Not so much missing -

I am talking about my mojo.  It is not so much missing but more walked out in disgust.  Now as you may have realised both the mojo and I struggle to find inspiration in stitching the Quiltmakers blue skirt.  Yes the effect is great - but the stitching much of which is done in a sort of checkerd design or alternate stitches in one shade and the one between in another, the trouble is when you are actually stitching it they all look exactly the same colour.  Well last weekend we decided it must be tackled, the mojo didn't like the idea but I still ploughed on, and I had done a fair chunk by Sunday night.  However I was tired and didn't put my stitching away on that night so imagine my horror when I came down the next morning to see in the cold light of day a big mistake - yes right at the beginning of my weekend stitching.  I spent most of Monday with the frogs giggling on my shoulder.  Since then the mojo deserted me and alas not a stitch this week.

EDITED TO SAY - DO NOT CLICK ON THE HIGHLIGHTED WORD BELOW - I DO NOT KNOW HOW THAT GOT THERE AND IT JUST LEADS TO AN ADD FOR TESCOS.

In an attempt to temp it back I have sorted out a small chart by Lori Birmingham called Garden Virtues - I thought a new start and something that will not take too long to complete might do the trick.  Cross your fingers and hope my ruse works so that I will see you all again soon.

Helen x

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

My Late Progess Report

I have been so busy this last couple of weeks.  Up above my head with making Christmas cards, which I love doing, but they take up so much time.  I didn't think I had made much progress at all in the last couple of weeks but I rather impressed with myself now I have seen the pictures.

I took pictures last week but never got the chance to share, so this is how I was doing back then

the front door was finished

 

 

and the Quiltmaker had a little more gown and a bit more quilt

 

SUNDAYS PROGRESS

 

Things are getting there slowly

 

 

the door pillers are in place and the top of the door completed and also have started the window surround so very please with how this one is going

 

the quilt is growing though I couldn't face any more of the blues last week.  This week I have started with the blues but I think it will only be a few rows at a time.

 

Well that is it for tonight my dear friends - will try and be a little bit more chatty next time but so much to do and oh so little time.

 



Hugs to you all

 

Helen

 

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Hello fellow bloggers and readers.

We had a lovely holiday with our Grandson in Malta.  The first morning we had a thunder storm but for the rest of the holiday the weather was perfect, and we did lots of walking.  I got a little stitching done and finished my holiday stitch when I got home.  It was a Drawn Thread design called Generosity and here it is complete.

 

 

With the holiday stitching out of the way I returned to Fairies and ended up with a double Happy Dance week.  So drum roll please

 

 



 

 

A while back I promised this chart to someone and I cannot find their email to let them know that it is now ready to be despatched, so please get in touch with me again love. 

 

With two HD's under my belt I am now really and truly in a stitching mood.  Unfortunately I do not get much chance to stitch during the day and Hardanger House definitely is a daylight stitch.  I have made a little progress but not much, just working on the front door at the moment

So it was time to re-awaken another UFO.  I looked at the three main ones left and decided that the one I had done the most on was The Quilt maker, so I have rescued her from oblivion and she is enjoying the light of day once more.  Here is what she looked like back in April 2010 when I last worked on her.

 

and here is how she is before I start work again tonight

 

 

When I last put her away in 2010 I was so tired of stitching dark blue and it was driving me mad,  so I am pleased to see there is very little of the dark blue to do this time.

 

I hope everyone is keeping well and getting lots of stitching done, I am trying to keep up with blogs again now, which is good, though some of them do tempt me into thinking about new charts - no no no I must be good - I will be good, OK I will try to be good lol.

 

Well folks I think that is all I have to share with you this week, so I will say goodnight and return to the quiltmaker for an hour or so before bedtime.  Take care and hope to see you all again soon.

 

Hugs

 

 

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

 

 

The Joy of Computers..

Hello again my friends,

When computers work they are the most wonderful invention, but alas when they do not work they are the most frustrating and annoying thing you could ever find.  My wonderful computer I received for my birthday, very soon became a nightmare.  To start with I could do hardly anything for ads all across the screen, we turned on the pop up blocker, but it only eliminated a few of them.  A friend said they were more likely banners so we found the spot and blocked them.  Hurray I was free of the beastly ads, but I am afraid I was not free of the problems.  I could not load many of the web sites I normally visit.  I could not post on here and I could not access any of the blogs I follow.  After it going back twice they admitted they had been having a lot of problems with Windows 8 and gave us a refund.  The result of this was that my lovely hubby took my old computer to our local computer shop where it was fitted with windows 7, the memory was extended and it had a new wifi chip installed.  It is now working wonderful and the only problem I have had is that my signature has disappeared from here - hardly world shattering lol.

At last I can announce that the winner of the beautiful "Garden Bounty" chart is Christine, from the Alchymysts Study.  I was thrilled about this as Christine has been following my blog almost since it began. 

I am off on holiday in the morning but if you email your address to me Christine then I will get it in the post to you asap when I return.  We are taking our 11 year old grandson to Malta for a week before he begins his first term at "big" school. 

I am spending my coffee breaks browsing through all my favourite blogs and for once being able to leave comments, so if I haven't reached yours yet then be assured that I shall get there soon.

I thought I would do some catching up on my knitting after finishing Garden Bounty, but I am not really enjoying knitting like I used to so a couple of rows and I start to get bored.  So out came fairies again.  I haven't done and awful lot on it but am almost to the top of the foxglove, with each tiny flower using 4 colours and the tiny leaves using three there is a lot of starting and stopping but I think I have made fairly good progress. 

 I still have quite a way to go on this but it will be mainly backstitch and adding all the beads.  The only cross stitch to do is finishing the flowers and a few little creatures to add. Luckily the main backstitching has been done as each little section has been completed, but the trellis frame and the vine that goes round it will take quite a lot of work I think.

Thank you once again to one and all for reading my ramblings and the those who do find the time to leave a comment for me, I appreciate them so much so a big thank you.

Till next time, hugs to all

Helen 

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND A HAPPY DANCE

Good Afternoon to my lovely friends,

Monday was my birthday and what better start could I have than to celebrate with a Happy Dance.
On Sunday night I was so close to a finish that I told my hubby I was not going to bed until it was done and I actually finished 11 minutes into Monday morning.  Its a wonder my cheer didn't wake the neighbours.

So here it is for all to share

My lovely hubby bought me a new computer for my birthday and although its very different to my old one I have been having fun.  I am hoping that I can now make my photographs look a little more interesting for you.  I am always so envious when I visit a blog where the photo's have make you want to see more.

I also had lots of lovely craft goodies so I have been rather spoilt this week - but its been fun.

I am also getting back slowly to reading blogs, though time as always does not allow me to read as many as I would like.

As a thank you to my blog readers, I would now like to give this chart to one of you.  As I always use a working copy the original chart is as new and the threads used are DMC.  If you leave a comment on this post then your name will go into the draw and I will also include the thread I have left over.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my ramblings



May your frogs stay in their ponds.

their ponds.

Hello folks,

At the moment my computer is driving my mad, I think it really is time I thought about getting a new one.  For the last week I have been trying to do a new post to my blog but although it seemed to load OK and I could come onto the page for New Posts it would not let me write anything.  I have now discovered theat if I delete my signature and keep typing then I am OK but if I stop typing to add a picture or anything the only way I can start again is by deleting something else lol.  O this is going to be fun.

I have done a little more on Water Pump but I can so temptingly see the end in sight so I am sticking with it.  This picture was taken on Monday and I have done a little more since then. 

Progress has been slow due to lots of time out with my grandson but as we speak my hubby is heading to collect them and take them to the airport as they start their two weeks holiday.  This means we are now doggie sitting for two weeks but apart from walks the dog doesnt need as much attention as my beloved grandson so I am holding out high hopes of happy dancing soon.

As we go away a few days after their return - taking my grandson with us - then the computer is not going to get a lot of attention until later in the year, so please bear with me on this.

I was going to share some of the pictures from our days out but as this is being so troublesome I won't bother.  Enough that I got a picture of my stitching up

Hope to see you all soon, thanks for the kind comments and for visiting

Helen xx
May your frogs stay in their ponds.

At Last an English Summer

Hello everyone,  I have been noticable only by my abscence for the last few weeks.  I blame the beautiful English summer that we are experiencing in the UK at the moment.  For the last few years our summers have been very wet, but this year is wonderful and we have been out and about, lazing in the garden or doing day trips and enjoying what our lovely country has to offer, when it is not raining on it.  I have done very little stitching and hardly been near the computer.  When I have been near the computer it has been to make cards for the Summer Fete at the Nursing Home where Mum resides.  It was the fete today and I made £43,  with most stalls being almost a sell out I think quite a bit has been raised for the Residents Fund, which pays for things like trips out for them.  Luckily too today, although it was lovely and warm the sun was for once hiding behind the clouds so the residents were not overly hot sitting in the garden and watching all the fun and the entertainment. 

A few of you my have noticed that my when you clicked on my blog recently it said it had been closed down.  I am afraid that someone tried to "hack" the email address that this blog is linked to.  Luckily my server noticed that someone abroad was trying to get into the account and for safely closed it down.  It was not till my friend Ann asked why I had closed my blog that I realised anything was wrong.  I managed to find something that told me if they had closed the account due to a violation an email would be sent to me to explain why.  Of course I then went in search of the email only the find that account closed too.  It has all been sorted now thank goodness, but though it was very inconvenient I cannot fault Googlemail for acting as quickly as they did. 

I have also been doing a little knitting, something Ive not done for over 20 years.  I am making myself a summer sweater, though if this weather continues I do not think it will get much wear - hurray.  I have reached about half way up the back so far.

A little stitching has been done from time to time and I have been working on the Water Pump but as you will see from the picture below, its not grown a lot since you last saw it. 

I think I am going to stick with this for a bit longer, who knows I may even finish it soon as there is not really that much more to do.  We shall see.  

I am now heading back to the kitchen to collect a nice cold drink and then back into the garden for an hour before tea.

Hugs to all, and to anyone who is around to read my ramblings a big thank you.

    xx
May your frogs stay in their ponds.