RAK!

Hello all

I am sorry I haven't been around for a while life has been busy and I haven't been getting a lot of stitching time in. The little I have been stitching is for exchanges but I have now finished them and they are ready to post so hopefully normal service will be resumed, fingers crossed.

I received a surprise in the post on Friday. I had won Chris's Random Act of Kindness and this is what arrived. A gorgeous pinkeep and the cutest pair of scissor. Aren't a lucky girl. Thank you Chris - I love them! The colours are so me!

The parcel arrived in the lovely backing paper.

A close up of the pin keep.

The back of the pin keep.

I am off now to do some stitching while it is quiet. It was my youngest son's birthday this week and he has gone off with his Dad to spend his game cards and money so I have some quality time with my stitching.

Until next time, happy stitching.

Lesleyanne xxx

Two Finishes!

My first finish is for my great niece, Chloe Ann, who was born on Tuesday 30 August at 9.35 am weighing 6lb 8oz. It is the baby sampler from Cross Stitcher magazine made into a cushion by a work friend. I think it is beautiful, hopefully Mum and Dad will too. It will go over to Ireland with my Mum, Dad and my sister (Chloe's nan) who are going to visit next Friday and meet Chloe in the flesh so to speak.



My next finish is one part of the Noel Duo by Tra la la. I loved every minute of this and even though there are a couple of mistakes, I am really pleased with it. There should be green lines between each line of the alphabet but I didn't leave enough space so adapted slightly. I haven't quite decided how I am going to finish it yet but when I do I will show you. Favourite is a pinkeep but if you look at my effort below I am a bit nervous.



Next up is my progress for the L*K Lovers SAL Monday and Friday night. Again, I am loving this piece. Not sure it will be ready for this halloween though lol. Sorry for not ironing it first.



Next up is something I stitched a while ago and have now attempted to finish it into a pinkeep. There are no pins yet and I have still to work out how to do a bow for the top so if anybody knows where there is a tutorial I would be really grateful. I definitely need more practice as there is too much material either side even though I measured it.



If you have made it this far you have done really well. I just want to show off my new stitching shelf. My mum found this in the recycling centre and thought it was perfect for showing off my stitching. I have to say I am really pleased with it and for £3 I think it was a bargain to boot. It is showing off the stitching I have received as gifts from my stitching sister, Angela, and Sally. I need to get some stands for Life's a Beach and Pins and Needles but you get the idea.



Until next time, thank you for looking and commenting

Lesleyanne xxx

Tusal / New Start

This is my Tusal for this month.



Monday and Friday I stitched on my Lizzie*Kate Lovers SAL ABC Halloween. I am loving this one and the little ghost is just too cute.



I started stitching my exchange for the Rotating Designer Exchange
which obviously I can't show you. I have also signed up for the Fall into Halloween Exchange so not bad for a girl that has never done an exchange in her life lol. I also have plans to stitch a couple of gifts so will get onto that after these two are stitched up.

I have been wanting to stitch Christmas ornaments for the last little while so this weekend I gave in to my desire and stitched this design by Tra la la that I saw on Butterfly Wings blog and immediately fell in love. I would have finished this but I haven't got the green thread needed so will have to wait until I can get my husband to go to the chemist next to where he works. The next ornament will probably be a Little House Needleworks design, either Holly and Berries or Silent Night, haven't quite decided so please feel free to vote when you comment.



A special thank you to Joyze who told me how to insert a link, which you may have noticed in this post.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Building Fences!

On CCN A Bee C Sampler. I am not sure if you can see the white fences stitched on the cream aida or not but for International Hermit and Stitch Weekend
thats what I stitched and a tree.



I had the week off last week and spent it taking the boys out and about. We went to Chapel St Leonards for the day, visited friends and family, lunched out at lot and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 which according to my boys, and me, it was AWESOME.

Here is my progress for Friday's L*K SAL which was the first time I had any chance to stitch.



I did, in between outings etc, managed to finish my L*K Santa wants to know into a cube. I used Vonna's tutorial, http://tts-tutorials.blogspot.com/2008/04/cube-finish.html. I am quite pleased with the finish and one I may do again. As is normal with me there is room for improvement but have managed to hide the flaws at the back.



I am also stating for the record, I am going on a STASH DIET, on the wagon, whatever you want to call it lol. I have just placed an order with Down Sunshine Lane, for the JCS ornament magazines and the Lizzie Kate Snowman and the Santa and that is it until at least Christmas if not longer. I have ordered the JCS ornament magazines and haven't stitched the ones I want to stitch from last years so really need to crack on.

I would really like to know how to insert a link too. I click on the icon type in the url address but nothing seems to happen, not sure why, anybody know?

I also wondered if anybody else was having trouble getting into the Needlecraft Haven on Yuku. It keeps asking for my log in details and then won't log me in.

I think that's enough waffle from me for one day.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Progress & New Start!

My stitching week didn't go quite as planned last week. Unfortunately my diabetes seemed to knock me for six and left my absolutely shattered most evenings so I only stitched a little most nights, forcing myself to at least put a few stitches in.

Monday and Friday night is L*K Lovers SAL night. I carried on working on ABC Halloween.



Tuesday and Thursday evening I stitched on CCN A Bee C Sampler. I hate the material I am stitching this on. It is good old 16 ct aida but it is really rough.



Saturday morning after sitting at the computer for a small time I got up from the chair and hurt my back. Nothing too serious but I decided the best thing to do was to rest it as it was quite painful. So for all of Saturday and all of Sunday I stitched on my new start, Vervaco Pink Flapper with Red Rose. The frogs paid a little visit and I have done some unpicking but am really pleased with my progress but it is not something that will happen often. I have somelovely aida for this, I am not sure if you can see but it is has pink roses printed on it.



This is what it will hopefully look like when I finished it.



On Wednesday, as I had my partner's name in the Rotating Designer Exchange, I was looking through Prarie Schooler patterns trying to decide what to stitch. I think I have decided and will probably start stitching it sooner rather than later.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

New Rotation!

I always said I would never stitch different designs on different days. I couldn't understand how stitchers ever made any progress. That was until I wanted to stitch everything and Lizzie Kate Lovers blog had an SAL. So I now have a new rotation. I couldn't stick to being a one at a time girl although I tried lol. I get bored easily and there are soooo many things I want to stitch. So Monday and Friday nights it is Lizzie Kate night. Here is my progress for last week. This is ABC Halloween that I received as part of my giveaway from Danielle. Danielle started it but didn't enjoy it. She stitched upto the moon and I have stitched from "b". I have to say I am really enjoying this.



Tuesday and Thursday nights are LHN/CCN designs. I started CCN A Bee C Sampler and this is how I have got on with this.



Saturday and Sundays are reserved for Vervaco or Lanarte. I did start a Vervaco I brought off the bay of evil. After stitching on it for two weekends and it bearing no resembleance to the chart I gave up. Lesson learnt! I will start a new one this weekend. I have a freebie chart from http://pauchok.ucoz.ru/ that I am thinking of doing next. I won't be stitching the black or using black aida. I am thinking of using sparkly fabric but haven't actually decided yet. Let me know what you think!



Wednesday night is exercise night so don't tend to get a lot of time to stitch especially when the boys are at school. So Wednesday is going to be my finishing day or putting threads on to bobbins day - you get the picture. While the boys are off school I am going to stitch on the baby samplers so will show a picture next week as the girl one is nearly finished except for the vital information which I will have once she is born.

I am quite excited as I have joined the Rotating Designer Exchange, http://rotatingdesignerexchange.blogspot.com/, that Angela, http://hookedonstitches.blogspot.com/, has organised. The first designer is Prarie Schooler and if you want to join you will have to sign up today as Angela is closing them later on today. I have never done an exchange before, it is a stitched piece only, so any hints and tips you have would be greatly received.

I am very late in saying thank you to Becs, Cath and Sarah for the stylist blogger award they have each given me. It is very much appreciated. I am taking the easy way out and giving it to all those that leave me a comment and I will try to think of seven things about me ready for my next post.

Thank you for reading my waffle and for those that leave comments know that I really appreciate them. If you have got to the end you've done well.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Gift / Tusal

I had a lovely package from my stitching sister, Angela, yesterday. She sent L*K Life's a Beach finished as a pinkeep, some fabric, buttons, needles, matt board and batting so that I can have a go at finishing. Thank you Angela I love it all.

A close up of the pinkeep.

The backing fabric of the pinkeep.

Next up my orts jar for the second full moon of July. Mostly threads from the baby sampler I have been stitching. I have just over one block to do but have run out of thread and am waiting for my husband to go to the shop next door where he works to get it for me. I'll show a picture next time.



Monday night was Lizzie*Kate night and I finished up Santa wants to Know. I really enjoyed this one and am hoping to finish it into a cube - just have to get some backing fabric on Tuesday when I go into town. Wish me luck I am going to need it.



While I wait for my thread I am going to have a new start, Country Cottage Needleworks A Bee C Sampler, as it is calling me lol.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

New Start / IHSW

I want to thank those of you who left words of encourgement on Sweet Dreams Baby. Unfortunately I think I left it too late. I spoke to my Mum that day telling her how much I was hating stitching it although I didn't know why. She said as it was a gift and if I really hated it that much to stop stitching it. She suggested I stitch the baby sampler I stitched for my other nephew's babies and so I started this sampler on Friday night after trying a couple more times to get into Sweet Dreams Baby. I stitched on it the whole weekend making the most of International Hermit and Stitch weekend organised by Joysze at http://joysze.blogspot.com. I have really enjoyed my stitching this week after several weeks of being quite unmotivated by it. I have never spent so much time going through my patterns as I did these last couple of weeks.

This is my new start from the Cross Stitcher magazine, July 2008, designed by Helen Philipps.

Hopefully when finished it will look something like this. A work colleague will make it into a cushion so that it can be easily transported to my nephew in Ireland when his baby is born, due end of August. I will be stitching a blue version for my new great nephew, Robert, who was born in June and it will be given to him for Christmas as I have done for the other babies born to my nephews.



Last night was Lizzie*Kate Monday. I stitched some more on Santa Wants to Know. I love stitching this and can't wait until it is finished as I am going to have a go at making a cube finish, my first. Elaine at http://themainhoose.blogspot.com recently finished a cube finish so I emailed her and asked her where she got her cubes from and she kindly sent me the link. Cross stitchers really are the best.

Thank you to those who leave comments, I really do appreciate them.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne

Progress and Finishes

First up is my progress on L*K Monday. I am really enjoying this and it is coming along well. I actually think I got quite a bit done, well for me anyway.

Next we have Vervaco's Sweet Dreams Baby, which I am not enjoying for some reason, more like pulling teeth at the moment and I have had to unpick what I did on Saturday night so am even more annoyed with it today lol. Lily thought she would like to get in the photo too. At the moment I seem to want to stitch anything but this and have been looking through my stash making lists etc anything rather than actually stitch but I do have to stitch it as I have a deadline.

I stitched a freebie from L*K A Hug will do for Sally,
http://stitchingplace.blogspot.com/, as she said on her blog sometimes you just need a hug so I sent her one. I stitched this on a pink 28ct evenweave that I brought from Michelle and I actually finished this one all by myself, a first for me as my mum usually closes the top up for me. My only complaint with it was I could have put some more stuffing in it but a lesson learnt for next time. I didn't have a heart ornament to attach so used a heart topped pin.



Lastly for today, my eldest son, Andrew, was thirteen on Monday so I stitched him L*K Birthday wishes as he said I had never stitched him anything. I framed it myself, not very well lol, with a frame from Wilkinsons.

I have also spent the week looking for my finish of LHN Ponsietta House that I stitched. I can't find it anywhere and am really annoyed so if anybody knows where it is please tell me. I have seen it on a blog framed and would really really like to get it framed in a similar manner if only I could find it.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Tusal / Progress

First up is my Tusal for July. Threads from Simple Joys and Sweet Dreams Baby are in for this month.


Next up is my progress on Vervaco Sweet Dreams Baby. Coming along slowly as at the moment due to watching too much Wimbledon. Maybe next week I will really get going.

Lastly is my new start for L*K Monday, Santa Wants to Know, not a lot of progress as I had a job deciding what I wanted to stitch despite spending most of Sunday going through my L*K charts I was still undecided on Monday but I do love the colours in this so that is what finally swayed me. Again I am hoping to get more progress on this on Monday.

Sorry both projects are still in their hoops I couldn't be asked to take them out and iron them lol.

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends. Happy 4th July to my American friends. I hope you both have lovely long weekends and get plenty of stitching in.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx