Snow in February

Big, fluffy white flakes are swirling down from the sky.  Not a usual occurrence for the Lower Mainland at this time of year. Perfect for snuggling in a blanket, watching Downton and stitching....except for the fact that I should be starting my report cards!! There's always next weekend to do them.

I had the desire to do a few posts this week however I have been busy with work and helping my little brother who is here for six weeks doing a plumbing apprenticeship.  The math they have him do is crazy hard! Thankfully, the school provided a tutor for free and he is less panicked! Me too since I was about to try to learn crazy plumbing math in a day!

I wish I could show some of the stitching finishes I have done but I have to wait until the recipients receive them first.  I'm made some progress on all my projects.  Oh, and I received my yarn order from Loveknitting!!  The service was so fast! I got it within 2 weeks of ordering.  Lately I've been having a hard time with some of the cross stitching companies.  I've placed orders back in January and have yet to hear back from 1 and the other finally sent a chart.  Loveknitting is in Great Britain so how it can get here faster than the States, I have no idea! 

Wonderful, cheery colours that I can't hardly wait to start working with.  I need to get some counters for the first chain but Caitlin suggested I could use paper clips, which is an awesome idea.  Thanks Caitlin for the tip!! She's been making beautiful progress on her granny stripe blanket. 

Stitching updates.  I've actually made a lot of progress during IHSW but I'll show the progress tomorrow.  

Knotgarden: filled in green.

LHN's February: stitched hearts.

 
JCS: added more beige to the peacock.  He is frustrating me to no end.  I have to keep frogging his silly body over and over.  I think it's the chart.  The symbol is a tiny dot and even though I scanned it, reprinted it and have been shading in what I've stitched, I seem to be having problems with seeing the dots!! I haven't been wanting to work on it lately.  I may skip the peacock and start another motif.

Magic Garden Friday night SAL with Maggee:  stitched the bug, and started the glove. I so enjoy stitching this design.  Each little motif, creature is a pleasure to stitch!! I don't want it to end!!

Okay, fast blogging now.  I need to get ready for our blini breakfast after church.  Lent is starting in two weeks so we always have blini before Cheesefare week.  

Someone asked me for a photo of the pretty wagon cart I use for my monthly display.  Sorry I can't remember who! I have a terrible memory!

Beautiful wagon wheel cart

March display

Random photos:

Beautiful linens I bought from 123stitch from dear Mouse.  Thank you so much Mouse!! I will be using them for all sorts of projects!

Snowdrops:

Hubby being funny:

 He's feeling better.  The inflammation is going done! WHOOOOOHOOOO!!! But predinsone is crazy.  Let's just leave it at that!

Titus on my granny blanket:

 A murder of crows:

And I'm done!!
 
Thank you all for your lovely comments! I finally responded to all of them and visited some blogs.   I'll be back tomorrow with IHSW progress pics!!

Hugs 

Anne

Gardens, Colours and More Licking

Hello my lovelies!!

It's a gorgeous day out today and I'm looking forward to a nice walk with the hubby to see if we can spy signs of spring, although it's very cold out and there's talk of snow!

My February display

Out with January, in with February.  I pulled out my pitiful collection of Valentine smalls and displayed them on our drink cart.  I should take a photo of the cart since it's darling and was given to me by my dearest Auntie.

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last few posts.  I think I've caught up with my emails. I visited blogs on Saturday night and still have many more to go through.  As usual, I have been inspired and influenced by many of the posts around blogland and have even purchased some things! Uh OH!! One blog, a crochet blog, has been captivating my interest lately.  Lucy from Attic24 has a delightful blog full of colour and inspiring photos that is a joy to visit.  Spying her colour selection for a cheery granny stripe blanket, I put in an order for 17 yummy colours of yarn!! I can't wait to start this blanket! I'm a sucker for colour ever since I was a little girl.  I remember yearning for the 64 Prismacolour pencil colour set, very expensive back then, and received it from my loving grandparents as a gift.  I was overjoyed and treasured that pencil set for so many years.  I actually used to play with the colours as people...ssshhh!! So I suppose my love for colours hasn't changed much since I was 6! 

Onto stitchy news...this weekend has been somewhat successful, minus all the frogging I had to do on Knotgarden AND JCS 1707.  Two teeny mistakes I had to fix; fixed them, then released I made the same mistake!! UGH.  Once was enough but TWICE?!

I turned the peacock upside down for the photo. 

My Friday night SAL with Maggee was successful.  I stitched for a few hours and am really enjoying this design!

That little mushroom is so cute! My hubby asked what that purple thing is in the bottom right corner and I have to say, I don't really know! It's a tulip like flower but it's in a purple box? Strange but sweet.

I also started LHN's February design, gifted by Cindy.  I figured January can wait for another year!

Thoughts of finishing...I need to get a move on that front.  I looked through my drawers and found a few small WIP's, and about 5-6 smalls needing to be finished.  I can't seem to get into finishing mode at all.  I'm always amazed at those who stitch something, then finish right away.  Very smart I say! Hopefully next weekend I can get my behind in gear and do some finishing. As for Love Birds, I went and bought a frame for it but the frame won't allow for anything thicker than a picture to be put in.  How disappointing :(  I'll have to search yet again for a nice frame for the sweet Love Birds.

Samplers.  I love them.  Can't seem to get enough of them so I bought yet another sampler! I know I don't have time for them but I will be retired at one point so why not stock up for then?!  I just fell in love with this Red Deer sampler and had to get it.  I think it'll look fabulous next to Hannah's Leopard...which still needs to be framed..oi vai! I think I'm attracted to bright reds in samplers with animal and flower motifs...just sayin'!

Just a few days ago, I was an honorary recipient of Mouse's birthday generosity!! She sent me a gift card to 123stitch so I had fun shopping today for some lovely fabrics! Thank you dear!! I feel truly spoilt :D

Onto licking news, while I was taking photos of my WIP's, guess who comes and plops down behind me and starts licking loudly?

TITUS!! That's who!!

Yup, get that fur cleaned Titus and then puke it up!!

Need to groom my soft head

Aaah stretch out that back after a good cleaning

Sigh...loud cat licking can be annoying, especially when it goes on for what it seems an age.

Sign off time...here are a few photos for you to enjoy!!

Anne.........

January Celebrations and a New Year of Stitching

The past week and a bit has been full of wonderful celebrations.  On the 3rd I celebrated my birthday with my wonderful family and friends.  Usually I don't do much for my birthday other than a quiet dinner, however, this year I felt it would be good to get everyone together to celebrate. It actually became a joint birthday party with one of my hubby's friend from elementary school.  His friends and my friends were a bit too encouraging with the drinks.  At one point in the evening, I suppose I decided to sing La Bamba.  I don't remember this!! Oh dear!

My auntie and me

Then we celebrated Christmas on the 7th.  We had a lovely service then ate lots of turkey and all the trimmings.  That first week of January always goes so quickly yet it is nice for things to get back to normal so to speak.  We still need to take down our Christmas tree but we are both dreading the process. Going back to work was a bit of an adjustment.  I enjoyed seeing the children but didn't like getting up at 5:30am again.  I am not a morning person, whatsoever!! 

On the stitching front, I started my new sampler, worked on WIP's and started a few little stitches. I also received a few gifts from Nia, Shirlee, and Vickie.  Shirlee made me the most darling little PS ornament.  She finished it perfectly and I placed it on my tree right away so I could enjoy it for a little while.  Thank you so much Shirlee! I will treasure it always.  This is my first stitched Christmas ornament from a friend.  A very special gift indeed!!

 Dear Nia sent to me a sweet little chart to stitch called Love Birds by Crescent Colours as a thank you for sending her a Tatty Teddy chart.  It included the luscious Belle Soie silks! I had never tried these silks before. I am now quite the fan!! Thank you sweetie!! I'm so excited for her baby Lourenco to be born.  He's going to be one well dressed baby!!

I started stitching it on Friday night on 32ct Platinum Belfast linen.

Vickie sent me some lovely homemade pins and a beautiful card.  I forgot to take a photo of the card! Oops!  Thank you my dear.  I will use these in my finishes this year!!

I also sent Vickie a little gift too.  I stitched it awhile ago when I saw the pattern and thought of her.  We have become sisters in Christ so I thought it fitting to stitch her this.  It's a freebie from Feathers in the Nest.  I stitched it on 40 ct. legacy linen with various silks. (I will have to email Jennifer for the link as it seems to have disappeared).

For one of my oldest and dearest friends, I made a Blackbird Designs Box for her.  Since she has received it I can show it now.  I used a pattern from BBD's Flowers of the Field book using the recommended threads and a mystery linen.  I painted the box a pretty robin's egg blue and finished it with Victorian Motto's chenille trim.  I am glad she loves her box!!

Another Christmas gift I stitched up was for my sister.  She requested a monogram awhile back and am happy that she loves her "C"! This is for you my darling sister!! I stitched it on dove grey 32 ct linen with DMC ecru using a pattern from Sajou. 

Now onto my new start, JCS 1707 from the Scarlet Letter.  I started it on New Year's Day, made a mistake, frogged it, then restarted again last night.  Not much to show though.  I am using NPI, DMC and AVAS threads on 36 ct. Newcastle linen in cream, the same as Hannah Brassington.  I just love that linen so why not stitch on it again!!

Teeny tiny start from the upper left hand corner.

I also made some progress on my WIP's.  I stitched a beet on Shakespeare's Peddlar's Magic Garden 5 stitches off so I hope I can fudge the rest of the pattern. I just don't have the heart to rip out the beet.

A wee bit of progress on Knotgarden and Teabath fairy.  I didn't take a photo of TBF for the progress is barely visible.  

If you got this far, congrats!! Thank you all for your wonderful comments on my 2013 stitching.  I haven't responded to all of your comments nor visited all of your blogs but I hope to make that happen soon.  I have a wee bit of work to do for school so that will have to be finished first.  I have noticed lots of people posting daily with their crazy challenges and WIP's.  I decided to not be a participant in any of the challenges this year.  The reason being is I have a hard time committing when I'm working plus all the health issues we are trying to deal with.  My hubby had a test on Friday so we are waiting for the results tomorrow.  I am praying everything will be ok.  Please send a few our way as I know you all will.

Take care!

Anne

Oh, here's a foggy photo of our New Year's Eve walk to the river.  It was so magical and romantic since we were the only ones by the river!