A Little English Cottage.

Hello! Hope you are all enjoying Spring!
We had a lovely Easter, but I was so busy that I forgot to take pictures.
But I took these ones of the resurrection garden we made this year.

This weekend I made a project that was on the planning for a long time.

A little English Cottage. Many years ago in Brazil, I had a magazine with the directions to make a tea cozy shaped like one of these charming little houses. I always wanted to make one, so I finally made a small version of it. I looked of lots of pictures of embroidery cottages, and this is what I came up with.
Now that I put the Easter decorations away, my cubby shelf is so empty. It's not easy to always  keep all the twenty 5x5 slots filled with seasonal items. I am always looking for cute little things that fit. The Cottage was made to fit. Perfect!

This was my second try. I really wanted hollyhocks by the door, but it did not worked out...I was not able to make them small enough. So, I decided for the climbing roses. Most of  the flowers are french knots, only the daisies are daisy stitch. I used wool felt for the roof, windows and door. For the back of the cottage I used a green print fabric.

I sew a little triangle on the two bottom corners, so it could stand. Sorry about the blurry picture.

The chimney is just a folded ribbon. The cottage measures 5x4 without the chimney.

 

I did the embroidery mostly at night watching TV. I think it was a good practice, since I am planning some bigger embroidery projects for the near future, and it was a long time since I had done any of this kind of embroidery.

I am very pleased with the result, it feels good when you make something that you wanted for so long, and it turns out just the way you imagined.

 

Have a good week, and may all your stitching dreams come true :) !

Ana Paula.

Spring and a Small Finish.

Hello!

This is just my second post this year! I need do a little  better with my blog.
I have being busy.  We made some changes here at home, moving things around, and it took time.
We also had some unplanned happenings.   Brenda developed a crack on her tibia...  with this, more restrictions for her. She has to take it very easy.
Her leg is so fragile, the poor thing hardly do anything, and these things still happen. It is heartbreaking to see her going through all this. We did all we could to avoid a surgery.
After many prayers, things are improving.
The crack is healing, and she is getting a new brace. Now she uses it even for sleeping, until her doctor tells otherwise.

Even with all these tribulations, she is a happy child, so loving and good, and we do all we can to cheer her up. She got new books, that always keep her busy, and of course, the movie Frozen.
During this time she read Heidi and Pollyanna, among many others. Just lovely books for girls.
Now, a little stitching and some other spring things.
We are decorating for Spring and I made a little cross stitch picture.

The design is by Veronique Enginger, on 28 count linen.
I think she is adorable. I found this little green frame at Michael's that was just the right size.

 

Now she is one of the items in my cubby shelf.

I just love Spring and Easter decorating! I made this simple bunny silhouette other day.

 

Very simple, you just paint the bunny on burlap using a stencil, frame it, and glue a pompom for the tail.

And, speaking of bunnies, here is my new Peter Rabbit shadowbox.
I found it at Salvation Army for just over a dollar! Peter is my favorite bunny ever.

Other day I got this bag at the bookstore.  I know it's for kids, but I could not resist. I love it!
That's all for now. I have a pile of laundry waiting for me and I need to work a little on my garden.
It's sunny and we have a cold wind here in Southern California. We also had an earthquake last Friday, a 5.1
So, we are reorganizing our emergency stuff...scary!
Have a good day, and a Happy Spring!

Ana Paula.