Quick Photo Post

I'm pretty busy right now and haven't been doing much blogging lately. Here is a quick photo summary of the last week or so.

The QE2 visited us on it's last voyage before it's off to Dubai as a luxury hotel or somesuch nonsense - we nipped down to the shore to have a last look. Excuse the terrible pic.



I received my postcard for the Colour Combinations Swap I'm in with Unlimited Textiles group. I'ts from Sandy and it's really gorgeous.



This is a quiltie made from silk fibres made into a 'paper' with some throwsters waste and silk ribbon snippets added, then FME'd on top with beads added last. It looks nicer in real life but my photographic skills seem to be getting worse instead of better! I must stop photographing things on that background too (it's the plastic stuff I have on top of my dining table to protect it and it's not a good background!).



Postcard (first one I've ever attempted) done in the same way. I've a feeling I might have done it slightly wrongly in that I put wadding in the middle and fabric on the back - shouldn't it be flatter and have card or stiff vilene on the back? Maybe it doesn't really matter - I hope so.



Finally, thanks to everyone who comments on these posts and I just want to apologise if I have missed replying to you, I don't always manage it and so just wanted to say thanks for commenting and I do really appreciate all your input. xxxxx

Nice Surprise & Wet Weekend

I had a lovely surprise from Annica in Sweden this weekend - these beautiful ATCs - aren't they gorgeous? I'm afraid the background colour is not doing anything for them - they are really lovely in the flesh. Thank you so much Annica :)



Sunday must have been the wettest day for ages. We all squelched our way through the 'Naturally Fife' exhibition - a kind of combination horticultural and environmental show. This is only the second year it's been on and it's held in Dunfermline in Pittencrieff Park which is absolutely gorgeous. Everything was on in large marquees and we had a good time although we were really cold and wet by the end of it - the water seeped up through the bottom of my trousers - euch! There was a lot of information about environmental things - being greener in the home, recycling etc etc. There was a woman with a peg loom which was quite interesting - my other half assured me he could make me one (I expect he has forgotten already!) and the RSPB and the Woodland Trust were there too. There were activities for the children to do and mine got into the spirit of things..

Making a home for ladybirds to hibernate in for the winter from hollow sticks tied together (who knew ladybirds hibernated?)



Decorating a wooden necklace..



They also made nice fish from willow which they wove - Adam wanted to make a dragon but the lady said they only did fish! They wanted to make felted flowers too, but there was a bit of a queue for that and so I promised I'd do it with them at home (and you know they won't forget!).

There were some extremely large vegetables to behold! How white are those cauliflowers?! I just wanted to grab them all and make soup. :-)



There was quite a show of flowers too and a huge long table of bonsai trees.



It was a shame the day was so cold and wet because I'm sure it must have affected the attendance numbers. I hope they continue to do it every year. Oh, I nearly forgot - one of the best things was that I got two new plants for my garden - an echinacea and a heuchera - absolutely gorgeous, just have to figure out where to put them now...

All The Nice Girls Love A Sailor

When my dear Dad was still with us, he had been working on a kit of a model tugboat ( I say working on it - it was a bit sporadic - like the rest of us!). Anyway, my brother recently took up the challenge and began working on the kit. Much painstaking bending of wood, painting of hulls, adjusting of ballast and fiddling with electrical do-dads ensued. Finally it was completed and last night the tug took it's maiden voyage on the local pond in Rosyth. Ta-Dah!

Everything went swimmingly (ahem) and the tug sailed like a dream. I even got a shot of the controls - we had a great time.



Close up.



This is the man himself, my brother John. Notice the apparent ease with which he manfully handles the controls :)



This is the face of a happy boat builder don't you agree? I have to say by the way, that I love my little brother to bits, he is absolutely the best in the world, he is so kind, generous (and quite cuddly too, but don't tell him I said so) and to me he is my absolute hero. I just love him. Of course if he reads this, then I am a dead woman!

Nigella Minxing It Up!

Now, I love Nigella as much as the next woman - but boy was she over the top tonight! I think she must have been on the 'frisky' pills.

I gotta get me some of dem dere pills.



Saucy minx!

And The Winner Is....

Mary! Well done you. I think there is something a bit spooky about you missus!!! Yes, I have to confess that my middle name is indeed Audrey - ugh, I hate it. I mean c'mon - Susan Audrey? Do I strike you as an Audrey? Shouldn't I be floating around in a kaftan, like Margo Leadbetter in 'The Good Life', drinking aperitifs before dinner and doing Good Works for the church? That's the sort of image it conjures up for me. I think Tallulah suits me much better (grin). No offence to any other Audreys out there - I'm sure your name fits you just right and that you are nothing like Margo :)

Now that I think about it, I kinda liked Margo....oh dear...




Or maybe I'm more like this Audrey from 'Little Shop of Horrors'?



Congratulations to Mary, I will send you a little prize in the post.

A Clue (or Two)

After a few guesses at my middle name - which include; Mildred, Morag, Rumplestiltskin (!), and Tallulah (I wish) - I will give you clues -

1. It starts with an A

2. It's not Scottish

The photo below was the view from my window this morning at 6.30am. Looks like it's going to be a lovely day here.

We are off to Perth later this morning (Scotland, not Australia -lol) and Mum is coming too. We will have a nice mooch around the shops hopefully and then I'd like to visit Caithness Glass where they make gorgeous paperweights (and other things) and you can see them glass blowing. I have some of the paperweights and Adam was asking how they get all the shapes inside, so I'd like to take him and show him!

Better go and make up a picnic I think :)

100th Post!!

Can you believe it? My 100th post already. Blogging has been quite an adventure and, for the most part, I've really enjoyed it. The best bit by far has to be all the lovely friends I've made over the months - so to all of you kind, thoughtful, wonderful, supportive and inspirational people - a big THANK YOU! from me.

How to celebrate? Well, I was thinking a skinny cappuccino later... Seriously though, doesn't everyone have a little competition on their 100th post? Well, I wouldn't want to be left out - so, the first person who guesses what my middle name is (d'ya hear that Mary? - LOL) and emails me with it, then I will send them a little prize! Incidentally, I feel I should point out that whilst I don't exactly hate my middle name - I wouldn't have chosen it for myself! (it's just not me, y'know? then again, maybe I should just embrace the name...lol) Anyway, I digress - go on, have a guess!

Just a couple of other things to say on this momentous post. I have finished the ATCs I was working on. Here is a photo below - I did add a few beads to one or two of them after this pic was taken and now most of them have been posted off to new owners. It's been quite a lot of fun working in this size, I've always liked 'miniature' things, even in art class at high school I can remember loving getting into the detail of things.

I've still not been brave enough to try inchies yet though!



I've been browsing through the first issue of the new Fibre & Stitch ezine, thanks to a very generous person who has gifted me a subscription (you know who you are! xx). It has some great ideas and techniques in it and I've only managed to have just a quick look so far. I'm hoping the article on Embellisher Techniques by Purple Missus will finally prompt me to get my machine out of the box in the corner!

Hurrah! for 100 posts and blogging friends!!

Quiztime & Quilties

Not wanting to be left out, I've taken this popular quiz too. Yes, it just about sums me up perfectly (tongue firmly in cheek).

What color is your soul painted? Grey Your soul is painted the color grey, which embodies the characteristics of elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, wisdom, strong emotions, balance, and cancellation. Grey falls under the element of Water, and symbolizes the moon, tide, ebb and flow. Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

I've been getting on with a new batch of quilties and I've some more ATC's to finish too. Of course I should be getting on with preparations (the creative kind) for that Special Time in December - oh well, maybe tomorrow... (after I finish the ATC's of course!).

Here are the quilties. I gave up on hand stitching for this batch and used my trusty Husqvarna and I'm still working my way through the pile of hand dyed fabric I have. I only have smallish pieces and I think I'd like to some more dyeing, only with bigger pieces of fabric. Hmmm, just the thing for an Autumn day I think...