Ta Daaa.......

Yes, it's Reveal Day for the JA/S&S Monthly Challenge. This month's design was a freebie called Noel by Windy Willows and this is how I chose to make it up:

Stitched 1 over 1.
Fabric: unknown oddment of 28ct evenweave.

Thread: Carrie's Creation Plymouth Red.

For the back I used some fabric I bought from my LNS:

I used a gold edged burgundy organza ribbon for a ruched edge finish - another technique that was a first for me but which I'll certainly be using again some time, as I'm very pleased with how this turned out. There weren't as many finishes in the group album as I was expecting but those that were in there were lovely and there were some more finishing ideas to pinch. :0)

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month Karen has posted lots of links to freebies (and useful links) with this in mind, so the Challenge is an open one: we can choose, stitch and finish any one (or more) of the pink ribbon designs we want to - I've already chosen the one I want to stitch. I am hoping lots more of the S&S Forum members decide to join in with this one as I think it's a brilliant idea. My piece will be stitched with my SIL Helen and Aunty Doreen in mind........ unfortunately they were not survivors.

Last nights plans to tackle the second motif on the Ozark SAL didn't happen........ I got waylaid by the Online Needlework Show, spending quite some time browsing through all the booths. A pleasant way to spend an hour or so but I was a bit disappointed by the time I'd done, as I didn't really see anything that grabbed me enough to want to go and find a seller. :0( By the time I'd finished the browsing it was getting a bit late to start the motif so I did a bit more on the Halloween ornie instead. This one seems to be taking forever to stitch, for some reason, despite it not being that much bigger than the Fall piece I did - must be the colour changes slowing me down. LOL

Today was a pleasant day. The weather was nice, for a start, and I got a trip out of the house - unlike last weekend, when DH had to work.

DS was up and out and off to Brigg Farmers Market to stock us up on lots of tasty goodies. This week, as well as the usual items, he came home with some diabetic banana and walnut cake for DH to try (better for him than the other cake and scones he sneaks when he shouldn't) and some eel steaks to try. I'm happy to try the cake but not quite so sure about the eel, though I'm usually game to try most things at least once..... so long as they're legal. LOL At least it's not jellied eels - now those I definitely do draw the line at. Anything that looks like it's covered in snot does not appeal at all, thank you very much. Blech!

My trip out, with DH, was a walk down our local High Street. First stop was Il Sorriso for dinner: we had their home made beef and vegetable stew, which comes with a thick slice of bread and butter, and we also had a warm drink. As I'd finished reading my last book and had registered it on the Book Crossing site (see The Reading Corner Blog in the side bar for more details) I took it with me, to release it into the wild there. Got my fingers crossed that this one gets picked up quickly and starts travelling far and wide, as the previous book (Labyrinth by Kate Mosse) seems to be staying put in Chapel Stile. Maybe I should try some controlled releases with my next books, as that way I know they'll be read and passed on.

After dinner we popped into my LNS. I was after some finishing bits for the Halloween ornies - no pumpkin coloured cording in site but I still came away with some goodies that will be useful for other finishing jobs. Well, tell me: who on earth, in their right minds, can walk out of a LNS with empty hands? LMAO Next stop was the Help The Aged charity shop for a look-see at the book selection and I didn't come out of there empty-handed either:

I love Dave Eddings fantasy books and am gradually working towards collecting all of them. The middle book with the odd title I bought out of curiosity: I want to know what made it an award winner and if I would class it as a good read. The Candace Robb book is a medieval murder mystery and I usually enjoy the history/thriller mix. I've got quite a few non-fiction books waiting to be read, like those I bought earlier in the month, but do like to mix a good fiction read in there as well, otherwise it gets a bit heavy going, and these will do quite nicely.

We also called in at a couple of other shops for some bits and pieces and the chemists for DH's new meds (Elisa: they're the same tablets as yours but DH has to take these on top of the gliclazide he's already taking, as they weren't keeping his blood sugar levels down enough. Hopefully the combination will do the trick). After that we stopped off at the Malt Shovel for a cold drink (pint for him, J2O for me) and a rest before tackling the walk home - all that shopping and the warm weather was very drying. :0) DH was happy to sit and watch the Grand Prix qualifying when we got back - he'd taped it - while I was happy to settle in front of the computer.
No stitching again tonight as I've been blogging and blog reading/commenting, having a natter with my DSis, catching up with forums and generally pottering around - hope to make up for the lack tomorrow, after we've been iron shopping (Karen: nope, irons definitely don't bounce. Wonder if the Dyson bloke fancies a new challenge? LOL).

Many thanks for the kind comments about Sea Stars. Thank you for visiting. :0)