Outdoor Wednesday - Cucumbers

We tried growing cucumbers for the first time this year. They were growing nicely and the one "cuke" we ate tasted lovely. All of a sudden "poof" the plants started to wilt and die :(  Everything else seems to be growing well thus far.

Outdoor Wednesday - Buckingham Palace Detail

One of the things I really enjoy about traveling around Britain is having the opportunity to look at old stonework details. This one belongs to Buckingham Palace. It always pays to look upwards :)
As always pop on over to http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ to find out what some other outdoor participants have been doing.

A Finished project - Christmas ornament

It's getting to that time of year where I really need to be thinking about making some Christmas presents or they will never get done.
Wonder of wonders I got something finished this week-end. I have two quaker cross-stitch snowflakes left over from last year and I had been staring at them and some fabric all week.
Small 4"x4" ornament ...... but done is done. Now to tackle some more items that are in my "to be finished drawer" :)

I turned the other one into a 5"x5" pincushion. 14ct. Aida is just the right size for ready made pin holes :) (My sewing/cutting table is covered in fabric and pattern pieces for the skirt in the background that my daughter is making.)

Outdoor Wednesday - getting ready for the Olympics

Looks like the statues surrounding the fountain outside Buckingham Palace are already "ahead of the games". They have their own torch, laurel wreaths, and well honed athletes & swimmers already in place :)

They have already been practicing their winning flag ceremony.

Her Majesty has the best seat available with remarkable access to the sprinting events.

Enough of my whimsy, there is a lot of building work going on in Britain for the Summer 2012 Olympic games. Lots of building cranes in evidence in London and some surrounding areas. It's going to be fabulous.

Blog inspiration - Beedeebabee

Greetings from hot and steamy Nashville. We are under a heat advisory and the cooling stations opened yesterday.
My son and one of his friends are off an a Scout High Adventure trip and we are hoping they are able to be in plenty of shade.
Daughter #1 is filling in the gaps on her clothing list as she prepares for her mission call to the California San Fernando Spanish speaking mission.

Since I am learning how to bead and giving some thought to felting I thought I would share one of my favorite "inspiration" blogs. Paulette from Beedeebabee does amazing artwork. She is on hiatus for a while but has left her blog open so we can still visit and drool :)
I love her hearts and they range from simple to romantic to crazy quilting to Mary Engelbreit in style. Paulette loves the artist Lisa Lectura.

http://beedeebabee.blogspot.com/

Santa Sack Swap 2011

I am participating in a 6 month long swap hosted by Cheryll at http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com/
Our "sack" and first gifts had to be sent out at the beginning of July. I am swapping with Pat B. at www.patriciabstudio.blogspot.com/ I sent her a postcard while I was in Scotland.
Her package to me arrived last night and has a re-usable theme. I already have some ideas about how to re-use the "sack" :)

Hopefully my package has arrived. It also has a "loose" re-usable theme, some of which will become more apparent after Christmas :)

My "sack" looks like an envelope when it is shut and measures about 14"x14".
We are not allowed to open the packages till Christmas so I will put Pat's bag in a safe place in my sewing room.

Thanks to Cheryll for hosting this event. If you click on the link in my side bar you should be able to visit some of the other sacks over the next few days. Some of the ladies are sending their gifts monthly, others are doing it all at once.
(Don't forget to visit the next installment of Stitched Sunday. It's all about back stitch and needles.)

Outdoor Wednesday - Where The Wild Things Grow

Wildflowers growing in crevices always look more interesting when they are at an historic building (Stirling Castle is in the background.)
As always hop on over to http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com to see what some other participants have been posting about today.
I hope those of you that celebrated it had a wonderful 4th of July. This Brit had the opportunity to sing in two concerts :)

Stitched Sunday

If you have not already seen it Helen Stubbins has started doing a Stitched Sunday project for everyone to learn (or re-learn) basic hand embroidery stitches. It's a needle-case and looks interesting.

To find out whats happening click on the link in my sidebar. http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/

Outdoor Wednesday - The King's Knot

One of the first places we visited when we were in Scotland was Stirling Castle. This is one of my favorite views - "The King's Knot" know locally as "The Cup and Saucer". It is located on the Dumbarton Road near King's Park. This is what is left of a 16th century garden that was (supposedly) built on the site of a medieval jousting arena. The whole area that you see in the photograph was originally part of an extensive royal hunting ground c. 12th thru 17th centuries.
There are two very distinct sections to the King's Knot. The lower section was a "parterre" (a system of hedges, paths and flower beds) and the raised 9 ft high, section was a characteristic feature of gardens in the 16/17th centuries. According to old records there was hedges and canals in the Knot. Renovations and alterations have been done over the centuries.
Historic Scotland looks after the Knot and recently provided a grant (along with Stirling City Heritage Trust) for a geophysical survey to be taken. The aim is to try and find out more about this landmarks ancient history and maybe what "lies below".

Greetings From Scotland

Our trip to Scotland is fast drawing to a close and we have been busy little tourists :)
Today has been the first full day of wonderful weather so we took my mother to a couple of local gardening centers. She is the main reason we are here. She has been having MRI's, biopsies and other tests done, which have been quite tiring (and stressful) for her. She goes to see the specialist next week and we will know at that point what can, or cannot, be done for her.
Scotland has been experiencing some rough weather so we have not been able to get to some of the areas we wanted to visit. Having said that what we did see was enjoyable.
So where have we been?
Various parts of Stirlingshire since that's where my side of the family live.
Stirling Castle
Wallace Monument
Smith Art Gallery
Dunblane Cathedral
Callander
Glasgow (twice) - shopping, Museum of Modern Art, Glasgow Cathedral, Kelvingrove Museum and a general walk around the center of Glasgow
Scone Palace/Perth
Edinburgh (twice) - Royal Scottish Academy, Canongate Church, Museum of Edinburgh, Queens Gallery, People's Story, Scottish Parliament Buildings, Edinburgh Castle, Camera Obscura, St. Giles Cathedral, Royal Mile and shopping
Blackford Highland Games
Hopefully all our photographs will turn out and I can share some of them at a later date.