Happy New Year! Last Finish of 2017 and First Finish of 2018 and a Competition

The title says it all really.

And here are the last and first finishes

The kit for the embroidered hoop was a cover gift with Mollie Makes magazine. I realised after I'd started it that I'd accidentally pulled the wrong thread bundle out of my bag o' cover kits but I decided to just go with it at that point, so the colours aren't as intended but I kind of like them.

The snuggly cowl was knitted from a single ball of cake style self striping yarn (Paintbox Chunky Pots in "Making Hay").

As usual last year I kept a running total of the numbers of my crafting finishes, books read and shoes bought throughout 2017 and offered a prize to the nearest guess.

For 2017 the final total was 85 finishes, 55 books and 11 pairs of shoes, making a total of 151, and the best guess with 76,60,12 giving a very close total of 148 was:-

Jo

Drop me an email Jo, and remind me of your address and I'll sort out a little prize for you

I've reset the counters, so if you want to play along for 2018 leave a comment on this post.

Oops Almost Forgot!

I said a draw a name for the "Perambulating Poinsettia" at the end of January.

A few days late, but the winner is Mary (Le Coeur Celtique). I've got an address for you from the ornament exchange Mary, is it still the same?

Oh and we had some really exciting news yesterday. We've been named in a list of the UK's top wedding photographers for 2016 (you can see the list here if you're interested)

First Gifted Gorgeousness of 2016

It's the start of a whole new year of Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness SAL, where once a month share our crafted gifts, gifted crafts, or anything else vaguely gift related, and despite the frankly shameful state of my last couple of posts from last year I'm going to join in again this year.
January's offering is this

A little stitched pillow featuring LHN's Potted Poinsettias, the chart for which was a gift from Sally.
It is stitched with Crescent Colours - Sassy Brass and Ruby Slippers, and Gentle Art - Avocado.
As Sally was gifted the chart herself before she very kindly passed it on to me I thought I'd continue in the spirit of giving and pass the chart on to someone else. Perhaps it could become a new travelling pattern - "The Perambulating Poinsettia"- what do you think?
If you'd like to be the next to stitch it just pop a note in the comments and I'll draw a name at the end of the month.

Grow Your Blog Winner, Gifted Gorgeousness, and a Spot of Art

Thank you for all the kind comments on my Grow Your Blog post. There were 47 in all. Mr Random.org picked out a winner for me and that winner is Karin G (Gingko et Coquelicot).Karin, I've emailed you, could you please let me have your postal address.
Also, because it's the fifteenth of the month it must be time for Jo's Gifted Gorgeousness SAL
This month it's fallen nicely as it coincides with reveal day for the Needlecraft Haven Valentine Exchange. For this one we had to stitch a card and send a pair of socks and matching skein of thread.
I got this beautiful card and fab unicorn socks from my anonymous Valentine.

And this is the card I sent. The design is a free one from Appleseed Prim, and it is stitched using crescent Colours - Bing Cherry on an orphan piece of linen.

Finally, I'm feeling brave today so I thought I'd pop a spot of art work out there, dandelions in watercolour and ink.

Grow your Blog and a Giveaway

Hello! I'm excited to once again be a part of the wonderful Grow Your Blog Party, ably hosted by Vicki from 2 Bags Full. The party is a chance to explore strange new blogs, (seek out new life and new civilisation, and boldly go where no blogger has gone before)
Yes. I'm a geek - you'll get used to that if you hang around here for long.
My name is Christine and I'm lucky enough to live close to the sea in Cornwall, England, where we run our own photography business

If you become a regular visitor here (and I hope you do), you'll find this blog is a bit of a mish mash of family, Cornish life, and random geekery, but mostly focuses on my arty and crafty projects. They tend to be mostly stitching and knitting related, and I love to upcycle and re-purpose everyday and vintage objects.
Here for example is a pinny I made myself earlier this week, from a pair of old jeans. (I'm linking this up to Think Pink Sundays at Flamingo Toes too)

Actually it was pretty easy to do. If you want to make one you'll need:-

1 pair of jeans (not skinny ones or you'll end up with a really narrow apron)
5 metres of 30mm bias binding
General sewing supplies
A mug of tea

I slit one leg up the centre back and opened it out, then used an existing pinny as a pattern, lining the bottom edge up with the hem edge of the jeans.
For the pocket I cut a section from the front of the jeans, from just to one side of the fly, cutting away the zip, to a little past the side seam, incorporating the waistband and front pocket (being careful not to cut through the pocket lining, so that I have a "pocket in my pocket", which sounds as if it ought to be a range of toys). I curved off the corners by drawing around my tea mug, (told you you needed a mug of tea!). I bound the raw edges of the piece with red gingham bias binding (don't you just love all the funky kinds of bias you can buy now, when I first started sewing it was such boring stuff!), then stitched the whole thing in place on the front of the pinny.
I bound the top and side edges with more of the bias, then used one long continuous piece to make the side tie, bind the armhole, make the neck strap, back round the other armhole and then the second tie. The piece of bias was nearly as long as that sentence!
If you'd read this far you're probably getting fed up by now and asking yourself "Where be this giveaway of which she speaks, me hearties?" - Yes, you are a pirate in my head. Come to terms with it.
Well, I've got a few scraps of denim left from the pinny project, so I'm going to make a decorative heart, similar to these ones I made before Christmas, as a giveaway prize.

I haven't made it yet because I want to personalise it a bit for the winner. If you want a chance to win then just put a comment on this post and tell me your favourite colour. I'll randomly pick a winner on 15th Feb. I'll send it anywhere in the world. You don't have to follow in order to enter, though it would be nice.
Go on
You know you want to.
I hope I'll see you back here soon

An Unplanned Haitus and a Grow Your Blog Winner

I was supposed to announce the winner for the Grow Your Blog draw last weekend. I was supposed to do a lot of things on the internet the last couple of weeks, but an unexpected lightening strike put paid to that. It also zapped one computer, one amplifier and the playstation. And gave me a shock, but not a bad one because there was a surge protector on the computer I was using.
If I've missed posting on your blog I apologise but I've just had to draw a line under what I've missed and start again. If you are one of the new people who found me through the Grow Your Blog party and I haven't visited you back yet, I will get around to it, it's just taking a bit of catching back up.
No internet for a whole fortnight, aargh! It was like being back in the dark ages (only without the plagues and starvation).
So, what do you do with yourself for two weeks when you can't access the internet. Well if you are me you read three fat novels (I do love me a Fantasy Epic), and make stuff.
I have now made so many "useful baskets" from made from old denim jeans (see this post) that I am in danger of needing a useful basket to keep them all in.
I cut up a charity shop vintage scarf to make bias strips and used them to bind the neckline of a plain t-shirt following instructions in this book which Julie gave me for my birthday.

I also made a beaded bracelet, my spring exchange for Needlecraft Haven (can't show that yet), a runner from squares cut from vintage sheets and tablecloths

Two studded leather heart brooches 

inspired by this one in faux leather which I made from a cover kit from Mollie Makes

A handbag using some adorable Echino fabric. Look at the little red glasses on the stag in the middle! (pattern also from Mollie Makes)

Another cover kit - this one from Cross Stitcher

And a partridge in a pear tree

Anyway back to the Grow Your Blog draw. That's why you're still reading after all.  I put the numbers into the random number generator and it chose comment number 7, which was Gillie. Congratulations Gillie, your prize will be on it's way soon.

Grow Your Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog post for the Grow Your Blog party hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full
I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself in case you are new here, and if you stick with this post to the bitter end you'll find details of a small giveaway. A little Thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoy looking around and that you'll come and visit again.
So, my name is Christine and I live here.

Well, not exactly here, that would be a bit damp. About a mile inland and 800 feet up from here, in a village in North Cornwall, though originally I'm from the North East of England. I'm married to David, and we have two daughters aged 17 and 19. The elder one (Eloise) is away at University studying Maths, and the younger one (Naomi) is doing A levels at a local college. That's local by Cornish standards, so a 90 mile round trip every day.
What will you find on this blog? A bit about family, a bit about Cornwall, and a lot about crafty things. If it uses needles or fabric I'm all over it. I also love upcycling and repurposing stuff so you'll find a lot of that too. It is slightly possible that you might also find just the tiniest hint of geeky stuff. Well OK, so you'll find a lot of geeky stuff. (Although we run a photography business these days, David and I both trained as chemists and used to work in research.)
Anyway here are some examples of the sorts of crafty things I do.
Every month on the  Needlcraft Haven online forum, we have a challenge where we make up a free cross stitch design from the internet. This year they are all going to be Christmas themed designs and this is my version of the first one for the year.

Design From The Little Stitcher here

I saw this wonderful printed panel from Cat and Vee on Etsy and knew it had to come to our house and become a cushion.

Why the pompom trim? Because pompoms, that's why.

And finally, after I showed my upcycled denim baskets on the last post Kate commented that her boys only wore skinny jeans, and we joked about tall thin baskets. That got me thinking, what would you use a tall thin basket for, then it came to me. Wine! (I'll be honest here, it's not the first time the idea of wine has come to me) So here is a bottle bag made from the leg of a pair of discarded skinny jeans and a lovely wine themed print cotton.

And finally finally (admit it, you thought I'd forgotten) the giveaway. I made a second bottle bag - well a pair of jeans has two legs right? If you'd like a chance to win it just comment on this post.  I'll draw the winner on February 15th. I'll send it anywhere in the world, so anyone can enter. And just in case you were getting your hopes up I should point out it won't have the wine in it any more by then. It may not have the wine in it any more by bedtime actually...

Gifts, Ornaments and Decorations

It is reveal day for the Needlecraft Haven Ornament Excahnge, so I can now tell you that the gorgeous Santa ornament in the previous post was stitched for me by Barb. Thank you Barb. I love it.

And here is the ornament I sent to Angi. The design is Heartstruck Quakers by Midnight Stitching, the chart for which was very kindly gifted to me by Dani. I love how this came out and really must stitch one for myself now.

Also at Needlecraft Haven the Advent Exchange is in full swing. Here are my latest lovely gifts - scented sachets, 3 skeins of Dragon Floss, and a bath balistic. There was a chocolate snowman too but he didn't make the photoshoot. I can't think where he's got to ;)

It was Sally's birthday this week, and I made her this ornament, from a design by Whimsy and Wit, using a hand dyed floss from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe (check the link out by the way, Nancy has some fabulously generous giveaways running)

I also sent out the prize from my Blogoversary draw. The winner was Barb and I made her this little purse using a piece of antique French toile. To give an idea of scale, the balls on the clasp are about the size of Maltesers. Look a bit like them too. Probably don't taste as good.

And finally, also for Barb, who worried that the driftwood tree I showed the other day was my only one, a few more of my decorations this year.

Some of my vintage baubles. 

The mantelpiece, looking very cool and frosty this year, 

and the new tree. See how many geeky things you can spot. There may even be a prize.

Iron Man Has a Friend and We Have a Winner

I figured Snowballing Iron Man  (see this post) might be a bit lonely on the Geekmas Tree, so I've made him a friend/opponent.
Meet Snowballing Captain America.

Not my favourite Avenger, I prefer my heroes a little flawed, (who am I trying to kid, lets face it I prefer villains).
This will be the last of The Avengers baubles as sadly the Hawkeye figure came armed with a bow which made him too tall to fit inside, not that I'm going to let a tiny detail like that get in the way of me posting a gratuitous picture of him on my blog.

Ladies and gentlemen I give you Mr Jeremy Renner:-

Similarly Thor  was too tall with Mjolnir, Hulk was just too, well hulky and I didn't even see a Black Widow figure, so a two-way snowball fight between Iron Man and Captain America it is. Who do you think will win? My money's on Iron Man
Anyway that's not what you kept reading for. You want to know who won the 200 follower giveaway. I used the random number generator, which told me that the winner was comment no 4, which was Barb. Congratulations Barb! I've already got your address, so I'll be making and sending you a little something. Don't hold your breath though, it might not be this side of Christmas!

Giveaways!

Three to be precise. Two I've been lucky enough to win, and one I'm giving to celebrate having broken the 200 followers barrier.

My first win was this fantastic little sewing necessaire from Nancy at The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

and here it is opened up to show the hand dyed floss, cluny lace and wool felt inside, all in my favourite blue, natural and tan colour combination. The little wool felt pouch contains buttons and charms. I just love it! Go and check out Nancy's blog if you haven't already, she often has the most generous giveaways going on.
My second win was Lia's birthday giveaway at Lia's Handmades. My prize was a gift certificate to a wonderful Etsy fabric shop - Tactile Fabrics, and these are the fabrics I chose.

How wonderful are these?
Thank you Nancy and Lia. I never fail to be amazed by the generosity of fellow bloggers.
Anyway, without further ado, I propose a little giveaway of my own. I can't show any pictures as I aim to make a little something especially for the winner. (I also don't promise you'll get it this side of Christmas but I'll do my best).  If you are a regular reader of this blog you'll know I'm all about geekiness, stitching and upcycling, so the prize will reflect one or more of those things.
If you want a chance to win you need to be a follower and to leave a comment on this post saying how you found me and whether you'd like me to make you something geeky, something stitchy, something upcycled, or any combination of the three. I'll leave this open for a fortnight and choose a winner on Nov 17th. Good Luck!

Cover Kits, Ornaments and Challenges

Cover Kits. Not usually that great if I'm honest. Scratchy aida, mis-shapen beads, too short threads. These are NOT a few of my favourite things.
I especially don't like it when a  magazine gives as its free gift a "Chart Book" filled solely with charts that have been in the magazine before. All well and good for the one off purchaser, but a bit of a slap in the face for those of us who subscribe.
Sometimes magazines get it right however.

This was a cover kit on Cross Stitcher recently. It's not easy to tell from the picture but that is a perforated wooden blank. It was great fun to stitch on, and the finished effect is lovely. I did bondaweb a bit of felt on the back to cover all the ends, but otherwise it is as it came with the magazine. It even had a carbine hook to use it as a keyring, but given the rough handling my keys get I missed that off and hung it from one of my kitchen cabinets instead. I can always use the keyring piece for something else.

I find more often than not that I cannibalise the cover kits and use the various parts in different projects. Like I did with the card kit that came with this month's issue. I used the card blank to mount my challenge piece for the Monthly Challenge at Needlecraft Haven. This month the design was this one from Homespun elegance. It's stitched on the aida (ick) that came with the card kit using oddments of thread. I missed off the candy cane part of the design and added a couple of star shaped buttons I had lying around, punched the card and added a ribbon to make a gift tag.

The kit also had some tiny bows and bells in it, and I borrowed a couple of them for this project. This is a felt Bambi ornament based on a design in the newest edition of Mollie Makes.

I just adore the retro feel of this one. Makes me want to have a Babycham. Well not really because I hate the stuff, but you know what I mean...
Oh, and I see that I am at 199 followers. When I hit 200 I'll have a giveaway.

Na Na Na Na Na Na

Bat-Jacket!

and not a post about sodium at all.
Remember the sad denim jacket from this post? Here it is with a whole new lease of
life, ready for the Geek Girl About Town

This was so easy to do.
Step 1. Using your Patent Denim-Ripping-Bat-Shears (no utility belt is complete without them), chop sleeves off an ugly denim jacket
Step 2. Make a paper template the size and shape of each panel you want to cover
Step 3. Cut pieces fabric about 1/2" larger all round than templates, and press under raw edges to fit
Step 4. Stitch in place

In non Bat related news, I seem to have missed marking the occasions of both my Blogoversary and my 300th post, so I've decided to do a giveway when I hit 200 followers. Watch this space

Theme-a-licious finish, progress and a winner

I've decided to join in with Heather's theme-a-licious monthly themes. 

Just an excuse to post a picture of The Doctor on my blog really. 

Anyway January's theme was "Jardin January" in which we were to work on any piece with gardens or flowers. This piece doesn't have any flowers as such but it does have berries which means there must have been flowers at some point right? This is "Holly Sampler Pouch" by Threadwork Primitives, stitched using the recommended silks. It's a little different in size to the one on the pattern cover due to a bit of a close call on the fabric size. It's a hanging pocket, the idea is to put cards or sprigs of greenery in it. I had hoped to have it finished for Christmas (hence last years's date on it) but that didn't happen. Never mind, it's ready for next year.

This picture shows my lack of progress on Scarlet Letter's Elizabeth Burrows. I've really struggled to get into the rhythm of stitching these crosses over three fabric threads. Yes, sad but true, the woman with the PhD can't count to three.
And finally the winner of the Grow Your Blog Party Giveaway, that's why you are all reading this anyway.
I put the numbers of the comments into the random number generator and it gave me back the number
(drum roll please)
4
which was Cathy Pavlovich
Congratulations Cathy, if you send me your address I'll get your prize in the post as soon as possible.

Grow Your Blog Party and A Giveaway

Hello, and welcome if you have come here as part of the "Grow Your Blog" party set up by Vicki at 2 Bags Full
If you are new here you are probably wondering what kind of place you've come to. To be honest even if you've been dropping by for ages you probably still wonder that, so here is a kind of introductory thing:-
I'm Christine, aka Alchymyst in some parts of the internet.
We live in a small village just in from the north coast of Cornwall, where my husband, David, and I run a photography business. We have two beautiful daughters, the elder, Eloise,  is 18 and away at university studying maths whilst the younger one, Naomi, is 16, and in her last year at secondary school.

I'm a very crafty person, by which I mean I'm always making things, I don't want to imply that I am particularly cunning.
I am, I just don't want to imply it.

"I have a cunning plan, my Lord"
(OK, so that probably gives you some idea of my sense of humour too)
My cunning plans often include taking old unloved pieces of vintage tat and transforming them into something new and (hopefully) lovely. Or maybe just slightly trendier tat...
I stitch, knit, sew, paint, you name it, I can't sit still and not be doing something with my hands.
I'm also a Grade A Geek, and an aficionado of fantasy, science fiction, comic books and action heroes. You have been warned.
Oh and I like love shoes. And penguins.

So, what are you likely to find on this blog? First and foremost I'd say this was a stitchy blog, so you're going to see a lot of needlework, there is also quite a bit of knitting, sewing and general crafts. Upcycling features quite heavily too. I try and include tutorials if I think I've come up with something you might want to copy. (There is a new one coming in a couple of days.)
You'll find pictures of flowers and of my garden and general pictures from around Cornwall, pictures of my girls and of our cats, Loki and Jinx (see note above about comic books and action heroes), odd bits and pieces about our lives and the occasional spot of out and out geekery.
I hope you think it sounds like a place you'd like to visit again

In honour of the event I'm offering a small giveaway. This little (about 3" across) springy zingy citrussy corsage is made from felt with a crocheted flower and vintage button centre. If you'd like a chance to win it just leave a comment on this post. That's it. No hoops to jump through. The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere. I'll draw a winner on Feb 1st.
Now, why not hop back over to Vicki's and check out some more blogs.

A Good Week for Post

I've had some wonderful surprises through the post lately. I was lucky enough to win this gorgeous project bag and pincushion in a giveaway on Sally's blog.
They are just beautiful Sally.

I received loads of wonderful gifts for my %*@#th birthday yesterday. Too many to bore you with them all but including these lovely things from fellow stitchers/bloggers. The Penguin Calendar from Barb (penguins!!!!!), Dragon Floss and ribbon from Clare and pretty scissors from Julie. Thank you ladies. I love them all.

Lots of interesting Christmas parcels arriving too, to be shaken, sniffed and prodded, but not opened early (I am very self-controlled these days), and here are some of the latest goodies from the Advent Exchange, fabric, threads, a bookmark, notepad, bag-charm kit, wash mitt and penguin socks.

Do you think people are starting to get the idea that I might just like penguins a teensy bit?


Maybe if I start putting on my blog that I'd like Colin Firth smothered in chocolate...

As I was going to St Ives

I met a cormorant. He might have had seven wives, I didn't ask him, but he posed very nicely for his photo. The rock was a little way out to sea, so this was taken with quite a long zoom.

We went to a craft fair last Friday, not terribly successful in terms of numbers of people through the door, but I did spend a very pleasant time with my friend Karen, of Just Bunting, making lavender hearts like this one from recycled fabric. The fabric is from a vintage 60s dress. Looks a bit Liberty to me.

But you didn't come here to hear me rambling on about seabirds and pomanders. You want to know who won the giveaway.

I  put the comment numbers into the random number generator at random.org (still haven't figured out how to make that appear on here), and it came up with comment number five, which was



wait for it



ooh, the suspense...



Julie!
I'm off now to have a little ponder about what I'm going to make for you Julie.

Spring, things and a Blogoversary Giveaway

It has felt a lot like spring this last week, I even managed to find a few wind blown daffodils and some pussy willow in the garden, and I couldn't resist buying the campanula and white muscari at the florist's.


This display just makes me happy every time I walk into the kitchen.

Not much stitching to show this week, I've been working on an exchange piece and can't show it yet, but I did knock up this bit of daftness for Eloise, a cuddly toy Shroedinger's Cat.
Ah, Geek boards on Pinterest,
you have so much to answer for...

Naomi has been Pinteresting (is that a verb?) too, and made this wonderful picture from wax crayons.

She also made this attractive abstract art installation on the conservatory floor. I suppose I should be glad it wasn't the lounge carpet.

Anyway, a week ago was my 5th Blogoversary, (which I managed to miss, oops!), so I think that calls for a giveaway.  No pictures of the prize as I shall make something specifically for whoever wins, I promise it won't be a dead/alive toy cat (unless that is what you want of course).
If you want to take part, please be a follower and make a comment on this post. If there is something I've stitched or crafted recently that particularly appeals to you, let me know in your post and I'll try and make something like it, or you can be more Karmic about the whole thing and I'll surprise you. Either way I'll take sign ups until next Sunday (11th March). Good Luck!