Ornament Exchange , A Big Finish & Happy Birthday to Me!

Can you believe that Christmas Day is just over a week away?! How did that happen? I still seem to have so much to do but I'll get there.

Anyway I can now show the ornaments I stitched for Chris and Barb for our private ornament exchanges.  I am happy to say that both were very well received :).

This one is the one I stitched for Chris.

Historic Handworks Friends are Christmas Treasures

32 count Nougat linen

DMC.

Then this is the one I stitched for Barb.

Charlotte's Web Needlework For My Friends

28 count cream linen

GAST, DMC & Classic Colourworks

I showed last time the lovely ornament I received from Barb and this is what I received from Chris.

Isn't it gorgeous?  Chris was saying this is the first thing she has made and finished on her new sewing machine so I feel very honoured. We were hoping to have a meet up before Christmas but she has been rather poorly with this nasty cold virus that is going around. Get well soon Chris.

Ooooh big, big news!! I have finished my Anniversaries of the Heart! I was forgetting all about that. How could I forget?!  So I'll let the photos do the talking on this one!

Blackbird Designs Anniversaries of the Heart

36 count Rosewood linen

DMC, GAST, WDW and Classic Colourworks

Started January 2011

Finished 12th December 2016.

A long time in the making as it got put away for a while but it was well worth every stitch.

This week Barb and I have been having our stitch on one thing week and I've been stitching on Mini Jolly Old Fellow. I've not done a massive amount but every stitch counts, right?! We still have a few days yet to make good progress.

I've done a little bit more on the December SAL with Chris.  I took it to craft group to do a bit more on Tuesday ( I remembered my tin with needle and scissors in this time ) but the snow on the right took some getting right! I stitched and frogged that bit several times. Arghhhhh!

I also made a teeny bit of progress on my Winter SAL with Barb. Poor Barb has been waiting on fabric to start this. I think we'll be stitching it well through January and into February as there is a lot of stitching on it!

No progress on anything else but we'll see how things go next week. There are things I was hoping to get finished for the end of the year but it's fast approaching so it's doubtful.

Monday was my birthday and I was thoroughly spoilt by my family and friends. Rather than take lots of individual photos I've been rather lazy and taken just 3. I am so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. I had a quiet day as everyone was at work so I just had a lazy day and stitched a little. We had a takeaway at teatime then watched a film. Thank you so much for your beautiful cards and gifts :)

These are from my DH, Jess, Abi , my sister and her partner, auntie and Carl's brother and his wife.

These are from Barb, Lisa, Julie and Mouse.

Last but by no means least from Lainey, Christine, Chris, Michelle and June.

Yesterday my big sister got married to her partner of 25 years! It was so lovely to see her get married at long last and we had a lovely time. I'll have some photos next time hopefully as my DH took quite a few.

Stitch from Stash is coming soon and as it was birthday I'm going to have just a little last splurge. Well I say last but I'm signing up for an autoship on CCN Snow Place Like Home so I will have a chart to pay for for the first few months of 2017 but it will be well within my budget. I might even get the first 2 this month as Karla has the first 2 in. I won't be buying fabric as I have the perfect one in my stash :). It's a bit naughty but I've wanting it since I first saw it announced and got talked out of it but it'll be a birthday treat to myself!

I don't know if I'll be back before Christmas but I will try and get one more done so I can show some wedding photos.

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxxxx

Stitching December.

Here we are in December and the weather is so dull and yucky! We've had the odd day or two of frosts and beautiful sunshine but it keeps going back to this! I hope this isn't going to be how Winter is. Longing for plenty of frosts and some snow but it doesn't like we're getting any this month according to the forecast.

As you may well know I have been doing a private ornament exchange with Chris for a years and then Barb and I started to exchange as well. Mine to Chris and Barb are in the post and should, hopefully, arrive today and yesterday I received mine from Barb. I can't express how much I love it! It is so me! Thank you so much my dear friend. Here is the front and the back :)

Isn't it gorgeous?

My stitching has slowed up a bit this past week or so as we've had some long days out shopping so I've been too tired to stitch as much. I'm hoping to make up for it though! I have, however, finished the bonus block on my Anniversaries of the Heart piece! Yay!!!!! I now just have to finish the personalisation on a couple of other blocks and frog some I've done as I don't like it!

I have had new starts :) First one is my December SAL with Chris, Ages ago we decided on Country Cottage Needleworks Merry Christmas My Deer and I have chosen to stitch it with the recommended fabric and threads. I took it with me to craft group on Tuesday to get a bit more done but I forgot to take my tin with my needles and scissors in! Duh!!! So I had to knit instead. This is a couple of evenings stitching.

My other new start is my SAL with Barb which is Cross Eyed Cricket Collection Winter. After much deliberation and almost ordering some fabric I decided on some 18 count Silkweaver Expressions Blueberry Delight that I had in my stash! Not much done yet but we'll be stitching away on it tonight.

Next week Barb and I are having our monthly stitch on one thing for a week. I haven't decided whether it will be Winter or this jolly old fellow!

Isn't he looking amazing, even though I say so myself! I am just in awe of how he looks.

Final WIPs is Sotto La Neve which is growing slowly but surely.

At the moment I can't see me getting my other two pieces started that I wanted to start this month but you never know. If I can get the personalisation done on AotH that will be a free slot in my rotation plus I don't think I'm going to get an ornament done for this month but I might do that at craft group. Time is moving on and I have so much to do!

That's all my news for today. Hopefully I'll be back next week to show the ornaments I stitched for Chris and Barb :)

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx

It's Nearly December!

First of all I must apologise for my double post last time. I have no idea what happened and by the time I realised there were two the same I had comments on both so didn't want to delete one! I know I edited my post but it shouldn't have duplicated it so I can only assume it was a Blogger hitch! I will check if I edit a post in future! 

I have been trying to get more done on the pieces I have started rather than having more new starts in the last couple of weeks so I've stitched a bit more on HAED Mini Jolly Old Fellow. I just love how he is looking.

My November ornament is finished but oh do I wish I'd chosen different fabric as the snowflakes don't show up very well.

Swallick Stitchery

Waiting for Santa

36 count lakeside Linens Vintage Buttercream

GAST & DMC

I have finished two ornaments for private exchanges but will show those once they have been received in December.

The end is in sight on my BBD AotH! The bonus is just about finished then I have the personalisation to do on 3 blocks! I'll be getting the disco ball out and having a huge happy dance when it is finished I can tell you!

I am also fairly close to a page finish on my HAED SK Dragons History. There are a fair few colour changes on this so it might still take me a few weeks!

Finally my progress on Sotto La Neve. This is just so pretty. Lots of snow to stitch on this!

A while ago lovely Gaynor of Stitchers Anon was having a giveaway on her Facebook page and I was one of the 20 ( yes 20!) lucky winners. Here is what I received. Aren't they brilliant?! I was so tempted to start Marley Was Dead as I've just started reading A Christmas Carol but I think it'll be one on the list for next year now. Thank you so much Gaynor.

It's not long now until December and I will have a few SALs going then. I will be stitching my final Christmas ornament for 2016 with Barb and Chris as well as keeping going with my HAED SAL with Lisa. Then I will have December SALs with Chris and Barb so a nice, busy stitchy December!  My HAED  SAL with Lisa will carry on into 2017 and beyond. I am planning on keeping up with my ornaments and am wondering if Chris and Barb will join me again. Another stitching friend who I have known many years is SALing with me too on the ornaments.

I have joined a Stitch from Stash group on Facebook for the first half of 2017. It works very much like the one Mel ran the other year with a monthly budget which we choose ourselves up to the equivalent of $25 so I have gone for £20 which is what xe.com converts $25 to. We also get credit for finishes and each month's balance is carried forward to the next month. I am hoping to do well with it  but decided on £20 just in case I see something I can't live without. I am still toying with signing up for the Country Cottage Needleworks Snow Place Like Home series  but I'll see! That might be a birthday or Christmas to myself!

There weren't many takers for the Frightful Halloween chart with leftover threads but I have chosen a winner and it is Mary! Congratulations Mary! Please email me your address and I'll get it in the post to you :).

That's all my news for now. Next month is going to be a stitch filled month as well as my birthday, my sister's wedding and of course Christmas! I have finally managed to get a dress for the wedding  but also need something to wear over it as it'll be chilly!

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx

A Little Bit of Halloween

Yep I know Halloween is gone but I didn't get a post done before to show my finished Shepherd's Bush roll so, without further ado, here it is!

Shepherd's Bush Frightful Halloween Roll

Stitched using fabric and threads in the kit.

I just LOVE how this turned out. Of course those of you who have been visiting me for a long time will know my love of SB rolls and how many I have stitched over the years! So this one has now been added to my 2 baskets full of SB rolls! Thank you to my dearest friend Barb for gifting me the kit. Barb also stitched it so do pop on over to her blog and have a look :)

Anyway I'd like to pass the chart and leftover threads onto someone else now so if you'd like to stitch it and then pass it on to someone else please just say so in your comments.

I don't have any other finishes to show as the only other one I have is for a private ornament exchange. I'm also on with stitching another ornament for another private exchange that I do each year. I can, however, show my start on my November ornament. I had to do this one didn't I?! It's Swallick Stitchery Waiting for Santa from this year's JCS ornament mag. This one is so cute! 

No new sheepy SAL start as I've been trying to concentrate on getting the ornament for the exchanges done and I'm not sure if I'll start again now until after Christmas. There are so many lovely Winter/ Christmas charts in my stash that I always want to get done and never seem to so I'd like to maybe get at least one stitched but we shall see. Chris and I will be starting our December SAL soon ( can you believe it is only a few weeks to December?!) and I want to keep up with my HAED stitching so it'll depend on what time I have. Barb and I are going to be SALing throughout December too on Cross Eyed Cricket Winter. Barb had ordered the chart then realised she already had it so is kindly passing one onto me so we SAL :)

So I've made some really good progress on the bonus block of my AotH piece. I am desperately hoping to finish it this month. I still have to finish some personalisation on a couple of blocks especially as I decided to unpick the name on the August block as I think it will look better over 1! 

I am loving how Sotto La Neve is looking. Just looks as those sweet deer under the tree! I'm really pleased that I chose this fabric to stitch it on. I think it is perfect! 

Onto my HAEDs now. Mini Jolly Old Fellow is growing slowly but surely. I now know that there is no way he is going to be finished for Christmas but I am very happy at the progress I've made this year. When you consider all I had done at the beginning on the year was a few rows of the first page and now I have finished 4 pages! If I had stitched solely on it it would have been finished now but I can't be a one at a time girl anymore as I'd get bored!

Finally SK A Dragons History. Isn't he a cute dragon!

Typing of HAED they have just had a quick more or less 24 hour sale of 50% off and guess what?! I didn't buy anything!! That is several sales I have resisted so I am very proud of myself! I figure I'll stick at finishing the two I'm stitching then when they're done Guardian will come out again and I'll start another small one. I have way more than I'll ever stitch in my lifetime! 

That's all my news for now. Hope you are all well and keeping warm where it is cold and cool where it is warm! I was hoping we would get some snow here during the week but we didn't. Some parts of the country were lucky enough to get some but not here. I just hope we're not going to have a mild, wet Winter again. It's so depressing!

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx

A Little Bit of Halloween

Yep I know Halloween is gone but I didn't get a post done before to show my finished Shepherd's Bush roll so, without further ado, here it is!

Shepherd's Bush Frightful Halloween Roll

Stitched using fabric and threads in the kit.

I just LOVE how this turned out. Of course those of you who have been visiting me for a long time will know my love of SB rolls and how many I have stitched over the years! So this one has now been added to my 2 baskets full of SB rolls! Thank you to my dearest friend Barb for gifting me the kit. Barb also stitched it so do pop on over to her blog and have a look :)

Anyway I'd like to pass the chart and leftover threads onto someone else now so if you'd like to stitch it and then pass it on to someone else please just say so in your comments. 

I don't have any other finishes to show as the only other one I have is for a private ornament exchange. I'm also on with stitching another ornament for another private exchange that I do each year. I can, however, show my start on my November ornament. I had to do this one didn't I?! It's Swallick Stitchery Waiting for Santa from this year's JCS ornament mag. This one is so cute! 

No new sheepy SAL start as I've been trying to concentrate on getting the ornament for the exchanges done and I'm not sure if I'll start again now until after Christmas. There are so many lovely Winter/ Christmas charts in my stash that I always want to get done and never seem to so I'd like to maybe get at least one stitched but we shall see. Chris and I will be starting our December SAL soon ( can you believe it is only a few weeks to December?!) and I want to keep up with my HAED stitching so it'll depend on what time I have. Barb and I are going to be SALing throughout December too on Cross Eyed Cricket Winter. Barb had ordered the chart then realised she already had it so is kindly passing one onto me so we SAL :)

So I've made some really good progress on the bonus block of my AotH piece. I am desperately hoping to finish it this month. I still have to finish some personalisation on a couple of blocks especially as I decided to unpick the name on the August block as I think it will look better over 1! 

I am loving how Sotto La Neve is looking. Just looks as those sweet deer under the tree! I'm really pleased that I chose this fabric to stitch it on. I think it is perfect! 

Onto my HAEDs now. Mini Jolly Old Fellow is growing slowly but surely. I now know that there is no way he is going to be finished for Christmas but I am very happy at the progress I've made this year. When you consider all I had done at the beginning on the year was a few rows of the first page and now I have finished 4 pages! If I had stitched solely on it it would have been finished now but I can't be a one at a time girl anymore as I'd get bored!

Finally SK A Dragons History. Isn't he a cute dragon!

Typing of HAED they have just had a quick more or less 24 hour sale of 50% off and guess what?! I didn't buy anything!! That is several sales I have resisted so I am very proud of myself! I figure I'll stick at finishing the two I'm stitching then when they're done Guardian will come out again and I'll start another small one. I have way more than I'll ever stitch in my lifetime! 

That's all my news for now. Hope you are all well and keeping warm where it is cold and cool where it is warm! I was hoping we would get some snow here during the week but we didn't. Some parts of the country were lucky enough to get some but not here. I just hope we're not going to have a mild, wet Winter again. It's so depressing!

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx

Stunning Sunset and Stitching!

Hello fellow stitchers! Yes I'm here again much sooner than I have been of late! I really, really want to become the blogger I used to be so I'm going to try really hard to make that happen. I just hope that you won't get fed up of seeing my WIPs as I certainly haven't had as many finishes as I have in previous years! Last year I had 60+ and this year ( up to now ) I haven't managed 30! However I have been stitching on bigger pieces this year.

You may remember me finishing an ornament the other month called Snow by Val's Stuff. Well I have got it all made up. I am so pleased with this! Those eyes are so funny!

No other finishes for me but plenty of progress which is always good. Barb and I are stitching away on our SB Frightful Halloween Rolls and are hoping to get them finished for the day. I thought that the 31st was on Tuesday but, of course, it's on Monday so this has to be finished this evening so that I can get it made up over the weekend!

I am continuing my house building on the bonus block of my Anniversaries of the Heart. I can hardly wait to get this finished, framed and on my wall.............if I can find a space lol! I could swap things out but lack of storage space makes that just a bit difficult! 

I forgot to take a photo of my progress on my dragon but I did take a photo of my progress on Tilton Crafts Always ( Alan Rickman tribute ). Justine was asking me how I was getting on with it. It's not much when you consider I started this on April 26th but it only comes out every now and then. I'm hoping that I can fit it into my rotation next year and stitch on it more.

My plan for October on Mini Jolly Old Fellow was to definitely finish the partial page and attempt to finish 10 rows on the next page. Well I did manage the partial page but not the 10 rows. I gave it a good go though!

Lovely Sotto La Neve is getting some love!

Finally a bit of knitting. I can't actually remember whether I've posted this on my blog or not but I've  been knitting an aran jumper ( wool and pattern from Seaside Yarns ). This is the front, back and one sleeve done! Hopefully I should have it finished just in time for cold weather coming! It isn't a colour I would normally wear but I fancied something different!

Last night I was cooking tea when I glanced out of my kitchen window and saw the most amazing sunset going on! I rushed into the living room where my DH was sitting, turned out the light and pointed out the window! We both grabbed our cameras and took some photos. These are a couple of mine. I don't think I have ever seen such an amazing sunset and it was just one of those moments that makes you feel glad to be alive! 

That's all my news for now. Thank you to those of you who are sticking with me and dropping by to see me and leave a comment. I truly appreciate each and every one. I finally made time to drop by and see you all and am hoping to keep that up too!

Take care everyone.

Until next time.

With much love

Sally xxx