It's been a while - new blog

I'm not sure anyone looks here anymore!

I'm still crafting, and miss the crafting community and keeping track of things I've done.  Life has moved on, as it does.

I've decided to start a new blog to try and combine everything in my life - my crafting, my marathon training, and my family ... and life in general - you can follow me there if you want :)

My New Blog

I've been a hopeless blogger ...

But I'm still alive! Still stitching, but not nearly as much - I'm lucky if I sit a couple of nights a week with it. Stampin' Up kind of took up a lot of my creativity, I've loved the journey - I'm taking things quieter with it for now as life is permanently very busy and sad fact is that I can't do everything!

So of interest to my stitching buddies? I'm stitching the "C" fairy from Nora Corbett right now, when I'm finished with that I have to stitch the "R" ... I was SO excited when the R came out and she was called Rhiannon! Funny enough, if Charlotte hadn't been Charlotte, she would have been Cassandra :) So yeah, still stitching :)

So why a post all of a sudden? I thought I should tell you about my new blog - not sure if anyone is really interested (okay, I know Faith-Ann is :) :)), but I've set a new blog ... my journey to running the London Marathon next year. Yeah, can you believe it? I'm going to run a marathon - you'll have to read the blog to learn more about it!

http://journeyfromfattolondonmarathon.blogspot.com/

Maybe if I get time, I'll actually update here with some stitching pictures, no promises though!


~Lisa

Watch that sun ...

Wow, I just heard that my sister's best primary/high school friend has only weeks to live. Skin cancer - she is only 37yo.

Wow, I know they keep telling us, but when it hits that close it really makes it real :(

So listen to the ads, cover up and wear that sun screen!!!

Go Paula!

Our first gold medal at the Paralympics, won in the cycling by Paula Tesoriero. I would say, I was surprised to hear her name mentioned as we were half watching the Opening Ceremony - but my natural reaction is more "wow, we always said she'd do something".

Paula was one of my original Rally girls - Every Girls Rally, that is - a bit like Girl Guides but run by the church, I was a Rally girl that went onto to be a Leader right up until my married family life got too busy. I haven't seen or heard of Paula for years, but back then she was an incredibly gutsy determined little girl. When we played games, she often won, and if she didn't she always gave it 110% to make sure she was just like everyone else.

So no, I wasn't surprised to hear her name - but happy to hear that that little girl really had come along way, just like I expected her to. Congratulations Paula!

No snow like Pauline ... but ...

TWISTER!!! ... well, we're pretty sure it was a twister, we live close to the beach and am thinking we are in the direct line of storms meeting from either side of Kapiti Island and making a twister - about 7yrs ago we had our front gate ripped off from a freak water twister.

I was at home with Josh last night when what I thought was a huge (as in OMG, that wind hit HARD) gust of wind bringing in the Southerly storm from the South Island hit. David came home and asked if I'd seen the front gate, it had been whipped backwards and broken it's post.

We got woken this morning by the boy next door knocking on our door to ask if we'd see our backyard!

Next door neighbour's tree uprooted ...

and landed on our garage -

and our outdoor furniture (one table broken) knocked around, AND our back fence blown right down -

We don't know for sure if it was a twister, but we're pretty certain it was - you can actually see the path it has travelled, our neighbours in front of the neigbours with the tree, didn't have any damage at all - it looks like it landed on the road in front of us, raced down the side of our house, and then turned and ran down the fence line, there are a few fences looking down that way that have been damaged.

Pretty scary stuff - I'm glad I didn't realise what it was when it actually hit!

Hello :)

How about I just pretend I've been here every day for last, um so many, months?

I have been stitching, but not a lot, since I've joined Stampin' Up (loving it!), I've been doing a lot more cards and scapbooking. But, you'll never catch me watching TV in the evening without stitching in my hand! (... of course, I work 3 evenings, have workshops and meetings ... which = not as many evenings in front of the TV as I'd like!). I can't say anything is particular grabbing me right now though, I think I've lost that stitching mojo for quite a while now.

Anyway, I DO have an update :) ... because I can't "just" sit, and because I've always admitted to being a stitcher who just enjoys the de-stressing process, I've been stitching on Faery Tales. I've just finished page 2! (well not *the* page 2, but a whole second page of stitching). When I started this, I started it about 3 times, the fabric was wrong the first couple of times, then I started and realised I had the fabric the wrong way ... so when I finally started it, again, I started on page 2 - I just couldn't bear to re-start page 1.

So this is page 2 and page 8 (I think) - I think I'll work on page 1 and 3 at the same time next.

AND ... there are 40 pages ... I wrote down the date on the chart when I started page 8 - it says 12 October 2007. That is seven months to stitch one page, x 40 pages - well, you do the math - it could be a LONG time before this one is finished! LOL

Funny enough though, I'm really enjoying stitching it - I am definitely in a rhythm with the colour changes and the one over one.

So, enough chatting - here is the updated picture -

... and because I was taking photos this morning to try and do something for my Mother and MIL for Mother's Day this Sunday - here is an updated picture of the kids ... yep, they've grown!!

Now, if I'm really good ... I'll try and update my stitching once a week or so, we'll see - no promises!

Let's try this ...

I promised a while ago I'd try to put up a gymnastics video ... I tried at the time and couldn't work it out, I think I have now! The first one is one I took of Charlotte (5yo) this afternoon - doing her self-taught "middle" part of Rhiannon's Level 3 routine (Rhiannon also does some gliding and swinging on the top bar) - what is amazing (to me) is that she has the strength and know-how to pull herself up and over, Rhiannon still has to give a kick to get herself over, Charlotte can do it by upper body strength. The second one is the one I recorded at the beginning of the competition season a few months ago - of Rhiannon's floor routine this year, not the most polished, but it impresses me!!




Watch More Videos Uploaded by http://bebo.com/watchuser/2729145621

Got to keep this up ...

I'm not sure I've got a lot to say, I'm determined to try and keep this blogging thing going! ... then again, once I start rambling who knows how much I've really got to say?





Sunday morning here - Fathers Day - and a quiet one for me ... in fact David has been joking that *I* get the Father's Day, not him ;) ... Cameron is playing soccer over in Carterton (about 1.5hr away), so they left early this morning, Rhiannon went with them - which leaves me with just Josh and Charlotte (David Jnr is at a mates and then will be at work). House is nice and tidy because I had a card-making thing here yesterday, Dad who I planned to see this afternoon is on holiday down the South Island ... which leaves a nice relaxing day - which is nice for a change! My nice relaxing day will include some baking for lunches for the next week, doing a couple of cricket funding things that need to be done today ready to go out tomorrow, lots of laundry and making a gift for Rhiannon's teacher who finishes next week (after 53 years of teaching!).





Kathryn (in NZ) asked me how the girls' gym has gone this year - so I get a valid excuse to ramble on about that! LOL ... they're done really well - Rhiannon has just finished up Level 3 - she came at the bottom of the pack at most competitions (moved from last up to about 5-6th to last), but to be doing the level she is doing she has to be pretty good - so that doesn't give a true reflection. The club have pushed her and her two team mates through the lower grades pretty quickly so they are also usually the youngest and smallest at the competitions (they are all 8yos) - there thinking is that they will now spend the next couple of years with them in Level 4 fine tuning things and it gives them a few years in those higher levels to really polish them off - a lot of the girls winning this year are 12-13yos who haven't got many years left to travel up the higher grades. Makes kinda sense, the main thing is Rhiannon is still loving it :) ... they've moved on to conditioning and training for level 4 next year ... to give some idea - level 4 they do walkovers and cartwheels on the beam, they do a floor routine where they have to choregraph their own routine to music, the bar they start jumping from smaller to higher bar and they start using the "real" vault - so it's a huge step, basically from junior to senior stuff :)





Charlotte (5yo) is doing her last general competition next weekend, after that she will move into the Level 1 class to start training for next year - this girl is just amazing, Rhiannon is good, but has to work - Charlotte seems to have natural gymnastic strength (lucky thing!) - for those who know any of the terminology - she can already pull herself up and over on the bar - Rhiannon still needs a little kick to get herself over, Charlotte can actually pull herself up (like a chin-up) and use her strength to pull herself up. Having said that - she is still 100 miles/hour Charlotte and needs to learn to slow down and be graceful ;)





I'll try and put a link to Rhiannon's floor routine this year - it was at the beginning of the season, so not the most polished routine, but it gives you an idea ;)



I'm going to edit my last post and put in more details for the fabrics for sale - I've had interest in a couple - but mostly they are still all there for the picking!





Sorry I haven't been commenting on anybody's blogs ... I am reading and enjoying :)





I'll leave you with a photo of the three cards I used for a class yesterday - I'm just loving this stuff!

Three Months!!

Oh my gosh - three months! That's how long since my last post ... thank you for the comments I had asking where I was - I'm fine, mostly just busy :) ... and you know how it is, the longer you leave something, the harder it is to get back on the saddle, I've written lots and lots of blogging posts in my head and then time passes and they're not that interesting any more!

I have been stitching and need to dig out the few things I've finished. I DID take pictures of my latest two finishes though - I've done these to give to a good friend who is having an art auction to raise money for her teenage daughter (and others) to go to World Youth Day in Australia next year. I'm so pleased with the way these turned out, not to mention tempted to keep them! LOL - I framed them myself and think I did pretty good job - almost makes me think I need to dig out a few of my unframed ones and just DO IT!

Anyway - Faith and Hope by LHN & Crescent Colours -



Now, another, very cheeky, reason for blogging again is that I've cleaned out my hand-dyed fabrics - I'm hoping that some of you wonderful bloggers out there might want to take them off my hands - I'm at work and have left the list of the names/makes at home, but email me if you want any further details (beckfamily@paradise.net.nz). The reason I'm selling them? My 13yo went to the optomerist last week and we have a $700 bill for glasses to pay for ... which would be fine, but it came the week after a $700 bill to fit the 11yo into contact lenses for playing sport and getting his glasses re-lensed .... not to mention the Melbourne Exchange trip that Mr 13yo is going on and had to be paid for this week. Sooooo we've managed the 11yo big optomerist bill, paid for the Melbourne trip ... but still need to pay off the 13yo Optomerist bill, which we CAN do - but it will take a few weeks - so I figured it would be worth trying to move the fabric I'm probably never going to use and make use of it!

First photo is all 13x18 size - $7.50 each
Second photo is all 9x12 (?? - I think that is right - the "normal" smaller size) - $4.00 each or $24.00 for the whole group.
Third photo is 18x26 size - $15.00 each

I'm not sure what the postage will be - email me, and we can talk details!

Of course the other thing that has been keeping me busy is Stampin' Up! This is going SO well, I'm amazed at how much fun I'm having, how I love the product and how interested everyone else is in it. Stampin/Scrapping hasn't quite taken over my stitching, but it's definitely trying! If you're in NZ and at all interested in seeing this stuff - give me a yell :)

Nice to see you all again - I have been reading blogs and keeping up with everyone ... and admiring all the stitching! Lets see if I can get this up and active again, I have books and finished stitching to add to by sidebars!

Catch you later, gaters!

All about me :)

Sooooo where did this blogger disappear to? Not anywhere really, but a mixture of being busy, personal stuff going on just made me lose my blogging mojo (and stitching mojo a bit too).

I think I bored you with all my DH's work dramas nearly a year ago, and how he'd found his perfect job etc etc ... well for the last few months there were obvious problems, very obvious as I was doing the accounts. As of a few days ago the fanchise he worked for went into liquidation, a couple of weeks ago the franchise head office came in, thought they could sort it and would step in and take over that particular francise, but at the last minute (and very last minute) decided to pull out completely. Which of course left DH with no job. Also no pay for that fortnight he was owed pay for, no notice, nothing - nada nada nothing. Good news is that Head Office really like him and definitely didn't want to lose him, so within a couple of days DH had the same job, same deal (nearly) in Palmerston North. Of course, the missed pay wasn't their responsibility though.

Anyway - we are fine, very fine - but for me anyway, I've definitely been emotionally drained - this was going to be OUR year and so far it's been a continual emotional roller coaster - I didn't say much at the time, but at the beginning of the year I had a very early miscarriage and was emotionally drained for a little while then (probably longer than I care to admit even to myself), just as life was looking up, this happened. Let's just say life can only get better!

In other newsy news ...

I've had my first Stampin' Up workshop and it went well - I was a nervous wreck, but it went fine and the friends I invited all seemed to enjoy themselves, and I have a couple of bookings from that first one, so hopefully business is nearly ready to roll :) I'm going to set myself up another blog that is just for my stamping - when I get time! LOL

I've had my first School Trustees meeting and it went okay - I'm still not sure I know what I'm doing, but am going on a couple of courses over the next month or two - so that should help, I'll learn as I go - I'm definitely looking at this as a way of leaving my comfort zone and learning and educating myself :)

Stitchingwise - I did indeed finish Sampler Gameboard but have given it to Katrina to show at her annual exhibition ... and never took a photo of it, I will do when it comes back. I finished LHN "The Rose in the Morning" last night and then started a canvas - not something I've really done before but I've had the kit for a long time and for some reason I'm quite bored with my crosses lately, so it was nice to pick up something and feel a bit of the old excitement at starting something new. Pictures later ...

One of my big goals this year was to start painting the inside of our house - about a week ago I finally got stuck in and have managed to scrub down the toilet walls - and haven't had time to get in there since! I'm hoping to over the next week or so though ... I can't wait to get to the changing colour, exciting part - the cleaning and sanding is okay, I feel quite empowered ;) ... but definitely not the fun part.

The kids are all good - we've hit soccer season so our Saturdays are madness, gym competitions start to roll this weekend as well - so that's more weekend busyiness! This weekend however, I'm going on a quilting retreat! ... I *think* I'm looking forward to it - its a bit of a last minute fill in for someone else who can't make it, so I have a little bit of prep work to do before I leave, not mention I don't have any quilting on the go so might need to dig something out to actually do - but it will be nice to get away and spend time with my sewing machine and like minded people. Sadly, the reason I'm going is because DH's Aunty Betty is in hospital and can't make it - I'm going with Deb - DH's cousin, Betty's daughter - Aunty Betty is waiting to see what they will do with her badly damaged knee ... there is talk of her losing her leg :(

I think thats all the dribble I have for now ... I need to stop procrastinating and go do the cricket work I'm supposed to be doing! I will take some pictures and write more interesting entries very very soon - I promise!

April into May

Well, here I am ... not quite disappeared. It's been a hard and busy couple of weeks - I'll get into that another time. For now, I need to sort out my goals :)

April Roundup

1. Finish Stargazer - No - still some beads to do.
2. Participate in Needleroll SAL - Yes
3. Stitch one ornament for the ornament SAL - No
4. Pinkeep Exchange - Yes
5. Work on Faery Tales - No
6. Stitch 3 Advent Calendar Squares - Only 2 - but a Yes
7. Stitch 2 L*K Blessings - Yes
8. Work on PIF Gifts - No
9. Finish Sampler Gameboard - Yes!

I need to take a photo of Sampler Gameboard ... it is indeedy ALL finished :D

May Goals

1. Stitch 3 Advent Calendar Squares
2. Stitch 2 L*K Blessings
3. Finish Stargazer
4. Work on PIF Gifts
5. Work on Faery Tales
6. Needleroll SAL
7. Ornament SAL
8. Catch up Ornament from last month
9. Finish LHN - The Rose in Morning
10. Work on one of my old WIPs

Only four more houses to finish building!

Sampler Gameboard has suddenly grown and reached the nearly finished stage ... it's only taken about five years! LOL




I've been ignoring the border - hopefully once the inside is all finished the border will be a breeze because it will be so close to being finished. I'd like to work on it all weekend and finish it - but I really need to stitch up a pin-keep for the pin-keep exchange, I'm hopeless at leaving things until the last minute - but I do know it should be a pretty quick thing to do, hopefully!





Here is a picture of where I am at -







It's been a busy week here, what with gym camp for a couple of days, working, entertaining children ... just the usual, but it seems to have been go go go.





Back to school next week - I have to admit that although I'll miss sleeping in and not rushing out the door just before 9.00am - I am looking forward to having the house to myself for a few hours a day ... and not listening to the bickering ;) ... okay, okay ... they don't bicker ALL the time - right now they are all playing cards together - so they can be good!


Righty oh - I need to get off here and tidy the house a wee bit, and then take Charlotte to her gym class ... ever get the feeling my life is dominated by soccer and gymnastics?

Just a little needleroll

This weekend was Needleroll SAL weekend - organised by the lovely Katrina - I picked out a little chart, thinking I could cheat and have it all stitched Saturday night, of course it took a little bit longer, and I finished the stitching and hem stitch last (Sunday) night, and finished it completely off this morning. I think it's rather sweet, even if it just a little one ;)

Love of Needlework Exchange

I received a wonderful package in the mail last week from Judith for the Love of Needlework Exchange. Isn't this box just the most cleverest thing??? I loved opening it up and finding the lovely silks hiding inside :) Thank you again Judith, you did a really good job, I love it, and the goodies!

Silly me ...

I came to sit here and finally update my blog and was going to mention my lovely children who are outside skipping, and what a wonderful old fashioned pastime it is ... even in todays generation (hear the flowerly music in the background?) ... HA! by the time I'd signed on, started to upload pictures, they were yelling at each other and Charlotte in tears. I'm sure those with big families will hear me when I say there are different combinations at different times that get on very well, and also those combinations that are just plain hard work ... right now, the worst combination in our household is Josh (12.5yo), Rhiannon (8yo) and Charlotte (5yo) - actually it is really a Josh and Charlotte clash - his sense of rightness and perfectionist does not combine well with her 5yo wanting her own way and being very vocal and strong about getting it, no matter at what cost .... *sigh* lucky enough I do know, that six months from now they could quite possibly be getting on wonderfully as the shifting and sliding of personalities and ages changes ;)

Okay ... on to fun things ... I forgot to update my L*K Blessings and Advent Calendar SAL last time I posted ... so here are the pictures of those - as you can see I stitched one of the Advert Calendar squares the wrong way - just as well I plan to cut them out and make individual ornaments! LOL



... and an update of Sampler Gameboard - I managed to finish that bottom corner over the past week - it really feels like its starting to grow and maybe just maybe I can see the end of it getting closer (I've only been working on it since I dunno, about 2002 maybe?)


Lastly, three cards I made yesterday - Friday night at work (yes, those girls who know me, it WAS very quiet again LOL), I looked through the Split Coast Stampers website and managed to find a page with all their old sketches on it - not only do I plan on joining this wonderful site soon, I also plan on trying to do some of their challenges each week. Anyway, I printed out the old sketches got each lovely child to pick a number from 1 to 119 (the number of sketches there are) and then made myself make a card from that number they picked out (see, the kids DO come in use!) - these are the result - the "tall" card, I'm not that thrilled with - it needed some paper or something else in the background ... although I'm pretty sure one of the girls' friends would be delighted with it ;) - I don't always feel very creative, so it was a great way to have a start point and work from there.

In other family happenings - Cameron is away in Taupo with a soccer mate at the moment, he left Friday and comes back Monday (hence *really* having the two girls and Josh combination happening), I imagine he is having an awesome time, another friend's father has just been transferred up there, they're not moving for a few months (father is commuting for a while) but have bought a holiday home there which is just down the road from the friend (who Cameron is with)'s holiday home (well, garage plus caravan apparently) - so the three boys will be having a great time. Rhiannon had a kidney infection a couple of weeks ago so last week she went in for a scan to make sure there is no permanent damage - we did that Friday and will see the doctor for results on Tuesday - the radio-whatsit lady didn't say much, but did say they look good - I'm pretty sure they will be - but you always worry!

This is our last weekend before the crazy soccer season starts, all five kids are playing so it gets busy! ... as of right now we have two soccer training sessions on Monday night, two gym sessions on a Tuesday night, two soccer training sessions on a Wednesday night, one gym and one soccer session on a Thursday night ... and nothing on a Friday night, then five games plus two gym training sessions on a Saturday - welcome to our world LOL (and still haven't heard when Rhiannon's team will be training).

I think that's enough rambling for one day ... I need to go make another cute bag - this one for a friend of the two girls - it is her Birthday party on Tuesday, our spending money is kinda non existent right now, and it is at those times I love being able to put something together from my fabric stash ;)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I've been happily busy

Life is good when I'm busy with craft projects ... the last month I've been very busy doing an accounts job for DH's work - mostly that is finished, well I'm waiting to see what happens next, so hopefully I'm back to my usual, never really quite quiet, life.

Easter weekend always seems to be a weekend that arrives just as our household needs to chill out a bit, and this year was definitely no different. I had a lovely productive weekend - probably helped by the fact that Little Miss Charlotte went and stayed with friends for a couple of nights - she is a lovely, bright, fun child ... but always busy, busy, busy ... I think everyone enjoys a break from that busyiness - she had a fabulous time with Deb and Jim and the little girl of another friend - Hine Tewhai and Charlotte are great together and always enjoy each others company - and for Deb and Jim, two busy five year olds who play really well together is easier than having just one!

Anyway ... this weekend, I finally sewed up the four pair of bike pants (for gym training) I've being going to do for a while, did a bit of stitching and made a bag. I'm not going to show Stargazer until she is finished now, I'm very slowly putting the beads on - I tend to do an hour or two and then put her aside and do something else for a while, I'm working tonight and will take her with me and should just about finish. I've also been working on Sampler Gameboard the last couple of nights ... I'm almost at that "I can really do this and finish it stage" but not quite yet. Do you have that point? I find I have four very definite points when I'm stitching something big - the first thrill of a new project, then the oh my gosh this is going to take ages and I'm bored of it point, then there is that - I'm through that bored point and am enjoying it and can see the finish, then thrill of the finish. That second point is where lots of things get put away or move very slowly ;)

Anyway - pictures!

Firstly - here is my Love of Needlework Exchange - Myrna has received it, minus the card I forgot to put in ... and have to admit is still sitting on my desk - I've haven't got near the Post Office since I sent the parcel off (big BLUSH).

Here is Sampler Gameboard - I'll probably just take a picture of the parts I work on from now on in ... it's school holidays here for a couple of weeks so I'm hoping for lots of stitching time and progress on this one!

and my last bit of productivity this weekend was this bag -

Deb and I were looking at pictures of bags on the internet a while bag ... she will be amazed I waited this long to try it out! Kath and I went shopping last week and I bought the fabric then, Jo was very timely in posting her link to how to make the flowers ... so with a bit of help from my blogging friends the bag came out just as I wanted - Rhiannon loves it!

As I sit here I can hear children bickering ... I hope this isn't going to carry on for the next two weeks, think of my sanity if it is!

Oh, and lastly, I'm very nervously sending my application away to become a Stampin Up! demonstrater today - they are just starting in NZ and I've been battling with myself as to whether I want to do this and have finally come to the conclusion that I already love the products (all the cards I love seem to use their products, and on going to look for them I stumbled upon the fact they were going to open up here in NZ this month) - and it's time to put myself out there, swallow my shyness and go for it - I think I will regret it if I don't.

and very lastly, my last bit of news - I got voted onto the Board of Trustees for our school - I'm feeling very proud that our school community had enough faith to vote me in and also a bit nervous about the commitment and skills I might or might not have ... not to mention that it is a three year term! This year is looking like it will be my "get out of your comfort zone" year ;)

I hope everyone had a great Easter ... I might have more time to comment on blogs for the next couple of weeks, here's hoping!

While Mum's away ... the

boys will play ...

I worked late today ... kids got themselves home, oldest son "babysat" ... I talked to him just before I left work and he told me had a surprise ... always a worry when your 15yo tells you he has a surprise, and giggles ...

You just have to laugh, don't you?

Brings back memories of being halfway through cutting my friend's (beautiful long thick black) hair ... as her mother walked in after forgetting something as she went out for the night, I still remember the stony filthy look we got as she left and said she'd deal with us in the morning ROTFLOL!!

March into April

March Round-Up

It's been a busy month - but I did okay! LOL

1. Work on Stargazer - YES
2. Stitch 2 Sampler Gameboard Squares - NO
3. Participate in the Needleroll SAL - YES
4. Stitch one ornament for the ornament SAL - YES
5. Pinkeep Exchange - NO
6. Love of Needlework Exchange - YES
7. Work on Faery Tales - NO
8. Stitch 3 Advent Calendar Squares - YES
9. Stitch two L*K Blessing - YES
10. Work on five PIF gifts - Started

April's Goals

Did you notice, I put Sampler Gameboard in ... might be a bit hopeful, but hey - I might as well try!

1. Finish Stargazer
2. Participate in Needleroll SAL
3. Stitch one ornament for the ornament SAL
4. Pinkeep Exchange
5. Work on Faery Tales
6. Stitch 3 Advent Calendar Squares
7. Stitch two L*K Blessings
8. Work on PIF Gifts
9. Finish Sample Gameboard (Gulp!!)

Here I am, at last!

Can you believe it is April already? I swear March swept past in a blur - maybe April will be quieter ... here's hoping!

Not a whole lot of stitching update - I've been working way too much, today is my first day at home on my own with no pressing work to get done in a while. So after I've updated here I'm off to do some much needed housework, send off my Love of Needlework Exchange (a couple of days late - sorry exchange partner!), buy a beading needle (I have NO idea what I've done with the couple I had) and then maybe sit and stitch a while :)

I've finished stitching up my needlework exchange, but that is a surprise - so I can't show you that ;)

I CAN show you my Christmas Ornament SAL -

Joy - The Drawn Thread
stitched on a natural linen

and I can also show you Stargazer ... I've started the beading! I'm so excited to be so close to finishing another Mirabilia, and another biggish piece from my WIP list!

As it was the 1st yesterday, I started the next square on our NZ group Blessings SAL - I really look forward to those little squares each month :)

Some stitching progress!

Here is Stargazer - I've been working on her quite a bit for the last week or so, and loving her :) I'm at a point now where a few good stitching days and I'll have the crosses finished ... this lady has a LOT of beads though, and I have to admit that beading is far from my favourite thing - they'll be worth the hard work, but I'm not looking forward to them!

and just because I can't do a blog entry later without a bit of paper art ... here is the canvas I forgot to photograph the other day - this is my DH with a little 2yo Rhiannon (she is 8yo now) - I think Rhiannon might be looking at a dog, she is now petrified of them - and I can see the worry in her eyes even in this photo ;)

Righty oh - I need to go get some dinner on etc etc ... I'm working again tomorrow, and Friday - I really wanted to get my sewing machine out and do some finishing this week, but it just hasn't happened (and yes, Deb - try a bag as well! LOL) - maybe this weekend, Sunday might be quiet ... if not, roll on next week!