Hello! I'm back!

Oh my goodness! Just where does the time go?!

I can't believe my last blog was in December 2012! I started my blog during a short period of sickness from work and was completely self taught! To be honest, I'm amazed I ended up with a blog that I am extremely proud of, as I am certainly no youngster and no 'techie'. Even at the time of my last blog I didn't really know what I was doing and if it turned out ok, it was definitely much more by luck than judgement, believe me! But once I went back to work I seemed to have less and less time to do it although I really wanted to. At the time I wanted to add photo albums to my blog, of stitching I had already completed, WIPs and future projects but I couldn't master that bit and found it really frustrating. I was also having trouble leaving comments on other's blog sites I was following (who might have been able to advise me how to do the albums as they had them on theirs). With no one to ask and less time than liked the inevitable happened and I gave up.

I don't get anywhere near as much time as I would like to stitch as I have a full time (very demanding and extremely stressful) job. Yes, I'd like to leave and find something else but it's not that simple. Further to that, and most importantly, I love to spend time with my family especially my seven year old Grandaughter, Ellie who we look after three out of every four weekends as her Mum now works. Both my daughters, Laura and Katt (Katie) live locally but my son, Kyle is currently travelling in the Far East for nearly a year and then going on to work in Australia for a year. So I absolutely miss him like mad, despite the fact that he does a very good impression of being a pain in the you-know-what every so often when he's here! And then there's all those boring mundane chores that need doing when I'm not working! Don't you just hate those and wish they weren't necessary! I also love a good book when I have a chance to lose myself for a while and love gardening when the weather allows but all this cuts down on my stitching time and doing a blog. However, whilst I was looking at 'My Big Toe' designs (do you ever wonder why they came up with that as a name for their company??!!) on Sewandso.co.uk last night for a chart I'd like to do for my best friend from school (1970 - 1977) I came across a copy of the chart I eventually chose on someone else's blog spot and it made me think about my own stitching blog. Finding my blog site wasn't a problem. It was remembering how to get on it and be able to edit it that was! Eventually, after an hour or so, as you can see I made it but I'll probably need a refresher on how to get back to it next time! Lol! So I have decided to try and start up with regular posts again. Not sure how often yet but definitely more often that two years! Lol! Think I need to find some tutorials on Blogger blog site to make it a bit easier for this old bird to understand first though. I have also, recently treated myself to an iPad and am a little dismayed to see I can't do as much on my blog as I could from my PCs so that's a bit frustrating! 

So hope you'll still want to come along for the ride which I think will possibly also include other none stitching comments, like our planned trip later this year to Malaysia and Singapore to meet up with Kyle for a few days and celebrate our wedding anniversary  and then our two new fur babies who are due on 18th April but that's all for another time.............

So bye for now.

Love, hugs and God Bless.

Jane X

Ps. BTW Laura and I did get to that craft exhibition in December 2012 and whilst there were some amazing crafts there, there was very little cross stitch so it was a bit disappointing from that point of view. But it was was a lovely day out and nice for us to spend some quality Mum and Daughter time together.

Hobbycraft & Christmas Gift Show!

Hi all!
Well the day has finally arrived and I'm just about to pick up Laura, my eldest daughter, to go to the NEC, Birmingham for the Hobbycraft and Christmas Gift Show! Can't wait to get there! And are we excited or what!? Like two kids in a sweet shop! Will let you know how it goes later!
Jane x

Update on magazine stash

Hi there,
Well, have made a start on going through my old cross stitch magazines and removing the original charts I want to keep. Not as many complete magazines to sell on at this stage although I have decided to keep many more charts than I originally thought I would!!!! However, enjoying doing this much needed task and actually finding it really rewarding! Shame I don't feel the same about housework! Lol! Still got a lot to do as not even a quarter of the way through the stash yet but that will then result in lots of singles charts to sell as well, as the magazines get newer. Have decided to offer all the cut up magazines free to anyone who wants them locally (in return for their collection) as there are still loads and loads of charts in them which whilst obviously not my choice, could definitely be someone else's! So hope this exercise will not only benefit me in several ways but also another stitcher in my area, too! :o)
Anyway, back to the mountain of magazines for the next 'ascent'! Lol!
Jane x

My magazine stash!

Hi Everyone!
Hope you are all ok and that none of you or your families are affected by the terrible hurricane 'Sandy' in the US.
This is a bit of a long blog but please bear with me and I'd love to know your opinion.
So here's my dilemma. What do I do with all my cross stitch magazines? Over the years I have collected hundreds, literally and recently decided I needed to do something with them but what?
I know lots of people sell them on Ebay. In fact, that's where quite a few of mine have come from and I thought this is a good way to recycle them, to make a little bit of 'pin' money to go towards future cross stitch supplies, charts etc, free up some valuable cupboard space and to make them accessible to someone else who wants them when I don't need them anymore. But first I need to go through them all and put them into two piles, ones which don't have any charts in I want and those which do. Personally I don't think it would be fair to cut out the charts I want and then sell on the magazine, so that left photocopying them which would then leave the magazine totally in tack. But with some having as many as four or five charts in each that I would need to copy by at least two hundred magazines that would just be 'mission impossible' and my printer would never cope with the stress!! I did try it for the first few issues but the copies are never as good as the originals and will fade over time, so that doesn't seem to be a solution. There was also the problem that some of the magazines went from A4 size to bigger and a double page spead would just not fit onto an A3 sheet easily and would also require trimming down to go into the A4 punched pockets I'd planned to keep them in.
So it looks like my only option for the magazines with charts in that I do want, is to cut them out and keep them and then salvage any other remaining charts to sell as single charts at the same time I sell the fully 'intact' magazines.At least I know the single charts will sell as I buy loads of them on Ebay myself, rather than a whole magazine!
I think this whole process will have to be in two parts. Number one is the above, number two will be selling all the remaining charts and magazines on Ebay. The hardest bit of my plan though, is going to be finding the time to do parts one and two around full time work and precious family and stitching time!! Would be so much more convenient if I didn't have to work! Lol!
Also, whilst I'm an expert at buying cross stitch stuff off Ebay (aren't we all? As my lack of bank balance will testify!!) when it comes to selling I've always been to scared to even try! But hey, not so long ago I was scared to try to set up a blog but that wasn't as painful to master as I thought so maybe Ebay selling won't be so bad either! Maybe I should just start small but think BIG! In fact it doesn't seem quite such a daunting task now I have actually put it down in writing! :O)
So Just need to start putting my plan in action!
I'd be very interested to hear what everyone else does with their magazines.
Happy stitching!
Jane x

My very first cross stitch photo upload!

Hi,
And here it is! My first photo uploaded! This is my current project, Adele Welsby's Knot Garden in blackwork. I have stitched it before, once on pink fabric in burgundy stitching and once on green fabric with dark green stitching (photos to follow in my gallery of finished projects once set up) but this time I decided to use the basic pattern in two colours and add two more borders. However, I have now decided to change it again and make it three borders including one of beads. So am presently unpicking the wording and repositioning it to insert the extra border. So watch this space!
Jane x

Cataloging my Joan Elliott charts!

Hi,
Gosh! I am so bad! I flit from task to task, never completing something before moving onto the next! Today, I was going to continue with the Adele Welsby Blackwork Knot Garden but instead I have been cataloging all my Joan Elliott charts for easy reference. Already down to 116 having only gone through five of her books that I own so far! Four more books to go and then loads of magazines, booklets and loose single charts. Could be here for hours but I will enjoy every one!
Jane x

Adele Welsby Knot Garden update

Hi,
So I started the second extra border of the Adele Welsby Blackwork Knot Garden I'm currently stitching and completed two sides of it last night. Just couldn't stop myself! Oh, ok, the wee small hours of yesterday morning actually! Then I had an even better idea for a new second border consisting of beads, some the same size as the orginal beads and some larger, more decorative, 6mm Swarovski Marguerite, flower shaped, almost flat crystals (as recently added to the Sweetheart Tree wedding sampler I recently completed). My newly designed second border is now becoming the third and final border, incorporating four larger, 8mm Swarovski Marguerite crystals, one in each corner, possibly with blackwork leaves or vines coming out from underneath? New chart of remaining border now drawn up by hand (does anyone know of any good, reasonably priced, computer software, that could do this for me?) and ready to start later today. Enjoying this so much! Wish I could do it for a living!! And think this piece is going to be so pretty once it's finished! :O)
Jane x