Snowdrop

Here is Snowdrop - the last in the set of three little spring bunnies I've been making. She was finished very recently, by having a big smile sewn on, and looks the most cheery of the three, I think...

 This bunny painting is by the artist Racey Helps. It was a picture I had as a child and I delved into my memories box to find it and photograph part of it to include here....I think it could go some way to explaining my love of lots of rabbits all together, and my love of the seaside too! I used to adore looking at this picture when I was a little girl....I loved all the tiny details...and I still do.

Here is a closer view of Snowdrop's cardi, which fits her shape fairly well - you could call it very tightly fitted in fact, but that's her style! I quite like knitting these little garments and must look out for some fine wool in pretty colours to do some more....

 Here they all are together - Flora, Snowdrop and Primrose all in their spring flower prints and cosy knits.

And here are some of the real snowdrops in our garden this week - they look so pretty, I'm always delighted when they come into flower. Each clump of snowdrops in this bed next to the gravel path,  is getting a bit bigger year by year, so hopefully they'll cover the ground soon. It was so sunny at the weekend we had some great walks and did some gardening too (well wrapped up though because the wind was still chilly) - but it's spring, the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing! Have a wonderful week everyone, and thanks for popping in to visit me here. xxx

Spring Things

What a lovely spring-y week we've been having, and I hope you have too! Thank you for all your sweet comments on my last post - I so enjoyed reading them. I've been having a very busy week as well as a spring-y one....

I had a lovely day out with my elder daughter Sarah, for a bit of city centre shopping and browsing. I like to think that it's part of my job to see what's in the shops! I bought some pretty little trinkets that I might use in designs - imexpensive jewellery in pretty colours can be used to decorate collages and toys....

I've spent the rest of the week working on a new magazine project and as it's got to be top secret for now I thought I'd show you a new bunny currently under construction...I love the Lecien Flower Sugar fabrics and have bought a few more recently in lots of colours...

A cardi for the new bunny - designed around her own unique shape...the little moss stitch peplum idea came from a cardi I made myself using a Kim Hargreaves pattern called Dolly - not sure yet if the bunny one will work out....

All the shops were full of Easter things already. For me, mini chocolate eggs are not just for Easter...

Some new fabrics I'm looking forward to making up ready for when it really is Easter! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and the spring sunshine is warming up your days as it is mine...I can hardly keep working in my studio when the weather is so lovely, I keep popping out to the garden with a cup of tea to absorb the fresh air and listen to the newly singing birds. Enjoy your spring things too! xxxxx

Painting Flowers All Day

When I first left art college and started up as a freelance designer, that is what I used to do...paint flowers all day long! I loved it. I sold the designs to all kinds of companies for mugs and other china, for textiles, wallpapers, table mats, table cloths....all sorts of products. But the main thing was I got to paint lovely flowers all day long, listening to music or Radio 4...bliss. Sometimes I varied it by adding butterflies and bees and ladybirds, occasionally mushrooms and red spotted toadstools crept in too...

This design is one of my old florals, done for a gift wrap company. I gradually began to design for greetings cards instead of large floral designs in repeat because I liked the variety and the smaller scale ...and one day I began to translate the florals into embroidery which a magazine bought for cross stitch...and slowly I became inspired by colour and design in other areas of embroidery, crafts and stitchy things....

I still paint designs - here is my little painting corner on my drawing board which tends to get piled up with crafts materials of all kinds - I do illustrations for books and the occasional commission, and now and then a flower for old times sake...

And I still LOVE flowers sooo much, I always need some fresh ones to look at, and I love to buy flower pictures from other artists too. This basket of primroses, ivy and tete a tete daffodils is looking bright and beautiful in the kitchen this week, cheering up the grey rainy afternoon we have here today.....
Now I'm going to cut out some gorgeous bright fabrics for a new quilt! Have a lovely week everyone, enjoy some flowers and I hope the sun  is beaming down where you are! Back soon. xxxx

Spring Bunnies

           I've been making some new bunnies lately, maybe it's the time of year... this is Flora.....

                                                                And this one is Primrose....

                                                                Here they are together...

I've been trying to work out the best pattern for the head shapes, one that looks sweet not scary! I think Flora is the closest I've got so far...I'm very fond of the bunnies! Hope you like seeing them too.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend with sunshine and springtime and flowers. Thanks for popping by to visit and for your sweet comments. xxxxx

A Good Read

As I've mentioned before on this blog - I LOVE books, they are essential to my life and have been since I first looked at a picture book as a child. I love opening a new book, finding a special old book, or re reading a book I read years ago with a whole new life perspective. If you are a book lover you'll know just what I mean!

My reading has been enhanced since xmas by the Kindle I received from my thoughtful Mr P as a surprise gift. Now I can take a weighty tome on the train with me, carry it round the city all day, read it while waiting for a meeting to start and be engrossed in it on the train home....and yet it's as light as a feather! And I can download in moments old titles I've been longing to read, often for free!!

 Last week I made my Kindle a little cover. I chose two Trefle fabrics from Superbuzzy here. Two prints that each have a little bit of text in the design - I do love a few words mixed with motifs both in stitched samplers and in printed fabric designs.

The button is a vintage one from an old button tin someone kindly gave me...I liked the pearly flower one too.

And here it is, tucked up snugly, ready to be transported on my next trip and ready to transport me to loads of other book-y worlds at the press of a button! Of course I'm still buying new books too - I so love the feel of actual books, their covers and whole look - but at certain times an e reader gives you a good read and I can always enjoy one of those!

Just a word about my own latest book, Simple Sewn Gifts. People both in blogland and in 'real life' have mentioned they can't find a copy to buy, so I made some enquiries at the publishers and discovered that as the book has been selling well they are currently having to reprint it.... the good news is that it will be available in late March again so not long to wait and you can still order it now. And to those who have already bought my book a big enormous thank you!!

Before I go I must say another thank you -  a bit belatedly, to the lovely Emma at Sylvie's Garden, who gave me the Stylish Blogger Award recently. I have been lucky enough to receive this award once before, but that doesn't mean it's any less appreciated! Thank you so much, Emma - and do pop over and see her lovely blog if you haven't already.

Have a lovely day everyone, and I hope it contains things you enjoy whether it's books, flowers, sunshine and fresh air, cupcakes or chocolate, I hope there is some of whatever makes you happy in your day! xxx

Sunshine

 Today may have been cold, grey and rainy here...but just a few days ago we had the most beautiful warm and sunny day, which was so enjoyable and uplifting...(The postcard here was one I picked up recently at an art gallery. I stood it up to have a look at it now and then as I passed by, and then I saw it illuminated by the sunlight streaming in, and the shadows echoing those in the picture...)

So on the special sunny day, which luckily was a Saturday, we made the very most of it by spending it outdoors...it was bliss to be able to potter in the garden and feel warm for a change...clearing away some of the dead wood that had fallen in the gales, cutting back, clearing leaves...and then planting fresh new primroses...the day felt full of spring!

 This bright little cushion is my project in this month's delightfully sunny Crafts Beautiful magazine...

 ...and this little spring tag is part of the project too, tied onto the little white birdcage and surrounded by the fresh and pretty new primroses that I'm loving soooo much at the moment....

And then I made some of these delicious Sunshine Bars - they are packed with healthy goodness and very easy to make - you don't even have to bake them - all that's required is a bit of measuring, some melting, a bit of mixing and pressing into a tin, then waiting a little while - and they are scrumptious! The recipe is here. Perfect to eat in the garden with a cup of tea on the first real day of spring!

I hope you are having some sunny times too - maybe not every day - but now and then! I'm looking forward to the next one right now! Thanks for visiting me here and for your sweet and sunny comments which brighten up my day. xxx

Roses Are Red

 Roses are red...violets are blue....there are two winners....and one might be you!! (If you entered my Sweet Hearts giveaway last week that is!) But first of all I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day!

I won't keep you wondering any longer... Last night we put all of the giveaway entries names in a hat (well, a blue spotty bowl actually) - and two names were drawn out....and the winners are:

Claire of Paint Drops Keep Falling

                                                  Robin of My Nest of Yarn and Buttons 

 Congratulations to both of you!! If you would like to email me your postal addresses I'll send your dotty hearts to you asap. (My email address is on the side bar there.) ThAnK yOu to everyone who entered my giveaway - it was lovely to have so many people leave a comment to win and I found some lovely new blogs too. I wish I could send a heart to all of you! But never mind if you didn't win this time, as I'm planning to do another giveaway soon - it was fun!

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, whether you're a true romantic or more of a funny valentine person I hope your day is filled with sunshine, happiness and flowers and maybe a few chocolate-y treats too. Back soon xxx

Red Flowers Quilt

 At last I've finished the Red Flowers Quilt - I've been sewing it so sloooowly over the winter time, glad of it's warmth while I worked on it. I made it from lots of scraps which really needed to be used up, and a piece of gorgeous red floral CK fabric which I used for the flowers and the outer border.

When I was deciding on a backing fabric for this little quilt I wanted something with both red and aqua in it - and I remembered that somewhere I had saved a set of Laura Ashley curtains that I was specially fond of, from our old house. After a bit of poking about on the top floor where we store things, I found it! I did still love the design, so after wahing and ironing I used it to back the quilt. It's a firmer cotton than the usual quilting cotton which made the hand quilting a little more difficult - which is why it probably took me so long...

 But last week the last stitches were put into it as I finished the blue binding, and it was put in the washing machine and then hung up on the aga to dry...and now it's in use, for keeping us cosy, for babies to roll on and toddlers to hide under or snuggle under for stories... I love quilts they are so homely!

And we've got some more red flowers in the kitchen too - these beautiful bright tulips are the flowers this week - so cheerful and when the sun catches them they gleam and glow in the light....

Thank you to everyone who has entered the draw for my Sweet Hearts Giveaway on my last post! I'm so thrilled so many of you left a comment, and if you haven't yet but would still like to, the giveaway is open until next Sunday. I hope you are all having a lovely week, wishing you sunshine, flowers and springtime. xxx

Sweet Hearts Giveaway!

Welcome to my blog today - and to my first giveaway!! I wanted to thank  all my sweet readers for taking time to visit my little bit of blogland, to read, to comment, to share and be a part of it...... so here is a chance to win a little gift - in fact a chance for two winners to win a heart each!

Both the hearts are hand made by me, with applique patches, a little cross stitch embroidery, and of course a few buttons....They can be hung almost anywhere you like.....

 ...or used as a pincushion - pretty to have around and small enough to tuck into your work basket....

 ....and on the back of each heart I've stitched my initials with one strand of cotton over one thread of linen - and added another button apiece too...

If you would like to be put in the draw to win one of these sweet hearts, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post!! So easy! The giveaway will be open until next Sunday, and I will announce the two winners on Monday February 14 - Valentine's Day!!

I'll be back here before then, of course...I hope you are having a lovely weekend - it's rather windy here but the sun is just peeking out and we're off for a walk soon. Enjoy your day! And good luck in the sweet heart giveaway!! xx

Fresh Flowers

I took these pictures on a sunny day last week and thought they would be good for the February splash of colour post - so here they are! I've really enjoyed silverpebble's idea to post some splash of colour pictures through the dreary winter months -  the effect is so cheerful and uplifting. Maybe we should do it next year too?

Regular readers of my blog will possibly recognise the decorated syrup tins here holding the fresh flowers? I had one of the tins on my desk with pens in it, and then - somehow - it had a fake flower in it and looked quite pretty. So I found some of the other decorated tins and put some real flowers in them on my kitchen window sill - the brightest place to take a picture on a January day....

I found the daisy blooming in the front garden, beside the old sandstone gatepost - I don't know if that offers it extra protection from the wind and weather, but that particular plant always seems to have flowers on it, year round! I found some catkins in the back garden and a bit of foliage, plus some snippets from my bright and colourful pot plants...

The little birdhouse - actually I've got two the same but the other one is a tiny one - always looks spring-like to me and I love putting it in little arrangements here and there....

I hope you enjoyed my splash of colour today and that you are feeling cheerful and positive now that winter is behind us, and February (and spring) is here... Have a wonderful week! xxx