I mentioned in a previous post that I could not show you one of my recent makes because I had to wait until my sister(that would be sister Nº 1) in Brixham UK received my Christmas gift. She has received it so I can show you what it was now.
By the way she lives in a really lovely part of England so I thought you would like to see this virtual tour of this popular fishing town from your armchairs. Enjoy!
My sister Nº 1 has been having quite a few problems with birds smashing into her large living room window so my sister No 4 who lives in the next town suggested that I could make a shiny scarecrow sun-catcher for her to hang on the window which would possibly deter the birds from smacking up against the glass.
I just thought I should mention to all you bird lovers that to date there have been no bird fatalities and lets hope my sun-catcher does the trick and there will never be!
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| You can't see it in the photo but the sequins on the cord I wrapped around the tassels also sparkle. |
Here you have the sun-catcher before I sent it to the UK.
Now I am not one for too much shine or glitter but I have made an exception in this case so it adds to the scarecrow effect as the sun-catcher in this case needed to be extra shiny. I therefore added extra bling-bling!⭐⭐⭐
Here you have a photo of it on my sister's window in England:
Nice blue sky too! Curious how the light there brings out the colours differently!
My most recent make was a pair of fingerless gloves for my sister Nº 4 who also lives in the UK and they were to go with the cowl I made for her a few weeks ago. Great stash buster make.
She says she likes fingerless gloves as they give her more freedom of movement but at the same time they still keep the main part of your hands warm.
I have also started the baby blanket for my Australian great niece to be.
It was a slow start as I haven't used C2C crochet for sometime so I had to make up a swatch to refresh my memory.
Baking preparations
I see it is time that I give my oven a deep clean before I start baking the Christmas goodies. I really do not like buying any oven cleaning products as I suspect that some of the chemicals they use in those products are not good for ones health.
I prefer to use a home remedy.
I have used baking soda before and the results were quite good but I have found another method which I thought I would try out so I thought I would share it with you.
1/2 cup of baking powder
1 cup of water
a little vinegar (I used white cleaning vinegar).
Mix and spread over the oven. Turn on oven 100C. Fill an oven dish with water place in the middle of the oven and leave for 45 minutes. Wipe off all the BS paste and clean the oven with a damp cloth.
CRAZY WEATHER
Weather has been lovely these last few days and that blustery chilly wind has dispersed.
Our stroll along the Arenales seafront last Sunday was lovely and it was like real spring weather... crazy I know!
Quite a lot of aquatic activity going on too. I thought about Kathy B from Compassionknit.com when I saw these paddle surfers. Sorry Kathy I know you have moved to Instagram but I haven't worked out how to use that app yet as I am more blog friendly.
I saw that they weren't wearing a wet suit either .... must be tourists... brr!
Replies to comments in previous post completed🖊
Happy Blogging
Amanda :-)
Your scarecrow suncatcher is so beautiful and will surely scare the birds off to keep them safe. I love how your sisters know that you will make whatever they need or want. The mitts and blanket also look great and I know will be well-loved. I need to get busy on something for our new granddaughter to be. May I admit to being a bit jealous over your proximity to all things ocean? We live smack dab in the middle of this huge country now. Before we were an 8 hour drive to the Oregon Coast, but it was doable in a day. I do miss the ocean. I'm grateful for your photos where I can remember the sounds of the surf and the waves crashing onto the beach.
ReplyDeleteHave fun oven cleaning! Ha! I appreciate the recipe. You'll have to let us know if it works well.
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
Hello Betsy, Many thanks for your kind comments. I really cannot see myself living anywhere else that isn’t by the sea. I have always lived on the coast even in the UK although the sea there is nothing in comparison to the blue Mediterranean.😎 I have given a bit of feedback about the oven cleaning on my latest post next it will be the fridge☹️ I can’t say I am looking forward to that though. A x
DeleteI love that suncatcher, it looks fab. I'm also a lover of Brixham and have a visit planned to celebrate my birthday early next year.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your kind comments. I must say I like to visit Brixham anytime of the year. There is always lots to see in the town and it’s outskirts whether it is winter or summer. A x
DeleteThere are some great gifts. I like fingerless gloves/mittens too as they are helpful for me (I suffer from Raynaud's, so I need to keep my hands warm). The almost Spring weather looks lovely too.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Ellie
I am thinking to make some more of the fingerless gloves but in a 4 ply yarn or finer. It does get colder up in the mountains here so I think they would be practical for my nieces and nephews when they go for their mountain treks. A x
DeleteHi Amanda, I love your suncatcher-even prettier on your sister's window-how it stops the birds before they crash into her window.
ReplyDeleteYou make lovely crochet gifts-I love fingerless gloves too, I have a knitted pair that a friend sent to me a few years ago. lovely views of ocean with the mountains in the back. I like your oven cleaning formula I don't like the purchased cans either - super strong odors for those. I am off to check out the video-enjoy your week hugs
Hi Kathy, thank you for your kind comments. That is what I think too … you just don’t know what you are inhaling when using those strong cleaning products. A x
DeleteHi love your blog as always love the dream catcher, it’s funny I live near but not been to brixham for a while it’s made me what to go xx
ReplyDeleteWish I was there we could go together then! A x
DeleteLove the twinkly suncatcher-bird-scarer - looks good in your Sister's window xx
ReplyDeleteI hope also it serves its purpose too and the birds stop smashing into the glass. Merry Christmas Kate. A x
DeleteYour suncatcher is just beautiful Amanda & looks stunning in your sister in laws window. I hope it does the trick & stops the birds - what a good idea. I love your fingerless gloves too. I am just cleaning my fridge out today & tomorrow it is the oven - a job I certainly dislike. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments Julie. The fridge is my next big clean out but I intend to tackle it after the Christmas holidays. A job I also dislike 🥴. A x
DeleteSorry - I meant sister NOT sister in law 😯
ReplyDeleteBrixham was a favourite place for holidays when I was a child. Your sister must love living there. The suncatcher will be appreciated as will all the makes you send to family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI used to go to Brixham quite a bit during my school holidays as m Gran lived there. Loads of beautiful places there and up on Dartmoor too. A x
DeleteWhat a lovely sunny post. You have been busy with all of your makes, It's always so nice to receive hand made things. I have put a few things out this year which were made for me some time ago, I love them.
ReplyDeleteThank you 😊 A walk on a sunny day so helps blow the cobwebs away 🌸 I always have something on my hook … it is called addiction 🥴. A x
DeleteI hardly remember Brixham .What a pity!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the video and photos!
A place we will have to go back to. A x
DeleteI've never been to Brixham but it really does look lovely... did the oven cleaner work?
ReplyDeleteIt did mostly … I have given some feedback about it on my latest post. A x
DeleteWhat a beautiful gift looks lovely in the window, I´m sure your sister was delighted. Brixham is a lovely little town, great for fresh fish and I remember a little cozy tea shop. Haven´t been for years now though, probably about 3 years ago since I was in the area as we took the girls on the Santa steam train, which was very scenic. I agree with you about the oven cleaning, I too use your method, I´m sure if I did it a bit more regularly it wouldn´t be so hard a job to face. xcx
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope the suncatcher does the trick and the birds are scared away from the window, I used to love visit here Brixham for my school summer holidays at my Gran’s. A x
DeleteFabulous catcher for the window looks stunning. Neat fingerless mitts too. Nice having a visit here 😀
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comments Wendy. A x
DeleteWhat a beautiful place Brixham is, and what a great idea to make a sun catcher for your sister it's beautiful. Birds would sometimes fly into my French doors in my previous house and would lie there stunned for a while before flying off. It's quite distressing to see I'm sure the sun catcher will do the trick. The fingerless gloves are lovely too, I bet your family love receiving your gifts. Your oven cleaning formula sounds like a good idea, I have tried baking soda and vinegar but have never tried it with a dish of water in the oven, I will try it next time I clean it. Xx
ReplyDeleteFor the moment the sun catcher does seem to be doing the trick for my sister’s window. I certainly wouldn’t like hearing the birds smash against the window either… poor things. A x
ReplyDelete