Just Me and My Shadow

~ Isn't this just the CUTEST thing ~

2011-09-04T17:24:00.000+10:00

H E L P !!!

2011-08-11T17:46:00.001+10:00

I am still baffled by Blogger/ Google/ Picasa and if any readers can offer this old technically challenged person, who really tries to keep up with all this but is about to give up, any help, please please do so!!

In my Picasa web album all of a sudden I have an album that has appeared in my Public gallery called "Just Me and My Shadow" in which it has all 400 odd photos I have on myBlog. It was never there before, just showed up. There are three visibility settings in Picasa...'Public','Limited to anyone with link', and 'Limited'. If I change it to Anyone withLink which is supposedly the default setting, my photos disappear off my Blog!! If I change it back to 'Public' they re-appear. Obviously, I want to have them visible on my Blog or what is the use of a Blog but WHY do they have to be Public in my Picasa album and WHY are they there in the first place when they never were before??????

GGGGGRRRRR!! Can you feel my frustration?????

I need help as I just can't figure it out!!

Chrissie

PS You can see my Picasa album via the link in my sidebar on here.

Blog disasters!!

2011-08-07T18:56:00.001+10:00

Blogger and Picasa are causing me all kinds of headaches at present and I am not technically minded enough to be able to sort it out. I have even contemplated just calling it a day as far as Blogging goes although over the years I have spent many hours working on my Blog and would be a bit sad pulling the plug completely. So for the meantime.....sorry if you are seeing lots of missing photos and what looks like 'no entry ' signs. Being the technophobe I am I just can't seem to get my head around how to fix it.

Chrissie

~This & That ~

2011-06-19T16:32:00.001+10:00

It's been quite a while since I have shared any stitched projects here. I seem to have lost a bit of my stitching mojo over recent months but the stitching still gets an airing every now and then and I did actually finish this little project for my friend Sandra who recently had a birthday.

It is a Shepherd's Bush kit called 'Friends' and I made it into a pinkeep. I backed it with the fabric it is sitting on.

I also made Sandra a little mini album which I filled with pictures, photos and other little bits and pieces that were relevant to the friendship we have shared since meeting several years ago through our mutual love of stitching on the Legacy Bulletin Board. Here is a picture of the front cover and if you care to see the inside, there are some more photos here in my Picasa album.

This book is made from envelopes and I really enjoyed creating it. I actually did attempt to make a You Tube video of the book but when I knocked over the camera half way through...that is when I decided I really needed more practise before I published a video to my blog LOL!!Hopefully, my skills in that area will improve and I will learn to edit.

We are in winter here in beautiful sub-tropical Queensland. I love the chance albeit for a short time to rug up in jackets, jumpers and scarves. We have cold mornings and nights and still have beautiful sunny days. Here is a cute photo of my two darling little grand daughters when their Mum and Dad took them to Canberra recently to see snow for the first time.

It will be only a short time and we will be wondering how we are going to keep cool again....

Hope you are managing to keep warm or cool wherever in the world you are.

"Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things,
but just look what they can do when they stick together."

Vesta M. Kelly

~ Doctor Ben ~

2011-05-31T14:09:00.000+10:00

Dogs are so intuitive......

Last weekend, my daughter visited with her little dog Indy. Ben hadn't seen Indy in a while but he would not leave her alone. He followed her everywhere sniffing at a particular part of her anatomy. Nothing too unusual probably but he was very insistent. He just wouldn't leave her following her everywhere sniffing, sniffing, sniffing.. Finally, I suggested to my daughter to just check there and see what might be going on. She did.....and found a TICK! Yikes...we removed that thing quick. I was very proud of my Dr Ben!!

Here is the very nose that detected that nasty Tick!!!

And here is that same handsome fella resting ofter a hard days 'doctoring'

I love that guy!!

"Good instincts usually tell you what to do long before your head has figured it out."

~Michael Burke

Advice From A Tree - Ilan Shamir, music by Bernward Koch

2011-05-24T14:16:00.000+10:00

~ Dog Show ~

2011-04-15T09:42:00.012+10:00

Dog Show

This is so clever. If you are a dog lover and have 5 minutes to spare, have a look. Such clever dogs and trainer!!

PS. Thanks Mary for sending me this and hope this link actually works. Oh and Ben says thanks to all for his birthday wishes too.

"The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side". ~Margaret Carty

~ Birthday Boy ~

2011-04-12T09:10:00.000+10:00

I can't believe my boy is six today....

From this gorgeous cute puppy 2005....

To this noble, faithful, ....

(sometimes naughty)....

handsome gentleman. 2011

Happy Birthday Ben! My beautiful shadow....my faithful friend!!

"No one can fully understand the meaning of love unless he's owned a dog. A dog can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes."

~ Real or Not? ~

2011-04-01T11:36:00.003+10:00

Are my Shadow and I having a portrait painted??

No, not real!! Just fooling with this fun program.

"The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude."

~Robert Brault

PS....It was only after I had completed this post that I realised it was April Fool's day !!

~ If the Shoe Fits ~

2011-03-31T08:49:00.002+10:00

Here is a little gift I made for a relative who had a special birthday.

I tucked in a lovely lace handkerchief, some handmade soap and made a matching little card.

I hope she likes it.

"May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.

May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through."
~Irish Blessing

~ Just This and That ~

2011-03-23T12:51:00.004+10:00

While I still consider myself very much a beginner card maker I am really enjoying the learning experience and discovering the talents of others. Just as with stitching, there are so many very talented people doing wonderful things with cards and albums. I am still amazed by the Internet and how it can connect us with people who share our interests whatever they may be. I have become quite hooked on You Tube where I have discovered I can find so many helpful tutorials which are just great for beginners like me. Thank you to all the talented ladies out there who are only too happy to share their experience and take the time to make these videos.

I pondered the idea of starting a second blog for my developing interest in card making and paper crafts. My friend Mary who is both a wonderful stitcher and card maker has two blogs - one for her stitching Meakly Mine and another for her card making Meakly Made. I decided against it though and instead will just post the occasional picture of things I make here on Just Me and My Shadow.

So, here is a card I recently made for a friend who had a special birthday. My friend is a particularly stylish lady so I wanted to try and achieve something that reflected her elegance.

I wanted to show you this little fellow who was on our screen door the other day. I think he is rather cute. I had to try and keep Ben from seeing him though as I didn't want him to be minus a tail!! He is still hanging about and we saw him again earlier on today. He is around 25cm from head to tail. Not sure what kind he is.

Someone asked me in my last post if that gorgeous little cottage was my home. No, that cottage is in Arrowtown, New Zealand and I now live in Australia but it is so darling isn't it. Those gorgeous autumn colours will be starting to happen over there now.

I often refer to the Internet as being' my own private library' so when I found this particular quote today it seemed to somehow reflect my thoughts even although I don't need to pay for a bus fare or an overdue book.

"The best of my education has come from the public library... my tuition fee is a bus fare and once in a while, five cents a day for an overdue book. You don't need to know very much to start with, if you know the way to the public library."

~Lesley Conger

Thanks for visiting us.

~ Beautiful Autumn ~

2011-03-03T15:54:00.005+10:00

Autumn has arrived here in Australia and although the weather continues to be very hot, I notice today the leaves on the Frangipani are already dropping all over the ground. Poor tree had a hammering this year by a very severe hail storm we had a few month back and never looked its best after the huge hailstones shredded the leaves. I love Autumn although sadly we don't get the really beautiful autumnal colours that we used to love so much in New Zealand. I remember going back for a visit a few years ago and being reduced to tears by the very beauty of the gorgeous autumn colours in Central Otago.

Isn't this just the most beautiful sight!!

The start of this year has not been good with the disasters that have struck both Australia and New Zealand and thank you for the comments you left on my blog when I wrote about this.

I have not had a lot of stitching to show you over recent months but do check out my good friend Sandra's album to see some wonderful stitching. She has actually completed the project we did as a SAL last year and you can see it here in her album!! Talk about eye candy!! But then again, everything this girl finishes is a sight to behold!! While mine lies patiently in a bottom drawer waiting to be assembled, Sandra was busy working away on her finishing and believe me, there is a lot of work in finishing Abigail Colby's Workbasket and accessories. Congratulations Sandra on your beautiful finish and I will be happy if 'one day' when I get around to it mine will look half as good !!

I don't know why but I guess with the bad start to this year I just never got around to posting pictures to show you what beautiful Christmas gifts I received from my three wonderful stitching friends...so here you go!!

Diane's gift was beautifully colour co-ordinated. The bag is made from re-cycled water bottles

The chart and matching reindeer buttons Mary sent me are from a local designer, Lynette Anderson Designs and I actually have matching fabric.

Look at this tiny Nantucket basket that Sandra sent, isn't it just the cutest thing.

Pretty lucky aren't I!!!!

My Shadow is losing his hair like crazy at present....Ben, please do try and 'keep your hair in' as I have just vacuumed the floors!! Looks as though he thinks it is funny !!

Thanks again for visiting us.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolour,
summer an oil painting
and autumn a mosaic of them all"

~ Stanley Horowitz

~ My heart breaks ~

2011-02-23T09:08:00.002+10:00

Dear friends, please keep the people of Christchurch and everyone in New Zealand, in your thoughts and prayers after the total devastation, loss of life and ruin that has beset their beautiful city after yesterdays tragic earthquake. Beautiful Christchurch.....the city of my birth.

:) Happy Australia Day :)

2011-01-26T10:39:00.000+10:00

~ Our Hearts Go Out ~

2011-01-17T14:45:00.004+10:00

I have actually had a few attempts at writing this blog post but each time the words I write just don't seem adequate enough to paint a picture of the horror that has beset our State over the past weeks. Queensland has been hit by massive floods with 18 people dead and 14 still missing. Brisbane the States, capital which is 100 kms from where we live has been devastated! We are very fortunate that our family has all been safe with no damage to property but thousands of people have not been so lucky. The resilience of the people of Queensland has been inspiring and although the damage will take years to rebuild the Lord Mayor said today that Brisbane's 'heart is beating again'. Our hearts go out to all those thousands of people affected by this tragedy.

~ And a Happy New Year ~

2011-01-01T11:04:00.001+10:00

Image courtesy of French kissed Postcards

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

~ Happy Christmas Dear Friends ~

2010-12-24T20:13:00.000+10:00

"May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!"
~Author Unknown

~ What a naughty blogger ~

2010-12-03T15:35:00.002+10:00

That's me....I know it's been a while but, no excuses unless you could call a major 'stitching lull' an excuse. Well that is what I will use as my excuse this time :))

No stitching has been done here for some time now and as I wait for the lull to pass I have been keeping busy doing other things. I have an extra crafty interest now since my neighbour introduced me to card making and I have to admit to being quite hooked now on paper craft . I have also discovered You Tube and am amazed at how much stuff is available to watch on there. So many people sharing their talents and doing amazing tutorials etc. So much to learn!!

Anyway, I did want to show you a couple of things. For sometime now I have been wanting a cabinet so that I could display my stitched bits and pieces and have them behind glass as opposed to sitting gathering dust in my two tiered cake stand.

This is how they used to be and then in their new home......

......

DH gave the cabinet just the right amount of shabby - just the way I wanted it.

These are the 'guard dogs' keeping watch from above......

and here are the shelves....

Ben was a little bit upset that I posted a photo of the 'watch dogs' and not him. He makes a much better job of looking beautiful than being a watch dog :)) He does have rather an odd expression on in this one though.

I had quite a job getting him to raise his head off the floor long enough to take this photo - lazy thing lol!!

Just to prove I have at least finished something, here is my Miss Mary Mack.

I have always loved Mary and here she is awaiting framing. I love this dark linen. I think it is from Birds of a Feather but can't think of the name of the colour now. I have an image in my head of framing her in a big heavy dark frame like the one I used on my La D Da Garden Angel here I think this would suit her beautifully.

A few weeks ago, my son became engaged and I plan to stitch a sampler for him and his beautiful fiancee for their wedding. I ordered three pieces of linen which arrived this week. The colours are from left to right....R & R Creme Brulee, Lakeside Vintage Luna and Lakeside Navy Bean.

Aren't they lovely. I am planning on stitching La D Da ~ Tie that Binds which you can see here I think the Creme Brulee is the best option. What do you think?

Have you ever had a song or a ditty just stuck in your head for days on end and you can't get rid of it? That happened to me recently. DD showed me this very cute You tube video of Shirley Temple singing The Cuppy Cake Song. I had never seen it before and thought it so cute. Decided on making it the ring tone on my phone but wish I hadn't (since changed it again). It was just well and truly stuck in my head until it started to drive me nuts. Anyway, here it is if you want to watch it but don't say I didn't warn you LOL!!

(Hope my background music doesn't get mixed into it. I don't know how to fix that)

Well, although it had been a while since we chatted, I did have a few things to talk about. Hope all is well in your worlds and as always, thanks for visiting with us.

"When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish."
~ Winnie the Pooh

~ Something Old and Something Even Older ~

2010-09-22T19:26:00.010+10:00

Well I finally took the plunge and decided it was time to be brave and attempt to finish Black Bird Designs Flowers for Sarah from Thank You, Sarah Tobias. This was a SAL I did with Sandra last year and although the stitching part was duly finished, the assembly part kind of scared me so until a couple of days back it was hidden in the drawer with my other 'finished but not yet assembled 'WIP's. I was always concerned about the putting together part of this beautiful design as it was stitched on a very long piece of linen, something like 54 inches long, plus it was quite an open weave linen and I could foresee issues in trying to get it all nice and even. Anyway, here are the results. I wasn't really happy with the colours either as although I stitched it in the suggested colours, it always looked rather 'wishy-washy' to me and didn't have the aged, vintage look that I was hoping for. So, after I had put it together, I decided to once again be brave and dunk the whole thing in some coffee!! Still not quite right so Plan B then came into play and I gave it a spray with Parisian Essence. I am now pleased with the results - not perfect but okay and I am liking the rather crumpled look and don't plan on ironing out the wrinkles as it looks a bit rustic and lets me dream that it perhaps is something that has been hiding away in Great Grandma's workbasket for many years. Oh and yes, there is an extra bonus....the coffee makes it smells gorgeous :)

Now onto the 'something really old'....well, kind of really old! Back in June, I took a trip back to New Zealand to visit my dearest, longtime friend who many years ago taught me to cross stitch and is now really ill. I think the second thing I ever cross stitched was this little picture - very simple and and nothing special except for the sentiment... Forever Friends. I know it meant something to my dear friend even though the threads I never tidied at the back showed through. When I was there, she asked me to take it back home with me. So this little simple picture, now hangs with pride in my craft room and I thank you my friend for teaching me to stitch - something that has become a real passion for me and over the years has made me lots of 'Forever Friends' just like you.

While surfing some blogs this morning I came across this beautiful quote and thought of you .....

~ Knock, Knock...Anybody There? ~

2010-08-14T16:33:00.007+10:00

Well, it has been a while I know!!

No excuses really except to say, that since my blog is mainly stitching....I just haven't had a lot to show. Now that isn't to say I haven't been stitching - I always have something on the go but often that something doesn't make a lot of progress....do you know what I mean???

However, I thought it would be nice to just drop by and say hi anyway as I do have some other wonderful things to show as it was recently my birthday and my lovely stitching friends once again really spoilt me with wonderful stitchy things but before that I will show you what I have managed to get done since I saw you last.

At the beginning of the year Sandra, Diane and I started a SAL stitching Abigail Colby's Workbasket (lovingly renamed Abby) well sadly, I managed to get way behind with mine as at the same time I was also stitching another SAL with dear friend Mary and being the slow stitcher that I am....found that trying to keep up with two just wasn't working!! Never mind, they don't go away or have an expiry date on them so I have just been plugging away and they will get done eventually.

Abby, once finished will be a basket filled with beautiful stitching smalls as in the above pictures and so far I have stitched the basket top, and four of the accessories, the latest one being the needle pocket. If you are interested in looking, the other pieces are in my Picasa album listed under SAL and here is a link to see Sandra's version as well. Interesting to see how they look in different colour-ways. I am using the suggested colours while Sandra is being a bit more adventurous and using her own choice of colours. I am not sure where Diane is at with hers.

I have hit a brick wall with my other SAL - Blessings Sampler, the one I am stitching with Mary. Mary has long finished hers but mine remains at a stand still on the last band which is satin stitch band and because this stitch is really quite long , I am having difficulties with it, just getting it sitting right and the correct tension. I really want it finished as I am so close but can't find the motivation to work on trying to perfect those dreaded satin stitches. Mary has a lovely blog over at Meakly Mine where you will see her Blessings Sampler completed. She also has a lovely card making blog as well called Meakly Made where you can see all her beautiful cards. There is a link on her stitching blog to that site as well.

Here is my Blessings before attempting the satin stitch. You can see it is a lovely sampler with a beautiful sentiment and I can't wait to have it framed and hanging but you can't force these things - right!! It won't happen overnight but it will happen!! LOL!!

Oh, I do have one other finish to show you (actually, I have stitched more than I thought I had)

I stitched this little chookie for Sandra for her birthday last June... It is Coq au Pins by Twisted Oaks Designs.

Now, as I mentioned earlier, I was a very luck girl on my recent birthday and just look at what I received

From Mary

From Sandra

From Diane

Thank You Dear Friends - I really love my gifts. Stitching friends are the loveliest people.

I was looking through some old photos earlier and came across this one. It was taken during a trip to Melbourne back in May where I caught up with Mary who kindly showed us around Melbourne. We went up to the Dandenong Mountains where we had lunch at a darling little Tea Room (I love that - it is usually 'cafe' nowadays) called Miss Marples which was just so English and lovely. Here is Mary and I outside after having a lovely lunch. Don't know who the gent is but I didn't want to cut him out or else you wouldn't see the name on the building. Do hope he doesn't mind being in our photo.

Well I can't finish a post without a mention of my shadow...beautiful Ben. I wanted to show you that he actually does move, so this is a first attempt at adding a video to my blog. He was actually in sleeping mode when I took this and probably not a good time to prove he moves and please realise I disturbed his sleep LOL!! But anyway, here is Ben in all his cuteness and the subtle twitch of the tail and a quick lift of his head is all he ~~could manage~~ be bothered with at this stage of the day. :))

Well, I think that is about it for now. I have been reading some of the US blogs and everyone is sweltering over there it seems. Well we are in winter here and it is just lovely. I have really enjoyed the winter season this year. A brief chance to wrap up warm, wear scarves and boots. It is only for a short time and even now, the days are warm and sunny showing that spring is just around the corner and still another month of winter to go.

Until next time....Happy stitching!!

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand and for talk beside the fire:

it is the time for home"

(Edith Sitwell, poet)

~ Anybody seen my Blogging Mojo?? ~

2010-04-22T16:47:00.003+10:00

Yes, it has been a while since I dropped in to say hi hasn't it. Time flies. To be truthful though - I really lost my blogging mojo somewhere along the way. I hope I can find it again as it is always so lovely to keep in touch with fellow stitchers via our blogs. Sometimes though, other things become a priority. I have been stitching all the while but haven't had a finish as such to show this year.

I've been doing two different SAL's this year with my friends Sandra, Diane and Mary and admit to being way behind with both!!

With Mary, who earlier this year started her own lovely blog Meakly Mine I am stitching the Blessings Sampler by Wild-Heart designs. It is a gorgeous sampler with a beautiful sentiment about being a Grandmother. Mary has finished hers which you can see on her blog whilst mine sits in my stitching bag waiting to be picked up to be finished. I am on the last band though and here is a picture of it so far.

I haven't actually forgotten that flower at the top but decided on changing the colour and still have to adjust that row. Actually, there has been quite a lot of adjustments with this one as I have changed most of the colours and messed around a lot with it. I am looking forward to finishing it and having it framed though as I really like it.

Sandra, Diane and I have been stitching Abigail Colby's Workbasket this year which for me is a big one. I am clearly a slow stitcher as some of the motifs on the basket top I am about to show you took me 10 hours to finish!!

Yes, that is 10 hours just for one motif!! I have also finished the scissor fob and Cartouche for inside the basket which if you are interested in seeing are in my album. There are quite a few accessories that go inside the basket so at my rate of stitching I can see this project continuing for a long time yet. I had chosen a beautiful William Morris fabric to line my basket but since stitching this much I have decided the lining might look better in a less fussy design. However, I still have a way to go before I need to decide. I am enjoying this project which is stitched on 40ct Sand linen with lovely Belle Soie silk thread.

I recently had a lovely day out with Diane, the other friend who is stitching Abigail Colby (lovingly re-named Abby) with Sandra and me, whilst she was holidaying in my neck of the woods. We did the stitching shops, had a show and tell of our two 'Abbys' and enjoyed a lovely lunch. Diane is much further ahead with hers as well and it was interesting to see her version which is very different to mine as she is using different threads and a larger count linen. It is looking beautiful.

I couldn't finish this post without showing you a photo of my beautiful boy shadow - Ben. He turned 5 year old earlier this month and I just took this photo of him enjoying the Autumn sunshine coming in through the door whilst 'meditating' on his old bean bag bed. He actually gathers the bean bag up between his front paws and sucks on it kind of like a baby with a comforter blankie. I always say he is meditating when he does it as he will lie there for quite sometime almost in a little trance like state. I think it looks very cute and often wonder if it stems back to his puppyhood when he suckled from his mother. I wish I knew :))

Well, that's about it from me for now. Hope you are all well out there in blogland and happy stitching!!

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language."
~Martin Buber

Yoo Hoo!!

2010-01-09T17:07:00.024+10:00

Anybody home, it's just me...Chrissie. I haven't been around much of late and so I do hope you had a lovely Christmas, a Happy New Year and that 2010 brings you Good Health and Happiness and of course some time to stitch:))

So what has been happening with my stitching over the last couple of months?? Hhhmmm, I can assure you I have been stitching although the last project of my 2009 SAL with Sandra still remains unfinished. Well, not entirely unfinished, the stitching is done it is just awaiting the 'putting together ' part. I can, with Sandra's permission, show you her finished version though so here is her Blackbird Designs ~ Flowers For Sarah

You can see more photos of it by clicking here. It's lovely Sandra and I hope mine looks as good.

2010 brings a new SAL for us and this year Diane, a longtime friend of Sandra's who I met back in October when Sandra visited, will be joining us. This year our project is Primitive Traditions ~ Abigail Colby ~ Workbasket and Accessories

We have all made a start but with not much having been stitched at this stage I will leave photos for a later date. For now though, here is a photo of my bits and pieces all ready to go.... gorgeous Belle Soie silks, 40ct linen, and William Morris fabric for lining and backings plus the Nantucket basket . The coffee mug is a special William Morris one which was a gift from Sandra for both Diane and me (Sandra has one as well) so we can all have our cup of coffee whilst we stitch-along in different parts of the world. We each also have one of the boxes to keep our project in which was a gift from Diane and the diary is for keeping a track of how many hours we work on the project. Watch this space for future updates.

I am actually doing two SAL's at present. The other is with my dear friend Mary and is the beautiful Blessings Sampler from Wild Heart Designs. Both of us are changing colours to suit and here is my progress to date ....

I just love this sampler and the sentiment is particularly lovely.

Mary has just started a new blog and you can drop in to see her progress at her blog " Meakly Mine".

I have seen lots of snow photos on blogs and with very bad weather conditions in some parts of the world I thought I would show you a photo of my shadow Ben, which I took just before as he had a short wander around the garden in temperatures in the 30's (Celsius that is) He wanted to get back inside to the air conditioning quite quickly!! Hope the cold weather isn't affecting you too badly and you are able to stay warm, safe and cosy.

"What.... you aren't expecting me to chase that ball in these temperatures are you"??

"No way Mum !!Let's go back inside!!"

"Good idea Ben, let's go back inside and I might just sit and do a little bit of stitching for a while"!!

So until next time ~ Happy Stitching!!

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather".

~John Ruskin

~ Trusting Eyes ~

2009-11-25T07:32:00.009+10:00

....... My Dog ~ My Friend .......

He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself.

He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.

His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever — in case I need him. And I expect I will — as I always have. He is just my dog.

~ Gene Hill

~ Hello Again ~

2009-11-03T14:30:00.004+10:00

It's been a while since I dropped by to say hello but over recent weeks I seem to have been suffering with what I have self-diagnosed as 'blogger's block'!! After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at writing posts I reminded myself of the little logo I have seen on several blogs which reads ~ 'Blogging without Obligation' so with that in mind I told myself I would get over it and not to worry.

And so today, with 'my shadow' at my feet ((just as I like it) I am having another attempt.

Well actually this time, I have something really special to write about and I want to share with you the wonderful time I had over the past couple of weeks with my dear friend and SAL/Internet buddy, Sandra from the UK. You may remember I mentioned several posts back that Sandra was going to be coming out to Australia and that we were finally going to meet in person. Well, she came, we did meet, time went very quickly and now she is back home in the UK and our meeting certainly left me with lots of happy memories even if I didn't get many photos. (Well, that is another story ) However, we did get at least one that I can show you so here we are sharing a pleasant afternoon actually sitting together and not on opposite sides of the world as we have been doing for years, stitching our current SAL project Blackbird Designs ~ 'Flowers for Sarah' from the 'Thank You Sarah Tobias' book.

Along with Sandra's lovely long time friend Diane, from South Australia, who I was able to meet as well, the three of us spent a great day at the recent Craft and Quilt Fair in Brisbane and all managed to come away from that with a little bit of stash and also get ourselves some fabric and threads for our planned next years SAL which Diane is going to join us in. We also visited my LNS and the lovely Patchwork Angel, dined out and enjoyed a barbeque together with our husbands. It was certainly a lovely time and has left me with many happy memories.

We had lots of 'gift swapping' and just look at what my dear friend had stitched me for my birthday.

It is a Barry Horton Shaker Box from France. Inside Sandra has lined it with dupion silk and stitched a band, pincushion and tiny scissor fob which is weighted with a coin and has the tiniest gold scissors attached. The pins have been coloured to match perfectly. Oh my goodness!! Needless to say, I was speechless. Thank you so much dear friend, I just love it and will treasure it.

Now, you will have heard it said "Wait there's more"!!!..... Well yes, there was more.....

Not only had Sandra brought DH the most beautiful book with pictures of York, as well as gifts for my little Granddaughters, this is what else she gave me. I was so spoilt. Everything is beautiful and thank you one more time Sandra not only for the beautiful gifts but for your friendship and as I was writing that I thought of the wording around what I think was the first thing I ever stitched for you which was a little Shepherd's Bush pinkeep and the wording around it was...

"Although our lives be miles apart, friendships dwell in soul and heart".

~ More Framing ~

2009-09-20T11:52:00.005+10:00

When I recently had the birth sampler framed, I also had this framed. I stitched it several years back and still love it.

"The Drawn Thread's ~ Cloister Garden"

If I remember correctly I think I have stitched it on lambswool linen with NPI silk thread. To me it is such a 'gentle piece'.

I still have another of the gardens to frame ~ the companion piece "Wildflower Garden" but it can wait for another time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog and for the lovely comments.

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth."

~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"

~ Sweet Baby Sampler ~

2009-09-16T08:54:00.010+10:00

I recently finished this.

It is Praiseworthy Stitches ~ Sweet Baby Sampler~ for my sweet baby Grand-daughter.

This really took me much longer than it should have as I did a lot of colour changing which to be honest I found to be a bit of a struggle. It is not that easy to try and get colours just right and I have to say I did a fair amount of unpicking. I am happy with the results now though and I hope when little Miss B grows up she will like it too.

I was looking after my two little ones the other day and I just love the honesty and innocence of the things they say. Miss Milly who is three told me "Nana you have wrinkly cheeks don't you!"

"Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric."

~Pam Brown

~ Another SAL Finish ~

2009-09-13T11:20:00.013+10:00

Do you know what a griffin is? I didn't!! Well it is a fictional character with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion and he is winged as well!

So here is our sixth finish for the year.

" Whitman's Griffin Tin"

I didn't add much 'creativity' to my version this time and stitched and finished fairly much as the pattern suggested but Sandra added her own touches and made hers just a little different.

Here is Sandra's...

The fabric we have used to line our tins is once again a piece that Sandra has chosen and it is just the most perfect match for the tin and don't you just love those fat little scissors!!

We are now working on our seventh project and here is a preview of my fabric and threads.

Can you guess what it is? It is a very long skinny piece of linen and lovely autumn coloured threads....hhhhhhmmmmmm, wonder what it might be :))))

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."

~Emma Goldman

~ Pouch Pixies ~

2009-08-31T15:50:00.006+10:00

I love working with felt and I made these ~ well.......just because!!

I am sure my little grand-daughters will enjoy them.

So here is my little bit of whimsy.

"My childhood may be over, but that doesn't mean playtime is."

~Ron Olson

~ Remember this?? ~

2009-08-27T22:20:00.021+10:00

In an earlier post I showed you this tiny oil can that Sandra had sent me and mentioned that we had a purpose in mind for it.

Well here is how it ended up. This is the fifth project in our SAL this year

With thy Needle and Thread ~ ABC Pinkeep.

Sandra and I both found this tiny project to be rather fiddly. Mine is stitched on 27ct linen which being quite a large weave is prone to fraying so when it came to turning him inside out that became a bit of a problem. However, he survived and is happily sitting on his perch now with his strawberry in his mouth after a 'cook' on the microwave after I sprayed some Parisienne essence on him to age him a bit. I also added a rusty pin.

Here is Sandra's version.......

I recently was able to spend a day with my friend Mary (Melbourne) who I have often spoken about and shown some of the beautiful gifts and cards she has made for me. We enjoyed a day visiting my LNS and had a lovely lunch although silly me forgot to take a photo. Thanks for taking time out to spend the day with me Mary :) Now I am counting down the days until I get to meet my other Internet stitching friend Sandra (UK). How wonderful it will be to finally meet the person face to face with whom I have become such good friends. We will have so much to talk about.

I will remember the camera this time.

I recently came across this sweet video on YouTube so if you have a chance take a look. You may need to pause my Playlist so you can hear it. Thankfully, my canine buddy continues to be well with no more 'brain tinkles' which is so good.

"Being in a good frame of mind helps keep one in the picture of health."

~ Author Unknown

~ A New Finish ~

2009-08-07T14:02:00.016+10:00

I have just completed my latest project in my SAL with Sandra and here is how this finally ended up.

Here are our two different finished versions of....

Tricia Wilson Nguyen -
"Victorian Card Case".

I added the tassel as I thought it added a bit of Victorian elegance and also made some little cards just because :))

Sandra made a beautiful button for her version and used slightly different colours. I always love to see how the two different versions turn out.

So another addition to my 'cake stand' and in Sandra's case...her beautiful sewing treasures cabinet. I must ask her if she will allow me to show you some photos of that one day. I have to say if she agrees, you will be in for a treat!!

"Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are."
~Author Unknown

~ Special Times ~

2009-08-03T07:51:00.030+10:00

Those of you who read my blog may have noticed I always like to add a quote at the end. Well this time I thought I might change things around and start with a quote as well.......

"One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that, would tell one anything."
~ Oscar Wilde. 1854- 1900

I just love this quote but sorry Oscar, I am not listening to you today and as I remember those known to me (and those I don't know) who haven't reached it , I feel very glad to be able to say I have turned 60.:)))) I am very blessed with the best family, good health and great friends.

My two stitching buddies, Mary and Sandra, both whom I meet through our mutual love of stitching via the Internet, have once again given me the most wonderful stitching treasures which I really want to show you. These two dear friends always put so much effort into wrapping my gifts in the loveliest way which always makes opening them such a joy. Look at this....

Mary chose a bird theme for her wrapping and even made the little box the packages came in. She also makes the most beautiful cards and the detail in this card is amazing. The hummingbirds go with the bird theme.

This is what was in these little delights.

Don't you just love this tiny oil can and Sandra and I do have a purpose in mind for it so 'watch this space' to see how it might end up. Also those old wooden spools, so nice to have. As well as all these treasures Sandra included two pieces of fabric which we are planning to use for a couple of our future SAL's ~we plan ahead :))) and even have next years SAL planned and as if all that wasn't enough, look what else was in the gift.....
As always Sandra's stitching is utter perfection and I can tell you this needlebook is no exception.

Now look what was in Mary's treasure chest.

I love the bird fabric and that little bird button is so precious. Thank you so much dear friends for making my birthday special.

To celebrate our joint birthday's (DH's is five days after mine) our family gave us a weekend away at the Gold Coast with tickets to see the "Australian Outback Spectacular" and what a spectacular show it was.

This is the view of Broad Beach from our 11th floor room.

Don't you just love the blue sky in the middle of winter.

I am a little bit behind again with my SAL but hopefully will catch up and have something to show in my next post.

I am going to end with another quote as well....

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."
~ Author Unknown

Oh Yes, just one more thing..... Ben asked me to says thank you so much for your kind comments.

~Hello, It's Me, ~

2009-07-24T11:33:00.018+10:00

Ben, (aka here as Shadow ~ mum's shadow that is!!) ..... Just dropping by to say hello as our friend Mimi mentioned to my mum that I hadn't made an appearance here in a while. Mummy said she was right that I hadn't and so yesterday, mum and I did a bit of a photo shoot.

I don't know if you realise this but it actually takes a fair amount of sleeping and lying around to look this good so that is probably why most of the photos mummy takes of me are when I am working on doing that. Anyway, it was a lovely winter's day here in the sub-tropics yesterday and so I made the most of my 'work' outside in the sun. Here are a few shots to show you just how hard this is. Mum said she liked how the shadows from the Frangipani tree are over me. The tree of course has no leaves on it just now and I think it just looks like a big monster.

You can see in these photos that I got sick of 'posing' and needed another little nap.

Mum said, to tell you that I do like to be active sometimes and recently when we had our friend to stay, they took me to the beach and I had a really good run and a swim. I like the water.

That same day, mum and her friend decided they were going to have a coffee at a cafe that was near the water and to test me out to see if I could be a good boy and behave while they did it. The coffee place allows doggies to be there if they can behave. Well, I am sure mummy didn't think I would but she kept giving me little treats which kept me happy and I was good (wasn't I mum???) Well, there was one incident that mum said reminded her a bit of "Marley and Me", I didn't take off with the table like Marley did but I did almost pull mum off her chair when I wanted to greet another dog that I saw there. Anyway, we had a lovely time at the beach and cafe.

Just to finish off, I want to show you what I have to endure sometimes and let me know what you think.....

This is me last night when mum thought I might be feeling the cold a bit. She tucked me up with a blankie. I didn't really like to say anything as I didn't want to seem ungrateful so I just let her do it. Us Labradors like to please you know.
So thanks for visiting our blog. Mum and me love to have visitors so drop by anytime.

Bye for now.

"Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when there is a stranger about, but it is an expression of unmitigated joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning."

~Norman Strung

~ Christmas in July?? ~

2009-07-14T15:20:00.007+10:00

Hello, I am still around but have been a tad busy recently. Not too much to show in the way of my stitching although I am still plugging away on my current SAL which I have to say has got a little behind recently as I have had a friend visiting and we have had lots to catch up on and by the time evening came around - well, I only seemed to be able to managed a few stitches before I could feel my eyes becoming heavy!! Oh well, I will be racing to catch up this week. Can't have Sandra getting way ahead now can I LOL!!

I have something very beautiful to show you though. My visiting friend was asked to bring me a gift from our mutual very dear and long time friend, Wendy (NZ). Now you may remember me showing you back last year of the beautiful Christmas stocking Wendy had quilted and beaded. Well look who was the lucky recipient of one of these masterpieces.

Not only did I receive the stocking, Wendy also made me the beautiful wine bottle cover as well. My photos just don't do these justice as the hand quilting and beading is just superb. The Poinsettias and Holly berries are so real looking. The stocking is lined with gorgeous green and gold Christmas themed fabric and the back of the stocking is corduroy velvet. I hope you can click to enlarge and see the detail. I love them dear friend and feel so special that you made these for me. Thank you!!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

~ Spot the Difference ~

2009-06-19T15:30:00.006+10:00

For our third stitch~along for 2009, Sandra and I have just completed "Fancy Work - Whitman's Wynnewood Tin sewing set".

This is mine..... the pincushion has different patterns on each side....

Sandra sent me this perfect match piece of fabric which lines the bottom and sides of the tins and for a little bit of individuality I had enough fabric left to make the thimble pouch to which I added the tiny thimble charm and enclosed a little thimble inside.

This is Sandra's.....

As her little piece of individuality, Sandra made a tiny thread keeper using the same design that is used on one side of the pin cushion.

I really enjoyed this as it was a quick stitch and the assembly was quite simple. Now, I am quite keen to do this type of finishing on my other Whitman's tins but have a few more projects that are more urgent at this point so that won't be in the immediate future.

Number four project is about to be started and here are the threads with the fabric I have chosen to use as a lining.

That could in fact change though as I have found in the past that although a fabric seems to suit a project well when you lay the threads you are planning to use on it, once it has been stitched, the fabric sometimes just doesn't seem so perfect any more. So with that in mind, I will need to get it all stitched before that final decision is made. I am really quite looking forward to this project as it is quite a bright cheery one but I am not going to tell you what it is yet :))))

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments you left about my La D Da Hearts.:))))

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies".
~Author Unknown

~ Ta Da.... 'La D Da' ~

2009-06-12T17:40:00.001+10:00

Bbbbbrrrrrr!! it's getting cold here in sub -tropical Queensland. OK, not quite as cold as some people experience during winter but nevertheless cold!! Cold enough for me to have the heater on. Ben is curled up in what I call 'a little ball of dog' these nights. It amazes me just how small a big dog can curl up into!!

I mentioned some stitching I was doing a while back which I couldn't reveal at the time, well since it has now reached it's destination, I can finally show you what I was working on. Here is my La D Da ~"Three Sweet Hearts" ~ (left to right) Autumn Heart, Winter Heart, Daisy Daisy. I stitched these on 35ct linen with silk threads.

Hee hee, just a joke...no it wasn't snowing when I took this photograph (probably not very likely either here) but I found this cool trick on my photo editing programme that allows me to make snow (or should that be ...fake snow)

Anyway, they were a birthday gift for a special friend and I have heard today that she liked them.

Happy birthday dear friend!!

Sandra and I are working on our SAL and have nearly completed our third project for the year which I will be able to show you soon.

Thank you for all the comments left on my blog.

'Winter dies into the spring, to be born again in the autumn'.
~Marche Blumenberg

~ We Have Finished ~

2009-05-22T12:23:00.017+10:00

Yes, Sandra and I have finally completed our second SAL for this year, With My Needle 'Flowers For Lily'. This sweet little sewing case is only quite small and will make another nice addition to the 'cake stand'. We each chose our own threads, linen, lining fabric and ribbon and it is always interesting to see how the two different combinations work out when we have finished.
Sandra is a hard act to follow when it comes to finishing and her pictures shows once again the perfection I always know she will produce in her version. I feel a little intimidated by her level of finishing but lucky at the same time to be stitching along side her as it spurs me on to try and finish mine as best I can and she is always happy to help me out with ideas and hints when I don't really know what I am doing. So thanks again Sandra for sharing in this SAL with me.

This was my first ever attempt at making a mattress pincushion and the first time I have ever done nuns stitch too. We both added coins to the fob to give it some weight. Mine has an Aussie 10 cent coin which only just fitted inside and Sandra's an English penny. The scissors tuck neatly in underneath the mattress pincushion.

Now look at Sandra's version...

I just love how she has added the name of the project into the side of the mattress. Also, check out her Picasa album to see photos of her version of the scissor weight and her gorgeous butterfly scissors.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing

~Monday, Beautiful Monday ~

2009-05-18T14:23:00.012+10:00

It is a dull, kind of dark day here on the Sunshine Coast today and I said to Ben this afternoon ~ 'Do you want to hang out with Mum and listen to some music?' To which he immediately replied he thought that was a great idea!! So what nicer way to spend this kind of an afternoon than stitching (and yes, Sandra, it is the assembling of FFL I am working on) with your faithful friend at your feet and listening to your favourite music....... I LOVE that!!

Thank you so much for your kind wishes last week. My cold is much better now and I love those aloe vera Kleenex, much kinder to the nose :)

'Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.'
~Berthold Auerbach

~Monday, Beautiful Monday ~

2009-05-18T14:23:00.000+10:00

~ Is it just me? ~

2009-05-14T13:54:00.006+10:00

......or do you sometimes not have your 'thinking head on' too?

Yesterday, I was feeling really pleased with myself for doing a couple of days worth of stitching to catch up and finally finish the stitching part of my current SAL, Flowers For Lily. I heaved a sigh of relief and even kind of looked forward to starting on the assembling part of this project today.

This afternoon I thought I would make a start only to find I had made one big BOO BOO!!

Take a look at this photo and see if you can spot it!!

Yes, of course you can. I certainly didn't have my thinking head on when I never thought about leaving enough space between the pieces to allow for seams!! Oh dear, back to the drawing board and I am going to blame it on the horrible cold I have at the moment.

As always, thank you very much for your comments.

OK, I am off to the shop to buy more tissues :(((

Never say, "oops." Always say, "Ah, interesting."
~Author Unknown

~ Not quite cupcakes!! ~

2009-05-13T08:34:00.008+10:00

When I saw this two tiered cake stand, I remembered Sandra once telling me she had bought a cake stand with the idea of using it to display smalls. Thanks for the idea Sandra, it seems to have worked - well, that is if I don't stitch any more smalls. Now I just need to find a place to put it out of reach of a certain 'shadow' who as I have mentioned before, does like to welcome any visitors with a needleroll (which are now displayed high up out of his reach) but I am sure something off this little display of goodies would work just as well. Yup, I know my shadow...... I can read his mind!!

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
~Mark Twain

~ Not Much Stitching ~

2009-05-09T13:51:00.019+10:00

Hello there ....it has been a while I know but I have been a bit busy and time has got away on me lately. Busy, has meant there hasn't been a lot of time for stitching recently with one thing and another going on and what I have in fact stitched I can't really show right now anyway :)) it is for a gift!

I have also been a little remiss with my current SAL too. Sandra and I are still working on Flowers For Lily Needlecase and while Sandra is making good progress with hers, (have a look here )I have managed to lag a little behind and will be needing to do a fast catch up this coming week to make up time. As Sandra reminds me though, it is not a race and I agree, it should not become a burden.

When I started my blog I made the decision to write only about stitching related topics or things about Ben (My Shadow) and I mainly try to stick to this rule but I really want to tell you about the wonderful time I have had recently with my darling grand daughter - Miss Three. She has been staying for a few days with us as her Mummy and Daddy needed to take an urgent trip out of the country. Although we see her often she has only ever stayed over for one night at a time on her own before and so this time has been for a bit longer. What an absolute delight it has been having her to stay. She is a darling and we have had such fun together. It is wonderful seeing things through the eyes of little ones again and how they take joy in things going on around them. Yesterday, we went to look at the kangaroos at the local University and on Wednesday, we went to 'The Wiggles' concert. This had been planned for months. What a fun time we had. We sang, we danced, we clapped and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Thank you Miss Milly for sharing this fun time with Nana.

Ben has been really enjoying having a little person around too. Labradors and little people are made for each other. Today, we found fairies in the garden and here she is showing Ben her basket of fairies although he was a bit too pre-occupied with eating his bone to be really interested:)))

We made fairy cupcakes too and of course the best part is adding the sprinkles

I don't know if you have ever seen this You tube video. I think it has been around for a while and was brought to mind again recently by Mimi but it exemplifies my thoughts of Labs and children being made for each other. Take a look if you have a moment.

I did go to the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Show last week and I have to admit to being a little bit disappointed this time. It just didn't seem to have the same appeal as it normally does and I wasn't the only person who felt this way. Other's also felt the same. I am usually quite overwhelmed by the beautiful fabrics and usually find some treasures I just 'have to have' but this time - I never came away with one piece of fabric and only bought a couple of threads. some lace, a bit of felt and a chart. Oh well, there is always next time.

Sadly, my shadow had another seizure this week and as you can imagine it is a very scary thing to watch and very stressful but after it is over, although it leaves him very edgy and clingy for a while afterwards, he doesn't appear to suffer any effects.

Happy Mothers Day to all Mothers.

'Childhood is the most beautiful of all life's seasons.

~Author Unknown~

~ Nina's Giveaway ~

2009-04-14T19:49:00.004+10:00

Nina from Between Crosses is having a giveaway for her second blog anniversary . She asks us to show our scissor collection so here are mine ~ Well some of mine :) Nina does beautiful work so be sure to check out her blog.

~ Happy Birthday to You...... ~

2009-04-13T09:56:00.015+10:00

"Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Ben
Happy Birthday to you"

Yesterday my shadow turned four!!

He had a good day which included going out for a big walk, getting special treats and gifts, including this lovely new water bowl

and sharing a special birthday treat with his friend Indy who was in fact there although not shown in the photo as due to previous experiences of Miss Indy wanting both her treat and Ben's, we had to separate them to opposite ends of the room LOL!! I love this picture of the tongue getting ready for action :)))

Hope you enjoyed your special day Big Boy!!

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.

~George Eliot

~ Beautiful One Day ~

2009-04-05T14:11:00.014+10:00

Beautiful one day, Perfect the next...that is a saying that you will hear often here in Queensland but the imagination has to be stretched just a tad at present as the following photos show. We have had rain and I mean 'serious rain'... I took these photos yesterday.

These photos were taken just near my house where the Creek had flooded. At least our water tank is full to over-flowing.

I don't have any finishes to show in the stitching department but I am plugging away quietly on three WIP. I can show you two but the other I can't show you for a while yet as it is a birthday gift for a special friend (wink, wink, say no more)!!
Here is a progress photo of my current SAL, Flowers for Lily, week four. Sandra and I only stitch three hours per week on this, allowing us to stitch on other projects as well.

And this is Sandra's...

Progress on my 'Sweet Baby' sampler has been quite slow since I am trying to change all the colours and finding I need to go very carefully with this as I want to be sure to get the colours just right.

Oops....that is a very bad photo!! It is actually antique white, not grey as it looks and it IS straight!!
Thank you for visiting my blog :)

"Rain! whose soft architectural hands have power to cut stones, and chisel to shapes of grandeur the very mountains."

~Henry Ward Beecher

~ Ta Da ~

2009-03-19T19:12:00.017+10:00

It's finally finished!! My first SAL with Sandra for 2009 is finally finished .... yay!!!!

I stitched, I dyed, I crackled , I tore my hair out, I re-dyed, I re-crackled, I tore my hair out some more but then I resigned myself to the fact that I had tried my best and even although it isn't perfect, I did it and it is kind of OK!!

Sooooooo here is Blackbird Designs Autumn Song!!!!!

I made the tiny pouch for a cute little acorn waxer that Sandra sent me.

Now, here is Sandra's beauty....

Don't you just love that lining fabric and those little acorn accessories.

Thanks Sandra for doing this SAL with me . Autumn Song has been on my 'to-do list' for a long while and now, with your support and encouragement, it is done. We are now onto week two of our second SAL project for the year ~ With My Needle ~ Flowers For Lily which is a pretty little needlecase and shouldn't be quite as tricky to assemble as the box LOL!!

Thank you for your concern for us over the cyclone threat we had. Fortunately, the cyclone didn't cause us any problems personally but it did cause major environmental issues locally when a shipping container lost 31 containers overboard and up to 30 tonnes of heavy fuel oil leaked into the sea when the containers came loose and tumbled overboard piercing the hull of the MV Pacific Adventurer. It has been disastrous for the wildlife and required a huge clean up to our beautiful coast beaches.

I am also very cross with our local council at present who decided to cut down 50 beautiful trees which lined the street that our house backs onto. The beautiful weeping fig trees have gone!! We have been informed they will be replaced with 'more suitable species' but all I could think of was the poor little birds, who had nests in them, flying off when they were frightened by the noise and later coming back to find their trees, homes, nests and babies gone!!! I am thinking of putting up a sign in my garden..... what do you think??

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

~Joyce Kilmer, 1914

~ Things Sometimes Just Don't Go Right ~

2009-03-09T16:25:00.017+10:00

Since I am almost ready to assemble my Autumn Song sewing box, over the weekend I attempted the painting and crackle technique I need to do. After following the instructions carefully , I waited with baited breath for the crackle to happen.....zilch, zero, nothing!! So off to Spotlight I went to complain about the crackle medium, buy a different brand and a new box. I also attempted the antiquing of the fabric also without too much success. Oh dear!! It just wasn't happening. The antiquing required me to remove some of the colour from the fabric and then to over-dye it with a tan dye but it was a bit 'hit and miss' as to how long I needed to leave the fabric in the dye remover before I removed it and did the over-dyeing. I was afraid I might have ended up with no pattern left on my fabric so I think I removed it too early. Actually, the colour looked pretty nice when it was still wet but after it dried, it seemed a bit too orange.

Here are the 'before and after' photos.

Hhhmmmm, I have yet to decide what plan B will be!! I think the acorns which were in the before photos, quite obviously look like acorns, now tend to look a bit more like Christmas lights :-/ I still have half of the dye remover and tan dye left so might try again on another piece of fabric. I guess it is all a learning curve.

On a more positive note, my shadow continues to be well and really enjoyed his trip to the beach on Saturday.

These photos show that he does do more than just lie around the house which is what he always seems to be doing in the photos I show of him. LOL!! He loves the beach and gets so excited when he knows he is going.

We are on Cyclone alert here in Queensland at present with 'Tropical Cyclone Hamish' making his way south east. It has been downgraded to a category 4 which is still very strong and could potentially cause a lot of damage. We really hope it will blow out or head off out to sea before it reaches us here.

As always, thank you for visiting my blog. It is really special to receive your comments.

If a mistake is not a stepping stone, it is a mistake.

~Eli Siegel

~ Autumn, Beautiful Autumn ~

2009-03-01T10:27:00.019+10:00

You probably get the picture - Autumn along with Spring, are my two most favourite seasons. Not that here in the sub-tropics, we get a lot of the beautiful Autumnal colour changes that the cooler climates get, but it will eventually bring a reprieve from the high humidity and very hot temperatures that can be rather exhausting.

My current SAL project seems very appropriate ~ Blackbird Designs ~ Autumn Song. Sandra and I have both finished the box top stitching and Sandra has also finished the box band and has started on the pin cushion, while I am still lagging a little behind and still finishing the alphabet box band.

It is interesting seeing the subtle but noticeable differences in our two projects ~ Sandra's (bottom picture) is stitched on 32 ct even weave fabric with GAST threads and mine (top) is on 30ct Korty's Special Blend linen with WDW threads.

Although I have read over the instructions for assembling the sewing box several times, it is still not really becoming clear to me yet so I can see that being quite a challenge.

On a trip to Brisbane to see my two darling grand-daughters last week, I managed to finally stop off at a little Patchwork shop I had passed by on the way many times before, so this time I stopped off for a look. I picked up these three fat quarters and a pair of cute little floral scissors.

The fabrics are Blackbird Designs from the Harvest Home series and the other Cottage Charm is a sweet sampler design alphabet.

Ben, hasn't made an appearance for a while so here he is enjoying a treat the other day and sporting a little shaved patch on his arm after a trip to the vet for a check over and blood tests. Sadly, he recently gave us another scare when he had a second seizure. The first was last October, and it seems the diagnosis is epilepsy. This apparently, is quite a common thing in dogs and often occurs around Ben's age. (He turns four next month) For the present moment we have made the decision , with the approval from our vet, to watch and wait before making the very serious decision to put him on medication, which will be every twelve hours for his lifetime.

Ben also reminded me that I needed to say thank you to all who take the time to visit our blog and for leaving us comments which we love to receive.

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.
~ Emily Bronte

~ 'Lellow's' and Other Things ~

2009-02-19T16:22:00.007+10:00

What is a 'Lellow', I hear you ask?
Well let me tell you another little bird story about 'The Lellow's'.

We have been recently been entertained by Eastern Yellow Robins around the garden and we named them 'The Lellow's'. This name stems from our little 2 year 9 month granddaughter, darling little Miss Milly, who can talk like a book and can say words of four syllables, but can't yet get her tongue around the word 'yellow'. Well the 'Lellow's' became part of our daily life and we got huge joy from seeing them (a little couple) flying around our garden every day for must have been almost a month or more. We would always be saying to each other' there is 'Mr or Mrs Lellow' as we would watch them looking for insects and grubs. We had got used to their song and in the evenings would sometimes go out and call to them and sit and watch them in the garden. When we called them they would come up and cock their heads to one side to 'size us up' We knew they must have had a nest either in our garden or somewhere nearby but had never found it, however on Saturday, I heard them singing a beautiful chorus and flying around and around the garden but there were now four of them so I think it must have been the parents and their babies and time for them to leave and they were giving us their victory fly over to say their goodbyes. I don't know for sure if that was the case or not but they seem to have left the garden now and I am happy that another generation of birds has enjoyed the use of our garden and given us the pleasure of sharing in a small part of their lives.

You know the old saying ~ 'Good things come in small packages' well, this week proved that when a tiny package arrived in the mail for me from my DF Shirley. Let me show you what she sent me and it isn't even my birthday. How lucky am I!!!!!

This gorgeous stumpwork pansy fob measures only 2 inches square and the pansy is surrounded by delicate gold work and tiny amethyst crystal beads with a deeper purple bead in the centre.
Thank you very much Shirley, I will treasure my fob.

I have not been making a great deal of progress on the stitching front myself over the last week and am even a bit behind in my SAL with Sandra. I need to catch up soon so we can work on the assembly of the box together. Isn't the Internet a wonderful thing how it can bring us together through the enjoyment of our hobby, even although we are on opposite sides of the world.

"And there is pansies, that's for thoughts."

~ William Shakespeare

~ Bush Fires In Victoria ~

2009-02-09T08:38:00.003+10:00

Our nation grieves today for the people of Victoria and the tragic loss of lives, homes and animals the bushfires have caused. So far 106 lives and 750 homes. It is beyond belief and our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd has said 'hell's fury has been unleashed on Victoria'. I am just at a loss for words to convey the devastation these fires have caused. Our nation grieves for Victoria and please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers.

~ Autumn Song ~

2009-02-07T22:22:00.005+10:00

Here is our progress to date on our current SAL ~ Blackbird Designs Autumn Song. Sandra and I are stitching for three hours a week on this one and have just finished week 6.

Here is mine

and here is Sandra's

You can see Sandra has completed a little more in her time than what I have but that is fine. As we both agree, we are supposed to be 'enjoying the journey'.

We are both really enjoying this project and once the stitching is finished we then have the assembling to do which consists of painting the box and applying a crackle finish and lining it which could prove to be quite a challenge. I am also going to attempt to 'antique' my lining fabric which consists of removing the colour and then over-dyeing with tan fabric dye. Sounds interesting!! Watch this space LOL!!

Sandra has some beautiful photos in her album of recent snowfalls at her place on the other side of the world whilst here in Australia, some parts of the country are sweltering in temperatures in the 40's and other parts are having horrific floods. Isn't the weather crazy!!

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. "

~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

~ My Shadow, My Faithful Friend, My Ben ~

2009-01-30T18:02:00.001+10:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. "
~Gilda Radner

~ A Magic Carpet ride ?? ~

2009-01-16T09:19:00.022+10:00

I think my shadow thought so when not seconds after I had put the mat outside to air, he had found it and was looking at me as if to say...

'Thanks Mum, nice of you to put this here for me!!'

Gotta love it!!

We went to the movie 'Marley and Me' the other night. I have to say, I was apprehensive about going after having read the book and knowing how it ended. You could have heard a pin drop in the theatre and I don't think there would have been a dry eye in the place. I cried my eyes out just as I had done when reading the book. I was so glad to come home and be able to give my shadow an extra big cuddle.

I found this photo of him which captures him in full flight and shows his absolute love, enthusiasm and delight in going to the beach.

Yes, there has been a finish this week. Here is 'French Country Dog ', a chart Sandra gave me at Christmas.

I made it into a cushion for the little cane chair I have for my grand daughters. Now, I have two grand daughters, I will try and get another chair and I have another doggy chart in mind to stitch another cushion.
It is already SAL time again, my goodness the weeks are going fast already. better get onto my three hours stitching.

“A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, big or small, young or old. He doesn’t care if you’re not smart, not popular, not a good joke-teller, not the best athlete, nor the best-looking person. To your dog, you are the greatest, the smartest, the nicest human being who was ever born. You are his friend and protector.”

-Louis Sabin

~ Needleroll TLC ~

2009-01-12T15:04:00.008+10:00

Anyone who knows anything about Labradors, will know how they love to greet visitors with a 'gift'. For my shadow, the gift is usually a needleroll carefully plucked from the basket of needlerolls which I have on display. It is his way of saying 'welcome, here is something my mum has made for you'. Darling Ben, I am sorry to have to tell you this but no matter how glad we are to see our visitors, I really don't want you to give away my needlerolls. Anyway, after quite sometime of having to retrieve my needlerolls from my beloved shadow's mouth, I noticed some of 'our gifts' where becoming quite.....how shall I put it......grubby!!
I needed to take action and I guess since some of them had been in the basket for several years, a little TLC wasn't going to go astray.

Here are the de-stuffed, washed and out to dry needdlerolls.

A few days later, after being re-stuffed with all new stuffing, attention to their ribbons, and a basket make-over, here are the spruced up freshly smelling needlerolls posing nicely for a photo shoot.

Now to try and teach Ben to 'LEAVE'!!!

Sandra and I are into week 2 of our new SAL and are dedicating three hours stitching a week to it. These are our results so far.

Chrissie's

Sandra's

It is interesting seeing these too different versions, stitched on different fabrics with different threads, taking shape.

"No matter how little money and how few possessions, you own, having a dog makes you rich."

~Louis Sabin

~ A New Year - A New Look - A New Start ~

2009-01-01T13:42:00.006+10:00

Since we are into a new year, my Shadow and I thought we might start the year off with a new look to our blog.

The new year also brings a new stitching start. This year for our SAL, Sandra and I have decided instead of stitching ornaments, we are going to do some bigger projects which will obviously take us more time to complete. As we each have other projects we still wish to stitch , we have agreed to stitch a set amount of hours per week on our SAL and our first project is one from Blackbird Designs ~ Autumn Song

It is a Sewing Box and Pin cushion and one I have wanted to stitch for a long time. The box finishing is sounding a bit daunting but we are hopeful that with the encouragement from each other that we will be able to find our way around it. Watch this space :)

These were two little gifts bags I stitched as gifts for Christmas so I can now show them. They are from a Bareroots Especially For You gift bags. I really enjoyed stitching these and giving them 'an ageing'.

Well, I am off now to sit in the air conditioning and make a start on my Autumn Song. It is scorching here in Queensland..... wait while I check the thermometer outside.....37 degrees!!!!! Wheeeeew, that is hot.

My Shadow and I wish you a Happy New Year

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.

~Edgar Guest

~ You would have to agree ~

2008-12-30T17:35:00.016+10:00

You would certainly have to agree that I have the nicest stitching friends and I just couldn't wait to share with you how they have spoilt me this Christmas.

Dear Sandra and Mary, if you are reading this, it is giving me a chance to say thank you one more time for not only your beautiful gifts but your friendship that has grown out of our mutual love of stitching.

Look at this ....
Back in July, Sandra stitched me a bourse for my birthday and these precious little accessories she has stitched for me for Christmas, go with it. Now I have this beautiful set.

There is a pinkeep, needlebook and a tiny scissor fob which is stitched over one. My Gingher 'Lanell' scissors match this to perfection.

But wait....there is more!!!

Sandra knows I love tins and that I also love fairies and look what she sent me as well ...

Inside these tins was more treasure ~ shell buttons, GAST threads, a thread winder, and a dear little waxer which Sandra had made and is in the shape of an oak leaf. I also received a Cath Kidson carrybag :) Don't you just love those 'Bygone days' tins.

Now as if I wasn't spoit enough with that, look what my dear friend Mary has given me. The beautiful scissor holder she has stitched holds the pink breast cancer scissors of which part of the proceeds from every sale goes toward breast cancer education and research. I just love it and especially what it symbolises.

Mary also gave me a beautiful panel of the Twelve Days of Christmas (similar to the one shown in the photo) You quilt it and embellish it. On a trip to Toowoomba yesterday, I was lucky enough to stop by a beautiful shop called The Quilters Angel at Highfields and guess what I found. The perfect fabric to back and bind it and also a lovely hanger which fits it perfectly so I am all set Mary to hopefully have it ready for next Christmas. Here is a photo of the panel.

So you see what I mean when I say I have the nicest friends.

Ben and his 'bestest' friend Indy had a lovely Christmas too and here they are waiting to give the doggie biscuits their seal of approval.

Until next year..

True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable.

~Dave Tyson Gentry

~ Merry Christmas Dear Friends ~

2008-12-24T13:56:00.008+10:00

Warm Wishes from Ben & Chrissie

~ Yummy ~

2008-12-21T15:41:00.013+10:00

My Shadow is a dog of many talents. Not only does he model, as he showed you in our last post, he can also cook and yesterday, he supervised me in making this batch of delicious Canine Cookies which he will give to his doggy friends at Christmas.

The Ingredients

The Waiting

The Result

The Lab Test

The Finished Gift

Ben hopes Indy and Georgia like his Canine Cookies as much as he does.

Here is the recipe which Dr Harry shared on Better Homes and Gardens

Canine Cookies

2-3 cups parsley finely chopped

1/4 carrot finely chopped

1/4 cup grated .mozzarella cheese

2 T olive oil

2 and 3/4 cups wholemeal flour

2 T unprocessed bran flakes

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven 180C. Grease or line baking trays. Mix parsley, carrot, cheese and oil in a bowl. In another bowl, mix flour, bran and baking powder. Add parsley mix and stir well. Gradually add water and mix well add more if needed to make dough moist. Knead for 1 minute on a floured surface.

Roll out dough to 1cm thick. Using a small cookie cutter or glass cut out as many shapes as you can.

Bake for 20-30 mins. Remove from oven and leave on wire rack to cool. Biscuits will harden as they cool. Store in an airtight tin and dog proof container.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

~Norman Vincent Peale

~ Greeting Friends ~

2008-12-17T13:25:00.014+10:00

My Shadow and I had a photo shoot the other day and here are some shots of the result. He definitely 'works the camera' well don't you think :)

Greeting Friends

It's Christmas and time to greet you once more,

But what can I say that I've not said before

Except to repeat at this meaningful season

that I have a deep and significant reason

For sending this greeting to tell you today

How thankful I am that you passed my way.

~ A Year of Ornaments ~

2008-12-10T20:15:00.019+10:00

Well my year long SAL with Sandra is over. It has been a great experience and thank you Sandra for being a wonderful SAL partner. I am certain the assembly of some of our ornaments has at times been a tad 'trying' for us both and at times we have thought they were destined for 'the bin' but overall, I hope it has helped us learn and improve on our finishing skills. I know I am pretty happy with my finished results and now have 12 ornaments that I wouldn't have had otherwise and without the encouragement from Sandra.

So here are our year long efforts....
These are our five With My Needle designs which make up a nice little needlework set

My version with the background fabric shown as used for the lining

Sandra's version

and the other seven of my versions...

and Sandra's full set...

I have another couple of finishes to show as well. this is from the 2008 JCS Christmas book and is from Blackbird Designs...

and this, my Blackbird Designs 'Pins and Tulip Pincushion' from the Thank You Sarah Tobias book.

so I really have been doing the odd stitch or two :) and now it is time for me to get back to the baby sampler I am stitching for my darling little No 2 grand daughter. Hopefully, I will be able to show you this in the new year.

Until next time.

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

~Mother Teresa

~ A New Month, A New Season ~

2008-12-02T08:09:00.029+10:00

How quickly December has come around. Everyone I speak to seems to says the same thing. The year has just flown by. I wonder if you are like me and remember back to when you were a child and what a long time it seemed to be from one Christmas until the next.

I recently caught up with my DF Shirley, who was visiting from NZ and we spent a couple of lovely days together. Shirley shares my enthusiasm for stitching and crafts and we managed to fit in a visit to this beautiful shop on the Gold Coast Laraine's on Capri

Shirley gave me this lovely gift she had made.

It is a cute angel cushion and a scissor case, red scissors and the cutest little beaded 'humbug' scissor fob. Thank you Shirley :)

Speaking of dear friends, my long-time DF Wendy, also from New Zealand, sent me these photos of her recently completed Christmas stitching. This gorgeous Advent Calendar is quilted and embellished with sequins and beads....

and this beautiful stocking is quilted and beaded. Aren't they great.

Well done Wendy!!!

I have been quietly working on a few bits and pieces for gifts but still won't be able to show you until they have been received.

Lastly, I must show you a very special picture of three little fairies I found in the bottom of my garden they other day. Don't they make a beautiful picture :))) Three very special people in my life ~

"And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know. There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through their busy day. So listen, touch, and look around - in the air and on the ground. And if you watch all nature's things, you might just see a fairy's wing."
~Author Unknown

~ And Finally...

2008-11-23T18:01:00.024+10:00

after really lagging behind this month, I have finished my November onrnament in my SAL with Sandra. This month we stitched the With My Needle pin keep from the JCS Ornament 2006 book and it is the 4th in a series of five designs from this designer. Next month is our last ornament and will be the 5th and last one in the series. I just can't believe how quickly this year has passed and it seemed no time since Sandra and I started our little stitch-along.

Here is Sandra's version ...

and my version ...

I have finished something else which is for a Christmas gift so I can't show that as yet. Another little gift I have finished recently is this little pincushion. You may remember the three gorgeous pincushions I received as a gift from my DF Mary back in July. Well this is a similar one I made for my friend, Shirley.

It was fun to make.
Apart from these bits and pieces, progress has been a bit slow on any other WIP's this month. Oh well, there is always next month.
I recently received my lastest pair of Ginghers which are called Sarah. Of course I had to have these as my first Labrador was called Sarah. She was a very beautiful girl and we had her from the age of 10 weeks until she went to Rainbow Bridge at the age of 15 and a quarter. She grew up with the children and was a very special part of our family. "Run free sweet Sarah"

I can't remember where I first saw this picture but look at these little darlings. Too cute but I really hope they were there only for a split second to get the photo and someone underneath to protect them!!!!

~ Empty Nest Syndrome ~

2008-11-09T09:53:00.019+10:00

Well, they have flown the nest and boy was it scary. Not just for the babies but for DH and I as their 'birdie grans'.

Yesterday, I just happened to see them both sitting on a branch at the top of the nest and couldn't believe my eyes as the day before they were still inside the nest albeit getting rather big to fit. DH and I just watched as they both preened their little feathers and kind of fluttered and flapped in the tree getting further away from the nest. One went but I didn't see him leave and then the other little one was left and started crying. It was heart wrenching as he cried and cried and so did I :(( He tried flapping and fluttering but just didn't have the courage or strength to take off. DH and I were getting quite distraught too and couldn't do anything although instinctively you just want to help. Mumma bird came back and was flying back and forth and I think trying to encourage her little one to take off. Finally after a very long time he kind of fluttered and hopped with Mumma encouraging and staying close by and fluttered part way around the garden all the while with DH and I watching in trepidation.

Amazingly, I found No1 birdie sitting in a tree nearby but he seemed to be the stronger of the two and appeared quite happy but no 2 was still causing us concern and I think by this stage was just exhausted and spent the afternoon in a bush with Mumma fluttering around close by. I was concerned as to whether she would continue to feed him now he was away from the nest but Sandra, you were right. She has continued to be close by and we are happy to report this morning have heard and seen baby with Mumma still nearby. We worry about the neigbouring cats and predators but now the littlies who we have become quite attached to are out in the big, scary, real world and there really is nothing we can do.

Hope you make it little ones and have a long, safe and happy life. Every time we see one of that particular honey eater now in our garden, we will be wondering if it is one of 'our birds' :)

PS We will leave the nest there for you just in case you feel inclined to come back to use it again and thanks for sharing this wonderful experience with us .

Not a lot I can show you this week in the stitching department but I am quietly working away in the background on a few bits and pieces. My SAL with Sandra this month is not making much progress but I must get onto it as Sandra already has her version stitched and probably assembled by now as well.

There is an oldie that I still love and is quite appropriate I think given my 'birdie' post today.

It is Prairie Schooler "Prairie Garden"'

My Shadow, thankfully continues to be in good health without any further seizures. Here is the handsome fellow today :)))))

I had seen this gorgeous picture a long time ago somewhere but came across it again today on the Legacy Embroiderers board. You may have already seen it but isn't it just so special !!

That little boy looks a lot lot my little boy......well, he is 34 now but when he was little:))) I just love that.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the
flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is
come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.
~ Solomon

Until next time.....

OH MY GOODNESS!!

I have to edit my last post to add some good news!!

We have just been out to take a look at the little one and lo and behold.....both babies are side by side in the tree!! How wonderful is that. About 20 metres away from their nest. All is quiet now and No2 is happy to be joined with his nestmate.

~ This and That ~

2008-11-01T09:53:00.016+10:00

The babies continue to grow but are causing us some concern as the nest seems to have tipped on an angle and we are unsure what to do. We are concerned for the safety of the little ones but fear if we start to intervene by trying to adjust it, Mrs Bird may not like the fact that we have handled things. What to do ?? Such a dilemma. I know that in nature this is what happens but we are concerned about predators and also the fact that the babies might fall out!! We did manange to get a photo this week and although a bit hard to see, here they are...

Well....we decided rightly or wrongly we had to do something as the babies were on the verge of toppling right out. DH tied the nest up and poor Mrs B was quite frantic and let it be known but we couldn't let anything happen. The babies are quite vocal now ~ well tiny, tiny little chirping is coming from the nest and I can just see two little beaks wide open waiting for mumma to come back to feed them. It is really hot here today so hope they don't get too hot out there. Oh dear, this really is quite nerve wrecking.

I can now show you my finish that I spoke about in my last entry. It was a gift for my dear friend Mary's birthday which is today and I know she has now received it. I didn't want to show you in case Mary happened to drop by my blog and see it.
Anyway, "Happy Birthday Mary" and hope you are having a lovely day.

I stitched an Indigo Rose design ~ Mary's Pin Pillow for her which I thought was appropriate because of the name. I changed the colours from the original design and stitched it with Thread Gatherer and Gloriana Threads both called by the same name ~ Dried Roses. I love that name as it seems to just perfectly describe the colour.

This week the posty brought me something nice too. My new Gingher's arrived. I now have Roberta design added to my collection which brings the total of my Ginghers to eleven pairs.

My beautiful shadow is here at my feet as I write today and is more special and loved than ever (if that is at all possible) after giving us a very scary experience the other night. I won't go into detail as I find it really hard but he gave us a big scare and although the vet suggested a 'wait and watch' approach, it seems he may have had an epileptic seizure. We have found out it is quite a common thing in dogs and we hope this might have just been an isolated incident.

"Love you big boy"

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."

~Anonymous

~ Congratulations Mrs Bird ~

2008-10-27T19:12:00.015+10:00

We have babies. I suspected yesterday we might have but today I can actually see them and hear tiny chirping. I wish I could show you photos but I haven't been able to get a good photo and don't want to disturb her. I know she is a honeyeater but there are many types of honeyeaters and I am not certain what type she is but I do love how has shared this wonderful act of nature with me and I have spent a lot of time watching her sit on her eggs and now tending her babies. I love how the gentle breeze rocks the nest and it reminds me of a baby in a cradle. Very cute. Thank you Mrs Bird :)

Recently, I was very lucky to have received this gorgeous scissor keeper and fob from a very talented lady who creates the most beautiful works of art. You can see her beautiful work here.
Just Lilla ~ Lilla lives in Hawaii and makes all kinds of beautiful vintage works using gorgeous velvets, silks and lace. I really just love that Olde Worlde look. What a gift to be able to create like that. Thank you so much Lilla.

I have been stitching but am not able to show you my recent finish yet. Next time though.

To me, the garden is a doorway to other worlds; one of them, of course, is the world of birds. The garden is their dinner table, bursting with bugs and worms and succulent berries.
~ Anne Raver

~ The Joys of Nature ~

2008-10-17T15:11:00.012+10:00

Early this week whilst DH and I were walking around our garden, we inadvertently disturbed a little bird which flew out of one of the trees. On closer inspection, we discovered a nest. I was really concerned that we may have frightened the resident away and she might not return but later I discovered I could actually see her nest from right inside my house and sure enough she returned.

Now back in August, I remember writing in my blog about a little bird that on two occasions had visited me right outside my sewing room in that same tree. Now, I don't know if this is the very same little bird but I like to think it might be and that she had been checking me out to see if I would be a suitable neighbour. Well, I am sticking to my theory, she must have been happy about me being a neighbour and has returned to build her nest there and now I can watch her sitting on her eggs. I am totally addicted to watching her and find myself checking on her several times a day. She looks so cute with her little black head poking up one side of the nest and her tail stitcking out the other side. Her nest is like a deep basket. She takes lots of 'tea/toilet' breaks from sitting on the eggs but always returns to keep them warm. I can't wait to see/hear when her eggs are hatched and will be delighted to have babies right outside my window.
Okay, now I know you are going to think I have totally lost it but I have a confession to make. I play music for her at nights so she has something nice to listen to and I also talk to my plants :)) I was really concerned about her the other night when we had a storm with thunder, lightening and heavy rain but she was fine the next morning. I am unsure what type of bird she is but I am really enjoying watching her dedication to the task she is performing.

This beautiful picture is one which Dawn, from appropriately, "The Feathered Nest" has shared on her blog. Thank you Dawn.

"Poor indeed is the garden in which birds find no homes".
~Abram L. Urban

~ Playing Hugo and Felix's Game ~

2008-10-15T09:16:00.012+10:00

One of the blogs on my favourite list is Lynette Anderson Designs where I love to visit to see what her beautiful fur babies Hugo and Felix have been up to as well as seeing Lynette's beautiful creations.

Hugo and Felix have come up with this little idea and what they are asking us to do is to show on our blogs any of Lynette's designs that we have stitched, and then leave a comment on her blog with a link so her readers can see them. So here are some of my Lynette Anderson Designs finishes....

Ooop!! 'My Shadow', Ben, just snuck in there too so he could send a woof to Hugo:))

Off to leave a comment on Lynette's blog.

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

2008-10-11T19:07:00.010+10:00

No partridges to be seen here though.

Here are our ornaments from our stitch~along this month. Little House Needleworks ~ Pear Tree from Just Cross Stitch Christmas book 2006.

I love the original way in which Sandra has chosen to finish her version.

and here is mine....

I copied how it had been finished in the book

I am working on a couple of little gifts at present but can't show you for a while yet.

"Love is the thread that binds us. "

~Author Unknown

~ A Nice Find ~

2008-10-04T12:05:00.020+10:00

Don't you love it when you are not really looking for anything in particular and out of nowhere you spot something that really takes your eye. That sometimes happens to me when I am shoppping in my local Spotlight store. It often isn't much ~ can be just a nice tin or something like that but I did spot this recently and just had to have it.

I love this little sewing case. It isn't serving any purpose other than just looking pretty sitting on display :)

Nothing much to report about on the stitching front. I have been having a few 'false starts' on a little project I am working on for a gift. I have already made three attempts and am still not happy so Plan D is about to happen after I have finished posting this blog entry.
Sandra and I have our October stitch-along ornament to do as well so I am going to have to put my head down and get on with things as I haven't made a start on mine as yet although I know Sandra has started hers. I am usually lagging behind :)

Ben asked me to post this picture to show you his special Guide Dog blankie. No, he is not a guide dog ~ but we like to support Guide Dogs and when I saw this blankie I thought it would suit him perfectly. Only problem is, when it is on his bed, I sometimes have to look twice to see if it is actually him sleeping in it or just the pictures of the lovely puppies on the blankie :)

~These Things Take Time~

2008-09-27T12:26:00.013+10:00

But I do think almost 7 years is a bit ridiculous, don't you!!!!

I was planning to stitch this for my 30th wedding anniversary and now, almost seven years on, here it is all framed and looking pretty. Well at least it hasn't been a WIP all that time ~ I did finish it but it sat in a drawer for all those years until I recently had it framed. I took it out and thought, it really was pretty and did deserve a place on the wall.
Anyway, here it is, Shepherd's Bush "Twined Hearts" now happily framed and hanging up. These things indeed do sometimes take time but are worth waiting for!!! DH likes it too :)

"You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by."
~James Matthew Barrie

~ Sharing My Joy with You ~

2008-09-19T21:52:00.027+10:00

Today, I became a Nana for the second time.

My darling little Milly became a 'big sister' today to baby Brenna Imogen. Here she is with her Daddy (DS) and our precious new bundle of joy. I know Milly will be a wonderful big sister to her new baby sister.

Welcome to the family my precious Grand daughter and blessings to the happy family.

"One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather. "
~Joy Hargrove

~Teensy Tiny Finish~

2008-09-11T13:27:00.024+10:00

Here is the ninth finish in my stitch~along with Sandra. It is With My Needle Scissor fob and is part of a little series of accessories from this designer which came out in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament books. This is from the 2006 book. It matches the Stitchers Needleworker's Pocket and Needlebook we stitched earlier on. We have another two to go which from memory I think are the Scissor Sheath and Pinkeep. It will be nice to have a little set of matching accessories.

This is my version...

As you can see, the bunnies are very interested :)

This is really tiny and only measures one and a quarter inches square so to give it some weight, I put an Australian 10 cent coin inside and Sandra put an English penny in hers.

Here is Sandra's version...

"Don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

- Beatrix Potter, (1866 - 1943) English author "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"

~ Acts of Kindness ~

2008-09-08T17:04:00.042+10:00

Let me tell you about a kind act shown to me recently.

I was reading one of my favourite blogs ~The Feathered Nest~ where Dawn mentioned about the lovely gift she had received all the way from Australia from Christina of Rustic Tarts and shown in her photos was some beautiful twill tape printed with the word 'Vintage'. I just loved it and I thought maybe I might be able to purchase some too if I knew where to buy it. So I sent an email to Christina asking if she would mind letting me know where it could be purchased and look what I received in the mail ~

~ isn't it beautiful. Not only has she so generously sent me ~ someone she doesn't even know ~ the lovely tape, she has also sent me this gorgeous vintage card and buttons. I just love it. Thank you so much Christina for your kindness.

I have a couple of little finishes to show you. "Two Pinkeeps" is a chart from The Goode Huswife

I am almost finished my September ornament in my stitch-along with Sandra and after several 'changes of mind' I think I am finally starting to get my baby sampler colours together.

I left this out in the hope that the birds might have liked to use it in their nests courtesy of 'my shadow' but so far, there has been no takers.

Oh well, Ben has been very generously shedding lots of it ~ just in case they might like some.

"The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing birds is come"

~Strawberry Blonde~

2008-08-29T13:30:00.022+10:00

She took me around 8 months to finish (I am a slow stitcher) but here she is ~ Carriage House Samplings Strawberry Blonde.

My stitching has been a bit erratic over recent times and I feel I am just marking time until I can become satisfied with my choice of threads for my baby sampler.
September will mean a new start on my stitch-along with Sandra and this month we are doing another part of the With My Needle ornament set. That will be our 3rd piece from this set and our 9th ornament for the year. I will be sorry when we have finished our year stitch-along but we are already planning something else for next year.

My shadow was giving a 'what do you want' kind of a look when DH was trying to take a photo of him earlier today. He has had a nice walk this afternoon along the river so he is a happy boy.

I decided I would like a slight change to the look of my blog and thanks to some help from Karen
I have been able to achieve this. Hope you like my new look and thanks so much Karen.

"We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment"
~George Eliot

A new addition to ~~~~~

2008-08-22T09:18:00.014+10:00

my ~~flock of birds~~

I stitched this little freebie design and made it into a drawer/door hanger.

I like the monochrome look of the ecru thread on the darker linen.

This is just a little 'aside stitch' that I have finished whilst I am dithering over some colour changes I am planning to make on the baby sampler I am stitching for our new grandchild who we are going to be welcoming to our family next month. I hope I will get some inspirations for my colour soon, as sometimes I find these things just come to you and other times, it just takes time. I have also started another little quick stitch that I can hopefully show you soon.

I love wrapping gifts and try and bring a little creativity to my wrapping and tomorrow being my DD's birthday, I have really enjoyed making her a card and wrapping her gift trying to follow a theme. I hope she likes it.

Y Wishing You Everything Wonderful Dear Daughter Y

"To Have a Daughter is to Know a Special Kind of Love"

A Flock of Birds

2008-08-15T14:38:00.018+10:00

Birds seem to have been featuring a lot in my stitching of late. This afternoon I have just finished my August SAL with Sandra. This month we stitched the La D Da Snowbird from the 2004 Just Cross Stitch Christmas book.
He makes a nice little companion piece to our Christmas Cardinal which is also a La D Da design and which we stitched earlier in the year. These little fellows are really small and only measure around 4 inches from nose to tail. I stitched mine double-sided and Sandra backed hers with black silk.

Here is Sandra's version....

Recently, I stitched another bird from the same book ~ Blackbird Designs. Sandra, had stitched this one some time ago and I always loved it so I wanted to stitch him as well.
Speaking of birds, we have been seeing some lovely birds in our garden recently. I spotted a gorgeous little tiny bright scarlet one feeding in the grevillia and think he is a red headed or red breasted honey eater. He came back for several days and I found myself looking out for him and got the binoculars out for a closer look. I had another little visitor visit the tree right outside my sewing room window on a couple of occasions. So nice of him to come to sing me a little song. We do have some beautiful coloured birds here in Australia.

I am happy to have finally finished my CHS Strawberry Blonde which also features a bird, and is now off to the framers so I look forward to showing you that soon:)

My beautiful shadow, who is never far from my sight, was grabbing a few rays this afternoon whilst I was taking these photos. It has been such a beautiful winters' day. Spring is just around the corner.

I value my garden more for being full of blackbirds than of cherries, and very frankly give them fruit for their songs.

~Joseph Addison, The Spectator, 1712

~Spring is in the Air~

2008-08-04T11:03:00.017+10:00

.....well it seems Ben thinks so anyway! Anyone who has had anything to do with Labradors will know that they are constantly shedding their coats. Yesterday, whilst my son and I were sitting outside and he was patting Ben, we were amazed at the amount of hair that was brushing off him. He is really 'blowing his coat'. DS, who has always been one to come up with 'great innovative ideas', (perhaps that is why his job is in advertising), suggested we could go into business making these....

Doggie Toupees

We thought we should call this version "The Comb-over"
and this.

... 'The Quiff '

We even can do a version for those dogs wanting a complete change of look....

Thank you to Ben and Indy, the two beautiful models who took part in this. They take their job very seriously, don't you think. (especially when being distracted with food :) I am really hoping though, that if Ben continues to loose his hair as he was yesterday, that he WON'T be needing one of these :))

On the stitching front, not a lot to show just yet. My Strawberry Blonde, 'long-time WIP' is slowly progressing but an end is in sight. Should be able to show you our SAL August ornament soon. I can show you this little pair though. I made these cute little primitive Chickadees a while ago.

They are from an E-pattern which I downloaded from here

Son, you outgrew my lap, but never my heart.

~Author Unknown

Sarah 1986 ~ 2001

2008-07-29T14:25:00.010+10:00

Our Faithful Friend

You were the start of our love affair with Labrador Retrievers. Thank you 'Our Special Ginger Friend' for over 15 years of being such a special part of our family. We remember you with much love and you will always hold a special place in our hearts.

~A Wonderful Day~

2008-07-27T16:36:00.033+10:00

Yesterday, was my birthday and I had such a beautiful day. The kind that was really perfect for me and that is one spent with my family. My dear family and friends made me feel so special and blessed and I had two wonderful gifts that I want to tell you about, sent to me from two of my dearest stitching friends. I have so much to show you. Look at these wonderful gifts....

Thank you Sandra for my beautiful bourse.

The inside is stitched with a design that Sandra has matched perfectly to the fabric she has chosen for the outside of the bourse and the buttons match so well as does the little fabric envelope she has made to hold a dear little card. So much thought has gone into it and as with all of Sandra's stitching, it is just perfect.

Along with my bourse, Sandra also sent me all these other wonderful treasures, seven beautiful GAST threads, silk ribbons, fabulous William Morris charm squares, a Whitman's Sampler tin and a little acorn waxer which she made herself and look at her perfect choice of card :)

Thank you so much Sandra.
Now as if I wasn't spoilt enough with all those beautiful things, another of my dear friends, Mary, sent me this exciting gift.
Isn't this just beautiful! It is a holder for a Clover cutter and is stitched on dupion silk with tiny bullion knots and satin stitched leaves. So tiny and delicate. It is edged with beads and hangs from a silk ribbon. The back has been stitched with my initials.And there is more......
Look at what else I received. Beautiful notecards and envelopes personalised with my name and with a photo of a person's hands stitching, and a darling little tin filled with chocolates and in the shape of a tiny suitcase. The other little thing I hope you can see in the photo is something I will find most useful. It is a handy little gadget for counting out the threads on your fabric. It is two needles attached together with a twisted cord and held by a pretty bead. You poke one needle into where you start to count use the other needle to count over the threads. What a great idea.
Remember I mentioned in a previous blog post about Mary making cards, well once again I have been the lucky recipient of one of them.

My photo doesn't do it justice but it is so pretty with the most delightful verse.
Thank you so much Sandra and Mary. Your friendship and creative gifts will be treasured always.
Speaking of handmade cards, I want to show you another card I received from my beautiful daughter.

Samantha made me this card for my birthday. She has written the most amazing words inside that brought me to tears. So very, very special and from her heart. I have always kept the cards my three children have made for me right from their kindergarten days and they are SO special to me and this one is just beautiful. 'Thank you Sam for being not only a beautiful daughter but also a wonderful friend.'

"Flutter by butterfly
Floating flower in the sky
Kiss me with your petal wings
Whisper secrets, tell of spring."

.....The words from Mary's card

I Haven't Been Idle

2008-07-21T12:50:00.026+10:00

Although it might seem as though I have, but no, I have been quietly working away on one or two little things. Our ornament for July in my stitch-along with Sandra was from With My Needle "Christmas Swan Needlebook" and is the second one we have stitched in a series of ornaments from this designer. They match our "Needleworker's Pocket" that we did back in May.

Here is my version...

And Sandra's version...

Even although this is quite a small design, it is amazing how much time is involved in the assembly. Small is often fiddly and I found this little one quite fiddly and after a few silly mistakes on my part, I am happy with how it ended up.

The tin is starting to look quite full.

I also finished another little ornament but I will save that one to show you another time.

Yesterday, I needed to go to get some things from my local Spotlight store and found these lovely little tins which of course I couldn't resist.

Could you blame me!!

The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary.

~Mary Kurtz

Dear Friendships

2008-06-28T09:30:00.020+10:00

Recently, I was so happy to catch up with a dear friend I made through our love of stitching. Mary lives in Melbourne and we were fortunate to cross paths via the Internet several years ago and have since met on a few occassions and keep in contact via emails. Mary turns her hand to all manner of crafts. Not only does she do the most beautiful stitching she also makes gorgeous cards in which she writes so nicely. Whilst holidaying here with her family it was so good to catch up again and spend a lovely day doing the things stitchers love to do ~ visit stitching stores, talk stitching, have show and tell and exchange gifts. Mary gave me the most wonderful gift that I have to show you. I wish I could show you how beautifully wrapped it was but sadly I never had my camera with me and of course couldn't wait to open it. Look at these ....

yes ~ not one but three of the prettiest pincushions you could imagine. One thing I can tell you is they will not be having pins poked into them. They are just far too pretty for that.

Now, picture these beauties all individually wrapped in tissue paper with their pretty little flowers heads poking out like little cupcakes and tied with pink ribbon in side this gorgeous tin along with four other individually wrapped gifts which were these other wonderful tins.

There were also two of the sweetest little magnets in the shape of little chocolates and look at the card handmade by Mary as well. All the wrapping matched the colour of the card. Thank you SO much dear Mary for the thoughtful and beautiful gift and for the lovely time I spent with you.

Some paint lovely pictures, Others write good books,
Some make peaceful gardens, Others are fine cooks,
But the talent that endureth, That matters in the end,
Is the tenderness and caring That makes a faithful friend.

~ Jean Harris Quoted in Francis Gay's Friendship book 1994

Small Finishes and a Little Stash

2008-06-22T19:11:00.054+10:00

It is now safely in the tin along with it's other five predecessors. Six down ~ six to go!! Here are our two versions for June. Brightneedle ~ To Thee Peace from 2003 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Book.
Sandra stitched her version over one......

and me ~ well, guess who didn't read the instructions correctly and stitched hers over two!! The fabric shown behind our stockings is what we backed them with.

Oh well, it makes it interesting and different to say the least :)

My other little finish is this heart door/drawer hanger, a gift for my friend Mary.
It is taken from one of the blocks of Shepherd Bush Wandering Vine.

After recently enjoying a couple of Stacy Nash Primitive Designs finishes, decided it was time for some new Stacy stash. This lovely raw linen, four fat quarters with a very country feel and these charts arrived the other day so I look forward to a new Stacy start soon.

I have been trying to get a little more done on my CHS Strawberry Blonde before making a new start just so it doesn't feel neglected.

My shadow reminded me that he hadn't made an appearance recently so I thought I better show you another photo of him so here is the lazy thing lying at the top of the stairs the other day looking very sleepy :)

"Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when there is a stranger about, but it is an expression of unmitigated joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning." ~Norman Strung

I can now reveal......

2008-06-13T11:14:00.019+10:00

something I had been working on for a little while but couldn't show you as it was a gift for my friend Sandra's birthday which was yesterday. Sandra and I have never met as yet but have become great friends or as I call it 'email buddies'. It is lovely to have a friend who shares the same enthusiasm and love of stitching as I do and although we are on different sides of the world the Internet has made it easy to develop a lovely friendship and hopefully next year we may be able to meet in person.

Here is what I stitched for Sandra.....

It is part of a Carriage House Samplings chart called The Song They Sang and I made it into a biscornu. It is stitched with NPI Silks and I added the tassels and beads.

I am still working on my June ornament and Sandra has hers all finished and looking beautiful. You can see it in her album. My Strawberry Blonde has taken a back seat over recent times and I am feeling a tad guilty so it might get an airing soon and have a few more stitches added. I have also been working on another small gift for a lovely friend as well so I should be able to show you that soon. Just have to assemble it.

“It was early, early in the spring
The birds did whistle and sweetly sing
Changing their notes from tree to tree,
The song they sang they sang for me.”

Scissors

2008-06-07T13:17:00.034+10:00

I have a small but growing collection of Gingher Designer 4 inch scissors.

Penelope is my oldest pair and Freedom my newest. I definitely prefer some pairs to others and I would say my favourites are probably Penelope, Lanell, Ashley and my second newest pair, Emma.
I can't wait for Roberta be released around September. As well as these designer series, I have a black oxide pair that I use in my stitching. I don't normally use my designer ones but do use them when I need to cut something with precision such as the bottom of tassels as it can be difficult to get them straight and the Ginghers are VERY sharp. I wish I had some of the older designs but don't think they will become part of my collection now as they go for very high prices. I really would like to add Julia though as they are very pretty.

Indy is my daughter's little dog. She got her from the Refuge a few months back and she she was two on Thursday. She got her beautiful new bed for her birthday so brought it over to show Ben and stayed for a sleepover. At night, I take off Ben's collar and I tell him he is getting his 'jamies' on, so here he is in his 'jamies'.

Don't these partners in crime just look a picture of innocence and as if 'butter wouldn't melt in their mouths'. Looks can be deceiving!!

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms"

~George Eliot

Just Me and My Shadow

~ Isn't this just the CUTEST thing ~

H E L P !!!

Blog disasters!!

~This & That ~

~ Doctor Ben ~

Advice From A Tree - Ilan Shamir, music by Bernward Koch

~ Dog Show ~

~ Birthday Boy ~

~ Real or Not? ~

~ If the Shoe Fits ~

~ Just This and That ~

~ Beautiful Autumn ~

~ My heart breaks ~

:) Happy Australia Day :)

~ Our Hearts Go Out ~

~ And a Happy New Year ~

~ Happy Christmas Dear Friends ~

~ What a naughty blogger ~

~ Something Old and Something Even Older ~

~ Knock, Knock...Anybody There? ~

~ Anybody seen my Blogging Mojo?? ~

Yoo Hoo!!

~ Trusting Eyes ~

~ Hello Again ~

~ More Framing ~

~ Sweet Baby Sampler ~

~ Another SAL Finish ~

~ Pouch Pixies ~

~ Remember this?? ~

~ A New Finish ~

~ Special Times ~

~Hello, It's Me, ~

~ Christmas in July?? ~

~ Spot the Difference ~

~ Ta Da.... 'La D Da' ~

~ We Have Finished ~

~Monday, Beautiful Monday ~

~Monday, Beautiful Monday ~

~ Is it just me? ~

~ Not quite cupcakes!! ~

~ Not Much Stitching ~

~ Nina's Giveaway ~

~ Happy Birthday to You...... ~

~ Beautiful One Day ~

~ Ta Da ~

~ Things Sometimes Just Don't Go Right ~

~ Autumn, Beautiful Autumn ~

~ 'Lellow's' and Other Things ~

~ Bush Fires In Victoria ~

~ Autumn Song ~

~ My Shadow, My Faithful Friend, My Ben ~

~ A Magic Carpet ride ?? ~

~ Needleroll TLC ~

~ A New Year - A New Look - A New Start ~

~ You would have to agree ~

~ Merry Christmas Dear Friends ~

~ Yummy ~

~ Greeting Friends ~

~ A Year of Ornaments ~

~ A New Month, A New Season ~

~ And Finally...

~ Empty Nest Syndrome ~

~ This and That ~

~ Congratulations Mrs Bird ~

~ The Joys of Nature ~

~ Playing Hugo and Felix's Game ~

And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

~ A Nice Find ~

~These Things Take Time~

~ Sharing My Joy with You ~

~Teensy Tiny Finish~

~ Acts of Kindness ~

~Strawberry Blonde~

A new addition to ~~~~~

~~A Flock of Birds~~

~Spring is in the Air~

Sarah 1986 ~ 2001

~A Wonderful Day~

I Haven't Been Idle

A Flock of Birds