Spring is just around the corner

When it's cold outside and the weatherman assures us that there is more snow on its way, I just needed some reminders that it will soon be spring. I planted up these little beauties and set them beside my kitchen sink to cheer me up on dark days.

 There are signs of life in the garden too ...

 

This verbena bush flowers right outside my studio window

These primroses are right outside my front door ...

See all the young shoots pushing up through the earth around these early snowdrops.

And the hellebores are beginning to open their beautiful purple flowers by the side of the pond.

Yesterday the sun was shining and I headed out to a nearby town for a little retail therapy and thought I'd share my purchases with you. Nothing here cost very much (only one or two pounds) but they've brightened my life.

This shabby little metal heart is hanging on the mirror on my dressing table

 This one hangs on my dining room door

I bought these two scraps of Indian fabric a few weeks ago - I have no idea yet what I will do with them but aren't the colours and the handiwork gorgeous?

I found these two little sewing sets in a charity shop - for far less than it would have cost me to make them, so home they came. This one, I think, will go in my sewing room.

 There are even 'pins' in the tiny pincushion

Here's the second one on the settee in the retreat.

 I bought this pretty little pencil case as it's just the right size to hold my miniature knitting. This lacy blanket is being worked on size 0.8 needles using Venne Colcoton (about the thickness of machine sewing thread). When I began I thought I'd never get the hang of it but now I have the pattern firmly in my head it's starting to grow more quickly.

This little woollen blanket (knitted on size 1.00 needles with 1 ply wool) grew much more quickly.

Now, here is my newest 48th scale building  - the Railway Inn.

 I've wallpapered the rooms inside this time as I'd managed to find some scrapbooking paper with very tiny designs which I think are just right for this scale. The sink which is sitting on the top floor won't stay in this building as there's only one room on each floor (hence the false doors on the back walls). The ground floor will be the bar, with a living room on the 1st floor and bedroom on the 2nd floor. The doors lead out to imaginary washroom facilities on the ground floor (for customers' use), a staircase and a kitchen and bathroom upstairs.

At the last meeting of our Embroiderers' Guild a group of us did a beading workshop and learned to make name badges. Here's mine. It's a little wavy around the edges but not bad for a first attempt. I enjoyed it so much that I've borrowed a book on making bead purses from the library - so watch this space.