Hi Everyone

I hope you have all had a very good Christmas.  Apart from the wind and rain, we have really enjoyed our Christmas together.  I just wanted to share the Christmas Card that I stitched for my daughter and her husband.  It's a Margaret Sherry design of two hedgehogs kissing under the mistletoe.

Kissing hedgehogs under the mistletoe.

Close up.

Looking forward to stitching more in 2014, and wishing you all a Happy New Year.
 

Happy Stitching Everyone.

Giveaways and Freebies!

Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having several Giveaways. Visit her HERE.

Quaker Chart with floss Giveaway - Draw will be on 15 December 2013.

2nd Day of Christmas Giveaway - A chart of your choice. Draw will be on 15 December 2013.

3rd Day of Christmas Giveaway - More Floss. Draw will be on 16 December 2013.

4th Day of Christmas Giveaway - Lots of Floss. Draw will be on Christmas Day 2013.

5th Day of Christmas Giveaway - Nancy gave to us ... some trims. Draw will be on 17 December 2013.

6th Day of Christmas Giveaway - A Surprise Present! Draw will be on 18 December 2013.

7th Day of Christmas Giveaway - Pick your choice of a present! Draw will be on 19 December 2013.

8th Day of Christmas Giveaway - A $25 Gift Certificate! Draw will be on 20 December 2013.

9th Day of Christmas Giveaway - A present for you and a friend! Draw will be on 21 December 2013.

10th Day of Christmas Giveaway - Pick your present day! Draw will be on 22 December 2013.

11th Day of Christmas Giveaway - Fabric! Draw will be on 23 December 2013.

12th Day of Christmas Giveaway - A $50 Gift Certificate! Draw will be on 24 December 2013.

-ooOoo-

Freebies 

December freebie from Permin.

Permin has a new freebie which can be found here.

Grumpy Kitty by Brooke Noland.

Brooke Noland of Brooke's Books Publishing has a new cute "Grumpy Kitty" freebie.  You will have to scroll down the page to find him.

The Cross-Eyed Cricket have a new freebie snowman mitten called "Mustache-y Snowman".

Freebie from Le Chalet des Perelles.

Le Chalet des Perelles has a lovely little winter scene of a house and snowman.  Just click here.

Happy Stitching Everyone.

It's almost Christmas!!!

First of all I want to say Welcome to all my new followers.

Yes, I can say that I have been busy stitching!!  I know, it's about time!

While my husband was away, I got out my sewing machine.  I can now show you the OakHaven Owl cushion I've been planning to make for some time.  And here it is.

 

I'm so pleased with how it's turned out.  

I've also finally made up "The Prairie Schooler" Christmas designs I have been stitching for a few years.  I'm looking forward to seeing them on the Christmas Tree this year.  Here are a few photos of them.

I've also made some Christmas bell shaped ornaments with two Margaret Sherry designs in them.

Two bell shaped Christmas Tree decorations.

Hanging up the Christmas Stocking.

A present for you.

And lastly here is a WIP from one of the new Christmas cuties designs by Margaret Sherry from Cross Stitch Crazy magazine.  I just need to do the out lining and make up the card.

-ooOoo-

Christmas Freebies

A complimentary design  called "Seven Pines" can be found at the Little House Needleworks Blog, chart here and key here.

Here is a lovely little Christmas Owl I found at Holly's Hobbies.  The pdf can be found here.  For other freebies at Holly's Hobbies you can find them here.

Here is another design I thought you might like of Elk, which can be found here.

 And here again is Elk, which can be found here.

All the parts of "Positive Thinking" - can be found here.  Just scroll down for earlier parts.

 

Mary's Sampler II by Plum Street Samplers.

Mary's Sampler by Plum Street Samplers is now complete.

Here are all the links:-

Details can be found here, and here.

Mary's Sampler Part 1.

Mary's Sampler Part 2.

Mary's Sampler Part 3.

Mary's Sampler Part 4.

Mary's Sampler Part 5.

Mary's Sampler Part 6.

Mary's Sampler Part 7.

Mary's Sampler Part 8.

Mary's Sampler Part 9 (last).

Happy Stitching Everyone.

October!!

October is nearly over, so it's about time I posted something.

My daughter needed an urgent card from my stock of stitched cards and she chose one of my Hardanger Cards for a 40th Wedding Anniversary.  Fortunately I had some stickers I could apply, to make it a bit more special.

I'm still stitching some more Christmas tree decorations by The Prairie Schooler, but not ready to show yet.

-ooOoo-

Part 2 of "Positive Thinking" is ready to download and can be found in several languages.

-ooOoo-

Plum Street Samplers is also having a Sunday Mystery SAL.  It started at the end of September, but you could still stitch it.  Here are all the links so far:-

Details can be found here, and here.

Mary's Sampler Part 1.

Mary's Sampler Part 2.

Mary's Sampler Part 3.

Mary's Sampler Part 4.

Here's what it looks like so far.   (Please note that this is from Plum Street Samplers and not mine.)

Well, that's all for now, so until Next time, Happy Stitching Everyone.

Some Finnishes a New Arrival!! and a Freebie.

Hi Everyone, So glad you could pop by and have a look at what I've been up too.

Well, lets start with the finishes.  I've done two more of the "Starry Night" tree decorations by The Prairie Schooler.  

I've already started the next one, just two more to go.  I have really enjoyed stitching these.

And now for the New Arrival!!

Jingles has arrived safely.

Jingles the bear has arrived safely, together with his stash of food, as it was a long journey from the USA to the UK.  Together with a beautiful card from Tricia of The Stamper's Stitches and of course the Lizzie Kate "Fa La La La La" chart.  Tricia had a Giveaway at the beginning of September and I'm glad to say "I won".  Thank you so much Tricia, I just Love Jingles, and I will have to get started on stitching "Fa La La La La".

FREEBIES!

I've been searching for freebies on the web and found this Winter Sampler from Leisure Arts.

Winter Sampler by Leisure Arts.

This is an old freebie on a blog dated 11 December 2011.  If you want to try some more of there "Downloadable Christmas Patters!" and not just cross stitch, but other craft items also, just click on this link.

Well, that's all for now, so until Next time, Happy Stitching Everyone.

New SAL just started! New Freebie Charts! And Giveaways!

Hi Everyone

I just wanted to share with you a new SAL that is just starting and the link can be found here.

It is in English and French and is also in two colour ways.

Part 1 of "Positive Thinking" is ready to download and the next instalment is 1st October 2013.

-ooOoo-

I've been looking around the internet and discovered this lovely little blog called "The Snowflower Diaries".

Here is the latest freebie - 'Autumn is here'.

But I must also share with you 'Little Mermaid', which is just so cute. 

 More of her free designs can be found on the left sidebar of The Snowflower Diaries Blog.

-ooOoo-

Another blog I discovered last month was Fearn Abbey Needleworks.  Here is her latest freebie.

For more free-stuff just click here.

-ooOoo-

Here are some fun Giveaways!

Tricia on The Stamper's Stitches is having a giveaway. The draw will take place on 15 September 2013.

Linda Lee on Cross 'N My Stitching is having a giveaway. The draw will take place on 26 September 2013.

Well, that's all for now, so until Next time, Happy Stitching Everyone.

September is here, and I have some stitching to share with you!!

 It's my friends birthday later on this month, and as I was going away on a short holiday to Wales, I popped in a small kit to stitch.  I have already stitched this design before, but I wanted it bigger.  I changed some of colours and used some of the left over threads from last time.  I think it's turned out quite well.  Here's a picture of them both together.

Celtic Knot by Textile Heritage.

-ooOoo-

I thought you would like to see some of the photos I took while I was away.

Eagle Owl at Cardiff Castle

Little Owl at Cardiff Castle

Castle Keep at Cardiff Castle

Tintern Abbey

Chepstow Castle

Cabbage White Butterfly

Hover Fly

Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Until Next time, Happy Stitching Everyone.

August almost over! Where does the time go?

It's been awhile since I last posted.  I've not been stitching as much as I should.  But I have made some progress on my Hardanger.  I've finished a butterfly, as long last.  Only three more to do!!

Hardanger Butterfly.

I've been out and about visiting places.  I just wanted to share with you the well dressings that I went to see in Hathersage, Derbyshire.  

This was done by children from Hathersage St Michael's Church of England School.

There was a label beside the well dressing which says "Hathersage St Michael's C of E School. Our well dressing depicts aspects of our latest school initiative - 'Project Acorn' - which is to enhance our outdoor learning facilities, to increase awareness of our natural surroundings and to care for them, to be hands-on with planing and growing - all in an eco-friendly way.  Each class was asked to design a specific 'branch' of the oak tree and every child in the school has 'had a go' at well dressing.  We have endeavoured to show the huge variety of materials that can be used.

Y6 - Recycling, Y5 - Wildlife/pond area, Y4 - Flowers, Y3 - Fruit, Y2 - Vegetables, Y1 - Gardening tools and Reception - Insects."

Hathersage Well Dressing 2013.

The label beside the well dressing says "Hathersage Well Dressing 2013.  The theme for the Hathersage Gala this year is advertisements.  See how many you can associate with our picture from the 1960's to the present day.  There are are least 10 bringing it up to dated with "Carbon Footprints" on the glass milk bottle and Fair Trade Coffee."

Close up of the Fair Trade Symbol. 

Close up of the Kellogg's Cornflakes Trademark of the Cockerel. 

With the close up photo's you can see a bit more of how they are made, using flower petals, seeds and leaves.  Each petal is put carefully in place and fixed in the clay base.  Well Dressing is almost exclusively in Derbyshire.  They start in May and end in September.  You can find a list on the internet for each place participating.  If you want to find out more just click on Wikipedia, Peak District and dates for Derbyshire Well Dressings which is updated each year.

Here are some I took at Stoney Middleton in 2008.

C of E Primary School, Stoney Middleton, 2008.

Stoney Middleton, 2008.

Stoney Middleton, 2008.

Reflection.  Stoney Middleton, 2008.

I will update you with more stitching next month.

Until Next time, Happy Stitching Everyone.