With the hot days of August bearing down,

I have found myself content to sit in my sewing space and have let my needle and imagination take  me along cool shady paths of the Oriental Tea garden.

I have spent hours there, letting my needle make colorful and swaying trees, flowers, and grasses, in any color that I would like if I had my own tea garden space. Not always going with the suggested stitches or colors as the pattern directed.
I embroidered the house roof with a little bit of a brighter color and instead of straight stitch grass for the flower beds, I worked french knots and daisies into those spaces.

I used embroidery floss instead of the crewel yarn that came in the kit.  I like the texture and definition that floss provides over yarn. I  worked the boulders with a cotton pearl floss and I added lily pads and koi fish to the shaded part of the pond.  I added a flower bush of purple bullion stitch flowers and maroon french knots flowers to the bottom stone.

I grew quickly tired of all of the greens in the suggested pattern.  So I made the french knot pink and white tree, that was supposed to be on the other side of the bridge in place of the suggested green bush.

I also added french knot flowers and french knot greenery along the bottom of the stone.

I loved the color suggestion for the background trees, but did not want to work them in straight stitch or french knots.  Instead I worked them in what I like to call a free hand cross stitch, where I just place cross stitches throughout the design to give the tree more of a leafy look

When I saw the tree in the back ground, behind the bridge, I knew it has so much potential .  I wanted a tree to look like the ones in old paintings.   At first I thought it would be a simple weeping willow, but then I just had to add some color to make it look somewhat of a wisteria.  

This tree was supposed to be the pink and white french knot like the one I worked in the front section.  Instead, I chose to work it in colors of purple/reds.  

The suggested iris's are lovely, but I always love to see iris gardens with the soft yellow and light purple and I wanted them to look billowy.  

not to say that my ideas are the perfect way to stitch the project, but I really enjoyed the different stitch technique and colors as I worked along.

Now this once forgotten and stored away kit  has been completed.  After I finish up the stitching on the border and sign my name, I will work on getting it framed .

But where to hang it?  I have several options but have not made a final decision yet

And I have already started something new.........can you guess what it is?

Hint.......it is full of things I love about Autumn......in which I am anxious for it's arrival. 

How about you?

if you would like something crispy to enjoy visit my cooking blog for this wonderful easy and crispy cookie!  You can get the recipe at this link

My Cousin June's Sugar Cookies