If we took a holiday...

 Hi lovely people. I've been a little quiet as I've been away on holiday.  I won't bore you silly with loads of photos of my time away, but I will share these few.

 Beautiful Peak District where we spent our time in a little cottage in the country.

 We did lots of activities including visiting these guys (the highlight of my week)at the Tropical Butterfly House

 

 Following our holiday with four boys we could do with a little holiday to get over this one, infact I'm looking forward to getting back to work for a rest!

I did manage to sneak in a little bit of crafing whilst away, I did make a start on some new crochet squares, you can't tell here but they are tiny, and will take me an age to complete anything substantial but I have had my heart set on owning a springtime throw from the Cute & Easy Crochet Book (Nicki Trench).  I'm making these all in merino soft baby cashmere silk, so when it's finally done it will also have cost me a small fortune.

Whats the betting I give in and turn them into a cushion?

I've also been dipping my toes into cross stitch again, something I've not done for ages.

It started with a charity shop haul of these Cross Stitcher Magazines for 20p each.  I love them lots and have since subscribed!

A couple of them still had the little free kits included, untouched so on my Summer holiday I sat and made cross stitch Christmas Gift Tags, yes I'm mental!

In the last magazine there were patterns for Ice Lolly Bunting, I adapted it to make this, I thought it might make a nice greeting card.

And whilst I was on the cross stitch roll, I made a couple of these bookmarks, not for the easily offended...

I sent them out to a couple of foul mouthed blog friends (Annie& Alex) and they were well received, I've since been asked to make several more, I'll have to get my needle back out!

So that's me, I'm looking forward to spending a few hours catching up on all your blogs and makes. I have several hours of soap operas to work my way through, not to mention a pile of ironing bigger than me... oh hell I could do with a holiday!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~ 

I'm feeling a bit stitchy...

I'm still in the process of making my Little Hexie Cushion Tutorial, it is taking longer than I thought; I will have it ready this week though.

I thought I would show you some of my other little makes of late, first up is this little needle case.
After making those little cross stitch kits the other week I got the cross stitch bug and made a little needle case for my lovely friend.

I made it up as I went along using colours she likes and I'm quite pleased with it! It didn't take all that long and it's rather sweet.

These would be nice little gifts for people who stitch, or even people who don't for emergency repairs and such. The aida was scrap from another project as were all of the cottons.

I have also been enjoying playing with my wax and have knocked up some sweet little wax melts and a few more candles.


Check out these sweeties, lemon meringue pie hearts and roses :)

 
and little lemon meringue pie, lemon wedges. They smell divine :) 

On a totally unrelated note I have been asked a few times now about my blog name.  I have to admit I had never thought to mention it before now.
You see many years ago I played MMORPG (to normal people that is online games) and I was trying to find an original charachter name that was not already taken. 
Bearing in mind I was drunk, discussions got onto our favourite kids shows and names we could use from there and Andy Pandy got a mention.  
We somehow went off on a tangent and decided that Andy Pandy had a naughty sister who left the Picnic Basket and got a job as a stripper in Trumpton, we called her Kandy Pandy ~ but changed the y's to i's for added sleaze factor; I have used Kandipandi for years now it just stuck.

Fancy sharing why you chose your blog name ~ go on you can't have a worse reason than me?

~ ♥ TTFN ♥ ~

Easter is Coming...

... and with that in mind I picked these little kits up recently and got all stitchy this weekend. Aren't they all bright and happy?
I really enjoy cross stitch, I don't think I would have the stamina for a huge piece but I do enjoy these little kits.

This last one is my favourite, maybe because she is a Fat Chick ;)

These easter ones remined me of some other kits I have stashed away somewhere. Some were finished and some were half done, so I finished them all off(not sure where that little bee came from, she must have been attracted by all the flowers).

I've not got any plans for these perhaps incorporate them into a cushion somehow ~ you just knew I would say cushion didn't you? :)

This weekend I also made a few more teacup candles, they are really sweet and really effective. I made myself one to test them out and I love it, it burns really well and the smell is just beautiful, and as the teacups are all china or glass they also have a glow to them when they are burning.


I have had lots of messages, texts and emails about making these for people and I am toying with the idea of opening a Folksy shop, what do you think?
I have made little commissions for people in the past from things I have made on my blog and only when I received so many enquiries about the candles did it occur to me that I should perhaps dip my toes in Folksy. I will of course make for those of you that have asked, but I might have to give a little more thought to a shop.

Let me know what you think, have you sold on Folksy/Etsy etc?

~ ♥ TTFN ♥ ~

p.s. thank you all so much for your kind words on my last post re. my new hair, you really cheered me up!!

Cross Stitch Christmas Cards

Thanks for all the responses to my Christmas Giveaway - I'm so glad you like my little makes.
I feel the need to add that I didn't make those little doggies they are from Wilkinson I was put on to them by Annie the Felt Fairy and I have snaffled a few up. My giveaway will include handmade and bought gifts ~ there that's that cleared up :)

I have been crafting like a little good un' and I wanted to show you these.

I'm not 'in to' cross stitch really but I can turn my hand to it if I have to, and when I saw these little cross stitch card kits in Hobbycraft I had to have them.

They took an age as I don't do this very often but it's nice to step out of your comfort zone and make something different sometimes. I was a bit sad when I looked in the box and found that I had finished them all!

Once finished I fixed the aida by machine sewing it to the card to keep it in place and I will delve into my card making drawers for some stickers and sentiments to clag on them. I'm really enjoying making Christmas bits, I will be sorry when it's all over!

I couldn't let the day go by without mention that it's my 7th Wedding Anniversay today, 7 years ago today we were stood in this beautiful old castle promising ourselves to each other forever;

And joining our two little families together to make one big one;

Langley Castle, Hexham, Northumberland 2003

I love thee with the passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints,
I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Snipped from Elizabeth Barrett Browning ~ How Do I Love Thee?

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~