More flowers in the wrong place!

Bluebells and Lady's Mantle
rescued before the front lawn gets cut!

Brooches

A few felt and bead brooches I made

A weed is only a flower in the wrong place!

All of a sudden the garden has come alive!

Here are some of the Weeds! Hhm! Wildflowers!

Primroses

Bluebells

The only Daisy patch in the lawn
so whoever mows the lawns mows round it!
It actually survived the snow!

Periwinkle

Celandine which grows wild in the lawn!

A pink Primrose

Dandelions which I pick regularly

for my friends Tortoises

These sweet blue flowers grown in the lawn

Herb Robert

It's come around again.........

My Birthday!

My cards from family and friends

Flowers from my sons

My birthday cake
Erhmmmmm do I have to act my age?
It's...................53

Chocolate Cup Cakes

Recipe
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, gas 4
Weigh 2 or 3 eggs, then weigh the Butter, Flour and Sugar

to the same weight,

then remove one desert-spoon of flour

and add one desert-spoon of cocoa powder
Beat the Butter and Sugar together until pale in colour
Beat the eggs then add slowly to the butter and sugar mixture
Gently fold in the flour and cocoa powder.
Divide the mixture equally between the cake cases and cook.
Test to see if cooked with a skewer after about 15 - 20 minutes

When cool

For the topping,
mix 5ozs cream cheese,

1ozs softened unsalted butter,
3ozs sifted icing sugar

2 teaspoons drinking Chocolate

mixed to a paste with 2 teaspoons water
and teaspoon orange essence (optional) until smooth.
spread on top of the cakes

Don't be scared to do this.........BUT.........

WARNING:

Please Please Please

don't do this with antique samplers.

Let the professionals clean those.

And certainly do don't do this with any

old or modern tapestry stitched with wool

they will shrink!

I don't use an embroidery ring or frame unless I have to, as I personally find them difficult to use and rings sometimes leave a mark. I recommend that you do whatever you are happy with. With tablecloths and trays cloths I pick up from bootfairs and flea markets I treat then as shown in the pictures below, but make sure the fabric hasn't started to rot. Give the fabric a gentle tug in various places if it tears easily it has started to rot.

Finished piece

Pin or tack into a laundry bag


Put into the washing machine,
(my piece went in with the towels on a quick
wash at 40 degrees, modern threads
Coats & DMC can be washed at 95 degrees
check the labels!)
just make sure the items it goes in with
colours that do not run otherwise you will
have to start the embroidery again!

When washing cycle is finished,

take the embroidery out of the laundry bag,

do not dry but

lay on a flat surface, ironing board or floor

on a couple of towels and press.

Finished embroidery
(the colours look so much brighter)