Ready for the New Year

I really missed my side bar with the old blog skin, and have been promising myself that I would do a new layout before the New Year so here it is. I hope you like it and that unlike the last time I changed no one has problems leaving me comments.

I liked the space I had with the last one, but my rota etc was at the bottom under all my posts and I hated that. Also over Christmas I couldn't add any of the little seasonal bits that I normally put in my sidebar.

If you do have any problems leaving messages or clicking on things then please feel free to email me and let me know and I will try and find something that does work.

Where Did You Get That Hat..

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I did, with lots of lovely stash and other things, and a day spent with all my family over at my sons house.

Yesterday it was just Keith and I and we decided we were just going to spend the day relaxing, which for me meant stitching. I finished Charlotte just after lunch. She wouldnt quite fit in the scanner so there are a few stitches out of site at both the top and bottom. Also there is a big shadow down one side where I had to fold the fabric, but I think you get the idea. I am thrilled with her. She was started on the 6th November 2006 and finished on 26th December 2007. Amelia will be taking her place in my rota.

I had said that I was not going to restart my rota until the new year so thought I would do one of the small VS Beyond Cross Stitch hearts I had for Christmas. I got England and Holland and I decided to do England first. We have been over at my daughters this afternoon as the poor lamb is feeling really ill with a cold and high temperature, I felt awful leaving her and was tempted to bring her home with us but I think going out into the bitter cold might have made things worse. Anyway when we got home I sat down and finished England so I can show you that too.

I am going to do another of these International Hearts next but this time I am going to do Scotland, which was a Christmas present from last year. With any luck I might just get another finish this year.

Thank you again to all the wonderful people who visit my little nook to take a peek and sometimes leave a comment. It is so much appreciated, after all without your visits this would just be a diary and no more, so thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

My Baby Boy

... is 36 today - Happy Birthday David.

Gosh am I old enough to have a child that age lol.

Just look at the photo, Keith's sideburns put it right in the 60s/70s lol and dont we look young. Oh my where did all those years go? I really don't feel any older - though my bones do some mornings. Its a good job its not a full length picture as I think that dress only barely covered my underwear lol.

On the stitching front I thought I would post an update of Charlotte as I had so many kind comments about her. There is not a lot left to do now but it will take a while I think as its like stitching confetti.

I think I am going to be stitching Queen of the Needle on Sunday this week. With Monday being Christmas eve I really don't know what we will be doing or who may be dropping in and I really dont want to miss my week on this one as I am enjoying it so much.

Thank you for all the lovely comment about Oscars card, he is coming tomorrow until Christmas eve morning so will let him read them all for himself. I am sure he will be thrilled with all your kind compliments.

Also thanks for the lovely comments on my Christmas sampler, Shiona was thrilled with it and couldn't believe I had stitched it in only 5 days, come to think of it I find it hard to believe myself as I am not the quickest of stitchers.

I will try and post an update picture of Queen on Monday but just in case I dont get chance to get back here again before the big day I would like to wish each and everyone of you a Wonderful and Peaceful Christmas with those you love and hold dear in your life.

Happy Dancing - at last

I say at last because I actually thought I was happy dancing at about 5 o'clock yesterday. The sampler was done and I just needed a frame. We had dinner and then set out to go to Matalan as we had seen frames in there a few days before that I thought would be ideal. Now I am sure you all know this feeling but - frames and samplers do not seem to feel that they have an obligation to fit together. It didnt matter which frame we picked up - and I picked most of them up even though common sense told me they all followed the same measurements - but they were either just that teeniest of bits too small or miles too big. Well there was only one thing I could do and that was to buy the frame, come home, and work out something more to put on the bottom. The original chart finished with the snowman. My first bit of luck being in the fact that I had just started this at one corner of a rather large piece of fabric so there was loads of room for more.

It was a nightmare I just couldnt get things to look right. In the end I found this little robin on a spade picture - far to long but I didnt need to have all the spade. I found a holly frame which I adapted to fit both sides. The little spikey border was in my easy cross border file and to fill in the gap I just did a double herringbone stitch as there was already a single herringbone in the chart so I thought it would blend in.

It then had to be stitched. The second bit of luck was that Mr Frog stayed well away but I did seem to keep getting knots in my threads (not something I normally have a problem with) but I guess when you are getting in a panic you maybe stitch differently. I eventually finished it at about 1.40 am. I just dropped it on the floor and crawled up to my bed. This morning I have added my name and the date and framed it so its now already for when she arrives about lunch time.

It was difficult getting a picture indoors the flash just diminished everything. So off I went to try my hand outside, in the freezing cold and still in my dressing gown but alas the morning is so dark and grey here that the flash was still going so in the end I tried taking a few at an angle. The results were not brilliant but this I think is the best of them. Would I have gone to this amount of trouble for anyone else but my darling daughter - lol I doubt it.

Ps I couldnt find a picture the right size to fit in the little box which I had left so I ended up doing the little choir boy 1 over 1 aghhh!!!!

Another Update

This time it isn't stitching lol but the piece from last Thursdays newspaper which I have kept meaning to post. It is Ozzie showing off both his Barratt Homes hard hat (he got that and a big tin of Heroes sweets) and the card he designed.

I have been meaning to post it and just needed a break from stitching so thought while I took my break I would do it while I was thinking about it.

A Couple of updates

First off I have last nights update on the Monday SAL I am doing with Sally. I was busy trying to write Christmas cards - I know its a bit late but since I retired I seem to have even less time for stitching etc and I am all behind with everything this year. Anyway I didnt get a lot done but I was really pleased with what I did manage. The roses are quite easy and look good finished but a bit boring to stitch (well I thought so lol), and I have one more of them to do to finish this border.



The second one is my daughters Christmas sampler. The little box on the right I have left blank at the moment as I dont like the picture that goes in there very much so once I have finished the other stitching I will try and find something else that will fit in there.
It is a shame you cannot see the sparkle in this one. The red on the tree is done in metallic and also the red bits in the wreath. The tall half cross stitches are done in silver ribbon and there is a metalic silvery blue thread for the bs bits in the snowflakes, so it looks quite pretty in real life.
I think I am just over half way now so I am hoping it will be finished within the next couple of days. I would like to get the main stitching done today and then be able to just add the beads and that tomorrow but I will have to see as unfortunately I do have other things I have to do today besides stitching. lol life does get in the way.

Thank you for the lovely comments especially about the post on my Dad, you all say such lovely things.

Dad

Mum & Dad

It is three years today since I lost my dear Dad. He thought that flowers were for the living and not the dead and would have hated for us to take flowers to the crem, but I always buy my mum a nice big bunch in his memory (he would have liked that idea ) and this afternoon I took them across to her. The flowers always contain pink carnations, they are what dad always bought her as that is what she carried on their wedding day. They were three months away from celebrating 60 happy years together. Miss you lots Dad and love you still.