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Friday, October 31, 2008

'Round About the Cauldron go... Double, Double... Toil and Trouble...


Fire burn and cauldron bubble...


Double, double, toil and trouble Fire burn and cauldron bubble Double, double, toil and trouble Something wicked this way comes.

Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing.




Double, double, toil and trouble
Fire burn and cauldron bubble
Double, double, toil and trouble
Something wicked this way comes.


In the cauldron boil and bake,
Fillet of a fenny snake,
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf.





Double, double, toil and trouble
Fire burn and cauldron bubble
Double, double, toil and trouble Fire burn and cauldron bubble

Double, double, toil and trouble Fire burn and cauldron bubble

Something wicked this way comes.
~The Bard~


My dear friends... Is it really the end of October already??? I do believe someone's cast a loss of time spell on me as I don't know where on Earth it has gone... It's simply vanished into thin air... I had to go back to work this week and I'm feeling better... methinks the black frogs are fading away somewhat and for that I am grateful... Here's hoping they will stay in the dark corner into which I've banished them... :-) As long as it's naught save their eyes I feel upon me and not their dark shroud... I will KBO... ;-)

Mr Darcy is settling in nice and comfy and oh, so cozy in his new home and he's just the sweetest wee companion... Just the wee soul I needed to bring me sunshine and cheer... Gandalf and Shelley are slowly accepting him into the family, and for that I am thankful!
On a Stitchy note... I've made a wee bit of progress on a couple of stitchy WIP's whilst still watching Pride & Prejudice... It's become my stitching film of late and a constant source of inspiration and hope... Oh, and one of my WIP's is a new start! Oh, Horrors, not another one! ;-)

And oh, happy day!!! I have a very special, much beloved giftie to share with you all... Oh, was I ever surpried to find the sweet and thoughtful gift from Sally's oh, so talented needle... Thank you ever so much my dear, friend... I love the pinkeep you stitched for me and it shall ever be a much beloved and cherished gift... :-)


The Prairie Schooler...
A Friend is a Gift...
Treasured and Beautiful pinkeep from Sally...
Thank you ever so kindly, dear Sally...
I will cherish it always...


The Back of my Lovely Pinkeep from Sally...


The beautiful PS Pinkeep Sally stitched for me...
displayed in basket of special stitched lovelies from friends...


And for good measure.. a close up of my basket of stitched gifties...
A Friend is a Gift by The Prairie Schooler...
a lovely and cherished pinkeep
from my own StitchyAngel Sally...
And yes, if you look closely
you will see a much beloved gift from the needle of
none other than the ever talented Harmien... ;-)


And Two Shall Be As One by Lizzie*Kate...
Stitched on Vintage Mocha Cashel Linen...
With GAST threads...
Accompanied by the adorable Mr Darcy...


Hallows Eve by Stacy Nash Primitives...
Stitched on R & R Iced Cappuccino Cashel Linen...
With DMC threads...
Accompanied by the darlin' Mr Darcy...


Hallows Eve by Stacy Nash Primitives...
The beginning...
Wee Witch pendant from
and my dear Mr Darcy...

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow...



"What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path, amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night! With what wistful look did he eye every trembling ray of light streaming across the waste fields from some distant window! How often was he appalled by some shrub covered with snow, which, like a sheeted specter, beset his very path! How often did he shrink with curdling awe at the sound of his own steps on the frosty crust beneath his feet; and dread to look over his shoulder, lest he should behold some uncouth being tramping close behind him! and how often was he thrown into complete dismay by some rushing blast, howling among the trees, in the idea that it was the Galloping Hessian on one of his nightly scouring!"
~Washington Irving... a quote from "The Legend of Sleep Hollow"...



Wishing you all a Happy Hallows Eve, my dear friends... And thank you all ever so kindly for your continued visits and comments... akin to the full moon on a cold, Autumn night... they light my path and warm my heart...


"From Ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night... good Lord deliver us..."


Blessings and Love in Stitches...

Lizzy


I am thankful for precious moments... Hallows Eve... blessed friends and stitched gifts... Mr Darcy~ both of them... and ever still Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice which continues to give me Hope for tomorrow...

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Black Frogs Are Upon Me...

Or at least they were... I do believe I've managed to throw them off my trail for the time being... And as Churchill would say... I'm going to KBO... For Churchill it was black dogs... however, stitcher and crafter that I am... it's black frogs for me! ;-)



I can't believe October has nearly come and gone... Time is flying by on a broom with transwarp drive to be sure... and it's leaving me stranded at the docking bay... ;-)


My Cardiologist took me out of work last week and this week... soooo I've been stitching and watching films and reading... and trying to catch up with my blog visiting and emails... I keep telling myself I should have accomplished more... alas I find myself puttering and pondering and wandering hither and yon... and all in all it seems to add up to much ado about nothing... ;-)


I've joined a few blogs whilst I've been on leave... For marvelous stitchy Inspiration I was fortunate enough to be granted membership in BeckySC's new blog... Let's Stitch... And it's certainly proving to be wonderfully Inspiring... so many talented stitchers and so much lovely handwork to admire and inspire... And Becky has all manner of stitchy incentives that is sure to entice even the most stubborn of stitching mojos to come out of hiding... I really don't know where she finds the time to organise and oversee so many wonderful stitchy groups, not to menion all the lovely handwork she creates... Ah... to be so talented!!! I could certainly take a leaf out of her book when it comes to organisation and sewing and crafting skills... I am determined to teach myself how to sew and make all these wonderful creations... I'm hoping for a sewing machine for Christmas... {If you see Santa do whisper a hint in his ear if you please...} Anyway, hop on your brooms and fly on over and have a gander... I know you will be inspired! :-)

My stitching Muse has been whispering ever so fervently in my ear of late... Thus, I also took the plunge and finally joined Vonna's wonderful, wonderful blog, Me, Myself and I Neighbourhood Round Robins 2 ... Oh, and I am sooo excited about this!!! I fell in love with Neighbourhood Round Robins when all the buzz surrounding The Original Dijon Neighbourhood RR was flitting around the stitching community and I have long since thought of stitching my own Neighbourhood... then I could stitch along at my own leisurely pace... ;-) Alas, I just never got around to tackling such an endeavour... Now, I have no excuses... Save the *minor* one of making a decison on my theme and choosing the designs... Minor? Have I finally lost what wee bit of sense I had left??? Have I gone completely daft??? Achk??? HELP???

I am most certainly at a lost when it comes to the blueprint layout of my Neighbourhood, and I've been pondering long and hard... Yes, I am completley and utterly dazed and confused at this point... ;-) Anyway, I'm seriously thinking of sitting down with a stitcher's yard of Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens and begin stitching in the upper left corner... leaving room for some sort of boder of course, be it flowers, leaves, vines or whatnot... and naturally I'd have my chosen designs and houses, gardens, critters, et cetera on hand and just let the design flow... and as I stitch, the neighbourhood will unfold as it may... Hmmmm... I wonder? Can you tell I am NOT an organised woman? ;-) As for my theme... Now, that's the difficult part as I cannot seem to make up my mind... Much akin to a buzzing bee amongst a garden overflowing with flowers I keep buzzing about from one idea to the next... I'm at a complete loss! There are so many I'd love to stitch... Country Folk Art Village ~ Jane Austen Village ~ Seaside Village ~ English Village ~ Prairie Schooler Autumn Village ~ Prairie Schooler Christmas Village ~ Halloween Village ~ and a Fantasy / Mediaeval Village... Ah, Decisions, Decisions... I am going to have to make up my feeble mind soon and save the rest for another time... And I do declare, I just don't know if I can settle on one theme... Any words of wisdom from you my dear stitchers on designing... And thoughts and ideas on a theme for my Neighbourhood would be ever so kindly and greatly appreciated! :-)

In anticipation of Neighbourhood stitching and a wee bit of inspiration and eye candy for you... Here's a stitched wonder to behold... I had been following Isa's progress on her Prairie Schooler Autumn Neighbourhood for a while now as she's in the Prairie Schooler Fans Yahoo stitching group and lo and behold... she finished it not too long ago... Absolutely, positively stunning!!!

The link doesn't seem to be working just now...
Nonetheless, I would not want topost the photo
and not give the stitcher credit...
Isn't it Gorgeous? I could look at it for hours... :-)


And of course I just can't resist a wee bit more *Inspiration*... ;-) This is one of my faves... It's absolutely Stunning!!! Just Gorgeous! Oh, and does anyone know who the Designer is for the house and tree et cetera in the bottom left corner... it looks like a Prairie Schooler Tree and Critters... but I don't know... And I love the border... and I've long thought I'd love to use it on my own NRR some day... I thought it was from Millennium Sampler by Ewe & Eye & Friends, thus I've been trying to find a copy for ages on eBay... And... a couple of weeks ago, Fate was kind and I now have my own *precious* ... ;-)

This is Deborah's NRR...


I also joined Hazel's blog... the eagerly anticipated Needleprint Beatrix Potter's Quaker Sampler SAL ... I have had the chart since last year and what more wonderful inspiration do I need to begin this beautiful design than a lovely group of stitchers peacefully stitching along with Beatrix together... I'll most likely go with Vintage Examplar and some muted Autumn coloured silks... just haven't decided which ones as yet! Imagine that? ;-)

Needleprint's Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler...


Oh, and my goodness... for stitching fun year 'round... and because I just love stitching Seasonal pieces... I joined Nicki's wonderfully inspiring blog... Seasonal Stitch-a-Long... I have been itching to stitch something Halloweeny and Autumny and just haven't had the time with the wedding gifts I am stitching... However, this is just the inspiration and incentive I need... who can resist? I do feel the need for a wee bit of *me stitching* time...

Monday was my eldest son Elisha's birthday... he is 28 now and I just can't believe it... He, Jamie, Brandy and Nick all came over for his Birthday dinner Monday night... Alas, my camera batteries died and I just couldn't get my charger to work... {you might know that it started working after they left...} Anyway, I did manage to get one photo before my batteries died on me... silly me did not even think of using my Blackberry... I could have at least taken a few more photos... Well, Jamie had his digital camera and he took lots of photos and two hilarious videos and we're going to download them on my PC ... So... I'll have some memorable photos!

Jamie, Brandy and Elisha...
Elisha's Birthday... 20th October...


Oh, dear but I'm rambling yet again... one of our incentives this week over at Let's Stitch was to post a photo of just one of our favourite stitched finishes and tell a wee something about it... Why it is our favourite, when we stitched it... memories surrouding it, et cetera... Of course, you all know how I am when it comes to decisions... Thus in pondering which piece I would choose and how on Earth I would ever decide... I was drawn to the very first piece I ever stitched... It's a wee boy in patchwork overalls pulling a toy train and he looks just like Elisha... I stitched it while I was expecting him in 1980, thus this piece will always be near and dear to my heart... and with it being Elisha's birthday this week, I thought it was the perfect choice!

Wee boy pulling train...
Designer unknown...
My first stitched piece...
Stitched for my eldest son, Elisha in 1980...


Oh, and I have a new family member in my home... It is with immense pleasure I introduce... drum roll please... ahemm... Are you ready???


Ooops... Whatever was I thinking???
This is the wrong Mr Darcy! ;-)


Thus... without further ado...

Lizzy and Mr Darcy...
I just couldn't resist... ;-)
For the real Lizzy and Mr Darcy
from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice...
see my side-bar...


As for my current WIP's... I have a few photos to share with you tonight... Here's my progress on Lizzie*Kate's... And Two Shall Be As One... I'm stitching it for my dear daughter, Brandy, who just got married back in June... It's going to be one of her Christmas presents and I hope to be finished soon... and if it weren't for those dreaded black frogs... I'd be finished already... I do declare, but I've stitched almost all of what I have stitched now twice, and some of it three times...

And Two Shall Be As One by Lizzie*Kate...
Stitched on Vintage Mocha Cashel Linen...
With Gentle Arts Sampler Threads...
Wee Mr Darcy just loves to help me stitch and take photos... ;-)

Spring Has Come by The Prairie Schooler ...
Stitched on R & R Cashel Creme Brulee...
With Crescent Colour Conversions
by Theresa at Shakespeare's Peddler
And my Angel, Shelley...

Spring Has Come by The Prairie Schooler...


The Wedding by Lavender and Lace
Stitched on Vintage Examplar by Lakeside Linens
with recommended threads...
for my dear daughter, Brandy...

The Wedding by Lavender & Lace...
I really need some encouragement
with this one, dear Ladies...

Thank you all ever so kindly for your continued visits and lovely words of inspiration and encouragement... akin to honey to the bee... they are sweet nectar to my Soul...


Blessings and love in stitches...

Lizzy


I am thankful for precious moments... Mr Darcy... Pride & Prejudice... Stitching... Lovely Autumn days and kind and thoughtful stitching friends...