Hopefully Blogger will actually let me post this time...

The last two and half weeks have flown by and I can't believe it's been that long since my last post.  I tried to post a couple of times, but Blogger was not being my friend and I gave up each time.  Thank you all for your prayers, concerns and good wishes for my MIL.  Her surgery went well and she is recovering nicely.  So far she has the all clear, but still has a couple of tests to go before they can deem her cancer free.  So, we are staying positive! :)

I haven't done much at all on the stitching front and am really hoping to get back into the swing of things very soon.  Here is a pic of the Creation Sampler from Shakespears Peddler that I have started.  I am really enjoying stitching it so far. 

I know, it doesn't look like much yet...hopefully I'll have something more significant to show you soon!

I have been working on a project with my friend Laurie over the last month or so and it is taking up a lot of time also.  I'm really excited about it and look forward to sharing it with you all once we've achieve our goal. 

Another thing I have been neglecting is my garden.  Although, I must say it looks great considering I haven't actually done anything to it yet!  The perennials are all coming up fabulously thanks to all the rain we have been getting here.  The pots are still empty though and that's what I'll need to be doing this weekend.  I also spotted a few weeds out there as well, so I'll have to head out there tonite and do some weeding.  It's going to be really hot and humid tomorrow, so that should keep me inside and stitching tomorrow night...hehehe! 

Happy Memorial Day to all my friends in the USA!!! 

Too many balls in the air this past week!

Well, I signed up for the Friday Night Sew/Stitch In that Heidi from Handmade by Heidi co-hosts.  It's my first time and I'm really looking forward to it.  It's being held on the 20th and you can follow this link if you want to join in!  http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/p/friday-night-sew-in.html  I really enjoy following her blog as she is always making something cool!

This past week has been exhausting with lots of things going on and I feel like a juggler with too many balls in the air.  So, I haven't got much stitching done, although I did start on my Creation Sampler from Shakespeare's Peddler a couple of days ago as I needed a stress outlet and none of my WIP's were calling my name.  The thing I love best about stitching is the calming effect is has on the soul. 

One thing that is weighing heavy on my mind is that my MIL has been diagnosed with breast cancer...again...and is having her other breast and lymph nodes removed tomorrow.  We are praying that they get it all and that it has not spread further.  She also suffers from Bipolar Disorder and this has made things much worse...to the point that it is a struggle to get her out of bed.  We visited them on the weekend and she did get up and get dressed to visit with us which was positive.  It is very hard on my FIL as well and we are hoping for some good news after the surgery. 

One the creative front, I have no stitching progress worthy of pictures.  I did however manage to pop back over the antique store I discovered with my friend Laurie the other day.  I picked up some flower frogs, some glass candies and a pinwheel crystal glass.  Here is the decorative scissor holder that I've constructed with them:

Well, that's all I have for today.  I hope to have a stitching update for you very soon!

Take care everyone!

A few finishes and I've named the puppy!

Firstly, last night was a big election night here in Canada and it turned out to be a historic one.  The Conservatives won a majority government, the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois got stomped (badly) and the New Democrats are the official opposition for the first time in their 50 year history.  This was the first time that the Liberals finished in third place and it was a distant third at that.  Both the Liberal and Bloc Quebecois leaders failed to win their seats and are both stepping down as party leaders.  The Green Party won their first seat ever in the House of Commons.  Anyways, I won't bore you with further details, but I feel positive that good things will happen!

I had such a great weekend this past weekend!  My friend Laurie and I spent the afternoon driving around and stopping wherever we felt inspired to stop.  First, we went to the Hobby Horse for fabric and other sewing stuff.  Second stop was at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre.  There are so many wonderful artists there!   We strolled through the studios of glass blowers, painters, wood carvers, sculptors, jewellery makers, etc.  It was a wonderful time!

 

My friend Laurie...had to buy something, of course! :)

 

Was such a lovely sunny day!

 Then it was on to the Copper Kettle Pub for a refreshment.  Our next stop was Beaumont Mill Antiques & Collectibles.  Wow, this place was huge!  You seemed to go from room to room forever.  We ended up kind of having to rush through it a little, you could easily spend 2 hours there if you wanted to see everything.  We will definitely be heading back there sometime soon!

Okay, onto some stitching finishes!  I framed my bunny from The Trilogy...here he is:



Another reason my friend Laurie came down that day for was to give me another sewing lesson.  She is a GREAT teacher!!  She walked me through finishing my first pillow step by step and then I finished the second one by myself after she left.  I am really happy with how they turned out and think I did pretty good for a newbie.  Since the sewing machine and I are now friends, I have "named the puppy" and it will now affectionately be called Ginny...after Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter, of course!  *** Editted as Mouse was too right that it is Ginny and not Jenny...serious brain burp there on my part! ***  Here are my pillows:

I had so much fun finishing these...I never thought sewing could be that much fun!  Now I have even more projects in mind...eek! :)

My apologies for things being a little out of alignment on this post...Blogger is giving me hard time today!  Oh well, you get the idea, right?!?! :o)   Have an awesome week everyone!!!

A wonderful Easter weekend and a finish!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!  Mine was great.  I had a stitching afternoon with my friend Judy on Friday while Rob took the kids to see the new Diary of Wimpy Kid movie.  Saturday we were invited over for an Easter dinner at our very good friends Darren & Denise's and had a fantastic time.  Denise is an entertainer extraordinaire.  I am always so impressed with the table set to perfection (the Easter themed place cards in pineapple shaped crystal holders were so lovely even my kids commented on them!) and her decorating skills would give even the designers on TV a run for their money.  I wish I had taken some pics, but I was too busy enjoying the evening. :)  On Sunday Keira wasn't feeling very well as she had been up late the night before and had been coughing through the night; so we had a day of relaxing, watching a movie at home and spending time together as a family.  It turned out to be a great day and she was feeling better by the afternoon.  Here is a pic of the kids from Sunday afternoon:

I finished the Bunny from The Trilogy that I was working on for Keira.  She wants it framed to hang in her room, so I'll have to get to that done for her soon.  Here he is:

I finally received the Creation Sampler from Shakespear's Peddler that I ordered.  I had so admired the one that Margaret from Days of a Sampler Lover had done that I decided I needed to tackle it myself.  The colours are even more stunning then they appear online.  I can't wait to get started on it, but am committed to finishing a couple of the other projects I am working on first.  My BFF Laurie is coming down again this Saturday and we are taking another crack at my new sewing machine.  She is the teacher and I am the eager student.  I pray that her patience will hold out! :)

It's almost Easter and the bunnies are out!

Hope you are all having a great week so far!  I have been very busy the last couple of weeks and can't believe that Easter is here in a few days. 

My hobby room is FINALLY almost completely ready...I say that with a laugh as the last 5% always seems to take longer than the first 95%!!!  My kids have affectionately named it the "Woman Lair" as I call my husbands studio the "Man Lair"...LOL.  Here are a couple of pics:

The wall to the left has a set of garden doors that go out onto the back patio and the wall to the right has a closet and a display cabinet with glass doors that I will use to display "finished" work...but it's not ready yet so will show that later. :)  It's a small room, but all mine now and am happy with how it turned out.  Oh, and yes, under that white cover is a Singer sewing machine that I bought...I must be nuts, but I've always wanted one and never had room to put one until now!  So, that is my new toy and I am having fun with it so far.  I hope to post of a pic of my first machine sewn pillow finish in my next blog post...wish me luck!

Well, the bunnies are out and here are a couple of bunnies that I have been working on:

The first one was a small SAL from Kissy Cross which was done in 3 parts over 6 days.  I changed up the colours and also did a second version in lighter colours.  I picked out some co-ordinating fabric for each (shown along the left) and these two will be my first pillow finishes.  I think I stitched two of them just in case I botch one! ;)

The second bunny is Happy Bunny Bunny Day from The Trilogy and I hope he'll be done by Easter!

Thanks for stopping by!

Success!

Well, I am happy to say that Keira's birthday weekend was a success.  We went out to dinner at the Mandarin Friday night (her choice) and then watched a movie at home (Secret of Moonacre...very good...again, her choice).  Saturday we had her "friends" birthday party.  There were 7 girls that came over and we had fun making body glitter, decorating t-shirts and playing Dance Party on the Wii. 


Waiting for her friends to arrive!



The diva girls showing off their t-shirts!



Her friend Annie stayed after the party for a sleepover...all went well!

Then on Sunday our family came over to wish the birthday girl well.  The weather was so nice out that we went outside to test the new bubble maker that she received.  The bubbles that came out of this thing were amazing! 

The lovelies...my niece Michelle, Keira, my grand-niece Isabella and my niece Stephanie.

Fun with bubbles - Karl, Isabella, Stephanie, my nephew David's girlfriend Leslie and Keira.

Also, I haven't post a pic yet of the goodies I received from my win on Cathi's blog giveaway!  Here is what I received:

Can't wait to stitch these up! :)

Last but not least, I finished my LHN Acorn Hill.  Here it is:

I have the perfect place picked out for this one once it is framed. 

Cheers!

Proof of spring and a secret pal exchange!

Just a quick post this evening as I have a couple of things to share and may not have the opportunity this weekend as it is packed with birthday activities.  Why is it that the kids birthdays seem to last for a week between family visits and birthday parties with friends?  Ahhhhh...to be kid again... ;)

Okay, so here is what I received in the EMS Forum, Secret Pal Spring Exchange: 

Celine from France sent me the most lovely pink and green ribbon, some spring coloured threads, a bag of gorgeous buttons, some fabric, a lovely chart and a beautiful card.  What a wonderful package to receive...thanks Celine!!!  I don't know about you guys, but there is something magical about receiving something in the mail that is not a bill to be paid...LOL!

I also snapped a couple of pics of some flowers that have finally poked their heads up in my garden...proof of spring, hooray! :)

Well, it will be a very busy weekend for me.  Out to dinner for DD's birthday tomorrow and then her birthday party with her friends tomorrow.  She wanted a birthday party at home with me doing crafts with them, an ice cream cake and then playing the wii Dance Party.  I have two crafts planned - making body glitter and decorating t-shirts...wish me luck!  My son is begging to NOT be at home during the party as last year the girls wouldn't leave him alone...the joys of being the older brother...no worries, DH is taking him out to a movie.  Then on Sunday, we have the family coming over in the afternoon.  I'll try and post some pics Sunday night.  Oh, and I am almost done LHN Acorn Hill! :)

Cheers to you all!

Lots of new stash!

Happy Monday and hope you all had a great weekend! 

My week ended up being crazy last week as the cabinets were being put into my new hobby room and of course, things do not always go as planned.  The upper and lower cabinets are now installed and the countertop is in, but there is still some finishing work that needs to be done before I reveal it.  It must all get done this week though as my daughter Keira is turning 7 on Friday (my baby!) and we will have lots of company and also a birthday party this weekend...eek!

Saturday was Gitta's Needleworkers Marketplace and my friend Judy and I, along with her friend Linda all headed down for the event.  We had a great time meeting all the designers and shopping for stash.  Here are some of the things that I picked up:

A new chart (along with thread pack and embelishments) and some wonderful hand-dyed fabric. 

Some lavender, crushed walnuts, a needleminder and miniature scissors.



How adorable are these scissors?!?!



Some silk and hand-dyed threads.

 Of course we finished off the day with lunch and then a trip to Gitta's!

Sunday afternoon...

Well, it is bright & sunny here and that is always a good thing.  I have not had all that much stitching time these last few days, but did manage to complete a couple more of the hummingbird cards that I came up with earlier this week.  I just love hummingbirds, they are definitely my favourite bird.  I found the bird on the xstitchhappy.com site and it was part of a larger freebie design.  Here is one of the finished cards:

I was out shopping with the kids yesterday and one of our stops was for dog food.  The kids talked me into getting our sweet Lady another toy.  She really likes it!  Here she is hanging out on her blanket, in her favourite chair with her new best friend Lion:

Lady wasn't too impressed that I was taking her picture, but I just love the big happy grin on the Lion..LOL!



The kids also talked me into a couple of new fish, so we headed off to the fish store as well.  The last goldfish we had died about 6 months ago (after a freakishly long life) and they reminded me that I had promised to get them each a new one after 6 months.  Why is it they always remember the things that you wish they wouldn't?!?!  Here is Sheldon (the black one) and Hannah (the gold one):

I also did some work on my LHN Acorn Hill.  I am really enjoying stitching this one!  Here is my progress:

I hope you are all having a great weekend!



And the winners are...

Happy Friday!

I quickly wrote down all of the names of those who entered the draws for my giveaways this morning so that I could have my daughter pick the winners before taking her to school.  Keira wished everyone luck and then put the names into the vase.  So...here it goes:

Here are all of the ballots for those who entered.

This was the draw for the "Punch" giveaway.

The winner is Cathi!!!

Here was the draw for the "Stash" giveaway.

The winner is Lynn!!!

Congrats to you both!  Cathi and Lynn please email me (via the email link on my profile) and provide your contact information and I will get these goodies sent out to you.  I am also including a little something that I stitched myself. 

This was fun and I will definitely do it again!  After all...isn't there always something worth celebrating? ;)

Cheers!

A start...a finish...and a win!

Wow...what a week this last week has been.  My DD has been sick with an awful stomache flu that lasted for 4 days!  She is finally just now feeling better and able to eat.  I had taken this week off of work as my DH is off on a golf trip to Myrtle Beach and I thought it would make it easier for me to manage the kids and their activities and also get some spring cleaning done.  Well...hopefully I will get some spring cleaning done these next few days as the last few where a bust.  I did however get lots of stitching done while DD was tucked in beside me on the couch.  I started Acorn Hill by Little House Needleworks and here is what I have done so far:

I also did a little work on my "Frosty Blue" ornament.  Here he is:

I finally got the time to "finish" my Peace Joy Love ornaments from Lizzie*Kate.  I am happy with how they turned out!  Here they are:

 In other news, I was tickled pink to find out that I was the winner of Cathi's (from Cathi's Stiching Blog - http://cathisstitchingblog.blogspot.com/) Spring Giveway!!!  Woohoo!  If you don't follow her blog, I would recommend that you do.  She is always stitching up something beautiful!  The giveaway includes the charts Bunny Gingham by Twisted Threads, Bunny Welcome by Waxing Moon Designs and Simply Stuffins "Pudgy Bunny" by Homespun Elegance.  It also includes a "Spring Kitty" scissors fob that Cathi made.  I will post pics once I receive it. :)

Lastly, please don't forget about my giveaway.  See the previous post for details and to enter.  I will be drawing and announcing the winners on Friday!

Hope you are all having a great week!

Celebrating with 2 Giveaways!!!

I now have 25 followers...WOOHOO!  I'm just thrilled that people find me interesting enough to follow. :)  I am really enjoying this whole blog thing...not only managing my own blog, but also following others.  So many great people and so much great stuff out there...it's really fantastic.  Today when I logged in I saw that I now have 25 followers, so I'd like to celebrate that by having a couple of giveaways.  Here is what I have to give away...the first giveaway is called "Punch" and is a punch needle kit, which I have realized a lot of people are into doing and this kit really caught my eye...the second is called "Stash" and is an assortment of things that I have put together (a 16"x23" piece of taupe 28ct Cashel linen, a DMC booklet of 6 spring themed cross-stitch designs, a vintage "Lavender & Lace" victorian design, 1 pkg of flower themed embelishments, 1 pkg of stitching themed embelishments & 1 pkg of "Tiny Bugs" (lady bugs, bumble bees & dragon flies) button embellishments .  Here they are:
 

"Punch"



"Stash"

So, if you are interested, all you have to do is be a follower, comment on THIS post and specify whether you would like to be entered in "Punch", "Stash" or both!  Good luck...I am really looking foward to sending these goodies out to someone.  I will draw for the winners next Friday which is March 25th.  :)

Cheers!!!