Secret Stitching Sweethearts Blog Hop

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

It's Valentine's Day which can only mean one thing... Time for Jo's (Serendipitous Stitching) very special Valentine's Blog Hop...

The idea behind the blog hop is that we all send a photo of our Valentine's or love inspired stitching to Jo; she then sends the photos out to everyone who has joined in the blog hop... but only Jo knows who got what stitching pic!  It is now up to us to go hopping around blog land and see who has our pic.  Once we find the picture we can then reveal ourselves as the Secret Stitching Sweetheart!  (I also love trying to guess who might have stitched what as I wander around drooling over the beautiful stitching pics!)

Below is the delightful Stitching Sweetheart pic that Jo sent me.  I love that fabric colour and the beaded word LOVE... Gorgeous finish!

💖 Is this yours?  💖

💟  Leave a comment below if it is  💟

If you have come to my blog first today... thank you for visiting... If you would like to continue on with the blog hop (or even just start at the beginning) pop over to Jo's blog and see who else has joined the party link to Jo's blog is here.

Somewhere out there is my Secret Stitching Sweetheart pic... let me know if you spot it before I do!!

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not.... enjoy your day... and feel the love! 💝

Happy Stitching... And Happy Valentine's Day

January 2018 Stitching Update

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website

So as you have probably guessed already today is blog catch up day.... this is the third post from me today!  Wonders will never cease... but I have to admit that I am starting to have stitching withdrawal pains so hopefully this post will come together very quickly!!  😅

So the purpose of this post is going to be a very quick run down of what I stitched on during the month of January.  Some of this you will have already seen but hopefully you don't mind seeing it again...

January Starts - 11

Start #1/2018

Start #2/2018

Start #3/2018

Start #4/2018

"Snowy Days" was Start #5 for 2018... and Finish #4 so the picture is below in the "Finishes" section

Start #6/2018

Start #7/2018

Start #8/2018

Start #9/2018

"Holly Jolly Xmas" was Start #10 for 2018... and Finish #2

"L-O-V-E" was Start #11 for 2018... and Finish #3

January Finishes - 4

Finish #1/2018
SfS Credit - $2.00

Finish #2/2018

SfS Credit - $5.00

Finish #3/2018
SfS Credit - $5.00

Finish #4/2018
SfS Credit - $5.00

Other WIP Stitching

Now just for something a little bit different this year, I thought I would chart my actual stitching sessions so that I can see where my stitching time has gone....

The first graph is the stitching for January and the second one is all of the stitching for 2018.  Of course they look the same at the end of January (albeit they are in different styles!)

(Oooh... look you have got a little preview of a Feb start... I forgot to remove that label from the chart before saving the picture!!)

Stitch From Stash Update
January Check In:
Budget: $25.00
Expenses: $131.00
Credit: $17.00 (4 finishes)
New Balance: -$89.00

In my defence... Tammy (CCF) was having 20% sale so I had to buy some fabric that I have been waiting for a sale to order... and I scored two Mira charts for less than half price of a new chart (and one is a huge score!!)

$15 Australian for each of these charts....
that's half the retail price of a Mira in Australia!!

Ok.... so that is a bit of a marathon post above... sorry!! Hope you didn't get too bored by the end (assuming you got to this point...)

I have some great stitching coming up in February, and as it will be Stitch Olympics I should hopefully get some great progress happening on some of my WIPs - so stay tuned!!

Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Smalls SAL January update

The Smalls SAL is hosted by Stitching Lotus

Oh dear... another late catch up post!  January was a good Smalls stitching month... prepare to be blown away by my finishes for January!

Finish #1/2018
Rubber Ducky - Mill Hill kit
Started: 15 September 2016
Finished: 15 January 2018

Finish #2/2018
Holly Jolly Xmas - Emma Congdon / Stitchrovia
Started: 23 January 2018
Finished: 26 January 2018
Fabric: 28ct evenweave (tea/coffee dyed on a light green base)
Thread: "Aussie Plum" Jodyri Designs & Petite Treasure Braid PB10
Source: Cross Stitch Crazy

Finish #3/2018
L-O-V-E - Hands on Design
Started: 26 January 2018
Finished: 27 January 2018
Fabric: 32ct Jobelan "Hot Pink" - Colour Cascade Fabrics
Thread: "Oink" & "Parisian Chic" Jodyri Designs
Source: Freebie from Hands on Design website

Finish #4/2018
Snowy Days - Little House Needleworks
Started: 6 January 2018
Finished: 29 January 2018
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Antique Ivory"
Thread: DMC, Classic Colourworks "English Ivy"
Source: Just Cross Stitch magazine Christmas Ornament Issue 2014

So how's that for a great stitching Smalls month!  I am so pleased to have so many finishes in one month.... but don't worry I am sure that the momentum will probably not continue much past February!!

Til next time... happy stitching!

WIPocalypse 2018 - January update

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings

The object of the WIPocalypse is to stitch on projects that you want to complete before the end of the world, or the end of the year - whichever might come first! WIPocalypse is run by Melissa over at Measi's Musings and is now in it's 7th year.  

For 2018 I am going to try and work on 18 projects (ie 18 in 2018!).  The full list of my projects can be found on my WIPocalypse 2018 page.

Well here we are... the end of the first month of a new year has well and truly come and gone... and I am now very late for my update on my "18 in '18" projects.

During January I worked on 5 of the chosen 18 projects - pictures below are what each piece looked like at the end of January:

12 Days of Christmas - Little House Needleworks

Started: 25 December 2017

Fabric: 28ct Brittney Opal "Celebrations" Jodyri Designs

Threads: DMC

Quaker Christmas II (Songs of the Season) - ByGone Stitches

Started: 1 January 2018

Fabric: 28ct evenweave "grey"

Threads: DMC 816 & 895

Boo Club - Lizzie Kate

"Spooky"

Started: 1 January 2018

Fabric: 28ct Lugana (studio session -Wicked Garden) Colour Cascade Fabrics

Threads: DMC & Weeks Dye Works

Happily Ever After - Frosted Pumpkin

March Block (Billy Goats Gruff)

Started: 2 January 2018

Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Dark Fantasy" Colour Cascade Fabrics

Threads: DMC, Dinky Dyes, Jodyri Designs

Question of the month: What SAL’s are you participating in this year? and If you are participating in the Olympic Stitching Challenge, what challenge are you accepting?  What are your goals?

As per usual, I am participating in a number of SALs this year:

- Stitch Maynia SALs (FB group)

- LHN/CCN Stitching Group SALs (FB Group)

- Long Dog Samplers - Castles in the Air (FB group)

- Pink Sparrow Sampler SAL (FB Group)

- Jane Austen Reading & Stitching SALs (FB Group)

- Halloween Ornie and Christmas Ornie Blog

This year I have decided not to sign up for any of the designer mystery SALs that are out there... there are so many of them and I just have too many other things I want to do!!  I still haven't completed last year's mystery SALs!

I am thinking that I will do the WIPocalypse Olympics rotation challenge as that will line up the the Stitch Maynia Olympics challenge...  I am all for re-purposing my SALs and stitching plans as and when I can! 😉

That's it for this month - til next time, happy stitching

Gifted Gorgeousness January 2018

Well here we are again! Another year... and another chance for me to try and be a good blogger and post once a month for the GG SAL!  Last year was not a good posting year, but hopefully this year will be better!

My plans for 2018 are to post at this time of the month with my progress on my Halloween Ornie Blog WIP.  Why is that do you ask?  Well.... my reasoning behind this is because my chosen Halloween Ornie project is a giveaway win from late 2016.  The post on my win is here should you wish to review it.

Giveway prize from Nifty Needle Nannies 2016
"Boo Club" - Lizzie Kate
Started: 1 January 2018
"Spooky"
Fabric: 28ct Lugana "Wicked Garden" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: DMC black & white, all other WDW as per chart

The photo above is my start on this piece.  I have done more... but I forgot to take the photo last night in preparation for my post... Oops :0(

I do, however have a photo of when I was stitching on this piece last Friday.  My cute little stitching buddy thought she would help mummy stitch! Actually I think it was more a case of enough stitching Mummy.. time for a cup of tea and biscuit!!  ;0)

So that's it for this month.  The next opportunity for you to see this piece will be at the end of the month when I post my Halloween Ornie Blog update.

Til then, have a great stitchy week... and happy stitching

Jo from Serendipitous Stitching hosts the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL.  The GG 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 link here, or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.