10 nail polishes you need to be wearing! (27)

Hello there!

Thanks for all the comments about my thread organiser - I should start jotting down some notes on why I made the design choices that I did as in the planning stages I went through a variety of ideas and found out what did and didn't work for me.

Before I start with my top ten, I really need to thank Angie at Miaminas Musings for sending me some fabric that she no longer wanted/needed. I really have NO excuse for not getting some stitching done :) She has been so generous and I am truly grateful. So altogether....

THANK YOU ANGIE!

So, today I have decided to post my top ten favourite nail polish colours, random but fun and I would love to know your views on nail polish.

As for me, I tend to lean more towards darker colours and avoid candy colours (not very summery of me!) and also I am not crazy about really long nails or funky designs, patterns or jewels etc. Give me the simple life when it comes to nails. So without further ado...lets go check them out...

1. This colour is Marsala and the Pantone colour of 2015 and I do like it. Its these darker rich reds that appeal to me more than the tomato reds.

2. But..again..I have to be contrary, but the closest I am willing to get to traffic light red is this one and I think mainly because of the metallic sheen.

3. In my traditional simple style I do like a good french manicure.

4. I also like flesh tones, but lean more towards pinky flesh than beige as I think that the beige tone is better suited to a more mature woman.

 

5. I said before that the candy colours aren't really my thing, but this pink I do like and is probably as summery as it gets, as I am drawn more to those autumn and winter shades.

6. If I do want to make a statement, a sort of shout out to everyone to let them know that I am wearing nail polish then this is a colour I would definitely opt for. It is almost too much but I'd cope. 

7. Whilst perusing some of my favourites I came across this grey and fell in love, its a colour that I wouldnt naturally think of to wear but I think its nice, and I do like silver too.

8. What sort of monster would I be if I didnt have a purple colour here! This one is quite bright but nice, right? Its sort of a dark blue/purple.

9. This is another which I am calling purple but is more of a burgundy purple. 

10. And lastly but not least...the dark blue that is probably hands down (no pun intended) the most worn colour for me.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to visit Keebs and her Disney movie extravaganza (and to think I didn't even know she liked Disney! heheeheheh.) and also Tiffany and her lovely lists too and maybe check out some of those recipes, yummy! 

Quick stitchy update! #2

Hellooooooo!

So, I did get a few hours of stitching in last night but it did involve some frogging of a letter I had started previously, I hadn't gone wrong but I made a gruesome discovery..hehhe...

When I picked the sampler up again and thought about which bit to stitch next I realised that I had misplaced the variegated orange thread that I had used, and I searched in my threads and discovered I had no match for it. The most likely reason being that I grabbed the thread initially and wasn't too bothered whether it was DMC or not. This has now backfired on me.

So...I had the choice of frogging that colour or coming up with a solution...the solution I was going to go with was to swap the same four colours around to the different letter sizes per quarter...but when I started on the page two I decided that I liked the full orange alphabet and would continue with that colour straight across and have done so. I then chose a DMC variegated thread in a colour that went with Orange and began the bigger letters on that page.

I do wonder if anyone else ever does this to themselves! I could make my life easier and frog the whole thing but...I then decided it was a sampler so a mish mash might be ok. As the piece is actually for me and not going to be given away I am happy with it...All the randomness will be a reminder to myself to plan better. lol!

Here is where I left off...

and this is where I got to...

I also did some crafting on Saturday but it was for my thread organiser. I currently have all my threads stored in plastic boxes on bobbins and have a complete kit and then extra ones in a very nice wooden bobbin box. I like this but I hate putting them all back when I use some or searching for them and also re-piling the containers annoys me...hehehe. I am soooo sensitive!

Anyway, I came up with an idea a few weeks ago and decided that if I was going to have a homemade one then I would need to take my time because I did not want to make something that I would hate or would look too amateur hour.

So Saturday was preparation day and my 6yo niece helped me - she is so patient and didn't mind the repetitive tasks and together we managed to get the frame put together. I still need to decorate that, then finish the thread holders, which took me a while to settle on a design that would work both in function and appearance and I am hopeful that I have come up with the perfect idea for me at least.

Once its finished I shall post a picture of the final design :)

I hope you have all had a good weekend and been suitably productive.

Katy x

Quick stitchy update post!

Hello All,

So I havent stitched on Faery 66 since IHSW and I think I will save her for IHSW only, and so I decided to pick up on an old stitch from a kit that I one in a giveaway.

A recap of this is that, its a nightmare!

Okay, maybe it isn't so bad....but it is stitched on black aida and I find black is best to stitch on for smaller pieces. I am probably not helping myself by not using a frame.

It is an alphabet sampler, and the original kit came with a single colour (a maroon) in which to stitch it all - but as all you long time stitchers know, that won't cut it and when you see that I know your first thought is...I shall pick my own colours. That's exactly what I thought I would do.

I'm not sure if I have said before but for those who don't know....I love orange...I really do...I think my soul is orange or at least a part of it. So with this I started by selecting an orange thread, but not just any, no no...variegated. I don't know if everyone stitches the same with variegated as I do but I top and tail the thread...for example...if the thread starts dark and goes lighter I will stitch dark to light, then the next strand I will flip and stitch light to dark. I like that this gives larger areas of light and dark or at least I have convinced myself it does. It is however, something I have to remember to do, but the end result is nice...as you see in the picture below, this shows where I got up to last time I posted about it:

The lighting in the pic isn't great, but the second picture is more true colourwise. The top alphabet is a straight orangey colour (I shall find out the numbers before I post another update on this), then I have ecru for the tiny alphabet beneath the A and a green for the single strand alphabet.

Here is where I am currently at:

The fabric was slightly squished, its not really that crooked. The blue-purple LA I am still not sure about the colour of. However, the A of those two has been stitched and frogged three times! First time I used another colour and didn't like it, second time I grabbed a thread that turned out not to be DMC and more like rope and now this colour. 

This is actually page one and there are three more quarters. There are some more letters that are different in style and I will need to pick a colour - so suggestions in the comments please for a colour that will match the above.

10 stitchy gadgets (26)

I love gadgets! Whether they are technology based or user specific and so I had a look at what was out there for the stitchers amongst us...and here are my top ten stitchy gadgets that I found on Etsy (that I want or use). I chose Etsy as it is 10 this year! and 10 is the number. [Click on the image to take you to the Etsy shop]

1. Laying tool
Now I looked this up on YouTube, and watched some stitchers using this technique, and I like it. However,  tested it out to see what the difference was and if you take your time anyway you don't really need a laying tool, this said I could see how it could easily fit into a rhythm and I quite liked that idea. So I had a browse at what style of laying tools there were - when i tested the technique I just used a needle.

I like the simplicity of this pewter one and it feels very arts and crafty in style too,

2. Erasable highlighter
I am not sure if this is on Etsy as well...its not homemade....but I like the idea of being able to erase highlighter! Of course someone as precise and accurate as me wouldn't make any mistakes colouring in the wrong squares but....

Apparently they are homemade?? Hmm. Some artistic license.

3.A needle magnet
These come in so many varieties! And I like the idea but apparently they can be easy to misplace.

I saw this one and it reminded me of Keebs zooming along with her stitching and I really love the vintage feel to it.

4. Needle keeper
By this I mean a place you keep your needles, some of you may have stitched your own needle case or had one stitched for you, but I saw a really nice (possibly pewter again) one for keeping needles in. I couldnt find that but I like this one too and it looks quite tactile.

5. Thread cutter
I don't have one of these but I would like one that i could hang around my neck, mainly because I lose my scissors, in a single night I can get through three pairs, and slowly find them again over the following few days.

Just something simple like this will do me.

6. Scissors fob
As mentioned above I misplace scissors all the time, and i was wondering if they had a lovely fob on them they might be easier to see.

I saw lots of lovely beaded ones, but the arts and crafts style, and the colours appealed to me with this one. As well as it being wooden, even if it is a bit large, but surely even I couldnt lose my scissors with this????

7. Armchair organiser
I sometimes see people with the needle minders on their stitching, but also sometimes see in YouTube videos etc. that people have all manner of magnets on their frame to hold all there stuff. I like simplicity and would probably only use one for a needle but I would like a place to keep all the other bits and bobs....like the highlighter! and the scissors and oh other stuff...lol!

This is the DMC one that I saw before and sadly there arent that many 'homemade' ones on Etsy but I will keep my eyes open for one.

8. Q-snap cover
I once won a giveaway and one of the prizes was a Q-snap cover and i meant that I needed to have a q-snap. I don't mind q-snaps but I am quite old fashioned and like a embroidery hoop...do they have embroidery hoop covers?

Apparently not! I must be the only person who would be interested in having one :( Ah well! Here is a q-snap cover...

I chose this one because of the funky star trek fabric.

9. Project bag
There was a magazine that I used to get and it would sometimes have a free gift and this would be supposedly for your makeup - but it was an A4 sized pouch and a smaller pouch to match and they were waterproof too. These were ideal for projects on the go as the fabric and pattern would fit in the larger pouch and the scissors and current thread in the smaller pouch and they also had a chain to connect them together if you so desired. Ideal! But they no longer do that and I am searching for a similar replacement or better still a project bag, the requirements are....not too big, not too small, must be waterproof, must be pretty or funky and must be reasonably priced....is that too much to ask?? Could well be....anyhoo..I checked Etsy for project bags and this was the best of what they had...


thats right I couldnt find anything....:(

10. This spot is dedicated to the gadget you want? What is missing from your stitchy stash?

10 myers-brigg themed personality (25)

Hello!

I have three posts today!! I am playing catch up, I had them in a draft version but no time to post in a marginally better than draft version.

This post is related to the Myers-Brigg personality test, some of you may be familiar with it and some may not and some may not care about such things - but its just a bit of fun!

Information on the Myers-Brigg test can be found all over the web but here is a link to make it easy.

Ok, so I have taken this test a few times over the years and every time it comes back with the same personality type for me and that is an INTJ and when I took it again today STILL the same!

Apparently female INTJ's only make up 0.8% of the population, and we are...imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but do not squander our energy. If you have taken this test then I would love to know what you are! I am not impressed with my characters - as I think I am much friendlier and nicer than the characters below but...lets see...

Anyway, on Deviantart people have selected characters from TV shows etc. and assigned a character that reflects that Myers-Brigg personality....so lets see what we all are...

1. Disney Princess

2. Pixar

3. Star Trek – Seven of Nine

4. Harry Potter –  Draco Malfoy

5. My Little Pony – Princess Luna

6. Lord of the rings – Elrond

7. Star Wars – Palpatine

8. Dr Who – The Master

9.  Pride and Prejudice – Mr Darcy

10. This one is blank as I would like to know which theme you would choose?

#IHSW Progress

Hello

I hope everyone is well and had a great weekend. I did stitch!

It didn't quite go to plan....

I had hoped to stitch on Faery 66 on Friday, spend Saturday opening, examining and playing with Serenity, and then on Sunday continue with Serenity.

My idea being that IHSW would be focussed on Serenity.

The reality was that Serenity never arrived - I am not going to be using that company again, I ordered two other things from two other companies after Serenity and they have arrived already.

I did still makes some progress.

I stitched on 66 on Friday evening and on Saturday and Sunday I also stitched on 66. I had to fit it around jobs and visits but I am pleased with the progress I made.  I also ended up watching Hercules and the Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as Season 1 of Intelligence. So all in all it wasn't so bad.

Here is where I left off on Friday:

and this is where I left it on Sunday:

There were a few moments when it looked so wrong! Especially when I started the eye - although there are so many colours in that, I soon got bored of changing thread :)

And a reminder again of what I am hoping to end up with...

Now I am off to check out everyone else's progress! 

Oh! before I go...Ebony and I looked at Frozen designs and eventually came to an agreement on this one below which I think I should be able to finish in time! 

10 smells to sniff at (24)

To some of you this may seem a little odd but yesterday as I sat waiting for a bus a distinct smell wafted beneath my nostrils and it was very comforting. Am I the only one who finds certain smells comforting? Nooooo. I am sure you all have some favourites so feel free to share them in the comments :D

Here are my top 10 favourite smells....

1. Wet mud
This might be due to a childhood passion of making mud pies...A LOT! and yet..I'm not a chef today..lol!

2. Fresh cut grass
I do have hay fever but my allergy is to Tree pollen so grass being cut doesnt bother me so much...and the smell!! Oh the smell...

3. Fresh bread
Maybe everything on my list needs to be prefaced with 'Fresh' but this smell was probably created by the devil him/herself as waft of this and your body craves it.

4. Bacon
I had to include this because the smell of bacon is mesmeric, I don't know why, but I think the smell is much better than the taste, but what a smell.

5. Roberto Cavalli perfume
This is my favourite perfume at the moment :D That is all!

6. Clean sheets
Nothing makes you want to go to bed early like freshly cleaned sheets and mores the better if they have been dried on the washing line - you can sink into them and drift off to sleep with such ease.

7. Vanilla
I know some people are iffy about vanilla, but I like the smell.

8. The sea
The smell of the sea sparks your brain into accessing its memory banks (if like me you live almost as far away from any coastline that you can be in the UK) and it makes me think of blustery days and period novels (those set in a specific period...not the other kind of period! ewwwww).

9. Cinnamon
I nearly never included this, as its only once a year that you will find me buying cinnamon scented candles, and yes its at Christmas.

10. Hair spray
Again with smells and linking to memories, but the smell of hair spray always reminds me of my younger years getting ready to go out, or watching my sister getting ready, and you wouldn't go anywhere in the 80s/early 90s without hair spray. The smell is forever associated with that moment just before the fun starts, haha.

10 Halloween stitches to get started on now! (23)

Editing from my phone is complicated! So this is in a random spot, reason being the ever so important news! I found 225!! In a matchbox I was sizing. Doh! But...yayyyy!

Halloween is only 4 and a half months away - which seems quite long - but in stitching hours the witching hours are short!

I have seen many great stitches for Halloween but only once stitched for it, that was for a stitching exchange, and would you believe it but my burglar stole my exchange piece!! YES! It was that good. It was so good that I had it on display all year round and sadly it was never recovered when the burglar was arrested. 

There are some great Halloween cross stitch designs out there and some of the popular ones you do see pop up on peoples blogs, and its great, because its so inspiring to see the finished article.

Here are some that I would like to have in my Halloween stash (surely its time to stash by season, category, colour? lol!)....

1. Ravenmoon Hall by Praiseworthy Stitches

This one is a very folksy traditional design and I have seen a lot of very similar designs to this. I really think the choice of fabric can make or break this and I like the grey.

2. Halloween Banners - Vanessa, Fotolia

In contrast to all that grey, my true nature springs forth with my love of colour, and I also thought these might stitch up quite quickly as the colours aren't too many and you can easily tweak that and still have the same effect. They can each be stitched separately which is another good thing.

3. Sleepy Hollow by Glendon Place

I only saw this film recently after watching the TV series which seems now to be a very backward way of doing things, and alas I haven't read the book. Of all the sleepy hollow themed designs this is my favourite by far. I think keebs has it....I wonder if she'll stitch it! We can only hope, right?

4. Halloweentown - Vickery Collection

If you want a design that is less creepy Halloween and more fun with the kids Halloween then this could be it. It has all the right icons included in the designa nd plenty of colour - I would only add 'Happy' above the houses.

5. Halloween minis

I saw this and hadn't realised it was mini's - so stitch them individually or put them altogether, I like them altogether and I think its a fun design. A little bit scary and a little bit funny.

6. Witches Hollow

This is quite a big sampler type design in that olde worlde fashion - nothing has been left out! 

7. Vintage Halloween Cats

I saw this, and thought...YES! Black cats, they get such a bad rap but are so adorable and so beautiful. I like the style and am disappointed its a vintage design that isn't still available unless through ebay :(

9. Trick or Treat by Lena Lawson Needleworks

Okay so THIS, I HAVE to have...no, seriously! Are you looking at it?? Its a scarecrow - nothing screams Halloween horror movie like a creepy eyed scarecrow. But it has such gentle well matched colours and is a pretty design. 

10. Bewitching Pixies by Nora Corbett

I have seen these many times before and think they are such delicate and elegant designs. So if you have an elegant home and avoid anything gimmicky then you might like to stitch these. Such a subtle nod to Halloween.

Will you be stitching for Halloween? If so, what! Tell me! Tell me!

Stitchy update!

Hello,

I thought I would give you all a stitchy update before IHSW this weekend.

When I last posted it was this:

and it is currently this:

with the eventually goal being this:

And here is a reminder of the finished picture:

In other news, my niece who has seen me stitching this has asked me to stitch her a picture for her birthday. She will be 4! She is sooooo adorable though that I thought, well, if I could find a simple pic of Anna or Elsa from frozen then I might be able to get it done by her birthday at the end of August....so I asked her if she would like a picture of Anna or Elsa (Anna is her favourite!) and I opened up a whole can of worms...

Ebony: I would like Anna and Elsa, and they need to be in the middle in their coronation dressess! Oh, and they also need to be in their Frozen Fever dresses too.

Me: I said....erm....okaaaaaaayyyyyyy

Ebony: And they have to be together, so Anna and Elsa in their coronation dresses and then at the side Anna and Elsa in their Frozen fever dresses.

Me:

Ebony:

So.....if anyone has seen any simple cross stitch Frozen charts....please let me know! Thanks