Another finish ...

I finished stitching this in the wee hours of this morning (about 1am I think). It is a freebie from Midsummer Night Designs and can be found here. I stitched it on white 32 count opalescent lugana with the suggested DMC threads. Just before 2am I was dunking the finished piece in coffee - the white was just too stark and I wanted to tone it down :)

This is for an exchange so after I post this I will go and finish-finish it and get it packaged up and ready to send off to it's new home next week.

Thank you one and all for your lovely comments on Happy Haunting. I think I will set Tuesday aside this week to finish it off into a flatfold - should be interesting!!

Also, thank you Alison for the link to your new blog - I shall be over shortly to check it out and say hello :)

A finish and a few starts :)

Happy Haunting by Lizzie*Kate

I finished this around 11.30pm on Wednesday night - tried to post yesterday but Blogger wouldn't let me for some reason.

I stitched this up on a 30 count hand-dyed linen remnant I came across in my fabric stash with DMC threads. I can't find the tag now but I think the linen colour is called "Iced Cappucino" - no idea on the company though.

I am thinking of making my first flatfold with this finish for the Monthly Finishing Challenge. I'm limited with backing fabric choice but I thought the one in the pic might work - what do you think?

After the Lizzie*Kate finish I started another Halloween design - Just Nan's Ghoulies & Ghosties. Should have gone to bed but it wasn't yet midnight and I had everything ready to go. Managed a few stitches before nodding off :)



I stitched some more on it this morning. This is my progress so far :) I'm using CountryStitch's 28 count "Cappucino" lugana and DMC threads for this one. Mmmm, seems to be a bit of a theme happening with my fabric choices there - lol!

I've put the JN aside for now though as I need to make a start on an exchange piece plus my October ornament and I also want to get a BCA piece finished before the end of October!





The BCA piece is a free design from Romy in Austria's blog. I'm afraid the camera flash has washed out the colours but the lighter pink is Dinky Dyes "Linda's Roses" (Limited Edition silk) and the darker pink is HDF's Rose Quartz 1369. The fabric is black 28 count Monaco.

I sat stitching at my dining table yesterday as the natural light coming in through the windows was wonderful and I could spread out more than I can in my usual stitching spot in the lounge. There is stuff everywhere although not as bad as my finishing frenzy day :) I really need my own stitching room!

Now on to something totally unrelated to stitching. DH and I don't go out a lot but last night we were to meet some friends/work colleagues of DH's for dinner. Octoberfest is on - one of our friends was particularly excited by this fact so thought it would be the perfect excuse for a night out :) Thursday night is the beginning of our weekend here. Our dinner reservation was for 7.30pm, the hotel is a 10 minute drive from our place, maybe 15. We left home at 7pm - you can see where this is going can't you? At 7.02pm we hit a massive queue of traffic - all of which appeared to be going in the same direction we were. It took us AN HOUR to get to the hotel! At 8pm we finally pull up to the front entrance of the hotel only to be told that valet parking is full (despite us having a reservation)!! We would have to backtrack to the public carpark, park there and walk back to the hotel. It would probably have taken us 25 mins in traffic to get back to the carpark (road system all one way in that area), then a 10-15 minute walk back to the hotel ... in high heels. Uh no, I don't think so! So we gave up, called our friends and apologised but we're going home! It took us less than 5 mins to get back home!

DH rang another couple that were supposed to be going and found out they were about 15 mins in the queue of traffic behind us - warned them there was no valet parking at the hotel and to park in the public carpark which they hadn't got to yet.

I've since heard there were apparently 600 people there - nobody would have heard what anyone was saying anyway!!!

Right, I'm off to clear off the dining table so we can have some lunch :)

Thank you :)

For all the lovely comments you all left on my finishing frenzy finishes! Wow, made my day :) I didn't mean to take so long to respond with my thanks but DS came down with a rather nasty cold last week and had a couple of days off school, DH was away again and DD has been quite the social butterfly recently which means I have spent quite a bit of time in my truck driving here, there and everywhere! I, who very rarely gets sick, appear to have caught DS' cold ... so nice of him to share ... NOT!

Now, some quick replies to some previous recent comments and then I'm off to try and get some sleep - we've got a busy weekend lined up!

Ruth and Sharon, info about the Spot Sampler Mystery SAL can be found here.

Speaking of the Spot Sampler, Cathy, I will eventually stitch up the ornament found on the Spot Sampler Blog - have a few other little things up my sleeve at the moment though :)

Megan, I quite enjoy stitching on black and have a couple I'm in the process of kitting up (Spot Sampler and Ink Circles Hanky Pysanky) - how insane does that make me - lol?

Good night all!

Finishing Frenzy Pictures

Here are the pics as promised. Hover your cursor over the pic for the design details.










Remember when I blogged about this? Well, I finally finished sewing on the beads and found something to put on the top of the tree. I wanted a pale pink heart but just couldn't find one so I settled on the silver star instead. I thought about another pillow finish but decided to make up a needleroll instead. This is my "pink" contribution for Breast Cancer Awareness month.



I went looking for a bigger display container and found this wooden tray tucked away in a cupboard. It works well although I need to stitch and finish a few more items to fill in the empty spaces!



Now I need to get cracking on some Halloween ornaments!

Finishing Frenzy!

Despite waking with a headache this morning and its constant presence throughout the day, I still pulled out the sewing machine and my precious stash of finishing items, and went crazy :). So much so that I'm almost out of polyfill!

Pics will have to wait until tomorrow though (sorry!) - it is well after midnight and I need sleep!

My dining room looks a mess and the dog has gone into hiding (under my desk in the study) but it has been a good productive day :)

Thanks for stopping by!

The mailman bringeth ...

My JCS 2008 Christmas Ornament issue along with this month's FOTM from CountryStitch arrived this morning. I had a quick peruse while having my second cup of tea this morning (after cycling to school with the kids and then walking the dog I was parched!) - I will have to go through it again and note down the ones I'm keen to stitch.



I didn't end up watching American Chopper on Friday night (it was a repeat of a show which we'd seen at the beginning of the summer) which meant I didn't end up stitching. Saturday was spent mostly doing laundry!

Yesterday, however, I stitched this ...



Spot Sampler Christmas Ornament
Stickideen von der Wiehenburg 2008
Stitched on black 28 count Monaco with HDF mystery spool

I joined another Stickideen von der Wiehenburg mystery SAL - this time it is a Spot Sampler. Apparently there will lots of motifs that can be used for Christmas ornaments. This one was a freebie for members of the Spot Sampler group. At the moment I'm just collecting the pages - no plans to start stitching it yet (but I am fickle so who knows!). I am toying with the idea of stitching it on black, no idea on threads yet but I am test-stitching another one of these ornaments with another HDF mystery spool in a green colourway. Will probably finish it tomorrow. Not sure if I like it or not yet.

I plan on having a finishing day tomorrow although I do need to go to the vet and get a new registration tag for the dog. I stood on her current one a couple of weekends ago when DH was giving her a bath and broke it - oops! If I do that early I should still have a good few hours to finish a few ornaments before the kids get home from school.

It's getting late so I'd better call it a night. Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad ya'll like the new look :) Ooo, which reminds me, since I'm on a real Halloween kick right now, I started pulling threads for Just Nan's Ghoulies & Ghosties today too. I really wanted to start it this afternoon but I'm short one colour *sigh*.

There is something else I was going to mention but I think I will leave it for tomorrow :)

New Look for October

Coming from Australia we've never really celebrated Halloween although autumn is one of my favourite times of year, and I've always had a thing for the fun spooky stuff :)

Of course since moving here all that has changed, and Halloween has sort of become a big thing in this house ... well for me and the kids, not so much DH :)

Hence the new look :)

I have been stitching - a HAED piece that DS chose late last year and asked me to stitch for him. It involves wizards and dragons - two of his favourite things and luckily mine too. I did start it earlier this year but unfortunately didn't get very far. There's not much to show but blobs of blue at the moment - I'll post progress pics when there's more to see. Oh, this is the chart - The Encounter - I started in the top left corner so you'll see what I mean about blobs of blue!

Thank you Rachel, Cathy, Sharon, Sally, Kim and Lelia for dropping by and admiring my latest ornament finish. Sharon and Kim, I hope you get your respective mojos back soon too!

I'm about to go and make myself a cup of tea, settle into my stitching chair and watch American Chopper :)

September Ornament

A Star, A Star by The Sunflower Seed
from the JCS 2007 Ornament Magazine

I used DMC floss and substituted Kreinik 002V #4 braid for the PB01. I also used Mill Hill 42011 beads instead of 40557. Stitched on 32 count Kiwi Illusions "Oyster" lugana.

Started and finished 30 September - put the last beads on at 11.54pm!

I haven't been doing much of anything since we returned from holidays, except to read (boy, have I read a load of books in the last few weeks!). I came back feeling restless and disenchanted. I do enjoy (for the most part) life here but there are times when the constant heat, humidity, dust, construction, roadworks and the ensuing traffic chaos get the better of me. The fact is I'm not a big city type of girl yet I find myself living in one - go figure! It was also Ramadan (officially ended today) - not being able to eat and drink in public during the daylight hours doesn't bother me - it is the morons on the road who become even more moronic on the roads, the shortened business hours and the insane amount of time it takes to do something relatively straight forward and simple. Then I get angry with myself because I have much to be thankful for. Unfortunately, this feeling of blah has affected my motivation to stitch - it just hasn't been there - in fact this ornament is the most I've stitched in weeks! I did pick up the knitting bug while away but even that has been put away.

Still, there are signs of hope of a return to normality :) I've stitched some on a HAED WIP tonight and have pulled another out of hibernation to work on tomorrow. I got my September ornament done and I have an urge to get out the sewing machine and have a finishing day - perhaps over the weekend. I've also signed up for an Ornament exchange which is the first exchange I've participated in for a long time! Last but certainly not least, I've blogged :)

I'm back :)

Will fill you in our trip and get back into blogging mode next week after the kids have gone back to school and our dog/house-sitters have left :)

Ornament for August

Rudy by Glory Bee - JCS 2007

Stitched on natural 28 count linen
Graziano, I think - it was a scrap leftover from another project)
with DMC threads.

Oh, and a bead from Mill Hill :)

My apologies for the creases! I haven't had a chance to give him a press as DH has gone to bed and the iron and board are kept in our walk-in closet - it will have to wait until I have a finishing day.

I will be a little quiet for a couple of weeks - our dog/house-sitters arrived today and DH, myself and the munchkins head for the airport tomorrow for a little summer travelling. We will be taking a laptop so I may have a chance to do a post or two while away. Depends on internet availability, cost and whether DS will let me use HIS laptop - lol!!

Something I've been remiss at lately (!!) and that is thanking those of you who stop by and leave me a comment! They put a smile on my face and I really appreciate them. So, a big thank to you all :)

I must go and check my list and make sure I have everything packed and organised, and then to bed I think. The last few days have been a whirlwind of grocery shopping, laundry and re-organising my kitchen cupboards, and I've been awake since 5.30am this morning - it is after midnight as I write this! I can go away safe in the knowledge that my house guests have a well-stocked fridge/freezer and well-organised cupboards :)

Oops, almost forgot! Here's an update on Morag (aka Moonlight Guardian by Dragon Dreams). She is coming on holidays with me - which reminds me I'd better replace my scissors with my Clover thread cutter for stitching on the plane :)

Randomness :)

Random Questions. (:

What time do you go to bed?: Anywhere from 11pm to 2am lately!
Do you drink coffee?: Rarely, prefer tea.
What was the last song you listened to?: Just For, Nickelback
How old were you when you got/gave your first kiss?: Way too long ago to remember, probably in my early teens.
What kind of ice cream is your favorite?: Don't like ice cream.
Have you ever met an internet friend in real life?: Yes.
Are you/have you ever been anorexic?: No!
Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Saving Time?: No idea - don't live in the States.
What size shoe do you wear?: 7
Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?: My friend and neighbour.
Which is more important in your life, TV or Internet?: Internet.
Do you have an iPod?: Yes.
Have you ever been fired from a job?: No.
Have you ever taken something you knew belonged to someone else?: Yes.
Do you overuse smileys?: No.
Who is better; Madonna or Blondie?: Blondie.
Who is better; Elton John or Billy Joel?: Don't like either.
Do you know the song Total Eclipse Of The Heart?: Yes.
When was the last time you ate something?: About an hour ago.
Name three website you visit every day:: Google Reader, Yahoo Mail and Heaven & Earth Designs Yuku Board.
Have you seen all of the Jaws movies?: No.
Do you have Entomophobia?: Yes.
Do you know what Entomophobia is?: Yes.
Have you ever worn black eyeliner?: Everyday.
Have you ever worn blue mascara?: Yes, long time ago.
Ever spiked your hair?: Yes, even longer time ago!
How long have you had a computer?: 10 years.
Have you ever written something, and published it on the internet?: Yes.
Do you have a crush on anyone at the moment?: Yes.
Do you like Starbucks?: Not really but prefer them to Second Cup or Gloria Jean's.
Have you ever owned a kitten?: No.
Is it raining where you are?: Definitely and unfortunately not!
When was the last time you played cards? (not on the computer): No idea.
Can you play chess?: Nope.
Ever owned a pair of the original Nikes? (white, with only a single swoosh): Nope.
Ever worn leg warmers?: Oh yeah!
When was the last time you read a book over 700 pages long?: Don't know - a while ago I suppose.
How many people are on your IM friends list?: Don't do IM.
How many hours of sleep do you usually get?: 4-6
Have you ever drank cherry coke?: Yes.
Do you prefer using pens or pencils?: Pens.
Have you ever skipped for a long distance?: No.
Have you ever had a black eye?: Yes.
The torture is over, you may now leave. (:

Fill out this survey yourself
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Best laid plans and all that ...

For the past couple of nights I've been working on my Spanish Mystery Sampler - part three was released last week and I'm still working my way through part one. Anyway, I finished off a thread, and sat back to look at my progress. That's when I thought to myself "something doesn't look right" and sure enough, on closer inspection, I see my mistake. I check the chart and there's an error on the chart and I missed it. (Note to self, check SAL boards more frequently as there was notification of said chart error!).

I've put it to one side until I decide whether I want to frog out two nights worth of stitching over one on black, or just get a fresh piece of fabric and start over *sigh*. I briefly thought of leaving it that way - nobody will probably notice - but I will know and that takes the shine off of it for me.



So, to make myself feel better I started something new :) I've been admiring Dani'sMoonlight Guardian (Dragon Dreams) WIP for some time and since I've had it kitted up for ages, well ... I'll let the pic speak for itself :)

Meet Morag ... :)



DMC cotton floss, rayon, Kreinik and Caron silks over two
on Kiwi Illusions (CountryStitch) 28 count Twilight hand-dyed lugana.

I had kitted it up with one or two choices of fabric and so spent a little while deciding which one I liked best. This decision making process also involved pulling out a couple of other options from my fabric stash before making my final choice!

Of course by this time it was almost 1am and I really should have gone to bed but as you can see I didn't :) Well, it was Sunday, the kids are on holidays and who needs sleep!!

I've been stitching on it in between chores today and it is really coming along nicely - I'll post another pic tomorrow :)

Heaven & Earth Designs LE Tornado Relief Chart

Recently the owners of HAED (the fabulous Michele & Bob) had their home and property devastated by a tornado. One of my favourite HAED artists, Ching-Chou Kuik, donated this beautiful piece of artwork for charting to be used to raise funds for tornado relief. Proceeds raised will go towards the major clean-up and debris removal operation now faced by the family.

Flow Runners is a limited edition chart and will only be available for two weeks. If you want to help, purchase details can be found here.

Being the major HAED fan that I am, I have already made my purchase and will probably add this to my WIP list next year :)

Pic as promised :)

Vierlanden Susanne Sampler
(c) 2008 Stickideen von der Wiehenburg

Stitched with one strand of HDF premium silk "Dusty Rose"
(retired colour now I believe)
over two on 32 count "Hydrangea" Kiwi Illusions lugana from CountryStitch.

Finally, it is done!

I put the last stitch in my Vierlanden Susanne Sampler just after midnight last night - yay! No pic yet as she is having a bath, then I will iron it dry and take a pic and upload later.

I had hoped to have this finished on Monday but the courier did in fact turn up first thing that morning so I was able to take the kids school uniform shopping as planned. They were ecstatic!

The uniform shop is unfortunately no where near the school, the traffic is awful consisting mostly of lots of very large trucks (lorries), and the sign-posting is non-existent or easily hidden behind long lines of said very large trucks! I am glad that I found some directions online and printed them off before we set off. Anyway, we made it and I spent a fortune (DS and DD have grown a LOT this past school year so I had to get everything!) on kitting the kids out. Unfortunately, DS and I will have to go back later in August as they didn't have his size trousers in stock *sigh*. At least I know where to go now, and hopefully won't miss the turn (like I did on Monday because I couldn't see the sign!) on the way back that turned a 25 minute trip into a 45 minute + trip!!

Tuesday morning, in between loads of laundry, I started sorting out the study - filing away papers and getting a pile ready for shredding. Tuesday afternoon DS had his classical guitar lesson so DD and I wandered around the shops for an hour planning to buy a paper shredder (unsuccessful) while waiting for him.

Wednesday morning was spent in the truck running a couple of errands, and then Wednesday afternoon I made a start on my scissor pocket which is this month's theme for the Monthly Finishing Challenge blog.

Thursday morning I was up early to walk the dog before it got too hot. The kids were still asleep when I got back so I went around tidying up before my cleaning lady came in. Mid morning I was down at my friend's sorting out a maintenance problem (they were away and their maid came to me for help - we use the same maintenance company). Got that sorted, fed the kids some lunch then we headed off to the cinema to see "Get Smart". So funny - I had a giggling fit after one scene and I still have a bit of a chuckle when I think of it now. We will definitely be adding that to the home movie collection when it comes out on DVD :)

After the movie we headed down to the food court for some dinner following which DS had an electric guitar lesson (the music school is in the same shopping centre as the cinema). While we were waiting, DD and I headed down to the hypermarket in my quest for a paper shredder (mission successful).

Around 7.30pm it was time to head home, feed the dog and take her for her evening walk, make myself a cup of tea and settle in my stitching chair in front of the tv. I stitched on Carnation Quaker while watching American Chopper and the return of Bones (Season 3).

I'd better go and check on the bathing beauty - be back soon with a pic.

but not quite :)

I've never been good at estimating how long something is going to take me to stitch and the Susanne Sampler was no exception :)

One more stitching session should see it done though (I hope!), which I may get tomorrow. I had planned a thrilling adventure to the school uniform shop for tomorrow morning but that has to be postponed until Tuesday because of a courier delivery I'm expecting tomorrow. So, a possible stitching day - yay me!

I bet you could hear the kids' collective sigh of relief where you are?

:)

Of course if the courier comes early morning, the school uniform shopping trip could still be on - muwahahaha!

Almost ...

Terrible photo, sorry, but I'm on the home stretch now and hope to finish this tonight, so I will take a better one in the daylight tomorrow! Wish me luck!

July Ornament

I started this little guy on Wednesday and finished him up last night :)



The Decorator by Full Circle Designs
Just Cross Stitch 2007 Ornament Issue

Stitched on a mystery hand-dyed 28 count opalescent
evenweave with DMC threads

I succumbed ...

to another new start today. The kids helped me choose the colours :)



This is Carnation Quaker Mystery Sampler from Wiehenburg Designs (available only to members of the Wiehenburg Samplers Yahoo Group). I tried to resist, really, but I kept seeing all the wonderful WIP pics and well, resistance was futile :)

I'm using HDF silks Mauve 1441 and Jewel Weed 3167, one strand over two on antique white 40 count Newcastle linen.

Joss Whedon fans ...

Check this out!



Then spread the word!!