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Category Archives: embroidery

Seagull, Random Photo and An Angel

Our last singing session at the Zed Shed was today and this photo of a seagull on a buoy was taken when the sopranos were learning and I wasn’t needed.

I read this lovely heart-warming story about a man and a baby the other day and have been given permission to use the photo and to tell you the story, by Artistic Freedom whose page it was on.
“Random photo of a man at the DMV holding a baby. The man does not know the child. They are strangers to each other. The parents of the child were sitting next to the man and the baby, feeling squirmy and discontent, crawled into the man’s lap.
The man had just moved from one state to another, where a year prior his brother was killed. This baby was born on that very day. Everyone was overwhelmed to tears.
NO HATE
Courtesy: Aaron Britney Varnes”

A Christmas card has arrived. It comes from one of our beautiful Ukrainian friends who is safe in Sweden. It is a beautiful Angel, made from delicate curve stitching and we love it. Thank you N.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 22, 2022 in art, Christmas, community, embroidery, environment, nature, photography, Postaday2022

Tags: #NoHate, Aaron Britney Varnes, Artistic Freedom, Penryn River

Quilt, Dinners and A Walk

18 Nov

Some months ago, I was invited to add a small panel for this quilt, being assembled for a friend for her 70th birthday. Family and friends each contributed a square and then they were all skilfully put together by A. What a wonderful gift to treasure for ever.

As we have done before, we’ve made up Christmas Dinners in a box, for local people and delivered them to a collection point this morning. Should you live in Cornwall and wish to join in, this is the link.

The sun shone this afternoon after many days of heavy rain so we went for a stroll in one of our favourite places, Trelissick. The autumn colours were gorgeous.

The Tower at Trelissick

Sunlight catching the trunks of trees

Reflection in a puddle

Silhouettes against the ever-changing sky

Green, yellow and orange

Red

Lane to….

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 18, 2022 in art, Cornwall, embroidery, environment, friendship, nature, photography, Postaday2022, quilting, sewing, Trelissick Gardens, Uncategorized

Roses, Red Car and An Exhibition

25 Jun

These roses in a neighbour’s garden smell as good as they look.

As we walked down into town, a bride and groom, just married, drove up in a beautiful, bright red car, all beribboned and ballooned .

There was a delightful exhibition called Treasures of Redruth in the Market Hall today.

Here are some of the lovely treasures.

Jam First!

Footprints, Embroidery and Pudding

03 Jan

One of the bloggers I follow, Judy of https://newenglandgardenandthread.wordpress.com/2022/01/02/january/ wrote today
“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” Eleanor Roosevelt
and, of course, I thought of my Dear Friend, Angie whose footprints will be with me forever.

This amazing piece of embroidery came my way today and I really thought I should share it with you all. I absolutely love it and aspire to do similar…

Embroidered by Jennifer Kennedy Tidd

.These are the words of the very skilled embroiderer:
“I have a finish!
365 icons representing each day of this year! I started on Jan 1 having never embroidered, and now I cannot wait to do it again!
This has been one of the most rewarding projects that I have ever completed.
I encourage you to first, open your eyes to all the tiny beautiful things around you and second incorporate them into something that makes you happy!”

Today I made Panettone Pudding to use up the rather dry panettone. It is scrumptious indeed.

Panettone Pudding from BBC Good Food

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 3, 2022 in art, baking, embroidery, Photography, Postaday2022

Tags: Jennifer Kennedy Tidd, Panettone Pudding

Guest Blogger from Falmouth

09 Mar

One of my readers, P, sent me the following lovely message this morning. I was so moved by this beautiful story that I asked her if she could be my Guest Blogger for today and she agreed.

I hope you don’t mind me sending you a beautiful thing. Your blog has brought so much light and comfort through a really dark winter, it means a lot to me, and I’ve thought of you every time I’ve seen one of these little gems tied to a lamppost or a tree recently!

I just had to walk the Falmouth terraces before work this rare still morning, frosty and crisp with the mist hanging over a glassy harbour. These gem-like embroideries have been popping up around town, little splashes of hope and colour in the grey. One had appeared on a bench above a very unassuming little green space. It’s where we used to take our beloved young Mieke for a nearby leg-stretch and hoon about, and as she got more ill and couldn’t go far, I’d sit on the bench while she snuffled for dropped snacks and watched the other dogs bowling around. On her last morning with us – after a horribly unsettled night – she rallied, marched Pete out of the door and dragged him to the green to say goodbye. She sailed into her tomorrow that evening.

The photo of Mieke is her exploring the green as a puppy. She died with lymphoma in October, after 15 short but oh-so-busy months of life

It is so lovely to be given ‘beautiful things’ and I treasure this lyrically written piece which moved me to tears. All photos by P.

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 9, 2021 in embroidery, Falmouth, friendship, Photography, Postaday2021, Uncategorized

Inauguration Evening Dress, Sky and Snowdrops

22 Jan

This beautiful embroidered dress is such a gentle reminder of the positivity and sincerity of the First Lady. I love too that she is a teacher.

The following is taken from a Facebook post this morning:
“Dr. Jill Biden’s Inauguration Evening Dress had flowers from all 50 States plus the US territories embroidered on it, with the flower of Delaware sewn near her heart and the other flowers branching out from it. What a lovely message from a lovely woman.

ETA: “Inside of the coat, representing the lifelong calling and service of Dr. Biden as an educator is a hand embroidery on the lining with a quote from Founding Father Benjamin Franklin:

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”’

The materials used were existing available fabrics to minimize the impact on the environment.”

Pictures from designer Gabriela Hearst. Jessica Bustamante

The skies were so beautifully blue today, the moon already risen and the apricity so lovely – until the black clouds came over and the hailstorm swirled around us with the sharp hail bits stinging our faces!

In St Euny Graveyard, on our route down Church Lane on the way to the Great Flat Lode, the Snowdrops are blooming.

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 22, 2021 in America, Cornwall, embroidery, environment, flowers, nature, Photography, Postaday2021, quotations

Tags: Delaware, Dr Jill Biden, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, Gabriela Hearst., Inauguration

Shades of Yellow

28 Jun

Our walk today was highlighted by yellows, started after I spotted the yellow Holly leaf. After that, the yellows just shone out at us.

Holly

Bracken

Celandine

Honeysuckle

Dandelion

Pennywort

This afternoon, the yellow theme continued as I worked on some embroidery, a Christmas present for one of our LiveWires.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 28, 2020 in embroidery, environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2020

Tags: bracken, dandelion, honeysuckle, pennywort

Croissants, A Card and A Poem

07 Jan

On their last morning, the LiveWires made Croissants au Chocolat for everyone’s breakfasts.

This is the prettiest of all my lovely birthday cards, all made in ribbon and embroidery.

The fog hasn’t cleared all day and I was reminded of this charming little poem.

Fog by Carl Sandburg

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 7, 2020 in art, embroidery, Photography, poetry, Postaday2020, Uncategorized

Tags: 'Fog' by Carl Sandburg, Fog

Mosaic, Quilting and Angels

21 Dec

It was my day in the gallery today, surrounded by beautiful things. Click on any image to see more detail.

By Anne Butland

Quilt by Jan Thomas

Sea Urchin lamps by Jessica Pearson

Papier Mache Angels by Julie Howe – I love these quirky creatures.

Looking up the road towards the town

Embroidery Silks, Pillow Cases and Cato

19 Dec

I needed more embroidery silks for finishing off the pillow cases so went to my favourite shop, Redruth fabrics which is an Aladdin’s Cave of gorgeousness.

Beautiful silks

This afternoon I finished off the pillow cases which each say ‘Goodnight ******’ (Insert name of Grandchild here). As I was doing the embroidery, I was thinking about my Mum who did the same for our four children nearly 40 years ago. Two, at least, of our children still have their much loved pillow cases!

Pillow cases finished and ready to pack

Our children and their children love the picture story book, ‘My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes’ and visiting next door this afternoon, I was reminded of it when Cato came to sit near me, not on my lap or on the settee but in the box lid.