Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas

Well it's about time I did this, just so much to do so little time to do it in.
This year everything has been going on, Our Winnie has been hit with seizures having many in one day has left him a life but needing care to recover. He does not know were he is have the time he sits and cry's and is so very Sad. For those of you that don't know who Winnie is he is my one year old Saint Bernard. 160 pound of him he is a wonderful dog but right now a handful he acts like a puppy all the things he has learn are gone from his mind but I hope with time he will recover and again be a wonderful Saint. Sandy our female 1 year old saint is so good at trying to take care of him she watches him none stop. We can so close to losing him it is hard to think about.

But thats over we hope and on to Christmas we have a tree which we was not going to do but our Chrissie kept asking so he got his tree.Ok it's not a full size tree it's not even a small size tree it is the top off of our large tree put in a flower pot on the table and he loves it, We all do. Now it's Christmas.

Here is some more photo's of our Christmas starting with some Ho!Ho! pets
























and none of this could have been done with out my helper.

Well I will put up more as it happens. until them I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a great and wonderful new year Some thing we can all do with.

Just about finished the Embroidery that is.

Well here it is took me a while and just want to play around with one or two things but I will call it finished for now.


I have now got to decide what to do with it I was going to turn it in to a pillow backed with leatherette and may still do that but my kids say frame it I can see that as well a large poster type frame with a large matt just may be a good idea IF and that is a big if I can find wall space for it. but for now I have just sat it on the sideboard to look at. To tell you the truth I am pretty pleased with myself after so many years of not touching an Embroidery needle not to bad a little rusty me not the needle that is. but not to bad. I have something I want to do for the holidays going to see if I can even pull it of to finish it for Christmas. I have the sketch done and think I have the colours picket out and even the fabric well a Linen Napkin.
here the sketch anyway.


So instead of sitting here talking about it I think I should get on with it.

New fur baby's

Well I should be blogging about my finished Embroidery but got held up and for a good reason we have two new members to the Zoo as we call our home now. They are to 8 week old Persian kittens both male and are brothers. They are wonderful little guys with a lot to say for themselves.
First meet Einstein he is a black Persian and full of life and a bit of a trouble maker.

Then there is Mr.Munchkin he is laid back easy going just wants to eat and sleep.


They have already worked in with the Saints and my other dogs so much Winnie is in love.


Win just had to give Einstein a kiss to say Hi.
It's a little crazy around here right now the kittens run around and the dogs want to be right behind them and Winnie tail gets him in to trouble every time the kittens have warned the Saints they are taking over the house and so fare the little guys are getting their own way.
Well this is the reason I have not yet finished the embroidery but I think it's a good one. I just love to sit and watch them play.

Embroidery part 2

Well I haven't finished the project but it moving along I have finished the sides and only have the large poppy in the center to finish now.


It's not coming along to bad. I have had my moments with it. couple of hairy moments but over all it OK. It is no meant to be a carbon copy of Trish Burr's I wanted to put my ideas in to it as well.
Here are a of close ups of each side.



Sorry the photo's are not the best but we have been a bit rushed around here today. Zman got himself a new laptop with Windows7 on it and I have been helping him set it up must say I like the new Windows 7 I could blog from the desk top so I want 7 for my PC as well.
So back to the Embroidery. I hope to get this finished this week and then I want to turn the whole thing in to a cushion for my bed with a leather back should look pretty good.

Embroidery

Well after along lay off I have picked up the needle again. It must be more then 20 years. I am so rusty so are my needles. So before I could do any really work I had to put in a lot of practice and get some new needles. Not something I like doing. I like to get on with things.

My first thing was to find some Internet sites. I needed help. I can across many sites that had great hints and tips. but I found one site that for me had everything. This blog site is run by a very talented lady by the name Mary Corbet, at Needle'n Thread.com . She has everything and more. I started of watching her video's read everything she had wrote, and then tried her List of Long & Short Stitch Lessons. Oh! it was not easy like I said it been a long time but after many hour and a lot of colorful words. I finished the whole 9 lessons.
I relearned many things I had forgotten, and learned things I never know.
This is what I ended up with No it not the best but I am pretty pleased with it.

From this I had the courage to move on and as it was my birthday, I got a lot of goodies to help me on my way. A couple of them was Embroidery books by Trish Burr. Great books, and great help.
From the first book. " Long and Short Stitch Embroidery, A collection of flowers" I did two small flowers, each time learning a little bit more.
Here the first of two.


then came my next one

Which I ended up framing as I was pretty pleased with it.

Looks like someone likes it.
Now I have the book "Crewel & Surface Embroidery" by Trish Burr. Another great book.
I had to have a go at one from the book. I picked the poppy. But right a way ran in to trouble. I could not find the crewel wool she used had to pick out something else but I think I did OK.
Then I needed to copy the pattern on to fabric. Well par for the course with me that didn't go as easy as it should first I had to find some different Linen what I was going to use just was not going to cut it. got that sorted then the Pattern in the book was not the size I wanted so I had to free hand draw the whole thing on the fabric. Well after a while I did get it done and got all the threads together. Ready to start.

OK well nearly ready to start I had to put it in the frame.
but once I did that I was off and running. Had one or two problems but not to bad, but I have been doing the easy parts first.


This is were I am right now.

It's coming along.
want to see a close up.


Well thats about it right now. I should be doing it right now not blogging about it so until next time when Yes I will have more to show.