Catching Up! ( Picture Heavy)

Hello! I'm hoping you'll still be with me seen as I've disappeared again. I decided I'm going to catch up today and then, hopefully, blog more regularly. I think what has been putting me off has been I'm so far behind showing my finishes so this post is going to be picture heavy I'm afraid with those and my WIPs!

So let's get started with my WIPs. As you know I am doing a few SALs so first of all this is my sheep SAL with Barb. It is Plum Street Samplers Kringle and Woolard which I'm stitching on 40 count vintage country mocha. 

Another SAL is a Lizzie Kate with Barb and Sue. I have just finished Snow Belles ( see photo further down post!) so I have just started Home is the Nicest Word There Is. I am going to have to frog the E in The and the word Nicest as it's all too high up. 

Barb, Sue and I are also stitching on LHN Farmhouse Christmas still but we are on the last one now. I have enjoyed stitching these but I think I am ready for something different. 

Sue and I are stitching Silver Creek Samplers My Christmas List. I am loving stitching this and hoping to finish it for Christmas and on the wall. Fingers crossed!

I am still stitching on the Dessine Par Elke Christmas SAL but I forgot to take a photo! I can't show my last WIP as it for an ornament exchange so no peeking at that one until it is finished and received.

As you all know we commemorated 100 years since the end of WW1 on Sunday. I made a wreath to put in my window but I don't know what I did with my photo so I'll show that next time! However I do have to show a beautiful glass plaque that was a gift from my dearest friend Barb made by her DH Martin. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw it and I will treasure it always. It is in memory of my paternal grandad's cousin who DOW at the Battle of Arras in May 1917. 

Here are a few photos from our town to commemorate 100 years. 

On Instagram there has been a stitchy wish list tag going round for a while and I popped my wish list up. A few weeks ago I received a lovely message from Jen @spooneriestitcher saying she could grant one of my wishes and it arrived recently. Not only did she send me the chart she also sent some DMC to stitch it with. This is going to be my New Year's Day start! Thank you Jen :)

So onto my finishes now and I actually think I will just let the photos do the talking! 

Thank you for reading and looking at my photos. I know there are a lot but now I am caught up!

Until next time. With much love.

Sally xxxx

December Stitch From Stash!

I made it!  Yes I made it right through the year with Stitch From Stash! OK so I wouldn't have done without the monthly budget, my carry over or the end of year bonus but I did it and I feel very proud of myself!

This month I had £59.90 carried over from last month plus the £15 monthly budget. I purchased two charts and a magazine from Crafty Kitten ( as shown in my last post ) which meant I spent just under my monthly budget as I got my birthday month discount. So I still have the £59.90 of my carry over left. Now I know I have not done as well as some of the ladies have but having that left is brilliant!  Next year I have every intention of doing even better! Mel has suggested that between 22nd December and the start of the next SFS we spend, spend, spend but I have more than enough and dare not even contemplate doing that.  Next year I want to be even tougher on myself when it comes to buying so I shall just be buying fabric and threads when needed. My two autos will not count but as I signed up for fabric and hand dyes for the CCN Classic Ornaments they will count in my monthly budget but the buttons won't as they are classed as finishing items :). I'm looking forward to taking part again next year and would just like to thank Mel for organising it and for all her hard work keeping it going through the year and for doing it again next year.

I have a few photos to share. In my last post I showed my Wicked Since finish. Well here it is actually made up! I didn't have a pumpkin charm, in fact I have hardly any Halloween charms, so I ended up adding cat buttons instead. I'll be putting this away until Halloween. Barb and I will restart our Halloween SAL in the New Year :).

A while ago you may remember I stitched Just Nan Wintry Mix. Well here that is all made up too!

I still have loads to finish so maybe between Christmas and the New Year I'll get some more done.

I wanted to get Snowy Foxes finished this week so I stitched on it an extra evening to get it done. At the moment I'm stitching 3 series then in the New Year it will be 4 series so I'm wanting to get Frosty Forest finished as soon as I can then swap things about a little.

I had a small new start once I'd finished Snowy Foxes. This one will not take long to stitch up. It is another from the Candy Cane Stitchers group on Facebook and it's Heart In Hand Christmas Alphabet. It's going to be a cute one!

I've been trying to get a good bit stitched on the December SAL that Chris and I are doing. It is so pretty. I love the contrast between the reds and white. 

Finally I went back to my robin last night. Just a little stitching whilst watching the Strictly final. I was very disappointed as that is the second year the one person I didn't want to win it did!!

On Friday it was Christine's birthday and this is what I stitched for her.

The Little Stitcher Winter Walk

32 count nougat linen

DMC

Birthday gift for Christine.

Just a few photos now from last Sunday when we went on our annual day out to the Victorian Christmas Market in Beverley. As usual we popped to see the birds of prey!

So that is it from me.  My last post until after Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful,  peaceful Christmas and get lots of lovely stash from Father Christmas :). I am not going to get my white Christmas but here's hoping for some snow soon!

Take care everyone.

With much love.

Sally xxx

Travelling Pattern, A Giveaway Win Plus Some Finishes ( Picture Heavy! )

Well here we are well into September and this is my first blog post of the month.  So much for getting back to at least one post a week!

Anyway, without further ado, I had a comment on my last post from Justine telling me I had her first blogoversary giveaway. I was so excited but felt awful as when I looked at her blog it was almost a week since she'd posted and due to me not looking at any blogs I hadn't seen it. Postie brought a package yesterday and this is what I found inside. All so beautifully wrapped that I hardly dare disturb it! Inside was this beautifully stitched and finished cushion. As I told Justine when I emailed her this is just so me. I absolutely love the colours and the design. Also inside was The Nebby Needle chart True Friend with some GAST threads and a gorgeous birdhouse needleminder. You may remember that I stitched the True Friend design for my dear friend Chris' birthday so I'm looking forward to being able to stitch it for myself as I love the words on it. Thank you so much Justine for a beautiful package.

Also this week I received this lovely package from Dani in Canada. I won the travelling pattern from her and she also sent me some of my favourite needles and a beautiful fob / ornament. Also see the fabric?  The fob was wrapped in that and I reckon I will use it to back Summer Garden with when I've stitched it. Thank you so much Dani!

Here is my start on it. I'm using Craft Kitten 32 count Fantasy Wings linen ( a second that I bought from the Crafty Kitten Facebook page last year ) and I'm choosing colours as I go along. So far I've used Carrie's Creations Hot Pink and Mistletoe.  So look out for when I've finished this as it'll be travelling again. 

Since  my last post I've had a finish or four!  Firstly this one.

Carriage House Samplings Emma's Alphabet Sampler ( from JCS June 2005 )

40 count Cream Gander Linen

DMC

As you can see it is actually finished properly and I am so pleased with how it looks. I had a vision of how I wanted it and it's close!

Next one is this beauty.

Just Nan Marching Orders

Silkweaver Solo 28 count

DMC & Supplied Soie D'Alger Lady in Red

I would like to pass the chart for this on now so if you'd like it please say so in your comment and I'll pick a winner next week :).

Finish no. 3 also made up with the other 3 that needed to made up.

The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas Day 12

32 count Vintage Country Mocha Linen

DMC

Thank you so much Barb for SALing with me on these. Barb and I will be starting a new SAL tomorrow and it will be Tra La La Tricotine :).

The  booklet for the 12 Days of Christmas is now for sale so please email me ( email in my profile ) if you are interested. SOLD

Final finish ( phew ! ) is this one.

Cottage Garden Samplings My Garden Journal June's Honeysuckle

40 count Pearl Grey linen

DMC

I'm all ready to start July's Delphinium on Sunday. Just have to cut my fabric.

Lisa and I are continuing our HAED SAL and although I'm struggling a little with getting used to it and thinking about still having 6 more pages to go is driving me mad I am enjoying it. I do feel better knowing that the last 3 pages are only small!

Frosty Forest is now coming out on Wednesdays in the parlour over at Needlecraft Haven so last night I tried desperately to get Frosty Friends finished but it didn't quite happen. Not to worry though as it will next week!

And I almost forgot Garden Bliss! How could I forget this!

I have some brilliant news this post! Abi has got a job! Yay! Both her and Jess applied for 3 jobs last week. Unfortunately Jess has not been successful as yet  but Abi desperately wanted to work at one of these places and told the lady when she went for the application form that she had been hoping a job would come up as she really likes it in there. To cut a bit of a long story short she had an interview on Monday and was offered it straight away. We are so pleased as she's been looking for over a year. She had her first shift today, which she enjoyed, and she'll be working 6 hours a week for now.

I'll be hopping on a bus tomorrow to go see Chris which I'm really looking forward to. I need to get some stitching sorted to take with me!

That's all my news for now. I'll be back with a stitch from stash report next week and the stash I very naughtily purchased but I'm still in!

Take care everyone.

With much love

Sally xxxx