when I am old I will sniff shower gel and stuff

I was in Boots buying hand cream and needed a little something to bring the basket total up so that I could claim the extra points.  I wandered over to the shower gel and saw a pretty coloured bottle.  I lifted the cap for a sniff but couldn't smell anything so gave the bottle a gentle squeeze whilst simultaneosly sniffing.  Who knew the bottle would be so soft?  I inhaled shower gel, instinctively snorted it out again and it flew down my front. My immediate response was to magic a hole to disapear into, but that didn't happen and I did consider quietly putting the bottle back and casually sloping off pretending I didn't have shower gel all down my t-shirt, but glanced up and saw Claire's horrified expression.  I laughed, she started giggling and we ended up marching away laughing and sniggering like teenagers.  Followed by a real teenager who hadn't a clue.  They don't make grand-mas like they used to :)

TAST

I have not been quite keeping up with the TAST challenge, but am not so far behind now. 
Here is my Wheatear stitch sample

Buttonhole stitch

Fly stitch.  Ok..ok I just loved this piece of fabric and wanted to use it without distracting from the dyed marks. 

Chain stitch

Couching














I am struggling with alternating barred chain and 'chevron' has a naughty word in front of it at the moment!

My samples are still in the hoops as that is how I plan to display some of them.  Doesn't seem much point in doing them and not showing them off.

68 sleeps

9 weeks and 5 days or 50 sleeps until the grand adventure begins

edited to say - when I say 9 weeks and 5 days = 50 sleeps, I was taking into account the sleepless nights (from excitement).

Or I could have got my sums wrong ;)

Stitch Cloth Shimmer & Shine

I was waiting to see the book before I decided whether I needed it on my shelf, funds being what they are.  But I couldn't wait any longer and treated myself to an early birthday present.  It came today and I am sat here with tears in my eyes and a huge lump in my throat. 
The book is a must have for anyone who likes playing around with mixed media stuff, or textiles, or stitching or even who likes to look at great artwork beautifully photographed and with close ups.  Sarah never held back with information and this is no exception.  The inside book cover has a picture of Sarah, with her lovely smile.  
I was talking with some friends recently, and we were laughing about the stuff we have in our cupboards that Sarah 'made' us buy.  Her enthusiam was infective but her creativity was awesome.

round robin

Do you remember this ?  Real life issues meant that it has taken longer than we planned to send the circles round but we have now quartered them and the first stitching is done.
I got quite attached to mine, did some simple stitching but I wanted to do more and more.  I had to confiscate it and seal it into the envelope ready for posting, but the temptation to take it back out and do more is pretty strong. 

I can do straight stitches, and french knots, you wouldn't believe how self disciplined I had to be not to put knots in the centre of those six pronged thingies. 

sunshine on a roll

I know, masking tape is masking tape and it doesn't matter what colour it is, (although I usually buy the blue stuff) but who could resist lovely bright yellow tape - not me :)  For anyone interested I got mine in B & Q and they also have green.  And yes, I did buy a roll of that too. 

9 x 9

Over at clothpaperstudio we are having an atc swap, nine of us took a number from 1 to 9 and made a stamp.  I bagged the number 9 or IX if you like Roman Numerals.
I sprayed creative colour spray from craftynotions onto watercolour paper, then stamped using a copper stamp pad, my own carved rubber stamp.  Then I made 8 more.
Come back to see what the other atc's look like