Mel's rose framed

Yesterday I went down to the Nimble Thimble to collect Mel's rose, she picked the frame herself and I think she did a great job.

The only problem is that she has no wall space left in her room so it's going to grace to wall opposite her bedroom door which is by the bathroom door.

And of course I had to buy some stash while I was there :)

I had actually asked Chris to order Tracery Dragons for me just a few days before TW made her announcement so I was lucky there and I didn't have my wish list with me so not much else came home with me

Mary Busby update

I've done lots of little bits this week mostly finishing off motifs but I did do the small dark brown one on the left roughly in the middle.

Next week I need to do a little bit of frogging :( I did red where it should be yellow but it's only about 25 stitches so won't take long at all

Christmas Exchange

The postman brought this little cutie today from Wendy Jo for the Christmas Exchange over on Exchange Heaven.

Wendy Jo stitched Joy byt Lizzie Kate from one of the JCS ornament issues but I don't know which one and I'm to lazy to go and find out :). You had to send a present that was nothing to do with stitching to go under the tree and I can't wait to find out what's in the parcel

Fantasy Sampler update

It's been a couple of weeks since I last shared progress on this with you and I haven't really worked on it much in those weeks. I've finished the border on the left side and made a start on the alphabet but that's about it.

I've come up with a plan of action to get it done by the end of the year but I've got alot on during Dec so it may not work out. Keep your fingers crossed it does because I would really like to get it done by the end of the year

The big reveal that's not big

The still not finished hanging but at least now you can see what it is, a very sweet little chapel.

No-one guessed correctly although Silverlotus (was part of the way there with a snowy house) so I did a draw, well I wrote names on bits of paper, took them over to Millie and picked the one she sniffed most and that turned out to be Blu

Hopefully I'll get it fully finished in a day or two

A bit of a catch up

Remember a few weeks ago I told you about going to help Kate of Sparklies get ready for the Harrogate Knitting & Stitching show this last weekend well what I couldn't tell you at the time is that I brought this home with me to finish for her. I only did about half the blackwork on it for her so that she could concentrate on another project that also needed finishing.

It's her latest design and it was lauched at the show so I was sworn to secrecy about it until then.

I spent this last weekend sat on a car park in Llandudno for the Celtic Winter Fayre making Snowflakes.
These are just a few of the ones I made, the one at the bottom of the first pic is half done.

One lady bought 3 of them and then came back later in the day and laid claim to the first 2 in this pic and asked for another one in the same colours as one she'd had earlier. When she came to collect them on Sunday she ordered another 6 so guess what I'll be doing later


Now my little guessing game. Because the snowflakes ended up being much more popular than I expected I've not finished the hanging so I'm going to extend the the time limit to Noon tomorrow (Tues 24). None of the guess' so far are right so go ahead and have another go, every entry counts for the draw

UFO RR

I mailed Karla's Dutch Beauty on today and let me tell you this project is huge and great to work on during these chilly nights we've got now as it keeps you lap lovely and warm!.

As it arrived

As it left

And a close up of the bit I did


So far there's only 3 guesses about the next hanging and not one of them is right so feel free to have another guess and if you've not had a go why not give it a try

Yet another one

I've finished yet another beaded hanging this time it's Noel and as always it really does shine but it's been qute dull here this afternoon so I can't get a decent pic.

And as promised yesterday pics to show why they need painting with nail varnish to stiffen them, it really spoils the effect when they bend in the middle when you hang them up



Now for a little competition :)
I've started the next one and I'm offering everyone the chance to win one of the one's I've already finished (click on beading down in the labels to see them)
All you have to do is guess what this one's going to be, it's that simple


If no-one gets it right I'll draw a name from those that entered and if more than one person get's it right I'll draw a name from them.
I'll leave it open until Midnight Sunday (GMT) and post the finished hanging & winner on Monday

Good Luck

Totally Useless time

Today is the New Moon so that mean's it's time to get totally useless and post my ort jar pic.

This month there's orts from Mary Busby, Mary wigham, Triangularity, UFO RR, Fantasy Sampler, Christmas ornaments and nymo from all the beading projects I've been doing.

At one point last week it also had a bit of tinsel in it :) I had Caleb here for a few days and he likes playing with one of Millie's toys that's basically a piece of tinsel on a stick and a little bit fell off one day so Caleb put it in my ort jar.

Thank you for the lovely comments yesterday about my latest beading finish, I do appreciate them and every one makes me smile.

Blu asked if I was self taught or taken classes, well it's a bit of both. A few years ago I went to a class every Tuesday afternoon and learnt alot about basic beading techniques. Some were never covered so those I taught myself and I still go to classes now if the project interests me for instance I'm going to one in a week to make a Christmas tree and a couple of week safter that is 3D stars. The stitch used will be one I know but it's the how it's put together I'm going to learn.

A couple of comments also said about them needing varnishing so tomorrow when I post the next one I've finished I'll show you why it's needed

Beading finish

I've been plodding on with the little beaded Christmas hangings and this is the latest one to be completed.

I still need to stiffen it so the fringe isn't looking right but it will once it's been painted with varnish.

I've got another one almost done, it just has a couple of rows, the hanger and fringe to do so give me a couple of days and check back

Mary Busby update

I went down to Kate's again yesterday to help out again so didn't get much stitching time in last night but I did manage to finish the dark blue motif I've been working on for the last couple of weeks as well as a couple of numbers and a little more on another motif.

I have been stitching on other things but it's mostly for exchanges although I will have pics of the latest UFO RR in a couple of days

Good post day and a visitor

Andrea recently did a Christmas RAK giveaway and I was lucky enough to get pulled out of the hat (not me personally but you know what I mean :) )

This morning the postman brought this

Isn't that tag fantastic. I've got some of those myself and keep forgetting to put them on things

I've had a visitor for the last few days so I've not been around as much and not stitching as much and what I have got done has been on an ornament so not shareable anyway.

I took him home today and before I did he decided that rearranging my DVD's/PS2 and Wii games for the umpteeth time was a good idea.

Good post day

A little while ago Beth from the Wagon got in touch to say that she had a few things on my wish list that she no longer wanted and this morning this is what arrived.

Thank you so much Beth, you made a cold and foggy Monday much, much brighter

Mary Busby update

A little more progress on the blue motif and a couple of letters, not much stitching time this week with being at the NEC.

Jo asked what I was most wanting to start from my NEC haul and that would be the Sunflower but I'm going to wait and see if the promised evenweave appears first and besides I really need to make a start on some Christmas ornaments

My NEC haul

Friday I went to the NEC for Hobbycraft & Crafts for Christmas had a lovely day but got stuck in traffic on the M6 coming home, combined with 3 or 4 lots of roadworks within 10 juctions of each other it took 2 1/2 hours to get home. The trip normally takes a little over an hour to do.

The delica's at the top are one's that I ordered from Spellbound and are off my list of ones I need for various planned projects, the cube's are for a Christmas present, the other delica's just because I liked the colours and the 6mm down the bottom are a couple of options for the tassel bit of the snowman ornament.

The poppy kit was a bargin at just £3 but I will be changing the fabric when I evntually get round to it. I was talking to the guy on the stand selling the Sunflower kit and almost didn't buy it because as normal for a UK kit producer it has aida in it (pet hate of mine, aida in kits and flat out refusal to offer charts seperately) but he has promised to send me a piece of evenweave for it and I couldn't resist the Snowman :)

My only card making purchases

I've been tempted by the Mighty Bright clip on light for a while and once I knew it will go on a Q Snap I decided to take the plunge to get it and the adapter for it. I tried it last night and I now know that it's worth every penny and will making doing the over one on Mary Busby a doddle (she's on 40 count in case your forgot/ didn't know). Love those Madeira scissor sets they are fantastic for exchanges

And all my lovey new charts, the CC are for the Snow Globe

Fantasy Sampler

I resisted the urge to start a new TW this morning, I knew it was a reaction to yesterday's shock and laet's face it with 43 WIP's already I don't need another.

What I did do was pull out Fantasy Sampler to work on, considering one of my goals for this year I've not touched it at all until today!

It's almost a year since the last time I worked on it and I stopped then because I knew I wasn't going to get it done by the end of the year, fingers crossed I'll do it this year.

The tail has a little sparkle to it and you can just about see it

A few things I should of said in yesterday's post and didn't because I was so shocked.

I've had countless hours of pleasure from stitching TW's and will have many more countless ones as I work my way through all the one's I want to do.

And most important is that if it wasn't for the TWBB I wouldn't of met and all the UK girls and formed some really strong friendship's with some of them nor would I meet up with them several times a year inc. the weekend GTG in June that leaves us all with aching sides for days after.

Oh and I counted all the TW's I've stitched this morning and there's a grand total of 43 of them!!

Of those there is only one I don't have a pic of and a few have been stitched a couple of times also bear in mind that the bulk of them have been smal magazine designs and not the big pieces

TW Designworks is no more

My all time favourite designer is giving up and I'm really, really sad about it. I've been a fan of TW's since I first started stitching and for years collected her charts without knowing that they were all by the same designer until I found the internet 10 years ago.

Guess I'd better get those last few charts ordered before they disappear, yes I know that they will still be available at Patterns Online but it's not the same.

Carousel rabbit was my first ever TW finish and I gave it away in an exchange probably 10 years ago and I've yet to get round to stitching it again for me.

October progress & November Goals

For October I said
Finish Mel's present (have to really it's her birthday mid month) I finished it 2 days before her birthday and it's now at the framers
Finish Needlestory Done
Make good progress on a WIP Made progress on a couple of WIPS
UFO RR No
Maybe stitch a Christmas ornament No
Finish my beaded ornament No

For November I'd like to
UFO RR
Stitch a Christmas ornament or two
Make good progress on a WIP

I had a fantastic month in October with a total of 135 hrs 6 mins!!!! No idea how that happened because I don't feel like I did any more than any other month and I had 2 days when I didn't pick up a needle but it shows I have no life!
I had 2 new starts and 4 finishes 2 of which were the new starts (pics when they get to their new homes)

Current WIP total = 43