Lots to Share!

First up today I want to show you the gorgeous giveaway I won from Denise. The box arrived on Saturday and I was stunned to find all these lovely gifts. Thank you very Denise, I will enjoy it all.

I have been stitching away last week on my SAL with Angela and am really pleased with my progress. Still quite a bit to stitch on it but I am enjoying it. Sorry for the hoop marks.


This is my Tusal for March. Lots of orts from my Easter projects, SAL and my new start.


It was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend this past weekend and having signed up for SAL on Facebook to stitch a new Heaven and Earth Design I thought I would get a little practice in by stitching on one I have had for quite a while and had never plucked up the courage before.

It is a mini called Be Good for Goodness Sake by Dona Gelsinger. Below is a picture of what it will look like when its finished, hopefully and also my progress picture.

I have joined Kathy's SAL on Facebook to stitch this gorgeous design called Ariadne by Rachel Anderson starting in May. I am really looking forward to stitching this in rotation with my other stitching.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Two Finishes / SAL Progress!

I want to start off by thanking you all for your kind birthday wishes. I have never had so many comments and am thrilled I have reached over 200 followers.

I stitched and finished Lizzie Kate's Peep last week and used the fabric in the background to make it into a pillow. The finishing is not great I had trouble with the corners but I am still quite pleased with it.

I also finished up Lizzie Kate's Sampling Easter the same way, this finish is a little better.

I thought I would show you a picture of them in my spring basket. I may stitch a couple more this year but haven't decided.

Finally my progress on LHN's The Tea Room. I am stitching this with Angela. I have to say I am loving it. I love the colours the design uses. I am stitching it on 14ct blue marble aida.

Talking of Angela, she has asked if I would like to stitch an ornament a month with her. I, of course agreed, and my March ornament will be LHN's All is Calm and I will show my finish at the end of the month.

Until next time, happy stithcing

Lesleyanne

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday and I wanted to share with you all the gorgeous gifts I received from my wonderful stitching friends.

The first gift is from Jane, which included ribbon, ric rac and blue evenweave fabric, which I already know what I am going to use it for, heart fabric and in the little packet some gorgeous buttons and charms. Thank you so very much Jane, it is all gorgeous and can't wait to use it.

The next gift is from Sally, a beautifully stitched and finished ornament which I believe translated is about friendship. Thank you so very much Sally I love it and your friendship very much.

Next up is this gorgeous package from Elaine. A design by L*K Coffee Crazy which is beautifully stitched and finished which included some gorgeous scissors, lovely threads, some made with love charms and Starbucks coffee. Thank you so much Elaine - I love it all.

Here is a close up of the threads, charm and scissors, which I absolute love. The colours are gorgeous and so me lol.

Finally and by no means last, I won Becka's birthday giveaway and this is what I received. Some lovely gingham fabric, metallic threads and red and green ric rac and two Malters Easter Rabbit chocolates which my two boys have already whipped away. Thank you so much Becka. I

am looking forward to using these items in my Christmas ornaments.

I can't express my gratitude enough to you all for the unexpected but gorgeous birthday gifts. Thank you so much for spoiling me and making my birthday extra special.

I'll be back later in the week with a stitching finish, which may even be finish finished and a new start, my SAL with Angela.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

WOW! WOW! WOW!

That is the only way I can think of to describe the absolutely stunning gift I received from my stitching sister, Angela. Angela had emailed me to let me know that my birthday gift was on it's way. I certainly wasn't expecting it to arrive so quickly. I emailed Angela to let her know it had arrived and I was being a good girl and had put it to one side until my birthday. Angela emailed me and told me to open it. Yay! This is the beauty I found inside. Angela stitched this design for me as we both share a love of reading and already knew I loved the design, especially since she had previously asked if I wanted to stitch it along with her later in the year, sneaky do you not think?

CCN The Book Store

32ct Mushroom Lugana

using DMC threads

Finished as a Stitcher's Box

This is the inside of the box together with the lovely book mark she also sent along with a couple of books that have already been taken upstairs ready to be read.



Thank you Angela. I will treasure it and your friendship forever.

Lizzie Kate Sampling Easter

I haven't had a good week stitching wise, I think I did about twenty stitches during the week on Pink Lady due to my diabetes playing up and life generally getting in the way. At the weekend I decided to stitch an ornament and so chose Lizzie Kate's Sampling Easter. I managed to finish it as well. I just need to get a rabbit charm. I placed my eggs a little low down so haven't stitched the green that was underneath them and at the side.

Lizzie Kate Sampling Easter

Stitched on 14ct White Aida

Using DMC threads

I have also attached the fabric I mentioned in my previous post. I am going to make it in to a pillow using said fabric.


I am hoping to get more stitching done this week on Pink lady although I am an urge to stitch some LHN/CCN after looking at other blogs so who knows what the stitching week may hold.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

IHSW / TUSAL

I am very late posting my progress for IHSW. Just haven't had time or batteries in the camera. I am pleased with my progress on Vervaco's Pink Lady with Red Rose. I would have love to have made more over the weekend but just didn't seem to be able to sit down and concentrate on it for some reason but I am going to carry on this week as I don't seem to be able to stop even though I have some Easter designs to stitch and have brought some GORGEOUS backing material for it.



It is also time to post my TUSAL and this is pictured below.



Short and sweet from me today, want to go and stitch and watch the tennis.

Until next time, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne

Thank You!

I want to start this post by saying Thank You to everyone that left a comment on my last post. I really appreciate your kindness and support and it meant a lot to me. Thank You.

After the weekend I tried again with Retro Lady but again her glove was still not right so she has gone in the cupboard until the lighter nights. I was so cross with myself but am not completely sure it is me or the chart so I have emailed the designer and she has sent a black and white copy so will use that when I decide I can face her again.

I was also mad at myself because I put that I was going to order from an LNS but I wasn't it was an ONS and then ordered from one that didn't put the threads on bobbins - so MAD with myself again. I was in a terrible mood on Tuesday but I picked up my Vervaco Pink lady with Red Rose and all was calm lol.

She is coming along lovely and so much so I didn't stitch an ornament this weekend partly because I couldn't decide which one lol and partly because I was enjoying Pink Lady so much.

Without further ado here is my progress.

I have stitched on the feather boa so think I have made good progress.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne xxx

Aaargh!

I want to thank you all for your kind comments regarding my finishing - I really appreciated them and I will continue in the hope my skills improve.

I have to say that I sometimes wonder why I cross stitch. I have had a terrible week with Retro Lady - not enough stitching time and what I did do I had to unpick again. It is obvious I can't count and I can't follow a pattern even though I do highlight my working copy as I go along. So here is this week's pitiful progress. I do find I am struggling with the colour chart so will carry on this week and if I do still struggle at night, when I do most of my stitching, I will swap to my Vervaco lady until the summer when the nights are longer as hopefully this will help with the reading of the charts.

On a brighter note I did manage another ornament finish. It is a Blackbird Designs design called Floral Gift from the JCS magazine 2010 Christmas Special. I didn't stitch the border and changed the year for another bird. I haven't decided how I am going to finish this yet.

Stitched on 32ct Antique White Jobelan

using DMC Threads

When I finished this ornament Sunday Evening I tried to pick another one but every ornament I picked up I was at least one or two threads missing so I am off now to try a new LNS which provides the threads already on bobbins, yay.

Until next time, happy stitching

Lesleyanne

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

IHSW / FINISHES!

I decided to work on L*K Snowman 10 this week. I started it on 1 December as part of an SAL with Sally and Chris. It stitched up really quickly and was a lovely stitch and I managed to get it finished.



I stitched it on 14ct Blue Marble Aida using the recommended DMC threads apart from 712 I used 3865 instead.

I would like to thank Sally for buying this chart for my birthday last year and letting me join the stitch a long.

On Friday I started a Brittercup Designs pattern from JCS Magazine July/August 2010 called Mine! As it was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend I stitched all weekend and finished it as well.



I stitched it on 14ct Opalescent Aida using the recommended DMC threads.

I haven't decided how I am going to finish either of these yet.

Finally I will leave you a picture of my Tusal for January. I have a new ort jar. This is just the lid where I put my orts and I will tip them into the jar now. I couldn't put them straight in the jar as it is stripped and you wouldn't see the threads.



Until next time, happy stitching

Love Lesleyanne