New stitches....

I have been busy stitching again. My new obsession is MR FOX embroidered brooch made from foxy fabric. 

It is a time consuming piece but I am very pleased with the results as I love big brooches.

I will be selling them in my etsy shop and hope to bring a few more hand stitched pieces soon.

Also I have another PAY IT FORWARD -Craft 5 piece ready. A little deer which is off to Hen. 

We are adopting a greyhound !!!

Yes it's true, we finally made a plan of when and where after some months of research.

As most of you know I am a big softy for dogs and feel strongly about animal welfare . For that reason it would only ever be a rescue dog of some type. 

Greys just stole my heart years ago and after reading up on the breed we knew that was the hound for us.

Many people think they could not have a grey because of the size & that they will need loads of runs. 

Of course they are quite tall dogs but they don't take up much room as they are so slender. 

They don't need much exercise really, a couple of walks a day for about 20 mins much like any other dog.

All they really want is some comfort and love, somewhere safe to spend the rest of their lives. 

There are just over 70 Retired Greyhound Trust adoption centres in the UK and always 100s of greys looking for homes.

If you are thinking of giving a home to a hound , please think of a greyhound.

Here is our boy Fagin . 

A few places I have found for lovely greyhound goodies;

http://www.silverpeacock.co.uk/index.htm for lovely collars etc.

http://greytsweaters.co.uk/  fabulous sweater coats.

http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/kumfipet/?_trksid=p4340.l2559  the best beds around.

http://www.thewoofgang.com/greyhounds.htm beautiful photo cards. 

Then a few sites you may like to look at ;

http://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk/ 

http://kennels.co.uk/News/Galgos.htm 

http://greyhoundhomer.proboards.com/ 

Lastly a couple great greyhound blogs;

http://shadesofgreyhounds.blogspot.com/ 

http://networkedblogs.com/fyxDi 
http://davidsbestmate.blogspot.com/ 

Easier Postage System ...

Sending your parcels can be easier than going to the Post Office .

It suddenly dawned on me that this is probably a bit of a secret kept from the general public! 

At my work place we sell on eBay , Amazon & our own site. It took a few months of daily trips to the post office laden with packages  , before we found out about "interparcel".

I even use it from home now as there is no minimum collection.

http://www.interparcel.com/   is such an easy service to use. 

You need to weigh and measure your package, input the details & then you get a choice of couriers and costs.

Once your choice is made and paid for the package is collected from you !!

Generally cheaper than Special Delivery and they even offer a same day service.

So much easier, and 9 times out of 10 cheaper.

In roughly 6 months of using this service we have only had one delay. 

I hope this will help you sellers out there. 

Little Bits of Lovely ....

Little areas of my home make me really happy.

I love groups of things.

I hope you will enjoy seeing some of my stitching in my bedroom. 

Little dog by Evon Lim http://www.flickr.com/photos/vonvonz/ a very talented lady.

"There There My Dear" Deer by me. Taken from the song by Dexys Midnight Runners. Freehand embroidery .

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All stitching by  me. Framed prints by http://www.flickr.com/photos/sallyboyle/  & http://belleandboo.blogspot.com/  .

A few more bits of vintage ....

I do love to collect a bit of "TAT".

Not everyone's cup  of tea I know but collecting and finding these odd charming items keeps me amused.

So why "A SMALL WORLD GIRL " ?? This is why....

Vintage Avon Small World Girls. 

I only have 4 but there are 8 in the collection. Each girl is a different nationality and contains either shampoo, bubble bath, talc, perfume etc.

I will get the others soon. 

In the collection also are lip balms and  solid perfumes. 

Vintage Avon is just a source  of great design. 

Another great piece is my owl pomage. Never used . I have not seen another.

"Wise Eyes "

Another vintage love is Sylvac.
I am not so keen on the typical  bunny, ( there are  many fakes) but I love many of the animals and the pots.
Here are my Hilda Ogden ducks.

Tiny Doll .

I finished another tiny doll stitch . 

This time for Katie of Fat Quarterly http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/2011/02/week-of-getting-stuff.html

I will happily take commissions on these one offs. You say the hair colour and I will go from there.

Please comment for more info. 

Framed size is just under 4". Stitched on 28 count linen. Free style. 

New York.... not what you expect.

Grito de Dolores

We went to NY for my 40th birthday.

A very inspiring fast flowing city filled with many dreams.

What I will always remember most though was the Mexican Independence Day Parade we stumbled upon. 

Such beautiful people.

The Grito de Dolores ("Cry of Dolores") also known as El Grito de la Independencia ("Cry of Independence"), uttered from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato on September 16, 1810 is the event that marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence and is the most important national holiday observed in Mexico. The "Grito" was the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest