Seaside House

 Just finished this lovely wee cross stitch house.  Really enjoyed stitching it.

Its from The Shores of Hawk Run Hollow by Carriage House Samplings.  Because I was stitching it on its own and not as part of a bigger project, I decided to brighten up some of the colours.  I also did a little bit of alterations on the house windows - just made them a stitch bigger.  I had previously stitched the lovely ship from the same pattern.

I'm really pleased with how this turned out.

Also finished reading Lamentation by C J Sansom.  It's part of the Shardlake Series.  Didn't enjoy it as much as Heartstone, but it was a good read.

Can treat myself to a new cross stitch start this weekend.  Hope you've had some finishes and some good reads recently.

Love, Liz

Vintage china and spring houses

 At last I finished this gorgeous cross stitch design - Spring Houses by Waxing Moon Designs.  

I love the colours in this.  You can stitch the houses separately as I did previously with the Christmas Houses.  I decided to stitch mine in a row and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.  I added some flowers to the fences between the houses to give it a coherent look.

Which house would you like to live in?  I think I would like to live in the blue house with those lovely window boxes.

I looked out a lovely spring teacup and saucer - the colours just go so perfectly with this little stitch.  The cup and saucer are Hazeldean New Chelsea design and I got them in a charity shop a few years ago.  You can see more of them in my blog post here.

Now my usual big problem of how to finish this off!

Love, Liz

Spoiled for choice!

I got some lovely happy mail from The Patchwork Rabbit needlework shop - some new cross stitch patterns which I had purchased.  They have a great online service. The Patchwork Rabbit is based in Bromham in England but I'm adding links to the individual designers web pages.

So many to choose from - not sure which I'll start first!

Loved this little lady from Tiny Modernist - Folk Art Sampler.

Isn't this just the cutest house?  Plum Tree Cottage by Rosewood Manor.

Love the colours in this Sampler Patches Revisited by Homespun Elegance.

Last but not least I thought these houses were great - not sure about the bees!  Honey Hill Hamlet by Artful Offerings.

That should keep me going for a little while!

Which is your favourite?

Love, Liz

Spring crochet and a butterfly

Out walking around Greenock yesterday I saw my first butterfly of the year.  It was such a lovely day and it seemed to be enjoying the sunshine, drying off its wings.

Finished my green crochet blanket a few weeks ago.  Love the spring colours.

Bright and cheery.

Happy Easter to you all.

Love, Liz