Exhausted, but in a good way!

Daniel and I have just polished off the last of another very delicious Christmas Pudding,

Lily and Scarlett are constructing Scarlett's present a very gorgeous and grand Lego house.

Lou Lou is outside painting with her lovely new paints, singing 'Joy To The World' (she is a joy to my world)

All in all we have had a lovely not too hectic Christmas!!

Daniel has captured some of the gorgeous memories from our day, that absolutely divine vase of Hydrangea is one of my pressies, it is actually an enamel water jug, it was the cherry on the cake, and made our table just perfect.

The Bon Bon's were a very welcome treat as well!

Now it's time for a much needed break!

see you in 2010

Blessings

Simone

The Joy of Giving

I have been busy of late, everything Christmassy from now on!!

I usually make my own cards for Christmas, I like the very personal touch they give to all my gifts.

This year to coordinate with my red aqua and white theme I have made some very sweet gift tags and a few cards to shoot off in the mail.

I have attached a few to presents already and they do look gorgeous under my tree.

Blessings to you all for a truly glorious Christmas

Simone

Hoops! Hoops! Hoops!

What a great way to display pieces of your favourite fabrics!

I have seen many other people do this before, the result can be stunning.

I have just started with hoops I had in the cupboard, left over from my cross stitching days, and chose a few of my many favourite fabrics.

I hope to add to the collection over time, hopefully one day my studio wall will be ablaze with colour and texture!

Great idea!! whoever thought of this first, I am very impressed.

Blessings

Simone

He Loves Me...

Well isn't this just a picture!!

This was what I saw as I emerged the other morning (late if I remember correctly)

A little token of Daniel's love for me!!

A gorgeous rose from our garden, one of my favourite blue and white cups, with my favourite tea and some freshly sliced bread for me to toast.

What more can a girl ask for in the morning!!

I hope you all have a similar experience in your memory banks.

Until next time

Blessings

Simone

Toffee Apple & Marmalade

What dear little cameo princesses, each with her favourite fruit!!

My new project is called 'Toffee Apple & Marmalade" a very gorgeous tote bag to carry any little girls load.

The bag is made from a beautiful linen and cotton fabric, with a gorgeous marmalade or rosy apple red contrasting gusset.

The centre of each bag has a very sweet cameo, with the most adorable little girl peeking through.

As usual I have used lovely felt and complimented it with yummy fabrics.

I hope you like them

until next time

Blessings

Simone

A Combination Carnival

I have been collecting buttons again lately, it really is like being in a lolly shop for me.

I have recently been to a wonderful button fair, it is run once a year by The Victorian Button Collectors Club in a quaint church hall.

I chose some absolute beauties!! I also bought a few buckles that I am sure I can find a good home for.



The reason for my collecting is I plan to put a few together in groups to make the most gorgeous rings! They are so beautiful in their own right that they should be worn with as much pride as the most precious jewel.

The best part about it is I am not going to keep them all for myself, I will be listing the finished rings for sale through my website in the next few months.



Each ring will have an adjustable 'ring' so they can fit most fingers. The rings in the picture are not for sale, I thought I would show you the first few I have made.

So keep a look out for them, I am sure there will be one to suit everyone.

Blessings

Simone

Cherry Bon Bon

As promised I have put together a little tutorial.
Called 'Cherry Bon Bon' a very simple and sweet little activity to get you in the mood for the Christmas season.

Just follow the link on the side bar and you will be on your way,

I am sure your table this Christmas will look as gorgeous as mine!!

I hope you like it

Blessings
Simone

Before you know it!

My favourite colours for decorating at Christmas time are red white and blue. I am not a keen green and red fan.


As it is summer here at christmas time, I like the way the three colours give a crisp feel to the celebrations.


I have a very beautiful crisp white linen tablecloth I always use on our table, and last year as our centre piece I had a bowl of rosie summer cherries. The effect was stunning.


I usually make paper bon bon's of some kind, filled with treats for my guests, last year they were little paper hand bags! so cute.



This year I am planning paper cone bon bon's, I am going to put together a tutorial of the making process, later in the year, so you can join me in giving your guests something gorgeous to take home.



I would love to one day be on the other side of the world for Christmas, the magic of snow on Christmas Eve!



Seeing as it is winter here at the moment I thought I would start designing for Christmas. I have five simply adorable felt tree decorations.



Plenty of time to make them and hide them away until the big day!



Blessings

Simone

Now I am Six!

We have a special tradition for the six year olds in our family, Mummy and Nanna take them out for a very grown up afternoon tea. Our Lily had her turn three years ago and recently it was Scarlett's turn.

We sat in a beautiful tea room by an open fire and warmed ourselves while indulging in a treat or two. It was a very pleasant way to spend precious time together.

My new project has been inspired by all those sumptuous, splendid goodies we all like to indulge in from time to time, entitled 'Sweets For My Sweet' I hope it will encourage you all to get baking and make something sweet for those you love

Milliner's Pins

For quite some time now I have wanted to collect hat pins, I find them quite beautiful, whether they be elborate or plain they were a dazzling ornament for the hats of an era long past.

I love the idea that once such a practical item can now be enjoyed sheerly for its beauty alone.

My mother recently moved house, and while packing and sorting through everything she came across an old hat pin that my grandmother used, it is very plain, silver in colour with a beautiful 'acorn' shape on the end, I absolutely love it. As it is the first in my collection I have it sitting in my pin cushion and it reminds me of both my Mum and Nan when I am sewing.

My new design has been inspired by this lovely pin. A collection of three different hat style pin cushions, made from fabric and felt, adorned with Rose's, Daisy's and Viola's.

I hope you like them!!

Blessings

Simone

Scrumptious Little Gems!!

My family absolutely love Hot Cross Buns and every year I make my own, this process of course takes quite a few hours to complete, from the first mixing of ingredients to the final knead and shaping of the buns.

I must admit I love every minute of it, the kitchen fills with the gorgeous aroma of the yeast and I know the end result will be gobbled up with glee!

It also gives me a great opportunity to discuss with my girls the reason why the buns have a cross and is a chance to remember what Jesus did for all of us.

I hope you all had a truely blessed Easter and enjoyed time with family and friends.

Blessings

Simone

A Dapple of Apples!!

Well I don't know about you but I am very happy to wave goodbye to the Summer and give a very warm welcome to beautiful Autumn!!

Autumn is my very favourite season of the year, the cooler mornings the warmer food, the absolutely beautiful trees that surround our house change to every colour from gold to bronze to rich red, then gracefully drop their leaves all over our lawn, sheer bliss! and to top it all off my birthday falls in Autumn!

To celebrate the harvest season I have created a little bushel of the most delicious fabric apples, seven in all.

They are currently sitting in my lounge room on my coffee table and they look so cheery.

I hope you like them!

until next time

Blessings

Simone

Something New!

I thought I would give you a little peek at my new project.

It will be featured in the September issue of Homespun magazine, this will be their 'Pink' issue so I was very inspired and keen to be involved, seeing as pink has always been and always will be my favourite colour!!

I have used some of my favourite pink fabrics and a few pale blue ones to compliment.

For now this is all I can show you, but all will be revealed in good time.

Blessings

Simone

An Inspiration

You would be very disapponted in me if you saw how I kept my fabric stash, I have always been very starved of space in my work room so the fabric would be kept in a large plastic storage box. Over the years as I have accumulated more and more fabric all the new pieces would be placed on top of the others, consequently I have ended up with a very untidy mess, I would never know what I had from one day to the next.

Well no more!!

I have painstakingly sifted through my stash and folded all the larger pieces and colour coded the whole lot to reveal this!!

a very neat and tidy, easy to find system, all I need to do is fluff my duster over it once in a while.

It is very inspiring having all my fabrics in view.

I do think though, I don't have as much as I thought I did, maybe there is room for some more!

Total Heartbreak

It is so devastating  to see the waste of life, homes and community, our beautiful state will not be the same again. Those of us who live close to the city can only watch the devastation on the television and try to imagine what it must be like for those involved.

My heart and prayers go out to all the wonderful CFA (of whom my brother in law is one) who have fought the fires, the incredible doctors and carers of those affected and to all of us on the outside to do all we can to assist.

My prayers are with you

'Cheerful Harvest'

I must admit that I am quite fond of celebrations, whether it be Christmas, Birthday's (especially my daughter's birthday's), Mother's Day, they all bring joy, and Easter is no exception.

I am particularly fond of all the gorgeous sparkly egg wrappers that dazzle their way into our shopping trolleys, and each year I make my own Hot Cross Buns, a beautiful recipe that leaves out all those disgusting little bugs everyone else calls mixed peel.
I am reminded each year, though, to reflect on the real reason we celebrate Easter and not to get caught up in the commercialism of the season, the price that was paid for all of us.

In celebration of new life I thought for my very first project for 2009 I would design some felt eggs, and here they are. Each egg has a different design embroidered around it, and all three are housed in an adorable little basket. I hope you like them.

I will also post them on my website as well, so they will be available to order.
Blessings
Simone

Rainbow of fruit flavours!

I am so excited and inspired!

I have been up to Winterwood to collect some gorgeous felt for future creations, pistachio and apple green, raspberry, lemon, rose pink, just to name a few. 100% wool hand dyed felt is so gorgeous and thick and sews beautifully. The end product is lushious.

If you would like to share in this lovely stuff, all the details for Winterwood are on my website under 'Hints'

Time to get started on some gorgeous new things,

Hmm what to do first!

Until next time

Blessings

Simone

Those I love

I am very blessed to have a very loving and supportive husband and three beautiful girls. I thank God for them and cherish all our memories.

2008 was a very big year for us all, Daniel and I finally bought our first home!! a dream come true for us, this meant a school change and a big move, we had been at our old address for 8 years and it was home.

My girls all handled the big change like the true troopers they are and we have all settled into our new school and our beautiful new home.

The very first thing we promised we would do when we moved would be that we would get a kitten, a precious little one to complete our family. Well here he is our gorgeous ginger darling, Ned. isn't he a fine gentleman, he is such a blessing.

Blessings

Simone

Sweets for my sweet!

Look at these little gems!

As I have said before I am in love with vintage buttons, especially anything in Bakelite, like so many things they don't make them like they used to, so consequently I find myself being drawn away from the every day variety and only choose the lovely sweets like the ones I have recently found to add to my stash. If you are drooling as much as I am, you truly are a kindred spirit.

Blessings
Simone

Time for a little something

With the new year well under way it is time to get back to work!

I have been happily stitching away and thought I might give you a tiny tot peak at what I am working on. I need to gather some more felt supplies, I love going to the felt shop to collect my usual rainbow of colours, I will post a photo of what I choose when I have a chance to get up there.

More will be revealed closer to release date,

a little treat for the 'cotton tail season'

Blessings

Simone

Under The May Blossom

Welcome to “Under the May Blossom”.

I have put this blog together to share with you some of the behind the scene happenings here at May Blossom and give you a sneaky peak at my upcoming projects.

I have been designing stitchery projects, dolls, quilts and felt creations for just over three years and just love it. I work mainly in the huge variety of pastel fabrics available, and also love to work with 100% hand dyed wool felt, the rainbow of colours is truely inspirational. My real passion is vintage buttons, they are the cherry on the top of any project!

You might like to check out my website www.mayblossom.com.au

I am really looking forward to sharing some extremely delicious projects with you over the next little while, I hope you find something to truely inspire you.

Blessings

Simone

Cherry Bon Bon

Cherry Bon Bon

Every year at Christmas I make something enticing to place on my table for my guests, this year I decided to make paper cone shaped Bon Bons filled with extra special treats. They look gorgeous all together on the table and are received with much gratitude.

I thought it would be nice to share with you what I have come up with, they are very simple and easy to make and it is a great excuse to work with some of the wonderful scrapbooking gems that are available out there.

All my supplies came from my local store and are quite commonly available.

Supply List

I have chosen card stock in Christmas Red, White and Aqua Blue colour palette for this project. When making rosettes choose randomly from these.

1 sheet of thick paper with a glittered finish

Pearly sticky dots in red and aqua (I used Kaiser Pearls)

50cm (10inches) metallic yarn in red and aqua (I used Celebrate)

30cm (12 inches) Disposable piping bags one per Bon Bon (Wilton Piping Bags www.wilton.com)

1cm square double sided mounting squares

1/2cm wide double sided tape (I used X-press IT)

glue stick, craft glue, scissors, pencil, awl (or small hole, hole punch)

Chosen sweets

Ribbon (I used Celebrate)

Cherry Bon Bon Pattern

Download Pattern

To obtain the Cherry Bon Bon pattern click here.

Save or Print the PDF document that appears

You may need to install Adobe Reader to view this file.

Step One - Making the Rosettes

Cut one large flat circle from card stock,

Cut one small flat circle from scrapbooking paper with a glittered finish,

Cut one fluted shape from card stock

Using the mounting doublesided tape, stack all three shapes on top of each other making sure they are centred. The large circle at the bottom the fluted in the centre and the glittered small circle on the top.

Stick a pearly sticky dot in the centre of the glittered circle, lay aside for now.

Step Two - Making the Cone

Trace one cone shape to the reverse side of the card stock and cut out.

Trace the fluted edge on the reverse side of a contrast card stock and carefully cut out.

Using a glue stick, stick the fluted shape to the top curved edge of the cone shape, allow to dry well.

Lay the pattern piece on top of the cone shape and mark with a pencil the hole placement, punch out the hole with an awl or small hole punch.

Stick a length of double sided tape down one straight side of the cone shape.

Using the glue stick tube, ease the cone shape around it to start to form the curve of the cone, remove the backing paper from the double sided tape and stitck both straight edges together, easing as you go, you may need a small dab of glue at the bottom to hold. This step may take some time but is worth patience. This will be the back of your Bon Bon.

Step Three - Putting it all Together

Cut the 50cm piece of the metallic yarn in half and thread one piece through one of the holes and tie a knot in the end on the outside of the cone, repeat with the other hole. Tie the two raw ends of the yarn in a bow.

Stick a pearly sticky dot in place in each of the ‘valleys’ of the fluted top, all the way around the cone.

Place a dab of glue to the back of your rosette and stick to the top left hand side of your cone.

Trim down a disposable piping bag so it is approx 25cm (10 inches) from top to tip.

Fill with sweets of choice, twist the top and tie with a length of matching ribbon.

Place your sweets in your Bon Bon ready for your guests!

These also make great "Thank You" gifts for a little one's parties!