Where have I been....

Lol no where! 

I have actually been taking things easy.... Things here were a little hectic at one point but are now happily returning back to normal. Ha ha what ever normal is!!

Well hello every one!! Thank you so much for popping in to see me...I do hope you like my post today.

As you all know I have been stitching ( to keep my sanity!) the lovely sampler Miss Mary Ann Bournes 1791 designed by Hands Across The Sea Samplers .... Link in my side border 😊

I thought I was not making progress...see it's a rather large design and I was stitching and stitching.  So thought I would show you my journey so far.  I am five weeks today into this wonderful journey and really living every stitch....

Start.....

Week one....

Week two...."

Week three....

Week four....

Week five...."

Wow!! It's so much more clearer what progress I have made layer out like this!! I am thrilled!! 

So that's that stitching!! 

I have some bits to share with you all....

Han recently went out with Kevin and lucky me got something nice! 

How awesome is this fabric! Sorry you all know I am unless at taking photos so tilt your head! Hee hee

For a little while I have been wanting to try perforated paper... Why? Well I am not sure! Ha ha I have read posts some have made about stitching on perforated paper and it seems ok! And as I am one for trying new things I thought I would give it a go!  Well the paper arrived today... Not sure what to do with it yet?! Ha ha 

Do I just stitch on it like it was fabric? One strand or two? And do I then cut the paper around the design? See I know nothing! Ha ha any suggestions would be wonderful 😋

Something rather special to share with you all....

Not long to go now well the 12 May actually!! This is Hans birthday, but not any birthday! It's Hans 21st!! Time has flown by! We, that is jon and I asked ha what she wanted, we wanted it to be something really special... All Han kept going on and on and on about was an iPad pro ( the large one) with the new pencil.  As you all know Han loves to draw so this is probably the best gift we could give Han, knowing she would use it all the time.

So that's what we got her!! Unfortunately the parcel arrived early and Han guessed! Well we don't have packages delivered! She was shrieking at the poor delivery man when he came today! He actually commented but saying he had never been greeted like that before! Ha ha

Here is Hans new iPad pro and pencil.. She is still thinking of a name to call it! No doubt you will see it pop up every now and then as I have now tasked her to take my photos! Ha ha

As you can see it's rather large! 

Jon and I are so happy she loves it.... Lol it keeps her quiet! Ha ha so as I know you read my blog Han....

Even if it is slightly early! 

Ok.... So I am going now but I may have something really special and exciting to share with you all really soon 😊

Until I next pop in.....Keep smiling.....

Something new.....

I have been tired a lot lately.... Still managing to stitch.... Although I am saving the up date for a few more days! 

Have something to share with you all... As the post says, something new.....

Eeeek!!!

Here is our new car!! Not sure I like the colour, I thought it was more Orange? Oh well I am sure it will grow on me.

I am really excited as it's an automatic car and means I don't have to use my left damaged leg to drive now!! Yes our other car was manual and I just could not change gear using the clutch without pain going through my knee... So I am hoping to get out a bit more now...pain permitting naturally.

Here is the brochure colour, so you can kind of see why I thought it more Orange...

Ha ha jon said it looks more orange due to the sun shining on the paint work... Well if that is the case we need to take it to a nice sunny place so I can drive it around looking more orange! 

Bye bye to my old car.... I did love it, hope I love the new one as much.

Nothing exciting in today's post...well craft wise! Sorry!! 

I will do another post very soon with an up date of my wonderful sampler I am stitching 😊 I was just so excited about our new car I had to show you all!! Hope you don't mind!! I don't know anyone, don't have any physical friends so who else am I to show?! Ha ha 

On my health front.... Nothing is happening yet! I had an ultra sound scan of my vital organs....I have to wait for the doctors to review it and then contact me.  Other than that nothing else has happened! Still waiting! 

Ok.... Smiles to you all and I will be back soon 😊

Hello friends 😋 FNSI update 😊

Happy weekend!! And how wonderful it is to of stitched with you all over the world..... In my side bar there is FNSI picture... Click it, it's a quick link....come join in next time?!

Wonderful to be back.... I thought that darn head cold was never going to shift.  It's left me feeling totally exhausted and fatigued.... Just as well I am stuck in bed as I really have no energy to do anything. Well not strictly true! I have energy to stitch! Saying that though, this last week I think I only managed 3 days actual stitching, just so very tired so I slept...only now it feels like I have not slept in months! Ha ha 

Onto what I have been up to..... Ha ha stitching!! Of course!!

It is the wonderful Miss Mary Ann Bournes 1791 from the design studios of Hands Across The Sea Samplers 😊

Here is where I left off on my last update...

And here is what I have managed to stitch on this wonderful journey....

Finished the bird...

And a little more...

The little motifs are adorable...

This is where I am now....

The q snap frame I have it in measures 17" x 17" and that is pretty much full! This is only quarter on the design....oooooh I have completed quarter of the design!! Yipppppeeee!!

Still loving stitching this design ..... Heaps!!

What else has been going on? Hmmmmm

Well I have found another food I can eat! Butter beans! Mmmmm jon, bless him gave me a bowl full! Ooh do you like my little mat on my tray? It was a very kind gift from Sue (kiwikid) ... I love it!!

Far too many butter beans! I am still not eating normal amounts of food... Gave these butter beans a good go.. Look what I left!

Saved some for later and much later! Ha ha

Ok going now, thank you for popping in..... I have something awesome to show you all in my next post... I did a spot of retail therapy! 

Smiles to you all for a happy weekend 😊xx

Under the weather...

NFirstly sorry for not popping in sooner but I have been quite poorly.  I have had this dreadful head cold lingering and I have had terrible sickness too.... But I am here now!!

I have something exciting to share with you all... Eeeeeeekkkk!!!!

Well you all know I love Hands Across The Sea Samplers, their designs are wonderful! I would say that seeing as I am stitching one....right!! But oh!! The designers, Nicola and Sandra have just, literally just released another design.  It's beautiful...really pretty.  I love the colours in it and the look of it too... It's oozing happiness.  

Here it is...

Borrowed the picture from Hands Across The Sea Samplers 😊

How wonderful is that!!! I have a link in my side bar, just click the sampler photo and it takes you to there site... Go have a peek!! 

I have been trying to keep myself busy....yes with stitching!

In my side bar I have the link for this cute little ABC SAL I joined.  The next square was released a little while ago and I have only just got around to stitching it.

Here is how they all look so far...

Sorry I am not the best at taking photos! 

For a little while now I have been secretly been stitching little things for gifts for stitching friends... And I managed to finish one and post it off too! Well ok, Han posted it for me! 

Here is what I made, it's ok I can show you as its been received! The design is from one of my many English magazines in my stash! I thought it pretty so stitched it! 

And am happy to say the person that received this really liked it! And the other little bits I sent too.

I love to send things to friends, so much so that now I have a 'hit list'! Ha ha basically a list of names in order of need... 

And of course I have been stitching away on the stunning sampler Miss Mary Ann Bournes 1871 from the design studios of Hands Across The Sea Samplers...

Here is where I last left off...

Here is what I have been stitching....

And I am pleased to say I attempted my first satin stitch... This had to be filled with satin stitch.

Thankfully on the Hands Across The Sea Sampler pages (link in side bar) they have a helpful section and it showed me how to do satin stitch! This was a wonderful aid and I followed it a couple of times before I got the general idea what to do.

Then I stitched more...

That was a rather naff photo so took some more today whilst stitching...

This is the section I am concentrating on now....

The bird is so pretty... Soon have him finished! 

And am loving every stitch, it's a really lovely design and a joy to stitch.

Ooooh yes!! Recently I found out about a great magazine I would of loved... Ha ha just my luck really finding out about something when it's finished! Yes it's the Sampler & Antique Needlework magazine.  Paper issues are hard to come by, without paying massive postage costs so you can imagine when jon told me he had found one on eBay in England too!! 

Look!!

Hours of drooling reading! Ha ha I say reading! I don't read as such, well not books anyway.  I love stitching reading though! 

Ooooh yes!! Han has been busy drawing again so thought I would share some of her drawings...

Ha ha well this is not really a drawing, she said she was lying in bed and the shadow off her light was on the ceiling... So what she do? Made it into a jellyfish!! Oh but it's adorable! 

And some drawing too....

I thought this had the look of a cartoon almost.... 

Han draws in so many different styles, clever really. I think she is going through a plant phase now!!

Ok I am going now....  Summer must be on its was as when Han went out recently I got sent this photo....

Ha ha she look freezing!! But Han did say it was her first ice cream of 2016!! 

Thank you all so much for popping in to visit me :)

Have a lovely happy smiley weekend xx

Been stitching with friends....

Hello happy friends! 

It's true I have been stitching with friends.... Online ones, all over the world!

Hope you have all been busy? I have been stitching heaps! 

On my last post I mentioned that I was stitching a wonderful design called Miss Mary Ann Bournes 1791 from the design studios of Hands Across The Sea Samplers... Ooo yes!! I have a link now in my side bar!! :)

Here is where I left off in my last post...

And here is what I have managed to do....

I am having real trouble putting my needle down! Thank you all so much for leaving a comment.... I have decided to go.....UP!! 

I have something rather exciting to share with you all!! Well our friend Jo let me know when she messaged me!! I had no idea! So when Han went out she got me a copy of Cross Stitch Collection magazine, it's May 2016 issue.

This one....

And inside.... Ha ha yes me! Well ok not me! But my stitching!! Eeeeeeek!! And omg!! I had the star letter!!! Awesome!! 

Here is the lovely pin cushion I made....

I made it for a fellow stitchers birthday... 

How cool is that!! 

Ooooh yes ..... I received some happy post!!! A total surprise I may add!! Thank you to the lovely Sue (kiwi kid) your so very sweet xx

This is what was in the package...all the way from Australia!! Sue went along to the quilt show...and lucky me got sent some surprises from there!!

How cute is this!! And as it happens I did not have a mat on my over the bed table! So that is where this lives now!! 

How cute is this pin cushion!! It's adorable :) and yes, I will stick pins into the lovely mouse! I will make him look like a hedgehog! Ha ah  I love it!!

Then there was this.... I did not know what it was, and as it happens I still don't know it's name! Oh but it's VERY useful!! 

Open..

Back..

It will be used for those little projects I need to take to the hospital appointments....I can stitch while I wait keeping all my bits together!! It's name? Nope! I don't know... Maybe I should call it.. Margo? Why? Because I can! Ha ha 

Thank you so much Sue for your kindness and friendship xx

Ok....going now as its almost 2 am here! Ha ha I guess it makes no odds as I don't sleep much these days.  I don't stitch all night, I do try to switch off... Catch up with some blogs, watch some naff early morning TV! 

Until I next pop in... Keep smiling :)