Happy Easter

Quite early this year and certainly not yet spring like weather but Easter is upon us. It's a strange time of year for us as when the children were younger we always went away with my Dad. We've visited many places over the years with the last ten years having Easter at our caravan.

But things change and life moves on - Dad is no longer with us and the children are now grown ups. We no longer have our caravan (there was no point in keeping it as we very rarely went just the two of us) and so this year we are home.

Our daughter has come up from Wales for the weekend - we actually saw her house whilst watching the Cardiff Half Marathon on TV today! Our son is working but we do see him a little in the day.

Our house is ready for Easter - I've decorated my twisted hazelnut branch saved from my Grandmother's tree with eggs, the mantle is Easter themed and I have a lovely vase of daffodils.

Our Easter Branch with eggs and nests

Easter mantle

Vase of daffodils

I made Mum and Keith a Simnel Cake for Easter, it's a traditional cake for Easter with marzipan balls - one for each of Jesus' disciples but not Judas.

Simnel Cake 

I have just one new stitching piece to share as I have finally completed January Joyful World - my slow start is due to a fabric change and no stitching for a week or so.

Still on the frame but finished 

Thank you for calling by and I wish you all a Happy Easter :-) 

Gifted Gorgeousness in March

Well in February actually - our daughter's birthday is 17th so just after last month's GG. Unfortunately this year we didn't see her on her birthday but we had a lovely weekend together on 26th :-) You can read about it here.

Everyone loves cake on their birthday so I stitched her a cake ! This was a small kit gifted to me for my birthday so it's a double GG

Tatty Ted with cake for Philly's birthday 

Gifted Gorgeousness is the wonderful SAL hosted by Jo  every month on the 15th we share any item that we've stitched, made, given or received as a gift. It's lovely to see just how much gifting happens in our lives - sometimes special days and sometimes surprises !!

That's all my stitching news for now - the reason? - I haven't been stitching. I picked a needle up on Sunday after 8 days of no crafting :-( I have no idea why bit it's lovely to be sewing again.

Thank you for calling by - happy stitching to you all x

Happy St David's Day

It's St David's Day today - the patron saint of Wales whose emblem is a daffodil or leek. The children in Wales go to school dressed in traditional costume today, they really celebrate their special day.

Photo from a Welsh newsaper 

Welsh Flag

I have been busy baking too - welsh cakes. They are quite easy to make and are a traditional small cake in Wales, Bara Brith is the traditional large cake but I make welsh cakes as they are Hubby's favourites.

Batch of welsh cakes for Hubby and friends tonight at
scouts committee meeting

A few to go with our afternoon coffee

It's time to change out mantle as it's the 1st of March. I did a little shopping today so bought a bunch of daffodils. The birdhouse is a tealight holder and the fairy a rain catcher but she stays inside. It's time for March (Drawn Thread) to be displayed and my Jardin Prive Tree is now spring (that's on the side board). This year for Needlecraft Haven Four Season's SAL I have stitched a small design by Mausimom and made it into a little pillow.

March Mantle

Daffodils and Spring pillow  

Four Season's SAL 2016 with Needlecraft Haven  - Spring

Jardin Prive Spring - Four Season's SAL 2015

I have also managed to finish Challenge 2 on Needlecraft Haven's Monthly Christmas Challenge, it's a lovely design by Pineberry Lane which did originally have 1887 on the right hand side and is supposed to be stitched as an aged piece. However I decided to omit the date and stitched it in a more modern way.

Challenge 2 - Monthly Christmas Challenge

Wishing you all a very happy March, its going to be a busy month as here in the UK it's Mother's Day next Sunday and Easter at the end of the month. Thank you for calling by and reading my latest news.

End of February catch up

I realised I haven't blogged for a couple of weeks - it looks like 2016 is passing as quickly as 2015 did!

We're off to Cardiff in about 15 minutes so this is a very quick update for the end of the month. We're staying with our lovely daughter and tonight we're all going to see Wales v France in the 6 Nations rugby international tournament at the Millennium Principality Stadium. We're very lucky that she has invited us along - she works for Welsh rugby.

I have completed February's Round in Circles - I did miscount but it's turned out ok. I'm still not sure what I want to do with them all but I'll continue in pink for all 12 and decide at then end.

The photo is quite odd - I've stitched on white. I use my phone to take photos as even with an anti shake on my camera I still only manage to take blurred photos. Having said that I think my phone camera is past it's best so apologies to all.

I started the beautiful Joyful World SAL - a little late but I had other stuff to stitch and I had to order a new piece of fabric. I really enjoy doing this but when it came to stitching the white it didn't look right, in fact you couldn't see it. I tried using a light shade of other colours but nothing worked so I have ordered a new piece of fabric in a darker colour, hopefully this time it will be ok.

This fabric is actually cream 

My new fabric is light taupe so fingers crossed

I completed the 4th part of my Challenge walk last Saturday - you can catch up with the route on my blog Clare's Challenge 50 (and see a bit of London)

And if you are interested in my wine and travel blog that has a post about the latest wine tasting with our scouting friends - you can read about it at Aimetu's 

Time to hit the road - sorry again for a rushed post and terrible photos !! Have a good weekend everyone x x

Gifted Gorgeousness February update

Two posts in two days - wow that's busy for me. I hope you managed to read my Valentine's Post and saw the beautiful biscornu Gill sent me for the Needlecraft Haven exchange - it was a gift but I included it in yesterdays post.

Today is Gifted Gorgeousness Day - a wonderful SAL set up by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching.  On the 15th of each month we share any gifts we have received or sent. It's so lovely to see everyone's work and also the kindness and thoughtfulness that goes hand in hand with our hobbies.

I have just one item to share this month - a little more next as some gifts have not yet been received.

I stitched this Owl bookmark for my friend who turned 50 last month. We were at school together and keep in touch although we don't see each other very often.

Owl bookmark 

I stitched him on plastic canvas and backed him with felt. It was a chart from Cross Stitcher magazine issue 262.

Thank you for calling by so soon after your last visit - happy GG day x x

A Heartful Day - SSS Blog Hop

Happy Valentine's Day everyone x x x 

This year I'm taking part in Jo's Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop. This beautiful heart was stitched by my SSS partner - please leave a comment if this is your amazing work, it's beautiful.

If you pop along to Jo's blog, Serentipitous Stitching, you'll find the links to all the bloggers taking part in this Valentine's Blog Hop - thank you Jo for organising such a great event.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

It's exchange time on Needlecraft Haven but just for the ladies who met last autumn at the Nuneaton Get Together. An exchange is arranged every meet up between the members attending - everyone writes their details on a card and usually answers three questions on a theme but this time no questions were needed as the theme chosen was Valentines and the object to be stitched a biscornu.

Everyone then chooses a card to see who they will be stitching for and this time I stitched for Gill. I found this heart design online and decided to stitch a small biscornu (pin cushion size). I used a variegated thread that I had in my stash but that had lost it's tag, although I think it is DMC. I added a few beads to the edging and on the top.

There was no requirement to add anything else to the parcel but as Opening Day was today I decided to add a little something - a packet of Love Hearts and a heart hand warmer.

Top of my biscornu for Gill

Underside of my biscornu

My Valentine's parcel for Gill 

I opened my parcel this morning and it's from .... Gill - amazing out of five random picks we got each other :) Gill's biscornu is beautiful, she's made a lovely card too and included some chocolate hearts - a lovely Valentine's parcel, thank you Gill.

Top of Gill's biscornu

Underneath of Gill's biscornu

My lovely Valentine exchange from Gill

Hubby and I always celebrate Valentine's Day as we got engaged on 14th February 1986 - 30 years ago today :) We don't buy expensive gifts anymore but I did get Hubby his favourite chocolate and a little novelty gift. He surprised me with a mini chocolate cake decorated with a beautiful icing rose and yesterday gave me a dozen red roses - I'm a very lucky lady in many many ways :)

Our Valentine's Mantle

My beautiful roses

Wishing everyone a very happy Valentine's Day, may it be filled with love and friendship - enjoy Blog Hopping x x

Flurry of finishes

I've had great fun this weekend finishing four pieces - I am not very good at finishing as my hands find it very fiddly so I tend to leave things until I have to finish them :-/

Anyway this weekend I have finished four items !! but I can only share two as the others are for an exchange and a SAL which is revealed next month.

My first shareable finish is our monthly challenge piece on Needlecraft Haven. One of our lovely members, Christine, chooses a Christmas freebie each month for us to stitch. I didn't keep up last year so have extra to do this year. I did stitch January's choice on time but didn't finish it before the end of the month. Although it is Christmas I wanted to use it for something else and haven't quite found what I'm looking for but I have now finished it ready.

Challenge 1-16 - design by Aliolka

My other finish is one for our home - I bought this kit a while ago in the Sew and So sale as I just loved the birds. It uses Anchor thread and although the colours are lovely it does twist more than DMC. I used some of my bird ribbon to finish it off - whilst it is a Christmas ribbon it matches the love birds perfectly.

Love birds 

I am very pleased to have at last found out how to tie a bow - I can hear your puzzlement but with my silly hands I find it very difficult to twist and pull a bow. However with watching the many tutorials on You Tube I have managed to find a way to tie one without having to grasp the ribbon to pull. They lie nice and flat too.

I'm so pleased to finally be able to tie them I've added on to my February box finish that sits on the mantle - this is a design by The Drawn Thread and I'll probably be adding a bow to each month.

February - The Drawn Thread

I can now share the article on my stitching in February's issue of Cross Stitch Collection. I was chosen as Blogger of the Month - an honour for sure.

I've just realised, as reading my post to check before posting, that it's all about birds !! Did you do the RSPB Bird Watch (UK) - we did and I've sent my results off. I wonder if the mild winter will show different results. I can't believe I have a daffodil in full bloom already.

Thanks for popping by, I hope your Valentine stitching is going well :-)