Christmas Kitty

Hello everyone, I've had such a busy weekend there was no time for craft but I've finally made something today.  This is a Hobbycraft mini kit of a cute little kitty.  

I've used some pink glitter card for the base layer then used 2 papers from a Fizzy Moon decoupage pack.  I've coloured a peel off sentiment with a promarker and added a pink ribbon and pearls.

The layout is a sketch from Crafting for All Seasons so this was quite a quick make.  

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Crafting for All Seasons - Sketch

Fab n Funky - Christmas

Crafting by Designs - Anything goes

Inspiration Destination - Anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Crafting from the Heart - Anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts - 20 minutes or less

Winter Wonderland - Twinkle twinkle

Sister Act - Anything goes

Thanks for visiting, I am off to do more with my reindeer.  I hope this will be done by the end of May!

IHSW - April progress

Hi everyone, I had a succesful stitchy weekend for my first IHSW!

I had to work on Saturday but still managed to get lots done in the evening, I think this was just the motivation I needed.

Here's where I started on Friday morning

 And here's where I finished on Sunday night

Roll on the next one in May!

Christmas Parcel

Hello everyone, I've finally found a bit of time to make a card!  I've sent my husband and son to the allotment so while they're out of the way I've had time to put together a card.  I had an idea for this the other day and have been itching to try it out, I'm very pleased with the result.  I wanted to make a card look like a present:

 I've started with some red mirror board as the base layer.  I then wrapped a piece of card with wrapping paper and tied it up with a ribbon.  I stuck this to the mirror board with foam pads.  The stitched gift tag was a kit from the cover of a magazine, it was a pack of 12 so I have planty more to do.  As this was such a quick make I think lots of people will be getting cards in this style this year.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

C.R.A.F.T - Christmas
ABC Christmas - Happy holidays
Winter Wonderland - It's a stitch up
Crafting from the Heart - Anything goes
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes
Inspiration Destination - Anything goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends - Anything goes
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - Anything goes

Thanks for visiting, I'm off to stitch some more of my reindeer for the ISHW.

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend April 2015

Hello again!  I have not been able to get any crafting done so far this week, I seem to have lost my mojo.  It's difficult to settle to anything with everyone at home, I need peace and quiet!  Also I feel guilty if the family are on holiday and we don't do something.  The weather has been glorious, very hot for April with temperatures in the 20s.  We've been out and about making the most of it before we go back to grey skies.  

Another piece of good news is our son has been allocated a place at our preferred junior school for next year.  As we are out of catchment it's been a bit of a worry!

So, instead of crafting this week I've been looking at various blogs, getting tips and ideas and inspiration.  I love some of the SALs and will be keeping my eye out for some new ones to join next year when I (hopefully) start my HAED.  I am a one-at-a-timer, I can't start something new (with the exception of smalls) until I've finished my reindeer!  In the meantime I have discovered this:

Sounds great, a whole weekend of stitching which might encourage me to actually get something done this week!  I will post on Tuesday to let you know how I got on.

Here's where I've started:

Enjoy Your New Home

Hello everyone, I've not had much time to craft this week or get near the computer!  It's still the Easter holidays so between my son wanting to play games and my husband needing to lesson plan for next term I've not got a look in.  They're watching the Grand Prix qualifying now so at last my time has come!  But it's still difficult to type with my furry helper on the desk!

The weather has been great so we've been to the allotment and had our new shed put up and planted some potatoes.  My husband appreciated his allotment themed birthday card on Thursday too.

A friend from work moved house this week so I've made her a quick card ready for when I go back to work on Monday.  I used a sketch from I Need A Sketch again as I didn't want to spend ages paper shuffling!

The image is from Ultimate Cross Stitch Cards magazine on 14 count white Aida using the recommended DMC threads - mostly.  I substituted black for dark grey of the backstitch and used the same pink for her wings and cheeks.  The cheeks were supposed to be a different shade but it hardly seemed worth breaking out a new colour for 2 stitches.

I used some dusky pink card for the base layer and 2 papers from my Create and Craft paper pack and some green pearls.

I would like to enter this card into the following challenges:

Crafty Hazelnuts - Patterned paper

Simply Create Too - No digis or stamped images

Crafty Catz - 2 or more patterned papers

Clear It Out - Anything goes

Creative Fingers - Anything goes

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes

Sister Act - Anything goes

Allsorts - Bingo (Used Sentiment, stitching and pearls)

I have 3 days off work next week but as school doesn't start again until the week after I'll still probably not get much card making done.  Time to do more on my reindeer maybe.  I have an added incentive to get on with it now, I have a confession to make - I have bought a HAED pattern!!  It is Treasure Hunt Bookshelf, I love to read so it seemed appropriate and they had 25% off over Easter.

Absolutely no idea when I'll get to it, I will need material and a frame big enough to stitch it on.  - things to shop for at the NEC in November perhaps!  I've also found the CloudsFactory website, I really must resist buying anything - but they have Game of Thrones samplers......

Thanks for visiting, if anyone has any tips on stitching HAED designs I'd love to hear them!

Little Boy's Birthday

Hello again, here is the card I promised yesterday for a 2 year old.  It has been a bit of a rush job as I need to post it to Australia today so it gets there in time! As I've done it so quickly I'm not entirely happy with it, I'll have to be more organised next year!

The image is from Ultimate Cross Stitch Cards magazine and I used papers from my Create and Craft paper pack.

I would like to enter my card into the following challenges:

Crafts Galore Encore-Make a Card

Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper

Crafty Creations - Anything goes

Crafting by Designs April - Anything goes

Inspiration Destination -Anything goes

Through the Craft Room Door - Anything goes

Craft Your Passion - Anything goes

Crafting From the Heart - Anything goes

Thanks for visiting my blog today.  The Easter holidays start tomorrow so I'll have everyone at home meaning my crafting time will be limited.  Hope you all have a lovely Easter!

Previous Finishes

Hello Everyone, I don't have a card for you today but I am about to start stitching a birthday card for my husband's cousin's grandson who is 2 later this month.  I hope to have this done by the end of the week as it needs to go to Australia.  In the meantime I thought I would share some of my larger cross stitch pictures.

This is the work that inspired me to start sewing.  My Granny embroidered this peacock when she was young and I always loved it.  She taught me to sew starting with chain stitch when I was little.  When she died in 2004 I had to have it, I had it reframed and it hangs in my bedroom now.

 This is the first large cross stitch picture that I did, it is a Mirabilia chart called Christmas Elegance.  It is supposed to be done on dark blue evenweave so the beads for the stars stand out but I did it on Aida as I was too scared of evenweave at the time!

 My next big picture was The Three Birdwatchers which is a Dimensions kit.  We have a tabby cat so it seemed appropriate.  Around the same time that I did this one I also did another Dimensions Gold Collection kit of a Japanese lady, this hangs at my parents house as my Dad really liked it.  Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it completed, I'll have to take one next time I go round!

 This is another Dimensions Gold Collection kit of hummingbirds.

Another Dimensions kit of a peacock, this one took ages to finish but I eventually got it done whilst on maternity leave just in time to start on a sampler for the baby. 

Here is the sampler I made for our son, a bit blurry I'm afraid! 

I have also done a Gold Collection kit of a Christmas village scene.  I don't have a picture as it's in the loft, it only comes out in December!  I am running out of wall space which is one of the reasons I am making smaller things like cards or Christmassy things that don't need to be on the wall all year round.  Having said that I have a kit in my stash that I bought recently called bamboo fan which I will have to find space for when it's done.

I can't start that until I've finished my reindeer, yet another Gold Collection kit (there's a bit of a theme here!)  I've made good progress with it over the last month, still not done any of the metallic thread but I have bought some thread heaven as suggested by Justine in a comment on my last WIP post so hopefully that will make it a bit easier - thanks for the tip!

I've been looking at and following a lot of stitching blogs lately and love all the HAED pictures that so many of you are doing.  I think completing one of them is going on my bucket list, if only I could choose from so many beautiful pictures!