Stiching in Spring

Apologies for not blogging in awhile, I've been so busy with that pile of schoolwork that never seems to shrink! I have been stitching away in the evenings though, when I put my books away. I'm getting through Nature's Beauty at a fairly good pace for me and enjoying every stitch.



As you can see, I'm just starting to build up the house which is a lovely maroon colour. I love the flowers too, which are of similar colours. This is a very lovely design and I'm glad I picked it as my first LHN.
I have also been putting things together for my First Blogaversary, which is coming up in less than a month now. I've got a bit of a collection at the moment, but there's still time to add things to it. I'll announce it officially in a couple of weeks, so look out for it! I'm hoping it will be a nice prize. I think the phrase "if you wouldn't like to receive it, then don't give it" is apt when it comes to giveaways, so it won't have anything that I wouldn't be happy to have myself :)
I hope you're all having a lovely week, and hopefully enjoying some of the glorious sunshine like we've got here.
Happy stitching!

Spring

For me, Spring has most definitely sprung. On my walk home from school today, the sun was shining, the daffodils were swaying in the crisp breeze and I could hear the faint sound of a lawnmower from a very keen gardener! Meanwhile, I'm finishing Christmas ornaments :) Yep, we finally got the ol' Singer sewing machine out at the weekend because I had a day off from work (paid holiday is just the best!). This was the result afterwards . . .



The one behind is Lizzie*Kate Be Naughty which I've finished into a small pillow. And then the little snowman in front is a lovely freebie from Prarie Schooler, which I'm planning to finish as an ornament, when I find some nice ribbon. I have a question for you all. How do you stitch up the last side really neatly after stuffing? I try to do tiny stitches in a matching colour thread and sometimes this works, but other times it looks scruffy. Any insider tips would be very much appreciated :)
I went babysitting at the weekend and it's great the amount of stitching one can achieve when one is undisturbed. Plus, the couple whose kids I babysit for have just had their ground floor renovated and their new lighting is fantastic for stitching. So, this is where I'm up to on Nature's Beauty . . .

I'm sorry the pictures are not great, I really need some practise I think.
We're starting to really knuckle down at school now. We leave at the end of May and then June is exam month. I know I won't be blogging around that time, but I certainly will be stitching, probably to calm my nerves! :) But that's a little while away yet, so I can still stitch and enjoy the Spring sunshine.
Have a lovely week,

I Do Like A Good Bargain!

Hello everyone! Well, I've certainly been having a crazy few days, what with work, drama performances, mock exams, final pieces of coursework, and yes more work. But some evenings I have dedicated to cross stitching. I spent most of this week whipping up a quick card for BeckySC, but silly old me forgot to take a picture of it. I have however, got a picture of my main WIP . . .



I really am enjoying Nature's Beauty, I wish I could stitch on it all day everyday. I'm a rather slow stitcher, so it hasn't progressed much, but one of my trees is starting to grow.
In other news, my sister took me out shopping today and I managed to pop into the haberdashery to pick up some gorgeous fabrics. It's not often I get the chance to go to my local fabric store because I have school and work at the weekends and it's not open on Sundays. So I grabbed the opportunity and got these two beauties.

Then just as we were leaving, I noticed this wonderful Christmas fabric in the half-price section. So I got a half metre of the truly lovely fabric for £2! It was definitely worth a trip :)

And speaking of bargains, I forgot to tell you about a very special purchase I got in Greece. We were visiting the flea market in the centre of Athens and came upon a bead stall. It had a section for tiny charms, supposedly for jewellery making but I knew I could use them for cross stitch! I was with a group so I had to pick quickly, but I wish I could've stayed longer.

I got a little witch on her broomstick and a sailing boat. Sorry about the picture, it was hard to get a good focus because they are very small. They were only 30cents each, that's a little less than 30p. Can't be bad :)
Just got to type up a few more History notes and then I'm free to do a bit more stitching on Nature's Beauty I think. I hope you're all having a wonderful week,

I am SO Lucky

I got in from school today, feeling somewhat down about all the coursework and assignments we've got due in before the Easter holidays. It was all a bit overwhelming really. And then I got to the table where we keep all the post and my mood lightened instantly. Just look how much stash the wonderful BeckySC sent me!


Thirty - that's right - THIRTY brilliant charts, none of which I own already. I simply love the Britty Bunny chart, I can't wait to start that one ready for Easter - my Brittercup Designs collection is growing already :) The Halloween pieces are so cute too, I'm sure they wouldn't take long to stitch. I just want to start them all straight away!
And that's not all, there's more!

TWELVE cuts of beautiful fabric, all lined and ready to use. You can't imagine my glee when I spread out all my goodies before me, it was bliss.
Thank you so much Becky for your kind generosity, givers like you are rare and this stash is just simply perfect for me. Thank you again, and then again, and a hundred times over! :)
No stitching of my own to report, I did do a little on Sunday, but the day was mainly taken up by scrapbooking and organising photos into albums with my mum. Don't you just love looking at pictures from your past? It's the best.
I hope you've all had a brilliant start to the week, mine's been fantastic! LOL