I'm so slack

Gosh here it is almost the middle of June and I see that my last post was in April!! Well I can't guarantee I'll post more often but here's a few pics of what I've been up to!

First up is the piece I was working on for an Easter/Spring SAL:

Bent Creek - Easter Snapper

stitched as charted on 32ct jobelan

I then stitched up this little cutie:

Lizzie Kate - Egg Hunt

Stitched as charted on 28ct Antique White monaco.

Buttons from stash.

I also worked on one of my January Crazy 15 Challenge pieces, here's

my pitiful progress!

Lizzie Kate - Christmas Flip-its progress as at May 31, 2011.

I did manage to finish 2 of my other January Crazy Challenge piece

s which brings my total to 9 out of 15 finished. The last 6 pieces are are a bit bigger though and they include the above flip-its as well as Blue Ribbon Designs - Autumn Leaves & Sunflower Seeds; Jeanette Douglas Designs - Spring Stitches; Shakespeares Peddler - Sampler Roundy; Victoria Sampler - Christmas Treasures & M Designs - Floral Sampler. I still have quite a bit of stitching ahead of me if I am to finish these pieces this year, which is the goal!! Anyway, here's a couple of pics of finishes number 8 & 9 from the challenge.

Finish #8

Mill Hill Santa ornament

stitched as charted on perforated paper with DMC.

Stitching completed April 26, 2011.

This was my first Mill Hill ornament and won't be my last. I discovered that perforated paper is great to stitch on while travelling in the car, so I'll be making sure I have a kit handy the next long car trip we take as a family!

Finish #9

Just Nan - Tulip Time

Stitched as charted on 32ct Lavender Belfast.

Loved stitching this one and need to pull another Just Nan out of the stash!

Well that's it for me, I'm currently stitching on one of my other wips, Elizabeth Designs - In The Garden of My Heart, and am making some progress so I'll be sure to post a pic next time!

Happy Stitching & thanks for visiting!

hugs

Amanda

Wow, it's been a while....

Hi all

Gosh what happened to March! I didn't realise I had missed a whole month of posting. I've been working on my crazy January challenge pieces and also on some of my older wips. So without further ado, here's some pics!

First up, here's my March ornament:Country Cottage Needleworks - Visions of Sugar Plums unknown 28ct linen with DMC

I was so sorry to hear the bad news about Lisa from the Primitive Needle as were a lot of others. I decided to stitch one of her designs. Here's a little witch:

Fabric is a remnant from my stash, think it was part of a hand-dyed grab bag from silkweavers. Threads used were Crescent Colours - Raven, GAST - Fragrant Cloves & GAST Avocado.

In March I made some progress on my crazy challenge piece, Blue Ribbon Designs - Autumn Leaves & Sunflower Seeds. This month I finished the squirrel block & the house block. Here's a pic of my progress:

The last few weeks I've been stitching on an older wip, Mirabilia's Mermaids of the Deep Blue. The last time I touched this I had to frog a bit and ended up putting it away. I was just past the halfway mark. Here's a progress pic of the whole project, I've been working on the left mermaid and you can see with the mermaid on the right where I was at previously.

Here's a close-up of the area I've been working on, it seems blogger has turned the pic sideways for some reason though. Sorry for the lousy pics, my camera seems to be playing up!

Well that's it for now, I'm currently working on Bent Creek's Easter Snapper for an Easter SAL I'm in with one of my yahoo groups. As I only started it last night I haven't got a pic yet but will endeavour to get one soon.

Thanks for looking and as always, your comments if you have a chance to post one are most welcome!

Happy Stitching

Amanda

Hearts for valentines...

Hi all

Well as last week began with Valentine's Day I decided it was time to give some attention to one of my wips, Drawn Thread's An Open Heart.

Here's where I was at before:

Here's where I'm at now:I'm so glad to have finished the heart at the top, it seemed to take me forever!!

My 12 days of s.e.x exchange is now over, here's a pic of my goodies, all Halloween goodness! This was such a lot of fun and an exchange I will definitely participate in again!

This week I am working on one of January Crazy challenge pieces, Lizzie Kate's Snowman '10. I'm hoping he will be finished soon!

Thanks for looking and your comments are much aprpeciated!

Happy Stitching

Amanda

Some w.i.p progress & more exchange goodies!

Hi all

Well as promised here's my wip progress for this week, it's a bit pathetic really but I worked back a few nights this past week so that's my excuse :) This week I managed the small garden box on the right hand side, the one below it and a bit of the border.

The 12 days of s.e.x exchange continues, here's what I got for days 3 & 4. There is a definite theme to these gifts & I am just loving it!

Day 3 - various Halloween ribbons.

Day 4 - Haunted house photo holder, can be used to hold small stitched pieces too.

Well that's all for me today, I'll endeavour to post more progress & exchange pics this week.

Happy stitching

hugs

Amanda

I'm back..........

Hi all

Well now I am back to work my stitching time has been drastically reduced but nevertheless I have some pics for you! Some are from the last week in January before I went back to work.

First up is another finish from my crazy January challenge:

Meet Ozzy!

The Cat's Whiskers - What A Hoot!

Stitched as charted with recommended DMC.

Stitching completed January 2011.

Next up are some progress pics on a couple of other crazy January pieces:


Victoria Sampler - Christmas Treasures
progress as at January 31, 2011
Blue Ribbon Designs - Autumn Leaves & Sunflower Seeds progress as at February 4, 2011



Last weekend I hosted a get together at my house. A lot of fun was had by all, some stitching was done & we even managed a couple of finishes! An amazing feat as usually there is too much laughter & chat to even stitch! I am so glad we have airconditioning as it was the hottest day of the summer here and was still 36C outside at 6pm! Thanks to all who came, we need to do it again soon! I didn't manage any stitching as was chatting too much but after the ladies left I managed to kit up a piece for a SAL I participated in. I started him on Sunday afternoon and finished him on Monday night! Just love him!

Heart in Hand - Leggy Snowman

stitched as charted with DMC

28ct Smoke Linen

stitching completed February 7, 2011

I'm currently participating in a 12 days of S.E.X exchange with some friends and we started opening parcel on the 10th, here's my first 2 parcels, I'm sensing a definite theme here!

Day 1


Day 2


I'm currently working on on of my previous wips as I'm hoping to get some of them finished this year too, at the moment it's Elizabeth's Designs - In the Garden of my Heart. I'll try and post a progress pic tomorrow.


Well that's enough from me for today, if you've stayed with me this long, thank you!!


Happy Stitching

Amanda

Another crazy finish!

Hi all

Well in the last few days I have managed to work on a few of my crazy challenge pieces and even finished another one! Boy am I glad I chose smaller projects for this challenge! First up here's my finish:

Shepherds Bush - Halloween Grins
32ct Cream Belfast
Crescent Colours, GAST, WDW & DMC
Stitching completed January 23, 2011

My thanks to Mar who got the chart & button for me when it first came out!

Here's my wip progress pics

Mill Hill - Father Frost - this is the hat all done, now onto the face!



Shakespeares Peddler - Sampler Roundy


Lizzie Kate Snowman '10
The Cat's Whiskers - What a Hoot

I also managed to finish another LHN ornament, this one was started last year in December and languished for a while due to the time of year. It then got put aside for the challenge starts so I'm glad it's finally finished!

Little House Needleworks - Frosty Flakes
32ct Raw/Natural Belfast
Crescent Colours & DMC
Stitching completed January 24, 2011

Well thanks for looking & thanks for all your comments too!

Happy Stitching

Amanda

2 more Crazy January finishes!

Hi!

Wow 2 posts in 2 days, has to be a first for me! As is 2 finishes in one day! Here's what I managed to get finished yesterday! First up is the little Homespun Elegance piece. I used a button from the stash rather than the charted one but am not 100% sure of it, I think it may need to be moved a little or.......

Homespun Elegance - Blessings to all

Finished Jan 18th, 2011

32ct sandstone belfast

DMC& WDW

Next up is Just Nan's Frost on the Pumpkin. I think this piece took me longer to decide what fabric to use than it did to actually stitch it! It's so cute & sparkly though & I'm really pleased with it.

Just Nan - Frost on the Pumpkin

finished Jan 18th, 2011

28ct sage cashel

DMC & charted beads

Well that's all for me today, not sure which project I will pick up today but there may even be another finish in the wings!



Thanks for all your comments, I really appreciate you taking the time to post.



Happy Stitching
hugs
Amanda

Crazy January Challenge Day 15 - A finish!

Hi all

Well there was no stitching done after the wedding. Don't know what I was thinking but drinking wine & stitching do not mix, lol!! Anyway, I started my 15th new start on Sunday the 16th instead and as it was still on the q-snaps I thought I might as well finish it! So without further ado, here's my 15th start for the year & my 1st finish! Please excuse the wrinkles as I haven't ironed it yet!

Little House Needleworks - Peppermint Twist
Stitched as charted with DMC & Crescent Colours
28ct Flax cashel ( least I think it's flax!)
Started January 16th, 2011
Completed January 17th, 2011

As I still had a bit of stitching time yesterday I pulled out one of my starts and got a bit more done it, it should be finished later today as all that's left to do is a candy cane & reindeer and then add a charm :) Here's my progress on Homespun Elegances December freebie

Well that's all for today, look for another finish real soon!

Happy Stitching

hugs

Amanda

Crazy January Challenge Day 14

Hi all

Here's my 14th start, started January 14th.

Jeanette Douglas Designs - Spring Stitches

36ct sand edinburgh linen

accessory pack - gloriana, NPI & kreinik silk mori

This is the 3rd in the series, after this I have Summer Stitches to go. As I'm stitching all 4 on the same piece of fabric I've included a pic of where Spring fits in :).

Had an almost disaster while stitching this which is why there isn't more progress. I spilt my cup of coffee and a bit splashed on this project. Luckily none got on the stitched parts so I will be able to rinse the small part of the fabric carefully. Unfortunately the chart didn't fare quite as well and ended up with a bit of a soaking!! It has come out ok as it was cleaned up pretty quick but the chart is no longer in the best shape!

Well I have a wedding to attend in a couple of hours, my DH is the best man. It should be a lot of fun as it's the 2nd wedding for both parties and as the bride has small children, they have hired a jumping castle and there will be a pool for the kids to swim in! I'm hoping I'll still be able to meet my goal and start the 15th and final project this evening when I get home, if not I'll start it tomorrow instead.

Thanks for looking
Happy Stitching
Amanda

Crazy January challenge pics so far..

Hi all

Here are the pics of my starts so far, apologies as this post will be pic heavy!

Start #1 - started January 1st

Victoria Sampler - Christmas Treasures

28ct taupe cashel linen

threads as charted (Gloriana, NPI, Kreinik Mori, Caron Waterlilies)

Pathetic start on this but I was at my parents house & couldn't find my tape measure so had to start in the middle rather than on the border. The lighting was awful too as I didn't have my stitching lamp.

Start #2 - started January 2nd

Mill Hill - Charmed Santa Faces - Series II - Father Frost

perforated paper

DMC & mill hill beads

Start #3 - started January 3rd

Just Nan - Tulip Time

32ct lilac belfast

DMC

Another pathetic start but my girls insisted we go to the beach!

Start #4 - started January 5th

Shakespeares Peddlar - Sampler Roundy

28ct cream cashel

GAST & DMC

What can I say, vacation locations are not ideal for stitching. I started this one at my friend Shelley's house & there was a lot more talking than stitching happening!

Start #5 - started January 6th

Lizzie Kate - Snowman '10

32ct tea dyed monaco (I think) - unlabelled fabric from stash

Crescent Colours, Weeks Dye Works & DMC

Start #6 - started January 9th

The Cat's Whiskers - What A Hoot!

32ct Sandstone linen

DMC

Start #7 - started January 9th

Ink Circles - The Huddle

40ct kit linen

Carries Creations hand dyed silks

Start #8 - started January 10th

Lizzie Kate - 2008 Christmas double flip-its

28ct Vintage Country Mocha cashel

Weeks Dye Works & DMC for border

Start # 9 - started January 11th

Blue Ribbon Designs - Autumn Leaves & Sunflower Seeds

36ct antique white lugana

Crescent Colours Belle Soie Silks

Loved this one, it was hard to put it down. I am using 1 strand of silk over 2.

Start # 10 started January 11th

Homespun Elegance - Blessings to all

32ct Sand Belfast

GAST, Weeks Dye Works, DMC

Start # 11 - started January 12th

Shepherds Bush - Halloween Grins

32ct Cream Belfast

Crescent Colours, Weeks Dye Works, GAST & DMC

Start #12 - started January 12th

Just Nan - Frost on the Pumpkin

28ct Sage cashel

DMC threads

Start #13 - started January 13th

M Designs Floral Sampler

32ct Vintage Country Cream Belfast

DMC & Gloriana hand-dyed silks & ribbon

So I am now back on track with 2 more starts to go. Today will be Jeanette Douglas Designs - Spring Stitches and tomorrow I'll start my last piece, one of the LHN ornaments from last year, I'm leaning towards "Under The Tree".

If you've stayed with me this long, thank you! That's all for now.

Happy Stitching

hugs

Amanda

Catching up!

Hi all



I hope the new year finds you all healthy, wealth & wise and that you all had a wonderful Christmas (if celebrated).

I guess I have no real excuses for being absent so long except for work, home etc being extremely busy leading up to Christmas and then I've been away as well visiting my parents in Victoria. I also got to meet up with a fellow stitching blogger which was a nice surprise! Hi Jo! http://josxsblog.blogspot.com/



I decided that I would participated in the crazy challenge that a lot of people are participating in, 15 starts in 15 days to be completed by years end. As I usually partake in guilt free January this will work well for me. The challenge was to start a new project each day for 15 days, I have missed a few days as was busy with family activities and driving home from Vic (10 hours) was not conducive to stitching either so I am a few days behind already. The 15 will be started by the end of the month though! Here's my list so far:



Victoria Sampler - Christmas Treasures (started Jan 1st)
Mill Hill - Charmed Santa Faces - Father Frost (started Jan 2nd)
Just Nan - Tulip Time (started Jan 3rd)
Shakespeares Peddler - Sampler Roundy (started Jan 5th)
Lizzie Kate - Snowman '10 (started Jan 6th)
Lizzie Kate - Christmas Spirit
Ink Circles - The Huddle
The Cat's Whiskers - What A Hoot
Blue Ribbon Designs - Autumn Leaves & Sunflower Seeds
Just Nan - Frost on the Pumpkin
M Designs - Floral Sampler
Shepherds Bush - Halloween Grins
Homespun Elegance - Christmas 2010 freebie (Blessings to all)
Jeanette Douglas Designs - Spring Stitches
LHN 2010 monthly ornaments (I have 10 more to do and will start at least 1 but haven't decided which one it will be yet)



I finished up my Jan 1st 2010 piece just before I left on my trip, Just Nan's Needle In a Garden, fitting that it was both my first start & my final finish for 2010. Here's a pic, sorry it's not the best as it's from the scanner, I'll post some close-ups later along with pics of my challenge new starts:

Well I must go as have some chores to do but look for another post soon with some more pics and a round up of my 2010 stitching. I'm on holidays now for 3 more weeks so should have some time on my hands for a change!

Happy Stitching all

Amanda