A Lucky Dip ...

Votes for what I stitched next didn't help my decision at all, one person voted for Fairies, one for Hardanger House and one for Gracious Era.  I asked a couple of friends and one said Garden Alphabet and the other said to start a new rota and do them all.  I was explaining this to yet another friend who said, why not have a lucky dip - number them and let someone pick a number - so I numbered them and she got to pick a number, the winner was Fairies and I shall make a start on that tomorrow night.

I will maybe bring another one in when The Water Pump is finished, but for the now I do not want to work them on a rota basis.  All are big projects and I know I will end up getting downhearted with no finishes again, so I need to concentrate more on one or maybe two at a time.  If for any reason I am not enjoying one then it will get cast aside for a while once more.

Back to the present and until last night I had been working on The Water Pump and I am pleased with the progress so far.  This is what it is looking like at the moment.

I do love the little bluebirds.

On Friday my daughter and I had a wonderful day together at the NEC Hobbycraft Show in Birmingham.  I spent far more than I dare admit, but it was real fun and we got to meet Joanna Sheene, Dawn Wheeler and Ali Reeves to name but a few of the wonderful and innovative papercrafters I admire.  I mainly bought dies for my lovely new Grand Calibur die cutting and embossing machine, and have been having great fun playing with them.  Tonight instead of stitching I have been cutting out decoupage for some new cards I have in mind.  I have made a number of cards recently but they are stacked on top of my computer cabinet at the moment until I get round to making inserts for them.  I enjoy making the inserts as much as making the cards but they are very time consuming.  I hate to see a beautiful hand made card and when its opened the inside contains nothing but a piece of paper with Happy Birthday stamped on it, it seems so unfinished to me. 

I will share with you one card because it has been made using one of my new dies, its a Tonic die called oriental lily. 

The pink lily was used making one of the precoloured card templates that you can get to fit the die, but it also comes with white ones that just have the foiling on them, so the second one I coloured  using a Tim Holtz distress ink called Squeezed Lemonade.  lol how do they think up the names for some of these colours, to me its just a pretty lemon shade. The wording and the flourishes are also new dies.

Its been a horrid weekend weatherwise with that horrible white stuff everywhere.  I hate snow, as far as I can see its only use is to look pretty on Christmas cards.  I desperately need some sunshine and think its time we started looking at holidays again.  We are usually very lucky here in that if we do get a little snow it has gone by the following day, so two days of snowing and the gardens all covered in white - yes they look pretty from the window I admit - is sending me into hibernation mode.  Its times like this when I wish we had a big open, old fashioned style, roaring fire in the grate (preferably with a maid to clean it and relay it the next day).

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed it here and will visit again sometime.

Goodnight all,
Hugs


May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Decisions..

I have had a lovely relaxing morning catching up on blogs.  I dont feel guilty in the least for whiling away the hours like this as my car is waiting for a new battery to be put in, meaning I can't go anywhere, and I cannot get in the kitchen as my DH is working in there.  Although I know I enjoy writing in my blog I had forgotton how much I enjoyed seeing what others are up to - of course all the stitching, but also the work of those other clever people who actually manage to turn their stitching into wonderful little gifts.  I also love to see the other crafts people do, card making, quilting and real sewing.  Christine makes the most wonderful gifts from old teatowels and tablecloths etc.

After studing my 7 UFOs I narrowed it down to 5 - discounting the other two as they had so little done on them that them will be almost like having a new start. So here are the ones I have and would like your help in deciding which to bring into the mix first.

1. Gracious Era started January 2004



2. The Quiltmaker started February 2005



3. Fairies at the Bottom of my Garden started May 2005

4. Hardanger Everyday House started July 2007

a little hard to see what I have done on this one but there is quite a bit done.

5. EMS Garden Alphabet started about January 2007



Well that is the five UFO's so please comment and tell me which you think I should work on next. 

Before I go I would like to show you a beautiful hand made card, not made by me but for me on Mothers day by my lovely daughter.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my posts and especially to those who take the time to comment, its so much appreciated.

Hugs to you all

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Water, Water ....

Seems an appropriate title for tonights post.

Firstly my kitchen has gone from this

to this

I now have a tap (or as the americans call it a faucet) and I can run water into a sink, its wonderful.  As you can tell I only have a tiny kitchen so we have tried to make it look bigger with cream units and paintwork and nice clean lines.  We still have things to do but I am slowly getting things into cupboards though what I am going to fill them all with I dont know lol.  Before we had a boiler and a free standing cooker so there is loads more cupboard space and I am lucky in having a utility room, so no white goods in the kitchen. 

Next to stitching and I have been stitching on The Water Pump and am pleased with the progress I have made this week, though its a lot of bit and bob stitches. Despite the odd stitches I am really enjoying seeing this take shape. 

I really do have to get another of my wips out and make a start though but at the moment I keep dithering about which one to start next lol, just two much choice.  I think I might takes some photos and let you choose what comes in next.  Another decision I have made is regarding new starts.  My original plan was that I was not going to do any new starts until my wips were all done, however realising how many I have it would become demorolising after a while so every now and again I am going to have a new start to add to the mix.  I will keep two wips going for a while and then add something new, but I am not having more than three things on the go at anyone time and I will not make a 2nd new start until I have made good progress on both my wips and finished the first newbie.  Well that is my plan lol but I know plans can get broken, so we will see.

Thank you for the lovely comments regarding I Still Do and the cards.  To Trish who asked "how many skeins did it take" I am sorry Trish but I really cannot remember the best I can do in give you a link to when I first got the fabric and thread and put a picture of it in my blog so it may give you an idea.

Off to stitch now for an hour before I go to bed. 

Hugs from


May your frogs stay in their ponds.

May I Present.........

"I STILL DO" - by Ink Circles, stitched using Carries Creations "Heats On Fire"

This was started in about March or April 2009 and completed Tuesday 5th March 2013. 

All my panic about thread was for nothing as I ended up with a whole skein to spare.  This is the first quaker type design of any size I have done and though I did enjoy stitching it at the moment I never want to see another quaker design lol.  It commemorates the anniversary of our 40th Wedding. 

I am sticking with The Water Pump now for a while and then I will sort out something from my UFO box.  Most of the projects, in fact without actually looking, I think all of the projects I have in my ufo box are big ones which is probably why then have never been completed.  I have lots and lots of charts that I want to stitch but really feel that the ufo need to be completed.  Maybe a compromise would be to have a ufo and a new project on the go at the same time, mainly because I think I am going to lose heart if I make myself do the ufos before allowing a new one into the mix.

Now for a few cards for anyone who is interested. 

First is the one I have made for Mothers Day, which here in the UK is this Sunday 10th March.

this one is for my Mum's friend who is recovering from an operation on her spine.

and this is for one of Mum's carers who will be 19 later this month.  As you can see my Mum keeps me busy with card making.

this is for a young friend who has just got her first house and will be leaving home for the first time.

and lastly just three of the cards I have made for my charity. 

Finally progress is being made on my new kitchen, however the weather is holding things up at the moment.  It has been raining all day, just when my hubby was ready to cut the final work surface, which he needs to do out on the driveway where there is plenty of room.  He didnt waste the day however as I now have doors on the units at one side of the kitchen. 

Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read and especially to those kind enough to leave a message.  Bless you all.
May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Muddle & Mess

We are having a new kitchen !  For anyone who has done this then I have no need to explain the title of my post.  Most of the old kitchen has come out - though I do still have a sink and a cooker, just no where to put anything.  The plumber has been, taken out the old boiler, which at the ripe old age of 42 was more than ready for retirement, and fitted a posh new one in the loft.  The posh new boiler also meant we could have the tank removed. Having the tank removed is great from my point of view as the tank cupboard is in my craft room so when we next decorate the cupboard can be removed and I will gain more space, so its not all bad.  The bad was all the floorboard up and the mess it created up here.  Add that to the all the dust etc from removing the old kitchen, lots of tiles and the boiler you will fully understand the mess and the dust everywhere.  This weekend the plasterer is coming to get it all replastered, followed by the electrician to put the new plug sockets fronts on.  Oh yes the electrician had to come too as I am going from a stand alone gas cooker to an electric integral oven and a lovely ceramic hob, so all the wiring had to be put in for that which meant lots of chiselling out of the plasterwork to create runs for the wires - a bit more dust lol.

We did think ahead and put a few plates, mugs, bowls and some cutlery in a seperate box so we could get at them easily but that is as far as it goes, you do not realise how many bits are taken out the cupboards and popped back without thinking whilst cooking a meal.  "Where's the cheese sauce ? " (looking at a meal) and the reply "sorry cant find the cornflour" seem in some variation or another to be a daily event.  Oh well enough grumbling I am sure it will be worth it in the end.

Due to the dust stiching is being put away properly in the day, instead of just at the side of my sofa where it normally resides.  This means getting everything out again in the evening and some evenings there was a could  not be bothered element, so not a lot has got done this week but here is the progress so far.

As you can see there is just the bottom row to do now, 4 more "frames" and a bit of twirly stuff and then the numbers to put in.  I think I will just stick with this now as I am so close, but please don't expect that to be done in a day or two, a week or two maybe.  Wow then I can bring another WIP (or UFO to be exact) out for an airing. 

I have been in a "colouring pictures" mood so I ran off a couple of images from La Pashe "Best of 2012" Just Inklined CD.  Those and the Promarkers were put to good use in amusing me for a while and three of them have now been made into cards. 

 



For some reason these look far duller on here than they do in explorer, also since I took these pictures they have had some twinkly bits added.  I will have to try taking a better picture before I add them to my facebook album.  Maybe its just the quality of light at the moment the days have been so dull.

Well off to see what cards I need to get made for March now.  Have a lovely day and for those who have taken the time to read my ramblings then I thank you.

Oh and one last thing - I seem to have lost my link to Bloglines (or whatever it was called).  Can anyone point me in the right direction as I cannot remember the names for all the blogs I used to follow and I would love to catch up again.

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Stitchy Update.

Just a very quick post tonight but I wanted to put up the pictures of my present wips as promised.

Firstly The Water Pump, by Lanarte,  though looking at the chart its real name is Garden Bounty, however I think the former describes it best and so that is what I shall continue to call it.  I have loved stitching on this one, mainly because it has been a complete change from working in just one colour, but I really must go back to my other stitching for a short while. 

Secondly this is how I Still Do, by Ink Circles is looking at the moment.  I am stitching it on 32 count, which alas is rather small for my eyes nowdays.  With a good light and my magnifier I cope but still find the eyes get tired after a while.  Again one I am really enjoying and more so as I can see the end in sight, although I am a little worried that I may not have enough thread to finish it.  For that reason I am going to leave the numbers 'till the very end so that if there is a shading difference it will not stand out so much.

My skill as a photographer is rather limited and I could not get a picture of the whole thing that was not blurred to oblivion lol.  I have got the whole width is so you can see there is not really an awful lot left to do.  One more small motif and then the rest of the number frames across the bottom, plus a bit of a twirly bit as on the right side. 

Thank you to Christine and Mary for your kind comments 

May your frogs stay in their ponds.

Hello and welcome to anyone who may drop in to read my ramblings or maybe if anyone still every looks this way.  It has been well over a year since I last blogged.  2012 was the year from hell for us and I cannot say I was sorry to see it end.  Amongst other things my Mum was diagnosed with Alzhiemers, a relief in the end to know it was not me that was going mad, and to be able to get some help. 

Mum has now gone into a home and though it took a lot of heart searching, it has ended up being the best move we could have made.  With 24hour constant care she is no longer anxious all the time and has slowly become more like her old self again, I feel like at long last I have my Mum back and with out 10 hours a day spent trying to cope with her I have far more patience on the few occassions she does get muddled with things.  We know that things could suddenly deteriorate at any time but for the moment she is fine and that makes me fine.  This picture was taken last week when her and a couple of the carers went to play snowballs outside lol.  She loves the snow, unlike her daughter who thinks it should be reserved for Christmas card pictures. 

                                                                                                                                                                                    Very little stitching was done in that time, though just reading my last post I have realised that 'Country Bloomers' is complete and I will need to take a picture to show you.  I am also still working on 'I Still Do' though it is getting near to completion.  I am still stitching that alongside 'The Water Pump' by Lanarte.  The reason I am stitching two at the same time is because I cannot work on ISD for long as it tires my eyes.  The Water Pump is one that I kept at Mums, so if I did have a little time to relax I had some stitching there so I do not think it will be one I have shown before.  I must make a note to get my camera out in the next couple of days. 

I have decided since getting back to stitching that my WIP box has become more of a UFO box and though I have always worked on a rota system in the past I think for the moment I will be happier just trying to complete one or two projects at a time.

This is a short post for me tonight but I have been going to restart my blog again ever since the New Year and as nearly a month has gone already I decided I best make a start or December would be round again and it would still be lying here blank.  So sorry no pictures but now I have made a start I know it will gee me on to get them taken and posted.

Speak again soon
Love

May your frogs stay in their ponds.