Tuesday, December 11, 2012

All Work and No Play etc..........




Hello girls, how are you all?
Finishing off some hand made gifts for Christmas pressies, or perhaps you're just starting!!
Bit like me leaving things till the last minute......
I'm busy stitching for the last market of the year in Bright this Saturday.......
I need to stock up on tea cosies and an old design has resurfaced but I have tweaked it a little and am a lot happier with how it looks.





I just can't seem to get enough of these furry, little, bumbling bees

The amount of roses blooming in the garden has dropped off significantly, so I have been enjoying stitching some....shame they don't have a scent!

 I have wanted to do a garden shed design for quite a while.....
I'm reasonably happy with this, but the next will be tweaked quite a bit.....I'll just see if this one sells first!!



Exciting news from the garden....my first ever Hollyhock has bloomed.
I have waited patiently and watched it grow and watched the ants crawling over it...not sure what they're after but it can't be good!
I've watched leaves get rust and shrivel but finally I have  a flower.... a beautiful red.
I love it combined with the purple/blue Larkspurs.

Julie if you're reading this, you were the inspiration behind me planting some Hollyhocks, so 'thankyou' x



The Larkspurs are also a first in this garden and have put on a pretty display. Their floppy habit is a little annoying as any wind sends them over, but it's been nice to see more variety and colour in the garden...... 



This morning's sewing was about something I had to do.....not necessarily wanted to but it had to be done. 
Fortunately, there was still time to play and I quickly snipped and stitched a little design onto a piece of the 'new' blanket  I picked up from the op shop on Saturday.

It's going to be a gift for an artist friend who has fallen in love with Zinnias after I gave her a bunch of them last season.
She loves bright colours and these flowers fit the bill.

I was thrilled with how they turned out....




I love orange and hot pink together, the black stitching tones it down a little but it is definitely bright!! Just a little more stitching needed to finish it off.....



A little friend who hitched a ride into my kitchen hidden in a bunch of flowers I had just picked......




Once the fun part of a tea cosy has been put together and stitched it's onto the mundane part of putting it all together and that's what I will be doing tomorrow.
 There is a little stack of them and the snipping, pinning and stitching takes quite a bit of time.
But, if I'm very good and get into it hopefully there will be more time to play. 
I am keen to stitch up some more Zinnias.
My self sown Zinnias are popping up everywhere in the garden, but where they should be. 100's of the seedlings are growing up through the gravel path and I must pull them out but haven't the heart too.....

The weather has been quite pleasant here this week. Saturday was rather warm but it has cooled a little since.
The nights are still cool enough to sleep well and pull a blanket up in the early hours.....
Rain is forecast for later in the week and the garden could do with a lovely 'natural' drink.

Well, that's it for me, I have a new issue of Mollie Makes, which I picked up this afternoon, so I want to have a browse before lights out....

Thanks for visiting girls and I hope you are having a lovely week,

Take care,

❀ Claire

17 comments:

  1. Your flowers are all looking wonderful! hope you are having a happy week sweetie

    Bee happy x

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  2. Freezing fog and frost over here in Shropshire, I cannot tell you how envious I am! Lovely stitchery and such warming colours, I am holding my hands up to my PC screen. :) I have a chicken brooch pattern in the latest Mollie Makes, don't know if that's the one you have got?

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  3. Hi Claire! Your new shed is very adorable...love the chickens (especially rear view!). Such a beautiful garden you have...I'm stunned when you say you would like "more variety"! Hollyhocks in deep red ...love... Our thermometer has moved down, down, down again today, and wind chill making it feel -6'C. My cheeks were quite rosy after walking the dog this morning, but I'd rather the nippy cold at this time of year! I've enjoyed my "walk through your garden" again ... take care, Wendy

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  4. Your hollyhock is really gorgeous! The red really is pretty against the backdrop of dark blue/purple larkspur. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE your newest zinnia teacozy. (I still have the pretty little zinnia book that you made. I use it as my book club journal.)

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  5. o o o o o

    Your hollyhock is the most gorgeous! Very lush and healthy and look at all the blooms you have on the way. I planted all my seeds a month ago, just before a big rain and they are starting to burst forth. A true red like you have is not often seen, mostly they have a maroon cast. So amazing against that perfect blue.
    Love your zinnias in stitch too
    xxx
    julie

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  6. The hollyhocks have started flowering here too and I have funny little sap sucking back-to-back harlequin bugs that attack mine though numbers seem to be down a bit this year. Lovely to see chooks again too love.
    tx

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  7. Your designs are always so good! I never have any luck with hollyhocks are brill! :)

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  8. Such beautiful work as always Claire - never ceases to amaze me, so much variety - mouth-watering, hehe! I LOVE the roses and the garden shed too :) Thankyou for showing us the little garden beastie - you are too kind!
    Alison xx

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  9. Your tea cosies are just gorgeous and your garden photos bring a lovely burst of colour into my winter days. Not so keen on the spider, though!
    Liz @ Shortbread & Ginger

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  10. I love your roses,but I love the zinnias, and the shed is great too. Oh heck you are making it very difficult to decide which is the best.

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  11. love your stitched flowers!!! so nice!!
    xxx Ale

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  12. goodness! what wonderful flowers...such joy!!

    mezz x

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  13. Hi Claire, love a garden shed, and with bunting too, and hollyhocks and chooks ... how gorgeous!!

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  14. Yep that is me...last minute Johnny...working away with too many ideas and not enough time.
    Happy beautiful sewing to you this week. xxx

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  15. Hi Claire, love your pretty Zinnias - your friend will adore their pretty colour and pizzazz :D)
    It's definitely a busy time of year isn't it.
    Happiness by the bucketfuls to you and yours :D)

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  16. So many lovely tea cosies and flowers....frosty, foggy and soooo cold here in England! Brrrr!!! :0)

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  17. Dang it Claire, you are an artist with the free-motion foot! (And thread.) How do you do it? Those roses and zinnias are so lifelike - in fact absolutely perfect. And the bee's wings are amazing.

    I love the little garden shed cosy - the chickens and hollyhocks make a nice touch.

    Still working like a beaver on Christmas gifts - but time's running out as many of them have to be shipped across the country. No sleep for Mrs. M - serves me right for putting it off till the last minute. Hope the market goes (went) well for you!

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