Gift Giving for Easter

Hello friends. I hope you are enjoying glorious weather, wherever in the world you are. The sunshine has been marvellous here for the past couple of days. I've had lots of washing on the line and have been taking myself out on long walks across Winchester to take in the views. There's nothing like a bit of fresh air :)

On Monday, my older sister came for a visit. We had a wonderful time shopping in the high street and going to our favourite diner for lunch. We even sat outside in the ground of the Cathedral and spent a happy hour chatting about future plans. I only have one sibling, so we're understandably close. I wanted to gift her with some small, just a little thank you for treating me to lunch. Awhile back, she donated her unwanted cross stitch stuff to add to my stash. Included were a few unfinished items, did I post about this at the time? Well, I finally managed to finish one up completely. My sister was thrilled with it!

I wrapped it up in pretty floral paper, added an Easter egg and her favourite Malteaser bunnies and it made a lovely gift. It wasn't wildly expensive, but she said it was very thoughtful. I do like being able to give gifts, it's very heart warming.

I hope you have an awesome Easter weekend, however you decide to spend it. I'm off to Devon for a few days with Lawrence and his family. I'm so excited! I've recently obtained a shiny new camera, so hopefully I'll have some pictures to share when I get back from my trip :)

Happy Easter to everyone!

 

Lazy Days of Spring

 Greeting friends! It's surprising to see some of my fellow bloggers still experiencing snow at this time of year. I do hope it all melts away soon! Here in Winchester, we didn't see any snow at all this year, which I am in two minds about. On one hand, I love the beauty of snow and trudging around in it. On the other, it can become quite a nuisance after awhile!

Spring is in full swing around these parts. I love seeing all the daffodils softly swaying in the breeze. It's nice to have longer days too, which of course means more time for stitching :) I've had a couple of very restful days recently where all I've done is stitched and watched box sets! Don't worry, I'm not completely lazy, just having a bit of TLC before the next assignments are due :) 

I've managed a fair amount of progress on White Magic. One quarter is done, apart from the backstitching. Here's where I'm up to on this project . . .

As much as I love this piece, I was getting a bit bored of black and grey. It seemed a little out of place when the sun is shining brightly outside. So I set my needle on a different project, Country Cottage Needleworks The Tea Room. As you can see, I've whizzed through this one! Not long to a finish I reckon :)

And in other stitching news, I've finally spent some of my SFS allowance! Me and my housemate (who is a fellow cross stitcher) made a large order to 123Stitch last week. Here's hoping our mammoth parcel arrives soon. I'll be sure to show and tell when my goodies arrive :) 

I hope you are enjoying the delights of Spring wherever you are.

Best wishes,

 

Lucky Lady

I've been very blessed lately with prize wins and gifts from some dear stitching friends. I was lucky enough to be chosen to stitch the travelling pattern by Elisa. The pattern will soon be moving in with its latest owner, Karoline.

I recently commented on a finished design made by Nataly over at Nataly's Needle Creations. She had recently finished Hibernation Day by Heartstring Samplery and it looked gorgeous. I left her a comment saying so, and Nataly very kindly sent me the chart! I'm so pleased to own such a lovely design and I have started, but just a few stitches. I'm challenging myself by stitching this piece over one on 36ct fabric. It will be so beautiful when it gets finished, if I manage to get that far!

My lucky streak continued with a prize win from Justine over at Justine's Cross Stitch. She recently held a Spring Giveaway and my name was drawn out of the hat! Justine thoroughly spoilt me with a wonderful parcel that truly brightened my day.

I received a whole bunch of DMC threads, a door hanger, a darling card, sweet Easter chick ribbon, a fab chart book (which I'm sure you'll see more of) and the best gift of all . . .

Justine made me a personalised scissor fob and I love it! It's such a beautiful handmade item and I will treasure it. 

Thank you so much to Elisa, Nataly and Justine for making me feel so grateful for such wonderful stitching buddies :)

Hope you're all enjoying a lovely weekend,

 

Stitch from Stash Update: March

Hello my friends! Here we are at another update. The months are rolling by so far, it won't be long until I move out of my current home into a new one. Scary stuff! At least I always have my stitching to keep me grounded :)

There hasn't been loads of stitching recently. I've been concentrating mainly on my assignments and other University work. So, I only have one piece to share for this update:

Current WIPs:

I've made quite a lot of progress with White Magic. Although stitched on black aida, it really has been enjoyable. There are a lot of blended threads and half stitches, but it's good fun. I think I'm a long way off from a finish, although the journey is always the best bit :)

I've had little time for stitching, and even less time for shopping, so this month's budget is once again:

£0!

I haven't had to spend a single penny yet. Everything I've stitched so far this year was already in my possession. It feels good to know I've saved a few pound by not rushing to the shops every time I think I need a new thread. I keep finding alternatives so far. I wonder if I could go the whole year only stitching from stash? We'll have to wait and see!

Best wishes to you all, 

And the winner is . . .

I'm a few days late posting the results for who will be stitching the travelling pattern next. That's what fast approaching deadlines does to a girl! Thank you all for your wonderful comments :)

I can now reveal, the person who will be receiving the pattern is . . .

Karoline from Karoline's Corner!!

Congratulations to Karoline, just email me with your posting details and I'll get the chart to you ASAP.

I have been stitching up a storm lately, I'll have a fair amount to show for my next SFS post.

Best wishes,

 

On The Road Again

Good morning all! I hope you've all enjoyed a brilliant week. I've been very lazy this week. After finishing my dissertation, I took full advantage of a few days off to spend time with friends, chill out and spend lots of time stitching! I spent so much time stitching, I have a finish to share. Here is my version of Shakespeare's Peddler's Count Your Blessings . . .

I used a range of threads from my stash and the most suitable fabric I could find. The colours in the picture aren't great I'm afraid, it's too sunny outside to be accurate! I love the sentiment of this little design, so I'm hoping to finish it to display soon.

So, the travelling pattern must travel once more. If you would like to be in with a chance of stitching this pattern, please leave a comment on this post. I am number 38 to stitch this design, how amazing would it be to get to 50? Or beyond! I will be choosing a reliable blogger who I know will honour the code of this travelling pattern. I will be drawing a name next Wednesday, 19th March. 

Good luck everyone!

 

Travelling Pattern

Hello everyone! There isn't a cloud in the sky as I type this post. It's so wonderful to see the sun after so long! Spring is one of my favourite times of the year, birdsong and daffodils and crisp cool breezes. I hope you're enjoying Spring delights wherever you are :)

I was very lucky to be chosen by Elisa to be the next person to stitch an amazing travelling pattern. Thank you so much Elisa! I will be the 38th person to stitch this gorgeous design. As soon as I'm finished with it, I'll pass it on to the next person. Look out for a post about this soon. 

The pattern arrived at the most perfect time. I had just arrived home from handing in my dissertation. Yes, it's all finished! Woohoo! The whole thing came to nearly 12,800 words in the end. Phew, I'm glad to have got it handed in nice and early. So I was free to start my new pattern straight away. Here's where I'm up to . . .

Whilst I was still working on my dissertation, my stitching was my therapy in the evenings. I've made a fair amount of progress on White Magic, I love the look of this one so far. 

I plan on chilling for the rest of this weekend, I think I deserve a bit of downtime! Me and my housemates will be tuning into Crufts later on, is anybody else watching? I adore dogs and cannot wait to have my own puppy. One day maybe :P

Best wishes to all,