Long Time No Post...

Hello to all my followers, sorry for the huge gap between posts, life just got in the way, thanks for hanging in there with me.

I have been stitching, mainly for exchanges at the Stitched with Love Exchange Group and then more exchanges at the Cross Stitch Pals Retreat in Myrtle Beach in October.  I had a great time there and met some fantastic new friends and reconnected with some old friends.

Last night I started on one of the designs I bought while at the Retreat.  Sue Hillis was there and I bought her Limited Edition Christmas Biscornu Kit.  It is such a pretty design with lots of lovely Christmas reds and greens.  Here is last nights achievement.

Sue Hillis - Limited Edition Christmas Biscornu

I also stitched the outline for the back of the Biscornu.  After being at the Retreat I was inspired by Katie and Shelleen to try a Heaven and Earth Design.  Well I am just waiting on the fabric to arrive and that will be my next big project to get started.  I am really looking forward to getting started on it, but am realistic, in that, it may take me a loooong time to complete it.  But after seeing completed ones I know it will be worth it.

 

Now that I am back I plan on doing a GIVEAWAY in lieu of my blogiversary and also as a thank you to you all for sticking around.

Fiona

Some finishes...

Hi everyone,

It has been a busy week this week, I have been on holiday from work and trying to catch up with lots of housework, studying, stitching and finishing.

I started stitching some Alphabet ornaments for Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.  She is a very talented lady who not only designs, dyes her own trims and threads, she also creates handcarved frames for her motto samplers.  You can find Nancy's beautiful goodies on ebay and also check out her blog as she has always got fantastic giveaways.  Here is the first letter I stitched, which was 'F' of course.  I made a needlebook, pin pillow and fob.  Everything was stitched using Nancy's flosses, which are with the stitched pieces in the first photograph and finished using her trims, except for the lace on the pin pillow.

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Letter 'F' Ornament Collection

Letter 'F' fob/ornament

Needlebook

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Forget Me Not pin pillow

All three designs were a pleasure to stitch and finish.  I am working on the letter 'E' at the moment and am just now trying to figure out how to finish them.

Yesterday I was sitting at my sewing machine and this is what I managed to produce.  I used an oddment of Harris Tweed in a Black Watch design and some Moda sampler fabric from the Maderia collection from a few years back for the lining.  It has 3 internal pockets and I think it turned out pretty well, even if I do say so myself.  I was thinking of trying to sell it on Esty, what do you all think?  I asked DH and the boys how much I should charge, well that was successful.  I should have known better than to ask a bunch of men about how much a bag costs.

Harris Tweed shoulder bag

Close up of the Harris Tweed, Black Watch design

The lining, Moda Maderia Sampler Fabric in Green

If you have made it this far in my post, I hope you have enjoyed the photographs of my finishes.  I love reading your comments and would really love reading your feedback on my shoulder bag.

Fiona

I won an award...

Leibster is a German word meaning favorite, dearest or beloved. The Leibster is awarded by bloggers to other new (and not so new) bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers., to help spread the word and help the new talented bloggers gain wider recognition.

The Leibster award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy:

1. Choose 5 up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers to award the Liebster to

2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them

3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.

4. Share 5 random facts about yourself that people don't know about you.

Thank you Chris (http://www.alwayssmiling24.blogspot.com/) and June (http://www.butterfly-butterflywings.blogsport.com/)  for presenting me with this award, I feel so honoured.



It took a while for me to find 5 other bloggers to pass this award on to, but I did it.  Firstly, I will pass on the 5 random facts about myself.

1.   I work part time and study part time.

2.   I enjoy walking.

3.   I am teaching myself how to quilt.

4.   I adore my job, which involves working with children.

5.   I like handbags and have quite a number of Vera Bradley.

The 5 bloggers I would like to pass this award on to are:

Yvonne (http://www.escapeandcreate.blogspot.com/)
Louise (http://www.raggedystitcher.blogspot.com/)
Julie (http://www.juliesandyesdearsravings.blogspot.com/)
Andrea (http://www.finishfridays.blogspot.com/)
Kath (http://www.kathstitchingheaven.blogspot.com/)


Hugs

Fiona

A sunny morning...

I had a lovely morning at work today.  We spent the morning in the Gardens looking for different characters from stories, like Jack's Beanstalk and the Bear from Going on a Bear Hunt. 

This part of the Gardens is known as Clive's Pond.  The Magnolia tree was in bloom, but all the full blooms were too high up for taking photographs, but I did manage to get a reasonable photo of one of the buds.

I did take some photographs of the children, but for obvious reasons I can't show them here, so hope you have enjoyed seeing a little snippit of the area I live in.  This is a view from the cove at the Gardens looking across the Loch.

I also have been busy stitching, but everything is either for a gift or an exchange, so no photographs yet, but soon.

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments, they are all greatly appreciated and when I figure out how to do it I will reply to everyone who leaves a comment.

Hugs

Fiona

Exchanges and Giveaway...

Over the past year I have taken part in all the exchanges that Elaine at Stitched with Love Exchanges has organised.  I have received lots of wonderful stitched pieces, stitching related goodies and just goodies in general.  Thank you to everyone who has sent me something.  As mentioned in an earlier post I did lose the memory card with some of the exchange packages I had received over the year on it, but here is a picture of the the latest one I received from  Jennifer.

She included in the package a beautiful basket with a lovely brown and cream liner, I adore baskets and was so surprised to receive it, I totally forgot that I had mentioned my love of baskets in my exchange questionnaire, duh!

Here is the package I sent to Marjorie.  I had stitched a Lizzize Kate design and just as I went to finish it thought to check Marjorie's questionnaire to find that LK was not one of her favourite designers.  Luckily I had a sampler design stitched just waiting to finish, it was Spring Tuck Pillow by Primitive Bettys, and it was surely fate that meant that I had this already done. 

I also had a birthday giveaway a while back and Toni was the lucky winner, well it took me a while to stitch something and put the package together, but here is a photograph of what I sent her.

I stitched BBD's Remember Me pincushion of merit and made some buttefly pins.  I also made a pincushion and ORT container.  I didn't have buttons to suit the Remember Me but found a little heart charm that said 'Made with Love' on it and I thought it looked really pretty stitched on.  Here is a photograph of the finished piece on the fabric I used to back it with.

I have been busy in the last few weeks with DS#3 basketball.  We spent 5 days in Ireland, I was a parent chaperone.  There was 4 adults and 15 teenage boys, it was great fun, they played 6 games in total against the best teams at U14 in both North and South Ireland.  It was challenging for the boys, but the did really well, and we all returned home exhausted, but it was a fantastic experience for the boys.

At the moment I am stitching a birthday gift for a very dear friend, so I can't let you see it until it is finished and she has received it, so that will be next month.  I am surely going to try and post more regularly, I thank everyone who posts a comment and takes the time to read my mammoth posts.  Hope you all have had a great weekend.

Hugs and Happy Stitching.

Fiona

I have a tree...

I have been stitching on and off, between exchange pieces, on With thy Needle and Thread Birds of a Feather sampler and now have a tree.

The first part of this sampler, the border seemed to take me a real long time, but I stitched the tree up in just a few nights and it was a real pleasure to stitch and gave me my stitching mojo back.  I plan on stitching the 2 bluebirds next, but have to put it away for a bit to stitch on another exchange piece.  Unfortunately, because it is an exchange piece I can't show anyone until the exchange is finished and the gallery is posted.  Hopefully, I won't lose the memory card with the photographs on it again!

I spent today shopping for groceries, I could have put the money spent to better use on prettier things, but sadly my family have to eat.  I did have some girlie fun though.  My DD works for a cosmetic company in one of the department stores and she prettied me up.  I also got some samples from some of the other cosmetic houses.  I received a beautiful Thomas Sabo bracelet and charm from DD and her boyfriend at Christmas and hadn't worn it as I was unsure about the size and whether I would prefer different beads or not.  Well after playing with different combinations in the jewellery store, I stuck with what they had picked.  I love it and the charm has all the different words for Mum on it.  What do you guys think?  Excuse the photographs, but as I've said before photography is not my strong point, maybe I will look for a course on it to try and improve my skills.

I'm also making plans to use the lovely round box that the bracelet came in for something, maybe a pincushion or something.  Thanks everyone for stopping by and I really appreciate all your comments.

Fiona