Thursday 28 July 2011

Folksy Friday - Bees...

We have some new visitors at made by lolly x HQ....

Lots of solitary bees! Last year (the first year the bee house was put up) we were very lucky to have 3 little visitors spend the Winter with us. 


But judging by the activity surrounding the house this year and the amount of tubes that are now stuffed with leaves it looks like we may have quite a few more!



Luckily after the frantic preparations to get their particular tube all comfy with fresh leaves these house guests are very quiet and sleepy and I don't suppose we'll see much of them until next year!

So to honour my little guests here is my Folksy Friday selection of items - all about Bees!

www.folksy.com/shops/Wudwe
www.folksy.com/shops/Bumbleblue
www.folksy.com/shops/pinkshoesart
www.folksy.com/shops/pantsandpaper
www.folksy.com/shops/themagpiesdaughter
www.folksy.com/shops/Lornabatemanembroidery

And now I'm going to buzz off and finish preparing my house for a visit from the in-laws!
Have a great weekend all!
Laura x


Monday 25 July 2011

Monday Makeover - The rebel shoe revolution!

This morning I am sharing a simple but effective makeover with you
- so simple a child could do it!

(and in fact as a child I regularly did this... did you?)

I'm not claiming this is a fantastic new invention.... just one you may have forgotten about...

Boring, Sad Shoes...


Just add 

New Laces 

and then you have 

Happy Shoes!


The shoes were so happy they couldn't help showing off!


Very silly and very simple... but such good fun! 

An easy, inexpensive way to add colour, creativity and personality to an everyday item
(And whenever I put these shoes on I can't help but dance around - even when I'm at work!)

Go, on why not try it? 

Be a rebel! 

If you work in a 'proper' job with quite strict dress codes why not add silly laces to your sensible shoes?
Too chicken...?
What about wearing sensational socks under your trousers?

I dare you to rebel (just a little bit!)

If any of you are brave enough to share your experiences - please leave a comment under this post!

Viva La Rebel Shoe Revolution!

Thursday 14 July 2011

Folksy Friday - Down on the Farm...

www.folksy.com/shops/lornasdottiedesign
This weekend made by lolly x will be selling from the craft marquee at Wortley Country Festival near to Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire. This will be my first ever visit to a county show as a stallholder, and the first as a punter for a very long time!


I am hoping that the weather will be kind (we are camping on site from Friday!) and that I will have lots of customers to keep me busy - although I wouldn't mind a few quiet moments so I can enjoy the many attractions of the show! According to the website, there will be:

'Horse & Pony Shows (Equestrian Life, Dressage & Unaffilliated Show Jumping), Lurcher & Terrier Shows, Clay Pidgeon Shooting, Bouncy Castle, Licensed Bar, BBQ & Party In The Park and much, much more!'  

And I must say I am looking forward to watching Bessie and the Zinc Buckets play at the Party in the Park on Saturday night (never heard of them? - no me neither, but I'm sure they'll be a good listen!)

All in all, 'a fantastic array of animals, livestock and country pursuits'!

So, with that in mind, today's Folksy Friday is following the theme of 'the farmyard' and is a cornucopia of animals, livestock and country pursuits!

www.folksy.com/shops/Inkmeup
www.folksy.com/shops/josie101170
www.folksy.com/shops/mypipsqueak
www.folksy.com/shops/AFarmersDaughter

www.folksy.com/shops/123tigerlilly08
www.folksy.com/shops/JustAStepAway

www.folksy.com/shops/stabo

Plenty to see and do and Wortley Country Festival 16th and 17th July, 
Wortley Country Park, Stocksbridge, S35 7DB 

Why not come down for a visit? It would be great to see you!


Friday 8 July 2011

Living La Vida La Rosa - Part 2 - Whitby


Well we made it up the hill and left La Rosa - Campsite Extraordinaire behind (and below!) us and headed towards the clifftops of Whitby for the second part of our La Rosa trip. As check in wasn't until much later that afternoon we had plenty of time to savour the delights of Whitby
- and for the first time visitor there are many!


But wouldn't you know it, we had food on the brain. Purely accidentally, just as we were about to start chewing on our own arms for sustenance we came across the most delightful tearoom. Given the themed nature of the rest of our holiday (and the fact that the Other Half writes under the pseudonym of The Literary Critical Detective) it seemed entirely appropriate that this tearoom was called 'Sherlocks'


Not only was the name appropriate, the decor and atmosphere were evocative and purely by chance we ended up sitting in the incredibly comfy leather sofas. All of this, alongside a lovely cup of tea and a roasted vegetable pannini would usually be enough to soothe and revitalise. But we wanted more, and my goodness did they deliver! This has to be the best lemon drizzle cake I have ever tasted....


and yes that is three.... three scoops of ice cream accompanying the Other Half's chocolate fudge cake!

This gave us the energy to continue exploring Whitby until it was time to check in at La Rosa. Sitting in a prime location on East Terrace (the street that looks directly over the cliffs to the Abbey) our hotel was once used by Lewis Carrol when he visited the town. However I am sure that the place didn't look quite the same when he visited... Where the campsite is full of the kooky and the kitsch, the hotel has a more elegant feel -  but lovers of the weird and wonderful need not be disappointed, the hotel is still full to bursting with unusual ephemera!

Taken from the Abbey cliff, in this photo you can see 'La Rosa' hotel on the other side - it's the lemon coloured house on the cliff top a third of the way in!

Some of the nautical ephemera to be seen in the hotel

On checking in we were informed that we had been lucky enough to be upgraded from 'Little Red', to the best room in the house - also called La Rosa! Described as fit for a swan princess, this room was romantic, elegant and beautiful, had floor to ceiling windows with an Abbey view, a roll top bath and a balcony where we could eat of breakfast hamper. Absolute heaven...


The next day wasn't quite as sunny as all of the previous days, and at times was very blustery. The rain threatened with some incredible clouds - but it never came to anything and we stayed dry with the opportunity to take some very atmospheric photos!




I really would recommend visiting Whitby and both La Rosa campsite and hotel - all three are totally amazing!


Sunday 3 July 2011

Living La Vida La Rosa - Part 1


Living La Vida La Rosa - Part 1

Given the title of this blog I could forgive you for thinking that the lack of blog posts recently was because I have run off with Ricky Martin - I can strongly assure you that is not the case at all - I've just been on holiday!

I've had a lovely time with the Other Half touring round Yorkshire, visiting many new places and re-visiting some old favourites! If you would like to know more of the nitty gritty details, every little bit of our tour can be found on the Yorkshire Made blog!

But what I wanted to share exclusively with my made by lolly x blog readers is the review and the pictures from the two and a half days we spent at La Rosa first at the Campsite Extraordinaire then at their Whitby Hotel There is so much to tell you and I have so many pictures to share that I think I will have to make this a two-part post! I shall start with La Rosa - Campsite Extraordinaire...

The introduction on the website hopes that we find the camp "a fantasy land full of nostalgia, romance and all things kitsch, camp and bohemian" before going on to say that camping on this site is by no means 'glamping' And I totally have to agree with them! It is an absolutely amazing place, but if your idea of retro camping is buying a picnic set from the nearest Cath Kidston shop then this campsite is definitely not for you. Sitting comfortably at the shabby end of 'shabby chic' this experience is all about an entirely different pace of life - albeit a kitsch and colourful one complete with showers in the cow shed, a bath under the stars and a composting toilet in a gypsy caravan. A kind of psychedelic retreat!


On Tuesday afternoon, following a turn onto an unmarked road that led to a dramatic descent down a incredibly narrow, steep and stony farm track we arrived at the camp and were given a tour of the facilities. Although basic, the site has everything you need for day-to-day camping, including a fridge, water station, and cooking area - complete with camping stoves, gas, pots, pans and cutlery. We were then introduced to our choice of caravans. In the end we chose to go for the upgrade to 'Elvis' instead of the 'Beach Hut' we had originally booked. And boy what a caravan!


Decked out in full 'Elvis in Vegas' style our 'Bucaneer' van was done out in shades of white, red and black - as well as plenty of fake fur, sequins and mirrors. Because, or maybe despite of all this glitz, the van was incredibly homely and comfortable - it even came with it's own wood burner for those cooler evenings! However we didn't make use of this facility, preferring to sit outside by the open fire-pit till late into the night chatting with our fellow happy campers. It didn't take us long to get to know one another - or to be invited into the other vans for a sneak peek. In our field we had 'Mary' (religious kitsch complete with a lenticular Jesus) 'La Rosa' (romantic pink and silver swan princess) and 'Tinker' (homely converted truck and the van I will request if ever we return!)

There is something magical about sitting in front of a roaring fire swapping stories and secrets with people you have only just met and I had one of the most relaxing and enjoyable evenings I have ever known. This led onto a peaceful nights sleep and a luxuriously long lie-in before one final cuppa made on the gas stove.

All too soon our stay was over.

With the scent of woodsmoke in all our belongings we gritted our teeth, crossed our fingers and put the car in first gear and hoped to goodness we'd make it back up the incredibly narrow, steep and stony farm track so we could press onwards to Whitby and La Rosa Hotel...

The view of Whitby from La Rosa hotel
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...