Advice Please

I have just had my first experience using beads, which I found painless enough but it has left me having to solve a dilemma I have been thinking about for a while. How do I store the beads once they are open and know which beads are which.?

I bought a circular container where the top rotates so as the beads can be accessed in their individual compartments but that doesn't have the means to label the beads easily. How do you store your beads?

Stash

The postman has been rather busy, visiting our house 3 times today. Most of the stuff was Christmas presents, which I have since wrapped and hidden away ready for the big day, but in amongst the parcels was one for me. Thread Bear have been extremely quick and got the order I placed late on Wednesday afternoon to me already.

There is some more linen, three lots of backing fabric, along with some ribbons and braid which I expect to use over the weekend.

Anyone who is from the UK is surely, by now, aware of the flooding that has taken place in Cumbria. I have both friends and family who I was unable to contact earlier, so forgive me if the Christmas wrapping seems a little early, but it, like blogging, was keeping my mind distracted from worrying about them. I have now heard that my sister and her family are all safe and well, with the children quite pleased that they got to miss school today.

On a Christmas note if anyone, like me, makes their own Christmas pudding and cake be aware there is a shortage of currants, apparently the crop failed in California and so Sainsburys and Morrisons don't have (m)any in stock. It appears that Tesco gets theirs from Greece and so as Son has just bought some for me I can now get my puddings started tonight.

I love the smell of the house when the fruit is steeping.

Xmas is Coming

OK so I accept that for some of you the title of this post will be far too early for mentioning the festive season but I love it. It's the only time I year I enjoy shopping and I've been getting my Christmas plans into place now for the last couple of weeks. Mind maybe one reason why I love the shopping is that I will have it all done by the first week of December, so no crowded shops for me. In fact, if I'm honest, the postman will be bringing most of my shopping to my door as it is largely done online these days.

Anyway back to some stitching related talk. Monday was the date for posting on the TUSAL so I took this photo yesterday of my latest additions to my collection

There aren't many threads added as I was so late posting last month. The few that have been added are from an exchange piece I'm working on.

To be honest I really have had very little stitching time as I seem to be incredibly busy with work at the moment, even more so since I picked up the paid employment I mentioned a few posts ago. Not that I'm complaining. After the year we have had it's so nice that all of a sudden Husband has websites coming in on a regular basis and I'm busy with a variety of different jobs. I've had to register as self-employed but as that would have been on the cards for next year anyway it's hardly a hassle.

Do you remember me saying I had plans to start my own business well I've ended up doing just that it's just not the business I expected to be running. All of a sudden the notion we had of setting quizzes has taken off and so I'm now a professional quiz setter. Along with that all of a sudden I've found myself doing some book-keeping for someone other than Husband and they pay me in money instead of raspberry turnovers!! I'm still hoping to get my original idea of the ground but for now it's simmering away rather than being brought up to boiling point.

As part of my Christmas preparations I made sure this year that I got on the Jane Asher website early enough to order a load of edible Christmas decorations ready for my Christmas baking. last year when I tried to order them at the start of December they were out of stock. I ordered a variety of Christmas coloured sparkles as you can see below.

I was going to show you them on the fairy cakes I made and decorated on Sunday but by Monday they had gone. They clearly tasted alright.

Finally here is my Christmas Ornie Exchange from Angela P. She posted them out early and mine arrived on Friday. It really is very pretty, especially as the fabric is all sparkly.

Cranberry Christmas by Prairie Schooler

She has finished it so delightfully. I just need to finish stitching hers now and hope that the finishing materials I have ordered for it arrive in time before I need to get it in the post next week.

I've set myself a target of getting all my commitment stitching done by the end of the year. The way things are at the moment I doubt I'll achieve it but I shall try. On that note I'm off to grab a few moments of stitching time.

I Promised You A Finish

First of all a very, very late posting of my latest TUSAL.

Most of the threads added this month come from my latest finish.

This is the first of six Santas that are a freebie design on the Gazette 94 blog. I don't know if I'll get them all done but I'm hoping to use this one as a Christmas Card for someone.

A Hard Day at Work

Yesterday I got an email asking for another walk for a magazine so today I had to go out and do the walk. Given the weather forecast for this week I certainly wasn't expecting to get shots like these.

This was my lunch spot, looking along the River Derwent towards Chatsworth House. If you click on the picture it should enlarge where you will be able to make out the Emperor Fountain on the right and Hunting Tower above the house.

These are the reflections I was lucky enough to capture in Swiss Lake.

More pictures from today can now be found on my website.

I do have a genuine finish to show you but as the light is fading now I shall wait until tomorrow to take a photo of it.

We Have A Winner

Congratulations to Fiona from My Stitching Corner who correctly guessed Ecru.

I sent you my email address Fiona so as that you can let me have your snail mail address. I'll get your prize into the post as soon as the postal strike is over and the backlog cleared. I don't fancy putting anything I don't have to in the post at the moment as who knows when it will get delivered if it ends up as part of the backlog.