Stitch From Stash - October 2015

Hello everybody!

This month's Stitch From Stash report can be summarised in one word - FAIL! :(  And I was doing so well. But then I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace and understandably spent a little more than my budget allowed. Having said that, I don't regret any of my purchases and my overspend was nowhere near as bad as it could have been. I'll just have to work hard for the rest of the year to try to make up the deficit.

BROUGHT FORWARD - £14.00
OCTOBER BUDGET - $25 = £16.49 (at 01/10/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $8.00 = £5.28
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £35.77
SPENT - £50.65
CLOSING BALANCE - minus £14.88


Spending:

£9.90 on two cute charts

£15.75 on five gorgeous Threadworx hand-dyed threads

£25.00 on stunning over-dyed and sparkly fabric

(which the photo does not do justice)

I did purchase a lot more fabric (as shown in my Ally Pally posting) but after friends had delved into the pile I didn't have much left for myself!


Challenge projects worked on: (post to follow 1st November)
* winter owl
* spotted owls


Other projects worked on:
* owls in love (new start - see previous post)
* dragon eye (new start - post to follow soon)


Projects completed:

Lizzie Kate October flip-it stamp = $4

 Initial 'J' ornament = $2

(photos borrowed with permission from Justine's Cross Stitch)

Initial 'I' ornament = $2

(photos borrowed with permission from Mii Stitch)

I'm hoping to make up some of the deficit in November by finishing Owls In Love. It just depends on how fast my needles work!

TTFN
Rachel x

PS I try not to mention family too much on my blog but there are two things that have to be said:

1) Happy birthday Toby - 12 today!!

2) Heather, we are very proud of you for completing your 25 mile 1 1/2-day self-sufficiency hike at the weekend as part of your Chief Scout Gold Award. Well done from your whole family! xxxx

Stitch From Stash - September 2015

Good morrow gentle-folk!

It's coming towards the end of yet another month so time for another SFS report. Here are my September figures then:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £31.90
SEPTEMBER BUDGET - $25 = £16.29 (at 01/09/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $28.00 = £18.25
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £66.44
SPENT - £52.44
CLOSING BALANCE - £14.00


Spending:
* £4.99 on Christmas cross stitch magazine (although I'm tempted not to count this as I haven't actually seen the magazine since my mum "borrowed" it the day I bought it!)
* £36.25 on fabric (mostly for some 2016 Crazy January Challenge starts)
* £11.20 on threads for two new starts (which you will find out about in October)

I also bought frames for Polar Bears, My Treasure and Playful Puss 1 and 2 but this spending is exempt from the SFS budget.


Challenge projects worked on: (post to follow on 1st October)
* a tatty friend
* winter owl
* spotted owls


Other projects worked on: (post to follow once I have completed a 10 hour stint)
* OMG Tigger Is Out


Projects completed: $4, $4, $12 and $8 respectively
NB I forgot to count the August stamp last month so am counting it now.

Lizzie Kate August flip-it stamp  Lizzie Kate September flip-it stamp

Ravenclaw                            Polar Bears

Yes, I splurged a little this month but apart from a few threads I've got everything I need for my 2016 Crazy January Challenge starts. Which means I'm more or less free to buy whatever I wish with my October, November and December budgets. Q: Now, what do I really need? A: Nothing really! How boring!!

Happy stitching!
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - August 2015

Hello all!

Let's go straight into my SFS report for August:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £22.40
AUGUST BUDGET - $25 = £16.00 (at 01/08/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $0.00
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £38.40
SPENT - £6.50
CLOSING BALANCE - £31.90


Spending:
* 2 needle minders to add to my growing collection - the TARDIS and a rather cute little owl
* lots of thread bobbins (excluded from budget)

Projects worked on: (post to follow on 31st August)
* gryffindor
* hufflepuff
* ravenclaw
* slytherin

Projects completed:
* none :(


It's been a very slow month for me on the stitching front mainly due to the children being around and our on-going computer issues.

Our new all-singing-all-dancing faster and VIRUS-FREE computer has finally been installed. Luckily most of our data was not stored on the same disc as the programs so remained safe even if extremely difficult to access thanks to the way hubby had set up the hard drives. Unluckily, however, I had not archived or backed-up our emails for two years so, as the computer's back-up was an affected file, I have started plodding through the 20,000+ emails stored on the server to retrieve the important and business-related ones! Good job I'm not bothered about lengthy mundane tasks, even if it has eaten into my stitching time.

As for catching up on blog reading and commenting, I'm not going to make any more empty promises. I have to admit that this is my major failing at the moment. Hopefully September will see me getting back into a normal routine once school starts. Having the children around over the summer holidays has, unsurprisingly, been responsible for focusing at least some of my attention elsewhere! But I love them to bits and honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

I'll be back on the 31st to show you my progress for the month.

TTFN
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - July 2015

Hello all!

I'm carrying on Stitch From Stash, run by wonderful Mel of Epic Stitching and her cohort of helpers, into the second half of 2015. So here are the financial details of July's Stitch From Stash:

JULY BUDGET - $25 = £16.00 (at 01/07/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $10 = £6.40
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £22.40
SPENT - £0.00
CLOSING BALANCE - £22.40


Spending:
* none!

Projects worked on: (post to follow on 31st July)
* gryffindor
* hufflepuff
* ravenclaw
* slytherin

Projects completed: ($4 and $6 respectively)

                      Lizzie Kate July flip-it stamp                 Cookie and Cream

It feels very strange not to have spent anything this month, but fantastic to carry such a healthy balance forward. I haven't been tempted into either shopping or window shopping for kits and/or charts which is most unusual for me. Long may it continue!

See you next month,

Love and hugs,
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - June 2015

Good morning fellow bloggers!

Here are the financial details of June's Stitch From Stash:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £5.84
JUNE BUDGET - $25 = £16.46 (at 01/06/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $8 = £5.27
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £27.57
SPENT - £27.41
END OF SFS-A CLOSING BALANCE - £0.16


Spending:
* £24.18 on the remaining threads I need for my Challenge pieces
* £3.23 on a chart

Let's Eat Dessert by Ursuala Michael (download from crosstitch.com)

This is another chart I have to thank Jeremiah's Mom Katie for "making" me buy! I love Ursula's Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter charts Katie started in January so just HAD to have a look at the whole series There are loads to choose from so I doubt this will be the only "words" series chart to join my stash over the coming months! Oh dear.

Projects worked on: (post to follow on 30th June)
* dreaming of dolphins
* April showers
* a tatty friend
* polar bears
* cream
* ravenclaw

Projects completed: (both $4)

Lizzie Kate June flip-it stamp      Autumn from The Four Seasons

So, that's the end of SFS-A. I am very proud that I have been honest, worked hard and not once gone over budget.

The lure of bonus money definitely encouraged me to finish projects, although I do admit that I rather naughtily bought far too much new stash with my funds.

I have signed up to SFS-B where I intend to save my budget (mostly!) and continue earning lots of bonus money in order to treat myself to a Gecko Rouge kit at the end of the year. That's a good target to work towards.

See you in July!

Cheerio
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - May 2015

Good morning fellow bloggers!

Here are the financial details of May's Stitch From Stash:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £0.23
MAY BUDGET - $25 = £16.51 (at 01/05/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $11.00 = £7.26
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £24.00
SPENT - £18.16
CLOSING BALANCE - £5.84


Spending:
* £7.95 on two charts
* £10.21 on a kit

Snowman Row by Ursula Michael (download from crosstitch.com)

These will be stitched as nine individual projects.

Halloween Banners by Artecy (download from crosstitch.com)

(thank you Heather of Fantasy Cross Stitch for introducing me to these!)

Christmas Ornament Pals Kit by Dimensions

(thanks to Katie Jeremiah's Mom for tempting me again!)

I feel very guilty about buying these but they were all on offer and I was feeling down in the dumps that day - a lethal combination!

Qualifying projects worked on: (post to follow 31st May)
* dandelion time
* autumn
* tea

Non-qualifying projects worked on: (post to follow 31st May)
* dreaming of dolphins
* pretty little London
* hufflepuff
* ravenclaw

Qualifying projects completed: ($4, $3 and $4)

 My Treasure                            Friends Forever

Lizzie Kate May flip-it stamp

Although slightly bigger, Friends Forever was categorized as 60x60 as a lot is unstitched. I  also claimed only 75% of the bonus as it became a qualifying project after 1/4 completed.

Non-qualifying projects completed:
* none


My closing balance this month, along with next month's budget, will be spent on threads. Let's see how close I can get to zero for my end of SFS-A closing June balance!

Cheerio
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - April 2015

Hello again!

Here are the financial details of April's Stitch From Stash:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £38.98
APRIL BUDGET - $25 = £16.86 (at 01/04/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $16.00 = £10.79
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £66.63
SPENT - £66.40
CARRIED FORWARD - £0.23 Phew!


Spending:
* £20.95 on fabric (loads of 16ct cream aida)
* £45.45 on new charts (a one-off extravagance during my weekend away as I would not normally buy full-priced charts)

I also bought other items, which are exempt from the budget, including some Rit dyes for dyeing my own fabric, and some iron-on interfacing, wadding, fabric and fabric glue for finishing off some smalls. You will hopefully see these being used in the not-too-distant future.

Qualifying projects worked on: (post to follow on 30th April)
* autumn
* winter
* canal crossing

Non-qualifying projects worked on: (post to follow on 30th April)
* OMG Tigger is out
* pretty little London
* ravenclaw

Qualifying projects completed: (all $4 each)

Playful Puss 1                       Playful Puss 2

Christmas Quacker

  Lizzie Kate April flip-it stamp

Non-qualifying projects completed:
* none

I admit to having a high-spending month in April so hope my SFS account won't be quite so close to the red in May!

Love and hugs
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - March 2015

Hello again!

Here are the financial details of March's Stitch From Stash:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £5.90
MARCH BUDGET - $25 = £16.19 (at 01/03/2015 exchange rate)
EARNED - $28.00 = £18.14
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £40.23
SPENT - £1.25
CARRIED FORWARD - £38.98


Spending:
* £1.25 for cross stitch chart from ebay

Qualifying projects worked on: (post to follow on 31st March)
* my treasure
* flower power

Non-qualifying projects worked on: (post to follow on 31st March)
* daisy hugs
* dreaming of dolphins
* April showers
* Cookie and Cream
* winter owl

Qualifying projects completed: (all $4 each)

waterlogged                                puddle duck

dragon of air                   dragon of fire

dragon of Earth               dragon of water

Lizzie Kate March flip-it stamp

Non-qualifying projects completed:
* none


I've got a fairly big outlay next month so am glad I've managed to earn lots of bonus money. I doubt there will be any more bonus finishes for a while so the remainder of SFS might be quite a challenge!

Love and hugs
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - Febraury 2015

Hello everybody, especially SFSers!

February was almost a budget nightmare! I could easily have blown the budget to smithereens by purchasing all the threads I needed for my February Challenge pieces. But I was good and decided to purchase a few each month in order to stay within budget. :)

Here are the financial details:

BROUGHT FORWARD - £9.87
FEBRUARY BUDGET - $25 = £16.60 (at 01/02/2015 exchange rate)
AVAILABLE TO SPEND - £26.47
SPENT - £23.23
EARNED - $4.00 = £2.66
CARRIED FORWARD - £5.90


Spending:
* £22.23 on threads, specifically for the 28 February new starts
* £1.00 for dinosaur abc chart from ebay

Qualifying projects worked on (charts older than 6 months):
* spring
* coffee
* star trek TOS
* summer
* cream
* canal crossing
* puddle duck
* clue
* autumn
* sugar
* the lock
* evil minions
* winter
* tea
* milk train
* waterlogged
* my treasure

Non-qualifying projects worked on (charts purchased within the last 6 months):
* winter owl
* gryffindor
* pretty little london
* polar bears
* hufflepuff
* red foxes
* ravenclaw
* pretty little paris
* spotted owls
* slytherin
* pandas

Qualifying projects completed:
* Lizzie Kate February flip-it stamp (chart gifted October 2014) = $4

Non-qualifying projects completed:
* none


Now the starting frenzy of the Challenge is over I can return to my focus pieces. Hopefully I will also finish a couple of Challenge starts in March in order to boost my budget!

Happy stitching
Crazy Rachel x

Stitch From Stash - January 2015

Hello everybody, especially SFSers!

This is my first month of taking part in SFS. Thank you Mel and co for running it again. I have to say that having a budget has truly kept my purse strings reined in. I actually found myself not buying any stash (charts) because I considered it "unnecessary"! How restrained was that?


Here are the financial details:

JANUARY BUDGET - $25 = £16.05 (at 01/01/2015 exchange rate)
SPENT - £8.75
EARNED - $4.00 = £2.57
CARRIED FORWARD - £9.87


Spending:
* £8.75 on a fat quarter of 32ct Sky Blue Murano evenweave (only because I changed my mind and decided to stitch the projects concerned on eavenweave instead of aida)

Qualifying projects worked on (charts older than 6 months):
* Scarlet Macaw Preening
* Christmas quacker
* dragon of air
* loves me... loves me not
* dragon of Earth
* playful puss 1
* a tatty friend
* dandelion time
* dragon of fire
* flower power
* all aboard the walnut shells
* Christmas wishes
* cuddly feline friends
* choc-a-holic
* dragon of water
* I love butter
* good morning Nelson
* winter hugs
* lickle snooze
* a windy day
* playful puss 2
* little green

Non-qualifying projects worked on (charts purchased within the last 6 months):
* friends for life
* feline groovy
* daisy hugs
* dreaming of dolphins
* April showers
* book worm
* carefree summer
* friends forever
* cookie and cream
* daisy umbrella

Qualifying projects completed:
* Lizzie Kate January flip-it stamp (chart gifted October 2014) = $4

Non-qualifying projects completed:
* none


Is that too much detail for you? Can you tell I'm a bit OCD when it comes to making lists and keeping track of my work? Aren't I sad!

I know I'm going to have to buy some threads next month, so that will eat into my budget, but other than that I hope I can be just as restrained again!

Now I'm off to see how others have done.

Love and hugs
Rachel x

Stitch From Stash 2015

Good morning everybody!

Well, I've done it and signed up to Stitch From Stash 2015 run by Mel of Epic Stitching! I really can't believe I am going to try to stick to a limited budget, although I desperately need to as I've got enough stash to keep me going for at least three lifetimes!

For those not familiar with Stitch From Stash the full rules can be found here but in very basic terms:

1) you have a limited budget of $25 to spend on new stash each month, rolling over any excess to the following month(s)

2) you can earn bonus money by completing projects

3) you have to be very honest and report your spending each month, along with the stash you have worked on

The rules are much longer and detailed than I have provided above but I hope to have given you a basic idea of what's involved if you're interested.

I'm number 58 out of 120 so there's still plenty of spaces available if you're feeling keen and/or up for a challenge. Go on, you know you want to!

Wish me luck!!

All the best and
Happy stitching :)
Rachel x
.