Exchange received

My exchange has arrived in US so I can now post a pic, I think I am making too much of these exchanges and the stitching took ages so I have decided to stop and just stitch for my friends and me!

This is the stitched hanger or pinkeep

Spring in my garden, my water feature and seedlings galore!

Spring has arrived in our garden, it doesn't show all here but we have daffodils, tulips, pansies, wallflowers and as you can see forget-me-nots every where!!

This is my little water feature not working at the moment. It is called Gladys and I bought it several years ago at the Gardener's World Show at the NEC with money that my Aunty Gladys left me in her will.. The water comes out of the flower on the bonnet and trickles round the brim and then down. We are looking out for a solar operated pump for it as it is a bit far down the garden for a power cable. I love it although various people have said she is ugly I think she is beautiful!

My seedlings...all growing well in the conservatory

And some more...I have petunias, bizzie-lizzies, antirhiums, sunflowers, lupins, rudbeckia, cosmos and others... come the summer we shall have a borders full of flowers and the extras will go up the allotment, and of course all the veggies

Sunflowers

These are the beautiful sunflowers I received from Rosalie's daughters after I accompanied Rosalie when she went for her angiogram. The angiogram showed that there was nothing wrong with her coronary arteries; all that worry and it was fine, thank God!

Smoking needles or got my mojo back!!

A scissor fob for Challenge for a finish turned into a pressie for Gaynor, hence the back and a cabbage and carrots!




And some of my WIPs all moving along...this is my 'Cats' sampler which I am doing with Gaynor's group.. Stitchalong.... when I am stitching it I love it, but it is so difficult to get it out of my WIP basket!



And my Beatrice Potter sal which I have started again.. I am using 32c Antique white with Vicky Clayton HD silk, colour Dried Roses and this is my third start; I do like this very much but as I said some thing this size is going to be an heirloom so it has to be good!


And not a very good photograph but this is my LHN 'Home of a Needleworker,' which is for ME!



I also have completed a woodland themed design for 'Hooked on Exchanging too' but as this hasn't been received yet, I'll have to wait to post a pic for it....and I forgot I also did a scissor fob for Maxine as she lost her scissors, but didn't take a pic..
So I feel I have done really well this last two weeks considering we were away the weekend before Easter in Wales, then the Easter Weekend was busy and this last weekend I went 'home' to Billericay... today I have spent some time in the garden and it is looking pretty wonderful even if I say so myself. I shall post some pics when I am finished tomorrow!
By the way our new little pup is a tri-coloured cockapoo (cross cocker spaniel and poodle) and it looks like her name is going to be Little Nel. Monday seems a long time away to pick her up, I love her already!
Anyone looking at what I have stitched this year and compare it to the numbers of books I have read will see I read more than I stitch!

Our new pup

We picked out this little beauty from a litter of four, she is so cute, can't wait to get her in two weeks time!

Home to Wales for the weekend!

This was the view from our window.. fresh air and quiet!


Once again I have made the journey home to Porthcawl to put flowers on the graves of my Mother, the Aunt who brought me up and my other Aunt and Grand parents.. the cemetery is filling up!! This year I managed not to fall over!!
When the sun is shining there in Porthcawl I have a longing to return and live there which would be quite possible, but the lovely little town is dead. Most of the little individual shops have gone and in their place pound shops and charity shops and of course no Woollies! Sad to see it all go down hill. But the habadashery shop is still there with the same old man owner! I bought some headed pins in a lovely tin and needles and earing hooks ready for the beads to make ear rings,I bought a while ago.
I always feel sad going there to the cemetery and tears fall every time for the mother I never knew and of course for my Aunty Glad who paid for my education and the piano lessons that did me so well when I was a teacher.
I must start to play more!!

A triangular scissor pocket

This is my effort for the group Challenge For a Finish... It was quite hard to do as to get the design 'upright' on the back most of it was done on the diagonal.. Also I did the hearts on the corners instead of the stitching suggested as it looked too lumpy for me!
The interior was some beautiful green fabric I bought in Australia...ready for my green and pink quilt which I am going to make some day!