Gifted Gorgeousness SAL 2015 - Update #8

Goodness me where is the time going..... here we are again - it's the middle of the month and it's time for my Gifted Gorgeousness post for the month.

This month I have one of my original GG designs that I have slowly been stitching on and I also have 2 gifts to show you.  First up is:

Lizzie Kate - Joyeux Noel 
Giveaway win from Kay's Random World - link to Kay's original giveaway post here and link to my post about the giveaway win is here

Tiny Tidings XV - Lizzie Kate

The last time that you saw 'Joyeux Noel" was in the June update when it looked like this:

After a couple of hours of stitching the other night it now looks like this:

Almost finished.....

Gift Number 1
The first stitching gift that I have to show you is a Margaret Sherry design that I stitched for the "Send a Smile" Exchange on the MS Lovers Blog.

Mouse... designed by Margaret Sherry

This gorgeous little mouse was a freebie gift from Cross Stitch Crazy.  I painted and stamped the frame and then coloured in the stamped image.  The little cutie then went off to the Netherlands.  Angel's post is up on the MS Lovers Blog if you would like to see what else I sent to her.

Gift Number 2
A couple of months ago the lovely Anne, from Doll's Musings, became a Mum!  Her delightful bundle of joy arrived safe and sound and I finally got my act into gear and sent her the little Koala that I started as part of the Crazy January stitching I was doing.

This little Koala was designed by Carrol Nielsen and came from a larger design of delightful Koala's and gum leaves.  I just love Carrol's designs... they are so cute!

Koala - designed by Carrol Nielsen

So that's it for another GG post.... goodness it feels good to be able show a couple of finishes!!

Don't forget to visit Jo's blog for the link ups to everyone's GG post for the month!

Til next time, happy stitching
Hugs xx 

If you're not sure what this particular SAL is all about.... Jo from Serendipitous Stitching hosts this SAL - the link to my post late last year about the SAL is here.... but essentially this SAL is about stitching charts/kits or using fabrics & threads that we have received as gifts, won in giveaways or anything that is intended be a gift or giveaway prize... or anything else that you can loosely use the word "gift" for!!  If you wish to sign up for this SAL, click on the button below or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.

Last Week's Stitching Progress.....

Who wants to see some more Crazy January Challenges updates?

I have managed to stitch on some more of my Crazy January WIP's over the last week.... having some many WIP's is certainly making sure that I don't get bored!

"You are so Loved" - The Snowflower Diaries
Stitched on 32ct Belfast Linen "Fairy Tale" 

I started this on Day 26... and the last pic you saw it looked like this:

I had to frog out most of what I stitched last time as I had started the words in the wrong place!  It now looks like this.....

"Autumn Fab Fob" - Lizzie Kate
Stitched on 28 ct Pumpkin Spice Jazlyn 

I started this on Day 4... it looked like this when I left it

and now it looks like this...  As I mentioned in my January post I was going to re-stitched the ray stitches above the word "Autumn" - which I did.  I found a variegated yellow and orange in my thread stash and replaced them.

"Happy Owl O Ween" - Needle Bling Designs
Stitched on 32ct Belfast Linen "Rocky Creek Canyon" 

I started this sweet Owl on Day 15 of the Challenge, and you last saw him on 4th March.

Since then I have managed to stitch on him a little bit more.  I am planning on getting him finished by the end of the month as he is my March design on the Halloween 2015 SAL Blog.

"Koala" - Carrol Nielsen
Stitched on 32ct Belfast Linen "Olive Grove" 

My cute little Koala was started on Day 6 of the January Challenge.  This is part of a larger design but I am only stitching the second Koala.

I haven't managed to do much more but there was been a small amount of progress on this little cutie!

"Mouton de Saisons - Printemps" - Tralala Collection
Stitched on 28ct Cashel Linen "Fairy Forest"

This gorgeous design was started on Day 8 and I also managed to stitch on "Printemps" in February. This is what the delightful little sheep looked liked when I last posted....

Yesterday I picked up this sweet little sheep again and this is where I left him... one finished sheep!

"Christmas Eve Couriers: Comet" - Nora Corbett
Stitched on 32ct Opal Belfast Linen "Arabian Nights"

Last but not least.... Comet!  I started Comet on Day 5 and left him looking like this.....

I haven't managed to stitch on Comet as much as Prancer recently, but at least there has been some progress this month.

Well, that's it for this update.  So far I have managed to make some progress on quite a few of my January challenges.  I need to finish the Happy Owl O Ween before the end of the month so I will spend some time this week on that design before stitching on another of the WIP's.

Til next time, Happy Stitching!

Hugs xx

Day 6 & 7 / Crazy Start #6 & #7

Well that didn't take long, did it?  I was so busy at work yesterday that I didn't get around to posting my Day 6 update, and surprise, surprise ... I very nearly didn't get to do one today either..... but we got there in the end!

Day 6 was a start on a lovely little Aussie Koala.  This little darling is part of a larger design from Carrol Nielsen, but in this case I have decided to only stitch one of the babies.... you can see him on the pic below - he is the second koala.  I adore Carrol's designs - she has the cutest little koalas in all sorts of Aussie style designs.

Koala - Carrol Nielsen

This koala is being stitched on Belfast 32ct "Olive Grove" from Stitches and Spice.  It is a lovely colour and hopefully the koala will look really nice nestled in amongst the Olive Grove.  The colour feels right for a creature that spends all day in a eucalypt tree!

You may remember that I stitched one of these little cuties last year for Nia's little baby.  The link is here if you missed that post or if you want to go back and have another look!

Day 7 was yet again another start... This time I started stitching another Halloween design - "Sneak Peek - Halloween" by The Trilogy.

"Sneak Peek - Halloween" - The Trilogy

I probably don't need to tell you that the fabric is from Stitches and Spice!  But it is, and this one is Shanghai "Spice Blends - Eureka".

I have never stitched on Shanghai Linen before... and so far I am loving the feel of the fabric.  It is so soft....  I must admit though, I am a bit worried that it might be too bright for the "Sneak Peek" but then again it is a Halloween design... and what harm can a bright yellow/orange fabric do to a Halloween design??

The other interesting thing about this fabric is that is about 34ct.... so I am going smaller and smaller with my stitching!  Don't think I will ever go back to 14ct Aida now after stitching on these beautiful linens and evenweaves!

So that's it for today.... I have no idea what I will start stitching tonight.... but so far I have managed to keep up with a new start each day, so I can see no reason why tonight won't be any different! Posting about it tomorrow might be a different story!!

Previous updates for the FB CrosstitchCrazy Event and Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2015 (DUCJC2015) are listed below if you missed them:

Day 1 - Winter Witch
Day 2 - "Eek!"
Day 3 - "Prancer"
Day 4 - "Autumn Fab Fob"
Day 5 - "Comet"

Til next time, Happy Stitching!
Hugs xx

2015 Craziness Abounds!

All my scattering moments are taken up with my needle

~ Ellen Birdseye Wheaton, 1851 ~

A few months ago I signed up for a crazy 2015 challenge.... Cross Stitch Crazy 2015 is a Facebook group that was set up "for stitchers who want to join the 2015 CrosstitchCrazy Event and for stitchers to just come and talk and share their work as they go along. You do not have to be doing the challenge to be in the group. The first 15 days in January we will start a new pattern, we then have the year to complete all 15 patterns we have chosen."

To make matters worse, or easier (not sure which), I have also joined a couple of other Facebook groups as well:

Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2015 (DUCJC2015) - this group was set up after So-Cal Debbie passed away as a way to remember Debbie and her crazy stitching plans!  The plan is to start 31 or 59 projects.... (ie a project a day for January and/or February 2015)  Well, those numbers are probably a little bit too ambitious for me so I will be a watcher from the side on this one while I stitch on my 15 starts!!  But then again who knows I may find 31 projects to start in Jan, there are certainly more than that number on my stitching wish list! :o)

15 Miras 15 Days - now this group really calls to me... 15 Mira's to stitch.... how on earth will I do this one!  I do actually have a number of Mira's that I want to stitch, but I don't think I will get to do 15 Mira starts this year let alone 15 new Mira's in January....

So, as you can see I am trying to formulate a plan for my 2015 stitching...
15 starts in January.... 15 Mira's in January.... 31 starts in January....
Yes, I am crazy and no, I really don't think that I will get that many starts going for the whole year let alone in January and February!!  But I am going to give it a try anyway!

The one thing that will hold me back of course is not having enough fabric or threads (of course Hubby will say that I have more than enough of both!!), and time.....  there are never enough hours in my day!

So here is my list for the first 15 starts for January 2015, not necessarily in stitching order and with only 2 Mira's on the list so far:

1. Moutons de Saisons - printemps - Tralala Collection
2. Moutons de Saisons - été - Tralala Collection
3. Autumn Fab Fob - Lizzie Kate
4. Tiny Tidings XV (I'm on the nice list) - Lizzie Kate
5. Tiny Tidings XV (feliz navidad) - Lizzie Kate
6. Tiny Tidings XV (feeling festive) - Lizzie Kate
7. Tiny Tidings XV (joyeux noel) - Lizzie Kate
8. Eek - Lizzie Kate
9. Winter Witch - The Snowflower Diaries
10. Merry Christmas Deer - The Little Stitcher
11. Christmas Eve Couriers "Comet" - Nora Corbett
12. Christmas Eve Couriers "Prancer" - Nora Corbett
13. Koala - Carrol Nielson
14. Spring Celebration: Ostara - The Primitive Hare
15. Sneak Peek (Halloween) - The Trilogy

To help with the 31 starts for January, I have added in some WIP's (which is allowed by the rules of that group)

1. "Jingles" Flip-It Series SAL - Lizzie Kate
2. Faces of Joan Elliott SAL - Joan Elliott
3. Chatelaine Mystery Mini II "C" - Martina Rosenberg
4. MS Lovers Blog SAL #5 Spring Bouquet - Margaret Sherry
5. "Witch and Friends" - Donna Giampa

Me thinks that the list above is a work in progress itself as I go through my very neglected stitching basket!

Wish me well, fast needles and heaps of stitching time!

I will be back to let you know how each start goes and then will attempt to keep you posted on a very regular basis!

Til next time, happy stitching,
Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

Stitching Update....

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books

~Walt Whitman ~

Hi there!  How about a bit of a stitching update?  It surely must be past time that I showed you what I have been stitching over the last couple of weeks.

Now when I last posted I had just started my Lizzie Kate "Jingles" SAL - but more on that in my next post....

This month I have also been stitching on my April design for the Halloween Ornie SAL 2014 blog.  The April theme was Owls and I chose to stitch a rather cute Diane Arthurs design.  Surprisingly this month I have actually managed to get my Owl stitched and posted before the end of the month!!

Say hello to "Owliver and Punky"!

"Owliver & Punky" - designed by Diane Arthurs
Stitched April 2014

This design was published in the Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2013 Special Edition magazine.  I stitched this lovely design on plastic canvas which I will back with some felt at some stage before turning it into a hanging ornament.

Next month's theme is "Monsters" - but I am yet to find a design that I like.... so let the hunt begin!

Hallowe'en Ornie SAL
2014 Themes
May -Monsters
June -any freebie chart
July -Pumpkins
August -Ghosts
September -Black cats
October - Trick or Treaters
November -Bugs, insects or spiders
December -Free choice

**********************

So that was Halloween.... now onto the MS Lovers Blog SAL's.

Remember I said at the beginning of the year that I had signed up for three MS SAL's this year.... well finally four months into the year I have managed to start stitching my first one!

SAL #5 - Spring Bouquet
started 26/4/14

The fabric that I am using to stitch "Spring Bouquet" is a 14ct white Aida with pink spots that Heather sent me for the MS Christmas Exchange.  Now that I have started stitching on this lovely design I think it is going to be hard to stop... except that I will very soon be hitting the white on kitty.... not looking forward to that!!

Before I leave you, let me show you the secret stitching that I mentioned last month in my TUSAL report. For those of you that follow Nia's blog you will know that little Lourenço was born on 7 March 2014.  I decided to stitch a little piece of Australia to send to Nia and her little man.  But as always happens with me, time went by and I didn't get it sent off before he was born. But maybe I should say I planned it that way so that I could add his birth date to the final stitching.

I stitched part of a birth sampler design from Carrol Nielsen.  I love Carrol's designs especially her Koala's.

This was my first flat fold finish....  The fabric that I used was another one from Stitches and Spice.

I also sent some little Aussie friends for Lourenço - just a little piece of Australia for a little Portuguese baby!

My next couple of posts will be my TUSAL post and an update on "Jingles".  See you then!

Til then, happy stitching
Stitching Noni xx