My New Project

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!

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

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.

OMG!! I'm such a loser!!

It's time for glasses. Or maybe some sleep. Or maybe some sleep with glasses! I  haven't slept well the last few nights, dreaming about all sorts of horrible things. Last night I slept fitfully again, as I ended up sleeping with my younger son who's feeling sick. Anyway, back on topic: loserdom. As you know, I have been cross stitching away on the coat of arms design. I haven't been quite sure what the greyish "thing" is at the top. I'm so thankful I didn't voice my opinion online of what it was, as the whole entire world would be laughing their butts off at me right now. As someone with glasses (and probably enough sleep) pointed out, it is indeed a metal knight's helmet. Of course it is, duh! What else could it possibly be?

Master Chef and Shopping Tour follow-up - and my WIP

Well, DS didn't make it through to the school Master Chef finals. There were about 30-40 dishes presented by the kids, and around 10 made it through to the finals. The cook-off was last week and some sort of chocolate dipped strawberries, or chocolate mousse with strawberries won. He was disappointed, but had fun making (and eating) his goodies, and it was great to see him taking so much care making & presenting them. Not to mention the fun and excitement he had presenting his dish at school and the anticipation of perhaps making it through. All in all, lots of fun and a good life lesson.

Well the shopping tour got off to a good start. I dreamt I was late and missed the bus, which was a little bit true as I was the last one to rock up and get on. Oops! I didn't spend too much but did get some bits and pieces, including some Christmas gifts which I won't mention on here :-) I got myself a New Balance windcheater and a black sequined dressy top, as well as a pink and grey Converse sports bag. They were all $20 each. I spent less than average, and the bus of about 39 people spent around $9,500. On the way home the bus did have to pull over on the freeway as there was a red light on the dashboard and a strange noise coming from "somewhere". We limped off the freeway and waited about 20 minutes for a back up bus to come and get us, which was pretty quick I thought. If we were going to break down anywhere/anytime, that was the place to do it. Imagine the chaos of breaking down during the day in Smith St Collingwood or Bridge Rd Richmond with a bus full of ladies itching to get to all the shopping outlets! Perish the thought!

Here's my latest pic on my WIP. I've done a bit more of the black outline but it didn't fit in the scanner. I'll also add a pic of what it will look like finished. Feel free to enlighten me as to what the thing at the top is.

Masterchef - and a shopping tour!

 Well, DS didn't get through to the final cook-off of Junior Master Chef at school. He was disappointed, especially as he didn't approve of one dish that made it through, LOL. Anyway, he had fun making the food, enjoyed the excitement of the contest and had some yummy things to eat. He also learnt that you don't always win, even when you put in 100% effort, good lesson there!

Tomorrow I am off on an epic shopping tour, about 12 hours in length. It's a fundraiser for karate, and I'm sure we'll all spend up big. I don't remember where we are going, so it will be a pleasant surprise. I have a few bits and pieces on my list, and of course Christmas is coming up so I'll keep my eye out for gifts. It's just too bad the weather is going to be cold and wet, the umbrella will get a good workout!

Oh, and I think I spoke too soon about Spring.....oops! The weather has been cold and WET lately, I think it probably rained for about 15 hours straight this time around. The ground is super soggy and the sky is grey. I think I'll keep my mouth shut next time :-)

Spring has Sprung - and a Junior Master Chef Challenge

Well Spring has finally arrived. It's like Mother Nature was watching the calendar, just waiting for the right date to bring warmer weather, sun and flowers in the garden. Apart from a couple of days, the weather has just completely switched, which I'm thankful for. I need some sun! Anyway, I've had a couple of azaleas in a pot on my balcony for probably close to 2 years, they have looked healthy for the whole time, but just never flowered.  Just the other day I noticed quite a few buds forming, and now one is in full bloom, the other not far behind. Here they are:

We had another crazy busy weekend, filled with karate stuff amongst other things. Saturday DS #2 started his first XMA class (eXtreme Martial Arts) which combines karate with gymnastic type moves. He did really well. Then in the afternoon he went to pre-season kumite training for the state team. Then we went to the drive-in to see "Despicable Me". Sunday I had to head out early for calisthenics group photos, and once I got home DS #2 required my supervision to make deluxe choc chip cookies and cupcakes for the master chef challenge at school today. He did it all himself, all I did was get the ingredients down from the high shelf, and put things in the oven. I did offer some suggestions, and made sure he kept checking the recipe, but the end results were all his own efforts. He was justifiably proud of them too, and so excited about the thought of maybe making it through to the cook-off at school on Friday. x Fingers crossed x.  Here's what he created:

 

Merry Unbirthday!

Well, I need to make up some sort of faux celebration to make it sound legitimate! The truth is I just treated myself to some new cross stitch stash. It's a few months past my birthday and a few months to Christmas, both of which are worth celebrating :-) That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it! I haven't bought stash for AGES (OK, so don't scroll down and see the post about the coat of arms ;-) ) so I deserve to splurge. Plus, the Aussie dollar is close to the American dollar, so it really was just meant to be I think. Convinced? I am! The fabric is for my ongoing cupcake stand project. They match the cupcake holders really well, I'm pleased. The charts are just because! All of the items came from 123 stitch. The charts are both by Sue Hillis designs, called "Christmas calories" and "Sweets for the sweet". The fabric is 28 count purple jazlyn and 32 count ruby rose lugana.

A Budding Artist :-)

This is my 8 YO son's latest drawing. He is a keen artist-in-the-making and will often copy pictures and pause his favourite DVD's to draw a character he sees on screen. I like the detail he has gotten in this one:

On the stitching front I'm still going on the coat of arms for my dad. I got a few hours in on Friday while the kids played laser tag. I'm kind of getting tired of red and yellow blocks of colour though. Not sure what's on the agenda after this, probably sorting out my cupcake project and finalising the fabrics, cupcake holders, threads and designs. I have ordered some red and purple fabric to hopefully match the cupcake holders I have, so they will probably be the first ones I do after this project.

My Latest Cross Stitch Project

It's (hopefully) going to be for my dad for Christmas or his birthday. It's a coat of arms design from Cross Stitch Heraldry. I'm stitching it on really horrible white evenweave which was a pre-packaged piece I bought from Spotlight when they had a sale. The threads seem very thin and the fabric very see-through and it's quite rough. I will probably regret not frogging it and using something different by the end. There's lots of large blocks of colour, so pretty good for zoning out on. Here's my progress so far, with a pic of what it will look like finished:

Another Cross Stitch Finish

It's been a while since I've been able to sink my teeth into any real cross stitch projects, but yesterday was a bit of a lazy day so I sat on the couch and stitched. Granted I've come down with my son's cold and wasn't up to much, so that's my excuse! Here's what I finished yesterday:

Here's the details:

• Name of the design  "Singing Bears" or "Oursons Chantuers"
• Chart is a freebie (on rotation - there's a new free chart every day and you can also access the last 4 days worth of charts too) from cross stitchers club
• Fabric is a piece of white 28ct evenweave
• Thread is DMC cotton
• Stitch count is 101 x 115
• Completed in September 2010. I think I'll finish it in a simple white frame, maybe with some holly beads and red seed beads on it for effect.

We have a winner!

And it's Barb! Congrats. Now to figure out how to contact her...:-)
She guessed a sad 10 pairs. For those sitting on the edge of their seats just waiting to hear about said shoes, here's my pathetic shoe collection:

• A short pair of black boots
• A long pair of black boots
• A short pair of camel boots (that's the colour not the animal :-)
• A pair of runners (they get a good workout. Sadly, not for running. Or any exercise at all)
• The obligatory pair of classic black heels (thankfully they are a classic style because I've had them for years and hardly wear them. They get dragged out those rare occasions a fancy pair of shoes are required)
• A pair of black flats
• A pair of black thongs (that's flip flops for the Americans. Get your minds out of the gutter :-)
• A pair of beaded brown thongs
• A pair of orange beaded thongs
• A pair of multi coloured strappy sandals (they look better than they sound. Truly)

So there you have it, my massive shoe collection. Thanks for playing!

Camp cut short :-(

On Monday morning my youngest son went off to camp. Mind you, camp is closer to home than school! LOL. He was super excited and happily boarded the bus for 3 days of fun. Today they were due back at school around 3pm, but I got a phone call at 7.15am from his teacher. Apparently he has a bit of a cold and has been fighting it pretty much since day one. He kept saying he wanted to stay, but this morning it was too much for him and he asked to come home. He has a sore throat, looks a bit wasted and a snotty nose, poor baby. He doesn't seem overly disappointed thankfully.

Watch out world - we have a new brown belt!

DS #2 had another karate grading on the weekend and is officially a brown belt, or 3rd kyu. The grading went for 2 1/2 hours and he always seems to go out strong and I wonder if he has the stamina to last the distance but he always does. This time he was looking tired early, but came through just fine. Oh, if you don't count the 2 injuries! While sparring he managed to fall and hit his head on a chair (complete with lump), and stand on a rogue staple.

On the contest front, there's been a close guess or two. Some of you are far too optomistic! If I had oodles of shoes, I'd need oodles of clothes to go with them, not to mention accessories. Then I'd need a stylist to make it all work together!

My 100th Post!!! Oh, and a contest!!!

I’ve finally gotten together some bits and pieces for a prize. Here they are:

 3 x leaflets (“Simply Blackwork” by Anchor Design Studio, “Favorite Fingertips” by Leisure Arts & “Boughs of Holly” by Jeremiah Junction)

2 x threads (A silvery/grey Madeira silk thread  - 1803  L11 & a dull gold Madeira silk thread – 2012  L11)

Fabric (A sage green piece of 30 count linen 45 x 50cm)

Buttons (A topiary/fruit tree in a pot button & a cottage button)

Eye glasses case (A black pre-finished eyeglass case, ready to stitch.)

I was getting the bits and pieces together to take a photo, and in the time it took me to get the camera, Jazz decided to make himself comfortable:

Needless to say, if you are allergic to cats, it's best not to enter. :-) Anyway, after I shooed him away, I took a better pic of the prizes on offer:

Now the only thing missing is a question! I can never come up with anything exciting, but here's my best, totally random, effort:

How many pairs of shoes do I own?

Yes, boring, I know.

Just post your guess as a comment on this post, and make sure I can get in contact with you should you win. I'll ship anywhere in the world, and the items have been stored in my smoke free home, but as you can see we do have one cat. Oh and 3 sheep but they never come inside. Anymore ;-)

I will keep the contest open until I get a winner, however long that might take. Oh, and only one guess per person please.