~ Anybody seen my Blogging Mojo?? ~

Yes, it has been a while since I dropped in to say hi  hasn't it.  Time flies.  To be truthful though - I really lost my blogging mojo somewhere along the way.  I hope I can find it again as it is always so lovely to keep in touch with fellow stitchers via our blogs.   Sometimes though, other things become a priority.  I have been stitching all  the while but haven't had a finish as such to show this year.

I've been doing two different SAL's this year with my friends Sandra, Diane and Mary and admit to being way behind with both!!

With Mary, who earlier this year started her own lovely blog Meakly Mine  I am stitching the Blessings Sampler by Wild-Heart designs.  It is a gorgeous sampler with a beautiful sentiment about being a Grandmother. Mary has finished hers which you can see on her blog whilst mine sits in my stitching bag waiting to be picked up to be finished.  I am on the last band though and here is a picture of it so far.

I haven't actually forgotten that flower at the top but decided on changing the colour and still have to adjust that row.  Actually, there has been quite a lot of adjustments with this one as I have changed most of the colours and messed around a lot with it. I am looking forward to finishing it and having it framed though as I really like it.

Sandra, Diane and I have been stitching Abigail Colby's Workbasket this year which for me is a big one.  I am clearly a slow stitcher as some of the motifs on the basket top I am about to show you took me 10 hours to finish!!

Yes, that is 10 hours just for one motif!! I have also finished the scissor fob and Cartouche for inside the basket which if you are interested in seeing are in my album. There are quite a few accessories that go inside the basket so at my rate of stitching I can see this project continuing for a long time yet. I had chosen a beautiful William Morris fabric to line my basket but since stitching this much I have decided the lining might look better in a less fussy design. However, I still have a way to go before I need to decide. I am enjoying this project which is stitched on 40ct Sand linen with lovely Belle Soie silk thread.

I recently had a lovely day out with Diane, the other friend who is stitching Abigail Colby (lovingly re-named Abby) with Sandra and me, whilst she was holidaying in my neck of the woods. We did the stitching shops, had a show and tell of our two 'Abbys' and enjoyed a lovely lunch. Diane is much further ahead with hers as well and it was interesting to see her version which is very different to mine as she is using different threads and a larger count linen. It is looking beautiful.

I couldn't finish this post without showing you a photo of my beautiful boy shadow - Ben.  He turned 5 year old earlier this month and I just took this photo of him enjoying the Autumn sunshine coming in through the door whilst 'meditating' on his old bean bag bed.  He actually gathers the bean bag up between his front paws and sucks on it kind of like a baby with a comforter blankie.  I always say he is meditating when he does it as he will lie there for quite sometime almost in a little trance like state.  I think it looks very cute and often wonder if it stems back to his puppyhood when he suckled from his mother.  I wish I knew :))

Well, that's about it from me for now.  Hope you are all well out there in blogland and happy stitching!!

"An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language."
  ~Martin Buber

I Haven't Been Idle

Although it might seem as though I have, but no, I have been quietly working away on one or two little things. Our ornament for July in my stitch-along with Sandra was from With My Needle "Christmas Swan Needlebook" and is the second one we have stitched in a series of ornaments from this designer. They match our "Needleworker's Pocket" that we did back in May.

Here is my version...

And Sandra's version...

Even although this is quite a small design, it is amazing how much time is involved in the assembly. Small is often fiddly and I found this little one quite fiddly and after a few silly mistakes on my part, I am happy with how it ended up.

The tin is starting to look quite full.

I also finished another little ornament but I will save that one to show you another time.

Yesterday, I needed to go to get some things from my local Spotlight store and found these lovely little tins which of course I couldn't resist.

Could you blame me!!

The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary.

~Mary Kurtz

Small Finishes and a Little Stash

It is now safely in the tin along with it's other five predecessors. Six down ~ six to go!! Here are our two versions for June. Brightneedle ~ To Thee Peace from 2003 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Book.
Sandra stitched her version over one......

and me ~ well, guess who didn't read the instructions correctly and stitched hers over two!! The fabric shown behind our stockings is what we backed them with.


Oh well, it makes it interesting and different to say the least :)

My other little finish is this heart door/drawer hanger, a gift for my friend Mary.
It is taken from one of the blocks of Shepherd Bush Wandering Vine.

After recently enjoying a couple of Stacy Nash Primitive Designs finishes, decided it was time for some new Stacy stash. This lovely raw linen, four fat quarters with a very country feel and these charts arrived the other day so I look forward to a new Stacy start soon.

I have been trying to get a little more done on my CHS Strawberry Blonde before making a new start just so it doesn't feel neglected.

My shadow reminded me that he hadn't made an appearance recently so I thought I better show you another photo of him so here is the lazy thing lying at the top of the stairs the other day looking very sleepy :)

"Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs. They usually bark when there is a stranger about, but it is an expression of unmitigated joy at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning." ~Norman Strung

Amazing Resemblance

Have you ever noticed the beautiful shape of a dog's paw? It is a perfect teddy bear shape. Ben's are even fluffy like a real teddy bear and of course the right colour too. I took this photograph to show you what I mean. I was down on the floor practically standing on my head to do this and the next photo captures that ~ 'Mum, what on earth are you doing'? look on his face.

The teddy bear cake is the beautiful birthday cake my DH and DD made for our precious little grandaughter's second birthday. Didn't they make a great job of it and it confirms my theory of the shape. Happy birthday darling Milly!!

Sandra and I have finished our May ornaments and I couldn't wait to see what Sandra had come up with for this month. We kept our colour choices a secret from each other this time we stitched A Needleworker's Pocket by With My Needle from the 2003 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Book. There are three pieces in this series and we are planning to stitch the other two at a later date so we have a nice set.

Here is Sandra's version .....

and my version .....

The background fabric is the fabric we used to line the pockets with. Now we are looking forward to June and even planning what we will do next year.

"Grandchildren are a grandparent's link to the future, and grandparents are the child's link to the past."

~Unknown

April is in the Tin

I have now completed my April ornament in my year long stitch-along with my friend Sandra. This one is now safely added to my tin with January, February and March.
It is another Little by Little Design called My Little Christmas Gift and is from the JCS Christmas Ornament book 1999. I chose to finish mine as a little pocket and used two old buttons from my mother's very old button jar to hold the handle on. I couldn't find two of the same colour so I have used two different ones which match the colours perfectly and rather like this look. After all, why does everything have to match perfectly!! I can picture it hanging with some red berries in it at Christmas.

Sandra chose to finished hers in the pillow style and added a handle to duplicate the handle of the basket.

It has been a wet and quite cool weekend so we never got out for a walk. However, Ben did a great job as the 'clerk of works' watching over to make sure I was doing everything right while I was sewing. Doesn't he look a picture of innocence in this photo I took of him tonight. Awwww, beautiful boy :)


At least our rainwater tank has quite a bit more water in it now.

< ~ The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The Contents Revealed

My friend Sandra and I are doing a stitch-a-long this year in which we decided to stitch an ornament each month for a year. I have just finished my March ornament which is "Merry and Bright" by Little by Little Designs from the 2007 Just Cross Stitch Christmas book. We both stitch the same ornament each month and it is exciting seeing how each of us chooses to finish them and how different they look with the selection of our threads and fabrics. Sandra finished her March ornament a while back but I was a bit slow this month as I decided to stitch mine over one thread and I am convinced it takes twice as long to stitch over one. That brings me to the contents of the tin....

I am using the tin to store my years ornaments. It only has three in it so far but it is going to be exciting by the end of the year when it has twelve in it.
Here are our ornaments so far. Mine on the left and Sandra's versions on the right.




I haven't posted a picture of my shadow in a while so here is Ben today doing what he does so well, being very laid back and enjoying a spot of sunshine close by as I was outside taking a photograph of my ornament.


Happy Stitching!
Chrissie and Ben :)