Wednesday 16 December 2009

Final TUSAL update of 2009 :-)

Well it's been such fun that I've already signed up for next years Totally Useless Stitch A Long but before that gets underway, here is my finally TUSAL for 2009:
Threads added since last time are from the Poinsettias Card for my Mum's workplace, who decided they didn't want it afterall so it's now framed and being displayed on my mantlepiece. Also added some yellow DMC threads from Somebunny To Love, who is coming on nicely as you can see :
Happy Stitching everyone! 9 Days till Xmas!

Saturday 12 December 2009

T'was the night before Christmas...fun poem:)

T'was the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck, Confused by a world so politically correct. His workers no longer would answer to "Elves", "Vertically challenged" they were calling themselves. And labour conditions at the North Pole Were alleged by the Union to stifle the soul. Four Reindeer had vanished, without much propriety, Released to the wilds by the Humane Society. And equal employment had made it quite clear, That Santa had better not just use Reindeer. So Dancer & Donner, Comet & Cupid, Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid! The runners had been removed from his sleigh; The ruts were thought dangerous by the H & SA. Second-hand pike smoke left his workers quite frightened. His fur-trimmed red suit was called "Unenlightened" And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs & flows, Rudolf was suing for use of his nose He'd claimed on Watchdog in front of the Nation Millions of pounds due in compensation. Half of the Reindeer were gone; and his wife, Suddenly said she'd enough of this life, After joining a help group, she left in a whiz, Demanding in future her title was Ms. And as for gifts, well he'd ne'er a notion, That careless choosing could cause such a commotion. Nothing of Leather & nothing of Fur, Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her. Nothing that might be construed to pollute, Nothing to aim, nothing to shoot. Nothing that clamoured or made lots of noise, Nowt just for girls, or just for boys, Nothing that claimed to be gender-specific. Nothing that’s warlike or non-pacific No Candy or Sweets...they were bad for the tooth, Nothing that seemed to embellish the truth. And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden, Were like Barbie & Ken, better off hidden. For those who think Santa should fulfil a dream, The best type of gift is one that is green. No baseball or football...one could get hurt; Playing such sports exposed kids to dirt. Dolls are thought to be sexist, and should be passé, And Nintendo will rot your entire brain away. So Santa just stood there, dishevelled, perplexed; Trying to figure out what to do next. He tried to be merry; he tried to be gay; But you've got to be careful with that word today. His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground; Nothing acceptable there to be found. Something special for all, a gift that he might, Give to the world without anger from the left or the right. A gift to satisfy, without indecision, Each group of people, every religion; Every ethnicity, every colour & hue, Everyone, everywhere...even you. So here is a gift, its price beyond worth... "May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on Earth" Merry Christmas!! 13 Days To Go!

Thursday 10 December 2009

Finished!!!

Well I just about made it in time, finished stitching this today and Mum is going to take it into her workplace for the window display on Friday. Great thing is that I get it back again after xmas so I can frame it and display it every year!Moving on to try and finish Somebunny to Love 'April Showers'. It seems appropriate given the weather we've been having in Oxford lately!

Sunday 6 December 2009

finally time for a decent update

A couple of finishes to show and a wip this week, really am on a stitching roll!
Finished Humphrey's Corner the day after Robert Pattinson, still don't quite know what I'm going to do with either of them but they will probably end up inside my scrapbook! Secondly I finished off the Bentley Bear freebie kit from Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, I forget which issue but it's a recent one! Bentley was the only piece of Christmas stitching I planned to do this year but then my mum asked me to finish a project she was doing for the window display at her work place, I agreed to but found myself having to start again as she had made quite a few mistakes which her work place won't accept. So now I have until Tuesday to do this design.
Here's how much I've done so far...
Wish me luck everyone!! Happy Stitching! x

Thursday 26 November 2009

On a roll!

After finishingRobert Pattinson yesterday I finishd off Humphrey's Corner 'Trains' today :-) Now back onto Bentley Bear, should have him finished over the weekend as it's a very simple design.

Wednesday 25 November 2009

New Moon, TUSAL & a finish!!

Well there's a bit of a Twilight theme this week :) Went and saw New Moon last Friday and for anyone who is planning on going to see this film I definately recomend it!! It's amazing!! In fact I enjoyed the film so much I am going again on Friday with my best friend :-) My TUSAL update is over 10 days late now and with 2 very good reasons :-) Reason 1 is that i forgot all about it and Reason 2 is that I was desperatly trying to finish off my latest project which I finally managed to do tonight :-) On that note we're back to the Twilight theme. I had been working on the christmas Bentley Bear kit that came free with cross stitch crazy about a month ago when I realised I was running out of the threads that came with the free kit. Spent about half an hour matching the freebie threads to the threads I'd bought to stitch the papercrafting Bentley bear from a different issue of WOCS. By this time it was around 1AM and I was too tired to continue stitching. The next day I picked up the lastest issue of Cross Stitcher magazine and was very excited when I saw the stitch a star chart was Robert Pattinson (Edward in Twilight) and was even more excited to discover that the threads needed to stitch Robert where the same onces I'd put to one side to stitch Bentley the night before!! Needless to say poor Bentley has been abandoned until now as I tried in vain to stitch Robert before the premiere of New Moon in the cinema. Obviously I didn't quite succeed but I can now say that Bentley will be finished by the weekend! I can also say that I am the sad loser who knows all the words to all the songs on the movie soundtrack as that is all I've listened to for the last two weeks! Ok so new threads in my TUSAL jar, masses of browns, creams & ginger tones from Rob Pattinson, a few reds from Bentley Bear along with some more of the browns & creams, a few thread number paper things as I also managed to sort out some of my skeins onto bobbins but still have many many more to do lol. Will aim to be on time for the update next month as it'll be the last one of 2009!

Saturday 31 October 2009

I think my curtains say it all...

Lol found this lush fabric banner in Waitrose (by John Lewis) for £4, seems like a bargain cos I can use it again, year after year... Also found this very cool card which I plan of framing because I love the image to much to give it away! The inside says 'Happy Halloween! Come by & stay for a spell...' Genius!! Anyway, Stitching update....I've done nothing!

Pumpkin

Happy Halloween!

Wednesday 28 October 2009

Finallu have time for a decent update :-)

Ok, well firstly this month I hve learnt not to make promises as I invariably manage to break them. Stitching this month has been slow, I have managed to do some work on HC 'Trains' only a little bit of stitching left then it's onto the backstitch. I have also been working on a freebie design from the passione ricamo website, but I am making very slow progress unfortunately. There is no way it will be finished in time for halloween but I shall persevere regardless, I love halloween anyway and will probably have this out at all times when it's finished :-) Which brings me onto my TUSAL update for October, yes it's late I know but I really have been very busy :-( New threads this month from my PR freebie, including some very cool Glow-in-the-dark ones & also some ORTS from Humphrey.
That's all from me this time, see you Sunday for Halloween photos!
Happy Stitching!

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Quick Note

to say I PASSED my driving test! Convertible Female
Update coming soon....

Monday 19 October 2009

Is it really the 19th already?

Wow time flies when your not having fun lol. Been stuck at ork for most of this month so have had very little time to stitch. I realise I haven't posted pics of anything I'm working on or my TUSAL update for the month, it's coming I promise!! I haven't had time and I don't really have the time right now. By Wednesday hopefully everything will have calmed down as I will be taking my driving test!! God I hope I pass, I really can't afford to keep learning! Anyway ~I promise a better update on Wednesday if all goes well or on sunday if it goes horribly wrong. Have a nice week everyone!

Thursday 1 October 2009

Time for an update

only a quick one today mind. Will have a decent update on saturday complete with pics I hope. After finishing Newton I had every intention of finishing the piglet quarter of water games by today but the universe seems to have had other ideas, so instead I've been doped up to the eyeballs with cold pills while trying to remain at work as I can't afford the time off, sadly this has meant that every free minue has been spent sleeping instead of stitching so I've basically done around 20/30 stitches this week. Started the bently bear cover kit tonight as I want to give it to a friend for xmas but hope to do move over the weekend as I have it off work for once!! Happy Stitching!! Fiona

Monday 21 September 2009

Newton's Law pic

hope you like it! I love it but I won't be doing it again in a hurry!!!

Sunday 20 September 2009

Finally Finished!!

Well it's taken just over 9 months to the day but I finally finish my Newton's Law from cross stitch crazy #122!! I would love to post a picture up but it seems my mum's taken the camera up to Coventry to visit my brother. Will post updated pics tonight when she gets back. I'm so happy!!! There were 57 french knots in total on the design so I've really managed to perfect them although my fingers are now very sore thank to the sharp needle!

Sandown Park Stitchy Show...

was not as good as it has been previously, although I do enjoy papercrafting & jewellery making etc my main hobby is cross stitch so I was rather disappointed to see far fewer cross stitch stalls than usual. However that aside, I had a very nice day out with my mum. Bought some lovely new stash including:
Some lovely new aida's from the sew-it-all stand & some more DMC threads to finish a birth sampler for my boss & my nan's xmas present. Also bought myself some kits I have been after for a while as they had been reduced. The Margaret Sherry 'Stitch in time' kit was a bit of an indulgence as was the 'Tiddles' kit but the Humphrey's Corner kits were only £2.99 each and I love the one called 'Baby Talk' mostly because Baby Jack is holding the phone upside down!
Also decided to indulge my jewellery making urge and bought some lush new beads and some really nice elephant charms for £1. Most people know I love the Margaret Sherry cross stitch designs but I also love MS rubber stamps, stickers, etc so I was very happy to find these stitcker sheets for £1.50 each! I just love the little mice & hedgehogs!
Also bought some ATC card blanks & clear detail stamps as I plan on making ATC's next year but my favourite bargain of the day was completely free! Faye Whitaker was there signing copies of the all our yesterdays book by david & charles which I already own. I explained this to her as I love her work as does my mum so she signed one of her prints for me for nothing!!
Needless to say I was speechless & had to give her a hug! She was so friendly! I framed it as soon as I got home and as soon as the craft room is sorted out it will have pride of place on the wall! Faye was also unveiling the new All Our Yesterdays designs and I have to say I love them!!
All in all, we had a nice time and got to meet one of my favourite designers!!
Hope everybody had a nice weekend & Happy Stitching!

Friday 18 September 2009

Updates!

Ok firstly, Newton is really starting to take shape, I just have to finish the backstitching across the flowers on his lap & the last of the French Knots then he's done!! I'm thinking of turning him into a bellpull or something rather than framing him as it's quite a small design, just incredibly fiddly!! Should have him finished before the weekend is over, didn't realise just how hard the flowers are to do!
Second update is the TUSAL update, can't believe it's the new moon already! Lastest editions to my jar are the final threads from Archie Bear, Somebunny, Newton & some threads from my new start; Humphrey's Corner 'Trains'. Love this design & love how fast it stitches up! Next month should show more threads from water games among other things but only time will tell!
Think thats everything for today, will update again tomorrow or sunday with pics from the show at sandown park tomorrow!!
Happy Stitching!

Thursday 17 September 2009

Plan is WORKING!!! (so far!)

AngelicI know even I'm shocked and it's my plan lol, while I am well known for making plans & being quite organised, it generally falls apart days ater I put it into action. This is why my needle case is still MIA... anyway...
Had a good start to the week, didn't do any stitching Monday as I had a Lord Of The Rings marathon round my friends house instead..I forgot how good those films are!! Made good progress with Humphrey, at the rate he's stitching up he'll be finished before the first week of October lolSmile
Been stitching Newton all day and I've finally finished the cross stitch!!! All that's left is the backstitch!! Perplexed I say 'all', the backstitching itself looks to be a complete pain in the backside, however I have 2 days left to stitch him so if I work hard I might just manage to finish him before Saturday!

However as much as I would love to continue stitching now, I am very tired so I think it's time for bed! Sleepy Happy Stitching everyone, see you all on Friday for the TUSAL update!!

Sunday 13 September 2009

Another Finish...& a new start....

This week I came up with a plan for my stitching for the rest of the year that will allow me to finish off my current projects but will also give me time to start new ones! So far it's working!
My new plan is this; for every current project I finish, I can start something new. Here is whatI have planned for rest of September & October:
September:
Finish Archie (done)
Finish somebunny freebie (done)
Finish Newton Law SAL
Finish the piglet section of water games
Start Humphrey's Corner 'Trains'
October:
Finish Mirabilia 'Halloween Fairy'
Finish Humphrey's Corner 'Trains'
Finish laundry basket & weary fairy on 'housework fairies'
Start Tigger quarter on 'water games'
Start Solo 'contented xmas'
On that note, I've finished my somebunny freebie (finally!!) However because I stitched it on a lower count aida it doesn't quite fit in the mount provided lol, I think I'm going to either have to trim the appature so it does fit or enlarge the mount on the computer...either way I love it!
Have started on Humphrey's 'trains' and will post an update later in the week with photo's, I plan to stitch some more of Humphrey on Monday/Tuesday then finish off Newton before the stitching show at Sandown Park on Saturday! Then Sunday will be spent progressing on Water Games!

Wednesday 9 September 2009

hmnph...

been looking for my needle case all day and I haven't found it...have tidyied up all my stash and boy do I have more than I realised!! Oh well, off to do some stitching, hopefully my case will materialise eventually...

Tuesday 8 September 2009

one year old today!!

Happy Birthday Blog!!!
Birthday Party Blower

Monday 7 September 2009

hmm...I've lost my needles...

I had all my spare needles in a little needle case so I wouldn't lose them only now I've gone and misplaced the case itself...haven't used it in a while as I've been trying to finish off various projects but went to put my needle from Archie away as he's done and I have no idea where I put the case.... will have to have a proper sort out on Wednesday I think (day off!) and try to find it again, put my needle in some spare fabric for now Confused Anyway...on to other news, as I've already mentioned I finished my Archie Bear finally!! Ilove stitching this design, although I did noticed I've made a mistake, I'd of corrected it but I noticed it as I was backstitching it!Back on to Somebunny freebie & Halloween Fairy now!

Sunday 6 September 2009

Boot Sale Bargains!!

Made my weekly trip to the boot sale again today and really had a fantastic day Smile wasn't expecting to find much but boy was I wrong! Found a couple of games for my sega megadrive & playstation (I love retro consoles!) & a couple of books I've been looking for but my best buy for the day was probably 136 cross stitch magazines for £10!! Many of which still had the cover kits & freebie charts with them! On the same stall I also found two Joan Elliot design works kits for £6.50 brand new, so I'm a very happy bunny indeed! Bunny Been working on Archie bear this afternoon and I've very nearly finished it! Will post pics as soon as it's done!

Monday 31 August 2009

Water Games Update

Well I had today of work as it's a bank holiday as my parents went to go see how my brother is settling in up at uni so I had the whole house to myself for a change. I did some stitching while watching a marathon of Extreme Makeover:home edition on the telly. Six hours of stitching and this is my progress:

I'm really proud of how much I managed to stitch today, this is the most I've stitched on this piece in one sitting and although I probably won't finish it in time for my mum's birthday I'm really hoping to finish it in time for Christmas.

Happy Stitching!!

Friday 28 August 2009

flexing my stitching fingers...

I think it's about time I got round to that 'real' update I promised.
Right first things first; my TUSAL update, I'm actually quite proud of the amount of thread in my coffee jar! Since last time there are so many new threads, my favourite being a rather nice bright blue/turquoise colour that is now about a third of the way down, it's from a WTP kit my mum started before she realised it was full of fractional stitches which she can't get her head round and so I ended up doing it, then found out she'd made a bunch of mistakes so had to frog the whole thing and start again. Also in my jar are ORT's from Water Games, Archie & Somebunny plus a few of the thread labels from my recent workbox tidyup. Have realised that I need a bigger workbox that is preferably not hexagonal as nothing fits inside properly. Also made some progress on Water Games although not as much as I'd have liked due to being back at work (groan) but as I have bank holiday Monday off I plan to spend the day stitching & will hopefully have much more to show for it. (It'll be christmas by the time I finish at the current rate of progress) Also hope to finish the backstitch on Archie by this time next week. Just one other thing I have completly forgotten to mention before and it's quite old news now, Cross Stitch Crazy printed my letter!! Wasn't expecting it at all and literally began jumping up and down on the spot when I realised it was me! Also finally managed to get hold of my friend Mary to give her the birth sampler I did for her daughter Karmay and she was so pleased with it, her sister-in-law loved it so much she's asked me to do one for her daughter Caitlin who's now 3 and my boss at work has asked me to do one for his new baby. Had great fun picking out the designs for both of them, now all I have to do is wait till the show at Sandown in September to buy the threads I need to stitch them, and I'm getting paid to do them as well!! Think that really is everything for this week, except that I found 48 very old issues of cross stitcher, cross stitch collection, needlecraft & mary hickmott's new stitches (issues 1,2 etc) most of them complete with the free kits for £12.50 in a local charity shop! Has made for some plesant reading at least! Ok now that really is everything, will update again after the weekend!
Happy Stitching Everyone!

Sunday 23 August 2009

updates!

Well it's TUSAL update time, my jar is almost half full now!! (picture will be uploaded as soon as the camera is charged!) Archie & somebunny are still unfinished but work has progressed slowly on Water Games, onto the water now!!!! will do proper update when camera is charged :)

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Busy, Busy...

Had a busy couple of days, missed my update again but I have an excuse!! My younger brother moved up to Coventry on Saturday to go to uni so I've been trying to help him get his stuff packed up ( 2 car loads so far and still more to go up!) ended up being no room in the car for me or my mum so we stayed home while Dad took him up. Managed to go to Hobbycraft & get the rest of the threads I needed to finish off Archie & MS's Fairy kit Smile Went to the boot sale on Sunday again & found a daylight company portable craft light (the old style with the cable not the rechargable battery style) for £4!! Snapped that up pretty quickly, especially as the bulb on my clip on lamp has blown again (3 times in 6 months, I'm begining to think it might be faulty lol) Went up to Coventry today with the second carload of stuff for my brother and wandered round Coventry itself. Found a stitchy shop called Busy Hands so naturally I went in for a nosey...came out with 2 new kits; A Humphrey's Corner one called 'Trains' which is of Humphrey on his belly playing with a toy train & all the carriges have snails on top!! It's sooo sweet! I also got a Born To Shop kit which says 'Save the Earth...It's the only planet with Chocolate'. I love the born to shop stuff and had seen some of the kits at the stitch & craft show but I couldn't afford them so when I saw this one reduced I had to buy it! Lol I'm a sucker for a bargain! Problem is now I want to stitch one but I've promised myself won't start anything new until I finish at least one of the bigger projects I'm working on & all of the small ones I've started! Guess I better get cracking so photos will be up later in the week.