It's August

Can you believe it?  The weather has been so hot that the grass is dry and brown and the plants are showing signs of wilting between watering.  Due to watering restrictions in the region that means every other day for the beds and only once a week for lawn watering.  We have had little rain and the temperatures have been in the 30's.  We had a few nice walks on the trail which is shaded and cooler but being outside is brutal.  Nights are cooler and a  nice time to spend on the deck or courtyard, eating dinner outside is nice too. You can actually take your cross stitch outside and make some progress as there is little else you can do in this heat.
 
Talking about cross stitch... I finished the 2 Lizzie Kate's in HHI whilst on vacation ( "Ask me about my Grandkids") and framed and gifted them.  They looked amazing even if I do say so myself. I forgot to take photos as I was so excited.  They were well received and both recipients said the they loved them and the fact I had made them with my own hands made them special.  The weird thing was that both recipients, who do not know each other or live near each other, were redecorating their main floor powder rooms at the time of the delivery. Maybe these pieces have found a special home. Although the colours were not a consideration they should look good with any decor as the frames were black and the mats off white.



Lanarte Cherries



I also started the Lanarte Cherries piece and as you can see it is well on it's way.  This is also a gift for a special person who has a birthday at the end of August and I can't wait to give it to her.  She admired the first one I did and now she gets her own. I love doing this piece as I feel like I have painted every cherry.  The shading in it is marvellous. I will post a finished and framed picture soonest.



Elizabeth Jane

  I finally picked up the Blackbird Designs Elizabeth Jane ( Anniversaries of the Heart Pattern #12) as well as the Honeysuckle Manor book.  The Honeysuckle Manor book contains "A Tisket - a Tasket" which I so want to do as it reminds me of a project I completed at high school. Who's counting...well over 40 years ago now.


A Tisket - A Tasket

  The idea was to create a design that can be viewed from all four sides.  This design was then taken and painted onto an object.  There were several things to pick from and I chose the jewellery box which was round in shape and I  started to create the design on the lid.  I can remember it to this day as it was displayed in the halls of the school.  I don't remember taking it home so I am not sure what happened to it ( probably in the archives lol).  A Tisket - A Tasket reminds me of that design and how much I loved finishing it. Usually the right ingredient to being successful so I am so looking forward to doing this one.  I am waiting on a few threads that are on order and I will be off and running with my needle in hand.

In the Honeysuckle Manor book there are other designs I want do but I had to narrow it down some and I settled on Hannah Lovina Joslin - 1856.  The original piece "Louisa Bell's Honeysuckle Manor" which was the inspiration for the book was purchased on eBay and looks very old and worn in the picture.  I love cross stitch pieces that look old and worn and find that very attractive in stitching pieces.  So to ensure I was in keeping with that theme I picked up some "straw" 30 ct linen and all the threads (some I had on hand- I must be moving into stitchers circles to have threads on hand). The colours are awesome and look old and muted as does the linen.  I am a little worried the fabric will be too yellow but we will see once the threads are added.

I must say that now I am back to stitching on 18ct Aida for the Cherries piece...I only want to stitch on linen.  I thought this would be a nice break for my concentration level and my poor eyesight, less challenging...but it doesn't look the same or even feel the same. So I will need to find a piece of linen for the Lanarte Cherries.

On the knitting side of things I have not been idle either. We have chosen a blanket and sweater for the new grand baby my friend is expecting in October, how exciting. I will probably add bootees and a hat if time allows. My fingers are crossed on this one as I am not sure of colours etc. though I like the soft colours for baby items it does have some contrast. I have narrowed some things down so just need to pull this one together. Once I get going I will post my progress

That cannot possibly be all!  It is not all...we are planning another trip hence the sorting of the threads etc.and I am really looking forward to this as we will explore the area (I have a list),  visit some special folks in our lives and once again eat, eat and eat some more. I am also enjoying learning about antiques.  I purchased a few books and although all three are good there is one that stands out and fits my learning curve perfectly.  I keep browsing through them and picking things up, but can I retain the information?  Well, right now I just want to enjoy it all and I am.

It's a beautiful life... whether planned or spontaneous...remember it takes all kinds to make a world so participate in it and open your heart to those that are different from you.