Sorry Blogger Buddies

Just a note to the fellow bloggers who yesterday generously spent time on leaving comments on my last post.  A technician was here sorting out my `no-reply´ mail issue and google+ automatically updated my comment box and made it ONLY available to google+ bloggers.  On returning to the normal comment box, the existing made comments were lost, sorry about that.

Until next week.    

Smalls SAL- February

Just to see the sun these past four days has made me realise that it has been absent for over two months, substituted by rain and clouds.  Someone must have seen it somewhere, but it certainly didn´t make an appearance here. However, wherever it went, this week it has returned, spreading sunshine and warmth over the land and brightening our winter laden spirits.  It even motivated DH to don his neglected overalls, arm himself with pruning shears and with a determined air, cut back the wakening fruit trees, crop grape vines and trim all disobedient rampant greenery in sight.  With resign, learnt by frowns of bygone years, he left the pruning of the roses to me.

Inspired by the thought that Spring isn´t so far away, my chosen Smalls design is called `Bouquets of Joy´, which is a digital stamp set from Crafty Secrets.

I started the design ages ago with the idea of making it into a birthday card, but somehow never got around to it, so I have finished it off and just put it in a frame.

I used a variety of embroidery stitches in different colours and added a few tiny beads.

Maybe one day if I need a special card I will use the design.

I have been told that my mail is showing as `no-reply´ Sorry if someone has tried to contact me.  Google+ seems to automatically change my mail settings every month.  Hope to get this sorted out.

Happy stitching, until next week.

Who´s a lucky girl then?

It´s not everyday that you win not one but TWO giveaways!!  The last time I won a raffle, competition or such was about thirty years ago. From Debbie at Debbie´s Cross Stitch I have won a $20 gift certificate and  from Monique at A Half- Baked Notion, sets of her beautiful earrings.  Two generous bloggers who took part in the Grow Your Blog Hop.

Due to a lot of blog visits  this week, I have only advanced a little on `A Good Marriage´ by Lizzie Kate.

and incremented my number of mini hexies thanks to a visit to the doctor.  Amazing how many hexies one can sew up while in the waiting room.

I´m not sure just what I´m going to make with these.  I´m attempting to reduce my embarrassingly large bag of scraps which, high on a wardrobe shelf, wobbles, heaves, erupts and spews its contents earthbound showering the innocent victim who so unwisely adventures to open the wardrobe door.

This week I fell to the temptation of entering our local patchwork shop, really just to say `hello´ to the girls...as you understand... and bought this bright and happy fabric called Quilting Bee by Fabri-Quilts. Thought I might recover one of my sewing baskets.

and that same day I popped into our local sewing shop.  The owner is retiring in April and the DMC threads are reduced to 1 euro.  We only have DMC and Anchor threads  here so maybe I should stock up a bit.  Of course I started to dither about which colours to buy because you can bet your life that if I bought a couple of dozen, I would have the very same colours at home, so I chose very few.

........then the Super Duper lady asked me if I would like her old DMC colour chart.  Oh yes please, so useful, thank you very much.  Now I can mark off all the colours I have at home and buy the ones I don´t have.

Thank you for visiting. See you next week.

Sheryl



More animals and Giveaway Winner

Firstly my thanks to Vicki at Vicki-2bagsfull for having organised the amazing `Grow Your Blog´ party and for having given us the opportunity to find interesting blogs and meet new blogger buddies.  Although this hop finishes today with the giveaways, the list of participants still remains on Vicki´s blog and we can refer to it anytime.

More thanks to ALL to have spent time visiting me, leaving comments and to those who have become followers.  I will reply to each of you and if someone hasn´t had a reply as to date, it is because I had computer issues last week and am a bit behind on blogging.  On to my GIVEAWAY.....

There were a total of 82 comments, one was repeated, so that counts as one and another comment was one I made replying to someone, so that doesn´t count --- total 80. I´ve used the Random Number Generator and here is the result.

This number corresponds to KAREN H.  at Faeries and Fibres.  CONGRATULATIONS  KAREN.  I will be contacting you today and will send your selected gift of the orange mermaid scissor pouch to the address you give me. 

Many thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway, I really appreciated your visits and comments.  I shall hold another giveaway when I reach 100 followers, but that may be years from now :-)) 

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More Animals    I was going to post some lovely photos of patchwork hearts, applique cupids, embroidered doves etc. as many blogs have done due to yesterday being Valentine´s Day, but to my dismay, I have nothing romantic to show amongst my sewing things. So there must be something else in the house.... a  box, picture frame, a tin, an ornament, a greeting card? something?...anything? no, nothing at all.  I did make some heart shaped ornaments for Christmas, but I don´t think anyone wants to see them again so soon after my Christmas posts. 

In the want of romantic photos, here are some humorous embroidered cartoons, which I love doing as they are small, quick and easy to do.

Cute and funny animals





Just look at those necks, who ate the extra chocolate?

Sometimes I add a bit of applique, as the farmer´s clothes in the first photo and the  two photos below.

In case anyone may wonder what exactly this embroidered strip is for... here is where I put it, with a piece of Velcro each end to join.



It´s for my laundry basket, although it could well decorate shelves.  I have more in the kitchen, but that´s another story for another post.  Have a splendid weekend.

Sheryl



Kitty Kats

I´m still making my way through the `Grow Your Blog´ list, with loads more visits to make and I also want to return to others for a better  read and not just a quick visit as being made at the moment. 

While making visits, I notice that there are a lot of pet lovers out there and am intrigued to see how many pets creep into the bloggers´ posts and effortlessly try their hand at modelling, sporting innumerable positions, eying the camera with professionalism and posing on all types of needlework as though to give their unbiased approbation.

Some time ago I made myself a cat themed ipad cover, a bit worn and dull now as I am cautious about washing and ironing it due to the different threads and fabrics used.

I enjoy using metallic threads and mixing different fabrics. I´m always on the look out for unusual remnants.

So I sorted through some beads

and sequins to make the cat´s faces.

The inside is lined with a black velvety type of fabric so the ipad doesn´t get scratched.

 There is still time to enter my giveaway before the draw on the 15th FEBRUARY, so if you haven´t entered yet, visit my `Grow Your Blog´ post and leave a comment there.

See you next week.