Gifted Gorgeousness - January 2019

Image from Princess Sassy Pants & Co

Happy GG New Year! It's time to start off a brand new GG year and this year I am planning to post way more regularly than I did in 2018! Although as you will notice I am late posting this month - so I am already behind the eight-ball! I did have great intentions to post on time but alas... my plans did not come to fruition!

First up... we have a gift of fabric from stitching friend
Earlier this month I was stitching a small Christmas Ornie design on a left over scrap of fabric that was gifted to me way back when.... in fact I can even show you the original post if you want to click in the link here.  This fabric also became a part of the very first GG post I ever made... link to that post is here.

Design: "JOY"
Designer: Rovaris
Source: Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue 2018
Started: 6 January 2019

as at 15 January 2019

Next up we have a Free Design from a Designer
Link to freebie chart is below

Design: "Happy Howloween"
Designer: Brooke's Books
Source: Brooke's Books Website (link to freebie page)
Started: 14 January 2015

Stitching Challenge starting point 11 January 2019

Stitching Challenge finishing point 12 January 2019

And last but not least, a gift from a Stitching Friend
Chart was purchased using a gift certificate from Linda (Stitching with my Furbabies)

Design: Fur-ever Friends - Laurel Burch (Mill Hill Kit)
Started: 17 May 2017
Source: Mill Hill Kit

Stitching Challenge starting point 21 January 2019

Stitching Challenge finishing point 13 January 2019

I stitched on "Happy Howloween" and "Fur-ever Friends" for a couple of stitching challenges (Cross Stitch Finish Line Stitchathon and Magical School of Stitching & Literature stitching challenge).  As the challenges were in 2 different Facebook groups I was able to use the stitch totals for both challenges!  Love it when that happens 😸

That's it for my January GG update.  See you again soon.  If you want to know more about the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL pop over to Jo's blog and check out her sign up page (link is here)

Til next time, Happy Stitching! 😻

Hugs xx

October Update / November Plans

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website/blog

Oh that is so true... slow progress is my only progress...  I have been stitching and getting some good progress on a couple of projects but my posting/blogging progress is almost no existent!!

So in an effort to fix that... here is an update on everything that I haven't shown you for October and a little bit about of info what I am going to try and do in November.

Gifted Gorgeousness Stitching
I completely missed posting for GG during October.  I managed to stitch on two pieces that could fit in the GG brief during the month - I will show them here as I have something up my sleeve for the November GG post.

Happy Howloween - Brooke's Books
(Freebie chart) the link to the freebie page is here
The last time I showed this was back in July 2015... and that was the last I stitched on it.... I can't believe that, but it must be true as this is what it looked like when I started stitching on it in October.

Happy Howloween - July 2015

It now looks like this:

October 2017

Dream Big - Country Cottage Needleworks
(Gift from Tiff)
The last time I showed you "Dream Big" was back in August 2017.  The gorgeous design is a gift from Tiff and I am almost done...

August 2017

This cute little bunny now looks like:

October 2017

So that's it for GG stitching.... now onto Smalls stitching (such that it is!)

October Smalls Stitching
The only "small" that I stitched/finished during October was my Peek-a-Boo Pals - Libra, which you have already seen for the Zodiac SAL.

Finished 8 October 2017

I did however have a couple of new Smalls starts... 

Hocus Pocus Trilogy - Muriel
Mill Hill kit
Started 13 October 2017

Peekaboo Pals Zodiac - Scorpio / November (Deborah Flynn)
Started: 25 October 2017
Fabric: 28ct Brittney "Dawn of Spring" - Jodyri Designs
Threads: DMC
Chart: World of Cross Stitching magazine, issue 142

My little Scorpio girl is not quite finished... but I will try and get her done by the end of the week!

So that's it for Smalls... no new finishes but hopefully by the end of November that will change!

WIPocalypse Check In
Woeful progress on my WIPocalypse projects during October.  The only pieces I worked on you have already seen... I finished Halloween Happiness on 1st October and 12 Days of Christmas Day 9 was finished on 15th October.  I haven't even started Day 10 on 12 Days!!  Now I am going to be in trouble with my plans to finish that one this year if I don't get a move on!!

Halloween Happiness - Sandra Cozzolino

12 Days of Christmas Day 9 - Plum Street Samplers

This month Mel has posed a second question... I will answer that one first and then answer the monthly question.

Do you have any plans or instructions for your stitching projects and stash for after you’re gone?
I don't have any plans for any of my stitching projects or stash for after I go.  No one in my family stitches... it is something that I have jokingly talked to Hubby about and his solution is to get 2 coffins - one for me and some stash and a second one for the rest of the stash - after all I am going to need to take something with me when I go!! 😄

How did you begin stitching?
I started stitching way back in the early 80's when I was 20-something.  My mum used to buy a craft/home magazine (Better Homes & Gardens I think it was called) and they used to occasionally have embroidery or cross stitch patterns in them.  You could also buy some kits that you could embroider aprons, pillow cases or table cloths with and I bought a couple of those to try.  But my first introduction into embroidery was by my Mum's mum.  She used to hand embroider doiley's and she got me to try some when I was about 10 or 12... I didn't enjoy the embroidery but when I found the stamped cross stitch versions I decided that I could do this!  From humble beginnings as they say!

OK... so that's the missing October stitching progress done and dusted.... how about some other stitching pics?

New Start
Shimmering Mermaid - Mirabilia (Nora Corbett)
Started: 6 October 2017
Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast "Oceans" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: as per chart - DMC

October 2017

Pumpkins 4 Sale - Little House Needleworks
Fabric: 28ct Jobelan "Silver Springs" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: as per chart - DMC, Classic Colourworks (Crescent Colours)

I last showed you this back in September.  I had hoped to stitch this for the SAL that Vonna was running over on the CCN/LHN facebook page but alas that was not to be!  But I will keep stitching on this over the next few months and it will be finished eventually!  This month Stitch Maynia's Designer SAL is Little House Needleworks so I will put in a couple of stitches during November for that SAL.

September 2017

It now looks like this after stitching on this a number of days during the last few weeks including trying to stitch on it last weekend at the Colour Cascade Fabrics stitching retreat (more talking than stitching being done on Day 1!!):

October 2017

During the month of October I also stitched on the following:

Castles in the Air - Long Dog Samplers
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "At Last" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Thread: DMC White (accents will be in gold or silver)

August 2017

I spent a Sunday stitching on this during October and it now looks like this:

October 2017

Queen of Peace - Mirabilia (Nora Corbett)
Fabric: 32ct Opal Belfast Linen "Hole in the Sky" - Colour Cascade Fabric
Threads: DMC, Kreinik
I hadn't since on this beauty since April 2017... so I took her to the Colour Cascade Fabrics stitching retreat last weekend and spent a number of hours stitching on her on Day 2....

April 2017

I carried on stitching on her when I got home on Sunday night and she now looks like this:

Ok... that's my October stitching update.  I have been thinking about what I want to do in November and have come up with a plan!  I have 15 WIPocalypse projects left for 2017 - I know I won't finish them all but there are some that I haven't touched all year, so my plan is to stitch at least 50 mins on each one in November.  Stitch Maynia is having a SAL relating to 50... it's a spin-off of a writing challenge so I thought I could use that to touch all of my other projects and who knows there may be another finish before the end of the year!

So that's it for today... 
Sorry it's such a long one!
Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Stitching Update.... Happy Howloween!

Who's ready for a stitching update?  So far I have been sticking to the weekly rotation and over the last week I have been beavering away on "Happy Howloween".

Last time I showed you this WIP was back in April when I was doing the A-Z Blog Challenge.  I originally started stitching this crazy little design back in January and with a bit of luck the next time I pick this one up it will be a finish!

So how much have I stitched on it since the last update?

April pic below:

June WIP update pic:

Not bad, huh?  Spending a whole week on a WIP is certainly helping these projects move along at a cracking pace rather than the snail's pace that they were doing!

For those that might be interested and haven't seen my previous post - "Happy Howloween" is a freebie design from Brooke Nolan and you can find the design on Brooke's website - the link to the freebie page is here.

That's it for today....

Til next time, happy stitching!

#realstitchersdontsteal

H - Happy Howloween

9th April "H" Post

"Happy Howloween"

Welcome to 9th April and posting Day 8 of the "Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge".   Goodness this is one way to make the month fly by!!

Today is "H" - "Happy Howloween"

Happy: feeling or showing pleasure or contentment

Howloween: a play on words.... Halloween as spoken by cats and dogs!!

I love this design - it so cute!  This is yet again another freebie from Brooke Nolan (Brooke's Books Publishing) - link to the freebies page is here

I last stitched on the cute puppy back in February and I left him looking like this.... sad little fellow with only 2 legs and no body....

Those cheeky fellows came out of hiding again last night and now they look like this:

At least now the puppy/cat has the beginnings of a body!  The fabric colour looks different again... the first photo is taken in daylight and is a lot closer to the real colour than the washed out colour in the second picture...

So that is "H" covered off .. (did you notice that my title had two "H"'s?)...

Tomorrow is "I" Day and this the first letter so far that I have really had to do some planning for as I have no WIP's starting with "I"....  I guess it will be a surprise for everyone including myself as to what turns up tomorrow :o)

Til next time.... Happy Stitching and Happy Blogging!
Hugs xx

Crazy January Challenges - Stitching Updates....

Remember all those lovely designs that I started stitching throughout January, well I have tried to make a big effort to keep stitching on them throughout February.  I did show you some of them in my stitching updates over the last couple of weeks - post link are here and here... and now I have some more for you.

Lizzie Kate's Tiny Tidings XV - "Feeling Festive"

When you last saw this little cute reindeer he looked like this:

Now he looks like this:

Lizzie Kate's Tiny Tidings XV - "Joyeux Noel"

Back in January, the second of the designs from this chart pack looked like this:

Now, it looks like this:

Slowly but surely these two are inching along....

The Trilogy - Halloween Sneak Peek

Back in January I left you with a little bit of a black border:

and today there is not much more to see.... just a tiny bit more of the black border!

Happy Howloween - Brooke Nolan (Brooke's Books)

I just love these two cuties (a cat dressed as a dog and vice versa!).... in January I left them looking like this:

Not a lot of progress happened when I picked this up again the other day... but at least the dog/cat is getting a pair legs!!

Don't you just love how different the fabric looks under different light and photo conditions!  The photo above is probably a lot closer to the real colour of the fabric than the one I took in January!

I have also been stitching on some new starts over February, but they will have to wait for another post!

♥ Thank you for all your lovely comments on my posts over the last few weeks... it is so nice to read your encouraging words. ♥

Til next time, Happy Stitching!
Hugs xx

Day 14 - Crazy Start #14 - Happy Howloween!

I think it's safe to say that I might be a little bit obsessed with Brooke Nolan's designs now.... I have started another one!!!  I don't do things by half, do I?

This one is a Halloween design which I can use for the Hallowe'en Ornie Blog SAL 2015 but not sure yet which theme it will be for as yet.

"Happy Howloween!" - Brooke Nolan (Brooke's Books)

So what is this cute design - well it is a cat and a dog dressed up as a cat and dog for Halloween!  No finished pic on the website though, sorry.... but if you look at the link to the freebie chart you will see how cute they are.

I am stitching these guys on another fabric from Stitches and Spice - this one is called "Sugar Cane Crunch" and is 28ct Jubilee.  It is the same colour as I am stitching "Jingles" on but a different fabric count and it looks completely different in the picture above as to what the real colour looks like!!

So that's it for Day 14..... last day of the 15 crazy starts is today....  Tomorrow I will update you on what I stitch tonight.  Either tomorrow or Saturday I will post an update on where I am at with the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL stitching.

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"
Day 6 - "Koala"
Day 7 - "Sneak Peek - Halloween"
Day 8 - "Printemps"
Day 9 - "été"
Day 10 - "Joyeux Noel"
Day 11 - "Feeling Festive"
Day 12 - "New Year's Magic"
Day 13 - "Grumpy Kitty"

Til next time, Happy Stitching!
Hugs xx