Gifted Gorgeousness in November

The 15th of each month means it's Gifted Gorgeousness time, the time each month when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.

This great idea is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching,  if you visit her blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts. Thank you Jo for hosting another year of GG, it's great fun posting and reading and keeps me visiting blogland! 

At the end of October I took part in the Needlecraft Haven Autumn Exchange. It's always fun taking part in our exchanges even though we are only a few. My beautiful ornament was stitched by Julie, it is now hanging at the top of my ornament tree, it looks lovely, thank you Julie. 

Although the exchange did not require additional items Julie also included some love threads and ribbon in my parcel. They were all wrapped in tissue paper with the leaves as decorations. I managed to save the leaves, they make a perfect addition to my autumn dish.

My Autumn Exchange parcel travelled across country to Gill. I stitched an autumn heart of leaves with all the colour changes, it was quite a tricky stitch but I love the effect. I included a few cosy treats, warming hot chocolate and a bar of caramelised hazelnut chocolate. 

These next two GG items go back quite a few years. My Black Labrador picture was the start of two overseas friendships. We had a beautiful black lab so I bought the chart to stitch, only to find it only had one half of the chart. I put a message on the 123stitch forum and two lovely ladies, one in Canada the other in the US, replied that they had the chart and sent over a copy. That was over 25 years ago and we have been pen friends ever since, and since the pandemic we have enjoyed a few video calls.

My Millennium sampler chart was a gift from my Hubby in 1999 and took me 18 months to complete. It came on all our holidays, I have fond memories of stitching on the ferry boat on the way to Norway. As with the Black Labrador picture it has been in our attic for many years but now we have turned our smallest bedroom into the 'Snug' they are both hanging on our walls again.

My final gift is a very special one. When our daughter and then boyfriend moved into their first home I stitched them a 'first' ornament which is in my 2019 post. I have just realised that was the year I first did the White Tree at church so it's very apt that I'm doing that theme again this year as it is their first year as Mr & Mrs. 

To mark this special Christmas I stitched this gorgeous ornament from Cross Stitcher magazine although I did change the hat and scarf colour to red (it was originally blue). The backing fabric was also a gift, some fabric I gave to my Mum from the above mentioned holiday to Norway and because she is no longer using her fabrics she has given me any she had left ... more memories, more connections, isn't life amazing at times. 

It's the time of year for gifts and I have finally sorted my stitching 'to do' list. I'm looking forward to stitching them but mostly giving ... the best part of Christmas. It doesn't have to be anything big, it can be a simple as a hug, a phone call or just time but giving is the best thing you gift. 

Enjoy your season preparations, happy giving! 

Fully Finished in November

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is the lovely host of Fully Finished Objects. It's a super chance for us to show and tell about the crafty items we have completely finished.

I have made some hardanger hearts to add to this year's tree which is a rehanging of the White Tree. 

I will be announcing next year's tree in January, I need to check but I think it's a big one next year.

Thanks for calling by, your comments really mean a lot.

Halloween Trick or TreatBlog Hop

  🎃🦇👻🕸 Happy Halloween 🕸👻🦇🎃

It's that time of year when we celebrate anything spooky, All Hallow's Eve is a celebration of the dead the day before All Saint's Day when we celebrate all who did good. Nowadays it's a chance to dress up and decorate our homes with ghosts, spiders, ghouls and most importantly pumpkins. 

I don't carve a pumpkin now our children are grown up but I do decorate the lounge with my Halloween ornaments, although some are more harvest/autumn than Halloween. 

Halloween also means it's Blog Hop time thanks to the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. You need to collect a letter from each blog to reveal a Mystery Phrase. Pop over to Jo's blog to see the list of bloggers who have a spooky letter ....

..... my letter is 

Jo asked us all to include a photo of something we have stitched for Halloween. My stitching is my October from Drawn Thread's calendar series. I stitched them many years ago and finished them as box ornaments. A few years ago I took them apart and changed them into flat pieces of fabric backed with interfacing, I change them in my frame each month. 

Keep my letter safe and follow the Halloween Trick or Treat Blog Hop 2021 by visiting 

http://astridxstitching.blogspot.com

I'll leave you with my decorations including my new leaf dish filled with Chinese lanterns from my garden.

Have a super Halloween be that enjoying a film, dressing up, pumpkin carving or just eating treats (no-one likes a trick), have fun being spooky 👻🕸🦇

October Smalls

Mary at Mary's Thread is the lovely host of the Smalls SAL. On the last Friday of the month we share our small stitching items that we have completed but not necessarily fully finished. 

Thank you Mary for hosting this great SAL, it's a super way to see everyone's little stitching and to remind me to share my stitching.

I have been working on six hardanger hearts for this year's tree at church. I am reshowing The White Tree from 2019 with these added hearts for our family as it's a wedding year. I also have a beautiful hardanger ornament to add from DJ, details in my GG April post.

I will add white ribbon hangers to them all and decorate the tree with white tinsel and white lights. I'll be sharing the photos in December.

My other small was not made by me but another crafty creature. I'm not a fan of spiders, especially when they visit my home, but I do admire their work in their own environment. This morning it was a little bit foggy which highlighted the delicate web on my bird hanger, such beautiful crafting.

It's Halloween next week, my decorations are up, I'll share them on Tuesday 🎃

Gifted Gorgeousness in October

The 15th of each month means it's Gifted Gorgeousness time, the time each month when we share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.

This great idea is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching,  if you visit her blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts. Thank you Jo for hosting another year of GG, it's great fun posting and reading and keeps me visiting blogland! 

My stitched gifts this month have been seen in my Fully Finished Objects post but it's always good to look again. They are the coaster mat I stitched for Hubby's aunt who turned 90 in September and the six Christmas ornaments I sent to Catherine for the Ronald McDonald House. 

I received some lovely charts and threads for my birthday from my good friend Gill. I'm hoping to stitch them next year along with some other long awaited projects. 

I had a lovely birthday, early September, with a little trip away to see Kynren show in Yorkshire. It was just after the wedding so felt like the celebrations went on for many days. September has been quite busy in lots of ways so our holiday in Turkey last week was perfect to relax and recharge, and is why I'm late posting. 

The hotel reception manager has been so good to us over the 9 years we have been going, again this year she sorted perfect rooms for us and our friends. It's her birthday in October so I stitched a coaster for her, she was delighted and amazed at the stitches. 

My final few photos are not stitchy gifts, they are the best gift you can receive.... memories! 

The official wedding photos have arrived, here's a couple of my favourites.

When I first saw my beautiful daughter in her dress

Hubby's turn to see our little girl all grown up

A very proud Dad

My handsome son, my escort into the wedding

Hubby, me, our son and his girlfriend 

Mr and Mrs Lang

The confetti was dried roses from our and local friends' gardens

Hubby's speech

Cake cutting time

Philippa had a second dress for the evening

What an amazing day🎉

Fully Finished Objects in October

I've a few finished objects to share this month, my stitching has been very different this year with my focus on the wedding sampler. it's quite nice to be stitching small projects again.

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, is the lovely host of Fully Finished Objects. It's a super chance for us to show and tell about the crafty items we have completely finished.

My first finished object is a small coaster mat. I've had the oval fabric, with its beautiful machine embroidered edge, in my stash for many years so it was a delight to finally use it. Hubby's aunt turned 90 in September and altering a 'Mother'card design I stitched her a personalised coaster. 

I backed it with foam felt so she could put a mug or cup on it but I was told 'oh no nothing is being put on it, it's too nice'. We took her out for a meal with our daughter and son-in-law surprising her by joining us.

My other FFO objects are six Christmas ornaments I have made for the Ronald McDonald House in Orange, I sent them off to Catherine last week, I hope they don't take too long to cross the pond! It was fun to stitch these and give something back as I have received so many lovely stitched items for my church trees. 

I've a few more items on the go so I'm hoping to have a few items in next month's Fully Finished Objects post. 

September Smalls

 Mary at Mary's Thread is the lovely host of the Smalls SAL. On the last Friday of the month we share our small stitching items that we have completed but not necessarily fully finished. 

Thank you Mary for hosting this great SAL, it's a super way to see everyone's little stitching. 

It's been a while as I have been very busy stitching our daughter and new husband's wedding sampler, it took ages and I think made me step away a bit from stitching. You can see it in my previous post along with a few wedding photos.

I have however stitched a few things, namely these 6 Christmas ornaments for the Ronald McDonald House in Orange. It's my way of paying back fellow stitchers' kindness in stitching for my Christmas trees.

I have already finished these and posted them to Catherine in the USA, I'll share the finishes in next months Fully Finished Objects post.