Summer Has Arrived

 My goodness! November already.....this year for me has just flown by! Thank you for all your lovely comments after my last post.

I thought I would start by sharing some lovely treasures I have recently inherited from my late in laws. I have always loved the white Fentonware and just love these two pieces. Gifted from my husbands Grandfather. 

There were so many vintage linens we discovered that I didn't know where to begin. I have kept some that could be used and shared with slow stitching friends. One's that could be chopped up because of damage. But some too beautiful to not keep in tact. 

These are the work of Hubby's Grandmother and have never been used.

I also discovered a wooden box that I had embroidered the covered insert on for MIL.

Once again never used. So it's returned home to me. It's that left over feeling of scarceness and saving things for "good " I guess.

Last weekend I had the loveliest day. My dear Auntie (in fact my favourite Auntie) was celebrating turning 90. She's a gorgeous woman. We gathered for lunch at her favourite girlhood Gold Coast beach. She adores the surf and let me tell you went in several times!

I caught up with her sons, my cousins and their families and it was such fun. Tales were told amongst loads of laughter.

My Son drove me (seated next to my Aunt) and shared the day with me.....

So Happy 90th Aunty Dawn xxx

I am not a fan of Halloween but two of my Grandies are and had asked me a while ago to make a runner to show off their collection of spooky stuff.....

I went over to keep them company whilst their Mum went out.....we watched spooky movies and even enjoyed spooky donuts lol!

I did think DD spooky little pumpkins and ghost she crocheted were rather cute!

So all in all a fun night with them.

I am still working away on my Roxy's Journal of Stitchery project but have also started a little Christmas stitching.....really didn't want anything remotely to do with it last year but after dear friend Fiona gifted me some gorgeous Tilda Christmas range for my birthday I found them to gorgeous to resist!

I love all the tropical flowers in our Summer. Recently I snapped this gorgeous Hibiscus at my friend Leannes home. The colour......so pretty!

Ok folks that's it from me....a little funny to finish....enjoy your weekend. 

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

Hello Out There

 Hello friends.....it's been a minute!

Family seems to have taken a lot of my time over the preceding months. We've had School formals....

And Graduations....

Grand Finals....

And almosts....

Great music nights....

My Granddaughter and her bestie since preschool...these two are so funny.

I celebrated my footy teams wins with the family.....

I've had a lovely holiday with my dear friend Fiona and her hubby.....such fun and so thoroughly spoilt!

You will have seen all the gorgeous gardens, embroidery and quilts on Fiona's blog Bubzrugz.

I also had a day of country tripping and a sleepover with friends Al and Mike....and a bit of retail therapy perhaps.

I have continued with my art projects. These two not long completed. 

Stitching has mainly been of the slow stitching variety. My mojo seems to have permanently taken a long vacation but this at least keeps my needle moving through fabric....plus I  love it!

Lastly the Patriarch of our family passed away aged 97 in my late husbands family home.

He could be a difficult man and very hard to get close to but it is always confronting when the last thread unravels...we take comfort in the fact that he lived and died absolutely on his own terms. So sorting out all that has taken a lot of time physically and mentally.

I hope you and yours are all well and finding some joy in your days. 

October always brings purple joy in my garden and my city......when the Jacarandas bloom.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

April Showers

 Good morning friends. We in Oz are a tad soggy at the moment. With many inland areas experiencing flooding. My life has been all over the shop the last few weeks....not in a negative way just variety! I was very fortunate to join the Sunday Stitchers girls for a four day retreat out in the country recently. 

Breakfast on the verandah looking out to the ranges was such a lovely way to start the day.

We started out with pouring rain but the sunshine came out which was very nice....it even got so warm we needed the aircon. I had the loveliest of times with loads of laughter, lovely conversations and some creative endeavours. My first task was to try and rescue a drawing that just wasn't doing it for me. 

This is why I don't paint folks....because you can't curl up in a chair like this lol! I think it's perhaps why I don't enjoy gadgets and machines because nothing relaxes me more than curling up in a comfy chair with needle and thread,  pencils or a good book! In the end I managed to save the piece....a sweet Rainbow Bee-eater....well I think I did.

I also completed the Sashiko table runner stitching. I kept messing about with the threads in the kit and didn't like it so in the end opted for all the same variegated thread.

Decisions need to be made now on the finishing! 

Goals achieved I relaxed with some slow stitching on my Treasures quilt. 

After a lovely weekend I came home to my daughter having had an accident. Slipping over in her driveway and fracturing her coccyx. So a bit of Mum Taxi stuff for medical appointments for her....poor girl!

My son and family also flew out to America so I had to collect a house guest on my way home from the retreat.

The D-man is getting to be an old grey man. He was so depressed about it but is doing better now.....telling the resident possums just who's boss around here lol!

He's a lovely old boy!

In between dog minding I have been working on my #Roxy's Journal of Stitchery prompts.

I made my book stack for my pear to sit on.

Added some extras is the background. 

An escaped blossom needed stitching at the bottom of my vase. So hard on my hands stitching through that thick lace!

I am currently working on the latest prompt which is a teacup or ceramic container. Couldn't resist a feathered friend, come for tea.

Struggling a bit with this project having to have some kind of order and composition  and not knowing the next bit. One more prompt to go. Also all the heavy flower applique has puckered it a bit. So hoping some light batting and kantha stitching as quilting will remedy it at the end. Fingers crossed. So jury's out whether I actually am going to like it when done!

I am spending the morning cutting out some more hearts from friend Marina's lovely fabric scrap parcel....she's such a great friend enabler lol! We did a little scrap swap.

They are for my "hearts" quilt which she "enabled" me to make.....

Lovely to have some more variety to play with for my little hearts again.

To all those of you who leave me comments...thank you. I have tried following the Google's response to answering comments so hopefully you have received them....if not I am sorry.

Well beautiful people that's all for now.

Take care,  speak with kindness and hug your people.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx