Blackbird Designs Country Garden

I am back from my holiday and at last I have got around to adding my latest completed stitching. I made the box about a month before I went on holiday but needed to add the cord and tassels, I managed to do this a week or so ago, since then I have been wanting to photograph it to put on my blog but DH has been home and I never seemed to be able to get them taken until today.


Design is stitched 1 over 2 on 36ct Edinburgh linen in antique white using WDW and GA threads as listed on the chart.
I followed a tutorial for the box from Judy Odell's book The Flatfold and friends.
I chose Blackbird designs Harvest Home for the fabric as the colours matched so well with the colour of the threads

The box is all hand sewn and padded and is really lovely to feel.

I made the corded and tasseled scissor fob and the bead just added that extra touch. It looked such a good match and was one I had already in my bead collection.

I am very pleased with how it turned out.
Hope you like it.

Blackbird Designs Free Petite Lettres Rouges

I wanted to make this design from Barb & Alma into a needlebook and over the bank holiday weekend I had the time to do it.
This is a photo of the front


This is the inside.


I made some accessories to match the needlebook.


I also made this beaded scissor fob to put my gorgeous little hornbook on, it is so sweet my initials are engraved on it. It was made for me by Bloom Woodworks


Thanks for visiting my blog I am off to see my daughter for a coffee now

A Noel ornament

Another finish at last.
This beautiful design is a free chart which can be downloaded from here.







I stitched the design 1 over 1 with DMC threads 815 & 321 on 32 ct Natural linen. It was stitched mainly on holiday in Tenerife last November. I have taken ages to decide on the finishing but am happy to have it as an ornament, one of many I am aiming to do by Christmas for a special little tree.

Petites Lettres Rouges

My needle has been very busy this weekend as I wanted to finish this little sampler for the contest at Blackbird Designs I added my initials and also added the word NEEDLES at the bottom of the sampler because I would like to finish it as a needle case at some future date.
We had to add a bird to the design and I got mine from a blackbird design which I thought was appropriate.
I really enjoyed stitching this little piece although I had only the weekend to do it as I only found the blackbird blog on Thursday but I did not start it until Saturday.

I never thought I would finish it in time but was so pleased I did.

I stitched the sampler 1 over 1 on 28ct zweigart cashel linen the colour is Vintage Country Mocha the photo does not do the fabric justice I used DMC threads 321 498 & 815.

My first pinkeep

I cross stitched this piece just after Christmas and have been longing to make it up. I had never made a pinkeep before and I was a little hesitant about starting. For a first attempt I am quite pleased with the result and hopefully my next one will not take me so long to start, and be a little quicker to make up now I have more idea of what I'm doing.

The chart is CoeurAuxPaons and is a free design from Carinne found here

I stitched it 1 over 1 on 32ct belfast linen using DMC 498.

Here is the front and back of the pinkeep.






I can't wait to start making up my other stitched pieces now that I have at last made the effort.

Mojo sketch

I made this layout of Ben using this weeks sketch from Mojo Holder




I really enjojed making this as it has been a while since I have made a layout. Thanks to Mojo Holder for giving me the inspiration.

Lets garden with Grandad

It was such a lovely day today and DH spent some time tidying the garden, it was lovely smelling the newly mown grass it made me realize that summer was on the way.
My daughter Sarah popped in with Amy on the way to meet Ben and Charlotte from school, Amy loved running around in the garden and did'nt want to leave but she also didn't want Mummy to go so Sarah promised her she could come back with Ben and Charlotte on the way home.
Well every one wanted to help Grandad and the result was muddy school clothes and shoes,Sarah is so good wth the children she just said it will all clean up Mum and the children are having such a good time.
Here are some photos of the days events.






Ben and Charlotte loved digging in the garden and Amy really enjoyed herself.
Then it was home where Mummy bathed them all straight away before tea.

Acryllic book

I had fun putting this book together with photos I took on a day out to Marazion in Cornwall. I was born in Marazion and spent many happy hours playing on the beach and walking over to St Michaels Mount.
It was great to go back and show my grandchildren and watch them play on that same beach.




Some of the pages







They had great fun that day making sand castles with Grandad.

Protection

Here is my HSMSHS prompt for today



Ben is protected in the water by his water wings.

Stash

My daughter Sarah took me to our local craft shop in the week and I could not resist these gorgous fabrics to add to my stash





I was pleased that the blue matched the threads so well as I am stitching with that thread at the moment and can't wait do the finishing.

Talking about stash I recently recieved these charts from Keepsake Stitches and will be sewing them in this 32ct linen. The colour on the chart looks very blue but it is infact stitched in the mint green and peach colours.



Here is more stash I recieved as a Mothers day present from my daughter Carol, I am so excited to have this Just Nans 15 sided biscornu.



Carol also gave me one of the Charm Garden Pins to get me started there are several you can collect but I love this bee one its my favourite.



I love playing with my stash and I have plenty to play with.

Instead of just admiring it I think I had better start some serious stitching.

Watch this space.

Advertisement

HSMSHS

A public announcement, in newspapers, posters or television, find 'Advert' in your space today.



My granddaughter advertising Mc Donalds Happy Meal.

GLISTEN

HSMSHS



Its been a long time since I have joined in the fun on Her space My Space.

Glistening sea spray on the rocks.

As promised

I am starting to get a few finishes done to my recent cross stitch. I realise its a little late for Christmas ornaments but I hope you will like it.
I will still be stitching christmas ornaments along with other things throughout the year and hope to do enough to warrant their own little christmas tree.
I have quite a few stitching smalls already done awaiting the finishing and will post a photo when each one is finished.
This ornament is a complimentary design from Windy Willows. I stitched it 1 over 1 on a 32ct linen fabric using DMC 115.

Blogging at last

I have actually decided to blog for the first time in 18 months. I thought it was time to update and tell you what I have been up to lately.
I went on several holidays in 2008. In June I visited Tenerife this is where I go at least once a year it has become home from home to DH and I and it would not be the same without my yearly visit there.These are some photos I took last year.

This sunset is from Los Gigantes



This is another view from Los Gigantes



and here are some gorgous blooms from the entrance to El Marques in Los Gigantes







In August we went to Capetown in South Africa to visit my daughter Debra and her husband Nigel. It was wonderful, we took hundreds of photos and visited so many places,and of course it was so great to be with my daughter on her 25th wedding anniversary, she had no idea we were coming we just turned up at the party, her face was a picture.

Here are some photos of the lovely scenery in South Africa.



This is the cable car that took us to the top of table mountain



This is taken from table mountain looking at Robin Island



A walk on the beach Debra and Nigel and their dog Stella with table mountain in the background



This is Stella. She is such a gorgeous dog.



Lastly just a little ornament that I cross stitched to mark the occasion of Debra & Nigel's 25th wedding anniversary



This is a Blue ribbons design, I have been doing quite a bit of cross stitching since I last blogged and am really enjoying it. I am torn between my love of cross stitch and scrapping. I will post photos of my recent stitching soon when I have done the finishing on them.

I have my moments when I change hobbies, I have also been knitting and crocheting but I have cross stitched for years and am enjoying it so much at the moment.

I knitted these cardigans and crocheted the ponchos for my friends baby






We also visited Portugal in October and took my Mum with us, and then back to Tenerife in November just DH and myself so although I haven't blogged for a long time I have been kept busy.
Have promised myself to not neglect my blog in the future and will be posting stitchy things soon.

Sarahs Class

I cannot believe it's been so long since I last blogged.

My daughter Debra has been home from South Africa for two weeks, it was great having her with me but I was very sad to see her go back,I took a while to get myself back to normal, if you can say you ever feel normal when one of your chidren leave to live so far away.

After Debra left I had to have some dental work done which I was not looking forward to, I have now had some of it done and get it finished in November. These are the reasons I haven't felt much like blogging but I am going on holiday to Tenerife on the 12th October and am sure I will come back with my usual zest for scrapping blogging etc.

I have at least done one LO which is a MOJO class by my daughter Sarah Youde.



These are my grand children Ben & Charlotte.
Hope you like it.

At last

I have actually got around to doing some blogging today, I seem to have been kept very busy lately but not really doing much, I don't know where the time goes.
I have been doing some crochet, I wanted to make some flowers as they seem to be popular at the moment, I love crochet and have done it for years doylies baby clothes dresses and jackets for myself when I was younger,and also crochet dresses for Sarah when she was little so I had to give the flowers a go. Here is a close up of one



and these are the ones I made last night.



I have got myself a new camera its a Canon 400D I am really excited about it but have not used it yet. I have not read up about it, I am sure I will love using it when I know a bit more about it.
I have also got a new addition to my scrap room which I am really thrilled with, its a clip it up and it is fab, I can see all my stickers alphas etc at a glance so much easier than scrabbling through a drawer and messing every thing up. I love it.



It was Sarah and Marks wedding anniversary on the 24th July and here is a card I made for them.



I have not done much paper crafting lately and I feel quite ashamed considering the amount of stash I have. Since I was unwell a couple of weeks ago I haven't seemed to get back into it but I'm hoping my mojo will return soon.

Happy Homecoming

Well the weather hasn't got any better here since I last blogged, It would have been nice to have had some sunshine this morning to meet the HMS Ocean on her return to Devonport where Sarah Ben Charlotte and myself went to welcome home Mark Sarah's husband (my son in law). Ben and Charlotte were so excited to be meeting Daddy off the big ship but I am afraid we got a soaking in the rain while we waited for the Ocean to pull up along side, it was quite a long wait and I think the children thought they were never going to see Daddy and at one stage Charlotte was crying for her Daddy and Sarah had to console her that daddy would be here soon



I was so happy to have been invited to share this special day with them.
Charlotte and Ben were so glad to have their Daddy with them, and it goes without saying that Sarah was very happy.
Mark took us on board and showed us where he had been living for the last 3 months.
All in all it was worth the wait and the rain, it turned out to be a lovely memorable day.
Here are some pics of the Ocean arriving, they are not brilliant as it was really wet and there was a crowd of 500 people there but they are a nice reminder for me.







There is a very happy family across the road.

New layout

It's Sunday and it has not stopped raining so what with the weather being so bad and the fact that the family all seem to be poorly with colds and flu like symptons there has not been anything exciting happening here at the moment.
I went over the road to Sarah's last night and we had our own little crop where we started to make our journals to join scrapdolly's project, All MY OWN WORK. Sarah did wonderful and her journal is gorgeous I got my covers made but am not sure about the patterned paper I have used so I am going to give it a bit more thought before I carry on.
I did at least manage this LO of Sarah and Charlotte when she was a baby, it is 11x81/2 and its the first time I have done a LO in that size and I must say I really enjoyed doing it.



I think I am going to do more in this size, but for now I am going to have another go at my Journal for Karen's project.

Game for HS: MS

To follow on with the game and the letter G here is my pic.

Glasses.



Have fun.

Filigree

My filigree for her space my space.
Ornamental fine wire work. Show us filigree in your space.



This is one of a pair of ear rings that I have had for years



This is the pair of them together, I didn't know which photo I liked best so I posted both of them.