Liebster Award

Katya has awarded me this award... which I feel very guilty about accepting as the last time I was awarded some thing I refused it... so I am sorry I did now, very silly of me to be influenced by some people who all swear that you get viruses from awards!
Thank you Katya for thinking of me and awarding me this.

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.

These are the bloggers I have chosen, their blogs are inspirational so please visit them.

http://shebafudge.blogspot.co.uk/

http://smileattheflowers.blogspot.com       

http://ccsstitchingdiary.blogspot.com 

http://veronicaoyh.blogspot.co.uk     

http://fiona-stitchingandstuff.blogspot.co.uk

And five random facts about me??

1 I read all the time and can sit a read a book in a day and do!

2. I do not like cross stitch teddy designs or those like them.

3. I am always dieting

4. I love 'The Archers'  a radio programme which I listen to everyday.

5. I go to a weekly patchwork and quilting class and love it.

Hope those I have awarded this award will be delighted.

Happy stitching all

Chris xxxx

Christmas in March!

My March ornie hanging from our planted Christmas tree on the patio in this glorious sunshine!

Isn't he a cheeky looking Santa, I borrowed the chart from Lesleyanne and to be honest have forgotten the name of the designer.. It was easy to stitch and I completed it in no time at all. I waited till this month to finish it off and because I want fairly big ornies, did an extra row of the white stitching all round, and made a long pillow shape. Its backed with a blue fabric. I just love the snowflake effect on the band of stitching.

Under the stitching I have sewn a row of baby pearl buttons, which I think are so cute!

I have several charts to choose from for April as when Sew & So had their sale, I bought quite a few, naughty as I do have Christmas ones but you know how it is, you want need new!!

Happy Stitching

Chris xx

My BOM

This is block one of my block of the month.. I bought this last year each month and I really didn't realise it was so difficult. However as I have sewn quite a lot of patch work in the last three months I am a lot more confident.

My half square triangles are perfect and the mini squares in blue and pink patterned fabric are not too bad too!

Here are just three of the 9 that are left to do!

Yes there are 10 in all. But I am happy to sew one every month. It's the embroidery that takes the time but I am happy to stitch that in the evenings.

What ever, I love it and even if I take longer than this year to sew it. I won't mind. It is so pretty.

It's called 'Down in the Garden' by Leanne Beasley.

Enjoy your crafty days what ever you doing!

Chris xx

Stitching progress and a battle.....

Celtic Summer Lady
At last I have finished the green and gold part of the dress which completes the dress. Whew!I was beginning to think it would never be finished and for a while I didn't like stitching it as I had gone wrong and wanted to quit! But I bravely frogged a whole section and set off again and wow its done!

I have two more celtic ladies and I never thought I would say this but I think I would like to tackle them one day as well.

Still a lot to do and hundreds of beads to sew on, but that is for the next time I pick this up!

And my Rosewood Manor, Quakers and Quilts has also come out of my wip basket in February.

I was just going to stitch one section of the quilts but got carried away and did two!

The close up of this one shows the straight stitches in between the cross stitches. I haven't ever done this before and I was a bit wary but I like it and think it gives a very nice effect.

I am not too sure I am using the right colours for the back stitch motifs, because it doesn't really say what colour to use except for the outer square, anyway would it matter?
This month, March already, I will try to do just a little to these two and more on my Chatelaine which is waiting for its turn!  I haven't stitched as much in the evenings as I normally would do this last month, as I have had a to-do with my thyroxin dose tabs. It seems I was taking too low a dose but my Drs didn't let me know so consequently I have been sleeping early evening and all other horrible things have affected me,  my usually long nails have  flaked and peeled, I  have lost some hair and worse of all have put on a considerable amount of weight. Although I have now have the correct dose I am struggling to lose the extra weight, my nails are growing SLOWLY! and although my hair has stopped dropping out it is still lank. So I have not been my usual 'pollyanna' self. Still it could be worse so I am battling on. I have my wonderful DH who has been cooking the proper meals for me to lose this weight and he is very supportive in every way, so I can't ask for anything more.
The daffodils are flowering in the garden and we have our little veg. plot dug ready for planting! So in spite of everything our life is good!

Happy Stitching all, spring is here and the sun is shining

Chris xx

God's cake

God's cake....
This is about the best thing
I've ever read as an explanation

Sometimes we wonder,
'What did I do to deserve this?' or
'Why did God have to do this to me?'
Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything
is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend
broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and
asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the
Daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.'
'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers.
'Yuck' says her daughter.
'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!'
'Would you like some flour then?
Or maybe baking soda?'
'Mom, those are all yucky!'
To which the mother replies :
'Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.
But when they are put together in the
right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!'
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why
He would let us go through such bad and difficult
times. But God knows that when He puts these things
All in His order, they always work for good! We just
have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all
make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you.
He sends you flowers every spring and
A sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe,
And He chose your heart.
If you like this, send this on
to the people you really care about.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are
Here we might as well dance!

IHSW

The International Hermit and Stitch weekend is  this weekend, I nearly forgot... so hope you too will be hunkered down and stitching all weekend.

I do have to go away sunday but the rest of the time I will be working on my Rosewood Manor 'Quakers and Quilts.'  Why don't you join in the fun!!
Happy happy stitching, what better way to spend a weekend?
Thank you Joysze for organising yet another fun way to get to know other stitchers from all over the world.

Chris xx

Valentines and who sent it?

I have taken part in the  Secret Stitching Sweet Heart, this has been organised by Jo of www.serendipitousstitching.blogspot.com

Each person taking part posts a photo of a Valentine made by some one who you don't know, and some posts a photo of  yours on their blog and then you check the blogs to find yours... does that make sense???
Anyway it is a fun thing to do and you get to find other people'sblogs.

And this is the Valentine I made for my DH this year, each year I have made some thing different, so far I have given him.ivy grown over a wire heart, a made 3d card, a cross stitch heart shaped ornie, a wire heart with buttons, and a short bread heart,which I helped him to eat!
This year its this fabric card. It is scraps of fabric, ribbons, lace, yarn and a felt heart all sewn on with the fancy stitches that my machine does. I sewed it on to a piece of felt, then I stuck the whole thing on to sticky back card (I think I bought this years ago to make lamp shades. I knew it would come in useful for some thing one day!!)

I am very pleased with my efforts and think I might do something similar for birthday cards for friends. It was a fun thing to do and I got to use those fancy stitches my machine does that I rarely use.
Hope your valentine remembered you and sent you a card. mine did and he is cooking me a special dinner tonight.

Happy Valentine all

 Chris xx

PS Dh had to take our dog to town for her trim and this is what he came back with.. its not that good a photo, but I can't take another as I have eaten it, and it was absolutely delicious!

Winter flowers

Peeping through the snow our first snow drops.

We have others, but they were too far up the garden to photo, too cold to go out there.

I am willing this snow to go. Yesterday driving along the lanes to Herrongate the fields looked beautiful,  especially as the sun was shining, but all very deceitful as it is bitterly cold and as far as I am concerned it's warm socks, tea and buttered toasted fruit buns weather, with the heating turned up high.

Hope you stitchers are keeping warm and happily stitching.

Chris xx

Progress report and a happy dance!

I honestly hadn't realised just how much stitching I had done in January, but here it all is!  My second Christmas ornie, it's stitched on 28C evenweave coloured pale green, with the recommeded DMC threads. A funny little candy eating snowman design from 2009 JC Christmas edition.

And here is my Bothy Threads 'Buzzy Days' completely finished, beads as well. They are not the beads that came with the kit as Nell ate those when she was still a puppy and was eating everything she could!!

I am pleased I have completed it, as it lost its charm for me half way through!LOL

And I have stitched a whole lot more of my  'Summer Celtic Lady' and stitched the beads on the blue part of her gown. This section I completely frogged and redid last December because it had gone horribly gone. I intend getting this finished before the end of the year.

And it may not look as though I haven't stitched much on my Chatelaine, Convent's Herbal Garden but I have... 'onest!

This was my new start.. it's Rosewood Manor 'Quakers and Quilts.'  I have worked out how much I have to stitch each month to get this completed this year. This is my BAP!

Of course I also stitched 'The Arbour' in January which was my 'small' This month  I am starting
Down Sunshine Lane 'Pastel Hearts' Needle Roll as my small. I have stitched another Christmas ornie but still have to make that up.. busy, busy, busy because I am also making a patchwork quilt. I don't like to waste a minute of my days..
Happy Stitching and Happy Days all.

Chris xx

Deep and Crisp and even!

We woke this morning to 5 inches of snow and Nell loves it.. she is like a small child dashing through it.

Fun fun fun, except when she comes back in and there is balls of  clinging to her hair  and she brushes past you... ugh wet wet wet!!

But there is quiet beauty about it.

A day to stay in the warm and sew or stitch.

Hope you can do just that.

Happy Days

                                               Chris xx