TUSAL & New Finishes....

Hello... I'm back... and late again!  TUSAL posts were due last week but... unfortunately I was not a very well bunny last week and the thought of doing anything on a computer was way beyond me! (I did stitch though!!)

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Have you ever noticed how chronic fatigue can be so debilitating at times?  (After seeing my specialist a couple of weeks ago I can now add Fibromyalgia to my RA, low iron and menopause issues - great just what I want one more chronic fatigue problem!!) 

Last week was not a good week for me... I left work early on Monday as I thought I had a migraine starting... but it was much more than that in the end!! I needed to take Tuesday and Wednesday off work and barely managed to drag myself out of bed on Thursday and Friday to go to work... (you must be sick when your boss tells you that you look terrible!) but Friday afternoon saw me visit the doctor and one iron infusion later I am slowly getting back to normal - even though my normal is not that fantastic at the best of times!!!  Saturday and Sunday was spent veggie out on the couch again with my stitching as I could not do much more than that and today is the first day in over a week that I have started to feel better... Being a couch potato is not good for the size of my backside.... but great for my stitching!! :o)

But enough complaining.. you didn't come to visit my blog to hear me complain - you came to see some stitching so that let's get the show on the road!!

TUSAL / ORT Report & Stitching Updates:

So first up... one very late TUSAL photo....

I know a bit of a lazy TUSAL photo this month!!  I decided that I had better empty the small tin of ORT's and couldn't get up the energy to take a photo so I decided to take a progress shot of my new start and the ORT's together!!

The new start is "Queen Anne's Lace" by Nora Corbett.  This was a "free" design that was published in the Just Cross Stitch magazine (April 2016 issue).  I started stitching this on 3rd or 4th April and this where I was when I took the photo on Saturday afternoon.

I haven't done much more as I spent the last couple of nights stitching on a card for my sister who is celebrating the big "50" on 25th April!

While I am showing one Nora Corbett... how about I show you an update on another Nora Corbett design...

I last showed you "Prancer" back in December 2015.... when he looked like this:

He now looks like this:

I have been stitching on "Prancer" over the last couple of weeks as one of the Nora Corbett FB groups has been doing a couple of SAL's and you know me with SAL's... I just have to give them a go!!! Once I have finished the Kreinik on the bottom my next step is the Whisper thread for his tail... I have never used that thread so I have been putting it off!!! Then it will be onto the border and bling - and with a little bit of luck he may be a finish in May!!

Finishes!
I have 2 new finishes to show you!!

Finish #13
First up is my Halloween Ornie SAL Blog design - the theme was "Ghosts".  So here is my Blue Ribbon Designs "Ghost".

I continued on with my Blue Ribbon Designs stitching and stitched another small (insert quick) design from the Halloween Portraits" by Blue Ribbon Designs.  This one took me the better part of Tuesday afternoon/evening last week when I was at home feeling sick and miserable!

I do think that he is a funny looking ghost... but a ghost he is!  The bottom on the ghost is confusing me as he looks like he has way too many feet... or is that supposed to be a flowing ghostly robe??

Finish #14
My second finish last week was the April choice for the Christmas Ornie SAL Blog - theme for April was Ornaments/Decorations.

As soon as this month's choice came up on the stitching plan I knew exactly what I wanted to stitch... I found this design in the Cross Stitch Crazy magazine last year but wasn't sure what to stitch them on (perforated paper, plastic canvas or fabric) - I ended up choosing plastic canvas and once I have stitched a couple more of them I will cut them out and make them into felt backed ornies.

The Christmas Bauble is designed by Jody Rice from Satsuma Street.  Love the colours!  The pink/purple colour is just so lovely...  This is the first time I have stitched anything from Jody/Satusma Street.... Another lovely easy quick stitch!

So that's it for now... all up to date once again.  Next scheduled posting date is Friday when it will be GG update time again!

So til then, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Frosted Pumpkin... Christmas Eve Delivery

Back again.... I promised you another new finish and here it is....

Finish #10

This is my first ever Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery finish.  I have seen these designs around for ages on blogs and FB but never actually stitched one until now!  And I loved stitching on it..  it is so cute!  I will definitely be stitching another one of these designs at some point down the track....  This design was published in the Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2015 magazine.

This cutie was stitched with DMC threads on a plain piece of 28ct linen from my stash.

"Christmas Eve Delivery" is my March ornie for the Christmas Ornie SAL blog and this finish means that I have ticked off another SAL from my March to-do list!! Happy Dances all round this month!

So that's it for now.... I am going to spend the last afternoon of the Easter break stitching on another 2015 WIP that I should get finished today.  I then need to start planning my April stitching... it's all go around here these days!!

Til next time.... I hope that you had a wonderful Easter... see you again soon

Happy stitching, hugs xx

March Goals & February Finishes....

Hello! Another month has flown by...  it is getting very boring how quickly time is flying by now!!

I am back to give you a bit of a update and to show you my latest finish!

Finish #7
My latest finish is another Prairie Schooler design... "Winter's Eve".  I stitched this as my Feb ornie for the JCS SAL.

"Winter's Eve" - The Prairie Schooler
Just Cross Stitch Christnas 2015

I stitched this design on a piece of Navy 14ct Aida.... I haven't stitched on Aida for so long so it was quite nice to do so for a change!  The eagled eyed amongst you may notice a mistake or two... and a change in colour!  The bunny and smoke are supposed to be DMC3022 but as I didn't have that in my stash I changed both out.  I think I should have used a darker brown for the bunny as he blends a bit in the snow!  The main boo-boo was just a bit too major to frog everything so I have left it.... for some reason the house is out and of course that put everything else out!  I stitched the border counting from the roof and then when it came to doing the trees I discovered my error! Oops.... never mind I think it still looks ok with the tree tops right up to the top of the border! :o)

Latest finish done.... SAL update to come! :o)

February SAL Update:
At the beginning of February I set out the SAL goals that I was hoping to achieve during the month... below is an update those SAL's.

**JCS SAL (FB Group) - February: "Winter's Eve" (Designer: The Prairie Schooler) ü

**Christmas Ornie SAL Blog February Theme: Snow - "Snow Mates" (Designer: Blue Ribbon Designs) ü

**Halloween Ornie SAL Blog February Theme: Mummies and Monsters - "Pumpkin Man" (Designer: The Prairie Schooler) ü

**Stitch Maynia (FB group) February SAL update listed below:

- February SAL: "We Love Stitching" (Valentine's theme/or stitching anything we love):  ü
shoehorned "Winter's Eve" into this because I love Christmas designs and I have found a new love - The Prairie Schooler!

- Year of Starts! (12 monthly starts): ü "Winter's Eve" was my February start/finish

- 2016 Chatelaine Shenanigans SAL: no change on my Chatelaine WIP.....

- Brooke's Books Year Long SAL!: no stitching on my Brooke's Books WIP's in February

**Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2016 (DUCJC2016): have sort of changed my mind on this one... I will now try for 31 starts in 2016 (and 31 finishes in 2016!)

March SAL Plans:

**Stitch Maynia (FB group) March SAL is "It isn't easy being Green" - anything that has green in it or is spring related...

JCS SAL (FB Group): "Merry Christmas" (Designer: Samplers Not Forgetten)

Christmas Ornie SAL Blog March Theme: Santa and his helpers

Halloween Ornie SAL Blog March Theme: Pumpkins

Well that's it for today.... time for me to get back to my stitching!  Til next time...

Take care and happy stitching

Hugs xx

Stitching Update and Some Finishes....

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Hello!  Long time no speak.... It was still January the last time I managed to post on my blog... and now it's February!  At the risk of sounding like a broken record - where is time going????

January Stitching Update:
As I mentioned in my last couple of posts I have been doing lots of little stitching starts for various January challenges.  So how did I go in January do you ask....

**Cross Stitch Crazy 2016 (FB group) - 15 starts in 15 days: ü

**Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2016 (DUCJC2016) - 31 starts for January (will inc WIP's): well... I managed a total of 21 starts and then decided to concentrate on finishing a couple of those starts... so this challenge will carry over now to Feb - maybe! :o)

**Stitch Maynia (FB group) January SAL update listed below:

- 2016 Chatelaine Shenanigans SAL (Start a new Chatelaine or stitch on a Chatelaine WIP): didn't stitch on my Chatelaine but that's ok as this is a year long SAL!

- New Year, New Start! (Jan 2016 - start something new!):  ü

- Year of Starts! (12 monthly starts): ü "Snow Mates" was my Jan start/finish

- Brooke's Books Year Long SAL! (Stitch one of Brooke's ornaments/characters/designs each month): no stitching on my Brooke's Books WIP's in January.

JCS SAL (FB Group) - January: "Snow Mates" - Blue Ribbon Designs ü

Christmas Ornie SAL Blog Theme: Music - Durene Jones' Christmas Chorus ü

Halloween Ornie SAL Blog Theme: Winged Creatures, Crows etc  - stitching Joyful World SAL - January design as it features a crow (not Halloween... but shoe-horned in!) - almost finished

So... onto stitching pics!  In my last post I showed you starts 1-14 for January - below we now have starts 15-21...

Gift from a fellow stitcher

Freebie Cross Stitch Crazy - finished!!

This start is also a small finish..... :o)

stitched in one afternoon/evening and becomes Finish #1 for 2016!! 

Another small freebie - Cross Stitch Crazy

Freebie from Cross Stitcher magazine

Freebie from Cross Stitch Collection
this has been in my freebie box for years.......

Freebie from Cross Stitch Crazy or Cross Stitch Card Shop??

Freebie from Cross Stitch Crazy

So that's all the new starts so far for 2016....

Finishes:

You saw Finish #1 earlier in this post (Cherries Notebook) but wait, there is more....

Here are Finishes #2 and #3 for 2016!

"Snow Mates" - Blue Ribbon Designs
Just Cross Stitch 2015 Ornaments Magazine

"Snow Mates" is the January ornie for the JCS SAL FB group and was my start #9 for the January challenges and is Finish #2 for 2016.

(I don't think that I have mentioned the JCS SAL in a post yet... so in a nutshell it is a Facebook group where we are all stitching ornies from the Just Cross Stitch 2015 Christmas Ornaments magazine.  We took a vote on what 12 ornies we would like to stitch for 2016 and the top 12 won! Each month during 2016 we will all stitch the same ornie that month.  If you don't like a month's ornie you can take a wildcard and stitch another ornie from the magazine for the month. Great plan, hey!)

"Christmas Chorus" designer: Durene Jones
Cross Stitch Card Shop #93

"Christmas Chorus" designed by Durene Jones is my Finish #3 for 2016.  This little cutie is my January entry for the Christmas Ornie SAL 2016 - theme was Music.

February Stitching Plans:

Stitch Maynia's February SAL is "We Love Stitching" (Valentine's theme/or stitching anything we love - can be designer/design/fabric/etc - as long as we love it!)

JCS SAL (FB Group): "Winter's Eve" designer The Prairie Schooler

Christmas Ornie SAL Blog Theme: Snow - "Snow Mates" is my February entry and that is already done! ♥- ü

Halloween Ornie SAL Blog Theme: Mummies and Monsters

So that's it for this marathon post..... hope I didn't bore you too much with my rambling!  See you all again real soon for the next round of TUSAL, Alphabet Club and GG posts that are all due in the very near future!

Take care and happy stitching

Hugs xx