I'll have a fishy on a little dishy........

Next project finished.....didn't turn out as well as another one I had done, but hey ho that's what happens sometimes. But I did find a nice frame in a cs in a distressed blue which complements it quite well. (the frame that I originally had I once again broke the glass, lesson don't do stuff when your not in a good mood!!!)

Anyway here it is without the frame, you can't see it but it has a slight silver iridescent  sheen to it which makes it shimmer and then gold relief added around the fish which is slightly raised.
                                                               
                                                                  Before

                                                              

                                                                  After

The picture measures 15 and half x 19" approx so a nice size.
Well it's nice and bright anyway! You can see the texture better in real life and the light bouncing off the gold.
Now onto the Quirky Village project which is nearly finished.

Painting on china

Don't know if any of you have ever painted on china? I had the urge many years ago to have a go as I thought the children might be interested. (only one was and I have to confess that her one got broken which was a big shame) Anyway here is the two plates that are left. They reside in the bathroom and I've never touched ceramic paint again!

The colours are a  brighter in real life, so add a splash of colour to the room. Unfortunately they can't be used for putting food on so that was a downer as I imagined handing out cupcakes on fancy plates!! So it was limited as to what to paint. Maybe they have changed the formula by now, these paints you had to cook in the oven to set them.

Well, the giveaway was rather exciting yesterday so will have to have another one when I reach 150 followers!!

The winner is....

Now is the time to pick the winner of Teeny Tiny Titch, my daughter picking one out. (was quite exciting!)

And the winner is Trina. Well done you. I will email you for your address and he will be on his way to you this week.

Cross stitch project finished.....

Funny that cross stitch which takes a while to do (for me anyway) was the first to be finished! This is it without the outlines on

 

And here it is with the outlines, makes a lot of difference doesn't it. I also put some grass in although it wasn't on the actual pattern, but I felt it needed it so they didn't seem to be floating (if you see what I mean)

I did have a frame for it but it looked to big so going to look for a smaller one, or better still they can frame it themselves! I hope my sis and bil like it. The next project is on the go, a small cat and the mess it can make. Piccy's later. Funny how I really have to be in the mood to cross stitch and sometimes it wont be picked up for months on end and then 2 projects come along at once!
The 2 other pictures that I did for my daughter have at last come back from the framers after having mounts made for them and in my haste giving them to her forgot to take a photo...bah humbug. If I remember I will take the camera around and see if I can get a photo without to much reflection on the glass.

Giveaway monkey

Here is my first giveaway seeing how I have now 100 followers. This is teeny tiny Titch and he comes with his peapod bed and little embroidered blanket. I will post to most places worldwide. All you need to do is leave a comment with a contactable email and I will put them in a pot and let my daughter pick one out. Easy peasy!
I will keep this open for one week, so closes on Tues 26th April about 8.00pm.

                                                            Here he is toddling, a bit unsteady still but propped up with his tail!!

Made with the leftovers from baby socks which were also made into baby sock monkeys so you can imagine how small he is. Hope you like him.

The 'Knits' Royal Family

Hello me lovelies, just wanted to share with you this Ebay listing which is for the Japanese Tsunami relief fund 100% of all of it goes to the charity. It was thought up by a lovely lady and we hope that it goes for a good sum to help the devasated people in Japan. There are extra features such as a wedding cake and a corgi as well as all the main Royal party. So don't be left out instead of watching it on TV you can have your own William and Katie wedding right in your own front room.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220771274782ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
It has an amusing content description so worth a look just for that!!!! Please leave a bid if your able, as the happy family will be posted worldwide.

On another note I have reached 100 followers (go me!) and I havn't forgotten that I promised a giveaway of teeny tiny Titch and I will do that in the next couple of days (once I've learned how to put a sticky at the top of the page)

Can you guess what it is yet.....

This is me doing what women do best multi tasking!!!!
At the mo I have 3 projects on the go all at once (4 if the quilt is included) so here they are in various stages of being made.
First up in best Rolf Harris voice 'Can you guess what it is yet'!

Next a cross stitch for my sister and bro-in-law which needs to be done before the end of this month.

And finally another in the 'Quirky Village' series.

 Doesn't look like much yet does it, hopefully that will be rectified soon. Wonder which one will get finished first?  Well best get cracking on one of them then.....must have a cuppa first tho :0D

Introducing......

Sam the Sausage Doggie.

He was a right pain to make, but makes up for it by being obedient and quiet!!

Here he is hanging around....looks like a trendy handbag without a zip!

Sam's cute little face. He was made from a pair of mens sausage covered socks. and he has a felt collar with some bling and chain lead. Not a loud barker....not even a squeak so not a good guard dog, but nice to cuddle upto!

no photos

Can't find my camera lead so no photo today :0(  well it will give you something to look forward to :0P

For the first time this year we actually had a nice day in our corner of Scotland, (not exactly lovely as those in the south are experiencing with heady temperatures and sunbathing) but could sit outside with a cuppa and admire the weeds in the garden. After a while they irritated me so much I reluctantly got the trowel out and half-heartedly began attacking the said weeds.

After about half an hour could see a marked difference and so put a bit more wellie into the activity and cleared quite a lot, filling the wheelbarrow full. Hubs got in on the act and uprooted stuff that had died and generally re-organising some trees under my expert guidance (haha) And I do know that people love snowdrops but it's my least favourite plant and they seem to know this and breed like fury, so some of them got hoofed out as well.

Afterwards  had to go and lie down with another cuppa and a piece of cake. Bet I will feel it tomorrow as my bones havn't seen so much action since last autumn.

Best go and look for my camera lead then........

Back again

Hello me ducks, sure you missed me :0P
Had a good time, picked up some fabrics, had a couple of outings curtesy of Tesco vouchers. Couldn't fit everything in. Wanted to have a fish foot experience, my daughter had one and said it was lovely and had nice smooth feet afterwards. Oh well maybe next time.

I can now reveal the picture that I made for a lovely lady on one of the forums I go to.
It has elements of her home town that she wanted incorporated and is now awaiting for a frame so she can hang it in her front room. This one is quite big approx 23"x16" approx. But can be made in different sizes to fit your wall.
OK lots of photos now!

                                                               
                                                                        Red Roofs and lamp-posts

                                                            Woolly sheep and trees

                                                        

 It is appliqued/painted/machine and hand embroidery so its made up all different elements

Nappy cake & a row of monkeys.

We have a new addition to the family, a little boy. So one of my daughters have made this up for me to give the parents. It's full of baby clothes and equipment. The outside is 2 fluffy blankets, and a bottle of plonk to wet the baby's head.

 As I'm going to be away from the computer :0( for a few days I will leave this row of monkeys to keep you company till I get back :0D

                                                        See you all soon.

Regatta race

This is a smaller picture of the Regatta pictures that I have made. Measuring 15x15". This time I have put the sun and clouds in and an extra seagull!

Closer view of the houses...(the colours are better in real life)  SOLD

These are really a delight to make and the commission that I made and sent off last week was really well received. In fact she shed a tear or two.....not I hasten to add, because it was rubbish, but because she was so pleased with it. (That's a good enough response to me!) I can't post a picture of it just yet as she wants to show her friends first, so maybe next week I will show and tell. :0)

From tangle to people!

Well did you guess what the tangle of wool would turn into!? They are to celebrate the wedding of William/Kate and as many figures as possible is being knitted for a charity (Japan relief) and is going to be put onto Ebay to help with funds for the poor people who have lost everything over in Japan. A lovely lady on a forum is arranging everything and I hope that when they are all auctioned it goes for a nice sum.

This is handsome William. (he is as white as a sheet.....nerves!)

 And the Queen (who my daughter thought I was knitting Kim of 'How clean is your house') bloomin cheek. I think she looks very royal.....but then so does Kim with her high heels and pearls!!

Again very pasty looking!


And here are the two together, every bit royalty with all their bling :0D

I'm sure Katie can't wait to be with her prince.
As all different people will be knitting the figures it will be interesting to see the variations.

another tangle of wool

Another tangle of bits has emerged. I think it takes as long to make up as to knit the bits!

Can you guess who they are yet??!!

Brenda the Biker

Brenda has left her bike parked outside and has come in for a cuppa and bun. She has lots of lovely bling on (which is more than I have in my jewellery box!) maybe she will let me borrow some :0D
Although she thinks she's 'hard' she isn't really and loves her pink/yellow bracelet.

She has a fire painted on her 'leather' waistcoat. She will be going to the craft shop with her friends in the very near future.

This pile of wool bits is going to be made up to something marvelous!!!! watch this space

Hopefully this tangle will be made into something more recognizable pretty soon. (or not as the case maybe)

Spotty twins

Hot of the press the McSpotty twins!

I'm clearing my desk for a charity knit that I will be taking part in, to help the Japan relief. More details later.

Cock-a-doodle-doo

As you might be getting a bit fed up with me posting monkeys all the time (never... did I hear you shout!!) here is a painting that hangs in my kitchen. I painted it on an old scrap of hardboard and put a home made hanger on the back. I put some satin varnish over the top to protect him although it's not really needed as it's acrylic paints.
We had a real cock once and he drove us up the wall with his crowing at 3o'clock in the morning, he had to go. (no he didnt end up in the pot!) This one is nice and silent :0D

(copied from a painting book)

Mrs.Twitt

When I saw these socks in the shop couldn't resist them. Covered in little pink owls on a black background. Mrs. Twitt has got a black scarf with a bright pink heart and a flower bracelet.

 This one is going into a craft shop, along with several others, which opens for the season end of this month.

Cheery Cherry Sock Monkey

Been busy busy and in between has a request for a Cheery Cherry. She is now on her travels to the USA. She's looking forward to her new home and new life there and she hopes that she will get a cuppa and buttery crumpet when she arrives after her very long journey!

This little piggy

In our old house we used to have some horrible bare cupboard fronts so to make them a bit more cheery I used some acrylic paints to paint 'Babe'. When we moved we couldn't leave him there so the cupboard front came with us. There is another one painted with a chicken n stuff so will have to unbury that and take a photo. Babe lives in the kitchen propped up against a wall in a corner.

The paint has survived remarkably well, although I did put a coat of varnish on top to protect it from spills etc.as it was in a very busy, messy part of the kitchen and got lots of splashes.

thank you followers

Just noticed that I'm creeping up to 100 followers. I would like to thank them, and also those that have commented on my ramblings over the months that I have been......well, rambling!
In recognition to this, when I get to 100 I will have a giveaway. As I have been the lucky winner of a few myself it will be nice to reciprocate to somebody else.
Teeny Tiny Titch will be the prize, along with his peapod bed.  I  posted a picture of him back in February.

Mr. Ginger Nutts.

A jumble of limbs was sitting on the table and every now and again twitching at me. So inbetween everything else I thought I'd better put this monkey together. The poor soul was really relieved to have been made up and so now let me introduce you to Mr. Ginger Nutts. After a reviving cuppa and a buttery crumpet he has gone over to my Etsy shop!

Made with a really cuddly and slightly furry pair of socks he is a squiggy, cuddly sort of guy.

weather and a cuppa

I havn't strayed to far from the fire all today. It's blowing a gale and is extremely cold, cranked the central heating up and the log fire is roaring but that wind is finding all the gaps and giving us a draft. So with copius cups of tea I just settled down as close to the fire as poss. What else can you do?!

Been busy quilting and marking out a picture to paint/embroider so I don't have anything to show this weekend but here is something from the archives.Draw up your chair and join me in a cuppa tea!

80

quilting the quilt.

Here is where I'm upto on the patchwork. I am slowly going around the squares but now I use 2 thimbles (one on each hand) as I couldn't stand the stabbing any more! Thanks to Tamster on MSE for letting me know that there is special quilting thread, otherwise I would have tried to persevere with ordinary cotton which would have led to a lot of frustration with knots/tangles and snapping.

                                                                   
                                                                   close up

I have only done a few squares and it's amazing how it begins to turn a large swath of material into the beginings of an actual quilt! (Its a pity that I couldn't get a close enough photo to show it better). I will be doing the banded strips as well and then the binding which I don't have as yet. Looking forward to it being on my bed......sometime!

Somebody asked where I got my idea for the 'Quirky Village Regatta' painting/embroidery. It was the little houses embroidered on  the above quilt set off the old grey cells to take them a step further and play around with fabrics and I had made some boat cards so combined the two elements. Got loads of ideas for more 'Quirky Village' series! I am excited as I have just got a commission to do a picture for someone using this technique. Hopefully I will do justice to it!

Mickey Monkey

Found another cuddly, soft pair of socks buried underneath the operating table of bodies,legs,arms and hats!
So here he is Mickey Monkey big brother to the twins!

                                                                            Sold
He's got his bag packed with his sweeties and his off to the Etsy shop to join his brothers and sisters!

Twins Wee Jock and Joe.

These little monkeys have just come off the operating table tiny brothers Wee Jock and Wee Joe. They are made with little boy socks and with their matching hats and scarfs they are all dressed ready for a new adventure!

Now in my Etsy shop.

Regatta Sailing race no2

This is the other regatta race that I've been working on. It is slimmer and longer than the first one I made and how it is made up is a bit different, which I thought was going to be quicker, but took longer!! A mixture of painting and hand/machine embroidery.

 And this is some close ups;

                                                                      Seagulls included!!

Hope you like it, I have popped it into my Etsy shop now. I have a plan in my head to make the same sort of picture but with vintage cars. Hope it can translate OK from how I see it to paper!

On other news have started to quilt my patchwork and is coming out nice (I think) as it's hand done it has given me lots of needle pricks in my finger, will try a thimble I think. So lots going on in my little Highland Cottage :0)