HAPPY DANCE AND SPECIAL FRIENDS . . .

Thank you everyone for all your kind comments on my Dobby finish in my last post, glad you liked him!

I was determined to squeeze in one Halloween finish this year, so sorry it's a bit late but please Happy Dance with me as I have just finished . . .

Little Witch ~ complete kit by Shepherd's Bush

Loved this one and it stitched up so quickly, the muted colours are gorgeous and as always the silks provided are a joy to work with.

The pumpkin face button comes with the kit.  Nice hair!!!

Anyone who knows this design will notice I have not stitched 2 horizontal rows of pattern at the bottom, one was a vine and flower and the other a zigzag but I wanted this design to match a couple of others I've already completed so . . .

Now they all match and have the same satin stitch triangular finish at the bottom.

Ssshhhhh!  I'm not shouting from the rooftops but another birthday has come and gone ~ like Christmases they just come around too quick!

My dear friend Lesleyanne remembered me though and I received a lovely parcel from her, she had not pre-warned me that anything was on its way, so it was a complete surprise and I was thrilled to bits with all that she had chosen to send me . . .

Three fat-quarters of pretty fabrics, co-ordinating ribbons and tassel, Bent Creek 'Smell the Flowers' chart and . . . OMG! deep breath . . . 7 skeins of Belle Soie ......... just the touch of them is good enough, let alone the colours she chose and the names ~ Butterscotch, Mudpie, Plush Plum, Old Crow, Attic Tea, Sister Scarlet and Vanilla Pudding ~ now which shall I eat stitch with first!

Thank you so much Lesleyanne, you have truly spoilt me and your kindness means the world xxx

The sun must have been shining down on me as I was also lucky enough to win Vickie's giveaway of the Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament 2012 issue.  I told Vickie they are literally like golddust here in the UK so it was a lovely prize to win and when it arrived Vickie had also added the most gorgeous beaded pins ever ~ so pretty ~ between Lesleyanne and Vickie I am a very happy bunny and have lots of projects ahead of me ~ you are both very special blogging friends to have xxx

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

TOO CUTE FOR HALLOWEEN . . .

It's Halloween tomorrow night and due to my chaotic year so far, I've managed to stitch a BIG FAT NOTHING towards it!

In my last post I did mention that I was quite close to finishing a WIP but struggling rather .... well, being back in blogland again and hearing from so many of you must have spurred me on and

ABRACADABRA

(come on! it is nearly Halloween!)

let me show you . . .

DOBBY

I don't think there will be anyone out there who doesn't know who this little cheeky chap is but just in case (where have you been?) ~ he's the cute house-elf from Harry Potter and in our house we love him to bits!

He was stitched in just 10 shades of DMC on 18-count white Aida, I had thought about changing to a linen or evenweave but as the design was stitched edge to edge, it didn't seem worth it.  I started him back in September so I suppose not too long in completing but as you can see from the next picture, there is no definite parts of the design to stitch, it's just random patches of colour and quite often just 1 or 2 crosses of a shade in the middle of another colour!  It was only when I put it down each time at the end of 2 or 3 nights stitching that I could see any definition of the image!

Anyway, hope you like him ~ this is the only design I will have done in time for Halloween and although he's not the prettiest, he's just toooooooooooooooooo cute!

A little finishing to show too . . .

Christmas Patches ~ now a simple pillow and finished with the fabric shown in the background!

Have a fun Halloween everyone

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

FEELS GOOD TO BE BACK!

Slightly longer than anticipated but

A BIG HELLO

 to everyone and it feels good to be back again!

I have to start with an update on my loved ones, you were all so kind with your support and prayers back in July and I'm so pleased to say both my dear dad and mother-in-law have come through their major ops and are making excellent progress, I can't tell you the relief we all feel, it's been an emotional roller-coaster ride for most of this year but at long last we can put these ordeals behind us and concentrate on brighter days!

So am I a happy bunny?

Well, as half of my heart now lies in Bournemouth, NO!

I've dreaded counting the days down on the calendar but the day finally came on 15th September and on that day we took DD to her new life at University ~ a horrible 104 miles and 2 hours drive away :(

I know, you've all done it, gone through it, felt it, BUT you have to admit it's the most emotional time ever and some 4 weeks later, I'm still struggling ~ thank goodness for SKYPE and without our video chats and all the gossip I don't know what I'd do?  But you have to stay strong don't you?  Keep smiling, keep encouraging them and remind them what a dreadful nag you are by asking if they're eating properly, cleaning their room and keeping the washing up to date!

If ever I needed a pick-me-up then Cath  http://stitchinchicken.blogspot.co.uk was the one to do it!

Look at this pretty little cushion that popped through the letterbox last week ~ a complete surprise and a lovely card with such kind words too.

Thank you Cath from the bottom of my heart ~ such perfect timing and as I've said to you I so appreciate your friendship and if you could move nearer that would be great!!!

I bet by now you're asking 'Well, what about some stitching progress?'

and I do actually have some, not a lot but will this do for now . . .

Christmas Patches finally completed ~ WOW! there's a whole lot of backstitching to this one but it's so worth it ~ it literally comes alive as you stitch.

  

I wondered if anyone would like the Leisure Arts booklet I stitched it from? 

It does have some smaller motifs too and are all so lovely and colourful.  The booklet is a bit shabby around the edges but perfectly fine for someone else to have the pleasure of using. I don't want anything for it and am happy to send worldwide. If you are interested, let me know in a comment below and should there be more than one person, I'll pick a name and let you know in my next post!

I did start another project straight after finishing Santa but have to admit I'm struggling a bit even though it's about 75% complete!  Other than that, I'm a bit of a failure this year and my 2012 Happy Dance list proves this!  I've also been completely out of touch with my blogging friends, I just haven't had the time to spare, but hopefully it's full steam ahead now and I look forward to catching up with you all soon ~ am I forgiven?

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx  

TIME FOR A BREAK!

Following my last post, I'm disappointed to say things have not gone well!

After all the preparation and worry leading up to my dear Dad's major surgery yesterday, we got as far as completing the last minute pre-op assessments and changing into his surgical gown to being told that the x-ray machinery needed to assist the surgeon during the operation had broken down and the electrician was unable to repair it that same day!  He was sent back home with a new date of 8 August ~ that's an unbelievable further 5 weeks of sitting on a time bomb and hoping that the aneurysm doesn't rupture.

As you can probably imagine we are all devastated at this news and both my Mum and Dad were in pieces yesterday, my Mum especially as she knows this is a high-risk operation for him and whereas today we were hoping to be waking up to good news and the recovery process starting ~ we are back to Square 1.

I thank each and everyone of you from the bottom of my heart for the heartfelt comments you all left, your kindness, prayers and hugs have meant the world both to me and my family ~ thank you so so much xxx

I'm going to take a break from blogging for a little while, I don't have anything creative to share with you and time is so precious at the moment and needed for my loved ones.  I don't like to continually write sad posts so I'm hoping that in a few weeks or so I can come back with happy news and lots of new creations.

Thank you again for your support ~ you are true friends xxx