Monday 19 December 2016

Harrogate, York, Stitching and Stash ....

Hellloooo everyone ... I can't believe how fast this year has gone and the fact that is is almost over with exactly two weeks until it is too ... Christmas has come tooo fast, even though we know its the same time same day every year it always seems to sneak up on us and I am never ready ... I have got almost all the presents wrapped  and half my cards wrote ... got the ones I need to post done, I hope ...lol and I have  some presents  to make, but time stands still for no mouse, sooo it looks like they will be new year gifts instead ...
any hoooo I digress a wee bit as I haven't told you about Harrogate yet or shown you my goodies etc soooo that will be resolved now :) ooooo hang on first .... the kettle has boiled and I have some christmas yummies :)
On the first Thursday of the show I picked up Chris and Roz and we tootled off off to Harrogate in the mousemobile , it was a lovely day and we did really well until we got to Harrogate its self when we hit traffic ... I told Chris and Roz to get out when we were near the halls, as we were stationary and I would find them once I had gone to park the car up where I was staying  and that is what we did .. and I did find them eventually ..lol I went to TrudyAnn's stall first and passed her the list of my threads I required before perusing all the goodies she had on her stall .. I purchased a few ;) charts that were in the sale bin that I just had to have heheheh along with a couple of others too .. I went to Sparklies and got  four peices of fabric ... I know , I know not my usual amount ..lol but I was on a budget and I still have quite a lot here to use up still ....and then I found the girls and we wandered around to our hearts content until the show closed at 7.00pm ... I lost them at some point near the end of the night !!!! and only heard from them to say that they had got back home safely when I was up at the house where I was lodging for a few days. 
The next day dawned lovely again and I tootled down the road to the show and saw some cherry blossom in bloom ... I know the weather was nice but found it really weird to see itespecially as it was November  ..lol. I had a good look round at all the stalls that we had missed the day before and picked up a quilting ruler that Chris had forgot to go back for ...  I got some lovely fabric for making some more bags with :) along with some buttons and ribbons and a couple of more charts....♫♫♫♫ insert a whistle here heheheheh ... The Nimble Thimble was having a sale on the LHN charts and I just had to partake in it as you do,
On the Saturday I went back to the show to do the exhibits and to look at the lovely work that was on display .. there was a fantastic Game of Thrones figure stitched ... and then went into Harrogate itself before going back to pick my car up and wend my weary way home ...... Master Bentley was pleased to see me back but wasn't happy the next day as both DH and I left to go to York for a couple of days for our 28th Wedding Anniversary ... we had booked a gorgeous BB and the room was really lovely and there was Champagne on ice waiting for us when we got there on the Sunday afternoon ....DH and I went out for a walk that evening to the sights and sounds of the Shambles and the Christmas Market on, we had a lovely evening meal in a local pub with a real coal fire and we treated ourselves to a pudding too ... well we decided we had earnt it ..lol 
The next day DH and I wandered around York and did part of the walls too .. we found a really cool old book shop that Sally would have loved and that had a real fire going in it too ...  I did check out the stitching section while DH perused the history of wars sections. That night we had an indian meal for our supper after we had walked around the town again this time taking my big camera with us ... I even managed to get a bit of stitching done too ... I started on Season's Greetings by LHN ...
The last day DH took me to The Viking Loom which has moved from the town center to Haxby... to a farm that had horses and lots of Christmas trees too ... we were greeted on arrival with do you want a cuppa .... how could we refuse and then I spent a good hour ooooing and aahhing at the stash there too and did get some more fabric ..lol .... DH did then go to a shop just for him heheh ... York Guns was on the way home so we called in there to see if there was something there for him that he wanted ... unfortunately not .... 
Phew .... quick any one else want another brew ????
Soooo onto the stitching part ....I made another stocking this time Harry Potter inspired with navy blue fabric with gold stars on for a work collegues son, stitched Waiting for Santa from this years JCS magazine not once ... not twice but four times in the last two weeks !!!!!!!  I showed the first one to work and they wanted one doing for the hamper so I did ... both my boss and the other office's boss loved it and wanted it for themselves soooo I stitched it again for them both and finished it different from the first one and then got mine done for me Phew ....
I got a lovely gift from DJ too ... she stitched me a wee mouse with a candy can and sent some charms , buttons in a gorgeous book box ...  the box and the stitching are out on my Mantle piece in my craft room ... and yes my fairy has a new place ..... see if you can spot her ....lol
I have changed my craft room round again and I think this way will work better once all  is back where it should be ... it took me three days to sort out ... and my fabric is now neat and tidy ... how long for, is any ones guess hahahah ...
Blimmy if I don't stop now and get the photos up I will have almost wrote a book ..lol
stash haul from Show

ditto

from The Viking Loom

my Robin in my back field


one of the ornaments I did for my bosses

a few of my decorations and you can see my ornie

my fairy found a new home :)

mantle piece all lit up

tidied the fabric up can you tell ...lol


this one went for the raffle prize

geese at the Viking Loom




My ornament exchange from Sally S :)

I have done more to it now

The Viking Loom



the hotel lounge





York Minster

hawk flying over Harrogate

my lovely gifts from DJ :)


Champagne anyone ??

how lovely is our room :)

The Ice Warrior from the Game of Thrones


stunning quilt at the show


These were stitched by individuals from a photo see below



RSN student practising her stitches

TrudyAnn' Stall

can you guess which one this is ...lol




how stunning is that gingerbread house

oldie worldie book store
 I have just re visited the photos and blimmy could do another post with the rest again ..lol ... I am not sure if I will get another visit in before Christmas so I shall wish all those that Celebrate Merryyyy Christmas :) and I shall save some cake and mince pies for you all... take care my friends and I shall squeak to you all soon :) love mouse xxxxxxx



Wednesday 7 December 2016

Jo's Christmas Blog Hop

Hellooo every one ... its that time of the year again for Jo's Christmas Blog Hop ... to see who else is in the blog hop you will have to Hop over to Jo's Blog 
She has given everyone a day to post and today is my lucky day ..lol 

So today all I have to post a picture of something seasonal I have stitched and answer this question:
Decorations - do you have a favourite decoration you must have on display every year, maybe an heirloom, one the children made or something with a special story behind it?
 Well the stitching is easy ..lol as I have just finished loads of wee ornaments and done some more too so I can show you them :)
The question is a wee bit more tricky as this year we do not have a traditional tree as we have no room in the mouse house living room for one, so my fairy cannot be out on display this year ... she has been with me as long as I can remember and had some new clothes over the years and has always sat on the tree some where near the top, so this year she may just have to have a place on the mantel piece here in my craft room and start a new tradition with her ... I will take a photo for you as soon as I have decorated down here which hopefully will be this weekend coming and then I can also tell you all about Harrogate and my stash haul .... I bet you can't wait ...lol 
soooo here you go a wee photo or two of my christmas ornies to keep you going :)
All from Little House Needleworks Charts

Ditto as above :)

so there you go :) please bob over to see all the other christmas stitching and find out about other traditions that folks have ... squeak to you all soon :) love mouse xxxxxx