Friendship & Blossoms

Hello from a slightly dull east coast of England. Apparently we are in for a few days of showers so umbrellas at the ready folks!

I have a few finishes to show as well as this wee gift that I stitched for my lovely friend Michelle for her birthday. I am happy to say that Michelle loves it. I used Homespun Elegance Friendship & Blossoms but rather than stitching it in one piece as charted I decided to do the top half as the front and the  bottom half as the back of a hanging pillow.

 Homespun Elegance Friendship & Blossoms

28 count vintage country mocha linen

DMC

Started 5th April 2014

Finished 25th April 2014

I popped the final stitches into this.

Country Cottage Needleworks The Tea Room

30 count R & R Irish Creme linen

DMC

Started 4th March 2014

Finished 2nd May 2014.

Thank you Mouse for the loan of the chart. As soon as I've finished Needlework Shop I'll get both charts back to you :)

After many months I have, at long last, finished Snow Angel. I have been stitching along with Shirlee on this and I was rather jealous when she finished hers a few weeks ago. I found that if I was very careful after my dizzy do I could stitch for a little bit so I got it done.

Lone Elm Lane Snow Angel

40 count  Newcastle Sand linen

DMC

Started 1st January 2014

Finished 2nd May 2014

Shirlee and I are starting our next SAL tomorrow which will be LHN Warm Winter Woolens. I had planned to stitch it on 32 count vintage country mocha but I don't have enough left so rather than order more just yet I'm going to use 36 count WDW Straw that I had left over from LHN Song of the Seasons.

The week before last I finished Day 7 of 12 Days of Christmas so Barb and I will be starting Day 8 on Friday.

April's Daisy is almost finished. It is full of mistakes but never mind. I do need to frog the rabbit though as it is too far over compared to the border.

Another one almost finished is CCN Frosty Forest Racoon Cabin. Just the border, fence and racoon's eyes to do.

Lo How A Rose is going better now I have frogged the DMC that was the old shade colour.

Finally The Needlework Shop is being slowly built. I think I must have those builders who stop for a cuppa every half an hour! I shall be in the parlour with Barb and the other ladies over at Needlecraft Haven this evening cracking the whip to get more built.

Thought you might like to see a few more of my photos. While my DH was on holiday a couple of weeks ago I rather naughtily bought myself another camera. I had been toying with it for a while as I wasn't 100% happy with the bridge camera I had. Anyway I had seen this beautiful,  retro looking Olympus that looked just like the OM10 film camera  my DH used to have and after much deliberation, online reading, telling myself no etc etc I went for it. Two days later we were on our way 70 miles to where I'd bought it to exchange it as it was faulty!  So I am now a compact system camera owner ( lighter than a DSLR but able to change lenses ) , which is what I originally wanted but talked myself out of, so no longer have that super zoom at my finger tips that I had with my bridge camera, and so far I am happy with it. I am getting used to having to change lenses when I want to zoom further than 42mm but it does feel like I'm havingto learn all over again! My bridge camera has been traded in for a good price so I don't feel so bad about having a new camera. These photos are a mixture of my bridge camera and  my lovely new Olympus.  Unfortunately I haven't been out with it for over a week.

With my old camera

 The following are with my new camera

It was a long weekend here with May Day on Monday. Not a deal was done as Abi has been full of cold since Monday last week. I felt like I was going down with cold then Thursday I got up out of bed with the room spinning rather unpleasantly.  After getting myself extremely upset and sobbing like I haven't sobbed in a long time I managed to get myself to the drs and was prescribed some medication. Friday I succumbed to the cold that had been trying to say hello all week.  I think the dizzy do was the final straw. Jess has been home for the weekend;just 4 more weeks before she's done with university and home for the foreseeable future.  Fingers crossed she graduates on 14th July.

That's it from me for today. I need to go the cemetary today to take some flowers then onto the shopping outlet near there to get a birthday present. I don't feel like it but needs must and I am sure the fresh air will do me some good.

Until next time take care everyone.

With much love

Sally xxx

April Stitch From Stash

Wow where has April gone? Time for my SFS post for the month.  Not really much to report especially for this week as I haven't picked up a needle since Monday! Very unusual for me but I'm hoping to get some done this evening once I recover from our trip to York. It's been a busy week as we've been out and about just about every day.

So since my last SFS post I have started two things from my stash, The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas Day 7 and something else I can't give the name of, and I have also started Country Cottage Needleworks The Needlework Shop but that is on loan from a friend. 

WiPS stitched on since my last post are Cottage Garden Samplings My Garden Journal April's Daisy, CCN Frosty Forest Racoon Cabin, Brightneedle Lo How A Rose and Lone Elm Lane Snow Angel.

Of course we have a budget of $25 a month ( somewhere around £15 ) and this month I have spent.........absolutely nothing!  I am so proud of myself for sticking to this especially these last few weeks where I've been so up and down I feel a bit like I'm on a roller coaster!

Before I go I just want to say a massive thank you and send hugs to everyone who posted support,  kind words and hugs on my last post.  It means a lot to me and gives me such a boost.

No photos for this quick post but, hopefully, I'll be back with some progress pics etc next week. I just wanted to get this post done then I can email Mel :)

Until next time,

With much love

Sally xxxx

The North Wind and Other Stories

It has been a wee while since I last blogged. Unfortunately I have found it to be a bit of a chore and I have read before of several bloggers feeling that way. I will continue to blog at least once a month to keep up with my stitch from stash and I will try and get back to regular commenting as I know I've been very bad of late. I hope this won't mean I will lose visitors and commenters but it's for my own sanity and right now I don't think my sanity is good! I have founds things very difficult of late, I go to bed and my mind goes into overdrive so I cannot get to sleep then when I do I don't have a good nights sleep. I have felt unwell for a while now but my blood tests came back fine which, as silly as it sounds, was disappointing as I just want to know I'm not going mad! I haven't said much on my blog as it is, after all, a stitching blog. I miss my Dad terribly and still cannot come to terms with never seeing him again and I often find myself thinking I just want my Dad. I know he will always live on in my heart and in my memories but it hurts so much still. I have even found that my stitching is not really making me that happy and I'm forcing myself to do it, possibly because I'm stitching Snow Angel and haven't been enjoying it and having the thread shade problems on Lo How A Rose put me off. However this week has been better with my stitching and I can see the end of Snow Angel.

So since I last blogged I've had two finishes. The first one being this :)

Little House Needleworks The North Wind

28 count Polstitches Clouds

DMC

Started 29th January 2014

Finished 2nd April 2014

In place of this, as it's a SAL in the parlour over at Needlecraft Haven I started CCN The Needlework Shop.

My other finish is The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas Day 6 which I am SALing with Barb.

And here are Days 4 and 5 ready to display.

Ooooh and my 12 lovely Little Sheep Virtues ready to hang when I feel up to getting on steps to hang them how I want. 

My Monday SAL with Barb is CCN Frosty Forest Racoon Cabin. It's steadily growing. Barb is stitching the LHN Calendar Girls.

CCN The Tea Room is coming along rather nicely. I think this is the only thing that has kept my interest up as I just love it.

I didn't stitch on April's Daisy last Sunday as I had some secret stitching to do but here is where I left it the Sunday before.

Finally the dreaded Snow Angel which is my SAL with Shirlee. Shirlee has finished hers ( I'm so jealous! ) but, as I said, I can finally see an end to it. I do still have quite a bit to do and am hoping to have it done by the end of April then Vonna, Shirlee and myself are starting LHN Warm Winter Woolens which I am very much looking forward to.

The other week I received a lovely RAK from my lovely friend Michelle. She had been to a stitching show and sent me these gorgeous fabrics and trims. Aren't they beautiful? I have to find something to use one of these on soon. Thank you so much Michelle xx

I can't end my blog post without some photos. I hope you don't get bored of seeing these as I mostly take them at the mere. I love it there and feel at peace when I'm down there. I am thinking of upgrading my camera sometime this year as, although it's a great camera, I don't have the scope to do certain things and the aperture setttings are  not brilliant on it but I shall see!

Until next time take care everyone and have a wonderful Easter weekend next weekend. My sister was saying the newspaper says we are going to have freezing weather and snow. I will believe it when I see it!

With much love

Sally xxx

March Stitch From Stash

Well can you believe it is almost the end of March?! Where did it go? So time for my March Stitch From Stash report before the week gets away from me and I'm too late to do it.

 

Firstly from my stash I started Country Cottage Needleworks Frosty Forest Racoon Cabin. Ooops I put Little House Needleworks on the photo!

 

I also started Cottage Garden Samplings My Garden Journal April's Daisy.

 

Day 6 of The Little Stitcher 12 Days of Christmas was started. 

 

Day 5 was finished.

 

Progress was made on Country Cottage Needleworks The Tea Room.

 

Little House Needleworks The North Wind.

 

Lone Elm Lane Snow Angel.

 

And Brightneedle Lo How A Rose. Unfortunately when I finished my skein of DMC 3022 and started my new skein the difference between the two was very noticeable so I am going to have to frog what I had already stitched in it so I was not a happy bunny!

 

I did spend a wee bit more in March.  I was sick of going to my local shop and paying 80 p for DMC when I ran out sooooo I went through what I am using at the moment and put a  small order together for Cross Stitch Heaven and spent £7.83 including postage on 17 DMC.

 

So that's my report for March.

 

On Friday I had a lovely surprise through the post from my lovely friend and SALing partner Shirlee. She sent me a beautiful belated birthday card and gift of Little House Needleworks Hands to Work with the fabric and threads to stitch it with. Thank you so much dear Shirlee.  I'm looking forward to stitching this one and getting it on my wall. Hope you received the email I sent :)

 

Abi and I went to the mere again this morning then we decided to have a look at the stream / dyke that runs from there to the sea at the end nearer to the sea. A kingfisher had been spotted there on Friday so we wanted to try and spot it ourselves. Unfortunately we didn't see it but we did see 4 water voles which are supposedly becoming quite rare. I managed to snap this one sunning itself on the bank. Not a good photo as my camera doesn't take very clear photos when you have to zoom well in.

 

In the field next to the road going to the mere we spotted sweet little lambs. 

 

I love this beautiful black swan.

 

This swan was looking to see what Abi had.

 

 

And these were taken last week in the memorial gardens. 

 

I am back at the drs tomorrow early on. I am feeling brighter and hope it is going to last as I am just so fed up of feeling ill. My dr suggested I see my dentist to rule out any dental problems so  off I went last Wednesday. A good examination, an x ray and £18 less in my pocket showed nothing. No shadows on my jaw, no problems with my teeth, clear nasal passages and sinuses. I am beginning to think I have just got very run down and am tensing up which might cause discomfort and pain  but who knows. I feel as though a damned good cry would help but it just doesn't come. I daren't cry in front of people so hold it in then I can't cry!

 

Well that's it for this time. Way behind reading and commenting so I really must apologise. 

 

Until next time.

 

With much love

 

Sally xxxx