Guest Room (picture heavy posting)

This is what I have been so busy doing and I might add really enjoying too.

Evening shot of the new style room

Peeping through the 'Looking Glass' would you like to come and stay?

Evening shadows falling in the room

Let me show you a better view of the pillows/cushions on the bed, the pillowcase came from Laura Ashley, the bird pillow I made to match the blind and the angel cushion my SIL Dawn made as a gift for me last year.

This wall has the script on it - I would love to say I wrote this freehand, but I didn't, I ordered it from America, as this wall was difficult to place pitures on as the you would have to walk round the bottom of the bed and they would get knocked I thought about this and decided as I didn't want it plain so when you woke up on a morning you just saaw a blank wall, I wanted my guests to feel a little inspired after a good nights sleep.

A little vignette on my lovely Ikea drawers that I built myself - I do have plans to paint and paper these the same as the tallboy drawers, but not just yet - these hold a lot of my stitching things.

The bed I built myself as well and its a small double bed, its a beautiful ivory iron bed and very comfy! The tallboy I painted with Dulux 'Timeless' and then papered the front of the drawers with 3 different Laura Ashley wallpapers, then added new drawer furniture in the way of little china bird handles. You can just see a snippet of my roman blind I made, the blind and the cushion fabric is by 'French General' its a soft linen and red colour - tres elegant!

The walls I painted in Soft Linen by Laura Ashley which is a beautiful matte paint but boy was it a pig to put on, it didn't like going over a satin paint at all.

The little chandelier lampshade, I bought in Dunelm Mill and had to build it together, which was a bit of a fiddle only having one pair of hands, but it looks lovely and when its turned on it casts little dew drops around the room on the walls.

I hope you enjoyed your stay, and will want to visit again, my door is always open and I still have a couple of more things to do in the room and add a couple more pictures on the wall, but its now at the stage where guests are welcome to come and stay.

I've joined my post to Cindys http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ show and tell Friday, Cindys blog is so lovely hope you'll pop over there too.

A surprise gift from Annemarie

Truely Spoiled - yep thats what I am, I received a wee parcel from Annemarie (http://ortsandends.blogspot.com/) as I had won the lovely Goode Huswife chart giveaway she held last week, I expected an envelope to drop through the door. Imagine my total and utter surprise when its was a box that was being delivered, and inside the box was the chart and this wonderful wee pincushion made by Annemarie, its so wonderfully stitched and put together and the backing fabric is perfect for it too its vintage browns and lovely.  Plus there were some threads and the most wonderful pink stripy pair of socks which I love and will wear tonight when I go for my driving lesson....... (that is if its still on its been snowing on and off since 11am this morning - great big flakes - fed up with snow, I want some sun and brightness and warmth!!)

I am sooooooooo lucky - Thankyou An again - hope you got my email.

Til later this weekend with more pics of mystery project (s) from posting below

and now for something totally different

Just a little teaser of what I have been up to lately, I promise to share much more over the weekend, but I have been having fun and making my space my own!!

Thankyou too for all your encouragement for my 'other' new adventure into the world of driving I really have appreciated your encouraging words xx

Moi... Driving indeed

Yes you heard it here first, I have finally succumbed and had my first driving lesson tonight - yep tonight - in the dark- in the drizzling rain - 51 years of age and finally learning to drive (pat on the back puullease).

How did it go? I hear you ask - well it went ok, I'm in one piece, the car is in one piece and the instructor hasn't reached for the valium yet, I had a lot of fun, and drove along an A road to Egremont (YES an A road not  a B road or a country lane its a fully certified A road) and back, its a good 20 mins drive just one way and I also drove around a housing estate several times, I only stalled twice (both times at a junction, and I didn't kangaroo hop at all) can't wait for Friday when its my next lesson, mind you I have had to have 3 glasses of wine when I got in and a great lump of chocolate and my head is buzzing - just can't imagine sleeping at all LOL!!

Wish me luck for Friday!!

Garden of Life - Blackbird Designs

An old finish finally framed. This is 'Garden of Life' by Blackbird Designs which was a SAL I joined in on,  I finished it a couple of years ago and never got round to doing anything with, well now I have framed this lovely piece.

I've stitched it on 40ct cream linen using the recommended threads, and enclosed it in a lovely Mother of Pearl Frame I bought in Marks and Spencer, this is now sitting on the drawers in my bedroom.

Christening Gift

My friend Gill asked me to make for her something she could give her daughter to commemorate Matthews christening next week, so after looing through my patterns trying like mad to find something suitable Gill chose this cute JBW design - Sampler rabbit - isn't it a cutey?
I have stitching him on 36ct Antique white linen using 1 strand of 'Denim' Carries Creation thread. As Gill left the finishing decisions up to me, I thought I would do a simple finish (and as I wasn't feeling 100% this week, I thought would be a bit of a no-brainer finish for me) but like all finishes the ideas just keep flapping around my head until I came up with the one above.  I knew she didn't want anything to fancy so I made a small flat ornament and curved the edges. I added cording I did with DMC thread and then added some narrow navy ribbon for a bow tie for the rabbit and on the top of the flat ornie. The hanger is a cute cream and blue spot ribbon I had - just to add a little more interest. The backing fabric is navy and white gingham check fabric

How I am longing for some better weather now we have cold, rain and wind here in Cumbria - YUK!!

I am feeling much much better thankyou, your kind enquiries I have been very grateful for, as were your comments, I still have an abcess on the side of my gum, but that has started to drain - in total I had 3 - 2 on the gum and one starting on the offending tooth (and this from me who goes to the dentist and dental hygienist every 3 months) my face still feels a little sore as does the gum, but I feel lots better than I did.

Now someone asked me and I really apologise as to whoever it was as I can't remember who it was at all - re the heart finishing on the 'weekend stitchery' post - the answer to your question is I draw the shape on the fabric - allowing for seams and cut it out then I hand sew my finishes - I never use a sewing machine I like to feel in control of my pieces of fabric and the sewing machine never makes me feel like that - I know it takes a little longer by hand but I prefer the finish - HTH??

I am busy stitching a couple of gifts at the moment so will share them soon - again no work on 'Finch Song', but I do have some new ideas buzzing around my head for something a little different.....and ending on a final Happy Note I won a giveaway myself on Annemaries blog ( http://ortsandends.blogspot.com/ ) for a Goode Huswife chart which is OOP, so I was very happy and it really made my day, seeing as I haven't won anything for ages and ages and I have been feeling so very rotten so it was an exciting pick me up!! Another pick me up were the scissors from Yuko has arrived and ooo they are so pretty, I have been showing them off to my ex- SIL Dawn today tempting her to splurge and get some soon I hope!

 I hope that you all have a good weekend

And the Winner is..........

Margaret B - http://blog.thefrenchbear.ca/

I will email you tomorrow Margaret for your details, I have just had my tooth pulled out and am feeling quite queasy, so I am going to bed. for a lie down.

Giveaway

I thought as I hadn't done a giveaway for quite some time and as I am getting truely fed up with the winter I would do a little giveaway for a softer, warmer time - Valentines Day!!

Now I do have a couple of little rules for you and these are:
1. All you have to do is leave your name in the comments part for THIS POST only   if you leave a comment on another post I'm afraid you won't be entered, and neither will email entries

2. I also need to know how to contact you in case you are the winner! Please don't forget to leave me YOUR NAME & EMAIL details when you post in the comments (as again I will not be able to enter you into the drawing)

This is open to everyone even if you don't blog, and wherever you might live.

I will draw the winning name ON  Thursday 21st January (usually between 15:30 - 16:30 GMT), so check back to see if you have won.

Now you are probably wondering what I'm giving away well its just a little trifle and I reall hope that you like it and want to join in ............

...... The designer is Heart in Hand and its called 'Roses are red', I've stitched it on 32ct Antique white linen, using Gentle Arts thread - my own choice as usual LOL! and I have added a little ribbon rosebud (I know its not red, but I only had the dark pink), then its finished as a little ornament with a satin ribbon hanger, sewn on with a mother of pearl button on the back.

Thankyou for your kind concern about my gum abcess, I have ended up off work for most of last week, my face swelled up on the right side - it was huge, my top lip looked like I had had botox (with half a trout pout) and I looked  like a cross between Quasimodos sister and Churchill the dog, (Uk'ers will know who I mean for the dog) not at all attractive I can tell you, and usually I need all the help I can get to look part ways nice - most of the swelling has gone down, though there is still a bit there today on my top lip and under my cheek bone, but the antibiotics have certainly started to work, its been quite painful too, I can't lie on the pillow with my cheek on the right side (which is my normal way) as it gets much to painful and wakes me up. But I need to work so I am braving the banter of the guys I work with and going in tomorrow with plenty of pain killers and killer retorts LOL (I hope LOL)

So even though I have been off I have done little stitching apart from my giveaway and nothing on 'Finch Song', but I have stitched something for a friend this weekend to celebrate her grandsons christening, which I'll show later this week when I've done the finishing

 

Weekend Stitchery

Well this was my weekend stitchery and finishing. The design is by Stacy Nash and is from the lovely booklet 'from Me to Thee, that I received for my birthday. The design is simply called Heart Pin cushion.

I've stitched it using DMC and on 30ct fabric which after stitching it all and finishing I soaked in strong coffee, I am pleased with the result very much.

I have hand-sewn it all together and the backing fabric is by Moda.

Well the rain has come and is beginning to wash the ice away - thank heavens and its not as cold as it was which is good. My ever troublesome gum abcess has reared itself up again and I'm suffering in silence, I am going to make an appointment for the dentist tomorrow...... - Yuk!

Snowy Night - CEC

Due to the weather conditions we are having over here, I thought I would stitch myself one of the lovely strawberries (lateral thinking of summer LOL), from Cross Eyed Cricket and as 'Snowy' Night is very apt for most of us, thats the one I chose to stitch.

I did of course change the linen - mine is stitched on 32count Raw Linen and is stitched using 1 strand of thread. All threads are the recommended DMC. Instead of just stitching little x-stitched snowflakes I opted to use sparkly white petite beads, just to give it a bit of snowy sparkle effect.

The top is finishes with ribbon ruffles and a very large snowflake I found in my stash, though you can't see it here....

.......Also............

I thought I would show you my progress on Finch Song. This is a lovely design to stitch, and the silk threads are as always lovely colours and feel so nice to use.

Hope you are having a great weekend, mine has been filled with stitching and stitching and stitching... all my visitors cancelled coming this weekend due to the poor weather conditions and forecasts, so I ended up with no visitors but plenty of stitching!!

My Pins

Another sweet design from Shepherds Bush, this was one of the kits I got from Fobbles last week, its a really rapid stitch and very easy finish - I did the lot yesterday, everything was included, the pin is delightful and finishes it off perfectly.

My Mum, Dad and brother Ian are arriving here with me later today and stopping for a night which will be lovely, I'm really looking forward to seeing them. I've put all my decorations away this morning and had a clean up, doesn't it always look bare when you take them down - even though I didn't have a lot up in the first place LOL!

My First 2010 finish

Firstly I would like to say HUGE thankyous to all who came to my party, I really enjoyed seeing everyones 2009 finishes it was great fun - so much so I think I'll do it again at the end of this year.
Did you all have a good New Year?? I spent it with my Best Friend Karen and her family - which is quite usual for me, as we have our first BBQ of the year whether its raining or snowing - This year was wonderful we had no wind/rain or snow it was very bright and very very cold. We also had our usual fireworks which as always were spectacular.

This little wee finish is my first for 2010, the initial is a french freebie (I think its a Sajou one)When I had downloaded it so long ago now I didn't write on where it was from.

I've stitched it using Poinsetta Gloriana silk thread that I received from Cathy on our Christmas ornament exchange and I have stitched it on Antique white 35ct linen, it was just perfect for the little 2.5" x 3.5" frame I had already and will be going into my newly dramatically altered guest bedroom, photos of that I will show as soon as its completely finished its sooo different to what it was before and I am sooooo pleased with the result so far.