The Tenuous Shoehorn Blog Party

It's the day for the blog party, Summer version. Check out Jo's blog to find all the participants.

Summer means flowers

and a smile.

Summer is holidays where you see beautiful scenery

(just outside Jasper, Alberta)

(New Brunswick's famous Reversing Falls)

and unusual sights.

Giant cows,

the world's largest axe and

the world's largest lobster.

Celebrate summer!

Some Fun In Blogland

There are a couple of events going on in blogland you might want to be part of.

First

Jo at Serendipitous Stitching is having a summer blog party - check it out here. The rules are simple - August 8 do a post and show off a piece of stitching that relates in some way to summer holidays. Then go to Jo's blog and leave a link so we can all visit.

Second

There's a giveaway happening at Nancy's blog Victoria Motto Sampler. Her birthday is coming up August 14 but she's giving away the present. Check here for all the details, but the rules are simple - you must be a follower and you must put a comment on the post I've linked you to. It's worth checking back to Nancy's blog regularly as she does a LOT of giveaways.

No WIP Wednesday post this week - I've been sick again this past week and still not back to 100%.

WIP Wednesday 27 July 2016

I know, I know, I'm 2 weeks behind, but I've been sick, sick SICK and I'm still coughing, hacking and blowing my nose what feels like every 20 seconds. Really tired of living on soup (which I normally love) and Buckley's (which I have never loved) but it works the best for me. I haven't even done much stitching! However, enough moaning and I'll show you what I have managed to do.

The last time you saw Orin's sweater it was here

and it is now here.

Sorry, not the best picture, but teddy just needs the rest of paw #4 and his head, then I can shape the neck and finish the front.

Santa/elf was here the last time I posted

made it to here last week

and is here now.

I can start his body as soon as I stop coughing!

It's IHSW This Weekend!

It's that weekend again!

I'm really looking forward to having a stitchy weekend - I've felt very short changed the last couple of weeks - my needle may rust!

Don't know what I'm talking about? Pop over to Random Ramblings, check it out and join in the fun. You have official permission to take the third weekend of every month, hermit yourself away and stitch!

WIP Wednesday 6 July 2016

Pretty much a bust on the craft front this week. The sweater is still here

exactly where it was last week and Santa/elf has only gone from here

to here.

On the plus side, there were some visitors as I stepped outside my building Monday morning.

Frankly I think they must have had a rough weekend because neither of them so much as blinked as I went by.

Garden Update

Back in May I posted about my yearly birthday gift from my craft partner Cynthia - a balcony garden. It's been doing really well (if I do say so myself), so have a look.

There is a dahlia in the middle of the round pot.

And there are blossoms!

And this one is getting close to blossoms Cynthia says.

Lovely dahlia and pansy.

And another planter getting close.

Don't have a clue what this is but I love the colour of it.

And more glads that are growing nicely.

These are new since the last pictures - I have hanging baskets and my very first hummingbird feeder. It's been a good growing year, lovely warm sunny days with showers at night. Except it's raining today and will mess up our 1st of July fireworks if it doesn't stop!

WIP Wednesday 29 June 2016

Well, the knitting went better than the cross stitching this week, but life is really busy for some reason at the moment, so I'll take what I can get. The sweater was here last week

and is here at the moment.

We have feet! And the maple leaf is started.

Santa/elf was here

and has gotten this far.

Sort of a vague promise there will be a face.

I'm getting a little annoyed that the fabric is never the right colour - it's a green, honest, cross my heart!