Valentine give-away -Love bug ............

Love Bug Needle Keeper.

Everyone's a winner in my valentive give-away.

Would you like the pattern and instructions on how to make my love bug needle keeper?

All you have to do is leave a comment to this post together with your email and I will email you back the full pattern and instructions. This is an easy pattern but makes a great gift for your loved ones who enjoy sewing or someone who just needs a place to keep those extra needles.

This Valentine give-away will run until Saturday 14th February.

Myrtle tree

I love the Australian myrtle tree, the fruit and flowers are so attractive. These trees grow to a fair size but can be kept as a hedge or topiary as I have done here in the picture. I have two of these in lovely old large pots. The fruit is slightly bitter to taste but can be made into a lovely jam. The pompom flowers are great for displaying in a large vase.

Do you ever..............

get the feeling that you just need to create a particular piece -- you know that feeling that won't go away until you do it! Well while working on my valentine theme, "Love is filled with summer sweetness", a theme of hearts and summer ripened strawberries, I just got the urge to create a cushion, using mixed media. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to create, but not the final vision until I was paging through a magazine and saw this strawberry cheesecake. I knew straight away that it had to be in my cushion and so "Pleasure in Progress" was created. I had such fun putting this together.

Have a Break

This year I had decided to make all my gifts for friends and family, from the gift itself to the wrapping and cards. I know its an ambitious thought especially as the year wears on, but I am going to try my hardest to keep it up.

Here is my first gift, its for a friend who loves anything small, adores cats and loves the natural back to basic, earthy look.

The gift is four tiny hand made pottery dishes, ideal as individual butter/sauce/relish/pate dishes. For the wrapping, I took a piece of old hessian and roughly sewed it with old jute to make a sack, gathering up the top to tie. the card is made from plaid cotton fabric on the front and dark check tapestry on the back. I broke a small frame in half, and aged it with burnt umber oil paint. (the broken frame went with the saying.) I cut "Have a whale of a break" out from a magazine, and added this around the frame. (My dear friend 's life is always so hectic) Inside I put a picture of a sleeping cat and added the words "Eight more lives". I finished off the front with two vintage press studs and burnt umber here and there to age.

At the back of the card I added a gift voucher from my shoppe.

I have so enjoyed putting this together, now to start on the next one!

Granny's Cottage Shoppe

Will have an Valentine Open House on Thursday 12th February.

Pop over to my other blog, Granny's Cottage Shoppe to read more about it..

Garden corners

Its been a while since I posted, computor was down but all back to normal now!

Today I spent a wonderful time with a friend who is a keen and expert gardener. I so wanted to do up the area around my Granny's Cottage Shoppe but didn't know what to do, so ~Judy and I spent a morning scouring the nurseries for just the right plants.

We came home with a truck full of glorious colours and spent most of the afternoon preparing pots and planting. Still lots of work to do but at least a start was made.

Here are two corners, my quiet corner and my colourful trough. All my pot planters have been standing empty for over 30 years and have matured just perfectly with moss and natural ageing, the look I so love!

Meandering

Happy New Year and the best for 2009!

My daughter, Jayne, a friend Judy and I spent the last day of 2008 meandering through our midlands, gentle valleys and rolling hills with beautiful places and shops to see and delightful spots to replenish the body.

Above is a photo of Culamoya Chimes, a magical place to fill the mind and soul with its beauty and sounds.

If you would like to enjoy with us some of the lovely places we visited here is the link to our meandering.

Thirty Two years back...............

Yesterday my daughter and I went off to our marine world, USharka Land, at the beach front.

It was a beautiful day full of memories. We were both very emotional at the Dolphin show as Gambit , a 36 year old dolphin was the first to entertain us. This very same dolphin, together with his late partner, Purdey, took my daughter around the pool in a boat as a treat for her 4th birthday, 32 years ago. It was just so emotional to see this beautiful creature as we had both not been to the show again since that day. To add to this wonderful day, one could have a photo taken with the dolphins and I asked, after telling the organizers our story if we could have Gambit out but they were apologetic and said it would be the younger dolphins. Anyhow my daughter went along to be photographed and low and behold it was Gambit who came out. My daughter just burst into tears. Gambit is now a proud grandfather and father of five.

Dreams Do Come True

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

Walt Disney

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

Gloria Steinem

"Nothing happens unless first a dream."

Carl Sandburg

I am always dreaming of things - things to do, things to create, things to acquire, things to say.

My mind is a constant buzz of ideas, I know many of the things I dream of will never come true, but many do and so I dream on.

Here is a little sampler I created a while back and would like to share with you. Done in basic stitches, add a star charm, its easy to make up, frame and give to a friend as a gift.

Berry Smoothie -Christmas Morn

This is how we started our Christmas morning, with a berry smoothie served in tall long glasses.

I love smoothies and make them up nearly every day.

I never follow recipes, normally made up of whatever fruit I have at hand, but thought I would share how I made this one.

In the blender jug throw in

a handful of fresh or frozen blackberries

a handful of strawberries

half a papaya,

two bananas

a cup of clear apple juice

six or so ice cubes and little cold water.

blend until well mixed and pour into tall glasses. .... mmmm .... delicious.

Here is our Christmas menu:

Hot smoked salmon with lemon dressing served with rocket and shredded beets

Roast honey and mustard gammon

Roast cranberry/port glazed chicken with cranberry stuffing

Mixed platter of roasted veggies - sweet potatoes, butternut, red, yellow and red sweet peppers, mushrooms, baby marrows, french beans and julienne carrots in fresh rosemary and olive oil.

Hot Christmas Pudding with brandy sauce

Lemon swirl cheesecake

All served with a good wine.