Look what I got today....

Isn't it lovely, Vonna said that she would love to do a tin exchange with me and............



this is what came in the post today - I just love it, I love bees and bee skeps and so Vonnas' choice was just perfect,



its all so beautifully lined with a really sweet fabric and really wonderfully finished, I love it - and Vonna spoiled me and kindly sent some goodies which was very unexpected, I really love my tin - thankyou so much Vonna.



I haven't done an awful lot yet on Vonnas tin, due to other commitments, but I will have it done soon and be sending to her.

I've been forced to change to the new blogger, not sure that I like this very much, I had no problem uploading pictures on the whole before but with the new blogger
its not playing nice, so its giving me quite a few problems to upload these ones, I'll give it a fair trial, but if it carries on like this then I might have to move blogs.

Valentines finish

Our eldest nephew Ryan (soon to be 16yr), asked me when I was over at his home the other weekend if I would make him something for his girlfriend Lauren as a small gift for Valentines day, so of course I said YES, I was very flattered that he wanted me to, so I made a small ornament and trimmed it with a beaded trim.

The design is by Ewe&Eye&Friends and is called 'I give my heart to thee' Ryan is quite a romantic young man and so I thought it fitted him perfectly, he thought so too when I showed him it.



I've stitched it on 36ct antique white linen and used mostly DMC thread apart from the writing which is an overdye and the crosses in the heart itself - again an overdye by WDW called Romance - very fitting I thought.



Now what else on the stitching front - I've been busy finishing exchanges and so I can't show them yet, but there are 2 valentines and a needlework smalls exchange to show you.

I'm doing 3 tin exchanges now as Argone (Vivi) has said she would love to do one with me so I was delighted. I have found some small altoid sized tins and they are from Marks & Spencer and contain extra strong mints and they only cost around 90p they are the perfect size and have hinged lids. So I am busy planning what to stitch on all 3 of them, plus its coming up to mums birthday and I want to stitch something for her too, so I'll have to get a move on with that as its real soon.

Thankyou so much for visiting my blog and leaving comments I really do appreciate them very much, even if you don't leave a comment I appreciate your visit.

Knitting & Finishing

Well I have a finish to show and some knitting!! - First the finish, the design is by Ewe&Eye&Friends and its called Brown bunny. I have changed the colour ways (as usual), Its stitched on 32ct hand dyed linen by Polstitches and the colour is called Hot Chocolate and I stitched it using dragonfloss which is a hand-dye by Polstitches and the colour is pearl.



The brown bunny and writing is stitched using DMC. The design had a mixture of stitches. I finished it as a pin keep, it looks a bit bumpy on the picture but it is quite smooth IRL.

The next to show is my knitting - I haven't picked up a pair of knitting needles for a good 10 years or more but I saw this wool and fell in love with it, unfortunately I thought I would have got more stitched than I have but other things keep side tracking me, but I have got one part completed and I have strted knitting a bit more - Can you guess what its is? The blob on the right is a finished knitted bit, not a ball of wool LOL!!!



Vonna and Eva have both said they would like to do a tin exchange with me, both ladies are such wonderful stitchers and finishers I am honoured that they wanted to, so watch this space for the results of our exchanges.

The weather here has been dreadful - really high winds - yesterday a few areas at work were sent home because of it - unfortunately we weren't one of them, but I don't think it would have mattered if we had cos when Mark and I got in yesterday afternoon we had no electricity, it had been off apparantly since lunchtime and came back on again at 5pm, but at least it stayed on when it did come back on again.
The weathermen are reporting that the Lake District will have snow on Sunday and Monday - hope we do then it will feel like winter!!

Hope evreyone has a great weekend!

Winter Quaker Exchange

I heard today that Cathy has received her Winter Quaker exchange piece from myself. It really got to Australia fast. Our theme from SBEBB was Blue and white so I stitched on 32ct white linen using an overdye that I had in my stash.

I chose to stitch the Balckbird Designs Quaker strawberry that was in the Christmas 2006 Ornament book, this was my first attempt at a strawberry and wasn't to sure whether I had made it up correctly, I trimmed it with some white glass headed pins as I felt it looked a bit plain, Mark thought it looked good (but there again, when have I ever listened), but I still wasn't to sure so I explained to Cathy that it was my first attempt and that if she wanted me to stitch something else for her I wouldn't be offended at all, but I think she seems happy with it.

No I've been asked for directions on how to decorate the biscuit tin, if you go Here there are some wonderful step by step pictures on how to do it. If you scroll right down to the bottom of the page and click on the わたしの空き缶リメイク text it will bring you to the step by step. All the other text above are wonderful tins that have been covered, its a very inspirational site. I hope that helps?? Does anyone fancy doing a small tin box exchange with me?????

Knitting pics will be added before the weekend!!

Loads to show

Yay - Part 1 of my blackbird SAL is the first thing, what a great design we have picked this time to stitch its 'Garden of Life' I opted to stitch mine on 40ct cream linen using the recommended threads, its such a quick stitch so far and I'm really delighted with it, you can see more of our pictures here http://perso.bellapix.com/SALBLACKBIRD this time there are 21 of us in the SAL.


My next picture to show you or should I say the next 2 pictures to show you (and I apologise for the yellow tone, its just so dark here at the moment - I will edit and replace with better pictures when the lighting improves a bit) is the wonderful Quaker Exchange I received from Becky today, she has made me the most beautiful pinkeep and I was well and truely spoiled with some wonderful goodies too.

Front of pinkeep


Back of Pinkeep


Now whats next? - Ah yes I have completed my part on Rachaels Neighbourhood RR, I really hope that she likes it, I have adapted about 4 Elizabeth Designs charts to do this square and I really hope that she likes it as much as I liked stitching it.




I was away for part of last week getting my hair cut etc etc - I had an extra long weekend and stayed with my SIL and family - it was Kiers birthday and as a surprise we went Go-Karting - now bear in mind I can't drive a car, so with trepidation I sat in this very low Kart, when we set off (we had the track to ourselves, so there was just us 5 on it), the boys soon realised that Aunty Su was not going to be any competition - in fact the birthday boy shunted me out of the way once and I crashed once which wasn't so bad as Dawn who can drive she crashed twice. Well I couldn't manage the 30 laps of the track after about the 18th and my fastest lap (21seconds) I felt very nauseated and had to pull in to the pits, its to low to the ground for me and the diesel fumes and the bends soon took their toll. Still it was an experience I really had fun doing and at least I can say I did it and the boys were really proud that I managed it (I think they think I'm ancient), but I won't rush to have another go, course now the back/shoulders and forearms ache like mad LOL!!

Oh and guess what else I have started doing which I haven't done in a long time - knitting - more o show of that later in the week along with a couple of finishes I have done too.

My first 2007 project finished

This is the project I started that has grew and grew. The design is by Aux fils des Reves and I have wanted to stitch it for ages, but I didn't want to do it in the colours given in the kit, so I finally decided to stitch it using soi d'alger silk thread in soft pinks and blues and greens on 36ct linen fabric and I was happy with how it looked.



I already had a biscuit tin and I knew I wanted to finish it as a padded tin lid, but thats when my idea just sort of grew a bit. I lined the inside with co-ordinating material, the darker pink I received from Annemarie and the lighter one I already had in my stash. I then padded the inside of the lid using the darker fabric and made a pocket with the lighter colour and added some thread rings.



Then of course the tin was empty so using parts of the design I made a wee pin keeper and a small scissor fob, the pin keeper is edged with the same crochet white lace I had used for the tin top - I just had enough left to do it. I used small glass headed pins in pale pink and white around the pin keep. On the back of the wee fob I have stitched my initials.



So this is the finished project Atelier de Brodeuse by Aux fils des Reves

You know when.......

a project just seems to get bigger and bigger, well my forst finish of 2007 has gone that way. I was hoping to be finished with pictures to show, well half of it is finished and I'm really pleased with how it looks, but as I have decided to add extras its still growing, so there won't be any pictures of it til next week.

Also on the stitching front I have been stitching on Rachaels Neighbourhood RR and its looking pretty good if I say so myself, our next posting date is January 15th. I have also got all my bits and bobs together for our next Blackbird Designs SAL, this time we are doing Garden of Life. I am going to stitch it on 40ct soft cream linen and use the recommended threads. Both mum and Helen are part of this SAL too.

I have finished my Quaker exchange for SBEBB, I only have to sew it up, so nothing to show yet for that one, and I have finished my SBEBB smalls exchange and thats all sewn and finished, but again I can't show that one yet, those 2, both get sent this month.

I have also stitched both my SBEBB Valentines exchange and Jaynes Attic Valentines exchange and I am also moderator for both those exchanges, neither piece I want to part with, but of course I must, but will definitley be stitching them again for myself, they are both due to be posted on February 1st.

Now what else have I stitched over Christmas, I did make a start on 1 of the PIF's (Pay it Forwards), its stitched but not finished and I also can't decide which girl to send it too... decisions, decisions.

This afternoon when I got in from work I took down our decorations, the lounge always looks so bare doesn't it after they have gone.
I spoke to mum last night and passed on all the wonderful comments that you made about the box she did for me and she was delighted and said to say a BIG thankyou to you all. I wish I could get her a computer and get her learning to use it, but funds don't stretch that far, but Helen and I pass messages on and Helen lets her visit the blogs on hers, and of course she does when she visits me.

We also had some very sad news today Mums oldest dog Gemma (she was 15yrs - which is 105yr in doggy years) has had to be put to sleep this afternoon, she hasn't been well for a little while, so we are all really sad. Poor Gem, we will certainly all miss her as she was such a sweet wee bijon and had such a wonderful personality.

From my Mum

For Christmas mum had stitched for me this lovely box for my thread bobbins, it was a real surprise as I had no idea, and its really lovely.



She has stitched the design on pink evenweave fabric and added a wee silver heart as a door knocker - can you see? isn't it sweet.



The trees have small pearlescent beads in amongst them. It really is lovely and I love it very much and so now I will be filling it with threads.

I have completed my first stitching of 2007, I started it on New Years day and finished the stitching last night, hopefully I'll get the finishing done tonight and I will post it up tomorrow. My first 2007 project is by Au fils des Reves, but I have totally altered the look of it as I have changed all the thread colours!!

Thankyou too - I'm amazed by all the wonderful comments that you have all left me for 'French Heart' I really appreciate them and welcome too to new readers.