New Blog, New Shop

To my small but ever so select group of bloggers - BIG NEWS - after a lot of huffing and puffing I and my good better half will be opening a small shop within a big shop in the lovely coastal town of Leigh-on-Sea on the 1st September.  To coincide with this we have a new name, a new blog and will also have a new etsy shop.  I realise that I am not the best at blogging - mostly irregular, often sporadic and a little bit random - but if you would like to join me in my new home I would be oh so grateful.  If not then fairwell, goodbye and thank you for putting up with me.  Here is my new blog http://millicentjames.blogspot.com/

Gatherings Magazine

and yet another sweet magazine as recommended by the lovely Emma Lamb who I am absolutely delighted to mention is the proud owner of my gorgeous red marimekko chairs which I sold on etsy :)

The magazine is titled Gatherings Magazine by Heather Spriggs and you can find her blog here and the magazine here - that should fill in some me time on a lazy sunday afternoon.

The Craft Tonic free-zine

For all the Mollie Makes fans who are lost for something to read after devouring there monthly in one gluttonous reading session I have come across a free on-line magazine which may help to fill the gap between issues.  Called The Craft Tonic which you can find here and the blog here .  I did find the blog a bit confusing as the links to the magazine did not seem to work for me and also you need to register first at the site to be able to see the magazines - but in the end it was worth the effort :)

Three issues so far - so should fill a small gap in the must have something to read needs:)

Chocolate Heaven at Vanilla Sticks

I have been so, so busy crocheting up a storm, travelling and with Birthday's.  But just to whet your appetite or for something special I just had to take a little time out to give a mention to the gorgeous Vanilla Sticks . These gorgeously crafted goodies add a smile to my face and have certainly gone into my Etsy favourites.  I just need someone special to order them for - that'll be my lovely daughter then :)

New Crafting Magazine

As recommended by the delightful Miss Tiff of the fabulous blog Dottie Angel I have placed my pre-order for issue number 1 - a shiny new crafting magazine due out on the 12th May.

You to can get a sneak peak of the magazine here .  I so love ordering something new and feeling the anticipation of the eventual clunk of post through the letter-box, knowing that a fabulous treat lies waiting for that extra special me-time at the end of the working day.

Fessing Up on Being 50 !

Today is my 50th birthday - and what an interesting 50 years they have been.  I come from parents that have been married and divorced quite a few times - and have therefore lived in many places. I have two sisters, 1 half-sister, 2 half-brothers, and 2 step-brothers.  The one half-sister has the same name as myself because she was adopted before I was born and renamed Susan by her adoptive parents.

I have been a shop checkout girl, a sausage wrapper, a cleaner, a receptionist, a soldier, a carer and a caretaker.  I have been and am still married to my better half for 28 years so far and still counting.....

given away by my handsome and lovely dad and handed over to the care of my lovely and handsome husband

I am a proud mother to a most beautiful and intelligent daughter who is now married herself to a kind and loving chap from Kuwait - both currently studying for their Masters Degrees in Nottingham University.

I have travelled, done a parachute jump, learned many crafts, dealt in vintage postcards and read a libarary full of books.

I have been flash with the cash, and bankrupt, loved a lot, cried, giggled and laughed outrageously!

I have enjoyed living and hope that the years to come will mostly be happy, with an occasional suprise thrown in and as few tears as possible.

Proud to be English Day

St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George's emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king's soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.

St George was a brave Roman soldier who protested against the Romans' torture of Christians and died for his beliefs. The popularity of St George in England stems from the time of the early Crusades when it is said that the Normans saw him in a vision and were victorious.

Despite the fact that St. George has been the patron saint of England since the 14th century, only one in five people know that St. George’s Day falls on 23 April.
More than a quarter of people living in England do not even know who their patron saint is!
Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564 and he died on the same day in 1616.

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) was born at Stratford-upon-Avon in a house in Henley Street. This is preserved intact. His mother, Mary Arden, was one of the daughters of Robert Arden, a yeoman farmer of Wilmcote: his father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and wool dealer of good standing who held the office of Bailiff of the Borough in 1568. From the age of seven to about 14, he attended Stratford Grammar School receiving an excellent well rounded education. At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who was seven years his senior and three months pregnant. She was of 'yeoman' stock - her family owned a farm one mile west of Stratford in Shottery. He endured her until he could stand it no longer and fled to London to become an actor. He then became actor-manager and part-owner in the Blackfriars and afterwards the Globe Theatres. He was a first-rate actor, but it is as a writer of plays that he has achieved lasting world-wide fame. His plays are thought to be the finest ever written in any language.

 

His 37 plays vary in type; historical romances, light, fantastic comedies, some are tragedies, all including the comical and the farcical. He was a shrewd business man, amassing quite a fortune in his time. He returned to Stratford for his latter years where he died at the age of 52 and now lies at rest in his special grave at Holy Trinity Church.