Sweet Strawberry Pinkeep

Hurray a HD on this finish, my first ever mattress pinkeep and I absolutely loved every stitch of it….it is a free design by Caroline Hofstede of Cosmic Handmade Designs which can be found here.

It is stitched on 28c Antique Ivory Quaker Cloth with the recommended DMC threads, I have made the designs for the side and back of the pinkeep up by using motifs from the front design. I finished the back by adding my initials too.    

This piece was completed for the Challenge for a Finish blog which I run, if you would like to join please just zap me an email!!

So all my smalls have been completed for this month…now to do a bit of work on my WIPs…

Hugs & Stitches

Elisa x

An Apple for the Teacher…

…and a pinkeep each too!! Here are the gifts for Isaac’s teacher, class assistant and nursery nurse, he has been with them for the past 2 years so we wanted to give them extra special gifts for the end of the year. “Teaching is a work of Heart” by Lizzie*Kate, stitched on COM Hand-dyed 28c Jobelan in Carnation using DMC threads finished with an apple button, ribbons & pins. “123 Remember Me” Lizzie*Kate freebie design stitched on COM Hand-dyed Pastel Blue 28c Jobelan with DMC threads, finished with a star shaped button, ribbon & pins”Children are for Loving” Lizzie*Kate design, stitched on COM Hand-dyed Pastel Pink 28c Jobelan with DMC threads. Finished with a heart shaped button, ribbon & pins.I have also completed and made up my S&S Monthly Challenge piece, I am really getting through this months smalls, only my Christmas Ornie and Mattress Pinkeep to go. My WIP’s have suffered though I am afraid, not a stitch on them…I really must get my finger (or needle) out on my BPQS as I am seriously lagging behind :(

Here are a couple of piccies of the little monkey’s for you to “awh” at lol… they are both shooting up so fast and they really keep me on my toes…

Have a good day

Hugs & Stitches

Elisa x

Alphabet Exchange

Here is the exchange piece which I sent to Polly for the monthly exchange on the Exchange Heaven blog, It was a freebie design I have in my stash, (I am not sure who by so if anyone know please let me know on the comments section and then I can link through to their site). It is stitched on some miscellaneous even weave I had in my fabbie box, with DMC threads. I finished it as a pinkeep with roses fabbie on the back (no picture), pink braid and pearl, pink & green pins. I hope that Polly liked it :0)I have completed one “teachers” gift and am half way through the second one, I was organised and went to the local haberdashery yesterday and bought the ribbons to finish then off, I am going to make then into hanging pinkeeps. I have chosen my Christmas Ornament design for this month too and the Monthly Challenge blog design, now just to find the time to stitch them all…lol!

Edited (30/7/09) the chart is a freebie from Le Grenier de Zoe, thanks to Nita for that info!!

Hugs & Stitches

Ready….Steady…Go!!

Look at this little madam….I laid her on the floor today to play under her play gym, I went into the kitchen to get a drink and this was where she was at when I came back….not long before she starts to crawl now….She is now almost 7 months old and on real food now and is having a serious growth spurt!!

On the stitching front, I have just completed my Monthly Exchange piece for the Stitch & Stash Monthly Challenge, I just need to make it up….into what I am not sure at the moment. I am about half way through the first school gift, I am stitching “Teaching is a work of Heart” by Lizzie*Kate it is for Isaac’s teacher, I then have 2 more to do too for his class assistant and nursery nurse….busy busy busy!!

Life front…Shaun and I are getting used to living with each other…strange when you have lived alone for a year, but we will get there. I have a meeting at work tomorrow, I told them about 3 weeks ago I would like to return to work but wished to reduce my hours, they have umed and ar’d and they have decided that due to “restructure” within the company they are making my post redundant, I can apply for another post but the post available, I would rather stick red hot pins in my eyeballs…lol. So I will take the redundancy, enjoy the summer holidays and then look at starting a job in September…I will keep you posted on the outcome.

Not sure what the weekend will bring, Shaun is working so I may go into town and do some stitching….

Apologies for not posting comments on blogs…I really need to catch up on reading them…maybe this weekend will be the perfect opportunity!

Hugs & Stitches

Birthday Gift for Gran

Here is a little lavender bag which I made for my Gran for her birthday on Sunday, it is a design from DMC which I received as a Christmas gift from one of my stitching friends, it came with a bag and DMC Mouline Linen Threads, I did try to stitch the provided bag, but I found it nigh on impossible to stitch onto a made up pouch…so I used a piece of white linen I had and then made it into the bag you see. I stitched a piece of the linen thread through the fabric once made to make the fastening, I thought it made a change from ribbon.I filled the bag with the lavendar which came with the kit too. To complete the gift I bought good old M&S lavender shower gel, hand cream and hand wash to go along with it…I am sure she will love it :0)

I have been working on my Monthly Challenge peice for the S&S blog which I am enjoying. Isaac and I have also chosen some designs for his teacher, class assistant and nursery nurse who have taught him for the past 2 years, all are Lizzie Kate designs which I will make into little pinkeeps, so along with the finish for the Challenge blog and my Christmas Ornament, I have a busy month of stitching ahead!!

We are going to Grantham tomorrow to visit Shaun’s daughter, parents and sister, so a long day with an early start.

Sunday is a trip to B&Q and Homebase to find some paint for the bathroom and some wallpaper for the lounge and dining room and some floor tiles for the bathroom and kitchen, then we can make a start on the house.

Monday is Take That day….now now girls try not to be too jealous…so I need to start cramming on all the CDs to ensure I know all the words…lol! Not sure on the camera policy but if I can take piccies I definitely will. As we are going to Coventry we are also staying overnight in a hotel, to make it a nice break away, my parents are babysitting for us.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend…

Hugs & Stitches

Mothering Sunday

Well I was spoilt today by my two gorgeous monkey’s, I was woken at 6.15am by a little chap running into my bedroom and shouting “Happy Mother’s Day” and flinging a bag of goodies at me, inside this bag were the goodies you see below  a lovely china mug which says I Love Mum, a bottle of my favourite Strawberry shower cream and also a matching Strawberry shaped sponge, all chosen by my little man (with Grandma to chaperone!!).

I also received 2 beautiful cards as you can see & a lovely bunch of daffodils, spring is finally here! 

 

 

Little lady has a bad cold so I didn’t go to church as I felt she was better all warm and snuggled up today. Little man went to church with Grandma & Grandpa and then to the seaside, I said he would have much more fun than being stuck in the house with us….and he certainly did!!

I managed to make the invitations for little one’s Baptism and complete my piece for the Monthly Challenge on the Stitch & Stash board, my goodness was I pleased to finish that, I thought it would never end!! I now want to spend the week on my Beatrix Potter SAL and the LHN Traveling Stitcher.

Well time for sleep now…I hope all the mums had a wonderful day!!

Hugs & Stitches

Elisa x

Finishes, Children & Snow

Well with the snow there was no school on Monday & Tuesday so I had lots of time at home without having to break off for school runs, therefore out came the sewing machine and I finally finished off the wallhangings for Martha and the sheep one for me...I am really pleased how they have turned out, I am going to have to glue a length of doweling to the back of the top of both so the don't bend when they hang. But all in all I am pleased with these as they are my first big wall hangings.

Here are the monkey's in pyjamas....like butter wouldn't melt...lol

And here is the outside on Monday, we had beautiful blue skies and sunshine in the afternoon....lovely!!

I have finished my S&S Monthly Challenge piece and a Food & Drink Exchange piece which I cannot reveal yet, I hope to make some progress on my Beatrix Potter this weekend, but the plan is to sort and organise the little man's bedroom, I have ordered some stack boxes from Argos so we are going to label them with names and pictures so that Isaac can tidy up better and put things in the correct boxes. I have got the Spring organisation bug....:0)

Hugs & Stitches

Progress, Finishes & More....

Well firstly here is my progress on the Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler SAL, there are now 100 of us stitching along with this, I am really enjoying this design, I am stitching it on 32c Belfst Linen in Antique Ivory with DMC threads 3041, 3042 & 3865. I had hoped to get a little more of this done but I have ended up as usual signing up to too much lol!!

Here is the Christmas Ornament I have completed for January as part of the SAL on the S&S board, it is a design by Elizabeth C. Gorski of Primrose Needleworks, which featured in the GOSM December 2008. I have stitched it on 32 White Jobelan with Vikki Clayton Silk in Turkey Red, I finished it as a hanging pillow...1 down 11 more to go!!

A little late is my finish for the Monthly Challenege on the S&S board, this month we could chose a freebie design from Papillion, I decided on this design called Comedy & Tragedy, which I stitched on 28c Qukaer Cloth in Mocha, in WDW and DMC. It is finished as a needleroll/cushion as silly me didn't leave enough fabbie for the needleroll finish so I stitched fabbie at top and bottom then stitched together, it still looks good!!

Here is a picture of myself and the monkey's on a day out to Harrogate & Knaresborough, Shaun came over for a couple of days so we decided to have a day out yesterday. We lunched at Pizza Hut...yummy and walked around the town and the castle ruins. It was a cold day though, so definitely a return visit required once the weather is warmer.

and here is another one of the little miss, 10 weeks old tomorrow, I think she is already teething as she is constantly chewing her hand, thank goodness for Dentinox Teething gel, the only one you can use from birth!!

I am going to try and make a start on my OWS Huswif this weekend as the little man is with Daddy this weekend, so I should get some done when the babe is sleeping!!

Hugs & Stitches

Bless the Baby & PIFs

Well two Bless the Babies is more like it, the first one is this little miss asleep in her chair this afternoon, she has another cough and cold they just seem to be going round and around at the moment, pooor little lamb, Isaac also has it too, he is being a usual man and being very grumpy with it...lol!!The second Bless the Baby is this one, it is for my boyfriend's new baby neice who was born last Saturday. It is a Lizzie*Kate design which I stitched on 28c Pink Jobelan with Dragon Floss in Congratulations, Love & Laughter & Pansy Pink, I finished it with 2 heart buttons and made it into a wall hanger, backed with baby fabric I had in my stash.

I did manage to make up quite alot of things yesterday, the baby hanger, an exchange item, 3 PIF's which are all ready and parcelled up to go to the post office on Tuesday, 2 are heading to Donna & Theresa in Texas and one to Clare in the UK, watch out for the postie ladies :0)

Today I have made up my peice for the S&S Monthly Challenge, I wanted to make a needleroll but not sure what happened but I diddn't leave enough fabric to do this, so I have finished it like a needleroll. I was unable to take pictures tonight because of bad light, I will therefore take one tomorrow and post it for you.

I started my Christmas Ornie for the S&S SAL, I have chosen a design from the November edition of GOSM and am stitching it in Victoria Clayton Turkey Red Silk on white jobelan, it is looking good, even if I do say so myself.

Well enough of my waffling, bedtime here for me, I am bushed....thanks for stopping by and reading and commenting on my ramblings!!

Hugs & Stitches

Blogoversary Giveaway

I received an email from Nina today to let me know that she has received the package from my blogoversary draw. I included my first finish from 2008, which was the "Tea with Jane" design from Tanya at the Sampler Girl, which I completed on 1st January 2008. I also included a few other goodies which I hope Nina likes.


This week has been a busy one as I have been back and forth to the doctors and hospital. Martha had her 6 week check on Monday and all is well, the doctor says she is very alert and forward...to which I replied "of course she is, she is my daughter"...lol.


I also had my follow up diabetes test and postnatal check, my diabetes test came back clear which I was delighted about, I still am at risk of developing it again later in life so I have to have an annual test to check. My postnatal was fine too, I am all back to normal now...well as normal as can be!!


Martha has had a bad cold and cough this week and has gone off her milk the past couple of days, so it has been little and often feeding so I haven't had time for alot of other things, I have managed to keep up with the washing and do some ironing (my least favourite job) and I managed a quick dust and hoover today so the place looks half decent for any visitors. The upstairs in a tip but never mind no-one sees that...lol!


The other news on the life from is that I have a new man in my life (yes I have kept it quiet for a while), we have been seeing each other for 3 weeks today in fact, he lives a distance away 86 miles in fact so I suppose we are classed as having a long distance relationship. We did manage to spend quite alot of time together over the holiday period, but now normal life has begun again, it will be a bit more tricky. So I am hoping that 2009 will be a good year for us, it has had a damn good start so far!!


On the stitching front, I am half way through my Monthly Challenge peice for the S&S board, which was a Papillion freebie design, I have also finally started my Beatrix Potter Sampler for the SAL, I managed to get half of the centre motif stitched tonight, I would have probably completed it, but the dreaded frogs came to visit twice, I miscounted twice....too busy watching Trial & Retribution!! I have decided on my first 3 PIF peices and hope to make a start on those sometime this month too & also the design for the Friendship Ornament for the Exchange Heaven blog. I am not going to over commit this year, due to lack of time and a determination to complete my UFO's from 2008 and keep up with my 2009 SAL's.


I intend to spend some time on BP tomorrow too as I have a son free day, so if Martha is a good girl my needles should be smoking!!


Hope everyone else has a great weekend...whatever you do!!
Hugs & Happy Stitching

Think Pink SAL Reveal

Here is my reveal for the S&S Breast Cancer Freebie SAL, I decided to stitch two peices, (mainly as I loved them both) the first I revealed earlier in the month which was the Butterfly Wings PINKeep and this is the second finish.

Freebie designby Painted Giraffe Stitchery

Stitched on Jayne's hand dyed Count on Me fabbie in Nude,

with the recommended DMC threads

Finished as a pillow, with gorgeous pink ribbon fabbie backing and frilly pink lace

I have lots of other stitchy bits and non stitchy bits to waffle about but I am so tired tonight...I will take piccies tomorrow and post them when my fingers can type a little easier.

Night night all

Hugs