Hamish says hello and other things

Anyone else find writing a title for a blog post really difficult? There are times when I just haven't a clue what to call a post. But at least this one is pretty much spot on, Hamish has popped by to say hello, in a rare moment of opportunity I managed to get this shot of him and it pretty much sums him up...

If he can get behind anything, squeeze through cracks he's your man. You know the more I look at that shot the more I notice the look of 'put the camera down'. 

So aside from trying to take photographs of my elusive hamster, baking and cooking (I'm a real autumn/winter cook) I've been working on the project that cannot be named... That's pretty much all I've been doing this weekend. Granted I've been squeezing in a bit of time for my own things. I've purchased a couple of small bundles of felt this week which arrived rather speedily, thank you Paper & String. The felt is to be used for two things, one a new batch of snazzy brooches (more on this next week) and secondly to make a couple of gifts. Naturally like everything else I am working on lately I can't really go into too much detail as it's for some ladies that I know swing by the blog. But you might just make out an owl...the actual design comes from a freebie from Issue 5 of Crafty magazine 'Woodland Storage Boxes', I'm going to adapt the cute little owls and trees to turn them into little felt wonders. Well that's the plan...

I'll keep you posted!

Before I dart off go and check out Feeling Stitchy's latest competition.

Finished!

Another weekend of a bit of me time, things to do, people to see and projects to finish, whilst also whipping up batches of soup and moving furniture around.

Has anyone else noticed the change in the weather this weekend? Yes, I know a Brit talking about the weather, well nothing like sticking to a stereotype. I really noticed it this weekend, with the warm sun but a noticeable nip in the air with with the wind. Thus making you wish when your out that you brought a scarf with you. I have always loved the snuggly jumper, soup making, blanket days, more than any other time of year. Sure I was born in the spring but autumn and winter will always be my fave. Bring on the crispy leaves to tread on!

Anyway, enough of the weather...I've got something to show you!

I've finished my 'Tea Solves Everything' embroidery at long last! Yay, we all cry...well okay, perhaps just me. So pleased its finally complete. I need to get it framed but it's done, it's finished...its sitting in the hoop frame next to me. Okay, I need to get it mounted onto card but it's done!

Just starting the very last letter, I had to actually do this letter again, so this is attempt number two. I just couldn't get the flick under the 'v' right. So I unpicked, stitched 'e' and 's' and went back to it. Sometimes you have to give something a break before you come back to it.

Using a pin I was able to keep the core thread where I wanted it whilst I stitched up to it. 

And here it is complete! So, utterly thrilled with it.

I'm so pleased with the outcome, I just need to sort out some really high resolution shots and then I can play around with the idea of greeting cards. I'm mind is already onto stitching the next one, which I will start but in a few weeks time.

I've had to put my own projects on hold again, some of you might have seen some of my tweets lately, I've had a bit of an issue with post. My secret squirrel project finished pieces went missing in the post....and yes, to say I was distraught would be an understatement. I have, however, gotten over it. Someday it may show up, and in the meantime I am stitching it again, with a slight adaptation. Needless to say, posting it will cause me a bit of a stress but I am seriously contemplating DHL or Feedex. It's frustrating but at the end of the day it's really not the worst thing in the world, at the time it was but you have to move on. Tea and chocolate also helped, and wisdom from my best friend and mum.

I was about to sign off, but I must draw your attention to a competition being run by &Stitches blog rather aptly named for the time of year, 'Back to School'. It sounds like a really fantastic competition idea and there are some fab prizes up for grabs. Go and check it out.

Bees, Pictures and Tea

The secret squirrel project has been posted off, and I've decided to treat myself this weekend to a bit of me time, and wrapping up a few loose ends. So I can start a fresh next weekend and finally crack on with new projects and start work on the Honeycomb tutorial I've been promising.

So this weekend I've cleaned my abode, pampered myself and Hamish, hung pictures and tarted up a new mega sized notice board, cooked and finished off another overdue project. Oh, I also wrote a mini newsletter. 

Before I talk about the newsletter I thought I'd show you a few shots from the room, I've been able to keep the room tidy...lets see how long that lasts. ;) 

Just a few shelves...

Yes, that is Mary Poppin's on the screen. A few pictures on the wall.

New uber big notice board, time to fill it!

The newsletter that went out today was just a smaller than normal one mainly because of the sheer lack of doing anything other than sorting out the flat and focusing on the secret squirrel project. But I promised a free pattern to download so, the 50+ folks who kindly subscribe to the newsletter were the first to get it.

So the new pattern is a wee little planet to join the series and it's theme is bees...

To view this month's newsletter click here, or if you just want to skip to the new pattern then click this link. I'll have a stitched version of this soon, as well as an advanced purchasable pattern.

Now time to start sorting out some dinner and I have this vague feeling that I've forgotten to do something....

Oh, there was something a date for your diaries if your in Surrey, I nipped over to Farnham Maltings yesterday and picked up their events diary and on the Saturday 19th & 20th October is the Festival of Crafts. I'm going to nip along on one of the days to check out the wares.

Bye for now!