Where next?

Having finished my little bison embroidery I've had some time this week to think about what projects I want to be working on next. I have two in mind.

The first is a new little stitchery in the same style as the bison one, I had so much fun with that project I thought I'd try again.   It's going to be based on a image that I've had floating around in my mind for a little while now, of a little house on a big hill.  I'll be raiding the scrap jars for this one again.

I probably won't be sharing too much of the progress on this one though, as I have chosen to make it as a gift for one of the people that responded to my 'self' post earlier this year.  So I'll probably hold off showing the finished piece until I know it has been received.

The second thing I will be working on is this needle felted bird that I made a while back.

It's another of those things that I made then it fell down the back of the desk to be forgotten about for a while ;-)  At some point this poor fellow had candle wax spilled on him, fortunately it's only blobbed on the white background so hopefully I'll still be able to salvage him and create something that's a bit more 'finished'.

There won't be much happening on either of these this weekend though as I'm off for a weekend of wanderings in and around Glastonbury.  Have a great weekend. x

Glorious Graveyard

On Monday I took myself for a mammoth walk around the Gloucestershire countryside, it was mainly mammoth because I took the wrong direction several times and ended up adding at least an extra hour and half walking time to the planned route, navigation was never my strong point :)  Looking at the maps when I got back I reckon that I did 13 miles in all.

The walk took me down wide open canal ways.....

Through a fascinating ship graveyard

 Here I am playing silly buggers among the old ships (you would have laughed at me lying in the grass setting my camera and then trying to run in to position before the self timer went off!!)

 I went past the lovely, but ruined Severn Railway bridge

 This next one of the bridge tower looking out over the river is probably my favourite shot of the day.

 I walked over railway lines ... that always feels a bit naughty, even when it is a permissive path

 And back out to the banks of the Severn, you might just be able to make out the  Severn road bridge in the far distance.

 I also got to do a lot of wading through mud, down bridleways and through farm land :)  The joys of winter walking.

And finally just before I sign off for all of you out there who share my unhealthy obsession with texture, rust and decay (you know who you are) here are a few more shots from the ship graveyard, hope you enjoy. XX

Bison in the Buttercups

My little stitchery is complete, it's entirely made from left over scraps of fabric. The embroidery thread was all left overs from cross stitch kits too, a nice way to recycle and reuse I think.

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  My first attempt at interpreting one of my own photos in stitch, I had lots of fun with it and can see myself working on more little pictures like this in the future.  I've mounted it on a canvas that I picked up in a sale a while back and have had lying round ever since.

On another note this is my 1000th post if you can believe it, who knew when I first started this blog that I'd have so much to talk about.  Thanks to everyone out there who takes the time to pop by and read my ramblings :)

Fun, family and fresh air

I've had such a brilliant start to my time off work.......

..... lots of laughs, and silliness on two great nights out with my lovely friends.......

 ...... even more silliness at the park with my sister, brother-in-law and my lovely nephews...... I managed to make everyone laugh by taking a tumble down the stairs in full view of everyone at the park - embarrassing and painful, lol..........

Today I have been out enjoying some lovely fresh air ........

... oh and lots of mud, the joys of winter walking.

I've also almost finished my little bison stitchery so hopefully with a bit of work this evening I'll be back to share that with you tomorrow.

Hope you have all had a great start to your week.  X

Love Actually

I didn't get time yesterday to pop by and wish you all happy valentines.  I hope you had lots of love and romance in your day.  I had a really lovely day, no romance for me but I did get to live vicariously through tales of romance from my friends, which is plenty good enough for me right now.  It's nice to know that romance is not dead :)

I received one valentine, picked randomly from a pack of love hearts but it kind of sums up my love life at the moment ;-)

 But my day was not entirely without love, love comes in many different guises. The wonderful people in the team I work with spoilt me with a beautiful card, flowers, balloons, and wine, to help me celebrate/commiserate the fact that I have been working for my employer for 10 years this week.

It's nice to know that you are appreciated and loved, getting through the work day is so much easier when you work with nice people who look out for each other.  In the 10 years that I've been at the company I've been through some really difficult times in my personal life and I know that I wouldn't be where I am today without the support of the good friends I work with.

Let someone who you don't tell very often know how much they mean to you today.  It'll bring them a bit of joy, go on I dare you...... x

Buttercups in winter

I have a bit of a hiatus from my city and guilds at the moment, it's nice. I'm secretly hoping it might last a couple of weeks longer.  It means I can get back to some hand stitching ..... it's been a while.

Anyone remember this?....

.....The beginnings of a little stitchery I started last summer, based on this picture that I took at a local farm of bisons in the buttercups :)

 

Unfortunately I managed to bury this among a pile of crap at home and the background I made has become slightly stained with ink in places, I'm hoping that it will mostly be unnoticeable once I'm finished.

Is there anything nicer than cosying up on the sofa on a winters evening, some good tunes playing in the background, getting lost in the rhythm of some simple stitching?

I have 4 days to survive at work and then I'm on a break for 10 days, am so hoping that I find plenty of time in those days to lose myself in stitch for a while.

Walking on water and other such nonsense

I can't quite believe how quickly time is flying by at the moment.  I have such good intentions to blog regularly but somehow there is always so much going on it never seems to happen. 

Since I last popped by to visit you all I've spent a fabulous day in London, I've been working out hard at the gym and have lost 4llbs, I've spent several evenings with good friends new and old - laughing more than I thought could ever be possible, and I've been out in the cold and snow enjoying the beautiful countryside and getting myself some rosy cheeks.

Life is good at the moment, my heart is happy.  Since moving in to my flat things have been really tight for me money wise, but in a way I'm glad, it's teaching me that it feels good to buy only the things you really need and not just spend willy nilly on the things you think you want, it's teaching me to open my eyes and heart to the new adventures that are all around me everyday.  There is no need to go out and travel the world looking for new adventures and new experiences (granted it's fabulous if you can) but all those things can be found on your very own doorstep if only you just look at your world in a different way than you always have, or take the time to get to know some people that wouldn't usually hang out in your circle.

Go on ..... go out and do something new today ... I dare you.  If you're feeling really brave you could try a little walking on water like this little chap I saw in London last weekend.

Devon Delights

A few snaps from my weekend away in Devon in January.

Kingswear Harbour

One of the many gorgeous seascapes from the coast path walk we did on Saturday.

Paignton Pier at Night.  (I was going to experiment a bit more with some night time photographs but literally just after I pressed the shutter for this shot the pier closed and so the lights went out)

Paignton pier at sunrise

crashing waves.

Dave, about to get drenched (although we are no longer a couple we are working hard to remain friends so I hope we get to continue to go on these little adventures together).

This month I have a weekend away planned on my own.  Not going too far, just across the border to Somerset, but it's been a while since I did any trips on my own so it will be fun to find out how it goes.  I'm also in London for the day this weekend, so hopefully will have some more pictures of my travels round the UK to share soon.

Hot chocolate and marshmallows

Still at home today, but slowly starting to feel better so should be back at work tomorrow.  These couple of days have given me a chance to reflect on the first few weeks of 2012, it's hard to believe that a month of the new year has passed already!!

I haven't necessarily managed to stick to everything on my plan of things to work toward in 2012, but I can't be too disheartened with how I've done.  It takes time for new approaches and new ways of thinking to bed in and there are bound to be slip ups along the way.

I have been treating myself well, I have managed to get out and about a fair bit and I have made a couple of fabulous 'handmade' and 'local' purchases too, these are all things to be celebrated.  The main thing I'm finding difficult is to carve out enough time to fit in all of the things that I love in life, there never seems enough hours in the day.

Sometimes it's about accepting that we aren't all super human, it's about making the most of what we've got, the free time we have and forgiving ourselves for taking time out to just sit, relax and do nothing much for a while. 

So for the next few hours, if you need me .......

.... you'll find me drinking hot chocolate and marshmallows from my favourite mug, and sitting back to watch the new Rush DVD I treated myself to on payday .... nothing more, and I'll not be beating myself up about the million and one other things I could/should/ought to be doing instead of being sat around watching TV.

Hope you make sometime for yourself today to just sit, relax and be. X

Getting cosy

Am feeling pretty sick today.  I think I picked up a bug or something  :( 

It's been snowing on and off all day today.  Nothing major just a few flurries and nothing that has life enough to settle on the ground.  All round just one of those days to hunker down indoors under piles of blankets, keeping warm and snugly.

I've been watching TV, burning some of my favourite candles, and putting together some sketches for my city and guild course.  Just lots of nice homely things to distract from feeling sorry for myself.

Family Time

After a long and extremely busy week at work last week it was some much needed relief to escape to my family for the weekend.  Sadly I forgot to take my camera with me, so no pictures of my cute nephews running riot I'm afraid.

My oldest nephew is eleven next week and it's become our thing to go to the movies together.  This time round we went to see this film.  It was a slightly bizarre concept but the animation was beautiful.

I have another busy week coming up but I'm determined to squeeze in some creative time, which has been much lacking these last couple of weeks.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend just like I did.  X

My Castle

They say an Englishman's home is his castle.  Well in this Englishwoman's case my castle is tiny, but I'm really having fun with my new place and it's great when you are starting out on that adventure of making a new place your own don't you think?

Here are a few snapshots of the place that I call home these days.

Algerian Eyes

Before I get to the main point of this post I want to thank everyone who commented on my last post for their kind words of encouragement and support. Twelve comments so far so that is one person a month to send a little surprise to.  I'll be emailing you all soon for your snail mail details.

 I just realised that 2012 is the year of the Dragon in the Chinese horoscope, I was also born in a year of the dragon that has to be a sign that 2012 will be my year right?  :)

I've been a little lazy the last couple of weeks when it comes to creative endeavours.  I have been making a little progress on the surprise project though,

I've been working away on some Algerian eye stitching.  It's a bit hard going on the eyes working it on the linen fabric, but I love the delicate pattern that is emerging.  Well worth the effort I think.

Hope you all have a beautiful and fulfilling weekend.  XX

Self

Life is a funny thing is it not?  People, places, objects all constantly wander in and out of our lives bringing with them happiness, joy, love, surprise, sorrow, tears, but the one thing that remains constant is self.  It suddenly struck me that the one thing that will remain with me for all of my life is me.  An obvious thing I know but sometimes in the turmoil of life it's something that can easily become forgotten.

So 2012 is the year that I have decided I will take better care of myself.  I will strive to live in a way that I think is meaningful, I will do the things that bring me joy and happiness.  I will make time for family and friends, I will spend as much time as I can outside enjoying fresh air and all of the wonders that mother nature brings, I will buy local produce as much as I can and I will support the handmade community.  I will find joy and laughter in everyday and I will not let the things that I can't change worry me.  I will be kind to others even when they don't treat me in the same way.

So here's to a brand new me for 2012

If you leave me a comment and a way to get in touch with you, at some point in 2012 I'll send a little surprise your way.

Sunrise Today

Have been away to the beautiful english coast this weekend.  Here is a quick snap of Paignton Pier at sunrise today.  Had an amazing weekend away thanks to a bargain £12 room booked in a recent Travelodge sale, ended up getting a free breakfast into the bargain so a fantastically cheap weekend away.

I'll have some more shots to show you from the weekend soon.  Only three days until I'm back online again at home.  So hopefully back to regular blogging and I'm looking forward to catching up reading my favourite blogs too it's been months so I'll have plenty of posts to read I'm sure :)

It's never too late ...

.....to say thank you. Although time is marching on and Christmas is a good few weeks behind us, I only just got round to making some cards to send to friends and relatives who gave me some lovely gifts.

I admit I might not have been the quickest off the mark this year but it's never too late to tell someone you appreciate their gift and kindness.

New Project

I'll be back soon with some updates on a few of the projects that you saw me working on at the end of last year, but the new year isn't the new year without a new project to work on.

I

I won't be saying too much about this one and I probably won't show too many updates as it's a surprise gift for a friend who I know reads my blog, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm back to stitching again ... and loving it.

2011

I usually post this on New Years Day, just as an info list for me, but without regular internet access I'm a bit behind.  Sadly the list isn't really complete either as it didn't get completed for most of November and December but my year in projects, movies and books is almost complete

Projects I've completed in 2011.
 Five embroidered Coasters
 Kindle Pouch
 Bricks and Stones Red and White Quilt
 Two Mug Rugs
 Twenty One Zombie Pumpkin Felties
 Six fabric postcards
 Four Fabric Dolls
 Seven Stitched ATC's
 One Coil pot
 Seventeen Recycled and Reused postcards
 Three Pincushions
 One Sock Monster
 One cross stitched heart
 Siberian Gold Cross Stitch
 One Knitted Hat
 One quail bird
 Halloween Bird Cross Stitch
 Lakeside Farm Cross Stitch

 Movies I've Watched in 2011
 Gulliver's Travels
 The King's Speech
 127 Hours
 The Fighter
 The Green Hornet
 The Black Swan
 True Grit
 Paul
 Rango
 Limitless
 Sucker Punch
 Rio
 Source Code
 TT3D
 Thor
 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D
 X-Men: First Class
 KungFu Panda 2
 Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Pt 2
 Transformers
 The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
 Cowboys Vs Aliens
 Conan The Barbarian
 Friends with Benefits
 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
 New Years Eve
My week with Marilyn

Books I've read in 2011
 Slash
 The Tattoo Chronicles by Kat Von D
 First Thrills - Lee Childs
 The Blood That Bonds by Christopher Buecheler
 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
 The Visitor by Lee Child
 My Heart Wanders by Pia Jane Bijkerk
 The Girl in the Painted Caravan by Eva Petulengro
 High Voltage Tattoo by Kat Von D
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone.

Wow I can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted here. I had a very hectic end to 2011, I moved house and my job changed and it all happened at once so no time for anything else but getting on and adjusting to all the changes.

The biggest change has been getting used to living on my own again, it took a while for it to sink in that I can please myself again, do what I want when I want and most importantly of all I have sole charge of the TV remote, lol.
I’ve moved to a little town called Corsham which is really just up the road from where I was living before. I’m renting a lovely little flat, it is little but it has everything I need and am slowly unpacking all my stuff, finding a place for everything and making it a place I can really call home. The huge downside is I can’t have my cats with me and I miss them so much but needs must and I had to do what was best for me.

I also don’t have an internet connection up and running yet so I’m stealing time at work and when I’m with friends but that is on the list of things to get sorted now the New Year is here, posting might still be a bit erratic until then but hopefully I’ll get back to regular blogging before too long. X

New Routines

I've been quiet here I know - a combination of time away from the house and some changes I've been make to the way I live life in general.  

Last weekend we went to St Ives, we had a lovely trip.  The picture above is from last Friday, sunshine and Pimms on the beach .....  life is really good some days :)

Hopefully I'll settle in to my new routines soon and carve out some regular blogging time for myself.  I have lots to post about and hundreds of blog posts from you guys to catch up on, busy, busy, busy.  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  It's really hot and sunny here in the UK, unusually so for the time of the year, so if you need me you'll find me in the garden this weekend making the most of it.      X

Weekend Snapshot

Have really been suffering the last week or so with a nasty bout of cold and flu - germs kindly shared with me by Dave - thanks babe!  Consequently didn't really feel like getting out and about much at the weekend, and the one time I did make a conscious effort to leave the house I got rained on!  :)

So here is a little snapshot of my at home weekend.

I actually got round to doing some good old fashioned baking.  I don't know what it is but I don't really do a whole lot of cooking in the summer, but now Autumn is approaching I'm in the mood for the kitchen again.  I've never made jam tarts before, and I admit they look a bit pasty and untidy but let me tell you they were delicious!

Snoozing with the cats

And plenty of stitching for my city and guilds course.

All in all a pretty nice weekend considering.  This coming week I have a couple of days off work and we are heading for Cornwall for a nice little mini break hopefully I'll have shaken off the last of these germs by then.  Can't wait!