Category Archives: cross stitch

Solo September SAL

Posted in cross stitch, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, round robin by

Reading today’s blog digest lead me to this SAL – just what I need to get committed to the large stitch Mirabilia round robin I was invited to join. Andie is organising it, & she’d be one of my favourite people.

I decided on Mermaids, got the Simon input (vertical, so it will hang in a certain spot in the house), sorted designs, then got a mad hair on and decided to stitch the “frames” in a shiny thread. Couldn’t get to Ribbon Rose and I was too impatient to mail order, so I grabbed a DMC satin.

Never again. I am not enjoying this part of the process at all!

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The fabric is actually much deeper than this picture: Catherine @ CountryStitch’s Cook Strait, in a 28ct lugana (my fav). The frame is from Cathy Habermann’s Chalk Christmas ornaments set II.

Review: Daughters of the Bride

Posted in books, cross stitch, family, me, round robin by

cover-daughtersDaughters of the Bride – Susan Mallery, July 2016, HQN Books

Courtney ~ The Misfit ~

As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing—keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning Mom’s wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family’s view of her—and how she views herself—forever.

Sienna ~ The Free Spirit ~

When Sienna’s boyfriend proposes—in front of her mom and sisters, for crying out loud—he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say “I do” even if she’s not sure she does?

Rachel ~ The Cynic ~

Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As Mom’s wedding day draws near and her ex begs for a second chance, she’s forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide if she’ll let pride stand in the way of her own happily ever after.

This book links into Mallery’s Mischief Bay series (see here for my reviews  ) which I loved. This title is one I’d solidly rate 4 stars also; it ticked nearly every box. I would put myself in the Rachel camp, so I’ve learnt something from this book – it is okay not to expect the same effort in bathroom hygiene from my boys as I would put in, but it’s definitely okay to give them a checklist for guidance!

  • Well drawn characters
  • Believable plot
  • Consistency in character behavior
  • Consistency in story line
  • The animals didn’t hurt the story either!

IRL, I have not lost more weight altho I have stayed static for the last two weeks. I can however slide my jeans off without undoing them and I need new bras. This is progress! Simon’s torn some cartilage in his knee, and is on a wait for surgery. Understandably, he’s in discomfort most of the time and outright pain at other times. Yesterday I picked up a brace – and we both slept solidly. 7 hours or so my Polar tells me! Apart from the night he fell asleep on the couch, I haven’t had more than five to five-and-a-half hours for a few weeks. I’m hoping this is the start of a beautiful friendship. It’s very hard to get up at 5am and go swimming without restful sleep!

20160814_205158I didn’t stitch for a couple of weeks, but then I binged a little over the last weekend and finished Afternoon in London! It’s currently on my noticeboard here at work, as I need to make time and go to the framers in Mt Eden. I’ve started the Harry Potter House Banners for Z, and it’s BORING. Seriously boring. It’s going to be a Netflix binge watch to get thru these things. I have also joined up a large format (5K stitches) round robin – what was I thinking?!

 

 

IMG_20160816_213950.jpgMase is collecting the Countdown Star Wars cards right about now. He wrote Pete, our COO, this cute letter to say thanks! It’s one for his 21st wall.

 

Perfectly Covered in Grace

Posted in cross stitch by

a lesson to be learnt here – thanks Daleen for sharing what is so, so personal. And Yay for Mr Right.

Joanne Jamis Cain's avatar

Christina's Rose

Our guest blogger today is Daleen of Sunday’s Child. She and I met four years ago through WordPress and have become great friends. Listen to her message today- it’s awesome. Love, Joanne

Hi, I am Daleen and I am persnickety.

Over 34 years of married life, I created the ideal time table. The perfect schedule. A well oiled, finely tuned machine.

Once a month I clean, vacuum, scrub, fuss and fluff the front entranceway. No matter what state or country we were/are living in, or the size of front entranceway, I buff and puff. I change the wreath or decor with the season. You will never see Fourth of July bunting still hanging on the 6th of July.

On the last working day of the month, I take a personal day. Facial, pedicure, manicure, hair (cut, color, highlight, hot oil treatment etc). I bike and rebound and get fresh air and sunshine.

Our master…

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July WIPocalypse Check In

Posted in cross stitch, WIPocalypse by

Wow – July’s full moon has been beautiful. I’ve seen quite a bit, as I drive in the dark to the base pool.

I have got thru 3 rotations of stitching this month; a chunk of Persephone, over the mental hump of Afternoon in London and up to Maleficent in Raven Queen’s first page. Just quietly, I’m impressed I stayed disciplined enough to stick to those 3 at home.

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Now I missed the June check-in – Topic:  Do you find yourself more productive with stitching in summer or winter? I am finding I am about the same this year, altho we’re really early into Winter down here. Making the commitment to record my projects and using Instagram has stopped a lot of my usual hibernation.

July – Topic: (two options) If you are participating in the Olympic Challenge, tell us about your plans – which type of challenge you’ve selected, the pieces you’ll be stitching on, etc.  If you are not participating in the challenge, tell us how this year’s stitching is going for you so far, and if you’re meeting your stitching goals so far for the year. Having given up FB, I’m not participating in any challenges or SALs. This year was all about taking a breath, altho I did commit to “16 in 2016” finish count.

  • Mirabilia 2004 Cherub
  • Chinese Year of the Monkey ornie
  • Nora Corbett Lily of the Valley (my last round robin contribution for that round)
  • Noel Mini Sampler ornie
  • Lizzie Kate Up in the Treetops ornie
  • Hands On Design Plenty – FFO!
  • Mill Hill Fireflies – FFO!
  • Pickle Barrel Noel ornie
  • Cross Stitcher Bunny wooden ornie

That’s nine finishes, and none will take much to FFO really apart from sending the cherub out to the framers. I’m OK with not having a big design finished in 2016, altho I do suspect I will finish Mermaids of the Deep Blue. And if all goes to plan this week, I will finish stitching the 4th of the Mill Hill ornaments and bead all four before next Friday.

Whatever happened to WIP Wednesday?

Posted in cross stitch, me, weight loss by

Long story short – this is one of the last hang-overs I had from FB. Right now, I simply don’t want to update my WIP when (for this month anyway) my rotation finish date is the very next day. This may change; I do post more often on IG or maybe it will be my Work WIP Wednesday?

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Here’s my stitch calendar, for anyone who is interested. July doesn’t have heavy goals; to simply be loyal to one WIP each week at home, and to bead the Mill Hill ornaments I finished stitching last month. Simplicity is key, especially when your current season includes school holidays. I need to get out my WIP pile and work out who will be what week next month  – altho it will probably be Persephone for the first week again. A “tick” indicates that I stiched on my home WIP that day – satisyingly, there are more ticks that I hoped for!

On the being honest about my weight loss front, I had an amazing loss despite feeling blah towards the end of the week and my Sunday/Monday migraine. Another 1.5kilos – 3.3lbs, for a total of 3.9kg or 8.6lbs, very nearly Mase’s birthweight. My polar shows that I was particularly lazy some days (pretty shameful days actually) so the loss was a big surprise.  I’m going to reward myself at the 5kg mark with a Pandora five charm – they don’t appear to have a ten so not sure at that point what I will do! I am still struggling to fit in all the food (my rep says about 80% of who they see are actually not eating enough to kick their metabolism into gear, and isn’t that interesting?) but I am trying.

Tourists in our own Island

Posted in books, cross stitch, family, grateful, me, photos, travel by

My rotation plan has gone out the window- well, not entirely but there’s an edit. When we checked the referee’s draw on Thursday, neither Si nor B had been allocated games, so we decided to escape Auckland for the weekend (thanks Emma for feeding the fish!). We knew the weather wasn’t going to be sharp anywhere we went, but it’s all about the adventure. We don’t know how many more weekends we will be able to get away as a family of 5 (B plans on finding an apprenticeship for 2017) so we want to take advantage of the opportunities. Raven Queen is too unwieldy to do in the car (32ct dark fabric? ah no) so I picked up Afternoon in London. I needed a jump to get over my stitching hump with this one.

We booked in at a little cottage in Opua, in the Bay of Islands. It’s just before Paihia (too touristy) and it’s where the car ferry for Russell leaves from. Small, but we could see ourselves retiring there. They even have a Stitch & Bitch session! Sadly we did not win lotto so that dream will wait a while longer. Even in the gloom the view from up on the hill was engrossing and I spent time at the windows both mornings. My only complaint would be that the kitchen doesn’t face that view.

Saturday we were all up early so we jumped in the car, planning to get to the northern most tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. Mase wanted to be the first boy to have been at both top & bottom of the islands (he’s forgotten all about Stewart Island!) & goal achieved. We did stop wherever we felt the need – lots of junk shops & second hand bookstores. I found some haul too as well as a very thick bio on Mary Magdalene (amazon link here).

Williams House, Paihia – part of an Anglican Mission
sailboat under repairs at Opua
Wesleydale Memorial Church, Kaeo-KeriKeri parish, c 1820’s – & still in use
Simon mourns the ruins of old houses

The Cape was a bit different from what Simon remembered as a teen. The parking lot is now well back from the lighthouse (a ten minute walk) and the entry has been all tourist-fied with piped in traditional Maori music and planned plantings. Never mind. Once you’re thru that, it’s raw and as it should be.

where the two seas meet

The lighthouse is smaller than I thought, much smaller than I remember Castlepoint being. Sadly it’s operated by remote computers now, but I could imagine the loneliness a keeper would have experienced. It’s so open and you can see where the two seas meet – Tasman on my left, Pacific on the right – and recall the Maori myth about this being the departing place for the spirits of the ancestors, as they made their way back to Hawaiki (better story here).

20160709_145257Being back at work is kind-of a letdown. I would much rather be back at the lighthouse.

and lastly – Mase reenacting the story of Jonah…

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Sharing is Caring: JOYFUL WORLD – AUGUST PATTERN — The Snowflower Diaries

Posted in cross stitch, freebies by

My dear Stitchers, We are in the middle of summer and it is time to release the August pattern of my JOYFUL WORLD calendar! I chose one of my furry friends for the main role, a border collie!:-) You are welcome to stitch along this calendar in our Facebook group here: CLICKYou can also download the patterns…

via JOYFUL WORLD – AUGUST PATTERN — The Snowflower Diaries

Hellooooo July!

Posted in books, cross stitch, goals, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL by

Well, I finished Firefly Lane AND the sequel Fly Away. I enjoyed Firefly Lane very much, getting so engrossed in the characters that I had no shame bawling my eyes out while waiting for Zac’s sweet & sour pork the other night. Fly Away not so much, but it had a redemption theme which I do like.

firefly laneIn the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable. 

I have a bestie like this. We’ve been apart for a long time, but as she’s moving to Auckland very soon I hope we can slide straight back into that easy friendship.

Stitching-wise, I haven’t done a lot this week. I woke on Monday feeling quite dissatisfied with things, and decided that I was going to change. So I hauled a$$ & went to the base early to start.

Now, I used to swim competitively. I went to meets all over, and secondary school nationals a couple of times. I thought I’d slide back in – oh no. But I managed 4 lengths (of a 25m pool!) before everything turned to jelly. And once I was back at work, I rang the local Jenny Craig office and got a same-day appointment (no room to chicken out, right?). Turns out that mentally I’m ready for this. Ready to turn around my health spiral. It took 6 months of being out of the yes-I’ll-volunteer cycle to get myself to this point. I wonder if in a few months I’ll be able to give up the headache pills? Look for an activity/weight loss update Monday – if I don’t post it, YELL at me. Please keep me accountable!

So I’ve managed maybe half-a-dozen threads at work, and a couple of hours on Mermaids at home. And as today is the first, I am rotating out from Mermaids to Persephone for a week. My only issue with her is that she is on the big stand so can’t go to league with me tomorrow. But a limited time period might help me get some progress on that skirt – the carrot being that I plan to switch out to Raven Queen next Friday. Then Arezzo, and lastly nine days back on Mermaids – or maybe 7, with the 2 days of the weekend doing something new? We’ll see what happens!

For the Smalls SAL, I finished a Mill Hill kit (Fireflies) and have two Holly ornaments ready for beading, and another two Berry ornaments being stitched. I decided to stitch a second of each of these on Darine 14ct plastic canvas, not only so I have a set to keep, I’m feeling like I get more value for money. These kits are not cheap here in NZ  – roughly $18 for fireflies and $14 for the Christmas Jewel series, each! I also finished the Bunny kit from Cross Stitcher magazine – he’s going to stay as is, without the ribbon, and become my massive needle minder.

 

Hope you all have a fun-filled weekend with your family & friends!

WIP Wednesday

Posted in cross stitch, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett by

Oh dear, it’s Wednesday again? Where is this year going to? At least I have something to show 🙂

Si & I went on a short P&O cruise over the weekend. It was lovely being out on the water and being child-free (altho I had some baby time on Sunday morning. Yay for handing back the smelly ones) & we came back oh-so-relaxed. We didn’t do too many of the organised activities – neither of us are party animals nor are we big on alcohol so we used the time to brainstorm an upcoming house reno and to spend time together. Next cruise we think should be a destination one – thinking of around the Pacific islands, or back from Sydney.

As souvenirs I brought only a couple of Pandora charms; a crown (790930) because it was the Queen’s celebration weekend with Trooping of the Colour; and a cruise ship (791043, it’s retired now). It’s so cute, it even has a pool and umbrellas! They’re kind-of visible on my second Flosstube video (search Paula SewScrapMuse, I have some FSG’s on there too).

20160614_191813.jpgStitching-wise I made a huge ammt of progress on Mermaids of the Deep Blue. Basically everything from the halfway fold was done on the boat. I felt that I should have taken Afternoon in London (and I would have finished it too) but I wasn’t enjoying the progress, and I can’t be bothered doing something that I am not enjoying. I worked “in hand” which means my right hand is very, very sore; and I learnt also that Kreinik is best to do on the stand, but I was happy with my progress. Did not give a rats that some people my age were very craftist and looked down on me for what I was doing; frankly I was looking down on them for their behaviour towards other passengers and the ship’s crew. It was a mutual disadmiration society going on.

And last night got home to this: you could be forgiven for thinking that it’s our house on the market! I’ve deliberately taken a very crappy photo so that you can’t determine some detail. Like our street name, or my rego numbers.20160615_055826.jpg

Si is very cross – we can’t get to our spare parking area now until this is moved. I’m inclined to let it go; the auction is July 2nd and I like these neighbours. The only reason they are selling in a hurry is that his job has transferred them to Wellington and I’ll be sad to see them go. Anyone want to buy a 4bed brick & tile?