An anniversary......and a giveaway

A lovely welcome to all you lovelies. A lovely welcome to what seems to be my three year anniversary of my foray into the Land of Blog. I cannot believe it has been three years since I began this fun-filled journey; that it has been three years since I began to skip down my lovely bloggy path.

A path where some of you have walked with me from the very beginning and others whom at different junctures, have happened upon my quirky, little corner of the world. You have paused at our beautiful, blue Hydrangeas at the front, opened my front gate and walked along my flower-filled, garden path to say a cheery hello.

Upon stepping on our little front porch, you stopped at our bright pink door and probably have quizzically questioned........"a bright pink, door.....really????" Yes really!! It's okay....you are not alone. In this far rural outpost, many have come aknocking, scratched their craniums and wondered about that bright pink, front door.....but somehow it just works.

Now here's something your beady li'l eyes haven't spotted before. Just recently I painted the concrete, porch floor and stencilled doilies here and there. What better way to celebrate an anniversary than to reveal a pretty new floor.

Love it!!

And of course, a bucket of pink, darling Dahlias goes perfectly with the pretty new floor.....oh and of course....that bright pink, front door! =)

Opening that questionable, bright pink door. you have ventured inside many times, walked along the bright, botanically themed hallway (which I pasted a couple of botanical books,  page by page to the walls) to stop at the doorway of my sewing room, to have a little bo peep as to the goings on in my happy place.

Time after time, you have peeked into my sewing room to see what pretties were being concocted; where pretty ribbons, lovely laces, rainbow-filled fabrics, buttons, vintage fripperies and a little bit of this and a little bit of that, twirl round and round in the merriest of dances.

You have seen me jump off the precipice of  'safe' stitching down, down, down to the valley of free hand machine stitching where there is no unpicking, no rubbing out of one's 'sketches', no eradication of one's boo boos.

You have espied me add to my real estate portfolio. You have seen me design, knit and stitch cute houses, adding many a whimsical touch to a  pretty streetscape.

You have glimpsed me tart up many an op shop treasure......many a jacket which needed a little Kim Sharman touch, a little embellishing......oh how I love embellishing!!

...........oh.....and upcycle kiddos' jeans and jackets.

You have noticed that I have stitched a few bags. Bags that I can sling over my shoulder, enabling my hands to be free whilst diving head first into cavernous containers and fossicking for treasure at markets, op shops......wherever my travels may lead me.

You have glimpsed a few lampshades, using all those lovely doilies from my dowry of cloth....oh... and a machine sketched pretty.

You have marvelled at my clever prodigies who visit 'The Kim Sharman School of Stitching Excellence' in the afternoons and dream up magical creations. Yes all these pretties were fashioned by one of my clever gals. She is sooooo clever.....don't you agree??

You have spotted many a basket..........

Baskets of flowers.



And......baskets overspilling with pretty laces and oh-so-fancy fripperies.

You have had a peek-a-boo at some lovelies that are not quite finished. "Mmmm.....I wonder when she will finish that Cathedral quilt?" I've heard you questioningly whisper, many a time. It's okay.......I too often have wondered when this Cathedral pretty will sit atop my bed with a heavenly chorus above, jubilantly carolling....."IT IS FINISHED......HALLELUJAH....HALLELUJAH!!!!!". Perhaps this year.....perhaps.....perhaps????

You discovered that I love to stitch the odd hexie or two or three or............!

You have occasionally (very, very occasionally) peeked at a woolly or two that I have knitted. I must, must, MUST get those pins clickety clacketing more in the coming years.

You have caught a glimpse of  many a teapot.......both for the enjoyment of a spot of tea......

and....as a receptacle for flowers.......both the........look beautiful, and then metamorphose into a pongy bunch of organic matter within a week, kind........

and.....the bedazzling, ribbon kind!

After ambling through our quirky abode, you have opened yet another door and found yourself strolling through a glorious patch of earth, where flowers at different times of the year,   sashay in beauteous unanimity, in the most gleeful of dances.

Since we arrived here in our little patch of paradise, my husband has been slowly transforming, in what can only be described as an eyesore,  a rather unremarkable patch of earth, into the most glorious garden. He has been weaving his magic into the most stupendous of tapestries, with colours interweaving into a vibrantly hued palette.

Each season brings it's own beauty. It is my husband's most favourite place to be. Our garden is a place where the soul is refreshed; where the body, mind, and spirit slowly heals.

After wandering around the garden you have stopped at our pond; sat for a while in our garden swing, drinking in the beauty of the pond. Indeed, this little oasis soothes the soul and has the power to calm a fearful and worried mind. It is a place where many a cup of tea has been enjoyed. It is a tranquil place. A place where I often sit and reflect on the majesty of God's handiwork that surrounds me. A place where I am reminded of God's goodness and His love for me......and my thankfulness to Him.

You have often seen Maisie make an appearance. She is always ever so willing to be the subject of many a photo. It seems she loves being a model!

You have had a little look at pretty cushions I have fashioned using oodles and oodles of ribbons and a pretty doily or two.

Which brings me to the most important part of this rather lengthy celebration. Are you still there?? Good!! To celebrate my anniversary I thought I might play with some pretty ribbons once more, fashioning ribbon flowers to create a cushion with overspilling, floral abundance. Yes indeedy, I have made this pretty to  gift to one of you lovelies; to thank you for your lovely thoughts and your many kindnesses throughout these past 3 years......oh.....and to thank you for strolling along with me, down this path of memory lane.

Now....if you are a no reply blogger, could you please leave your email in your comment so that if perchance your lovely name is drawn out, I will know where this pretty can travel to.

As I wind-up, it strikes me what a wonderful place this blogging caper is. Some of you whom, though I have never met in person, I feel as if I have known you all my life. I feel as if I could just pop over to your place for a cup of tea served in a fine bone china tea cup and luxuriate in a chat about all things pertaining to this life we live. Indeed I feel that you and I are kindred spirits. I have visited your lovely blogs and am continually inspired by your uniqueness,  your beautiful imaginations and your amazing creativity. 

This bogging community is one of encouragement and friendship. This blogging community is filled with beauty, inspiration, affection and love. There have been many times when your kind thoughts have wrapped around me in the warmest of hugs.....thank you. Thank you, to you lovelies who have taken precious time out of your day to pay me a visit, all the way down here, and have been so kind as to leave a lovely comment or two. They always bring a smile to my heart.

So here's to more posts as I skip along the fun-filled road of blogland. Here's to more skipping along the bendy path penning my thoughts; a few more posts waxing lyrical about the next pretty I have fashioned; a few more posts oohing and aahing over some gorgeous blossom I have picked from the garden......or some other funny story to bore you make you giggle. This blogging caper is really rather akin to keeping a visual journal, after all.

Until the next time........

Linking up to this week's parties at Stephanie's, Roses of Inspiration
Jann's, Share Your Cup Thursday
Bernideen's, BTTCG

A teapot and a tea cosy....oh...and a li'l machine doodling!

Although a cup of tea, served in a fine bone china teacup, with a tea bag dangling from it's pretty side is perfectly acceptable, I do believe there is nothing quite like an ambrosial cup of tea poured from a pretty teapot, in which the tea leaves have been brewing for a little while.

I don't know anyone who, in their own home, hasn't at some stage in their lives enjoyed a cup of teapot, infused tea. Well, I believed this to be the case until I was chatting to a friend recently. Whilst I was waxing lyrical about the joys of a a cup of tea being poured from a teapot, I discovered  my friend didn't have a single teapot gracing her home. Incomprehensible....I know!!! This situation just had to be remedied....and expeditiously. After all one never can tell who  might pop by for a spot of tea, expecting a cuppa which has been poured from a teapot.....the Queen herself....or more importantly li'l ole me and my good husband!

As this week was my dear friend's birthday, me being me, thought gifting her with her very own teapot would be the perfect way to celebrate such an auspicious occasion. Now every gal should have at least one teapot....don't you think??

In search of a teapot I happened upon this pretty one. It is made by Ashdene and holds a capacious 6 cups and it comes complete with a metal infuser. The pretty pattern is called Tranquil. Such a pretty pattern with butterflies fluttering around the teapot and lid.

The art of tea drinking being a very old tradition and all, I thought my friend's teapot could be enhanced by the addition of a one-off, stitched, house tea cosy. Teapots and tea cosies......a match made in heaven. I had sooooo much fun stitching my tuffet a couple of weeks ago, that I thought I would enjoy a little more machine doodling.

I decided to use a little of the grey fabric that was left over from the tuffet. This grey fabric would help the house tea cosy stand up fairly well. After all we can't have a house toppling down, now can we.

After taking measurements and designing the tea cosy, I started to 'build' my house. I gathered some fabrics and began the process of free hand machine stitching......oodles and oodles of machine doodling.

I selected this grey and white chevron fabric for the roof; which is very cool as it resembles tiles on a roof; and a green floral fabric for the garden. As my friend's kitchen is grey, these fabrics will be perfect. Now every house needs pretty curtains at the window, so I chose a sweet, tiny polka dot fabric and stitched them to the windows.

THEN.....the fun began. I doodled and 'scribbled' a climbing vine, a cute as cute puppy dawg looking out the window, a chandelier (I do believe every home is that little bit more grander with the addition of a chandelier...or two), a cute table on which to rest a teapot, a flower garden and added fretwork under the eaves. So far.......very, very cute.

Now for the back. Another pretty polka dot fabric for the curtains and more machine scribbling. A sweet pussy cat looking out the window. She is checking where that pesky dog is. Then, some more machine doodling.....a tree and yet more pretty flowers growing in the garden. In this instance, I didn't draw the tree beforehand......I just went with the flow. 'Tis always the best fun stitching this way.

For the sides of the house, I machine doodled a vase of flowers and a teeny, tiny birdie in a bird cage sitting on the window sills......and more blossoms in the garden. I rather like doodling birdies and bird cages of late. =)

There we go, all stitched and ready to be built assembled.

I attached wadding to the front and back, and then stitched the front and back together, also inserting a chimney. After this step, I stitched the side inserts to the front and back. When the house was stitched I lined the inside to cover the messy interior.

The front.........

The back.......

The sides....

Mission accomplished......a cute, li'l house, tea cosy.

One teapot......one cute, house tea cosy and a vase of flowers freshly picked from my garden, to wish my very dear friend the happiest of birthdays.

A lovely gift for a lovely friend. My friend's friendship during the past year, which at times has been a little difficult, has made the good times better and the hard times easier. My lovely friend has made me laugh a little louder, smile a little wider and live just that little bit better. Indeed, she is a gorgeous lady!

Now.......of course brewing cups of ambrosial tea is not the only purpose for a teapot. I can think of one more.....can you??

Why.......a teapot can be a receptacle for a bunch of lovely roses. =)

One of my lovely teapots. This pretty is the Royal Albert, Lavender & Roses pattern which was gifted to me by husband many, many years ago.

Wishing all you lovelies a wonderful weekend. Until the next time........

Linking up to this week's parties at Stephanie's, Roses of Inspiration
Jann's, Share Your Cup Thursday
Bernideen's, BTTCG