La Vie en Rose...

Firstly, to let everyone know, I am also

sharing these posts on my older blog, 

rosebudlane.blogspot.com, for a while! I have

a lot of readers on this blog, and I

would like to be sure they don't miss

out on my posts and updates.

In addition to cross stitch I also love

doing freehand/traditional embroidery, and

would love to do a book featuring this, too,

at some stage.

Attached is a little stitched piece, done in

freehand stitches and also with a little watercolour

embellishment. La Vie en Rose... a lovely

concept and one we should all embrace - seeing the

beauty and potential in our lives, and in

every day we have on this earth!

Blessings and light..

Gail xxx

Miss Bobbin's Needle!

I have started work on the little journal/newsletter I

mentioned in the previous post - this one for summer,

and completely handwritten/illustrated by me!

It will take a little time, but hopefully

it should be ready to send out in late June.

I am also revisiting my old mice friends, 

in particular Miss Bobbin, a stitching mouse

who is never seen without a needle

and thread in her hand. I am working on an idea

of a book featuring her and her little 

stitched creations, to be tentatively called

"Miss Bobbin's Needle,

Stitches and Stories from Rosebud Lane".

Obviously this will also take some time

to put together, but I will post

images of the designs and other ideas

as I develop them! I love the mice

and would love to do another publication

featuring them. (My first book about the mice

was published in France in 2018 and is still available

on Amazon!)

So many things to do and create - I am

grateful for this in my life, and the peace and joy

making things brings to me 

and hopefully to all of us at this rather

difficult time.

Blessings to all this weekend

And so it is...on we go...

Gail xxx

Surprise!!!

Yes, after a long silence I am back - mainly to share with anyone who is still patiently keeping up with this blog, that I am still around, and still creating! I have a new blog: myenchantedcottage.blogspot.com, and am also on Facebook with a page called Enchanted Cottage.

Although I am not currently stitching the little mice (it's very difficult to get the wool felt and other things I need at the moment) - I do hope to start again some time soon. But in the meantime I am working on artworks and stitcheries featuring the mice - see the picture below! And I am hoping to do more little books sharing their stories, too.

Please do have a look at the new blog - and one day soon I hope to be on Instagram as well - when I can improve my photographic skills!

Blessings to all in this difficult and stressful time, and lots of squeaks from the mice!!

Gail xxx

Cottage comfort...

Now, more than ever, I think many of us

are appreciating our homes, wherever and whatever

they may be - they represent comfort,

safety and simple pleasures at a time when

all sometimes seems strange and disconnected!

I certainly am finding that spending more

quiet time in my little cottage is helping me

to feel grounded and peaceful, in 

spite of the challenges of the day! 

And it is certainly fuelling my creativity -

I have been thinking of a little illustrated

newsletter, with recipes, thoughts and

ideas for a simple, comfortable and beautiful

home - to be called 'Cottage Comfort.'

This is something I will be working on soon, along

with my other ongoing projects!

I have been fortunate enough to have many homes

in my life - some nicer than others, of course.

But I have always had a safe place to land, to

sleep, to be...which is a luxury not afforded

to everyone. Some years ago I met a young homeless

refugee on the streets on the city where I lived

at the time - his only dream was to get his papers in

order so he could get work and find a little place to live -

even just a room, as he put it, where he could close

the door, be safe and warm, and drink a cup of tea!

Sadly he died of an pre-existing health condition

before his dream came true! But I have never

forgotten him, and the insight he gave me

into how blessed I actually was, and am.

The picture below is of a cottage I stayed in

for a while, a few years ago - it was on a farm, looking

out upon trees and down to the river - not far from

a field where the wild horses grazed. I can never return

there, the farm is sold now - but it lives

forever in my heart, as do the lives and loves

I found there.

Blessings and light...

Gail xxx

The heartmade life...

Meraki: this is a Greek expression,

which means to give oneself totally to whatever

one is doing or being: in other words,

to do, live and be with absolute creativity,

joy and passion, with an open, whole heart.

This, in my humble opinion, is what living a 

heartmade life really means. And it is something

we can choose, every single day. Right in 

the present moment, whoever we are

and whatever out current circumstances.

Obviously some people think that happiness

is dependent on having ideal circumstances,

money, work, a great family and so on! However,

I have come to believe it's exactly in difficult 

times, when we have problems, trauma and

stress, that we need to shift our focus away from

the current issues, towards making our lives

more full of heart, joy, trust and creativity. 

Not always, easy, as I know too well,

but that's when we can truly step into a heartmade

way of being.

I am currently putting together the proposal,sample

copy and artwork for a little illustrated

book about living a heartmade life - it will be

a journal too, with space for people to write 

their own thoughts and ideas. 

I am really excited to be doing this, and

hope to find a publisher for it in due course.

If not, maybe I will publish it myself,

as I have done with other little books I have created.

Watch this space!

Blessings and light...

Gail xxx

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

on the move!

Hello everyone - please note that as from the 15 April I will no longer be posting or updating on this blog...I feel it is time for something new, time for a change... life is about moving on and exploring new horizons. So...please find me at my new address(es)! - inspirationandcake.blogspot.com, and also teacupsandthimbles.blogspot.com (which will be featuring my needlework/stitchery design, something else I am starting doing again after a long hiatus!)

Not to say I won't make mice again in the future - but for now I am having a sabbatical from making the little beasties - although I hope to continue to put out artwork/little books featuring them!

Thanks for your support over the years - please do come and view/comment on my new blogs once they are up and running - and share if you can with your friends.

Blessings and love...Gail xxx

changes...again

Just a quick post...on reflection and following several requests from people who are following this blog, I have decided to continue using it! I also have plans to create a proper shop (possibly with Etsy)...so watch this space!! Thanks for all the support and interest...Gail xxx

new year...new beginning..

Hello everyone who reads/follows this blog! As we are well into the first month of 2018, I have decided - not without some deep thought and regret - to change my blogs. This blog was first created over five years ago, and much has changed in my life in that time and I think I need a fresh start to clear away some of the confusion and cobwebs after what has been a difficult few years in many ways.

So, this will be the last post on this current blog. (I will leave it up for a while); I am starting a new blog about the mice (with a slightly different theme and focus) - this blog will be titled: tailsfromrosebudlane.blogspot.com and will hopefully be up and running in a few weeks. I am also starting another blog, this one called: inspirationandcake.blogspot.com. This blog will feature a portfolio of my other artwork, paper goods and cards, and also thoughts on life (with delicious recipes to match!) Again.. this should be up fairly soon. (I will also post updates on Facebook, and on Pinterest too.)

Thanks - and I hope to see you and read your comments at my new locations... heartmade blessings..Gail xxx

Dreamdalas....

Well...that's a word I made up, combining two of my favourite things...mandalas and dreamcatchers! I wanted to make a little painted hanging that combined elements of both these design icons, and obviously use beads and feathers as a finishing touch. I am happy with the results of the ones I have created so far, and also received positive feedback from friends and customers...hope you enjoy them too (and apologies for the less than great photos!)...blessings...Gail xxx

My new little book!

I have just had the first copies of my new little book - 'How to Live a Simply Art-Full Life' published; it's just a small book, 36 pages in all, completely handwritten and illustrated (in my usual style) - and I am very happy with it. It was such a joy to create, and I hope people out there will also find it a grace in their lives...perhaps one day it will even be picked up by a 'regular' publisher and appear in full colour!

Should anyone want more information about ordering this book from me, please leave a comment or message me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.  Blessings and have a creative day...Gail xxx

More heartmade....

I have been painting up a storm just lately (and neglecting the mice a little bit, which they are not too happy about!) These are two of my other little painted wooden hangings (or dangles!) - the heart one is kind of near and dear to me, because I just love owls (and all birds, really); the caravan dangle is for some friends who just love their little 'house on wheels'. All these pieces are also available to order, and can be personalised if you like - just send me a email if you are interested. Happy Monday to all...Gail xxx

Heartmade by Gail...

In addition to my mice I also am doing lots of painting in my fairly whimsical style...and am creating cards, journals and little painted wire hangings on wood, trimmed with fabric.  Here is one of my latest creations, done as a gift for a very old and dear friend...she loves it and already has asked for more, for some of her other friends!  Being creative is so important to me...and I think to so many of us, it's healthy and life enhancing on every level. Someone asked me the other day why I do so many different things - well, apart from having a very low boredom threshold! - I just really like to create and make things. My head is so full of ideas and there aren't enough hours in the day to actually do all the painting, stitching and writing I love...but that's a good problem to have. At least I don't get bored!  Gail xxx

Camomile's teapot...

Well, Camomile's little story book (with recipes!) is finally here...all the creation of her little mouse paws (with a little help from the other mice and me!) If you would like a copy, please leave a comment here and I will get back to you (or send me an email at: rosebudlane@gmail.com. (If people order 3 or more mice they will get a copy absolutely free).

Happy weekend to all..and mouse xxx Gail

Les Souris de Rosebud Lane!

The mice are happy to report that they are now appearing in a new book, published in France, called 'Les Souris de Rosebud Lane' - which means that it is possible to make your own mice, too. (The book is in French, obviously, but if you buy it an English translation of the instructions is available from me, in pdf format). (And Camomile's little tea and baking book will be rolling off the press soon..keep watching this space!) Mouse kisses and blessings....xxx

Christmas is coming early to Rosebud Lane...

Well, it might only be August, but these mice are already gearing up for the festive season - actually, they are going to be featured in a holiday advertorial. So Mr and Mrs Christmouse and their old friend Snowmouse are all prepared, with their gifts wrapped and ready...wish we could all be as organised as these mice!