Christmas Meerkat

It's half term here this week and we've got lots of things planned with my parents. Let's hope the weather stays nice for us while we're out and about having fun.  I just wish we could have cold weather like we used to when I was growing up so the leaves really do crunch under your feet.

Candy Card

SanMan Originals design stitched onto gold fleck aida and mounted inside a red aperture card.

It's half term now and once we've tidied up, we're going to decorate the hall with some autumn decorations.  We've got a few things planned for half term, one being a halloween trail at Rufford Park and the cinema one day too.

Country Companions Mouse Card

I love this card, although I'm not a great fan of stitching country companions things, I couldn't wait to do this one.

I've finished another scarf and will show the photo later when my camera is charged again.

Happy Christmas Gift Tag

I stitched this piece during the summer holidays, but didn't really know what to do with it after. I had thought on a simple ornament, but my little angel cut through it and didn't leave me enough fabric so I've made it in this gift tag or it can be used as a small card.

Drunk Robin Card

I'm in the mood to make some Christmas cards using my stitching. 

I'm almost finished another scarf and I have another couple in the pipelines.  I also plan on making one and auctioning it off for Breast Cancer Care. 

Stitched Sentiments

Someone asked me if I would stitch them some happy birthday and best wishes to make into toppers for their own cards.  I did and now she's decided she doesn't want them.  That's really annoying when that happens.  I probably won't use them myself.

We're off out tomorrow so long as the weather is good, to Chatsworth House.  Marion really wants to go and see inside the house, she loves history and after the series called Chatsworth a few months ago, she's been desperate to go and visit.

Happy Birthday Grandad, I hope you and Granny are having a wonderful time together up there, we miss you so much.

Happy Christmas

I wanted to stitch something quick that wasn't too taxing on the brain, mainly because I was extremely tired but just didn't want to fall asleep in my chair.

This was in one of the magazines, I changed it a little bit and it's stitched with SanMan Strands.  I wonder if she still does them, it was lovely to work with.

Instead of thinking about stitching, I really should get on and tidy the house, my little lady will be back from her holiday in the next few days and it needs to be tidy (ready for her to trash in a matter of days!!) and I need to clear her junk that I'm so desperate to see gone.

Butterfly

Believe it or not this piece gave me a headache and took about 6 hours to stitch.  It's not difficult, it's only two colours.

They do say that the simplest of pieces give the biggest headache.

Now armed with a large tub of magnolia paint (my choice for a short term finish), gloss paint, polyfilla and the yellow paint I intend spending this week painting the hall, my bedroom and the living room.  At Christmas I asked my daughter to put two drawing pins into the existing holes in the wall in the hall and now it resembles a pincushion, so fill the holes and repaint yellow.  Then re-gloss the skirting boards (in the US you call them baseboards I believe) and the inside of the front door.

I also intend on painting the outside of my front door and the garage door in the same colour, watch out neighbours I'm brightening the place up!!!

Mouse with Stocking

And yes I got it finished :)

I'm on a roll with stitching at the moment.  I know it's all Christmas stuff, but the next piece won't be.  It might be halloween lol

Again this will be made into a card at some stage.

Santa & List

Look another piece of stitching!!!  Another simple piece and not too taxing on the brain, but it's stitching nonetheless.

I will make this into a card when I go up into the loft and get the blank cards out the box.

Drunk Robin

Well, well, well, you might all be saying............but yes this is cross stitch :)  I know it's hard to believe that I actually still do it, but I do.

Hopefully I will get back to the bigger pieces soon, but I'm more than happy at the moment to do these smaller pieces and still enjoy doing them.

A Little Stitching

I know most of you don't believe that I stitch any longer and the truth is I don't do much at the moment.  Whenever I go to sit down to do it I get interrupted and I also have a daughter who just won't go to bed at a reasonable time and when she does, she's up and down like a yoyo and then I can't be bothered with my stitching.

Anyway I managed to get these two little pieces stitched and made up into tags the other day.  Plus I got started on another piece. 

Birdhouse Card

No luck last night in swimming, she's not been moved up. She's fed up now, kept saying it's pointless going as she'll still be in that group when she's in high school.  She was made to do 4 lengths to the others 2, she doesn't have any problems with stamina and she has a full body length on each stroke.  It's just one blasted foot on breast stroke.

What an absolutely miserable day today.  I did have my waterproof coat on for the school run, but I was still cold and wet when I got back in, so had to change.

I had planned on going out to get a few bits and top up with petrol, but have decided that I will only venture out at the end of school and keep my fingers crossed it's not so bad tomorrow.

Have been crafting, been making flowers and a couple of cards and I really should get myself up and finish off the birthday card for Clare, especially if I want to get it to her for tomorrow.

Hatching Chick Card

Quick to stitch and fun for Easter. I just didn't get it posted on here in time.

Cluck Cluck

Blackwork Easter chicks. One of my favourite things to do is stitch blackwork. Freebie, but I can't find the link at the moment.

It was craft class this morning, I had such a headache when I woke up I didn't think I was going to be able to concentrate but we had fun and made a really lovely card. Will take a photo and post about it tomorrow.

Ladybird part 2

She noticed that it had gone from where it had been all last week and said: Ladybird has disappeared.
Me: oh yes, must have fallen off.
M: Yep the poo dried up and it fell off.

She is such a funny girl, I was chuckling for ages.

Snow

San Man Originals Snow. I have stitched this in a variegated blue DMC and the hearts are in a pale blue DMC.

Yesterday was back to school day and somebody wasn't too happy, she'd been put to her bed at 9pm and up and down like a yoyo with all sorts of ailments. When I went to bed at midnight she was still wide awake and protesting like mad. I couldn't understand how she could be so awake and I knew I would be shouting at her to get up in the morning. In the end it wasn't too bad, but "I'm tired" was said numerous times, along with "it's your own fault, I kept telling you to go to sleep" and then "yeah well I thought you might keep me off if I stayed awake". Silly girl.

I didn't have a very good night sleep on Sunday, I was still awake at 2am and then woke up at 5am to the birds starting their morning ritual and my back was aching like a toothache. I should have got up then and got myself some painkillers, but I stayed in bed trying to get comfortable. By the time it actually was time to get up I could hardly move for the pain and spent most of the day aching.

She came out of school and asked if she could leave this one and be transferred to another school because the girl who sits next to her has struck again with her nastiness. She blames Marion for a classmate that left at Christmas because they are moving to a different area. Yesterday it was all Marion's fault that this girl's rabbit has died.

You would think after having spent a day being punished and not being allowed out at play and dinner times this girl would learn her lesson, but no. They did a science experiment today and then had to write about it, so my daughter wrote what she could and this girl moaned like mad that she hadn't written enough - since when did the 9 year old get to tell another 9 year old what to do? Marion refused to do anymore saying her work was finished and this girl just carried on.

I wrote in her diary about it, but if she comes out today saying that this girl has done anything, I will be in there tomorrow.

I am so glad I'm not a child in this day and age. They get nastier every single day.

Dance

Just a little something I stitched up while I was waiting for the washing machine to finish. It turned out smaller than I thought, but I realise that this piece of aida band must be 18 count. I'm going to make it into a card, I have a peel off that will go perfectly with it so I just have to work out how I'm going to do it.

After realising that I had bought the stuff weeks ago, I should really put the wormer liquid on the back of the cats necks. Rascal was fine, he was too busy worrying about whether his food would still be there if he took the time to breathe let alone bother with me doing something awful to him.

His Mother on the other hand was less than amused. She hates the flea stuff, she hates the worm stuff and she makes herself look like she's been tortured after it's been done. Today was no exception, as soon as it was done she sank her neck into her body, constantly blinked and walked sideways as though she was about to be attacked. She then fled past me and demanded to be let outside (this from a cat who would prefer to be lying on the rug). Once outside she became the little con artist and limped to show anyone who was walking about, but apart from the new neighbours everyone knows what she's like. She has mastered this technique, which is mainly used begging to be allowed back in. Her name is Cheeky - suits her down to the ground.

I have been out and bought them a tin of tuna to get in their good books again!!! Until next time lol

Pop, Boom, Sparkle

When I was looking for a chart I came across this one with the threads and chart by SanMan Originals, so decided to stitch it up. I remember stitching it once before, so I must have had a second chart pack.

Stitched on 25ct linen - I don't like it, I really don't like that fabric.

All Heart

This has been stitched with six strand sweets Sweet Baby Cakes.

All weekend my head has been pounding with the pressure from the sinusitis and the cold just won't come out completely. I may well be making an appointment with the doctor if I feel any worse, antibiotics are the only things that clear the sinusitis up quickly for me, I just don't like taking them as they knock me for six.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.

New Year's Resolutions stitching wise this year are simply to finish off as many things as I can and to do more than just small items. I really need to get my blackwork Japanese lady completed this year, she's been sitting staring at me for far too long now.

First finish for 2012 though is this Love design from Hand in Heart. I'm not really into valentines, but I quite liked this one.

I haven't felt fantastically well so far this year, I've got a nasty cough and sinusitis with a cold attempting to come out but not quite getting that far. It's draining as I'm not sleeping properly.

Marion came home yesterday with a Sports Leaders Certificate for completing a Young Leaders course in which she helped the younger children with games and sport things. I didn't even know she'd been doing it, so it was a lovely surprise and I'm very proud of her.