Saturday 5 September 2015

stitched saturday

due to my hiatus from blogging, it seems I have an awful lot of projects to share with you!



a little Margaret sherry rabbit from cross stitch crazy...


madeleine Floyd seashore sampler from world of cross stitching...


bustle and sew curiouser and curiouser hoop...


bustle and sew our home hoop for my mum...


mollie makes deer hoop...


 bee happy hoop from cross stitch crazy...


follow the white bunny sleeping fox and some woodland inspired hexagons, not yet finished...


virgo constellation hoop for my sweet sister's 16th...and last but not least, my hoop art gallery wall coming along nicely! have a lovely weekend all :)

Friday 14 August 2015

well, i'm back

phew! what a stressful couple of months it's been for me!
but now, I am back and more eager to blog and share and make things than I was before. I've just spent a week with bill, after six weeks apart. now row and joe are here and all us siblings have been reunited. this only happens twice a year or so that all four of us are together, and it's like we've never been apart when we do eventually all get together.
today it's pouring with rain, and it's world cross stitch day, so guess what I'll be doing! in the meantime, here are some photos from the last few weeks...

 
new crystals to add to my slowly growing collection...

 
a morning spent in bed at bill's reading this beautiful magazine...

 
one lunch and one dinner at Nation of Shopkeepers in Leeds with bill...

 
the abandoned butterfly/greenhouse in the Bagshaw gardens...

 
beautiful metallic jewel colours on an Egyptian sarcophagus at the Bagshaw museum...

 
punch and judy and bill...

 
sweet dreamy pink roses...

 
exquisite mushroom models and dried coral...

 
and last but not least, monty the cat...
 
I'll be back soon with some of my newest projects and some inspirations
 

Thursday 18 June 2015

growing


 
"something will grow from all you are going through, and it will be you"
 
I will be 22 on Monday
 
 
 
 
I found this quote on pinterest and must try to remember it. things will be quiet here for a few weeks (sorry-I've only just got started!) but after that I'll be all yours :p
 
 
 

Sunday 14 June 2015

mum's birthday


today is my mum's birthday, since I couldn't get home to her (just yet-one week on Tuesday and I'll be home with her, Row and Joe!) I stitched and made this card for her.
The motif is from Susan Bates' gorgeous book; Hearts, Birds and Flowers (http://www.susanbates.co.uk/hearts-birds-flowers/4585360972) She is one of my favourite cross stitch designers and my mum loves her work too, so I thought this little bouquet would make a lovely birthday card. I changed a few colours and added the backstitch wording.
Mum loved her card and I can't wait to give her her presents on Tuesday-most of which are handmade so I will be posting photos here very soon.

Saturday 13 June 2015

little fox embroidery



this is my very latest Bustle and Sew finish; a little leaping fox surrounded by a flower wreath. the fox himself is appliqued and the rest is embroidered onto cream cotton then framed in a 6 inch wooden embroidery hoop. the first photo shows it in progress, the second shows it completed and framed.

I do like framing my pieces in hoops, I find I do this more and more as they are easy to move about and rearrange. what's your favourite way to display your stitching?

I loved making this piece, although I had a few issues with the colours I had chosen; colour isn't my strong point. Clothing wise I tend to stick to classic, natural colours like white, cream, green, brown and grey. It's not that I don't like colour (I love it!) I'm just not very good at deciding which colours go well together. For this one, I decided on pastel shades with the two bright flowers on either side.

To help with my colour choices, I've been pinning all sorts of lovely palettes onto my pinterest board;  https://www.pinterest.com/hollyannlouise/quelle-colour/

I absolutely love pinterest; please do give me a follow and let me know your pinterest accounts so I can have a look-see :)

https://www.pinterest.com/hollyannlouise/

hello hydrangea




my mum bought me this beautiful potted hydrangea when she came to stay in May, but I'm sorry to say it's looking a little worse for wear, probably because it hasn't been in the sun enough. so with the drooping flower heads I couldn't resist 'faffing' around with them!

hydrangeas are a flower I used to hate as child; I thought they were so old fashioned and boring; now of course I see that they have a simple, innocent beauty.

I hope my little plant recovers-it'll be so lovely to be able to take it to me and bill's new home later this year.

any advice on how to keep it going strong?

stitched up saturday

 
I have always loved making things. from creating fairy banquets and furniture to books about days out, I've tried my hand at almost every creative activity. not all of them have come to anything, but I can safely say that stitching has been my one true love.
I've been cross stitching for about six years now, and dabbled in other embroidery during that time. recently though, since coming across the lovely Bustle and Sew (http://bustleandsew.com/) I've started embroidering earnestly.
for my blog I'm going to do a feature post each Saturday where I show my finished projects for that week :) I'd love to see yours too!
 
so, here are my newest finishes;

 
this embroidery is from Bustle and Sew (http://bustleandsew.com/) I've changed the colours and added a bumblebee in the centre (there is a monogram on the original pattern) I adore bees, and my family call me 'holly bee', so I thought adding a little bee would be sweet.
I'm not entirely sure what i'll make this up into however...any ideas?
 

 
this cross stitch pattern from April Rose Illustration (http://aprilroseillustration.com/)  was in an issue of Cross Stitch Crazy a few months ago. I love wildflowers and old seed packets, so this was a must-stitch for me. I altered some colours, half stitched the background instead of whole stitches, and added seed beads.

 
This wooden brooch kit came free with a recent issue of Cross Stitcher magazine, it was lovely to stitch some small and (relatively) quick. Now just to add a backing and the brooch pin!

so that's my finishes for the week, no doubt there'll be some more soon!

hello to you


 
i’ve had many blogs over the years, but they never became anything more than something i’d post on very occasionally. I follow many beautiful blogs which are what i always wanted to try and emulate, so here i am, trying for what may be the 100th time, but this time i’m determined to succeed.
i think writing the first post is always the hardest. you try and get across who you are in a way that sounds interesting and close to your passions. as i’m usually quite a ‘closed’ person, i’ve found a list of questions (http://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/100-brave-and-interesting-questions) that i’m going to answer here;
What’s it like being you right now?
Honestly-probably just like everyone else. I have days where nothing and no-one seems like they’re on my side, where i think i will accomplish nothing and have no-one. But then I have days where i feel so comfortable and happy and proud that i’m sure it makes me glow.
What makes you nostalgic?
The television series Larkrise to Candleford, gardens, old books, seeing photographs of country roads.
Who makes you laugh more than anyone?
Bill, my my boyfriend. i’ve never know anyone so silly or lovely.
What did your mother teach you?
A ridiculous amount of manners, etiquette and never-ending politeness. Sometimes I’m grateful for this, other times definitely not! She also taught me that making beautiful things with your hands is a perfect way to spend your time.
What makes you feel safe?
Beds. Beds covered in blankets, throws, pillows and handmade cushions. Warm squashy beds and a hot water bottle, preferably while snuggling up to someone.
What is your actual superpower?
I have a good one and a not so good one. I give blood (that’s definitely a good superpower), and my bad superpower is that i tend to be a bit invisible; people don’t always notice me.
What are you incredible at?
Making things!
What are you terrible at but love to do anyway?
Baking. It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with this, because I always thought I was quite good (my mum is a baker so I thought the baking gene must have been passed on to me) but this last year has taught me that baking (and decorating) is definitely not my forte. Still, I love to do it and Bill always eats whatever I make, so it can’t be that bad..
Where do you want to be right now?
Today I want to be in the Museum Gardens. Generally I want to be in a lovely home of our own with Bill. Or in France by myself. Or in Rye with my family. Or in space.
How do you show your love for others?
Lots of holding hands and little presents.
Why are you here (on this blog) right now?
Because I want to make a blog that I would want to read. i don’t think that’s being proud, it’s just the desire to create something that will make me happy while documenting my life for other people to read and hopefully inspire them.
What are you ready to let go of?
My worry, and terror that things aren’t going to work out. this blog will hopefully help this.
last but not least; the basics;
my name is holly, i’m 21 years old. i’ve just finished my ba honours degree in fine art in york. i’m from reading (nearish london), i have two brothers called Daniel and Joseph and a sister called Rowanna.  In July I’m either moving to Newcastle or Manchester and I hate not knowing whether I’m going to be living with Bill. I spend my days sewing, drawing and watercolour painting, although I am on a sabbatical for art for a few weeks while i recover from my last exhibition! i have a cat called Skimbleshanks (after T.S Eliot’s Railway Cat) and a rabbit called Nessie (after the Loch Ness Monster).
this blog will be full of things i love, things i make, inspirations, poems, musings and hopefully will provide another safe place (apart from my bed) during all the chaos and uncertainty of the next few months.
please do say hello!