En France!

It's been too long since I posted... And since I saw my blogging friends over the weekend I feel inspired.

So, we decided to take a fairly last minute trip to see our friends who are church planting in Lille, France. We were booked to get the 10am ferry on Saturday from Dover to Dunkirk. We packed up our car and set off from Winchester at 7am on Saturday morning- aware of the extreme weather conditions of late, and expecting a VERY rough crossing.

The ferry provider website said that there were delays but to still arrive on time for your expected check in and departure. We had a great journey almost all the way to Dover, checking the website for updates all the way. At 8am it changed from 'delays' to 'severe delays'- eesh! 

At 9.10am we had got just past Folkestone and hit a queue. Little did we know it would be a further 8 hours before we actually reached the port. 

(I must add that part way through our journey we realised we had not actually got our sat nav for unsung our way to our friends' house in Lille!)

Having a baby in the car made this even more eventful for us! 

As we were at a standstill for about an hour at a time, then move a bit, we would turn off the engine and try to entertain/feed/change the baby. As well as try and get him to go to sleep for his usual naps! 

Changing a stinking, explosive nappy on your lap is always a challenge!!! 

I'm so glad I had packed up lunch for us!

In one of our long standstills my hubby went and found a loo and managed to get us some much needed cans of coke!

And of course while he was doing this and I had the baby on my lap in the front, my boots off, the traffic started moving... Aahhhh! Classic.

We eventually checked in at the port at 5pm, to get a 7pm ferry. Finally I was able to get my pined after morning coffee which I had planned to have when we got on the ferry at 10am. 

We used this time to buy a map and use the free wifi to figure out how make our way to our friends' house. Taking screen shots of the map around their area- knowing we wouldn't have 3G in France! 

What a day! We eventually made it to Lille at 12am after getting only slightly lost!

We have then enjoyed a lovely couple of days with our friends and our goddaughter- who is so much fun! 

We visited their local park (where the pond was overflowing!), we enjoyed some lovely French dinners, a yummy croc Monsieur out in Lille, saw the very odd looking cathedral (from the outside), had a hot date at the French supermarket stocking up on goodies (where I spoke some French and ended up professing to be an English man!), experienced the local boulangerie and had lots of laughs playing 'ticket to ride- Europe'. Such a great few days- wish it was longer!

Our journey home was MUCH more successful and smooth! The part of our journey that had taken 8 hours in 'operation stack' took only 8 minutes coming back. Hooray! We even had a treat pop in to see our friend in Hythe!

Praise God for safety travelling and lots of fun and special memories as a family!

No bunting allowed!!

When we found out we were having a baby boy, my husband declared that there was to be NO bunting in his room! Now, my husband knows me well and knows I have made a lot of bunting in the past.

Being a crafty (in the creative sense!) person, I thought about how I could bring my creativity to my little boy's room without using bunting.

First, the inspiration. 

I found this baby gro in Tesco for £1.50 (I actually ended up buying it in three different sizes!) the baby gro reminded me of a fabric I had used in the past and knew was still available to buy, boyish and not too babyish. I loved it and decided this was to be the theme and inspiration for a baby boy's room... With NO BUNTING!! 

Firstly, my husband's grandmother made us beautiful curtains in the starry fabric (available in C&H). 

My husband loves VW camper vans, so I thought I would include these in the room! 

Captured here beautifully by my very talented friend, Anto, of Dove Grey Designs Photography. 

I also dug out a camper van hanger I had made a few years ago to sell on my 'handmade by Ellen' stalls.

With the intention of stamping baby boy's initials on the number plate when he arrived... (This is yet to happen!!)

I also found I still had one of the bags I had made in the starry fabric (oil cloth version) quite a few years previously. Although he won't be able to use it yet, I'm sure in the future this little bag will be carted around with toy cars and books in it!

Whilst I was still at work, I didn't have time to make things for the nursery, but I did start getting ideas!

An early purchase was our Cath Kidston change bag.

It was important NOT to have a feminine, floral change bag (like most of my bags), but to have one I knew my husband would carry around too. So it was good finding this one that is boyish! Remember - no bunting - too girly! 

Early on, my friend and I had talked about making a baby quilt, but thinking I wouldn't have time for this I bought some lovely wool to make him a little blanket. I picked out the colours of the stars from the starry curtain fabric.

This was to be a maternity leave project, and something to do in hospital too, as recommended by my friend Grace.

When my maternity leave finally arrived the creative juices started flowing... 

At my baby shower, I had a lovely surprise, my friends had brought fabric squares fitting the theme that could be used to make a quilt! So blessed! So this same friend and I took a day and made the lovely quilt. 

Helen hard at work!! 

We also managed to make a lampshade, clever Helen makes these to sell. 

The camper van fabric is also available in C&H, I saw this when getting the starry curtain fabric, it is in the same colourway and I knew it would be fun and boyish too! (And the hubby would love it!)

I then had time at home on my own- needing to keep my swollen feet up- where I was able to start the projects I had been planning. 

A birdy mobile (which my little one now enjoys looking at above his change mat!)

Pictured bottom right by Dove Grey Designs.

I had scraps of fabric left from the quilt which I used for the birdy mobile and also for a patchwork cushion. 

The quilt was not quite finished when I had to go into hospital for the early inducing of our little baby boy... Very swollen ankles!!! As promised I took my knitting with me and actually managed to get some done during the long hours of being induced!

Well, after lovely Leo arrived it became harder to make time for crafting. I have, however, managed to squeeze bits of sewing in when he is sleeping or he is happy sitting in his bouncy chair listening to the dulcet tones of my singer sewing machine!! 

So, the quilt is finally finished. 

Leo has been lying on it and having a good kick of his little legs and giving some lovely smiles.

The striped blanket, that has a few 'odd' rows with different tension (having come to hospital with me), is now finished too!!

I adapted this pattern for the blanket, I love the moss stitch border.

(http://www.womansday.com/_mobile/home/

craft-ideas/craft-project-striped-baby-blanke

t-119976)

So, there you have it... All the ways I tried to 'decorate' our boy's room, WITHOUT using bunting and without painting (rented accommodation!)

After Leo was born, my mother in law dropped over some dinner for us. As she was leaving she put a paper bag in my hand, explaining that she had seen this at the Alresford festival and just had to get it, seeing as it matched the quilt colours.

After she left I opened the paper bag to find...

Brilliant!