A few Easter smalls

I can't believe how quickly this month has flown by and Easter is just around the corner! And I'm so not ready!!!!

It's a good job I had stitched those three Easter cards earlier on in the year, because that is all I've done. Nothing else prepared....  So this week, I thought I'd better get stitching and this is what I've managed so far:-

All I have to do now is make them into ornaments (which I've never done before) and at least I'll have a few gifts to give out.  I would have liked to have kept one for myself but I guess I'll have to do a restitch for that as I'll have completely run out of time to get them in the post.  Oh well, there's always next year and I'm sure they would like an Easter Egg just as much....

Happy stitching
x

Migraines stop stitching progress!

I hate suffering from migraines!!!! I've had them all my life and sometimes I can deal with them and sometimes, like recently, they just seem to take over and I can do nothing about it.  You would have thought that something calming like cross stitch would help, but unfortunately I get 'flashing lights' aura when the headache begins so I cannot concentrate on anything and have to walk around in very dark glasses as even the slightest light makes the pain worse.  I have been hardly able to do any stitching at all.  I pick things up, put in about ten stitches and then give up; it has been very frustrating.  I do have something to show though,  Look at what I found hiding away in the back of my Nana's wardrobe:-

I was looking for a Christmas picture that she used to put up (but as she's 90 now she doesn't bother), and I thought would love a chance at being displayed at my house.  Actually, I don't remember the Christmas picture but because of the one I'm stitching at the moment my Mum thought I'd like Nana's as well, so we went looking for it.  Well we found it, and my Nan casually mentioned that she'd stitched a partner for one of her Lanarte pictures that she'd never had framed and could we look for it..... We found this!!!!  She denies all knowledge of stitching it!!!!!  Now I know she must have done it about 15 to 20 years ago, but how can she forget all the work that went into this piece?  I know she's 90, but she is all there mentally - well I thought she was!!!   So I got it!!!  Which I love as the moment I saw it, it made me think about my Grandpa pottering about in the garden planting up his annual flowers in the spring time ready to plant out in the summer and that just make me smile.

After all the headaches, happy memories....

February Flower of the Month SAL and a finish!

Well I finished it and here it is:-

Violets by Ellen Maurer-Stroh

I had to substitute some of the blue DMC colours, but I don't think it looks too bad.  I haven't stitched the outside border yet as I'm going to make them into cards and I've had to order some larger aperture cards and until they arrive, I don't know whether the border will suit or not - so I'll wait and see...

This wonderful SAL is hosted by Alyssa at Brownie's Chair (I really must learn how to do those magic hyperlinks) and next month it is 'Jonquil' or Daffodil, which I'm hoping will be a quicker stitch for me as I really struggled with this one.  I blame it on the stress of Hope's operation, (luckily the lump was benign) but I am pleased that I managed to finish it.  I still have to start January's though....

I also have another finish to report from my project list - hooray!  It was one of the small projects, though, but I'm still counting it!!!  I managed to finish one of the Forever Friends teddies and it will become a birthday card for my mum when my larger aperture cards arrive.  Here it is so far:-

 I hope she likes it!

I have stitched up a couple of other smalls this month, which will be made into cards and I've added photos of these onto my 'finishes' page (if you're interested!).  For now it's back to Santa's Journey.

Can't wait to check in and see all your flower SAL updates!

Take care x x

A difficult week!

It's been a difficult week, which has seen very little stitching and blogging being done.  My youngest dog had to have an operation, that turned out to be a lot bigger than anticipated and she has needed a lot of looking after!  24/7 attention has been called for to prevent her licking the wound, removing any staples, jumping, playing etc.  It has been a tough time and very little sleep has been had!!!  Older dog is also very put out at the attention number 2 is getting and is doing a lot of sulking!!!

Santa's Journey has had very little progress:-

Santa's Journey by Maria Diaz

As it has been difficult to stitch with a poorly Flatcoat sitting on your lap!

However, I have made progress on February's flower of the month SAL (photo to follow at the end of the month).  This has taken me a lot longer to stitch than I thought it would as I've been, a bit, all over the place with stitching it.  Usually, I'm quite methodical with my stitching - stitching in blocks or colour groups for example.  But for some reason, I've been stitching this very randomly!  I started in the middle, then did a bit bottom left, then top right, then back to the middle....  I blame worry over the dog....  

Oh well back to the stitching!

Take care x

My first SAL!

Okay, sorting out my finishes page is taking me longer to do than I thought.  I just haven't found the time yet - but I will.... soon!!!

But I am just about to join my first SAL.  I am so looking forward to it!!  It is being run by Alyssa at Brownie's Chair and I've just come across her blog and the SAL she is hosting is all about a low-stress, flower of the month SAL - which sounds perfect for me!!  I have a little work to do, though, to try and catch up with January's flower - carnation - but I'll start with February and see how I get on!

 It'll give me a break from Santa's Journey anyhow and I might be able to turn it into a Mother's Day card for my Grandmother. (In England, Mothering Sunday is on the 15th March this year.) and will help me with my other goals, if I can make them into cards, so win, win!!!!

 Off to see if I'm any good at setting up links....

I have had a great day, sorting out all my projects for the coming year and posting them up on my blog.  Now I just thought I'd show an update of Santa's Journey:-

Santa's Journey by Maria Diaz

Tomorrow, I plan on making up the cards I've sewn so I can start a finishes page!  Yay!!!!

Well, it has literally been years!!! But in the intervening period, I have renewed my addiction to Cross Stitch and (over the last week or so) have become embroiled in the lives of those of the blogging 'cross stitch community' and thought 'what a wonderful idea!' I could do that and keep track of my stitching at the same time.  It would also let me comment on some of the wonderful stuff I see out there on your pages as well....

So here goes....

What are my goals.  To stitch from my stash where ever possible.   I was far too late to join SFS, but if I can keep up with this blog, then that will be a goal from the future.  However, real life this year does not leave much funds for stash buying, so SFS is a definite goal.  I was very lucky in that my Mum bought me my current WIP.  It is Santa's Journey by Maria Diaz and my current progress (from 5th January 2015) is: -

Santa's Journey by Maria Diaz

I'm a bit disappointed with the photo as it's made the Aida seem more white than cream and so doesn't show up all of the 'snowy' detail that I've done.  I'm also stitching up lots of smalls to be made into cards as its another aim to send all handmade cards this year - photo's will follow!!

I also have two very old UFO's that are Lanarte charts that I think I must have had about 15 - 20 years.  One is very near completion and they are both on the 'to do' list for this year.  Again photo's will follow!!

One problem that I've got is by roaming through all the wonderful cross stitching blogs out there, I have come across all sorts of goodies that I never knew existed!  It seems that those of you lucky enough to live in the USA have access to so much more stash at such better prices and now I'm hooked on internet sites and ebay looking up Lizzie Kate, Bent Creek, Little House Needlework and thinking ornaments, let alone getting big ideas such as HAED, Mirabilia and Nora Corbett.  

Oh I can only dream.....

Till later

Elle x