Magpie Monday

I Love Mondays : The one where I share my perfect toy storage.

Amanda Cottingham | November 12, 2012 | 24 Comments

I do love Mondays, I really do. Yes, the weekend is over but there is a whole new exciting week ahead of you. I honestly think you need to (try to) embrace it. Give yourself a shake and move forward. Who knows what the week will hold.

Each Monday I write a post, that includes some of the things that we love at The Ana Mum Diary. I am trying, to help get rid the Monday blues, with beautiful things. I will virtual shop for your every need. Perhaps introducing you to something that you may have not seen or been to before. You are in good hands, so sit back and grab yourself a cuppa.

This week I wanted to share with you, the next stage of my living room makeover and a gorgeous online shop called The White Approach. Continue Reading

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Little Granddad: Vintage Glass

Amanda Cottingham | April 29, 2012 | 23 Comments

I wrote in a previous post about my Little Granddad, who was in fact my Great Granddad. He was very, very special to me, I remember that he bought me a Harmonica (much to my Mum and Dads delight ) which I adored. I played it all the time, in my head I was a fantastic player. In reality it must have been a terrible din!

I once (I think I was around 4) ran away from home…well I ran all the way around the corner to his house anyway. That seems so young, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine how worried everyone must have been. I’m not even sure why I did it.

My Mum always describes all of his kitchen cupboards as being full of sugar and condensed milk. I think a reminder of days of rationing and so condensed milk always reminds me of him.

I was still very young, just 5 when he died. Though I remember that I was upset, I have a vague memory of having a special photograph of him in my bed at night. What I don’t remember, is that I lost some of my hair. A small patch of it, I suppose through the stress of it all.

I Continue Reading

New Buttons : My Button Swap

Amanda Cottingham | March 29, 2012 | 7 Comments

I wrote about a button swap a few weeks ago, you can read about it in more detail HERE. Over at the Noodle Bubble‘s blog, she had the great idea that you swap 50 buttons, of any size and shape with someone else. Importantly, ones that you would like to receive yourself. Well I have now received my package from a fellow blogger Martine.

Martine of iMake, is a lady of many talents, including crafting and photography and is from Guernsey in the Channel Islands. If you have not visited her blog before, I urge you, please do. She sent me a link to one of the podcast’s on the site, so I sat myself down to have a listen. It really is so much more than a podcast though! You can listen to an informative and interesting narrative, whilst perusing the links that she has added in the post that are of interest surrounding the podcast topic. I have never seen this before on a blog, and I just loved it! Continue Reading

Magpie Monday & I Love Mondays: Button Crazy (again)

Amanda Cottingham | March 19, 2012 | 26 Comments

I’ve not bought anything for ages that was either pre-loved or a thrift store treasure. So I thought I would combine my ‘I Love Mondays’ post with a Magpie Monday post, about buttons.

Thrifty pickings have been very slim on the ground. I have passed up a beautiful teal typewriter, in a local charity shop. It is tempting me, however I feel it is really overpriced at £20 and I’m not sure if I will use it that much.

But a couple of weeks ago when I was ill, I spent far to long on Ebay looking at collections of buttons, that I can use in some of my crafty projects.

I bought this collection of green one’s for St Patrick’s but unfortunately they arrived to late.

Some really lovely ones in here, they were only a couple of pounds.

Here are some purple and mauve one’s that I also bought:

Quite a big collection, and again only a couple of pounds. I love the huge 60′s style fabric and plastic ones. They look like they are from the 1960′s. I hope I can use those on a Jacket, or a denim project, that I’m working on at the moment.

Now for my favourites, I think I might have paid a little bit much for them at £5 including p&p, however I absolutely love them.

I was surprised when they arrived from France. I must read the small print on eBay more carefully!