Gifted Gorgeousness July Link-Up Post

  

For newbies, this is my first year long SAL.  Click on the picture above for the full details.

We will be posting and linking up on the 15th of each month, because it is 2015.  Should be easy to remember.

Over the last month I stitched some more Elizabeth Shephard which was a gift from Nicola:

stitched on 30 count linen using AVAS silks

I completed January Wordplay by With Thy Needle & Thread which was a gift from Shirlee, the recently moved stitcher:

stitched over 1 on 32 count Star Sapphire linen

And I framed three pieces which I had previously completed: 

Mill Hill Frosted Heather Rose, 

a gift from Rosey now gifted on to Christine

Anchor Kingfisher

a gift for the Small Boy's school

Joan Elliott Believe

a gift for the Small Boy's other school!

And now over to you - Here is the place for you to link up so we can see what Gifted Gorgeousness you have been stitching so far this year.  Please use your name or your blog name in the field NOT the words "July Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month.  

And link to the actual post, not just your blog.  People are still getting this wrong!

Thank you.  I can amend links if you make a boo-boo though.

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Last month we have a GGGG (Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway by Gwen!).  The lovely Gwen from Guava Gems said to me that she had some charts she'd like to donate for giveaways.  I was very happy to facilitate and sent her my address.  Well, an entire box arrived!!  I selected six very varied charts (because it is the sixth month of the year) and asked people to choose their two favourites.  The winners were drawn by the random number generator used in conjunction with a complicated spreadsheet!  They are:

Kaye - Kitten Stitching

Cheryl - Today I Found

Hazel - Stitch Witch Hazel

Congratulations to those three and commiserations to those who did not win this month.  But, don't despair, we have another giveaway!!  This one is sponsored by the lovely Kay from Stitching in the Country and is a Dimensions kit called Potting Shed, seen below:

So if you are interested just link up for GG as usual and leave a comment saying "please include me in the draw" or some such phrase.

Finally, I disovered a new-to-me company called Patience Brewster.  They make the most delightful quirky ornaments and are keen to celebrate Christmas in July.  They are offering a prize draw for anyone who links up to this event.  It is primarily an Instagram thing but I believe you can also enter by making a blog post and emailing them.  So check out the blog and the website and if any of the Hallowe'en themed items fall into your basket, don't forget to add my address!

Patience Brewster blog -why oh why think Christmas in July

Patience Brewster - Hallowe'en Collection

This cake plate!

Without cake if you are posting from overseas!

June TUSAL

It's TUSAL time again!  For those of you new to blogging, the TUSAL is a project run by Daffycat, click on the button on the right hand bar for more details.

Here is my ORTS jar posing with the current stitching project:

And here is the project itself:

This is a Mill Hill beaded sampler called Frosted Heather Rose.  I won it in a giveaway organised by Rosey of Ishkabibble.  This is a nice quick stitch, provided you can set up your area in such a way that you won't be disturbed for a few hours!  It is easier to bead as you go too.  Now all I need is a nice little frame.   I am sure I will have one in my frame stash somewhere.

This was my second recent finish.  The other is Boo Mansion by Blue Ribbon Designs:

Stitched on 32 count Twilight Blue linen

and scrapbooked along with Owls by Midnight:

Finally, my Summer Postcard Blog hop again!  The theme this year is Pets.  All you need to do is email me a photo of something you have stitched on this theme plus a little message about what pets mean to you.  Once I have a few I will start emailing them to the participants who will display them on their blogs.  The Blog Hop lasts all Summer so don't worry if you don't have anything suitable stitched yet.  Just leave a comment saying you would like to be involved and I will remind you later.

  

Gifted Gorgeousness June Link Up Post

  

For newbies, this is my first year long SAL.  Click on the picture above for the full details.

We will be posting and linking up on the 15th of each month, because it is 2015.  Should be easy to remember.

Since last post I have stitched another weekend on Elizabeth Shephard (a gift from Nicola):

Shown with my ORTS from last month

I completed the Kingfisher which will be a gift for the teaching staff at the Small Boy's mainstream school:

stitched on 28 count blue evenweave

And I also completed Believe which will be a gift for his other school:

stitched on 28 count Robin's Egg evenweave by Silkweaver

And some small progress on the Mill Hill sampler which was a giveaway prize from Rosey:

stitched on 28 count evenweave.

I am beading as I go because it is so heavily beaded it is just easier!

I also have continued to work on Book of Spells by The Goode Huswife which is stitched on gifted fabric:

stitched on 40 count Jewel Butterbeer linen.

And now over to you - Here is the place for you to link up so we can see what Gifted Gorgeousness you have been stitching so far this year.  Please use your name or your blog name in the field NOT the words "June Update" so I can easily see who has linked up this month.  

And link to the actual post, not just your blog.  People are still getting this wrong!

Thank you.  I can amend links if you make a boo-boo though.

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Last month we had a GGG (Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway) for a Shepherd's Bush chart donated by Stitching Noni.  This was won by Kay from Stitching in the Country and should be winging it's way to her right now. 

This month we have a GGGG (Gifted Gorgeousness Giveaway by Gwen!).  The lovely Gwen from Guava Gems said to me that she had some charts she'd like to donate for giveaways.  I was very happy to facilitate and sent her my address.  Well, an entire box arrived!!  I have selected six very varied charts (because it is the sixth month of the year).  There are enough charts to have giveaways all year now!

GGGG 1 - New Baby by Butternut Road

GGGG 2 - Tea Cozys and Sampler by Linda Palmer

GGGG 3 - In the Forest of the Unicorn by Black Swan Designs

GGGG 4 - Rambling Rose Sampler by Nancy Sturgeon

this is miniature needlepoint stitched on the 40 count gauze provided

GGGG 5 - My Treasures Sewing Case by With My Needle

GGGG 6 - Strawberry Bouquet by The Gentle Art

All you have to do is link up for June's Gifted Gorgeousness SAL and chose one or two charts from the above list, leaving a comment below stating your choices by the end of the month.

Finally, don't forget the Summer Postcard Blog Hop.  Details at the bottom of the last half a dozen posts because this one is quite long enough already!

I Believe I Can Fly/Finish

Yes, we have another finish for you all!  Joan Elliott's Believe, one of a series of four affirmations with the others being Hope, Dream and Imagine.

I stitched this one on 28 count opalescent Robin's Egg evenweave by Silkweaver.  I have enough fabric to stitch all four.  I only have about six packets of Magnifica beads but by happy chance I had the one colour the chart needed!

This is going to be an end-of-term gift for the Small Boy's class teacher and TAs.  Because there are a mixture of girls and boys in the class I changed one fairy into a boy fairy.

Tuesday was Satsuma Street SAL Day so I continued on Pretty Mini London:

stitched on 28 count black evenweave

Sorry Linda, I stitched loads!!  The light pink infill on the Eye, the lilac skyscrapers, the grey arches and the mauve of St. Paul's Cathredral.

Linda and I were discussing how many companies are now doing these City themed designs, they are definitely "On Trend" as the magazines put it!  Then I saw the launch of a new website for the town where I live, and look at their logo:

Wouldn't that make a perfect Satsuma style cross stitch?  Even the colours tone.

I was in the mood for beading so on Wednesday I started the little Mill Hill sampler Rosey sent me:

Frosted Heather Rose

stitched on 28 count evenweave

Unfortunately I forgot that the Small Boy was off school on Thursday and he does not mix well with beads!  So for Thursday I thought I'd make a start on June's ornie for the Hallowe'en Ornie SAL.  Despite choosing the themes myself I always forget what they are so I popped over to the blog and saw those dread words "free choice".   Nooooooo, how can I possibly chose from all my Hallowe'en charts and magazines?

I decided to choose one magazine and stitch my favourite design.  I picked the oldest issue of JCS I have as a hard copy (couldn't get on the PC because of the aforementioned Small Boy) and chose a Blue Ribbon Design, Boo Mansion:

Stitched on 32 count Twilight Blue linen

Finally, my Summer Postcard Blog hop again!  The theme this year is Pets.  All you need to do is email me a photo of something you have stitched on this theme plus a little message about what pets mean to you.  Once I have a few I will start emailing them to the participants who will display them on their blogs.  The Blog Hop lasts all Summer so don't worry if you don't have anything suitable stitched yet.  I'm going to be finding some freebies online to inspire you.  Today's choice is fish, goldfish and tropical fish:

My-cross-stitch-patterns - Goldfish

Cross-stitch-pattern.net - Fish