2 Posts in a Month!

I'm getting better ;0)

I have come to post up some photographs of my HAED Coral Addiction. I started her in March 2011 (gosh where do the years go!) and have not picked her up for some time...the last photo on my computer is labelled 19.09.12!!!

Here it is:

AND here is where I am at with my stitching as of YESTERDAY (16.07.15):

This is what she will look like when complete...(minus the background as I asked for that to be removed when I purchased the chart)

So a lot more tail to do and a bit of coral right at the bottom! My aim was to have her completed LAST year (did not go to plan) so I will try to have her completed THIS year instead...:0)

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing my progress and hope that you will continue to check in and watch my progress now I have picked this old project back up again...

xXx

Long Time NO Post...

I feel like I spend a lot of my time making posts that have the above title lol...

I must try harder!

The reason for my absence? Life! We have just bought a house and moved in a month ago (or slightly less than that, 3 weeks 4 days!) so have been INCREDIBLY busy decorating and doing DIY...

I haven't stitched much recently either, I have started a new Koi Fish project for my other half but that is stitched in the style of a HAED so may take some months to complete...

I am going to try my best to update and make a blog post every month - whether I just update with a few pictures about what I have been doing, review something I have used, or just waffle on about my life in general...I WILL POST SOMETHING!!! (promise!)

I hope all the readers of my blog are well & enjoying the lovely June weather we have been having! (sense the sarcasm in that sentence...) today alone it has thundered, poured down and now is glorious sunshine...glad I did not put the washing out! The weekend is meant to be brighter so hopefully that is true and I can throw all the windows open at my house, give it a good air and a summer clean...;0)

I plan to sit and stitch tonight, for the FIRST time in my new house. I'm really looking forward to it :0) goodness knows how much I will get done because I am sure my other half will be under my feet ;0) however yesterday we moved the Fiesta he is restoring/building up to its FOREVER home (from a garage about 45minutes away!) so hopefully he'll disappear out there and sort some of his stuff out...

Loving you all and leaving you all now...until next time...;0)

SandZ xXx

Pile of Piggies WIP! :0)...

1st WIP pic as of 23rd September!!!

2nd WIP pic as of 27th September!!!

3rd WIP pic as of 8th October!!!

I started this stitch in mid September - as you can see it is progressing quite well :0) I am happy with the colours and the way it looks. The cover of the kit looks like this: 

It is quite an easy stitch ~ no blending, no fractionals and no half stitches :0) I am very glad that the colours in the threads in the kit are more natural than they show on the picture above...I think that the final piece will be stunning and I hope that Cookie's Mum will like it. It is her CHRISTMAS pressie so I think I am on track to get it completed in time. I have almost completed the 4th piglet on the left hand side of the design (the only one with a curly tail) so will show another picture when I have completed that piglet (should be within the next few days!)

I hope that you like my latest project and my WIP photographs ~ thanks for looking if you have done so!

xXx

Framed "I Love Coffee" Present

I picked up my friends cross stitch from the framers recently and took it to her house...she loved it & it is in pride of place on her kitchen wall..

My quotes of the day today are:

I think that both say a similar thing...it is very important to speak the truth even if people do not want to hear it! In the end the truth may hurt but people will definitely end up appreciating & respecting you more...I always try to speak my mind no matter what the situation, even if is hard to speak the truth! I feel better for being truthful, I couldn't lie even if I needed to (I think that's a good trait of mine)...

xXx

Long Time No Post!

Long time and no blog post! I am going to make a promise to myself that I will post something once a week...

As my picture quote today says...life is better when you're lauging! People on Facebook have been doing these 3 positive things posts so for today's post I am going to post 3 positive things...

#1 ~ I had a lovely weekend with my boyfriend camping on Saturday night and wandering around Ford Fair on Sunday...

#2 ~ We will have been together for a year at the end of this month...that time has flown...we've done so many cool things within the past 11months and so many more awesome things to come!

#3 ~ I've been working in a different office for the past 7 days and they want to keep me but my original office wants me back! It's nice to feel "wanted" hehe...

I have not done a lot of stitching recently although I did finish something for one of my good friends...

It is away being framed right now...I assure you the cup to the right is straight but doesn't look like it in the photo for some reason 

Anyway...I hope that you like my latest cross stitch finish...I'll be back soon with another picture quote that has inspired me...

xXx

WIP Magical Nights Blackwork as of 23.05.13

Well here's where I was with this design as of the 17th of May 2013:

And here's where I am at a few days later:

I hope that you like my progress ~ this enforced rest malarkey is doing wonders for my stitchy bug but I do find myself getting tired earlier on in the evening. Right now it is 815pm and I have had to stop stitching as I am getting drowsy now...I'd hate to continue and make a mistake! Blackwork is not the easiest thing in the world to unpick (a bit like backstitch!)...

Thanks for looking at my blog & happy stitching!

That Friday Feeling...

It's the weekend...AGAIN!!! Would you believe it??? Hehe...

I am looking forward to a weekend of chilling out ~ hopefully working on "Calories Don't Count..." ~ reading ~ seeing my best friend for a catch up etc...

What are your plans??? Hopefully something stitchy or crafty will feature in your weekend plans!!! 

REMEMBER my "guess the amount of Christmas decorations on my tree" competition (a few posts below this one) runs until Sunday evening...I have had 8 guesses so far & a couple are close but no one has guessed exactly so far!!! Have a guess and see what happens ;0)

I will pop a picture up over the weekend of my progress on "Calories Don't Count..." 

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading my blog!!!

xXx

Calories Don't Count At Christmas WIP Progress ~ 2nd January 2O13

As predicted this design is stitching up quickly!!!

No Kreinik delivery as yet but I'm hoping it comes in time for the weekend :0)

I hope that you like my progress this evening...as I am posting from my phone, if you are interested to see yesterday's progress to compare with today's then please look at the post below this one!!! :0)

I hope everybody has had a good day, I was back to work today for the first time this year!!! It went quicker than I thought it would...all I really wanted to do was get home & stitch though!!! The stitchy bug has well & truly bitten me (for the moment!!!)...

Thanks for reading my blog ~ keep on reading as I think I'm going to do a giveaway over the weekend ;0)
xXx

Calories Don't Count At Christmas WIP as of 1st Jan 2O13...

^^^

This project is so cute!!! My Mum bought it for me for Christmas from the Works, it came with everything you needed to get on with it straight away ~ chart, aida fabric and threads. However I looked at the chart and there are a lot of stitches and back stitch that would pierce and split the aida blocks (stitching on aida is NOT for me) so I swapped out the fabric and am stitching on some evenweave  

However I am well impressed with:

1) the quality of the threads included 

&& 2) the aida (if you were to use it) is hemmed around the edges to stop fraying...some more expensive kits don't even do that to the fabric they include!!!

&&& 3) the chart includes DMC conversion at the bottom for all the thread colours!!! FAB!!!

So I started stitching on the 3Oth of December and here's where I got to:

I have used some Kreinik fine braid in an iridescent pearl colour along with the white in the candy canes to give a bit of sparkle (it doesn't show in the photo though!) *insert sad face here*

You all know me, I've already been missing out some stitches and changing bits to suit me. Some of the writing (especially the O of "count" ~ look at the top picture, looks like two U's right???) it didn't look right on the chart so I amended it slightly to make it look better. Sometimes I think you do have to have been stitching quite a while if you want to tackle one of these kits, as sometimes the charts aren't the best and you do have to change some things about! I think if you're a new stitcher then the instructions aren't the clearest and sometimes the oddities of the chart may put you off ~ but if you're like me and have been stitching forever (well on and off since I was 8) then you'll tackle anything and modify it to suit you 

I hope you like my new project ~ it's stitching up quite quickly (although I have had to order some more Kreinik) so hopefully it'll be a quick finish and I can frame/finish it off in a cute way for it to be displayed next Christmas...and I totally agree with the caption "Calories Don't Count at Christmas" 

Here is my progress today (the 1st of January)...

Note the lack of icing on the right hand cupcake ~ I'm awaiting my Kreinik delivery!!! Should be here soon I reckon...I ordered it yesterday from Donna - website is here: http://www.cross-stitch-heaven.co.uk/ and have had an email to say my order is processing ~ Donna's usually dead quick but I'm not in a hurry anyway!!!

If you've read today's blog then thank you so much & Merry New Year...

xXx

Patchwork Santa Finished 23rd December 2O12...

YAY!!! He's finally done...woopwoop!!!

Now to either make him into a bell pull or cushion...

What next??? I think I might do a penguin for me...

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and fabulous New Year!!!

xXx

Coca-Cola Truck & Finished Chicken Cross Stitch...

Just a few photographs of the Coca-Cola truck which visited our local Asda store today :0) my bestest friend Genie and I went down and took some photos!!!

I finished my Chickens cross stitch today as well...here it is:

I need to frame it somehow & present it to my friends (that I dog sit for) for Christmas :0) I hope it will warm their hearts as they recently lost one of the dogs to some unknown illness. They went to the Vets and Kali (the dog) baffled them, so my friend made the brave decision to let her babygirl go to sleep (as she didn't want Kali to be in pain)...Kali was my favourite dog out my friends 6 dogs so I miss her greatly! My friends do have 4 chickens so that's why I chose to stitch some chickens...

I hope you like my pictures if you have looked at my blog today! I hope your weekend has been great...mine was quite festive as I went to watch the Christmas lights be turned on in our local town followed by watching a Christmas movie with my best friend on Saturday...then today we saw the Coca-Cola truck :0)

I hope the coming week is good for you all...

xXx

Chickens!!!

I am stitching some chickens for my friends with 6 German Shorthair Pointers as they also have chickens (& cats, a bearded dragon, hamster and 2 gerbils) which I animal-sit for occasionally...I am stitching 4 chickens for them (as they have 4 chickens) and I have done 3 so far...

I should really finish one project before I start another shouldn't I??? Lol, I'm the same with books...I've got about 3 on the go at the moment that I have partially started :0/...oops!

Here are some photos of the chickens so far (excuse the crumpled fabric):

I hope that you like my progress so far...just got the chicken at the top and a border left to do. These chickens were from Cross Stitch Crazy (although I can't remember what issue)...

Thanks for looking and Happy Sunday!!!

xXx

Sparklies Fabrics...

I just got a couple of new fabrics through from Sparklies and they are beautiful...I had honestly forgotten that I ordered them so them arriving was a grand surprise...

Sparklies hand dye each of their fabrics so can take a little time to arrive but with me starting my new job recently and everything I had just forgotten about them...

Here's a picture of them:

Both gorgeous!!! Not sure yet what designs will go on them but always great to add to your stash pile ;0)...

Thanks for looking & enjoy your weekend...

xXx

WIP Coral Addiction Progress as of 25/06/12...

Here she is! Page 5 completed yay!!! I'm approximately 58% of the way through her now, over halfway!!! Yay indeed...

I hope that you like my progress too if you have had a look...

Hehe...

xXx

WIP Coral Addiction Progress as of 09/06/12...

Here is my latest progress...4 pages of 12 finished. Not all 12 pages are full of stitches however due to the background having been removed...I have now moved onto the page to the right of the one in the middle that I just finished! I am roughly 1/2 way through this design now...

I hope that you are enjoying looking at my WIP pictures...