AN UNLOVED TEAPOT . . .

Sitting at the back of one of our kitchen cupboards was this . . .

This was our first teapot when we set up home 26 years ago and the red and white matched everything else in the kitchen.  Although DH loves a cuppa, it's a definite NO! for me, I am a self-confessed total coffee addict so being the most useless tea maker I always resort to a teabag hence this has been forgotten ~ well, I think it's time to show this teapot some love!

Mmmm, interesting ~ 6 balls of wall on the go at the same time . . .

resulting in a lovely tweed effect . . .

blanket stitch and a googly eye???

Say Hello to my 'Morning Owl'.  He knitted up really quickly, a little fiddley to piece together but I'm pleased with the result.  His eyes make me laugh, the black pupil moves around and sometimes he looks like he's been out on the town having a very good time!

I must be having an owl fetish at the moment as I've started this kit too . . .

'A Wise Old Owl' by The Historical Sampler Company stitched on 32-count linen with DMC threads

One down, eight to go!

Have a lovely weekend ~ hope the sun shines in your lives.

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

A HERB WITH A DIFFERENCE . . .

Good afternoon everyone!

I have to start with another very big Thank You to those kind friends that left me further messages of support and good wishes for my two biopsy results ~ I am pleased to say that both are benign and my worst fears have been taken away, unfortunately I am still in pain and will now undergo MRI scans for further investigations.  I'm hoping the month of May will bring much brighter days for my family and I, certainly the first 4 months of 2012 have been horrible!

So, what have I been up to?  Well, my mood is still pretty low and I haven't picked my cross stitching up since my last post, I'm sure my mojo will return but I think, like me, for now it needs a short holiday to perk up again.  But I haven't been completely idle ~ the knitting needles have seen daylight instead and this is what several nights of clicking have to show . . .

'Basil' Bunny

knitted in Sirdar Eco DK Wool

complete with bob tail

felt pads for his feet

and a hoody to give him a bit of street credit !

A small heart button on his hoody and there he is . . . . cute!

and this 'Basil' will hopefully last a little longer than the potted ones outside ~ I wonder which two little furries would be the culprits of that???

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

EASTER RAKs

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

I hope you have all enjoyed a lovely time and the Easter bunny has been kind to you xxx

I cannot find the words in which to thank each and everyone of you that left such kind and supportive comments on my last post regarding two special loved ones in my life, unfortunately there are no updates at the moment and our lives remain in turmoil.  My biopsy came and went but not without problems (and unforeseen stitches ~ ouch!) and now I, too, wait for results to find if I have a big fight ahead of me :(

NO more sad news, let me show you a couple of Easter RAKS I managed to get stitched and posted and which have now been received.

This was for my very kind friend Barb who has a real soft spot for sheep . . .

I took part of a Shepherd's Bush Christmas stocking design and stitched it on 28-count linen with my choice of DMC threads

 I couldn't resist adding these extras to the package, the googly eyes on the gingerbread sheep did make me laugh and the tea cosy was so sweet, so much so that Barb's husband has suggested she wear it as a hat to keep her brain warm ~ cheeky!

My other RAK was to Shell who has 2 gorgeous bunnies ~ Lady Hannah Goldenhare and Sir Walter Harrington, they help run their Mama's blog and do a very good job too!

JBW Bunny design stitched on 28~count black evenweave with DMC threads

Stitching on black was a first for me and once I got used to it, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Shell is a Textile Folk Artist and her creations are beautiful, she has recently used darker greys and blacks for her backgrounds so I thought this might fit in with her current decor ~ hope she likes it?

Rain has finally returned to the South today and as we are now in drought conditions with a hosepipe ban, I guess I shouldn't complain!

Some easter baking and needle and thread are the order of the day!

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

XXX

SADNESS, KINDNESS & VAMPIRES!

Thank you once again dear blogging friends for your get well wishes ~ they really do mean so much.  I wish I could post just happy news but my world has been turned upside down in the past week and sadness and worrying times seem to be the main ingredients of each day.

My dear MIL has been diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and at the age of 81 with so many health problems already we are anxiously awaiting Specialist's decision as to whether they feel they can safely operate or not, she has been told that chemo will not be an option available to her.

My dear Dad was diagnosed with an aneurysm last year which has had to be constantly monitored as they can only reach a certain size before they rupture and are fatal.  His scan last week showed he is now within 1mm of that danger and the Specialist has said he cannot operate as he would not survive the procedure.  Instead they are going to fit stents to help the blood flow to his heart and again we anxiously await the date for it to happen ~ it feels like we are sitting on time-bombs!

I feel devastated for both of them ~ they are very much loved parents/grandparents and the days that lie ahead of us are very frightening.  Please keep everything crossed that they can both get through this and brighter days are to come.

With my life in such turmoil you can imagine how thrilled I was when Mr. Postie dropped this little cutie through my letterbox . . .

My dear blogging friend Sally stitched this for me after reading about my continual chest infection in my last post (more of that in a mo), oh! I just love it.  Sally stitched this on 35-count coffee-stained linen with DMC threads, backed it with cream calico and edged it with a chenille trim ~ it's so sweet and everything ~ colours, coffee! and of course bunnies is so me!

It really brightened my day and has pride of place on the mantlepiece ~ thank you Sally so much for your kindness and for listening xxx

 So, now to my rotten chest infection which had still not improved last weekend so it was back to the Emergency Clinic and more stronger antibiotics prescribed, ones I had never taken before . . . . you can only take them standing up and you mustn't lie down for at least 30 mins afterwards and you cannot go out in the Sun whilst you're taken them ~ what's that all about?  I keep constant check in the mirror for any fangs and have stayed away from anything garlic, hmmm not much fun being a Vampire!!!

Of course the weather this week has been glorious Spring sunshine and I've really missed sitting out with the bunnies cross-stitching :(

I've also received news that I have to go into hospital shortly for a biopsy ~ I don't do hospitals, hate them, so although Diabetes normally means being put on a drip making a longer stay, I have opted for a local anaestethic so I can escape back home as soon as I possibly can!!!  

Progress ~ well there has been some when it comes to stitching ~ Christmas Patches is coming along nicely and is a real joy to stitch . . .

I can't make up my mind whether to stitch the teddy bear at the bottom right hand side, it's quite a jumble of patterns and colours and is quite hard to immediately determine what it actually is so I've started the border and will then begin the backstitching and make my mind up then ~ so far so good!

Well done, if you've stuck this post out to the end, I realise it's not a very joyful one but I know I have some very good blogging friends out there who will share both the sad and happy times with me.

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx