A Giveaway of a Most Beastly Kind!

Now this post is long overdue. Yes, but here it is at last. The Lonely Beast has been launched!

You may remember I posted here before about my brother Chris and his children's book, The Lonely Beast? Well, to celebrate it's launch I have two copies to give away, signed by the lovely author himself.

Now I know, of course, that I am bound to be a tad biased about the wonderfulness of this delightful book, but hand on my heart it truly is something special, as attested by the honest reaction of the many, many children I know who have read it, my own younger two being no exception. They know it off by heart at this stage. It really is a sweet and charming story, and a pleasure to read.

You can find out more about this fellow if you click here, and the website has lots of lovely things like games and things to make , and your little ones can send in their own drawings too! You can also see some pictures of us at the launch in Dublin, where we got to meet the Beast himself! Very exciting. 

The author, Chris Judge, and The Beast at the launch of their book.

The book is available to buy here, or directly from Chris here, and as I said I will be giving away two signed copies here on Milkmoon. All you need to do is leave a comment and your name will go in the hat.

Do check out Chris' other prints here, they are the most cheerful, funny things that will brighten any room, I promise!

Happy Birthday Milkmoon.

Nectarines at the end of summer that wasn't. Where is the autumn?

Today we are three!

Above is my first ever blogpost on this place that has become such a part of our lives here in the Milkmoon household. Never would I have guessed where it would have taken me, or the people I would have met.


You dear readers!

And I am delighted to be sharing this happy day with a very dear blogger friend, Gigi of The Magpies Fancy, who has asked me to take part in a wonderful series of guest posts entitled 'Legacy', and my day is today, by coincidence! So at some stage today, if you tootle on over to her most gorgeous and inspiring blog you can read my musings on the subject, and while you are there do take a wander back through her posts, and I think you will agree it is a warm, inviting place to visit, like a sunny windowsill lined with books and gorgeous photos and filled with the best sort of conversation.

So, as it is a birthday here, there simply has to be a give-away! Just leave a comment here and at the end of the week, Sunday to be exact, I will draw a name out of a hat. I have been compiling a couple of folders of photos I plan to print very soon, both from Milkmoon, and from A Year At My Back Door, and the winner is welcome to choose one, any one, they like.

So a sunny, Happy Wednesday to you all, and today's music is...here. 

Home, At Last.

It's so wonderful to see the children outside again. Yes, it's still freezing, but the sun is shining so they don't care. They come in with pink cheeks and frozen fingers, eyes bright as buttons, and a certain spring in their step.

The mid-term break is coming to a close now, and school lurks just around the corner, much to everyone's disappointment. But as each morning dawns that little bit earlier and that little bit brighter, we know longer days will also become warmer days, so we'll bide our time with patience, for there is still much to occupy our hands.

And so at last I have more or less finished this little piece of Redwork which will be winging it's way to Stephanie in a day or two, once I have edged and hung it.

There is always a hundred and one things pulling at my time, and in some ways I have got good at whittling them down to what works for me, and what fits in to my busy days. Do I get a bit of this done? Or maybe I'll re-line that bag I love? Or will I get some writing done before this story explodes out of my head? And what about some crafting with the kids? That has been neglected of late. Oh...I make myself dizzy. And all this aside from the practical chaos of running a household of six! (I won't even begin. And I certainly won't mention the laundry..!)

 So there is a definite satisfaction to finishing something like this!

As I said before, what I love about this method of work is how portable it is, and how I can literally make it one stitch at a time as I sit in my car waiting for the school bell, waiting for the oven timer to go, in the evening on the couch with one eye on on the tv. It's something I can manage. Nicely.

And the kiddie crafting sometimes just sorts itself out. The Little One now has his own wee tin with all he needs, and like his Mama he carries it with him wherever he goes and a stitch at a time he is making tiny pictures that tell a tale.

And I just have to remember to remember not to worry, and not to feel anxious, and not to berate myself, because it all evens out in the end. And we are all happy. And we will always create, because that is what humans do.

And we are all happy.

We are blessed.

And The Winner Is...

Stephanie!

from Stephanie Says is the name that came out of the hat!

The new piece has been started, and I hope to have it for you in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted on progress.

So in the meantime, please email your details to me, Stephanie!

The Wanderer's Rest.

A while back I wrote about this little piece~in~the~making. And so, it is finished. It was a slow creation, in part because I did practically nothing over the summer. Yes, that's how long it took. I actually started it last May! (Shame!)

But, yes, now it is finished. And it is now hanging on the wall of my friend Joan's house, just up the Sea Road.

'And there in the quiet valley they spied the little house,

lights all atwinkle in the dusk...'

There is a story somewhere in all this. I'm just having to figure it all out as I go. But I have never done anything so satisfying before. I think it's the smallness. And the simplicity. And I am ready to start the next one.

So, an idea has been brewing in my busy head.

A give~away is overdue, methinks. I never did one for Milkmoon's second birthday last October, though I had intended to. And now, this little blog of mine has hit 1000 followers! Something which I am endlessly incredulous and awed and so, so humbled by.

And grateful.

So. I propose the next piece will be for one of you lovely people. It will be small. Otherwise I may be old and grey before I finish it! I estimate 12cm x 8cm. And as I have a notebook of idea's ready to go it will be started tomorrow, and a regular update will be posted, I promise.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. Most of you know the drill. And on Friday we'll pull a name out of the hat.

And meanwhile I'm finishing up a little something that's been forlornly waiting to be finished for a while now so I can donate it to CraftHope for Haiti., which is an Etsy shop which is sending all it's proceeds to Doctors Without Borders.

Do check it out if you are looking for a way to donate towards Haiti.

Edit: Okaaay! So we dropped a couple of followers, but the giveaway still stands lol! :-)

And The Winner Is...!

Well, this was actually quite exciting! As I wrote each name down I thought, "Oh, but wouldn't it be lovely if she won!"

So, into the hat went the names.



And Finn pulled out the winning name, and it was...



MARTA!

Out Walking all the way down in Buenos Aires.
So the Mood Cloud will be winging it's way to you very soon, and I hope it is always on the fluffy white happy side!

And if there is anyone that would really love one of these, they are for sale! The Big Softees shop will be opening soon, and if you can't wait, hop on over to Chris and let him know!

Thanks again for all your lovely comments and wishes. I think I will be doing this again!