Win "Where There Is Life ..."

Go check out the contest Kim is holding over on her Stitch Pink blog. You could win this exclusive Little House Needleworks design fully kitted which was generously donated by Chris.

Ta da!

Stitched with silks and fabric supplied in kit.
Completed 18 February 2008.

It was the HAED BB HAEDless Stitching Sampler SAL this past weekend and I managed to finish this last night. The lighting wasn't conducive to a decent photo so I had to wait until this morning to grab one :)

I started this a long time ago and I put it away because I think I was struggling with the instructions and some of the stitches. I was fairly new to linen and specialty stitches back then :) I've had a bit more experience with specialty stitches and linen since those early days so this time around it was quite a quick stitch :)

Next up is my Wiehenburg Quaker Mystery SAL piece. The actual SAL started at Christmas last year but I didn't join up until mid January. It took me a couple of weeks to decide on fabric and thread so it wasn't until late January that I finally started it.



I am using a HDF (Vikki Clayton) silk Gandy Dancer 1113 which is a really nice rust red on CountryStitch Kiwi Illusions "Daffodil" 28 count Jubilee. I'm stitching it over one because the piece of 40 count linen I had wasn't quite big enough to stitch it over two.



The silk is a "solid" colour but you can just see a very subtle variation :)

My replacement parcel from Sew & So arrived on Sunday (yay!) - five days from when they posted it. No sign of the original ones and I don't expect to see them. One thing I know is if I'd received a parcel or two in my mail box with someone else's name on it (even if it had the correct PO Box number) then I'd (a) either send it back myself, or (b) take it in the post office for them to return to sender.

Anyway, one of the goodies contained in my parcel was this ...



Actually, it was just the chart and threads needed to stitch it. I went for a stroll through my fabric stash late last night and pulled out a piece of Kiwi Illusions "Hokey Pokey" 32 count lugana by CountryStitch (link in my sidebar) which I thought might work. What do you think?

Also, while I was rummaging through my stash I came across this ...



I think I stitched this up in 2005 or perhaps 2006!! All it needs is a smattering of beads and then to finish-finish it and it is done! I just need to decide on what colour beads and then find something to attach to the top of the tree. It is supposed to have a Mill Hill treasure but I have a box full of beads in which I'm sure I can find something suitable. I don't have any suitable backing fabric either but I think I will have enough of the fabric I stitched it on to use as backing. That way I can personalise it ... mmmm, thinking, thinking :)

I found a few other lost treasures whilst visiting my stash last night but as this post is already picture heavy as well as being long enough I will leave those to another time :)

As always, thank you for taking the time to stop by my blog and leaving comments. I appreciate them all :)

Almost forgot :)

I heard back from Sew & So yesterday about my mislabeled and presumed lost items. They really are wonderful people to deal with and are re-sending them. It appears there was a little gremlin at work who manually changed the address label. Of course, the "lost" packages will probably turn up now!! In which case, I will send the duplicates back :)

I have also fallen in love with this - Hanky Pysanky by Ink Circles - in the rainbow colourway. Nicole's WIP is what drew me to it (scroll down to the bottom of her post) :)

I need to stop looking at stash, get off this computer and go stitch!!

Oh, and I've been tagged by Nicole (different to the one above :)). I will respond to that in the next day or two.

Okay, stitching awaits!

Ornament for February

"Joy" by Lizzie*Kate, Inc
JCS 2007 Ornament Issue
Stitched on 32 count Light Mocha Belfast with DMC
(and Petite Treasure Braid PB10 added for the "snowflakes")
Finished as a pinkeep (my first)

Busy Weekend!

Boy, what a crazy busy weekend!

Friday night DH and I attended a corporate function at one of the nearby golf clubs. It was put on by our hometown State Government (they have an office here) in honour of a visiting bigwig. Lots of produce specific to our hometown region was flown in including Balfours Frog Cakes and Vili's Meat Pies!!! Plus local seafood (prawns, yellow fin tuna, barramundi and King George Whiting), Wagyu beef, Berenberg strawberry jam, Medlow fruit gels and Bickford's beverages.

On Saturday Australian Rules Football came to Dubai - Collingwood vs Adelaide - and with DS being a huge Adelaide fan we had to go :) The game was held on a polo field which was converted into a football ground for the event! It was a fantastic day and much fun was had by all. Adelaide won so DS was very happy!






Unfortunately, DS was off school sick today so my plan to spend most of the day with Dream of Purple for the HAED BB February Challenge SAL didn't happen. Instead, the day was spent catching up on the laundry I didn't do because we were out all weekend and taking DS to the doctor. He's fine and should be back at school tomorrow.

I did manage to put in the last few stitches left on my February Christmas ornament though! I'll post pics tomorrow :)

Parcel Woes

Back in early January I had a little online stash shopping spree - I ordered a couple of Sampler Cove charts from European XS, some silks from HDF, both in the US, some Gloriana silks from West End Embroidery and Sew & So, both in the UK and a LHN chart and the Crescent Colours threads required to stitch it also from Sew & So. Plus I requested one of my Rainbow Club FOTM from CountryStitch (in New Zealand) to be a certain colour on a higher count with one of the SC samplers in mind.

The silks from West End Embroidery and HDF were here within a week. The charts from European XS turned up a few days later and then my fabric from CountryStitch arrived. I've since ordered another lot of silks from HDF and have received them. Various mail from my mum in Australia has come in. Can you see where I'm going with this? Yep, not one item from Sew & So has arrived - I find this incredibly bizarre because their service is top-notch and I have always received mail from them no later than 7 days after ordering. In fact, all our mail is received fairly quickly. Thankfully, Sew & So had sent the first parcel by recorded airmail so it had a tracking number. Using that tracking number on the Royal Mail website, I discover that the parcel has been handed over to the UAE postal system for delivery.

I emailed customer service at Emirates Post (easier than trying to ring them in my book) and asked them if they could locate the parcel for me. A very prompt and helpful reply came back saying that the parcel had been received by them on 11 Jan but it had been addressed to the incorrect PO Box number! I was advised to bring the tracking number and photo ID and come in to collect it from the Dubai Central Post Office in Karama.

Oh. boy.

I'm sure I've blogged in the past about my incredible directional/navigational skills or rather the lack thereof, so you can understand why I was less than thrilled at the prospect of driving into Bur Dubai. You would think after almost three years of living here I would have it down pat but the truth is I very rarely if ever go into the city and of course, the roads are continually changing! Anyway, after conferring with DH the best route to go, I set off yesterday morning and made it into the Post Office. I missed one turn but got back on track fairly easily. I even managed to find a park in the chaos of the PO carpark!

Remembering that the main entrance is actually at the back of the building, I walk in to find that they've "automated" things with a ticket "machine" - a man sitting behind a desk at the front entrance with a ticket dispenser :) After telling him my purpose for being there (with the help of a kindly security guard - the "machine" had some difficulty in understanding that I wanted to collect a parcel not send one!), waiting for my number to be called and then being referred to three different counters, I eventually walk out with parcel in hand. Hooray! I now have my threads to start Sampler Cove's Spanish Rouge Sampler!!

I did ask about the other two parcels I'm waiting on while at the PO but unfortunately, they couldn't be located. I can only assume that they were addressed incorrectly as well and therefore lost. They were sent normal international airmail not recorded so therefore no tracking number. I have emailed Sew & So to let them know and I'm sure all will be sorted. I'll keep you updated :)

10 Blogs

Good grief narrowing this list down to just 10 was hard! I decided to mix some of the regular blogs with some new ones :) Anyway, here goes ...

The Rules:
Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.



1. Nicole stitches, quilts, knits and also beads, I believe :). I also love reading about her and her family's adventures in her other blog.

2. Felicity - She has inspired me to pull out my many non-HAED WIPs/UFOs and get to work on them. Lovely looking blog too :)

3. Tannia does the most beautiful work and sings too!

4. Deb - I came across Deb's blog only recently - it is so bright and colourful :) She quilts as well as stitches and I'm also looking forward to seeing the results of her Queens & Harpies Paper Dresses start-up.

5. Andrea - Another new to me blog. Andrea's stitching is so neat and immaculate and I love the way she displays and photographs her projects!

6. Carol's blog is also fairly new to me but I am in awe of her beautiful stitching and finishing.

7. Anne has had her share of knocks lately but refuses to let them get her down for long. Better times are ahead - she deserves them! I also admire her fabulous stitching and finishing skills.

8. Jennifer does the most wonderful ornaments and I love her Friday Feasts: A Buffet for the Brain too.

9. Leonie knits and stitches and is my stitching and stash-hunting pal back home. She doesn't blog all that often but she always manages to make me laugh out loud at something she's written when she does.

10. Alison is such a laugh (I met her in person a few years ago). Amazes me with her speed and her wonderful stitching of all things Shepherd's Bush :)

There are so many others - in my Blogroll and in my Google Reader - you all make my day :)

WIP Updates

Current progress on The Drawn Thread's An Open Heart - I've finished all the bands and am now working on the inner whitework border. Thanks go to DH for holding it for me so I could take a pic :)



My to date progress on Shepherd's Bush Beekeeper's Cottage. I went searching through my boxes looking for this kit to pass on to another stitcher and when I found it, was very surprised to see that I had actually started it! I'm planning to get this finished up hopefully over the next HAED BB Sampler SAL weekend so I can forward it on.

I also succumbed and joined the Wiehenburg 2008 Quaker Mystery. I'll add a pic when I've done a bit more.

Made My Day :)

I was surprised and flattered to find that the lovely Kim over at KiP thought my blog made her day! Wow, thank you, Kim :)

Now I'm supposed to award another 10 bloggers who inspire and make me happy about blogland, and given the amount of blogs I have in my Google Reader, it is going to be a difficult task! So many of you out there in blogland inspire and motivate me! I'm running short of time right now so I'm going to have to come back to this after some thought :)

Lots of comments on my Plum Gothic progress too - thank you!! Welcome to new readers and, Sally, of course it's okay to add my blog to your Google Reader :)