Believe

First of all I'd just like to say a massive thank you for all your lovely comments on my HAED QS Holly Fairy finish. I am so happy with this finish. It's my first HAED finish in God knows how many years and it feels so good to have one. Hopefully there will be many more! She's at the framers now and , hopefully,  we'll have her back next week.

As promised here's my June ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL. This is the last of the three in the leaflet so it is now for sale if anyone is interested in purchasing it from me.

Lizzie*Kate Flora McSample Ornaments 2012 Believe

32 count Rose Gander Linen

DMC

Started 3rd June 2013

Finished 12th June 2013

If I remember correctly my choice for July is Lizzie*Kate Love from the Just Cross Stitch ornament issue.

Typing of things for sale I have decided to sell my Blackbird Designs Joyeaux Noel booklet. Please email me if you are interested.

Lainey, Mouse and I have been stitching away on our SAL piece Little House Needleworks Curly Q Ewe. I'm also stitching this with the ladies in the parlour at Needlecraft Haven.  Which reminds me I haven't posted my progress on there since the first week. Sorry Barb and the other ladies. I'll do that later.

So I had some new stash last week. As some of you may remember I asked Karla at Patchwork Rabbit if she could get the Garden Journal series by Cottage Garden Samplings a while ago. Well she emailed me to say she'd got the first 6 in and would I like her to add any to my sheep order as Courage had arrived. Yay! So I asked her if she would kindly send 2 at a time with my sheep order until I get up to date and she said yes. So here's my stash from last week.

I also very naughtily added another HAED to my stash which was Mini Titania. The 50% off was too good to miss plus the minis are going up in price so an ideal time to buy. No more for me until Faces of Faery 199 is released! Fingers crossed it is one day as I requested it on the BB!

Of course because Courage arrived Barb and I started it on Monday. Look how much I managed to stitch!  Very pleased with myself!

As I was trying to get Holly finished I didn't stitch at all on Guardian so only have progress from the week before and on Sunday when I should really have been stitching on QS Spirit ofWinter Robin I was stitching on this. I can't believe how many stitches I've managed to add to this since I picked it up again.

The robin has now moved into Holly's slot on my rotation so I'll be stitching on him on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

I will be having a new HAED start ( yes I know I must be mad! ) and a SAL with my friend Gill.  I'm starting Mini Jolly Old Fellow and she's starting Mini Sleigh Ride both by the wonderfully talented artist Dona Gelsinger. Her Father Christmas' are just so perfect!

Sunday was Father's Day of course and a sad time for us as it was our first without both my Dad and my DH's Dad. It didn't seem right not to have to them here and we put flowers on their graves. Sunday would also have been my mum in law's 74th birthday and Saturday was the 28th anniversary of Mum's passing.

Good news as my smear test finally came back and it was normal. So not sure what the cause of the inflammation is but I'm going back to see my doctor in a couple of weeks to discuss having my surgery again as I have lots of questions before I go ahead so will ask her then.

I don't know if I'll be around over the next week or so as my DH is taking a week off next week and at the moment we're not sure what we're doing. Jess is home for the summer and Abi has finished her A levels and is having a bit of a break before joining hunting.

Until next time.

With much love

Sally xxxx

She's Finished!!

33,990 stitches later here she is!

Heaven and Earth Designs QS Holly Fairy

25 count Magic Guide Fabric

DMC

Started 11th September 2012

Finished 15th June 2013.

Loved every minute of this! Now to my next start!

I'll be back in a few days with my June ornament finish and some new stash.

Sorry I haven't been commenting on your blogs. I will get around to it if it's the last thing I do!

With much love

Sally

xxxx

Tea and Peace and Puffins ( Picture Heavy)

I thought it was time I did an actual stitching post as I haven't done one for over a week. As always my stitching is my therapy. My stitching and my DH and girls. Poor Abi has been heartbroken at losing little Fozzie and I will admit that my DH and I have shed tears as well. So this week we've been having some mum and daughter time going for some walks. Yesterday was a very long walk and I swear when I got up from stitching last night I was ceasing up! Just want to say thank you for all your lovely comments on my post about Fozzie. The house really isn't the same without him. He would often be at the side of his cage waiting for us when we came down in a morning.

So what have I been stitching. Well I finished the LHN Peace Virtue with Barb last week so am now impatiently waiting the arrival of Courage so we can start that.

Little House Needleworks Little Sheep Virtues Peace

32 count Vintage Country Mocha Linen

DMC

So this Monday I couldn't make my mind up at first whether to start my ornament for the Christmas All Year Round SAL or something else or stitch on something else that I already had started. In the end the ornament won and and this is how far I got.

A few weeks ago Shirlee did a post about tea and I mentioned Twinings Lady Grey and said I would send her a few of my teabags to try rather than her buy a box and waste money if she didn't like it. I decided to stitch up this and send it along with the tea. It's only a very simple finish as my creativity ( what creativity? Did I really have it in the first place? ) has gone out the window but Shirlee loved it and also loved the tea. Julie first got me into Lady Grey a few years ago when she sent me some to try. I hope Shirlee won't mind but I borrowed this photo from her blog as I can't find the one I took.

The Sampler Girl A Spot of Tea

Gift for Shirlee

Wednesdays are SAL nights with Mouse and Lainey and also Barb and the ladies in the parlour at Needlecraft Haven. Here's my progress on LHN Curly Q Ewe. I shall have plenty of LHN stitching to keep me busy in the parlour as I very naughtily signed up for mystery. It was extra naughty as I decided to treat myself to the threads and fabric as well which I don't do very often anymore. I decided I needed a treat. I'm still waiting for my other test results and they should be here any day now.

HAED stitching now ( and just incase you didn't know they are currently having a 50% off sale for Father's Day. I think the rush to buy broke the site though! I'm being good as I have way too many in my stash plus I'm holding out for Jasmine Becket- Griffith's Faces of Faery 199 to be charted. I requested it on the BB a while ago and keep hoping! ).  I'm still plugging away at all the black stitching on pages 5 and 6 on QS Holly Fairy. How I wish I hadn't left all this until last but never mind at least I don't have to think too much about it! Aiming for a July finish now rather than a September one!

I'm about half way through page 13 of Guardian and am loving the detail.

A little bit of progress on QS Spirit of Winter Robin. I did stitch in the wrong colour in one bit but decided not to frog. It's not noticable I don't think.

We decided to have a trip out on Saturday afternoon. We had been waiting for decent weather and as Saturday was forecast  to be nice in the afternoon off we went up to Bempton Cliffs RSPB. We had a brilliant afternoon watching the seabirds and actually managed to spot the odd Puffin or two in amongst the thousands of other seabirds on the cliffs. It only cost us £5, which was for parking, and that goes towards the upkeep of the reserve. We all took cameras. I use my DH's old DSLR and am still learning so my photos aren't brilliant but here are a few.

That's it from me now.

With much love.

Sally xxx

Bye Bye Little Fozzie

RIP little Fozzie. Run wild and  free over Rainbow Bridge. You were the most wonderful, friendly, loving little hamster who brought so much light to the darkest of days we've had. We love you so much and in the 14 months since you joined our family you became a huge part of us. Even though you were Abi's little Fozzie Bear you have left a hole in all our lives.  Rest peacefully little buddy.