AT LAST . . . . A STASH UPDATE!

Well better late than never! ~ Although my visit to The Stitch & Craft Show was 4 weeks ago I can now show you the damage the credit card did that day . . .

Anchor 'Benjamin Bunny' kit and 'Chicken Sampler' kit by The Stitching Shed

I stitched 'Cluck Cluck' by The Stitching Shed last year which is still waiting to be made up into a cushion but thought the Chicken Sampler would make a nice matching pair (eventually!)

Wooden hearts which can have small photos in or I'm thinking stitched hearts plus 2 heart hangers

Various fabrics in both 28 and 32 count, some hand-dyed

10 Gloriana Silks in adorable shades of Bordeaux, Cobblestone, Dried Pink Rose, RainForest, Elm, Green Tea, Taupe, Wood Pond, Cafe au Lait and Fallen Leaves

I've never stitched with these threads before but those of you that have will know just the softness of them is enough to make you go weak (bunny-like) let alone the temptious names!

Heart in Hand 'Little House in the Woods' and Bent Creek 'Season's Greetings' charts

Little House Needleworks 'The Mercantile' and 'Be Merry ~ Belle Pepper' charts

Little House Needleworks 'Frosty Flakes' and Trail Creek Farm 'Love my Bunny' charts

The Cricket Collection 'Spring Fleece' chart

Twisted Threads 'Gingham Hearts'

'You must be joking!', I hear you all say 'after all the fuss she made stitching Gingham Bunny'?

Oh, I know BUT I do still have some of the required fabby left and I do like hearts and well because!

'No Rabbit charts???'

Sisters and Best Friends 'Over The Moon Spring Bunny' (thanks to a fellow blogger's stash for sale list!)

Little House Needleworks 'Herb Garden' (complete with little brown hare) chart

So, what to stitch first???  Benjamin Bunny of course and washed and currently drying in this afternoon's sunshine with fabby and buttons ready for the usual pillow finish tomorrow . . . .

Hope you're all having a lovely relaxing stitchy weekend? 

Thanks for stopping by

xxx

R.A.K AND HAPPY BUNNIES . . . .

I have to start this post with the most adorable R.A.K. which dropped through the letterbox last Friday lunchtime . . . .

Lots and lots of lovely bunnies sent by Barb http://barbsstitchincorner.blogspot.com/ who I have to say is Tilly's #1 fan and one of the first people I met in blogland!

This wonderful bunny pillow is an 'I Stitch' design called Sew a Little Brown Bunny and Barb has stitched it on 40~count fabric, (yep! that's right 40~count, the very thought of it makes me feel dizzy!) and the little row of bunnies Barb changed from green to a Tilly colour.

The reverse has a pretty Spring green fabric and a cute matching heart button ~ I adore it, it's just perfect and totally 'me'!

Barb also sent me a pretty little bunny ornament in my favourite colours ~ burgundy and cream and a choccy Bubble Bunny ~ Thank you Barb, I am so touched that you thought of me as your RAK and I will truly treasure these wonderful gifts.

Barb's blog is a delight to follow, her ramblings are great fun to read and are bound to bring a smile to your face, I expect most of you know her already but if you don't pop over and say Hi!

Now to news of 2 other little bunnies and I'm pleased to report although progress feels very slow, it still IS progress.  We are at Stage II of bonding and rather than both bunnies being in their own cages alongside each other, Tilly is now loose and after the initial 'marking her territory' stint around Oscar's cage she now settles down close to him and noses are happily close together.

Oscar had his first examination with our own Vet on Saturday morning which included a vaccination and removal of his stitches from his neuturing, all went well but he was soooooo nervous and came back shaking to bits and his little heart beating overtime. We think he is probably younger than first thought and have been advised to wait the suggested 4 weeks from neutering until he finally gets to meet Tilly without any barriers!

I can't wait!!!

Sorry, but more bunnies . . . . last Sunday was Mother's Day and wasn't I the luckiest Mum ever?

This is a limited edition print of Little and Big Nutbrown Hare from the Guess How Much I Love You? books . . . .

In the bottom right hand corner is an embossed stamp which has the number 98 out of a limited edition of 495.  It's beautifully framed with a cream mount and cream frame and already hangs proudly in my stitching room our study (I'm working on it!)

I thought I'd share this picture with you . . . . .

This is the Magnolia Tree which I can see from the kitchen window and is at its prime but so shortlived as the blooms literally last 2 weeks at the most and thanks to the increasing winds and the Twin's new 12' football goal net most of the blooms are on the ground this evening!

Talking of my gang . . . .

Lazing around, pink skins ready to tan up in the lovely sunny weather, covered in dirt from football matches and a never ending appetite . . . . . . school holidays, don't you just love them?

(I'm going to suffer for posting this one!!!)

Thank you once again for all your lovely comments, so many offering words of support and best wishes on the bonding bunnies ~ more updates to follow!

HAPPY STITCHING

x x x

MY VERY OWN OSCAR . . . .

I'm so thrilled to introduce to all my lovely blogging friends . . . .

OSCAR

I've wanted for so long to find my golden girl Tilly a friend to share her life with and have for some time now being keeping an eye on the local rescue centres for some'bunny' suitable.

Last Friday whilst having a lunchtime cappuccino and having my weekly check on the rescue sites up came this little fellow . . . . .

The description was brief on the website but he was a newly rescued bunny estimated at 6 months old and recently neutered and his ideal buddy would be a spayed doe ~ I know the perfect bunny!

After long talks with the rescue centre that afternoon DH and I went and saw him on Saturday morning, although the gang had seen the picture of him online I didn't want to raise their hopes so we didn't let them know.  He was gorgeous, same breed as Tilly ~ a mini lop and although rescue details are kept confidential we were told he had been removed by the Animal Welfare Inspector  from the worse scenario possible 4 weeks previous and had had the worse start to life possible for a little bunny.

Well, need I say more, heartstrings pulled in every direction, could you say no?

We went back in the afternoon, all 5 of us and home he came.

It's not the easiest thing to do ~ bonding 2 unrelated bunnies, but boy and girl combination are considered best and slow steps over the course of the next 4 weeks of gradually introducing them to each other will hopefully prove successful.  Oscar is very cautious of us and doesn't like sudden movements but in time I hope we can restore his trust in humans and give him a life of warmth and love.

Tilly, I hope we've done the right thing for you, you're the most affectionate and gentle animal I've ever known and have helped me through my loss of Buttons so well but I just can't learn your bunny talk, you'll have such fun and great bunny chat with Oscar and if my ears start burning I'll know you're talking about me!!! and don't forget to tell him Mum's cross~threads are a definite NO NO!!!

I know I keep promising my stash pics and I was almost ready to post them but this little interruption has slightly taken over so once again I'll say . . . next time!

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

STITCHY RECYCLING

Happy Friday everyone, weekend fast approaching, glorious Spring sunshine and warm temperatures, daffodils and crocus in full bloom ~ just perfect!

My sore paws have now recovered from my stitchy day out with DD last Friday and the stash levels are now fully replenished!  I had casually suggested to DD that I thought as we were visiting the Show on a Friday this year to avoid the masses that normally descend there on a Saturday we might find it a little quieter and easy-going ~ how WRONG can one get it ~ it was full to capacity and hard-going and even though we were there for 4 hours when we got home I discovered from the show guide that we had missed quite a chunk of  stalls ~ Oh dear!  DH did suggest going back on the Sunday ~ I passed on that one!!!

I'll post some pics of the new stash on my next post, this one already has picture overload!

It's amazing what you have hidden away and have completely forgotten about?

I didn't want to pillow-finish my last 2 stitches and as they were awkward sizes I had been hunting around the charity/thrift shops in the hope of finding something suitable to frame them with, no luck but when DH resumed his search in the attic last weekend for my magnifying glass for my daylight lamp, he struck gold! 

Lurking in the far corner of the attic (accompanied by the odd spider or two ~ not my scene!) there's a pile of framed pictures including old cross stitch ones, most are up there because they have a horrible orangey-pine frame to them and that just doesn't go anymore with the oak finish in the house BUT . . . .

this one which is an oak finish had a Bent Creek stitch in it ~ The Weathered Garden

which turned out perfect for . . . .

Springtime Social

To balance up the picture I added a fabric trim to the bottom and added those 4 lovely coral shell buttons I bought recently

Next up in the yucky orangey-pine frame was A Country Kitchen Sampler, a Leisure Arts leaflet, which I stitched an eternity ago and had considered selling but I had personalised it with 'Jane's Kitchen' so didn't feel anyone would want it . . . .

By rubbing down the frame which lightened the wood considerably and having a new cream mount cut it has come up a treat for . . . .

Cup cakes by The Historical Sampler Company and now hanging proudly in the Dining Room!

My charity shop hunting was not a complete waste of time though and I did find this little beauty . . . .

It's actually a Key box and when opened up it has 6 hooks inside.  What appealed to me was the colours, a washed cream with burgundy red highlights around the edge and the roses on the top plus it had an aperture to the front to add a photo cross-stitch!

Now, what to stitch to go inside that aperture . . . .

Of course, a bunny or in this case a white rabbit!  I've stitched this from La-D-Da's chart called Briar Rabbit, it should have the alphabet around it and also a border but I think this is just right as it is!

I've used Gentle Art Sampler threads and have matched the colours to the quilt cover in our bedroom.

The hooks are great for holding small bangles and bracelets and I can stack small earring boxes on the bottom shelf.

On that same shopping spree I also found this little photo cube which holds a photo on the top, 4 around the sides and revolves on a circular block on the bottom . . . .

And I knew exactly what was going in this ~ my little set of Lanarte farm animals and these were stitched even longer ago and have never seen light of day . . . .

The only problem ~ I have six animals but only five spaces!!!

Who can resist a fluffy white Spring-time sheep?

Or the sweet smell of a  little piggy?

The gentle mooing of a black and white cow?

The cute quacks from a little 'Jemima'?

And the provider of our daily eggs?

Sorry. Mr. Horse you missed out this time, I have never been a horsey person but he'll still make a nice pin cushion so won't go to waste!

And finally . . . .

Can never resist a bag of buttons and these are soft cream ones and a mixed bag of pretty purples, mauves and silver ~ 25p, well who couldn't???

Thank you for all your lovely comments on Tilly's springtime fun last post, we thoroughly enjoy reading them and are so grateful to you all for sharing a bit of your day with us.

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx