My addiction continues ...

I know I already have plenty of tea cosies but as I love making them I decided that a few more would be made to sell.  Unfortunately by the time this one was finished I had well and truly fallen in love with it so it will have to be added to my personal collection!!  I haven't made a solid coloured cosy for ages so it felt fresh and new for me.  I spent a while looking for a new rose pattern as I was never that thrilled with others I'd tried over recent months.  I found this one here and I love it!!  It makes such a pretty flower with a gradual increase in petal size.  I used a 2.5mm hook and it still made a flower about 6cm across.  So pretty that I had to make an extra one to use as a brooch.  Gorgeous!

Nice and simple, but lovely from every angle!

I've had it sitting on my shelf for the last few days trying to decide if I could bear to pop it into my shop.  The answer is most definitely no!  I'll just have to make some more and be firm in my decision to sell them (yeah good luck with that I hear myself saying!!).  I'm just finishing off some red roses to add to another cosy that is almost identical to this which is for a friend as a housewarming pressie.  Such fun!

Easter treats were made for kindy and school teachers.  Any excuse for my small folk to 'taste test' the choccies!

I love these wee chicks.  I can remember keeping one for years and years when I was smaller because it was so cute.

I had a super exciting morning this week when I got home and spotted a parcel in my letterbox!  I got all squeely when I saw the stamp and couldn't wait to race inside and open it.  I was so lucky recently to win a fabulous giveaway at Karen's gorgeous blog!!  If you haven't discovered her beautiful blog you must whiz over there immediately!  Gorgeous crochet, gorgeous quilting and always full of colour and inspiration.

 Inside was another wrapped package ....

Wow, wow, wow - look at all these stunning treasures Karen sent!!!  A beautiful, beautiful cushion cover, a notebook with a gorgeous cover, a stunning heart to hang on my wall, and a pretty tissue holder!!  I could hardly believe my eyes.  I have admired her lovely quilting work, now I'm the lucky owner of some lovely pieces - yippee.

Thank you so much Karen - it truly made my week!  I am just in the process of painting and redecorating our spare room (my craft room) and this cushion cover is going to go perfectly in there (so is the heart for that matter)!

In recent posts I've mentioned how weird our weather has been, freezing one day and lovely the next.  We were forecast to have rotten weather over this long Easter weekend but now the sun has decided to come out and we're apparently in for some nice weather.  So no excuse not to weed my vege garden and get the winter plants in.  These pics were taken earlier in the week on a chilly but gorgeously still morning.  We were racing to swimming lessons but I had to pull the car over and get a few quick pics.  Too pretty to ignore.  This is just at the bottom our 'our hill'.  I love that wherever you live in Wellington, you're never very far from the water.

Remember a few weeks ago I showed you this picture of our monarch caterpillar and his progress to a cocoon?

Well the poor we fella didn't do so well in a recent storm and he got completely blown of his perch.  I found him amongst the grass and brought him inside to our laundry.  He's been lazing in a bowl on the windowsill for a few weeks now, then this morning I spotted that he had changed from green to see-through so I rushed him into the kitchen so I could keep an eye on him.  Within no time at all he had started to pop out of his little house.

The whole family took him outside, placed him on the table and sat and watched.  By whole family I mean Bella the cat too, but we soon realised that was not a good idea in case she decided to eat him so inside she went!  The poor wee guy was really struggling and we finally figured it was because he wasn't in his natural upright, hanging position.

So my husband played midwife, gently holding the top while Mr 7 had his hand ready to catch him if need be.

 Out he came ...

... straight up for a rest on hubby's hand.   We thought he should probably rest on something more leafy so we found him a new spot in the garden.

And here he is in all his glory - the very first time his wings opened.  I am chuffed to bits that we were here to see it all and that he didn't hatch in the laundry all on his own!

That's me for another week.   Have a wonderful Easter everyone!  It's the school holidays here now for the next two weeks but hopefully I'll see you again soon.

Leah
xxxx