A Gift!

I have been away for a week in Wales and when I arrived home I was surprised to find a parcel waiting for me.  I couldn't remember ordering anything so was a tad confused.  When I opened the parcel I found a note from Lainey addressed to Mrs Christmas!  This is because I like to share on Facebook the Christmas Countdown page lol.  Lainey sent me this gorgeous package.  Thank you Lainey I love it all.

I love the saying on my pillow.  Never a truer word said.

As I said I have been away to Wales for a week and haven't done a lot of stitching, took Hubby's logo away with me!  The week before I put a few stitches into Ariadne but with getting ready for the holiday again not a lot was done.  I am hoping to put that right this week and get enough progress to post a picture next week.

I will share some of my holiday photos next time when I have time to sort them.  We went to the Dr Who Experience in Cardiff and had a fantastic time.  I would thoroughly recommend it if you are ever in the vicinity.

Until next time, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne

Tusal / Lucky Girl!

I would like to thank you all for your kind birthday wishes on my last post they were very much appreciated.

First up is my Tusal for March.  A few days late but looking very full.  The top few layers are from my HAED chart Ariadne.

Early this year I joined a blog set up by Angela for people to send RAKs to one another and I was lucky enough to receive one from Mouse this week.  Thank you Mouse.  I love it.  I couldn't get a picture of the lovely scissor charm but they are so cute.

The inside of the box where I am going to keep my needes as they come in little packets so this box will be ideal.

I have also received a birthday gift from Sally.  Thank you so much Sally I absolutely love it.  I feel really honoured to receive gifts stitched by some lovely ladies throughout the last few years.  Your friendships mean the world to me.  Thank you.

I am not going to post a picture of my progress on Ariadne because I am hoping to finish the page in the next week so will leave it until then.

Until next time, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne

New Year/New Start/New SAL

Happy New Year to everyone.

I have lots to share so will get on with it.

Firstly it has become a bit of a tradition of mine to have a new start on 1st January every year.  This year whilst discussing this with my stitching sister, Angela, we decided to start a new SAL, our third one for this year lol.  We decided on Lizzie Kate's Snow Belles.  So on 1st January I duly started Snow Belles and have managed to get the first block done.  We are hoping to stitch a block a month.

Lizzie Kate Snow Belle
Ice Queen
Stitched on 14ct Blue Marble Aida using DMC threads

I am a bit disappointed that you can't see the words at the top very well so I might outline them but will wait and see how the others come out.

At the end of the year I emptied my ort jar which is also a bit of a tradition.  This is what it looked like on 31 December.  It is now ready for the 2013 Tusal which is run by Daffycat.  Pop over if you want to find out more details.

I also promised you pictures of the gorgeous Christmas gifts I received from Angela and Elaine and here there are.

Gift from Angela

Gift from Elaine

Next in my rotation is another new start from the HAED Bulletin Board 2013 SAL which I will show you next time.

Until next time, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne

Round Robin / Gifts

I think I have been teasing you for long enough.  Here is my piece for the Round Robin.  I am sure many of you will recognise it.  I am stitching Lizzie Kate's 6 Fat Snowmen.  I have stitched the first one and plan on stitching the bird house next week before it goes on it's travels.  I will stitch the last one when it returns.  I have really enjoyed stitching on it this week and look forward to stitching on the other pieces that will come my way.

It was the lovely Michelle's birthday this week and I decided to send her a little gift to wish her a happy birthday and thank her for her friendship.  I stitched this design in January from the JCS Magazine and backed it with the fabric in the background.  I am pleased to say Michelle loved it despite my very bad finishing.  This piece just didn't finish very well despite however many times I unpicked and stitched it again. 

Talking of gifts I was very lucky to receive a gift from Elaine.  She sent me the lovely spring pillow and threads you see below as I had lent her one of my charts.  Thank you Elaine I love my spring pillow and the threads.

That's all from me this week I am off to start my new HAED Ariadne.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Thank You / Finishes / Progress

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to Nia for the lovely gift she sent me following her 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway. I made Nia laugh with a comment I made on taking photographs. Thank you Nia I look forward to using the trims and the snowmen.



Next up is my progress with Retro Lady. I came to an abrupt halt on Thursday when I ran out of 3865. Luckily my husband works next to a chemist that sells DMC threads so I can carry on with it on Monday as he has picked some up for me.



Since I needed something to stitch on Thursday and Friday night I started a new ornament. Midnight Stitching's Snowman's Quaker Christmas. I stitched it on 28ct Mushroom Lugana using Crescent Colours Blue Jeans and DMC threads as suggested. I loved stitching this for Angela, my stitching sister, so decided to stitch another. I even managed to finish it up on Saturday night. I am not very confident with my finishing skills and am not too sure I even like finishing lol but I will keep trying and hopefully my skills will get better.



Talking of finishing, I also finished Britty Kitty I stitched last weekend. I was hoping to make a flat ornament for this one but my stanley knife and I couldn't seem to cut a straight line, never mind two lol. I think I will ask my Dad to cut my mount board next time. Again my lack of finishing skills shows a bit on this one but just don't look too closely.



I am off to stitch another ornament from the JCS magazine.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xx

Thank You!

Thank you Michelle for the gorgeous gift I received. It is a pin pillow designed by Danybrod called Pins and Needles.



The pretty backing fabric.



Michelle is stitching a few pieces this year which she will be offering to say thank you for following her blog and commenting. I was the lucky first. Thank you so much Michelle, I am thrilled with it.

Until next time, when I shall have a finish, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne xxx

Ornaments Finished!

I have finished the two ornaments for my new Great Niece and Great Nephew. Both were stitched on 14ct Aida using DMC threads. It is a design by Lizzie Kate although not quite as charted, I missed the stitches off around the edge. Sorry for the bad photo. I took this quickly to show my sister and then posted them off before taking a better one.



Yesterday was Sally's birthday and I wanted to stitch her a little something. It is a design by Lizzie Kate from one of the Tiny Tidings, I can't remember which one. It is stitched on 28ct Mushroom Jobelan using DMC threads. I have had an email from Sally to say she loved it. Thank you Sally for letting me use your photo.



Lastly, but by no means least, I received this lovely card and everlasting mistletoe from Nia. Thank you Nia. I have waved it around my boys but haven't managed to get a kiss yet lol.



I have managed to get all my Christmas shopping done, cards are wrote but have wrapping still to do. Hopefully it won't take much longer and then I can get back to stitching as I have a baby sampler to get done ready for my New Year's Eve get together.

I hope you like my new blog layout, I won't tell you how long it took to change it. I have also managed to delete my finishes page for 2011 whilst trying to update it.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

I love my Postman!

I was very lucky last week, my postman was very good to me and brought me two parcels. One I can't show yet.

The one I can show is from Michelle. I was reading Michelle's blog and she had said she was sending out some gifts, not for one second did I think I would received one. Thank you Michelle for my gift and your friendship. Both of which I treasure. I feel very lucky in having some fantastic on line friends.



I have managed to get my three ornaments finished, I just need to make them up. I will show them next week. I am spending this week getting ready for christmas, gift wrapping, card writing and putting the decorations up, before my kids sack me as I am late putting them up this year.

I had a new start last week but my progress was so minimal that I will wait until I get some more done before showing. It is L*K Snowman 10 that I am stitching in an SAL with Sally and Chris. Thank you both for letting me join your SAL again this year.

I am getting a bit twitchy as I now have SIX works in progress lol so really need to get a wriggle on. I do have to have another new start though as I have one more baby sampler to stitch for my great nephew, Robert. I am hoping to get this finished ready for New Years Eve when the family are coming round to my house for a get together.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

The Travelling Pattern has arrived!

I was lucky enough to have been chosen to continue the journey of the Travelling Pattern started by Sharon of It's Daffycat by Sally. It arrived yesterday and I have made a very small start. If you would like to join the sisterhood please comment on this post only and I will chose a winner on 24 October.



The rules of the TP are as follows:

1. Comment on this post, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.

2. By leaving this comment, you agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project...so be it. If you can't bring yourself to do this ~ don't sign up.

3. You must have an active blog to participate. If you have a blog but never post to it ~ you won't be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4. This is a giveaway-type Traveling Pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn't make you a guaranteed part of the Stitcherhood.

The Traveling Pattern has been stitched by:
1. Sharon of It's Daffycat, Oklahoma, USA
2. Karen of Karen's Handiwork, South Carolina, USA
3. Patty of Hanging On By A Thread, Florida, USA
4. Terri of Chocolates for Breakfast, Stitching for Lunch, USA
5. Lynda of A Cozy Little Place for Stitching, Oregon, USA
6. Nataly of Nataly's Needle Creations, Massachusetts, USA
7. Erin of Fairy Tales & French Knots, NY, USA
8. Jo of Serendipititous Stitching, Suffolk, UK
9. Mouse of talesofastitchingmouse South Yorkshire uk
10. Sally of Stitchyangel's Treasures, East Yorkshire UK
11. Lesleyanne of Lesleyanne's Life of Stitches, Northamptonshire, UK
12. ?????? Could it be you?

Now if you look closely you will see a little parcel that Sally also sent me. It was this gorgeous ornament by L*K. Apparently, Sally was having a look at my stitchy plans and saw this on the list and decided to stitch it for me, just because. Thank you so much Sally it is gorgeous.



I'm off now to do some stitching before school run time.

Until next time, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne

Gifts / Tusal

I have been a very lucky girl this week as I have received another gift from my Stitching Sister, Angela, http://hookedonstitches.blogspot.com/,. Angela asked if I had a flatfold to which I replied no, well I have now. It is absolutely stunning and I am thrilled to bits with it. The colours are perfect for my bedroom and go so well with my At Home with Jane Austin piece I stitched last year and will look lovely with my LHN Simple Joys.

I am really enjoying getting to know Angela via our emails. Thank you Angela I LOVE IT. Angela also sent me some L*K charts and notelets which I stupidly forgot to take photos of but love them.

Front View

Back View

I also received this lovely lavender satchet from Nia, http://caixinhadepirlimpimpim.blogspot.com/, that is now sitting on my bedside table with Rupert the Bear, a childhood favourite. Thank you Nia is is gorgeous.

Lastly, as I will on holiday when it is the new moon, a picture of my TUSAL. Mainly made up from threads from Temptation and a few from LHN Simple Joys.



Finally, I would like to apologise as I am not able to comment on all blogs. So if I normally comment on your stitching and haven't this last week know that I am reading and loving your stitching and finishing and hope to be able to comment when I get back.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxxx