AUTUMN GIVEAWAY WINNER . . .

I have been amazed at the number of comments my Autumn giveaway received, the kind words each and every one of you left have meant the world to me ~ thank you to everyone!

So without further ado the winner is . . .

CAROL from Stitching Dreams
http://stitchingdream.blogspot.com/

Carol, please send me your address details and I will send the goodies on their way!

(I estimate that if I start stitching now for next year's Autumn giveaway I may well have made enough pincushions to send to everyone!!!)

I want to say a BIG HELLO and welcome to all my new followers, it's lovely to meet you all and over the next few weeks I intend to pop over to all your blogs and find out more about you.

It's going to be a quiet'ish weekend here at home and the weather forecast is very good so I'm hoping it will be a relaxing but productive weekend with a Happy Dance to share with you all very soon.

Thanks for stopping by
HAPPY STITCHING
xxx

AUTUMN GIVEAWAY . . .

"Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare went out in the autumn wind.

On a windy day the leaves are blowing."

x x x x x x x x x x x x

Can you believe it?
It's here already ~ the Autumn Equinox aka the 1st day of Autumn 2011.
I just love this time of year ~ all my favourite earthy colours surrounding me, sunny but chilly days enough to light the fire in the evening, cross stitch and a good book, tasty chilli-con-carne to warm the bones, Tilly and Oscar snoozing across my slippered feet and rich, hot cappuccino or frothy hot chocolate with melting marshmallows ~ perfect!


So how about an Autumn giveaway so you can share all the things I love?
(Tilly & Oscar not included!!!)

Season of Plenty chart by Little House Needleworks
Fat Quarter of Pumpkin/Scroll fabric
3 DMC Secret Perfume threads ~ Caramel, Almond & Chocolate (all low-fat!)
1 Gentle Art Simply Shaker skein ~ Shutter Green
Bookmark with measure and button flower
3 silver Pumpkin charms
Decorative Autumn bird
Reel of Premium Craft Ribbon ~ Pumpkins
Reel of Premium Craft Ribbon ~ Autumn words
Green/Cream ribbon
Ric rac ~ pumpkin orange, hazelnut and purple
3 sachets of Hot Chocolate ~ Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Fudge & Chocolate Cherry
(not so low-fat!)


and finally . . .

just finished this morning ~ a pin pillow with a Margaret Sherry design called Pumpkin Pie.
I've stitched this little cutie on 28-count linen with DMC threads and finished him with green and cream polka dot fabric, pumpkin ribbon and contrasting orange pins


Phew!
Now the rules rule . . .


If you would like to enter my  Giveaway all you have to do is be/become a stalker  follower and leave a comment on this post only!
A name will be drawn and posted on Friday, 30th September,
GOOD LUCK!


Have a great weekend everybody and keep your eyes peeled for the satellite heading back to Earth today ~ NASA cannot control where the many broken chunks will land but will be able to give us some idea a whole 2 hours before they do!
Think I'll stay in!!!


Thanks for stopping by
HAPPY STITCHING
x x x

THE TRAVELLING PATTERN IS ON ITS WAY TO . . .

Thank you to everyone who left their name to become the next stitcher of the Travelling Pattern  ~ Lizzie*Kate's 'Life's A Stitch'.  

The next stitcher is . . .

KATE

http://katesflossbox.blogspot.com/

Welcome to The Stitcherhood Kate, if you can send me your address details I'll pop it in the post to you!

As soon as Kate has stitched it, it will need another home to travel to so keep an eye on her blog and she can keep you up-to-date.

Tuesday, 20th September was a day of memories for DH and I as we celebrated

We received some lovely cards, bouquets of flowers, bottles of wine and some very calorific chocolates.

Our plan was to have a celebratory day out and both being void of present ideas would choose something together BUT unfortunately Twin II fell ill the day before and was really quite poorly, so much so that our planned day out together was put on hold and we played at being nursemaids instead!

Our celebratory meal that evening was a take-away and a bottle of bubbly ~ now how's that for a bit of romance???  It didn't matter to me though ~ DH and my 3 lovely children around me, I don't need anymore ~ it's been a great 25 years so far and I look forward to the next 25.

Oh yes, I hadn't forgotten you two!

Stitching news ~ well, a bit frustrating really!  I was a naughty girl a little while back and gave in to some on-line Sales but, due to so many other people doing the same thing, shipping orders has been dreadfully slow and communications with up-dates even more so!

I finally blew a fuse yesterday and had a rant at the culprits and Hey Presto! emails appeared immediately and orders are now being processed and some of them actually shipped!

In the meantime while I impatiently patiently wait I have started this one . . .

This is 'Gather a Harvest' by Lizzie*Kate which I'm stitching on linen with Gentle Art Sampler threads.  I don't have the exact listed thread colours but as Autumn colours are my favourites I think I can do it justice with what I have in my box already.

Take care everyone!

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

SUMMER HOLIDAY EXCHANGE . . .

A little while ago I took part in my second stitching exchange organised by Lainey and Colleeen  http://stitchedwithloveexchanges.blogspot.com.

The theme for this exchange was Summer vacation ~ a great fun theme and for my stitching partner ~ Vicky ~ I chose the English Seaside.

  My choice of stitch pattern was by Lizzie*Kate . . .

'Fun in the Sun' stitched on 28~count white evenweave with Gentle Art sampler threads

I added small pink heart buttons on the flip-flops

and finished it into a pillow with some seaside sand ripple fabric

I also stitched a small pin cushion using a design from a recent cross-stitching magazine which featured seaside plants . . .

And to complete the package I added . . .

a beach-hut tin which I filled with ric rac, ribbon and beads, a striped decorative fabric fish, a Yankee candle called 'Drift Away', shell chocolates, a stick of seaside rock, some blue & white polka dot cake flags, 2 seaside postcards, a ready-to-stitch bookmark and 2 Gentle Art sampler threads!

I received a lovely package back from Vicky and she concentrated on my love of bunnies (did you know, I love bunnies?!)

a piece of 28~count dyed Lugana, 3 lovely shades of ThreadworX  floss, 2 pack of needles, a gorgeous pair of Stork embroidery scissors, a lighthouse postcard, a Brittercup Designs bunny chart 

AND

look a bunny (yippee!)

'The Checkered Bunny' by Waxing Moon Designs stitched on Aida using DMC threads

Thank you so much Vicky ~ all your gifts will be put to very good use!

Don't forget ~ Lizzie*Kate's Travelling Pattern ~ Life's A Stitch ~ is looking for a new home and a new blogger to join The Stitcherhood.  You can see the details on my previous post and you have until Thursday to leave a comment when a winner will be announced ~ Good Luck!

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx

A WINNER AND THE TRAVELLING PATTERN NEEDS A NEW HOME . . .

I loved stitching this Travelling Pattern . . .

'Life's A Stitch' by Lizzie*Kate

stitched on coffee stained 28~count Lugana evenweave with my choice of threads

I chose the thread colours for this one to match the stripey fabric I finished it with and in case you're thinking 'pyjamas' !  No, it was some fabby I brought with the intention of making another beach hut but as my first attempt didn't go quite as planned, I thought I'd use it for this design instead!

I've had the wooden stitched heart button tucked away for ages and at long last it's found a use.

SO

If you would you like to be part of this sweet Travelling Pattern here are the rules:

1. Comment on this post, saying you would like to be part of the Stitcherhood.

2. You agree (if you are chosen) to stitch the design and send it along to the next person in a timely manner. If this means dropping everything in your rotation to concentrate on this project...so be it. If you can't bring yourself to do this ~ don't sign up.

3. You must have an active blog to participate. If you have a blog but never post to it ~ you won't be chosen to be the next stitcher.

4. This is a giveaway-type Travelling Pattern. That means you must follow it from blogger to blogger to enter each time it is ready to send along. Commenting on this post doesn't make you a guaranteed part of the Stitcherhood.

If you would like a chance to be the next stitcher please leave a comment on this post only.

The next stitcher will be chosen on Thursday 22 September 2011.

and finally

A WINNER

of the Bird of Happiness Chart . . .

1 ~ Mouse
Random numbers generated Sep 15 2011 at 11:26:4 by www.psychicscience.org  

Mouse, if you can email me with your address details I will post the chart out to you as soon as I can.

(Oscar and Tilly opted out as being my random generators as the grass in the garden was far more tempting today!!!)

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

x x x

SWEET LITTLE BERRIES & THE STITCHERHOOD . . . .

A Happy Dance to share with you . . . .

Little House Needleworks ~ 'Sweet Little Berries'

stitched on 28~count Cream Cashel Linen with the suggested Crescent Colours

I finished this one this morning and have decided to make this my 3rd donation to the Pumpkin Patch & Co Breast Fund auction http://pumpkinpatchandcobreastfund.blogspot.com/ being held in November this year. 

I set myself a target of making 3 gifts and I'm pleased they're all now completed.  I hope they will all all find good homes and more importantly raise some much needed funds to help combat this distressing illness.

I was thrilled to hear a little while ago that I had been chosen to join the "Stitcherhood" ~ this involves stitching a fun design by Lizzie*Kate called 'Life's A Stitch' as soon as you can and then passing it on, aka Travelling Pattern . . . 

Thanks to Joy from My New Perspective http://jollyrogermom.blogspot.com, I am the next blogger to join the Stitcherhood, and this will be my next WIP.  As soon as it is finished (hopefully next week!) I will post the completion and let everyone know that the 'hood' has a vacancy and the chart is ready to move on.

I will also post the winner of my 'Bird of Happiness' chart ~ good luck!

My thoughts and prayers are shared with the World today as we remember all the loved ones lost in the 9/11 atrocity ~ they will never be forgotten xxx

Thanks for stopping by

HAPPY STITCHING

x x x

A BIRD OF HAPPINESS . . . .

I won't start this post with the words 'Good Afternoon' as the weather here is foul ~ strong gales and continual driving rain since yesterday hence I have spent the whole day indoors with the lights on to see !!!

So I think the words 'Happy Dance' would be more appropriate . . . .

I have just finished another item for http://pumpkinpatchandcobreastfund.blogspot.com/ silent auction which will take place later in the year.  My other stitch for this very worthy cause was bunnies (no shock there!) and keeping with a wildlife theme this time I chose this little birdie and finished him (or her) as an ornament . . . .

I think this is such a pretty design by Brooke's Books Publishing and is actually from their set of 12 'Bride's Tree Heirloom' ornaments, this is number 5 and is called 'Happiness'.

I've stitched him (yes, I've decided it's a him) on 28~count Sand Carolina Linen with the listed  DMC conversions, added small beads for the flowers and a silver 'made with love' charm at the bottom.  The backing fabric is a pale pink and white dot shown in the piccie above.

This is the chart I used . . . .

and if anyone is interested in also stitching it then I am happy to send it on (worldwide!) ~ just leave a comment on this post and should there be more than one interest, I will get Tilly and Oscar to pick a name next week!

That's if the pair of them ever decide to stop snoozing . . .

Oh! what a life!

My other W.I.P. (Sweet Little Berries)  is coming along a treat and I hope this week will see a finish.

I'm saving stitching the strawberries until last as I know the lovely rich red they are stitched in will give it the WOW factor . . .

Tomorrow DH and I are taking DD to Portsmouth to have a look at the Univeristy there ~ it's offering a course she's very interested in and although it's a year away before she begins Uni, applications have to be in by middle-October.  I feel guilty, as I suppose like all Mums, I'm being selfish and don't want her to be away from home but as this is a 3year course and some 2 hours away it will mean exactly that but hey! I know we all have to go through it and it's not as if it's the other side of the world (although I'm sure it will feel like it!)

Thanks for stopping by and a big hello and welcome to my new followers

HAPPY STITCHING

xxx