Sunday, January 30, 2011

Here Again So Soon!

I'm trying to do what I said I would and post more often with shorter posts so I don't get overhwlemed lol.
I've been really enjoying stitching on my Personalised Sampler by Nouveau Encore Designs this past few days, and tonight saw me finish page 5, which also means I've stitched right across the top and have reached the 25% mark! I really struggle with taking pics of this as without the flash you can't see the lovely variagation in the HDF silk, but with it looks quite stark. I will keep trying and maybe by the time I finish it I'll figure out how to take a good pic lol.I've now kitted up LHN's Winter Band Sampler and am ready for the SAL Sally and I are doing beginning on 2nd Feb. I'm going to be using the recommended DMC but have chosen an unknown 28ct evenweave in pale blue which I liked when I did a floss toss. Only thing is I'm not a lover of 2x2 since my addiction to 1x2 on 40ct began last year, but I wasn't happy with the floss toss on any of my 40ct fabrics so I had to make a decision and the blue fabric won. Just hoping that I will still enjoy stitching it.
So I have two days stitching before the SAL begins, and not sure what to stitch on?! I think I may put a few more stitches into A Very Merry Spring, and might also bring Cabin out again for an hour or so. I decided that even if I only do an hour a week on it, with a bit of luck it might get me back into it and if not it's still progress, no matter how little. I think Sally may be joining me and doing the same with Guardian so it will be fun to have some company.
Til next time!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Longer I Leave It

The harder it gets for me to do a blog post!
I've been meaning to post for over a week, and the more I think about it the more overwhelmed I get because I have so much to tell you all about. I really think I need to start posting more often with shorter posts and see if that works any better.
So, what have I got to tell you?! Well, the weekend before last was my Birthday and although I wasn't really looking forward to it it ended up being a wonderful weekend and I was thoroughly spoiled. We went to some friends for a couple of hours at teatime on the Saturday where I ended up drinking far too much champagne, then on for a slap up meal in a restaurant I've wanted to try for ages. It was gorgeous! Then on Sunday, my actual Birthday, after I'd opened my wonderful cards and pressies from family and friends David made me a scrummy breakfast. After an afternoon nap which was needed because of the festivities of the night before lol, we then went to my mum's who cooked a fab Sunday dinner and I had more cards and pressies to open there.
Pressie wise I was extremely spoiled this year. I received some new running gear, Davina McCall's new fitness DVD, clothes, perfume, books, a special hand warmer to keep my hands warm seeing as since I've lost all my excess weight they're SO cold all the time lol and David got me an extra surprise of the Kettleworx Ultra DVD set with my own baby kettlebell. I've been using the kettlebells at the gym with my personal trainer and although they are hard work the results have been amazing, so I wanted these for when I can't get to the gym eg during the school holidays or when my PT sessions are finished.
Sally my surrogate sis also sent me this gorgeous stitched pillow which is just perfect and has been added to my basket of smalls which are displayed on my stitching unit in the lounge. I hope Sally doesn't mind that I pinched the pic from her blog as my pics just never seem to look that good.My friend Amy also sent me a pair of the new Dinky Dyes Love scissors in hot pink, but I completely forgot to take a pic of them til after I'd uploaded all the other pics (duh!).
So, onto stitching. Although Sally and I are on the wagon until 1st Feb (can't be here soon enough!), I have had new stash because I bought it with my Christmas money I still had left and then some of my Birthday money I received, as well as the proceeds of selling some stash from my for sale page and doing a trade with Sally, plus her gifting me with one lol. I have received:-

LHN Winter Sheep Ornie - trade with Sally
LHN Fa La La Ornie - trade with Sally
LHN Snowy Pines Ornie - Sally was gifted this and gifted it onto me after stitching it
LHN Joy To The World Ornie - bought from Sally
LK Snowman '10 - bought from Sew & So

I also have on order the LK Winter Fab Fob kit which is winging it's way to me from the US as we speak, and will hopefully arrive later this week or early next.
So as you can see I haven't done too badly, but of course I still want more lol. But isn't that always the case? Currently I'm drooling over a Dimensions Christmas Village ornie kit which I saw stitched up on a blog, but I keep asking myself, do I really need more christmas stitching?
And onto actual stitching, I have TWO finishes to share! The Kelmscott Tombstone Angel Hornbook I started on 1st Jan as a SAL with Sally. It didn't take long to do the stitching but I only just got around to making it up over the weekend. The colours in the pic are a bit washed out, they are more vivid in real life, but it's dull here today so couldn't do any better. It's stitched on 40ct cream (I think) linen with an unknown HDF red and black variagated mini spool 1x2.
And my most enjoyable stitch for a long time, LHN's Winter Whites! I started this as a winter SAL on 1st December last year with Sally, Chris, Lesleyanne, Hazel and Claire and I think most of them finished their pieces way back, but I've been taking my time and enjoying stitching on it thoroughly in between my other wips and I got there in the end. I added a rich dark red to the recommended colours which I'm pleased with the result of but I wish I hadn't stuck with the Wisper called for for the two cute sheet. Big mistake! It was a nightmare to stitch with on the 40ct and the last sheep I really had to force myself to do. I know it would probably have been much easier say on 28ct, but I don't think I'll be testing that theory out for a while lol.Both the hornbook and the LHN charts have now been added to my For Sale/Trade page, along with a couple more things I've finished with, so please take a look and let me know if you're interested in any of them.
I've made more progress on my personalised sampler and HAED QS Alisha but haven't taken any pics of those this time. Shock horror, I even pulled out HAED Cabin In The Woods and stitched some on that. Not much progress, but I want to try to keep putting in at least a few stitches on this here and there.I also made a new start on Sunday, just a small one, but still. I started JBW's A Very Merry Spring. I'm using a variagated thread by HDF called pastel rainbow which I thought was a perfect spring choice, on 28ct white evenweave. I only put in about a dozen stitches just to get it going, but will hopefully do more soon. Sally and I also have a new SAL planned to begin next week. I am going to start LHN's Winter Band Sampler and Sally is stitching LHN's Belle Pepper, then we're going to swap charts and do the opposite at some point lol. So I made a working copy of my chart the other day and will start to kit that up later in the week.
Well, I think that's everything finally! Sorry this post has been so long, like I said, I'm going to try posting more often with smaller updates and see if that works any better.
Thanks to everyone who comes to visit and those who take the time to leave me a comment, they mean a lot to me.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

For Sale/Trade

I really need to go through all my stash and part with the things I have stitched or know now that I will never get around to stitching, in the hope that any funds I can raise will buy me a little more stash from my wish list that I will hopefully stitch in 2011 lol.
So I have made a start this morning and have just updated my For Sale/Trade page. You can see it by clicking on the tab at the top of the page. My email is at the bottom of the for sale page if there is anything you may be interested in. Some of these designs are now out of print. I will be putting the items on Ebay shortly if I get no interest. Pictures of everything can be found by googling the names.
Thanks for looking!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Not Much To Say, But Lots Of Pics

I've been trying to work up the motivation to do a post for over a week now, to no avail. I'm also way behind with blog reading and commenting which is stressing me out, so if I haven't visited and commented on your blog recently please forgive me, I will try to get back up to date soon.
Unfortunately I've been in a real funk since between Xmas and the New Year, and I can't seem to snap out of it. Hubby isn't well and is off work sick and as he's not sleeping properly neither am I, so maybe it's that, or maybe it's the lack of my usual routine, not sure, but I just hope I can feel a little brighter very soon as it's awful feeling so down in the dumps.
Anyway, although I'm not feeling much like talking I thought I'd at least post some pics for you all to have a look at, to prove I've been stitching lol.
First up is a finish from ages back which I forgot to post. Waxing Moon's Spooky Greetings Bellpull. I still need to finish this into a bellpull for Halloween this year, but I think I have time don't you?Next up is Nouveau Encore Designs Personalised Sampler. I finished page 4 on this with just a few hours to spare on New Year's Eve, and will be starting page 5 soon hopefully.
Next is HAED QS Alisha by Hannah Lynn. I finally finished page 2 in December. Will be starting a new page soon.Final pic is of LHN Winter Whites which I've been doing as a SAL with Sally, Chris, Lesleyanne, Hazel and Claire. I know some of the girls have already finished theirs but I'll get there in the end.
And last but by no means least, I was a very lucky girl last month.
Firstly I won a giveaway on Carol's IStitch Blog of this lovely scissor fob. Next, just before Christmas I received a lovely RAK from Claire of HAED's gorgeous Milk & Cookies Stocking chart by Donna Gelsinger. I'd love to start this, but am trying to stick with my wips for now at least lol.Then on Christmas Day I was stunned to open this gorgeous gift from Sally. Sally tells me it's part of the LHN Peace design which was done for Unicef. Don't you just LOVE that pom pom trim? I need to get some very soon. Although I've thanked you all personally, please accept my apologies ladies for not posting my heartfelt thanks and the pics sooner on here.
Til next time, happy stitching....