Miss Cupcake!

Some of you may know that for a number of years

I created a range of small, completely handstitched mice,

which I called 'The Mice of Rosebud Lane'.

I don't make them any more - they took

a long time to make and rising costs of the materials and postage

meant I had to charge more for them than the market

would allow.

However I still love those little rodents of mine, 

so now I create them on paper and 

with stitches - in artwork, designs and, hopefully,

one day in books, too!

Miss Cupcake is the first cross stitch design

in this series - sadly I have not yet been able

to frame her as I wished, since my

picture framer is not operating due to lockdown.

But here she is - with her delicious cakes...

and the chart of this design will be ready for

download in just a few days.

Enjoy my little mice!

Blessings and light

Gail xxx

And with tea...

'Would you like an adventure now,

or shall we have our tea first?'

Peter Pan

Of course teatime is not complete with something

delicious to go along with the

steaming cups of tea! And if, like me,

you are particularly fond of Earl Grey tea, 

with its delicate orange blossom notes,

you are sure to love this recipe 

for tea cake!

(If you don't like sultanas (golden raisins)

feel free to substitute ordinary raisins or leave them out!)

Have a beautiful day!

Blessings and light

Gail xxx

Bird & Blossom Tea Shop

Another little painting - this one showcasing my love of (obsession with?) little tea shops - maybe it's a result of the years I spent living in England, where just about every weekend we would take off in search of another delightful little tea shop to while away a few contented hours drinking tea, eating scones or cake, and generally enjoying a simple moment of peace and tranquillity!

This artwork will  also be turned into a cross stitch design - in fact I have already started working on and stitching the piece - I tend to work on designs as I go, which gives me the freedom to make changes as and when necessary!

In the meantime enjoy this little image and be sure to take time to rest and refresh yourself today, in these difficult times - do what makes your heart happy, always!

Blessings and light

Gail xxx

Wool & Whimsy

I love to paint, and I particularly love doing artwork in

the folk art style. I have long loved the work of American 

folk artists like Ellen Stouffer, Blakely Wilson and

Charles Wysocki. I think what I love the most

is the combination of simple, heartwaming themes

with seasonal and whimsical touches.

Nothing makes me happier than sitting down

with my paper, pens and watercolours to create a

new little picture. And the next best thing is taking it

up a level and converting my image into a

cross stitch chart, and seeing how my work comes

to life in a whole new way

'Wool & Whimsy' - my first design featured here

on this blog has most of my favourite things -

a cute little store, two fat and woolly sheep and lots

of little country touches, like flowers,

baskets and birdhouses.

The quote too, is meaningful to me, because I strongly

believe that when we work with hands and heart

we become truly inspired and uplifted.

And at the moment we are all going through such

difficult and troubling times in the world, so we

need to find both peace and grace, which I believe we 

can do in simple creativity.

I hope to be able to share the stitched version

of this picture with you all very soon, at which

time the chart will be available as a pdf download.

To end, one of my favourite quotes,

attributed to the Buddha.

'Your work is to discover your work,

and then, with all your heart,

give yourself to it.'

Blessings, light and enchantment

Gail xxx

Sweetness and light...

In this new blog you are going to find plenty of recipes for baking and cake - a particular passion of mine, and in my view no enchanted cottage would be complete without the heartwarming aroma of cakes in the oven, and something delicious for tea!

This recipe for honey and lemon tea cake is simple and versatile - it can be served at teatime, or as a dessert or even at breakfast with a good cup of coffee! Honey is such a fabulous ingredient with all sorts of health giving properties, but I do urge you to always seek out raw or organic honey, to ensure you are getting the best honey that has not been processed or adulterated in any way.

Lemons, too, are an essential ingredient in my kitchen - again, please try and buy organic lemons if possible - unless you are lucky enough to have your own lemon trees in your garden. The bottles of prepared lemon juice are convenient, I know, but I try not to use them except in an emergency. Nothing beats the tangy zest of a fresh squeezed lemon!

This recipe comes from my hand lettered and illustrated recipe journal - with love from me to you!

Blessings

Gail xxx