Etui box.....

Lynn had one so did Angie, so I had to have one !!  Lynn made her own and Angie got hers from ebay

I debated making one as you can buy the kit and supply your own fabric but.... this was on ebay and now its mine.

I love it and can't wait to pop all my stitching bits in it... I am thinking I might make one for my friend for her birthday in December as I always make her something and this would be very nice to do.

A very satisfying finish!

This is the wedding sampler for my son Simon and his fiance Tracy, the wedding is this coming Friday so we are looking forward to a great family party.
We are all sorted I think!!!! Such a lot to think of plus we have to have clothes for the whole weekend as we are all meeting up on Saturday and possibly Sunday.
Its not a very good photograph but when I used my flash I kept getting the reflected flash in the glass, so this was taken in our conservatory, The frame is from Genesis frames and I would recommend them as there was everything you needed to frame your work, including the backing, so I think a good bargain.
I just have to sew some new feathers on to my hat to match my outfit which I had made for my own wedding back in 2006, it is a proper wedding hat, very big! I am looking forward to the whole weekend.
I didn't really enjoy the wedding we went to two weekends ago, we had to stand around in the hot sun for three hours between the short ceremony and the meal, which was awful. Meeting my DH family was awful too, thank goodness we don't have anything to do with them, as I wouldn't want to meet them again. It was a relief to escape!
Simon and Tracy have tried so hard to make this a good day for every one and the food has been discussed with us as being suitable plus all the extras they have planned, no expense has been spared. There is to be cups of tea and cake later in the afternoon and they have scoured charity shops for sets of delicate tea cups and saucers with matching plates and taken all we have as well. They are determined to make it a good day for everyone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And this is my progress on my houses, called 'Golden Gate Avenue.' I love this more than anything I have stitched for an age. I just so love it I could stitch all day and all night (and I do if I can!)

And I realised that we saw houses like these in a suburb of Sans Francisco when we took a wrong turning coming off the Golden Gate Bridge! They were absolutely fabulous with sprinklers on the front lawns that looked like green velvet and beautiful gardens fronting the houses. It was just like I thought America would look. We drove around trying to find our way to where we were supposed to be with out realising that the houses were just there,  and we didn't see any others like it at all, which was so disappointing.  A good reason to go back, anyone want to invite us to stay??  LOL

The Gang together at Nuneaton

As you can see we actually did stitch although there was a lot of stitchy chat as well.

Clare had organised it and it was a lovely day,

In total there were fourteen  of us ..

Clare, Lynn, Maggie, Angie, Paula, Tracy, Hazel, Lynn, Kathy, Vicki, Julie. Tina and Joyce  and moi! 

And Lynn concentrating on her Celtic Lady.

Lovely work from KathyThis is Vicki from India Designs

And Joyce and Maggie
So we are now all looking forward to the next get together in the Autumn.
A great day!

A Finish and a new Start!

I have finished my Winter design!! Wahooo! I loved the holly leaves and berries but I found all the half stitches to fill in the back ground a bit tedious.

I was worried about the seed heads but they have turned out really well. The writing round the edge was strange as the ‘V’s weren’t symmetrical, in that there were more spaces on one side of the point than the other and I thought it looked odd so I evened them up!!

I will probably now order the Summer or Spring one, I can’t decided which as I love them both.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I have started the design I bought at the NEC Hobby Craft show. I love these Janlynn designs and this will be my third although with my ‘Cat’ one I ended up on Gaynor’s Sal to get it finished. I have another one which is a UFO and it is right at the bottom of my stash bag! I might dig it out although I doubt I’ll finish it. It was called Stitchers Sampler and it looked fine when I bought it ages ago and now???

With this new Houses one I am using a 28c even weave in a blue-grey colour, rather than 14c Aida supplied with it.

I shall probably be taking this with me tomorrow to the Stitch & Stash get together in Nuneaton which I am really looking forward to. It will be lovely to meet Clare and Hazel again and Jacquie and I believe ‘Bagpuss’ Julie is coming too! Its going to be a great day

I am also taking my finished Beatrix and my Blue Ribbon Between the Lines just to show!

I hope those who so take finished work will this time too as there are some fabulous pieces, inspirational and amazing. Just what I need!

Progress...

This has been slowly growing although I have found all the half stitches filling in the back ground a bit tedious!

In spite of that I still love the design.

But as a little aside as it were, I stitched these two Shepherd Bush designs

As I only had charts and not the buttons or charms I have used what I had and painted them with nail polish to be red!

I didn't follow the suggested colours as I am using threads from my stash but wish now I had used a darker blue for the writing on Be True... still its done and I like them both. I am wondering if  I should do one other to have a group of three. I have some small frames that I am going to use so a third would be nice!
I haven't stitched anything else all week as the garden has taken a lot of time and I have been busy pricking out seedlings and potting on small plants to encourage them to grow stronger in the green house before I plant them outside.. there is alway so much to be done!

I want to sort out what stitching to do at Clare's stitchy day next saturday, although my car is still in the garage having its bump repaired where some one drove into me back in February., so it had better done!! I am really looking forward to saturday... wahoooooo a stitchy away day!

Aaahhhh Spring flowers!

In spite of me planting these just a few days before Christmas they are all up and blooming wonderful!

 I am amazed that the violas in the old chimney have survived being under all that snow for days and days.

These tulips are so pretty and are quite a few years old as I lift them after they have finished flowering each year.

The white daffodils are new. I couldn't resist them when I saw them at the garden centre  last Autumn. They made me think of the wild ones that grew in a favourite picnic spot when I was young. Peeping behind them you can just see some primroses, we have quite a few clumps in our small garden.

Just off the patio area is our small lawn divided in two by the brick path that Mike put down a couple of years ago. At the moment half fenced off to keep Nell off, however we watch her from the conservatory as she cleverly jumps over it!

The garden although small keeps me occupied and happy, what could be more uplifting than a garden full of flowers. I have a selection of seeds planted ready for the summer. Cleome, cosmos, antirrhinums,  rudbeckia, petunias, and geraniums as all mine died in the unheated greenhouse last winter, when the temperatures dropped some nights to well below freezing point. It is so nice to have sunshine again, it seemed a long way off when the snow was around.

Some quiet after a stress time!

We have had a weekend away for Mike's son's wedding. We nearly didn't go.. family rows and stress had got to us both on thursday and we were in half a mind to scrap the weekend altogether. Meeting family members at the wedding especially the not so friendly ones and the gossipy ones was stressful, I said never again!!
So back home we have tried to put it behind us and enjoy the spring sunshine.
The whole thing made me think of how precious quiet times can be.
I came across this saying and thought how true it is...

“When you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.” ~ Victor Hugo

And then I got to thinking about 'quiet'

The Greek word used for "quiet" is....
Hesuchazo.

*to rest, cease from labor

*to lead a quiet life, said of those who are not running hither and thither
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And so these are my 10 things to enjoy.. R&R

1. Enjoy the life God has given and never let anyone take the joy out of it.

2. Enjoy a weekly day off

3. Schedule in ‘day dreaming time’

4. Enjoy friendships where you can be your real self and laugh.

5. Get together with a friend and share the deep things going on in your life.

6. Enjoy the outdoors.

7. Enjoy sleep.

8. Choose to make decisions by goodness rather than fear of the bad.

9. Enjoy God's blessings there are many we take for granted.

10. Have a set time to be with God each day.

Today the sun is shining and I am laughing from the bottom of my soul, all is well in my world regardless of that family, thank God its not mine!

Some stitchy stuff

This is my stitching on Clare's RR. As you can see she has carefully stitched out where she wants each piece sited, where as I just said leave a couple of stitches between each box and I am trusting my fellow stitchers will just do that! LOL

I am sure it will be fine. Clare's is to be a table cloth so it will certainly be a topic of conversation. Mine is to be a cushion in our conservatory. I think this is quite exciting.. This piece left Nuneaton for US in January and now it is ready for me to post on to Jaclyn in Lancs.

And here is my Summer Celtic Lady, I have completed the motifs down the one side apart from the beads, I can't decide whether to stitch the motifs down the other side or start the' lady.' I do like to be organised so I will probably do some of the motifs down the other side before I start the lady.

And this is my 'Winter' by Rose Swalwel, It is growing very very slowly. as although its aida it is 16 count so quite fine. Every section is stitched so inbetween the holly leaves, berries, hedge parsley skeletons, there is a half stitch in one thread so it is taking time. I do like it, but I am going to start a small design as well, as to be honest stitching pale grey and very pale blue in single thread is eye straining even with my lamp so I need something  easier to see in the evenings.

I am pleased with my progress as now the weather has warmed up slightly (at last ) I am busy in the garden and have a lot of seedlings to pot on.. Roll on summer!

Happy stitching all....

And hope the weather has turned warmer where you are too.

Weekend Away in Wales

Last weekend we had a lovely few days away down in South Wales, it was right near the coast in Marcross, a very small village which was within sound of the sea. It didn’t have a sandy beach just rocks and high cliffs and a working light house at Nash Point.This is between Barry and Porthcawl on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast There are two lighthouse towers. These were built in 1832 and were sited exactly 1000 feet apart being originally used to assist navigators to avoid the Nash Sandbank, a notorious shipping hazard. The lower west light was laterdismantled leaving just the tower; the east light remains in use. This one was the last one to be manned in Wales, being automated in 1998.

We stayed in Pear Tree cottage which was very comfortable and was very well equipped. . It was quiet and peaceful and away from the world! Too away for me, one thing it did for me was to bring home that out in the country is NOT for me! Although it is nice to get away from everything for a change, you’d have to be very organised with your food shopping as there was no shop to pop into if you forgot something! I took this photo to show the name on the gate but you can't see it!

This was the view from our bedroom, very pretty but bleak! Lots of sheep around so Nell stayed on her extended lead..

We spotted these primroses on the bank as we walked down the lane back from the light house, so pretty and growing wild. There were lots of daffodils every where but not the small pale ones that are wild, but a nice splash of colour as you drive along.

This is DH standing in the door way of the conservatory where we ate our mealsOne afternoon we opened the blinds and we were too hot!! And here is  Nell's back she would not turn round!

We visited Porthcawl which is the town where I was born and grew up, just to put flowers on my mother's, grandparents' and Aunts' graves. Something I do every year... it always make me feel sad to see my mother's grave as she died when I was two and half years old, so the mother I never knew.

 

I spent many happy days here on the sandy beach and on the fair ground. My father's sister my Aunty Rene worked on one of the rides, so I had lots and lots and lots of goes on it!

My own children loved it when we used to visit when they were little.. A busy little holiday town and this fair ground and beach was only 5 minutes from where I lived. As child there, my friends and I went to the beach unsupervised by adults, not something that happens today. None of us drowned the worst thing to happen was you might lose an item of clothing if the sea came in where we had left our little pile with our towels. Such freedom, those were the days when children left their homes in the morning and went home when you were hungry or it went dark.. all day out and about playing!

Back home we feel refreshed although all this rain has prevented us from going to the allotment or doing our back garden. I do have tomato seeds all germinated and lots of flowers,  as I decided if I have to stay here I am going to have this small garden full of flowers! The daffodils, tete a tete and jet fire ones have brightened up the garden and lovely to see even if it is through the curtain of sleet and rain!