A month since I last posted, Oh my (a few pictures)

Wow! I cannot believe it has been just over a month since I last posted.

As you will remember from my last post, I was due to go into hospital for a planned c-section on 29th August.  Well, that didn't happen due to the baby wanting to arrive the night before - typical.  I still had my planned c-section as it became a slight emergency too and baby Holly was born at 22.19 on 28th August weighing 5lb 13 1/2 ounces.  Here she is when she was first born:

and at 3 weeks old and now weighing 7lb 4oz:

As you can imagine, not a lot of stitching has been done as she likes to spend her time feeding and dirtying nappies, but I have done a few stitches.

I've been working on a little christmas stitch from the free book the came with the latest issue of Crazy.

I'm also a few days late in posting my TUSAL, so here that is too :)

Hopefully the next update won't be so long away :)

Hope everyone is well and that you are crafting away :)

xxx

A rather large update for you all

Well, as it has been a little while since I last posted, this post is going to be a rather largish one.

I have to say I haven't managed a great deal of stitching since my last update due to me trying to get everything organised ready for the arrival of the baby who is going to arrive within the next 10 days....eeek.  I have to say though that I cannot wait until she is here even if it is so I can get comfy.

Now for my stitching updates.  I've decided to rotate the projects that I have on the go, otherwise I've found I'm getting myself in a right mess with projects all over the place.

First up is my Moon Goddess HAED.  I'm so close to finishing page 2 of 36 pages, and as you will see in the bottom right hand corner, I've made a start on her hair so it won't be long until her head starts to take shape.

Here she is before I started working on her:

28th April 2012

and here is how she is now:

19th August 2012

Another project I've been working on is the Charlie Bear Alphabet Sampler.  Due to my course starting back in February and lots of other things in between, myself and Heather put Charlie away.  

This is how Charlie looked before:

19th March 2012

and here is how he is now:

19th August 2012

For this week, I'm going to be working on my 12 days of Christmas by Joan Elliott.  I was hoping to have it finished in time for this Christmas, but with the new baby due any time now I very much doubt that will happen.  Just to remind you all, this is how it looks as of right now before I start on it again this afternoon.

19th August 2012

And last but not least, my August TUSAL report.  There is very little in the jar this month, but I'm hoping that once I start stitching the above project, it will soon fill up.

TUSAL 17th August 2012

That is all I have for updates for now, but I'm hoping to have a new update for you all shortly.

Until next time

xXx

July TUSAL

Here is my jar this month.  The threads are mainly from the 12 days of christmas.....all except the blue at the top, which is 8 hours of HAED stitching unpicked thanks to a visit from the flipping frog!!

12 Days of Christmas

I forgot to post an update last week on how 12 Days of Christmas is coming along, so before I change projects here is an update on how it is going.

This is how it looked on 6th July

As of today: 16th July

I have decided that this week is going to be spent working on another project, my Moon Goddess HAED as she hasn't seen the light for a little while now.

Hopefully I'll get lots done on her now this week before the kiddies break up for the school holidays.

Until next time

xXx

Another Stitching update

Hi everyone!!

Well, after having a good few finishes last month, I decided it was time I pulled out another project that was started a few months ago.  I am now spending my spare time working on Joan Elliott's 12 Days of Christmas.  Here is how it looked before I started working on it:

and here is how it is currently looking:

Until next time, have a fun stitching time.

xXx

Another 2 finishes :)

Yup....you did read correct!! I have 2 new finishes - 1 of which is framed and another is currently drying ready for ironing/framing tomorrow.

The second finish for 2012 is Autumn Fairy by Joan Elliott.  I finished her last night after having to wait for an extra reel of kreinik for her wings (from now on I will buy an extra reel to what is suggested as I've ran out on both Summer and Autumn now).

The next finish I have is the I Stitch Therefore I Stash sampler.  It became a slight UFO due to the french knots, so I attempted to change them into beads.  I finally decided tonight that it would look a lot nicer if I just left them out, so I took all the beads that I had put on off and framed it in a simple wooden frame.  Here it is:

Until next time :) 

xXx

June TUSAL

Well it is that time again.....how fast does time fly from one New Moon to the next?!  I have had a really good month this time round and have managed lots of stitching.  Here is my jar this month (all contents have now been put into the larger jar so I can start again)

A New Finish and a Framed Piece

Wow!! It has definitely been a while since I posted an actual stitching update.  I have to say though, my stitching bug did run away for a little bit and in it's place came tiredness due to pregnancy.  Now I'm feeling a lot less tired, I've managed a lot more stitching.

First up is a sampler I took over stitching for a friend.  It is stitched on 14ct aida, and I have to say I hate stitching on the stuff.  It took me a few weeks, but I finally finished it and here is the finished piece.

As you know from a long ago previous post, I finished my Summer Fairy and then just popped her away.  Well  I finally went to Hobbycraft and bought 2 new frames, one for Summer Fairy and the other for Autumn Fairy (when she gets finished that is).  Here is Summer Fairy looking lovely in her frame.

I've pulled Autumn Fairy back out again and I've also got the threads and beads ready for the next seasonal fairy - Winter.  I may not be able to start her for a little while though as I do have lots of projects on the go and need to shift some of them first.

Until next time, I hope you are all well.

xXx

TUSAL TIME :)

Well hello everyone!!

I'm so sorry for not having an update for you all recently, but for the last few weeks in between my cleaning madness (hubby seems to think I'm nesting - I'm only 25 weeks haha) I've been feeling quite yuck and lazing on the couch.

Here are the pics for the TUSAL for the very little stitching that I have done and also an update picture of how my large jar is looking after 5 months of ort's :)

May TUSAL

TUSAL Jar after 5 month's of ort's

Stitching Update

Well, it has definitely been a little while since my last stitching update, partly due to me losing my stitching bug.  It ran away and has taken a little while to return, but I'm pleased to say that I am getting there slowly :)

I managed to complete my very first page of my haed Moon Goddess and here is how she is looking so far

This is 44 hours and 30 minutes stitching :) It took me 39 hours and 50 minutes to complete page 1

I'm hoping to have an update on Autumn Fairy soon, but I haven't really picked her up to do much on her.  I'm currently working on the backstitch around the leaves at the moment, but I'm hoping that once I've completely stitched the wings, I will be able to full complete her.

TUSAL - 21ST APRIL 2012

Once again I have to apologise for being late in posting April's Tusal.  Since my last post, I've had a lot going on.  

Hopefully I will have a large stitching update for you all as soon as I've time to sort out and photograph my stitching.

For now though, here is April's Tusal :)

Autumn Fairy update

Well hello everyone!!

I can't believe how nice the weather has been for this time of year. It is super lovely. I have enjoyed spending time sitting outside in the wonderful sunshine with my stitching - bliss!!

Well, for this last week or so I've been working on my Autumn Fairy.  I've very nearly completed the dark backstitch - but as luck would have it....I've run out of the thread needed to finish it, so I am now waiting for more to arrive. I can't believe how quick these fairies are to stitch and so lovely too :)

Well, with no further ado, here is how she is looking now:

22nd March TUSAL - Late :(

I'm so sorry for posting my TUSAL for March late, but I had an issue with the camera......I lost it and have only just found it so thought I had better get the pics done now before I completely forget again haha.

Here are my ort's for March.

Lots of ort's from Charlie Bear SAL and Autumn Fairy

Hopefully next time I will be on time with posting my TUSAL posts

Charlie Bear SAL - Weekend 9

Hello everyone, well as promised here is an updated pic of Charlie after stitching on him on Friday and Saturday.

Hopefully  next weekend I will be able to finish of the letter E and redo the backstitch on the letter D and then I can start on the next row :) I'm loving stitching this with my friend Heather, it is fab.

Happy Mother's Day for yesterday my fellow UK stitchers

Well hello everyone! What a lovely day it is today.  The sun is out and I have a few updates for you.

First up is the goodies I received for Mother's Day yesterday from my lovely children.

That large purple card in the top left is from my daughter (made in school) and inside is a list of 10 of mummy's favourite things, the gift she made me is in the bottom ride hand corner (made in school), it is a lovely heart hanger which has been stuffed with wool and also contains lots of lavender (my favourite smell of all) which she then stitched closed herself.  The card on the top right is from both my babies and my little boy made this lovely little hanger (made in school).  I now have them all displayed and I will be keeping them up for a long long time.

Here are a few close-ups of the hangers:

I love the background on this (made using washing up liquid mixed with red paint) and the poem is just smashing :D

This was made by my daughter who stitched this closed and was so pleased with herself.  The top half is stuffed with lavender - my favourite.

These are all the goodies I received and I had a great day even though I didn't stop cleaning all day hehe.

Charlie Bear SAL - Weekend 8

Wow! I cannot believe I forgot to post my progress on my Charlie Bear SAL after stitching last weekend.  I didn't get much stitched on it last weekend, but here is how it is looking now.

Hopefully this weekend will see me finish the letter D bear and complete the back stitching on him.

I hope you are all keeping well.  Hopefully I will have more progress to show you on Monday after my weekend of stitching.

March 6th 2012 - What a weekend/week it has been

Wow!! I can't believe we are in March already, where has the time gone?!  It is coming up to my 7th Wedding Anniversary and it still feels like yesterday we got married, time sure does fly by these days.  On the personal front I do have a bit of news.  On Monday morning I found out that I was expecting number 3 :D What a bit of news to find out just days before 7th Anniversary.  As you can imagine, I am over the moon, now starts the planning and clearing out ready to start buying in new stuff for the new addition.

On the stitching front, I have managed more work on 2 projects: Charlie Bear SAL and Autumn Fairy.

I spent Friday/Saturday doing all the backstitch on the letters I've done for the Charlie Bear SAL and I have to say it has made these little bears just come to life, they are so so adorable.  Here is how Charlie Bear is looking:

Don't they just look adorable?!

I am also please to say that I am now on the homestretch of Autumn Fairy.  I only have the wings to stitch up and then I can start on the backstitch and bead adding :)  She looks sooooo much better stitched up than it shows in the magazine pictures.  Here she is:

At the moment that is all the news/updates that I have.  Now I just need to find a nice anniversary card/gift for my hubby and this weekend will be great :D

Until next time, I hope you all enjoy your days doing whatever you do best :) xXx

I've received my certificate :D :D WOOP!!

As you all know, back in 2011 I took a University course.  I studied S104: Exploring Science with the Open University, it is a 60 point course and by golly it was extremely fast paced and quite heavy going.

I received lovely mail this morning which contained my certificate for passing the course.  I now hold a Certificate in Natural Sciences and I am even allowed to put Cert NatSci (open) after my name!!

What an achievement, especially as there were moments when I literally thought I'd never pass or get through it all.

Here is my certificate:

Charlie Bear SAL 24th to 26th Feb 2012

Well, its was a very quick weekend this weekend.  Friday I didn't get to do a single stitch as it was one of those days where I felt too tired to anything except stare at whatever ramblings were on the TV.  Saturday however, I did get to do some stitching on Charlie Bear only to realise on Sunday that I had completely messed up and had to unpick the whole of the letter D.  I did however manage to catch up on the stitching I had to undo and here is how Charlie is looking now:

Stitching updates (wow it has been a little while)

Well hello everyone!!!! How are your stitching days going?  It has been a little while since I last updated due to me working my little butt off on getting an assignment for my new course done and sent :) I have managed to do some stitching in between completing my assignments, and here are my updates.

First of all is my Autumn Fairy.  I'm getting so close to finishing her it is crazy :) Only a few more leaves and another ribbon to finish on the bottom right hand side and then the wings, after which comes the backstitch and beading.  Here is how she is looking as of today:

Another update I have is that of my new HAED start.  I started Moon Goddess on 12th January and I'm close to finishing the first page already :)

Here she is after spending 30 hours and 50 minutes of stitching on her.

Today I plan on spending a little time doing some of my next assignment and then I plan on stitching :)

I hope that wherever you are, you keep safe and have some crafty fun :) xXx

February's TUSAL

I'm a couple of days late in posting my February TUSAL. The threads contained within come from 3 different projects that I have on the go.  So without further ado, here it is:

An update on all projects

Hello everyone from a rather chilly South Wales.  I've a few updates for you all this morning, but first off I would like to share a pic of the view from my back garden in the snow.  It started snowing on Saturday morning and it didn't stop once until 6pm that night.

Taken at around 2pm on Saturday - Still snowing

Thank goodness I made it home before it got worse. I was 16 miles away in Cardiff that morning attending my very first tutorial for my new university course.

Now it is time for the stitching updates. In between reading for my new course I've been working on two projects, my autumn fairy and my charlie bear SAL.

Here is how my Autumn Fairy is looking:

Just the ribbons on the right and some leaves to do then I can complete the wings.

This weekend, I managed to do a great deal of work on my Charlie Bear SAL.  I completed the letter B, finished the bear and also managed to get halfway through A.  Here is how Charlie Bear is looking:

That is all for the updates this week. I am hoping to have more for you all next week, but until then I do hope that wherever you are you keep warm and safe in this rather chilly winter weather.

xXx

First TUSAL of 2012 - January 23rd

Here is my TUSAL jar for January 23rd's New Moon.  The threads in this jar come from a few projects that I've been doing.

Charlie Bear Alphabet SAL
Moon Goddess HAED
Autumn Fairy
Company of Wolves (only a tiny bit from this as I've put it away again - no longer like aida)

Here is my jar :)

Autumn Fairy - an update

From Monday until Friday I spent my time stitching Autumn Fairy and now I'm on the very last page :) This fairy looks so much more stunning than she does in print :)

Charlie Bear SAL - Weekend 3

Here is my progress after another weekend of stitching the Charlie Bear Alphabet with my friend Heather.  I managed a whopping 9 hours and 15 minutes of stitching on it this weekend :)

Charlie Bear SAL - Weekend 2

As you know from my post last week, I'm doing a SAL with Heather, a great friend of mine.  This is the second week that I have spent stitching Charlie Bear and have very nearly completed the first letter.

I can't quite remember how long I spent stitching on it, but I managed to finish the bear and only have the bottom of C left to do and I can move onto B :)  Here is how Charlie Bear is looking:

A New HAED

As you know I've been pondering about starting a new HAED since I started Tickle My Tummy.  Well, just after christmas I ordered the threads and material for my new HAED: Moon Goddess by Marta Dahlig.

This is the design:

I'm stitching this design 2 over 1 half stitch as I learned from doing my last HAED, that I didn't like the coverage 1 over 1 gave.  Here is my progress after spending just 2 days stitching on it

Autumn Fairy update

Hi all!! I have a good few projects on the go right now and I've been alternating between them all.  First up is an update on my Autumn Fairy, here is how she is looking now.

Charlie Bear SAL - Weekend 1

Well, as mentioned in my "2012 projects" section of my blog, I mentioned that I would be starting a Charlie Bear SAL with a great friend of mine, Heather.

After the first weekend of stitching, this is how far I got with it.

I have to say though that on Saturday I didn't do any stitching at all as I wasn't feeling very well.  The above progress is a measly 5 hours and 50 minutes work lol.

I now can't wait until next weekend when I can pull it back out again as it is so lovely to stitch.

A Fantastic Giveaway!!

A great friend of mine, Heather, is having a fabulous CCN and LHN chart giveaway.

Go take a look at what is up for grabs :) The winner is going to be announced on 15th January 2012.

http://heathersstitchingstory.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway.html