finishes and new starts

my life has been full of finishes and starts this week. Firstly I finished another UFO this week: April Showers from the Somebunny to Love range by DMC. I really enjoyed stitching this design as its really colourful and bright so it was really nice to work on during those grey rainy days we've had recently. After finishing of April Showers I decided to go back to stitching the Halloween Fairy by Mirabillia, yet another 2008 UFO. I frogged the arm I had started stitching as the variegated thread I was using looked strange the way I had stitched it. After I had successfully removed her arm I set about stitching but stopped soon after as I remembered why I had stopped in the first place. The chart is far to small to stitch from and needs enlarging. I will go back to stitching this on Friday when I can get to the library and access a photocopier! I decided after that to continue with a UFO from last year, the ghost freebie chart from the passione ricamo website. I love this design but once again shortly after picking it up I remembered why i had put it down. Not only did the thread colours recommended by the company clash horribly with the black aida that was also recommended but I had been using a glow in the dark thread for the ghost itself and after seeing how tacky it looked while showing my mum how the threads glowed I decided to bin it and restart it again. However as I am unsure of the correct fabric colour to chose I haven't restarted it yet. This left me with a bit of a dilemma, now the only projects in my work bag are a tatty teddy design I can't get into right now (believe me I tried!) and a Bentley Bear cover kit I'm not sure I have enough thread to finish. My only solution...a new start! Yes I have a brand new project to stitch! I decided to stitch the Halloween Short Stack by Waxing Moon Designs. I picked up the chart and recommended Gentle Arts threads from the Nimble Thimble earlier this year and since then I been just dying to start it! I'm stitching it on a gorgeous 16ct marble blue/grey(?) aida and the colours are really popping against it! I think I am probably going to do this one before the Halloween Fairy but I will also work on Tatty Teddy and Bentley Bear in between the two. Dispite my new prject, this is probably the emptiest my work bag has been since I started stitching! Let's hope it will stay that way this time!! In other news I left my job on Saturday. I have worked at Next for 5 years and in that time I have not progressed in the slightest so I felt the time has come to move on to new pastures. I don't regret making the decision to leave, I will miss the friends I have made there. So now I am working at Fat Face as a part time assistant which will hopefully progress to a part time supervisory role after training. I had my first day today and as the store in much smaller than next it's also a lot quieter. By making the decision to go to part time I have a lot more time to stitch as fat face is also a lot closer to my house!! I think thats everything for the last week or so, I will upload photos of April Showers and Halloween Short Stack in my next update on Sunday.

Water Games is....

Finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mum was thrilled to bits with her birthday present!