First card finish of the year.

I am pleased with how quickly I stitched this Forever Friends ted. I only started him last weekend. He is out of the latest issue of WOCS magazine. The chart had the candles all different colours but I went with just the lilac. He is so cute I wish I was keeping him myself ! But he is for one of the girl's bestest friends who turns 18 in a couple of weeks. I kept the card simple so she could just remove the Happy Birthday sticker and frame the picture. I hope she does.

Because I worked on this all week I have done no more stitching on Pension Day. I want to start another small cute picture for another card soon but have just realised I need to stock up on a particular DMC colour required in the chart.

Otherwise I am still stitching squares for my charity and may start one of those instead until I get to the shop.

Had a tiring weekend, not because I went out but because the girls have had late nights out and I tend to wait up for them (or have to pick them up late !) I suppose that is the joys of having 17 year old daughters. Next Saturday we are going to London again as Becki has an audition at London Contemporary Dance School, I hope she gets a good outcome from this as we all liked this school when we visited in October. So fingers crossed !!

Hope you have all had a good week.

Ginnie xx

New Year Resolution

I have been away from my blog for far too long and I have started to miss it.

So I am determined to try and blog more again in 2012.

Since my last post in July I have stitching only small things, a few of which are below. I don't seem to have as much time as I did as in October I increased my hours at work. I have also lost some motivation to stitch.. I hope I can get back into the swing of things more agin in 2012.

The girls have kept me busy too, especially Becki. We have been down to London (and Leeds)several times to view Dance schools and in December she has had 2 auditions. Sadly she had a straight rejection from the one school but the other has put her on a reserve list... which is a little more promising. In January she has 2 more auditions, so lets hope one of them is a "yes".

Laura has had offers from both Nottingham and Birmingham University to study Ancient History and Archeology in Sept '12. She wants to go to Nottingham as long as she gets the grades.

So here are a few of my pieces from the last couple of months. Firstly these are the cards I made the girls this year for Christmas. Becki's is London... in the hope she ends up at a Dance School there and Laura's is Rome as she hopes to visit Rome when she is studying Ancient History. They were stitched with metallic thread !

This is a Forever Friends one I just fancied stitching for myself. I haven't actually done anything with it yet.


Lastly this is my Christmas Angel, she is very pretty. I have just made her into an ornament but haven't taken a new photo yet.



Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and see you in 2012.

Ginnie xx

The Flatfold !

Here it is, the attempt at a Flatfold with my Forever Friends Christmas piece. It's not perfect but I am pretty pleased with it. There is just an annoying small blob of glue showing on the top left hand corner!!

Frony view -

And the side view -

And the back view -

My mom bought me the material and I have enough left to do the other Forever Friends Christmas Stocking stitching I finished a few months ago. So I will have matching Flatfolds!

I am in the "Christmas" stitching mood! I have also just completed this Christmas Tree on perforated paper. It is in the latest World of Cross Stitching magazine and will make a 3D card. I will post another photo when it is done.

Otherwise I have been working on some charity stitching, sadly the photos are a bit dark of these so I'll leave them off!

Sorry just a brief post to show photos as I have to go and pick up Becki in a moment from dancing!

Happy stitching

Ginnie xx

A selection of finishes

I wanted to wait until I had finished another piece before posting again, so it seems a while since my last entry. I was delayed by waiting for some thread, I thought it was taking a long while to be delivered then yesterday I discovered a package behind a plant pot at the front door, must have been there a few days and the postman forgot to let me know!!! Luckily the contents were dry and secure.

Firstly my cousin and his wife had their baby last weekend, it arrived a few weeks early but all is well. They had a little girl and called her Elizabeth Rose. So I was able to put the finishing touches to my Forever Friends birth sampler and get it posted to them.

I then work most of the week on the Forever Friends Christmas Ted as I was enjoying this so much. It was finally finished earlier today and I am going to be very brave and make it into a Flat Fold as I have seen some lovely ones on other blogs! So watch this space.

Lastly I started just 7 days ago this lovely Christmas Victorian Lady, I had seen the pattern in the same magazine as the Forever Friends Ted and found an oval frame to suit it. I needed some Kreinik thread though to finish it and that's what I had been waiting for. I did it on 18ct so it is quite delicate looking.

And here it is in its frame. I also have a round frame like this and another similar pattern to go in it.... so that'll be my next project although first I want to get another Charity Square started.

It is half term this week and I have had 2 days off, but it's back to work tomorrow. Becki has a charity Dance Show on Saturday so it is rehearsals all week! Laura has been having a major room tidy ! (hooray) and I have had a good sort out in the living room and moved the furniture around..... most contented now! Back to work for a rest !!!

Until next time........

Ginnie xx

Back to my bags!

I had the sewing machine back off my mom yesterday and I was just itching to use it!! So I finally made Becki's Pointe Shoe bag with the ballet dancing hippo on! The material was a great match considering I bought it without taking my stitching with me! I made it just a drawstring bag but used green ribbon to thread through it. I am very pleased with the end result and so is Becki. I have told her not to bring back any orders when she starts rehearsals!!

I also continued with my Family Tree piece. I'm not really sticking to my rota at the moment so I have changed it. I will put my 2 large projects (Family Tree and Henry VIII) in a 2 week each rota and then do any other along with them..... whatever takes my fancy! So Family Tree has had its 2 weeks so now it is Henry's turn.

I worked over the weekend on the block in the middle of the tree and shows our family name. It was a bit boring as it was all cream..... one big block! I also struggled fitted our big double barrelled surname in.... but I did it. Just the green of the tree at the bottom, the bird and all of the top border to go. I am very proud of my determination to finish this now!

My lovely little Forever Friends bear is also complete (as far as possible). Just need to wait now to add either blue or pink around the bib and border and of course the name! I just love him..... and have lined up the next Forever Friends bear to do!! I'm obsessed!

I also made a start on the Summer cushion to match the Spring one I finished earlier in the year. I am working on this at stitch club on a Wednesday night. No picture of that yet!

The girl's have a busy week of exams coming, they have had Maths this afternoon and found it a hard paper! Poor things are stressed and not sleeping well but have only 16 days to go until they are done!

Happy stitching

Ginnie xx

Tree update and another square

Just enjoying my last day off work before returning tomorrow! We had a nice day in Bath on Saturday but the weather was a bit miserable and the journey down took forever because of holiday traffic! We only took a few photos as my battery ran out! Should have remembered to charge it!

Here are just a couple of shots at the Roman Baths.

I have been trying to work on my Family Tree while I have been off work. It is getting there slowly........ I am still aiming to get this finished by the end of the summer. I am going to carry on with this as soon as I have finished blogging!

I have finished the other mouse charity square to go with the one I completed last week. This time he is in his aeroplane

Then I have started my Forever Friends baby teddy for my cousin's baby. He is looking very cute! I will have to leave some parts blank until I know if it is a boy or a girl.

The girls left school on Thursday, what an emotional day that was. I actually cried after I had dropped them off and drove home! I still remember their first day at both Primary and Secondary School and it seems like only yesterday! They took loads of photos and had some lovely comments written in their leavers book. Now it's just exams and revision sessions!!

I am only back in work for 2 and half days and on Friday afternoon we are off to see "Hairspray"...yeah!! So something else to look forward too.

Until next time.

Ginnie xx

Christmas in the sunshine

It felt odd finishing off my Forever Friends Christmas Stocking this weekend as it was soooo hot here!! In fact too hot to stitch, the really warm weather drains me and by the evening I have hardly any energy to pick up my needle! Luckily I worked on the last bits of back stitch yesterday afternoon on 2 pieces so have 2 to show!

Firstly the lovely Christmas Stocking. I love the Forever Friends teds but have never stitched one..... now that I have I have 2 others lined up to do. He is so cute! The back stitch was a bit of a pain as there were several shades of brown and grey but the effect was worth it in the end.

I have found another Christmas one to do, but have started first a baby Forever Friends ted birth sampler for my cousin and his wife. I had so much thread left from the Anchor kit of the stocking that I am using that up first for the baby ted.

Secondly I have finished another charity square, this is just for a general "boys" theme. I have now started one of a mouse in an aeroplane to match!

I can't believe that the girls only have 2 and half more days until they finish school for their exams. After all they have been through this year I am glad that they have put that behind them and are looking back on their time at school in a happy way. They have made some lovely friends and are going to miss them a lot. They took my camera in to school today and intend taking it in all week to catch some "end of school" moments! It seems very odd to me too, they will catch the bus to college from September so won't be needing my taxi service in a morning. It doesn't seem 5 minutes since I took them to Primary School for their first day, they were fine but I got home and cried my eyes out!!

Next week is also half term week so I am planning a few days holiday and we are hoping to have a day trip out to Bath. We love it there but haven't been for several years. We hope to visit the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen museum. So expect some photos next time.

Until then happy stitching.

Ginnie xx