Garden Exchange FROM Andrea

The postman arrived today and there was a parcel when I got home from work, its was my SBEBB Garden exchange from Andrea. When I opened it I felt so spoiled Andrea had stitched me Lorri Birminghams 'Who plants a garden' as a pinkeep to add to my collection. I so love this wee design. Its so beautifully stitched and finished and I am so delighted with it - I just don't know what to say!! Andrea also spoiled me with an array of goodies too, there was some fabric and a finishing form, some 32ct laguna and some lovely threads and a bookmark.

Stash

I promised you a picture of some of the stash I have bought, well I forgot to do it and now I've remembered its not all here as I am still waiting for some to arrive, and also I had put some away and forgotten where (just typical of me), I didn't add the 40ct fabric and some threads I bought to this picture neither are a couple of LHN charts including the sampler lady.

Truely Thine heart

It was my SIL, Dawns birthday the other week, but as I knew she was coming over here to Cumbria this weekend I thought I would wait to give her her gift. I've stitched Blackbird Designs - Truely thine heart. Dawn loves hearts and strong colours she is not a pastel kinda girl so I've stitched this on some 32ct hand-dyed fabric I had using the recommended WDW/GAST and finished it very simply as a heart.

.......We can wander round my garden......

.....And look at my flowers....

Here is my last PIF of this week, I still have 2 more to stitch and finish and then they'll all be done. I wonder if any of my PIF ladies have guessed which one is theirs yet??LOL!!



This little Pinkeep is by Shepherds Bush - My Garden, stitched using 32ct fabric and the recommended DMC threads its such a sweet design to stitch.

....and join me in a cup of tea....

...notice a trend with titles going on here LOL!!! Here is the next PIF (Pay it forward) for someone (again I'm not saying whom). I sent the other off today - I never got to the P.O. yesterday, this one will be going out tomorrow.

The design is by EEF (Ewe&Eye&Friends) and is called a tiny teacup fob. I've stitched it 1/1 in 28ct evenweave (a piece of hand-dyed I found in my stash)using DMC thread and I've trimmed it using black ribbon.

I received 2 lovely RAK parcels today one from a friend called Carol whom I met on Jaynes Attic board and the other from our very own Becky - Thankyou so much ladies for the wonderful goodies I received (from Carol she sent me the whitmans vintage tin and from Becky a wonderful array of charts all garden or bee related). I've emailed you both privately - thankyou both again (hugs xx)

Alao I haven't forgotten that I said I would show you my stash haul but I'm still waiting for a few bits and bobs to arrive and when they do I will show you all then.

Thanks everyone for visiting me I really appreciate your time and comments - hugs to you all.

C'mon over to my house

I've been doing some finishes this past few days and this is one I have done for a PIF - Can't say who its going to as it'll spoil the surprise.
The design is by Homespun Elegance small samplers and its stitched on 28ct natural linen. I've finished it as a pinkeep. It'll be going out in the post on Monday evening so those that I owe PIF's too still watch your letterbox for an arrival soon.

Weddings and Birthdays

Yesterday we went to a wedding evening 'do' our friends Gill and JB's daughter Rachel got married to Michael yesterday at Gretna Green. As half the family (Michael) were from Scotland and the other half (Rachel) is from Cumbria - you can imagine what a truely lively evening was had. Rachel wanted her whole day very simple and with the minimum amount of fuss and bother.


There was a few reels danced along with a lot of riotus laughter.


Not only was it the wedding do with the minimum amount of fuss, we even had pie and peas for our supper which was so good! as JB was informing us all!



JB and Toddy who are our local baritone and tenor amongst the local community gave us a couple of songs -


one for the Cumbrian side where Toddy sang - 'These are our mountains' which always makes me feel proud to live in the beautiful area that I do as we are surrounded by fells, hills and lakes. Then the pair of them sang 'Flower of Scotland'which of course led to a resounding follow up by everyone of 'You take the High road and I'll take the low road'.

Now the birthday part - yesterday was Marks birthday and of course being such a wonderful man that he is, was presented with a birthday cake by the bride



- which for all I knew this was happening Mark didn't so he got a bit of a shock. Buuuut not as big as the shock he got later - Stella came to party!!!


Unbeknown to her guests for part of the evenings entertainment Rachael hired a drag act to join us all and what a great entertainer Stella was.

'She' of course had to give Mark a massive kiss as it was his birthday LOL!!!


and then proceeded to sing 'Happy Birthday' to him in the style of Marilyn Monroe, it was so funny to watch it all unfold and Mark took it all in good part as I knew he would and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Clematis

As many may know I LOVE my garden, so today when I got in from work I thought I would show you some pictures of the clematis that are currently flowering, now its a bit rainy and dull here in Cumbria today, and Pleeeease don't ask me the names of the clematis as I couldn't tell you as I pick them for their colour and shape, but I do know that Snow Queen and Mile a minute and Nelly Moser are there.

ABC exchange to Wendy

Here is what I stitched and sent to Wendy for this exchange.
The design is a freebie from Indigo Rose which has been in my stash forever and I have always fancied stitching it. Its called 'A gift for you'.
I have stitched it on Polstitches 32ct Hot potato evenweave and ued the recommended DMC threads for it. I felt it leant itself to a wee bag type hanging so thats how I finished it and I made the wee tassels and added beads to them to finish it off.
It was a fun one to do.

I know I'll be asked, but I really can't remember where this freebie came from maybe it will be on the Indigo website still - if anyone has any idea let me know.

Pinkeep from Isa

Isn't it lovely!! This was what the postmas delivered to me today - much much better than stash deliveries. I really love it. Its called Petite Pause by Tournicoton and was stitched by Isabelle for me in the SBEBB Pinkeep exchange. Have you seen those wonderful pins around the outside and the lovely stitching and finishing.

Isabelle also added some wonderful goodies which will get used in the near future. Thankyou again dear Isabelle.
(if you click on the pictures they will come up much bigger)

Pinkeep exchange

Andrea was my recipient partner for the SBEBB pinkeep exchange. I gave it a lot of thought what I was going to stitch for her and decided as we are both UKers and its the time of year for daisy's to be popping up through the lawn and on grass verges I would stitch a design from De fil en Aguille magazine which I have had for quite a while now. I just loved the colours of this design and didn't change a thing, its stitched with DMC and I have done it on 28ct pearl evenweave. Its edged in some pretty braid I found in my stash and of course the obligatory pins. The fabric thats on the back of the pinkeep is what you can see in the background and its from Laura Ashley.



I didn't realise it was so long between my blog postings also I have been a bit slow answering comments and making comments on blogs - I do apologise for being so behind and I really do appreciate everyone that visits me and leaves me a comment. I have been so busy since we got back from holiday - I started a new job which is much more busier than the one before plus I have been stitching a lot, I have done some exchanges and so of course I can't show them (apart from this one) I'm still waiting for the ABC exchange I sent to arrive at its destination. I have 2 other exchanges to get done - I have stitched my SBEBB Garden exchange but not done the finishing and I have started on a couple more PIF's.

I've decided after these next 2 exchanges - apart from Angela's (a very dear friend of mine) of which on her exchange I have only the finishing to do, I'm not going to do any others until the back end of the year - I would like to do a few pieces for myself and I want to concentrate on my CA Wells pieces and get them finished - even though we haven't got our kits yet LOL!! ......... and as you saw in a previous post I have few for finishing! Plus I need to stitch Carols NRR and finish my Blackbird SAL with Eva (I am so far behind on that now)

I'm still waiting for my biscornu to arrive from where it coming from my poor partner is stitching me another in case it doesn't arrive - it seems to be taking a very long time - but I'm not giving up hope just yet :-))

On another note my dellightful niece has updated her blog you can find her in my sidebar under Amy, she has been busy sewing on the sewing machine and has made some very delightful things.

Plus also I have been buying stash - yes stash, me on a self imposed stash ban I've splurged and when the final things arrive I will show you what I have been getting - some very delightful treats I can tell you.