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Category Archives: embroidery

Tangerine Bird Treats, More Raindrops and Elf Coats – and My Staircase of Books

1 Inspired by something I read on a blog this morning http://enjoyingcreating.wordpress.com/ I got some half-dead fruit out of the compost and made these bird food treats to hang on our Christmas tree – which will be ‘planted’ outside as soon as it stops raining! I also made a pastry bird-seed cake in the hope of both nourishing the birds and luring them closer to my camera!

Fruity bird treats

Pastry bird-cake

2 I do love macro raindrops on this tiny moss.

Raindrops on moss

3 These Avalon Elf Coats are the most beautiful bits of clothing I’ve ever come across!

Beautiful Avalon Elf Coats

4 And, at last, I have my book list for the staircase of books (but as my big brother said, it could be a different list tomorrow!) I agree with Valerie that really I need the staircase in a lighthouse!

‘Under Milk Wood’ Dylan Thomas

Poems of Pablo Neruda

‘Othello’ Shakespeare (How can I choose just one play? Perhaps I should have ‘The Complete Works’ )

‘The Book Thief’ Marcus Zusak

‘Far From The Madding Crowd’ Thomas Hardy

‘Jeremy Visick’ David Wiseman (my Dad!)

‘Kes’ Barry Hines

‘Sophie’s Choice’ William Stryron

‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ A A Milne

‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Harper Lee

‘Rebecca’ Daphne Du Maurier

Do let me know what your choices would be and thank you to those who already have.

And to all my Australian readers – I hope you and yours are safe as we hear the news of the terrible fires sweeping across your country.

27 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 8, 2013 in art, birds, books, embroidery, embroidery, flowers, garden, I've read, literature, nature, photography, Postaday2013, senses, sewing, Words

Tags: 'Far From The Madding Crowd' Thomas Hardy, 'Jeremy Visick' David Wiseman, 'Rebecca' Daphne Du Maurier, 'Sophie's Choice' William Stryron, 'The 'The Book Thief' Marcus Zusak, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Harper Lee, 'Under Milk Wood' Dylan Thomas, 'Winnie-the-Pooh' A A Milne, bird cakes, bird food, bird seed, Elf coats, Fires in Australia, Kes' Barry Hines, macro, othello shakespeare, photography, poems of pablo neruda, Postaday, postaday2013, staircase of books

Sewing Box, Christmas Tree Hat and Dramatic Clouds

04 Dec

1 Yesterday’s post about Granny’s tablecloth brought some interesting comments, particularly telling me that it wasn’t tatting around the edge but Filet Crochet. This took me to Granny’s beautiful old sewing box to look more closely at the very fine metal crochet hooks which I think may have been used for this delicate work. I don’t know what each item in the box is used for so if you do, please tell me!

Inside the lid of Granny’s sewing box

Sewing box lid with Granny’s initial, T, embossed in gold

Close ups of nos 5 and 7, tiny crochet hooks

2 The Christmas Tree hat arrived safely and was immediately worn by T. Her Dad did a fine job of trying to capture her image for me!

T putting on her new hat

T wearing her Christmas Tree hat

T pleased with her new hat

3 It’s been a dramatic weather day with squalls of hailstones followed by sunshine. I love the drama of this sky behind our house.

http://mybeautfulthings.com/?attachment_id=6444

Drama in the sky

22 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 4, 2012 in art, Children, craft, embroidery, embroidery, family, filet crochet, Grandchildren, nature, postaday2012, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: beautiful sky, Christmas Tree Hat, crochet hooks, filet crochet, knitting, night sky, Postaday, postaday2012, sewing box

Hardy Cistus, Hyacinth Bulbs and Hearts in Filet Crochet

03 Dec

1 More rain but the Cistus keeps on flowering albeit getting a little battered. It’s still beautiful.

2 I’ve just got the hyacinth bulbs out of their dark cupboard, the root systems are good and the tops are already greening up. They should be in flower early in the New Year. They are growing in my Mum’s special glass bulb jars. She planted bulbs up every year, not for Christmas but for the dark days in January which is what I now also do .

3 The tablecloth the glasses are sitting on was made by my Granny many, many years ago. The hearts all round the edges are tatting, I think and the flowers are embroidered. What skills!

NB My friend Shelagh in Vermont has told me, in a comment below, that the hearts are in filet crochet not tatting. Thank you, Shelagh.

Table cloth detail

Hearts in tatting made by my Granny c 1900

22 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 3, 2012 in art, craft, embroidery, embroidery, flowers, garden, nature, photography, postaday2012, tatting

Tags: 1900, cistus, filet crochet, Granny, Postaday, postaday2012, tatting

Diamonds, Rhubarb ‘n’ My Nepalese Back-Pack (Daily Prompt)

16 Nov

1 A very heavy mist dropped diamonds on these furry sage leaves.

Diamond drops on sage

2 Beautiful Rhubarb with Ginger Fool as tonight’s dessert.

Rhubarb with Ginger Fools

3 Thought today’s Daily Prompt to be an interesting challenge so I have re-written much of this post so that it contains no three letter words. I have also chosen to change my third item today. I recognise that it is much easier to follow this challenge when one’s post is short! It still makes writers think hard about their choice of words. In Pokhara, Nepal, I bought a beautiful back-pack, embroidered in some of my favourite colours which I plan on using to carry stuff to do with my music lessons, choirs as well as piano then I shall be reminded of my holiday three times every week.

Back-pack from Nepal

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 16, 2012 in baking, craft, embroidery, environment, Food, garden, music, nature, Nepal, photography, piano, postaday2012, senses, singing, travel

Tags: back pack, challenge, daily prompt, diamonds, nepal, Nepalese, no three letter words, Pokhara, Postaday, postaday2012, Rhubarb with Ginger Fool, sage, writing prompts

The Tregellas Tapestries, Colour and A Good Friend

13 Nov

1 The Cornish Studies Library in Redruth houses the The Tregellas Tapestries which show the story of Cornwall from prehistory to modern day, in many beautiful tapestries. These are just two of them. There are 56 more of them and I love going to see them as we did this morning. I wish I could have been part of the project!

Tregellas tapestry

Another of the tapestries

“Known as Redruth’s hidden treasure, the Tregellas Tapestries are a collection of panels of artwork depicting the story of Cornwall in a unique modern tapestry. The word tapestry perhaps doesn’t quite convey how extensive the piece of art is: in short it is a breathtaking work of embroidery, created with appliqué, collage, paint, wool, silks, metal, cork and wood under the direction of Cornish Bard Rita Tregellas Pope, and two designers Joanne Tucker and Anne Corey. The tapestry was created to advance knowledge of Cornwall’s cultural heritage and showcase Cornish history, pre-history, legends industries and activities. The work took three years to complete and has been on display since 2001.”

2 There is still colour in the garden, lots of Kashmir Lilies and just a few nasturtiums and a couple of dahlias.

Kashmir Lilies

Nasturtium

Dahlia

3 A very good friend dropped in this afternoon and we spent a happy hour catching up on each other’s news – lovely!

15 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 13, 2012 in art, community, Cornwall, craft, embroidery, embroidery, flowers, garden, local history, nature, photography, postaday2012, quilting, Redruth, sewing, Uncategorized

Tags: colour, Cornish Bard, cornish history, dahlia, Kashmir Lily, nasturtium, photography, Postaday, postaday2012, rita tregellas pope, tapestry, Tregellas tapestries

Changing Mat, 100 Chinese Children and Another Phone Box

04 Jul

1 Yesterday we bought a new changing mat. To me, this is beautiful as it means we have a baby Granddaughter visiting very soon!

2 When we stayed with my sister in Phoenix last year she gave me a beautiful embroidery which we have just put up in the room in which the Grandchildren sleep. It is very detailed and lovely and shows children playing at some kind of celebration.

Googling the legend, I discovered that “These wall hangings depict not only the life of Chinese children but also the Chinese legend of 100 children. In the wall hanging, there are 99 individual children, but together they are one. The legend of 100 Children brings good luck as 100 is considered a lucky number and represents bounty and abundance.”

I have counted and there are 99 children!

: New changing mat

: One Hundred Chinese Children

: The dragon at the centre

: A flower and a butterfly

: Musicians

: Lighting firecrackers. I love the children with their hands over their ears!

: Dancing

: Old telephone box in Blackwater

: Used as the village notice board

: View from The Pavilion

3 Driving through Blackwater today, I discovered another old ‘phone box, this one being used as the Village notice board! For anyone that missed the other delight, you can find it here http://wp.me/p1Ypl6-Id

Just a short PS….. Yesterday’s gig, Mike and the Mechanics, was fabulous! I haven’t danced so much in ages, spent the evening with a smile on my face and came home quite euphoric! A beautiful evening and the view above to boot ……..

and afterwards we went to listen to the sea lapping on the shore – utter bliss! How lucky we are.