Surprise, Surprise

Shortly before Christmas I found a parcel in the letterbox, addressed to me........

I wasn't expecting one so it was a complete surprise when I opened

it up and found the most amazing teacosy inside.

My clever, creative and amazingly talented friend Meralin had whipped this up for me, intending to give it to me before she moved house to another corner of Victoria. But in between packing boxes and house cleaning and all those squillions of jobs you have to do when moving....she never quite got around to finishing it.......

Anyhoo, here it is........

Last year I showed her how to free motion embroider!!

Check out the other side......she even used a recycled blanket inside it...gorgeous green woollen blanketing too.

Those cup cakes look absolutely yummy and Mez has used seed stitch and bullion stitch to make all those little sprinkles on the swirls of frosting.

Knowing Meralin she probably whipped up a batch of these gorgeous cupcakes and took her inspiration from them.

Her skills don't end with the sewing machine, she's a whizz in the kitchen (move over Nigella)an amazing artist..oils, acrylic, pencils, pastels and then there's the knitting.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention gardening and writing children's stories.....her sense of humour is very sharp.

When creative talents were being handed out, she somehow managed to snag more than most, hehe.......

Am I jealous.....no way.

I love knowing such creative people, they're inspirational, motivational and she has been a great supporter of what I do and encouraged me no end and boy do I miss her.

The little bird on the cupcakes is a nod to

Portlandia - "Put a Bird On It"

I saw this clip on Youtube last year, what a hoot.

Not sure if it still available to see but is

"a sendup of the ubiquity of birds in decor"

"what a sad little tote - I know I'll put a bird on it"

You get the picture and I love birds.........

Surprise, surprise.....no birds here.

Flowers and hearts yes.

Slow stitching (embroidery) yes

In the latest edition of Mollie Makes to arrive at the newsagents

there is an article on Vintage Handmade Gifts.

So, I grabbed an old woollen jumper, some embroidery thread and set too......

Now I have to say that this very idea had been forming in my little old brain for some time.

It was put on the 'To Do' list when I had time, but you know how it goes!!

Anyway, Mollie you have given me the rocket I needed to put said plan into action and here we are.

Just need to embroider the other side and gather the top of the cosy and finish it off.

I'm loving the colours, quite a change from what I normally do.

Another beautiful surprise from my garden is the first flower from William Morris......

a delicate, apricot bloom with a lovely fragrance.

Surrounding him is Mothers Love, hehe.....

The Zinnias continue to add colour to the garden...

Still loving those beautiful, bright, clear colours.

Surprise,surprise this year the Lillium sent up not one but two shoots

Obviously from a little bulblet and I thought they were difficult things to grow!!

It's very happy in it's spot in the garden and has rewarded me with two stems full of gorgeous flowers.

I will bring one stem inside where it will continue to flower and put on a lovely show for some weeks and the second stem I will give to my sister.

I daren't leave them outside in the heat and weather, plus I can't smell their gorgeous perfume if I'm not out there too.

Well after 2 1⁄2 weeks away playing at a festival in Queensland and gigging, No. 1 returned home last night.

A surprise for Tigger who is always up for a cuddle.

He doesn't seem to mind that Rich has just gotten up bed hair 'n all.

Despite the fact that there is 'stuff' strewn through out the house , it's great to have him home again. As I type he's back on the freeway heading to Canberra for a gig tonight. He will return sometime over the weekend and have the pleasure of putting all that 'stuff ' away!!

Hubby flew in last Sunday, so my two weeks of peace and quiet have come to an end, hehe...

Did you know that Peanut butter M &M's make cute little flowers too.

Sadly, these ones don't multiply .....

once they are gone they are gone.

If you've never tried them, hunt them down, they are worth the effort.

Peanut butter and chocolate a wonderful combination. Just don't forget to hide them from the rest of the family in your crochet bag or your tumble dryer!!

Another lovely surprise I received last week is the Liebster Blog award from Anna over at Esme Rudy.

Thankyou very much for that Anna.

As there are soooo many wonderful blogs out there, I always find it hard to pick just 5 to hand the award on to.

I think you all deserve a gold, sticky star for being such a creative lot.

Pop over to Anna's blog and say "hi" and read about her forays into the world of crochet and crafting.

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Well, another week has passed, hope it's been a good one for you all wherever you are.

We have had topsy, turvy weather here for Summer......19deg.on Wednesday with snow up in the mountains. High winds as well and it was quite a surprise to hear a loud crack and then watch a tree fall down on the verge and block the road.

It is starting to warm a little today, but is still very pleasant.

I hope you all have a great weekend, thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment, ☎

Till next time,take care,

Claire X