It's a bit messy in there! My china cabinet is overdue for a tidy up!
Just a little glimpse of vintage china cabinet number one - yes, I have another one. Number two is a bit tidier! I just love looking at all this vintage beauty.
Perhaps I'll tidy it another day!
Love, Liz
I've been neglecting my cross stitch recently because I've been so engrossed in books and crochet! However, yesterday I decided to get on with my Spring Houses cross stitch.
The pattern is by Waxing Moon Designs - they have lots of patterns of seasonal houses (and other things too). I've also stitched two of their Christmas houses.
Not joining the grass up yet, going to wait and decide whether to put some flowers between the houses. I'll decide when I've completed the third house.
Love, Liz
If you are looking for some great reads for the weekend, then look no further than these two fabulous books.
I've just finished Heartstone by C J Sansom - the fifth book in the Shardlake series - and it was brilliant! Set in Tudor England of 1545 it follows the adventure of lawyer Matthew Shardlake and his assistant Jack Barak as they try to solve several cases. Henry VIII's warship the Mary Rose is fabulously described as Shardlake's enquiries lead him to Portsmouth. In my opinion Heartstone is the best of the series, so far.
Another great book is The Haunting of Thores-Cross by Karen Perkins. Described as a Yorkshire ghost story it it set in modern times but also takes us back to a small village in North Yorkshire in the 1770s. I could not put this book down! I won't tell you anything about the story and spoil it, but I loved it. (If you like Barbara Erskine books then I think you'll enjoy this.)
I've already got the next Shardlake book - Lamentation - ready to start this weekend. I'm really trying to pace myself and not read too quickly as there's only one more after this one! I'm also going to get another of Karen Perkins books. So please - keep blogging book recommendations. I'm sure we all have a wee bit more time to read at the moment and it's great to have a few book in reserve.
Love, Liz
Not sure if that is the collective term for crochet granny squares, but it will do for this post. There's a photograph in there of my paternal Grandmother - she's the one to blame - she taught me to crochet!
You can also see my crochet hook - she gave me it when I was learning and I've used it ever since. I think of her when I pick it up. She must have had amazing patience to teach me to crochet. We visited every Sunday and I can remember her saying, "Right Lisbeth, lets see if you can remember how we do this."
I finished my blue blanket and gave it an edge of bright red. Love it!
I've been making different sizes of squares from all my odd bits of yarn. Don't have enough of any one colour to edge the squares yet. I'll have to wait till the shops re-open to see what colour I want to use and buy some yarn. I don't mind, I'm enjoying just sitting doing some crochet. Also using up my yarn stash - really pleased at how much it has reduced!
While one of my Grannies taught me to crochet, I blame my maternal Grandmother for my love of vintage china! I would help her clean her display cabinet when I was young. You can see a photograph of her and her china cabinet in a previous post here.
Stay safe and well my blogging friends!
Love, Liz
I decided that it would be great to have some more relevant stickers for my Needlework Book of Days - so I decided to make my own.
I took some photographs from my blog, Shortbread & Ginger, reduced them in size and added them to a A4 page in Publisher (you could use Word). I made some of them into shapes like hearts and circles and added these too. I choose photographs of my knitting, cross stitch, vintage china, flowers - all sorts of things!
I got some special sticker paper which can be used with inkjet printers and printed the page I had made. (My first page didn't fully load because I forgot to change paper type to special on the printer! But I got enough to start with.) I sat and cut them out while watching tv - didn't take long and actually quite satisfying!
Then I added a couple to my Book of Days! Perfect. You could do this with family photographs and all sorts of pictures to add to any journal, diary, planner or calendar. Using sticker paper (I got mine from Amazon) saves you having to find glue and means that you can have lots saved for adding when required. I also made a "hidden" paperclip with a cute little bird picture.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Love, Liz
