Giveaway, gift & good start!

Well after my not so good week I was delighted to receive these goodies from my postman this morning.  Thanks to Nancy at Glory Bee, I won this gorgeous Pine Mountain chart and threads in her giveaway.  Nancy is a lovely lady and great designer.  She has some wonderful new designs just realeased and lovely finishes of her own stitching on her blog, please go check it out and say hi http://www.glorybeestitch.blogspot.com/

Leading up to Valentines Day last month every time I visited Staci's  blog at snippets and stash it would make me smile when I saw this cute chart that she had stitched up on the sidebar of her blog.   Here in Scotland there is an old Valentine verse that I remember from my childhood.  It says My love for you, will never fail, I carry it roun' in a wee tin pail. I contacted Staci to ask her about the details of the chart and she very kindly offered to send it to me.  It is sitting here patiently waiting for me to stitch it, once I am finished I will pass it on to someone else, I;m sure there will be someone out there who would like to have it. Being relatively new to blogging and just getting to know people I was very touched by Staci's kindness in sending me the chart , so I wanted to send a little thank you in return.  As anyone knows who visits Staci's blog she loves to knit as well as stitching.  As it is very difficult for me to get my hands on stitching charts here I decided to send her a knitting pattern along with this little ornie I made for her. Now that it has arrived I can post a piccy.

                                               

My pillow disaster that I mentioned in my last post has now thankfully been rescued and is ready to be sent on its way. I wanted to stitch something fun and bright for Easter so I started on this cute design yesterday. 

Well I am off to get dinner then hopefully watch some tv and stitch.  Be back soon. Hugs!

Just been reading my lovely comments but just to confirm as I think there is some confusion.  It was the little ornie I sent Staci not the pillow with the sampler girl design on it.

A week of stitching woes!

What a week!  I caught a sickness bug on Tuesday so haven;t been feeling too good and I think my stitching caught it too as I've had a few disasters with the pieces I have been working on in the last few days.  The little checkered purple piece I showed a glimpse of in my last post I nearly ruined.  I had so enjoyed stitching this and was keen to get it complete but once again my finishing skills or lack of them I should say reared its ugly head.  I was making it into a small pillow, turned it out the right way to stuff and close the gap when I noticed that I had cut the fabric to near, there was a little hole at the side and the fabric was all frayed so there was nothing I could do to rescue it.   I was so mad at myself I could have cried.   I left it overnight and the next morning I unpicked it.  Thankfully it looks as though I might just have enough fabric around the design to do something with it, so fingers crossed I can still make it presentable enough to hand over. 
Now you would think that was enough stitching trauma for one week but yesterday it started all over again. First of all I was delighted to discover that the baby design I thought I would have to rush to stitch was sitting there all pretty in my box of finishes.  I had stitched the girl version a few years ago when I bought the chart and had of course forgotten all about it.  All I needed to do was add the name and date.  Now to most stitchers this would be a two minute job.  First attempt I had to many spaces between my letters, secondly it just wasn;t centered right then when I did have it the way I wanted I felt there was too much space around the name and date.  I raided my button box , stuck on some stars and it seems to look okay.  Next my favourite part , how do I finish this off.  I checked my stash and I had everything I needed to make it into a cube.  I pinned on my backing fabric, no problem, then of course when I went to add the stitching piece, could I get it straight and even , no, on and off, off and on.  By this time I was ready for the head in the oven.  Just in case you haven;t realised I;m not a patient person..lol.  Finally I was ready to add the strip around the cube but of course the piece of baby fabric wasn't long enough and I had to make two.  I am not very happy as my cube now has two joins , so in my head it just doesn;t look right.  Hubbys says its fine but what does he know..lol.  I can;t remember whose blog it is but yesterday I signed up to a pass it forward and if I get chosen I need to pass to someone else.  I;m now thinking this wasn;t such a great idea for me I think it might be better if I just publish a book How not to finish your needlework...lol! 

Well I need to go and get the craft box out to cut some templates for the kids to make some Easter crafts.  I've got some mini eggs and tiny fluffy chickens so we may make some little baskets.  It is going to be a busy week as I also have Leons 2nd Birthday, a friends daughters 18th and I can't quite believe it but my Dad is going to be 80 on Friday.  The years are just flying in.

See you next time, Hugs!

Wow another award/Scary pictures/Stitchy up-date!

Okay well lets get the scary pictures over with first and yes I do look very grumpy as I just detest having my picture taken.
I haven;t had my hair cut for over a year as my local hairdressers closed down and it is a chore I just hate.  Working with little ones I always have my hair tied back so as the months went on I didn;t realise how long it was becoming.  I did notice all the grey but I just kept telling myself what lovely silver highlights I had...lol.  So on Saturday I finally bit the bullet went for the chop and a new colour.  I do like it but isn;'t it a pain when you style it yourself it never looks anything like it did in the hairdressers.

Sorry I only have a few stitchy pictures to tease you with today as my latest projects are all for gifts and I know that the people they are for all are regular readers of my blog.  As you can see the first one is all packaged up and ready to go in the mail this afternoon.   The second one I have a tiny bit to stitch on it , then I have the fun part of putting it together.  I'm hoping it will be winging its way overseas by the end of the week.   I also started a third gift this morning.  It is on the same lovely green fabric I used on my little girl on the fence and I am using my new dye is cast threads.   They are so lovely to stitch with , it is such a shame that they are discontinued.  If anyone has any in their stash they would like to trade with please drop me a line.

Each and every day I discover more and more beautiful inspirational blogs out there in blogland and for someone who is quite new to all this I am once again over the moon to be given another award.  Thank you so much to the lovely Cath and Louise who both nominated me.   I now need to choose another 12 blogs to pass it forward too.  Once again this is not going to be easy as I love all my blogs on my list and I would love to give one to you all but I need to choose 12.  So in no particular order here they are:

1. 
   
   Sharon
2. 
   
   Staci
3. 
   
   Siobhan
4. 
   
   Elaine
5. 
   
   Kellie
6. 
   
   Sadie
7. 
   
   Clare
8. 
   
   Viv 
9. 
   
   Sarah
10. 
    
    Meadows08
11. 
    
    Cheryl
12. 
    
    Rachel

Now here are the rules to follow:

1. Put the logo on your blog or within your post.

2. Pass on the award to another 12 people.

3. Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.

4. Share the love and link to this person from whom you received this award.

5. List your twelve nominees links within the post.

Well I need to go get organised to visit the library now.  I didn;t get the chance to read any of my books this month but hopefully in a few weeks time when I am on holiday I will catch up with my reading.  Be back soon. Hugs!

Stitching/Mothers Day/Blog Awards!

I finished my March SAL piece from Whispered by the Wind.  This was a cute little design to stitch.  I can't wait to see what design Elaine chooses for April.   I have also finished off my two gift pieces that I was working on.   Can any of the uk ladies who read my blog suggest anywhere here that I can buy tiny buttons.  I need some red, white and blue stars.  I've tried ebay, debbie cripps etc but no luck so far.

We celebrated Mothers Day here on Sunday.  I got these two beautiful cards, darling little chocolate moo cow and money for my new stash which arrived today.  I bought some "Dye is Cast" threads,  I know that they are now discontinued but I can;t afford to buy my favourite GAST, Weeks and Vikki Clayton silks so I had to look in the uk for an alternative and I found these on sale for £1.14 each.  I've never used them before but they look pretty enough threads and at this price I will be saving up for some more.  My fabric I also got on sale at Cross-stitch Direct, the colours are Bay Leaf, Coffee and Lavender.  I can;t wait to find the perfect chart to stitch on them now.

I am so thrilled as Kellie and Sarah have both given me a Blog Award.  Thank you so much girls, I really do appreciate it you both including me in your list. I am now supposed to list 10 little known or unique facts about myself.   I haven't lead a very intersting life so I will say here are 10 boring facts about myself...lol.

1. I have only been cross-stitching for ten years.   I spotted a little teddy bear kit while out doing my weekly shopping in the local supermarket.  I knew no one who stitched and had never seen or heard of cross-stitching before.  The following week I discovered Cross-stitching magazines in my local newsagent, bought one and I have been hooked ever since.
2. When I am not cross-stitching I like to read.   I enjoy Biographys, Thrillers, Crime and Romance.
3. Our family are "trekkies".  I watch all the different series and movies but my favourite is Star Trek Voyager. Both my hubby and son are the real fanatics they have been to many conventions and met a lot of the stars and my loft is full of a large collection of toys, memorabilia etc. When we were dating my hubby wouldn't take me out on Thursday nights because Star Trek was on...lol.
4. I am a member of the http://www.nts.org.uk/Home/ National Trust for Scotland.  During the Spring, Summer and Autumn months I love to visit all the Historic Buildings and Gardens in Scotland.
5. I love American tv , I watch all the CSI's, Criminal Minds,Criminal Intent, Law&Order etc.  I'm addicted to re-runs of Friends and my favourite comedy just now is The Big Bang Theory.
6. I have an interest in Geneology and last year I traced my Paternal Grandfathers family back to Ireland in the 1600's and my Maternal Grandfathers family to Ayrshire in the 1700's.   My maiden name is Burns so I was hoping that I might have been related to the famous scots poet Robert Burns but sadly no.  My relatives were all miners,maids and estate workers.
7. I joined a Highland Dance school when I was about 7 years old and over the years gained many medals and trophies.  Typical teenager I gave it up when I was 15 as it just won;t cool at that age.  My daughter has attended the same school since she was 4 years old, she does tap, jazz and modern.  My dance teacher still owns the school and teaches Heather who is now 17.
8. My hero is my grandmother.  She will be 94 years old this year.   When she was born she was less than 2.lbs in weight and they put her in a shoe box and laid her buy the coal fire expecting her to die.   She was widowed in her early thirtys and took many menial jobs to raise her three children.  Last year she went into a nursing home, it breaks my heart as she now has dementia and no longer remembers who we are.
9. I met my husband Ian on a blind date at a superbowl party.  He is the love of my life and we will be together 23 years in September.
10. Now my other husband or no maybe toyboy..I wish...Michael Buble.  I am one of his biggest fans I just adore him and his music.  I have been to see him twice, it should have been four times but twice in the past five years I was ill and not able to go.  I can't wait until he comes back next  year.

Well there you have it, boring but true.  I now need too choose 10 blogs to pass this on too.  There are so many I love out there so this is not going to be easy.   I am not quite sure who has already been selected from other blogs, but here goes.

1. Erna
2. Annette
3. Sally
4. Shari
5. Bette
6. Tanya
7. Cath
8. Michelle
9. Lesleyanne
10. Corinna

That was really difficult, there are so many wonderful blogs that I visit and leave comments on that I would like to have added to my list but I could only choose ten.   I'm sure you will enjoy visiting these great blogs.  For those that are listed here are the rules if you would like to accept the award.

1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Paste the award on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you.
4. Tell 10 interesting things about yourself.
5. Nominate 10 blogs and post their link.

Congratulations to anyone who accepts the award.  I look forward to visiting your blog and learning something new all about you and hopefully discovering even more new blogs to read.

Well this has to be the longest post I have ever done, so I am off to get a cuppa and make dinner.  Hugs!

A Friday Finish!

It is Mothers Day here on Sunday in the Uk so today I helped my little 23 month old mindee Leon make a card for his Mum. This was the first time he had played with crayons and stickers, he had a great time.  I normally get the kids to make a little gift but as Leon is still so young I decided at the last minute to stitch something for him to give his Mum.   I am not the quickest of stitchers so I was quite anxious that I would manage to finish it on time.   Ten minutes before Grandma arrived I was sewing in my last bead but for a rush job I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

I had intended getting back to my  little girl on the fence SAL piece and an Easter design that I have started but this week-end I need to stitch up a piece for a new little baby girl that arrived today.  I have a choice between Lizzie Kates Baby Sampler http://www.lizziekate.com/lizzie-115-babysampler-models.html or SamSarahs design Here I Am http://www.samsarahdesignstudio.com/current_charts/current_photos/8938_Here_I_Am.jpg  Which one do you prefer?

I am way behind on my blog reading so I am looking forward to catching up on everyones news and what they are working on.  Hope everyone has a great week-end.  Hugs!

SAL Up-date

This is my February block for My Little Heart SAL piece that I am still playing catch up on. I'm not quite as happy with my colour changes in this one, maybe Januarys snowman will look better.
Thank you so much to everyone who left the lovely comments on my last post. I am so delighted to see that I have some new followers. I look forward to reading your blogs and getting to know you. A few people asked about my other SAL piece, the little girl on the fence. This cute little chart is a freebie called Spring 2002 from http://whisperedbythewind.com/Site_graphics/titleframe.html. The theme of my SAL is to try and stitch the chart with different fabric and thread colours. I am hoping to finish her up this week and I can;t wait to see what my SAL partner Elaine has chosen for hers. I am also working on another couple of projects but they are both gifts, so I can;t post any pictures until they have been delivered to the recipients. Hugs!

Saturdays little wip!

I haven;t had much time to stitch in the past few days so this is my wip on my monthly SAL piece. The camera hasn't picked up the colour of the fabric very well it is actually a lovely bright green. Once again it is time to play with my stash and decide what to do next. I have no idea what I want to do. I have plenty to choose from but on browsing a lot of blogs I have fallen in love with designs by Little House Needlework,Blackbird Designs,Plum Street Samplers, Country cottage needlearts and many others. I would love to stitch some of these designs and add them to my stash so if there is anyone who has any of these designs for trade please contact me.

While shopping last night I couldn't resist these cute baskets from TKMaxx. I thought they would be great to put the kids easter eggs in or all those stitching pillows that I have made over the years that just lie hidden in the back of the cupboard. I am so fed up of doing all this stitching and not having any of it out in display. My hubby doesn;t know it yet but I am determined that I am going to get some of my finishes framed and hung on the wall this year. I have put too much love and attention into them to let them lie in a box forever. Happy Stitching. Hugs!

My Little Heart SAL

This is my March square for My Little Heart SAL. I decided to stitch this over 1 on 25 count and so far I am loving it. Hopefully sometime over the next few weeks I will get January and Februarys chart done and that will bring me up-to-date.

I now need to get started on my chart for the SAL I am doing with my stitchy sis Elaine. I got to choose this months chart and I have chosen an old spring freebie from Whispered by the Wind. I love the excitement of starting something new, so I am off to print off my chart, chose my fabric, threads and stitch stitch stitch. Hugs!