Birthday weekend and stitchy stuff :)

hello once again :) hope everyone has had a good weekend and got lots of stitchy time in ????


It was my birthday on Friday (28th jan ) and I was the grand old age of ..... not telling heheheheh 
It was an eventful day to say the least ......
It dawned very early as DD2 needed to get into the Drs as her glands were up and you have to phone at 8.oo am to get any chance of an appointment ... so I was sat opening my cards and pressies with a cuppa.... very early for me ..lol  and ended being in A& E with DD1 as she has developed tendonitis very bad :( and is now sporting a rather fetching beige wrist strap for a week !!!


But I did get some rather nice prezzies from my fellow mods on Friendly Stitchers
with some more on the way too :)

from ally , gillie and Val 

I got North winds and Winter Band sampler from Ally , Pumpkin Cottage and Ladybugs and Bumblebees from Val also with a Gloriana thread to do the winter box by the Victoria sampler and Gillie got me the crescent colours and the  sampler threads to do the charts from Val .... some good co ordination there girls ..lol 

from DD1

 from DD 1 I got two pieces of permin linen , lambswool and old  lace and 19 dragon floss threads !!! 
I also got a help the hero's sweatshirt and some Turkish delight from DH and DD2 and some pennies to spend on some more stash goodies once I've decided what to get ..lol


I got lots of lovely cards some stitched and some hand crafted ones too ....and I love them all:) but I must make a special mention of this one as it is really quite nice and was stitched by Yvonne from friendly stitcher's for me..... I am going to get it framed and put on my craft room wall along with all the others that she has stitched for me ..... :)

birthday card stitched by Yvonne :)

And finally onto the stitching bit of the weekend .... I managed to sneak bits in each day as the house was full of visitors who heard I'd got two cakes heheheh and as the kettle is always on decided to pop round ......
So I managed to get both parts done on the Romantique Sampler so am up to date now for next month hurray :)

Romantique sampler parts one and two done

then I also managed to work on " and the rain fell " LHN so here is as far as I got  before I put my needle down :)

and the rain fell LHN 

I started putting a few more stitches into the Natures Beauty By LHN today a bit earlier on but haven't done enough to record for you ..lol as I got distracted by the kettle and reading other peeps blogs and catching up with all the news on my groups hehehe ........


so I shall bid you farewell my friends for tonight and catch back up with you soon ..... hope you all have had a lovely weekend and got lots done :)
happy stitching love mouse xxxxx

just one of those days ..lol

Have you ever had those days when you seem to be doing every thing and anything and actually achieving nothing ???? well Tuesday was one of those days and to be honest I can't really remember what I actually was doing except for the evening and that was probably the best bit ..lol 


I am sure most of you who have been with my blog from the start know that I am how shall I say this *thinks *  ermmmm physically challenged .. I have two types of arthritis as well as spondylitis and also secondary fibromylagia plus a few other pesky bits too but I'm fine ... well that's what I keep telling myself ..lol .... I think that's why I have such a zany personality and full of fun as its the only bit that works properly heheheh .....  the up side of this is I have to rest a lot and pace myself sooooo lots of stitching time when hands allow :)


Any way back to Tuesday evening ..lol  I am a member of our local branch of the Uk fibro support groups which covers a large area around where the mouse house is  and they made me Chairperson !!!!!! I feel so honoured that they wanted me :) soooo I have a posh title to boot now ..lol  It was a lovely meeting as well, we had some new members and also lots of laughing at some of the stories and discussed lots to do with one of our members going down to London to Guys hospital to see the top man for Fibro there :)


Well after soo much excitement I came home to a well deserved cuppa and did a wee bit of stitching on one of my UFO's so I am in front this week ..lol yeahhhhhh :)


Today passed in a bit of a blur too .... did manage to get the hoover run round my lounge  once DH had got up ..... phoned my Dad up to see how he was and then finally managed to sit down with my stitching and passed a merry hour before tea soooo with out further ado and I am impressed if you've got this far here are today's offerings :0

Needlework Shop LHN 

UFO 

The UFO is a little freebie from the Cross stitcher issue 194 to be exact ..lol and I am stitching him on a piece of silkweaver fabric not sure quite yet how I am going to finish him or when ..lol  so I shall get back to you on that one :)


ok folks I shall say night night and sleep tight for those this side of the pond and helloo good evening for all others ..lol 
take care and happy stitching 
love mouse xxxxx

And some more done ..lol

Well I couldn't not blog now could I, seeing as Ally has put up her update  on her Needlework shop by LHN ..... I am, as you all know doing this piece too, as part of my fifteen new starts  and Ally was talking about it last night  and I dug out mine today and did a bit more of it too ... sooo with out further ado here is my offering ..lol 

Needlework shop LHN 

I've had to scan all my updates in recently as my poor camera has run out of batteries and I haven't been out to get any more as it is very fussy and won't work for anything less than Duracell !!!  so I apologise now ..lol


Ok so today dawned bright and sunny and as DH was having a lie in due to working nights this week I settled down,still in jammies to stitch (or as I've told if still in them after 9.30... day wear ..lol) and did some work on the Bee Sampler LHN first of all until DH came down at 11.30 am  so here is as far as I got ....

Bee Sampler LHN

 I then went upstairs to get dressed etc thought I'd better make the effort heheh and came down to a cuppa waiting for me bliss .... I had that and did a token bit of the "H" word  before I re sat down and did a bit more on the Romantique Sampler .... I'm having to do this one in the day light as much easier on the old eyes and as I was merrily getting the next part in I've realised that I have gone up a stitch or two threads to be politically correct... too much on the bit above the smocking effect... ho hum I am not taking all that out ..lol Its a good job it is that way as I'm working on a tight deadline the other way !!!


Any way here is how far I have got with this one today 

Romantique Sampler SAL 

I am really enjoying this one as it is different to all the others I am working on at the moment and I just love the colours :)


Ok so that's the stitching side of today hehehe .... I've been looking in my photos for a picture for Tricia and have found it  so especially for her .....

Dragon at the top of the keep at Wentworth Castle

This little chap actually escaped for a couple of months and was found again in the gardens surrounding the castle and is now back where he belongs .......


So there we are another day over and almost time to go to sleep but not before another cuppa me thinks heheheh 


t.t.f.n  love mouse xxxxx

Guess what ... I've been stitching heheheh

Hellloo again folks :)


cooo I've had a busy few days this last week  with one thing and another and yesterday was no exception ...... Gillie bless her cotton socks did the washing up after  we had a late tea on Wednesday and unfortunately left her rings on my worktop that weren't spotted till she had actually got back home ...... so yesterday she and her DH  known to all as WT came over to pick them up and take us out to lunch :) we took them to a lovely pub called the Strafford Arms that has a real working range and the fire was lit and so was really cosy on a coolish day .....
the food was excellent,the company as well ... we hadn't met WT before but we all got on like a house on fire and it was like we had know each other for years and he was a favourite Uncle :)


Any way we are going to have another visit there next time they are over and go to the Wentworth Castle that is literately next door  to the pub and has a dragon on the top of the keep stairs :)


SOOOOOO back to the sitching bit ..lol well today I had a quiet day so I was able to indulge in a few hours of uninterrupted bliss :)


I finished off the first part of the Romantique  SAL just need to stitch the next bit and then I will be ready for next months charts :)   yippeeee  , I've had to do a bit sticking and drawing  to make the next bit up as my printer missed off vital parts of the chart *sigh* but it is now ready for my needle ...... so with out further ado here is the update photo :)

first chart piece finished 

Now here is the really exciting bit ..lol  I've started stitching on my Stitchers Book that I have designed .... I am reallyyyyyyy pleased how it is turning out  so with a drum roll please drdrdrdrdrdr ........

Stitchers Book Designed By Mouse of Talesofastitchingmouse

This just one half of the outer cover .. It has been stitched on a Solitaire evenweave from Sparklies again ... using silk perle thread and Gloriana "teal" silk thread too, the beads are an iridescent white and really sparkle in the light.


The inside pages are going to have the SAl designed by Val from the friendly stitchers  stitched onto them before making up so it is going to a useful as well as decorative piece :)


So there you have it..... a sneak peek ... hope you like :)... orders will be taken ;) hahahahah 
If you have got this far the cuppa's on me ..lol  .... DH is on nights next week so I should be able to get some more stitched on the 15 challenges  I've pulled out the Bee Sampler and managed to get a couple of stitches in before we had a late tea ... so I think I may go back to that in a bit :)


Righty ho I shall squeak off for now and shall see you all again soon 
take care and happy stitching :)
love mouse xxxxx

SAl UPDATE :)

HELLOOO Every body .... just a quick update on the sal that DJ enabled me into ..lol 


It is the Romantique SAL from http://magicaspuntadas.blogspot.com/

I just managed to squeak in by a whisker hehehe and I have been searching through my stash to find a piece of fabric big enough for the pattern size just less than 19" x19" on 28 count ....... well needless to say I drew a complete blank on a piece that big ... I didn't want to do it over one as there is some back stitched highlight areas and you wouldn't get the lace effect recquired soooooooo I re dug into the fabric box and pulled out some 32 counts of fabric that it will just squeeze onto as long as I am not framing it ..lol ... The choice was a 32 count linen in laurel / olive green and mint green or a FAB purple evenweave Murano from Sparklies called ...whoops its a one off piece a Solitaire one ..lol 


well if you can't guess which one I eventually picked ..lol 
here it is 

start of the Romantique SAL

it is spread over 10 months 2 patterns each month and we have to send pics to the designer :) so show the progress pics :0 Nowt like having a deadline ..lol 


OOoo yes ......I have also sorted out the pesky  chart and have started stitching it so hopefully by the end of the week end I can show you a teaser bit ..lol


ok folks its time for me to put the kettle on again and have a quick catch up with every body ... hope you all have a lovely weekend preferably stitching hehehehe.
see you all soon love mouse xxxxx

UFO night and a wee bit more stitched ..lol

Hi every body :)... here at the mouse house we have been enjoying the sunshine we have been having the last few days and have had some visitors for tea , stickies , chatting and a wee bit of stash fondling tooo :)


Gillie  and Teejay came over on Wednesday and we had a lovely day chatting about this and that,  looking at all stitchy stuff on the go all round and I taught Gillie how to use my over locker as she had brought some pieces of fabric to be serged/over locked  a few bits later (all 50 of them) she was quite an expert ..lol


The kettle was on all day and the sticky toffee cake that I got from Aldi's was absolutely yummmyyyyyy :)  It was lovely to meet up with them and have a proper natter  instead of chatting across the internet :)


Today is the official day we talk about our UFO's on Friendly stitchers and as I am the one who over sees everybody with the threat of a swish of the wet noodle I thought I'd better get some done on one of my UFO's heheeheh so here is my update on my "home of a needleworker " 

todays ufo update 

Ok so there you have it not much but enough ..lol so I am saved from being swished from the members of my group hehehhe

I really do like this design and I think I may make it up into a cushion once finished as have got some material I think that will go rather nicely with it :)

I have also do a wee bit more on the Queen Bee ... I have sparkled her wings up with a strand of Kreink pearl 32 along with one strand of the bamboo colour so here is how far I have got ... not sure if the sparkle will show up as I had to scan it in to the computer as the camera batteries died after all the hard work in the first fifteen days  of the month .lol


sooo here she is ...........

Queen Bee

Oh I finished the design for my  stitchers book and I am going to have to tweek it ever so slightly as I didn't notice that I had a line of backstitch further across the design page and I've changed it into a PDF and instead of 2 pages worth of design I've got 8!!!!!! :(:(:(:(


SOOOOO If anybody can help with a suggestion on how to get back into the design and change it now its a PDF file  all help gratefully appreciated :)   otherwise I shall have to re do *sigh* 


I shall say good night and happy stitching to you all 
love mouse xxxx

YIPPPEEEEEE a finish:0

Well helllo folks fancy seeing you here again ..lol


OK I shall put the kettle on while you have a sit down and a read??? ..lol ...do you want a choccie biccie as well ???  been shopping today so have a few goodies in ..lol


Well as the title suggests I have my first finish of 2011 YIPPEEEEE and I've also got a update too :)


well as you know I've done another needlebook (LHN) and today I've finally finished putting it very carefully together  soooo without further ado ......drum rolllll please heheheh .....

inside

close up of I made that for my tools:)

back of needlebook

beginning of book 

and another view of them ..lol

Soooo there you have it :) I was inspired by "the stitchers book " (which I am designing one as we squeak :) found on the web via http://www.violarium.com/ 
Look under tutorials and follow the links from there ..... some of the books were stitched in 2006 and are absolutely adorable ... I hope I can do justice to the concept as the patterns were all in French magazines long ago printed soo keep your eyes peeled as I will be giving you all a peek once I am happy with it :) 


The ribbon rose idea was taken from one of my card magazines and fills the gap nicely ..lol 


Ok sooooo hope you like ???? 


I have also been doing some stitching on my Queen Bee and here is a progress report on her as well ....

Queen Bee LHN 

I am going to put a little sparkle into her wings(they are only half done atm ) and hopefully once completed she will be finished and put on one of my boxes and displayed in my stitching room.....


well I am having some friends coming to visit the mouse house tomorrow so I shall be busy with the tea pot and stash showing etc to Gillie and Teejay and hopefully have a a lovely girlie natter session too heheheh 


Righty ho hope every one is well and happily stitching to their 15 challenges tune......lol 
till next time 
love mouse xxxxxx