A little progress

I have finally finished March's Challenge on Needlecraft Haven, although I have yet to make it up. The dedign us Christmas Joy by Cuore e Batticuore. It took a little longer than I thought as I changed the design to include two girls. This will be a gift at Christmas for someone I send something to every year; they have two girls.

Stitched but needs finishing

My other progress is on my Bouquet Sampler by Jardin Privè - I haven't worked on it for quite a while as I was busy doing the Easter Exchange, the challenge piece and another birthday bookmark but I did join everyone in The Parlour (Needlecraft Haven) on Wednesday. It is growing and there is not too much more to do..

Before

After

The bookmark was for Dusty, my friend overseas. It's always a worry posting abroad especially with it being Eastertime but it did arrive in time for her birthday.

Dusty's Bookmark

Today I need to look at my projects and time as I have a few more birthdays coming up, some big ones so I need to find suitable gifts to stitch. We have two holidays as well, almost back to back so I really do need to plan ahead, always exciting.

Huge thank you to everyone who sent the link to their first posts for my blogiversary, I really enjoyed reading them and looking back to how we all began. Thanks too to everyone who posted, it's always nice to receive your comments.

Easter Exchange

Happy Easter, today is also the Opening Day for Needlecraft Haven Easter Exchange. It's an annual exchange that is great fun to take part of each year.

We had to stitch an Easter gift for our partner, include a card and a sweet treat. I was absolutely amazed when I opened my parcel this morning, Justine has stitched a beautiful biscornu, thank you Justine I love it!

My Easter biscornu from Justine

The reverse with such delicate beading and backstitch

Close up of the cute bunnies 

In my parcel Justine included some mini chocolate eggs, two skeins of Week Dye Weeks thread - daffodil and spring bouquet - and a super Easter card.

My Easter Exchange from Justine 

My exchange parcel travel overseas to Mary. I hadn't stitched in relief before and I did find this a little unusual to start with. I used DMC variegated thread and I stitched it over one to make it ornament size.

The ornament for Mary

Mary's Exchange 

I've been baking for Easter - chocolate nests for our not so little kids and a Simnel Cake for Easter Day.

Chocolate Nests

Simnel Cake 

My Easter decorations are out - just for a few days. My Easter tree is a piece of a contorted hazelnut tree that we had in our front garden for over 20 years and was before that in my Grandmother's garden. I saved these branches and use them every Easter, along with her jug.

My Dad's cousin bought me a beautiful bunch of tulips when we took her shopping on Good Friday and my daffodils timed it perfectly to come out today. The ornament on my mantle is my exchange gift from Christine last year and the stitched egg one my tree is also from Christine from an exchange a few years ago.

My Easter Tree

I love the colour of these tulips

My Easter mantle

There are a few chocolate eggs in our house but we've all been quite good ....... so far .......... and only eaten a little.

Happy Easter 

Easter Blog Hop & 10th Blogiversary

It's Easter Blog Hop time - a fun event organised by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching

In all the Blogs taking part you will find a letter, simply find all the letters to reveal the Mystery Phrase. How do you know which blog to jump to - just follow the link after each letter and hop your way around - make sure you visit Jo's Blog too. 

The letter I have for you is ....

The next blog to visit is The Alchymyst's Study to find out which letter Christine has for you.

My Easter themed picture is the beautiful Easter Exchange Christine sent me last year.

Whoo Hoo today is my  💕 10th Blogiversary 💕

In March 2008 my first blog was titled New Adventure and was about my hardanger tablecloth (which I still have) and my sampler for my school diary. I didn't actually write very much hee hee.

My hardanger tablecloth - the center panels where stitched in a Round Robin
and I then completed the hardanger to make the tablecloth

I stitched this on perforated paper and had it on the front of my planner
when working at school - I managed to move it to the new planner each year 

As a Blogiversary celebration I asked for links to everyone's first blog, be that recent years or many years ago - thank you to everyone who sent a link - here's our first blog posts :)

RJ and Mary - Stitching Friends Forever

Rosey - Ishkabibble

Jo - Serendipitous Stitching

Barbara - The Flashing Scissors 

Vickie - A Stitcher's Story

Julie - Julie's Stitchyknitter Journal

Brigitte - At Brigittes Place

Sharon - It's Daffycat 

Thank you so much to everyone who has visited, read and commented on my blog posts over the last ten years - your friendship is very dear to me, thank you

Special books and a special request

Special books - this year on Needlecraft Haven our Reading Challenge is based on our childhood favourites. This month is Justine's choice ..... Heidi :-)

To be honest this was on my list to nominate as I loved this story. I used to read my Mum's copy when I was younger, a beautiful book with a few colour prints in. I also read Mum's Heidi Grows Up and Heidi's Children.

I was delighted when Justine announced her choice and even more delighted to re-read those old copies. Hubby kindly ventured into the attic and retrieved all three books - they are well loved and smell of my childhood..... it's a pleasure to be reading them again.

My Mum's copy of Heidi

Beautiful inside cover - Heidi getting into bed in the cabin
and Clara in her finery 

Heidi and her Grandfather - one of the superb colour prints in the book

This colour print is such fun - one of my
favourites in the book

The lovely goatherd Peter

Heidi Grows Up - not such an ornate book
but loved just the same

The detail in the colour prints is amazing in this book too

The third book of Heidi

The inside cover pencil print, I'd love to live near mountains

Heidi, Peter and the Children 

Thank you so much Justine, I really have revisited my childhood with these books, in more ways than just the stories.

My special request - join me in a 'first blog' celebration for my 10th Blogiversary on 30th March.

I'll be sharing the link to my very first blog post - if you would like to take part please email me a link to your very first blog post and I will post up '10 years of blogging'.

It will include all the blogs/links sent so we can see how we all started - I do hope you'll join in. Huge thanks to the three bloggers who have already emailed me their links, it will soon be party time :)

My email address is     aimetu.clare@hotmail.com 

There's no stitching this time, but Easter will soon be here which means I will be sharing photos from the Needlecraft Easter Exchange, and of course it will soon be Blogiversary time !!

Afternoon Tea

No stitching to show this week as all my work has been for gifts or exchanges .... but I have been baking. Today is Mother's Day here in the UK, a quiet day for me as our daughter is abroad and our son is working however I have been spoilt withflowets, wine and chocolate. DH has cooked a lovely meal and I had a great afternoon watching Wales win at rugby.

Yesterday our mums came over for Afternoon Tea. We enjoyed a variety of sandwiches, plenty of cakes and I baked a few scones.

Usually I cook a dinner but being as they came for lunch this seemed and was a much better meal.

An evening of stitching whilst watching the tribute show to one of our greatest entertainers, Sir Bruce Forsythe.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy St David's Day

The 1st March is St David's Day - the parton saint of Wales. Although I have no Welsh blood I have always been drawn to the country; holidays when young, having our holiday home there for 10 years and now our daughter living in the capital city Cardiff.

I try to celebrate each of the patron saints days for the United Kingdom, it's a good reason to move my ornaments and stitching around and of course cook a special dinner. Tonight we have lamb and I  have some dried fruit soaking in tea ready to make my Bara Brith.

My Grandmother's jug vase comes out on March 1st, from that date until after Easter I keep it filled with daffodils - my first bunch came from Lidl yesterday.

I have my Welsh dragons on the mantle just for today so I'll be changing it slightly tomorrow. 

My season tree picture is now showing Spring. I love these tree designs from Jardin Privé, I stitched them all a few years ago as part of Needlecraft Haven's Four Season's SAL and change it for the seasons, this one will stay until the end of May now.

My spring cushion was also stitched for the Four Season's SAL and will be on display too until the end of May. I have yet to decide what to stitch for this year's SAL, as it's a day home due to our very cold snowy weather it might be an online shopping day!

My Drawn Thread March box finish will of course be staying on show for the whole month too - I love my set of these, it's so nice to change each month.

I have no new stitching to share and my next few pieces are all gifts or exchanges however I have managed a little more on Sampler Bouquet, just the centre motif to do and that's another panel finished - not far to go now.

RJ and Mary at Stitching Friends Forever are celebrating their first blog birthday at the end of March and asked everyone to send a photo of something stitched by their favourite designer - they are holding a 'party' at the end of March - happy blogiversary RJ and Mary

I too have a blog birthday at the end of March - 10 years !! I cannot believe it has been that long. RJ and Mary's party gave me an idea - a 'first blog' celebration.

If you would like to take part please email me a link to your very first blog post - on March 30th I will post up '10 years of blogging' and will include all the blogs/links sent so we can see how we all started - I do hope you'll join in.

My email address is     aimetu.clare@hotmail.com 

February's Challenge and a little progress

As it's the last Sunday of the month it is time to reveal our stitching for Needlecraft Haven's Monthly Challenge. Christine, one of our lovely members, puts up a challenge every month for us to stitch but keep secret until the end of the month. We all send her a photo of our finished items which she puts into an album and reveals them all on the last Sunday - thank you Christine.

This year we are alternating between Christmas and general stitching - February's challenge was a Valentine's theme from Primitive Hare  I decided to change the date to the year of our wedding so I can display it both in February and June.

February's Challenge

I did have a few non stitchy days but I have managed to do a little more on Sampler Bouquet. It's hard to find time to work on it with gifts, SALs and challenges but is is growing and hopefully I have a little time this week.

Here's my progress so far - certainly over half way now :)

Sampler Bouquet

February has been a busy month and of course a short month. It's hard to believe March starts on Thursday, I am looking forward to celebrating St David's Day with daffodils and a Welsh dinner.