The Stitching Lion

Gifties Galore!!

2012-03-01T04:35:00.000-08:00

Oh I have been a lucky little Lion recently! I can't wait to share pictures of two wonderful packages that I've been given. I had to wait to pick them up from my sister's house on Wednesday and I was so excited to do so! Charlotte's house is lovely, by the way. I think her and her partner are looking forward to sprucing it up and really making it their own. She made me a lovely lunch when I visited and we enjoyed a fresh batch of Smartie cookies that I made for the occasion.

Anyways, what you really want to see are the stitchy goodies that I've been generously gifted with. Firstly, I recently commented on a gorgeous piece of stitching that Nataly did, and since she had no use for the chart anymore, she sent it to me! It's the entire collection of Bent Creek's Spring Snapperville! I can't wait to get this design stitched up :)

Thank you so much Nataly for your generosity, it means so much to me :) I love commenting on your gorgeous stitching and will always show my appreciation.

My dear friend Peggy Lee let me know that she wanted to send me some goodies and her parcel baffled my mum. She said it was heavy - I didn't think threads or fabric would be that heavy? But when I tore of the beautiful wrapping in excitement, I saw where the weight was coming from . . .

Look at that giant bag of M&M Almonds! I had mentioned to Miss Peggy that I had never sampled such delights and being the wonderful person she is, she sent me some! She also spoilt me with a fun pair of toe socks (on my tootsies as I type) and a collection of gorgeous WDW threads, none of which I already had.

She also penned the most lovely card. I love the friends that I have made through blogging and Peggy Lee is one of the best. Thank you so much for being so kind Peggy Lee, I'm proud to be your adopted "daughter"!

And in other news, my 100 Followers giveaway parcel reached Lesli safely! I'm so pleased that you were excited to receive the chart Lesli, I'm pleased it's found a good home :) Do share pics when you start stitching!

I've also sent my Birthday Stitch Parcel out to Fiona, albeit a tad late due to unforeseen circumstances. It will be with you soon Fiona!!

And now I'm currently working on the next parcel to Lesleyanne :)

Oh gosh, this post has been all about gifts given and received and it really warms my heart :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful day,

Anything and Everything

2012-02-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

Gosh, these past couple of weeks have been too busy. Some of it enjoyable, seeing friends, going out for meals, visiting the cinema. Other parts have been really quite stressful - module selections for next year are driving me round the bend!

The other big news that's kept me away from blogging is that my parents are moving. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this yet. I'm so excited for my parents to start a new, enthralling chapter in their lives, but I will miss calling Burghfield home. It wasn't my first house, but I did do a hell of a lot of growing up in that house. It's going to be a bit odd, that's for sure.

Anyways, because of all the havoc, I'm behind on my Birthday Stitch Surprise parcels. Don't worry Fiona, yours is packaged up and ready for the postie! And I should be on time for Lesleyanne's too, so that is good.

I'm so excited to be going to visit my older sister in her new house on Wednesday. Not only because I get to see my sis, but also because my mum is leaving my post there, which I know includes a parcel from the lovely Peggy Lee! Thank you so much my friend, I can't wait to open it and see what goodies I've been lucky enough to receive.

I haven't really been doing much personal stitching, so I've got nothing to show I'm afraid. I'll be happy when I've got all these module forms sorted and I can return to my stitching properly.

Best wishes,

Stash Diving

2012-02-18T03:10:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! This is just a quick post from me to show you what I've been stitching on. Well, not everything that I've been stitching on, some things have to stay hush hush!

I was trying to work on Gingerbread Cottage because I really want to get it finished, but I felt myself falling out of love with it and I was desperate to try something new. I was indeed of a pick-me-up and I found the perfect design in my stash.

This is my progress on LHN's Always and Forever. I'm stitching it one over one on 28ct Mocha Lugana using Weeks Dye Works Americana, kindly sent to me by Terri last year.

I love working on this piece. I love how it's so delicate and it takes ages for something to come together, but when it does, it looks so lovely. I've really enjoyed stitching on this whilst Lawrie has been away. I'm going to personalize it with our initials and the year we met. I love making ornaments for us :)

I hope you've all got a fun weekend planned. I'm spending the rest of Saturday doing a bit of work and baking. Then on Sunday, I get to go and see Lawrence because he's finally back from skiing! Hurrah! I'm so looking forward to it :D

Best wishes to all,

And The Winner Is . . .

2012-02-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter my little giveaway. I do so love putting packages and things together for my fellow stitchers and wish I could do it more often.

So, now onto the real reason you've checked in today. The winner of the LHN chart is . . .

Lesli!!!

Comment number nine - "Bekca- Congratulations on over 100 followers! :) I'd love to be entered in the giveaway!"

Congratulations Lesli, if you could email me asap with your mailing address, I'll get the parcel to you promptly. My email address is on my profile :)

This was a lovely giveaway, it's not too long before my blogaversary, and you'll know I'll have something special ready for that!

Best wishes,

Lucky Girl

2012-02-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually one for Valentine's Day but today's treat came exactly at the right time. I have been nursing a cold all weekend, but today it got nasty. I was really feeling under the weather and couldn't even make it to lecture, which is not like me at all. I was curled up in bed, box of tissues in one hand, hot water bottle in the other when there was a knock at my door. There was no reply when I said they could come in, so I reluctantly pulled myself out of bed and opened the door.
There waiting for me was a box marked M&S flowers. Oh gosh. I knew there was only one boy who would be sending me flowers on this special day. Ladies, I am very lucky to have my Lawrie. It's almost like he knew I was feeling awful, so timed it to perfection. He's away skiing so we weren't able to do anything, but he sneakily surprised me and made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
My boy just didn't get me one rose, he got me the whole rose plant!

I cannot wait to get this planted in a proper pot and look after it. It will be so special when it blooms. I truly love this gift because it's so very personal and something that will keep on giving.
Isn't he the sweetest? :)

Hope you're enjoying lots of sweet treats as well!

Snowy Stitching

2012-02-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Brrrrr! It's so cold out in Winchester today! I had a few errands to run in town today, but now I'm very glad to be home with a hot cup of tea nearby.

I'm very pleased to say I've finished this month's stitched piece for the Birthday Stitch Surprise - ahead of schedule :) I know I say it quite a lot, but I do love putting these parcels together. I'm already thinking ahead to March, that's you Lesleyanne!

Obviously, I can't show you that stitching, but I can show you my progress on Gingerbread House. I started this late last year and would really love to get it finished soon. I can hear other projects calling my name and it's getting harder to resist them.

I've only really got the wording, two borders and a few more snowflakes to do. I hope to get it all stitched up within a week or so. I thought it might seem strange, stitching on a wintry design after Christmas. But the freezing weather we're having makes it appropriate really.

Don't forget there's still time to enter my giveaway here. It closes next Wednesday :)

I'm heading home this weekend for a meal out with my extended family. I haven't seen some of my aunties, uncles and cousins since Christmas 2010 so I'm really looking forward to it. And tomorrow evening, I'm heading out to the theatre to see my friend perform in a play. I can't wait for that either. As for tonight, I've got a bit of cooking to do to stock up my freezer, then it's all about the stitching :)

What are you up to tonight/over the weekend? Here's hoping it's something fun!

Best wishes,

Over One Hundred Followers Giveaway!

2012-02-07T03:33:00.000-08:00

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone that entered!

I can't believe I've got over one hundred people reading what I have to say and looking at the craft I have to show. It's rather humbling and I'm so very grateful. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my little blog. I probably don't say it often enough, but comments make me so happy and this blog means rather a lot to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart :)

To reward my lovely followers, I am holding a giveaway. The main prize is this Little House Needleworks chart that regular followers will know I stitched up last year.

I'm sure I will add a couple of bits and pieces along the way :)

So, to enter:

1. You must be a follower of Stitching Lion.

2. Leave a comment on this post only to let me know your interest.

3. This competition is open to all followers, international ones too.

4. The competition will close next Wednesday 15th February at 9am.

5. There is no need to mention this giveaway on your blog, but thank you kindly if you do!

Good luck everyone! I'll be back soon with a stitchy update to share.

Time to Stitch

2012-01-30T02:51:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Yesterday I finished off my big written drama assessment for this semester, and boy, am I pleased that's over with! The work itself wasn't too hard and I enjoyed the plays we were studying, it's just finding constant motivation is hard work. But now it's done and dusted and I can resume my normal stitching schedule. Yay!

About a week ago now, I posted off my first Birthday Stitch Surprise parcel for Mouse. I can happily report that the package arrived safely and was liked by Mouse, so I can now share what I sent . . .

Some pins, some needles, some ribbon, some fabric, some tea and a Margaret Sherry Mouse ornament, stitched on 32ct Vintage Beige Linen with recommended DMC threads.

Now I can't wait to sort out and send the next one! Fiona is my next ~~victim~~ participant :)

I have been meaning for days to post the recipe, but I worry that it's going to seem so very basic. I really experiment with my cooking and just add whatever suits. But I have the recipe here for four people, but you can just do what I did and half it for just two of you. I cooked mine in a slow cooker, but I'm sure you could use a casserole dish in a low-heat oven, around 160C

Pork and Cider Casserole

Ingredients:

One small onion, chopped.

One cooking apple, cut into cubes.

4 steaks of loin pork.

1 tbsp of plain flour.

400ml of medium dry cider (I used Thatchers)

Half a teaspoon of dried thyme.

1tsp of dried sage.

Salt and Pepper

1) Cut the pork into bite sized pieces.

2) Heat some oil in a pan and gently fry the pork until it is browned on all sides. Transfer to your casserole dish/slow cooker bowl.

3) Add the onions and the apple to the pan and fry for around three minutes. Stir in the flour and then gradually add the cider.

4) Bring to the boil, stirring continuously, and then take off the heat and add the herbs and seasoning.

5) Transfer this mixture to the dish/bowl with the pork and mix together well. Place in a low-heat oven for 6 - 7 hours, or a low setting on the slow cooker for the same amount of time.

So there you have it, my first ever recipe! It's best served with boiled potatoes or crusty bread because there is a lot of lovely gravy. I'd love to hear if any of you out there try this recipe, maybe you could send me a photo?

I've got time now to settle to my stitching before heading out to Creative Non-Fiction. It was snowing this morning in Winchester, just little flakes mind. I'm going to need my woollen hat when I venture out later on!

Best wishes,

Pinching Pennies

2012-01-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Phew! What a busy week I'm having! It seems all the homework tasks, extra reading and essay exams have all come along at once. I'm still finding time to stitch for an hour or two in the evenings, but I haven't got much progress to show this time.

What I have come to show you is a couple of bargains I found last week. I went into my favourite shop in Winchester only a couple of days after I returned to Uni. It's a three storey building that houses all manner of wonderful things from fabric to curtains to mirrors to candles and it even has a cafe. I wandered in and was delighted to find they still had their sale on.

Look at this beauty of a cushion! For only £4 ($2.57), I couldn't resist. My love of tea and teapots is growing by the day :)

Next I wandered up to the haberdashery and fabric floor and continued my luck with the bargains. I got two 1 metre lengths of fabric for only £7! ($4.50) I hardly ever buy full metres, normally I get halfs because they're more affordable. These are two prints that I think can be used in lots of designs, I had to have them. Plus I picked up a sheet of letter stickers for scrapbooking for only £1 - a definite bargain.

My housemates have pointed out that I'm quite good at sniffing out a bargain. But when you're learning to manage on a small income, I think it's worth checking for cheaper prices so you can treat yourself to more important things. Like dinner out at Prezzos coming up this weekend :)

I hope you're all having a wonderful week. I'm mailing out the first Birthday Stitch Surprise (BSS) parcel soon - can't wait!

PS The pork and cider casserole was a big success, Lawrie asked when was I making it again! The only thing is I forgot to take a picture - would people still be interested in seeing the recipe in a post anyway? Thanks!

Gingerbread and Cookies

2012-01-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love it when you finally get to sit down after a hard day's work? I was up nice and early this morning, ready to be productive, and it sure has paid off. My notes are all up to date and I'm ahead with the reading - bonus! It's always nice after you've been working hard to sit down with a cup of tea and go "Aaah."

I thought I'd show a picture of where I'm up to on Country Cottage Needlework's Gingerbread Cottage . . .

This was the project I was stitching on over the holidays, not that I got much time to stitch. It is lovely to settle to my stitching every night after dinner. I'm the type of person who likes to get all the work done in the mornings so I can be very lazy in the evenings. What time do you work best?

I've also been stitching on another little project, but I can't show that just yet. I bet you know who it's for though :)

In other news, I've been baking! In my last post I told you all how I wanted to improve my baking skills and what better way to do this than with practise. I whipped these Smartie cookies up one afternoon and they were gone by the evening! Good job I've still got half a tube of Smarties to make some more.

Next, I think I'm going to do some good ol' fashioned vanilla cupcakes, but big ones with lots of icing and sweeties on top. Yum yum!

I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow as Lawrie is coming to visit and we're going to a second hand book fair in town. And I'm cooking a pork and cider casserole, I do like my cooking :) Do you have any lovely weekend plans? Whatever you're doing, I hope it's lots of fun.

Best wishes,

January Goals 2012

2012-01-17T11:20:00.000-08:00

I know I'm terribly late with this post, but hey, it's still January so why not?

Looking back at last year's New Year's resolutions, I managed to get a fair few done. My personal ones last year were:

1) Work hard for good grades for Uni - Success! I am a student at the University of Winchester and loving it.

2) Have more picnics - This one came true too, including a particularly delightful one with Lawrence when we were in the Lake District.

3) Take more film when on outings - this one could definitely be improved. I want to preserve memories as much as I can.

As for my stitching related ones, not too shabby on this front either:

1) Complete an LHN design - Complete! I finished Nature's Beauty and I've got more LHN now in my stash thanks to recent purchases.

2) Host a giveaway - Complete! I held my first blogaversary giveaway in April and I'm soon to hold another.

3) Take part in a small exchange - Complete! Although it unfortunately didn't last for all the rounds, I did take part in the Rotating Designer exchange and I hope Lesleyanne liked my piece! I adored what she stitched for me :)

4) Work on my fairies design - Oh dear, it's still tucked away . . .

5) Stitch something for a RAK - Not achieved last year, but I'm making it up for it this year with the Birthday Stitch Surprise.

6) Complete the ornament a month challenge - what with schoolwork and other commitments, it just isn't possible for me to definitely complete this. I'm sure I'll fit in a few though.

As for this year, I've seen so many posts about New Year challenges and I love reading them all. The big challenges are just not for me though, I haven't yet acquired as much wonderful stash as lots of you lucky ladies! I do have a few goals for this year though, a mix of personal and stitching.

1. I want to complete the Birthday Stitch Surprise - a parcel of goodies to one person each month. This one should be no problem to complete, it really is lovely choosing things others might like.

2. I want to become more confident on my sewing machine and improve my finishing techniques. I am still relatively new to finishing, but I'm getting better with each piece. I just need the practice.

3. To continue to work hard at Uni. I know how lucky I am to be here, and I thoroughly enjoy my course.

4. To become better at baking. I absolutely adore baking, it's my favourite hobby, second only to cross stitching. And it is a perk of living in a student house, you can bake lots and not have to worry about your weight - baked good disappear fast enough! I'm thinking I will post a few pics and recipes from time to time, I've got one lined up already.

5. To collect more egg cups. I've only just started this collection, but it's becoming a bit addicting. I love how they look lined up on my shelf.

So there you have it, my plan for the year. I hope you all enjoy seeing my progress on each of these tasks. I love reading about your goals :)

Best wishes,

The Big Stash Haul

2012-01-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness, how time flies. It's been a very busy time since I last posted and I thought I'd catch you up on everything.

First of, I have reached 100 followers!! Thank you so much to each and every one of you for reading about this student and her craft. This blog means a lot to me and I can't believe it's attracted so many readers. I am so very grateful. I will be holding a tiny giveaway very soon, so look out for it!

Since I last posted, I finished working at Sainsbury's, celebrated my mum's birthday and returned to Uni. Yes I'm back at Winchester and very pleased to be here. I really appreciate the freedom of getting to do what I want when I want, although it was lovely being at home. I've got stuck in with my studies already, getting six books out of the library this morning for future projects. I love it!

The title tells of stash, and what a stash it is :) The day before coming back to Uni, my big 123stitch.com order arrived. This was my Christmas treat to myself, and I beamed at everything I received. I can't wait to get started on it all.

I treated myself to six new charts; Touch of the Wilderness, by Brittercup Designs/Tea Crazy, by Lizzie Kate/The Tea Room, by Country Cottage Needleworks/Schoolgirl Lesson, by Little House Needleworks/Always and Forever, by Little House Needleworks/Autumn Sampler, by Lizzie Kate.

That should certainly keep me busy for awhile!

I also got some bits for scrapbooking too. I did a fair bit of scrapping over the holidays, but forgot to take any photos. Silly me. I love stickers, and couldn't resist these ones as they were all reduced.

I also got two large cuts of fabric (32ct Belfast in Fairy Dust and Light Mocha) and a whole bunch of DMC threads for future starts. I also bought a Sampler Thread in Dark Chocolate, which is also for a future project - stay tuned!

I'm having a ball with the Birthday Stitch Surprise. It's been so lovely putting a parcel together for Mouse, I really hope she likes it. My next recipient is Fiona. If you could send me a quick email of likes and dislikes Fiona, I would really appreciate it! :) I'm glad I chose to do this giveaway, it's really fun.

I'm on top of my reading already, so I am spending the evening with a big mug of hot chocolate and reading all what you've been up to. I can't wait! I'm sorry I've been absent from blogging lately, but I'm sure it's the same for all of you that family come first over the holidays. I'm back now and ready to stitch!

Best wishes,

Christmas Catch Up and Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Oh gosh, I've been away from blogging for far too long! It seems I started working full time and everything else went to pot. It was pretty hard working day after day for the first time ever, it's manual work and lots of lifting. It was beginning to take its toll, so I've cut down my hours for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I can return properly to the land of blogging that I have missed for too long :)

Thank you to the Birthday Stitch Surprise winners for sending me some truly lovely emails. I love that you've all got different likes and dislikes, it will give me lots of different stitching to do. After this post, I'm going to catch up on all the blogs I've missed. I've bet you've all been busy enjoying the festive season.

I had a lovely Christmas and got some truly gorgeous presents. My parents treated me with gifts of sweeties and chocolate and cake tins and recipe books - all my favourite things! One of my best was the latest edition of The World of Cross Stitching, that has some truly lovely patterns in it. Plus, it came with a diary featuring 12 Margaret Sherry charts, bonus or what?

Lawrence spoiled me as well. He gave me a t-shirt featuring one of our favourite singers (Bruce Springsteen!) and then possibly my favourite gift this year. He found me a bounded copy of the Wind in the Willows, with the water colour painting inside. It is so beautiful and no picture I could take would ever do it justice. He was very much in the good books! LOL

His mum got me some lovely gifts too - aren't I a lucky one? She got me the latest Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, featuring lots of yummy cupcake designs which I can't wait to try out. I also got this gorgeous pin cushion, isn't it the cutest?

And on top of all that, my sister got me a 123stitch.com gift card which I can't wait to spend :)

Just before Christmas I got sent some wonderful items from my stitching friends. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to thank you, where are my manners? Firstly, thank you to Sarah from Kiwi Gets Crafty for sending me a beautiful handmade card and a skein of gorgeous autumnal thread. I'll be sure to send a reply soon Sarah!

Next thank you to Karen for sending me a beautiful Christmas ornament. I was lucky enough to be picked for Karen's "Ornament Exchange" and it arrived in time to be displayed this Christmas. I'm going to be keeping it all year round though, it's too pretty to be boxed away, don't you agree?

Thank you so much ladies! I love being a part of this community.

Our Christmas Day was a lovely family affair. Just my parents and me and my sister, perfect. My mum made a huge meal and we didn't move for awhile afterwards. Then Boxing Day, my extended family came for a visit and my nan came to stay. This time of year is certainly very busy :)

I spent New Year's Eve with Lawrence and a few of his friends. We had Indian takeaway and lots of wine and toasted the New Year. It was really fun and a memory I will treasure for a long time.

I'll be back very soon with a list of my New Year's resolutions and possibly a stitchy update. I had a day off today and I've got another one tomorrow, which I'm spending at the January Sales with my best friend. My life might be a bit hectic at the moment, but I wouldn't swap it for the world. I'm a very lucky girl :)

Best wishes and Happy New Year to everyone!

Drumroll Please . . .

2011-12-19T02:33:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I must apologise for the delay in revealing the recipients of the Birthday Stitch Surprise. I thought I'd have time to post on Friday morning, but what with packing and my final lecture, time ran away from me. I'm here now to announce the winners!
So, I took the names from each month and did separate little draws to find the winner of that particular month. Then, all of those who were unfortunately not picked in their first draw went into a second one for the months I had no names for, June and November. July, October and Decembers winners got the prize by default as they were lucky enough to have no others with the same birthday month.
I hope this all makes sense!
I did the drawing the old fashioned way, cut up pieces of paper and a bowl.

Don't worry if you can't see the above picture clearly, here is the definite list of the winners:

January - Michelle from Tales of a Stitching Mouse

February - Fiona from My Stitching Corner

March – Lesleyanne from Lesleyanne's Life of Stitches

April – Catherine from Bramblewood Stitches

May – Emma from EveningEmma

June – (separate drawing) Terri from DixieSampler

July – Teresa from Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches

August – Peggy Lee from Kentucky Sampler

September – Cath from The Stitchin' Chicken

October – Elisa from Old Ragged Threads

November (separate drawing) – Lynn from Kearnel's Korner

December – Cindy from Clear Skies After the Storm

I hope Terri and Lynn are still happy to receive a parcel even though it is not in their birthday month. I thought a separate drawing would be the best and fairest way to make sure a parcel is sent out every month.
If you ladies could all send me an email to stitchinglion@hotmail.co.uk just outlining a few likes and dislikes, that would help me enormously. And don't forget your mailing addresses too!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered my little contest. I have reserved the names of those who unfortunately didn't win this time, but I'll know who to head to first for RAKs and such :)
So it will be Michelle who will receive her birthday parcel first. I can't wait to start putting it together!

In other news, my first weekend back at home has been great. I had a lovely meal with my family when I got back on Friday night, and then last night, I was taken out to dinner by my boyfriend's family. And I'm going out to eat tonight with my girl friends. Phew! You can tell it's Christmas time LOL
Best wishes to all,

Closed

2011-12-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. Just a quick post from me today to let you all know that the drawing for the Birthday Stitch Surprise is now CLOSED. I will be drawing names from a hat (or probably a bowl) and will post the results tomorrow morning.

Good luck to everyone who entered!

Winding Down

2011-12-12T02:55:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a brilliant start to the week. Although the title of this post suggests I'm winding down before Christmas, the truth is there is loads to do before I can relax and enjoy the festive season properly. I don't mind though, the work is very enjoyable, there's just quite a bit.

First of, thank you to all who have put their name in for the Birthday Stitch Surprise. There's still time to add your name to the drawing in this post here (scroll down or click the link). I haven't got anyone yet for June or November, so maybe you could be the lucky one!

In other news, I've been spending time in the evenings working on Gingerbread House by Country Cottage Designs. Here's where I'm up to . . .

I really love working on this piece, it uses such bright and cheerful colours.

My meal in London last week was amazing. The restaurant was beautiful and the food was just the best. Then we went on a bit of a drive tour through the sights and saw Big Ben, The London Eye and Buckingham Palace, to name but a few. I celebrated with Lawrie on our own with a quiet meal in town, where for the first time, we could both have a glass of wine out. It was so very lovely.

Have a great week everyone. I go home for Christmas on Friday and I can't wait!

Best wishes,

PS Terri over at dixiesampler is having a brilliant giveaway. Check it out here!

Birthday Stitch Surprise!!

2011-12-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

EDIT: The drawing is now closed and the winners will be announced on Friday :)

It seems the idea was popular so I have decided to go ahead with it :) Please enter a comment on this post only with your full birthday. No need for the year, just the month then date e.g September 23rd (my own birthday :P) just so I don't get confused with the numbers.

Rules:

- You must be a follower to enter. After all, this is a competition where I want to treat my followers!

- There is no need to post about this on your blog, but it would be lovely if you would like to.

- If there is more than one entry for each month, I shall put all the names into a hat and draw one name.

- Entry closes next Thursday (15th) at midday (UK time) I shall put the list of each month with who will be receiving a gift on Friday.

I'd just like to point out if I may that these birthday parcels won't be spectacular. I'm planning on sending a few lovely pieces that I think the recipient will enjoy.

I can't wait to get started on this!!

Best wishes everyone, and good luck!

A Finish, A Treat, An Idea

2011-12-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow bloggers! I hope you are all having a wonderful week. Wednesday is my day off from lectures, so I'm catching up with reading, wrapping a few more presents, and hopefully finding time for stitching too.
I have my first Christmas ornament to share! It's only a little one, but I could not be more pleased with how it turned out . . .

Christmas Greetings
Carol @iStitch
32ct Vintage Beige Evenweave
DMC and Duchess Threads

This is my first time finishing an ornament with a hanger and I really like it, especially with the red ribbon attachment.
Don't you just love Christmas backing fabric?

I've already got my next ornament waiting and ready to be stitched up. Hopefully I'll get needle into fabric sometime this afternoon.
So now on to the treat part of my title. Yesterday after lessons, I met up with my mum in Winchester. We had a wander round the shops and visited the Christmas market. It was so very pretty, with the ice rink in the ground of the cathedral and all the lit up stalls and huts. The only downside was that everything seemed so expensive. I only found some fudge for Lawrie, and a gingerbread man for me! Mum didn't manage to find much either, so she suggested we return to the shops in search of goodies to treat ourselves with. She found a gorgeous glasses case in Cath Kidston, and just before heading to dinner, we went to the Fabric Shop . . .
I had been looking at these for awhile. I don't own many pairs of scissors and it always annoys me when I have to hunt for a pair. So, as a treat from my lovely mother, I came home with these beauties . . .

These are my first pair of stork scissors and I think they are so very pretty. I can't wait to use them.
As I can never resist ribbon, I got this lovely length with the change . . .

How cute is this! I know exactly what design it will be good for, stay tuned.

Thank you to those who commented on my query about stitching challenges. I've had a thought about it, and I don't think I'm going to enter the Crazy Stitching Challenge. The truth is, I don't own 15 projects that I'd like to start, and I'd rather pick and choose throughout the year.
However . . .
I do have an idea that I'd like to try out, hence the final part of the title. I'd really like to give back to the stitching community as I have been treated to many gorgeous packages and parcels throughout this year. I'd like to send out a few parcels of myself, to treat my fellow bloggers at the perfect occasion. So . . .
Introducing the Birthday Stitch Surprise!
The idea is that whoever would like lets me know when their birthday is, I'll do a drawing so I have a list of twelve names for each month in the year. In that month, I shall send a package of stitching goodies and probably a stitched piece to the birthday girl! Does this sound like a good idea to you? I just wondered what my lovely followers thought before I made it official. Any comments would be gratefully appreciated!
Speaking of my lovely followers, I've nearly got 100 of them - my goodness! I can't believe so many of you care about this student and her stitching. Thank you so much. I love stitching, blogging and being part of this community and you make that happen, thank you again.
I hope you're all enjoying a lovely Wednesday,

A Query

2011-12-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

Hello blogging community, I have a question for you, if you would be so kind.

I was just wondering if there were any challenges planned for early next year? I know at the beginning of this year we had the Crazy January challenge, and was wondering if there was anything of the sort happening next year?

As we all do around this time, I've been thinking about things I want to stitch up and such, and was possibly think of doing my own Crazy 15, but is there anything formal I can join up to?

Thank you very much for your thoughts on this :)

Being Creative

2011-12-02T02:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I hope you've all had a wonderful week and are ready to enjoy a relaxing weekend. More on my weekend later.

First up, I got time this week to finally have a play on my new sewing machine. I was successful in setting up the machine on my first try, so that was a bonus. Then I started stitching, and that didn't go too . . .

Here is my first attempt, and yes, it has three holes for stuffing, whoops . . .

I'm in two minds whether to rescue this design and sew it again, or keep it as is as a memento of my first stitching on my own machine. We'll have to wait and see.

I was not deterred and picked up another design and tried again. This time it went much better. I am a big believer in making mistakes in order to learn and I think that's very true in stitching. So, here's my second attempt, a lovely plump pillow!

There's a pin at the top because I am in desperate need of advice - how do I sew the final seam shut? Any hints and tips would be very much appreciated from this novice stitcher.

I'm hoping to get some time next week to finish one of my Lizzie Kate pieces, but I want to wait until I'll got a good chunk of time because I don't want to rush them. I'm determined to get them finished as pillows before Christmas though!

In other stitchy news, I've got a new start to share. I've started County Cottage Designs, Gingerbread House and I'm loving it! Haven't got too far along yet, but I really love the pink colours in the middle of the house. I'm hoping to get this one finished and in a frame before Christmas too.

Lawrie is coming down tomorrow for a visit and on Sunday, we're heading to the Vintage Market. I went last month it was on and found this beauty . . .

I'm using it as a shopping basket at the moment, but when I head home for the holidays, I'm going to put all my stitched Christmas decorations in it to put in my room. How very festive!

Hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend,

Happy Dances!

2011-11-29T13:22:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I've been away so long. As we're getting closer to the end of the first semester, all of the assignments and projects are coming to a close. I got so busy, I didn't even have time to blog read, let alone stitch. I'm looking forward to catching up with what everyone has been up to :)

On Friday, I had my scriptwriting presentation where my group presented to a "producer" our idea for a comedy series. The first feedback the examiner gave us was; "I am immensely impressed." I was overjoyed that our hard work all through the week. This was the reason I couldn't fit in as much stitching time, but sometimes that's the sacrifice you got to take to make the grade LOL

I spent the weekend with Lawrence and got to attend the surprise party his friends were throwing him. A good time was had by all. His birthday is actually next week, and we're going out with his family to a posh restaurant in London - I am very much looking forward to that!

So, onto the part of the post you actually want to read, my happy dances! I have two to share today, well, one and a half really. I finally put the seed beads onto All Things Bright so this can officially go on the "finishing" pile . . .

This week is quiet for work so I've had a lovely time putting in some stitches into Merry Friends. I finished it tonight, here it is! . . .

I added a little heart charm I said that reads "Made With Love."

I don't have any lessons or lectures on Thursday afternoon so I'm planning on spending some quality time with my sewing machine. I bought it to use and so far, it's been stuck in its box, time to change that I think.

I have missed blog reading and can't wait to see what everyone has been stitching. Why not tell me something that's happened to you in the past week in your comment? I would love to be nosey :)

Best wishes,

A Finish! . . . Well, Sort Of

2011-11-14T02:21:00.000-08:00

Good morning to everyone on this slightly cloudy Winchester morning! I have been stitching away like a busy little bee over the weekend and I have a "sort of" finish to share. It's All Things Bright from Lizzie Kate . . .

I say a "sort of" finish because the watermelon still needs to have little black seed beads attached to it, but mine are at home. It's going to wait till my next visit back, which hopefully won't be too long away. I'm pleased to have got this piece finished as much as I can though, it means I can fully concentrate on my Christmas stitching.

It also gives me a chance to try out my brand new sewing machine! I thought as the design features motifs from an American summer, I'd pair it with one of my favourite English motifs - strawberries! Isn't this just a lovely backing fabric?

So I'm thinking it won't be too long before I can get the bead on this piece, have a go on my sewing machine and have a new long pillow for my bed. I'll let you know how it goes.

In other stitchy news, I've also been doing a little bit on Merry Friends. This piece is great to do in the evenings because it's mostly block colours and lots of them. Here's where I'm up to so far . . .

I'd like to get this one finished as soon as possible too, hopefully in time for this Christmas but who knows. It is a fun stitch so I don't see why not :)

My parents came down for a shopping trip last week and boy did I get spoilt! One of my best purchases was this new recipe book, a bargain at only £8 ($12.74). I've been reading it and picking out so many recipes that I can't wait to try.

The first one was these Carrot Cake Cupcakes - aren't they adorable? It's my housemate's birthday coming up and she asked if I could make her a carrot cake. I thought these cupcakes were so much cuter and easier to store in a student house. I really enjoyed making them, as I have never made anything of the sort before.

They were yummy and my housemates all agreed that I should do more baking. I'm very happily going to oblige.

Apologies for this extra long post, I just found I had a lot to say. Last thing before I head off to class, I managed to get some hours back at the supermarket I was at before heading to Uni. The money is going to come in so handy and I really enjoy working in the store at Christmas time, it's so very festive.

Have a wonderful week,

Merry Stitching

2011-11-08T03:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I hope you've all had a brilliant start to the week. I've been stitching away on Merry Friends, and it's coming along a treat!

I'm stitching on this in the evenings, but I'm going to look for a smaller project to work on before I head out for lectures and things. I'm thinking Redwork pieces - we shall see what I find.

The fireworks display I went to at the weekend was amazing! There was a torchlit procession from the main town to the bonfire sight, which was really quite a spectacle. And then the fireworks lasted for ages and were very impressive. And it was free! Me and my housemates did make a donation though, who wouldn't after seeing such a beautiful display?

I've made Jumbles biscuits this morning to take to the cinema later on, after a fairly intense Drama lecture. Oh the joys of being a student LOL

Have a wonderful week,

How Exciting!!

2011-11-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

At last, that wonderful week has arrived where I finally had enough money in my bank for my sewing machine! A real bonus was that when I went to reserve it online, it had a third off so it was only £39.99 ($64). It feels a bit like I was rewarded for saving up for it so carefully :)

Anyway, I headed into town after script writing class and paid for it, then lugged it back up to my house - it was quite a trek, I can tell you.

So I finally have a sewing machine of my very own. Those that have been long term readers of my blog know that I have wanted one for awhile. Now I can do all the finishing I want, whenever I want.

Although it is an Argos own brand machine and nothing swanky, it's very sturdy and had very good reviews. I'm sure it will be perfect for a beginner like me.

One snag, I don't have anything to sew! All of my finished cross stitched pieces are at home, tucked away in a drawer. So I'm afraid my lovely new machine will have to wait until I finish something here at Uni before it can be used. Ah well, at least I've got one - at last!

I'm heading off to the Winchester Fireworks Parade tomorrow evening, then me and my housemates are having hotdogs and cider afters. Lawrence is coming down too! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend too,

Hello Christmas!

2011-11-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Don't you just hate it when life cuts into your stitching time? Just as I was getting ready to start my Christmas stitching, a hefty Drama essay comes flying my way. It's not too bad really, it's only 1,500 words. And I've got plenty of time to stitch during relaxing evenings.

I've finally decided on my first ornament for the Christmas Ornament Challenge; it's Lizzie Kate's Merry Friends. Here's my small progress so far . . .

Whilst stitching on this, I plan to continue on my other Lizzie Kate piece as well as complete smaller Christmas designs, like the redwork snowflakes I have my eye on. November is going to be full of stitching for me!

I enjoyed a wonderful trip out shopping today with one of my housemates. We had lunch in Cafe Monde, one of my favourite places in Winchester and the most perfect place to go to lunch if you ever happen to visit. I had a chicken and BBQ sauce panini and it was the best. Didn't buy much, but my mum is coming to visit next week for a shopping trip.

I had a wonderful time at home, thanks to those who asked. I was well and truly spoilt with a big chicken and salad dinner, and then chocolate cake for pudding - yum yum! It felt very strange being back in my own bed actually, and I was actually a novelty to have cereal in front of the TV on a sofa. How surreal.

I would very much like to get back into my cooking soon. I absolutely love proper home cooked food, like stews and pies, but often a quick stir fry is just so much more practical. I'll have to mix it up a bit. Do you have any recipes that I should try? I would love to hear your suggestions.

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful week,

So Close

2011-10-28T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, happy Friday! How are we all? The weather seems to have turned much colder in Winchester recently, time to find the big woolen scarves and mittens I think.
I've found some time this week to put a few stitches in All Things Bright and it's coming along a treat.

I'm on the home stretch on this design now and I can't wait to finish it into a long pillow, I've picked the fabric out and everything. I'm taking this one with me when I go home today so I should have some relaxing time with my stitching.
I'm so looking forward to visiting home. My mum says she's already prepared a slap up tea with all my favourites - isn't she the best? And my sister is going to be at home too, so it will be very lovely to catch up with her.
After I return from my weekend at home, it will be time to start the Christmas Ornament Challenge! Who else is really quite excited about this? I've already started collecting patterns that I know I want to stitch. Needles will be poised and ready on November the first I think. This is a great way to practice on my new sewing machine too. I haven't got it quite yet, but I'm thinking I'll have it either this week or next, very excited about that too.
What are you up to at the weekend? I hope you have fun whatever you do :)
Best wishes,

A Christmas Finish

2011-10-21T02:19:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone, I hope you've all had a wonderful week. I'm very happy that it's Friday for two reasons. Firstly, that's means I've got my Scriptwriting lesson today which I thoroughly enjoy and secondly, one of my best friends is coming to visit me tomorrow for a shopping trip and I'm very much looking forward to it :) Do you have any lovely plans for the weekend? Apart from stitching of course!

I finished my Heart in Hand bird! I'm so very pleased with it. I changed most of the colours to fit with what I had in my stash, but I still think it looks pretty good. It is a bit of a squeeze on the fabric, but I think I'll still be able to finish it how I want. It will definitely be ready for Christmas.

Who else is joining BeckySC's Christmas Ornament Challenge? I for one am very excited about it. I wanted to stitch lots of ornaments this year anyway, so this is a perfect excuse to finish lots of them and gain a chance to win a Gift Certificate! I've already been through the freebie patterns I've got to see if I can find designs to stitch. Might have to pick up some patterns next time I visit home, my room at Uni is just too small to fit all my cross stitching stuff!
Since the challenge doesn't begin until November 1st, I'm spending my stitchy hours till then trying to finish All Things Bright. I managed to get in a few stitches last night and I might squeeze in a few more before class. I really do love this design and I would love to get it on my to-be-finished pile very soon. My plan is to do mostly stitching whilst I'm away at Uni and then do the actual finishing at home where I have the majority of my supplies.

In other news, I'm saving up for a sewing machine! I've wanted one for so long so I'm saving a bit each week so I can get my very own, brand new sewing machine :) And then they'll be no stopping me making ornaments!
Have a wonderful weekend,

A Milestone!

2011-10-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone, I hope you're all enjoying a brilliant start to the week so far.
I thought it was apt that I started my 100th post (I know, 100! How great is that?) with a stitchy picture. I've been speeding through my Heart in Hand ornament, it should definitely be finished for this year . . .

In other news, I have decided that November is going to be my month for giving back to the blogging community. I'm thinking giveaways, random prize draws and lots and lots of stitching! Plus, I am so very close to reaching 100 followers and surely that deserves a big giveaway? I'm keeping up with my Uni work no problem, so I've got plenty of extra time to plan lots of stitching goodies for you all. Check back often for more details :) I know we're only half way through October, but it's good to be prepared don't you think?
No baking to show this time, I've got my very first assignment due in this week so I'm really concentrating on that. Might be time to sneak in some quick cupcakes by the end of the week though, we'll have to see.
So, it's off to Fictional Writing class for me, how are you spending your Monday? Something fun I hope :)
Best wishes,

Autumn Has Begun

2011-10-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! First and foremost, I must tell you that I have a new email address. I'm having problems with my Outlook Express, so all stitchy-related emails will now be sent to this one: stitchinglion@hotmail.co.uk It should be on my profile too. If you have any questions or comments about my blog, or just want to say hello, feel free to send an email :)
After some serious stitching time, I finally finished my first exchange piece. Hurrah! I really hope my partner likes it. But now that leaves me free from obligation stitching to work on whatever I fancy. Now, Sarah over at Kiwi Gets Crafty had the genius idea of stitching up a Christmas ornament for each year her and her partner are together. After asking Sarah's permission to see if it was ok to be a copycat, I'm also doing the project. For mine and Lawrence's first ornament, I've chosen Heart in Hand's Christmas Bird . . .

I love this series of birds, I'm currently collecting the others. I can definitely get this piece done in time for Christmas. I'm still working on All Things Bright too, but haven't got any progress to show I'm afraid.
In other news, I've been elected "Baker of the Block" by my housemates :) They're all making a donation each week and I'm baking something for everyone to share. This week, I had a go at making my very own cookies! They were very yummy, although perhaps more like biscuits than cookies. I might try a different recipe next time as this one used so much chocolate, it seemed like more chocolate than cookies. At least they went down well with my housemates.

I just love seeing all the autumnal photos on other blogs out there, I do so love this season. I took my camera out with me in hope of snapping some of my own, but it seems autumn hasn't quite arrived fully yet. Most of the leaves are still fairly green, but I did get a couple of pictures.

On my walk home from town, I stopped at a signpost that directed another route to Uni that I hadn't used before. I took a chance and look where I ended up!

It's the old army barracks in Peninsula Square that have now been converted into museums and housing. I sat for awhile, just admiring the view of the large fountain and all the pruned shrubs. It really was a lovely place to sit and relax, I'm sure I will return. Isn't it funny the places you discover when you're not really looking for them? It really makes sense of the phrase "Those who wander aren't always lost."
I hope you're all having a lovely week,

Pictures!

2011-10-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I thought it was high time I put the effort in for a proper post, my first for October I think, or at least my first half-decent one. I have been stitching lots, but it's for my exchange piece and I can't show that. I do have one stitchy picture to share, here's my LK piece . . .

Not much done since last time I'm afraid, but as soon as this exchange is over, I can concentrate on this fully and get it done. I've already got my eye on a couple of new products I want to start. Christmas stitching is calling my name!
In other news, I've been baking! No cookies I'm afraid (sorry Peggy-Lee :)) Last week, I made banana bread, all of the housemates put in some ingredients and I was the one chosen to do the actual making, seeing as I seem to be the only one who hung around at my mum's knee whenever she was baking when I was younger. You wouldn't believe how unprepared some of my housemates are. One girl had never done any washing up before - EVER! And another girl didn't know she had to add water to the pan to make pasta. I find it quite scary how anyone could get this far in life without even knowing how to make pasta. What do you think about this? Should parents prepare their kids a little more before packing them off to Uni?
Anyway, back to the banana cake, it was a success! It got compliments from all my housemates and I hope I don't seem too big headed when I say it was very yummy. Here's pictures to prove it.

I'd like to do more baking if time and money allows it, it's so much fun :)
Lawrence is coming down this weekend and we're going for cream tea in one of the cute tearooms in town. I'm so looking forward to it. I've got a bit of time now to do some blog reading before heading to my screenwriting lecture, my favourite lesson of them all. Hope you have a wonderful weekend,

Me Again!

2011-09-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

I very much apologise for this second "no picture" post. I haven't really had the time to do much stitching recently which stinks. What moments I do have, I've been concentrating on my exchange piece, so I can't show that for obvious reasons.

I have moved into my room at University and I love it! All my housemates are such kind and friendly people and I've settled in really well. I'm so enjoying shopping and cooking for myself, it makes me feel responsbile :)

I started my seminars today and they went well, my course is so perfect for me. I have my first drama lesson tomorrow and that should be a blast too.

This was just a quick post to say I am still alive, still stitching (a little!) and I hope to be back with an actual proper post with pictures very soon.

I hope you are all well,

Update

2011-09-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I'm just popping in to say that my blog might be a bit quiet for the next couple of days. This is my last weekend at home before Uni so I'm spending my time seeing friends and doing so much packing. My mum is genuinely concerned that we won't fit it all in the car! I've made sure my stitching stuff is all safe though, no problems there :)

I turn nineteen in less than a week so we're having a little celebration this weekend instead of on the day, because I'll be at Uni. But my boyfriend has already promised he's coming down to take me out to dinner on my actual birthday, isn't he a sweetheart?

I'm doing little bits of stitching here and there, but I hope to have a proper progress report sometime next week, after I've settled into my new house! It's so exciting!

I hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend,

Perfect Timing

2011-09-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

So, I was enjoying my lunch a couple of days ago (soup and crusty bread if you were wondering!) when the post lady knocked on the door. I was very excited to see a parcel for me as the lovely Teresa from Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches had contacted me saying she wanted to send me some things. And let me tell you ladies, I was well and truly spoiled!
I opened up the package to reveal these lovingly wrapped goodies, all in my favourite Autumn theme as Teresa knew it was my favourite. First up was a large cut of one of my favourite fabrics, I can't wait to use it.

Look at these sweet little things! I do love this mint tin, and they taste good too. The small ribbons are all in perfect autumn colours, I love the one with the leaves. I can see these being used in scrapbook pages in the near future. Also pictured is a pack of "Made with Love" labels that will look great on my finished projects.

Next up is I think my favourite part of the whole package, this bag of gorgeous autumn themed buttons. They're so pretty and such lovely colours, I can't wait to use them!

I was also lucky enough to receive these perfect DMC colours in autumnal shades. I already know what I'm going to use one of them for, I've got a lovely monochrome sampler that would look perfect in the brown shade.

And lastly, another one of my favourites, these adorable puppy thread snippers. Aren't they cute? I've already used them on my exchange piece and they're perfect.

Thank you so much Teresa for sending me this wonderful package! I am so very grateful. It was perfect timing as I'm just off to Uni and all these things will be very useful next year.

I've been sent some really lovely parcels this year and I've always wanted to repay the favour. I'm planning a big Christmas bonanza of giveaways, special parcels and gifts for lots of my blogging friends. Coming soon!
Hope you're having a lovely week,

Pretty Things

2011-09-13T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope you've all had a pleasant start to the week. I want to thank you all for being a follower, I've reached 88 now and that's more than I ever dreamed of. Thank you!
I began clearing through my stitching stuff today, putting everything I'm going to need in my storage tower. It's still work in progress at the moment, I have a lot of stitching things! Whilst I was sorting through my bits and pieces, I found this kit that I hadn't managed to finish last Autumn. Who remembers The Foxes? It was one of the first things I ever bought from 123stitch. I finally finished it at the weekend . . .

I know why I put this piece off, it had lots of tricky backstitching with metallic thread. I managed to finish that part, but when I started the back stitching around the foxes with normal thread, it just didn't look right. I tried a different darker colour and it still didn't look right. After lots of frogging and uming and ahing, I decided to leave the backstitch off. The foxes are shaded anyways and I really think it didn't add to the design at all.
This was a Gorjuss kit from Bothy Threads, and whilst I enjoyed the subject matter and the stitching, I don't think I will be buying another one of these kits again. I think I've moved past aida now and the backstitching with metallic thread was not nice. I am glad I've finally finished this piece now and put it in a frame.

In other news, I finally purchased a pretty ribbon box. My previous plastic container was overflowing and I do like my ribbon so I needed a better storage solution. I was stacking these on my last day at the supermarket and I knew it would make a lovely ribbon box, even though it is designed to be a lunchbox for girls half my age :)
But still, it's pretty!

Finally, a stitchy update to share with you all. Here's where I'm at on All Things Bright, finished the third motif and onto the fourth, the sunflower. Only one more to go, the watermelon, and the rest of the lettering and this design will be on the finished pile!

I've been itching to start something new but resisted so far. I want to make at least one Halloween ornament before the opportunity passes me by. And then onto Christmas stitching, my favourite!
Not much to report in my life right now, just still packing and seeing people. I'm out tonight to see a comedian with my boyfriend and his family, should be a very lovely evening.
Have a wonderful week,

Memories

2011-09-11T06:40:00.000-07:00

Today cannot pass without remembering those who died on the fateful day 10 years ago. Although I was young, I do remember watching the events unfold and being horrified as people ran for their lives away from the collapsing buildings. So many brave people should not be forgotten.

I have come to blog about my new scrapbooking haul. I tried a different website, just to compare, but they wanted £19 just for postage and packing! Luckily, 123stitch pulled through and I got these beauties for the combined price of £6.68 ($10.65), much more reasonable for a student like me. I am quite happy to pay the £3.76 p&p they ask for, it's a good price. Anyway, here are my goodies . . .

One sheet of flocked stickers from K&Company (left) and two sheets of Dear Lizzy Thickers, these ones are all in beautiful greens and browns. Can't wait to do a page with these!
Next up are these gorgeous Remarks stickers called Etiquette. I had to snap these up, for only £1.24! There's lots of different colours so I hope to find lots of different ways to use them.

And lastly my most expensive purchase (but still a bargain at £2.94) is this pad of Distress Ink by Tim Holtz. I've seen some wonderful scrapbook pages using this product over at http://www.scrapbook.com/ and I thought I'd give it a go myself. I'll let you know how I get on!

I've been doing a little bit of stitching, but not really that much. My mojo is still wandering. I am sorting through all my cross stitching stuff soon in preparation for Uni, so maybe that will kickstart my needle. I've decided to take my cross stitch tower with me, but I want to fill it with stuff I will actually use, not some of the junk I've been storing in there at the moment.
Just over a week to go before I set off for Uni! Can't wait!

I hope you all have a relaxing Sunday doing things you love.

Old and New

2011-09-05T06:05:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I hope you're all enjoying the last few days of summer before autumn comes around once more. I do so love this season, all the colours and the crisp breeze. And my birthday!
Onto craft news, I have a finished finish to share. Remember Charizard? Well here he is, finished as a pinkeep for my boyfriend . . .

As this piece was for a boy, I decided I didn't want to add cording and ribbon to it. Instead, I opted to keep it simple by just placing a few bold pins at the top.
I thought this fabric was perfect for backing fabric . . .

Lawrence was really happy with his piece, he even called it "his most treasured possession". I think he might be flattering me, but it was nice to hear how much he appreciated the time and thought that went into this gift. Now he wants to full set, so I'm sure it won't be long till I'm stitching some more Pokemon!
In other news, here's a pic of my work in progress, LK's All Things Bright. I did do a little stitching on holiday, but most of this has been done since I returned. I'm over half way through!

I've got the most perfect fabric to finish this off as a rustic pillow. I can't wait to finish it.
And finally, who remembers about a query I had after some posting issues on ebay? The seller offered to send me another chart, free of charge, in order to compensate. I gladly accepted and it was a good job I did because look what she sent! My very first JBW Designs chart, French Country Love. I know this is going to be a redwork piece and I'm looking forward to starting it soon.

But there are so many other charts I want to start stitching on too. There's my exchange piece to finish and I want to complete at least one Hallowe'en design. Plus there's Christmas to think of and all the wonderful stitching that that entails. Oh so many charts, so little time :)
I've only got two weeks to go before I set off for Uni. It's such a scary and exciting time. Exciting because of all the new people and my wonderful new course, but scary because it means packing everything in my room. I don't even know where to start! Of course, my stitching stuff is high priority :) But it's going to be a mountainous task - wish me luck!
Best wishes to all, have a lovely week,

Lake District Goodies

2011-09-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

It feels like I haven't posted any thing related to crafts in ages, but now I'm certainly making up for lost time. Here is a post all about the lovely pieces I picked up in my adventures in Penrith, the main town in the area of the Lake District we were staying. First up, I got some lengths of ribbon from the local haberdashery, I just love the gingham one, which one is your favourite?

Next up, we visited a really quaint village hall as they were holding a craft fair. I got these cute cut outs to use in scrapbooking, or maybe even card making, a craft I am yet to try.

We discovered another haberdashery with lots of gorgeous fabric, but it seemed a lot more expensive than my normal fabric shop in Basingstoke. Maybe I've found a little bargain place there. Anyway, I did find this gorgeous green fabric that was in my price range and I picked up the little frame in a charity shop. It's the perfect size for a small piece of cross stitch.

In the same shop, I had a rummage in their scrapbooking section and came out with these two goodies, some rub ons and some letter stickers. I'm expecting more scrapping stash any day now. I placed an order with 123stitch after another website I thought I'd sample wanted to charge £19 for postage! Luckily, I found most of the bits I wanted on 123.

It was getting late in the day when we discovered a tiny ribbon shop on the edge of town, next to The Toffee Shop (yum yum). It only sold ribbons and buttons and I was in heaven. The buttons were adorable, but a little pricey. The ribbon on the other hand was not and it took a great deal of time to just pick these four. Lawrence sat outside on a bench reading his book whilst I spent time drooling over the prettiest, quirky ribbon.
I got tiny blue flower ribbon, silk ribbon with poodles on it, a gorgeous brown leaf ribbon that is so beautiful and pumpkin ribbon!

I just couldn't leave this beauty in the shop, I had to purchase a length. Don't you think it's so unusual and pretty?

And here's a thrifty spin. I had spare loops in my jewellery box, punched a tiny hole in each pumpkin and looped them in the make pumpkin earrings! I'm thinking of stitching a tiny Jack O' Lantern face on each one to make them perfect for Hallowe'en. How I love craft!

It seems I haven't had much interest in my MyMemories giveaway. It's a shame because the software is really simple and lovely to use, but I suppose you can't win them all. The competition is open till Monday if anyone is interested.
My stitching mojo has gone wandering lately. I've got my exchange piece all kitted up and ready to go, yet no motivation to put in a single stitch. I did work on All Things Bright during my holiday so I do have a progress pic to share. That will have to wait till the next post I'm afraid and I'm off out soon to enjoy a lunch with my sister and my mum - a girly feast.

Have a wonderful weekend,

A Very Special Giveaway

2011-08-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

I mentioned in my last post that I had recently been gifted some wonderful digital scrapbooking software from MyMemories. I've been a having a play with it and it's fab! Just look at these wonderful layouts made by very talented scrappers . . .

MyMemories is offering another download of their wonderful Version 2 software to the winner of this giveaway. The winner will receive My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software, worth $39.97, absolutely FREE! Plus you get a $10 voucher to spend on extra additions in the MyMemories store.

This is the perfect giveaway for anyone who enjoys scrapbooking or papercraft to expand their knowledge. Or for anyone looking to start a new hobby without any expensive start up costs. To be in with a chance of winning this unique and lovely price, just leave a comment below.

1) You must be a follower

2) To gain an extra entry, post a blog or a link on your own page to this post.

3) For ANOTHER extra entry, add a link to your comment showing your favourite page from the MyMemories gallery.

4) Only available to American and Canadian followers. Sorry!

The competition will close Monday 5th of September and the winner shall be posted the day after. Good luck to all entrants!!

Cosy and Colourful

2011-08-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Evening all. I've settling down to a nice evening of blog reading after a long day at work. It was my penultimate weekend actually, I'll be saying goodbye to my job next weekend. I'll sort of be sad to see it go, I enjoyed working at the supermarket and the pay was decent. But I know I'm moving on to a much more exciting chapter in my life!

I did as I normally did after coming in from work, turning on the oven to make food as soon as possible then dashing upstairs to through on something, anything more comfortable than my uniform. Out comes the baggy t-shirts, stretchy leggings, fluffy blankets and oh so comforting slippers. I only work one full day a week as a student in summer, so I know I don't have it bad. But it is so nice to come home and enjoy things that you like to do, rather than being on your feet and serving customers. I always like to take my make-up off when I get home, ram on a big, oversized jumper and watch a few comedy programmes - anyone else loving Miranda at the moment? She is one funny lady! Do you have any after-work habits? What would be the perfect evening in for you?

I've been playing around recently with the digital scrapbooking software the lovely ladies at MyMemories.com sent me to experiment with and see what I thought. And to be honest, it's fab! I'm not naturally creative, which is one reason I like cross stitch so much. You can just follow a chart and still end up with a gorgeous design. Digital scrapbooking has allowed me to experiment without being worried that it will turn out rubbish. These are two of my first pages, pretty plain, but I'm just discovering all the lovely additions and embellishments you can add.

Girls - I feel I need to explain that these pictures were taken during a "who-can-pull-the-stupidest-face" competition, I don't just have odd looking friends :)

Night Out! - On this page, I added some ric-rac and a ribbon all with a simple colour scheme. The pics are from a joyful night out in Bournemouth in the summer. I am loving playing around with this new software.

MyMemories gifted me with their My Memories Suite V2 for free, and they're offering the same to one of my readers! Check back on Monday for the full giveaway details.

I hope you've all got a lovely weekend planned, what's left of it anyway. I'm planning a swimming trip in the morning and then an afternoon of craft I think. Whatever takes my fancy :)

Best wishes,

I'm Baaaaack!

2011-08-25T03:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I've returned from my wonderful holiday in the Lake District. I had the best time and wished we could have stayed longer. I've got a few pictures to share from my trip but no stitchy update this time. The next post will feature a few craft buys from my trip and where I'm up to on my stitching. It's coming soon, as well as other exciting developments - stay tuned!!

Here's the view from our bedroom window at the cottage which I think sums up Eden Valley (the part of the Lake District in which we were staying) very well. Very lush and green with plenty of farm buildings and dry stone walls. And sheep! There's sheep as far as the eye can see.

Me and my boyfriend were staying in a self-catering apartment so the first thing we did after unpacking was pop to the local shop for some supplies. I say local, the nearest place to buy food was in Penrith, 10 miles away! We were both tired after the six hour journey, so opted for a night in with a movie and an early night.
On Sunday, we went on a hunt for Sunday Lunch. The first couple of pubs we went into were very disappointing, the staff in both refused to recognise us at all and I think that's rude. I personally think good customer service is the making of a restaurant. We had to travel into town again and I was thinking we were sure to end up in KFC when I spotted a sign for a carvery. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a lovely, friendly waitress who took our order and explained how it all worked. She was just what I was looking for after being treated so rudely in the previous pubs.
The meal was delicious, veggies cooked to perfection, the beef was so tender and I was so hungry after our trek to find a decent place, I had mash potato and roast potato! Here's my lovely plate of food and guess what . . .

. . . I ate the entire thing!

A highlight of our trip was renting a boat out on Ullswater lake, a very picturesque area. My grandad had very kindly given me some holiday money so we used a bit to rent a nice, shiny motorboat. We weren't going to mess around with a rowing boat! After a wonderful lunch in a quaint tea garden (all I did on this trip was eat), we walked down to the lake and got in our boat. I was cheeky and asked the vendor to take our picture, it turned out to be quite a nice photo :)

I cannot tell you how lovely it was out on the open water, with the breeze whipping through us. We were lucky with the weather, but it was never warm enough for shorts and t-shirts. I had never been out on a lake before and I simply loved the experience.
Here's a couple of shots I took when we were on board . . .

I loved the Lake District, it was a wonderful first holiday for me and my boyfriend. The travelling was long, but we stopped for a picnic on both journeys and had plenty of sweets in the car - see, more eating!
Here's one last picture that I took out of the window when we were leaving and it turned out to be a pretty good picture, in my opinion :)

I've just caught up with my blog reading and you certainly have all been busy. I hope to get in a bit more stitching time before I leave for Uni, but there is certainly quite a lot to do before then. Packing being the biggest of these tasks!
Best wishes to all,

The News We've All Been Waiting For. . .

2011-08-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

Well, at least I've been waiting for it. I had a very nervous wait at school this morning to collect my envelope containing my results. I have never felt so sick and so nervous in my life. My stomach was doing back flips. I went into an empty room, took a deep breath and opened that dreaded envelope. And here's what I got:

Drama - A

English Literature - B

History - D

The History result was a bit of a shock, but it doesn't really matter because I got in to the University of Winchester!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D I am so very happy. It was a bit touch and go because the D surprised me so I didn't know if I had done enough to get in. Then I raced to my tutor's room, who was logged onto the university system and said my place was confirmed. I cannot convey the joy I felt. I did work really hard for my grades and I'm so happy that I get to go to Uni in September!

My parents got me a bottle of champagne, some cards and £20 for doing so well. I might save that for a bit of stash just before I go to Uni that will hopefully last me till Christmas! My boyfriend got me a card and some of my favourite chocolate fudge. My grandad gave me some money as well, to go towards my holiday. It was so lovely to receive all of these thoughtful gifts.

Speaking of my holiday, I leave tomorrow for the Lake District. I hope I find some hidden craft/haberdashery shops up there, I'll of course show any gems I find. I'm taking my stitching with me too, so expect a progress pic late next week.

I'm so glad I get to go on this holiday relaxed and knowing that I've got a definite place at Winchester come September. I couldn't be more pleased!! :)

I hope you are all well and I look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to when I return. Best wishes to all.

Scrapbooking and Stash

2011-08-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well. I've got quite a bit to share this post, so settle on down :)
First of all, thank you so much for all of your lovely and kind comments on my last post. I'm going to agree with the general consensus and write about all types of crafts (and maybe other things) that I like. This blog will now feature other crafts, as well as the wonderful cross stitch. However, for those with a real love of scrapbooking, I've set up a profile on http://www.scrapbook.com/. It's a wonderful website showcasing talent from all over the world, as well as beginners like me. You can find my profile here.
So, where else to start posts about scrapbooking than with my very first scrapbook page. It's called "Wild" and is displaying some of the mementos I collected from my trip to South Africa, way back in 2004. I like using scrapbooking as a way to keep all the tickets, coins and other such things we collect on travels. And to decorate photographs too.

In stitchy news now, I've recently added to my stash. Not by much mind, but I'm still all excited about it nonetheless. First up, I bought the last three threads I needed to go with this LHN design, Mississippi Riverboat. I hope to start this one very soon.

Next up is two ebay wins that I was extremely lucky with. I paid £1.06 for one and just 99p for the other! Every so often, you can find great bargains on ebay. This is Gingerbread Cottage by CCN (one that was on my wishlist) and Autumn Bird by Heart in Hand.

Also, my Prairie Schooler chart arrived for the upcoming exchange on the Rotating Designer Exchange blog. I hope my partner likes the design I've chosen!
I haven't done that much stitching so far this week. My boyfriend just came back from a two week trip to Thailand so I've been spending lots of time with him. Here's where I'm up to on All Things Bright . . .

I'm really enjoying this piece and I'm thinking of turning it into a long cushion when it's all finished. What do you think? Any ideas for this oblong shaped finish?

Results day is only two days to go now - eeep! I'll be sure to post my results on the day, just to let you all know :)

I hope you've had a great start to the week,

Another Question . . .

2011-08-14T03:44:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered some wonderful scrapbooking blogs and would like to post more about my scrapbooking on this blog. But I wondered if my followers would prefer it to stay stitching related and then I could simply set up a new blog to talk exclusively about scrapbooking. Although this blog will always be mainly cross stitching (it's my favourite hobby after all!), I would like to post more about scrapbooking adventures.

What do you think? As my followers, it's up to you what you would like to read on my blog. Leave this blog to stitchy matters and set up a new, different blog? Or integrate the two crafts together?

Any advice, thoughts or comments would be very much appreciated!

Progress and Pacing

2011-08-12T04:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I've had a fairly busy week meeting up with friends and attempting a summer clean in my very messy bedroom. I have found the time to stitch though (always!) and here's my progress on my lovely LK . . .

I really love the colours in this piece and I'm really enjoying stitching on it. I've also been putting in stitches in other smaller project. This is Peace Tree by Rose Krizan, a freebie I found somewhere. I'm stitching it 1 over 1 in only DMC 115.

This is a really sweet little design that has to be done in the daytime, not like the block colour of the LK that can be stitched in the evenings on front of the TV. This is my first piece over one and I'm not finding it too bad. I might find more small pieces to do like this.
In other stitchy news, I've got new stash coming from all over the place. I found some stunning bargains on ebay that should be finding their way to me soon, as well as a couple of things from 123stitch. I've got some Prairie Schooler designs coming soon, ready for the upcoming Rotating Designer exchange that I am taking part in - it's very exciting!
And in non-related stitchy news, results day is less than a week away - this is the reason for the "pacing" in my title. It's all I can think about. I'm so very nervous about it, I can't let myself think about it late at night or I won't sleep. Although it is comforting to know that this time next week, I'll finally know my results. They decide whether or not I go to my chosen Uni in September, I just hope I've done enough.
I hope you are all enjoying a lovely summer filled with stitching,

A New Summer Project

2011-08-08T03:07:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I know there's a lot of bloggers out there that have been suffering with some very hot weather recently. Even the UK got hit with a blast of good weather. The sunshine filled, blue sky days are always appreciated though, it makes a nice change to the cloudy skies we normally get. Stay cool my friends!
In stitching news, I have a new start to share. This pattern, All Things Bright and Beautiful by Lizzie Kate was part of the wonderful package of stitching goodies Terri sent me. I have finally managed to make a start, after completing a couple of other project first to make room. Here's my progress so far . . .

And a little close up pic of what I've done . . .

I am so enjoying this design all ready. I'm stitching it on 32ct Belfast Linen in Vintage Beige with all the recommended DMC threads, although I might swap a few round if they don't quite suit. This is what I'll be stitching on today as part of the LK SAL from the Lizzie Kate Lovers blog.
My first exchange is starting soon and I can't wait to begin! I've been eyeing up Prairie Schooler patterns that I like the look of, and you know other bits and pieces will just fall into my cart when I order them :)
It's less than two weeks to go till results day and I'm already nervous. I think I've done enough to get into my chosen Uni, but you never can really tell. I'll make sure I post about how I do!

I hope you're all enjoying a gorgeous summer with lots of strawberries, ice cream and stitching.

Best wishes,

Thank You

2011-08-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

I cannot thank you all enough for the lovely and heartfelt comments that were left on my last blog post. It was so nice to hear people were thinking of me, and when I showed them to my mother, (it was her aunt who passed) it prompted a watery smile from her. There isn't enough gratitude in the world to thank you all enough for that smile. You are all so kind and thoughtful.

In much lighter news, I have a finish to show you! We're just getting back to normal in the house now so I've had more time for stitching. Now here is Charizard in all his glory . . . (sorry for the slightly dark picture!)

This piece will be finished as a pin pillow for my boyfriend who is a big Pokemon fan. I'm going into town next week to get some special fire fabric for the backing material.

In other stitchy news, I will soon be making a start on the L*K design, All Things Bright and Beautiful, recently gifted to me by Terri. I will be stitching on this more often than the once a week LK SAL over at the Lizzie Kate Lovers blog, but I will post my progress on there every Tuesday. I've also joined my first exchange, which I am so excited about! The first designer chosen for the exchange is Prairie Schooler, and since I don't have any PS designs already, I was going to wait to see who my partner is and purchase a design that would suit them best. Is this the normal way to do exchanging? I thought it would be nice to get a design that they would appreciate. I would very much like to hear your comments on how you go about choosing an exchange piece to stitch.

I got awfully sun burnt on a recent trip away, so I've had to spend a lot of time indoors or in the shade, even though the weather has been so nice. I hope it continues, even though trying to sleep on these hot, sticky nights is not easy. I hope you're having fun whatever weather you've got.

Happy stitching to all,

Crazy

2011-07-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I am still on my blog, but have had to take an unscheduled blogging break. I'm sorry to say that my great-aunt passed away this week and my family have just been concentrating on each other at the moment. For those who frequently read my blog, this was the aunt who moved into the care home not too long ago. She lived a very long life at 94 and it was expected, but these things are still sad. Now it's all a bit crazy in my house sorting out arrangements and family and other important things.

On top of that, I've been living with my boyfriend for the past couple of days as he only had five days between returning from a school trip and going on his family holiday. We wanted to see each other as much as possible, naturally. We had a day out in London that I think I will chat about some other time.

I have been stitching whilst all this chaos is occurring but didn't manage to snap a picture for today. I've got another busy weekend ahead of me so I will hopefully post and get back to my lovely blog reading some time next week. I hope you are all well,

Award, Framing, Progress

2011-07-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

Agreed, that's not a very imaginative title, but it is very precise :)
Hi everyone. Thank you for your lovely comments on my previous post, I can't wait to make things using all my wonderful new stash.
I have been honoured by both Emma from EveningEmma and Teresa from Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches to receive the Stylish Blogger Award. I am very thankful that both these ladies thought of me and my little blog.

The rules are very simple:

1. Thank the person who has awarded you.

2. List seven things about yourself.

3. Pass the award to 15 other stylish bloggers.

Seven things about me:
1. I will be leaving home in September to move to Winchester to study Drama and Creative Writing at the University of Winchester. And I can't wait!
2. I can't function without breakfast cereal in the morning, after that, I'm ready for anything.
3. My best holiday was to South Africa in 2004. I learnt to stitch on this trip and discovered so many other things.
4. I have a slight shoes addiction. Last count, 34 pairs :)
5. I live in a little village with a school, a pub and a post office and not really much else. A place where everyone knows each other.
6. I am actually a year older than my boyfriend, and he is hoping to go to Oxford University next year to study History.
7. One day, I'm going to be a successful playwright, with any luck.

And the award goes to these 15 Stylish blogs, in no particular order:
1. Lynn from Kearnel's Korner
2. Peggy Lee from Kentucky Sampler
3. Lesleyanne from Lesleyanne's Life of Stitches
4. Carol from Stitching Dreams
5. Jen from Speedy Stitcher
6. Justflo from Wizzybuff
7. Terri from Dixie Sampler Designs
8. Sarah from Kiwi Gets Crafty
9. Barbara from To Stitch or Not To Stitch
10. Nataly from Nataly's Needle Creations

And that's all I've got I'm afraid. Not that I don't follow other wonderful blogs, but I know a few have been given this award already and some choose to not take part in these schemes, which is their choice. So, here's my Ten Stylish Blogs, I think they're all fabulous!
Thanks again to Emma and Teresa for thinking of me.

Now onto other things. Summer has given me an extraordinary amount of time in which to indulge my favourite hobbies and past times. I thought I'd be more productive one day (just one day mind lol) and sort out my craft drawer. Now, I honestly didn't realise how much craft stuff I've squirreled away in that drawer. I found mountains of frames, cuts of fabric that I'd forgotten I'd bought and all manner of lovely craft things.

So I took these many frames I found and my box filled with finished pieces and enjoyed a very pleasant morning framing these two cuties. Who remembers Luck from August last year? Well here he is in his perfectly sized frame . . .

I didn't buy this frame with Luck in mind, but it fitted perfectly.
My next piece was finished not too long ago, April this year, and again, I thought this hidden frame suited the piece quite well. This picture doesn't show it too well, but there are red flecks in the frame that give it a spooky edge. So here is Hallow Cats, finished and framed.

I was on such a roll that morning that I decided to finish lots of cards too. I was given this pack of Hobbycraft Kits and Cards a couple of years ago from an auntie and I had completed all the stitching, I just hadn't finished them into cards.
Now I have a stash of lovely Christmas cards, ready to use if ever I need one.

And if you've made it down this far, congrats! I'd like to finish with a progress pic of Charizard, who is stitching up very nicely. It's mainly big blocks of solid colour so it makes it easy stitching in front of the TV. I've finished the first page and I don't think it will be too long until this guy is finished for my guy.

I've got a normal weekend of work ahead of me now, which is not the most fun thing to be doing, but at least it's making me money ready for Uni. I hope you have a wonderful weekend whatever you're doing and cross a stitch for me!

Lucky Lucky Lucky!!!

2011-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I cannot wait to share with you the amazing parcel I received today from the lovely Terri at Dixie Sampler Designs. Terri had emailed me saying she had a very goodies to send me but I never imagined it could be so much!

So I came home from my swimming class this morning and my mum presented me with a box - that's right, a BOX - and said it had come from America. I knew it must have been from Terri so I eagerly teared open the outer cardboard to reveal this . . .

After lots of ooh-ing and aah-ing and delighted squeals, I ended up with a pile of stitching goodies that are all perfect for me. And here they are in all there splendour!

Terri sent me the most gorgeous handmade pillow; this is the first one I have. I'm not sure what the design is, but it's stunning and so beautifully well made.

Next up was twelve - yes 12! - hand-dyed threads. I have never owned or used hand-dyed threads before because they are rather expensive in the UK. All of the colours are wonderful and I love that they all have names. My favourite of the bunch has to be Americana because I have seen so many beautiful blue things made on fellow blogs. I can't wait to stitch with this one.

I also was lucky enough to receive three cuts of gorgeous fabric: Ask Rose lugana, Mocha Creme lugana and Heartland Cottage evenweave. The last two are neutral shades which are my favourite to use. I have never tried Rose coloured fabric but I'm already planning what projects I could use it for! Also in this next picture is a lovely watermelon notepad that I'm planning to use for my shopping lists at Uni, plus the most lovely pair of scissors I have ever had the pleasure to own. They are so pretty, my mum even had her eye on them, even though she doesn't do needlework. Yes, the chocolates have already gone :)

And the list goes on. Here we have two beautiful charts, including a Lizzie Kate one that I've never seen before called All Things Bright and Beautiful. I'm going to stitch for the LK SAL on Mondays over at the Lizzie Kate Lovers blog. I've also been given my first Blackbird Designs chart called Spring Tulips. Terri was generous enough to include all of the DMC threads needed to stitch these two designs.

Terri must have picked up that I'm trying to better my finishing skills because she sent me these wonderful cuts of fabric. I have no idea how she did it, but all of them are perfect for me. I love the one with the bold flowers the most.

And last, but no means least, I got these two beautiful charts from The Drawn Thread, the first one is the Brown Ranch Sampler, the second is There's No Place Like Home. I think they are both stunning and I can't wait to stitch them.

Terri also included some DMC Metallic thread, a pack of needles, a lovely bag of buttons, two spools of perfect ribbon and a doily that you can stitch on.
I feel so grateful to receive such a generous parcel of goodies. Thank you so much Terri for brightening my day, my week even with this beautiful collection of stitching supplies. I know I will put all of it to good use and I can't thank you enough for sending it all to me. Your kindness is inspiring. Thank you again my friend.

A Bit Different

2011-07-11T02:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful weekend. Mine was certainly very busy, but I enjoyed it all the same.
Thank you so much for the kind comments about my finish in my last post. I will definitely continue to practice and make more lovely ornaments so that my room will be filled with them come December.
At the request of Teresa from Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches, I'm here with a scrapbooking post. Scrapbooking is my second favourite hobby after cross stitching because I am a big lover of photos. I have countless albums and framed pictures all around my room and I think scrapbooking is a nice way of displaying some of those pictures. So, I thought I'd share a couple of scrapbook pages that I've done recently. Don't worry, normal stitchy service will resume in the week! Charizard is coming on really well and I hope to make a new start soon too, maybe another Christmas themed piece?

Piano Man - the picture is of my friend Callum, he is a superb self-taught pianist.

Oui Oui Paris - a picture I took myself of the Eiffel Tower when I visited Paris in 2009

Try Not to Stare
This is my favourite page I have ever done with two pictures from a school trip to Paris I went on a couple of years ago now. I like that the picture of the two boys was taken at exactly the right time. I also really like the butterfly rub on that I've got a close up picture of here . . .

When I went hunting for felt last week at Hobbycraft, I couldn't help picking up a couple of extra bits for my other crafting love too. If any one else enjoys scrapbooking or papercraft, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Anita's Letter Stickers. They're so easy to use and I find them more sturdy than Hobbycraft's own brand. I got a gold set, some other letter stickers, butterfly stickers and some adhesive ribbon, which is another favourite item of mine. Here's my little haul!

Thank you so much to Barbara for sending me the beautiful Just Nan chart, Bluebird Alphabet. Barbara was passing it on after she had finished stitching with it and I will be doing the same so that another can enjoy this lovely chart. Look out for it!

I hope you all have a very pleasant week doing lots of stitching and any other crafts you enjoy. Best wishes,

My First Christmas Finish, in July!

2011-07-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Thank you so much for answering my technical plea for help. Unclicking the "keep me signed in" box has certainly solved one problem I had, but I'm still getting a HTTP 400 pop up whenever I try to manage my blogs. I've posted this as a question on Blogger's Help Resource (thanks Lynn!) and I hope to get a reply soon enough. I hope it's easy to fix.
I must thank you also for all of your kind and lovely comments on my ball pictures. They honestly brightened my day and delighted my boyfriend to no end when I showed him them. Thank you again for your kindness, it means so much to me and I'm very grateful for it.
I have been stitching much over the weekend, I had a party on Friday, a dinner on Saturday and a wonderful family barbecue on Sunday. So, no progress on Charizard to show on this post, but I do have a finish to share!
As Monday is the LK Stitch Day on the Lizzie Kate Lovers blog, I kitted up this freebie nice and quick and stitched it in one day. Then this morning I got all my supplies together to create this felt ornament, thanks to Vonna's finishing instructions found here. It's so far from perfect, but this is my first time for this finish. I forgot to pin the sides, so it is terribly wonky, but it's only for me so I don't mind. Here it is . . .

The ribbon hanger is actually dark green IRL, it seems to be more black in the picture. I had a great result with the felt though. When I went shopping for upcoming birthday presents, I popped into my local Hobbycraft, as you do :) I was very pleased to see they were having a half price deal on all their felt squares, so I came out with four. One green, one red, one sparkly green, one sparkly red. It was a very good deal.
I also picked up some more bits for scrapbooking which I have been doing more off since I've got a bit more time on my hands. I'm not very good at all the fancy layouts with hundreds of pounds worth of posh add-ons on them. Don't get me wrong, they look beautiful, but on my student budget, I just like to add magazine cut outs/letter stickers/ribbon to a pretty picture to display it in a different way. I do so enjoy all different areas of craft, so I have to be very careful that I don't spend too much on it!
I hope you've all had a fantastic start to the week,

Help!

2011-07-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

I hope someone in the blogging world can help me! I'm having real trouble leaving comments on others blogs. Blogger asks me to sign in after writing my comment, I do so, then it just takes me back to the same page I started on - it's very frustrating!
Also, whenever I try and follow a new blog or manage my blogs, a window pops up with HTTP 400 Bad Request - does anyone know what this is and how I fix it?
I would appreciate any advice from anyone who has more knowledge about the settings of Blogger than I do. It is annoying though, I use blogger so often, it would be nice if it worked properly!
Thank you in advance for any help.

Pretty Stitching & Pretty Dresses

2011-06-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am certainly enjoying all this free time summer has given me, I'm managing to sit down and stitch a lot more. The only problem is I've come down with a rotten cold, but I am grateful that it struck after Summer Ball (more on that later). So here's my progress on Charizard . . .

As mentioned in my last post, I'm stitching this for my boyfriend who's a huge Pokemon fan. I'm not letting him see it till it's all finished though, he'll have to wait and see.
In other news, Summer Ball was on Monday evening and I enjoyed a wonderful night. Everybody was all dressed up, including the teachers, and I managed to take quite a few pictures. Feel free to skip the rest of this post, it's all about ball from now on!
Here's the nicest picture I could find of me and the boyfriend together, we didn't realised we matched in black and white till we got there. Now that's fate for you :)

This was the best picture to show off my lovely dress - sorry I've got my eyes closed. The purple shoes were a bargain at half price. I walked out of the shop a very happy customer after I had found them.

Here's a couple of other pictures from ball, just to show off all the other beautiful dresses and suits that were present.

I've got another party at the end of the week and then out for a picnic at the weekend. Next week, I've been lucky enough to receive some overtime at work so that will keep me busy. I'm sure I'll make time for stitching though.
Hope you're all well,

My Pokemon Start

2011-06-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Oops, sorry ladies, I should have explained. The boy in the picture last year was my good friend James, not my boyfriend. I put the picture up because it was the best one for the dress! Sorry about the confusion :) I hadn't met my current boyfriend last year, but this year, we are going together and he says he can't wait to see my dress. Isn't he a sweetheart?
And because he's such a sweetheart, I'm making him his very own cross stitched piece from me. He's a big fan of Pokemon and when I told him I could stitch anything he wanted, his reply was "What, even a Charizard?" So that's what I'm stitching right now!
Here's my very pitiful progress . . .

I'm using one of LittleMojo's Pokemon patterns that can all be found here, for those who are also interested in Pokemon.
I'm sure there are people who have no idea what I'm now stitching, so here's a picture of what this finished piece will sort of look like :)

I've been very lucky recently with giveaway wins and gifting - I can't wait to receive all these wonderful packages through my mailbox. I've also treated myself to a 123stitch order that will hopefully be arriving in the next couple of days. I am doing a few more hours at work now that it's summer, but I've still got plenty of time for a good chunk of stitching.
I hope you are all well,

A Double Happy Dance

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I said I was close to a finish, and ta-dah! Here it is . . . (sorry about the wrinkly picture, I was in a rush to show it off!)

So this is my first every LHN piece I have completed and I loved it. The keen eyes amongst will have already spotted that I changed the last line from "Of softly buzzing bees" to "Of whispering trees." I do hope Diane Williams won't mind, but the truth is, I hate the sound of buzzing bees, it honestly frightens me. So I thought I'd change it for something that relevant to me and that's what stitching is all about :)
I can't wait to do another LHN design and I've already got several of my wish list ready to order soon. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to stitch next. I think I'm going to get my drama exam out the way and then enjoy a proper good rummage in my stash.
In other news, I've inherited another treasure! Look at these beauties . . .

I've been pinching my mum's fabric scissors whenever I need them so I think she's relieved that I now own my own pair. We can't tell how old they are but they are still sharp as razors and I'm glad they come with a very nice leather protector. A strange tip for you now. My mum put in a couple of bars of unopened soap into my sewing box and its replaced the aged musty smell with a fresh new one! Just a handy hint in case you need it :)
My drama exam is in two days, then I've got a couple of dinner to celebrate end of exams and I'm going shopping for my Summer Ball dress! You can see a picture of last year's dress here.
I've caught up on all the lovely blogs I follow and you certainly have all been busy. I can't wait for long summer days when I can be that busy with my stitching.
Best wishes,

Hello All!

2011-06-17T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! How are you all? I've missed blogging so much, it feels very nice to be typing away again. Although saying that, I know I made the right decision to have a little break from blogging. I was doing six-hours of History revision every day a couple of weeks ago, which doesn't sound like much but I was always exhausted afterwards. My History exam last week went very well, my English exam yesterday went well too I think (it's harder to judge) and I've got my Drama exam next Wednesday. However, today is my first restful day. I'm up to date with all my Drama revision so I thought I'd have a day to myself, doing all the things I enjoy - like blogging!

I have lots to tell you. First and foremost, it's been manic in my household at the moment, and not just because of the exams. My great-aunt has made the decision to leave her home in Richmond and move into a care home in my village. She was in and out of hospital for awhile and needed an awful lot of care. It's sad on some degree that my mum is now having to sell the house to pay for care etc. but it was my great-aunt's decision. Although she's 92, she's very much in control of her own mind. And she really likes the care home!
So my family have been sorting through the house and its belongings, which believe me, is a truly mountainous task. My great-uncle, who has passed away now, had a habit of keeping every single scrap of paper he obtained. We're having to sift through everything to deem what is rubbish and what might be valuable. It doesn't help that they were both housebound for about five years, so the house really isn't in a good state. My great-aunt's instructions were to "chuck everything out." My parents are looking into all the antiques and stuff that we found to raise more money for her care, but we were each allowed to pick one item that we'd like to inherit. My mum took all the photo albums, my dad got an old clock, my sister chose some beautiful vases and I got this!

My dad reckons it's a 1960s era sewing box, and it's in a gorgeous condition. I've spent time dusting it and going over it with anti-bacterial spray and now it's looking so nice!
I'm thinking I might take it to Uni to store all my projects when I'm there, but it really is the most lovely sewing box. It has a flat work surface and then can be opened up . . .

. . .To reveal a lovely curved middle part with a drawer.

Unfortunately, all the needles/buttons/threads etc. had to be thrown out because some were mouldy and all of them had that musty smell that wouldn't have made for good crafting. I'm just so happy my parents let me keep this wonderful heirloom. I know I will treasure it for always.
I also got to keep a couple of other trinkets. This is just a couple of pieces of costume jewellery; I think the necklace is very pretty but the clip on earrings are really for when we're dressing up in Drama :)

I asked to keep these rations books because I did a project in History on the Ministry of Food and thought it was really cool to keep a little part of history for myself. My parents are uncovering loads of things in the house, like WW1 medals and letters from the Queen! I'll post again if anything really interesting comes up.

I haven't really been stitching as much as I thought I would during the exam season. To be honest, after I finished my day of revision, all I wanted to do was curl up in a blanket and watch a movie. But I am really close to a finish on Nature's Beauty that I will hopefully finish within the next week or so. Because after my Drama exam, IT'S SUMMER! Which means I'll have all the time in the world to sit and stitch. That sounds so lovely, doesn't it?
I'm going to spend my free day catching up on my blog reading too, I can't wait to see what you've all been up to. After the Drama exam, I hope to be going back to much more regular blog posting.
I hope you are all well,

A Blogging Break

2011-05-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Wasn't the royal wedding beautiful? I loved every minute of it, from the moment she stepped out of the car, I was transfixed. She of course looked absolutely stunning in her dress, it was a little simpler than I had imagined I will admit, but she still looked like a true princess. My favourite part was when the couple drove away in the blue Aston Martin! What a sweet thing to do.
I stitched all through the royal wedding, but the key parts had my full attention naturally. I've made some definite progress on Nature's Beauty . . .

There's still a little way to go yet but I can just see a finish in sight. I'm hoping to get this one framed as soon as its done.

I'm afraid I have to take a blogging break now. I have only got three weeks left at school and then I've got to get through possibly the most important exams I'll ever do. I so so SO want to get into Uni this year, so I of course have to give it all I've got in these exams. I might pop back in occasionally to do some blog reading from time to time and I will still be stitching. I use it to wind down after hours of revising! I'm sure you all understand that this is a point in my life where I really need to focus, knuckle down and concentrate fully on getting good grades. I'll be back more regularly in June, where I'll have all the time in the world to see what you've all been up to, blog about what I've been stitching and more stitching time of course.
Take care and best wishes to all of you. Cross a stitch for me!

Sunshine Times

2011-04-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying such a busy week this week. My and my mum went to look around Winchester town and the University that I'm going to next year. It's the most gorgeous town, and we found an amazing haberdashery and craft store that I couldn't resist buying a few trims from. I'm saving these up for summer when I've got so much more time to do finishing. Other days this week, I've spent the mornings revising and filing all my work and then the afternoons stitching or scrapbooking. We've had such wonderful weather in England recently that one afternoon, I sat outside and finished this little cutie.

It is a freebie from Kreinik called Halloween Cats and I think it's adorable. I didn't have any of the Kreinik threads it called for, so I just used odds and ends I found in my stash. I'm really pleased with this one, and it gave me a nice boost as it's been awhile since I've finished anything.
I'm still thoroughly enjoying every stitch on Nature's Beauty. Here's where I'm up to on this piece . . .

I think I'm about half way through on this one and I can see it being the project I relax to after hours of revising.

If you get the chance, pop over and see Sarah at Kiwi Gets Crafty. She is a new blogger that I've only just discovered and she's a student too! Sarah is learning all kinds of crafty things, as well as cooking and baking; check it out.
I'm spending the Easter weekend with my boyfriend and we've got a big roast dinner planned! And lots of chocolate of course :) I hope you have a lovely Easter, spending time with family and loved ones.
Best wishes,

Another Giveaway

2011-04-18T02:21:00.001-07:00

This time not from me, but from the lovely Angela at Hooked on Finishes. Angela does such beautiful finishing work and she's offering to make a chosen finish for the winner of her Third Blogaversary. Just click on the picture to go over and have a look, it'll be well worth it :)

Drumroll please!

2011-04-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

So I didn't manage time in the week for an update, but I did make time to announce the winner of my very first giveaway, in celebration of my first blogaversary. The winner will receive this little pile of loveliness which includes; spring finishing fabric, some 32ct Belfast Linen, scissors, a skein of Duchess thread and some chocolate, because it's Easter :)

And my soon-to-be-finished surprise bookmark too.

I decided to go old school in drawing a name, as this was my first giveaway. I of course used very technical equipment . . .

And the name my father drew out was . . . (I would have taken a picture of the paper too, but this evening light wasn't good for my flash camera)

. . .

Nancy, from Cross Stitches and Kitty Kisses!!

Congratulations Nancy, please email me your address and I will get the parcel out to you as soon as possible. - My email is on my profile :)

Thank you all so much for entering my humble giveaway, it means a lot to me :) I'd love to have more giveaways and more community projects. I think the summer will be the time to hold them though, I've got exams to get through first! I hope you're all having a joyful start to Spring, and I hope to be back with another post before Easter - she says :)

Best wishes,

Announcing My Giveaway!

2011-04-10T03:57:00.000-07:00

And only one day later than planned :) This giveaway is just a small parcel in celebration of my very first blogaversary. It contains fabric, some threads and a few other treats. I'm afraid I don't have a picture to share as it's still coming together.

If you would like to be in with a chance of winning this parcel, just leave a comment ON THIS POST ONLY. There's no need to post a link to your page, but if you would like to, that would be lovely. I will be drawing the winning name on my blogaversary day (next Saturday) in the evening. I will hopefully post the prize soon after.

Good luck to all! I'll be back with a stitchy post in the week. I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful weekend,

Sneaky Peek

2011-04-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

EDITED: Sorry about the pictures! I hope they're showing up alright now :)

What a fortnight it's been! We're wrapping up all the schoolwork before the Easter holidays so I've been a very busy bee typing up all my coursework and notes, making revision packs and extra reading etc. etc. Then last week, I was struck down by one of those awful bugs that cause horrible sickness. My mum thought it might be food poisoning, but we couldn't pin down what I'd eaten to make me so sick. I was out for four days; I couldn't even stitch! So between schoolwork and sickness, I haven't been able to do as much stitching as I would like to. My Nature's Beauty is coming along rather well though . . .

I can't wait to have this framed and on my wall! In other news, I have been putting together my very first giveaway. I will warn you now, it is not by any stretch of the imagination a very large giveaway. It's just a neat little package ready to gift someone who takes enjoyment from my blog :) I'm not very confident in my finishing techniques yet, but I am making something stitched for the winner - a bookmark! I won't tell you what it is, just give you a sneaky peak. I can tell you it's a design from a British based company.

My giveaway will be announced on Saturday, so make sure you look out for it :) We've got a week to go before we break up for the holidays. I know I'm going bowling and watching the royal wedding (of course) but other than that, it looks like I've got a lot of revision in front of me. At least stitching will provide some light relief :)

Have a wonderful week,

Stiching in Spring

2011-03-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-03-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-01T08:55:00.000-08:00

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

It's All Greek To Me!

2011-02-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

I'm back! I had such a wonderful time in Athens. It was a really jam packed four days and we saw so much in such a short period of time. They were very long and tiring days, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
First up we went to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon and other famous historical sights that I can't remember the names of LOL. (I'll try not to show too many pictures, I don't want to make any of you yawn, these are just a taster).
The Parthenon. Such an incredible place, if you ever get the chance to visit, seize that chance with both hands. It's once of those really powerful places where you can actually sense the history around it.

This is a Roman style theatre on the way up to the Acropolis which was so impressive. It's just huge and the seats are so steep. No one is allowed to go on it though, unlike the Dionysus Theatre, because this one hasn't been restored.

Another close of snap of the Parthenon.

This was one of my favourite pieces we saw. It's a Greek sphinx, which is very different from the Egyptian kind. The Greek sphinx has wings and a body based on a lioness rather than a lion. It's very beautiful in real life, and so well preserved.

This is the part which I thought would most interest my fellow stitchers. On the last day, we visited the Athens museum of Folk Art and one of the first exhibits was this, a traditional Greek cross stitch sampler! It made me chuckle that I had flown hundreds of miles and still my hobby had found me. Here it is, sorry about the blurry picture, I struggled taking a nice one because of the glass front.

It uses such rich colours and it was so long; this is just a section because I couldn't fit the whole piece in! I'm hoping to take one of the motifs and make it into my very own cross stitched piece, as a lasting memory from such a wonderful trip. I could've easily stayed in Athens a couple more days, but the atmosphere in the centre was becoming more tense because of the latest riots. Luckily, our group was out of town in Delphi when the main rioting took place. There was petrol bombs and everything though, so it was a little scary when we came back in the evening.

Since I've been in Athens all week, I've had no time for stitching at all. We had early mornings and late nights so there would have been no time for stitching even if I had taken some with me! I've got work tonight and tomorrow, but on Sunday I'm planning to rest up and stitch.

Oh! I haven't told you my biggest news! The day before we were due to set off for Athens, I had a nasty fall and cut my foot open on the side. I had to go to A&E and have five stitches put in. I got a crutch for Athens so getting down the mountains was a bit tricky sometimes, but I coped well enough :) My foot is nearly back to normal, I had my stitches out this morning and the last dressing comes off tomorrow. I'm certainly very clumsy LOL

So yes, I hope to be stitching and sewing on Sunday and hopefully actually finishing my Chilly Paws piece. I hope you've all got a lovely weekend planned, you certainly have been busy when I was away. So many gorgeous projects going on at the moment :)

Happy stitching!

A Chilly Finish

2011-02-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a fantastic week and are soon to be enjoying a relaxing weekend. I had my last practical drama exam this week, and it went quite well - I hope! And I got an offer from my top choice University so that's very good for me :)
On the stitching front, I have now finished Chilly Paws . . .

I'm hoping to turn this into a pin pillow soon, when I get some cording sorted. I'm going to use the fabric in the picture for the back of it. I was really impressed when I bought this fabric actually, I got it from eBay at a very reasonable price. That's much easier for me than trying to find the time to go to the haberdashery. I'm getting into the habit of finding stash pieces on eBay at the moment, I think my bank balance will soon start to suffer LOL
In other news, Nature's Beauty is coming along a treat. I don't often have much time for stitching at the moment, only an hour or so each day, but I am really enjoying this piece. I can now see why LHN designs are so popular, I don't think this will be my last one. Here's where I'm up to . . .

It's back to work for me this weekend, as I had last week paid holiday. But then on Sunday, I'm off to Athens! I'll look forward to catching up with everyone when I return on Thursday, and tell you all about my trip of course :)
Have a wonderful weekend,

WOW!!

2011-02-12T04:45:00.000-08:00

Well, I could hardly believe it when I logged onto Blogger this morning and my number of followers had doubled! I thought my eyes were deceiving me, or Blogger was having a malfunction. I was so delighted when it turned out to be true! I cannot thank you all enough for becoming new followers, I really hope you like my blog :) I'm still a little confused though, can any one fill me in on how this wonderful thing happened? I had 31 followers before, and then five days later BAM - 61! Hello to all my new followers, please feel free to leave comments and ask questions about anything on my blog, I would love to hear from you. And we must welcome old friends too :)

So, first things first, thank you for all your helpful comments on 123stitch. I didn't actually make my order until I had heard some opinions from the blogging world. Now that I have used the company myself, I can heartily agree with the positive comments. My stash was posted the day after I ordered it and arrived exactly one week after that. It was all packaged up perfectly and I thought the prices were so reasonable, especially because I live in the UK. So any fellow UK stitchers out there, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this site, it's very good indeed.
Here's the stash I got. I know it doesn't look like much, but for me, it's very exciting LOL I got LHN Nature's Beauty and some threads I needed for that, and some other threads too for an upcoming spring project. Stay tuned for that!

One of my New Year's Stitchy Resolutions was to stitch a LHN design, and after seeing Nature's Beauty on Lynn's blog (thanks Lynn!) I knew it had to be that one. I've made a start on it already, although only a very small start. I had to cut the fabric twice because the first one just wasn't big enough. That'll teach me to start a project late at night, but I honestly couldn't resist!

Chilly Paws is in its final stages too, all that's left is the backstitched words to go alongside the cute Britty Kitty. I've got the fabric ready to turn this into a flatfold as soon as it's finished - not too long now I hope.

And this part of the post is entirely for Peggy-Lee, but feel free to read on :) The story goes that I commented on Peggy's post about cookies saying I had never had a homemade cookie before. She was clearly outraged by this (LOL) as she emailed me some lovely recipes for me to try at home. Well, me and my mum looked over these recipes and unfortunately, some of the ingredients weren't available here in the UK. My mum persevered though and found some other recipes on the Internet. So although we didn't get to use your wonderful recipes Peggy, I can now say I've had a homemade cookie. And here's the proof!

We did make a few more than this, but they were still in the oven when I wanted to take a picture. They are so good, I could probably get through a batch by myself :) Thank again Peggy for your kindness and setting me on this naughty path of cookie heaven!
I've got a drama performance coming up at school, but a week after that, I'm going on a school trip to Athens! I'm really looking forward to it as I'm going with my closest friends. I'll be sure to share some pictures after my trip.
I'm going out tonight to see a comedian with my boyfriend, but before that, I've got sometime to make a serious dent in Nature's Beauty.
Thanks again for joining me on my blog, it means so much to me :) I hope you all have a lovely weekend,

A Giveaway Announcement

2011-02-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

The lovely Deborah at Cranberry Samplings is having a special giveaway for reaching 300 followers. Well done Deborah! Go and check it out, although I don't mind too much if you don't - more chances for me! :) LOL

A Question . . .

2011-02-01T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hello blogging friends, I was wondering if you could help me. I was browsing on http://www.123stitch.com/ website and found some lovely things at a great price, thanks to the conversion rate. I was just wondering if this is a good website to use? Is service good? And to any English bloggers, have you used this website before? Does it takes ages for packages to arrive?

Any advice on using this website would be gratefully appreciated :)

No pictures from me today, but I hope to have a finish in the next couple of days!

Hope you're all having a lovely week,

A Little Bit of Progress

2011-01-27T08:46:00.000-08:00

Just as I'm typing this now, the first little snow flakes are starting to fall. It's been getting colder for days but now the snow has started. I'm sure we won't get it as bad as some of you out there!
This week has been pretty slow for stitching, as I've only had time to work on one project. What with coursework and the upcoming drama performance, stitching is just not on the agenda much, even though I would like it to be :)
So here's where I'm up to on Chilly Paws . . .

This one is certainly stitching up fast and I'm using my first ever Crescent Colour for the main colour of the cat. I think it's a bit bolder than the DMC version, which I like.
Just a quick post from me this week, as I'm off out again soon. Busy busy! I hope you all have a lovely weekend and manage to fit in more stitching than me :)

Chilly Foxes

2011-01-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. How is your January going? I love seeing all the different projects on the Crazy January Challenge, as well as the Up for a Challenge. There are so many designs that I have been investigating because of them, checking to see if I can get some in the UK. My wish list has certainly grown since the challenges started!
I've been doing a fair bit of stitching in the last week or so. The Foxes has grown considerably, my girl now has a head :)

I've only got her hat to stitch using the glitter thread and the backstitching and this piece will be ready to be framed. I'm keeping this one for myself as I have a real love of foxes. What animals do you like to stitch?
I started another new design recently that I bought as stash awhile ago now. It's Chilly Paws by Brittercup Designs, featuring one of their lovely "Britty Kitties". Here's where I'm up to on that . . .

I'm thinking I will turn this into a pin pillow when it's done, if I can get out to our local fabric store some time soon. I don't have very much fabric at all and none of them seem right for this design. I will just have to go hunting for some more :)
I've started babysitting again so I get to use that time for my cross stitching. School is good at the moment too, we have a Drama performance coming up in one month's time but I'm sure my group will be fine. My mum's started making homemade soups recently, a new hobby that I greatly approve of. We had leek and potato today and it sure was yummy!
I might have a peek in my stash later on to see what I might like to stitch once I finish The Foxes. I don't think a finish is too long away now.
I hope you're all having a lovely week,

My Very Own ABC's

2011-01-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

This seems to be doing the rounds on a few of my blogs at the moment, and I love how you get to know a little bit about the people who write some of the best blogs. So I thought I'd join in the fun too!

A - Age: Eighteen

B - Bed Size: Just a simple single

C - Chore you hate: Washing up

D - Dogs Name: No dogs but I do have a very fat cat called Tiptoe

E - Essential Start of the Day item: Cereal, mostly Shreddies. I cannot function without some kind of breakfast.

F - Favourite Colour: Green

G - Gold or Silver: Gold, I like collecting little gold necklaces

H - Height: 5ft 7"

I - Instruments you play: I wish!

J - Job: Studying for A-levels and a weekend job in Sainsbury's

K - Kids: Not yet, not for a long time :)

L - Living Arrangements: Still at home right now, but I will hopefully be at Uni by the end of the year

M - Music You Love: The Beatles, the early days

N - Nicknames: My closest friends call me Jam :)

O - Overnight Hospital Stay: None so far *touch wood*

P - Pet Peeve: People who don't say please and thank you.

Q - Quote from a Movie: "We're having too much fun today, we ain't even thinking about tomorrow" - John Dillinger (played by the lovely Johnny Depp) in Public Enemies

R - Right handed or Left: Left handed

S - Siblings: Just one older sister

T - Time you wake up: 7:07am

U - Underwear: Never without it :)

V - Vegetables you dislike: None really, I don't like certain fruits like pineapple or coconut

W - Workout Style: Shopping LOL

X - X-Rays You've had: Knees (I had growing pains when I was younger)

Y - Yummy Food you make: I make a pretty good spaghetti bolognese :)

Z - The best place to Visit - My nan's cottage in the New Forest

There we go, I hope you feel like you know me a little better :) I'm off to do some stitching now, I'm itching to do a new project - stay tuned!

Snowmen in January

2011-01-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!
I'm afraid there's not been much stitching happening in my house recently. I just haven't had any spare time since going back to school, it's all about coursework recently. That should calm down in the next week or so.
Although, I have a few spare moments to stitch up this little cutie. This is my January ornament, my first piece for my ornament a month challenge. I had a scrap of fabric and will hopefully be turning him into a pincushion the next sewing machine chance I get.

Prairie Schooler freebie
Stitched on 28ct mushroom
Unknown threads used
Hopefully this evening I will be able to set myself up with a DVD and The Foxes and stitch away undisturbed. That's the plan anyways :) Where do you do most of your stitching?
I hope you all have a lovely week,

PS I've just seen I've hit thirty followers! I must thank each and everyone of you for following my little blog, it means a lot to me :)

Hello 2011

2011-01-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I've been very preoccupied recently with family gatherings and dinners out with friends to celebrate the turning of the year. I had a very relaxing New Years Eve with my boyfriend and a few friends. It was perfect :) Now I'm ready for 2o11. I always like making resolutions at the start of the year, and even if I don't manage to stick to them, it's still nice to have them. My personal resolutions for this year are :
1) Work hard for good grades for Uni.
2) Have more picnics
3) Take more film when on outings.

And onto the more stitching related ones, this year I'd like to:
1) Complete an LHN design (I keep seeing them on fellow blogs and I really want to do one myself)
2) Host a giveaway
3) Take part in a small exchange (my sewing knowledge is too small to take part in a challenging exchange, yet)
4) Work on my fairies design (I really can't let it hide away for another year lol)
5) Stitch something for a RAK
6) Complete the ornament a month challenge (I would love to have more cross stitched pieces to display when next Christmas rolls round)
These are things that I would like to do throughout the year and I will celebrate my first bloganniversary this year. If that's not reason for a giveaway I don't know what is!

I'm very late in counting up my finishes for this year, but I've only got 11. That's pretty good for me, even though I know fellow bloggers can do five times that amount lol. My biggest design finish of the year was Charlie's Ark which is the piece I first started blogging about. I'm hoping to do many more finishes this year, in lots more finishing styles.

In other news, I did a fair bit of stitching over the Christmas holiday and this is where I'm up to on The Foxes. The girl is just starting to grow and the foxes are all finished, apart from the backstitching. I'm going to keep this design for me and frame it; it's already got a place on my wall waiting for it :)

I got a fair bit of Christmas money and I was thinking of purchasing my own sewing machine. I'm sewing more pillows than ever before, but I rarely get to use the Singer sewing machine we have now because it's very precious to my mum. I was thinking of getting a small but reliable machine of my own so I could get it out whenever I wanted rather than wait for my mum to get out the Singer. What do you think? And do you have any suggestions for good sewing machines? Any advice would really be appreciated :)

We're back at school now and I'm lucky not to have any January module exams this year. There's no let up on the coursework though, and the next Drama performance is in a couple of months. No worries though, I've still got plenty of time for stitching :)
Hope you're all having a great week,

I am still here!

2010-12-27T04:24:00.000-08:00

I apologise for being absent from my blog for much of December. I've been using the holiday season to spend time with family and friends, catch up on the school work and eat far too much of course! I hope you're all having a wonderful festive season and got everything you wanted for Christmas.
I have been stitching quite a lot and will be showing progress as well as a few finished pieces when I return in January. I'm hoping to start an Ornament a Month challenge like the ones I love reading about on fellow blogs. We'll see how that goes.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Little Steps

2010-12-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Yet another busy week of work - both school and my job. I haven't had much time for blogging or stitching which gets me down a little. I can't wait for the Christmas holidays for some time to relax but we've still got another week to go. I'm sure everything will be fine in the end, just got to battle through!
I did manage to finish my first Lizzie*Kate piece this past week, complete with miniature buttons!

I really enjoyed stitching this little beauty and will probably do it again in time for next time. I'm turning this into a pillow when I get a chance, and speaking of pillows, I've started preparing my Twilight pillows . . .

I do all the tacking etc. before Mum gets the sewing machine out to save time. It's an old Singer that used to belong to my grandmother, so I'm only allowed to use it when Mum's around, just in case :) What do you think is the best homemade gift? Home baked things are always good for me, particularly from a friend of mine who made me a special cake just because she thought I was looking a bit down. Thanks Georgina!
On a side note from stitching, my University application was sent off this week so I will hopefully be offered places soon by my chosen Unis. Exciting!
I hope you are all having a lovely (and more productive than me!) week and I'll check in soon.

Winter Stitching

2010-11-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last week consisted of too much coursework and not enough stitching. Add another 18th Birthday celebration and I had a very busy week indeed. I managed to get in all my work though and I've got used to the routine of my new job. I have, as promised to myself made a start on Be Naughty . . .

I'm sorry about the quality of the picture, I'm not quite sure why it came out all blurry. I hope to finish this one very soon, so I can "finish" it in time for Christmas. Onto to further stitching news, I've been working well on The Foxes.

Maybe this piece is a little too Autumnal, but because of the girl's cosy hat, I think I will continue stitching on this through winter. It might have to take a back seat for the Christmas stitching though. Talking of Christmas stitching, I was very disappointed with my latest issue of CrossStitcher magazine. I was hoping that it would contain some nice card designs or ornament ideas but the ones they featured were so simple and basic - not what you'd expect from a Christmas issue. Luckily, the Internet has provided me with many freebies that I'm looking forward to stitching up soon.Do you have a favourite magazine around Christmas time that you just have to have?
The snow has just arrived in my village, but not too much. I expect it will become heavier in the next couple of days or so. Stay safe and keep warm!

Mysterious Fog . . .

2010-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hello all, hope you're all settling into the colder season with plenty of warm woollies and cups of hot chocolate. These two things sum up my past week! Schoolwork has calmed down a little bit, only two more pieces of coursework to go. My first thing I have to share is the bizarre fog we had a couple of days ago.

Now, fog might not seem remarkable but this photo was taken at 4:30pm! This is the first time I've seen fog last for so long, does this happen much where you live?
Onto the stitching news, I ordered some new stash again. I do try and keep my spending to a minimum so I buy one lots of stash each month. This is November's batch and it was only a little one.

The Crescent Colours "Black Coffee" is going to be used to stitch one of the Britty Kitty designs that I got in my last stash enhancement. The others are DMC and will be used for the two Lizzie*Kate designs I also purchased. I'm starting on this one this evening . . .

Yep, I'm getting underway with my seasonal stitching, I think it might be my favourite thing to stitch. Thank you so much for your comments about what to stuff your pillows with. I have ordered some polyester stuffing that should arrive in the next week or so. I think it's great that a relatively new stitcher like me can have access to the wealth of knowledge from stitchers in blogland. So thanks again!
I'll be back with a new start and a progress pic on The Foxes, which I have been working on this past week. I hope you are all having a lovely week, plus it's Friday tomorrow! :)

Project Finishes

2010-11-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

This past week was really manic for me, which is why I haven't got round to blogging at all. There's coursework due in and University applications to complete, as well as starting my job this weekend. I do enjoy all areas of my life, but sometimes they do get in the way of each other :) I have been making time for stitching though, it relaxes me after busy days. My Twilight stitching is all done, just need to get the sewing machine out and transform them into pillows . . .

Can I ask, what do you use to stuff your pillows/ornaments with? For my previous ones, I used cut up bits of wadding so they were soft to the touch, but I would like to use something harder this time, like for pin pillows. Any advice about what you use and where I could possibly get the same product would be much appreciated :)
In other stitchy news, look what I finished!

This only needed a bit more beading on it, so I finished it up one evening. I didn't really like the big red stars on the top band so I replaced them with the year instead. This was my first Mill Hill finish, and I did enjoy it, but I think I would like a break from beading now! Mum said she's going to find a frame for it so we can display it at Christmas.
Speaking of Christmas, is anyone else already excited? I love Christmas time, especially in our village. There's carol services and decorating the green, all sorts. My next stitching project is going to be something Christmas themed so that I can hold my very first giveaway for Christmas. Look out for it!
I hope you are all having/had a lovely weekend and keeping warm in the autumn weather.

Autumn Projects

2010-11-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Half term is over now and it's back at school. But it's not boring because we're having a fancy dress day tomorrow! To raise funds for the Christmas Fayre, younger school pupils are allowed to wear their own clothes but because we get to do that every day, we get to dress up. Our challenge for this day was to dress as something beginning with "C". My idea (and I hope I will be the only one) is to go dressed as a Christmas Tree! I've got my costume all ready and I'll see if I can get a decent pic to share with you all :)
Onto stitchy news, the Twilight project is nearly complete with only one and a half squares left to go. These are really simple designs so stitch up quite quickly. Then I will move onto to making them into pillows.

I was working quite a lot during half term on The Foxes which is starting to take shape. You might be able to see from the picture (they should be clickable) that the little toadstools are shimmering. You combine one strand of floss and one strand of glitter to make them sparkle. I've never used this technique before and I really like it. So here's where I'm at on The Foxes.

I start my new job next weekend, but this weekend I'm going to a fireworks display and then to a party. Homework will have to wait till Sunday!
I hope you're all having a lovely week,

Half Term Stitching

2010-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Half term has been lovely so far. I'm doing a little bit of school work each day (not enough really, but I am suppose to be relaxing :)) and spending the rest of the time doing fun things. Fright Night was brilliant. Especially all the big rides in the dark, particularly Rush and Nemesis. Click on the links to see videos to get what I mean :) I screamed the most on Rush, I thought I was going to fall into the sky!

On the stitching front, I have been working on The Foxes. This kit comes with a pale green aida, which I really like working on. The colours too are so bold, it's very hard to put down.

I am also continuing with my Twilight project and I'm now up to three and a bit squares, so I'm over half way. I'm making these into little pillows for my closest friends who all love Twilight.

In other stitchy relevant news, after seeing an ad in the latest CrossStitcher, I bought some magazines from a kind lady who lives just around the corner from me. They were very reasonable as I didn't have to pay p&p, so I came away with quite a few. I haven't got the room to store the whole magazines so I'm taking charts that I like and storing them into a big binder folder. I'm already on my second one of these from previous purchases of old magazines. Here's just a sample of what I got for my £5 note :)

I'm meeting up with friends tomorrow for a movie day with Ben &Jerry's ice cream. Yum! Then I've got a few more days to stitch, relax and hopefully get a bit more schoolwork done before I go back next Wednesday.
I hope you're all having a lovely week,

Stash!

2010-10-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

My stash parcel arrived on Thursday, but I had a big Sixth Form party that night so it's taken me till now to post. I must first recommend Sew and So, it's a brilliant website with everything you could ever need. They have reasonable prices and the p&p was only £1! So, here's a picture of what I got . . .

1. The Foxes Kit, Bothy Threads
2. Chilly Paws & Love Cats Chart, Brittercup Designs
3. Be Naughty Chart with Buttons, Lizzie*Kate
4. Merry Friends Santa '03 Chart, Lizzie*Kate
5. 28 Count Jazlyn Mushroom - 19x27

I had been looking at the Bothy Threads kit for awhile as it keeps appearing in CrossStitcher. It's my eighteenth birthday present to myself for last month :) I really love Lizzie*Kate designs so I thought I'd buy some to make myself and that's why I got the evenweave too. The Britty Kitty charts are adorable and I will be starting those soon I think.
I've already put some stitches into The Foxes, but not enough for a photo. It's half term now, so I've got much more time to sit and stitch. This is good news, as I've got so many projects I want to do! I'm up to two squares on the Twilight project and I want to finish Snowmen soon too. So that's exactly how I'm going to spend my Saturday, and then it's off to Thorpe Park tomorrow for Fright Night. I'm really looking forward to going on all the big rollercoasters in the dark :)
I hope you all have a lovely weekend, whatever you are doing,

A Gift!

2010-10-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one week is a record for me, let alone consecutive days! But I simply had to share what I received in the post today. I won the surprise giveaway on Daffycat's blog and won a needle minder and scissor fob made by the wonderful Sharon. This is what I saw when I opened the package - isn't it adorable paper?

And here's what I found when I ripped it open! I was so pleased to receive these as these are the first pieces of cross stitch that I own that I haven't made myself. Sharon also sent a pair of stainless steel scissors too, I can tell you right now that they will go to good use.

Thank you very much Sharon!
I've been doing a bit of stash enhancing this evening. I didn't spend any of my birthday money last month and in celebration of getting a new job, I decided to have a stash splurge. I have ordered lots of different things from Sew and So that should be arriving in the next day or two. I'll share as soon as it arrives!
Hope you're having a lovely week,

A New Project

2010-10-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

I missed my Sunday post day because I got all wrapped up in my write-up about my play. It went brilliantly and all my teachers and friends were so complimentary about it. My parents were there too and they were very proud that I had managed to write and produce this one act play. But I am glad it's all over. It was very tiring being the director!
So now onto stitching. I'm afraid I haven't got as much to share as last time because of my busy schedule, but I have started on a new project. My three closest friends and I are all big Twilight fans. I haven't read the books myself but I have seen all three of the films with them. When I saw this freebie on Plum Street Samplers, I knew it would be perfect for them. I'm going to make each of them a pillow as an addition to their Christmas present, E is for Edward on one side and J is for Jacob on the other. Plus it gives me a chance to use the black aida I had in my stash. I have done one out of the six squares so far, and just started on the second one.

I have done a little bit more beading on Snowmen - one of them is now equipped with his scarf and hat! I'm hoping it won't be too long before this one is finished, but of course, I say that all the time :) Here's where I'm up to on Snowmen . . .

I think I'm going to start a new Halloween project soon, one with pumpkins of course so I can enter it in the Great Pumpkin Challenge. I found a freebie called Colourful Witch by Barbara Ana that is calling out to me at the moment. When I get the threads all organised, I'll make a start on it.
Other exciting news, I got a job! It's only a weekend thing in a local supermarket, but it's decent pay and close to where I live. What more could you ask for? That also means more for my stash fund :)
Have a wonderful week,

Lots to Share

2010-10-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today's post is a fairly long one because I have been stitching up a storm recently. I think when I'm stressed, I tend to stitch more as it relaxes me in the evenings after the busy days. So, first up is the first pillow I have ever made using a cross stitched piece. Ta-daaah!

This little reindeer was stitched on aida as it was a freebie kit, but I think linen is better when making pillows. Ah well, I'll learn from my mistakes. The next pillow was stitched on linen and is the Lizzie*Kate freebie, Spooky Patch.

I stitched this using the DMC alternatives and the pillow wasn't quite perfect but that's because I'm very new to the sewing machine. They don't teach sewing at my school, isn't that stupid? My mum was very patient with me when I made these two today :) Both of the pillows were backed with material I bought recently and the Spooky Patch is being entered into the Pumpkin Challenge. That is why I think the Challenge is such a good idea because I never would have attempted making a pillow without the added incentive.
Next up is Boo Tree which is in the process of being made into a pinkeep, also being entered into the Pumpkin Challenge. I haven't got any cord at the moment so I will wait until I have all the materials and then put it together. Here is the finished stitched piece though, all laced up.

And the final thing I have to show in this week's post is my progress on Snowmen. Although it takes me quite a long time, I am liking the effect of beads and cross stitch together. I'm hoping this one will be finished in the next week or so.

I have just heard that I have won Daffycat's surprise giveaway! I'm so pleased as I very much admired the pieces and would never be able to make something like them myself. Thank you Sharon!

My play goes on stage in four days time. As soon as the curtain falls, then I will have a chance to breathe.

Have a wonderful week,

Beading and Boo

2010-10-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I hope you're having a lovely autumn like me at the moment. Every thing's slightly damp and it's gone a bit colder but the leaves are so pretty, the conkers are out and it's finally time for hoodies and soup. Did I tell you I rather like autumn? :)
There's not been much beading this week, but the tree is certainly looking more green. I do want to get this one finished for this Christmas though, as well as a couple of others.

I have made a new start though. I'm taking part in BeckySC's Great Pumpkin Challenge and I'm planning to stitch up a few designs whenever I can and then finish them all sooner to the closing date. I have stitched one piece so far and this is my second. It was a freebie called Boo Tree by Rose Krizan.

Not much progress to show this week, and I'm not sure there will be much next Sunday either. My play is performed in less than two weeks time so I'm busy with collecting costume, arranging set and pestering actors to learn their lines. After that though, things should calm down a bit. I hope!
Have a wonderful week,

Top Beading Tip

2010-09-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a week, which is a very long time for me. I have kept up with my blog reading, it's just that I didn't have time for any stitching! This week has been so busy with rehearsals, English coursework, University open days and my eighteenth birthday! I had a wonderful party with all my friends but I needed the next day to rest and recover :)
I have made some progress on my snowmen, with lots more beads going on . . .

I don't actually mind the beading, it's quite enjoyable. I read somewhere that if you haven't got a bead mat, an egg cup is the next best thing. I agree with this as it is easy to scoop the tiny beads out with your needle from the egg cup. I have finished my Lizzie*Kate Spooky Patch and will hopefully be finishing it into a pin pillow some time this week. I have picked out the design for my next pumpkin piece, just got to get the threads sorted.
I am working hard with schoolwork and studies, but I have allocated certain times in the week for stitching. I need them to keep me sane!
Have a wonderful week,

Something New

2010-09-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

I have started on evenweave! As part of the Pumpkin Challenge, I am stitching this Lizzie*Kate freebie, Spooky Patch, on 28ct white evenweave. And I'm enjoying it. It was a bit strange at first with the counting, but I was getting into my stride with the second row, and by the third, I had forgotten to concentrate on the counting! It's coming on nicely and I hope to have it finished soon.

I'm going to try and FINISH a lot more of the designs I complete, so I needed some fabric to do so. I had a lovely visit to my local FabricLand and found these three beauties . . .

I got three half metres for under £5, which is very reasonable indeed. I felt a bit lost when I first went in, as there was so much to choose from - I didn't know where to start. Luckily, I had some help from one of the sales assistants. I was looking for Halloween fabrics mainly, but I couldn't resist the Christmas stars one as it was half off :)
I'm spending my Sunday afternoon stitching, I hope you are having an enjoyable weekend whatever you are doing.

The Beading has Begun

2010-09-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying my snowmen design, as I have just started the beading. It does take rather a long time so I have only completed a couple of rows on the bottom. It is certainly coming along well now and my mum says she will display it for Christmas. Here's where I'm up to so far.

My evenweave arrived today and the first thing I noticed was how soft it was! When I looked closer, I thought the stitches would look quite large over 2, but maybe that's because I'm used to working on 18ct aida. I will persevere with it though, I'm planning to start my evenweave project at the weekend. Talking of new projects, has anyone else seen BeckySC's new Great Pumpkin Challenge? I signed up for it because I think it's a great motivator. Go and check it out.
And on a final note, I would like to wish my friend Timothy a very happy 18th birthday which he celebrated yesterday. He always teases me that his birthday his before mine, but it's only a week till I turn 18. I'm not too far behind :)
I hope you're having a lovely week,

Very Christmassy

2010-09-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

My stitching is coming along nicely at the moment. Maybe because the nights are drawing in much earlier and it's so pleasant to cosy up and stitch. Snowmen is coming on a treat and I'm hoping it won't be too long before I start the beading task.

I have a new start this week. I found this little kit whilst rummaging for my needles and decided it should be stitched up right away. I don't think I'm going to add the blanket stitch or stitched stars to this piece, it looks a bit messy. I'll see what it looks like when I finish the actual reindeer, which shouldn't be too long actually!

I seem to be doing lots of Christmas pieces at the moment because I really want to decorate my room with cross stitch things when the season comes. Expect more winter design pieces in the months ahead :)

Thank you very much for your tips on evenweave/linen. I have now put in an order for a piece of 32ct white Jobelan - I'm hoping this was the right one to go for. I have a question though, if you stitch a design on evenweave 2 over 2, do you also complete the backstitch 2 over 2 as well? I'm afraid I'm a beginner in this department of stitching and need a bit of assistance :) I have chosen a pattern from a cross stitch book I borrowed from the library (Crafting Cross Stitch Cards by Sue Cook) to do my first piece of evenweave work on. I bought the threads required today and will hopefully be able to start by the end of this week, if the fabric arrives on time. I have also downloaded some of the Lizzie*Kate freebies which are very cute. I think they would look nice on evenweave too.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend,

Snowmen for September

2010-09-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

School work is in full swing, but I am keeping on top of it all and even having time for stitching in the evenings! These past couple of nights, I've been concentrating on Snowmen and here's where I'm up to . . .

I really like stitching on perforated paper and will have to investigate more of these kits. I also think I should start a project on evenweave/linen soon, just to sample it. Any tips for my first attempt?
I'm definitely in the mood for Christmas stitching, I seem to have skipped autumn and Halloween in favour of every one's favourite holiday! I have a couple of cute Christmas kits that I am hoping to make up soon, as well as a few cards. I don't normally make Christmas cards, but I thought I would this year for my three closest friends. Also, I love the idea of those miniature stocking that you can fill. Seems like my needle is going to be busy for awhile!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful week,

Stitching in September

2010-09-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I've started back at school now, but my first day back wasn't strenuous at all. After we sorted timetables out, we had simple lessons for the rest of the day, just to ease us back into the swing of things I reckon. I have got a picture of my new start on Snowmen . . .

It's not much, but it's a definite start. There's a lot of beading on this design which is a technique I haven't tackled before, but I am very willing to have a go. I have also got a picture to share of the mystery big project I spoke about last post, and here it is . . .

This is my progress on an Enchanting Lair design called "Always" It has been hiding ever since last September, but I would really like to finish it. I have therefore joined the I've Started So I'll Finish SAL in order to get this design complete. You can read more about it by clicking the link.
I have already got English Coursework deadlines, even though we've only been back two days, but there is still time for stitching. I hope any American readers are staying safe from Earl and that you all have a lovely weekend filled with stitching :)