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

A Little Bit Of Stashing :)

Yes I have been stashing a little! Not a huge amount as I am still trying very, very hard to be good but in being good I'm not supporting my favourite online shop much so maybe next year I should get back into buying lol! I think I've only ordered twice from there this year so Karla must be wondering what on earth has happened! I did so desperately want to sign up for the new 5 part series from Country Cottage Needleworks and was going to do it when I was told not to sign up by my friend Chris. I'm not sure if she was being my voice or what but I've done as I was told................for now!!!

So what was my stash?! Well we have got to that time of year when the JCS Christmas ornament magazine is reaching our shores from across the pond and I couldn't resist ordering a copy but I couldn't order just that so I ordered another part of the Jardin Prive Histoire De Moutons series so I just have one more to get now. Oh and a couple of skeins of DMC white. Only one is in the photo as the other is in use!

There are some lovely ornaments in this issue so there'll be even more ornament stitching in my future!

When I blogged last I showed my cute little snowman by Val's Stuff which I've been stitching as part of the ornament SAL with Barb and Chris. Well I now have the snowflakes stitched so it's just to make up. I'm going to try and get this done this weekend as I have another piece which needs to be done very soon. I have picked out another to start for this month but I doubt it will get finished before the end of the month.

I also have another finish! 

Little House Needleworks Season's Greetings

28 count Vintage Country Mocha linen

Classic Colorworks

I'm so pleased with this one. It is so pretty. 

Once this was finished I started this beauty.

I've had this in my stash along with the fabric for a while now. My DH bought me it for Christmas a few years ago when I had it on my list :). It is Renato Parolin Sotto La Neve which I'm stitching on Crafty Kitten 32 count latte monaco. 

I have a little more progress on my AotH piece. I didn't get much done but every little helps doesn't it?!

On Saturday Abi wanted to go to Meadowhall and I was shattered and in a really strange mood with myself  when we got back so Saturday evening I couldn't be bothered to pick my Sk Dragons History. I just wanted some mindless stitching so out came Tilton Crafts Always ( Alan Rickman tribute ) and some black stitching! It's slow as I don't pick it up much but when Barb and I have our stitching for a week on one project I'm probably going to choose this piece to do.

This evening Barb and I will be doing our sheep SAL and look I actually have a sheep on mine now! Just love this!

Of course no post would be complete without Mini Jolly Old Fellow! As you can see I'm about halfway down the partial page on the right. The more I think about it the more I doubt it'll be finished for Christmas but if it's just after I do not mind. I'll probably want to keep it on my wall all year anyway. 

Just a quick post today as I wanted to get one in and try not to leave it so long between if I can. Thank you for visiting and for your lovely comments :) They truly mean so much to me.

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxxx

A Birthday Gift and Other Stuff!

Well I have managed to make it back to my blog within a month of my last post! However my reason this time has been I wanted to finish the page I was stitching on Mini Jolly Old Fellow before I posted and at long last I have done it! I have even made a start on the next page!

I would early love to get this finished for Christmas but if I don't manage it I'm not going to get upset over it. I'll just see how things go. I managed to stitch this page in just over 2 months which these days is pretty good for me! I have one full page left to do and the rest are partials so wish me luck lol!

Back at the end of July it was lovely Julie's birthday but I have been awful with my gift stitching this year so I ended up sending her a belated birthday gift last week. I am very happy to say that she loved it and it cheered her up as she's recently had a fall. 

Lizzie*Kate Little Cups of Friendship from Tea Crazy

32 count fabric

DMC

Birthday gift for Julie.

I have done a little more finishing. I wanted to finish Welcome Spring in a different way to the usual simple finishing I've been doing of late so I asked the all knowing oracle Google to help me out and I came across a beautiful finish by Carin. I took myself off to the craft store, bought some fat quarters and set on trying to work out sizes and how to etc etc and ended up with this.

I am so happy with how this turned out! It's not perfect ( why can I never get that bottom straight!) but I just love it!

I also finished off these two ornaments which I'm happy with too. 

Typing of ornaments I am still trying to get my August ornament finished! The main bit is done but I have 3 snowflakes now.I think Barb has caught up and Chris is well on her to catching up too. I think I'm going to end up behind lol!

Barb and I are still stitching away on our sheep projects. I still don't have an actual sheep on mine as the snowman took more stitching than I expected! I do love how it's looking though. 

Season's Greetings is coming along nicely although I haven't stitched on it for a coupe of weeks or it would have been finished. It might be tonight if I behave and keep on stitching instead of reaching for my tab!

I am still desperately trying to get plenty done on my AotH piece. There is so much to stitch in this bonus block and it seems to be taking forever and of course I have the house to do yet! It is very pretty though and if I can finish this before the end of the year I will be very happy!

Finally I am making slow but sure on SK Dragons History. Another one I would love to finish by the end of the year but we'll see! 

On my last post I was saying I was struggling with the book Sourcery. Well I finally finished it! It did get better but it was oh so slow to begin with. Since then I've read The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris which was a brilliant read and started the next Discworld book Wyrd Sisters which I am already enjoying. I have so many books to read that it is getting silly! rather like my chart stash lol! 

That is all my news for now. I finally made myself sit and visit your blogs and comment which I really enjoyed doing. It was so nice to catch up with you all and I hope to do it again more often than I have been.

Until next time.

With much love,

Sally xxx

Lots to Show.

Hello everyone out there in blog land! It has been 6 weeks since I last blogged and I will admit that I really don't know where to start! I have so much to show you so be prepared for a picture heavy post although I may end up forgetting some bits! I really need to blog more regularly. 

First of all you may remember me stitching Garden Bliss by Silver Creek Samplers almost 2 years ago. It has been languishing in my finishing pile waiting for me to to get my head around personalising it for my late Dad. Well I finally did it and had it framed. It's been hanging on my living room wall for a few weeks now.

Barb, Chris and I have been getting on with our ornament SAL. I managed to get another one made up, finished stitching June's and July's and started one for August.

I needed to order the eyes for my August one and the only place I could find them online in the UK was Sew and So. I couldn't just order those so I also ordered a DMC I had run out of, CCN's Merry Christmas My Deer, which is the one Chris and I will be stitching for our December SAL, and one of the CCN Gingerbread Village charts as Chris and I are planning to do a SAL of it next year and sharing the cost of the charts. I have been very good this year when it comes to stash buying and I have to say I am very proud of myself. Compared to other years I've bought very little and long may it continue!

I finished off With Thy Needle and Thread Sweet Violet as a simple pillow. I do love how it turned out even though it is a simple finish. 

I passed the chart onto Lainey and look what she sent me as a thank you.

Isn't it just so cute! Thank you so much Lainey.

Of course Sweet Violet was stitched with Barb for our sheep SAL and since then I've stitched 2 other sheepy designs and started a 3rd.

Barb suggested that we stitch on one thing for a week each month and I thought it was a brilliant idea. This week is the week and I decided to stitch on my HAED Mini Jolly Old Fellow. I feel very slow on my HAEDs compared to some of the people who stitch them but I do stitch on other things as well. 

I've made some good progress on my SK Dragons History too. I haven't stitched on it for a couple of weeks but I will get back to it! Those eyes are so cute!

OK what else have I been stitching? Hmmmmm. Oh yes! LHN Soft and Sweet! I finished that one then made a measly start on Season's Greetings. I guess it's a start though! I've had this in my stash for nearly 2 years so it was time I started it.

Another finish was the bonus sampler from the Lizzie Kate The Little Mystery. I wasn't keen on the colours as I was stitching it but now it's finished all the colours have come together nicely. I have the 3 charts and embellishment pack for sale if anyone is interested :)

I think I had finished the stitching on LHN Hands to Work last time I blogged and now I have it made up!

I think I just have 2 things left to show you. ( breath a sigh of relief! I'm so sorry but it has been 6 weeks!). I've been picking up Tilton Crafts Always ( Alan Rickman tribute ) a little bit and am still stitching black. Lol! Typing of Tilton Crafts if you've never seen Shelley's lovely charting and love stitching BAPs then please head on over to Tilton Crafts and have a look. If you're on Facebook search for her page as there is a coupon code to use for 25% off charts and there's only a few days left :)

Final stitching to show is the bonus block on my Anniversaries of the Heart piece. I haven't done as much as I would have liked but again this one hasn't been stitched on much these last few weeks.

We had been talking about having our bathroom done last year but just never got around to it. We'd asked one firm to give us a price a few weeks ago but they never got back to us ( one of my pet hates!) so we asked my DH's cousin ( we'd have asked him in the first place but we didn't know he did them ). He said he could do it before he went on holiday otherwise it would be 3 months after that meaning it would be nearly Christmas. Getting it done before he went on holiday meant a mad rush to try and get a bathroom suite and all the bits needed for the job and lots of stressful moments! Getting it done wasn't straightforward as he found problems that had be fixed but, having said that, it was a good job really otherwise it would have led to more problems and more than likely lots of damage! It's not quite finished yet but it is so good to have a new bathroom. We bought this house in 1988 and the suite was in when we bought it. Next job will be the dining room! 

Last week my DH and Abi were on holiday from work but we didn't do much. We had a couple of trips out so the girls could do a bit of shopping and I ended up adding 5 books to my collection! Oh dear I really must stop it for the rest of the year but Abi and I are still waiting for CL Coffey to do a signing in Hull for her new book and we keep hoping it'll be soon! I have also been looking for a Snape Pop Vinyl figure and have looked in every shop that sells them whenever we have been out. We walked into Waterstones in York and there he was! So I had to buy him! 

I think I now need to go hide away from books and get on with reading some of the ones I already have! I'm currently reading Sourcery by Terry Pratchett but have found it hard to get into. I am finally enjoying it, put my stitching away last night and had just starting reading the next paragraph when the power went off!

Well I had better stop waffling, get all these photos uploaded and publish this. I do hope you won't all have left me and will still visit.

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx

Some Making Up and A Day Out! ( Picture heavy ).

Good afternoon from a sunny east coast of England. For all I don't like very hot weather I am enjoying the sun today and the slightly warmer temperatures. As long as it doesn't get too hot I will be happy.

I have a couple of birthday gifts that I stitched to show you. First of all my friend, Gill, had a birthday at the beginning of June. I wanted something seaside themed for her as she loves the beach/ sea and I suddenly remembered that there is a perfect design in the Blackbird Designs A Stitcher's Journey book. I adapted it as you will see!

Blackbird Designs Seaside Retreat ( from A Stitcher's Journey )

40 count Sand linen

GAST Black Crow

Birthday gift for Gill.

I changed the word stitch to knit, left off the border and added the name of Gill's wool shop to the top. I am very happy to say that she loved it :)

June also had a birthday this month and I couldn't resist stitching her a happy little sheep!

Shepherd's Bush Sheep Freebee ( can be found here on page 3 of the newsletter )

32 count Colour Cascade Fabrics Silver Springs

DMC

Birthday gift for June.

June loved her wee gift :)

Since my last post I have finished stitching this one and got it made up!  I added mine and my sister's first initial and my Mum's initials inside the heart

Shepherd's Bush My Mom's Garden

32 count Vintage Country Peach linen

DMC

See the cute bee button? I've had that in my stash for a long time waiting for a special piece to put it on! It was made for me by a lovely Italian lady called Barbara :)

I offered the chart in my last post and the winner is Vickie! Vickie the chart is on the way to you. Enjoy!

I have also been finishing up some other bits that have been waiting in my finishing pile. It is going down a little now although I have some bigger pieces that I'm not sure what to do with. 

This one was stitched last year and it is JBW Designs Our Family.

The following were stitched this year and will be coming out for Halloween!

Not a lot of stitching was done last week so I only have a bit to show as July Cottage, Ghoul Tidings and Let Us Adore Him aren't worth showing. Well Let Us Adore Him would have been but I have to frog as I got carried away and stitched white where I shouldn't have! I had a new start on Thursday with Barb as we SAL on Shepherd's Bush pieces on Thursdays. I made a start on A Full Heart which is the first in the Shepherd's Fold series.

LHN Comfort is looking very pretty with the pink stitches now :)

My Robin is coming along really well. Isn't he adorable?!

Finally a bit of progress on November's Chrystanthemum.

So last week my DH and Abi were on holiday from work. Jess didn't get the week off but she only worked Tuesday afternoon and Sunday so she managed some days out with us. She didn't want to go to RSBP Bempton so we went there while she was at work. We had a lovely day and saw lots of beautiful puffins as well as many other seabirds. At this time of year the cliffs are covered in various birds. I took lots of photos but I haven't sorted through them as yet. We also had our annual day out to Yorkshire Wildlife Park which is a fantastic day out. Again I took lots of photos and have sorted some so I'll post a few here. We were very honoured to see Tschuna the Amur tiger's sweet little cubs. Since we went last year they have 2 polar bears named Victor and Pixel. Pixel is Victor's grandson!

That's all from me this time. I'm hoping for a more productive stitching week although I didn't mind not getting as much done last week :)

Until next time.

With much love.

Sally xxx