Special request

This one is a special request for my friend Sian who has a lovely black labrador called Rosie. Merry Christmas!

Better late than never!

This was meant to be the 24th day installment of my advent. Bit late sorry, I ran out of time/steam on Christmas Eve and decided to focus my efforts on eating mince pies for the past few days and generally having a proper old chillax! It's been lovely. 
If you were celebrating Christmas too I hope you had a good one!

Christmas Eve Eve

What a rainy, windy day we've had here in the South West of the UK! I only had one last present to fetch and I almost gave up for fear of being blown away. Santa better hold on tight to those presents tomorrow eve, especially my sausage dog! Feeling very Christmasy now though!

Little helpers

Lots of things to do before Christmas! Today I've been helping my lovely mum to make mini sausage rolls, mince pie 'whirls' and a yule log. This picture is an ode to the amount of wedding bunting we have realised we need to make for next year. We could do with an army of little helpers!

Day 21

Two for one

Bit of a two for one in this post.

I went to a works do yesterday and had the plan to just have the one glass of festive wine then head home to do my advent blog post like the dedicated blogger I am...one glass led to two... led to three...led to four etc. 

Well, it is (almost) Christmas afterall! 

Great night though! 

A week today

A week today it's Christmas day!

Will you be getting dressed up in your best festive gear? 

Angel Gabby

Apparently Angel Gabriel was a boy? Well this one is a girl - Gabs.

 

Little Donkey

I once asked for a donkey for Christmas.

It was a very serious request.

Unfortunately Santa couldn't fit one on his sleigh...

(and my mum and dad couldn't fit one in their garden)

Day 15

A Christmas Wreath for Day 15.

Nice Mice

Have you ever been on You Tube and ended up losing hours watching endless footage of cute kittens/puppies/guinea pigs/ponies/mice? No? Just me?

This is one of my favourites:

 

If you are on an iphone/smartphone type device I don't think you can see the above video so here is a link :)

 

Shocked Mouse

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th!

Christmas Piggy

It's less than 2 weeks until Christmas and I am already becoming a little Christmas piggy! All thoughts of wedding diets are firmly out the window until the new year!

 A running mad friend of mine has got me considering doing a half marathon next year, I went to visit her the other weekend and we did a Park Run. Park Run is pretty much what it says on the tin - a run in the park, just with quite a lot of other people and a few dogs thrown in for fun. It was 3 miles long and it nearly killed me but it reminded me I did used to quite enjoy running. We live on a big hill so I think my first goal is to make it to the top and back! Then we'll see about that half marathon.

Anyway, that's enough fitness talk - got a day off work tomorrow and we're off out for lunch!Oink oink!

Christmas post

Feeling much better now, hoorah. I've been working on the Save The Dates for our wedding and hopefully will be sending/handing them out asap with Christmas cards. Trouble is now I've (almost) finished making the save the dates I feel like it's a cop out to just buy Christmas cards and they should be handmade too right? Because otherwise it's just cheating...ahem. When is the last day for Christmas post again?! Busy busy busy!

Stockings are up

Day 10 and our stockings are up! Are yours?!
I could do with adding my stockings to my thick socks, and my fleecy pjs, and my warmest jumper, and my dressing gown, and the 3 other layers under that I am currently sporting. Yes, I'm feeling very sorry for myself. Still, 2 weeks tomorrow until the big day - plenty of time to get better. Vitamin C me up!

Day 9

Feeling very poorly today so just stopping by to post Day 9. Off to bed with a cup of hot chocolate I go!

A fine fox

 

Has anyone else noticed the number of fox related items there are about these days?

My friend pretty much has a fox themed living room and we saw this cushion in a little gift shop when we were out Christmas shopping yesterday - it had to go home with her!

 

You can buy one too from Sass and Belle

 

Here's a roundup of a few more foxy items spotted lately:

 

1.Screen printed fox cushion by Robin and Mould 

2.Woodland fox purse by Sass and Belle

3. Sleepy fox cushion by Sass and Belle

4.Lambswool fox xmas decoration by Saracarr 

5.Finlay Fox slippers by Sonia Spencer England

6.Fox Lampshade by Lolly and Boo Lampshades

7.Fox mug by Lisa Jones Studio

8.Fox Paperclips by Sass and Belle

All I want for Christmas

I would very much like a sausage dog for Christmas please Santa.

 

 

Day 6

Whoops I'm late, 8 minutes left of Day 6 as I type this!!

Ps: tree update - after a 40 min drive to our nearest Ikea we discovered we were a day early for the tree deal. Which was nice. So we drove another 40mins home again, grabbed a £20 tree from Asda (good old Asda) chucked some decorations at it then went to bed. Ho bloomin ho!

Off to Ikea

We're just off to brave Ikea. Hoping to collect our Christmas tree! They are doing a special offer - you buy your tree for £25 then get a £20 voucher to spend in store in Jan! Pretty good. Every little helps and all that (plus I love a good browse in Ikea!).
I think we'll stick some Christmas tunes on later while we're decorating the tree and get all festive.

Big pud

Advent number 4 - a massive Christmas pudding.

Three is for Tree

Tree shopping is on hold until Thurs - we're holding out for the IKEA deal!

 

 

Tick Tock

Just in time to post my 2nd advent! I had my first Christmas card today, I'm still wondering where October and November went? I best start getting into the Christmas spirit soon. We're off to get our tree tomorrow eve so that should do it!

Back in blogland

Why hello there little blog, long time no speak!

I've had a busy old year. Lots of projects about the house as we try and furnish the place on a shoestring budget. Plus garden projects, this has been a steep learning curve for me as I barely knew my daisies from my daffodils! Oh yeh, and the small task of planning our wedding which is next year - yippee!! The not blogging has absolutely nothing to do with Pinterest. Not at all. Nothing. Nope...

Sooo to try and get me back on the blogging train I have set myself the challenge of a blog a day advent calendar type thing this December. Bit of a crisis of confidence with this one but here is number 1. Happy December!

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day peeps!

This is the design I did to go on the card for my valentine today, because I whaley do love him!

Copyright Amy Underhill 2013

Store Snaps - Tesco

Tesco have some lovely new kidswear instore...

 

 

 

 

There was a strong nautical theme running across the boyswear:

 

 

If you spot your own fab work in these photos let me know and I will add your name as a credit :)

Super cute crochet

My mum gave me this book for Christmas a few years ago and some lessons in how to crochet. I love it but haven't made anything yet and just dug it out again to have another look.

I think I might have forgotten how to crochet though! 

I need another lesson Mum!!

The photography in it is lovely 

(unlike my own grainy phone pics of the pages)

Can't decide who I want to make first!

Alan the lion?

Or Pete the guinea pig?

Decisions decisions! I think Pete might be a winner!

More Snow

Well it properly snowed didn't it!
I've had a quick walk outside today but have mostly been enjoying the view from inside our tiny, but toasty warm flat. Totally a day for hot chocolate, soup and three pairs of socks!

Copyright of Amy Underhill 2013

 

I've been experimenting with some texture lately and really like it. I am no Illustrator pro, am completely self taught by a 'dummies guide to illustrator' book a few years ago after I left Uni!

Most things I have learnt to do using illustrator that weren't in the book have been either a happy accident or learnt from google searching my heart out and finding tutorials online.

 

One day I would absolutely love to go on a proper illustrator course, but until then I will keep googling away!

Toadstools

Lately I have been loving toadstools! Can't get enough of them!
It's the red and white polkadots I think.

Some of my favourites seen on the web:

 

 

1.Toadstool Cake 

2.Kirsty Elson - Folksy

3.Cath Kidston Pin Cushion - Flickr

4.Etsy

5.Wayfair lantern

6.Howaboutorange.blogspot.co.uk

7.Pinterest

8.Flickr-Kelbug

Bertie and Fern

Here is some old work I wanted to share.

This was a collection for Graco called Bertie and Fern.

 

 

 

Above image Copyright of Kiddicare

 

 Above image Copyright of Kiddicare

 

All images and artwork Copright of Graco Children's Products unless otherwise specified.

 

I even got to design some matching Bertie and Fern soft toys to go with this collection, which was a first for the Graco UK team!