Tag Archives: renovations

WIP Wednesday #234

Posted in cross stitch, DIY home, family, grateful, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett by

I’m telling myself it’s still Wednesday somewhere…

Not much had been done in the way of stitching this last week. However, Mum’s gardens are cleaned up, re-planted & barked. I need some more filler plants but I need to research a little first. Low pollen is needed, but she wants colour. Right.

We’ve also started the ramp… at the recommended 1:12 fall, it’s going to be over 9 metres. Eep. That’s a lot of timber, folks (yes, we could get a temporary metal ramp, but that wouldn’t tie into the existing decks and it would look very, very ugly). I learnt how to rout timber!

On the bad side of things, the SIL is still in radio silence with everyone but mum. Christmas is going to be interesting.

So. Minimal work on Fairy Idyll, but one strand more of the over one was included in all that.

Hope you all have a lovely Stitchy or yarny but joy filled week.

WIP (cough) post-Wednesday #212

Posted in cross stitch, DIY home, family, grateful, House, me, stitching patterns, work by

Apologies for the lateness but – yeah. Life.

This past week has been really odd, frantic busy & I haven’t had much stitching time at all. I finally started Little House Needlework’s Bethlehem & this is all I have managed, in between swearing & work, while in my little office.

We finished the work at the MIL’s on Tuesday, just in time to run home, clean up & shoot into town to see Jimmy Carr at the Aotea Centre. Another night without eating (trying to get parking & pre-pay so we didn’t get towed ate up the time) but it was so worth it. I know he’s crass & non PC, but his humour is on multiple intellectual levels. And his reaction to hecklers is spot on. I laughed until my cheeks hurt & very nearly at crying point. And we had a late night visitor – those stripes look odd!

Last night MIL and the boys arrived home – hooray! She kept on saying she’d loved what we had done, but then spoiled it a little by commenting about our wanting to sell it. For the fifty-fifth thousandth time – it’s not us thinking about selling. Grr. She has a lot of trouble just being grateful & that is getting to me. After all, that space was original 1979…it was well past due!

I don’t see much stitching in the next week either – I want to go to the last days of the Corsini Collection at Auckland Art Gallery. It closes Sunday but I plan on going Saturday with Mase in tow.

Blurb: From the private collection of the eminent Corsini family in Florence, Italy, comes this fascinating exhibition featuring Renaissance and Baroque painting by artists such as Botticelli, Andrea del Sarto, Caravaggio and Pontormo.

The exhibition provides a window on the family’s continuing passion for collecting art, their support of artists, and their ongoing loyalty to the city of Florence, which has prevailed through the devastation of WWll and the inescapable forces of nature during the flood of Florence in 1966.

Portraits, landscape, mythological and religious paintings, as well as sculpture, works on paper, furniture, costumes, embroidery, games, kitchen equipment and a lavish dining room set for six, will portray the life of this family at the Palazzo Corsini and their patronage of the arts.

WIP Wednesday #208

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, DIY home, family, me, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

It’s been a busy week. My mind is alternating between frantic & lazy, so I know I’m about to reach the end of all my tolerance.

Since last Wednesday, my Twitter #nzsecretsanta parcel has been checked into Santa’s warehouse, & bonus! The one that is coming to me is also checked in. Mase won Player of the Day at Tag; and celebrated finishing Goldfish #3 at swim school with “play” day, or what the teachers would call survival skills. Ben, his teacher, is off to Massey Uni next year as he has been accepted into Veterinary school. Mase’s sentiments? Hmm. I finished the last colour of Believe – and would you believe it, going back thru my planner I saw that I started this in January. That is how much I have hated stitching on a big piece of perforated paper! We had the school concert last night, finished painting the bathroom (I can hear Elizabeth’s “about time!” comment lol) and I am nearly done beading the second of the Jamaica Santas.

There will be a #FFO dance this weekend, folks.

#craft31days day ten

Posted in cross stitch, embroidery, family, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Wow! We’re almost a third of the way thru the month & I’m pleased to see I’m sticking every day. It’s the little things, but I love the feeling of accomplishment.

#craft31days & going hard… The bathroom is fully done with the tile slate (the Screaming Teen couldn’t be bothered getting out clamps so used #masetheace as a weight on top of my freezer!!!) & half lined in gib.
Second large portion of #fairyidyll is also complete down to the wisper back stitch. Really happy with how this is working up & looking.

#craft31days day eight

Posted in cross stitch, DIY home, family, goals, grateful, House, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

I’m down to 5% battery so let’s make this quick.

The bathroom is clean & clear of all the debris. 840kg worth, people. My wrist & shoulders hurt. Simon started nailing down the new tile slate tonight. With “help”.

I managed to get a decent hour or two in Fairy Idyll after everyone else went to bed. Hooray! That’s another 250+ stitches in this weekend.

Hope your weekend was as productive!

#craft31days day seven

Posted in DIY home, family, House by

I got up early this morning, mostly for coffee & to hustle the Screaming Teen out the door; he was getting picked up at 7am for a day refereeing. I got five or six threads into Fairy Idyll before the rest of the house got moving, then we got stuck into demo.

We learnt a few things.

  • Only one of the walls had the proper gib (wallboard).
  • The toilet pan was glued to the floor. No screws.
  • The cistern wasn’t fixed at all.
  • The basin carcass was also glued, not screwed.
  • The ammt of glue used to hold down the top wouldn’t fill a bottle lid.
  • Surprisingly there was insulation in the outside wall. We had our doubts by the time we got to that one.

I’d forgotten how much I hate demo. And yay! We’ll get to do it all over again with our bath before summer ends.