Today, I wanted to start my post by showing a few new delights that I bought for my 'petit chateau' :

From Kiva's site

 One of my favorite things to eat is the pomegranate and when I saw a photo of a mini one, I had to have it!.......when I received the little basket, I could not believe my eyes as to how perfect it was!!!  It was made by a lovely lady named Kiva @ /http://kivasminiatures.blogspot.ca/.  Please take a look at her blog.

The other article in the picture is a little shopping bag that I made a while ago but..........................there was also supposed to be a lovely straw hat with the bag (see similar item below) that I purchased from Judith @ http://www.etsy.com/shop/CherryCroftCrafts and she also has a great blog as well http://www.etsy.com/shop/CherryCroftCrafts

 You ask, 'what happened to the hat'?  Well, I'll tell you....it was stolen .................by a very sneaky, opportunistic individual..........................named "SOPHIE".

CAT IN DOGHOUSE!

I am so mad at her...I guess she sneaked into my studio and grabbed it when the door was open by mistake. What an opportunist!!  I hope that I will find it someday soon before her and my other cat, Mimi, completely wreck it!!  At the moment, I am not speaking to her and by her picture, you can see that she is not amused!

I've decided that a fitting punishment  for her would be to have her wear a similar hat !  I'll let you know how that goes!!!

Well, I have tried to finish more petitpoint to show for this post but was only able to finish this for my 'real chateau'...this is a pattern from the very talented 'Graham Rust'.

I am finishing the same pattern in mini size and will show it and a few more things in my next post.

We are off for a month for some sunshine and warmer weather.......have had a very wet winter but luckily, very little snow......we are blessed for sure.

   We will be in Los Angeles and then onto a short cruise to the Hawaiian Islands.  One of the main reasons that we chose this cruise was that it sails to Vancouver at the end of the cruise which means we only have to fly one way.  YEAH!!!!

So, I want to close off wishing everyone a wonderful, safe Happy Easter!! Have a happy, hoppy day!

Hugs,

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Kitten kisses to everyone!

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!\

Once again, it is February 2 and time for our little groundhog to forecast whether we will have an early spring.  He has a mixed review for Canada  but I'm hoping that he is right about spring being around the corner!

We have another sign that spring is here................we have a bear cub and mom and poppa bears, too!!!
Our neighbour has seen them but we haven't yet, although they knocked down our compost bin, which is not a small thing to do.  They pushed down the fence to get into our yard and carried away our locked bin for collecting compost from the house.  I love animals so I hope that they don't get too aggressive because I would hate to have them moved or, even worse, put down!!!  We have lived here for 15 years and heard about sightings but not a glimpse have we seen.  I guess when you live near a forest that is one of the perks.

I am walking perfectly normal now and I am enjoying it immensely.  Soon, I plan to volunteer at a SPCA so that I can take care of my dog addiction!!  I would love to get a small dog but Doug and the cats say no, so I am outnumbered.

I have finally cleaned out my studio so that I can seriously start this dollhouse...it is my one main resolution for 2013.  I will send some photos of my latest petitpoint in the next post.................... today is my birthday so I am relaxing and enjoying it, starting with breakfast in bed!!!


Many hugs to all my loyal followers and to my new followers...I really appreciate your support!!!


Hugs XXXXX

                My warmest wishes for the Merriest and Happiest Holidays to all my dear followers!

                                           Also, a safe and caring time for all nature's creatures:

                              Hugs and kisses,

                              

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN !

BOO

Hugs again,

I'm Good to Go Again

Well, it has been two months since my operation and I have to say that I feel wonderful.  Thank you to all my lovely followers for your kind words through this ordeal. There was a few hiccups but, all in all, the surgery was easy on me.  The pain was pretty minimal for a few weeks and now I have literally no pain!!!  I am now able to walk on my own but will still use a cane, for the next month as a safety measure.  I have exercises to do every day...............which is a pleasure now !

My dear husband has been so good to me..........breakfast and sometimes lunch and dinner in bed every day!!!  He has had to do almost everything, including looking after the garden!!!  I will have to spoil him with 'home cooking' again as we are both tired of 'Costco meals!!!

'Peaches' 1997-2012

We had to put our darling little 'Peaches' down at age 15.  She was a rescue cat and was always the most loving and sweet little girl.  We miss her terribly!

Today, it is important to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by 'Hurricane Sandy'!
So very sad to see such devastation.........I hope that the power gets back soon so that they can back to some kind of normal.

While I was convalescing, I tried to do miniatures but it did not happen, so will try to do some things soon.
In the meantime,


Hugs

Sorry that it has been so long since my last posting..................life has a way of interfering in one's favorite pursuits!  I have had health problems over the last 3 years but in the last 4 months, things became worse.........I need to have a hip replacement and in fact, will have my surgery on August 29!!  A miracle because I got the appointment almost a month to the day from seeing the orthopedic surgeon (thanks to my dear Doug who got me on the cancellation list and also the fact that the bone is crumbling as we write). I will  eventually need to have my other hip done in a year or two.

 I have been unable for a long time to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time which really affects me with the computer and keeping updated on 350 blogs and Pinterest, that I follow (yes, I am crazy.........but I love to research!!).  Also, my petitpoint has been very affected and I have only managed to do a few things in the last while (more on these later).  So, I am going to have to be more creative in how I do these things.............with the help of my dear ones!!!

Enough said!  I want to thank all my loyal followers who have stood by me in my absence.........it really means a lot to me and I treasure you all!!!

Even though I have been down and out, I have been thinking about my miniatures and planning my 'petit chateau'....................still haven't got it down on paper yet because I am having a hard time figuring out the layout of the interior................if I put in everything that I want, the chateau would be too large to get through the door.  Since I am only going to build this one dollhouse, it has to be  perfect to me!!  Actually, the logistics of this are what has held me up for so long.  Wish me luck!!  Any ideas on this would be appreciated, for sure!

Well, I will now show you some of the things that I am working on in petitpoint:

This will be the Salon rug when it is finished (unless I change my mind again!!!).................

Antique Farahan

This is all that I have done since the summer..........................it's going to take a while!

41 ct. silk gauze and silk threads, 10" x 12"

The next items are to be copies in miniature of petitpoint done by my mother when she was young!!  They have always been favorites of mine and unfortunately I have lost the charts for them.  I have finished one and am still working on the second.  Here they are:

Lady 1 original

Lady 2 original

These are my attempts using 61 ct silk gauze and threads:

Sorry, not the best photography...............these are about 1.0" x 0.6" in size ...will take a better picture after these are finished and framed.

I have purchased a few items in the past few months and want to acknowledge the wonderful artisans that created them!

Sorry for the photography !!  The beautiful hutch is made by Jane Neuman Miniatures and the little chair was bought quite a while ago and is discontinued.  I am planning to paint the hutch to match the chair set but am still not decided!  The plates are made by Carrie Lavender and are absolutely beautifully made...I have ordered more of them so will show them when they arrive.  This is a photo (bad again) of the Staffordshire Rose Plate

Next is a darling teapot from Sally Meekins Ceramics!  I have adored her work for a long time and it is wonderful to see it in reality...the little teapot lid is removable.  Hope to order more in the future, for sure.

Now, last but not least, are some pieces from Christine Lourier.  These are so perfect in detail and wonderful.  Again, I will be ordering more soon.

I would highly recommend purchasing from these ladies as their items are first class and they are such a pleasure to deal with!!!  Many hugs to them!!


Well, I have really overdone it on this posting but I am not sure that I will be able to post again for awhile...........so I wanted to update everyone!


Till we meet again, I look forward to your comments.

Many Hugs,