What's on the bed, music totes & Hand Embroidered treasures

It's a lovely sunny day here in Melbourne and I'm inspired to share some of my treasures with you.

First off these two small totes I completed recently. They are gifts for my two cruise travelling companions who love Smooth Jazz like me. I don't think they read my blog so I won't spoil the surprise.

Bonnie Hunter's blog is hosting a 'party' for us to link pictures of a Quilt on our bed so I took a picture of what's on my daughter's bed.

I regularly change the quilts on the beds and other furniture, to make it more interesting around the house.

I collect a few things which I have shared in the blog (pins, thimbles, etc) but today I want to show you my collection of hand embroidered tray clothes and linen doilies with crocheted edges.

 

I probably have over 100 of these and most of them have been purchased at thrift stores over the years.

They are not as easy as it used to be, to find them and the prices have increased considerably.
I have also made a few myself as a child but these I use in my day to day living.

The motifs are delightful and some very quirky.

Most of them are on linen and some on cotton.  I love looking at them for ages and then place them back in the box..

Some have beautiful crocheted edgings and I appreciate them more because I love and used to do a lot of crochet work.

We are now in Autumn, so different plants are decorating the garden with their beautiful colour.
These are in the front of my garden.

The sun is so bright this morning that the photo doesn't do it's justice.

And finally as I was inspecting the buds of my camelia, I found it's first flower...

We can't beat nature on perfection !