Stash and update

The header pic is Wisley a rose in my garden. Thanks so much for the lovely comments on the garden and offers of coming to stitch with me there ,you would be very welcome.We have been busy out there this last week and my stitching has suffered and the mojo has gone walkabout.Need Mr Stick to come and prod me into action.Just so far behind on things at the minute.
Well last time I did not show you recent additions to my stash so here as promised is a few of the purchases in May and June probably April too.
Where shall I start hmmm......
Well birdie ones first me thinks.


Sarah Tobias Book Blackbird designs


Elizabeth CHS.
Flirt a Feather by CHS. BTW all these pics are clickable to be made bigger.

So as you see the bird wall will be quite full when i get all these bird designs stitched.
As with birds I have also had a splurge on The Sampler Girl designs ,Tanya had a sale recently and I can never resist her sales ,so I got these, I think I am only
missing a couple I would like now ,so when the next sale comes along they may have to jump into the basket too.
Anyway here are the latest ones.

I also ordered the fabric that goes with, I would rather be at Pemberley.

Some seasidey ones just because the summer is here.

Last of these is Mansfield Park . However ,whilst on the subject of Jane Austen I saw on the stitching Janeites forum this book that someone recommended ,so yes I had to have that too.

Talking of books , another I got when I ordered this, was a book I remembered from my childhood (more years ago than I care to mention).Just thought I would re-read it now .

My Kate dd asked if I was in my second childhood, when she came to look for a book to read. Hmmmm now I wonder.
Also Julie gave me a link to some crochet I think it is called Attic 24,oh it grabbed me by the throat and said YOU HAVE to try this. So another book was called for here it is ,however I think I was a little ambitious !!!!

I think my brain,hand co-ordination is lacking ,well maybe just the brain!!!

Martin has gone back to work today,after a week off and it feels all wrong here , even Ollie is sulking. He had a very busy week in the garden ,Martin not Ollie, I really should have taken a before and after pic of this ,as it was a wall that always had the stuff that gets dumped somewhere in front of it. No more!! here is our weeks efforts and I painted the bench (please dont tell me I missed a bit) .



So now you see why I have not got much stitching done - excuses excuses .
The little I did - oooohhh another link hee hee.
Progress on Quaker Christmas

Onto page 4 now.Shall have to get a wiggle on with this or Tina will be way ahead of me. I have not seen Yoyo posting lately on the SAL,wonder if she has her computer problems fixed yet.
I also have started a SAL with the Blackbird design group I belong to,it is a summer sal ,your choice of one of their designs. I have chosen Beyond my heart a Loose feather design for my bird wall. I did start it on fabric called for,decided it was too dark and opted for white. Now I think it is too stark, shall I tea dye it when finished ---any thoughts?

So you see not a lot of stitching done , oh I did do 2 hats on my Generosity but I will wait until I get more done before taking a pic. Btw if you have a ufo to finish why dont you come and join Julie and Mr Stick on Stitch and Stash forum and get it finished , Julie is a sweetie and Mr Stick well he only wields his stick from afar.

Martin took a pic of the swimming dog yesterday and I was going to post it for you ,however although he sent me the attachment I dont know how to get it on here . So next time you will maybe get pic of swimming dog.
Again thanks for the comments , I look to see everyday if some kind soul has posted me a little message,they do help my day along.
Well spose I had better go do something or my dear Martin will think I have been sitting here all day talking to you instead of dealing with housewifey duties and doing the girlie jobs.(wink). Why is cleaning the loo a girlie job can anyone enlighten me.
Oh well take care all hugs for you that are feeling under the weather ,had a pain day Saturday but managed a walk with Ollie and Martin around the fields yesterday,which took ages and in pain last night but ok today.
Hugs n stuff till next time
Barb x

Make a cuppa and pull up a chair!

At last I have an update for you. I do hope so anyway, if this laptop behaves itself,it has almost taken a trip through the window this last couple of days. I get things all typed in then it all drops out and I lose it all. I have changed the header pic please do not think you have got eyesight problems , its blurry ,I thought I would show you these sweet lily of the valley that grow just outside the lounge window and smell gorgeous.
I have been out and about in the garden with some pics for you to see. I have stitchy things to share and and some stash to show you too as the camera had a problem too last time ,all sorted now, it is just the person that uses it that has the problems now lol.
Well firstly a Rak from Sally , how pretty is this, I do read a lot which Sally has picked up on and so this will be used everyday.Thankyou so much Sally I love it. It is typical Sally colours and is just so delicate the whole thing is just lovely.Are you ready here it is.


The pics are clickable if you want to see them bigger.
The book that is shown is clled In Praise of the Needlewoman and is full of pics of needlewomen stitching.
I think I will do alternate pics of garden and stitching this time.So here is a picture of our Clematis that climbs its way over the garage roof which I can see from the kitchen window.



Now a little story, a little while ago you may remember Julie sent me Seymore bunny to help me with my UFO projects, he carried in his hand a stick ,supposedly to help him hop along ,but I think it was to whack me with when I was not stitching!! After a while he fell for Rachaels bunny and was disappointed when she did not return his affections, so as a last resort he advertised for a mail order wife. Of course he never dreamt anything would happen, but one day to his great delight a bride arrived in the form of Miss Rose, a wedding took place,again you may recall the pics of the happy pair. Well time passed and being bunnies they got up to what bunnies do best and along came Maisie and Millie. You are beginning to wonder where this is leading arent you, well a few days ago in time for the Monthly Challenge at STitch and Stash, Miss Rose had a birthday and the girls and Seymore gave her a new apron and Seymore gave her a crystal bracelet.The chart for her apron was Tulip Time by Bettys Primitive a freebie. When I saw it I just had to stitch this. It is stitched on Osnaburg fabric.


I think Seymore and Maisie had gone into the garden to see the old man who lives near the bottom of the garden but they must have been behind a bush looking for something nice to nibble so couldnt take a pic,

Our garden is a bit untidy but pretty in places.
Of course being spring my next pic has to be my latest finish ,Oh dear Heidi not another Happy Dance .This is my CHS The Song they sang ,stitched on Sassys French Cafe over 1. It will be framed at a later date when I do a couple more for the birdie wall.


Hope you are still with me!!!!
Talking of spring we have a flock ,well more than one family, of starlings visiting the garden at the moment and wow do they get through the food. We put a block of fat with fruit and seeds in every day. We are very lucky and have a great assortment of birds that come to feed and drink just outside out lounge window (they can smell the lily of the valley too when they come for a visit.lol) Despite being on a busy road ,we are set back a bit so they are not really disturbed. Even Ollie sits in his chair to watch them. So a pic of the baby starlings waiting for breakfast.


Well this is working quite well , we do have lots of places to sit in the back garden and I shall be out there in the summer no doubt. The summer house (theres posh) that Martin built 8 years ago when he was made redundant ,before he got another job.One of the places to sit ....


Can you see what I see lurking is it a "PURPLE FROG".


Just in front of the summer house, is a raised bed that we did when my dear Mum died,as she is buried 300 miles away ,I wanted a place I could call hers, so this is Mums garden.


Right back to the stitching and here is yet another May finish which is the Monthly Christmas Ornie Challenge over at Stitch and Stash .I finished this from the JCS 2008
By Full Circle designs,I finished it into a pillow and I am quite pleased with it.
Yes they are SHEEP in the pic with it.


I am still stitching on Quaker Christmas and have finished page 3 ,but have not got pic of that ,you will have to wait until next time.
Meanwhile back in the garden another place to sit is futher up and you may just catch a glimpse of Phoebe she has been carrying the pot for quite a while now and we never hear her complain!!


On the other side we have the gravel and water feature that was a 40th wedding anniversry present from the children.


Are you dizzy yet all this toing and froing.
Well you know that I faithfully stitch every week on my UFO night with Julie and Mr Stick, (tongue in cheek here) I found this little gem in my box of abandonment and here are the pics that show the weekly progress it is Generosity by Drawn Thread.



I think that is all my stitchy news apart from stash that may have to wait until next time or even a post all to it self lol.
I have couple more of the garden one is of the decking area that we did a couple of years ago with the water feature that i have now planted. Yet another place to sit, we often have meals out here.




I am not going into family news suffice to say I think it is ongoing to those in the know. Although I will say my DH Martin will reach 65 on Saturday and although he has decided he wants to do another year (probably to buy me more stash lol) we are going out for a family meal . His mum bought him this fab rhodedendrum for his birthday.

On that pretty note I will say Happy Birthday to him and its see you next time from me.
Take care all and many many thanks for all of those comments and if you have stayed thus far well done ,and the tea is cold!!!
Hugs n stuff Barb.

The celebrations last weekend went very well , it does not seem like 40 years ago that our little girl was born.
This post will be a bit short owing to the fact that my camera lens has stuck and so I cannot take any pics for you to see this week apart from the weekend ones. I will not bore you with those ,well maybe just the couple more of my 2 'children' and my dear other half..

I think Kate enjoyed herself and we all went home very full.Kate and her hubby Iain.


This is Graeme Sue and Ella and the idiot on the end is Jack .

Then I had to take another with out Jack lol.


Well thats our little family, and although I DO have some wips and a finish which cannot be shown as it is for the monthly challenge on Stitch and Stash. I am really pleased with it so will have to show you next time maybe. Ufo has had a little done to it.
I received Sarah Tobias today ,thanks to Clare for the info. Also a couple of CHS charts I thought I had better order in case I cannot get them in the future.
I hope you are all o.k. and thankyou for the comments.Shall try and get the camera fixed quickly.
Take care all hugs n stuff.
Barb x

Anyone fancy a dip,come on in the waters lovely

A little cold for us peoples ,but Ollie, well you can see what he thinks.
Well after a typical Bank Holiday for us here in the UK ,it is back to work for Martin . I think though he may be glad to go back ,too many chores at home lol.
Well put on the Happy Dancing records and take a spin with me, here is my latest finish and actually on the wall.
As you know I have been stitching along with Sally, Hazel, Tracy and Lesleyanne The Sampler Girl design at Home with Jane Austen.
I do love anything Austen and TSG does provide me with lots of these little sayings and quotes to stitch. I hear she has some new designs coming out soon , oh dear will have to buy more stash ....Anyway in the sidebar (at least I think that is what it is called, you can see the house Jane lived in for the last years of her life and also listen to some "pretty" music.I think you have to double click on the note sign to view the video ,hope it works for you.
So with out more ado here is my latest finish. Before and after framing


Hopefully we shall see some of the others progressing well too.

I have not done too much on the CHS one but a little progress and I am really enjoying this one too.

Next up is the monthly finish for April Christmas Ornie Challenge ,along with the other 2 I have done ,these are from Country Rustic Primitives and stitched on Osnaburg fabric. This fabric really suits these designs and I hope to do more of them.

The Season of Hope was the finish for April, that is not me by the way in the picture! I have a book entitled Among the Amish and the drawings and paintings are really descriptive of this simple way of life I like this industrious looking lady although Quilting not stitching she looks so at ease .
Another wip to show you is the UFO i shall be stitching with the girls and Mr Stick over on Stitch and Stash tonight and every Tuesday. I was going to do another design but found this started and thought it might be a nice one to finish.


This is a Drawn Thread design entitled Generosity, heavens knows when this was started so it will be one for you to watch progress.
Yet another progress pic is Aprils progress on QC just a smidgeon to do on the right hand side to finish page 3.

I think that is all the stitching I have to show you.

We have Big celebrations in the family this coming Monday ,our daughter Kate will be 40, Argh when did that happen , we are out for a meal this coming weekend so maybe some pics to show next time . See, you did not know I was that old did you? Her brother is even older (not a lot though.)
Our eldest grandson Jack took his girlfriend out for a meal last weekend, he is coming up 16 in December, Prezzos dont know if that is spelt right and Italian restaurant in town.
They only had the main course and sweet as he wasn't sure how much it was going to cost him.He does have a little part time seasonal job . Ah first love, he even gave her his coat as she was cold on the way home. You hear about the youth of today ,(and he is no angel at times ,typical teenager)but I have to say he is seeming to be going the right way. We were so proud he got 100% in his Chemistry exam ,teacher was well impressed too.
Mind you I say about the youth of today , Kate who is going to be 40hee hee (I dont think she reads this) , phoned last night late very angry, she said there was this terrific bang outside and they looked out of their front door to see some youths 1 older and 3 younger boys running away they had set fire to a motorbike which Police think they had stolen ,outside Kates house. They live in a cul-de -sac with a small green in front of a square of houses so a fairly quiet neighbourhood ,Of course the petrol tank exploding caused the noise. Kate and Iain have only just spent megabucks renewing their fencing. Police couldn't do anything and fire brigade after putting it out said they could probably find out a chassis number,but if it was stolen not a lot could be done.
It COULD have been worse as no one was hurt and her and her hubbys cars were next to the fence. Unfortunately there is an estate not far from them where they seem to put people like that. Sorry if that sounds snobbish ,again I know it is not all just the few who give places a bad name.
Sorry rant over.
I expect you would like to see what has come in the post since I last rambled on.
I did get a book which I saw on Heidis blog ,she is an enabler that Heidi over in Holland."WINK"

I know not stitching but I love books too.
Then from Blackbird Designs I had these, and I have ordered Sarah Tobias as Clare (her blog)stitchingnstuff stitched a lovely design and put it on the header of her blog so I had to have that and its birds.So that is winging its way across the pond.



For some reason the birdie cushions pic did not want to load so you no doubt will have seen them about.
Honeysuckle Manor Book and the 2 birdie designs which not sure if they will be cushions or pics for the wall.
Then last but not lease these I got from The Sampler Girl 22%off at the time.

Now just the customary thankyou for all your comments, I passed on to Caitlin all your admiration of her glass work I believe it is being marked today, so will let you know the results.
Also thanks Mrs B (that is what I was called when I worked in the florists)for the information about your header pic ,will have to ask brother if it is anywhere near him.
One more thing before I go ,hope I have managed to put the JA thing in the sidebar thingy as I cannot preview that, and have a good week or however long it takes me to get back here. Take care all and happy stitching ,reading whatever.
Hugs n stuff
Barb