Blogger Templates

Pages

Sunday 25 August 2013

IT'S GOOD NEWS WEEK

Hi everyone

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful evening after what started out as a soggy grey morning.  'We' are on holiday this week and next week - having a break in Stopathome, which is located in Windowsill Bay.  A lovely place, lots of green fields and good walks around us, the chance to catch up with friends and do some relaxing - have to do some housework though, so not all fun.  Oh, and of course, the 'we' doesn't mean I can stop making things.  It is getting to the time of year when Christmas events are more plentiful than long sunny days so I need to keep on making.  I am determined this year, possibly for the first time in many years, to have plenty of stock ready for the Christmas fairs.

This week has been tag and bag week.  More tags - I now have bags of tags (sorry, couldn't resist that) so think I will call a halt to making them.  One of my 'makes' are decorated gift bags and I need to begin making stock because I want to ensure I have plenty of sizes ready for my event season.  I have been looking at decorating the 'bag for life' jute bags and played around with one and the results is this:


I love butterflies and these are a particular gorgeous fuchsia pink.  It looks as though it should be easy-peasy to decorate, but believe me it wasn't!   Lining up the butterflies, gluing and ensuring they are stuck correctly was time-consuming.  I might have a play around with some more during the next week or so (patience permitting) - I would like to have one or two to put out at the Ripley Nurseries Craft & Food Fair on 31 August as a test run to see if there is any interest.

We have a big family get-together here in a couple of weeks time and we are trying to get our garden looking neat and tidy.  Not easy with five cats - no, not what you are thinking!  We have to be very careful with the tools we use as they think everything is a potential toy!.  Hose pipes are snakes to be chased, ladders are to be climbed, as are apple trees; rakes are for chasing (why?) and low plants are for snoozing on, in and under!  However, one plant that has survived well - probably because I moved it into a pot - is one of my Heuchera's.  I love these plants - the colours of their leaves are stunning.  Often it is like having the beautiful colours of autumn all year long.  This is one of my favourites:


It has a mix of gold, brown, red and yellow leaves; its name is Sweet Tea.  Among my 'collection' I have a bright lime green Heuchera called Key Lime Pie and a stunning dark red one called Fire Chief.  The flowers of Heuchera are almost non-existent, their beauty is in the leaves.  My favourite plant?  I think it is pretty close to the top.  What are your favourite plants?

Last week I mentioned about the wood-framed pond we moved from one side of the garden which was a big hit with the Christmas Pie cats.  Here is a picture of Coco dropping in for a pint!


The sun is still shining, so it's back into the garden.  It seems very quiet out there and that means Richard has decided to sit and watch the grass grow rather than cut it.  Have to put a stop to that.

Oh, and the reason for the title of this week's post?  I had the results of my operation this week and was very pleased to be told that the tumour that had been removed was benign!  What a relief!  There are very few times when I have felt like jumping up and down in a hospital, but this was one of them.  A very good news week for me.

Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend everyone and I hope the weather is good for you, but before you go off to enjoy yourself, don't forget to whiz over to Handmade Monday - would you believe it is week 131?  Lots of lovely blogs to read.

See you next week.

Jill

20 comments:

  1. Excellent news - I'm s pleased for you! Enjoy your week at that lovely resort Stopathome!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's great about your surgery results - what a weight off your mind. Yes that plant is stunning - I love seeing plants which people have nurtured. My favourites are climbers which flower over an archway or gate - I have to stoop under my lilac clematis to get to the little sanctuary at the bottom of my garden!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Enjoy your holiday :) The sun has got his hat on here to, not sure what happened to the heatwave though. The bag looks lovely and butterflies are one of my favourites to.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brilliant news for you, what a relief. I like the bag so nice and cheery.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fantastic news Jill! Love the butterfly bag too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fantastic news, have had similar myself and there is nothing better than good news! I love heucheras too, I have a very dark purple one, but must get a lime green - I love the zingy colour. Lavender is still my favourite plant though. It does so well on our sandy soil, smells so beautiful and is always covered in bees. x

    ReplyDelete
  7. So pleased for you with your results. You never realise how stressed you are until you get the all clear. I really like the bright pink butterflies on your bag. I think that people are very keen to buy these - especially if they are a bit different - everyone has the supermarket ones!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great news! It must be such a relief not to have that question lurking at the back of your mind any more.

    Your butterfly bag is sooo pretty! I could see these being popular so you may have lots more careful sticking to do!

    Your Heuchera plant is gorgeous, i love the varied colours in the leaves. I'd be hard pushed to pick a favourite plant... i do have a Japanese Maple tree that i really love though :) x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hope you are having a great break. Your butterfly bag is lovely. I am sure they will be a great success.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Jill, I am so happy for you. The picture of Coco is so cute. I love the embellishment on the jute bag! Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the butterflies! So summery...wish they would start making their way down south now...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great news! I'm sure it will help you to enjoy your 'holiday' :)

    Like the look of the butterfly bag

    ReplyDelete
  13. Enjoy your holiday, such good news must surely help you relax more too. I love the jute bag with its butterflies, and its a great idea to decorate gift bags, I'm sure they'll be very popular.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great news! You'll be able to relax on your holiday now. Your bag looks wonderful, the hard work was worth it. Have a great week x

    ReplyDelete
  15. SOOO pleased to hear your good news Jill! WE WILL CELEBRATE!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm glad you had great news from the hospital. Enjoy your week off.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so pleased to hear your results were ok, such a relief for you. I think the bag looks amazing. I have seen a lot of the jute bags with sayings on but I think yours looks much prettier.
    Ali x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Fabulous news about your results. I hope you opened a bottle of fizzy to celebrate.

    The butterflies are really sweet and brightens up the bag beautifully xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. You never mentioned your holipops. Have a super time.

    Love the butterfly bag. Want one. With Boxer dogs.

    What about glueing badge-type safety pins on the butterflies and pinning them on instead? Or, using lapel badge type pin?

    ReplyDelete
  20. So great to hear the good news about the tumour. Seems good timing that it arrived in time for your holiday.

    Hope you have a lovely holiday.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment - it is always lovely to have feedback and I hope you enjoyed my post.