Chairs and chocolate :)

I bought these chairs

nearly a year ago,

for just a tiny few dollars

at auction.

They were covered in dust and dirt

but I knew they had good bones:)

 

 

Well...

the other day when I was making

my little heart block,

and pondering what to do with it,

I had a thought.

It happens sometimes,

the thought bit :)

I wondered if I could make it fit

the chair.

Thought it might make

quite a nice addition

to my bedroom if it worked.

So....

I've had a go...

 

 

...and I'm loving the chair.

 

 

Really happy with it :)

 

 

It is the most fabulous

glorious

autumn day here.

Not a breath of wind,

warm and mellow,

and I'm thinking (again:)

that just maybe

 it's time for an afternoon

coffee

and a little treat or two :)

 

 

Have a lovely relaxing

chocolately

Easter.

See you :)

Jenny

 

 

My little linen heart

Maybe two years ago,

maybe more,

I stitched this little heart

onto some linen.

Loved it then,

and love it now:)

 

 

I wasn't sure how or where I would use it.

Thought about a cushion,

but really,

I do not need another cushion.

 

So I pulled out bits and pieces of linen

and lace

and other little treats ...

 

... and I stitched up a random log cabin block

around my little heart.

For a few days, now,

 it has sat

 on the end of my kitchen table.

Every time I have walked past it

I have thought "what should I do with you".

 

 

.... and now I know ....

See you soon,

and I will show you.

Have a lovely week:)

Jenny

 

Vintage Eggs?

I've been making :)

Vintage inspired easter eggs.

Have had such fun and,

yeah,

I know there's not a stitch in sight,

but there is lots of lace,

and ribbon,

and buttons

and other bits and bobs

that were lurking in the sewing room.

So,

I started with some polystyrene eggs from work,

covered some of them with pattern tissue

and some with just plain tissue ...

...I collected up some ''stuff''

to play with ...

... and with glue in hand,

( but not the glue gun, mind you -

me and glue guns absolutely do not get on -

I end up covered from head to toe in glue,

I usually have several finger burns

and nothing stays where it is supposed to stay -

some time ago I figured out

that PVA is a much much better option for me!!!)

So with a paint brush and a dollop of PVA at the ready,

I started to add a bit here and there to the eggs.

...some of Barb's gorgeous buttons...

...little heart trinkets...

... lots of my gorgeous vintage lace ...

... bits of ribbon and twine ...

... buttons and bows...



So there you have it,

my take on vintage inspired

decorated easter eggs.

I've sat them in a little wire basket 

in the hallway,

a little early perhaps

for Easter,

but

I really like them

so I want to enjoy them for a while.

I will, however,

be fully expecting a decent haul

of the real chocolately thing

come Easter.

 

And...

I've been knitting.

We got the most gorgeous yarn in at work this week.

It's a wool alpaca mix called Perfect Day

and I had spied the perfect pattern on the shelves

a few weeks back,

so I simply could not resist.





I've even started a little cross stitch project,

and

I have some crochet on the go as well!!!

It's good to be back in the stitchy place:)

Have a fabulous week :)

Jenny



The Perfect Day :)

I had a lovely wee day out

last Sunday.

Admittedly it was an pretty early start,

out of bed at 5.30 (yuk)

and on the road by 6.30.

Off to Queenstown for the day.

It was a bit of a last minute decision...

just felt the need to get out

and away

for a day.

Jake had a race on up there

so I decided I would go with him.

The day couldn't have been more perfect.

You know how sometimes they just happen,

those perfect days.

Not necessarily because it's anything

fantastically

out of the ordinary

or amazingly different

or incredibly exciting,

but just because it's just perfect

and in a sense it is all of those things:)

 

 

The sun was shining all day,

hot and clear,

and I took off with my camera for a walk

through the bush

while Jake did his practice runs.

 

It's been a while since I've had some serious

camera time.

So I just wandered and snapped.

 

 

 

 



 

 





 

 

After the race we went into town,

found the most amazing bakery,

bought fresh bread and cakes,

coffee and juice,

and found a patch of grass

beside the little creek that runs through the town,

where we sat in the sun and ate our lunch,

Perfect.

I have to say that the chocolate fudge was so

 perfect that I just had to go back and

buy some more.

It was as close to chocolate heaven that you will ever get.

Unbelievably perfectly perfect chocolate fudge.

 

All too soon it seemed like we had to start

the drive home.

 

 

 

But yeah :)

It was the perfect day,

and what's even more perfect

is that I think I have found my

stitching

mojo

again :))))

A very very sweet friend

was visiting this week.

She gave me a gorgeous magazine

absolutely filled with

very sweet ideas ...

and I am inspired.

I will be back to show you the first one soon.

It's all to do with easter:)

See you later

Jenny.

 



Having fun :)

Yep,

time does indeed fly

when you are having fun!

And I most definitely have been having fun,

but I have been working hard as well:)

And in between,

I've been enjoying our summer

which seems to have returned

in full force

these past few days.

 

It's lovely :)

 

 

Been out in the garden this evening

after coming home from work,

and brushing past the lavender

made me think

that I should cut swathes of it

and bring it inside.

Often I forget to do this

until it's almost too late

and the color is fading.

 

 

I knew the perfect place for it.

Jake made me this fabulous trug

for Christmas.

Isn't it gorgeous.

In all honesty I was so surprised

as I did not realise he possessed

such skills.

He has built it so beautifully

and

I think the lavender looks amazing in it.

 

This pic is taken underneath our plum tree

which has a ridiculous amounts of fruit

on it this year.

 

 

Last year I think we would have been stretching it

to say

we had six plums on the tree.

This year ...

more like six hundred!!!

Go figure.

How does that work?

 



 

The plums are delicious

and I'm at the stage where I try one each day.

They are still a few days off tasting amazing.

At the moment we are still in the

take a tentative bite stage,

wait for it,

yep,

still sour,

(and boy, does that taste wake you up!!)

I reckon just a few more days

of this fabulous sunshiney weather

and we will have more plums

 than we will know what to do with.

 

I have the day off tomorrow

so I am hoping for more glorious sunshine,

and I fully intend to spend

the whole day,

every single part of it,

in my garden.

 

The two stitcheries in this post

are from many years ago.

They were among the first I ever stitched,

designed by Cathy Penton.

I have quite a few of her designs stitched

and they remain some

of my very very favourite pieces.

 

Have to leave you with this quote.

I love these words.

 

I'm off to make some dinner,

and to start a little

cross stitch project!!

See you later

Jenny :)

 

 

Merry Christmas :)

I was sitting on my back porch late this afternoon,

sipping a glass of wine in the sun,

enjoying the warmth and 

thinking about Christmas Day.

Thinking about all sorts of things,

actually.

Mostly about the last few months,

and how so many things have changed.

I know that I have not been here much lately,

and I regret that.

But I know that that will get better

as I settle into my new job.

Some sense of normality will return,

after what seems to have been

the most frantic few months of setting up,

and now managing the new store.

 

I have a confession to make -

my stitching of late has been non-existant.

And my garden is growing wild,

although luckily it still looks so pretty

that's it's easy to forget there are weeds among the flowers.

But you know what,

I worked out a few weeks back,

that it doesn't matter!!!

I will stitch again,

very soon,

and the garden will get weeded,

also very soon.

 

These last few months have been the most exhilarating

and challenging,

and in all honesty,

the most exhausting as well.

But wow,

what a ride it's been.

Am loving this new adventure :)

 

So,

with only a couple of sleeps to go

before the big man

in red suit,

long white beard,

round tummy,

and cheeky smile

comes knocking at the door

(well really -

 there is no way in the world that he will fit down my chimney,

and I'm betting it's the same at your house!)

I would like to wish you a very very merry Christmas,

lots of love and laughter with your families,

peace and happiness,

and

lots and lots of chocolate

and trifle

and cake

for Christmas Day:)

Luv

Jenny :)

 

 

 

 

Posies

I'e done the teensiest bit of stitching

over the last two weeks.

 

 

How to make a teensy bit of stitching

look just a little bit more than what it really is?

Take a picture of both ends:)

 

I have a project in mind for these

sweet little stitchies,

although I do have a feeling that it may take me

a smidgen longer than normal

to complete.

 

Thought you might like a wee sneak peek

of some of the absolutely gorgeous Christmas goodies

we've been unpacking at the shop

this week.

 

 

...little felt trees...

 

 

...wee folk with cute knitted red coats...

 



 

...one of my favourites - cable knitted skinny trees

with buttons :)

 



 

It's been such a tough few days,

setting up the Christmas displays:)

Wait til you see them!!

 

Tonight I went for another wee wander

round the garden.

Can't believe the growth over the past two weeks,

it's almost scary!!

My tomatoes are growing inches each day,

and some of the flowers have shot up atleast a foot or more

since the last photos.

 

My first roses...

 

 

...fabulous deep purple and blue irises...

 

 

...favourite delphiniums...

They self seed so easy and now,

after three years,

they are scattered right throughout the garden.

Love them:)

 

 

...poppies...

 also just self sown from last year,

they're taller than me!!!

 

 

...foxgloves...

They are everywhere - all shades of pink

and some white as well.

 

 

...my garden...

 

 

...and a bit more of my garden:)

 

 

 It's a pretty little garden at this time of the year,

a nice place to wander for a while,

think thoughts,

and dream a little:)

Have a lovely week.

See you

Jenny