Favourite Quotes

" When I can no longer create anything, I'll be done for"
Coco Chanel



Where did that year go........?


Here we are at the end of 2011 and I haven't posted for months! I HAVE been crafting, but life has been so busy I have been very slack at writing about it!
Noah's scrapbook has had several new pages added, these are from my visit this time last year in the heavy snow. The Family Tree scrapbook for my daughter got several pages done before I gave it to her, another on going project. It is fun to send new pages when they are done, and they are very well received.







Noah's Ark is still filling up with animals, snakes,
panda's and crocodiles... and of course Barney the
Bear had to have a Santa outfit....


And Noah had to have a hat to match!

Special cards were ordered and dispatched.....


and here is my Christmas cake in all its glory...... (now half eaten!)

Hopefully I will be better at writing in the New Year, have a great one!

Lacey ramblings....

My dear mother, (who passed away three years ago) could never understand my passing passions for 'making things' in great bursts of enthusiam until boredom or frustration set in and I would move on to something else. The habit has never died, I still have 'crazes' as she called them, the latest one is for needle lace.
My first encounter with hand made lace was in Brittany at the age of 11 on my first ever holiday abroad, when I saw the Breton ladies making bobbin lace. I bought a tapestry depicting one of these ladies in her tall lace hat, it was half done for decades as I ran out of cotton yarn to complete it and has been throw out somewhere along the line. I regret this now as it was part of my crafting heritage. Nevertheless the love of lace has never left me. For a long time I only made crochet lace as it was simpler, like this

but about 10 years ago I learnt to do bobbin lace. Beautiful, but very time consuming and you need good eysesight and also be able concentrate all the time you are working it. This is a piece I made, after hours of practice, that I was actually proud of.

However, I began to have trouble seeing the fine work and discovered I had cataracts forming and had to have two eye operaations with months in between. I was not seeing well for a couple of years so the bobbin lace equipment was consigned to the attic and I stuck to easier persuits.

I had heard of needlelace, but not pursued it as I have so many other hobbies! But a couple of months ago I saw an advert for an American magazine called 'Piecework' that was promoting an issue devoted to lace of all kinds. A kind relative in the US sent me a copy and I devoured it. It had a very well written example of how to do this lovely lace and my new 'craze' was born!
The wonderful internet supplied me with video clips, patterns, instructions etc and I was off, as my eyes are now so much better I felt able to tackle it. With some of my bobbin lace supplies I managed this as a first sample, not bad eh? But I need a lot more practice.


One of the beauties of this type of lace making is that you can sit in an comfy chair anywhere, without equipment on your lap, no bobbins to wind etc., and it is easy see where you are all the time. Much more relaxing and very satisfying. I am working on  another piece each evening with a drink by the pool now....

My other hobbies have not suffered though, I have been dabbling with making paper beads....
and knitting a spaghetti scarf.....
and card making and scrapbooking, but they are under wraps until the recipients receive them......
It's too hot to sit over a computer now.... off for a swim, be back soon!

Long time no write.....sorry!

Well, Spring came and went in brief and glorious splashes of colour, in between the rain and wind.....
 The almond blossom in February....
 The Iris in March....
 






Cylamen and freesias in April....

and the wisteria .....
 

and an unknown plant that the bees just LOVE..........together with the Spring jasmine the air was thick with perfume and humming for a brief glorious span...
The the roses started... and the tulips....

 the St Swithun rose in honour of my dear departed Mum, who lived in St Swithun Street
Real dutch tulips flowering 6 weeks after planting ( I have to keep the bulbs in the fridge all winter to make them flower)

My beautiful Mother's day bouquet from my wonderful children...























And of course the Royal Wedding happened..... what a lovely girlie day we had, indulging in yummy things with lots of our freinds....
But I have not been idle! Here are the projects I've finished in the the past few months.....
 Barbie Spanish outfit, its a separate top knickers and skirt, very fiddly but so worth the effort. If you want the pattern ask, its a freebie on the internet somewhere, I thinks it called Fandango...

an ipad cover for my other half,
made from UFO patchwork squares and quilted, was received with delight.

My rug hooked cushion is STILL a WIP, but its very nearly done, I've ripped out flowers time and again until I was completely happy, now I just have to finish the boring filling in of the background, that's why it is languishing behind the sofa..... Come on you all do it too!

But I am VERY proud of this
My Rowan tapestry cardi, it is sooooo cosy and warm, I'm sorry it has to be put away for ar least 4 months until it's cold enough to wear, it fits like a glove and when I have lost a few more pounds it will look even better methinks.... (yes I have been doing the dreadful weight watchers thingy, 9kgs down and counting...)
And another TADAH!

My Spanish Hill Town is done! Love this design, but am I glad to stop sewing in green and orange!
I've started a new cross stitch of antique tea pots from the V&A, blues and pinks, delicious!
Last but not least, a stripey jumper for my little pickle who is nearly 1 yr old, amazing where the time goes. I had such a lovely visit with him and his Mum and Dad in May.

all of them LOVED this, so it was worth sewing in all those pesky ends!
Well, time to do the boring things now, but I will be back soon to tell you about my venture into Luceting.......



Challenges

Well, I have been challenged by two projects this past week or so, firstly I am attempting a Michael Powell cross stitch design, very attractive to look at but all those wiggly lines! Decided I would start some of them before I went much further with the cross stitching so I don't have a nervous breakdown at the end!
I am loving this though, this is the sort of scenery that surrounds me and I'm loving the variety of colours, means I don't get bored with it easily.
The second challenge was on the card making front..... a lady in my craft group asked if I would make an 18th Birthday card for her grandaughter. Great, I thought, a nice girly card to go to town on. Not so! When I asked her what colours she liked, she ummed and aaahed and said well ....... she's a bit of a hippy and only likes black!
Well, that got me thinking for 24hrs, then I remembered I had some lovely silhouette stamps from Debbie Moore and a backing paper CD to match........I had a play and added some peel offs and paper flowers, glittered some chip board numbers and here is the result....

I was so taken with the stiking look I made another smaller one with the scraps

The scans don't really do them justice, the black and white is really crisp and striking in the flesh, maybe I need to photograph them instead. So I wait with bated breath to see what the reaction is on Wednesday when I show my friend. I've also done another scrapbook page but it is a secret until after a certain Birthday has passed.....
Yarn wise I have made another giraffe and lion for the Ark and am now about to tackle a crocodile, anything to get away from all those fiddly legs for a while!
Meanwhile my WIM's list (Works in mind) is getting longer, Lucy on Attic 24 is doing another inspiring thing with crochet and I've got so many lovely little boy knitting patterns to try as well as all the WIP's around the place, there are just not enough hours in the day......Housework, what's that dirty word?
Until next time, keep crafting!

Spring in January

Well, the narcissus think its Spring even if I don't! What a lovely cheerful sight through my front door!
The rose hasn't stopped flowering yet and the lemon tree is now dripping with fruit, ready to be put in my new batch of marmalade....


Its cold and grey today but these have cheered me up no end. Now the yarny stuff.... Here is a little hat scarf and mittens set for my little pickle, already in the post to him, he needs it in London in January!

Having 7 birthdays to make cards for this month has been a challenge, but I've done it, but forgot to scan them before they went in the post, so no pics I'm afraid. But here are the latest pages I've just done for my scrapbook

Not sure what has happened to our faces on this scan, did something wrong there I think, but you get the general idea!
Noah got two elephants, one lion and one giraffe in his Ark together with Mr and Mrs Noah, now to plough on with the rest of the animals, well, I've got his whole childhood to keep adding to it so I'm not stressing! He particularly liked chewing the giraffe's legs, so I'm glad I persevered with them, they were so fiddly!
 I have now started a cardi for me, for a change, in Rowan Tapestry yarn that I've had squirreled away for ages just because I loved it, gorgeous muted colours and soft texture, a dream to have on the needles.
The colours are  a bit washed out in this pic, they are actually much more brown than this looks. The pattern is a wrap around cardigan called 'Heath' from the Rowan Tapestry patern book.
Now my eyes are so much better I've picked up my cross stitch and embroidery again, such a joy to be able to see well enough to do it, I'm tackling a Spanish Hill town by Michael Powell, and also a little kit to try some gold work, mystified? Will fill you in soon....

Happy New Year!

Just a little sample today of the winter glory in my garden............. I hadn't looked around for days and suddenly here were all these lovely flowers.....
 My white Iceberg rose reaching for the winter sun....
An unknown plant that always bursts with bright yellow flowers in the winter, such a delight........
And my "daffy down dillys" are putting on buds already...... spring is not far away, hurray!

Next post will be full of pics taken with my Christmas present, a new camera, what fun I am having experimenting with it.
By the way, Noah's Ark went down a storm, especially with Daddy! and the scrapbook caused lots of ooohs and aaahs too........ such special feeling giving something you have put your heart and soul into.......