TUSAL Update & Pretty Gifts

Don't get your knickers in a knot.

Nothing is solved and it just makes you walk funny.

~ Kathryn Carpenter ~

My goodness, it's November!  What happened to October, September, August... for that matter what happened to 2013? I feel as if I have blinked and the year has disappeared in the flash of a eyelid!  Does anyone else feel that way?

Onwards with the news...  It's TUSAL time again!

TUSAL November 2013
One very English Bear and some pretty ORT's

This is the second last TUSAL for the year and unfortunately I really don't have a lot of ORT's to show for the month!  A few silvery threads on top of the jar and that is it!  I haven't stitched very much at all over the last month, which is not good!  But I have managed to stitch a little bit here and there....

Mini Chatelaine B - November 2013
Almost there now!

I have now finished all the silver stitches on my Chatelaine and started on the half stitches.  But I need to find the time to do a lot more stitches otherwise it will never be finished!

If you are interested in keeping in touch with what is going on with the 2013 TUSAL pop on over to Daffycat's blog and join in the fun. The next new moon is on 3 December, so let's see if I can get some serious stitching in over the next few weeks and get some more ORT's into the jar between now and then. A bit of last minute flourish for the end of year!

I might not have a lot of stitching to show you but I do have some pretty pressies to show off instead!

My postie has had to deliver 3 lovely packages to me over the last few weeks.

The first one was a giveaway win from Kym (A Stitch in Thyme) who is running a Year Long Giveaway - Kym does a monthly winners draw and I won her August draw.

Gift from Kym - Year Long Giveaway August Winner Prize

The second package to arrive was a lovely birthday gift from Valerie (Fee le point).

Valerie stitched this gorgeous design and turned it into a lovely needle case.  She also sent me these gorgeous linen threads and buttons and charms.  I first saw these linen threads on Valerie's blog and I had commented on how I hadn't seen them before... and now the lovely Valerie has sent some to me.  Can't wait to stitch with them.

Third pressie....
Over on the MS Lovers Blog we have just participated in our third exchange for 2013 - a Halloween Exchange!  I received my exchange package from **Ysa** (Detallitos de Ysabel).  Ysa lives in the Dominican Republic and she sent me a fantastic exchange package.

Halloween Exchange Package from **Ysa**
MS Lovers Blog Exchanges

Halloween Kitty

Ysa sent me the most delightful Halloween kitty and a package of goodies including threads and beads, charms, ribbons, pegs, a lovely orange tea towel that has a great border just right for stitching, a lovely post card as well as a souvenir key ring.  I think that the tea towel will look rather good all stitched up for Halloween next year!

My exchange package went to Judith in Germany and now that it has safely arrived at it's destination I can show you what I sent to Judith.
 

Halloween Exchange - MS Lovers Blog
Sent to Judith

Exchange package for Judith

Along with the pumpkin kitty, I also stitched the Halloween bookmark and made the scissor fob using orange, purple and black beads - perfect Halloween colours!  The fabric in the background is the fabric that I used to make up the pillow - of course I had to add a black border for that little bit extra Halloween oomph!

For those that are wondering where the designs came from that I stitched for the exchange....

The pumpkin kitty is a Margaret Sherry design, of course... after all that is the main point of the exchanges - to stitch Margaret's gorgeous designs!  "Pumpkin Pie" Kitty came the UK Cross Stitcher magazine, issue 232 (November 2010) and the bookmark images also came from a Cross Stitcher magazine - Issue 204 (October 2008) Joanne Sanderson's Halloween Alphabet.  I only stitched the images not the letters, but I stitch Judith's initials at the bottom of the bookmark.  One very spooky bookmark!

Thank you Kym, Valerie and Ysa for the lovely packages you sent... I am really happy and very lucky to receive such great gifts.

Well, I guess that's about it for this update.... Hopefully the next update will be full of lots of lovely stitching for you to look at and ooh and aah over!

Til next time, happy stitching everyone, see you again soon!

New Moons - 2013

3 December