Re-cycling books. Mavis and Nikki go for a walk.Nikki's towels

This crafty make is a present from my daughter. We have a Zutter punch (which I can't figure out how to work it properly and all the holes go in the wrong places) so dd has taken it over.

These books have been laying around for ages, they are the sort, that, once read, they are then confined to deepest darkest cupboard which is a shame. So, to give them a new lease of life she made me these, after carefully cutting the boards and removing the insides she went to work pimping them up!

Now, I am getting old, and a lot of the quotes in the little blue book could quite well refer to me! haha  'Hazards of a handyman' we can relate to as we have had a few mishaps while hammering or sawing over the years!!

Inside, the top one has plain paper in it so I can make sketches and notes and the little one has lined paper for joting down shopping lists or bits and pieces. I think they are great fun and are going to come in very handy. She is going to be making some more out of old annuals. (not valuable ones I hasten to say!)

As for me I have made a little embroidery for a cushion. Mavis and Nikki going for a walk. It is running stitch in red thread.

I call this a self portrait haha. If you look closely you can see some quirky houses on the handbag. Must find me some stripey stockings!

Here it is turned into a cushion. I have to say it's one of my favourites.

 I have in mind to do a series of line drawings of Mavis and Nikki in various poses which I think would make a nice transfer set to use as cushions/pictures/embroidery or included in a quilt. Do you think people would be interested in buying them as PDF files, either singly or as a set? I would love to hear your opinions.

And just for Nikki, as she has been mostly good this week, some jazzed up towels.

Carefully folded so that you can't see the ingrained dirt from past exploits. (No, she doesn't appreciate her personalised towels!)

This weeks linky parties are:-
Sunday.
handmadeharbour.
craftsalamode.
dianarambles.com
Monday;
the-chicken-chick.com
Tuesday;
thediydreamer.
Wednesday;
lavendergardencottage.blogspot.
ivyandelephants.blogspot.
Thursday;
myfashionforwardblog.
Friday;
craftsalamode.

Sunshine Sampler and pea pods.

Gosh, am I suprised at the amount of peas we have had so far this year. This is just a very small amount (half the peas ended in my tummy as I was podding them!) Last year we made some pea pod wine (put in the bottles in January) so here's hoping that it is soon ready to drink, and if indeed, it's drinkable! This lot were grown in the poly tunnel, starting off in winter. Last year when I grew them outside, they weren't ripe until late summer. So nice to have an early crop for a change.

Eat the peas, turn the pods into wine and then pop them onto the compost heap!

I did manage to finish off my 'Sunshine Sampler'. I was just going to photo it in the frame and the batteries ran out.

16 squares in all with little funky, quirky houses in each square. Guess which one is my little cottage!
The saying says 'Walk on the sunny side of the street' and each little embroidery has a sun to brighten the day.
                                                  Close ups.

                    

                                                         

                                                    

These are all hand embroidered with tiny bits of material (see, never throw anything away haha) Some of the trees are felt others are embroidered and  yet others are fabric. Do you like the teeny tiny robin sitting on the fork in the veggie garden?

Each square took an evening to do although some were a bit quicker than others. The background fabric is linen. It has a red frame all ready and waiting.But I have a confession, what did I do....yep, measured once and cut once!! So its a wee bit short on the frame, but only by a couple of centimeters, although still very annoying and I have already mentally kicked myself very hard!

Think it might hang either in my kitchen or in the hallway.....or might put it with my other little squares sampler

whilst I'm having a think do pop over and see the wonderful blogs in these linky parties.

Sunday.
handmadeharbour.blogspot.
Monday;
.the-chicken-chick.
Tuesday;
thediydreamer.
Wednesday;
ivyandelephants.blogspot
lavendergardencottage.
finecraftguild.com/party-72/
thededicatedhouse.blogspot.
Thursday;
sparklesandastove.
Friday;
craftsalamode.com

Tour around garden and start of mini sampler

Would you like to come on a tour around the veggie patch? Off we go then.

 You might remember the veggie patch sign that I blogged about, it is now fixed to the gate that leads into the allotment. (I have run out of the blue paint to match the fence, so it's either going to be left like it is, or, painted some other random colour)

The gate still needs to be fastened as it's only propped up, and it needs a bit more refining around the ages!

 And yes it was a clear blue sky and sunny, which, by midday, was overcast and dismal and then the rain came, what a disappointment. (This was Saturday)

Nikki getting in on the photo...guarding the vegtables! HH cut out the pointy finger which is attached to the fence, just in case you miss the gate. haha.

As we open the gate (which was made from old floorboards as is the planking fence, all hobbled together. Pinched from HH's wood pile) this is the start of, hopefully, some lovely veggies...if they grow!

 The stuff that is starting to sprout are potatoes, lettuce, onions, leeks, turnips, carrots and kohl. With peas and beans that were grown on in the poly tunnel.

In the background are raspberries and blackcurrants. The apple trees have lots of blossom this year but I wonder if we are just too exposed for the apples to grow to any size (but hope spring eternal!!)

I would like the pathways to be gravelled over at sometime to stop the weeds sprouting like triffids.

The poly tunnel is once more coming into it's own and the peas that were sown in winter in there, are now nearly ready to eat. (Love peas straight out the pod) Strawberries are starting to ripen...yummy and the grape vine has 3 small minute bunches growing, now that will be interesting to see if they grow to proper size. Lots of other things starting to come along, we didn't have much bother from slugs or snails but cabbage butterflies were a pain, with caterpillars all over the brassicas which were picked off by hand everyday. Yuk.

On the crafting front I have started to embroider a little house sampler.
Here is the start...

There are 14 squares altogether and maybe, just maybe, they will be finished for next time.

This weeks linky parties are;
Sunday;
handmadeharbour.blogspot
Monday;
the-chicken-chick.
thededicatedhouse.
Tuesday;
thediydream 
Wednesday;
ivyandelephants.
lavender garden cottage.
Friday;
finecraftguild.
dianarambles.
myfashionforwardblog.