PIF Reveal

Well I received a message from Kath today to let me know that she has received the PIF gift I sent to her..it is a Blackbird Designs freebie which I stitched on 28c jobelan in Bay Leaf with SSS Chocolate Covered Cherries. Kath was one of my stitching friends whom I went to France with last year so I felt this design was very apt.

Thanks for all your kind words after reading my last post, they really mean so much xx

Hugs & Stitches

Elisa x

Autumnal Finish

Here are a few pictures of my latest finish, it is for the Autumn Exchange on the X-Stitch Monthly Group, it is now on it's way to Gaynor in Ireland, I know that she does not read my blog so I am safe to pop the pictures up for you to see.

The design is a SanMan Originals Freebie called Autumn Spendor, it is stitched on 28c Annabelle in cream and stitched with the recommended Six Strand Sweet threads in Green Tea Ice-Cream, Spiced Orange Cider, Toffee, Sandy's Autumn Splendor & Spice Drop.

I backed the design with some pretty checked fabric in greens and oranges which I purchased from the little stitching shop in Gavray, France back in May, when on my stitching weekend and edged it with orange and green satin ribbon and gold and green pearl topped pins. I do hope Gaynor enjoys the pinkeep as much as I did stitching and finishing it for her.

I have managed to stick quite well to my rotation this past week, I did start doing some of my Papillion Sampler but I was so tired I only managed to complete a few flowers and I was away at Dave's on Saturday night so did not manage to get any stitching in then. I have been very tired this past week though, I think it was to do with getting back into the routine of getting up early for school and doing lots of housework as being honest I hadn't done hardly anything during the holidays, but I managed to crack on and get everything up to date, so now all I need to do is a little each day to keep on top of it.

I am about 2/3 through the stitching on the Stitch & Stash Monthly Challenge, I hopefully should complete that and finish it this week, then onto another small exchange peice.

I am excited as I have joined the Needleprint Beatrix Potter Quaker SAL Blog, I have been looking to start a traditional sampler for the past couple of years and when I saw this on Julie's blog, I went all giddy as it is just "up my street", so I contacted Hazel who has set up the blog and she has very kindly allowed me to join, I have emailed Jacqueline to purchase the chart, so finger's crossed I will receive an email back. I have an idea on the colours I will use for this, but I will keep that under wraps until I have made a firm decision.

Well enough of my waffles, time to carry on with some stitching before collecting the little master from school. Wishing everyone a great week.

Hugs & Happy Stitching

Elliott the Dragon

Stitched on 28c Antique white Jobelan in Six Strand Sweets Leprechaun Green, the pattern is an unknown freebie I had in my stash, it is backed with green checked fabric and edged with green ribbon and coloured metallic toppped pins in green, gold and blue.

I couldn't think what else to call him, then I remembered that Isaac loves the film "Pete's Dragon" and thed ragon in that film is called Elliott, so hence why the post is Elliott the Dragon...lol.

This little chap I have stitched for a themed exchange of Mythical Beasties for the Phoenix Stitchers, I do not know my partner for this exchange as yet and as the majority of them do not read my blog I decided it would be safe to pop a picture of three onto my blog, I finished the stitching last night about 9.30pm and then made it up immediately into a mini pinkeep, rather than an ornament...I think it looks rather effective.

So that is my first August goal completed....I have 4 more little projects to start on for this month, I have decided on the 4 designs, I just need to kit them up and then decide which one to start first...so once I have done the tidying around this morning and had a shower and got dressed that will be the rest of Sunday taken up....PERFECT!!

Happy Sunday to all

Hugs

I Love Cross-stitch...

....hope you do too! Finally a finish I can show you, I have had 3 finishes in the past couple of weeks, but two of them are secret for a while, one is the July Monthly Challenge and the other is the Monochrome/Redwork Exchange both are on the JA Stitch and Stash Forum.

This appeared in the July edition of The Gift of Stitching Magazine and was one of the many designs in this months I fell in love with. The design is called "I Love Stitching" by Maryse Dupont. The recommended threads were GAST, of which I own only one...lol, so I decided to stitch the design in Six Strand Sweet threads on Zweigart 28c Annabelle in Ivory.

The threads I used were Blue Curacao, Violets Sugared, Sweet Babycakes and Lavendar Haze. I completed the design by adding a sweet purple heart shaped button, backing it with lilac and white spotted fabric and edging with lilac ruched ribbon.

This pinkeep is a gift for a friend....but who you ask...well that is asking...lol!!

Had a pleasant day today, I took the little master to school, then came back and my grandad came and cut my lawn, I have always done it but my dad says I am too pregnant to be lifting the lawnmower, my grandad is an addicted gardener so he happily volunteered an hour once a week to sort mine...:) Whilst grandad was doing that I had a quick polish and vacuum downstairs and then did my online grocery shopping.

Once I had collected Isey from school, we headed into town, I had arranged that we were meeting Daddy for lunch as a suprise for him...he was so happy when he saw Daddy :) We had a nice lunch in McDonalds...lol, then to the ELC to choose something to spend pocket money on, 3 construction vehicles were chosen...always something with wheels!! Daddy then headed off to do his washing and ironing and we went and chose my dad's birthday presents.

I spend the rest of the afternoon, writing some letters and then finished my pinkeep as shown above. Back to work tomorrow, but then I am off for all of next week apart from Friday. I am planning a relaxing weekend with plenty of stitching.

Happy Stitching

Hugs

Easter Finish

This is the Lizzie*Kate Design which I started on Saturday night and completed yesterday, this is the first mattress pinkeep I have made, which I am quite pleased with. It is a L*K Snippet deisgn stitched on 32c Silkweaver hand dyed linen...not sure of the colour though. I used Polstitches Dragon Floss in Love & Laughter, Flippin Frogs, Barrels of Laughter, Rainbow's End, Friendship & Congratulations, which has given it a springlike look, I added a little bow shaped button and a flower button to finish it off. Not sure whether this is going to be a pressie for someone or a pressie for me...it will go in my finishes box until it is decided :0)

I also started a small design last night which is a SMO freebie design which I am stitching in SSS Rummed Rasin and Sweet Baby Boysenberry, it is for an exchange on the SSS Group so no reveals for this for a good month or so.

Here are my boys with their handiwork of daddy and son snowmen built at 9am yesterday morning...complete with carrot noses :0)...the snow has just about melted but 2 forlorn looking mounds of snow are evident on the grass with wonky carrot noses.

As the sun is shining (even though it is freezing cold) we are venturing out into town for lunch (McDonalds if the boys have their way). New welly boots are needed too as we discovered when Isaac has very soggy wet socks after his play in the snow...I am sure a toy will be purchased too...a "be good" bribe...lol

Have a good Monday

Hugs

Stash-a-licious Saturday!!

I am pleased to say I am feeling better today, after the past few days of feeling so poorly because of an absess, the penicillin and painkillers are working a treat and I am "high as a kite"!!

I am getting on quite well with my Papillion "How Does Your Garden Grow" mystery SAL, after my initial worry with using linen threads, now I am stitching in 1 strand with the aid of Thread Heaven it is coming along a treat, as you can see from the picture below I am only using the 2 colours with mauve beads to compliment it. You can also see the lovely Dinky Dyes pink rabbit scissors which I ordered from Jayne a couple of weeks ago...they are gorgeous.

My Lizzie*Kate Double Flips SAL is coming along, I have had to wait until my navy WDW threads arrived as there was an error on the website instructions, the navy was ommitted so I didn't order it and the next work "LOVE" is stitched in the navy. Anyhow that arrived this morning so it is all systems go now on this.

Another lovely package which arrived this morning is this pretty snow themed ornament from Bev on the SSS Group, he is really cute and is backed with matching blue felt with a blue ribbon, Bev also made a snowman card in Pyramid decoupage...thanks so much Bev, I will treasure him.

Now onto stash received today....only a small amount...lol...firstly a pink envie which those who shop at Jayne's Attic know means an envelope of treats..I have a montly delivery of mixed hand dyed threads and each month Jayne sends me them in different colour pallettes, January was yellow and this month was pinks..they are all absolutely edible and I will enjoy every moment of fondling!!
Also I received a selection of beads and buttons from Debbie Cripps and a selection of Dragon Floss, and some essentials including keyrings, invisible threa, needle threaders and a finger protector from Sew and So, I will now spend a little time, fondling and popping my stash away.

As you can see my photos are better in quality..no I didn't invest in a new camera...my OH told me that the camera was set on a low resolution hence why my piccies were blurring...so I have saved myself £100 now by not having to buy a new one...now what could I do with that money I have saved....I wonder??

SSS Snow Ornament

This is the Snow Themed Ornament which I stitched for Bev on the SSS group exchange for January 2008, she has now received it so I can post it here for you to see.

It is stitched on pale blue evenweave with DMC white & black & silver metallic for the snowflakes, other threads used are SSS Snow Cone, Christmas Green, Holly Berry, Mocha & Baby My Blues.I have used blue cordingand it is backed with white Broderie Anglaise Fabric and I have used pale blue and white checked ribbon for the hanging loop.

"Oh Mr Darcy!"

Firstly a big thanks to you all for all the lovely comments I have received on my blog, I am pleased that people now read it as up until the end of last year I never wrote a blog, but I am really enjoying it, I just now need to inest in a decent digital camera as mine is useless, sometimes it goes all hazy and blurry.

I had a childfree couple of hours yesterday morning so headed off to the local stitch shop, The Viking Loom, just in the shadow of York Minster. I had decided to stitch the How Does Your Garden Grown SAL in DMC linen threads, in the 2 colours of mauve and sage with mauve beeds, so I headed along there to choose a 32c linen, I finally found one in a lovely sage/hessian colour, after standing in the street with several fabrics and the threads, to see which worked the best...lol. Whilst I was in there I also bought 6 fat quarters of pretty fabrics for tucks & ornies & some black beads (I admit that after almost 25 years of stitching I cannot do french knots!!), the beads are a god send for little eyes etc.

I started last night using 2 threads over 2, but it just didn't look right, then I realised I had stitched the green instead of the mauve...grrrr!! After unpicking an hours work I decided to stitch in 1 thread over 2 and it looks so much better. I sat with my feet up and started to watch my all time favourite series "Pride & Prejudice" the series with Colin Firth...mmmmm!! I was in heaven, I intend to do exactly the same again tonight.

I also received some SSS stash from Tonya at Six Strand Sweets, this parcel was mailed on 27th December and I have only just received it, we had begun to give up all hope of it every arriving, there is another 2 parcels somewhere over the atlantic on 2 very old carrier pigeons which have lost their way. Talking of SSS, at the top is my Sunday finish, an Easter picture to be made into an ornament, it's all stitched in SSS. I will post another picture once it is finished.

Crafty Weekend

Had a few crafting days this weekend which has been nice. I started by making some cards on Friday evening for some Monthly Exchanges and some birthdays coming up, I was pleased as I managed to complete 5 in the same number of hours which was good going. here is one of them above. Yesterday evening I spent an hour or so making some ATCs for the group I belong to, 2 for a monthly swap and 11 for trading.

Saturday was reveal day for the Monthly Challenge on the Stitch and Stash Group, so I can now reveal my Eliza's Pyn Pillow, or maybe I should re-name it Elisa's Pyn Pillow!! We all stitched the same design, but it was free choice on fabric, threads, colours and finishing. It was wonderful to see how differently everyone had stitched and finished theirs. I am going to keep this one for my workbox as my pinkeep is getting a little used.

I have decided to stitch the Papillion "How Does Your Garden Grow" SAL as well as the L*K SAL. I am working it in just the 2 colours in DMC Linen Threads in sage green and mauve with mauve Mill Hill seed beads to embellish it. I ordered my threads and beads yesterday and have a lovely peice of mauve evenweave that hopefully will look good along with the thread colour. I am hoping to complete a little exchange peice tonight for the SSS group's Easter ornament exchange, then tomorrow night I will do a little more L*K before Tuesday's UFO night!! Amongst all this stitching I have to fit in work, cooking, cleaning, washing & ironing....ahh well that can wait!!

Beautiful Exchange Received

Isn't this beautiful, I received it from Mary who was my partner on the SSS Group for a January Exchange of a stitched item plus a bar of chocolate orcandy, I received this exquisite stitched picture with pearl beads on it (the photo does not do it justice) and a bar of Hershey's Caramel Cream, which was yummy and I have to admit did not make it until this morning for the picture....(burp!!...lol), I have always wanted to try Hershey's so was delighted to receive it. Thank you again Mary I am thriled :)

Stash...Stash & More Stash!!

It has been a busy week this week as have had to go back to work after over 2 weeks off, it was a wrench on Monday getting us all ready to be out of the door by 8.15!! I have been busy stitching each evening though once the little master heads up to bed, I have managed to get several of my exchanges completed, a Valentines Ornament for the SSS Group, a Valentines Competition entry for another Yahoo group i belong to, plus the Monthly Challenge on the Stitch & Stash Group (all these I cannot upload to show you until they have been revealed on the groups!!), I must ask you to be patient and wait a little longer on these....lol

I have joined the Lizzie*Kate Double Flips 2008 SAL on the Stitch & Stash Group which starts on 22nd January, so I was really please when I ordered my material & threads (above) for this on Friday afternoon and they arrived Saturday morning, I am stitching the design as a whole on 32c Permin Wichelt Linen in Lambswool in WDW, Gentle Art Sampler Threads and DMC. I must confess I have never done a SAL before so I am rather excited, plus one of the girls who is also in the SAL works in the same city as where I work and live so we are going to arrange a meet up...to discuss stiching & stash!!

I had a lovely treat when I arrive home from work yesterday, the 12 Days of Christmas parcel sent to me by Susan...back before Christmas finally arrived from the US and what a bag full it was, lots of stitching & cardmaking goodies for me to enjoy, she really spoilt me :) (below)

I hope to receive more stash parcels in the next few days, 3 parcels on the way from Tonya at SSS, all the new threads and TOTM and also a huge stash of patchwork fabby from Pellena Patchworks, I will post a piccie of al that stash, my mouth is watering just thinking about it all...lol