Happy Easter

I really hope everyone has a very Happy and Fun Easter. I know I will I'm off to visit my family and stay with my sister for a couple of days - It will be great fun.

Thankyou for all your kind comments and many of you asked about the 'Onion Club' well what that is , its literally what it sounds - its a club and we all grow VERY VERY BIG Onions and show them in September, I have a couple of postings on my blog ( http://susimac.blogspot.com/2007/09/well-i-never.html ) about the shows, the best position I managed to win has been 3rd, ( http://susimac.blogspot.com/2008/09/proud-moment.html ) that was brilliant - there are 30 of us in the club.

I haven't finished taking pics yet of all my changes to my home and I have still to do a couple of little things left to do, but when the weather picks up I will really like to show it all to you so thankyou for telling me that you won't be bored and that you would love to see it.

I'll be back next week with some finishes to show you, I have finished all the stitching now on Cage D'Eglantine, I have just the framing to do, and I have bought myself a frame for it, so that might be a next week show to you, and I have also finished my SIL Dawns birthday gift which I will be handing over to her next weekend too when she is here, so thats a finish for you to see too.

Meantime we have had had lots of sleet/snow/rain and wind yesterday and today, the wind kept me awake half the night howling around my bedroom windows, I hope it howls itself off tonight and forgets to return LOL! there is lots of snow up on the Cumbrian Fells that I can see on my way home from work and from my guest room window, I wish 'Spring would hurry up and get here'!!

Follow My Heart

I was so excited when NatalieJo opened her on-line stitching shop and knew immediately which one I was going to do first when I saw them there on screen for the first time.

Just to tease - here is the back of it - have you guessed which lovely it is yet? - Course you have its in the title of this post.

I have chosen to stitch my version of this on 40ct antique white linen 1/1 using the recommended thread colours apart from the writing which I stitched in an unknown overdye I had in my box, I think the colour is called zambuca and its a Six Strand Sweets thread.

You might wonder why I chose to stitch it this small, especially when its not hat huge anyway - well thats because quite a long time ago, mum bought me the smallest pair of scissors and I was always losing them, so I wanted something to keep them in and so it had to be as small as I could make it.

I followed the instructions putting it together, which was so easy as the instructions are very clear and easy to follow, and then I wanted something else on it as I always like to change things slightly (as you know) LOL! and I added 1/8" satin ribbon all around the edge - its the same ribbon as I used on the back on the scissor pocket.  The wee pocket is made with some tilda fabric I bought when I was last over the North East its such a pretty duck egg blue with the smallest of polka dots on it, I know it looks quite big on my pictures but the whole piece together measures 2.75 inches long by about 1.75 inches wide.

I would also like to thank those of you that have given me this lovely award, that was so so kind of you, and really unnecessary I always feel such a fraud getting awards as there are far far nicer blogs out there in blogging land who post regularly and comment regularly - unlike me who is so errant its untrue and although I keep promising I'll be back out there visiting anc commenting more time just slips away from me with all my other things, and so I will nominate all of you who visit me here you are all so very very worthy of taking this award yourselves and Thankyou so much to the ladies who gave me the award - Love ya girls

You might wonder what I've been up too lately (and there again you might not LOL), well my sofas have arrived and I have been playing house, and trying to make it look like I want it too, I'm nearly there and I will have some pics for you at some point I promise - would you like a tour of my home? You might not, it might be a little boring but I'm excited as I love it when a plan starts coming together don't you?

Hope you are all having a great weekend - I'm off to Onion club tonight.

Blog Award

Carol has very kindly nominated me for a Blog Award - I don't know what I have done to deserve this, but I am very thankful for it, as its so nice to receive awards especially from someone whose stitching and finishing I am always in awe of (not to mention her designing skills)

Here's how the award works. The rules are simple:


1. One must accept the award

2. Thank the person who gave you the award

3. Add a link to the person who gave you the award

4. Paste the award on your blog

5. Write 10 things about yourself that others might not know

6. Pass the award on to 10 others

The passing on bit is not in the least bit easy as I would like to say its to go to everyone that visits me and leaves me comments too, but I will enter into the spirit of the award and try my hardest to list just 10
1. Szentpyr
2. Dovile
3. Staci
4. Anna
5. Jane
6. Terri
7. Nina
8. Carol
9. Adriana
10.Hazel

Now this is another hard bit for me hmmmm 10 things that you might not know about me, now let me think!!!

1. I'm impulsive (so much so I have just splurged on 2 new sofas, when really I shouldn' have - but I don't regret it LOL)
2. I'm quite shy, but hide it well.
3. Libra is my star sign
4. I lived in Malta for 3 years
5. I am really enjoying being single, even though I thought I wouldn't
6. I am a fully trained and qualified Nurse
7. I'm originally from the South of England (Hampshire)- not the North of England even though I have a Northern accent
8. I've never been to America or Canada
9. So far I have lost 4 stone in weight over the past year (another 3 to go!) EDITED to tell you that there is 14lbs to a stone, so,  I have so far lost 56lbs)
10. I love Interior Design, next to stitching its my other passion

..a little of this and a little of that...

As promised here is my progress on my latest stitching, as soon as I saw this chart I knew I had to have it, and as soon as it plopped onto the carpet through the letterbox I kneew I was going to start it - no exceptions for any other pieces I'm doing, this was the one!!

The design is by Martine Leonard and is called 'La Cage D'Eglantine' isn't it pretty so far.

Next up is a picture of the workshop I did at  Fobbles earlier this month...

We made needleboxes and it was great fun - Here are a few of the finishes taken from the top of them. THANKYOU Ladies for coming I really enjoyed teaching the class and I am looking forward very much to our next smalls workshop.

More on Fobbles later this post as it's some VERY VERY VERY Exciting news.

Next up is my stash acquisitions........

As you can see I have been treating myself, there is still some more to come, some MORE Blackbird Designs and some Homespun Elegance and some Shepherds Bush, I should be getting them early next week.

I bought 2 of  NatalieJo  beautiful designs and I am itching to start them too, her instructions for the finish are so lovely and clear and the charts are marvellous, I can't recommend them enough.

I also got myself the lovely Friendship Sweet Bag by Jeanette Douglas, its going to make the perfect gift for someone when I have stitched it.

Now talking of Jeanette Douglas, the very lady herself, will be teaching a workshop in Autumn 2010 at  Fobbles I do beleive there may be a couple of spare places left, so if you contact Bev or Edna at Fobbles they will be able to tell you.

ALSO

There is more..... Next May (2011)  Ellen Chester of With My Needle is coming to the UK and teaching at Fobbles as well  (again, contact Fobbles for all the details if you fancy coming, their address and phone number are on there) - See, I told you I had exciting news, not One but Two lovely designers coming up to my pretty part of Cumbria and I am going to both, I can't wait, I'm so excited, and I mean excited, if you knew me, you would know that I won't stop talking about it and get all giddy with it all LOL!

Thankyou for asking about my driving lessons, they are going well, slowly but steadily - I can now parallel park the car and my turns in the road (3 point turn) are excellent if I say so myself, I have finally mastered the art of not stalling at every junction (now just every other - No just kidding I haven't stalled for a while now LOL), and I am finally enjoying going around roundabouts, which if you knew where I live you cannot get anywhere in this county without going around at least 3 roundabouts to get anywhere.

Hope you all have a good weekend, its Mothering Sunday here in the UK tomorrow, so Happy Mothers Day to all you Mums and most especially Mine xx

Quick visit

Hello Everyone, No I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, but I have been so so busy. What with teaching a finishing class at Fobbles, Being away for a few days, decorating 2 rooms, work and driving lessons, I seem to have missed blogging out.

I have some new stash to show you, hopefully before the end of the week, and some stitching progress too.

Thankyou all for the wonderful, wonderful comments you left me for my EEF (previous post), WOW what can I say, they have really made my day, week, month, thankyou so so much.

Hope you are all well and stitching like mad, I will be visiting blogs again soon so I can see what you have all been up too, as soon as I am finished with the decorating.