Last stitching for 2011

I have finally finished the hardanger tablecloth I started some 4 years ago. I am usually a quick stitcher, but because of the size of the project, which left me with a lot of weaving, I could only stitch for around half an hour each time ....  it is difficult for me to hold fabric in hand, and there was a lot with this one !!  So half an hour at a time was enough for me before it became too painfull. This cloth measures 35 x 35 inches square and is ideal for my  crystal table in my little front room !

That's me finished with stitching for a few days ...... in the new year I have decided to start a Loopylou design called Flower Patch, which is a lovely design by one of my favourite designers ....   plus I also have some designing of my own to do for my stitchy group ...

....   and this is the project I will be starting on Sunday ...

A little biscofleur

After stitching biscornos, humbugs etc ....  I decided to have a go at  'alternate'  ornaments ...  I stitched quite a few 'biscobuds' and then decided to have a go at designing a  'biscofleur'  after seeing some on different blogs .... these are made using 15 squares of equal proportion  .... the llittle one I designed is quite small with the squares only being 16 stitches by 16 ....  quick to stitch but fiddly for stuffing unless you have dainty fingers which I do not !!
With thanks to  http://tintocktap.blogspot.com/  for the making up instructions

A happy yule to all my pagan friends for  the coming solstice ...

YULE:

Yule is the darkest time of the year, the time of the longest night where the day is at its shortest.
It is a time of change and transformation, when the days will start to lengthen and like the first beginnings of the return of the sun, life will return and conquer death.

The Oak King slaying the Holly King marks this change in some traditions. Mistletoe, a symbol of fertility, gives us the promise of future fruitfulness and after seeing out the longest night, we greet the now waxing sun and feast as a mark of what is to come.
Decorating with evergreens over the Yule period is an ancient custom, most commonly seen today in Christmas trees and wreaths. Such plants were considered magical and protective in being evidently alive at this seemingly dead part of the year, and so are symbolic of the survival and rebirth of the sun at Yule. An evergreen Yule wreath symbolizes the survival of sun through the wheel of the year.

Have a peaceful, happy and cheery Yule!

Back home from Harrogate

Just a little catch-up for those of you wanting to know how the Harrogate trip went ...
Our online stitching group meet up every year for the weekend in Harrogate for the annual Knitting and Stitching show in November ....  always the best of shows and this year it didn't disappoint ...
There were only eight of us this year and when I did the booking for our regular Hotel, I was assured that we would all be together on the top floor .... unfortunately this didn't happen ...  the person who sorted out my booking forgot to put it into the book so we ended up on different floors ....    we were not happy with this and me in particular as I was put into a small room above reception and facing the road - those who know me well will know that for me to sleep I need a dark room and no noise ....  I decided to go to the manager to complain ...  there was nothing he could do this year about putting us all together as the hotel was full, but he did arrange for me to get another room on the ground floor facing the back of the hotel where it is quiet ... he took my case and led me to the room and opened it ..... I was gobsmacked  'bloody hell'  I managed to say ..... what a room !  a very comfy double four poster bed !!  .... a nice bath/shower room and then another surprise, on opening another door he showed me into a private sitting room !!!!   Guess I had been given a suite - was I happy  ??  oh yeah !! 

Spent some time in the show on the Friday, then we all met for dinner in the hotel ....  a nice dinner but have to be honest and say that it was not up to the standard of last year thanks in part to a new chef ....  however, because of the mix up with rooms etc, the manager had promised to put some bottles of wine on the table so I reminded the waiter and he happily obliged  :)
I am not a night owl and neither was Sheila one of our ladies, so we opted for bed before the others - can't say what they got up to without us  ;)
But neither me nor Sheila got much sleep ...  I am a bad sleeper at the best of times, and hotels are not the quietest of places - the usual with people not knowing how to close doors instead having to bang them shut ! Still awake at nearly 3 in the morning, tossing and turning with someone above my bedroom talking loudly until 3.30. in the morning before I drifted off ...  awake at just after 6 - I am an errly bird  lol  ....   met up with everyone at 8 for breakfast which is always a really good one with juices, cereals, fruit and a variety of breakfasts from full English to a sort of pick and mix  ...
Time to hit the show once again .... the good thing about being in the hotel for the week is that we can pop in and out of the show and back to the hotel for a snack and a rest from the stash shopping ! I was going to meet up with a friend and bring her back to the hotel for lunch as she only goes for the one day - she lives in Yorkshire and goes to the show every year with her local Embroiderers Guild ... we had a nice time to catch up and chat and she had even brought me a packed lunch ! brilliant - we have been friends since our school days in Great Yarmouth and both married lads from the North East who we had met while we were in the Army many years ago ... after she went back to the show I attempted to teach a few of the ladies some hardanger ... can I just say that I hope they were able to learn something amid all the laughter - say no more   lol but my posh sitting room came in very handy for that !
Back again to the show for some more stash shopping ! I have to say that after visiting these shows for many years there is very little I really want ( I don't actually NEED anything !) and my total stash came to two hardsanger designs by LoopyLou designs, and two smaller charts with animals on ... plus a few threads ....

Have to say that it is quite tiring going round these shows and me and Sheila opted for an early dinner because there was another booking for dinner and ours would have been a bit too late for me .... after dinner I had a little surprise for them .... I had stitched them all a  'biscobud'   .... and hope you can see what I mean in the picture below ...

Another sleepless night - fireworks out the back after midnight ! then a gale force wind blew up, rattling the windows and banging the doors in the corridor !

Up early on Sunday morning and some of them popped back to the show - well they might have forgotten something  !! I was due to be picked up by my husband around 12.30 and unfortunately had lost my ticket for the show anyway - so just sorted out my case etc and sat in the lounge downstairs till they all got back ....  when we were all together again we swapped our Harrogate Biscornos we had been making the past few weeks before the get together ... this is the one I stitched ....

Some of the other ladies took pics of all of them but unfortunately I didn't - but they were all lovely ...  I also gave them all a leaving pressie wrapped for xmas so if you see anything on their blogs let me know as they are supposed to keep them for under the xmas tree and open them on xmas day !

All in all another nice meet up - it is always lovely to meet them all again and I am sure we will be doing it again next year .... hope I haven'tt bored you all with this long blog !  I shall sign out now .........

Been a while but blogging again !

Been a while since I last updated my blog so here goes with the latest news ...
on the stitching front, I have been busy stitching a few things including another box! I love these little boxes and decided to have a go at designing one myself - just a simple square one with a stitched hardanger top which is padded on the inside .... I am keeping some of my jewellery in this one ....

Harrogate 2011
Almost time for the Harrogate stitching show here in the UK ... every year members of our group Friendly Stitchers, get together for the weekend ... we stay in a lovely hotel very close to the show, for two nights. We have a great time stash buying , excellent meals at the hotel and lots of chat and laughter when we all converge into one rooom for the evenings  ...


Jewellery - 15% discount

I still have quite a bit of jewellery for sale in my folksy shop - and  there is a xmas offer for any purchases, of 15% discount, if you buy directly from me and not from my shop : just go to :

http://folksy.com/shops/LadybugJewellery

and if you see anything you like then get in touch - all jewellery is made from genuine gemstones ... if you are from outside the UK I would have to check on shipping costs - here is a little of what I have :

If anyone reading this has fibromyalgia, then please come and join our online support group here:

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/fibromitesR-Us/

Finished Spring Box

I have finished the Spring Box - a lovely design from Thea of Victoria Sampler.
This one, as you can see, is to be used as a jewellery box ....    had a few probs with making it up but will be OK for the next one as I need another couple of these ...

October already ....

How time flies !  Already we are heading into Autumn .....  the Autumn equinox has come and gone and soon we will be heading into Samhain ....  a special time for pagans like myself ...

Samhain is the time when the veil between the worlds is thinnest (also known as All Hallow's Eve). It is a time when we remember and honour those who have died and we call on the spirits of the dead and our ancestors and invite them to feast with us and share their wisdom.

This is a good time for us to reflect on the year that has passed, take stock of what has happened and learn from it to dispose of our outworn baggage. Samhain is a good time for banishing magic, skrying and for sorting out unfinished business, it is also the time to face and acknowledge the dark side of ourselves.
Already the weather is changing after the mini heatwave we in the UK enjoyed for most of last week, and nights are getting colder as the sun goes down earlier and earlier ....

Our little garden is in a bit of a mess at the moment and will need sorting out very soon ....     but I found this little visitor at the weekend ! We have had a resident toad here for quite a long time now - so perhaps this one is looking for a mate  :)

I have also been busy stitching and have now completed the top of the Victoria Sampler Spring Box ...  this is not to be used for stitching goodies, but as a jewellery box ...

Also been busy making jewellery and this is the latest set, again made from genuine gemstones and sterling silver .... other jewellery can be found in my online shops:

http://folksy.com/shops/LadybugJewellery
http://www.etsy.com/shop/stitchymad

If anyone is interested please contact me direct and you will get a discount ... not sure of cost of posting to America but will post there if anyone wants something ....

Been a while ....

Been a while since my last update but have been having probs with my shoulder and neck etc .... so not been doing too much stitching but have finally managed to get a start on Victoria Sampler Spring Box ...



Not a very good photo cos it looks like I am stitching on blue !!
I am doing this one for myself and it will be used as a jewellery box ...

Also had the sampler for my friend finally framed ready for her birthday at the weekend .... this was stitched on white evenweave using purples and the mountboard was pale lavender with a silver frame - again not a good photo as I found it difficult to find a place with no shine on the glass lol

Managed to get some more jewellery made .... I bought some lovely jasper gemstones from Jewellery Maker and have made three sets and still have beads left !!   :)

These can be found with lots of others on my online shop:

http://www.folksy.com/shops/LadybugJewellery

If anyone is interested in anything please get in touch with me direct and I will offer a discount and I will post to other countries for stitching friends  :)

Just a few of the pieces I have made - all are made using genuine gemstones and 925 sterling silver

The garden is looking a bit dismal now after so much wind and rain ....  it is looking more like a jungle every day .... I will start to cut back on some of the borders etc, but I always like to leave some in over winter so that any small creatures can hide there out of the cold ... I still have my little garden toad living with us as I see him/her from time to time ....

Not long now till our Friendly Stitchers stitching group have our yearly meet up at the Harrogate stitching show in November .... really looking forward to this  .... we stay for the weekend in a lovely hotel just over the road from the show - very handy ;)  ... and we have a grreat time after dinner chatting and showing off our aquired stash  :)

Well I guess that is all from me for now so will say bye ....

Can you see the Green Man in my garden ???

Well ?? can you see im ???    When I sit on my back step I can see him in the top right corner, arms outstretched across the fencing, with flowers in his hair 

Been doing some more jewellery and had a try at some double strand necklace and bracelets ... the necklace is yellow and green agates and the bracelet is amethyst and rose quartz ...

I am open to any orders in most colour gemstones - just ask !



A belated update ...

Been a while since I updated this blog - so lets see what has been happening ....
On the gardening front I have had success with the tomatoes this year again but had to chuck the cucumbers out   :(    ...  they were the spikey variety and I was waiting for the spikes to slowly disappear before harvesting them - started to grow really big - some at least 18" long, but going yellow .... asked advice from my brother John who said they were no good now and to chuck them out ... next year I will know better ...
Got quite a few apples on the little tree this year but think some have been attacked by wasps - however they are still delicious  :)
The garden itself is more like a jungle - flowers growing lovely and dense but gave up on the lawn as we were getting fed up with cats using it - the woman two doors down feeds all the strays and of course leave her garden alone and use ours !! They don't seem to like our overgrown lawn so it is staying like this until we find something to scare the cats away .... failing that I am going to phone the health inspector at the local council as now the strays have kittens with them .... far too many roaming the streets here and we have seen up to 12 in her back garden !
Schoolholidays are under way and Joseph is  now into the fourth week and getting bored as they do !
He went fishing on Sunday with his dad and grandad and with their help he managed to catch a lovely plaice !! Of course he is still not big enough to handle a proper rod so they held it with him - but he was so excited and when I cooked it he ate it all up !
Hope to take him to Eden Camp in Yorkshire soon as he loves anything to do with soldiers and armies  :) ...
http://www.edencamp.co.uk/

I am still busy making jewellery of course and now have plenty for either sale or for friends and family birthdays etc ... I buy most of my gemstones from Jewellery Maker (TV shopping channel) and every week they have a random draw - anyone who wants to can send in a picture of their design and all entries get a number, and on Wednesdays they draw two out of the hat - first prize is £100 to spend and runner up gets £50 to spend on gems - I was lucky this week and won the runner up .... so bought some lovely gems at the weekend and they will arrive tomorrow  :)
Jewellery for sale is here:   http://www.folksy.com/shops/LadybugJewellery

Also been busy stitching .... my friend has a birthday in September and I have made her some nice jewellery - so also made her a cross stitched jewellery box to put it in ....  this chart is by Loopyloudesigns from Lynda Bodkin .... chart can be found here :
http://www.loopyloudesigns.co.uk/beginners.shtml

I have also adapted part of Lynda's design to make some smaller jewellery boxes for family and non stitchy friends - here is the first one ;

This little box is only 3" square ....   and all will be used to put some jewellery in

Well that is about it from me for now - hope everyone reading this is well and happy ....

Stitching update

I have a friend's birthday coming up in September and have been making her some nice jewellery .... so decided to also stitch and make her a nice box to put it in ... got this chart from loopyloudesigns ... it is stitched on 28 count evenweave and I have used Carons waterlilies silks in  'Antique Rose'  which is not quite the colour I thought it would be  :(
A bit too dark and with greys in .... never mind it will be OK when fin ished, but it does mean I will now have to go out and buy some different cotton fabric to make the actual box up in as the pieces I had are not going to go well with this shadde of thread ..... but here it is so far ....

I have also been keeping an eye on my little garden .... I had three bags of potatoes growing nicely, but came downstairs one morning to find that big fat black slugs had stripped the leaves off all of them and were still munching away !!  Took care of them with the secateurs !!  But thought that with no leaves left the potatoes would be no good and stop growing.... luckily it was almost time to dig them up anyway, so tipped out one bag to see if I had any and found loads !!  same with other bags ...

Lovely beads

I had some of the moonstone beads left over from DD's bracelet, and also some of the abalone - so decided to use them all up ....  made a necklace for myself, plus an abalone bracelet , bracelet for DD and three pairs of ear-rings - all from two strands of beads !!  Don't think I will sell any of these - perhaps keep them for myself as they are really lovely gems ....

Lucky few days !!

Well the past few days have been very lucky for me ... not only did I win a stitching freebie from Cross Stitch Collection yesterday, but today - Saturday - I won another from same magazine !!!! First one was a collection of Zweigart fat quarters and two Zweigart books .... gave some to my sister ..... and today I received a large heavy parcel and on opening found two more Zweigart Hardanger books and lots of fabric !! Lovely white  pure linen band measuring 8" x 46"  and a huge piece of Laguna in a light milky coffee colour measuring 54" x 58"  ..... very handy for allsorts ....

Have also finished off the sampler for my best friends birthday ( in September)  and will pop a pic in later as I am going to take out one line of the verse and more it over slightly ... well here is a  'before'  pic before I move thesecond line !

and now the corrected version !

 

Have also made some more jewellery and put some on my  'folksy'  shop for sale:
 http://folksy.com/shops/LadybugJewellery  -

but have also made a nice bracelet and ear-rings for my daughter using some beautiful abalone beads and some moonstones ....

Start of sampler

My best friend is 60 this September and I wanted to stitch something special for her .... she is not a stitcher, but does appreciate the work ...  so I decided to stitch a sampler for her using words which she once put in a birthday card to me :


We all make friendships in this life
Though many fade with time ......
But once in a while its special
Like our friendship
Yours and mine ........


I love that - so will be stitching those words ... at the moment I have stitched the hardanger top of the sampler .... this design has been taken from one of Emie Bishop's lovely designs ...
Hope you all like it .....

At last !

At last I have managed to make a jewellery shop on Folksy for some of my designs ... had quite a succesfull selling on ebay and hope to sell some more later .....

http://folksy.com/shops/LadybugJewellery

Also been busy stitching and have designed a sampler for a friend's birthday ... must get on with stitching it soon as her birthday is in September !

As I type this I am waiting for the Wimbledon quarter finals to begin and shall be sending all good wishes, crossed fingers etc to our own Andy Murray - go Andy - you can do it ...

Jewellery and cross stitch on ebay

I have just uploaded some items for sale on ebay .... including some cross stitch charts and books and also some of my hand made jewellery - if you would like a peep then please go to:


http://shop.ebay.co.uk/valbee123/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

A day in York ...

Had a great day in York on Thursday with my best friend Pauline .... she usually has a little grand daughter to look after, but not this week as her own daughter was on holiday with husband and kids so we finally had a day to ourselves !! We decided to go by train as it is only a 40 minute journey from Durham and would save us having to drive there and back .... we were there by 10.30 and got a taxi into the city - both of us using walking sticks so we had to make sure we didn't walk too far in one go !
First stop - The Viking Loom - where I could pick up one or two  'necessary'  stitching items   :)
Had a walk down The Shambles' - one of York's famous cobbled streets and then time for a sit down and an early lunch ....  after lunch more places to visit - we didn't want to go into shops you find in every town and city, but unusual ones - and York is full of them !  Particularly the  'Bear Shop'  where there is a huge 6 foot black teddy bear standing at the entrance !  Soon time for afternoon tea and where better to go than Betty's famous tea shop ..... where we had delicious chocolate and raspberry cake and lovely Java coffee ....  by 4 o'clock we were too tired and aching to go any further so hailed a taxi and went to find a train home ...
Great day out .... and now slowly recovering !

Jewellery for sale

I have finally got round to putting some jewellery up for sale as some folks have asked about it .... will be busy making more, but in the meantime if there is anything you fancy or want making, please ask away ... you can find the jewellery here:

http://valsjewellery.blogspot.com/

A visit to the museum

Yesterday we had a family visit to the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. Our little grandson Joseph loves anything to do with the  'Gyptians'  as he calls the Egyptians and having a week's holiday from school,  we decided we would take him and his parents there. Daughter Julie also joined us as she had a few days holiday from work - so a nice family day out ....
I have a long-time back problem, and on the morning before leaving, I managed to turn the wrong way and completely knack my back ! Took extra pain killers and decided I would still go. The museum is a brilliant place to visit and is free !! We were able to park, with blue badge, at the premises so that was a great help as I was still in pain  and could hardly move even with the help of my stick and my son's strong arm ! ...
It is a long time since I had visited and I was surprised at the renovations which have taken place since then - very modern and seats in every room   :)
After a few hours there we decided to head back home and fortunately I got back in time to see Andy Murray win his quarter final match in the French Open Tennis tournament - well done Andy - keep going !!
Hardly slept at all last night with the pain and had to get up completely before 5.a.m. this morning - when you have bad back problem, bed is the worst place to be ... so taking it easy today as I am still hobbling along and have to use my stick indoors ....
Hope it goes within a couple of days - it usually does - and I am used to it by now .....

More jewellery !

I bought some nice gemstones from Jewellery Maker on TV ( very addictive !!)  and have made another set, this time it is turquoise and natural magnesite ... not for anyone this time - will be going on sale ...

More finishings

Well the weather has certainly changed here in my part of the North East UK  the past week. Today is particularly chilly and grey with intermittant showers - we do really need some proper rain in UK but I just hate grey skies ....  however I have been busy with a couple of finishings:
The first is the Winter Box from Victoria Sampler I have been stitching for my long time school friend. I will give this to her when we meet up as we do every year, at the Harrogate show in November, as we do not live in the same areas anymore .... This was stitched on white evenweave using various silks and DMC threads in different shades of turquoise ... this is deffo the last time I will stich this box - going to try the other ones next time ....

Another finish is the latest jewellery set I have finished - this is made from purple lepidolite and silver beads ......  today I will be making some more as I have just had an order from Jewellery Maker delivered which consists of some beautiful gem stones including Australian Mookite - so watch this space ! ....

Jewellery

For those who have asked, I now have a blog for my jewellery - you can find it here

http://valsjewellery.blogspot.com/

Everything's coming up roses ! well fruit and veg at least ...

I only have a small back garden but like to plant things, especially stuff I can eat ! A couple of years ago I bought a small apple tree and got fruit the first year - this year it is full of baby apples which I hope will hang on as we are having strong winds here at the moment and I don't want to lose them 

I also have raspberries growing in the garden as well as a few flowering plants - this little garden gets lots of winds coming across so have to be careful what I plant and where ... at the moment I have bamboo growing on back and side fence to create some sort of wind break ..
I bought a small greenhouse a couple of years ago - just 6' x 6' which is all I had rooom for on my little patio ...

Inside the greenhouse I am growing tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers,beetroots,carrots and outside I have three tubs of potatoes coming up nicely, strawberries, blueberries and a goji berry bush which hasn't produced anything yet ... I also keep two compost bins in rotation and the one used last year provided alll the compost I needed for this year's pots etc ...