Just Because…

I’m determined to do something with this blog, I’m making an effort to add content.

Thankfully, my life has lots of yellow splodges to look forward to. These are highlights I add to my calendar. I like to look at the month ahead and see lots of yellow dates highlighted – they represent fun days. So far I have a couple of ‘posh nosh’ dates with friends, some lunch dates (with friends, not ‘date-dates, iykwim!) and a couple of meet ups and a day out.

My garden is lighting up with happy daisy faces and all sorts of things are blooming and showing off their love of life and colour. The rhododendron bushes are pushing out their pom-poms and cheer-leading joie de vivre in their ostentatious showiness. So many bees are visiting and seeing them buzzing about makes my heart just sing! Mahoosive celebration of loving the life you live. I find myself just drinking in the sheer gorgeousness of it all, it’s so mesmerising.

That crazy lady Marie Condo got into me over the weekend and I sorted out my hot presses. The Irish name for airing cupboards. I now have a big pile of things to donate to Noah’s ark (local animal rescue centre) and have very tidy folded piles of bedding, towels, T-towels and bits and bobs. It is a delight to look at them. A few years back I made heart sachets filled with lavender (allegedly repels moths) and there are several dangling in them. They look so pretty, that despite their scent being long gone, are earning their keep just by being pretty. I’ve come all over a bit Hyacinth Bouquet (or is that ‘Bucket?) and have an inordinate desire to invite the neighbours round for wine and nibbles and private viewing of them.

I also found an appliqué cushion that I made yonks back. The hares were applied using Bondaweb then stitched round:

The teddies gathered round to photo bomb the occasion, of course:

They are sitting on a lovely rocking chair that I got from a charity shop some time back. It was a bit of a knacker but we repaired it and restored its looks with a fresh coat of paint. Scrubbed up well, eh?!

The velvet cushion was one I made and you can see a glimpse of a ‘confetti blanket’ – a blanket that uses up ends of balls making rows of different stitches. They are the best fun to make and I love them and currently making a big one.

Talking of charity shops, I found this ornament:

I’ve loved this woman’s cat paintings for years and years. I have images of her prints on all my devices! Then recently, spotted this brooch on Etsy:

It’s now on my denim jacket.

…looking around for more inspiration about things to post… think that’s it. For information, the animated gifs were created in Illustrator/Photoshop and animated in After Effects – joy at my fingers tips to create these things from nothing. I even bought three Terry Runyan books; two are about drawing cute characters… couldn’t resist drawing them digitally and animating them, ha ha!

Wherever you are, hope you’re happy and sending you all a smile from the heart.

Me!