Sweet Mary

I thought it was time for another beautiful photo of Annie. Not much more to say as the photo does it all. Biased - moi? Muscari flowers popping their heads up in the middle of our fairly mild winter and now that I look at this photo, I think its time to remove the cat repelling sticks. We have sunny days again after the wet weekend so not so much of the quiting this week and more of the continuous garden tidy-up. When I say not so much I actually mean not all day, just an hour here and there but okay to go full out at night time. I love using the embroidery thread and really love the "vintage look" it gives the quilt. Traditional small even stitches look beautiful but for me this method is easy to achieve and a very relaxing way to stitch. Nearly forgot - the tree below was decorated by two little boys who visited our house over the weekend. The tree, undecorated except for the lights was still standing after our mid-winter Christmas meal the week before. Amazing what you...

This morning as I listened to the weather report for the next few days and realised that I would probably not be finishing those last few jobs in the garden, I quickly realised that a rainy weekend would be the ideal time to sit and quilt, maybe get a few good DVDs in as well. Back in May I blogged about the delights of the "five inch square" and the simple but colourful quilt I was making with these squares. Yesterday I layered the quilt sandwich and basted it with bright green thread, figuring the green would stand out amongst all that colour. This afternoon I will start on the hand quilting with embroidery thread which is a first for me. I got the idea from here and have decided it will give that vintage look that I so love about hand stitched quilts, especially after they are washed and get that "pumfy" look.

I took part in a very successful Craft & Design Market in Havelock North yesterday. Thankyou to Fe (organiser) and all who braved the very cold morning to come by, shop and say hello. Luckily it was sunny as we were under the eaves but still outdoors - all around Hawthorne Coffee . The next market will be in approx. 4 weeks and I will confirm the date on my blog nearer the time.

Hi everyone! I have had an awful cold all week, sniffing and snorting all over the place but not on anything crafty I hasten to add. So nothing much to take photos of except this gorgeous display just outside the living room window. Cold or not I will have my Sweet Mary stall at this event in Havelock North on Saturday: CRAFT & DESIGN MARKET at HAWTHORNE coffee shop 23 Napier Road, Havelock North 9.30am - 12.30pm Saturday,16 th July Cash and cheques only. In support of Women's Refuge. Lots of great stalls including: Perry Davies (birdhouses), Homebase Collections, Now & Then, Spats-boots NZ ...

The French Baker of Greytown fame has opened Ya Bon Cafe in Hastings and I am very happy about that. My friend Bev of "French Street Jam" fame called by today with these beautiful heart shaped Palmiers for us to share over a tea and chat. Tomorrow, weather permitting I will have my Sweet Mary stall at the Art&Craft Market in the Village Court, Havelock North. It starts at 9am and finishes early afternoon.

Today I am very happy because the wallpaper that I bought two years ago has finally found a home. At this very moment a very nice man is hanging this prettiness. I keep popping my head around the corner to have another peek.

Yesterday, after a cold night we awoke to a light frost tingeing some of the plants in our garden. It all looked very pretty and I was quite glad as my vegetable garden has been plagued with unwanted bugs throughout our mild Hawkes Bay autumn. Thankyou all who came out on a grey Saturday afternoon to the Ladies Shopping Event at 'Endsleigh'in Havelock North. Its always nice to see familiar faces and to meet new friends. Not a big sales day for me but you can't have everything! My Sweet Mary stall will be in the Village Court, Havelock North this Saturday. I will post details later in the week.