had been struggling with this pattern for a while now and just couldn't get it right but thanks to Pinterest I found a really clear tutorial and was able to whip these up in about 20 minutes.

I loved every thing about this patchwork one even hooking the squares together was ok. Although I think with the next one I'll hook the squares into rows first and then hook the rows together. I was quite pleased with myself on this one as I made the leaves myself without a pattern (I know they are just leaves, but it's the first thing I've "just" hooked that has turned out how I wanted it too).

and a couple of photos of my girls enjoying my hooking after their morning run.

Bella-Donna
Maggie-Mae
Suki-Su (Bella's mummy)TFL
have a great day!

Handfasting plans are coming along.

Well we have just under two weeks to go now until our big day, on Sunday 28th August. Trav and I have been together ten years this year and we wanted to do something special to celebrate. As I am Wiccan we have chosen to hold a Handfasting (Pagan Wedding) on local private woodland, attended by a party of our family and friends. The phrase "tying the knot" originates from Handfastings, as during the ritual the couples hands are bound together in union. I have made our cords using red, gold, cream cord, black ribbon and a re-purposed necklace.
I'm praying that the weather will remain dry for us, as we plan to spend the whole day outside in the woods. I have made piles of decorations to hang in the trees (already posted) these are my latest creations. I plan to hang them separately under the gazebo and put fairy lights inside them for when it starts to get dark.
I've also been trying to think of little things that the children can do (when they get bored of charging about the woods). So have completed a colouring in and quiz book ( I need to get some crayon packs) there will be plenty of bubbles about, as we don't want any confetti thrown. I also have a bubble machine that will be on most of the day.

We have a ton of bug spray, 200 red glow sticks so the little ones (and big ones) can have some glowing the dark silliness.
I really wanted to do a guest book tree like the one here but my lovely friend correctly pointed out the if so much as one finger print was out of place or smudged or messy It would ruin the whole thing for me (I'm so OCD about things) so I had a re-think and decided that I would have a four step guest book. #1 chose a tag #2 stamp your finger print #3 sign your name #4 hang the tag on our tree (we will have a branch tree in the vase). I will then take all the tags and use them in the scrapbook I plan to make on our September retreat.

I've still got a huge list of jobs I need to work through, but I'm really pleased with how everything is coming together.

TFL

A much needed crafty day with friends

We held the Wight Craft Circle Crop today instead of this coming Saturday (we are all so busy this summer, it's madness trying to get together on the same day). Sadly Sarah was missing, although we are all pleased for her as she has a lovely new job :) which was why she couldn't go us. I wasn't feeling very inspired at the start of the morning but sitting back now and looking at my LO's I'm really quite pleased with them and the fact that I managed to complete three. The first two are both about my eldest step-son Michael who Graduated Manchester University last month. Although they will sit opposite each other in my album they weren't scrapped as a DLO, they are just meant to match.

Bachelor of Arts
Graduate

I think the PP is from Studio Calico? I don't know where the little owls come from I punched them from a scrap of paper I've had for ages. The CS is all Bazzill (I chose the three colours gold, purple and black. to match Mikes robes). I cut the title and ink stencils using the design suite for my cricut.

Perfect Love, Perfect Trust

My third LO is of a photo Trav took of Carys and Myself, on her Christening day. I love this picture!! I used a couple of older MME papers (Deena's Penny Lane- Tiny Dancer) for this page, I love how the pretty pastels work so well with the photo, without drowning it out. I again used 3 sheets of Bazzill CS and this time a few OA alpha stickers and journal spots. I hand cut the bunting and then attached each flag with embroidery silk to the page.I have another selection of photos that I will make a DLO in matching papers and colours as this LO. The I might print them all out again and make a mini book for Carys and her Parents.

TFL

Rainy days spent hooking

You know I don't mind rainy summer holidays. Yes I know the dogs get soaked through when out for walks and then the floor needs a good clean when they come home, but rainy days give me the excuse to curl up in front of the Telly watching a few old films while hooking some yummy wooliness. Pinterest has been an amazing source of inspiration for me and I have found myself hooking cushion covers. I've never really enjoyed the thought of sewing tons of granny squares together so have always made huge grannys and used them just for blankets. but this week found me not only making small grannys and hooking them together but actually making the fleece backed cushion cover and blanket stitching my hooks creation onto it. I'm amazed at how well I have done for my first real sewing project and now have three other fleecey cushions ready for a pretty front cover.

I have also spent a little time on my giant granny stripe blanket (that will replace the bed throw I made last year, the older throw is moving into the caravan when we get her at the end of the year. As after a much needed go in the washing machine it is now a little too small for the bed, but will look perfect in the van). As you can see I'm just under half way there with the granny stripe. Friday I started on a new cushion cover this one will be made up of 24 small square. I couldn't find a pattern anywhere that i liked so mixed a couple together and removed a few stitches here and there to make the squares small enough and this is what I came up with. Nothing amazing but a sweet little square that is quickly hooked. I have just six yellow squares to hook and then I can assemble to cushion cover. Here you can see my plan for how it will look once I have finished. I am going to hook each square together with cream wool and them add a cream scalloped boarder so that it matches the cream fleece I have used for the cushion backing.

Hope you all have a great Sunday, We are off to a BBQ later if the rain holds off.

TFL

Christening Cake and a Monster

Yesterday we spent the day with Carys and her family, to celebrate her christening.

Here we are with the little lady in Brightstone Church yard.

I had the honour of making her christening cake.
I'm so pleased that the icing lasted the heat of the day.
I made a three layered pink cake, with vanilla flavoured frosting. Carys loved her monster, although he still remains nameless.

TFL
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