A Return to Simplicity.

My daughter in law recently celebrated her birthday and as my card supply was low I decided to try something new and make a flower pot card. Of course her favorite colour is purple so naturally that's the colour I used. My first try was in other colours and using my big shot to cut out the flowers makes it very easy to put together. This one I made for my friend who is ever so generous with her time and friendship and as I was going over her place for coffee with the girls ( and had to return a couple of DVDs) I thought a thank-you card was in order. Is there ever an excuse NOT to make a few cards....it's like stitching, so addictive. I was thinking of making packs of similar cards/notes as little gifts to add to the stash. Some with sentiments and some without so you can add your own. Just waiting for some ink and stamps to arrive in the post and then I will get going. Keep stitching.....and paper crafting.

Checking out other blogs I came across a great idea to make some lovely fabric napkins using some beautiful linen fabric. As you can see they can be found on A Spoonful of Sugar's  blog. There are lots of lovely projects to make and Lisa also has a new book out as well. They were super easy to make and although I have the same little labels as the originals I have used a handmade ribbon instead. I would say that next time I might put the little label more towards the middle....don't know yet. They have generously provided the supplier of this gorgeous fabric and of course I had to have it in a few different colour-ways. I brought the green, blue, pick and brown fabrics.  You may have noticed I haven't made any brown ones yet! This being my least favorite colour it's no wonder I have left these to last. I need at least 8 for family dinners so I had better cut out the last two and finish up this set before I use up the lace on another project! ...

Sometimes I can't help myself and just have to expand/increase the amount of stitching on a project. I fell in love with the March block of " A Year in the Garden" and took this already lovely design  by Jenny of Elefantz  and tweaked it a little to make it a bit larger. I originally took away the March sign and filled in the flowers, but wasn't happy with the colors or the thick stems, so I made another! I will probably unpick the stems and redo them at a later stage. This time I made it bigger by reversing the image for the other side.  The bright flowers remind me of some I saw on holidays last year and can't wait to finish this, thank you Jenny for your gorgeous stitchery's.  Why not pop over and see these lovely designs here . Keep stitching.

It all started when I was given a couple of white hand towels before Christmas and although I love white, it doesn't love me. Too easy to get dirty and hard to keep in that pristine condition.  So I thought I might tart them up a little and keep them for guests. I used some ribbon I purchased a while ago from Etsy that would blend with the existing decor and just added it to the bottom of the towel. Then I decided to make a few for the gift box as well. I had to brush up on my crochet but they didn't come out too bad!  A bit of blanket stitch on the bottom of the towel and one row of crochet makes this a quick project but a lovely gift. I think I will be doing a few more of these soon. Keep Stitching.

For as long as I can remember I have loved making pouches and whenever I see a new pattern or tutorial I just have to make one or two or three. It is always a good idea to make up several in different colorways and have in the extras box as a little gift on their own or as something handmade for birthdays. Here are a few I have done over the last months.  One for my pens. A couple with fancy zips to give away to special people. and a couple of triangle ones.......just because! and a little drawstring pouch for my grand-daughter for some of her bits and bobs. I have included a couple of links for anyone wanting to sew a couple of these beauties. Melly Sews has a 15 minute zippered pouch. Ros over at Sew Delicious has a great tutorial for beginners.  and if you're looking for a neat little triangle pouch follow along with Joanne over at Craft Passion with her easy to follow tutorial. Happy ...

WOW! Just where did 2015 go?  That's what I hear from family and friends whenever we talk and although I think the year definitely did go fast I know this one will be the same. As a child they never seemed to move and now we are adults we speed through the months. I know I have been a little slack on blog posts for the last couple of months and sometimes life gets in the way and then it just becomes harder and harder to write a post. But I have been stitching and sewing, making  gifts and little things for around the house. I'm loving Jenny's  "Living the Gentle Domestic Life" and found this has really touched my heart with getting back to the role of homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother. After resigning from my full time high pressure job and feeling a little lost for a while I have loved getting back into the fulfilling role of homemaker, stitching wonderful designs, baking tasty goodies, and making my house into a home. I now w...