All change for February

Hello my friends, I hope this post finds you well. I've been having a busy time of late, as always! We've merged two district nursing teams as part of a cost cutting exercise, but sadly, the result has been that many staff have left. That means more work divided by less people and it's been a bit of a strain to say the least. However, I'm coming to the end of my contract with the District Nurses, so I only have to do my best for the next two weeks. I have another job lined up to start in March, I'm going to be a placement administrator for a foster care company. It looks like a difficult, challenging job, but I'm ready for it. It looks like it could be truly rewarding too.

When life gets a bit much, I always like to concentrate on looking after myself. That way, I can fire on all cylinders and get as much done as I can. For me, that involves sleeping plenty, eating right and always making time for cross stitching. I've made some good progress on Highland Walkies. It's a lot of block stitching, which makes it a good project for the evenings. Lawrie bought me a clip on lamp for Christmas too, so I use that a lot for good sight. Here's where I'm up to on my latest project:

I'm only working on one piece at the moment, which is unusual for me, I normally have at least two on the go! My Christmas chart hasn't seen the light of day since January, I still can't decide if I want to power through and finish it, or wait until November when I start to feel the festive spirit again. What would you do? 

I hope you've had a marvellous weekend and you should never feel bad about taking a little time out for yourself :)

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

Organisation and a new kit

I've had quite a busy week, with no much time for stitching unfortunately. But I did have a lovely time last Sunday with all of my DMC threads. I finally got round to getting them all out and putting them away again in numerical order. I'm lucky to have quite the collection of DMC, but it was making it more difficult to find the ones I needed! I'm glad they're all organised now for easy access. They list the threads required in Cross Stitcher magazine in numerical order, so it should make kitting up projects a lot easier.

I have just started on my new kit that I bought with my Christmas voucher for SewandSo.com. It's called Highland Walkies from Bothy Threads. It was on my wish list for a long time so I was so pleased I got to purchase it. However, I was a little disappointed when I opened it because the threads were just draped over the thread holder, not secured, so the threads were in danger of mixing up. I spent most of the time when I opened the kit sorting the threads and only got a few stitches in. I'm sure I'll have a progress picture for next time. 

I've still got my Christmas sampler on the go. I thought about packing it away until next December, but I don't like leaving a project unfinished. Besides, if I finish it soon, it will definitely be ready to display next Christmas. I've got a couple of new projects on the bench, but I'm going to finish some before I make another new start.

I hope you're staying warm. It's been very bitterly cold in Bristol lately, I'm very glad for tea and stitching!

Best wishes,

Bekca

xxx

A Car Called Pond

Hello friends! Thank you for all your sweet comments on my last couple of blog posts. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things with blogging. It will be much easier now that I have access to the Internet in my flat. It was far too expensive to purchase on my own, but now that I'm sharing bills with Lawrence, I can be back online! I cannot wait to spend my day off tomorrow browsing through all the wonderful stitching blogs. Has anyone new arrived? If you've got a new favourite, please let me know in the comments, I need to keep up with these things :)

I haven't been stitching as much as I would like to, due to a nasty case of neck pain that I've been struggling with. It's been difficult to look down, so not ideal for stitching. Still, I'm sure things will be back to normal soon :)

Here's a small finish that I completed recently, a card for my friend who recently passed her driving test. The nickname she gave her car was Pond, as it has a tendency to leak! I'm quite pleased with the simple style :)

I hope you are enjoying glorious weather wherever you are in the world. I must admit, it's been a little bit too hot for my liking, but it will pass soon enough.

Best wishes,

 

My Friends

I have been away for far too long.

I can't believe the last time that I logged in to blog was last November. That's the longest break I have ever taken from this blog since its creation. There are many reasons why I took an unscheduled break, work load, family bereavement, illness, weddings and at one point, a distinct lack of stitching. I'm sorry for disappearing so suddenly, but I'm sure many of you can relate to the way life gets in the way sometimes!

But I looked over my stash today, in readiness for Lawrence moving in, and I thought, no, I'm not ready to give up this hobby. Stitching used to give me such pleasure and peace, there's no reason to give it up.

I cannot wait to be inspired by all the stitching activity that's been going on whilst I've been away. I've only picked up my stitching again recently, but I will hopefully have a few pictures to share soon.

Best wishes to all,

Bekca
xxx

The Good Old Days

Just flying in to share my latest progress pic of my Blackbird Designs sampler. I think I forgot to mention in my last post that I'm stitching this one over one :) It's tiny, but only one colour so I'm still enjoying myself. Here it is so far . . .

When I first started cross stitching, I would often spend most of a free day stitching. I would put on a couple of films and sit and stitch for hours on end. I don't get to do that much anymore, because there always seems to be "more important" things that require my attention. I should really carve some time out for my hobby, because it definitely puts me at ease. My workload is getting more intense as the festive season approaches. Unfortunately, I have to attend a funeral alongside Lawrence next week. He lost his grandfather recently, and the two of them were very close. I'm going to support him and the rest of the family.

With all the drama that's been happening recently, as well as the build up to Christmas, I think I just might deserve an evening of stitching in front of a film. It's my favourite way to spend me-time.

Thank you for being patient with my lack of posts. I hope to be back in the swing of things soon.

 

Bekca

xxx

House Tour

Hello friends. After a very busy weekend, I am all moved in to my new flat. Hurrah! I can't wait to get it set up properly so the stitching party can begin :) It's so nice to finally have all of my belongings in one place. And there's quite a lot of stuff . . .

 

Okay, so there's a MASSIVE amount of stuff! But on my next day off, I'm determined to find a place for everything and it will all be neat and organised (she says!)

 

This is my favourite part of the flat. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have a kitchen all to myself! I know I'll be whipping up some treats in there in no time :)

 

 

I'm on the top floor and this is the tiny staircase that leads to my flat. It wasn't easy getting a double bed up these stairs, I can tell you, but Lawrence and my dad managed it - thanks guys!

 

I hope to have some actual stitching to report by the weekend. It's a busy time at the moment, what with moving, work and my graduation ceremony taking place next week. I'm planning on taking loads of pictures so I'll be sure to share a few :)

Best wishes,

Bekca

 

PS For Carol, I'm currently typing this at my local library, where I can use their internet for free. It's such a wonderful place :) Go libraries!!

Stitch From Stash Update: September

Just sneaking in on the very last day of September with my report for this month. It's not looking healthy I'm afraid. I haven't blown the budget, I haven't spent anything this month, but I haven't been able to stitch much either. 

The flat is a more difficult process than I imagined and it has been taking up a lot of my time. I've been working long shifts too and I haven't had the energy to pick up my needle. I'm hoping that I'll be all moved in by the weekend, so I can sort through my stuff and get some new project under way. 

I did manage a little stitching during my weekend in Glastonbury so I do have something to share.

Current WIPs:

My little mouse is all finished, just awaiting his backstitching. I'm on the final few rows of the pudding, and I've also got to stitch the plate it's on. But a finish is in sight! 

That's all from me for now. I hope to be back soon with more stitching and a tour of my new home :)

Best wishes,

 

Lisbon 2014

I'm back! Hello friends, I hope your needles have been busy since I've been away. I got back from holiday a couple of weeks ago, but it's been a whirlwind time since then. I've visited my parents in Glastonbury, celebrated my 22nd birthday and found the most adorable flat in all of Southampton. I move in next week and I'm so excited! Currently, all my stuff is sharing space with all of Lawrence's stuff and it's not easy, but at least it's only short term. No stitching update today, I'll be posting my SFS report tomorrow. But I thought I would share a few snaps from our wonderful holiday to Lisbon.

Lisbon is such a beautiful city. There was more graffiti than I was expecting, but I always felt safe with Lawrence by my side. We rented a studio apartment for the week which was modern, clean and ideal for us. 

We did lots of sightseeing, but also took the time for relaxing and long evening meals, talking and drinking and just enjoying being in each other's company :)

We couldn't work out how to buy tickets to ride the trams, but they did add to the atmosphere of the city.

Lawrence outside the Belem Tower.

Me!

A typical dinner in Lisbon. We ate lots of good fish and meat, accompanied by fresh vegetables and more than one glass of wine :P This was great for me as you know I don't eat bread or other gluten containing foods. We ate very well all week for reasonable prices. 

I hope you don't mind indulging me in a few holiday pictures. I'm off to work again this afternoon, so I'll post my stitching update when I've got a bit more time. Hope you're all well, best wishes.

Lookey Look!

Woohoo! It's here, it's arrived! I am at last reunited with my stash and as you can probably tell, I'm giddy with excitement :D

I can't wait to go stash diving and find new projects. But I've also got my sewing machine and fabric box back, so I'm keen to finish finish some older projects too. I will hopefully have much more to share in September compared to August :)

As much as I would like to play with my sewing stuff all day, I'm working all weekend. Mustn't grumble though, as I've only got a few shifts left before my holiday next weekend. Lawrence and I are jetting off to spend a much needed week of relaxation in Lisbon. We've both been saving for a long time for this holiday and we're both so looking forward to it.

Hopefully I'll be back for a bit of show and tell soon. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Best wishes,

A Different Kind of New Start

Hello all! I started my new job at the start of the week, I'm working at ALDI in Southampton. I was very pleased to get this particular job as its in an ideal location within walking distance from my house. I've done two shifts and today is my first day off. 

I like the freedom my new job gives me as I have two days off a week, as well as some afternoons. This is great for stitching time! Miss Peepers is coming along a treat. I was pleased to hear that I had been a bad influence on Justine from Justine's Cross Stitch, who has recently purchased this chart to stitch for herself. I can't wait to see your version Justine!

Here's where I'm up to with mine . . .

Not too much more to go actually, I think I may be able to finish it within the next couple of days. And then I'm going to have to get creative with what I stitch next. As most of you know, I packed up a lot of my stitching stuff when I moved to go into storage. I have a few supplies with me, but I also remember the vast collection of charts I have saved on my computer. I may not have a printer, but I know the library offers printing services. Oh, the lengths I will go to for cross stitching! :P

Hope you're all having a great week, best wishes. 

A New Stomping Ground

Hello friends! Well, I've made it safely to my new place in Southampton. Sunday was a very busy day. My parents drove all the way from Glastonbury to help me move my stuff. They're storing most of it in their outbuilding until I find a more permanent residence. 

It was strange to see my room in Winchester completely bare. I felt a little sad as I closed the door for the last time, but I know I'm moving onwards and upwards. Plus, I know I'll see my former housemates regularly. They're not getting rid of me that easily!

I've settled into my new room here. I'm having to live out of my suitcase, but I can cope with that. I've got a cupboard and fridge/freezer space all sorted, so I'm perfectly content. I managed to get some stitching in last night, here's how Miss Peepers is looking . . .

I start my new job in just under a week. I'm quite looking forward to going back to work actually - more money for stitching supplies! Keeping within the SFS budget of course :P

Best wishes,

 

Stitch From Stash Update: June

Good morning fellow stitchers :) I'm back again for another SFS update, this month has certainly flown by. I have finished the cross stitching on White Magic, but I'm yet to do the backstitching. I unearthed a Solo project from awhile back that I'm halfway through the backstitching on. But I'm afraid I've packed up both of these projects in preparation for my move to Southampton, so no pictures to share.

I haven't spent any money this month, but I do have a new start to show. This is how far I've got with LHN's Miss Peepers, a chart I bought in my first stash splurge a couple of months back.

I'm using some of the allocated DMC colours, but not all of them. This was supposed to be a project for Southampton but I couldn't resist starting a bit early!

In other new, I got the job! I'm going to ALDI today to sign the contract and I start in about a week and a half. I'm so pleased! It's so exciting to be moving to a new city and starting a new job and finally beginning the next chapter in my life :) So yes, I've been packing up a storm. I'm limited to one suitcase for the summer, so I had to severely condense my stitching stuff. I've narrowed it down to this . . .

Box of Anchor threads so I've still got a varied choice, but it's not as bulky as my DMC boxes. A selection of fabric, a hoop and a thread holder. A cute mouse kit and a couple of other charts. Miss Peepers is in the project bag at the front, which also contains needles, pin cushion and scissors. 

This is what I've got to last me three months over the summer, before I get my own place and can move all my stuff in. Hopefully it will all last for that long!

I hope you're enjoying warm, sun-filled days, just like we are in the UK. Best wishes to all,

Phew!

Gosh, what a crazy time it's been lately. At one point, I was set to move in with another girl in Southampton. We'd signed for a flat, got really excited about the whole thing and were making plans for moving day. The next thing I know, we've lost the flat because another estate agent outbid us on rent and the other girl doesn't want to live with me any more. I can tell you, it was very frustrating to go straight back to square one. All I wanted was a modest home and a steady job, I can't believe how hard it is to achieve that. It got me down for awhile.

But things are on the up. Yesterday, I attended a group interview for ALDI (a discount supermarket) and I'll hear back about the job within the next seven days. Fingers crossed! And I now know where I'm living for the next three months too. I'm moving into Lawrence's shared house and taking up a room there whilst the girl who owns it tours India over the summer. It's literally down the road from where I will be hopefully working at ALDI. 

It's such a relief to get my life finally in some sort of order. I know where I'm heading now and I'm feeling much less anxious.

Onto the good stuff! Whilst all this housing and job madness has been going on, it's been wonderful to escape with my stitching. I've made a fair amount of progress in the last three weeks, I've only got a tiny section of stitches left to cross.

Just a few more rows, then it's on to the backstitching. It would be great to get this finished and framed before I move, but I'm not sure how likely that is. I'm just stitching whenever I get a chance. 

So today, I'm attempting to pack up my room. I was dreading going through all my stitching stuff, but then Mel said to me, you never know what treasures you might unearth! I'm off to do some treasure hunting :)

Best wishes,

 

Stitch From Stash Update: May

Wow, I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted. The past fortnight has flown by. I've been out celebrating my finished degree by eating meals out with friends, going on day trips with Lawrence and attending lots of parties! I've had such so much fun, but now it's time to re-focus and get my head in order. Now the real adventure begins :)

Today I'm here for another SFS update. I haven't needed to spend any money again this month. Only one project has got my full attention at the moment, and at the rate its going, I don't think it will take me long to finish it. Here's where I'm at with White Magic . . .

I hope to catch up on my blog reading in the next few days, I can't wait to see what everyone has been working on. I'm sorry for my lack of consistency, it appears I've lost a couple of followers due to lack of updates. I'm afraid I can't make promises, I just post when I can and when I have something worth sharing :)

Best wishes to all,

 

Keeping Calm

I have to hand in my big, final year assessment in just under a month. I'm making slow and steady progress on my story and the accompanying essay. When I finally set down my pen, or save my latest draft, I instinctively reach for my stitching. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, spending time with needle and thread calms me like nothing else. I think it's the sense of achievement, that you can see how each tiny stitch makes a bigger picture. That's a good lesson to keep in mind this close to the end of Uni. 

In the last week, my Solo the Cat hanger has gone from this . . .

. . . to this!

I've only got another row of hearts to complete, and all of the backstitching. I love adding the backstitching on these designs, it really makes them come alive. I look forward to finishing it as a hanger when it's finally done. 

I know for the next four weeks, this is going to be my motto!

I hope you are all well and not being hindered by the weather. It's ghastly here today, grey and rainy. But still, it's Valentines Day and I'm celebrating with Lawrence later on today. I hope you have a wonderful day, however you choose to spend it.

Best wishes,

 

PS: I've reached 150 followers! Thanks must go to each and every one of you, I'm so grateful. I think this calls for a giveaway, don't you? :)

A little bit of progress

Good morning everyone! I just thought I'd post a quick update on my latest WIP. I'm  enjoying every stitch on this All Our Yesterday's design called Dolly's Stroll. It's going to look even better when the finishing touch of the backstitch gets added. Still got a few more crosses to stitch before that point though. Here is my progress as of last night (sorry for the wrinkles!).

My days have been filled with Uni work. We have more assignments this semester than any previous one, so it's a case of getting my head down to work hard. It's not all hard graft though. I'm off to a tea party this afternoon with some fellow Creative Writing students. I'm very much looking forward to it :)

I hope you have a lovely day planned too.

Best wishes,

 

December Update

Hello my friends! Goodness, what a busy month December has been. I've been swamped with assignments for most of the month. I'm glad to say they were all handed in on time and to the highest standard I could achieve. Fingers crossed for good marks! I'll find out after the Christmas break.

When I was spending my days chained to my desk, there was nothing I liked more than packing up all of my work at the end of the day and heading to my stitching chair. Although I haven't been blogging much, my needle has still been flying! I've got a finish to share :)

 

I finished Paws for Thought. This charming design was gifted to me from Cath. As it was mostly block stitching, it was the perfect stitch to relax with after a long day.

As soon as this one was finished, I couldn't resist diving into my stash! Another chart Cath sent me caught my eye. My grandmother loves sunflowers so I think this will make a perfect gift for her.

 

I like the shades used for the teddy bear, it's keeping things interesting.

 

I've spent this first week of holidays preparing for Christmas. I absolutely love this time of year. And now that I'm no longer working, I can go home for Christmas! Yippee! I shall be spending a week in Glastonbury with my parents and I'm so looking forward to it. Tonight, I'm having a meal with my housemates and we're exchanging gifts. I wonder what I'll get? So exciting!

I hope all of your Christmas preparations are running smoothly. I'll be back soon to share pics of our decorations :) I've seen some gorgeous trees on blogs recently, just lovely!

Best wishes,

 

 

200th Post Giveaway Winner!

Oops! I'm a day late with announcing the winner, but I'm sure you all know by now that I'm useless at sticking to schedules :P

I had 17 lovely commenters on my giveaway post and the comment the number generator selected was number 10. That comment was left by . . .

The Inspired Stitcher!

Congratulations to you, lovely lady! Please email me your mail address and I shall post the parcel as soon as possible :)

I've been very busy lately with writing for assignments and planning for Christmas. Even my stitching has taken a back seat! In two weeks, it will all be over and I can enjoy a restful holiday season, needle in hand :)

 

Best wishes to all,

Festive Fun

Wow! Thank you so much for your kind comments and well wishes on my last blog post. And thank you also for your blog reading tips, I've added a couple to my reader :) There is still time to enter my 200th post giveaway, just leave a comment on this post here.

As I've possibly mentioned before, I'm making a lot of my Christmas gifts this year. In between days filled with reading and writing, I decided to have a day off to play with my craft stuff. This is my creative mess!

 

As well as cutting fabric for a few presents, I also managed to finish up a couple of decorations for my own tree. They just needed sewing up and adding some ribbon. I can't wait to display these on our Christmas tree! First up is a Prairie Schooler freebie I stitched up awhile ago, now complete with "Merry Christmas" ribbon and cute heart buttons.

 

And I added ribbon and a pin to this other little design (I'm sorry, I can't remember the designer!) so that it will now hang neatly on the branch :)

 

I shall take pictures of all the completed gifts when they are ready to be wrapped and share them all. I'm really enjoyed making some special presents for the people closest to me :)

Have a lovely weekend!