CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

its early Christmas morning here, and I wish all my blogging friends very best wishes for a day full of blessings.

DECEMBER UPDATE

I have just delivered the three sets of Christmas decorations that Jan asked me to make for her. To go with the dove design I have already shared I stitched these two designs, think the dove is still my favourite one.

COUNTING THE DAYS

I guess it's time to start a count down to Christmas...... but I have just been counting the days since I last blogged and it's been far too long. like many others I find this the busy time of the year, and although I have started early on some of my stitching other ideas and requests keep popping up. The latest one I can share with you, Jan has asked me to make three sets of Christmas decorations for her to give to her staff at the small school where she teaches.
I have elected to make felt ones as that is quicker than embroidery. Fortunately I just need to decide on three designs as each set may have the same three designs.
Here is the first one I have come up with, not quite finished I need to find some gold rings for the hangers.

Birthday and Christmas gifts that cannot yet be shown  have also taken up my stitching time and I have finished a fabric book for fin will share the photos of that shortly on my blog ... other side of the mountain.
 Will try and not leave it so long to come back and say hi to everyone

STITCHING UPDATE

On Friday I spent the  day in New Plymouth stitching with friends, you know what a delight that was,  spending time with those who enjoy the same embroidery techniques, I try when ever I can to join in with the group once a month like today the theme is samplers and the other day is traditional embroidery. The weather was not encouraging the day started with heavy rain.however by the time I came home the sun was shining. In the morning I finished stitching my birthday gift for Rachel, my eldest grandchild, then in the afternoon I started on my Ellen Chester sampler.
 For Rachel, as part of her gift, I had stitched a notebook cover, using one of the designs I had used previously for a fob with an owl on it this time I added to the design and have the little owl up in the tree.

 The colour in the second photo is not very good as it was taken late at night, I was about to wrap the parcel when I remembered I had not taken a photo. Was very pleased how the cover went together it is stitched on ( no glue).

Earlier in the month I had sent to Annette in American a notebook for her birthday also with a stitched cover but this time Goldwork and bullion stitched roses.

I have one birthday left on my list for the year a very good friend turns 80 in December I have yet to give thought to what I will stitch for her.

 And I wish I could share with you all a posy of Daphne

This morning I took to church a basket full of posies to share with the folk there, I an blessed with two large Daphne Burkwoodii bushes  and it has become a tradition that as many posies as possible are made and given away. There will be more made for tomorrow and for Tuesday when the ladies group at Church will taken them to friends and neighbours who are shut in. After that Wet weather is fore-casted so I wont want to get out in the garden.

"Would that the little flowers were born to live conscious of the pleasure which they give"

  Wordsworth

BACK HOME

I have been home now for nearly two weeks, mainly catching up on things needing doing like getting the church newsletter out on time and that was followed by Stitching Friends group's newsletter which was emailed off last night, it must be the age thing but it seems to take me longer to get things done.  I have a couple of stitching fobs to share but first here is the last memory of my trip. The bus trip home was five hours with a short lunch break stop at Palmerston North, long enough to eat and take a short walk in the square. on the far side I could see pink flowers and when I reached them, there was this wonderful display of snap dragons.

 

I have been continuing to stitch a fob a month keeping to the woodland theme. here are the ones for September and October.

It is a challenge to find designs small enough so fobs like the little deer stitched for September will not be a scissor fob but will hang on one of my stitching bags.

 

The design chosen for October is the Rifleman the smallest of the NZ birds. The chart I used was from Maree Garstang's "More NZ Birds and Flowers" In stitching it I left the background tree section off. For mounting I had the perfect shade of green silk and used Chameleon perle thread "Olive Branch"for the cording.

 Today starts a new month and new stitching plans... these I will share with you shortly.

 Thank you for visiting.

MOVING ON

The past week has been very restful, enjoying the sunshine much warmer than home round the mid 60's. Then yesterday another bus ride a five hour trip south and I am spending a few days with the family and enjoying seeing how much my little grandson has grown. For those followers who checked out the mobile I was making on my other blog it was assembled this morning, eldest granddaughter Rachel made the wooden hanger which I brought through in pieces...and Barryn having completed the putting of it together hung it above Finn's cot.

I have heard too,  from Annie that the second small parcel to celebrate my blog anniversary has arrived.   I sent her along with a few small items,  the owl fob I made a short time ago for my monthly woodland fobs challenges. Slowly I am parting with them and then sometimes I end up making a second one for myself.   I will have another one to give away soon, watch my blog for details. 

NEXT FEW DAYS

Am enjoying the warm sunny weather such a change from last weeks wintery blast, and we lunched outside yesterday., a little shopping for some summer clothes, and with sister's help good bargains found. We started by finding summer slacks and these were our best bargain finds, and gave us a colour scheme to work on. Yesterday looking for top was  bit frustrating, an older body does not look good in some what younger styles!
 Result came home with material for two tops and Joan promptly set to work one is finished and the other well on the way. Photos will have to be later meanwhile I share with you the photos of this camellia in Joan's garden that has taken my eye it's a small one called Night rider.

TRIP DAY 1

I am fortunate do to be able to get away for 10 days, left home this morning by bus, three and a half hours journey throught to Palmerston North where I was met by my sister Joan and her daughter Sue.
lunch at the French Cafe before a quick look at a couple of shops and we were on the road again. The two hour journey was broken with a stop to admire the daffodils at  Taniwha and picks some. A bunch of 30 blooms for $5 raising money for Plunket.

WHAT WAS IN THE BOX

It is time to reveal what was in the box for my blog anniversary gift, Lori was the one to receive it and her choice of colour was Pink and Aqua .and now that I know the box has arrived safely I can show you.

 

A scissor fob and a pincushion ........ not shown in the photo  is that the pincushion was  made like a footstool with thread wrapped beads to stand on. My second small gift has now been stitched and will be on its way shortly.

I have just finished stitching some brightly coloured birds to make a mobile for Finn I have posted a picture of them on my other blog here They are very bright and would not go with the pretty pastel embroideries above!   Now its back to the cross stitch pieces I am stitching.

 

MASK for CAITLIN

Caitlin sent home a request..... She is going to a ball next Saturday and it's to be a masquerade ball, her dress is white with black accessories, and she plans to wear a silver  jewellery..... The request was for Grandma to make her a mask. This was a fun project for me to stitch and I had all I needed in the house..... Here is the result.

Now I am off to proper stitching and its back to Finn's birth sampler which I

am hoping to have completed to take down when I visit next month.

AN IDEA EXTENDED

Thank you all for your comment on my heart pieces, following the hearts with black work and beading I wanted to see if I could use the same idea for a decoration, I had a shape in mind and thoughts on how I would divide it, first up was a play with silk and beads using the shape.

 

I was pleased with the result, however if I was to use this design the area on the side was too narrow to allow for much of a black work pattern.  So a change of design idea and this is the result.

I found some earings at the bargain shop that I was able to use, here they highlight the shape and in the one below cut up they add some bling and on all three they provide the hangers.

I look forward to collecting some more bits and pieces to make more at Christmas time.

SECRET SQUIRREL SHARED

I can now share the secret squirrel project I had been stitching for so long..... Having been asked to design something suitable as thank you gifts I came up with a variation on the scissor case I had made for Coromandel Guild's Anniversary gift.  That was a while ago so here is the photo again.

A pocket at the back for scissors. a matching fob and it also serves as a pinholder with the pearl headed pins round the edge.
The latest ones took some time to stitch the black work background, having finished one I sent it off for approval before completing the rest.

That done, four more were needed..... I was given one skein of thread for each to give me a colour scheme, these had been chosen with the recipient in mind. It was also great having the Bead Hold shop in town as I could take up my work and find just the right beads to fit in, I was also introduced at this stage to using jewellery findings as trims, which I have used since on my fobs. Another useful find was the metal butterflies, these came off earnings from the bargain shop, a $4 pair of earrings gave me 20 butterflies, I bought all they had and will be on the watch for more. The finished hearts.......

Do I have a favorite, I think it was the one I was working on at the time.

WISH UPON A STAR

This is my fob for June I have adapted one of Margaret Sherry's mice, I wanted a mouse that would fit in a circle, all I did was change his tail. When I found the backing material with the tiny stars on it I remembered there was a star charm in my collection and so the theme was decided on.
This fob might end up on the small back pack I use when travelling, I don't just have fobs on my scissors they are also on the Zips of my embroidery bags. My little grey rabbit is at present on my grey jacket, I have looped the cords into a bow.

I have yet to stitch my fob for this month, ideas are there but am still sorting out threads and a chart to keep with my woodland theme.

THE BOX GOES TO.........

I had decided as I was celebrating seven years of blogging my gift would go to the person who left the seventh comment on that posting. Congratulations Lori (Meridle)  please leave a comment for me with your address, I am already stitching in pink and Aqua for you.

Welcome to some new visitors to my blog, I hope you will drop by again sometime, and thank you to everyone who visit so often I am glad you find something of interest in my notes, one person who left a comment on my last posting has been visiting my blog for all those past seven years, I felt that was very special, so for Annie ( of Annie Bebop's colouring book blog) I will send you a little token to say thanks for being my blogging friend for so many years.

Distance means we seldom ever get to meet our blogging friends, I am very grateful to one special blogging friend Annette of California Stitcher, I wanted a certain chart recently and no I could not find it here in NZ, Annette to my rescue and in no time at all she had emailed me back to say she had found it and would have it on its way to me shortly, it is a Noah's Ark birth chart that I wanted to stitch for Finn.

It arrived with other goodies included in the parcel

There were a collection of fabrics and threads in purple tonings.

Lovely tawny Browns.

And some DMC threads to fill some of my gaps thank you Annette for such an exciting parcel.

With winter weather here its time for me to enjoy sitting by the fire and stitching, will be back soon to share with you what I have been working on

 Happy stitching everyone.