BUCK BUCK BUCKARRRRK!

Hello my bloggy chums, I hope you are all feeling fine and dandy? May I say you are all looking particularly gorgeous today!

So yes, it's still all a bit on the hideously disorganised side of chaos front at Casa MimiLove! As some of you know, my in-laws are both in the advanced stages of cancer and we're caring for them both at home. There are beds where there were once sofas, oxygen tanks instead of coffee tables and there was a bit of a close shave when kitty nearly ended up with a blood thinning injection and a slice of toast and granny with an insulin jab followed by a bowl of boiled cod, but apart from that and the impending nervous breakdown, it's all good in the hood...*cue derranged/hysterical laughing*!

I'll be perfectly honest, with everything going on, I have been dangerously close to giving up the painting/stitching but it's about the only thing keeping me sane at the moment (I heard that snort!), so when I recieved this latest commission it gave me the perfect excuse to lock myself away from all things medical for a while and lose myself in beads and pretty stuff for a bit!

But before I unleash my chicken on you all, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to my stitchy mate Carolyn Saxby for sending me this...

Innit gorgeous?!...It's been a wee ray of sunshine in our lives made me go all snivvly with love!

If you arent familiar with Carolyn's work get yourself over to her Love Stitching Red blog or flickr stream for a feast of mixed media textile art, handmade beads, a whole bunch of glittery gorgeousness and some jealousy inducing photographs of Carolyn's Cornwall...I feel a new escape tunnel coming on...that's not to say my one to my mate Claire in Australia isnt still in progress! ;)

Right, whinge over, ready for some hardcore chicken action then? Brace y'selves!

Pre-stitchy hen started life as just a plain ol' watercolour painting on canvas. Colours (free) range from warm golden browns, bright oranges and reds to soft lilacs and deep purples

　
I was given a few ideas to play with including: French knots, beads, plants, people and the quote of: "Dont you know the earth stops spinning if you don't dance on it?!"
So I hoofed the walking frames and wheel chairs out of the way and got cracking...(ooo chicken/egg pun there...still got it!)

So here she is all stitched up!

I took the quote as a starting point and stitched up a glittery, French knotty planet Earth in the corner. I used blue metallic and turquoisey toned silk threads for the sea bits and the continents are made up of French knots in different shades of green including a eye walloping fluorescent one!

Keeping Earth spinning are a retro style pair of dancers having a bit of a Lindyhop and in the background is a universe of glittery gold stars again made up of French knots and gold metallic threads

Henny stands amongst a bushy leafy undergrowth in shades ranging from greens and blues through to bright oranges, yellows and reds and a dash of cerise. Tiddly glass beads and a few more French knots for added texture...and lets face it you can never have too many French knots!

After a feather ruffling flight she is safely nestled in her new home in USA and I'd like to thank the lady in question not only for her commission but for saving my sanity...even if it was just for a few hours!

Having said that I have been working on a new piece for the ol' MimiLove shop....meet Babsie my new Baboon with a facial expression that pretty much sums up the whole vibe here at the moment, I'm not entirely sure what's upset her but I'm pretty sure it will have summin' to do with bananas!

　

There we go then, that's my lot for a wee while but once again thank you to all you lovely folks for your messages of support, love and general lovliness, I really can't express how much it's helping...and if any of you are heading off to Sewing for Pleasure, Embroidery and Stitch Show at Birmingham NEC on the Saturday 24th March and see a red head loon in a sequinned cat jacket hovering around Mr. X Stitch's stand, come and give me a hug, I need one! :)

　
BIG MIMI LOVES TO YOU ALL...and thank for droppin' by! :)

xxx