Friday 10 May 2013

Busy, busy, busy ...

It is almost a week since I returned home from a lovely break in Hampshire.  I  had a wonderful stitching weekend and then hubby and I spent the rest of the week visiting National Trust properties and gardens.  The gardens were just beginning to show all their finery and the weather was so kind to us that we could not fail to have a wonderful and relaxing break.  I am now fully recovered from my tummy bug and feeling fine again so many thanks for your good wishes.

I will begin at the start with the latest picture of Fairies, which I didn't have time to download from my camera before I went away.


I bought two new charts recently.  Now I know I promised I would stay on the wagon until I had used at least half the stash I already had and I have managed to stay on it for a couple of years now, but alas getting back to blogging has led to way too much temptation.  I fell hard and I lay the entire blame on Mylene and Andrea .  The first I saw in Mylenes blog and I fell in love with the verse.  It is called "A place we call home" and is by Country Cottage Needlework.  As this is a pretty straight forward and easy stitch I decided to make it my holiday stitching piece.  By the time we got home it was done apart from a few stitches on the last motif and the wording.  It was hardly worth putting it away so in the little time I have had this week I have worked on this and now I am pleased to announce I have a happy dance.  Two so far this year I am doing well lol. 

So here it is
A PLACE WE CALL HOME
Country Cottage Needlework
started on 27th April 2013 and finished on the 8th March 2013
I did not use the charted colours.  I have so many hand dyed threads that I have bought for special charts and sometimes I have only needed them for two or three stitches, so I just chose colours I liked. As its not a very big piece I will make it up myself into a large sort of pinkeep.  I have several in my craft room that I have made up in this way and its so much cheaper that getting them framed.  Framing is so expensive now and a larger piece can cost over a £100 to be framed.  Not sure what others pay but the last one I had done was over £80 and that was Heirloom Christmas by Victoria Sampler.

Now for the other one I bought.  It is from the Drawn Thread, and I love their designs anyway.  This one is called Butterfly Garden and its a beauty.  I first saw it and fell in love with it when I was visiting Andrea in The Craft Room, I tried so hard to be good but everytime I visited and saw a little bit more my resolve melted a little more too.
As with the last one I am just going to use the colours I like though I think I shall stick to silk threads as I feel the design deserves them (the one above was just hand dyed flosses).  I am not going to start it yet but I dont think it will be too long before I have to give in and add a new start to the mix and I know it will either be this one or one I got as a birthday gift a while back which is The Forget-me-not Sampler from Victoria Samplers.  

We took my Mum out on Monday to Berkley Garden Centre near Burton.  She loves it there and to make it even better they have a craft shop too, mainly papercrafting though they do have a few things for stitchers and knitters.  Mum insisted on treating me to a new die - one of the new Make a Scene dies from X-cut.  She loves hot air balloons and I think that is why she wanted to buy it for me.  Here are two cards I have made with it and I think it will get a lot of wear as I love it. 




I am starting to get around to reading blogs again, so if I havent't left you a comment yet then I will get round to you soon and please except my apologies for being so long about it.

Thanks as always to those lovely people who are kind enough to take the time to read my blog and to those of you who take the time to leave a comment then I have to tell you they are much appreciated. 

Hugs to all,


May your frogs stay in their ponds.

5 comments:

Christine said...

The CCN finish is lovely Helen.
I like the balloon cards, it would be easy to spend a small fortune on all the lovely dies that are available

Brigitte said...

Your little trip sounds so refreshing, seeing all these lovely gardens starting to bloom must be heaven.
Such a lovely finish. And it will look so nice finished as a pinkeep.
Looking forward to seeing you starting your new Dt chart. DT has always been one of my favourites and I have two of her pieces in my WIP box.
Nice progress on the fairies.

Sally said...

Love your CCN finish Helen. Very pretty. Nice progress on your WIP.

Andrea said...

Sorry. *Hangs head in shame*. You will be pleased and that is exactly the same reason I chose to stitch with the silk threads too.

Your CCN finish is lovely and I love your unique colour scheme.

The cards are very pretty too. You don't see many cards with hot air balloons on.

Julie said...

I have the CCN in my stash, i'll get round to it one day, yours is finished lovely.