A Stitch in Thyme

Another Ornament Finish

2012-01-24T07:59:00.001+11:00

My 3rd of the year. This will also be for one of my boys, that's why it's backdated. I'm playing catch up! Here it is:

Name of the design is "Jingle Bells".
Chart is from the booklet titled "Ornaments Galore vol 2" by Ursula Michaels for Leisure Arts.
Fabric is 32 count white opalescent evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 58 x 50.
Started on January 10th 2012.
Completed on January 23rd 2012.

Just turned 10 year olds and microwaves do not mix

2012-01-20T17:00:00.000+11:00

The other day I spotted my son with cooking chocolate in the kitchen and asked what he was doing - "Nothing". I asked if he needed help - "Nope". Stupidly I went about my business and got sidetracked, as you do. Some time later (5.16 minutes precisely - thanks to my ~~dibber-dobber~~ mathematically gifted other son) there was a commotion as "chocolate son" remembered he was using the microwave. The enticing aroma of burnt chocolate/melted plastic - accompanied by a smoky haze - greeted us when we opened the microwave. Did I mention he put it on high too? He was hoping to make chocolate ninjas - I'd bought him some cookie cutters (apparently interchangable for chocolate moulds) in the shape of karate ninjas for his birthday.

Note to self: Fully supervise kids around the microwave. And find some safe holiday activities for them :-)

Andrea's AWOL - so we have a new winner!

2012-01-20T15:04:00.000+11:00

I searched in vain for a way to contact Andrea, so her loss is your gain. Well at least for Chars, who is now the lucky winner! Congrats, enjoy your kit and threads.

Andrea, Andrea, where for art thou Andrea?

2012-01-12T15:21:00.000+11:00

Andrea, you were the lucky winner of my blogoversary contest, but I can't find a way to contact you. Can you please email me at jakt70 at gmail dot com or leave your details in a comment? If I don't hear back from you soon I may have to do a re-draw for the kit and floss.

My second finish of 2012

2012-01-10T09:24:00.000+11:00

Thanks to the Christmas ornament SAL I've joined, I've completed another one to go to the kids. (that's why I backdated it to 2011). Not sure what I'll stitch next, maybe another quick ornament. I have 3 weeks before February starts and I can stitch a Christmas tree, which is the theme for February. Here's the ornament:

Here's the details:

Name of the design is "Christmas bear"
Chart is from a booklet titled "101 Bears with Personality" by Lynn Busa, for Leisure Arts
Fabric is 32 count white opalescent evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 42 x 41.
Started on January 6th 2012.
Completed on Januray 9th 2012.

Blogoversary contest winners

2012-01-07T07:43:00.000+11:00

I used a random number generator to choose the winners, and they are as follows:

1st prize of the kit & 5 skeins of DMC cotton goes to Andrea.
2nd prize of the leaflet and 5 skeins of floss goes to Grannystitches.
3rd prize of a piece of aida or evenweave plus 3 skeins of floss goes to Blueladie

Congratulations to the winners and thanks everyone for entering. I have contact details for Grannystitches & Blueladie, but can't find a way to contact you Andrea, could you please email me at jakt70 at gmail dot com?

First Finish of 2012

2012-01-06T18:44:00.001+11:00

This is going to be an ornament, with red seed beads for berries, when they come in the mail. I know the date says 2011, but there's a reason for that. I wanted to stitch my kids an ornament each year to put away for them, to be presented when they move out or marry. However, my kids are 14 and almost 10 and I have not yet started on my grand scheme. Therefore this will be #1 of the 23 I need to catch up and be on track.

On a side note, I joined an exchange blog in 2011 and participated in my first exchange there. Through that, I've now signed up for an ornament SAL (Stitch-A-Long) to help keep me on track. Each month there is a theme, with a few free choices thrown in. January's theme is Santa, so my next project will be the Santa Bear from "101 Bears with Personality", a great go-to book for cute ornament or card designs.

Here's the reindeer:

Name of the design is Merry Christmas to all.
Chart is a free design from Vee & co, found on her blog.
Fabric is 32 count white opalescent evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton .
Stitch count is 38 x 43.
Started on January 3rd 2012.
Completed on January 6th 2012.

It's my Blog-O-Versary

2012-01-03T09:23:00.000+11:00

And I'm turning 3! To celebrate I'm having a contest with 3 stitching prizes. It started 3 days before my blogoversary and will end 3 days after. Check out the post (below) to find out how to enter, and good luck!

2011 - A Reflection

2012-01-01T10:44:00.000+11:00

Welcome to 2012! I have to say that 2011 was pretty kind to my family, I hope it was to yours too.

Health wise we all fared pretty well, with only a handful of minor illnesses, no major injuries and I believe NO trips to the accident & emergency department - now that has to be a record!!
Work wise DH has had 2 jobs & I started a job very close to home, with a good amount of hours, family friendly & no arrogant boss and a million security cameras watching my every move.
Money wise we have done OK. We took our first ever cruise, which also meant our first ever overseas trip. We also spent some time on the Gold & Sunshine coasts in Queensland for a winter escape courtesy of the National Karate Championships.
Schooling has been great for the kids, with both ending the year with A's, B's & C's. C's are where you should be, B's up to 6 months ahead, and A's are 12 months or more ahead, so I'm very proud of them. DS #1 won the academic award for his class this year also.
As far as hobbies & sports go, we did well there too. I finished 39 cross stitch projects and a few other crafty things. The calisthenics team I coach and perform with came runners-up at our last competition of the year, which was exciting. DS #1 has kept up his computer game addiction, and improved - and stuck with - his tennis. DS #2 is the reigning state kata champion, and almost took 3rd place at the nationals. He continues to enjoy his karate and does really well at all the tournaments he competes at, placing in kata at every one except the nationals.

So that wraps up 2011 - I'm looking forward to an equally rewarding 2012!

It's my blogoversary - and I'm having a contest!

2011-12-31T10:56:00.000+11:00

I will have been blogging for 3 years in 3 days time! Hard to believe I've had that much to say. Anyway, every year I plan to have a contest to celebrate and I've never gotten around to it, but this year I will. There will be 3 prizes, one for every year I've been blogging. This will be first prize, a kit plus 5 skeins of DMC cotton:

Second prize will be this chart, plus 5 mystery threads (only because I haven't decided what they are yet!):

Third prize will be your choice of fabric, the lemon is an evenweave, the purple is aida. I don't know the sizes, but they are at least big enough to do what I would call a medium sized project. I will also add 3 mystery threads to the prize as well.

Ok, now for the rules. All you have to do is follow my blog, and leave a comment on this post. (you also need to ensure I have a way on contacting you, either an email address or I can post a comment on your blog). The contest will close on January 6th, Victorian, Australian time. Remember, we are about 12 hours ahead of the U.S.A/Canada. Winners will be chosen randomly, 1st chosen will win 1st prize etc

Hot cocoa anyone?

2011-12-31T07:43:00.000+11:00

I'd run out of the length of thread I was stitching with on my current project and couldn't find the skein of it, so decided just to start another project instead. Here's what I whipped up over 2 days.

Name of the design is hot cocoa.
Chart is a free design from sullivans floss, designed by Sue Hillis.
Fabric is 25 count white evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton - the chart has a conversion for DMC on it.
Stitch count is 48 x 47.
Started on December 28th 2011.
Completed on December 29th 2011. I turned this into a trivet for myself. I thought I had one lying around, and the design was the right size for a trivet, so a trivet it became!

Christmas cooking, creating & crafting

2011-12-30T14:33:00.001+11:00

So here's what I've been up to in the lead up to Christmas:

Individual table setting

Reindeer I painted silver & blue

Personalised bon-bons for 17

Bought cake that I decorated

Cupcakes, "faux"rer roches
& coconut ice

Cookies & cream cheesecake

Tiramisu log

Table setting

13 Initials in pre-made
tuck ornaments

Belated Christmas Wishes

2011-12-28T09:36:00.000+11:00

It's been all quiet on the blogging front as I've been flat out finishing bits and pieces for Christmas, but I hope you had a wonderful time with family and friends. I hosted Christmas lunch for my side of the family, then Boxing Day lunch for my in-laws. The weather was looking pretty wild and all over the place on Christmas Day, I was concerned we'd lose power and the only thing I'd be able to serve was cold ham! However the power held out until 6pm, when we lost it for 10 hours! I bet that ruined a few Christmas dinners! I served ham with mustard or mayo, turkey with cranberry, pork with apple sauce, roast potato, roast pumpkin, roast capsicums, roast carrot, gravy, corn, peas and stuffing. I also made a yummy fruit punch and served plum pudding and tiramisu log for dessert.

Boxing Day turned into an indoor grill instead of a BBQ because of a few showers, but it turned out well anyway. I served prawns, marinated chicken, lamb chops, mini burgers, two types of sausages, potato bake, zucchini slice and home made bread rolls. Dessert was a tray of cakes, "faux"rer roches, and coconut ice Christmas trees as well as a cookies and cream cheesecake. Pics to follow in another post.

Also, in the lead up to Christmas we had a few exciting things happen in the family. DS #1 won the academic achievement award for his grade at the annual awards night. They give out 2 per class, one for achievement, the other for endeavour. Last year he won the endeavour one too! DS #2 was chosen from his class to be Michael Jackson for the school concert. They performed black or white and he got to be up the front doing the moonwalk among other things. He was sooo nervous but did really well in front on a crowd of probably close to 1000.

Some finishes to share :-)

2011-12-17T10:06:00.000+11:00

Finally I have some stitching I can share! These 2 finishes are hand towels I made for each of DS #2's school teachers. Both teachers have young kids and they job share so they can work part time - Mrs
Juarez on Monday & Tuesday, Mrs Havelberg on Thursday & Friday and they alternate each Wednesday. Every year I know I'll probably
stitch something for the school teachers, but I always seem to leave it until the last minute then rush something just to get it done. This year was no different, I was true to form! Except I had 2 to do. I couldn't even stitch them at karate class (which is where I get a lot of projects completed) as one of his teachers has a son that does karate and I can never remember which classes he might be at. DS finds out his 2012 teacher on Tuesday, maybe I can start a project then for him/her? LOL. I also ordered personalised notepads for them too.

Stash buying :-)

2011-12-13T10:36:00.000+11:00

Just because it's Christmas and the season for giving, I gave myself a gift! Or 5 actually. But hey, I'm worth it ;-).
The three fabric pieces across the top are "Sunny Dyes" from Youthful Hands Needle Crafts. I had never heard of them until recently when they had a sale so I decided to try them out. I got "Coven", "Very Snowy Night" & "Strawberry Orange Sorbet". I also picked up a skein of this pretty green variegated thread at a quilt store I was browsing in recently. It's called "Sea Change" and comes from Cottage Garden Thread. Better still, it's an Aussie company! Last, but certainly not least is my favourite piece of fabric. So much so, it's probably going to sit in my stash because it's too nice to stitch on! I came across it on Stitchitandie's blog and fell in love. Turns out it's from a UK company I've ordered from before - Sparklies. This gorgeous opalescent piece is called "Innocent Princess". Merry Christmas to me! :-)

Just testing...

2011-12-04T10:44:00.000+11:00

My new Christmas signature

Stitchy news - or lack thereof

2011-11-23T21:48:00.000+11:00

It's been fairly quiet on the stitching front for me lately, since my last official finish which was the Christmas Bouquet. Since then I have started a project for my mum for Christmas (the project listed as my WIP on the right), stitched 3 small surprise designs which I can't really mention here, and another hush-hush project for an exchange. Therefore I can't really talk much stitching for the time being. Come late December I'll have a lot of stitchy news to share! I also have a few other small projects I want to get done as gifts, time will tell if I can manage it all.

Another calisthenics year over.

2011-11-22T20:54:00.000+11:00

We seem to spend so much time working hard at class, learning routines, polishing them for competitions - and once competitions start the year is over before you know it. We did have quite a successful year in 2010, entering 6 items in each of the 4 competitions available to us. We managed to place in the majority of them, winning 15 medals out of a possible 24, as well as a reserve aggregate. The year is officially over now following the club concert on Sunday. As coach, I was given a lovely floral arrangement and a pretty necklace and I also got a pretty bunch of flowers for being the class secretary. I also compete as part of the team - you could call me Jill-of-all-trades (mistress of none!). Here's my flowers, aren't they pretty? (sorry for the bad pic - wanted to take one while they were fresh!)

Warrnambool road trip - for karate of course!

2011-11-06T09:12:00.001+11:00

DS #2 & I clocked up another super early start, the earliest yet, for another karate tournament. This one was in Warrnambool and run very differently than the usual ones we've gone to. In kata, there's usually a knockout system in place. A random draw is made, and you need to win against your competitor to stay in the competition. This time however there was a points system. Each person performed their kata once and was given a score out of 10, with the highest 3 taking out the prizes.

Anyway, I entered DS into kata, kumite, the older age group of kata, and weapons for the first time. Hey, it was cheap to enter and made the trip worthwhile! Anyway, he took out 2nd place in his age group of kata, only .2 behind the winner. Kumite was next up and DS did well but narrowly lost his 2 matches to just miss 3rd place. Weapons came next, and DS was a little unsure of this as he has never competed in this section before, and it was under 16 so being 9 he was concerned he might come up against some big experienced kids. However, he performed well to take out 1st place! We were both pretty rapt (and surprised!) as he chose to do a bo kata. He has only had one lesson in this weapon, but decorated his own bo and made up his own kata, all within the last week. Not bad for a thrown together routine, with not much confidence going in. Next up was the older age group of kata, with 11 kids in total. Many of them were quite strong and confident, but DS stepped up his kata to take out 1st place. He was last on the mat too, so was able to see the level of the competitors he was up against. Normally that could have been unsettling, but he really pulled out all the stops! This tournament was also unusual in that 1st place took home a trophy AND a medal. All up, he won 2 trophies and 3 medals from 4 events.

A quick trip to the beach for some karate pictures and home we came!

L for Lorraine

2011-10-27T13:58:00.000+11:00

This is a project for my mum for Christmas. It is for her bedroom, which is a bright lime/apple green. I was originally going to stitch the design in 2 shades of green on white fabric but then I remembered a grab bag of fabric I bought from Stitches & Spice at a local craft fair. In it were 4 pieces of bright fabric - blue, pink, orange and green. The green looked to be just the right colour, and is just big enough, so I decided to stitch it on this - with the L in white and the background design in a slightly darker shade of green.

So far I have just finished the L and only had to frog it once, I'm improving!!

Christmas bouquet is finished

2011-10-13T19:28:00.001+11:00

Yet again, I'm not sure what will become of this. Maybe an ornament to keep, sell or give away. Time will tell.

Name of the design is Christmas bouquet.
Chart is a free design from ABC cross stitch.
Fabric is 28 count white opalescent evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 66 x 56.
Started on September 25th 2011.
Completed on October 9th 2011.

Sick of karate yet?

2011-10-10T23:52:00.000+11:00

Yep, we attended yet another karate tournament on Sunday, miles away from home again. DS performed kata first as usual and did really well to take home a nice big 1st place trophy. He also entered kumite again against a group of kids he hasn't come up against much before. He started out more aggressive and confident than usual and took his first 3 rounds to make it into the final. The final saw a draw, and another minute on the clock. His opponent then hit him too hard a couple of times (light contact to the body is OK, no contact below the belt or above the chest is allowed) and knocked his confidence a little. He kept up the fight though to take home the 2nd place trophy. Here's hoping he can keep his new found confidence and attacking skills for the next tournament, the last of the year.
Here's his winnings:

Reserve Aggregate Winners!

2011-10-04T10:43:00.000+11:00

In the calisthenics classes leading up to our final competition of the year, I have been convincing the ladies in the team that we were going to do really well. I even told them we'd medal in all 6 items and take home the reserve aggregate trophy - I was being realistic and not expecting to beat the favourites to take out top honours! Well, we did pull it all together and work really well, gaining 2nd place in march, clubs and free exercises and 3rd place in rods, aesthetics and revue. It was a bit of a race to the end as there was another team on our tail going into the last two items. They did really well, placing 1st and 2nd, and with our 2 x 3rds, that made us equal runners-up, behind the favourites. The competition committee was on top of this, and had a spare trophy, so both of us got to take one home. Here it is, it represents a hard year of work:

Butterfly Stitching Exchange

2011-09-25T11:42:00.000+10:00

I entered a butterfly exchange on the 123stitch message board a few months back. The requirement was to stitch a little something with a butterfly theme. My partner and I were a little late as we were meant to send in August, but we got there in the end. My butterfly parcel to my partner Monica has been received, and I also have the piece she stitched, so it's show & tell time! Here's the pretty bookmark that Monica stitched for me:

Here's the ornament I stitched for Monica:

Although not required as part of the exchange, I threw in a few extra butterfly gifts as well. There's a hanging butterfly ornament, some silver craft butterflies, a 3D bookmark, 3D stickers and regular stickers. Here they are:

Anyone having a baby?

2011-09-24T18:30:00.000+10:00

I have another finish to show - a pink baby bib. Why, you might ask? Good question! I was sick of stitching things that just sat there once done. In my warped mind, it seemed like a good idea to stitch something with more of a purpose, even though it too will sit here gathering dust. Yep, I know. I am insane! In a good, zany way, not in a put-me-in-a-padded-cell kind of way ;-)

Name of the design - well it doesn't really have one I don't think.
Chart is a design from UK Magazine Cross Stitch Crazy, at least the cupcake is. I simplified it a little and then added the words myself.
Fabric is a pre-finished bib from my stash. (When did I ever want a pink bib?)
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 31 x 40 for the cupcake only.
Started on September 6th 2011.
Completed on September 24th 2011.

A Frantic Weekend & More Winnings

2011-09-13T12:03:00.000+10:00

Saturday started out with a birthday party that DS #2 was invited to at the local pool which he thoroughly enjoyed. Straight from there it was off to an extra calisthenics practise for our team as we have another competition this coming Friday night. From there I went home long enough to pack my calisthenics things (for our photo day on Sunday) and get DS's karate things together (for a tournament - also on Sunday). Then we headed out for dinner.

Sunday was even busier, with DS & I leaving for the tournament at 6.45am. He competed well again, going through 3 rounds to gain 2nd place in kata. I had to leave at 12 to go back near home for calisthenics photos, so DH & DS #1 came to the tournament to look after DS #2. I missed his kumite, but he did well, facing up to the Victorian (and almost National) champion - again - in the first round. He lost, but still managed to get a bronze medal for his efforts. I just made it back in the nick of time to see him lose his round of team kumite 1-0. His team lost this time (this is the club the team faced at the Aus Open and beat) but they won a silver medal as there were only 2 teams entered. From there we went to Pancake Parlour (YUM!!) for dinner then home again. I managed to clock up 321km that day. Yes - I am insane

Alby Owl is Done

2011-09-03T23:49:00.002+10:00

I have another stitching finish to show off. This one didn't take long, or should I say shouldn't have taken long. I spent a fair bit of time frogging, almost as much as I did stitching it seems. I guess grey on grey in bad light makes for plenty of errors. Anyway, here's my friend Alby:

Name of the design is "Alby".
Chart is a design from a New Zealand designer called Janet Davies of JMD Designs. I took advantage of her "buy 2 patterns get one free" offer. This chart also included a few versions of Alby and a border which would look great on something like a hand towel. Good value for money. I chose a PDF version but she also sells hard copies. I left off a small part of the border on this design as it looked a little messy.
Fabric is an unmarked 28 count mottled grey/blue & white piece from my stash.
Thread is DMC #317.
Stitch count is 72 x 72.
Started on August 24th 2011.
Completed on September 3rd 2011. I'm not sure what this will become or what I'll do with it. Maybe a little pillow or wall hanging?

A Totally Vivid Dream

2011-09-03T22:58:00.000+10:00

It's not often that I can recall my dreams, and even less often that they are really vivid. Last night was one of those nights. The dream started with me catching a glance of several people and their cars/utes (see? I even remember what they were driving!) in our front yard area. The people were shearing a couple of sheep, you know, as you do on a random strangers property. I opened the door and tried to get their attention but they were ignoring me. Turns out they were outraged that we were neglecting our sheep. Somehow they forced their way in to the house and became an angry mob. I called for my husband to dial 000 and next thing I knew the house was filled with SWAT type police and there was a wild and crazy riot going on.

FYI - No need to call the RSPCA - our sheep are doing just fine!

Anyone care to interpret that one? LOL.

Another finish - but no pic :-(

2011-08-27T07:59:00.000+10:00

I finally finished my butterfly themed design, a little later than the deadline, but better late than never. My partner has lost her stitching mojo, so that makes me feel better about being overdue. I still need to make it into something but hopefully tomorrow I will get around to doing that. Obviously I can't post a pic just yet of my finish, but as soon as it is received, I will.

C.V.I State Calisthenics Titles

2011-08-22T12:12:00.000+10:00

Saturday was our 2nd competition for the year, and our 2nd in a week. We were hoping to take home a trophy, but it was not to be. We did perform well and managed a 2nd for march, 3rd for clubs, honourable mention for free exercises, 2nd for rods, 3rd for aesthetics and 1st for revue. We were super excited about the first placing, it's our first one ever in masters!!

Next up is Mountain Districts in a few weeks, which will be tough as we are combined with the higher division again. Wish us luck!

Holiday in Surfers Paradise

2011-08-16T18:03:00.000+10:00

We recently had a family holiday in Surfers Paradise in Queensland which was a welcome getaway. DS #2 and I drove back down from Caloundra where we attended the National Karate Championships and met DS #1 and DH there. Our hotel was wonderful, and we'd definitely recommend it. It was a massive 2 bedroom apartment with ocean & river views, and a bigger walk in wardrobe than our bathroom at home! Here it is, including the view from our 19th floor balcony:

Here's some pics of the resort facilites, including a lizard who roamed around the heated outdoor pool/spa area:

Monday was spent at the Movie World theme park, where we hit some rides and met the TV presenter Shelley Craft, who posed for a pic with the kids:

Tuesday was spent on the "Superduck" (a bus that drives into the water and becomes a boat), at Timezone and then dinner & a show at the Aussie Outback Spectacular:

Wednesday was another theme park, Dream World this time:

Thursday we had a buffet breakfast in the restaurant on site, followed by one last swim and spa and a wander through town ending with ice cream before heading back to the airport and home.

Australian Karate Federation National Championships

2011-08-14T09:51:00.001+10:00

As you may know, my 9 YO son is on the Victorian Karate team for both kumite (sparring) and kata. The National Championships were last weekend in Caloundra, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He and I were booked to fly with Tiger Airways, but we had to cancel as they were grounded for safety reasons. I'd booked with them ages ago as I got a good price and in the end paid something like 3-4 times as much with another airline. That hurt, but I can't complain, at least we got a flight at a reasonable time.

Once we landed we got our hire car, stopped for an all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut buffet overlooking the beach, then drove to our hotel. The following day DS had both his events. As usual, kata started the day. He performed really well, winning his first 2 rounds 3 flags to 0. He then came up against the 2010 National champion in the 3rd round and lost 0-3. This boy made it through to the final so that meant DS had a chance to try for a 3rd place medal. In my opinion, he deserved the 3rd place but very early on in his performance he went to do a kick and his supporting leg came out from under him and he stumbled, rolling his ankle in the process. He recovered well and finished beautifully, but lost 1-2 flags. He did really well to earn a flag as stumbles and mistakes normally cost you any chance of a vote from one of the 3 referees. He handled the disappointment like a trooper. He did hurt his ankle a little bit too, as a bruise came up and we got some ice on it to stop the swelling. Although his results have been a little disappointing in the 2 National Championships he's entered, I would still put him up there as one of the top few kata kids in his age group. On one prior occasion this year he has even beaten the boy who took out this year's title, so that's exciting!

Not much later that day he had kumite. He came up against the eventual winner 1st round and lost 0-4 I think. He got another chance to come back for 3rd but lost that round also. He has a few strong competitors in his age group and as he is a little I think he is still overcoming a lack of confidence. It is scary to face an opponent who's aim is to kick and punch you as much as possible (That sounds harsh, but it is controlled and they barely make contact. They are also suited up like Michelin Men!).

The following 1 1/2 days were spent at the tournament, before we drove back down to the Gold Coast where we met DH and DS #1 for a family holiday, which I'll post about later.

Whew! Time to relax!

2011-08-14T09:13:00.000+10:00

As you can see it's been a LONG time since I last posted. There has been so much going on at times I wondered if it would all get done, but I have managed to get through it all and now life should return to "normal", whatever that may be!
I won't bore you with all the details in one post, I'll start with the most recent event (calisthenics competition) and go from there. We have been working towards them since early February, with a few hiccups along the way, and a bit of a rush to get all the work taught and learnt. It was a race against time to complete costumes too, with one being finished on the morning of our competition. The ladies have been working so hard, even having an 8 hour practise session! We did work well and gained a 3rd, 4th & 2 5th placings against 2 other teams in our division and 3 teams in the division higher than ours. There's room for improvement and hopefully we'll do better at the State Championships next week.

Colour Exchange

2011-07-12T09:56:00.000+10:00

Recently I participated in a colour exchange that was organised by a message board member at 123 stitch. My partner was Amy in the U.S.A and her favourite colour is blue. Mine, of course, was pink! Here's what I sent to Amy:

* A patterned piece of fabric

* A magnetic snow globe that you add your own photo to

* A notebook

* A candle

* A packet of beads

* A pair of buttons

* A body sponge

* Do-it-yourself earing kit

* An insulated bottle cover

Here's what Amy sent to me:

* A polka dot photo frame

* A cupcake photo frame

* A couple of stamps

* An ink pad

* Cupcake holder

* 10 skeins of thread

* Printed ribbon

* A cross stitch chart

and all the items came in a pretty box :-)

A Fantastic Day of Karate

2011-07-10T10:21:00.001+10:00

DS & I went to the final karate tournament before the Nationals yesterday. I wasn't sure whether to go or not as it was a long way from home, but it turns out it was very worthwhile. We hit the road just after 6am, with a breakfast pit stop along the way. The trip was very easy and we made it in no time.

It was quite a small tournament, with only 3 mats in operation. However, there turned out to be about 12 kids in his kata so he got a chance to practise his new ones a few times as there were 4 rounds. He went on to win! He also went into the 10-12 year age group for some extra practise and came 2nd, losing to another state team member. Just before his kumite event, it was announced that Jols (a martial arts equipment supplier) would give the winner of his age group a new Adidas gi, which DS was excited about and used as incentive to win the event with a perfect head kick in the final round. Jols also supplied place getters with a free drink bottle. I even bought DS a new t-shirt and myself a hoodie, so all up a great day!

I even dreamt he won kata, and won kumite 2-1 against a kid called Lochlain. There's a Lochlain he usually comes up against in Melbourne tournaments (who wasn't there) but funnily enough, the boy he beat (3-1) was a Lochlain too! I also dreamt I had to do a kata against another mum, but thankfully that part didn't come true. 2 out of 3 ain't bad!

Video Game Blog

2011-07-06T09:20:00.000+10:00

This is my son's blog, with video game reviews. He's looking to get some more followers so feel free to spread the word. Get your kids to check it out too :-)
my-video-games.blogspot.com

A Whinge & a W(h)ine about Tiger

2011-07-04T16:21:00.000+10:00

The airway that is, not the animal. Although riding a real life tiger to Queensland sounds almost more appealing right about now. For those that don't know, Tiger Airways have been grounded for at least a week by CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) due to a couple of safety breaches. There's talk of them never recovering (their domestic flights have run at a loss since they started up here in Australia), and the bans lasting longer than the week. I even read in the newspaper that their CEO sold his shares in the company last week. A sign of little faith?

Anyway, I am therefore in limbo. Thankfully our flights aren't for a few weeks, but still, I kind of like the thought of everything being set in stone and that my life wouldn't hang in the balance for a karate tournament. I don't even want to fly with them anymore, but short of writing off several hundred dollars of tickets, or praying they cancel the flights with a full refund (which they are currently doing for those "flying" this week), then I don't have a lot of choice. Let's just hope they don't declare bankruptcy before then, or I won't see a single cent of the money we paid them.

Even after I bought the tickets, I said never again to flying with Tiger. Now this.

First Finish in (what seems like) Forever

2011-07-01T16:27:00.000+10:00

Yet again, it seems like decades since I had a finish to show. I chose this one because it looked "easy", and I thought I could whip it up in no time. Sadly, that was not to be. I had to do my fair share of frogging, because apparently I was "blinded by the white" (Get it? You know that song by Manfred Mann? Ha ha, I'm too funny. Aren't I?) around the letter squares. You'd think I'd learn the first time, but no, I think on 3 out of the 4 squares I started stitching the pink right up against the burgandy colour. Doh!
Here it is:

Name of the design is "Assisi Love Squared".
Chart is a freebie from Kincavel Krosses.
Fabric is a 28 count white off cut.
Thread is DMC #3326 & #3328.
Stitch count is 65 x 63.
Started on May 17th 2011.
Completed on June 29th 2011. I'm not sure what this will become or what I'll do with it. Maybe a little pillow or wall hanging?

Fabric Trade

2011-07-01T09:47:00.000+10:00

I recently traded some fabric with Joni from the 123stitch message board. It's been ages since I traded and not bought outright. We both had no clue what was a good trade, but in the end we worked out a system that we both were pleased with. I have no clue what fabric is worth, I'm really useless! I ended up with 3 large pieces of my favourite fabric (monaco -hand dyed by the now defunct Enchanted Fabrics - RIP) as well as a gift voucher to spend at 123 stitch. Joni ended up with several smaller cuts of different fabric. Here's what I got:

Now to make myself stitch on it and not just admire it!

Can't think of a title :-)

2011-06-15T13:55:00.001+10:00

Ok, let's see what's been happening since the last blog post.....

I am another year older :-(. I did have a great birthday with great gifts, food and cake though, so adding another year onto my age was kind of worth it.

DS #1 has had mid year exams. He's only gotten a few results so far, but they have been good, ranging from 73 to 96%.

Ds #2 had the Karate Victoria presentation dinner, where the state team was announced. He has made the team for both kata and kumite (sparring) which he is pleased about. There were several awards given out to the older athletes and our club was well represented. DS has also had a couple more tournaments. At the first one he tried a new kata that he's learning and lost his round as it wasn't quite polished enough. However, he still managed a 3rd place trophy. He also took home another 3rd place for kumite after losing to the current Victorian champion. At the next tournament his new kata was more polished and he won all 3 rounds to take home the winners trophy. He came up against a fellow state team member in kumite and lost out in the first round.

There's not much to report on the stitching front. I've always known I'm a slow stitcher, but I think it's now official. Where are the "Guiness Book of World Records" people when you need them? I am taking soooo loooong on my current 2 colour, "simple" project that it's no longer funny. I'm not too embarrassed to admit I've also had to frog it at least twice. Uh Oh!! It seems the only time I get to stitch lately is at karate, thankfully DS have a few classes a week or else it would become a UFO.

Birthday time!

2011-05-22T18:11:00.001+10:00

It seems like it's been all quiet on the blogging front lately. I haven't had much to say, nor time to say it. However, it was my eldest son's birthday recently, he turned 14. Do you know how old that makes me feel? Scary stuff! Anyway, I struggled with what to buy him this year, but in the end he seemed to enjoy his gifts. He chose home made nachos for dinner on his birthday, and we had caramel mud cake for dessert. On the nearest weekend we stuffed ourselves silly, and gave the credit card a workout, at Pancake Parlour. We haven't been for ages, so it was a nice treat. Although they are "just" pancakes, they are soooo yummy.

Now, as I type, he is having a few friends over for a party to celebrate. At this age they pretty much take care of themselves, playing video games and the like. We're about to have pizza, with more caramel mud cake for dessert. He doesn't really like a lot of cake flavours, so you have to go with what you know he'll like.

Oh, and we had a family celebration a while back too so it seems like this birthday is never ending. Next up is mine in the not too distant future. I think I'm having a craving for Taco Bill.........

My butterfly has wings, a body & antennae!

2011-05-15T17:08:00.000+10:00

Finally another finish, it seems to have been a while. Actually it's been just over a month since I started it but it feels waaaay longer. Here it is:

Here are the details:

Name of the design is "Tribal Butterfly".
Chart is from the "Tribal Collection" from Sparklies in the UK.
Fabric is 28 count hand dyed yellow evenweave. It looks a little pale and washed out but it's actually quite a bit brighter.
Thread is DMC #106, a variegated orange.
Stitch count is 167 x 135.
Started on April 12th 2011.
Completed on May 14th 2011. I'm not sure what this will become or what I'll do with it. Story of my stitching life!

On another note, my eldest son turned 14 recently. Like I need another excuse to feel old! Youngest DS came home from school camp on his birthday, so the kids were pleasant to each other the entire time. DS seemed to like his gifts, we had caramel mud cake and he chose nachos for dinner. The following night we went to Pancake Parlour for a proper celebration. We all stuffed ourselves silly and enjoyed our meals. It's funny how simple pancakes can taste sooooo good!

My progress on "Tribal Butterfly"

2011-04-25T10:32:00.000+10:00

Here's where I'm up to so far:

My shortest post ever! LOL

Hot cross buns, one-a-penny, two-a-penny.....

2011-04-24T10:32:00.000+10:00

Hot cross buns!
Guess what I made yesterday? I thought there should be traditional hot cross buns in the house for Easter breakfast, so got cooking. I found the recipe here and made the changes that some people mentioned (changed the white sugar to brown & doubled the spices. I also used mixed fruit instead of just currants). I made the mistake of leaving too much room between them when I left them to rise, and they ended up as single buns with a crusty edge instead of soft sides. I also used a baking tray instead of a lamington type pan which wouldn't have helped. I could have added even more spice too.
Anyway, the kids liked them and we had some for Easter breakfast, to wash down the chocolate ;-)

Happy Easter everyone, I hope you got a visit from the Easter Bunny!

A "Finished" Easter finish

2011-04-23T14:33:00.000+10:00

Try saying that 10 times fast!
This is a design I stitched a while back, but put off finishing as I knew it would be a nightmare to fit it into the frame properly. Surprisingly I didn't get to the point where I wanted to fling it across the room in a fit of blind fury, cursing the day I ever thought it was a good idea to make a cross stitched collage. I know it's far from perfect, but it will do. As it's quite a busy design I think it works out OK. It gives it that real rustic, homemade look ;-)

Happy Easter, and don't overdo the chocolate!

Australian Open Karate Tournament

2011-04-18T09:45:00.000+10:00

We've just had a full on couple of days attending the Australian Open tournament. Of course my internal alarm clock didn't trust my electrical alarm clock again and started the wake up process at 2am Friday morning. After a few more interrupted hours of sleep we hit the road in the dark. The worst part of tournaments? Hands down the early starts! Oh, and the ironing of the kata gi. This time I took it to the local dry cleaner and paid him to do it. Bliss! Best part? Seeing DS perform well and be pleased with results regardless of placings. Oh, and seeing him make friends with his opponents and being a great sport.

Anyway, DS was entered into both kata and kumite (sparring) in the kyu divisions (open to those below a black belt) and the open (open to anyone, including black belts and beyond - although at DS's age there's generally no black belts). A total of 4 events.

In kata, (both open and kyu grades) he won his first 2 rounds 3-0, but lost out in the final 0-3 to take home a silver medal in each. In kumite, he lost the first round but came back in the repecharge to have a chance for 3rd. Unfortunately he narrowly missed out on winning both matches, so just missed another 2 bronze medals.

Last year he was only eligible for kata, and had a major wobble in the kyu grades which cost him the chance to medal, but came back to take 3rd in the open grade. This year was a better result all round.

It was great experience, as there were boys from 3 other states besides Victoria. It felt a lot like Nationals because of this, and gave us a chance to see what some of the other states will be bring to Caloundra in August for the 2011 Nationals.

My Easter exchange package arrived FROM the UK!

2011-04-14T09:54:00.000+10:00

And Eileen spoilt me rotten with lots of goodies! Here's a pic:

She sent me a cute purple felt bag, an Easter greeting card, a cute floral kit, some DMC cotton, a lovely bright stitched Easter design, a teeny tiny fluffy bunny, some Easter stickers, 2 pieces of purple fabric and some chocolates. Sadly, some of the chocolates are missing as they ~~got eaten before I took the pic~~ mysteriously disappeared ;-)
Thanks for the exchange Eileen!

Hot off the q-snaps!

2011-04-11T14:52:00.000+10:00

I've finally finished "Lacey Pinks", it seems to have taken ages. Here's a pic of it:

Here's the details:

Name of the design is "Lacey Pinks".
Chart is designed by Debbie Draper Designs.
Fabric is 28 count pink evenweave that was gifted to me :-).
Thread is DMC #150 (the burgundy) and the pink is from Carries Creations, in "Magenta"
Stitch count is 120 x 120.
Started on March 19th.
Completed on April 10th. I chose to stitch this in alternate colours to break it up a little, instead of the one colour it called for. I'm not sure what will become of this design.

My Easter exchange package arrived in the UK!

2011-04-10T11:28:00.001+10:00

It seems Eileen liked everything I sent, which is great. Her package to me is still in transit, I'm sure it will be here soon. Here's a pic of the stitched piece I sent to her:

Here's the rest of the goodies I mailed:

Purple is Eileen's favourite colour, so I sent some hand dyed purple fabric, a pansy tuck ornament kit, some fudge and 4 cards with birds on them as she likes birds also.

Here's the details of the stitched piece:

Name of the design is "Easter Card".
Chart is a freebie for members at San Man Originals.
Fabric is a unique piece of mottled lilac 28 count evenweave from Silkweavers fabric.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 63 x 60.
Completed around about March 18th 2011.

All quiet on the western front

2011-04-05T14:13:00.000+10:00

I haven't posted in what seems like ages, as there hasn't been too much to report. I finally finished off the piece for the Easter/Spring Exchange and mailed it off. Eileen has also mailed her item to me, so I'll be able to post what I sent and what I got soon enough.
I'm still working on the "Lacey Pinks" design, slowly but surely making progress. It seems I've only been stitching at karate class lately, so it's taking a while to finish even though I'm close to the end. Not sure what will be next, I have a few ideas but nothing is jumping out at me.
My eldest son has started debating again for the year, as an extra curricular activity through school. Last night was the 2nd one for the year and his team got their first ever win! I think there's either 3 or 4 more debates, one every fortnight during school terms. Fingers crossed they can get a few more wins on the board.

2 days of stitching on my WIP

2011-03-22T13:40:00.000+11:00

Here's my latest project, after 2 days of stitching:

I'm using a pink thread from Carrie's Creations and a burgandy DMC thread. What do you think so far?

Stash in the mail :-)

2011-03-17T13:20:00.001+11:00

The other day I got some cross stitch stash in the mail, from Barb who won a flood appeal auction from me. She saw that I had the "Lacey Pinks" chart on my wish list, and had it in her stash so very kindly offered it to me. Not only did she include the chart, she sent some pretty pink fabric and Carrie's Creations thread to stitch the design with. I was over the moon! I was nearing completion on my current project and contemplating what to stitch next. Nothing was calling my name until I opened the package, and there was my inspiration for my next project! Here's the goodies she sent me:

If you're reading this Barb, thanks again! You are the best :-)

My Easter/Spring exchange piece

2011-03-16T14:04:00.000+11:00

I can't post pics or details of my latest project because it's a gift for an exchange I joined over on the message board at 123 stitch. The idea is to stitch a little something with either a Spring or Easter theme, and mail it off to your partner with a little gift or two. My partner is Eileen in England and we are to mail our pieces on the 1st of April. I am finishing up the stitching part now and will have to work out what to turn it into soon. I can tell you it's stitched on a one-off piece of hand dyed fabric and I'm using 9 different coloured threads. I just have a bit of backstitching to do and that's about it. I'll post pics once I hear that Eileen has received it.

Final cupcake finish!!

2011-03-09T13:09:00.000+11:00

I've finished, and only a little later than planned. I had 3 stitching goals for 2010, one of which was to complete all 23 cupcake designs. I failed in all 3 of those goals, so this year my goal is to have no goals! Anyway, here's a pic of #23:

Name of the design is an extract from "Quaker cushion".
Chart is designed by Kell Smurthwaite from Kincavel Krosses.
Fabric is 25 count "Dark Chocolate" lugana evenweave from 123 stitch.
Thread is DMC cotton, #840.
Stitch count is 28 x 28.
Started on March 2nd.
Completed on March 8th, with quite a few non-stitching days in there. It will be the FINAL cupcake for my stand!

O.M.G :-)

2011-03-07T14:17:00.000+11:00

What a weekend! It started with a restless night Friday. I pretty much woke up every hour, on the hour and was awake for the day at about 4am :-(. I never sleep well when the alarm is set for an early time, I think subconciously I expect to over sleep.

Anyway, after my early start DS and I headed off in the dark for the Victorian Karate Championships. He was entered into kata, kumite and team kumite. Despite the draw not being in his favour, he did really well to take gold in kata! He is now a 2-time state champion :-). Kumite he earnt a bronze medal, despite losing his round, and then in team kata he also lost but overall his team beat the other team to take home another gold. Not bad for a day's work!

Then after our busy Saturday we headed to the Avalon Airshow on Sunday. It was hot, dusty, and busy but a good day was had by all. Until time to leave the carpark. A single exit lane and a gazillion cars trying to merge and exit. Not fun!

Then today I started a new job. It's tiring and only proved to me that I really, truly am unfit! Other than that it was good and the ladies seem nice. Oh, and it's only just up the road from home, and during school hours!

Now I just need to sleep for a day or twelve. zzzzzzzzz

Second last cupcake!

2011-03-02T11:28:00.001+11:00

The end is nigh! I'm now working on the final one, yay. Here's the one I just finished:

Name of the design - It's an extract from "Sampler 09"
Chart is a freebie from this blog, I believe.
Fabric is 25 count "Dark Chocolate" lugana evenweave from 123 stitch.
Thread is DMC cotton, #840.
Stitch count is 25 x 25.
Started on February 25th.
Completed on March 1st. It will be another cupcake for my stand.

3rd last cupcake!

2011-02-25T13:07:00.011+11:00

Are you sick of the sight of them yet? LOL I recently received the brown fabric for the final 2 cupcakes, so they'll be my next couple of projects. Then I'll be finished the stitching aspect of the cupcakes, just to find some time to sit down and turn them into actual cupcakes.

Name of the design is - who knows? In my haste to find a project to stitch on the go, I cut and pasted a freebie into ms paint and selected just this part to stitch. Having now looked through my freebies at least twice, I can't find it anywhere. Sadly, I only started this a few days ago too :-( UPDATE: It's funny what a fresh look can do ;-). I did find the pattern, in a folder I either didn't check, or checked with tired eyes around 11pm last night. This is an extract from the Petit sampler.
Chart is a freebie from this blog.
Fabric is 32 count "Ruby Wine" lugana evenweave from 123 stitch.
Thread is a variegated DMC cotton, #107, with the lighter pink bits cut out.
Stitch count is 29 x 29.
Started on February 20th.
Completed on February 24th. It will be another cupcake for my stand.

Karate & a cupcake

2011-02-21T11:58:00.000+11:00

I've finished another cupcake design, only 3 more to go. I'm waiting on some brown fabric to arrive for 2 of them, so that leaves one more red one to stitch for now.

Name of the design is "Persian Flower".
Chart is a freebie designed by Elizabeth Almond and can be found on the blackwork journey website.
Fabric is a white 28 count evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton, #414.
Stitch count is 34 x 34.
Started on February 16th.
Completed on February 19th. It will be another cupcake for my stand.

On another note, DS # 2 had his first karate tournament of the year yesterday and took home first place for kata. In kumite he had a bye first round then lost out in overtime in the second round. It's a bit hard to tell who he will be up against in the running for state team, as the age groups were different for this tournament. A few of the kids will go up an age group, and some won't be old enough to try for kumite. Not to mention this tournament was broken up into 2 different belt levels too. Time will tell I guess.... Here's the trophy he won for his efforts:

Another cupcake for the collection

2011-02-16T11:13:00.000+11:00

I have another white one to go, as well as a red one and two brown ones, then the collection will be complete and I can completely fill my stand. If I ever get around to turning them into cupcakes that is, instead of a collection of finishes in a box!

Name of the design is "Laurie".
Chart is a freebie designed by Jeanne Dansby and it can be found on her blog.
Fabric is a white 28 count evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton, #414.
Stitch count is 27 x 27.
Completed and started on February 15th. It will be another cupcake for my stand.

A cross stitched quilt label finish

2011-02-15T12:10:00.000+11:00

This is for Sarah I at Quilts 4 Kids, where quilts made up of cross stitched squares are created for kids with life threatening or long term health problems. Here's my label:

Sarah's favourite colours are pink, purple and pale green so I chose those to stitch the label in. The quilt theme is butterflies, and the due date for squares is March 2011. Here's the details:

Name of the design - doesn't have a name. I created the purple wording myself, the fancy "Sarah" came from a butterfly alphabet in an old issue of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, as did the butterfly itself. Of course I don't have details of which issue of the magazine it was. :-(
Chart is designed by myself and someone from XS Crazy!
Fabric is white 14 count aida.
Thread is DMC cotton. I used variegated purple (DMC 52) for the wording and a variegated green (perhaps sulky, or a "no-name" thread) for "Sarah". The butterfly is assorted DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 61 x 100.
Completed on February 13th, started on February 5th.

A Pre-Christmas Finish

2011-02-11T10:48:00.000+11:00

This is something I whipped up in December for a fellow stitcher in the USA. I couldn't post pics until I knew she had received it, so here it is now:

Name of the design is "Sleepy Koala".
Chart is designed by Carrol Neilson.
Fabric is a white 28 count evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 41 x 60.
Completed in December 2010.

My 8th cross stitch finish of 2011!

2011-02-07T11:16:00.000+11:00

Here's what I got up to while my kids and their friends played laser tag one day over the school holidays. I was in between projects and wanted something I could kit up quickly and would be good to stitch on the go. Here it is:

Name of the design is "Blackwork de Noel Sapin numero 4".
Chart is a freebie from this blog.
Fabric is a white 28 count monaco evenweave.
Thread is a variegated red sewing thread, maybe sulky brand or a no-name brand from my local sewing shop or Spotlight. Obviously I don't keep good track of my purchases. I do recall having all three of the above mentioned threads though. :-(
Stitch count was 65 x 63 before I added the trunk of the tree. The design was originally just the triangle shape.
Completed on February 4th. Started on February 3rd.

It's beginning to look a lot like Easter!

2011-02-04T13:38:00.000+11:00

You know, because there are Easter eggs and hot cross buns in the shops, and Easter stitching in my q-snaps! Someone forgot to check the calendar, it's barely February and Easter isn't until late April. Oh well, at this rate, I might even have my cross stitch framed and ready to display on time!
Here's the final design, don't mind my appalling scanning skills. I padded it out a bit on the top and bottom to fill the frame:

Name of the design is "Happy Easter".
Chart is a members freebie from San Man Originals.
Fabric is a hand dyed fabric called "Pot Pourri" from Polstitches Designs in the UK. It's 28 count Jobelan evenweave .
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count was 58 x 68 before I added the extra bits top and bottom.
Completed on February 2nd. Started on January 12th, with a 6 day break to stitch a quilt square.

Here's the 3 designs all together. Forgive the really wonky scanning:

Another finish for me!

2011-01-26T10:20:00.015+11:00

I was asked if I could whip up a quilt square recently so I have put aside my Easter stitching to do so. This will become part of a quilt to be donated to the CFA (Country Fire Authority) to raise much needed funds. The idea came about after the devastating bush fires to hit Victoria in the summer of 2009. A fellow Aussie has been organising the project, from memory there are 4 quilts being made, two for Wildlife Victoria (one featuring Aussie birds, and the other Aussie animals) and two for the CFA (one featuring Ellen Maurer Stroh animal babies - too cute!, and the other featuring native florals). I seem to recall stitching an animal baby for the CFA quilt, and this time I stitched a floral design for the other CFA one.
Here's the one I just completed:

Here's the details:

Name of the design is Australian Orchids.

Chart is designed by Margaret Morgan and appeared in "Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch Australia" publication #6.

Fabric is a a cream off cut in 32 count evenweave.

Thread is DMC cotton.

Stitch count is originally 70 x 130, although I cut off the bottom dozen or so stitches so the design would fit the quilt requirements.

Completed on January 25th 2011. Started on January 20th. This will be for the CFA fundraising quilt.

My Queensland flood auctions have ended

2011-01-24T09:30:00.001+11:00

Don't forget that there are many others ending tonight, and even beyond so don't forget to check the master list.

After worrying that my items would get no bids, I'm pleased to say all 4 got a bid, and I (or should I say my bidders!) have raised $49 towards the flood appeal. Thanks so much for bidding and I hope all the auctions get bids, there's some very professional looking items up for grabs.

My Queensland Flood Auctions

2011-01-16T19:54:00.003+11:00

As part of the "Queensland Flood Appeal Auctions", I'm auctioning off 4 cross stitched items made by myself. If you are interested in bidding for any home made/hand crafted items, click on the link to see a master list of all the auctions raising funds for this great cause.

My auctions will start at 9am (AEDT) Monday 17th of January 2010 and stay open until 9am on Monday 24th of January. I will post pics of the items here, with a link to an individual page for each item with more details and the option of bidding. Any questions? Email me!

Light blue t-shirt for baby

Royal blue t-shirt for baby

Pink/mauve monochrome heart

Teal monochrome design

Queensland Flooding

2011-01-13T16:09:00.000+11:00

As you will probably know, huge parts of Queensland are flooding, including the downtown CBD of Brisbane. It's hard to comprehend the area affected, apparently it's the size of France and Germany combined. You will see just how bad the flooding is in the picture at the top of my blog. Some homes just have their roofs above ground, can you imagine?

The pink Queensland auction image above will take you to a blog where there will shortly be a list of auctions you can participate in, mainly for handcrafted items I believe. I have signed up to host an auction or two (haven't quite decided what yet). I believe the auctions will start no later than Monday the 17th of January and are open for a week. Don't quote me, but I think you will just nominate a dollar amount in the comments box of the blog post, along with an email address to be contacted on. If you are the winner at the end, the blog owner will contact you and organise payment. Check out Toni's blog for more info.

The flood water image will take you to the Queensland government website with all the info you need to donate money, if you feel you'd like to. There's also info on there for the international people who might want to help out.

5th finish for 2011

2011-01-12T10:49:00.000+11:00

Yes, it appears I'm on a roll, LOL. Here's the latest Easter piece:

Here's both designs together:

Name of the design is Easter Scramble
Chart is an old members freebie from San Man Originals that I adapted slightly to fit.
Fabric is a hand dyed 28 count Jobelan evenweave called "Pot Pourri" from Polstitches Designs in the UK.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 39 x 36.
Completed on January 12th 2011. Started on January 9th. This will be a framed design for Easter.

An Easter finish - in January!

2011-01-08T20:54:00.004+11:00

The first of my trio of Easter designs, started and finished in one day. I may have to add a few more small hearts along the top to fill the opening as I'm a little off centre, but I'll leave that until later. Here it is:

And here's how it fits into the rest of the design. Don't mind the ugly black griding lines, I just needed an idea of where each design has to go:

Name of the design is Easter joy
Chart is an old members freebie from San Man Originals that I adapted slightly to fit.
Fabric is a hand dyed 28 count Jobelan evenweave called "Pot Pourri" from Polstitches Designs in the UK.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 38 x 37.
Completed on January 8th 2011. Started on January 8th too. This will be a framed design for Easter.

A new non-cupcake project

2011-01-07T13:27:00.000+11:00

So I've decided I like the house decorated for Christmas & thought I may have to decorate for Easter too. Yesterday, while going through my file of freebie cross stitch patterns, I came across these cute San Man Originals designs. I do love this style of pattern, although I've never done one. Not sure what that means, but anyway.... I printed them out & put them aside for later.

Fast forward a few hours and I was shopping. I came across 2 hot pink photo frames and had to buy them for "something". Wasn't quite sure what, but hey, they were cheap! And hot pink! Got home and started thinking about the Easter designs and how I was going to finish them. Thought about the frames and decided to see if they'd fit. What do you know? The one with 3 apertures will fit the designs, with a little bit of tweaking!

Then I recalled a pretty fabric I had, that I just hadn't found the right project for. I pulled it out and it will work nicely. It's a hand dyed fabric called "Pot Pourri" from Polstitches Designs in the UK. It's 28 count Jobelan evenweave and is *just* the right size.

Just because I'm a geek, I put together a mock-up of how the finished project may look, minus the fabric background. I hope it fits just right and doesn't become a logistical nightmare. Time will tell I guess!

I'm on a roll!

2011-01-07T07:54:00.000+11:00

Yet another finish!

Name of the design is Tiny Little Quaker.
Chart is an old freebie from Papillon Creations that I changed a little.
Fabric is 32 count "Ruby Wine" lugana evenweave from123 stitch.
Thread is a variegated DMC cotton, #107, but I cut the pinkish bits out.
Stitch count is 41 x 41.
Completed on January 6th 2011. Started on January 5th. This will be another cupcake.

I will probably have to put the cupcakes on hold until I can sort out my silicone holders. I will have to find them, sort out fabric and see which colours I'll make 3 of. The stand holds 23, and I mostly had 2 of each colour holder. So they will go on the back burner for a while, but I've found a cute project to work on in the mean time, details to come!

Yet another finish!

2011-01-05T16:35:00.001+11:00

Two finishes for 2011 and it's only January 5th! I'm impressed :-). Yes, this is yet ANOTHER cupcake design. I seem to have been stuck on about 7 more to do for ages. Every time I do one, I seem to have 7 left. My counting skills obviously leave a lot to be desired. Anyway, here it is, with a few little additions from me:

Name of the design is unknown, it saved as aunts_attic_0002
Chart is a freebie from this website.
Fabric is 32 count "Ruby Wine" lugana evenweave from 123 stitch.
Thread is a variegated DMC cotton, #107, but I cut the pinkish bits out.
Stitch count is 33 x 33.
Completed on January 5th 2011. Started on January 4th. This will be another cupcake.

First Finish For 2011!

2011-01-03T19:08:00.035+11:00

And here it is:

Name of the design is "Love".
Chart is a freebie from Debbie Draper Designs.
Fabric is 28 count purple jazlyn from 123 stitch.
Thread is "Sue Purple" silk by Hand Dyed Fibers.
Stitch count is 36 x 36. I did adapt the pattern slightly by omitting the corners.
Completed on January 3rd. Started on December 31st. This will be another cupcake for my stand.

A final finish for 2010!

2010-12-31T20:52:00.000+11:00

Told you I'd sneak another one in! With 3 1/2 hours to spare too :-). I did make a few changes along the way, I personalised the cat with some dark grey markings to look like our cat Jazz, and instead of "Joy" down the side, I made it "Jazz". Here it is:

Name of the design is "Joy Cat".
Chart is from a leaflet called "Fast & Festive" by Leisure Arts.
Fabric is 28 count white evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 33 x 59, but I made the bauble strings longer.
Completed on December 31st 2010. Started on December 19th. This will be a Christmas ornament.

Have a great new year, and stay safe. May 2011 be your year to shine!

We made it to Christmas unscathed!

2010-12-30T10:13:00.000+11:00

Yay!! There was no need for bubble wrap either :-). DS #2 is prone to medical dramas in December (right near Christmas) as you may know from previous posts. However, we may just have broken the curse this year! I did worry when he woke, exactly a week out from Christmas, with a sore throat and feeling unwell. I thought, great, just enough time to for it to manifest into bronchitis, or pneumonia, or scarlet fever, or ebola or .......

Anyway, we made it through!! Although yesterday he did manage to jam his pinky finger in the car door. Yes, he somehow found a way to do it to himself, I think that's got to be a first!

On the stitching front, I decided to make the "Buon natale" design into a small framed piece, as I had a plain white frame here that was *just* the right size. Here's the final product:

I'm also sporadically working on my WIP, I should have it done this year if I get a reasonable amount of time to stitch. Maybe on the 31st? Nothing like leaving it to the last minute to squeeze out another finish.

It's also my Dad's 80th birthday today, and I made a giant orange cupcake, filled with orange custard, and decorated with orange icing. Did I mention orange cake is his favourite? Here it is:

Merry Christmas to all

2010-12-23T17:04:00.000+11:00

To all who pass by my little corner of the web, I wish you nothing but the best for the festive season. Not all of us have friends, family or other loved ones to share the day with, but I hope you are still able to find joy in your hearts and contentment with your life at this time of year. My wish for you all is health, wealth and happiness. I think that covers it all, if we have those three things, we are pretty blessed. May 2011 be prosperous for you all in every way!

Creating in the kitchen

2010-12-22T09:42:00.001+11:00

Well, you can't really call it baking or cooking, when the oven wasn't used at all. Let's just call it creating! I made oreo balls and a fudgy caramel slice. I did make more than this, but these were the only photogenic ones ;-) I suppose you want the recipes too? LOL. Here you go:

OREO BALLS
Ingredients:
150gm packet of oreos, any flavour. 250gm cream cheese. 1 ts vanilla essence (this was my own addition). chocolate for melting (at a guess 250gm?)
Method:
Crush oreos in a blender. Soften cream cheese (I also used the blender, but be careful you don't over soften it or the mixture will be too gooey) . Mix oreos through cream cheese, add vanilla essence. Shape into small balls and place on a greaseproof paper lined tray. Freeze for about an hour. Melt chocolate over stove top or in the microwave. Dip balls into chocolate and set back on greaseproof paper to set in the fridge. You could also try other ways of decorating them, drizzling chocolate over, rolling in sprinkles or coconut etc. You could even add other bits and pieces to the mixture: glaced cherries, sultantas, choc bits etc. These definitely tasted better the next day (today!)

FUDGY CARAMEL SLICE
Ingredients:
250gm packet of choc ripple biscuits. 125gm nice biscuits. 125gm melted butter. 50gm chopped butter. 120gm dry roasted hazelnuts (I used milk and white choc bits instead). 1 egg yolk. 250gm chopped milk chocolate. 1/4 cup brown sugar. 395gm can condensed milk.
Method:
Grease and line a 19cm square baking pan, bottom and sides. In a blender, blitz all the biscuits and egg yolk, add melted butter and process further. Press mixture into the base of the pan. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Place hazelnuts (or choc bits) on base. Make filling by cooking condensed milk, brown sugar and chopped butter in a heavy based pan over low heat until brown sugar melts. Stir constantly for about 10 minutes, and do not allow to burn. When light brown in colour, pout over base and place in fridge for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in microwave in 30 second bursts (on about medium) until smooth. Spread over filling, cover and refrigerate until hard, about 2 hours. Cut into pieces (using a hot knife to melt the chocolate coating, otherwise it will just crack) and serve.
Enjoy!

Just testing

2010-12-21T11:14:00.001+11:00

Make a Grunge Heart at WiddlyTinks.com

New stash, and school reports.

2010-12-21T08:13:00.000+11:00

I'm not even sure how I came across this pattern, probably some enabler on a message board somewhere! There were a few other tribal designs, but this one caught my eye as I like butterflies and could imagine it done on some striking fabric with bright variagated thread. If you'd like to check out the designs, I bought it from a UK company called Sparklies. (The tribal butterfly design is now #1 on their top sellers list)

It's the end of another school year and both kids have now had their reports sent home. Both did really well, with DS #1 getting the academic effort award for his class, a merit certificate in 4 subjects (I don't really know what he had to achieve to get it) and 8 A's, 4 B's & 4 C's. DS #2 got 7 B's & 11 C's. (FYI: A= well above expected standard -from what I can tell 12 months ahead- B= above expected standard -6 months ahead- and C= at expected standard)

Look what I did today!

2010-12-18T17:59:00.005+11:00

A few weeks ago I bought a create-your-own-Christmas-cards kit. I thought, "Why not make some home made cards this year?" Brilliant idea! However, I'm really, really good at getting fantastic ideas like this, but they more often than not never make it to fruition. Much like the make-it-yourself earring kits, or the beaded Christmas stars kit, or the ready-to-decorate cane wreathes, or the photo insert Christmas cards, or the mini family scrapbook, or the....... Anyway, you get my drift! These brilliant ideas usually sit amongst my craft ~~crap~~ stash for ages, until once in a blue moon when I get the urge to purge, and they get given away (or sold if I can find a ~~sucker~~ fellow crafter to pay to take them off my hands!) in a "what WAS I thinking?" moment. Anyway, I digress....here's what I actually, really, truly made this afternoon. Honest! The proof is in the picture ;-)

Buon Natale Freebie Finish

2010-12-18T14:57:00.001+11:00

Here's a design I started on Wednesday and put in the last few stitches this morning. Another poster on the 123stitch message board was looking for an Italian Christmas ornament design, and it got me thinking that would be the ideal thing to stitch for my MIL. I wanted to get her a little something extra, and thought a cross stitched gift would be nice (she also crafts - embroidery, crochet, knitting etc). I searched through all the suggested designs and decided upon this one. It's not really the usual design I'd go for, but something about it struck my fancy. Here it is:

Name of the design is "Buon Natale".
Chart is a freebie from this blog.
Fabric is 28 count white evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 71 x 57.
Completed in December 2010. This will be finished as an ornament for my MIL.

Christmas karate bear finish

2010-12-17T11:15:00.000+11:00

It's rare I stitch a design more than once, let alone twice in one year, but that's exactly what I've done with this design. From memory, it was my first finish of 2010 when I made it for DS's birthday. I stitched it without the hat, on opalescent blue fabric, and framed it in a matching blue frame. This time around I added the Christmas hat and stitched it on plain white fabric, turning it into an ornament for the tree. Here it is:

Turns out it's not the first karate ornament I've made for the instructors, this one I made at least 2 years ago:

Anyway, here's the details on the latest one:

Name of the design is "Karate". I did add the hat from a design in the same book called "Christmas". Wildly original names, I know!
Chart is from a Leisure Arts leaflet titled "101 Bears with Personality" by Lynn Busa.
Fabric is 28 count white evenweave.
Thread is DMC cotton.
Stitch count is 31 x 40.
Completed in December 2010. This was for DS's karate instructors, a husband and wife team.

Awards Night Update

2010-12-16T12:19:00.000+11:00

Well, I'd like to be able to tell you the awards night for DS #1 went smoothly, but it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Thankfully, nothing to do with us! On to the good stuff first though, DS got the award in his class for academic effort, and a girl in his class got the one for academic achievement. It appears they gave one of each award for each class in each year level. (There's about 9 classes of year 7's this year) As for the musical number, apparently he came in a count early (which I didn't pick up on - neither did anyone else) and was mortified. I keep telling him he has only just started to play, and already he was chosen as one of 4 trumpeters to perform and he has done so well picking it up. Oh, and while talking to his French teacher afterwards, we found out he got 101% in his recent French exam. Much like the 11/10 on Junior Masterchef, I'm not a fan of anything more than a perfect score, but apparently there were bonus questions, which makes it OK.

Now, for the memorable part. If you are in the least bit squeamish, then you should.....
B
A
C
K

A
W
A
Y

N
O
W

Ok, you have been warned!

During the year 9 awards, I noticed a lady and her son (probably about 10-12 years old) get up really quickly and try and make a fast exit. Thankfully, they were close to the middle aisle, but as they got up, he projectile vomited down the aisle. Without going into detail, you can imagine it wasn't pretty, with us all packed in like sardines. Then to top it off, he slipped and fell while exiting! Comical, if not gross and sad. Then another kid, trying to escape the aroma, slipped also! We had what you'd call the perfect viewpoint, just out of reach, but close enough to catch all the action. Some of the teachers jumped in and took care of it, all while the awards kept on coming. Now THAT's mortifying!

Awards Night Tonight!

2010-12-14T14:39:00.000+11:00

DS #1 has his school awards night tonight. Learning to play a musical instrument was part of the curriculum this year, and he chose the trumpet. After picking it up really well, he has been selected to participate in a musical number with a small band tonight. Not only that, but he will be picking up an academic award, not quite sure for what, we’ll have to wait and see. Proud mum will be there with video and digital camera in tow!

On the stitching front, I've finished the Christmas karate bear design that will be an ornament for the karate instructors. The last class for the year is Thursday, so I'll wash, iron and finish it tomorrow. Will post a pic then.

Another XS finish - but I can't show you yet!

2010-12-12T20:03:00.000+11:00

It's a gift for someone overseas, so I can't post pics until the recipient gets it. Therefore I can't say much about it just yet! It stitched up quickly, on white evenweave fabric, using 10 different DMC threads. The stitch count is 41 x 60. It looks cute, even though my finishing technique, or lack thereof, caused it to hang a little off centre. :-(

I've also started on another quickie, this one needs to be finished for Thursday to give to DS's karate instructors. I doubt they read the blog, so I can describe that one. It's a cute bear in a karate gi, with a black belt. I've used part of another design to add a Santa hat to it and I'll add the year too. It will end up as a Christmas ornament.

Next up will be another small Buon Natale design for my MIL for Christmas. Seems I'm making a mad dash to get a few more finishes under my belt before the year is out!

The A-Z of me!

2010-12-06T13:03:00.002+11:00

I came across this quiz on another blog and thought I'd share here. Feel free to post your answers on your blog, it's a fun way for your friends to get to know you.

A - Age: Do I have to??? 40
B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: So many to choose from. Vacuuming, mopping, cleaning the toilets etc etc
D - Dog's name: Don't have one now, but as a child I had Midnight then Toki, both mixed breeds.
E - Essential start your day item(s): A drink of any sort (No, not an alcoholic one!)
F - Favorite colour: Pink, closely followed by purple
G- Gold or Silver: Silver
H - Height: 5' 4" or 164cm
I - Instruments you play: None, although I tried really hard to learn the guitar. Epic fail!
J - Job: Mum/Sales assistant
K - Kids: 2 boys, 13 & 8
L - Living Arrangements: With hubby and kids in a house
M - Music you love: Varied taste.....hard rock, 80's stuff, top 40.
N - Nicknames: Thankfully none
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Twice for Addison's Disease, once for pneumonia. Oh, and a total of 5 weeks when pregnant/giving birth to DS #1
P - Pet Peeve: How long do you have? LOL. Ok, people parking in the middle of 2 car parking spots, so their precious car doesn't get scratched. Why do the rules not apply to them??

Q - Quote from a movie: That would require a memory, of which I do not have one.
R - Right or left handed : Right handed for almost everything. I eat left handed and carry a bag on my left shoulder
S - Siblings: 1 sister
T - Time you wake up: If I'm lucky enough to wake with the alarm, 6.40 on weekdays, 7.30 on weekends.
U – Underwear: Let's not go there shall we?
V - Vegetable you dislike: Pumpkin. Thanks Mum & Dad!
W - Workout Style: What's a workout?
X - X-rays you've had: I'm not sure, I bet there's been some. Oh yeah, my mouth, looking for wisdom teeth. Sadly I have none. Wisdom, or wisdom teeth.
Y - Yummy food you make: My kids would say parma's and carbonara.
Z - Zoo, the best place to visit: Any of the primates. Reminds me of visiting the in-laws. Joking!

My hand towel finish

2010-12-04T09:52:00.000+11:00

Another day, another finish! Here's the cross stitched hand towel I made for DS's school teacher. School finishes up in 2 weeks, hard to believe the year is almost done and dusted.

Here's the details:

Name of the design is unknown, it just saved as 20070626_19_Robyn
Chart is a freebie from My Aunt's Attic, but the collection of charts can be found here.
Fabric is a pre-finished cream hand towel.
Thread is a variegated blue and purple thread, DMC 4215.
Stitch count is 27 x 133.
Completed in November 2010. This will be for DS's school teacher. There were just enough spaces down the bottom to fill in his teacher's surname, so I decided to personalise it that way.

A new/old finish!

2010-12-02T10:40:00.001+11:00

Ok, I found this one when cleaning out my stash. I've had it completed for probably a few months, but haven't added it to my blog or stitching album as yet.

Here's the details:

Name of the design Ink Spot #4
Chart is a freebie from Ink Circles
Fabric is a unique piece of hand dyed 28ct green opalescent fabric from who knows where!
Thread is a silk called "Isle Green" from Hand Dyed Fibers.
Stitch count is 35 x 35
Completed in, hmm, let's say about June 2010? This will be another cupcake for my stand.

A few cross stitch finishes :-)

2010-12-01T12:02:00.000+11:00

I finished this Christmas cross stitch design a few weeks ago, but I'm making a few changes and need to find a button supplier (for cherry buttons) to fully complete it for framing. I also realised after I took a pic that I didn't finish off one of the mints!

Here's the details:

Name of the design "Christmas Calories" by Sue Hillis
Chart was purchased from 123stitch
Fabric is a piece of 28ct lugana called "Strawberry milkshake" from Silkweavers
Thread is DMC cotton
Stitch count is 84 x 124
Completed in November 2010. I plan to add some buttons and sequins for effect and I bought a plain white frame today to mount it in.

I also whipped up this design for another cupcake for my stand:

Here's the details:

Name of the design simply "Hearts"
Chart is adapted from a freebie by Karen at Cross Stitch Directory
Fabric is a piece of 28 count purple evenweave
Thread is Sue Purple 6103 silk by Hand Dyed Fibers
Stitch count is 32 x 32
Completed in November 2010. This will be another cupcake for my stand.

I'm now working on a cream hand towel for DS's teacher. I'm using a variegated blue/purple thread and just stitching a repeat freebie pattern. It's working up quickly and I should be finished in a few days.

A fun stitching quiz

2010-11-27T09:35:00.000+11:00

1. What are you stitching at the moment?
Actually nothing! I just finished a purple design to make a cupcake out of (purple fabric, mauve silk thread, monochrome design). Next up I'll have to dig out a hand towel and one of the freebie monochrome repeat patterns I have and start a gift for DS's school teacher. School's out in a few short weeks, so I'll need to do that soon.

2. How many finishes have you had this year? Small? Medium? Large? Extra Large?
Thanks to my wonderful blogging skills, I can easily tell you that! 12 stitching ones and 2 knitted scarves. The cross stitch ones would have to be 8 small, 2 medium & 2 large. By my standards anyway.

3. Do you think you will finish any more in the next month and a half before the end of the year?
Yes, I'd better! I want to stitch the hand towel for DS's teacher and maybe another cupcake or two. Or maybe Christmas ornaments instead.

4. If you could buy 1 thing for yourself what would it be? (Doesn't have to be stitching)
A housekeeper ;-)

5. What is the best thing you have ever stitched?
The project that I enjoyed the most would have to be one I've just finished, "Christmas Calories" by Sue Hillis. It was just so cute and easy to stitch and pretty when done.

6. Do you like making lists?
Yes, I'd be lost without them. My brain can't cope with information overload!

7. Do you stitch in rotation (how does it work?) or OAAT?
I'm a one-project-at-a-time kinda gal.

8. What is the next thing you plan to stitch?
A hand towel for my DS's teacher.

9. What is your fave ONS? And why?
Easy! 123stitch. They may be in the USA, but shipping is super fast, and often cheaper than Aussie companies. Prices are good, variety is great. What more can I say?

10. Do you have a stitching chair?
Does the corner of the couch count? If so, yes.

11. Do your children/pets get into your stitching things?
YES!! Kids that is. They are always playing with some bits and pieces of mine and leaving them God only knows where.

12. Do you participate in any stitching forums?
Regularly at 123stitch and sometimes at others here and there.

If you want to copy and paste the questions into your own blog, they can be found on Stitchitandie's blog

Please pass the bubble wrap!

2010-11-25T10:44:00.001+11:00

And the calamine lotion and anti-histamines! So it's not quite December but the fun has started!

On the way home from school yesterday, DS broke out in another one of the rashes he is prone to. It's usually just a mild-ish allergic reaction to something plant based from what we can gather. It mainly appears on his arms and legs, just red with small, circular, raised, itchy bumps. Not yesterday!

We'd been in the car for an hour when his brother looked at his face and saw that is was beet red with large welts all over it. Thankfully no swelling, but I turned the car around and we headed for the doctor. We ended up waiting half an hour to see him, and by that time he had returned to normal. Of course! The rash had come up in no more than 20 minutes, when we'd only been in the car for the last hour, with windows up and vents closed. We did stop at the drive-thru of Golden Arches for a burger, but it's a burger he has eaten several times before. Unfortunately there's no preventative medicine to give him, so we have to just wait and treat it should it come up again. We can start the allergy testing process, but I fear there's not much that can be done if it's a common plant he's allergic to.

It's nearly December - so where's the bubble wrap?

2010-11-22T13:00:00.001+11:00

Ok, so I've nicknamed December "bubble-wrap-tember". There's a running joke that if it's December, it's time to wrap my 8 YO son in bubble wrap, and quarantine him for his own safety. Here's why:

Christmas 2002: Thankfully uneventful.
Christmas 2003: Ditto
Christmas 2004: Ditto
Christmas 2005: His brother picked him up in a so-called harmless bear hug and put him down again. End result? Broken leg, with a lovely green cast (you know, it was Christmas after all. We had to co-ordinate with the colours of the season!)
Christmas 2006: As a parting gift, before all the kids separated and went to different schools, another child from kinder gave him chicken pox. Merry Christmas to you too!
Christmas 2007: Thankfully nothing too extreme this time. He'd been sick in the lead up to Christmas, and lost his voice for the big day. Could have been worse. Could have been Christmas 2008!
Christmas 2008: While decorating the tree, he tripped and cut just above his eye on the rounded edge of the coffee table. (yes, we planned for accident prone children when buying furniture - didn't help!) Of course, he waited for the 3.4 seconds I was out of the room before doing it, so I couldn't cushion the fall. Thankfully glue worked with no need for stitches. And yes, we have broached the subject of frequent flyer miles, fly buys points or some sort of VIP service at the local hospital.
Christmas 2009: Broke his arm after falling backwards off a 4-5 foot fence while attempting to get a stray ball. Fetching blue cast this time, because green casts are soooo 2005. And yes, we are on a first name basis at the local hospital. I keep expecting a knock on the door from Child Protective Services too.
Christmas 2010: All donations of bubble wrap are gratefully accepted! Cross your fingers for us, that this year we break the curse and the bubble wrap isn't needed!

Another Calisthenics Year Over

2010-11-21T08:16:00.002+11:00

Well we had our concert a week ago and I'd like to say it went off without a hitch, but it didn't quite. We had a bit of drama with the music, especially for our concert item featuring the whole club that was meant to be at the start. It meant an extra change of clothes or two, but the show did go on with this item being performed just before interval instead. During the presentations I got this lovely floral arrangement from the club for being a coach:

I also got this bright and beautiful bunch of flowers from the team I coach:

Although I didn't take a picture (it wouldn't show up well), I also got a black handbag from the club for being the secretary of our group.

It's all over for another year, time to get the thinking cap on and start planning music and choreography for 2011!

9 Days Of Stitching

2010-11-07T23:21:00.002+11:00

And here's where I'm at. I'm sad it's working up so quickly as I'm really enjoying it. I'm still hoping to find just the right embellishments to add to it, but I bet the going will be tough. You never can find those obscure bits and pieces when you're actually looking for them, but when you're not you come across all sorts of weird and wonderful things!

Here's what I'm hoping to add to it:

2 cherry buttons
Seed & bugle bead sprinkles
A pinky/red heart button
Seed beads for the holly decoration

A Pretty Find That Followed Me Home

2010-11-04T11:09:00.000+11:00

I was at one of the local sewing stores today and happened upon these cuties. There were 3 other colours, but the pink jumped out at me. I need another pair of scissors like I need another hole in the head, but at $4.95 who could resist? Not me :-)

4 days of stitching on "Christmas Calories"

2010-11-03T14:54:00.000+11:00

And here's where I'm at now. A little bit blurry because I scanned it in the q-snaps:

My smoking needle

2010-11-01T08:12:00.001+11:00

I got a heap of stitching in over the weekend and I'm loving how this design is turning out, including my choice of fabric :-) I awoke with a pounding headache on Saturday that stuck around most of the weekend, so when faced with vacuuming or stitching, it wasn't a hard choice to stitch! I'm thinking of adding a few sequins & charms to replace some of the cake decorations. It will give it a 3D effect, a little like a gingerbread house.

My New Project

2010-10-30T18:23:00.001+11:00

I've decided my next project will be one of the designs I just bought from 123 stitch. It's called "Christmas Calories" by Sue Hillis Designs. I've selected some 28 count lugana fabric from my stash to stitch it on, it's a pretty colour called "Strawberry Milkshake" from silkweavers.

FYI - and for my own information too - This photo collage was created at big hug labs, using the mosaic maker feature. If you host your photos with flickr you can access your pics easily and make a professional collage in seconds.
Off to stitch......

Coat of arms is finished!

2010-10-30T10:26:00.000+11:00

I put the final few stitches in this morning. I was planning on backstitching around all the black, but decided against it as I don't think it really needs it. Not to mention it would have taken ages and I'm itching to move onto something else! The picture is not the best, but I haven't washed or ironed it. Here it is:

Here's the details:

Name of the design Nixon coat of arms
Chart is from Cross Stitch Heraldry
Fabric is a piece of white 28ct evenweave
Thread is DMC cotton
Stitch count is 84 x 98
Completed in October 2010. This will be for my Dad for Christmas, probably finished off in a simple white frame, or maybe a red or yellow one if I can find one and it looks right.

A somewhat disappointing Stash Enhancement eXperience

2010-10-29T12:20:00.002+11:00

What? Buying stash twice within a week? Who would have guessed? Well it's true! I decided to buy what appears to be a new design from Alessandra Adelaide Needleworks. It's a really cute cake design called "Sweety". This is what it looks like:

It cost $13.93 for the pattern alone, plus shipping on top. Oh, and this was on special too! From what I've seen it does appear that AAN designs are on the pricey side, perhaps because she is a European designer?? However, I wasn't really expecting the design to come in a plastic bag containing 2 A4 sheets of paper that look like something I could have printed off using my Canon Pixma printer. Even the picture of the finished design is just a coloured representation, not a photo. Granted, the design is very clear and easy to follow and it does contain everything I need to complete the design, but I just feel that for nearly $14 I should at least have some cardboard and something that resembles a professional leaflet. I realise some designers choose to print their designs in this way to save costs, but those costs really should be at least partly passed down to the customer. When buying designs, in the back of my mind is the resale value as I rarely stitch a design more than once. I'd have a hard time convincing some people that this is indeed the original if I choose to sell it later. I get that designers spend hours charting designs for us to stitch, and in turn I get hours of pleasure stitching them. Really, I do. I just can't help feeling that it should have been more, or meatier or something. Having said all that, would I buy an AAN design again? Probably yes, especially as I have about a dozen on my wish list! Just in future I'd perhaps be selective about what I buy, knowing what I'll get for my money.