Saturday Stitches: Begins with a bird

This post will be my 51st and I am shocked – don’t they say time flies when you’re having fun?! I am so happy that I decided to start blogging this year – the web is such a fantastic place to find inspiration and read about lovely people and their goings on and I feel a bit honoured to be a part of it!

I thought I would start a regular Saturday Stitching post to encourage me to keep up my cross stitching every week and inspire you to show me what stitching projects you have been completing!

 This week I have been celebrating the end of Summer in my patio garden – with a little wildlife inspired stitch.

This was the perfect mini project to complete after all of the weeks spent on my Christmas sampler (see here). I found it in a project book which came free with a back issue of Cross Stitcher (I know, do I find inspiration anywhere else?!).

I love the sketchy-type outlining of the backstitch in this picture – there are a couple more birds in this series so you may see them cropping up one day soon. Don't you just love his teeny rosy cheeks?!

What stitching projects have you been up to this week? Why not leave me a link and I will check out your blog!

Until next time,

K x

Deli-cious in Dorset

Last month I went to beautiful Dorset to stay with my mum for a week, and the OH and I got to spend the entire week exploring by ourselves – heaven! There is nothing better than a little day trip somewhere new (and the chance to discover a new vintage shop which might have a treasure tucked away for me!).

One place which I definitely have to tell you about is a little deli / cafe which we went to in Wimborne Minster. The town itself is worth a visit – it has lots of lovely shops situated around the Minster - and has such a quaint feeling to it! No.9 On The Green is situated just opposite the Minster itself, so you have a lovely view whilst sipping your cup of tea!  

 

When you walk into the cafe you are greeted by a counter choc full of yummy looking breads and baked tarts – they definitely got my tummy rumbling and ready for some lunch!

The decor in the cafe was just right up my street – very quaint and rustic. All of the tables had mismatched table lamps, fresh flowers and vintage books on them. It looked like a scene straight out of a Farrow & Ball catalogue!

I am more than happy to abide by these house rules!

It goes without saying that the food was delicious – we had soup which was served with freshly made crusty bread, and tasty paninis.

On the way out the OH couldn’t help himself but buy a huge crusty rosemary and olive loaf to take home – and it didn’t disappoint!

I know that the next time we are in Dorset we will definitely be making another trip to No. 9 On The Green – I just love to discover a new favourite!

Until next time,

K x

Cross Stitch Christmas Resolution

Last month marked the start of the Xfactor on TV again – a sure sign that Christmas is just around the corner! It’s just frightening how fast September to December usually goes in my world. I work in a shop which has a really big focus upon sales at Christmas which means late shifts, overtime and manic panic customer buying!

I LOVE Christmas – the sparkle, the family time, the snow outside the window, being curled up inside, and, of course the presents! I LOVE shopping and picking out things which I think people will love and I LOVE seeing what people have chosen for me!

 

It’s the only time of year when I like surprises. I LOVE the movies on TV, the mince pies and the cinnamon scented candles.

Woah, that’s alot of love!

Working in a shop full of grumpy customers who HATE having to spend their money on people they don’t like, HATE having to spend their days off trawling the shops with wet feet, HATE having to wait in a queue to be told the item they want is out of stock and HATE the Christmas songs being pumped at them from every direction has been a bit of shock the last few years.

Sometimes I think I can feel the Christmas spirit being dampened inside me. I think of myself as a positive person but there’s only so much a person can take. Last year was the worst as I only had one day off over Christmas, spent no time at all with family and friends - and what should have been such a memorable Christmas – the first one in our first home – ended up disappearing in the blink of an eye.

 

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I made a resolution to myself this year – to enjoy every moment of the festive season and to try to let criticism, anger and bad behaviour wash over me like water off a duck’s back.

Christmas went by so fast last year that I didn’t have time to whip up any festive creations to decorate my home, and relied upon shop bought decorations. This year I have started early with my first ever sampler.

It will sit pride of place over my mantelpiece and every time I see it I vow to stay positive and keep the Christmas spirit alive! I plan to create, create, create until my house is full of the handmade things which I jealously see on other people’s blogs!

Have you started any Christmas projects yet?

Until next time,

K x

Good ol' catch up

Happy October! Yes, I realise I’m a week late but my blogging mojo has left me recently. I’m not giving up though – I’m not forcing myself to feel inspired, rather I’m giving myself some time to catch up on life and letting my blogging side come back to me slowly.

I have recently discovered Instagram and I have been loving how quick and easy it is to snap away any time inspiration strikes me! I thought the best way to show you what I had been up to was to share my ‘pick of the pics’.

1.       I picked up this Hummingbird Bakery recipe organiser on a recent trip to my local charity shop for just 99p and it has been inspiring me to start baking again! 2. Jack hibernating indoors away from the Autumnal weather. 3. My favourite pic from my annual trip down South to visit my mum in Poole – proper post coming soon! 4. The start of my first Christmas project, which I began when I was Home Alone.

1.       My sister came back from New York with this gorgeous little make-up bag for me – what a lucky girl! 2. I met this beautiful Great Dane called Miss Zelda whilst visiting a friend of the OH...she was just the closest thing to a horse that a dog can be, but so gentle with it! 3. I had a serious plum craving last week, and ended up making a delicious frangipane plum tart - recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver. 4. I visited a friend who has recently moved just a little way up the road to Gateshead, and we had a stroll into Newcastle. We had lunch and a little retail therapy and it was a perfect day out!

Until next time,

K x