Pages

Thursday 31 December 2015

Goodbye 2015....Welcome 2016!

31st December 2015

This year has flown by....

....I have had a good year, many London visits to see my family, creative course in Cornwall, lunches with friends.....

.....good times volunteering in the park....


....picking blackberries....


.....making jam...


...and bread....


....knitted socks for the first time....


.....making gifts....


.....walking miles beside the sea....


....another gift...


......happy times with the yarn bombing group....


......wonderful trip to Vietnam...


....learning to use chop sticks...


....watching a fisherman at 7am in Danang...


....dressing up in all purchases....


....enjoying the wonders of the rain forest...


.....an autumn tree in Kew...


.....making strips for yarn bombing....


.....love living by the sea....


....making more decorative strips for the park event, weather permitting...


.....I look forward to 2016....


.....WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR  XX

Monday 28 December 2015

Fun at Christmas!!

27th December 2015


Hope you have all enjoyed Christmas as much as me.....

....family arrived, youngest son cooked....


....Christmas Eve, a very windy walk along the prom, RD and my sister...


.....Santa brought the Christmas Stockings to the holiday cottage for the 'youngsters'....


....flaming Christmas Pudding....


....with a wonderful sparkler, RD looks a little concerned...



....indoor fireworks, a tradition in our family...



....found this Sumo Suit in a charity shop in the summer....



....lots of laughter...


....today the weather was lovely, after 2 days of rain, so went for a prom walk....





......the family have now gone back to London but I have such great memories, good food and wine, played lots of games and had many laughs!!

I wish you all a brilliant 2016.....

Thursday 17 December 2015

Preparing for Christmas and Experimenting.....

17th December 2015

I have been busy for the last few weeks but mainly with surprises so haven't been able to blog!

I made most of my own cards this year but forgot to take photos of all of them......

....I used all sorts from my stash of many years....












>>>>>>>>

Made 3 cushions using fabric I had left after I made a throw.....



......decorated some candles and charity shop glasses.


>>>>>>>>

We usually travel to London to spend Christmas with the family but this year they are coming to us....

....a lovely fabric tree made by my niece a few years ago, have to keep it out of Jacks way!!!


So many memories attached to decorating the tree with decorations collected over many years...

.....and this lovely hand carved nativity set which was always in my parents hallway, they bought it in Bethlehem....



>>>>>>>

Last Christmas I was given a Stitch magazine subscription and today I used an idea from it....

....this was just experimenting before I make a cushion or two...

....wadding, felt. organza, net and a selection of circles in different fabrics....


....circles arranged on top...


....covered in net...


....free machined around the circles using variegated/metallic threads.....


.....cut away the net from the circles to reveal the textures of velvet, silk, satin and cotton.

Some free machining between the circles in silver thread.


I enjoyed this process and was pleased with the result.

Next time I would only use velvet, silk and shiny fabrics, think I might make my own felt and will cut away all the net or not use it at all.

>>>>>>>

Must ice my cake now to use the egg whites left over from my marzipan....