I'm Here Again

I am still in the land of the living and I do keep popping in from time to time. With the start of the school holidays though this could be even less over the next few weeks so please bear with me.

Not a lot to tell, though I do have some update pictures for you. The first of course is Water Tiger and I am really pleased with the progress I am making on this one.

I am working him 1 over 2 on 32 count but decided to try the eye in 2 over 2 to give it more intensity and I am really pleased with the results. I had intended trying to do the eye with a rayon thread to make it shine but there was just too many colours in it for me to try altering them, but maybe it would not have turned out right and it does look so life like as it is.

Rose Sampler is also progressing nicely. There is another alphabet to go in where I have left the gap but I do not like the one on the chart so need to sort out something else to go in its place.

The other thing I have been working on spasmodically is a hardanger set. The needlecase and scissor fob have been designed by my dear friend Colly of Col's Creations, and the new top for my work box I have designed using Colly's idea and extending it. I just loved this design and I have been looking for something for my workbox for ages. This just fit the bill as it was in the traditional hardanger which I love yet seemed to have a modern feel to it which appealed to me, so I decided to play. I was a little worried that Colly might be cross but bless her she was full of approval and didnt mind me borrowing her brain power at all. Thanks Colly. If you like hardanger then go and have a look at Colly's site she has some really beautiful designs. My favourite is The Lace Garden but I have three or four of her designs now.

The first picture is the needle case (sorry not brilliant pictures),

Then the scissor fob.

and lastly the workbox top.

and silly me has just noticed that i missed the centre kloister blocks from the top left hand box centre lol. How many times have you noticed an error when you put a photograph up, I know I have on several occassions.

Well I think that is all I have to tell you for this time. I have been making some more cards but I cannot show them to you yet, so thats a treat you will have to wait for lol.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog and thank you agian to those precious readers who take the time to leave me comments they are so much appreciated.

One last comment and that is to all those who said they wished they could come and stitch with me in my garden, my little haven of peace. I so wish you could all come and it would be quite some party with people from Canada, the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland and Spain to name just a few. Who of us thought when we started blogging that we would make so many friends from so many parts of the globe. Oh how I wish you could all come, and all my UK friends too of course.

Hugs,

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Hurray...

I have had a good week this week stitching wise and at last feel that progress is being made, so three cheers for that. Page 4 of the Water Tiger is almost complete and as page 5 is about half done anyway that brings me to almost the half way stage. I am going to have to work like a trojan now to get the other half done in time. 5 months to go but as I will be away for one of those months it only leaves me with four to stitch in for a comfortable finishing time. Here is a picture of him taken this morning. Progress on EMS Rose Sampler was not so good but a lot better than I have managed for the last few days and I am beginning to feel back on track with that too. I have really enjoyed my stitching again this week and I am not sure if that is why I have made such good progress or whether the good progress is why I have enjoyed it, lol who cares as long as its happy stitching thats all that matters. I have been blaming my stress on the lack of stitching done but maybe the stress was stopping me stitching, I dont know but I have felt so much more relaxed this week.

I spent a day with my dear friend Colly and that always puts me in a relaxed mood - though we started off well by the time we had lunch I think the stitching was just sitting on our laps lol, neither of us made much progress but we do laugh a lot.

I do hope Karan will not mind but I have borrowed this picture from her blog as I forgot to take one myself. So here is the card and gift I sent to her.

The chart was one I had not seen before its by a firm called In The Gentle Fashion and is called Somethings are Loved. I know Karan loves things with meaningful words and could not resist getting it for her. The verse reads

Somethings are loved because they are beautiful

and somethings are beautiful because they are loved.

I was playing last week and I also made the little bookmark that you see tucked in with the chart as another thing Karan loves is reading. If you have not visited her blog then do pop over and see her as she is always interesting and amusing to read.

Now last but certainly not least, the postie put a great big smile on my face on Friday when he bought a little RAK gift from Angela in Canada. She had made me this beautiful little pin keep picture. Both the stitching and finishing are fantastic and though she stitched this because it is her favourite design she could not have chosen anything more perfect for me. I love both my garden and all my friends and I am very honoured that she chose to stitch this just for me.

Thank you once again to all who read and leave comments - you are my inspiration.

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

I've made it again...

I have been going to post again all week and just not got around to it. Here was me thinking that when I retired I would have more time on my hands and 18 months down the line I find that I have even less time than when I was working. Busy, busy, busy but I sometimes do not know what I am busy at as the stitching time gets less and the card making sessions are few but I guess I have lots of friends and either I am visiting them, they are visiting me or I am with my Mum and having friends and family surely cannot be a bad thing.

Well despite what I just said I have managed some more on Water Tiger and I am pleased with the progress I have make on this one so far.

Also a little more on EMS Rose Sampler though my progress on this is not what I had hoped for.

I am sorry that my photographic skillare are not very good but at least you can tell its growing lol.

On the card front I made this one for my darling hubby who celebrated his birthday on Wednesday. The family all came round in the evening and it was lovely to be able to sit out and share his cake and laugh and chat together.
What else have I been up to - well with the beautiful weather comes time in the garden and we have spend a lot of time out there, Earlier in the year I shared some pictures of my spring garden so I hope you will be indulgent and allow me to show some of my summer garden now.

These last two pictures were taken of the yard at the side this morning and I have been intending to sit out there and stitch - you might be able to see my stitching ready on the table - unfortunately 15 minutes later we had a small thunderstorm and it is still raining heavily so guess I will either have to stitch inside or find something else to do - lol like catching up with my blog. Catching up with the blogs I follow seems almost impossible, my blog reader is telling me I have 172 blogs with new postings and as fast as i seem to read one another two pop up, so please forgive me I am doing my best - even if my best aint good enough.

Thank you to all who visit my little world, and to those who leave comments - you all make this little journey through life so much more interesting with the things you say, encouragement you give me and tips you share.

Just one last thing before I go - one or two of you have asked how my food diary is going - well typically and without trying to tempt fate - since I have started it I have not had one tummy upset so at the moment I cannot tell if it will shed any light on the problem or if it has cured the problem lol - I will keep you updated if any developments occur.

Hugs for all those who need them,

May your frogs stay in their ponds.