Believe in Yourself

I finished this up yesterday evening. Only had the tiniest bit to do on it as I did some yesterday afternoon too. As I have said in a previous post it is Sherry Senicar Designs Believe in Yourself stitched on Polstitches 28 count Fairy Lights ( from my Christmas Stash Pack from Jayne's Attic) using Carrie's Creations in Ivy, Hollyberry, Cranberry ( all Jayne's Attic exclusives from my stash pack) and Gold Twist and GAST in Black Raspberry Jam and Grape Punch. I am delighted with the way this has turned out as I am always a little dubious when I don't use the suggested threads and fabric. I just need a wite hanger now and I can finish it off and give it to Jessica. Paula I will get the chart off to you tomorrow as I'll be going to the PO!

I am going to pick my glasses up in a bit. Specsavers said they'd be ready today but I didn't think I'd be able to get in until Saturday. DH has arrived home early as his check was called off this morning due to the weather and he had nothing else to do so we might as well have an afternoon out!

Jessica will be pleased as her game turned up today! What's the betting she won't stay for IT after school today! LOL! She was desperately hoping it had come yesterday as her Italian lesson had been cancelled so she was really disappointed when she came in! My CD is as brilliant as I remember it! I had it on double album but no longer have a turntable to play it on.

Right I better ring Specsavers and check my specs are ready before we set off!

Weekend WIPs

I have had quite a productive weekend stitching wise so thought I'd share my WIP pics. On Saturday evening I stitched quite a lot of Sherry Senicar Designs Believe in Yourself and while I was waiting for the roast potatoes to cook yesterday afternoon I picked it up again and did some more so here it it so far. I love the fabric and have made the picture medium rather than small so it stands out better out. This piece was in my Christmas stash pack from Jayne's Attic as were some of the threads. The words "And your" and "True" are stitched with GAST but the rest are Carrie's Creations. I might try and finish it this afternoon then I'll need to get a wire hanger to finish it off.

Yesterday the third part of Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV was released. I must admit that I was dreading it a little, wondering what was going to be in this part. This is the thing with doing a mystery I guess but it was the traditional colours that made me sign up. Anyway I was pleasantly surprised by this part although there is a lot of stitching in it but maybe not as much as the first part. This is all done around and inside the inner frame and last night I managed to get the top part done and made a start on the bit in the inner frame. I am looking forward to seeing how this part looks when it's done.

I had a lovely surprise this morning when I received a parcel from Jayne's Attic. I hadn't ordered anything so was a bit stumped as to what it could be. It turns out that I am chatterbox of the week! LOL! Jayne runs a draw where a random forum member is picked out each week and this time it was me! I have a lovely ornament size cut of Sassy's Fabby Sunburst Yellow Pearl and a Heirloom Embroideries free design called Darling Buds which is beautiful and would probably be perfect for a mini biscornu!

I can see I am going to have a very unhappy eldest daughter today. Last week I pre-ordered Final Fantasy XII for the PS2 for her from Amazon While I was ordering I also ordered the CD Tusk by Fleetwood Mac as it was on sale. I paid for first class postage and thought it might get here on Saturday depending on when they posted it out. I received an email on Thursday to say the parcel had been depatched and, as yet, it has not arrived. Sigh. Then Royal Mail have the audacity to up postage rates again this coming April when they can rarely produce a first class service. I just hope it arrives tomorrow and it hasn't gone astray. I guess if it hasn't arrived by Thursday I will have to get in touch with Amazon and see what they say.

Hope everybody is having a good start to the week. Special hugs and good wishes to Paula who is going for her scan today.

Summer ACEO

Well I must say I am now very happy with the progress I've made on Heaven and Earth Designs Summer ACEO. As I said when it was half term I didn't get a lot done so decided to carry on with her this week so here she is. I didn't manage to get page 3 finished but I will next time she's out ( I hope!). I think she's looking really good so far. Her wings are really pretty and it's amazing how many different colours and shades there are in those alone! This is one of the HAEDs with only 50 colours in and I say only because most of the ones I have have 90 colours, except for Guardian which only has 8!

So tonight I am going to start Sherry Senicar Designs Believe in Yourself ( keep calm Paula!). I have some Polstitches Dragon Shades called Fairy Lights, which was in my Christmas Stash pack from Jayne's Attic, and I think it will be perfect for this design. I also have some threads which were in the pack mostly Jayne's Attic exclusive colours ( I think they are Carrie's Creations) and I'm going to use some of those as well as some Gentle Arts Sampler Threads. I am going to make it into a bellpull when it's done and give it to Jessica for when she does her GCSEs.

Now I am off the stash wagon I haven't bought a thing! Ever get the feeling you are just not meant to! I emailed somebody about some threads and I haven't heard anything. I know she got the email as I got a read receipt. I will hang on a few days and see if she gets back to me or not. I haven't signed up for the COTM club as yet as Sassy's Fabby's is closed at the moment due to the death of a close friend but I will email Lauren when she re-opens.

Oh and before I forget I would just like to say a huge thank you to Heather and Kim who have been trying to help me get a strikethrough when I have completed something on my goals list. It has taken me ages and lots of frustration trying to get it to work and I feel so dumb now that I realise what I have been doing wrong! LOL! You could probably have heard that penny drop out in space!

I have been to the opticians today. I'm not actually due an eye test until July but I've been having a few problems and thought it best to get them checked now rather than wait. Turns out that my left eye has changed quite a bit but my right one is more or less the same as last time! As they had an offer on on specs £75 and over where you got a pair free I paid an extra £24 to get tints put in one pair so that I have sunglasses for when I sit outside in the summer and stitch or read. So I'll see if new glasses solve the problems!

Chocolate Shoppe SAL

Here is my second Wednesday of stitching on Little House Needleworks Chocolate Shoppe. Some of the other girls have done three Wednesdays but with it being half term last week I didn't get any done. I had a bit to frog as I'd made a small mistake last time I was stitching on it but I soon got it restitched. I really like what I have done so far and am looking forward to getting stuck in again next Wednesday! I must say those cakes still look good enough to eat!

HAED Summer ACEO is going quite well this week. She does look quite stunning even though I say so myself and I just love her wings. I will upload a picture when I am done for the week! I'd really love to get page 3 done but I can't see it happening unless I stitch all night tonight and all day tomorrow and that certainly isn't going to happen! LOL!

You may ( or may not) have noticed that my ticker for the stash wagon at the top has gone. Yes that does mean I am now officially off the wagon. It has been smashed to pieces and burnt and will definitely not be getting rebuilt! I have done well and am quite pleased with myself. I simply came to the conclusion that life is too short not to indugle a little in what you enjoy ( in moderation of course) so I am going to join Sassy's Fabbys COTM club for starters. That way I will be just in time for the March shipping. I am not going to buy any charts at the moment ( waiting for sales! LOL!) but want to buy threads and beads for charts I have and want to stitch to soon. I am going to be even more selective with charts ( and I am more selective now than I used to be!) and just buy what I really really love and can't do without! It makes sense! Honest it does! Right, off to sign up for the COTM!

Is It Monday Again?

I can't believe that half term is over already! The week just flew by and, once again, the house is quiet; just me with a budgie for company :( LOL! We went out quite a bit, mostly shopping, and we went on a visit to the Scarborough Sealife Centre and Marine Sanctury. It was a nice day out but the admission price seems to have shot up for what there is there. The Deep in Hull is better value for money but that is just my opinion. Jessica desperately wanted to bring a penguin home and I must say they were incredibly cute, as were the otters and seals, although we know only too well that seals aren't as cute as they appear!! LOL!

We tried to find a prom dress for Jess in the sales but, ofcourse, there wasn't any other than hugely priced ones. We'll try at Freeport over the next few weeks and see if we can pick one up there that she likes and isn't £100!

I didn't get much stitched last week. It was the turn of HAED Summer ACEO in my rotation but I only managed 10 rows so I have decided that I will carry on with it Monday to Friday this week. I want to try and get quite a lot done each time I do one of my HAEDs and, hopefully, get another finished over the next few months. I really want to start another QS soon. What happens when you say you have enough HAED charts and you're not going to buy anymore? Michele and Bob release this and this but I am resisting!

Last night I finished Heirloom Embroideries Peachy Biscornu. I have to say this was an absolute joy to stitch and so easy to finish up. Carol's chart and instructions were fantastic and it certainly won't be the last of hers I buy. So here's a couple of piccies.

Front

Back

Unfortunately the back piccie is a bit blurred but it gives you an idea of what it is like! So I now have another slot in my rotation to fill but as the third part of Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV is due out on Sunday I might just carry on with Summer for Saturday evening or just have a break from stitching!

Oh and I have added another poll to help me decide on what to start next! I have made some changes from the last poll as I found that I didn't have some of the threads for some of the others. Please feel free to vote again!

Now I have a confession to make! I have had a teeny trip up on the stash wagon! It's only a teeny one and I promise to be good now until 1st April. I was searching on Ebay just out of interest to see what Drawn Thread charts there were and I came across My Favourite Things, which is on my wish list, for £2 so I bid on it and got it for £2.41! It was too good to miss although I did feel a complete failure and rather guilty when I am supposed to be on the stash wagon. Anyway that it is now until 1st April as I have gone about 6 weeks and intend to last the rest of the time. At least it's only one thing and it wasn't full price so I think I can still be kind of proud of myself! LOL!

Harry Potter Quiz

I have seen this on a few blogs so thought I'd have a go! You scored as Neville Longbottom. You often feel scared and unsure of yourself as a result of a tough upbringing, but everyone knows you have so much boiling potential in you waiting to burst. You get a strong feeling of elation when you accomplish something and reward yourself for it. You love your friends and family dearly and are a kind and loyal friend to have. Neville Longbottom 59% Ron Weasley 59% Luna Lovegood 56% Albus Dumbledore 56% Harry Potter 50% Remus Lupin 47% Sirius Black 47% Hermione Granger 41% Severus Snape 41% Bellatrix Lestrange 41% Oliver Wood 38% Percy Weasley 38% Lord Voldemort 31% Draco Malfoy 25% Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

WIP Updates

I thought it was time I posted some piccies of my WIPs. With it being half term we've been busy so I haven't had chance but thought I'd make time now!

So here's my progress on Chatelaine Summer Afternoon. It's stitched on 28 count antique white evenweave using DMC, Caron Waterlilies, Rainbow Gallery Petite Braid and Mill Hill beads. This is pages 1 and 2 and I just love it! It is so incredibly pretty. I was going to carry on with it this week but seen as I'd got two pages done I decided to leave it until next time I my rotation.

This week it's the turn of HAED Summer ACEO but I didn't stitch last night as I had a headache. Damned things are plaguing me again and I'm hoping they go soon. I am having my eyes tested as I figured it might not be a bad idea. I only had them tested last July but it will nearly 3 years since I needed a new prescription. Unfortunately I can't get an appointment until 24th Feb.

I started Heirloom Embroideries Peachy Biscornu on Saturday. I thought I'd got the front finished on Sunday afternoon then realised I hadn't backstitched the green! LOL! So I made a start then I decided I had to put my stitching down as I couldn't concentrate on it while watching The Day After Tomorrow! It was rather gripping. Anyway this beautiful piece is just gorgeous to stitch and I can't wait to get the back done then stitch it up!

I am still doing OK on the wagon but it's getting harder as I see more stuff I like. I'm sort of wishing we'd said until 1st March and I'd be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel but never mind! February is a short month so there won't be too much longer to go after that! LOL!

Winner of Poll!

Just a quick entry for today! Thank you to everybody who voted in my poll. Tonight I shall be starting Heirloom Embroideries Peachy Biscornu as that is the item with the most votes! Watch this space for a WIP pic maybe on Monday!

No WIP pics of Chatelaine Summer Afternoon as yet. I am going in a minute to try and finish off page 2 before I move onto the biscornu tonight then I'll upload a piccie tomorrow. I am really enjoying this and now fear my rotation could go completely to pot again! Problem is I really want to get on with my HAEDs too. Who said being a stitcher was easy! LOL!

The Chocolate Shoppe SAL

I made a start on Little House Needleworks The Chocolate Shoppe yesterday afternoon but I didn't get much done! I must say though this cake looks good enough to eat! Yummy! I am stitching this using 35 count fabric over 2 as I want it to fit in a frame I bought especially for it so I hope it'll be OK when I've finished it! I wonder how Claire and Nicola got on?

I had another good night on Chatelaine Summer Afternoon so I think I might stitch some of the beads on this afternoon then do more actual stitching tonight. It's nice to see plenty of progress on something rather than not a lot when I stitch on a HAED for five evenings! LOL!

I decided this morning to go for a walk along on the seafront and then into town to get a birthday card and post that and another one. Well it was very bracing along the seafront as the wind is off the sea but it was nice. I don't mind walking when it's like this as long as I get wrapped up well. I am disappointed that the snow hasn't reached us and the weathermen don't seem to be able to decide if it will or not! It's looking very black outside at the moment and looks as though something is coming but I bet it'll be rain. I'm so sick of the dull, rainy days we've had this Winter so the gorgeous frosty mornings we've had all week have been a welcome sight. It looks like it's going to be rain all weekend and next week too. Typical when it's half term!

ETA What is it with Google Reader today? Everytime I open it up and click on one of the blog links it freezes up. Anybody else had this problem?

Secret Finish Revealed!

I can finally share my secret finish! It's two weeks since I posted it with a card to my friend, Judy, in the USA and she has just got it, just over a week since her birthday! Next year I will post two weeks before her birthday and then she just might get it in time! This is a Brightneedle freebie called Dearest Friend, stitched over 1 on 32 count fabric using the called for DMC. I made it up into a fob. The picture is not brilliant I'm afraid. I am relieved it has finally arrived as I had a nasty feeling it had gone missing.

Today is the start of the LHN Chocolate Shoppe SAL that Claire and Nicola have organised and I'm going to settle down in a while and make a start. I only intend to stitch on it on a Wednesday afternoon and see how I get on. It looks relatively quick to stitch but I might not get any done next Wednesday with it being half term.

Chatelaine Summer Afternoon is coming along nicely this week. I'm onto page 2 of the stitching but have the beads to sew on yet. I'm not sure whether to sew them on as I go along or leave them until the end. I don't think I can wait to sew loads on at the end so may well do it as I finish each page.

I hope everyone in the UK is staying warm now we've finally got a nice cold snap and lots of snow forecastt!

At Last!

At long last I have finished page 1 of Heaven and Earth Designs Winter; artwork by Sara Butcher. I started it back in November for the New Start SAL on the HAED ezboard and this page seems have taken forever! Having said that I was working on getting QS Blossom finished as it was for a Christmas present so I haven't really had that much time to stitch on it. Hopefully I will get on better now but my aim at one page a month is not going to see the light of day so there's no hope of me finishing it in 3 years! ( one page a month, 36 pages = 3 years! LOL!) So here it is! I love the way this stitches up. Sara's art converts really well to cross stitch and Michele of HAED does an excellant job charting it.

When I'd finished page 1 I moved onto Chatelaine Summer Afternoon and managed to get quite a bit of that stitched. I decided to work on one page at a time ( 6 pages of chart) so that I know where I am ( hmmm!) and am getting on well with the first page. That is what I'll be working on Monday- Friday this week.

I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who comment on my blog and also those who drop by and read. It means a lot to me. Also thank you for voting in my poll! I'm leaving it there for the rest of the week as the slot in my rotation doesn't start until Saturday so I'll see what the winner is then! LOL! At the moment the clear leader is Heirloom Embroideries Peachy Biscornu!

Please Vote!

I have a free slot in my rotation so have added a poll! Please feel free to vote and help me decide! LOL!

I have made a huge decision today. Yesterday I mentioned HAEDs and how I wasn't going to start another one until I'd finished both the quick stitches I'm doing. I want to have just one full size and one quick stitch on the go at once.( although I am itching to start the other two full sized ones I have!). I should be able to get on much quicker with them that way. Well ( deep breath) today I have decided that my HAED chart buying obsession has come to an end . Don't get me wrong I love them and I wouldn't part with the charts I have but I have more than I can probably stitch in this lifetime, although I will have a damn good try, and I don't see the point in buying more that are just going to sit there. It's a waste of money and money I could be spending on something else! I fully intend to keep on stitching them but as for buying them it's the end of an era! LOL!


I finished putting the beads on Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV earlier this afternoon so here it is at last! I am just showing the inner frame rather than the whole as this bit fit in the scanner so it's a slightly clearer piccie. I'm hoping the next part will have something different in it rather than a frame or something. Just as long as there are no nutcracker soldiers or anything like that! LOL!

I am all set for the SAL I'm joining in with on LHN The Chocolate Shoppe. I have my fabric ready ( and I didn't need to buy any) so I just need to sort the threads. I even have a frame that should work for it when it's finished. I think the SAL starts on Wednesday ( Am I right Claire?) so I shall stitch on it probably just on Wednesday afternoons.

I am getting a little jittery on the stash wagon but am still hoping I can make it until 1st April. I think I got a bit of a shock when I realised how far away 1st April was when I did my ticker. January seems to have been a long hard month somehow with not much nice post and nothing to look forward to stash wise. The longest I have lasted in recent times has been 6 weeks so I need to go longer than that! LOL! Help me out please!!!!!!!!!!

It's Friday!

Hi everybody! I thought it was time I came in and updated my blog seen as it's a week since I did! I've been intent on updating it but just couldn't be bothered to be honest. Anyway I am here now! LOL!

First off I was excited and somewhat nervous to be able to meet Chris yesterday. She doesn't live all that far away from me so we decided to meet up at a cafe in the town where I live. We had a lovely day chatting and we both brought along some of our stitching to show each other. I must say that the finishes and WIP that Chris brought had me drooling and made me realise how much I miss all my normal stitching with working on three HAEDs. So I have decided that I want to finish both the quick stitches that I'm doing BEFORE I start another HAED, so that I will only have one QS and one full size one on the go and I can concentrate more on other things I enjoy stitching. Plus no more buying HAEDs either no matter how much I like them. I have loads in my stash so it's not as though I need anymore or have none to stitch. Anyway Chris and I will be meeting up again in the future and I'm looking forward to that.

I have been quite down again and was having trouble lifting myself out of it. I have a close friend who thinks I could have depression ( you know who you are {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}) but I can't face seeing the doctor and going on anti-depressants again. They give them out whilly nilly these days like it's anything for a quiet life. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and don't like the side effects. LOL! However I don't like the way I am so need to boost myself up somehow. A lot of the time it depends on circumstances as to how I feel plus how I am feeling physically. I know things with my Dad don't help plus I am so tired because I'm not sleeping properly.

Jessica has got a mock GCSE results day today and she texted me earlier to say she'd got 4 A's, 6 B's and a C in Art! I am so pleased for her and so proud. I know it isn't her actual GCSEs but it shows what she can do and will give her a boost for her actual exams. I have no idea which subjetcs she got what in until she gets home but I know she'll be pleased especially as she was expecting C's in English Lit and Language and she must have higher. She has a leadership group meeting as well as 6th Form taster lessons as well today so she was trying Maths, Biology and Chemistry as she wants to do those as well as Physics. She's determined to do something scientific as a career.

Last Sunday we finally got out for Sunday lunch! As you may remember we were going out the Sunday after DH's birthday but he was ill. We went The Nags Head at Routh and it was lovely. We used to go there many years ago ( pre-kids!) so since we were last there they have totally gutted it and have refurbished it. We have decided to go out for Sunday every so often and try different places in the area.

Right to my stitching! Last week was the turn of HAED QS Dragonette in my rotation and I didn't do too badly with it. I got to the part where there was bigger areas of one colour so it was a bit easier and quicker to stitch. It is quite a dull piece really but Jess loves it so far. You can see the dragon's wings, a tree and the start of it's horns as well as a bit of it's body. As you can see I only have about 20 rows of page 1 to do so I might just get that page finished when I get it out again in a few weeks. If you would like to have a look you can see what it will be like here

I made a start on the second part of Chatelaine Christmas Mystery IV ( yep the frogs Chris! LOL!) and have completed all the stitching but haven't attached all the beads yet so will post that when I have. I daren't sit on the settee and stitch them on incase I lose the beads down the settee so only stitch them on if I can sit at the dining table! I might just get a few on this afternoon when I'm done on here!

What else do I have to share? Oh yes I started this last week and finished up this week. It's San Man Originals By the Sea which is from one of last year's secret shops. I used DMC for it apart from GAST Deep Sea which I used for the sea and the word Sea. I cannot take credit for the lovely tuck as it came with it. Not sure where I'm going to hang it yet but I do have another one to hang also with a sea theme so will find somewhere for them together.

Thank you to Carol (cc45) from the SMO message board who granted my January wish for a coaster to mount the robin in. Not only did she send me one coaster she sent me two as well as two Dragon Floss so thank you so much Carol {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}. Robin is now in his new home.

This week HAED Winter is my rotation piece and I am almost through with page 1. I would probably have got it done by now but I didn't stitch on Monday due to a neuralgia type headache ( thought I was getting another ear infection!) then last night we had a 6th Form meeting at school so by the time we'd picked Abi up from FIL's and got home and sorted I didn't sit down to stitch until 8pm. I am hoping I can get a good bit done tonight then, providing I have all the beads on the Christmas mystery, I can go back to Chatelaine Summer Afternoon.

Off to catch up on the blogs in my list. I haven't looked for days!