Ta Da.......

...finally the lawn has been laid.

Before

and after

Bring on summer.

Tuesday was a fun day with the girls we had a glorious time making signatures for Junk Journals.

Tea, cake and laughter what more could a girl want.

I am making a black white and red one, a couple of pages so far.

Such fun, what I like is the flow of ,"Oh, I could do that" or inspirations for different books which pop up.  Should write them down really for when the dreaded empty mind hits.

Yesterday we braved the crowds. Who organised an exhibition in the same place and the same say as the London Marathon Registration?  ICHF that's who and it was another disappointing show. The Craft side stuck in the world of peel and stick ons.  Now don't get me wrong I will use these things but when I go to a show I want to see new products and good quality supplies.  The sewing side was OK but again nothing to get the juices flowing.  Huge hall only half used with everything cramped together so the aisles were over crowded making it difficult to get near stalls.  The day was cut short because I panicked needlessly when I couldn't get DH on the phone.We were going to do an enamel workshop so I was very cross with myself.

Enough moaning. I did buy a portable ironing board a bit like this one 

 so perhaps now I will stop burning the carpet in my workroom.

Saving highlights of the exhibition were meeting again Helen McKenna who comes from my home town and marvelling at the Aberteifi 1110-2010 Cardigan.

Designed and co-ordinated by byLisa Hellier  assisted by Susan McComb it took 300 knitters to make it. This is the first time I have taken photographs with my phone so apologies for odd angles.(First one had my finger over it!!)

DH 85th birthday tomorrow, off spring coming this evening so off to prepare birthday feast.

Failure.........

......on the 1 Year of Stitches front.  I think I stitched myself into the ground in the run up to the exhibition and at the moment have no desire to pick up a needle or even any ideas of what to do.  My second fail this week has been the garden. This was my garden last weekend

As you can see the lawn is in need of some TLC, this patch in the corner has refused to grow despite repeated seeding and plantings.  So we decided to replace it with an artificial lawn, having admired a neighbours lawn over the last year. Due to mis-communication (one of the modern evils)  instead of being able to show you my wonderful new lawn this is what the garden looks like today

We have to wait until next Friday, very frustrating because the weather is good and all the blossom is out.  Heigho!
Look at my beautiful yellow rose, it is called Rosa Xanthina or Canary Bird it only flowers once but it is worth it to have such brightness in the garden at this time.

Deutzia just burst in the last two days.

This is a joy in my son's garden

 

 The chestnut tree opposite our house has it's candles too so Spring is well under way.

My one success this week has been to finish a junk journal.

a few favourite pages

I have started to make the Mystical Lanterns pieces.  

Good for something to pick up and put down.

This week looking forward to a play day with The Girls and hopefully getting the lawn put down.

Hope you have a successful week. 

Happy Easter.

A week off.........

well not exactly.....last week was our long awaited exhibition and I am happy to report that it was very well received.   We had some really nice comments in our visitors book which pleased us all. Where I failed was not taking as many photographs as I thought I had but this is a small flavour.
This is a general view of the room, with our "Tea Party" centre stage. There was also 4 other tables and a sales table.

It was very popular.

Some of last years teddies helped hold my tea bag bunting. I am a little(a lot) disappointed with the way the framing of my Homeland turned out.   Not sure what's wrong, the frame, the mount?  Perhaps one day I will work it out and change it.

 

My tree piece was finished on time.

 

I have cobbled together 4 photographs to give you a suggestion of a lovely panel made by my friend. Hopefully if you double click you will see it closer.

These are another of her exhibits.

and her quilt set off our group project rainbow,

.This was a mixed media piece by another friend. Fabric and pottery.

I don't know how I missed our group challenge of the gloves.  Fortunately I took a few photographs a while back.  For the challenge pairs of gloves were separated and hidden in paper bags. We each chose a bag and were forbidden to tell which glove we had.  Then we had to alter it. When the pairs were put back together it was very surprising.

My piece is the glove reaching for the clock. I called it the thief of time, thinking how time passes when we are absorbed in creativity of any kind.  

Exhibition over, mind turns to what next.  I have finally bought Janie Crow's Mystical Lantern pattern.  I have started, whether I will finish remains to be seen. I must find something to continue my 1 Year of Stitches.

Today I went to the Craft Show at Ally Pally, It wasn't spectacular but had improved since the last one I attended and I managed some satisfactory shopping. There was a strange balance, thousands of dies for die cutting but no machines or accessories. I did manage to replace my cutting plates but only after a long search.  I bought some Versafine pads which I hadn't used before. Looking forward to playing with new toys,