Great timing!

I think I might have solved the problem of what to do for my sister for Christmas. I've just heard that I've got a cheque coming in the post that will make things a bit easier all round. It will mean that instead of trying to find something suitable to stitch for her, I can buy her something to stitch for herself. I have the perfect kit in mind - Sheila Hudson's Poppies, or maybe the Iris - you can see them here. They are all stunning! I would like to make them all for myself, but I doubt if I'll ever be able to afford them all. I love stitching Sheila's designs though, they are a real joy. Fantastic attention to detail and usually very little backstitch. She is a wonderful lady who really enjoys creating designs for people like me - I know that because she told me! :D

Doing this will help with trying to find the time to stitch something complicated for her with the small amount of time I have available in between all the other things I'm working on at the moment. It also looks like our Happy Hours RR will be a bit delayed since one of our members is away from home and won't be able to manage the original first mail-out date.

Biscornu Update: the dear little treasure and some fabrics are on their way to Finland. I posted them yesterday so it will be interesting to see how long they take to get 'home'. I can't wait to post pictures, but I have to as it wouldn't be fair for anyone else to see them first. Outi has also suggested making a smaller one than this - a 3cm x 3cm one. Hmm.... not too sure about that, but I am working on trying to make one a slightly different shape! That's all I'm saying for now!

I had a lovely surprise today too. One of my friends, also a member of my Yahoo! Group has stitched one of the designs I am currently offering free on the site. It looks brilliant and it's great that she has been so enthusiastic about stitching it. I'm encouraged to continue trying to create nice designs now. Thanks Barb!

Last night I stitched quite a bit on the Mouse Baby design I'm doing for my niece. I've made some good progress despite a couple of brief visits from the frog! The green I've substituted for the original pink is looking good too, I'm quite pleased with that. It's going to end up as a cushion, I think!

I have a new design that I'm itching to get started on, but I suspect it'll be next year before I can find a window in my schedule. It's Watermelon Eater from Misty Dreamz - a cute little dragon munching on, yes, watermelon. It's a gorgeous design and Tamara's service is second to none. Brilliant. Must stay away from her site though - otherwise I'll end up with a heap of designs in my to-do pile. That's big enough as it is. Time to go and reduce it a bit I think! :D