Farewell 2009

Well here we are at the end of another year. What a year! I've learnt how to blog -- now that's amazing. I've enjoyed 'meeting' other bloggers and all the new to me designers have been a fabulous discovery. Thanks to you all for that. Most important of all my hubby and I celebrated our Ruby Wedding in November.

I had a lovely Christmas with my family spread over all the Christmas period and have had a fantastic 'stash' enhancement. Between my sons and their family they have bought me just about everything I need for Jim Shore's' 12 Days of Christmas'. I have just to order the fabric- I had intended to do this for Yoyo's Christmas Sal but as I hadn't the essentials at that time I have started Jim Shore's' Three Kings' instead. I have a feeling that I'll be doing both of them though as I really enjoy the beading and the brilliant colours of his designs.
My niece gave me a Mill Hill Winter design that is gorgeous and my fab sister a design that comes in it's own 3-D box along with a comedy one to do with kitchens. I'll have to put pictures of these on at a later date as we seem to be having a bit of a problem getting the computer to recognise the camera. My hubby has managed to get some pictures to load.





Here's an update on my Mini Christmas Mandala - I haven't done as much as I would have liked because before Christmas I wasn't too well so stitching I'm afraid was put aside. I have altered bits to suit myself, I'm going to use beads instead of French Knots on the large trees and have decided not to put the gold beads on the ironworks as to me they look a bit clumsy and hide some of the delicate back stitching.



I really must put some time in on my Papillon SAL as it is getting behind somewhat. I don't think I've touched it for an age. Another one I must get restarted on is my UFO for I've Started so I'll Finish




I'm sure you can see --I've rather a long way to go with my UFO. It's 42" long and I keep wondering why I bought it in the first place I evidently needed cheering up at the time(it's that long ago I can't remember).
Still with the UFO blog I'm sure I'll get there in the end.

Well I'm now off to have a cup of tea and some mandala stitching or beading.
To all out the have Happy New Year and may the Stitch be with You

Yule tide is almost upon us. Yippee.

Well the Christmas shopping is almost complete, the tree is up and the lights are twinkling merrily away. I haven't yet made any mince pies but will be doing that shortly.
The parcels aren't exactly all wrapped up but I have at least made some headway with them. There are still one or two to sort out, you know the usual--- Husband, Sister, Son, grand-daughter OOOps perhaps I haven't quite finished and time is running out.
Still here's to other interesting things. After my mammoth task of finished my TW Carousel Horse I couldn't decide what to do next. So I have started a Martina Weber Freebie,.Chatelaine Designs, it's from 2004 and I am doing it on an opalescent even weave. I wasn't keen on the blue background in the design picture.


I finished off some Christmas ornaments that I finished earlier in the year and I am really pleased with them. They are by Cross My Heart and are called Heirloom Santa Kits. I haven't found their site but you can buy their charts at several outlets.
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The material has arrived from Sew and So for my Jim Shore ' Three Kings'. I am delighted that I decided to go for the recommended fabric although I have since been told it's difficult to stitch on. It's a Permin linen Nordic Blue. This is for YoYo's SAL. So I'll shortly be making a start on that as well.




I think I may need a few lessons in how to rotate my pieces. I know that it's really easy enough it's just that I seem to forget where I'm up to and just keep stitching one at a time.
I've decided to chill out this evening and do nothing not even cross stitching. I'll probably fall asleep in a chair and snore away quite happily dreaming of Christmas.
Must away now as evening meal is waiting to be made.
Happy stitching to you all out there.

Christmas is Coming.

It's that time of year!!! I have been on the search for those illusive Christmas gifts. You know the ones that in July you think will be a really good idea and then you forget all about them and have to start all over again(Aaaargh).
I came to the conclusion that I'd rather unwind with my cross-stitching. I've looked out my Christmas advent calendar which I actually finished for last Christmas but ended up having my appendics out so it never got used properly, so you might say this is it's first time of proper use. (Can't wait) It's a Bucilla Kit, Christmas Advent Calendar, and I really like it. You have 25 charms to decorate it with and they look very pretty.

Now I have some decorations that I have finished, they are a Dimensions 'Gold Collection' called Santa's Wildlife collection. This is another group of decorations that gave me a lot of pleasure.

I have yet to finish just one of my Jim Shore Snowmen,(there are four) so it's not looking as though they'll be seeing this Christmas, still it's just another project to keep going with.


I have signed on to YoYo's Christmas SAL so that is another piece I'll have to keep on top of and I'm afraid I'm not very good at rotation sewing because I forget where I'm up too. I am still trying to decide which of two to do, both are Jim Shore designs, one is called Three Kings and the other 12 Days of Christmas.

Now I have actually finally completed my Teresa Wentzlers Summer Carousel Horse I shall try and catch up on my Papillon Castles in the Air SAL which I am sorry to say has not yet moved any further forward, still never mind It'll get there in the end.

Here's some I did a little earlier!

I thought I'd post a picture of my UFO that I have been working on for some time. I started it an awful long time ago such as in the 1990's, put it in a cupboard and there it stayed. Eventually I thought I really ought to do something with it and started slowly to do a little. Now that's when I found I've Started So I'll Finish I have stitched regularly and have posted the up and downs of the saga of the Carousel Horse. Now it is coming to an end so just in case you haven't seen it before here are a couple of pictures showing it 'how it was' and 'how it is'. There's still quite a large amount of back-stitching to do and the outer frame still needs completing but I'm quite sure now it will shortly be finished.





Another piece I'm stitching is the Papillon SAL -Castles In the Air-. I'm about two downloads behind (Oops) and I think there will be another one shortly. I'm doing it on a printed 32 count linen and the colours are a combination of 11 set colours and the others chosen by myself. I must admit I am not the best at colour blending so I looked in my garden and all the colours in SAL are the ones I saw there. I have done a bit of a mix and match as there are two versions of the SAL . One is cross-stitch and the other a speciality stitch, as I am not keen on Lazy Daisy stitch I have taken bits from each one and put them together to suit myself. How it'll look when it is finished is anyone's guess but it coming along quite nicely.



As Christmas is on it's way here's a piece I have sewn through the Summer,( I just love Christmas) it's a Jim Shore Design and there are oodles of beads on it and I just love the colours. I quite like Santa doing 'other things' and have just seen the Sue Hillis Santas ( Sue Hillis Cross-Stitch Design Blog) so the charts are something to look out for.


I said I had a recipe for you. It's one that's been hidden in another cookery book and it has my son's name on the cover so I am unsure of the Author hope you like it:

How to Preserve Children

One Grassy Field
A Pinch of Brook
One and half dozen Children
Small Pebbles,2-3 Small Dogs.

Mix the children and dogs well together,
Put them in the field and stir constantly,
Pour brook over pebbles and sprinkle with flowers,
Spread a deep blue sky all over,
Bake in hot Summer sun for one hour
and set away to a cool bath tub.

Well now the kettle has just boiled, so it's off for a cup of tea and a feet up, a search for a small cross-stitch and a chill out before I go off on child sitting, netball supporting etc etc. Till next time, enjoy yourselves doing whatever is you favourite passtime. See you then

Finally got round to Halloween

At last. I can add to the blog. Well this week has been mayhem. I've had one lot of grandchildren over staying at the beginning of the week as it's halfterm here in UK. I took them back home and stopped for a couple of days as their parents were at work and their other grandma was away. Then I collected my other sons children and brought them over to stay with us again for a couple of days. This all sounds easy or boring depending on your point of view. The interesting thing is that I have grandchildren who like to bake or LOVE to bake is probably nearer the truth.
Then enter Halloween Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. While with me their Mum has been busy decorating their home ready for the annual Halloween party, so I was asked if I could help out by letting my grandchildren make biscuits. They arrived with the relevant 'cutters' and hoping that grandma had enough energy and patience to let the kitchen be taken over by trainee pastry cooks. They have cooked for two days. 'That should be enough biscuits for the whole road to have a party', I can hear you thinking. The problem is they have to be well tried and tested before the biscuits can pass quality control(namely my grandchildren tummies). Any how the point is they thoroughly enjoyed messing about with flour etc.
My computor is in melt down from two young men playing on one game or another. It's a good job that there are meal breaks and bedtime. They will be going home tomorrow so we are going out for the day.
After all that I thought you may like to see my Halloween pieces. There certainly aren't as many as some of you out there but I'm working on it.



The cushion is from the 'All Tied Up' range by Pine Mountain Designs and is a quick and easy sew. The other two are fom Mill Hill 'Buttons and Beads Autumn Series. One of them called 'Haunted Hotel' has glow in the dark threads. The other is called 'Spooky Time' and is from the Autumn Series IX. I really need to get another frame but with the postal strike on I decided I'd leave it until next year.


Spooky Time


Haunted Hotel
I had hoped to leave you with a recipe but true to form it's at my son's house. Oh to have my young memory back!! Until next time. Happy stitching to you all.

Now Where am I up too?

I've been away from home for a few days looking after three of my grand children and I am now suffering from fatigue. It's good fun and I do enjoy myself with the baking and netball support, not to mention taking them to guide outings, brownies, football and hockey training, back and forth to their schools, making packed lunches, listening to their various moans and groans etc etc.(does this ring any bells ). At least it gives their parents a day or two off the racing around. Anyhow back now in my own peaceful pad, so I can do my cross stitching, not forgetting the washing and the ironing (I try to forget them but guilt taps me on the shoulder).
Back to the garden (had I left it ?) The tomatoes we planted were poor compared to last year, there'll be no green tomato chutney this year. Although with great surprise some of the tomatoes have finally decided to ripen. At least we'll be able to have them with some salad before it gets too cold.
We've done some garden clearing and fruit tree pruning, even that's come to a halt as we wait for the 'wheelie-bin' emptying day. Some new bulbs have found their way in to the ground, there are still more to plant but the weather has turned against us so the winter pansies will have to wait.

Thought you might like to see a needle work I did some time ago. Trouble is I can no longer remember the title of it or where I bought the kit, (senior moment!) but I still like it.

I'm hoping to make headway soon with some Christmas kits I've got but with trying to get my Carousel horse out of the way everything else has taken a backward step.
I really enjoy the Jim Shore Kits by Mill Hill they're fun to do and full of vibrant colours and trillions of beads. When I figure out how you get pics from other sites I'll show you what I mean (Learning curve getting a little bumpy at this point). That's it for now. Hope to discover some more of the intricacies of 'blogland' before next time. Do keep popping back you're always welcome. Just remembered The grapes tasted fantastic.

Just How Busy Can One Person Be?

I've been really busy this last few days. I seem to have had very little time to do anything--- could be because I have finally met Professor Layton!!!!!! Time has stood still, drinks have gone unnoticed (anyone who knows me will now be passing out with shock), I would have lost lbs. if my hubby hadn't rallied round and done most of the meals. I've thoroughly enjoyed the game and although I have technically got to the end I shall be going back into it to locate the 5 or 6 games I seem to have missed. I've also got the downloads thanks to a very helpful niece who has the fancy bits that are required to do such things, this means I now have another 27 games to challenge my brain with Oh Crikey ! not more lost meals. I'll be sylf-like before I know where I'm up to (I think that could be shooting at windmills).


Any how back to other things: Here is a cross stitch that I put away for years and years, probably because that background made my eyes ache rather a lot although the number of years it laid uncared for rather out weighed the eyestrain. I'm really glad I finished it and got it framed. Hope you like it too.

The weather was lovely yesterday so we spent most of the day going round looking for bulbs and some winter-flowering pansies and primulas to cheer up the garden that is starting to look rather sad. We haven't got a huge garden but we do our best the pic is obviously earlier in the year.




I'm hoping to get some more of my UFO (Unfinished Object see I've Started so I'll Finish Eventually.... ) done as other cross stitches that I am doing are becoming in danger of becoming UFOs (if that makes sense). I have some Christmas ones on the go but they seem to have taken a back seat just at the moment. But alas I've just been introduced to another game Mystery Case Files:Millionheir OH! NO! What shall I do? Oh confusion, Oh decisions, decisions. Now you'll just have to wait and see............

Just This and That.

Here goes again. I can't help wondering just how long it'll take me to do todays blog. I can tell you now it'll be quite a while. This is mainly because I get in a bit of a muddle with the more 'technical' side of things. Adding a picture on my first attempt was a nightmare, no idea why I'm evidently not switched on, must have been further down the queue when this bit of info was inplanted in the old brainbox. Anyhow to business........ You'll discover through my ramblings that I have a tendency to flit from one thing to another for no apparent reason, it just sort of happens, so please bear with me.


I thoroughly enjoy cross stitching Christmas pieces. I am not the fastest stitcher in the world, more of a plodder, but this is from a chart I came across in a local shop and thought it put a slightly different twist on Santa. It's from a series called' Santa's Time Off' by StitchWorld X-stitch. I must admit I have looked for others in the series but with no luck. It would have been interesting to see what other 'Time off' items Santa has. The pattern can be made as a picture as I have done or as a stocking.

Here's an insight into my slightly crazy family. One of my grandsons isn't keen on eating his packed lunch at school, so his Dad came up with the idea that a weeks menus was drawn up by the son.( no excuse for not eating what you've picked idea). All was going well until the day a fruit salad was on the list: It goes like this: Dad-'Sorry son we haven't got any lemons', Son' Don't worry Dad. I don't like lemons'.
Dad 'Sorry son we haven't got any Kiwi fruit', Son_ 'Don't worry Dad, I don't like Kiwi'.
Dad 'Sorry son we haven't any oranges', Son - 'It's OK Dad I don't like oranges',
Dad 'Sorry son we've only got pears and apples left'. Son -'It's no problem Dad I'm not keen on pears'
Dad 'Shall I just put an apple in your box?' Son 'Yes please Dad, that'll be great'.
At the end of the day I picked up my grandson from school and asked 'Have you eaten all your lunch today?'
Answer, ' No, I forgot to eat my apple.'

I mentioned in an earlier post that we have been trying to grow some of our own food stuffs. Useful ones only like Grapes. I figure in about a zillion years I may have enough to make a bottle of wine. At present there 's about sufficient grapes to press about enough for a very, veeeery tiny fairy with leanings to being tea-total. So I've decided the best thing to do is just eat them.
That's it for now.

Why do I say I'll do it??

Here goes for another try at this mysterious blogging. Just to show I do dabble at varying sewing activities I'll give you a small insight into some the things I manage to get tied up with BY ACCIDENT. We.e.ell my grand-daughter had bounded up to me asking if I could possibly knit her an outfit for the school play . Before I go any further I had better explain she gets knitting and sewing mixed up. Feeling in an exceptional good mood that particular day I whole heartedly agreed. I had probably expected an outfit for a flower or something along those lines. OH NO! The Production, as it became known, was Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat. OK I thought it can't be that hard to make a dancing girl outfit. I am just not that lucky. The part she got was of RAMISES, the Pharaoh, I nearly fainted. My grand-daughter had been glued to the DVD of the said production and exclaimed with glowing eyes that she knew I could make the Pharaohs outfit just like that one on the TV. At this point I must ask you all ...Have you seen his outfit? Well I hadn't so not to be defeated I still agreed. To cut a long story a little shorter I bought the DVD and remained glued to the Pharaoh part for many hours at different parts of the DVD to try and see how this costume had been made.
Measurements got taken. Material found from varying sources. Headache pills purchased. I set to making this costume that I was more than a little scared of. It took quite a while and several trying ons. A mammoth amount of head scratching to work out how I could make this thing so that she would be able to get in and out of it with the minimum of help from the teaching staff who where evidently going to be very busy dressing the other children. Once a challenge has been accepted I don't give in easily. It took about two weeks to make with a bit of tweaking here and there. The finished article I was more than pleased with and my grand-daughter was delighted. The show was great and I was a very proud grandma in deed as all the practising of the Elvis lip and certain hip wiggling plus trying to copy the voice paid off and she did a brilliant job.

I'm going on a long holiday before the next school production!!!!!!!

Welcome

Well this is it. Here is my first attempt at using the blog I've set up I'll probably have a million and one disasters but heyho you can only get better (can't you?). This year is the first year we(my hubby and I) have attempted to grow carrots. Now I just know how surprised you are to hear that . We do not have a garden the size of private park land so our carrots were planted in a couple of posh pots. Through the year, in the same pot, pansies have arrived and curly grass( not the bog standard stuff) varying weeds etc. Any how the great day arrived and we decided to see if there really was anything at the bottom of the lovely green ferny tops. There was. Mind you not exactly able to supply all the local shops, we had one meal from our efforts but my they were tasty. Not a total disaster.




Now nothing to do with gardens I enjoy cross stitching and although not the speediest I get there in the end. I went on this blog called I've Started So I'll Finish...Eventually..... what a boon I dug out a UFO (unfinished something or other can't remember what the O stands for) and have beens sewing on it ever since. I think it was about May my first Pic and after a few ups and downs I'm getting there.
As you can see I've not quite got the hang of how you get your pics in the right order but this is going to be the biggest learning curve ever. That's it for now thanks for calling in and I hope next time I'll have found my way through s few more of the mysteries of the BLOG. So please bear with me you know Patience is a Virtue. (I'm going to need a lot of it!)