I don't have fireflies in my garden - which is a shame... only cats, bees, a dog and the odd dragonfly!! So please settle down with a cuppa, put your feet up and enjoy!

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Where have I been? Nowhere & back again!

Hello! I can't believe that this little blog has been neglected for so long 😨
I have no excuse -- reasons a plenty but no excuses!

But I am back and hopefully I am starting a new chapter with my blog and this chapter will be the start of a new and beautiful friendship! 🤣

So... where do I start?  That is the million dollar question!

First off I will start with a heartfelt thank you to everyone who still talks to me either through the alternative social media channels of Flosstube (YouTube) or Facebook, and Instagram when I remember to post!! I have not always been very good at keeping up to date with everyone's blogs lately so I will start by going back to my daily routine of reading blogs on my way to work each day...  I will never catch up on old news but at least going forward I can be in the news loop!!

So since February when I last posted I have been quite busy with my stitching. One of the quickest ways to catch up that would be to watch my Flosstube channel (link below)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFEFsMNHNNlvSbD0AbZyFQg

Now, for those of you that haven't heard there is a bit of a counting stitches craze happening... The School of Magical Stitching started up in February, and oh boy did that turn my world upside down! I have never been a true believer when it comes to counting stitches.  I would do it only if I had to, but now Magical Stitches (MS) rules my life and every stitch counts, and every stitch is counted!! 🤣
Magical Stitches revolves around the Harry Potter books.  The group was started up last year to read and stitch Jane Austen, but this year it morphed into this awesome fun and challenging world of magical stitching...

I have also joined another group (which was a result of an event in the MS group) that revolves around my first love The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien). Once we get to end of that book it will no doubt move onto the Lord of the Rings series... This group is awesome!

If you enjoy stitching, stitching challenges, and reading, these two groups are fantastic.

So, as you can imagine in 5 months a lot of stitching has happened, but I can't show you everything today... so I will try and focus on another monthly challenge / SAL - Joan Elliott July.  There is a FB group for this annual event, if you're interested let me know and I'll post a link, or just search Joan Elliott July and you should find it.

My plans for this month were to make a new start and to also work on a couple of JE WIPs... so far so good!  But my plans have been slightly hampered by MS homework and Semi Sane Stitcher’s Bingo! Yes.. I know I am crazy but I do whole heartedly embrace that crazy every day!

Enough rambling...how about some pictures?

Father Frost (Joan Elliott)
Started 1 July 2019
Fabric: 32ct Opal Lugana "Silver Springs" Colour Cascade Fabrics
Chart: Cross Stitch Collection issue 97


Progress as at 26 July 2019

The strange blobs at the top are a result of the bingo card I am playing.... when my DMC floss number is drawn I need to do 50 stitches of that colour... next time I play the bingo game I will make my numbers work a bit better with my WIPs!

Also this month I have been working on Air Goddess & Peacock Lady. Although... not a lot of stitches went into either so far this month as I have only pulled them out for bingo!  The "Faces of Joan Elliott SAL" WIP also came out for a few bingo stitches!

Air Goddess (Joan Elliott)
Started: 20 January 2018 
Fabric: 28ct Jobelan "Atlantis" Polstitches
Chart: Cross Stitch Collection #191 (December 2010)


Progress as at 26 July 2019

Peacock Lady (Joan Elliott) 
Started: 9 July 2017
Fabric: 28ct Opal Brittney "After The Rain" Jodyri Designs
Chart: World of Cross Stitching issue 134


Progress as at 26 July 2019

Faces of Joan Elliott SAL
Started: 2014
Fabric: 28ct cream evenweave


Progress as at 26 July 2019



So that's it for now..... next time I will do an update on my starts and finishes so far for the year.. there have been more of one than the other!! 🤣




Til next time, happy stitching!!
Hugs xx 

Monday, February 18, 2019

February 2019 GG & FFG SAL Update

Image from Princess Sassy Pants & Co
This is a rather late GG post.... so what else is new!!!  NB: I am also combining this post with my FFG / Fully Finished Gallery SAL hosted by Rachel (Ten Hour Stitcher) post given that I am so late for that posting date as well!!

Designer Freebies - I have a couple to share!

Design: "You Are So Loved"
Designer: Snowflower Diaries
Source: Snowflower Diaries Blog (link to chart is here)
Started: 26 January 2015
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Fairy Tale" from Colour Cascade Fabrics
Threads: DMC & Jodryi Designs
Starting point 2 February 2019
as at 2 February 2019
New Start #7/2019
Design: "Peace to My Heart"
Designer: Hands On Design
Source: HOD Blog (link to chart is here)
Started: 6 February 2019
Fabric: 36ct Edinburgh "Feldspar" from Picture This Plus
Threads: purple/green variegated silk from Silks 4 U (1 over 2)

New start 6 February 2019
as at 6 February 2019
Magazine Free Gifts

Finish: #3/2019
Design: "Disney's Piglet"
Source: Free Gift - World of Cross Stitching
Started: 7 February 2017
Finished: 2 February 2019
Happy Chinese New Year!
Starting point 2 February 2019
Finished 2 February 2019

Finish: #4/2019
Design: "Be Bunni"
Source: Free Gift - World of Cross Stitching
Started: 1 January 2016
Finished: 2 February 2019
FFO into a card
Starting point 10 February 2019
Finished 10 February 2019
Finish: #5/2019
Design: "Honey Bee Keep"
Source: Free Gift - Cross Stitcher magazine
Started: 28 June 2016
Finished: 17 February 2019
FFO into a card
Starting Point 15 February 2019
Finished 17 February 2019
As you can see from the pics above I managed to finish a couple of free gifts and turn them into cards for the FFG SAL.  I know it is a very tenuous link for that SAL, but an FFO is an FFO, right??  😸

That's it for my February GG & FFG updates.  If you want to know more about these SALs, details are below:

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL(GG) is hosted by Jo (Serendipitous Stitching) - sign up page (link is here) 
Fully Finished Gallery SAL (FFG) is hosted by Rachel (Ten Hour Stitcher) - sign up page (link is here)



See you next time!

Happy Stitching
Hugs xx

IHSW February 2019

My doing nothing is cross stitching...... 
Image from Princess Sassy Pants website
Welcome back to my blog!  Today I am here to report on my stitching for the past weekend while I hermitted!!!  The weekend just gone was the 3rd weekend of the month which means it was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW).  I tend to hermit and stitch most weekends but there is something wonderful about the weekend when you know that around the world other stitchers are also joining you in your craziness!!!

IHSW also coincides with Friday Off The Grid (FB group) and Friday Frolics run by our own Kitten Stitching Kaye.

Stand by for the update!

Finish #5/2019
Design: Honey Bee Keep Card
Designer: Free Design
Source: Cross Stitcher magazine issue Sept 1998
Started: 28 June 2016
Finished: 17 February 2019
Starting Point Friday 15 February 2019
Finished Sunday 17 February 2019
Design: Quaker a Halloween
Designer: Jardin Prive
Started: 1 January 2019
Fabric: 32ct Belfast "Jello Shots"
Thread: Purple silk (Silks 4 U), white DMC
Stitched 1 over 2

Starting Point Friday 15 February 2019
Finishing Point Sunday 17 February 2019
Design: 12 Days of Christmas
Designer: Maria Diaz
Source: Cross Stitch Collection December 2001
Started: 1 January 2019
28ct Evenweave (blue/grey)
Thread: DMC as charted / metallics Kreinik and PTB


Starting Point Friday 15 February 2019
Finishing Point Sunday 17 February 2019
So there you have it...

I mainly focused on my Christmas and Halloween 2019 pieces this weekend. 12 Days of Christmas is behind schedule so I am hoping to use some more time this month to catch up..

As per last month, Magical Stitches SALs/weekly challenges has played a large part of my stitching this month.  I will try and do an end of month progress post soon so that you can see all the projects that have come out of hiding for this challenge! 😼



See you next time!

Happy Stitching
Hugs xx

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Secret Stitching Sweethearts Blog Hop 2019

Image from Princess Sassy Pants website



Post edited/updated after the Blog Hop....

It's Valentine's Day which can only mean one thing... Time for Jo's (Serendipitous Stitching) very special Valentine's Blog Hop...

The idea behind the blog hop is that everyone who is participating in the blog hop sends a photo of either Valentine's or love inspired stitching or finished piece to Jo and she will send the photos out to everyone who has joined in the blog hop... but only Jo knows who got what stitching pic!

It is now up to us to go hopping around blog land and see who has our pic. (Jo will do a post with a link to everyone's blog who is taking place.... so Jo's blog is the perfect place to start the blog hop)

Once we find our picture we can then reveal ourselves as the Secret Stitching Sweetheart!  (I also love trying to guess who might have stitched what as I wander around drooling over the beautiful stitching pics!)

Below is the delightful Stitching Sweetheart pic that Jo sent me.


💖 Is this yours?  💖
💟  Edited: My little love heart was stitched by  💟
Little Stitches Art

If you have come to my blog first today... thank you for visiting... If you would like to continue on with the blog hop (or even just start at the beginning) pop over to Jo's blog and see who else has joined the party link to Jo's blog is here.

Somewhere out there is my Secret Stitching Sweetheart pic... let me know if you spot it before I do!!.... Edited: I found my Bunny on Little Stitches Art's blog so we had a direct swap for the blog hop.... is that just serendipitous?! 😉

Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not.... enjoy your day... and feel the love! 💝


Happy Stitching... And Happy Valentine's Day

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

WIPocalypse 2019 - January Update

WIPocalypse is hosted by Measi's Musings
The object of the WIPocalypse is to stitch on projects that you want to complete before the end of the world, or the end of the year - whichever might come first! WIPocalypse is run by Melissa over at Measi's Musings and is now in it's 8th year.  

For 2019 I am going to try and work on 19 projects (ie 19 in 2019!).  The full list of my projects can be found on my WIPocalypse 2019 page.

Oh my goodness.... the end of January is here! Can you believe it - one month of 2019 is almost done! Time does fly when you're having fun!  I am a couple of days late with my update post, but better late than never is my motto this week!

So here we go - I do have a small update for my "19 in 19" 😃

Quaker a Halloween - Jardin Prive


Henry VIII - Cloudsfactory

Dog Park - Satsuma Street



 Peacock Lady - Joan Elliott

So that is the sum total of my WIPocalypse projects for January.  I am pleased with my progress on the Peacock Lady - it would be wonderful to get a finish on that one this year! 😊


Til next time, happy stitching

Hugs xx