Sunday 7 October 2012

An EPIC Blog update !!!!!

Hi every one .... pleased be warned this will be long and photo heavy  as I haven't updated in ages and also DH and I escaped last week to Shrewsbury (UK) for some much needed R n R :)
OK the kettle is on and I have goodies to go with it as well ;0) ....sooo get settled, pull up a bean bag and away we go ....
The postie brought me some lovely gifts from Lee  and Jillann (friendly Stitchers) 
 Lee sent me a gorgeous heart ornament with bullion roses and bling and a dragonfly in autumnal colours and believe me it was well worth the long wait for it to arrive 
We had a Christmas in July exchange over on the Friendly Stitchers and this is what Jillann sent to me , the beads are lovely jewel colours and it is hanging from my stand in my craft room for all to look at :)
I won some lovely blog wins from Maggee  and Pandy . I have started a list of threads etc that I need to kit these up ... unfortunately I forgot to add it to the list I took with me on my hols ... more of that later... I also got some lovely bargains from the bay of evil too hehehe ....  sooo much so that I think I will need to do some pattern culling myself soon ... watch this space :)
While I was on a roll I got out my sewing machine and made up the Summer Garden (travelling pattern) into a wee cushion and just love it even if I say so myself ... I heard from Kaye that the pattern had arrived safely and she has started on it already :) I have also been chosen as one of her winners for a PIF which will be with me within the next year and when it arrives I shall pick three victims erm winners then hehehe .
My stitched prize arrived at Lisa's while I was away so I can now show you what I did for her too :) if you pop over to her's you will see what else was sent by Master Bentley ...lol 
Last weekend before we went on our jolly hols I nipped over to see Gillie to give her a wee hand to sort out some stitching stuff for her to take with her as she moves back across the pond again with WT work .. pop over to her blog for the full tale :)
cooo are you ready for another cuppa ????? 
sooo on to the jolly hols .... DH and I set off on Monday to Shrewsbury for a well deserved week of R n R .... we chose it as DH was based there many moons ago in the army and he wanted to go back and see how things had changed or not ... I was pleased at the choice as it was only 20 mins away from The Nimble Thimble at Llangedwyn and you know how much I love that place .... 
I drove down and the scenery on the way was stunning as the trees were turning from the bright greens to yellowish and  copper colours and you could tell the start of Autumn was here .... 
We found our hotel The Silverton very easily and booked into the most gorgeous room and once settled we took a stroll around the town and spotted a few must go in's and oooo love that building etc etc . We strolled into town over the Welsh bridge and came back via the English bridge :)
I found a wonderful material shop , filled with fabric and notions and I spent a lovely couple of hours on the Wednesday browsing and buying a few goodies as you do ...lol 
The food at the hotel was gorgeous and I had a  hard time choosing what to have each breakfast .... good job we did a lot of walking is all I can say heheheh .... we also went into the Shrewsbury Abbey which was full of children and adults doing all sorts of activities ... it was lovely to see it full ....the sun shone through the stained glass windows and I just had to take a photo of the wonderful arched ceiling above the alter table :)
On Tuesday DH took me to The Nimble Thimble where armed and dangerous with my thread list and fortified with a cuppa from Chris , DH settled down in one of the comfy chairs and waited while I browsed and ooo'd and ahhhed at the goodies there ..... We decided while we were so close I could go back again at the end of the week and  I got as many of the threads on my list as I could that were left on there ....... I have spent the last two and a half days sorting out my charts and putting all the threads in required and cutting fabric and popping in to A4 plastic wallets so that they are all ready to go .... It was much cheaper to get them from there than waiting  for Harrogate to be honest ... saves me running round as fast as my wee legs would take me trying to get them ... soo I can spend more time with my friends and have a leisurely stroll round with them :)
Thursday DH and I bobbed over to RAF Cosford  air museum .... I must admit it was a good exhibition but didn't really match up to the nimble thimble !!!!!
Friday arrived far to quickly and we set off back home via The Nimble Thimble as said earlier .... arriving back at the mouse house early afternoon.
Well I suppose you will want to see the photos now ... shall I make another brew ???
Master Bentley sorry blurry in his halloween outfit

for Lisa :)

Summer Garden made up


progress report

stitched on while I was away :)

a small stash haul from the Nimble Thimble ..lol

Dawn of Spring fully finished while away

from a lovely quilt shop at Whittington

from the fabric shop in town and a charity shop find too :)

Getting there with the Sal with Sally

Ebay wins :)

from the left from Pandy and the right Maggee

Christmas in July exchange from Jillann
From Lee my gorgeous PIF

hotel bedroom

view from one of the windows

this is the library

Shrewsbury Castle

View from the castle keep

one of the lovely houses in the town 

from the Welsh bridge

Shrewsbury Abbey

The Abbey Foregate

Inside the Abbey

and again

and again 

this needs £250,000 for up keep !

gorgeous stained glass windows

just look at that ceiling :)

view on one of our many walks :)


View in the park back to the hotel
OOOOO Roland Rat ..lol

amazing hung from the ceiling 

and another 

Well there you go folks just a wee trip to Shrewsbury and back ...lol ... while I was there I did manage to finish my Dawn of Spring whoop whoop and also worked on the Yellow Bird by La D Da .... since then I have stitched a lot on the Sal I am doing with Sally ... almost done love so we can move onto the next one :)
well I think that is all folks ...lol hopefully I haven't forgotten anything so I shall say t.t.f.n and happy stitching and hopefully see you all sooner with some more stitching updates ... take care one and all :) love mouse xxxxx



45 comments:

Tricia T said...

Gorgeous pictures of your stash and holiday! I love your PIF from Lee. Wow that is pretty! So with all of that fun stash, how do you choos what to do next??? : )

Kaisievic said...

So much to share and thank you for doing so - it is all gorgeous. I love the Shrewsbury photos - as you know History is my passion. So great to be able to "visit" there with you.

Gorgeous stitching all around.
hugs, Kaye

Lesleyanne said...

Great pictures from your trip to Shrewsbury. Gorgeous stitching and new stash.

♥ Nia said...

Wow! You really had much to share :) great photos!!
I love the summer garden piece :) and so much new stash!! You have many things to keep you busy ;) enjoy your stitching! Hugs&smiles

Rhona said...

Oh my, if that's a small stash haul I can only imagine what it would be like if you went mad in the shop!!! Love your gift from Lee, it's so beautiful - all those little beads too, wow! And you know how much I love dragonflies, it's the perfect finishing touch!

Michelle said...

Lovely photos Mouse - Shrewsbury isn't too far from us you should have popped by for coffee and cake. Well done on all your wins. You have me (and no doubt Kath) all excited now about Ally Pally this weekend seeing your new stash xx

cucki said...

Great pictures from your trip to Shrewsbury. Gorgeous stitching and new stash.
Love and hugs xxx

Catherine said...

I don't know where to start ~ all those new goodies, the lovely stitched pieces or the beautiful photos of your trip! Sounds like you had a very wonderful time ~ thanks for sharing your photos.
Master Bentley looks bewitching, or should I say wizardly!

Vickie said...

Oh thank you for the gorgeous photos of your trip. What a gorgeous gift you have received from Lee.

Barb said...

I really enjoyed the pictures from you get away, especially the Abbey! Great stash! and I Love the picture of Bentley!

Lainey said...

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us Mouse. Shrewsbury and the Hotel looks lovely.
Fabulous stash haul and very pretty gifts you received.
Have a good week, hugs.

gracie said...

Wonderful stiting all around and lovely finds. Thank you for sharing the pictures of a beautiful place to visit.

Margaret said...

Ok, I'm totally envious of your trip! Lovely pics!! And what fun that you got to go to the Nimble Thimble too! Love the stitching also. And the pic of Bentley --- sooo cute!

aprilmecheelesdulllife said...

I love all that stash Mouse!!! and.. WOW what an adventure!!! Love all the pictures! Glad you had a great time!

Veronica said...

Oh my, sounds like you've had a wonderfully fabulous trip! Thanks for sharing those beautiful photos.

You've been keeping busy too. Your stitching is lovely. Your PIF from Lee is indeed gorgeous. She sure is talented!

Hugs,
Veronica.

Denise SA said...

So glad you had a good break down in Shrewsbury .
Stash looks wonderful. One day I want to visit the nimblethimble.

Nicola said...

Lucky you, Shrewsbury (and the surrounding area) is a wonderful place to visit.

Christine said...

Wow, I don't know where to start, so much goodness in one post!
Shrewsbury is somewhere I've never been but it looks really lovely.
Wonderful stitching, great stash haul, and the PIF from Lee is absolutely stunning

Anonymous said...

nice pictures of your holiday and love the stitching pieces i am glad you had some nice time
love Lorraine xxx

Chris said...

ooh! What wonderful things!
Great stitching progress. Your exchanges look amazing.
And that stash!! What wonderful things you have added to your stitching projects.
Your gettaway looks amazing. I loved seeing all the pics.
Have a great week!
Hugs to you and Bentley!

blueladie said...

Wow! Wow! and WOW!!! Mouse, it all takes my breath away. Your getaway looks lovely. TFS all the beautiful pics. I am an 'armchair traveller' so I enjoyed it immensely. All you stitching goodies take my breath away. You are an amazing needlewoman (and so are the lovely ladies that sent you stitchy goodies). :D Cathryn

Maggee said...

I enjoyed the post! Lots to share! Stash and WIPs all look great! Pressies are wonderful, aren't they? And your trip--what a cool place? How old is the Abbey? It just amazes me that such old buildings are still standing! Wonderful pictures--thanks for sharing! Hugs!

Shirlee said...

Congratulations on your wins & thank you for sharing all those photos! I loved seeing them : )

Julie said...

What a lovely post. 2 trips to the Nimble Thimble in a week, how exciting. Lots of lovely stash to kep you busy and some gorges stitching has been taking place both you and your friends. Shrewsbury looks like my kind of place.

DJ said...

Oh My Goodness, Miss Mouse, you've been a busy girl!! I adore all your stitching, and the PIF you received is absolutely gorgeous!! I'm envious of those bullion roses, I wish someone would teach me to make them...I got stuck on those on your DOS and haven't progressed beyond them. *sigh* Your trip looks amazing! I loved tripping through the churches and castles while living in Europe, and these shots bring back memories of them. I hope to make it back to England one day and see some of the fabulous places you've been! Congrats on your haul at the fabric/needlework stores. I can only imagine what your stash room must look like! LOL Thanks for visiting my blog! Still no word from Bush Mountain about our September pattern...*stamping foot*. Hopefully this week I'll hear something! *Hugs*

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Oh Mouse, what a grand holiday you had with DH! The stitch shop you found must have been a treasure trove. Nice stash enhancement! Thank you again for the sweet giftie. I do love it!!!

Dani - tkdchick said...

Wow! What an update!!!

What fantastic gifts sent and received!!!

Looks like you had a lovely holiday!!!

Ali said...

Gorgeous stash there ooh great photos thanks for the tea and treats xxx

Mylene said...

wow! What a busy bee you are...i usually blogs late at night so in stead of a cup of tea it's a glass of red wine...i'm on my second now!
Great pictures of your holiday and i am so jealous of your stash, wish we have such shop over like yours over here, so LOVE the fabrics...i soooo need some for ornaments!
Great finishes too and exchanges received. Enjoy!!

Joysze said...

Well, you hardly did anything on vacation, Mouse!!! ROFLMAO!!!!! Loved the pictures. That castle is amazing!!!

Gorgeous gifts too, and Bentley... ahaahahah, too cute!!!!

Ooooh, DoS looks great!!! Now I know what the finished piece will look like. :D

Deb said...

My goodness - so many wonderful things in this post. All your pieces look wonderful - finished and non finished, your stash is amazing. A lot of great projects to work on. And it looks like you had a wonderful time with your R&R!

Katy said...

All I can say is WOW! Amazing!

Meari said...

Nice holiday photos... so beautiful!

Great stashing and gifties you received.

Beautiful stitching as well.

rosey175 said...

"small stash" LOL Loving the charity shop find; it always feels like a treasure hunt going in one!

This post was truly a feast for the eyes! Love the architecture there!

Jo said...

Your photos make me wish I was there it looks so beautiful. What a stash haul you got..the luck was definitely with you. Dawn of Spring looks lovely and I love the ornaments you were sent, so beautiful.

Kathy Ellen said...

What fun to see all of the wonderful new stash that you have acquired, and all of the lovely gifts too......especially love the beautiful DIF from Lee.

Thank you for sharing the photos of your Shrewsbury trip. So many wonderful places you visited. I used to live in a little town in New England USA called Shrewsbury!

Blessings!

Sally said...

Fantastic photos of your trip and gorgeous new stash.

Lovely stitching. Looking forward to seeing your Stitcher's Heart finished.

dixiesamplar said...

Holy moly, Mouse!! I am speechless at all the lovely goodness you have shared today...WOW!!!

butterfly said...

Wonderful photos , great stash and your WIPs are looking great. hugs.

Maureen said...

Looks like you had a perfect break away, gorgeous scenery, nice hotel and stitching - what more could you ask for!

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Wow, at least 10 posts worth here!

Gorgeous stitching from you and your friends too. I'm another armchair traveller (computer chair actually!) so it's great to see all the lovely holiday photos.

Heather said...

Hi Mouse!! It looks like you and your hubby had a wonderful time! I love the pics!

I love your new stash and wins!

Your stitching is looking good! I LOVE how you finished Summer Garden. That is on my priority list to stitch before next summer. ;o)

I hope you have a great weekend!

Love, Heather

Angela said...

Fantastic pictures! Beautiful stitching, love the finished pillows too :)

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

Lovely,lovely pictures and you PIF is absolutely stunning.

Brigitte said...

Wonderful pictures from Shrewsbury, must have been a great week that you could spend there.
And wow, look at all the new stash! It's extraordinary and it must have been so much fun to get everything together. But can it be true that the exhibition in the RAF air museum doesn't match up to the Thimble Nimble? LOL.
Great stitching and finishing indeed!