Charlotte and Emily say Merry Christmas

Emily would have said Merry Christmas to All but she's too busy right now having discovered some rainwater in an abandoned pot plant which must be investigated. Charlotte is also too busy as she is wondering if she should do something about that lizard at the bottom of the steps.Charlotte and Emily want everyone to know they do care about all those snowbound Europeans and people stranded at Heathrow and can't get home To Sunny Australia for Christmas but they have had it tough too.
Last week there was a very sudden and noisy hailstorm, Charlotte was terrified and even though the storm only lasted a few minutes she had to spend an hour in the wardrobe to recover. Emily only looked slightly annoyed by the noise. Then one day this week it was so windy they couldn't get out of the door at all and had to spend the day sleeping.

My very first William and Kate souvenir has arrived from the U.K, only a metal badge but i'ts a start and I've ordered a wedding tapestry, hope it arrives in time for me to stitch before April 29th.

Look at the big pink bear behind Charlotte, I won it at the Doll Club Christmas raffle. Made from mohair by a clever club member I think this bear is just asking to be made into a William and Kate bear. Look at the large paw pads, I could embroider names or dates there and today at the op shop I bought a little denim jacket to convert and stitch with royal stuff. A great idea and one I hope will make it out of my head and onto the bear.

Happy Christmas to all in Blogland from Charlotte, Emily and Me.

Royal Wedding Date

"Oh to be in England Now that Aprils there." Robert Browning.
The date has been announced and can now be printed on souvenirs. There will be a public holiday for the wedding and I think it will be an exciting event.
The daffodils will be out in the London parks. Below is a cross stitch I worked years ago because I love daffodils, the colours are better than shown in the pic.
I finished The Kiss and it is framed and on the wall.

And while I look for William and Kate patterns I am working on my U.F.O* of the Queen. This chart is hard going which is why it might always remain a U.F.O. The pearls and tiara will be hard stitching. I can only hope Kate wears very plain clothes and no spakley jewllery.

Charlotte and Emily are already bored with wedding talk, royals and souvenirs. Please note Charlotte sleeping in that cane bed she was so suspicious of.

*U.F.O unfinished object and I have lots of those.

CONVOY

I love big trucks and today was the annual children's charity convoy. The convoy started with hundreds of motor bikes then then came the trucks horns blaring, the noise was deafening. I think seat belt laws were suspended for the day day as all truck cab were full of children bouncing around and waving madly. I stood and watched for 2 hrs but could hear the noise for another hour. I love just about any parade or convoy even if it's not Royal. There were trucks on trucks.

Trucks coming.
And a view of the out of control crowd in the distance watching trucks coming.

Trucks going.

A wave from a police truck.

Red trucks going.

Trucks with cranes.

My favourite? A dust control truck. Well I waved and shouted and pointed toward my house and jumped up and down hoping this truck could break the convoy and come and control the dust that has settled on my collections. I can't even see a driver in this pic. was he hiding from me under the steering wheel?
I can just make out his web add. on the truck so I will catch up with him yet.

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William and Kate Engagement

Congratulations and a toast to William and Kate on the announcement of their engagement. A very nice couple and you have my total approval. Now I want the souvenirs and I want to be in London for the wedding. Please announce the wedding date soon.
I had intended to have a longer blogger break, I haven't been away just catching up on other things but this Royal event is too important to stay away from my blog.
I have ordered you a new shirt Ted. we need to move on and you must now wear a Kate shirt.

New Problem; where do I find lots of $$$$ so I can go to THE wedding?

Shall I sell Charlotte and Emily, after changing their birth date and making them 10 yrs younger,on ebay? They don't eat much.

No! Charlotte reminded me it is illegal to sell cats on ebay and has threatened to report me to everyone from H.R.H to the local R.S.P.C.A if I try to sell her and she is going to keep a sharp watch on Emily!
Take ??decades of my age and sell myself.....maybe not, cat women who are also collectors and hoarders aren't in high demand.
Take in a lodger? see above re. cat women etc.

A note here, Charlotte and Emily usually eat in the dining room off bone china plates, it was their choice to eat outside and catch a cool breeze. They have not been banished outdoors.

See you at The wedding William and Kate XXX

Blogger Break

Announcing a short blogger break....... But I will be back. Watch this space!!

Guy Fawkes Day

Today is Guy Fawkes day, a day in 1605 of gunpowder, treason and plot when Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the British Parliment. I don't have much to show for G.F but this little piece of cross stitch is part of my millenium sampler.

I showed this cross stitch sampler last year but as you can imagine there are not many souvenirs around for me to show so here it is again. Bonfires and fireworks are now banned except for public displays and anyway no one here remembers or even seems to know about the date except me. Here is my pathetic lone commemoration of the day: a couple of sparklers and very pretty they were too.

Now I just need to get that awful sparkler smell out of the house.

Refreshing my memory in the pages of a book I have.

I am so pleased Charlotte shares my interest in British history, or is she trying to tell me I should have no other interests but her.

Monster Moth Mayhem And Beautiful Thoughts

This monster moth was on the side of my verandah, don't know what type he is and I know there must be bigger ones in the world but to me he looks very scary. The mayhem will start if he/she gets into the house. Picture this scene; me in bed with a good book, the lamp on my bedside table casting a glow, then a loud fluttering of wings and a large monster banging into the lamp. A loud sharp scream, me and the cats running from the room, and as I said mayhem and chaos. Meanwhile I am trying to think beautiful thoughts about.........
Gold Coaches.

And more Gold Coaches.

And another Coach, this time embroidered on a tablecloth.

And a Handsome Charming Prince. Hello William XX

And very pretty cats. Hello Charlotte and Emily. XX Well I think I feel better now, though it will soon be dark and I will have to turn lights on and we all know moths love lights, I hope this isn't some belated Halloween Horror

Weekend of Bargains and Wildlife

Every year Doll Club has a huge and very popular Fair and today was the day. One of our talented members knits very detailed bedspreads and clothes for doll houses. This year I was lucky enough to get this one. Done to 1/12 scale on fine needles and cotton so fine hard to belive she can even see what she is knitting, I have watched her so I know it's possible. The pattern is a classic and looks beautiful in my doll house, wish my own bed was as elegant as this. Also knitted by Denise and bought by me, this pretty doll outfit with tiny pearly beads knitted in to the dress and edging the matching shawl. The outfit even included a knitted nappy all so tiny I had trouble tying the bonnet and fastening the buttons at the back. The work is so delicate and the prices so reasonable I can only think it a labour of love.
The length of the dress is only 7cm or 2 and three quarter inches.

Bought a new dress for my old doll too and she is offering me a "thank you" coffee. Emily was helping but she fell asleep halfway through. Would like to say I found this doll at an antique shop but no I have had her since new #* years ago, I think I got her for Christmas 19*!. Is there a slice of cake to go with that coffee? I think I have spent the grocery money again this weekend!

Between markets and fairs I managed to fit in a visit to an op shop and found this bargain bracelet. The coins show the Queen's head one side and crown the other. The bracelet was very dirty when I bought it and hot water and detergent wouldn't shift the dirt and I had no jewellery cleaner so here comes household tip #1025. I soaked the bracelet in Napisan and the dirt fell off, how good is that?? now I want commision from Napisan! The bracelet is on a piece of wallpaper, I bought a whole roll of it at the markets on Saturday to use in a doll house I am renovating.

Not sure what these birds are, they are smaller than sparrows and I hope they don't want to build a nest there, the days are getting hotter and I'll need to lower those blinds. Thought Charlotte and Emily might warn them off but as usual they are asleep.

P.S The birds are swallows.

More little ducklings outside today, they have both parents to guard them and I didn't want to disturb them by getting any closer. The last lot I posted must be very grown up by now.

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Weekend of Odds and Ends

No this is not my bathroom. Sad as it sounds the highlight of my weekend was buying a craft book published in 1972 at a charity stall. Full instructions are given for the pretty toilet seat and cistern covers below and they are not for the novice crafter so I won't be tempted to try this craft. I've heard the '70s was the decade taste forgot so that could be right. The same book has the pattern for this pretty poodle bottle cover, perhaps to hide the fact you have already drunk the contents or to hide the contents from the drinkers, who knows?

And why not make a cover for that ugly old fry pan, if the neighbours drop in and you did not wash it after last nights fry up, well pop the cover on and all is hidden.

Please email me if you feel you must have the pattern for these retro treasures. Patterns free to the first 250 emailers. Lots more very interesting items in the book I might show at a later date.

From a much earlier decade when women felt obliged to stitch a cover for just about everything these are from my linen collection. Three bag holders for string, in the 2 on the left the string is placed in the bag with the end coming out of the mouth.

A bag for gloves and on the left a holder for matches and on the right a holder for a note book all hand embroidered.

No need to explain the ones below as the have their uses embroidered on them so no mistakes can be made. For example the shoe polish won't be mixed up with the dusters or stockings.

Another match holder, two doyley holders a pot holder cover with embroidered pot holders inside and a pocket for matches at the top. Also two book covers, one with a matching bookmark.

And then we come to my craft. I am making great progress with "The Kiss" so it is unlikely to end up as a UF.O. I need to get it finished as William and Kate could announce their engagemant at any time and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is getting closer so I must be ready to stitch Royal samplers again.

I hope that in years to come no one will mock my stitching (apologies to the toilet seat cover) and wonder why I didn't spend my time in more noble pursuits. Perhaps learning a second language, studying the Greek classics, learning to play a musical instrument or even how to change the oil in my car, this list could go on but then I wouldn't have time to cross stitch and I don't want to get oil on my hands.

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Weekend of Bargains

This cane cat bed bought at the markets on Sunday, my first bargain I thought it would be a comfy summer cat bed for one of the girls. Not sure about that look on Charlotte's face; is she thinking 'how nice of you to buy me a new bed at the markets when you are always buying yourself rubbish!' or 'do you really expect me to sleep in a pre-owned 2nd hand cat bed possibly slept in by some old stray?? But Charlotte I made the foam base and covered it myself with pretty bargain (new) fabric. Well that's a start Charlotte, feel the softness off the cushion, you might get to like it.

Look here's Emily willing to at least sit in the bed.

Caught you napping Charlotte, admit it, you do like the bed. Say Thank You.

Handy prize winning hint #907.

An electric knife is perfect for cutting foam of any depth. I already had this piece of foam stashed away so marked the shape of the basket and cut around it. I've had my knife for years and with a good wash it will next cut the Christmas ham

At the market I also bought a large bag of fabric off cuts for a couple of dollars and in the bag was the perfect piece to cover my recliner chair. This is the one chair I'm trying to save from being used as a scratching post by my girls. So far it has been covered by an old sheet and looks awful.

Now it looks like I have turned it into a perfect Granny chair, that's O.K I'm a Granny who loves florals. Could have done with a bit more of the fabric but with clever cutting out I think it look good if no one inspects it too closely. I'll finish the chair tomorrow but for now I think I'll just sit in it for a while.