WOYWW 190

You know, I really thought I'd blogged inbetween last weeks WOYWW and this one ... goodness knows where that week went!

So to another week of being able to share and visit fellow crafters workdesks all over the world to see what they are up to all thanks to the wonderful Julia and her Stamping Ground which you can find HERE

My workdesk is not really a workdesk at all today as I simply MUST get on with a cross-stitch project and I am making that my mission for today.

It is a huge project and almost beyond my capabilities ... I thought I was an experienced cross-stitcher but this is challenging me to the limit and I am not yet convinced I will complete it.  If it were for myself then I would have not got past the first dozen stitches but, because I want it for a gift,  I am persevering (and swearing a LOT!)

I finished a birthday card last night for the same person getting the cake (I shared the flowers for the cake last week) ... have tried to keep it all to a theme (I made the invitations for the event too) as she is very, very girly and loves flowers!

The cake just needs my signature little doves putting on and I wasn't going to take it from the box in order to photograph it today ... knowing me I'd knock the frill and damage it so will post a better photo' next week after the party!  So excuse what has to be the worst photo' in the world but it will give you an idea ... hopefully.

And, most importantly of all ... as I write it is *S*N*O*W*I*N*G* again ... I am a total *S*N*O*W* freak and just love this weather *S*N*O*W* much!!!!!!  Hey, that was nearly a joke :)

On that note I am off to link to Julia's WOYWW and MUST, MUST, MUST get on with that cross-stitching!

Cross-stitching

Whilst rambling away on another blog it just occurred to me that it is 30 years this year that I started cross-stitching!
It was November 1982 and I had been dreadfully poorly with quinsies and hubby came home from work one day and asked if I fancied a "little trip" ... Oh bless him, I thought ... he wants to take me away to recouperate and I pictured mugs of hot chocolate whilst sitting snuggled in a blanket and gazing out over the ocean.
It turned out he meant a "little trip" to Dayton, Ohio where his company was sending him for five weeks for a training course.
Being married only 2 years times were hard and we had to borrow the money from my parents in order for me to go too but off we went ... first time flying and quite an adventure.
I was a knitter way back then but couldn't fit needles and wool etc., into our cases so I thought I'd just get something there ... this proved way more difficult than I thought and try as I might I couldn't find anywhere that sold needles and wool!
Hubby used to hire us a car on a Friday (he got a lift into school each day) and he would come and get me from the apartment at lunchtime and drop me off at Dayton Mall where I would wander around all afternoon and then he would pick me up once he was done for the day.
Eventually I stumbled across a cross-stitching shop and began to browse.  I hadn't got a clue in those days, never having even seen a cross-stitch pattern before but I began to hover in the background when little classes were going on and wondered if I would ever be able to give it a go.
I was eventually asked if I would like to join the group but firstly just couldn't afford to and only had a couple of weeks anyway but once I spoke and they realised I was English they offered to teach me for free so long as I kept talking!  They just wanted to hear my accent.
So I picked a chart and the threads and went along each week and learnt how to cross-stitch and it turned out to be a life-long hobby and something I LOVE to do.

This is a dreadful photo of that first project ... it hangs very high up on the wall and I can't reach it to get it down! 


How on earth it can be 30 years ago though is beyond me ... it really seems like only yesterday.

The birds are blue!

Following on from my WOYWW post yesterday I am DeLigHtEd to report the die came as expected and within a very short space of time I had my 21 little birdies cut out and decided they just had to be BLUE.
Will post a photo' once they are done ... one might even be my Pixie's Snippet for this week as I found some short lengths of ribbon that I had saved from something or other ... could have been some pretty soap I got in Scotland ... and if I am very careful and measure twice and cut once, there should be enough to use on the tags.
With my cross-stitching I usually only ever have one project on the go at once so I need to get my next one organised before the current one gets finished over Easter.  I had no intention of stitching another Lavender & Lace angel and fully intended to start my Christmas sewing thus avoiding my annual December nervous breakdown as I work like frenzy to get all my Christmas crafting done.
Alas, those angels are calling to me though and I think I am just going to have to tackle one of them next.  Christmas is still a very long way off, isn't it?  Plenty of time yet!
Right, first task today is to put some blue Stickles onto the birdies so that can dry and then I can attach the wings later on ... then they just need the very carefully measured and tied ribbons attaching and that will be another 21 cards ticked off the list for this year!