Wednesday 4 August 2010

Ship Ahoy!


Well a boat really, but progress on Jane Austens Return to the Sea, the little boat bobbing along on the sea had to be finished for your approval.


Looking forward to seeing Sallys progress this week.
Well my friends would you believe I have just spent half an hour trying to put a new header pic and it will not let me lose the ribbons, so sorry, until I figure out how to do it , we are stuck with ribbons. Yes Julie you did recognise a ribbon in there , gold star for recognition! lol. You may remember Julie had a birthday recently and although she did post a pic on her blog,here is what I stitched her.


This is stitched over one with colours of DMC called for, on Sassys Frosted Cafe fabric, and the design is by Jardin Le Prive. I had to stitch this for Julie as it said 'her' to me. The tea did it I think, I also found this little teabag which I thought finished it off nicely. Julie loved it so I was well pleased.
Talking of tea I had a trip into town , and I got myself some bargains , a damask white tablecloth ,marked down from £55 ,yes I did say £55 to £15,it is beautifully made but no way could I afford £55 for a tablecloth.So that came home with me, and then I went into the hospice charity shop, and I found these.

These are Portmeiron cups and saucers and I got the 2 for £10 ,brought them home carefully! and washed them put my new cloth on. Then something missing,hmmmm, Cake!!

Lemon Drizzle cake from the Hairy Bikers cookbook, Angela has told me about a Lemon Drizzle and Lavender one that sounds yummy need recipe Angela.Please.
Of course Martin being allergic to eggs cannot eat Lemon Drizzle cake ,just hope someone calls soon or I may have to eat it all myself!! so I was very good and made him a guiness fruit cake.

No eggs.
I was so pleased you saw the funny side of the sheep in my last post, thanks for the comments ladies. I had a lovely RAK this week from Tina ,who has not got a blog ,but should have! She said she so enjoyed my blog( oh dear blushing here) she needed to send me something for making her smile. Awww wasnt that so sweet of her.
Anyway here is what she sent me (all things sheep!!)

However I am a little concerned about the Baarmy sheep socks!!!!lol.
Whilst showing you bits I have had this week I will just show you the designs I have got from Tanya The Sampler Girl- I think I have a thing for her designs. Anyway here is latest addition to stash.


Which leads me nicely into these pics of 2 finishes this week.

I have been itching to do this all summer and at last managed to stitch it,now the weather has turned and it is no longer hot !!! Typical!
I have filled it with Lavender and have it hanging on the bedroom door,and it smells divine.
The next little finish I have is the Thisbe roll, from SB that I showed you started last time. It is just so pretty ,very delicate and I think its my favourite! Sally I think every time I stitch one I think it is the best one ,until the next.lol.

So Heidi we have not finished dancing yet lol. Oh I forgot to answer you asked who the prim christmas ornies were designed by- Country Rustic Primitives.
As I said the weather has turned and its quite blustery and although not really cold its not hot either, The poor garden is taking a battering and I will show you an unwelcome addition to it this week.

Well ok its not a good picture ,but I was not going any closer, I did ask Martin if I could poke it with a stick, but, don't be ridiculous was his reply !!lol Anyway if you look carefully ,you may be able to see a grey swirly thing in the bush,a wasps nest. So we are now £52 poorer,almost as much as a tablecloth! We had the pest people in to kill them , as we didn't want the grandchildren or the little tot next door getting stung. The grandchildren love to climb the apple tree in the garden and the bush with the nest in is right next to it.
So although I do not like the things I feel sorry we had to kill them.
On a nicer note the prima donas are well and truly OUT , Angela sent me some pics of her lilies and they are wonderful too, in fact I am very envious of a cream and yellow oriental one she has. Anyway flowering this week for your appreciation are

said lilies

a new to us fuschia which has a wonderful skirt and petticoats.
Then a single solitary at the moment

nasturtium. For this week thats all thats been happening in the garden.
My dear old Ollie dog still has poorly feet, they have improved greatly but I think he may be revisiting the vet again,more money,Here he is looking rather sad.

What do you do when they are sad well ,

give them a biscuit!
Well my dearies I shall have to go hot foot to the kitchen before himself comes home demanding food. Before I go ,I will tell you Mil teddy was well received and is living in teddy heaven with all the others apparently being cuddled by a Harrods bear!!
Ok hugs to you all thanks for the calling cards, I may visit you back one of these bright days. Take care and I will speak to you again soon.
Hugs n stuff
Barb,

11 comments:

Sally said...

Your finishes are beautiful Barb. I love what you stitched for Julie, and your JA and roll finishes are so pretty. I actually think roll is my favourite as it's so pretty and delicate looking.

I am about at the same place as you on the JA :) I am enjoying this one so much. I have my piccies uploaded to the PC so will see if I can get a blog post done tomorrow.

Lovely RAk from Tina and very nice new stash!!

Aww bless poor Ollie. I do hope he is better soon.

I would love to come for some of your very yummy looking lemon drizzle cake. I do believe I have the recipe for that somewhere!!!

jane said...

Beautiful finishes Barb, and your JA SAL is looking lovely. The gift you stitched for Julie is just gorgeous. Oh I wish I could share your lemon drizzle cake - it is my absolute favourite. I do like the Hairy Bikers! Nice new charts from The Sampler Girl - I have been feeling very tempted this week!
I hope Ollie is fully recovered soon and glad you got rid of the wasp's nest - horrid things!

Lesleyanne said...

Gorgeous finishes - so cute. I love your JA SAL - I so wish I could have joined you with this one but I haven't got it so couldn't lol. I love the gift you stitched for Julie. Hope poor Ollie is feeling better soon. Another lovely post - can't eat the drizzle cake but it looks yummy

angelasweby said...

Barb hi,
What a lovely post full of all sorts of exciting and inspiring things to look at :>)
I love your stitching. Return to the Sea is coming along really nice and the JA design you have made into a lavender sachet is absolutely gorgeous. I have been meaning to get that little pattern for ages but never got round to it. I also love the Jardin Prive pattern. I haven't seen that before, it's absolutely lovely and I really like your clever finishing idea.

Your lemon cake looks so delicious and so does the Guinness cake. I will swop you my Lavender and lemon drizzle cake recipe for your Guinness one...haha! I have wanted to try cooking with lavender for a while and saw this recipe. It was a dream to cook and the flavour was delicious. I used freshly dried lavender and obviously,
it's quite important to know it hasn't been grown using pesticides so your own grown or a friend's would be perfect.

I have quite a big loaf tin so made one and a half worth of mixture and it was perfect. The recipe is here:

http://coconutraita.blogspot.com/2010/04/lavender-and-lemon-drizzle-cake.html

Your garden looks wonderful as always. the lilies are just stunning.
Hope Ollie's paws start to get better soon.
Angela xx

Jane said...

Barb, just love your ramblings, so fun to read. Gorgeous stitching especially your stitch for Julie and the little boat is so sweet - yucky weather here in the South too including thunderstorms - I know the gardens all need it but not much fun for little bunnies! Hope Ollie's poor paws are better soon xxx

Mylene said...

What a lovely gift you made for Julie as well as your other finishes. Great job!!
I hope Ollie's paws get better soon.

Oh i so love your lilies, gorgeous!!

Christine said...

Yumm, lemon drizzle cake!
Great finishes, and the boat on the JA sampler is lovely.
My garden has taken a serious battering with wind and rain the last few days, so its nice to see yours looking so cheerful

Stitchabilities said...

I do love stopping by your blog Barb, it's like having a slice of your happiness, it really brightens my day, lots of lovely pictures!!
Both those cakes look YUMMY!!!

Julie said...

Woohooo .... well done on the cakes, they both look very eatable, i could see that lemon drizzle being gone in a flash here. I made the victoria sandwich from in that book for Amy for her birthday, filled it with homemade blackcurrant jam.

I love my pillow and have it hanging next to my stitching chair in the conservtory, its had lots of nice compliments about it already from visitors. I said i would pass them on to you.

Nice progress on the JA and i love the latest finish, what a great saying. I am glad the weathers a bit cooler.

Lots of folks seem to be having wasps nest in the gardens this year, must be a mammoth year for the blighters.

Have a lovely weekend.

Dani - tkdchick said...

Your SAL is coming along beautifully! Congrats on getting some finishing done, looks great!

Heidi said...

No we are not finished dancing and lets hope we never do! Just posted a finish myself too. :-) Now I love your finishes but oh my gosh that gift for Julie!!!!!!! That is just soooooooo beautiful and so well finished too. And I love tea so that has a soft spot for me...a spot of tea that is. Lol!

Your garden is just riotous with summer loving. I heard from a friend up north that the heather is starting to bloom and cannot wait to head up to Cranberry Cottage as soon as Jos gets home!

I am so sorry that Ollie is having his paw problems. Give him a big ol' doggie cuddle for me and tell him I said get well.

Happy weekend!

Hugs from Holland ~
Heidi

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