Words to live by.....

Hi everyone! I put the final stitches in La D Da’s Live Laugh Love earlier today.

La D Da's Live Laugh Love stitched on 32ct Exampler Lakeside Linen using alternative colours - CC Blackbird, English Ivy & Red Currant

I have enjoyed stitching this piece, I love the words and how true they are. I think sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in things and really, what nicer sentiments are there for life but to live, laugh and love.

Then, this is what I stitched for my October Christmas ornament …..

the Blackbird Designs ornament from the latest JCS ornament issue. I received this all kitted up and ready to stitch as a birthday gift from a dear stitching friend. For the second month in a row I’ve managed to not just stitch my chosen ornament but finish it also!!!! The lace trim I added as an extra, it just seemed to be calling out for something else added and I thought that would work. I loved this one, from stitching with the Belle Soie silks, the colours and the design itself.

And last, but by no means least. Look what arrived for me last week! Melissa over at Words and Blooms held a 2nd anniversary giveaway on her blog not so long ago and I won! I have to tell you, I don’t consider myself ‘lucky’ in the slightest when it comes to winning anything so you could have knocked me over with a feather when Melissa emailed me to say congratulations. I now have the lovely Polly Whitmarsh Sampler by The Exemplerary – chart, fabric and linen – and I am very much looking forward to stitching this one. Thank you Melissa! If any of you haven’t visited Melissa blog do drop by. You can click on her name above, find her in my blog list or click here. She stitches the loveliest things and visiting her blog is a real pleasure.


Well, I do believe that is it from me this time round. We’ve had some very heavy frosts in this part of the world the last couple of nights. I don’t know that I’m overly fussed on having to scrape ice off the car in the mornings in October but, the up side is that while it’s felt chilly the sun has been splitting the skies and that is good to see.

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last blog post. Really Deb is the one who deserves the praise, she does some wonderful finishing. Thanks for dropping by and remember …… live, laugh, love!!!!

Until next time ....

Home is where the heart is .....

Hi everyone! Look what arrived back with me this week……

CHS Hearts & Flowers stitched on 32ct LL examplar using suggested DMC

I sent my Carriage House Samplings Hearts & Flowers to Deb at Artisticneedle and, true to form, she has finished this just beautifully. She had sent me pics before she mailed it back and even from those I was so excited by how it looked. Now that it is home I am beyond thrilled with it as she has finished it exactly to my wishes. Excuse how the fabric seems to be coming up different shades each picture. It has been so dull and cloudy here this week, some days I’ve had lights on all day, so not really favourable to picture taking.

Deb has added it to her finishing album so if you want to pop over there and take a look (and see all her other great finishes) click here.

Also in the box , two more finishes I’m delighted with ….

Homespun Elegance's Mr Candy Cane and Joyous Heart which I stitched earlier in the year as part of my monthly Christmas ornament SAL with Siobhan and Cari. Thank you Deb!!

La D Da’s Live, Laugh, Love is coming along nicely. I love the sentiments in this and it’s turning into one of those pieces that I look forward to picking up and working on.

Hope all is well with you and yours. My daughter is home this weekend and it is so good to have her here! Already it seems like the time is going too fast. Sunday evening will be here before we know it and she’ll be heading off again.

Whatever you are up to this weekend, hope it’s a good one!

Until next time ……

Unexpected gifts & finds

Hi everyone! Good to know that I’m not alone in my aversion to french knots and that quite a few of you also take the option of beads when it’s something that will work just as well! Thanks for all the lovely comments on my finished Crows, Corn & Cats and ornament for September.

Since I last blogged I’ve made some more progress on this one …..


A little further on and I’m still happy with my thread choices.

This past week I’ve had my first experience of being RAK’d!!! Dear Myra over at Gr8dame's Place surprised me with an envelope that just brought a smile to my face. When I opened it up inside was this lovely project bag that she had made in the nicest fabric and, not just that, but when I unzipped it I found these two packets of sweets (now eaten I have to say!) and a skein of DMC 115 which is one that I will be making good use of coming up to Christmas.


Thank you Myra! It made my day and I am already using it to store my current project! Now, if any of you aren’t familiar with Myra’s blog I suggest you drop by and meet a lovely lady whose blog I love to visit to see her stitching and finishes. You can find a link in my blog list or just click here.

You know when you are looking for one thing but end up coming across something that you hadn’t been looking for in the first place?!?!? That happened to me this week. I was looking for some old quilting magazines that I knew I had packed away somewhere. In my search for those I came across a box that had a number of frames in it. One frame in particular caught my eye and here’s the result …

Notforgotten Farm Samplers Pennsylvania Pillowe
Stitched on 32ct R&R Roast Crown Blend & suggested DMC threads

I stitched this several years ago, it never made it to becoming a pillow but I’m liking how it looks in this frame. Still have to find the magazines though!!!!

Well, I hope everyone enjoys what’s left of the weekend! Weekends are when I try to work on whichever Christmas ornament I’ve picked for the month so, at some point today, I’ll be stitching a little more on that.

As always, thanks for dropping by!
Until next time……..

It's all in the eyes.....

Hi everyone! While the weather here is very much autumnal I have to admit to still finding it a little unbelievable that we’re into October. Where is this year going too?!?!?

Time to share a finish.....Chartmakers Crows, Corn and Cats. I enjoyed stitching this one.

Chartmakers Crows, Corn and Cats
using an unknown overdyed & suggested threads apart from WDW cadet for the house

Those cats eyes though!! I have to admit to having been taking the option for a while of using beads when french knots have been called for in a design. Much easier just to attach a few beads! Well, this one didn’t shout ‘beads’ to me, french knots seemed more appropriate. I just had to see if I could still remember how to do them!! The black cat on the corn stalk? The chart shows just one french knot but no matter how I tried this one just kept looking like a one-eyed mutant cat. The other cat is slightly better but, to me, it still looks like its eyes are pretty quirky!!

I’ve just started on this one….


La-D-Da’s Live Laugh Love. I’m stitching it on LL Light Examplar. I didn’t have the Gloriana silks and when I pulled the DMC alternatives I wasn’t that taken with them. Instead I’ve opted for CC Red Currant, English Ivy and Blackbird. While I’ve only really started on this so far I’m happy with my colour choices.

Well, I didn’t manage to blog before the end of September but let me share my September Christmas ornament. Not only stitched but I actually managed to finish it too!!! This one is a freebie by Brightneedle from a number of years back.

Brightneedle freebie Holiday Stars
32ct cream using suggested DMC and beads

Have a good weekend! The sun is shining here, the leaves are starting to change colour and sometimes there’s nothing nicer than an autumn morning. Given the amount of rain we’ve had this week, it’s lovely to see. As always, thanks for dropping by and I hope all is well with you and yours.

Until next time……