Happy Dances AT LAST

It seems an age since I blogged. I've been stitching away along with trying to Christmas shop. Must admit I've done better with the cross stitching than I have with the Christmas shopping. I have no ideas really on what to get any one and time is getting nearer.OOOps OOOps and even more OOOps. I'll have it sorted in the end though. Now that's what I call positive thinking.!!

I have been working hard at finishing some of my stitching. The first one to start the music to the happy dancing is the Window Wreath. I have actually finished this one off completely even down to it being mounted and framed.

There was a lot of back stitching on this and it was working with one over two. The finished piece is very pretty and looks quite delicate especially the window panes.

I have finally finished the 'Winter Wonderland' I have to get a frame for it yet though and this will probably come from Sew and So. I got over the stressing about the the fact that so many of the beads just didn't want to let you sew them on. I muttered a lot and got on with it and I am so glad that I did.


Now can you spot the deliberate mistake? (Other than the fact that one is taken with flash and the other isn't)
The sparkle on it is incredible and well worth the music on the dancing starting to get a little louder.

Hold your breath every one wish you could hear the 'fanfare' it's reverberating all around............The Grand Finish........ THE THREE KINGS.........
I am so please with this I wish I could think of enough words to say how it looks. I still have to get it framed and mounted and I had intended taking it to the 'Nimble Thimble for Chris to frame it this last weekend when I was visiting my sister but with the weather being so YUK I was worried about the roads so I didn't take it. Hopefully this next weekend may see it reach the framers as I am off to my sister's again. It's a good job she is an understanding sister for my DH and I keep arriving on her and her DH. for yet another couple of days or so.


The next surprise is The Twelve Days are back out of hiding. I made a start on the 9 Ladies Dancing and then when I went back to it today I couldn't find one of the threads so spent,what seemed like, forever looking for it to discover later that it was under the cover on the frame all the time. Never mind at least I found it. I will be trying to get this finished by Christmas but I think I may just be dreaming still there's alway next Christmas. I think that that will be the more reasonable approach as I am going to make a wall-hanging of it I think and I'll have tp work out the best way of doing that. Any ideas out there?????



I then had a slight detour as I ended up on Ebay hopefully selling some things. It has taken me ages to put everything on between weighing and working out what you call everything. I just hope a bit of it sells so that I'll have a little more room for my next lot of clutter to mount up.!!!
A new start is the Western Santa from the Jim Shore range. Silly me forgot to take a photo so that'll be something to look out for next time. I'm stitching it on the Babbling Brook Jobelan instead of the card that comes in the kit. I know that they work out OK as I did this with the last one I did.
I'm off to a 'panto' with a school next Tuesday so I've been practising my 'He's behind you' lines as I can be as bad as the children. It'll be good fun.
Still trying to catch up with the blogs as we have been having several computer problems, I hope that they'll soon be all sorted out.

Anyway once again thanks for popping in and it you've the time to leave a comment. much appreciated. Good luck with all your stitching Until next time Keep warm
Cheers to you all.

How Many Days to Christmas??? Panick Alert

Hi there to you all yet again. My stitching seems to be taking a bit of a turn for the worse at the moment. I'm trying hard to keep on top of it but I seem to have a bit of a wandering mind set. I haven't even put on the frame my 12 Days of Christmas so unless I can get my head in gear the chances of it being finished in time for this Christmas could be doubtful. I have been getting on with 'The Three Kings' though. I am pleased with progress here as I am almost at the top of the inner border on the right hand side although there are still the beads to sew on. All three kings are finished stitching and beading as is the most of the background which was rather fiddly. So it's just a case of knuckling down and getting the rest of the border done. Perhaps that my best bet is to get this one finished and then concentrate hard on the 12 Days.
The colours yet again don't seem to have come out right I wish I knew what I was doing wrong, I just can't get the lighting conditions to do it justice.

I have made some progress on the Christmas decorations that I started to give myself a bit of a boost. There will be eight of them when finished and I'll have to order the frames for them in due course.






This one when finished shows animals in the stable. They all look a bit odd without the back stitching on. My DH has yet to recognize any of them before b-stitching!!

Just to show that my garden is as muddled up as I am, here is a picture of a 'spring' flowering clematis called 'Ruby Wedding'. Flowering beautifully in the wrong season. Could this be 'Global Warming'???

Some things are at the right time The grapes are changing colour. Yippee.

Winter Wonderland has moved on. Must admit in the past I have had the Mill Hill Bead designs done in no time at all. I think I have done all the cross stitching on it and have to finish off the beading, quite a few on this particular piece are the petite beads so have to be cross stitched on to look good. It a very pretty piece and when the lights catch the beads it looks stunning. I know that Mill Hill have release another 'blue' based design that will look good with this one. (Must think about that one.)



For a change I went to watch my eldest grand-daughter playing netball last Wednesday. It was a coolish evening and as I had finally bought myself a waterproof/windproof coat I decided to wear it. Was I glad!! It rained,rained and more rained just like stair rods. At least I was dry and warm. The girls (who play in a Womens' League) drew. They played really well and I think if it hadn't been for the weather conditions would more than likely have won. Still I'll be watching again next week and will see how they go on then.
I've also been doing a bit of reading. It's a book titled 'The Conquest' by Elizabeth Chadwick. it's taking place about the time of the 'Norman Conquest' in England 1066 and all that. It's the third book I have read by the same author recently and true to form read them in the back to front chronological order, you know that seems just about right for me.

I've just realised my head has jumped a bit I've forgotten all about Halloween. I haven t stitched one Halloween thing, nor have I anything to stitch Oh Boo Hoo.

I've been having problems just trying to write this blog as the save part keeps failing and I haven't been able to upload pictures(Oh Whoa is Me) it's taken an age. Anyhow moan over. Finally managed to do it.

Again thanks for popping in and hope you can find the time to leave a comment. Until next time Happy stitching to you all.

A Bit of This and a Bit of That

A little late with the old blogging but here we go again. I was away last week staying with my grand-daughter while her siblings were away on their school PGL week and her Mum and Dad had gone away for a few days. I did take some stitching with me but didn't manage a lot as I was helping her with a needlework project from last year school term that had gone horribly wrong (not her fault I hasten to add). The fabric that the school had provided her with to make an apron for her 5 year old cousin was rather like lining material and slid all over everywhere, she was supposed to have appliquéd another slippy fabric on to it. Well she did her best but everything just frayed and she ended up very upset, so I found some other material and she started from scratch. It got finished and I think she will now have given it to her cousin. So sorry I haven't got a photo of this work of art but it did look quite good. Any how that's my excuse for not having done stacks of stitching.
When I get back home one of the first things I do is have a look round our small garden and these roses had come out in defiance of the fading summer ....Good for them I say.

I had decided a few weeks ago that I would stitch some Christmas ornaments for my eldest son for his tree. I am taking some designs from Donna Kooler's 555 Christmas Designs ' Inspirational Christmas' hanging. There will 8 of them and I intend to put them into small circular frames.

The colours are more pastel than I had imagined but I am sticking with the stated DMC threads.

I also dug out Window Wreath, I started it a few months ago but never seem to get round to putting any stitches on it. So I surprised it ...it's very pretty actually and there are some very subtle colour shadings. It's single thread two over two and I forget when I start doing it so out come the frogs for a short while.


What do you think of my apples they look as if they have come directly from 'the Wicked Queen's basket' (when she had changed into the Old Lady) from Snow White.

Oh yes! back to stitching. I finished my 'I Believe' by Mill Hill while at my sisters a couple of weeks ago and am very pleased with it.

Also back out for a few days was 'Castles in the Air' I haven't yet caught up all the downloads as I have the right hand side to finish and I wouldn't mind thinking that the next download will be here before I've done it, still never mind there are several months of it to go and if I concentrate on my Christmas pieces and get them finished then I should have plenty of time to catch it up then (I hope) . So I thought you might like to see it unrolled for a full view of it so far.

Back to my Christmas Themes 'The Three Kings' have found their way back onto the stand. I spent yesterday sewing on some of the zillions of beads that needed to be caught up and there are still a lot more to go on. The bottom left hand side is almost complete, just a few purple beads to go on there and then that small section will be complete. Hopefully this will definitely be completed for Christmas time. I just love doing these Jim Shore ones, stacks of beads and lots of colour.

Last but not least Winter Wonderland by Mill Hill started but not yet quite finished.


All the beads to put on it and the rabbit button, I'll have to get on with it and then my finish list doesn't look quite so appalling compared to some of you stitchers out there. I really am quite green with envy at the speed some of you can stitch.

Many thanks as always for popping in and leaving you inspirational comments. Until next time Enjoy your Stitching.

Finishing, Start and Enhancing

Here we go posting day again. The Big Finish of 'Break Time', finally and with great relief the mammoth UFO is completed. I did enjoy doing the face and hair as it was so bright and cheerful, he does look quite a friendly chap. Currently it is stretched out along the back of out settee still waiting to be ironed and also to be decided on exactly WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH IT? I have been looking for fabric to turn it into a wall-hanging but up to now have found nothing that appeals in the least, so I guess that for a while it'll be rolled up and stored until a bright idea comes to me.

With the completion of Break Time it was a case of looking for the next UFO for Jen's I've Started so I'll Finish....Eventually. I came to the conclusion that I'd pick one that I'd put away because I thought that I had used all the wrong coloured red beads and was totally demoralised by it. It was cast to 'To Do' cupboard before Christmas LAST YEAR ( now that's an improvement on some of my UFO's). This is how it looked on Thursday last week when we went down to visit my sister for a few days

Once again some pictures of our garden. This lily is taller than I am, must admit that doesn't take a great deal of doing as I am only approximately 5'2", it is absolutely beautiful.
Now this clematis was given to us by my sister when it had decided that it didn't want to flower anymore!! It was a case of perhaps different soil may give it a boost and WOW it really has done.

Just to prove that the grapes are growing and starting to look like grapes here you are. There are several bunches and we are hoping that they will keep on fattening up

Back to some cross stitching updates. The 8 Maids a Milking is now completed and must admit that I am very pleased with it. The 12 days are now back up to date so mini happy dance. The colours on it are beautiful but once again I don't seem able to photograph them to show how pretty they look.

'Castles in the Air' has appeared back at the top again and is now back on the stand to try and catch up a little. The latest download has got some blackwork on which makes a pleasant change, I decided that I'd do the left hand side and then move over and do both the missing downloads on the right hand side( if that makes sense). I've made a start on download 14 but then off to my sister's house so it'll have to wait.

Whilst visiting big sis I decided to get my DH to take me to The Nimble Thimble (a shop of dreams) and did a little enhancing. I was really taken by the design by Waxing Moon Designs.
I purchased the 28ct 'Crystal Magic' Cashel and also the
beautiful frame by 'Poppy Kreations'. I have a feeling that this isn't going to be left hiding for a long time.
I had taken some stitching with me and decided to boost my moral by starting something new (naughty me) instead of working to complete some smaller easier transportable piece. This is the one I have started... guess what back to beads!!!


Once again thank you for popping in and also taking the time to leave a comment. They are so much appreciated.
Until next time Happy Stitching to you all