Some Ideas, Please...?

I have been a busy bunny lately. I decided that the under-stair cupboard (read: dumping ground) needed a clear-out, and so I set myself the task of sorting and binning, sweeping and cleaning the whole space. Three times I banged my head backing out of the doorway of the space - concrete lintels hurt! Anyway, I managed to sort through the bags of bags (seriously!), old video recorders and Sky boxes, smelly wellies and muddy boots and have made a useable space for ironing board, vaccuum cleaner and bags-for-life. The only problem was that I knew the sideboard in the dining room needed sorting out too - it had loads of 'stuff' inside that could be stored in the newly-spacious under-stair cupboard... so I did that. I won't be making any Christmas cards this year - I found EIGHT packs shoved in the back of a drawer or two, as well as a big box of loose cards. I have the sneaking suspicion that I may be a bit of a hoarder :) So... everything tidy (-ish) and with a pile of stuff to get rid of on Ebay, I find a little rag at the back of one of the side-cupboards in the sideboard. I was so tired of tidying, that I almost just threw it in the bin, before my mind jolted and I remembered what it was... A small piece of practice embroidery my nan had done.

I want to hang it in my dining room - the colours would be perfect. The actual needlework picture is about 9"x5.25", with plenty of space around it as you can see. The background colour is more of a sort of oatmeal colour than it shows here... but that's besides the point.

So... I was wondering about the best way to hang this.

A photo frame? But then, do I stretch the picture over some sort of stiff backing - because I really don't want to cut it to size...? Or should I stretch it over a canvas frame and staple it in place? Would I need to glue the whole thing down - though I'm loathe to do that too, as I don't want to harm or damage the piece of work.

I did think of sewing a rod into a channel at the top and bottom of the piece, and hanging it that way.... but not too sure, as I want it to look more like art than just a wall hanging. Maybe a shadow box... but how would that work, I'm wondering?

So, any ideas... anyone?
Any photographs you have of similar projects you could point me to would be fantastic!

Oh, Christmas Tree...

Not the best photo... but it'll do for a quick snap.

 The pressies are all bought and wrapped, and the meat is all in the freezer. This year I shall be serving up venison, beef, chicken and pheasant (as well as a ton of veggies!) to a household of smiling people - I hope :)

I added to my decorations this year with a bear from Avon that recites the poem "A Visit From Saint Nicholas" (Twas The Night Before Christmas). It's adorable... though Lily tries desperately to ignore it *lol*

Miss Violet

A quick introduction to Miss Violet ("Baby"), who is just over 4 months old now, and we've had her since she was about ten weeks old. She's a long-haired terror who is utterly adorable, and thoroughly spoilt! This was taken during the first week we adopted her...

She thinks the dining room table is her bed during the day.

She also takes over my daughters bed...

Places herself in awkward positions in my craft room...

and occasionally seems to get "cat" muddled up with "meerkat"...

...which is funny because when we first went to see her, the sellers said she had facial markings that made her look like she had a moustache like the "Go Compare" tenor singer.

So, there's the little kitty who's helping to heal my broken heart.

When...if... Bella returns, they will get along famously! Of course, they'll wreck my home... but it'll be worth it :)

Seven Months!!!

SEVEN months?!?!?

Yes, that's how long it's been since I blogged here - disgraceful!

I actually had a bit of a gentle kick from Di (Hiya Di!! Will reply soon - promise!) who wrote me a lovely e-mail and asked how the heck I was.

Di writes beautifully - and anyone who needs to see something beautiful should check out her blog too :)

Anyways...

What's been happening in the world of Patchwork Apples? Not a lot. Jewellery making took over my life for a few weeks, and then something awful happened in August this year. My beautiful Bella went missing... and I haven't seen her since. The times I've spent trawling around the area, putting up posters and just asking people if they'd seen her mounted up to so many hours - but nothing has been seen or heard from my beautiful little kitty. Callie (her fur-mummy) became stressed and lost a lot of weight and fur because Bella wasn't around for her to hiss at and be bossy to, and so we had to take her to the vets. Then the dog started suffering from some sort of Bella-missing-induced depression... and I just wallowed in self-pity over the loss of my beautiful Bella. Breaking into wastelands nearby and calling out "Bella Winky... little bit stinky!" made me a bit of a character in the local area - I am now the strange cat lady - which is kind of funny seeing as my friend up the street has 24 cats - and I'M the strange cat lady??

I digress...

I did the only thing any insane strange cat lady would do under the same circumstances. I bought another cat. Miss Violet (usually called "Baby") is NOT a replacement for Bella... just another addition to our furry-family. Callie is happier - she now has another bundle of fur to hiss at. Lily (our dog) is over her depression and now just has to understand that she is actually a dog and not another cat - poor little thing has serious issues and I can't afford doggy therapy.

Next, Hubby paid out huge amounts to get both the cats microchipped - though we're not getting Baby spayed yet because Hubby thinks it's best if she has kittens.

So... there we go. My sad few months... made a little easier by the arrival of our little baby kitty.

I absolutely promise to post a photo of our Christmas Tree very soon... of course I decorated the house on November 1st again...

Thank you MUCHNESS to Di for the lovely e-mail :)

Bella. 21st July 2012.