SORRY ... a long post

It's a relief that i can sit at the computer and get 5 minutes to myself, its been such a busy few days. There have been some ups and also a few things causing us concern. In the midst of this i received a lovely gift from Karen, this beautiful handmade glass bead bookmark. I've told her she needs to set up an internet site to sell the wonderful creations she makes and it is so special that the beads are all handmade by her too. I now have a fob and a bookmark and DD has a lovely bracelet. I'm not surprised you are enjoying this new hobby Karen, thank you so much i love my new addition and it is comfortably sitting in my latest book.

Yesterday was reveal day at JA for this months challenge. This time is was a A Mon Ami Pierre freebie. I found this little basket for sale at the garden centre and thought i would try something completely different. I lined it with fabric from my stash and tied the design onto the front, the flowers are only in there for effect. Fabric is raw linen and thread are GAST and WDW oddments i had, colours changed from those asked for.

I can also reveal this months mini mystery exchange at TS. It was such a hard one this time. We were sent a little wooden clipboard and had to think what to do with it. The little fairy tinkerbell is what i received from Rae, thank you Rae its lovely and the little pen and notepad are wonderful. I decided to make a little travelling ort/needlethreader holder and stitched R for Rae on the front and a fuschia flower is on the back. I backstited around the sides and whipstitched them together with the clipboard inside.

Friday we had to take Midge to the vets. The night before he was having a cuddle and DH noticed something in his mouth, it wasnt there earlier in the week. Luckily they managed to get him in as an emergency, but the news wasn't good, she thinks he has a tumour in there .... he is to go in early tomorrow (Monday) for an operation to have it removed and it is to be sent off for histology to see if it is cancerous or not. We then have to decided what treatment is appropriate depending on the results. As a lot of you know, he arrived here with us of his own accord in January 2007 and his owners decided he could stay as they were moving and didn't want to take him with them, we love him very much and hope and pray that the news is good.

The funeral for Aunt Enid went OK, as well as they do, the church was full and we ended up standing for the 45 minute service. A quick dash home to change and then off to the hospital for my brain scan, that went fine and now i await the results. A dash home again and off to the allotment to sort out the veggies etc for the fruit and veg show. Too tired to cook we headed for the fish and chip shop on the way home, i sat on the bench outside whilst DH went in, someone had obviously enjoyed theirs a bit too much as they had wandered off and left their handbag on the seat. The local police station is not open in the evenings so DH handed it into the nice chap in the chippy so when the lady returned she could be reunited with it - i think this is every womans nightmare to loose a bag and wallet etc.

An early start Saturday morning at 5.30am (middle of the night to me usually!!)as it was 'Fruit & Veg show day', all went well, DH won 15 1sts, 5 2nds, and 5 3rds. I won 2 1sts and a 2nd - i'll show you pics of the show another time. We were both in bed by 9pm last night to get a good nights sleep .... not likely ... some youths decided at 4am to jump up and down on our neighbours car, they were shouting and screaming and throwing bricks through windscreens of other cars in the street too. DH phoned the police as we watched 4 cars being smashed. Luckily for us ours were not targets but that didnt stop us being out in the street in our nightwear for a while to check all the neighbours were OK. Time for a cup of tea to calm us all down and back to bed and a late start ensued this morning.

I'm hoping this week is a bit quieter although we have received a letter from the waterboard today informing us that the water will be off from 9am - 5pm tomorrow for essential repairs, and Midge is off bright and early, i think i have earned some quality peace and quiet as i haven't done any stitching or reading since Wednesday

If you are still here after reading all that well done and thank you

Busy little bee ...

Woody Woodpecker is back home! Neighbours up the road had their tree cut down a while ago and DH and i thought his house was in it, but obviously not. He must have just been frightened away with all the noise and upset for a while. I grabbed the camera and dashed out into the garden being careful not to interupt his breakfast this morning. He is so beautiful and DH and i have missed him.

It's going to be a busy week here. I've already lost one day and this coming weekend will be the Fruit & Veg show. Being on the committee means a lot to get organised ready for that. We also have a funeral to attend as DH lost his aunt last week, God Bless you Aunt Enid at least you are now free from pain and suffering. Just when i thought i was busy enough, in todays post came my appointment for the brain scan they've scheduled it for this Friday at 5pm.... dont they know i have a full week already!!

A bit more done on the Peacock Chair and also some on Winter too but i've been reading more than stitching when i've had 5 mins to spare. It's a good book. Karan i think you would like Barbara Erskines writing, have you read any of hers?? I blame Karen for introducing me to her, and Barb (no blog) tells me there is a follow on book to this one. You sure know how to cut down my stitching time ladies LOL

I saw a lovely chart on a blog a while back. It was Needleprint Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler then i found out it was OOP. Sally was kind enough to let me know that it was being offered as a PDF for sale legally so i bought it immediately and have joined a SAL for it. Thank you Hazel for setting this up. It doesn't start till 1st January 2009 but something to look forward to in the New Year.

WOW that turned into a chapter didn't it, see you soon

My stitching place ...

In my last post i said i might get some time in my stitching place in the conservatory, i thought you might like to see where Midge and i spend our time. My workbasket was an ebay buy, the lid opens to hold all my goodies. As you see, Morris has escaped from behind bars and found a nice place to sit, safely out of harms way. The view from here is into our garden where i can keep an eye on DH and the wildlife!

Our neighbour has been away this past week and i've been looking after their cat. He is such a sweetie but had an accident and only has 3 legs, but that doesn't stop him jumping up onto the fence and playing chase with Midge and Mr Moe. She arrived back yesterday and brought me this pressie and some flowers. A nice gift with the thank you printed on the box.

Happy stitching

Winter ...

Stitching on 'Winter' this week i had my cardigan on and it certainly felt like the cooler weather was on its way. No surprise then, as we have a Bank holiday here in England so an extra long weekend for us. The weatherman and his map wasn't very promising when i watched the local news, i do hope we get more of the sunshine than the showers he was predicting. I'm not sure what we'll be doing, i did hear DH say something to DS about fence, paint and help ... perhaps that will not include me and i can escape to my stitching space in the conservatory.

I would like to thank Elisa for awarding me the 'I love your blog' award, it was very kind of you.

Last week students in the UK received their A level results and this week was the turn of the GCSE students, i would like to say congratulations to all of you who have children or should that be 'young adults' who have worked so hard in their studies.

Have fun, relax and enjoy your weekend whatever your plans

Peacock Chair ...

Just in case you all doubted i did actually grid the whole thing..... (i would have wanted to see yours too LOL)

The alphabet on the chair back is complete, just the birdie to add. Fabric is 32ct laguna in Lemon Zest from Silkweaver and the thread is Anchor 1375. It asks for a plain thread for parts of it, so i've decided navy blue to add some depth to it, of course that might change when i add it if it doesn't look right. Not true colours, bad weather, picture taking and all that!

I've received 3 more awards from Sally, Rachael and Karan this week. Thank you ladies. As per ... i am giving them to all the blogs i read, they all inspire me in one way or another and i really cannot choose just a few of you, i know i'm a spoilsport LOL

From Sally

From Rachael & Karan

Tonight was the stitching club but i didn't make it as there was a meeting of the Community Association instead. We had some heated debates but i stood my ground and got my point across i think. I do wish more younger people would join these things so we get some young views and not just those of the older generation who have been on there for years. There are lots of groups who use the Community Centre and some complain about things but are not willing to do anything about it. Perhaps, if they gave their time and were willing to participate more things would change for the better. I know as i get older i no longer hold my tongue and if i feel strongly about something i have to say. Do you do the same? or do you sit back and wait for someone else to do something?

Redwork Exchange...

Redwork/monochrome exchange at JA has been a fun one. I decided as i hadn't actually done a 'redwork exchange' i would do that and used DMC 666 on the nordic blue 28ct linen to give a dramatic effect. Unfortunately, I didn't know my partner Lauras likes/dislikes so decided to choose a design that would hopefully appeal to her. A cup of tea with friends is always welcome i find. The design is a free one from La Chatelaine Designs. I had the backing fabric in my stash and made a pocketed pinkeep. The individual PG Tips tea bags tucked into the pocket nicely and red Jammie Dodgers went into the parcel for her to enjoy with the tea.... LOL

I received my stitched gift from Jayne N.

A beautiful dual purpose gift. Jayne wrote in her card that it can be used as a bookmark or a scissor fob. Thank you Jayne, and thank you for the extras you included. Your stitching is beautfiul, the threads will be useful and i've enjoyed the choccie very much.

If you've missed me over the weekend i haven't been around as i've had computer trouble. DH spent a lot of time Sunday trying to sort it out for me. He let me test it late last night. It still seems a little slow but at least i am back online. So sorry if i am behind posting on your blogs etc, i will catch up.

However, no PC time meant more stitching/reading/stashtidying time ... i started and finished the mini for TS and that went off in the mail today, i'll show you that when i know it's been received AND **drum roll please** i gridded the fabric for the Peacock Chair and made a start on the alphabet letters. I didn't take a pic so will do that next time. I found some stash i had forgotten about too, so that was a nice surprise and got engrossed in my book for a while too. It's nice to spend time doing what you enjoy.

Hope you all had a nice weekend too

No i didn't grid!

I decided to take ED's 'Winter' with me to the stitching club last night I had visions of me miscounting and doing the gridding wrong, then having to frog it out and that would have put me off it even more. Quite a bit got done to this so i'm pleased even though there were only 4 of us there as lots are on holiday and we had lots of chat and laughs. Maybe i'll take the plunge and grid the Peacock Chair fabric tonight!

Oh my goodness ..... I just had a thought ... i haven't done any to the PAP SAL this time yet, better think about pulling that out the workbox soon, we'll be into September before i know it and the next part will be released.

I'm still in the deciding stage for the mini exchange at TS, so many ideas running round in my head, i think i just need to sit/stitch/make/send and stop wondering if i'll come up with a better idea. How are you getting on with yours Rachael and Karen?

Feeling sentimental ...

We have another birthday in the house today, my husband Paul. He's had a really nice day and we've spent some quality time together, something that has been sorely lacking recently due to work pressures and other stuff. The customary present opening was fun, he received a novel gift of a snail house to catch them in and we laughed about who would set them free or do the unthinkable to them and some funny cards that a man of a certain age gets about widening middles and lack of hair on the head. He insisted we do the singing bit as well and the candle blowing too ... he sure is a big kid at heart LOL

Tonight Mr Stick is patrolling the stitching world as the girls at JA commence their weekly UFO stitching, i hope the frogs stay away for you all and you make some good progress. I'm still waiting for confirmation that my redwork exchange has been received and opened, then i'll be able to show it.

I've added the letter T and a little of E onto 'Winter' but still not started the gridding of the chair fabric, i will get round to it but it's so boring doing that bit, i want to stitch not grid! LOL

Tomorrow is the funeral of Hazel, the lady from our stitching group. 3 of us are going to represent our group and say our goodbyes and then we have the club tomorrow evening so it will be a sombre day for us.

Thank you for visiting and for your continued encouragement on my efforts at this wonderful hobby. I wish you all peace, good health and happiness.

What a weekend ...

With all this talk of the Olympics, i think i thought i was competing in the 'finish it off' category this weekend LOL

Yesterday the weather was plenty of heavy rain and it was quite dark so i spent a good part of the morning reading and finish number 1 was a book i had been recommended by Barbara Erskine called 'Hiding from the Light'. It was a good read and i really enjoyed it even though it was a bit scarey in places. Looking through my own bookshelf i couldn't decide what to read next and decided a trip to the library was in order to see if they had any others by the same author. I notice they have a 'Use us or loose us' sign up, so i better make more use of them. The new one is called 'Kingdom of Shadows'.

In the afternoon, i stitched some more of Autumn, and this morning i had finish number 2. The colours in this one are gorgeous. I thought you might like to see how they are looking now i have 3 of the 4 completed. Please excuse the folds in the fabric as it needs pressing but i'll do that when they are all finished.

The JA monthly challenge piece was finish number 3 this afternoon, all stitched and ready to be made up. I think i've decided what to do with it, but of course that could all change when i sit down and start to make it up!!

A new start was called for i thought...
I found this little beauty hiding in my box, it scares me to think about putting it together but i have to stitch it first so maybe i'll pluck up some courage as i do that! It's a bit of a whacky project so i thought i would use some bright and funky fabric and thread, what do you think of these colours? - honest answers please - no offence taken LOL. I need to grid the fabric for all the pieces to be in the right place and make maximum use of the fabric but wasn't in the mood to do that boring bit this afternoon so it didn't get started but i did make another new start instead.... Elizabeth Designs 'Winter' was all kitted up and ready to go so that is now on the frame and i have an N stitched up, i am so looking forward to having all 4 of these stitched and framed.

The mini mystery item arrived from TS yesterday, this month its a toughie. I really need to get my thinking cap of for this one. Post out isn't till Aug 30th so i have some time to think about it. I wish i could show you it for your ideas LOL

The suns come out now, how typical now its late afternoon, DH is asking whats for tea, so i better sign off here and feed him before he faints from starvation...

Hope you all had a good weekend

Another Birthday in the house ...

My daughter Amy celebrated her 19th birthday yesterday. She had some lovely gifts, her boyfriend bought her the DS lite with the brain training and maths training game. I'm hoping that i can borrow it and train my brain too .... Dh thinks i might be past that though! cheeky monkey LOL

She had a wonderful surprise in the mail from Aunty Karen and the hounds. Karen has made this bracelet with her homemade glass beads, how special is that. Amy was so excited to be the first to have a 'Karen exclusive', thank you so much for your kindness Karen, you really made her day very special.

Stitching wise... i've put a few leaves into the border of Autumn, and also started the monthly challenge for JA. I'll post a pic of Autumn at the weekend, but of course the monthly challenge will have to remain a secret till reveal day on 30th Aug. There will be no LHN SAL during August, Karen needs to finish off her Friendship Tree and she has lots of extra shifts this month so we are waiting till September to start the next one.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments i do appreciate your visits

Birthday gift ..

Amy's friend will be 21 on Thursday and i've been searching for something nice for her. I think there must be a rush on girls being 21 in this area, all the special gifts in the shops seem to be for men... beer glasses, wine glasses with rude rhymes and strange fluffy toys! After no success in about 10 shops, i turned to my trusty friend the needle and thread and made her this stuffed hanging pillow.

I've also received another award from Jenn, thank you Jenn, but i am not nominating anyone this time.

Happy Stitching

Knitted toy ...

Thank you for all your guesses as to what i was making. Christine you came up with such good ideas and i really thought you were going to guess. It was such fun to tease you all, but unfortunately no one guessed right .... I made a topsy turvy dolly!!!

Holly turns into Ivy when the skirt is pulled over her head, here you can see each of them. I've made a Cindrella one in the past, one side she is in rags and the other her ballgown. It's another pattern by Jean Greenhowe the same designer as the bunnys, i have several of her patterns and they always turn out so nice. Fingers crossed she does well in the show at the end of the month.

A lovely surprise for me to receive this award again.
Thank you to both Lori-Ann and Edda
These are the rules:
1. The winner can display this award on their blog
2. Display a link to the person you have got the award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs, you like.
4. Set the links to the blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a comment on the blogs you have chosen.

This time i have decided to choose 7 that i read. These always bring a smile to my face when i read what they have to say and often i find myself laughing out loud and have to explain to DH that i am not in the throws of complete madness, just interacting with my online friends.
Karen
Lynn
Karan
Coni
Rachael
Cyndi
Jennie

Take care, lots of love

Stitch/frog/restitch...

Stephie from the stitchy club came to visit on my Birthday afternoon with her 2 boys. We had a lovely time and she bought me this fabulous book and some other nice goodies and a handmade card. The diagrams of the stitches are so clear and detailed, it will be invaluable i'm sure. The little green chap you see in the pic was inside the bag the book came in, his names Morris ....

as you can see my WIP has not grown much at all ... this is all due to Morris and his antics!!! He decided to park himself right next to my stitching chair, and he's been giving off bad vibes, i've had to rip out the letter A and some of the letter U as it was one stitch too low and i couldn't leave it, it was so noticeable when i picked it up to stitch on it. Why did i not notice it when i was doing it???

Christine your guess of 'twins' for my knitted toy is almost there, i have every intention of setting too with it this weekend to get it all finished, and now that Morris is now well and truly behind bars in his new 'home' i hope there wont be any more mistakes LOL
Enjoy your weekend whatever your plans