I don't know how to head this one

As most of you know I have been in a number of exchanges this year.  Most of them have gone smoothly but some not so smoothly.  

Well I am delighted to say that the needlebook I stitched for Theresa has been received in La Jolla, CA.  I used a Shepherds Bush kit called 'Be Happy' though I didn't stitch the words on because for a needlebook they would have made it a really weird shape.  I bought the kit here in the U.K. from a shop called Fobbles.  I also sent with it a handmade scissor fob and Theresa emailed me and told me she loved them both.  This was my first attempt at making a needlebook and I think it came out okay.  I followed Merry Cox's needlebook making instructions from an old copy of SANQ.

The same day I sent this one out I sent a replacement one to Daphnee because the first one was lost in the mail.  It was an Autumn (Fall) Exchange organized by Nina.

This was the one I originally sent to Daphnee and although it wasn't an Autumn ornament I did it in Autumnal colors.  But it never arrived.  So I then stitched this one as the replacement:

This is the front of it

  And this is the back

There was a lot more work involved in this one as you can see and I was really pleased with the outcome of it.  But, I heard from Nina this morning that this one hasn't been received either.  I am so upset it just isn't true.  All that work for nothing!  And not once but twice in the same exchange.  I feel really bad for Daphnee but I have honestly made and sent her two ornaments and a hand made scissor fob with the second one because I felt so badly that the first one was lost in the mail.

If any of you are wondering who Gracie is.  Well if you are as old as me and American you will remember the George Burns and Gracie Alan show which actually started out as a radio show in the 1930s and transferred to a TV show beautifully for 8 years.  The clip I have attached has Jack Benny in it too.  Now Jack Benny was notoriously tight with money and funny and he had another show his wife Mary and he always had a violin in his hands.   I loved both shows as a child and would still watch either now.  It was a then sitcom and Gracie was George's patsy (NO NO NO not me).  She acted the dumb one and it was always very funny because he would feed her one line and she would go on and on.  George and Gracie were actually married, but she passed away in  1964 after having retired in 1958 due to heart attacks.  Anyway at the end of each show George said to Gracie "Say goodnite Gracie" and she would return with "Goodnite Grace".

Say goodnite Gracie.  Goodnite Gracie
Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

I have a bone to pick with some of you

Why?  You ask.

Because on September 5th Carol released Sew Red (above) for no payment whatsoever. and then ....

Sew Blue

... on September 20 Carol release Sew Blue (above).  and then ...

Sew Autumn

... on October 11 Carol released the Sew Autumn also for free.  Gratis free and for nothing.  All the three charts were released without any payment required at all.  All Carol asked from you is that you emailed her and requested you emailed her and she would send any of them to you.  Well over a thousand cross-stitchers asked for one, two or all three of these charts.

So why do I have a bone to pick with you?  Because then Carol released .....

Sew Noel

and would you believe that practically nobody was interested in purchasing this chart for the $4.00 that was asked for it.

Now I'm Jewish and will never stitch this, unless it is for a present for somebody, but I bought it because Carol had been so kind in letting us have those other charts for free that I felt I should support her and so I did.  No, I'm not holier than though but just like Carol's charts whether free or otherwise and hoped all of you would too.

Carol has now released Sew Winter for those of you that wouldn't stitch a Christmas chart or just want a seasonal band of samplers.

 

Sew Winter 

It would be really good if some of you that asked for Carol's free charts would support her now that she is selling them for $4.00 and those of you that missed the free charts can still get them if you purchase one of the two for sale charts.

How do you get one or all of them?  Just click on any of the above pictures and it will take you straight there.

Okay my moan is over now.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Another Giveaway

 

 

 Zuzana is having a wonderful giveaway on her blog.  All you have to do to enter is go to her BLOG and leave a comment on it which you can easily do by clicking on either Zuzana or the word blog which is in capital letters and it will take you straight there.  Then just leave a comment on your blog just like I did above. In other words easy peasy japaneasy!  But be fast because it ends on 30th November 2009.  Good luck to everyone who enters it.


So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

Ask Me About My Grandkids by Lizzie Kate

I am such a cow it just isn't true!!!  This bivagitch (that's Havagav for b*tch - all you do is insert three letters into the word and then only you an the person that can speak Havagav know what you are talking about)  never thanked Lori for the wonderful cube she stitched and made for me for the 1st Lizzie Kate exchange. 

This is the front

This is the back

And I LOVE it to pieces and thank you so much Lori for stitching and making this for me.  It is just gorgeous and since you asked so nicely here are some photos of my grandchildren - well you did ask:

This is a photo of Sammy & Lily taken last Christmas

Okay this is the real Sammy & Lily.  He is a total

doll and she is .... well she is

And this is Oliver taken today relaxing whilst Danielle does her shopping

And finally here is the Lizzie Kate I stitched and please don't ask me who for because I have forgotten.  My memory is just like a sieve - and what's more this is the second one I stitched because the first one the damn British Post Office lost - at least I am assuming it was them because of all the strikes they have been having which I think have now stopped, but who knows they change their mind from day to day.

I really loved this one because it is my favorite saying

and it drives my DH round the bend which I LOVE!!

Okay say goodnite Gracie ...

Goodnite Gracie!

and until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

And the WINNER is + an exchange received

The Winner according to the Randomizer thingy IS  Carol R!  Congratulations from me.

List Randomizer
There were 39 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Carol R
2. Liz
3. Kathy
4. Julia
5. Julia
6. Berit
7. Angelasweby
8. Joby
9. Jeanie
10. Blu
11. Lynda
12. Kim
13. Vivi
14. Lynda
15. Cole
16. Deb
17. Barbeeque4
18. Mainly Stitching
19. Margaret
20. Drea-Dear
21. Brigitte
22. Nina
23. Ellen
24. Gabi
25. Nina
26. WendyJo
27. Kat
28. Alice
29. SilkLover
30. Siobhan
31. Miss 376
32. Melissa
33. Gaynor
34. Shakatak66
35. Jeanie
36. Berit
37. Lisa
38. Marjorie
39. Deb

Timestamp: 2009-11-16 16:31:16 UTC

I am firstly sorry that not everybody could win but there will be another finished giveaway on the 1st of December.  (see how Anglicized I have become - note the date)!

  
Secondly I am sorry this is a tad late but I just got home from a hospital appointment - all day.  Well not really but I do have to have my gallbladder out.  The appointment was for 10:45 this morning and I didn't get seen until 11:30 and that was only after I complained that I had been waiting way longer than some people who had already gone in so I went next.  No big deal apparently it will be done (hopefully) by keyhole surgery.  Then we went out for lunch (not that I ate a lot because I have the most awful stomach ache) and then some shopping and now I'm home and feel just awful.



I also received an exchange from Drea-Dear (Andrea) for the TTE2 blog and I would like to show it to everyone here and thank Andrea at the same time, though I have thanked her once already (all pictures are clickable to enlarge them)

This is the outside of the needlebook

 This is the inside of the needlebook

And this is some extra Aida, ribbon and thread that

Andrea included so I could make a matching scissorkeep

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

The winner chooses

Hi, 

It's me again.  I have decided that on this occasion the winner will choose how he/she wants this finished.  It can be as a pin keep or a pin cushion.   I know those aren't a lot of choices but hey it's better than no choices at all, aren't they???

To get to the correct post, click on the word post for entering this competition which ends on November 15. (all images are clickable to make them larger) and sorry this photo is so much darker than the previous unfinished photo but this one was taken at night and the other one was taken during the day.

To save you having to read through the previous post here are the rules for this giveaway:

1.  Leave a comment on the linked (from the photo above) post for one entry
2. For two entries please leave a posting and/or a link in your sidebar to this Giveaway on your blog linking back to this or the previous entry
3. Leave a separate comment saying that you have posted an entry on your blog (I will check and that way I will get to (hopefully) see loads of different blogs, so that I know to enter you twice.
4. Silly me forgot to put the end date and that is November 15 at midnight BST (that's British Standard Time worse luck) 

 I have also finally finished (ok I did the stitching and Janet did the finishing for me) of the object below and okay I knew is was BlackBird Designs but just couldn't remember the name of it, okay so I'm getting old(ish).  It is called 'Buttons and Blooms For The Cure' and was a limited edition kit and I got one.

The bag was, of course, pre-made by BBD

And this is the little pin cushion

Now whoever is going to be choosing whether they want the unfinished (but stitched) BBD finished as a pin cushion please do not expect me to pipe it, but I might you never know.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt

My 4TH GIVEAWAY TO YOU, 2 Giveaways I Won and 1 lost in the mail exchange

Okay, now I always say that when I am speaking for real - just ask anybody that knows me.  I think it has become a habit.

The first thing is my October PIF that should has been posted on here October 1 but I'm just a bit late and it isn't even finished!  What a devil I am!  Not on time and not finished but I will be and I will show another photo, probably either tomorrow or Sunday and show you what you will actually win (and it will be ironed).  You see I stitch in hand so stuff gets even more creased than it comes (this is R&R linen which does come creased).  But here is the almost finished photo of it - stitching that is.  It isn't that big and will either be finished as a pinkeep or a pincushion.  

I just want to tell everyone that this is my Pay It Forward you guys don't have t do anything but leave a comment as described below to enter into it.  You do NOT have to do a PIF.  It was just my way of upholding my end of the bargain with the three PIFs I signed up for when nobody wanted to sign up with me I just decided that instead of getting anybody to sign up for a Pay It Forward I would just stitch and finish one thing every other month.  So here is Month 4's Giveaway with NO STRINGS attached at all.

Now Sandra Carstairs finished hers like this and I am inclined to do the same.  I am just waiting for some gorgeous pins to arrive and as I have finally learned how to make twisted cord this week courtesy of my friend Angela (no blog but photos).  All you have to do to enter this giveaway is:

1.  Leave a comment on this, and only this, post for one entry
2. For two entries please leave a posting and/or a link in your sidebar to this Giveaway on your blog linking back to this entry
3. Leave a separate comment saying that you have posted an entry on your blog (I will check and that way I will get to (hopefully) see loads of different blogs, so that I know to enter you twice.
4. Silly me forgot to put the end date and that is November 15 at midnight BST (that's British Standard Time)
   

Okay and now for the two Giveaway wins that I WON!!!
First I won a Giveaway from Ellen Chester.  Boy was I ever excited because for those of you that know me I am a HUGE With My Needle fan and I chose Bunnies in the Garden and My Needles Workbox which is one of the new charts.   When I went to look for something else you will never guess what I found I already had!  Yep you have it in one.  I found Bunnies in the Garden so I would have had two of them.  So I duly wrote to Ellen and told her and she very kindly let me change Bunnies in the Garden to A Hornbook Exampler which I know for 100% that I do not own - ok it's one of the few of Ellen's that I don't have and here are my wins all safe and sound here in the U.K.  Ellen is just so lovely and yes I have met her in real life and she even came to my home once about 3 years ago I think with a load more people from The Sample Guild.  Thank you so much Ellen it really really really is appreciated and I promise I will stitch Bunnies in the Garden just as soon as I can.

and I can't wait to start stitching them but I am not allowed (by Ellen) to stitch them until I have stitched Bunnies in the Garden which thankfully is all kitted up.  But I won't let me stitch Bunnies until after I have finished one of my UFO's.

The other Giveaway that I was so lucky to win was from Missy Ann on Day 10 just after Mini Me ad I were discussing, via email, which one of us would win.  Deb said she would and I said I would and what's more I DID!!!  And here are photos of everything I won and thank you so very very much Missy Ann not only for picking me out but for sending me such a wonderful card as well with such lovely words in it.

And now on to what was lost in the British Post Offices strikes that were happening for what seems like months!  It was an exchange which was due to go to France and never got there so here it is for you all to see

I am so sorry it was lost in the Post because not only did I really like it but my friend Angela (no blog - link to her photos above) liked it so much before it went in the mail that I made her one exactly the same.  Never mind such is life but I have stitched and finished a replacement which I am really pleased with and as soon as it is received by who it is meant to go to I will put a photo of it on here.  I also finished a needlebook exchange but didn't mail it because I was so frightened of our darn Post Office strikes which thankfully have now stopped.  So I am mailing everything on Monday because hopefully the backlog will be under control by then.

So until next time ...

Lots of Love

Patti xxx
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt