With everything that is going on around here at the moment, I feel like I'm neglecting my blog somewhat. It's very easy to quickly get out of the rhythm of blogging.

But I miss it. I miss posting. I miss the contact with you out there. I miss your feedback, opinions, news.

I am determined to get back to more than a once a week pop-in to say hi. And as beautiful as my latest fabric purchases from Saints and Pinner are, I promise to give you more reasons to stop by very shortly...

...including a fab giveaway for my 2 year Blogiversary...

Watch this space ;-)

The Hoop Up Swap on Flickr that I've been involved with for a while now is finally coming to completion.

I have to admit that it has been quite a challenge to fulfil. I go through phases when I am able to sit and embroider and also when I am in the mood to do so. I don't think everyone has received my best, as some of the pieces I've felt under pressure to complete when I haven't been wholly in the mood.

It has however been good to be taken out of my comfort zone working to someone else's brief and do some pieces that I may not have thought about doing. I have also met some great people along the way whose paths I may not have crossed.

(stitchery adapted from www.incywincytogs.blogspot.com)

So I shall take the positives from the experience and look forward to receiving and sharing with you, the pieces that others have kindly and thoughtfully embroidered for me.

As always happens when the weather changes and we spend more time outside, I realise how our outside space needs some tender loving care...a bit of prettying up. I find it all too easy to neglect the outside, especially in the cold dark winter when we rush inside and hardly glance at what we have.

I dragged Matthew to the garden centre yesterday and we picked up a few bits. I bought a fabulous Allium plant that I just can't wait to see bloom. In the meantime, I'm really pleased with the pot that we bought to plant it in.

Next on the row is some sweet peas that I have planted in some rustic pots by the front door. I meant to do it last year, but it didn't quite happen. I'm hoping we'll have a continuous supply of beautifully scented pretty flowers to greet us as we go in and out.

I spotted these Black Eyed Susan's and thought they also would add a bit of sunshine to the deck. I have never bought them before and have no idea how long they stay flowering for, but they look very pretty at the moment.

The last in the row here is my pride and joy peony plant. This is right next to the front steps and gives me insurmountable pleasure when it is bloom. It is the most stunning dark pink-red. It pops its head up from nowhere after sleeping underground all winter and fill me with ridiculous anticipation until it is in the bloom. The downside is it doesn't stay in bloom for long. You have to catch it while you can.

I had to get these lavender plants - one in the front and one in the back. I love the shape of them and again think they will provide lots of scent and calm tranquillity.

It's amazing how the sunshine and a few plants can perk your mood right up. Simple pleasures.

Ode to Orla

As you well know we have finally been getting on with the pretty stuff after the mayhem of putting the subsidence back together. And as you well know Orla has been featuring rather heavily in the whole process.

I didn't really mean for the house to turn into quite such a homage to Orla. But in many ways it does mean there is some unity to the house. It feels cohesive.

I'm not even sure which is my favourite Orla room. I absolutely love our bedroom. When we decided to use the wallpaper there, I was slightly hesitant, but it seemed like a good idea to save the compromise on style we would have had if we had gone with any of the others. And it's actually alot more restful than you would think.

I am totally in love with the living room. Again, it works. The grey pulls the room and the house together and the wallpaper with the fireplace is just a dream. I am convinced I am in someone else's house when I look at it.

The final Orla touch is the towels in the bathroom. This wasn't exactly planned. I was buying this phone for Matthew's birthday, when I happened upon...as you do...the towels. As you can see they fit in perfectly and to be quite honest, we had been wanting new towels for ages, so it wasn't quite as impulsive as it looks.

The house is just about done. The hallway is to be completed (no Orla there) and quite a few finishing touches are needed, but I promise, for those of you who don't quite share my love of all things Orla, this will be the last posting on the subject.

We were in Bristol over Easter staying with one of Matthew's brothers and famille. The other brother and famille were there too, so it was a mad old but great time. I love both his brothers and wives and one of my sister-in-laws in particular. I would have chosen her as a friend and I think that's always a good sign.

We are all on the same wavelength alot of the time. Just to illustrate the point, we'd brought down 2 bottles of bubbly, the others had too and the host family had bought a couple in too! So 2 nights and 6 bottles of bubbly later... ;-)

As well as seeing my lovely in-laws, the other thing I love about going to Bristol is the obligatory trip to John Lewis' Haberdashery. We don't have a John Lewis in Leeds, although rumour has it that is soon to be rectified. We took the kids to see Nanny McPhee (fab film) and I managed to drag everyone into JL while I fabric shopped. JL fabric department is one of my favourite places to buy fabric. I love that you can buy as little as 10cm. I know you are thinking 10cm won't get you very far, but believe me I can make a heck of a lot of these and certainly a load of these with 10cm.

Time was short so in supermarket sweep style I picked up a few stash favourites - stocked up with some Cath Kidston dots and flowers, a couple of Tanya Whelan's, an Amy Butler spot that I love and then this gorgeous green Liberty esque almost Tana Lawn, which I think is going to be a new fave. The small scale is perfect for my pics and cards.

If you haven't yet discovered the wonders of John Lewis fabric Department, it's well worth the trip of finding your nearest one.

Hope you all had a Happy Easter x

I know it seems like I'm always buying fabric, but I actually don't think I have for quite a few weeks now...and in my book that's quite some time. I think I've been so busy at looking at wallpaper, paint colours and prints for the walls, that my fabric stash has got a bit neglected. Sad, but true.

Fortunately I've put all that to rights this week with just a small little shop at Saints and Pinners, one of my favourite on-line British fabric stores. I was driven by the need for a fabric to back Ruby's quilt. I've been coveting this Dolce Deco Fans for a while and think it will work beautifully with the fabrics we have picked for the top. Fortunately Ruby agrees.

This stunning Barefoot Roses is such a gorgeous duck egg/grey colour that I couldn't resist throwing it in the basket. You can never have enough dots in your stash. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to incorporate it in Ruby's quilt, but I'm not too worried about it being saved for other projects if I don't. It's going to be a useful little number. The little black dress of the fabric stash.

Final purchase was this beautiful Voile from the new Anna Maria Horner Collection. Another recent covet that I succombed too. I just bought a fat quarter as it's quite expensive, but I think I'll be going straight back for more. The stunning vibrant colours are what you expect from Anna Maria's fabrics and the weight is akin to Liberty Tana Lawn. Feeling it is tactile heaven. This has leapt into one of my all time favourite fabrics.

Ruby took one look at it and gasped in delight at the thought of it going into her quilt. No, my darling, this one is not for you...

We had to say 'a bientot' to some very close friends this weekend. Scarily we worked out that Matthew and Jem have been friends for over 25 years. That made us feel far too old - particularly since this was a University friendship - not just old Primary School friends.

Jem and RD are emigrating to Israel - and taking their new gorgeous baby boys with them. They are in Manchester and we are in Leeds, so we don't see them all that often...but it's a damn site nearer than Jerusalem.

I know with the internet we are all so much closer and more in touch than ever before, so hopefully it won't be too difficult to keep in touch. And hopefully we'll visit one day soon.

And in case you were wondering, although you've probably already guessed...I made these placemats for them to have a little bit of us with them until we do. What do you give people who are moving country? They certainly don't want to have to schlep even more belongings than they already are.