A Couple More Fairies....

... have now appeared at the bottom of my garden. I have really enjoyed stitching on this one as I always do yet though I know I have achieved quite a lot there is just still so much to do. I also did an awful lot of backstitching as last time I was lazy and didnt do any lol.

This afternoon I am going to make a start on EMS Rose SAL but I am not making plans for the weekend as if the weather is nice we have plans out in the real garden. This got sadly neglected last year and really needs a lot of work. I have seen the first of my tiny rosebuds appear this morning and everything is shooting well but in some cases a little too well.

Thank you to all those who visit my site and especially to those few who take the time to leave me a comment. You are the ones who make it all worth while.

xx

Not Liquorice - But Allsorts

Firstly I want to ask if anyone knows how Dawn (Mystic Stitching Witch) is keeping. I last heard from her on the 26th April when she seemed to be recovering well and was just waiting for me to get my fabric sorted so that we could start on "I Still Do". Despite several emails I have not heard from her since and I am worried that she has had a relapse so if anyone does know any info I would be very grateful to hear from you.

Edit - Panic over as Dawn saw this and got in touch. Thanks Dawn

What a great weekend weatherwise. Saturday the weather did cause a little disappointment lol, well we were supposed to be at a kite flying weekend and there was not so much as a whispering breeze so the kites stayed in the car. It was disappointing for me too, as no boys games meant no stitching for Granny. We had gone to Rufford Country Park for the Kite Flying Day but we still had lots of fun. The bluebells were all out in the woods and it looked wonderful, and there were lots of new ducklings and sygnets to see on the lake. Also a brand new play area which got a big thumbs up from Oz. (some pics at the end).
Sunday was lots more water babies as we decided we would go to Attenborough Nature Reserve for a nice walk in the morning. When we arrived it was Sunflower Sunday and so Oz got to plant a sunflower in a little pot to bring home, make a potatoe print sunflower to be cut out and stuck on the big sunflower shape they had at the entrance and also to make a sunflower suncatcher to bring home for Grannys house. In the afternoon we went to Asda (wallmart) to do some shopping for Great Granny (my mum lol) and then took her things and went on a visit before taking Oz back to his mummy and daddy.
Needless to say not a lot of stitching got done and all my plans went to pot. I did get a little done on Frosty Panes but nothing at all on EMS Rose.

As we do not get too much sunshine in this country I am not going to feel guilty for enjoying the weather instead of stitching :0).

Yesterday and this moring I have been busy with my UFO and I managed to get the missing dragonfly, a little bird and all of the "I for Iris" done so I am really pleased with my progress and again I do not feel in the least bit guilty for missing last week now lol. I popped it under the bottom of my lovely Montana this week so that you could enjoy some real flowers again.


Next it will be back to Fairies At the Bottom of My Garden, which I am looking forward to as it seems such a long time since that was last out

And lastly I will leave you with some picture of our weekend but if you are not interested in them then you can leave now and get back to your stitching lol.

RUFFORD COUNTRY PARK


at the ford the kids watch for the cars, then they all shout faster, faster as the car approaches, the faster they go the bigger the splash - needless to say the slow ones get boo's lol.




ATTENBOROUGH NATURE RESERVE






All the pictures are clickable so you can see them better (worth it to see the bluebells in the wood)

xx

I'm Dancing !!!

SECRET GARDEN

by Loopylou Designs

Started August 2006

Finished - 9th May 2008

It really doesnt seem to have taken that long to stitch but then over the last year my rota has been left of quite a lot so I guess I really havent spent a lot of time on this. Apart from getting in a complete and utter mess with the flower infills - finally ripping them out and doing spiders webs instead (Lynda you will be pleased to know i did persevere and I can now do the flowers lol). I really enjoyed this one and found one or two new challenges along the way which is something I always enjoy.

Next on the rota list is Fairies at the Bottom of My Garden, but before that I have the weekend which is rota free and I also have to play catch up with my UFO, which is not really going to be a challenge because the next flower is an Iris which I love and I also have a wee bee (or dragonfly - cant remember lol) and a little bird to slip in between the flowers so I am looking forward to doing that.

For the weekend I think Saturday is going to be a new challenge as I am going to have a go at the Canvas Work that Lynn - (Brown Owl) - sent me and Sunday I am going to make a start on the next section of EMS Rose.

Lastly I want to say a big hello to all those people who visit but dont necesserily want to, or have time to leave a comment. I usually get a few comments each day and though maybe 8 - 10 people visited me each day. Wednesday night I added a tracker to my blog and I was amazed that I had 72 visits in the first 24 hours it was on. What is more it tells you where the visits come from - the UK and USA, even Aussie I expected but there were people from Holland, Portugal, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore, The United Arab Emirates and even Russia. I am just amazed that so many people from all over the world are visiting my blog and I just hope that I make it interesting for you to see. Thanks each and every one of you and a special Hug to those that do leave comments as they are so much appreciated.

xxx

Not A Lot

The title describes how much I got done or not done on Gracious Era this time round. I really am making progress with the background but it is just so boring to stitch that one day on it is quite enough for now. The buildings on the left hand side are just starting to come into view and once they are done and I start moving down and working on the people I just know I will enjoy it more.

So that was yesterdays progress and today should have been UFO day but I forgot lol. Anyway I got the next one on the rota out which is Secret Garden and I have really enjoyed stitching this today and as it is getting reasonably close to the bottom now I am going to stick with this for a day or two and see if I can have a Happy Dance. So after that I will do UFO, honest Mr Stick I will do 2 days of UFO if you promise not to get cross lol.

I have been asked why I never show any of my holiday photos and I have to be honest and say I find other peoples holiday pics can often be boring, not all I admit but quite a few so I dont want to bore others. Anyway I have come up with a compromise and I thought I would alter my heading photo every month or so and show you some pictures that way, so I hope that will do. This month I thought I would show you a view of Coniston village as we made our way back from the lake on Monday morning.

Thanks for all the lovely comments, and I do hope Karan has read all those relating to her gift. Would you credit it the silly girl was actually worried that her stitching would not be good enough for me. Let me assure you Karan your stitching is beautiful and lots of other people have said so too.

I've Been Spoilt

Just look what came in my post this afternoon. I was the lucky person who received Karan's Stitch and Stash challenge piece. She has done the most beautiful tiny ornament. It is stitched on a dark cream fabric in a light cream thread and is just so so neat. It also has little cream seed beads round the edging and the hanger is also made from seed beads, and there is a tiny silver heart that says Made With Love. I am absolutely bowled over by this lovely and unexpected gift - thank you seems such an inadequate word sometimes. I also received one of Karans beautiful hand made cards and a little chart from JBW Designs called Peaceful home. I know just where I am going to put that once Ive stitched it.

Here are a couple more pictures

I am sure you will agree that this really is stunning.

Thank you again my dear friend.

A Weekend Away

Last week my hubby told me not to make any arrangements for the weekend as we were going away. That was it and he wouldnt tell me where so it was a lovely suprise to end up just outside Ambleside in the Lake District. He had booked us in at a beautiful Country House Hotel called Crow How. The weather as we drove up there on Friday was lovely, and Saturday was a beautiful day very un-lake district weather lol. We did the Coffin Walk from Ambleside to Grasmere and then back along Grasmere and Rydal lakes. We took it slowly with lots of stops to admire the scenery and for cakes and hot chocolate by the river when we reached Grasmere so I really enjoyed it. Saturday was more Lakeland weather as it rained for most of the day so as we are National Trust members we went to Sizeburgh Castle for the day. Today the sun was shining again so we drove to Coniston and spent the morning by the lake before driving home again.

Oh yes I took some stitching but thought I would take something on aida so it would be easy on the old eyes. Quite appropriate as we were in the Lake District with lambs everywhere we looked.

This is an "any child" piece for Love Quilts.

This Weeks UFO Update

I didnt enjoy stitching the Hibiscus as much as I have the other flowers and I think it was because it didnt look right as I was stitching. However now its done and the backstitch has been added its lovely. As it was such a lovely afternoon I managed to take the picture outside amongst the forget me nots and bluebells, the garden is looking very bluey at the moment with these flowers on the ground and the lilacs and wisteria just coming into bud above them.

Thanks for all the lovely comments. They are really appreciated and I just love to know you enjoy looking at my work.