Slowly, Slowly.....

No, not catchee monkey....... slowly, slowly getting back to my usual self as things heal, the pain recedes and the painkillers are dropped, thus helping my befuddled brain gain some semblance of normality. Well....... what passes for normality for me, anyways. LMAO I am getting really fed up of seeing the same four walls now, so I guess that's another good sign of improvement too. :0)

I have to show you the fab decoupaged card that Julie kindly sent to me last week:

Unfortunately the scan makes it look all flat and lifeless and it's not like that at all IRL: the nurse and teddy are 3-D and the whole is very beautifully made. Thank you again Julie, I love it. :0)

I have also been slowly, slowly trying to catch up with some of those things that went on the back burner whilst my mojo took quite a long holiday without me. When I checked I got a bit of a shock....... I haven't actually completed any ornies for the JA/S&S Forum's Monthly Christmas SAL since May! Ooooooppps! As it so happens I had a bit of a stitchfest after my first hospital stay and completed two small designs suitable for ornies....... it just took me a little longer to get round to the finishing..... as you do. ;0)

So, for your delectation, here is June's Ornie:

Design: Blackwork Partridge, kit
Designer: Carol Leather, for X-Calibre Designs
Fabric: 14ct white aida, as provided
Thread: black and gold metallic, as provided
Finish: pillow style ornie with ruched ribbon edging.

Here's a pic of the back view, so you can see the gorgeous gold on black fabric that I got from Thread Bear:

The chiffon ribbon was a 5m reel of Anita's Ribbon that I got from The Range for 99p - bargain! There's plenty left of both the fabric and ribbon for finishing more blackwork ornies, which I plan on doing at some point as I really like the combination. :0)

For July's ornie it was a reasonably quick little DMC design - I bought the kit from a shop in my local High Street that sells some cross stitch goodies, back when I had my first venture down that way earlier in the year. It was designed to be finished as a card but I had other ideas as soon as I saw it:

Design: Snowflake, from the Mini Kit Christmas Range
Designer: DMC
Fabric: good old white 14ct aida, as supplied
Thread: DMC 825; 932; 3752; 3756
Finish: Prairie Schooler style ornie

I added some glass bicone beads (another eBay bargain) and Mill Hill seed beads to the corners to give it a little festive sparkle. And yes, that is some actual, genuine sunshine you can see in that pic........ but, despite it being sunny out, it is also decidedly chilly, as the deep frost we had last night is still on the ground in the sheltered places, like my garden. Ise a stopping in today, where it's nice and warm! LOL

I've also picked up a needle again and have been making headways into the JA/S&S Challenge piece that was supposed to be done in October (I think), then there's November and December's pieces to do...... they are all lovely festive designs, so they will double up as pieces for the Christmas ornie SAL............ and that will take me up to October for ornie's. So that leaves two more to complete to make it a full year of ornies. Reckon I'll manage it? Nah, not too sure either but will give it my best shot. :0)

In the meantime I had a think (yes, it did hurt - my poor brain wondered what was happening! LOL) and decided that my HAED Mother Earth piece has been very sadly neglected of late and is in real danger of becoming a UFO....... to rectify that I asked to join Gaynor's Weekly SAL Blog for 2010 and she very kindly let me sign up and nominate Mother Earth as my SAL piece. Now I have to make progress on it. Yay! That leaves the JA/S&S Tuesday UFO Night and I reckon Sea Stars should put in an appearance for that......... plus there are a couple of other pieces that have been waiting to have beads added for some time, so they would be good candidates for then too. Slowly, slowly the stitchy bug is returning. :0)

As for other news: DH is in the middle of the big Outage thing at work so he's been working late all week, though has been compensating by going in a little later in the morning's so he can make sure I am up and safely downstairs and has chance to do any bits of shopping or jobs for me. Thankfully he still has a job: he has essential knowledge on the Instrumentation side (please don't ask what that means - I don't know!) that the steelworks can't afford to lose, as he's one of only a few remaining chaps that have it, so they aren't letting him go..... yet. DH prefers it that way - it should be a better package when he's 55 years old..... he's got another 2 years to go. Hopefully there'll still be a steelworks here for that long.

DS is busy with rehearsals for the Pantomime, as well as seeing his DGF and friends. I am getting lots of quiet evenings and you know what that means folks.......... yes, I am in charge of the TV remote! Mmmmmwwwwwaaaaahhhhhaaaaaahhhhhaaa! (evil laugh, in case you were wondering). Unfortunately there hasn't been an awful lot on in the evenings worth watching lately and the plans to watch all those DVD's just hasn't happened...... it's either been reading (finished a couple more books - see side bar), a minor trawl of eBay or sleep that has won out. Hopefully, now the stitchy bug seems to be returning, I shall be sitting and stitching a bit more instead, so I may well get to see those DVD's after all. LOL

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit and for all the lovely comments. I will be stopping by to visit blogs in the coming days, as I have a catch up with all your news. :0)

A Gorgeous Giveaway Received

While I was busy burrowing into my shell I did manage to keep up with some blog reading and was delighted to find that I was one of the lucky winners for Andrea's Christmas Ornie's Giveaway. Andrea's work is always beautiful and the basketful of ornies looked amazing, so I was going to be a very happy person whichever ornie I received. But I did have a favourite that I loved on sight because it was such fun....... so imagine how doubly thrilled I was when I opened up the package and discovered the ornie she sent me was my favourite. :0)

So which one was it? This little beauty:



Isn't it a cutie? Those gold beads around the edges really sparkle IRL. Sorry but my pic really doesn't do it justice and the digicam just will not do a decent close up of anything - there's a much better pic over at Andrea's blog. :0)

The back of the ornie has a pretty border and Andrea's initials and the year stitched on it.


Thank you again for the most wonderful pick-me-up Andrea. Your stitching and finishing is awesome. I am delighted with my ornie and it will be going on my rotating metal Christmas tree that I have bought just to display hand stitched ornies.

Thank you for all the kind and supportive comments on my last post, they are greatly appreciated. I hope that all those in the UK stay safe during the current bad weather. Have a good weekend. :0)

Other Progress....... Kinda

So what else did we get up to over the weekend, apart from clearing out junk from the garden? Well... DH had obviously been traumatised by the enforced parting from all that cr*p and decided he needed a day off, so he opted to join DS and friends from the LTC for a spot of walking in Derbyshire - Dove Dale to be precise. I had fancied joining them BUT I was totally cream crackered and a touch achey from Saturday's exertions and knew a 6 mile walk would more than likely finish me off, rather than be enjoyable....... so a quiet day at home on my tod, pottering around doing what I wanted when I wanted won out. :0)

I spent a bit of time outside, nursing a herbal tea and enjoying the fruits of our labour - it's so good to see definite signs of improvement. It's also good to know I can go out there without the threat of unearthing or tripping over stray scrap, lumps of wood or other assorted hoarded bits that DH was convinced "would come in useful some time" but actually just sat there rotting away because they didn't. I am definitely avoiding going into the workshop and shed though! LOL

One of the things that I kinda made progress on was a Christmas ornie for JA/S&S Forum's Monthly SAL...... still behind with that so it's July's ornie. It's a small piece I found lurking in the bottom of a pile of bits I found in a cupboard, ready stitched so just the finishing to do.

The small amount of progress made was stitching the two borders. I found a nice alphabet and set of numbers as I intend stitching something on the back - probably Yule 2009 or something similar. Then I got the fabric out for the Christmas Wishes SAL piece, measured and cut a piece and tacked guidelines for the top and sides and middle:

Really impressive progress, ain't it? LOL I just don't seem to be in the mood for stitching again at the moment and would much rather be out in the garden while the weather is nice, either working or making plans. :0)

Oh, I did spend some time updating my other blog with recent things: a post on one of the books I'd finished reading and an update on my latest Herbalist visit and weigh in (still Happy Dancing about that! LOL) and did a little reading too. The day just seemed to slip past as DH and DS soon seemed to be home again, though they did have a side trip down to Mai Mai Gardens for their tea first. The weather had been kind to them and they'd had an enjoyable walk, so I'm determined to go there and do the walk in the not too distant future.

This week has been a bit busy. Monday was my regular jobs day, with a visit from Alex for a natter, as she was back from her holiday, and blogging to break things up a little. DS and I also had a loft session after tea, putting his holiday case back up there, along with a few other bits that needed to go up. Then we made a start on sorting through some bits in the little bedroom and he hefted some boxes downstairs and into the sun lounge - temporary storage area while we clear the bedroom for decorating. DH and DS then brought down the old desk that was in there and put it in the hall.

Tuesday was warm - a good drying day - so I did several loads of laundry and put them out on the whirlygig, finally caught up with all of the blogs I read, gave the child's desk and computer chair a good wipe down and offered them on Freecycle and went through a cupboard down the side of the house. That cupboard has the bird seed stored on top and was supposed to be for the things we need to hand for the garden, like gloves, trowel, ties, feed etc etc but DH had filled it with all kinds of cr*p over the years (wouldn't have guessed it, wouldya? ROFL). More rusty metal bits are destined for the scrap skip and numerous other bits of dross went straight in the bin..... that bin was definitely filling up! Had a poke underneath the cupboard with a stick and I found more bin casualties....... and dislodged a few disgruntled eight-legged beasties too. Had a herbal tea and a magazine read after that (the magazines then go in the recycling box, so more clutter leaves the house) - the meditation I tried afterwards didn't go so well though..... I discovered it was quite possible to fall asleep whilst sat up in a hard plastic chair but you do wake up with quite a start when your head suddenly drops forward, heading for your knees. ;0) Later in the afternoon our neighbour came round to collect her front door key (we'd kept an eye on her house while they were away) and brought a lovely bunch of flowers as a thank you.

Gorgeous, aren't they? The visit gave me the opportunity to show her the back garden and talk about taking down the blue panel and putting up fencing to replace it - her DH is going to come round some time to have a look and they'll take it from there. After tea my DH helped me move out the cupboard so I could sweep the area - thankfully all the eight-legged beasties had long since legged it - then move it back. Found a bag with a decent pair of DS's outgrown rugby boots so I offered those on Freecycle too. Another job done.

As it was UFO Tuesday and Night Watchman is now complete it was time to choose another UFO to come out of the bag. So what won out? Well I finally decided to bite the bullet and tackle Sea Stars again. Here's where I'd got up to:

Remeber I left off this in disgust when those flippin' frogs paid a call yet again on this? Well it was time to do the reverse stitching on it, so this is where it now stands:


Reverse stitching done, in the hopes that I'll feel more like picking it up next time around. The other two ladies in the SAL, Barb and Rosanne, have long since finished theirs so this is now embarrassingly overdue a finish. ;0)

Wednesday was more lovely weather so a towel load got done and put out. I had a general potter around, sorting through some bits unearthed from the little bedroom and tidying up. Also another opportunity to sit outside with a herbal tea and magazine..... and do the whole meditate/ fall asleep/head falling thing all over again. LOL In the evening a couple came for the desk and chair for their DD and a chap for the rugby boots for his DS -and I'd unearthed an old pair of green wellies down the side of the house that morning so I offered them to the guy and he took them too, saving me having to post an offer on Freecycle again.

Thursday I had another pottering around day, the main job being a sort through my wardrobe again and I found more too-big clothes that went in a charity bag. After the previous sort out I ended up putting three bags full out for the Salvation Army. I need a serious shopping session now as, although I have four pairs of jeans and an assortment of tops to wear and some nice summer dresses and some woolies, I no longer have any trousers that fit. Slight inconvenience BUT it is so good to be able to say that....... it's actual proof of how much weight I've lost since last Christmas (see other blog).

Today it's packing day as DH and I are away again next week - we're off to stay in a cottage on a farm site just inland from Mablethorpe, so we're hoping for some nice weather for a spot of beach walking and maybe even some paddling! LOL No internet connection this time but I'll be taking a selection of small stitching projects with me and there'll be evenings of Trivial Pursuits too.
We don't normally have three holidays in a year but DSis booked and paid for this one as a thank you for what we've done to help her since Dad passed away, Bless her. Anyways, we may not get a holiday next year, depending on what happens in the next few months, so we're making the most of it: the numbers have been announced at the steelworks and 18 have to go from across the whole of DH's department, 5 specific to his area - 3 have already said they want to go. DH has asked to know what his terms are and will review his options when he has some figures to work with. No point in worrying about it - DH remains positive and I've given it up to the Universe - now waiting to see what unfolds. :0)

Thank you for all your lovely comments and, as ever, for taking the time to visit. Hope you all have a lovely weekend - will catch up with you all after we get home again. :0)

Monthly Christmas Ornie SAL - May

Please don't all faint in shock when you realise this is actually a stitching related post. That's right, stitching - so no, I haven't forgotten that this blog is actually called Karan's Craft Corner. LOL Just when I'd given up all thought of getting any stitching done the hot weather forced me to sit down and when I sit I can't just sit and do nothing, so......... I reached for my needle again. Yay!

The first thing to benefit was the overdue JA/S&S Monthly Challenge piece for June: the stitching for that is now completed and the outline bits for the other bits done, all that's left is something to stitch on the back and assembling it. Unfortunately no pics yet as I'm thinking of sending it off to a new home when it's done and I don't want to spoil the surprise. :0)

Next to benefit was the Monthly Christmas ornie. Now this had been stitched some time ago and all I'd done was dig it out of the cupboard and make a start on the finishing, so I grabbed some ribbons and beads and fully completed it at the weekend. So here it is:

Design: Christmas Bauble

Designer: Jayne Hall @ Jayne's Attic - Hardanger SAL

Fabric & threads: unknown, as supplied in the kit.

Finish: pinkeep style Christmas ornie

Not the best of pics, so I took another in the usual spot, to try and get a better view of it:

I backed it with some Kate's Kloth hand dyed felt, the same as used behind the wrapped bars. Not sure if it's quite worked with those colours but DH liked it and it will look pretty on the tree, so it'll do for me. :0)

Am now on with the Challenge for a Finish piece for July: sorry, no pics until after Reveal Day - and probably not until after I get back from my holiday. It was an easy choice this month: monochrome design, any design and any finish. I knew exactly what I wanted to stitch...... and it's another one that will be going to a new home when it's completed.

The second part for the JA/S&S Christmas Wishes SAL is ready for stitching...... unfortunately, thanks to the missing mojo, I haven't gotten around to doing the first part yet. Plus Clare's Hardanger SAL has just started too, so there are also some kloster blocks that need to be done soon........ methinks it's going to be a tad busy in this house while I try to have a frantic catch up with everything and get the sorting and packing done. What do you reckon my chances are of achieving that? ROFL

Not much to tell you about the weekend: it was much quieter and more relaxing - just what was needed! I had a Reiki treatment on Saturday morning (will post about that on my other blog) whilst DH took the bag of bits to the Hospice Charity shop and did a little shopping. DS took the box of books to the Hospice Bookshop for us and disappeared for much of the day. Sunday DS went off first thing with Alex and her kids to an Open Day at a farm and it was a pottering day for DH and me - not quite sure what we did but the day seemed to disappear on us pretty quickly. DH and DS went off to help out with a Rising Stars production in the evening, so I was in charge of the TV remote that night and guess what I found to watch: a Most Haunted Murders (spin-off from Most Haunted), Living With the Dead and a Most Haunted programme. Yay! Been ages since I indulged in a paranormal viewing session and I thoroughly enjoyed it. :0)

A big thank you to Mylene, Barb (no blog), Sally and Rachael - you know why. :0) I won't say any more for now but will share with everyone later in the week.... meantime, I'm being good. LOL

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and for all the lovely comments. Hope you all had a great weekend and a pleasant start to the week. :0)

Christmas Ornie SAL - April

The catch up session continues! LOL

So what was the delay with this? Well.... I initially planned on making this ornie as a bolster pillow finish, got my hands on some basic finishing instructions (thanks Jacqui!) and set to. Firstly I sewed the stitching onto the fabric then added the red, gold and green trim, then turned it inside out and sewed the edge together at the back - pretty straightforward and all went well with that. Next came turning it the right way round and this is where things started to go wrong...... I'd made the pillow too small/thin and I couldn't turn it, so handed it over to DH for a little more strategy and some elbow grease. He got it turned but unfortunately the stitching had pulled away from the edging trim and it looked messy, so I shoved it to one side while I tried to think of a way of rescuing it.

Two months down the line........ and one light bulb moment later: tuck the gold ribbon under the trim and over the pulled edge, sew in place and Voila! damage hidden and it doesn't look too bad at all. Then came sewing one end to turn it into a bolster pillow but when it was done it looked like a long, thin sausage and rather daft. OK, not happy with it so it got unpicked and I'd just started to wonder if this darned thing was ever going to get finished when another light bulb flashed on: turn it into a cracker instead and use the same gold ribbon I hid the damage with. Result!

• Design: Believe - internet freebie
• Designer: Tanya Marie Anderson - The Sampler Girl
• Fabric: 28ct Permin (Wichelt) linen, Lambswool
• Thread: Carrie's Creation, Holly Days
• Finish: Christmas Cracker ornie

It'll be one of the slightly more unusual ornies on our tree this year, that's for sure. LOL

So how did the weekend go for you all? Ours was another good one, though it was a stay-at-home one this time. The items I mentioned before, that were on Freecycle, all went so I sorted some more and gradually added those: I've rehomed a bathroom cabinet and a mahogany framed mirror that were my DSis's throw outs, also a huge beer glass (one of DS's clear outs) that someone will use as a vase (no handles, so it looks like one) and a chap is calling tonight for a Popcorn Making machine - that was OK while DS was small but it hasn't made it out of the cupboard in years. That is going to a Senior so she can make popcorn for her grandchildren which I thought was rather nice. :0) A wall light and ceiling light haven't gone yet but I have hopes that a carbooter will take those off my hands before long. DS took the books I'd sorted out down to the Hospice Bookshop for me, so I need to carry on doing the rest now the box is empty again.

We also had another amenities site trip and offloaded an old TV and microwave and a huge fan/light combi fitting that was really grotty - all of those will have bits reclaimed for reuse, so they won't go into landfill. I rescued the plate out of the microwave though and a Freecycler took that as a spare for a Senior neighbour who occasionally has mishaps with them. The wardrobe in DS's room was finished so we also set to building up his new computer desk between us - that was completed Sunday night, so DS had fun setting up all his computer stuff in and on it and is now organised. Monday evening he took his CD rack up and organised that...... so his bedroom is done. Yay! So it's on to the next job.....

Take a good look at the conifers in the pic because they are going: DH set to with the loppers and saw last night and cut half of them back to the main stems, ready for them to be pulled out with a winch prior to the fence being done. Brutal but effective..... and Momma and Poppa Blackbird's babies have now flown the nest, so it's the right time to do them. As a Pagan it goes against all I believe in to do this but I also have to be practical: neither of us is getting any younger and we both have arthritic bits and pieces already, so we have to make the gardening as easy as possible for ourselves. No conifers means waaaay less work so they have to go. The plus side of this is that the new fence means we'll be able to grow the fruit trees we've always wanted to have....... and we'll be leaving a share of the fruits for the wildlife and fairies, of course. :0)

Freecycle has proved useful again: I asked for some small Jewson sandbags today, so we could use them to pile the conifer cuttings in, to make it easier to take them to the amenities site - loading/unloading the smaller bags into the back of The Tank will be far easier than using the huge bag we currently have, which almost breaks our backs! I got an immediate response from the lady who took the pegs for her DD, so DH should be calling to pick those up on his way home from work tonight. If there's time we hope to be able to take some of the cuttings tonight. :0)

I also had some rather good bits of news too. I've won not one but two blog giveaways! Wow! Some serious HD going on here about that. The first was over at Lisa's blog for a cute chart and the second was over at Laura's blog where the giveaway was a rather lovely stitched item. I shall share pics when they arrive. Again, a BIG thank you to Lisa and Laura - can you tell I'm over the moon? :0)

Chris: the pattern is just short of joining at the back, though the instructions in the kit said to overlap them a little.... but both ways turn it into a long thin needleroll. It's probably one of the things I'd do differently next time around: allow more material and not have the pattern meet to make a bit fatter needleroll, as I think they look better that way. I need to get way more stuffing first though! LOL

Thank you all for the lovely comments about the needleroll, they are greatly appreciated. Hope you're having a lovely day and enjoyed your visit. :0)

Monthly Christmas Ornie SAL - March

I finally got around to completing the finishing on my Christmas ornie for the March SAL, over at JA/S&S Forum so I can finally show you what I stitched:

Design: Reindeer, internet freebie

Designer: Sharon Bennett, Daffycat Designs

Fabric: Polstitches 28ct evenweave, Mummies Curse

Thread: Carrie's Creation Sneezy, Ltd Ed from Jayne's Attic Christmas Panto Pack 2008.

Finish: Oval pinkeep style ornie.

A very quick and easy design to stitch - one I fell in love with when I spotted someone else's finish over at the Freebie Gallery blog, so it went straight to the top of my Must Stitch pile. A big thank you to Sharon for this lovely freebie. :0)

Here's another pic, this time with the backing fabric used:


The metal tree I put up at Yule and decorate with only hand made ornies is going to be much fuller this year. :0)

The finishing on the scissor case for Challenge for a Finish didn't happen yesterday as I couldn't find any instructions for the style of finish I wanted to do - I prefer the reassurance of looking at step-by-step pics before trying out something new. I've slightly altered my plan now, have chosen the fabric to go with and hope to get it done today, so please wish me Luck with it! ;0)

The Challenges for April are out. On JA/S&S Forum the choice is any design by A Mon Ami Pierre: my choice has been made, with chart printed out ready to go - just need to choose fabric and threads. On Challenge for a Finish: a flower design to be finished as any needlework small (needlecase, scissor keep, fob... whatever) - no ideas yet, so an internet trawl for inspiration and a chart is imminent. Not a bad way of spending an hour..... or two. LOL

On Sunday DS disappeared off swimming first thing and we didn't see him again until tea time. DH and I opted to stay home as DH needed to spend some time checking the brakes on DS's Mini and doing a few maintenance jobs......... and wanted to watch the first Grand Prix of the season. Great excuse for me to potter around, blogging and ornie finishing and generally chillin' so I didn't object. :0)

Today has been my usual jobs day but Alex isn't coming round later as she's off ill. DS is also home on a sickie, so I have company of a sort - it's not the dreaded man flu, I'm glad to say, but he's definitely not feeling great. So wish his viewing taste was more in line with mine though - there are way too many sitcoms on for me to take in one day, especially when they are repeats of repeats! Didn't help my tuna salad go down well at all! LOL

Right, I'm off to do that internet trawling, the finishing and hopefully some blog reading later on to find out what you've all been up to this weekend.

Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments. Hope you've all had a good start to the week. :0)

An Award and an Ornie

Clare has very kindly given my blog an award. Thank You so much Clare. :0) I can't tell you how happy it makes me to know that folks enjoy visiting my blog. It's nice to be awarded for doing something that is such fun to do............ and it's especially nice to know that my wafflings don't bore the pants off everyone! LOL

The award details are: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with."

I always find choosing a limited number of blogs so difficult as it feels awful leaving so many out when I enjoy every one that I read..... and that list is an ever-growing one as more wonderful blogs are discovered. Please don't feel upset (or insulted!) if you're not on this list. :0)

1] Clare (by return);
2] Julie;
3] Helen;
4] Karen (LOL I know your feelings on awards but I reckon you deserve this one anyway, for all the kindnesses you do);
5] Lynn;
6] Mylene;
7] Angela;
8] Christine.

There are so many I would also love to have included on this list but can't due to being limited to 8. :0(

Now for the ornie. I finally extracted my digit on Wednesday and did the finishing on my February ornie for the JA/S&S Forum Christmas Ornie SAL and here it is:

• Design: Winter Wonderland
• Designer: Andree Langhorn
• Freebie kit with UK Cross Stitcher magazine
• Fabric: 14ct white aida, as supplied
• Threads: Anchor, as supplied
  

That's one less kit in my stash. LOL The ornie, although it may not look like it in the pic, is actually slightly padded - it's backed with red felt. Quite a cute design but I didn't really enjoy stitching it. Still, it's finished now and that's another ornie to add to my tree this year! :0)

The next lot of Challenges are now up. For the JA/S&S Forum the March Challenge is any one of the Quaker freebies from The Work Basket - design is chosen and chart printed out ready to go....... though I may yet change my mind before making a start, as I've since had an idea for a finish I'd like to do and the design chosen isn't quite right for it. I'll make a final decision some time over the weekend - I need to concentrate on Sea Stars first.

The Challenge for a Finish March Challenge is a scissor case finish in green/s, as it's Spring. I haven't yet got a clue for this one and that finish will be a first for me, so am a bit nervous about it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained though. :0) Anyone know of a suitable freebie design, in blackwork or cross stitch, that would fit the bill, please?

Next there's a decision to be made on which design to stitch as March's Christmas ornie. Got my eye on two designs - both are quick and easy and both are already printed out already. I deliberately decided to opt for quick and easy this month to leave me more time for the two Challenges and their finishing. Yes, I know it's not March yet but I want to get a flying start as I want to fit in a couple of extra stitchy smalls, if possible - something that I didn't manage this month despite all best intentions.

I have stitched on NW this week and even put in a second night as it didn't seem to grow much on Tuesday. Will take a pic later and post it another time though. Stitched on SS last night but, again, didn't feel like much was achieved so am going to spend some time on it again today. I'm working on the huge motif in the middle so it's going to take a while to get that done....... and it's probably why it looks and feels like I haven't done much. It's not quite the same instant gratification you get with the tiny fishes and the small motifs. LOL

DH went out to someones retirement "do" out at Brigg last night - he had to be good though as he was driving. He's out again tonight as it's one of the foreign contractors final day today and they want to give him a good send off, as he's been there a while, was really good to work with and he's well liked. Tonight they are going round town, so there's no driving involved, and DH has had yet another brain-hurting/stress inducing week at work to get out of his system so he may well indulge a little more than he usually does. I was invited along to both events but declined - as I said to DH: I'll stay home with my stitching and DVD's thanks, as listening to them all yakking about work all night like a bunch of boring old farts just doesn't appeal somehow. LOL

DS is out at a Carpe Jugulum rehearsal tonight though he's still taking it steady. He went to the Doctor's the other morning to get himself checked out. Diagnosis: badly bruised, though a possibility of a cracked rib - not broken as his lungs are OK and he's not in enough pain for that. Treatment: deep breathing exercises to expand his ribcage and keep things moving, pain killers as and when required...... let time do the rest. He's bought a Deep Heat spray and has been using that and getting a reasonable amount of relief with it. Guess he won't be quite so gung-ho next time he goes Karting then. ;0)

Julie: yes, I used the Crop-A-Dile to set the eyelet in the floss tag. You just have to make a small hole through the fabric and wadding first, to insert the eyelet, then use the C-A-D to fix it. Extremely easy to use, no noise at all and no damage to the eyelet. I haven't always got a great grip with my hands but I can use this with no problems at all. :0)

Many thanks for the kind comments, they're greatly appreciated. Have a great weekend. :0)

Promised Update

Here's that update I promised.

First up is the January ornie I've finished for the JA/S&S Forum's Monthly Christmas Ornie SAL:

DMC Kit: #K4864 Baubles - Christmas Mini Range

White 14ct aida, as supplied

DMC threads, as supplied

Backing: Kates Kloth hand dyed felt

I changed the wording slightly. I'll admit to cheating with this. The stitching was completed back in December, before my mojo disappeared - as that was slow in returning and I was fast running out of time to stitch and make up one from scratch I thought it best to get around to doing the finishing on this. As it's a pretty simple design I decided to try the Prairie Schooler style of finishing for the first time - really pleased with the results and will use this finish again. I have a decent pair of pinking shears on order from The Cotton Patch, to make a better job of the edges next time round - fancy-edged cardmaking scissors (which is all I had to hand) really aren't up to cutting felt! LOL
I shall do better for next month - fingers crossed! - as I've already made a small start on February's ornie.

Next up is the card I made for my nephew Finlay's birthday:


He's actually in to robots and Dr Who and things like that but I didn't have anything suitable in my stash, so decided to use this simple balloon theme instead. What kids don't like balloons though? :0) It went in the post last Friday so should have arrived in plenty of time for his birthday this Thursday.

The next update is of Night Watchman, who got some attention again last week for UFO Night:

His body is filling in nicely and I love how the colour changes are used to give the effect of feathers - he's really standing out from the background now. I got myself a sale bargain with this kit but have to admit I probably would have given in and bought him if he'd still been full price - he's got such a sweet expression I wouldn't have been able to resist him!

Finally here's a pic of the birthday card I made for my DSis:

This is a rubber stamped image, stamped on the card with clear embossing ink which was then dabbed with chalks. I love this technique as it's easy to do and also gives a soft, dreamy look to images. I would love to eventually get some metallic and pearlescent effect chalks/powders to achieve a different look, as I enjoy using this technique.

Unfortunately there's no Sea Stars update this time around as I never did manage to stitch on it on Friday or over the weekend: I was too antsy to settle to stitching Friday night after the good news. Saturday day time DH and I were out and about: a trip down the local High Street in the morning, with dinner at Il Sorriso afterwards, then a trip into town in the afternoon - that left me too tired to concentrate in the evening. On Sunday we went to my DSis's for the day and these days I prefer to take just a small project with me (next SAL ornie, this time round) - although it's not often I get the chance to stitch whilst there as there's usually lots of news and things to catch up on.... too much of a distraction and that usually results in a frog visit, doesn't it?

The readings for Carpe Jugulum went well and rather surprised DS: he read for three roles and had two of them as his first and second choices (would have been happy with either), thinking he didn't really stand a chance at the third as it was for a fairly main character - but he was game to read for it anyway. He was stunned when he got the main character role - his face was a picture when he came in and it's one of the few times he seemed lost for words! LOL So pleased for him. Am pleased for Alex too: she read for the role of the Countess and got it! :0) From bits that DS has been telling us about the storyline it has us hooked already, so it's one we definitely want to go and see.

I had my usual jobs day yesterday (Monday) but Alex didn't come for her regular natter as she had her first rehearsal to go to, so I spent some of the extra time having a blog reading catch-up. Still a ways to go to get round everyone's but I will get there eventually. :0)

Thank you for taking the time to visit and a big thank you for the lovely comments on my Challenge piece - they made my day. Hope you're all enjoying the day. :0)

Surprise Post Week

It has been a really good post week with some very nice festive surprises arriving. First to arrive was a package from Julie. She said it was OK to open it early so I was quite happy to oblige. ;0) Inside was a cute Christmas card and this gorgeous ornie:


My photography skills leave alot to be desired but I hope this close up pic will do it a bit better justice:

This is the back, which has a cute Santa and sleigh fabric:

It's so beautifully stitched and finished. Thank you again Julie for such a lovely keepsake - every time I look at it I remember the friendship it was sent with and am grateful for that Blessing. :0)

There were two more surprise packages later in the week. Here's what was in them:

The very cute snowman card and gold gift was from Karen and the lovely Wise Men and silver gift was from Helen. Thank you so much for your kindness. :0) I love both cards and the gifts have gone into hiding, to keep temptation away. LOL

I also received my card for the Stitched Christmas Card Exchange on JA/S&S Forum but I shall leave that and the card I sent for another time - stitching has been somewhat sparse lately, so I need to keep something back to post on. ;0)

I also had another surprise when Barb (no blog), a fellow JA/S&S Forum member and friend who very kindly RAK'd me with the Sea Stars chart, phoned me yesterday. A total surprise but a very welcome one - it was so good to put a voice to the name. I'm not sure how long we chatted but it must have been a while...... we certainly laughed a lot. If you're reading this Barb: did the christening go OK? Hope you were wearing thermals...... and so hope the babies didn't get dunked in the duck pond! Oh, and I did finally make myself eat that unnamed fish and salad. LOL

The Tesco delivery came last night. DH had forgotten it was coming and only beat it home by about ten minutes, so hadn't had time to eat his tea. So DH and DS helped unload everything into the house then DS shot off to his friends house (arranged before he knew this was coming), which left DH and I to put all of the frozen and fridge goodies away. DH then went to have his tea (as a diabetic he was pushing it eating that late as it was) so that left just me to carry on putting things away. It took a while - there was a lot of it. Then there was some laundry to sort and put in the tumble dryer after that. Outcome: one very tired short person because my stamina is shot to pieces at the minute. So no stitching done, even though it was Sea Stars SAL night. Bummer!

Today has seen waaay more happening than what usually does in this one horse neighbourhood. First up was a delivery of wood for the carport, followed a little while later by a delivery of guttering and UPVc panelling - former for the workshop and latter for the bit up the side of the sun lounge that still needs to be clad. Just as I'd taken my third mouthful of dinner a chap knocked, asking if I knew where the two Pete's lived, so I sent him next door - not easy when you're trying not to spit food all over and swallow without choking. LOL. Some time in the afternoon a delivery of our first organic vegetable box from Woodlands Farm was delivered - we'd been threatening to sign up for a while but the change to healthier eating prompted us to extract our digits........ anyone know what on earth you do with bulbs of fennel? Then Rick called round to check everything had been delivered OK and hefted the timber down the side of the house for me (delivery chap hadn't knocked, had just left it on the front drive where it could easily have been stolen!), so it's now safe behind the locked sidegates - Rick's fetching the roof panels and starting the jobs on Monday. In between I fielded several phone calls, made a few cards and scanned them, sorted laundry out of the tumble dryer and put it away, washed the pots, answered emails, checked the Forum and am now sat blogging. I so hope that little lot has burnt off a few excess calories! LMAO. I still need to write a letter to my PenPal, make a birthday card, sort out a package for posting tomorrow and cook/eat tea, so it's not looking very hopeful for a stitching session tonight. Oh well, DH is working again this Sunday so I guess I can have a catch up on Sea Stars then. :0)

Thank you for visiting and for all the lovely comments and if you're a newbie please say Hi - I don't bite. LOL :0)

Santa and Friends

No, not Santa and his friends, just in case you think I'm going dotty and having Yule/Christmas mega-early this year - that's Santa and the Friends SAL. :0)

As promised, here's a pic of the fully assembled plastic canvas Santa ornie:


That's another Yule ornament made, though he's a bit too big to go on the tree. He looked quite at home in the spot where I took the pic so he'll probably end up there when it's time to trim the house.

Boy, did I have a nice surprise last night! While DH was getting ready to go out to see his friend I grabbed the remote and channel flicked, prior to settling down with my stitching for the evening, and found: a programme about Brian Ferry and Roxy Music, followed by a televised gig from the 80's over on BBC4. WOW! Was I in Seventh Heaven or what - hardly noticed DH say goodbye on his way out! Had a fab couple of hours with great music, a nice bit of eye candy and a really lovely piece of stitching to do. Luckily the eye candy didn't have me drooling all over my stitching and, despite the big distraction, the frogs stayed well away. LOL Here's a pic of the finished Part 3:

Taken in artificial light again but it's not a bad pic for colour (on my screen anyway). This really is a nice piece to stitch, not just because I like the colours, but because if flows so well, IYKWIM. Looking forward to the next part coming out next week. :0)

DH was up and out to work first thing and has just come home for dinner at almost 2pm. He's off back at around 3.30pm but, as he's feeling fairly tired, we'll not be going anywhere or doing any jobs so he can have a bit of a rest. Am hoping he may decide to go back to work via Screwfix, so he can get the new light for the living room - at least it will then be to hand, ready to go up when he's got the time and does feel up to tackling a job. Thankfully Mr Italian is in a much happier frame of mind because steel is being cast and he can get on with the job he needs to do - dummy is now back in the pram!

DS was up and out fairly early too: he's doing jobs at the LTC Guild Room - something to do with speakers and cables and the like. I guess he'll be back when he's either hungry or needs to get ready to go out. LOL

Meantime I've been playing on the computer, catching up with forums etc, and gathering a couple of bits together to tackle the finishing on the Challenge piece - with immaculate timing DS emptied a box of tissues this morning, so I grabbed the back off that, ready to roll. I know what I want to achieve.......... let's just hope I can get it to actually look like the image in my head. :0)

Stitching plans for today are to get on with the next part of the Ozark SAL and, if that doesn't take too long, perhaps make a start on a Halloween ornie. Glad to say that the Ozark part isn't a choice between six bands this week - just two motifs to stitch and the only choice being which thread to use for which motif. Think I'll toss a coin. LOL

Hazel: would love to know which HAED piece it is that's got that many pages! Will be so impressed if you do ever stitch it. :0)

Thank you to one and all for taking the time to visit - hope you're all having a good weekend. :0)

More Holiday and Afterwards

Do you like the new header? It's a pic DS took whilst on his walk around the Langdale Pikes. He took it from the "path" that goes up between Harrison Stickle and Pavery Arch and it gives views of Stickle Tarn to the left, looking down Great Langdale Valley to Lake Windermere in the distance - Elterwater looks like a little puddle in front of it. Stunning view!

As there were quite a few long, soggy nights - and some days - to fill on our holiday I got a reasonable amount of reading done. I finished Big Chief Elizabeth by Giles Milton, which I enjoyed more than Nathaniel's Nutmeg (just me being true to form, as I love anything to do with the Tudors and especially the Elizabethan era). Next up came Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, another enjoyable one (thanks for the recommendation!). Finishing that had me finally joining the Book Crossing site, as I didn't want to cart it home with me (have you seen it? It's like a flippin' doorstop!), and the thought of launching it into the wild to see where it travelled really appealed. Once all the details were registered I was initially going to leave it in the Stickle Barn but then changed my mind and left it in the Brambles Cafe instead. So, if any of you are in the vicinity and you fancy a free read...... LOL.

By the time Labyrinth was finished we'd had the trip to Rheged and, as well as the cardmaking goodies from The Paper Shop:

I came away with a Pagan book and another one on the Pendle Witch Trials which became my next read.

It's quite a fascinating piece of social history that gives an insight into the prevailing mind sets and the religious upheavals at the time, both in Britain as a whole and particularly in that area, which gives a new slant on what led up to the trials and subsequent hangings. I finished that today, so have to decide what I fancy reading next - there's plenty of choice with all the books I bought from charity shops in May, plus what I also bought from Rheged and the 2 Ravens:

Remember all that holiday stitching I took with me? Well.......... in the end I didn't touch any of the ongoing projects at all *blush*
I did start on some early Yule/Christmas stitching though, does that redeem me any? LOL I started the plastic canvas Santa ornie kit and really got on with it the first week, then the knee pain kicked in and put me off everything, so progress seriously dackered off after that. Here's where I got to with it:

I picked it up again on Sunday night, whilst watching the Batman Begins DVD, and have done a bit more of the backstitching but not enough to make another pic worthwhile.

When I returned home there were two surprises waiting for me from stitching friends:

Helen had kindly offered to send me the chart of the AOY Sailor Boy design she knew I wanted to stitch as a memorial piece to my Dad, which is to be a companion to the Raggety Ann design I stitched for my Mum. When I opened the package I found that Helen had also very kindly sent the fabric, threads and needle to go with it, so I could start stitching it straightaway.
The other surprise was from Barb who had very kindly RAK'd me this chart from my Wish List:

It seems I enabled her at the same time, as she was browsing through my WL for a look-see, as you do, and fell in love with the design too. :0)

The generosity and kindness of stitching friends is amazing: they always have the knack of knowing what to say, or they do something really kind with perfect timing, that helps give you a boost and cheers you up. Thank you so much Helen and Barb (((((hugs))))) - every time I look at your gifts I get a big smile on my face and know I am Blessed by your friendship. :0)

I also came home to find that my blog has gained three more awards and I've also been tagged - more of that in a separate post, as this is already another long one. (Helen: it will be a dinnertime sandwich with two coffees read at this rate! LOL)

Thank you for taking the time to visit and if you've got this far you deserve a round of applause. ;0)

That Flippin' Frog........

is definitely doing the rounds at the moment and the little so-and-so landed at my house last night! :0(

I started the next part of the Ozark SAL on Wednesday night and got about half of the first band done, no problem. Last night I started merrily stitching away, determined to get the other half of the band completed, and was on the final couple of stitches when I realised it wasn't going to fit because I was one flaming stitch out. Let's just say that what left my mouth next definitely wasn't "Oops, oh dear, never mind" and let's leave it there! Every stitch done that night was promptly frogged, then a certain level of bloody-mindedness set in - I was not going to go to bed without having any real achievement to show, so promptly set about re-stitching it all.

I eventually got to bed around 2am.

An accurate description of the state of me today would be: eyes like yellow snow holes......... if you get my drift. LOL

Am now hoping to get on with the second band today and, sorry folks, I am sooooo hoping that the little green peril has decided to hop off and wreak havoc elsewhere. I shall show a pic of progress when it's all completed. It'll certainly be interesting to see everyone's versions of it this month as there is a choice of six different band patterns and two thread colours and it is up to the individual stitcher what they do. What a good idea. :0)

Wednesday night was a productive night really (waaay better than Thursday night for sure!) as, before starting the Ozark SAL, I finished embellishing the Berries and Leaves ornie. Here's the completed item:

The tassle was one of those ready-made ones that are such a blessing for folks like me who don't know how to make them. :0)

This is how the back looks:

It's nowhere near perfect - that slightly bowed edge attests to that - but I'm pleased with it, especially as it's not that long ago that I was too scared to even try these things. So that's three items from the finished items drawer finally completed and only another ??????? to go. Definitely keeping that info to myself as it's much too shaming to fess up. LOL

A BIG thank you Karen and Julie for starting the JA/S&S Monthly Challenge - without it I wouldn't ever have got up the courage to try these things. :0)

Many thanks, too, for all the kind comments on Guen and to those who mentioned books and their authors: I've made a note of those and will be looking out for them next time I go to the library. I especially like the sound of Labryinth by Kate Moss - I love Bonekickers (reckon it's one of only a very few good offerings on TV at the moment), so if it's like that it's a must read. In the meantime I've started reading Big Chief Elizabeth, which is written by the same chap who wrote Nathaniel's Nutmeg, and it's proving to be another good one - although I do have a bit of a "thing" for the Tudor era (second place to all things Egyptian though) so am probably biased to start with. ;0)

Today I'm currently melting in a third day of hot and sunny weather. Is this our summer at last? LOL Great drying day, so there's two machine loads of washing out there at the moment and that means I've finally bottomed the laundry basket. Yay! Bet you my two manage to fill it by the middle of next week though! My ankles and feet are a size or two larger than usual now - par for the course in hot weather these days - which was certainly not helped by having to walk down the High Street with DH yesterday for a 4pm appointment. At least we got to stop off at Il Sorriso on the way back, where his tea and my apple juice were a life saver. I shan't be repeating the experience in a hurry though: feet up, with a cold drink to hand, electric fan blowing and stitching in hand is about as energetic as it's going to get this afternoon. Feel free to join me.

Helen: sounds like you're going to be very busy over the school holidays. Give me a shout if Ozzie starts to wear you out - there's an emergency can of Red Bull here that I can send you. LOL. Seriously, I hope you all have a wonderful time. :0)

Well that cold drink etc are calling, so I'm off.........

Thank you to all those, regular and newbies (Hi Clare *wave*), for taking time to visit - hope you are having a good day and that you also have a lovely weekend, whatever your plans. :0)

June Monthly Challenge Reveal

Belated Solstice Blessings to one and all. :0)

I'm a little late with posting pics of my JA/S&S Monthly Challenge piece: things were a little busy over the weekend and by Sunday tea time I was feeling really off with a stomach upset - today it gave way to a bad headache which kept me in bed for most of the day. Thankfully I'm feeling much better now, so am having a catch-up.

Here's the front of the piece I stitched:

I chose to stitch the freebie by Blue Ribbon Designs: A Christmas Wish of Health and Happiness. I've used DMC threads throughout and a piece of 32ct linen from my stash - I don't know what it's called but it's a blue grey colour.
Here's what I did on the back:

I love the little pillow ornie finish - it's easy to do! I had the charm and some gold cording in my stash. I wrapped some of the burgundy thread (used for the holly berries) around the cord in a criss-cross pattern and added little rows of Mill Hill beads to the side in burgundy and gold to brighten it a little. Am quite pleased with how it turned out and that's one more ornie to add to my Yule decorations. :0)

It's been a pleasure looking at the album - the pieces stitched and the finishes are varied and a couple made me want to try them, like the scissor pockets that Helen and Terri finished their pieces as. Beautiful work ladies! The July choices are up (four of them) and choosing was difficult: they were all lovely designs but I particularly liked two of them. I eventually made my choice and voted and am now looking forward to finding out which one we'll be stitching.

I made a start on the next part of the Ozark SAL but that has ground to a halt as I didn't feel much like stitching this weekend, what with one thing and another, but am hoping to get back to it tomorrow as it shouldn't take very long to do. I have been doing a little more reading instead (when my head wasn't aching) and have finished a second book this month - that's good going for me, as I usually only read a little at bedtime. This book was a historical whodunnit - see first item on the list in the side bar if you want a nosey - and I hope to get my hands on the next two books in the series (time for a trip to the library again, methinks). :0)

Saturday DH and I had a walk down the local High Street where we sorted out a little business at the building society before going to the opticians. Result of my eye test: a slightly stronger distance bit needed, alteration to the close up area (hopefully I'll be able to focus on my stitching whilst leaving my specs on, so I can watch TV as well, like I used to be able to) and the addition of prisms as my eyes muscles or lenses or something have weakened. Sheesh, did I feel old when I came out of there! LOL DH neded stronger lenses and treated himself to a new pair of frames with transitional lenses - so we'll also be quite a few quid poorer when that bill needs paying!
We went to Il Sorriso for dinner afterwards, then home. In the afternoon we went to the Pink Pig to do some shopping, then on to Screwfix to get a new tap for the bathroom sink (yet another DIY job to do - doesn't everything seem to go wrong at the same time?) and then on to The Range. There I bought some storage items for some of my cardmaking goodies (still trying to organise stuff!), a large circle punch , a CD storage unit, a DoCrafts Goody Bag, three Celtic rubber stamps (a bargain at 99p each) but only came away with one lot of flowers - they had very little in that line which was disappointing but I can't complain as the other bits more than made up for that. LOL :0)

Sunday DH popped out to do a little shopping at Tesco, otherwise it was a stay-at-home day - there was a Grand Prix on. I'd also been feeling a little iffy all day, which is why I didn't fancy going out anywhere, and by tea time I found out why. :0(
Thankfully whatever it was has been short lived - although it did mean cancelling Alex's usual visit, just in case it was catching. The long sleep I had today really helped - just hope I can sleep tonight! LOL

With all that I've managed to fall behind with blog reading again (just for a change!) so hopefully I'll catch up with that in the next day or two and see what you all got up to over the weekend.

In the meantime: hope you all had an enjoyable weekend and a good start to the week. :0)

Gifts, an Opinion and a SAL

Hope all the Mum's out there in the UK had a lovely Mothers Day. :0)

We picked up my DSis and had our trip to Rosehill Crem yesterday, meeting up with DBro and his family there: we left some flowers and the tag I'd made by Mum's name plaque, then some flowers by Mum and Dad's plaque on the new monument and some near where Mum and Dad's ashes are. It was cold and windy there but it didn't seem to have put off all the visitors, as it was very busy, and all the flower offerings were so lovely and such a joy to see.
We spent the rest of the day at my DSis's. When I got home my card and gift from my DS were waiting for me - didn't get them before we left as he was sleeping off a late night at a friends 18th birthday party! Here's a pic of my card:
Inside it says: ME! with his name. DH swears it's me he takes after in the sense of humour department. LOL
My gift was the new Elizabeth dvd:

Can't wait to watch this, although DS has made me promise it will be on a night when he's out - he doesn't mind buying these things for me, he just objects to being forced to watch them, the Philistine! ;0) I think I'll be treating myself to "The Other Boleyn Girl" dvd as it's another one I want to watch/own. As you may have guessed by now I have a bit of a fascination with the Tudor era........ have always wondered if I had a previous lifetime back then. :0)

Alex isn't coming for her regular visit today, as she's currently on sick leave, after having a minor surgical procedure last week. I've still got most of my regular jobs out of the way though and have also carried on with the great safe place hunt - still haven't found those elusive reindeer ornies for finishing but I did find another piece that screamed "finish me":

Am debating making this up into a small fob-type ornie, backing it with one of the two fabrics in the pic but can't decide which, if any, would suit it best. What do you all reckon? Have also got some nice Christmas red fine bead trim that would look nice with it and/or some gold ribbon. Please leave comments or email me on what you think. :0)

I managed to do one threads length worth of stitching on Love Is You whilst at my DSis's yesterday but it's not worth showing a pic of - didn't manage more as the fresh air got to me and I fell asleep, as did DH and my DSis (think we're all ready for the knackers yard! LOL). Thought I'd show you where I've got to with Part 2 of the Ozark SAL instead:

Can't fit the whole width on the scanner (DH hasn't had chance to fit the new bits to the computer yet, so can't use the digicam) but it'll give you an idea on the design and colour - isn't it pretty? Must get on and finish this as Part 2 of the For Amanda SAL is now out and I want to start that soon. We should also be finding out what the Monthly Challenge piece is today and I'm determined to complete it on time this month - not bothered which piece it is, as all three were lovely pieces and all ones I would love to stitch.

Usually I stitch in the evenings (seem to get more done then), with an occasional afternoon session when the mood takes me, but I think I may have to start with a few more regular daytime stitching sessions until the SAL's are completed, in an effort to keep up with everything. I would dearly love to start the mixed stitch Papillon SAL, as it's so pretty, and the Loopylou Elegance SAL that's soon to start over at JA/S&S is also mighty tempting - that design got my vote when the SAL was first suggested, as it was one I wanted to stitch - but have finally had to admit defeat and tell myself no: got enough to keep me busy already and any more would be just too much pressure. It's supposed to be an enjoyable hobby, not a pressurised chore. :0)

BTW, the 18th birthday party DS went to on Saturday night was a "masked ball" and he went in fancy dress and a Venetian style hat/mask combination. As he got ready here, rather than at a friends house, I actually managed to get a couple of pics this time and plan on sharing those as soon as the new bits are fitted to the computer. :0)

Thanks for all the kind comments and sorry if I haven't commented on your blog lately: have got a bit behind with blog reading but hope to catch up with everyone's news in the next couple of days.

Hope those who are currently having snow are staying safe and warm, that you've all had a good weekend and all are having an easy start to the week. :0)