Merry Day after Christmas!

Just thought I'd wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!  Here's to your health, wealth and happiness!

My camera is still down and out and the new-ish one is still missing its box and the critical USB cord...so finally I thought of just sharing a few pics from last Christmas..

Actually I should mention this is not our tree, it's my sister-in-law's,  and I have no idea why I took such a bad pic of it - it's really lovelier than this.  She has a bunch of handmade button wreaths that I love love love, because they were made by my nephew and niece.  My mom and I spent Christmas in Singapore last year; we usually spend it with them but this year my mom wanted a Christmas in our new place.  In the 3 years since we moved this is our first Christmas here.

We also have some of the same button wreaths for our tree (not pictured); I apparently forgot to take photos of it last year.  We did put it up despite knowing we would not be spending Christmas at home.   This year, it's up and I have pics, but the USB cord is missing, so despite the pics I can't post. Boo.

With all the things going on in the world (the Newtown massacre is still sending chills through me despite American media having a seemingly short attention span and forgetting all about it less than 2 weeks later), please don't forget to hug those you love and be quick to forgive.. life's too short!

It's too short, and here's hoping I finish the projects I listed this year.. next year!
:-)

Wishing you stitchy success with your projects (there's still almost a whole week left of the year), I remain your stitching friend, T.

hello it's me!

I can't believe I haven't posted in all this while! I have thought about it but with my favorite camera out of commission I haven't been in the mood to post.. and let's face it, what's a post without pictures??  Though I didn't realize it's been almost a month since I've posted!  and I have so many things to show!

The fabric for "A Most Noble Pursuit" arrived from my cousin (it's Lakeside Linen 36ct), as has the chart.. only I have to stock up on floss!  My other stuff also arrived - Prairie Schooler's "Garden Samplers", some LKs , Praiseworthy Stitches' "Hope" and a whole heap of other charts which I'll have to look through tomorrow so I can post. I hope to post again - that is, if I can buy the AA batteries for the Nikon - I didn't know I needed to get NiCad or lithium, and not the alkaline no matter how expensive.  So I hope I can do that tomorrow.

It's not that I've lost my mojo - I started on La D Da's "A Bushel and a Peck" and though it's kind of easy (only 4 or so colors and no confetti stitches!), it's also been not very interesting to stitch. I suspect it's because of all the counting I have to do because of all the space.  I must say, I do like to see solid stitching though I find the going a bit hard at times.  I also made a start on the freebie gift tags from last December's "Cross Stitcher" magazine which I bought in Kinokuniya Singapore.  So that's another pic I'll have to post.  And the start I made on the freebie heart from DMC for a quilt square - I'm late!

We've been so busy at work..  you can't imagine!  And yet we all sort of live under a cloud, because of new management's "list" (of people who are 'in the navy').    Well anyway, enough of that.. nothing to do but put one's nose to the grindstone and work these absurdly long hours!

So.. till later!  Wish me luck on those batteries... and thanks to Aurelia and Joysze, for their inspiring comments!  Keep 'em coming, I appreciate them so much!

Blogworld birthday giveaway from Craftymoo

The fabulous Sarah over at Craftymoo is having a special giveaway.. it's her birthday on September 17!  Do join in and greet her!

hello, hello

"Hello hello, hope you're feeling fine... "  this is a song from the 80s and I can't quite remember who sang it.  I really do apologize for the hiatus - it's not that I haven't been stitching, it's more I haven't had photos to share!

And why, you may ask.. the problem is my camera!   I googled, and discovered the problem may be that my poor Canon has lost a pixel in camera mode. I can do video, I can review old photos, but I can't take any new ones!  I feel so sad about it. it's a 5 year old classic, love its looks, but sadly it won't take photos anymore.  All I see in camera mode is a black screen.  I have to check with Canon if it can still be repaired but I'm not getting my hopes up as this is a model that was sold in the U.S., not here.

On to stitchy news.. I finished my Madame La Fee quilt square and have sent it by post to the lady who will incorporate it into a quilt.  I've gone back to doing my Maria Winkler "Peaches in a bowl" and started Lizzie Kate's Christmas Spirit double flip-it to be made into a banner.. charts courtesy of my dear cousin..  no it's not Christmas Rules, which I would also love to do.. although goodness knows and as many stitchers are wont to say, I have enough to do to last me for years at the pace I am going!   lol  I won't say I have enough to last me my whole life, but I have enough at the moment in freebies alone.

So.. there's still my Whimsey and Wit Advent Alphabet waiting in the wings for me.. I don't know if I said so in my last post, but I put it aside when I discovered that I was a stitch off-count.. don't know what I will do.  Frog? Go on?  I really don't know.

And then, when I had declared a stash diet, I went and bought a Bleu de Chine chart, and some Nutcrackers charts, and a copy of the Burda International magazine (important note - with the CHARTS!) and 3 fabrics, 32, 36 and 40 ct linen (I think one of them is jobelan not linen).  And I have to confess, there are 3 ladies waiting for me to make up my mind about additional stash.. this will be IT for the year, I spent more than I ever planned (actually I spent more than I ever have on stash in my entire life!).  I hasten to add that this stash is all pre-owned, so I can live with the idea of being a spendthrift better... now to find the time to stitch all this when they finally arrive!

Work has suddenly ramped up (is there such a word) and everyday I just feel so tired after.  Part of this is some organizational changes and the fears that go with it.. I just hope and pray everyday.. hope what, pray what, I think you can guess what  :-o

So hoping that you can send some good thoughts and prayers this way..  and I send the same to you, reading this!

a late, not so short post.. i'm still here!

hi everyone, just felt the need to post and have my presence noted. hello from this rainy patch of earth in asia!  it's raining even as i write.

it's not been a super stitchy month for me but i've managed to finish stitching a square meant to go in a quilt, for a cancer patient (whew what a long description, there must be a way to say this in a more mellifluous way!).  it's a Madame La Fee floral heart, a freebie actually.  i'm not able to post pictures, which i've been wanting to do, because my camera seems to have given up on me.  it is able to record in video mode, can show my previous photos, but in camera mode, it shows a black screen.  i googled my problem and it seems that maybe my camera's pixels have shorted, blacked out, or just in general given up the ghost.. lol   well, i turned it off then and haven't fiddled with it since, and now i am re charging the batteries, hoping the happening was a fluke.  we'll see, when the battery's been charged and loaded into the camera again. keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

in other news, my lovely stitching friend sent me the out of print and hard to find, BBD Loose Feathers No. 31 "Blessings and Kind Wishes". wasn't that sweet, and super generous of her? i was hunting all over for it to complete the Blackbird Designs Mystery Sampler, and she found it, and gifted me with it.. and it arrived last Thursday!!!  Showing her the BBD Mystery Sampler also made her want her own set, :-)   i must say, i quite enjoy being able to share stitchy news with her.  okay, that's another photo owing...

in a fit of madness, i bought a Bleu de Chine chart "Violets" and got into a whole lot of trouble over paying via PayPal.  don't ask!  although i'll write about it in my next post.  again my friend helped me out with that.  lol   if you ever get the chance, look up the The French Needle website.  if you're tired of the usual designs and charts, mosey along there and you'll be dazzled with what you find.

another extremely kind stitcher helped me with eBay-- purchasing a "Burda International" magazine. i have the magazine (bought all the way back in 1993) , but lost the charts, as the charts were all on 2 pages stapled in the middle of the magazine!  not one of the smartest things in formatting, i have to say.  

i'm thinking that at this point, i really should catalog all my purchases. i hasten to add that most of my purchases have been from fellow stitchers, hence most of these have been at least half price.  i'm excited at the thought of stitching the charts and looking at the fabrics i bought.. some linens at 32, 26 and 40ct, some aida.. they aren't here yet, but if i'm lucky they'll be here by Christmas.  how's that for something to look forward to?

August has, in the past 5 years, not been a good month..here's hoping we get through it unscathed..

anyway, wherever you are.. i hope the month of August is being kind to you!  Blessings and Kind Wishes to you! :-)

Heart

I've been stitching up a heart from Madame la Fee (it's a freebie, quick go to her site and look!), for a kind stitcher to incorporate into a quilt for a cancer survivor, who is also a stitcher. "C" -- Been there, don't want to do that again!  but of course very willing to bring joy to a fellow stitcher.

This is how it looked the other day:

This is how it looks now (so sorry, it's a very overcast Saturday.. but you might be able to see the flower top left that makes up the outline for the left side of the heart). I hope to finish the left side this weekend; it's all solid stitching:

I must say, I think this is the fastest I've stitched out of panic, because I have to mail this off before the end of July.. the bumble bees remind me of my younger brother, his birthday is end of July, but he's gone.. suddenly, unexpectedly, 5 years this August.  He used "bumble bee" as a term of endearment for his son,  my nephew.  He and I used to fight a lot as kids but I like to think we were getting a little closer as adults, at least I was hoping to be as we grew older  :(

Brother, I hope you know that you were/are loved .

11 questions.. down to 10 =)

I was tagged by Ms.Linda Lee of CrossN My Stitches, whose blog I am a follower of... a game of 11 questions for stitcher-bloggers, and a way to get to know them better.  I will answer the ones she sent me, then I get to come up with 11 of my own, to send to another 11 bloggers (yikes, I'm sure I don't know that many !)

1. How many years have you been stitching? Counting sporadic stitching episodes from grade school, it would be 25!

2. Name one piece on your wish list. Um.. right now it would be Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers No. 31, Blessings and Kind Wishes. Pretty! And hard to find.

3. Would you rather receive floss or fabric as a gift? Floss, but only if it's fancy.. I'd love to try HDF and WDW! If not, I'd rather have fabric. There's not much here but Aida.

4. Do you have a LNS within a 50 mile radius from your home? Yes, but nothing fancy.. it's now called a Yarn Shop! it's more a hobbyist's store than a LNS.

5. How many pieces have you got going right now? Five! one a work in very slow progress by Whimsey and Wit, my Peaches chart (a companion to a Plums chart I completed years ago), a small kit from Dimensions, a little herb kit from Cross My Heart.

6. Why do you enjoy cross stitching? The way you can make a pretty picture by your stitching.. and the pride you feel when you can say “I did that!”

7. Do you have a special chair that you use for stitching? No, but I wish I did! It would be something you could sink in, but have steady arms for balancing the stitching if needed!

8. Have you ever taught anyone to stitch? Yes, 2 of my nieces. One tried it and likes it but she hasn't got the concept of stitching completely in her mind , and the other one likes it – I'll be sending her a kit to sew!

9. Do you knot your threads on the back of your stitching? No, they go under.

10. When you plan a trip, do you look up needle shops on the routes before you leave? There's not a lot of LNSs.. but when I am in a mall I always check to see if there might be one!

11. How often do you take your needlework with you? 90% of the time, I bring it along. It's always nice to get a few stitches in and know that I'm progressing with my stitching,

Okay... I am tapping Joyce of Random Ramblings and Cindy of After the Storm.. and trimming the questions to 10!  

1. What was your first stitched piece?
2. Who (or what) first got you started on stitching?
3. Where do you usually buy your stash?
4. Who are your top 3 favorite designers?
5. What are the top 3 items on your wishlist?
6. How long do you stitch?
7. What are you working on right now?
8. How old is your oldest WIP?
9. Do you use any special tool in your stitching? If so, what is it?
10. Please share any special lesson you've learned from stitching (or stitchers)?  

Have a great day, y'all!

Milly's Giveaway

Hi all!  Please head on over to Milly's and take a look at all the stitching and crafting goodness she has going on..with furbabies, too!  The link to her is on the left (thought I'd revive the Giveaway Goings on heading!)

Happy Saturday!

What I've been up to

What I've been busy with..

the little dears - nephew and niece; my brother's children who I love to bits.

this arrived in the post - stitchy goodness from Cecilia's - Blackbird Designs' Loose Feathers No. 30 and 32; Rites of Spring and Beyond My Heart.  Made it safely here from 8,000plus miles away with $3.45 postage.  First time I've tried ordering and having it mailed direct. It took 2.5 weeks with a few days at the post office where they made a notice to me to pick it up.  Not bad!  Now I know it's a mix of frugality and lack of funds that's keeping me from ordering more.  :)

I just paid $7 in gcs to a lady on the 123 message board for 2 more BBDs that make up the Mystery Sampler.  I hope she checks her mail - she never replied to my last question 5 days ago about the Peacock Pinkeep!

Herb kit from Cross My Heart which my niece and I started stitching while she was here.. she forgot to pack it with her and only remembered at the airport. She wants to use it as a cellphone pouch.  It even has beads!  The other needle has gone missing, it's the one for sewing with the blunt end. Uh oh. Must ask her if she remembers where she put it!

Nope, I have no pic to post from the Advent Alphabet.. it's gone missing; I'm sure it will turn up again soon.  Too bad, as I'd put in more stitches!  No work being done either on the Peaches WIP.

Have a lovely week, all!

Sharing a blogworld giveaway from Crossn My Stitches

Ms. Linda-Lee of Crossn My Stitches has a giveaway going on on her blog.. lovely floss and some charts... check it out, and while you're at it enjoy her beautiful finishes!

http://lindalees-crossnmystitches.blogspot.com/

Have a lovely day!

Pluses and minuses

Heigh ho, another Monday.. I've heard that statistics say Monday is the most common day for heart attacks as well as the most favored day for self-destruction.  What is it about Mondays?  People say "Monday morning blues"... Why aren't Mondays viewed as the start of a beautiful week instead?

Okay okay okay... enough of that claptrap!  It's the start of another work week and that's why people hate Mondays.  I can totally relate, today.. I make an effort to go to work despite this cold I have (I'm on medication already) but it is a different type of cold in that it's mostly cough.  It sounds much worse than it is -- I'm not coughing as hard or as often (mouth covered with a hanky or tissue of course) -- as I was last Friday.  But lo and behold, here are all these people -- well, 3 actually -- afraid I'll spread the germs... I feel like a  walking germ  :(  Well if I'm still infectious then why the heck does Medical give the all-clear and let me report for work??   Sorry for that but I'm seriously annoyed.

On the plus side.. I've managed to start a new square in the Advent Alphabet - F, for fireplace!  What an achievement as I didn't even know when I would be touching that piece again!  But that Prairie Schooler angel ornament did the trick and I am quite back into the groove. I did the angel's hands and mouth so now she looks more like the Just Cross Stitch ornament 2011 pic.   I'd even be happily absent a day just so I could do more stitching, except I have an errand to do for my mom tomorrow.. so I'm off to work again later (oh my gosh is it really Later already????)

Another plus is my nephew and niece are here - that is, I think they arrived today.  They're staying with their maternal relatives for half their vacation and the other half with us - only it's not our turn yet.  No message yet from either of them, or from my SIL to my mom.  Hopefully they're here and safe.

I sound cranky -- I am! I don't like Mondays.  Picture update to come later this morning of the PLUS side to the Monday (Whoa.. I even sound cranky about something positive!)  LOL

hermitting with stitching at last!

After a long drought I finally have a couple of pics to post!  I spent the weekend doing a bit more stitching than I normally do (lately it's been zero, lol)  and I have a little almost-finished ornament, see below

It's the Prairie Schooler ornament from the JCS 2011 Christmas Ornament issue!  Just the angel's lips and hands - oops! and I can stitch the white if I feel like it, and the outer stars too.  If you have the magazine you'll note the ornament is actually supposed to be a perfect cube, but the Aida I stitched on wasn't perfectly even so it looks more like a diamond.  The horizontal squares are narrower than the vertical ones, if that makes sense.  I'm happy to have stuck to it over the weekend, though if I sewed through this week it would have been the work of 30 minutes to finish the entire ornament as pictured in the magazine.  The thing is, I got sick Tuesday (caught a bad cold, still recovering from it).

In other news, I also worked on the Peaches chart and you can see my progress below.  I believe this is what's called a WISP (work in SLOW progress!)

You can see where I've stitched in the wrong direction LOL and I'm in the process of frogging.  That bit of green I actually finished already - I was too lazy to get up and check which direction I'd sewn my tent stitches on the companion piece (Plums).  When I finally checked, I discovered that I'd sewn them in the opposite direction!  I was so disheartened.  I continued with the gray shadow in the correct direction.  I'm bent on finishing the tent stitches to the right of the chart so I know whether I have enough fabric for it (yes, I know, I did measure it) but I only had this piece of fabric that matched the companion piece - I needed white Aida that I can be assured is even, and so I used this piece which is 12 x 12.  I only have 1 inch of border between my stitches and outer space.... LOL

If you only knew what I've been through with this... last week it was missing from my basket and I couldn't find it!  It went missing for an entire week.  But praise be, it was found on the table beside the tv.  Now you know what I do while stitching!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

there and back again !

hello all! for some reasons i won't go further into (i mean no further than i already have in my last post, anyway!) i've been a bit down and not really in the mood to stitch.  plus last week i had some minor aches which remind me that i'm not 35 anymore LOL  honestly prior to 40 i felt rather invincible but now i'm starting to feel the opposite!  however this state of affairs can't continue to last, because it IS such a downer...  gloom and pessimism actually make me more ill!  so i've decided to take charge of a few things, the easiest of which at present time is my stitching and my walking habits!

so... as if the world is helping me along with my resolve, i actually received a huge bit of good news today.. my charts have arrived in the post office!  yippee! for 2 weeks i've been in suspense because  my cousin said she had mailed me my charts (it was nice of her, although because the post here doesn't have such a stellar reputation i wanted either to pick them up myself, or have her send them here together with the big box of supplies/things/goodies she usually sends her mom round halfway through the year).  well anyway.. she told me about it when she'd already mailed it so it was fait accompli - there was nothing i could do except wait for them to arrive. or not arrive.  and, hallelujah.. this afternoon my mom said i had a card from the post office!  which means.. there is a package to be picked up from there!  fingers crossed that there is no duty to pay.. i am sure i will have to open the box for them to see what's in it.

and in another bright spot.. rain!  it's finally cooler and it's much easier to sleep nights.  the a/c has been out of commission for some months now (i wrote about it in one of the posts way back when), and we have not had it repaired yet.  we could sleep in another bedroom with a/c but somehow we don't do it.. maybe we're too lazy or it's habit, but we don't.  funny though, cause we used to in the big house.  anyway, the guy who repairs our a/c and electric fans is back from Dubai so fingers crossed, he can take a look and see what's going on with it.  we tried it last week and it turns on but doesn't cool (not to mention it goes off in about 2 minutes, must be something we may have done with the timer!)

so, all in all, cool beans!  as for the walking part, i read in the NYTimes just today that 20 minutes of walking can mean a big difference to your fitness..and i am so un-fit right now!  i don't walk up on the deck anymore and i don't know how to operate our new tv.. i don't know how i can admit that  LOL

anyway, several people - you know who you are - were nice enough to send me their good wishes and hopes that this 'funk' wouldn't last.  thank you!  and bless you!  your comments always welcome...

watch this space, my needle will be back in action!   i was going to say 'smokin' but that's never happened, ever  LOL  i did some stitching this week, maybe i will post it (or maybe i'll be too ashamed to show how little i did LOL)

ok, enough of the LOLing.... have a great day!!!

Aiyoh (ayayay, hay naku, and all that jazz)

thank you for all the kind comments even though i know i haven't been stitching near enough to show you the extravaganzas i wanted.. i really appreciate all the encouraging comments!

the weather's been way too hot for stitching, or indeed, doing much of anything.. i'm not a huge user of air conditioning (except at work, where it's a relief, and by default it's on) except where the weather has become unbearable.. it's getting close to that, at 36c!

and speaking of work, there's some unknowns and uncertainty going on with new management (A) in.. plus some health concerns (B) this weekend (B is probably a result of A), so with that in mind i'd like to request some good thoughts and prayers from my friends reading this..

anyway, something to make you smile (read on Peggy's blog "Never Enough Stash"):

Children Are Smarter Than We Give Them Credit For 

by Peggy H.

Last Sunday my son overheard two young boys outside the bishop's office.  (Minister, chaplain, etc.)  One of them said to the other, "If you call me 'stupid' and then say you are sorry he will give you a piece of candy."  ......Priceless....

Priceless indeed!

.. and i'm back!

Oh, is this the new Blogger format?  I'm not getting it, I think!  How is it supposed to be an improvement over the old?


Anywhooo..I've been promising to post and I haven't, but this time I cross my heart promise that I will post, what little I've done, visual evidence of my lack of progress :(  


Lots of things going on at work and at home.  6 days of no internet (real cause - renovation!), changes at work, changes I've been trying to implement on self (exercise, speed up dressing time.. difficult!), stash enhancement (I've been lured into spending, even with so much to stitch at home).


So anyway, here goes...   AARGH!  here we go again.. the last time I tried to post (a week ago) the pic came out like this...  when I view it in Picasa it's perfectly fine, it's vertical.. and here, when I post, horizontal.  ACCCCK!

I swear, this is so  discouraging!  I'll have to take another pic and re-post.  Well anyway, you can see that I'm 99% done. Just have to sew the yellow stamens in the middle of the blue flowers, and that's it.


And in other news... the Maria Winkler peaches WIP

You can see more of the peach, but my objective is actually to do more of the stitching to the right of it.. I want to see if I'll have enough fabric for the border. Yes.. I've done the unspeakable.. left only 1.5 inches of border!  That's because the only Aida I have that matches the finished "Plums" sampler is this one!  My one and only piece of white Aida 14ct.  so I'm hurrying to the border (sounds like I'm doing it for real lol) to see if it'll be enough.  I did use a calculator, thank you.  


I would like to start on the MBT "Peace" ornament from JCS Christmas 2008, and the heart from the Workbasket.  Hopeful that I get to start both today.  I'd also like to do some stitching on my UFO/BAP Whimsey and Wit Advent Alphabet.. but honestly I have not touched that since March!  If I do I may skip the (evergreen) tree and go straight to F for "Fireplace".


For now I have to run some errands (conveniently in the middle of the day so that I can cool off at the mall, ha ha).. and for some reason I can't remember what the errands are.  I think maybe buy some lightbulbs (it's Earth Day, so maybe LED) to replace some bulbs here, facepowder, comfy slides, a v-neck blouse cause it's SO hot.  And that's it for now... until later, when I post my progress.


Happy Sunday, everyone!  And a warm welcome to my newest friends !


Okay, now how do I post this?  LOL

Sunday fun-day

If you love to browse around the blogs (as I do, and I waste a lot of valuable stitching time roaming round and being inspired  lol) , I have a new blog I'm "reading"- I say "reading" because it's all in Japanese characters, I just let my eyes admire the stitching: it's Nami's Stitch Note.  She has done a lot of the charts and samplers I'd like to do, including the Tsunami Sampler and the Blackbird Designs mystery sampler -- which I almost had in my hands, except the flood of mail in my inbox got in the way and I missed replying to the seller :(

I also (by way of Daffycat's blog) discovered this designer's site:

http://www.redhousecrafts.com/redhouse_003.htm

Check it out, she has some very nice designs and lovely samples!

I hope no one's upset yet at not seeing any of my handiwork which I've been promising to post: I have decided to finish that Burda wreath today by hook or by crook!  By hook probably as there's no crook willing to do the sewing for me, haha!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and although she wasn't home most of the day I spent it babysitting my niece Bean - what a kid!  She spent part of the time setting out my high heels (all the 3" up ones) and running around in them.. then she started making phone calls (I had to stop her when I noticed the  calls she was making were to cellphone numbers! And she made it easy to notice because she would read out the numbers lol..), then commandeered the tablet (all the while asking me to spell out the sites she wanted to visit), then finally this desktop..  later we had a family dinner and after that my mom's guests arrived - we didn't think they would anymore as the rains that afternoon flooded some streets!

It is Sunday here and overcast today, but inspite of that I'm going to have a great day and I wish the same for you -- Have a beautiful day!

A Walk in the Park

Wow! I see I have gained 5 new friends... hi, and welcome!  I'm very glad to see you all.. it's so very encouraging to my stitching!  I know dear Lesli of "The Fabulous Frogger" was behind all this!  :)  I'm honored.. and I will just have to read what the Leibster is all about again!

Officially it's the first day of spring in some places (not here, where it's either just dry or wet season), so I'm posting some pictures of a walk in Elizabeth Park in Vancouver.  This was last year's visit to DB and his wife, in March, no less!  Talk about weather shock!  The temperature the whole time we were there never went above 14c!  And I thought it was spring!    lol

Here below are some daffodils (jonquils?) I know they come out in spring.  We went into a supermarket in Seattle and they were selling huge ones in bouquets!  Bright and cheerful!   These were small, like 2 inches wide I think, if that.

 Some crocuses (I think!):

A random area of the park

Some snowdrops:

Leaves (random leaves?)

More crocuses

Cabbages and hens  (or maybe I'm inventing a plant name!)  I just thought the whorls were cute.

A panoramic view of part of the park:

I don't know what these are...maybe they're clovers?  Or could they be some form of parsley?? Ha haha

Rose leaves, with not a bloom in sight!

Hm, these I honestly don't know what they are called ;)

I know you want to see my stitchy progress of at least my Burda flower wreath.. but alas, I haven't taken any photos!..  I'm a bit further along now and I will post a finish (YES!) this weekend, I promise!

Happy Day!

"Pick yourself up.... start all over again!"

There I was yesterday, picking up my needle and determined to stitch at least 30 stitches per project.... and like Jo from Little Women - or was it Amy - discovering what I thought was, was not!  Remember when one of the sisters decided to prepare a meal for Laurie Laurence.. and what happened to dessert?  Laurie manfully ate the concoction.. but the girls were wondering at his facial expressions before they tasted the dessert themselves.. turns out they put salt instead of sugar, and the cream was sour!

Well, that's kind of like how I felt after stitching a whole motif and discovering that the blue I picked up to continue the flowers of my little Burda wreath was the wrong shade of blue!! That's what you get when you stitch in the wrong light!  Anyway, never daunted, I chased the frog away and have continued. Nothing else to do but pick yourself up!  Dust yourself off!  Start all over again...  :)

Anyway, here is a photo of my dearest nephew and niece.. missing them very much!

Have a lovely day! May you all be blessed!

Stitchy progress!

Hi, just checking in! I've been wanting to post for the last 3 days but have been foiled by the pc not recognizing the camera USB... bummer!  But thank God (really!) that it's fixed and I can now post what I've been stitching!

So here it is, a UFO from years and years ago in all its unwashed, not pristine glory:

and now:

Despite being the proud owner of a DMC floss card with actual samples, I still could not match up the floss I used back then!  Honestly!  It's enough to make you tear your hair out! I also found out that the conversions I used back then were a bit off -- I was doing it by picture only! Back then I don't think I could have found the Anchor to DMC equivalents online (or maybe I didn't think to search online --google them).. so I was a bit off!  But anyway, I love the pattern, so cheerful! It is from the Buurda International "Prettiest Flower Motifs in Cross Stitch" 1993 vol.1.  I'll finish this soon, I promise, and have it framed!  I suppose I will have to stitch the other three just so there is a companion piece or two!

And made a start on the Peaches chart by Maria Winkler:

and here's what it's supposed to look like some day soon!

I've stitched the rounded curve of the peach in the middle center; I can just see it! Well, it's coming along, though not as fast as I want it!

This is the companion piece to the Plums one that hangs in our breakfast nook.  I wonder if I should have washed the Aida first so the fold lines would've disappeared.. I can still do it I suppose.. I forgot to ask!  I know that a lot of the 123 ladies like rolling their pieces to store and don't fold them!  Here I am unique once again..  lol

I have yet to cut the fabric for the Shepherd's Bush chart (chicken...!) and aside from this Peach-y chart my mom wants me to stitch the Quaker heart freebie from The Workbasket!  It would be a really quick stitch I think!  I also want to start the EMS 2012 Sampler - one step at a time, I guess!  Cut all fabric first!

I'll end with a photo of one of my nieces - a cousin's daughter - she's been a frequent visitor these days and is such a ham!  She even had me digging out my old needlepoint so I could teach her to "sew"!  It was a bit difficult as she couldn't get the hang of what she was supposed to do - stab the needle in, and from the same side, stab out.. she kept going straight to the other side, not sewing through the cloth! lol  She's all of 5 years old.. and makes me think of how much I miss my nephew and niece!

Well, that's all for the moment.. hope to post again in 2 days' time or less, and with a finish or two!  And then it's back to Whimsey and Wit Alphabet Advent!

Hermitting, less stitching!

Hello! Yippee! It seems someone (2 new someones) are now followers! I hope to have something to show for last weekend's IHSW!  All I can say is, everytime I went to stitch the Evergreen (day 5) , the dreaded "frog" was with me and the last time I actually touched it was last Saturday! I understand that putting it down is the best thing to do when the frog visits you.. so that's what I'm doing!  I'm seriously debating "fudging" (I don't know what the technical term is) it, and just actually going on so I can break out the champagne for finishing a square! lol

Okay everyone, I've decided to do SB Santa's Christmas and the PS together..I need a rotation after all.. I mean, when you put down the work that isn't working, for a fresh one ... that refreshes you, too!  The only thing is I am afraid to cut linen!  Everything I have is already pre-cut (except for the Aida of course), and I'm scared of making a mistake!  My LNS is no help either, offering to sell me big pieces, not the exact size I want!  However, never daunted, I have already counted the stitches and all that's left to do is the actual measuring and cutting!  Measure 2x, cut once?  Wish me luck!

Real luck has been in short supply... one week of no internet, having to fiz hacking problems (both mine and mom's), time spent doing things for my mom and aunt, etc etc...  I need a HUGE dose of luck as I am very afraid of cutting wrong!

In the meantime I've picked up a UFO which will soon be a finish.. will hurry up with the posting for tomorrow!

Anyway.. have a great weekend, friends!

hmmm

I have a little progress to show on "evergreen" (square no. 5). I was doing it just now when I hit a snag.. a stray thread from "angel" (square no. 1, which i haven't finished because of the metallics) got caught in my green.  So I am now hunting for my scissors - I know it's here somewhere.  There was a whole week last week where I was missing them; they're a small, utilitarian pair of Fiskars with nice sharp points for getting under thread and cutting.. I was already mourning them, I mean a whole week and they hadn't surfaced!.. when I found them in my little stitching box right beside the bed! Now, I would seriously have been inconvenienced by their loss, because 1. for sure there is not any place to buy them here and 2., I have no other pair of "embroidery" scissors -- I am missing my DMC "stork" embroidery scissors (haven't seen them since the move).

I haven't helped but notice, in many of the stitchy blogs I've been following or visited, that there's this mystique about certain kinds of embroidery scissors - you know.. "Ginghers", "Kelmscott", etc.  I'm curious about what makes them so special (aside from the fact that they have lovely designs on their handles).  Note to self:  visit an LNS (I would, of course!) to LOOK at the different kinds of scissors.

So here I am with a lot of charts to start and for sure I have not kitted any.  I am going to be using whatever Charles Craft, plain ol' no-name Aida, no-name hardanger and MCG evenweave that I have. And good 'ol DMC.  Sometimes it's a relief not to have a choice (of floss!). Just think how much damage I could do to the wallet.

List of charts to start (kitting not sewing, I can't start til I've kitted right)
1.  Prairie Schooler  "Holiday Homestead"

2.  Shepherd's Bush "Santa's Christmas"

3.  CEC Mrs. Claus
4.  Graphworks "The Christmas Shoppe" (from Denise)
5.  plus a whole lot of others that I will post later

Which one should I start first?   PS or SB? Decisions, decisions.  Whichever one it is, I will be sure to post.

Anyway, in the madness of the full moon, I am seriously considering buying a new chart "A Most Noble Pursuit" which is a collaboration of blocks by seriously good designers. Our only problem right now will be the logistics of paying (the logistics of stitching will come later, assuming the logistics of paying get sorted out).

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Hope I am starting the Chinese New Year right!  I am going to mass, and then going to order dinner (our cook doesn't do Chinese), and then I will be back to my stitches.

So here's what I've accomplished this IHSW so far:

Doll is almost done! Just backstitch a line for her mouth (the pattern doesn't say what color!) and attach a few beads to the front of her dress (like I know how to do that!)   :-))

I've also started Day 5, which is the Evergreen.  Another Christmas tree, holy cow!  To think I was thinking of sewing a Christmas tree small (red, on white) by Sue Hillis, from the JCS Christmas 2008 issue!  Maybe I still will, it's words and not plain green stitches anyway.  Well, I will do a small in between just to keep things interesting.

Here's the evergreen:

not much to show yet but at least it's a start!  And my weekend is LONG, because of Chinese New Year! Woo hoo!  Hoping and praying for a good year for all of us! My mom, my brother and his wife, my (late) brother's family, everyone dearly loved!

Jade Vine blooms

Just thought you might like to see what jade vine blooms look like.. despite living in the tropics, I only ever saw one blooming, live,   yesterday.

Instead of stitching (it's the IHSW weekend, you know!)  I went out right after Saturday half day work, to a place 2 1/2 hours away, for a delicious, mostly vegetarian lunch.  The setting was a beautiful, fragrant garden... such balm to the soul!   We had wheat sesame bread, salad (romaine, butter lettuce, and assorted other edible leaves and blooms I couldn't identify off-hand), and pasta, with a choice of cashew cream dressing, olive tapenade,  basil pesto, mango, pineapples, sunflower seeds, some kind of shelled "pop bean like" bean, cream sauce with chicken, basil tomato sauce, grilled salmon pieces, etc etc... with dalandan (a type of citrus orange) juice, and to finish, banana fritters, and a thin wedge of dark chocolate cake.  Yum! I'll try and find some pics from among my friends to show. I was too hungry to whip out the camera and take pics.  It was the birthday treat of the beautiful, kind, gracious lady who is my boss.  May she continue to be blessed (and may the rest of us be blessed along with her!)

woohoo.. all signed up! and late!

Ha! I'm all signed up for International Hermit and Stitch and I'm not even sure whether it's this weekend or last.. okay, just checked, and it was for LAST weekend!  Sigh.  So much for keeping myself on the "straight and narrow" stitch-wise.. now I'm just plain late!  Is there any way I can un-sign up?

I want to have some finishes - notice the ambitious line-up on my sidebar?  I can barely finish a square a month from my Whimsey and Wit project.. I'm ambitious, what can I say? Some stitchy friends have been so nice as to put up some gift-aways and PIFs, and I have to get cracking!  Not to mention which I committed to having my own give-away for Christmas sewing!  And have I mentioned that everything to me, which is bigger than 6 x 6, seems like a BAP?  :)   In 5 minutes, I am getting off here to do some sewing...

Anyway.. I am putting some finishing touches on the Christmas ornaments that I forgot to give my dearest nephew and niece.  They're ready now.. for next Christmas!

For the New Year

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness;  to an opponent, tolerance;  to a friend, your heart;  to your child, a good example;  to a father, deference;  to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you;  to yourself, respect;  to all men, charity.”

Writing from my sick chair (I would say bed except I'm not in bed).. caught a bad virus and am now sick.  Won a few giveaways in the last couple of days (not on blogs, so they weren't posted on my wall) - isn't it great??  Christmas stitching stuff and the leaflet "The Christmas Shoppe"! Many thanks to Laurie and Denise!!  I'll get to see them (the winnings only, not them!) at the end of the month, when another cousin comes home for his dad (my uncle's) first year anniversary..

I'll post my finish and a couple of starts for the year.. certainly hope it's better than last year!

Wishing peace, joy and love to all my stitchy friends..