Tag Archives: sandra cozzolino

WIP Wednesday #278

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Morena everyone! I’d say “happy singles day” but what?? I may work for a mainstream retailer but this just looks like another excuse for a sale day – except of course in the actual country of origin, China, where it is both celebration and retail day: Via Wikipedia: The Singles’ Day, or Bachelors’ Day, originated at Nanjing University in 1993. Singles’ Day celebrations spread to several other universities in Nanjing during the 1990s. November 11 (11/11), consisting of four “1”s, was chosen as it represents four singles.

Anyways, back to me. It’s all about me, right? Hmm. Si generously passed on his man flu to me and I ended up needing 7 days off work, plus all the weekend days, to get myself back to anything resembling normal. It wasn’t covid, thank you Lord, but another virus that is almost as heavy. I do the weekly “flu tracker” emails and interestingly there has been a spike in recent weeks. I have the gift of catching every bug that does the rounds!

I haven’t done that much stitching in the meantime. I did suss out the ribbon conversion in Luce Mia – the original is reasonably bright teals, so I went to corresponding blues, which looked awful, so then I went to a colour range that is also used in Mermaids of the Deep Blue. I am now at the part of completing the fin edge so I can blob out this weekend and stitch the one colour of her tail. I have converted that to a GAST for a bit of variety tho. The Barbados Santa’s are coming along, and I have joined the Mill Hill Monday group to keep me motivated there.

Reading has been a lot of forgettable stuff until this last week. I have the ARC of the new Rosalind James; and I’ve been well enough to listen and follow the Peter Robinson DCI Banks book Careless Love. Sadly I am nearly at the end of that series, having made the 20+ books last nearly two years – write faster, Peter!! Not sure what I will move onto after those, as I enjoy both the writing style, & character development and the tones of Simon Slater, the narrator are lovely. Any suggestions?

WIP Wednesday #277

Posted in cross stitch by

Morena everyone (that’s Māori for Good Morning). It’s another sunny humid spring day down here in Auckland and of course, I’m stuck at work. If there is one thing 2020 has taught me, it’s to be grateful that I’m “stuck” at work. To have the ability to move freely within my country, to have the ability to pay my bills, to have the ability to buy frivolous stuff, go to sporting matches, walk on the beach or in a park, go out for dinner or a show – it’s all so very, very good. There’s a load of shite being posted on Twitter from a group of UK central/right wing activists about how NZ has been transporting people to concentration camps and the like – I can assure you that is not the case!

Next stop, the Australian coast…

On Saturday I went out to Liz’s at Murawai. She lives on the cliff above the beach and the gannet colony, and the view is *chef’s kiss* I took part in an introduction to surface embroidery (I’d forgotten most from a previous course) and am currently blitzing away at a kit of hers, that of course I am converting to my own colourway. The kit can be found here: https://www.thestitchsmith.co.nz/categories/embroidery/embroidery-kits/aotearoa-tree-of-life-2?gn=embroidery%20KITS-preprinted%20fabric&gp=2

I am also working on Luce Mia when the light goes on in the lounge (embroidery is much easier in daylight) and at work, the Barbados Santa duo is coming to life.

Readingwise, I am currently reading the new Eloisa James romance, My Last Duchess, which is the latest in her Wildes series. I have loved Eloisa’s novels for years (yes, I know who she is IRL, not really Eloisa) and have often gone on reading tangents after. I might even be more tolerant of Shakespeare! I’ve also read an ARC of an upcoming title via NetGalley, which will be my Friyay post. I’m trying to get a “new to me” author at least fortnightly. It’s one way of expanding the boundaries I pulled around myself this year.

Anyways, take care, especially if you’re in a covid hot-spot. Let me know what you’re doing to help yourself mentally too – we should all be sharing the good stuff!

WIP Wednesday #276

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, family, grateful, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Well, it’s still Wednesday somewhere in the world, even tho it’s definitely Thursday for me!

Barbados Santa – #3 in the series

I put away Fairy Idyll last week – she wasn’t bringing me any happiness and it felt like a chore. I guess a two week slog every now and again will be the norm with her. Instead, I worked a few days on the Barbados Santa pair (I’d only got the hat/hair part completed before) and then a new start – Luce Mia from Nora Corbett on Countrystitch Cook Strait (cause mermaids always belong in the sea, right?) which is the other half of the fabric used on Sirens of the Sea. This is two of her hair colours complete, and I’ve kind of worked out a GAST conversion for her tail (it’s mostly one DMC which is booooring). She’s about the right mix of size, complexity and interest that I want now, as we head into the busy retail season and all the end-of-year things.

And today I opened a parcel I’d ordered in APRIL from a local crafter. These are the initials of everyone in the family and my plan is to hang from the light garland that will be on the big mirror on the lounge wall. I’ll have to either add new initials as partners/children come into the fam or give the ornament away when child moves out – I like the first idea better! Have a lovely week. If you’re in NZ, stay safe this Labour Weekend and enjoy some time in the outdoors.

May WIPocalypse

Posted in cross stitch, family, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone if you’re still following! I have been deliberately limiting my web activity during the NZ lockdown (I worked thru apart from the one week of bereavement leave, and an afternoon where all I wanted to do was throw this !#$%*$%! laptop out the window) so I cut down on everything else. I read a lot (lots of romance, as I couldn’t follow non-fiction to save myself) and stitched and gardened and Lego. Nearly every cupboard has had a clean out, a lot of maintenance is already done and I’m ready for a long, solitary holiday.

Since I wrote the March WIPocalypse, I’ve had a few finishes. The Antique Celtic Sampler by Elisabeth Designs; Hands on Design covid freebie, Choose Happy; two Sandra Cozzolino Genoa Santas; a mash-up snarky hoop for a friend using a Brooke’s Books Elphaba and lastly, Nora Corbett’s Garden Party Cakes. I haven’t brought much, a Santa from Michelle Bendy that still hasn’t arrived and I spent a whopping buck fifty at the op shop in Paihia this weekend. I’m actually $20.30 in credit, so should finish the first half of the year in the black.

Currently I am beading Shakespeare’s Fairies, and I took Fairy Tales away last weekend. I have been more about finishing all the things rather than starting, although I would have liked it to be about working on 12 Days it’s nearly all Mirabilia. But I’m not beating myself up about goals or haul or tidying up or whatever – simply surviving without a breakdown is the short term goal, and measured daily.  

April’s question was Talk to us about your longest-running WIP or UFO. My oldest WIP is still Tapestry Cat by Teresa Wentzler. It’s still about 75% complete and I don’t think I’ve touched it this year. It’s not something I can focus on as yet…

May’s question was Tell us about a piece that you absolutely loved stitching. For me, this was my first Mirabilia, Stargazer. I adored this piece from when I first saw an image but it would be 10 years before I came across the chart, and I only completed it 4 years ago. She is in my hall so I walk past her daily, and she’s one of the few charts I would consider stitching again.

All the best to you and yours – I’m not sure if I will rejoin as a weekly post yet but I will try to post for June WIPocalypse at the least.

WIP Wednesday #273

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hello! Week three of the lockdown & I’m starting to get wound up. Back on Twitter, which may be a mistake; it’s raining, altho Easter weekend itself was amazing weather;  and I’ve lost all desire to cook. The hubs is looking at rentals (what the actual?) but on the positive side, school started back today. Remote & online, but it’s back.

Since I last posted, I finished both the Genoa Santa pieces from Mill Hill/Sandra Cozzolino,  and got a huge chunk done on Shakespeare’s Fairies. I’ve had to order beads from 123Stitch but I don’t know when those might be sent.Hope you all have a great week.

January WIPocalypse & OLW Thrive

Posted in cross stitch, family, goals, grateful, Journal, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, OLW, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns, travel, WIPocalypse by

Hello everyone! I hope you’re well. WIPocalypse is the monthly check-in SAL hosted by Measi on her blog, and via the Facebook group – we welcome all enablers! Click on the icon to the right to learn more.

My January goals were:

  • Finish Jardin Prive’s Eiffel Quaker COMPLETED
  • Mill Hill Golden Tannenbaum for my Small/Christmas All Year Round BOTH FFO
  • Hello There March (& FFO) not started
  • 341 stitches in Shakespeare’s Fairies for the HP SAL ACHIEVED

Additionally, I’ve got over a thousand other stitches in SF and at work, I’ve stitched two Genoa Santa’s (one for me, one for Lou), and started two of the Wales version. I’ve also touched one of my yearly goals and stitched on Fairy Idyll – one of the monthly HPSAL goals was 500 stitches in gold, so I’m used her dress. So far, there’s only 3 days this month I haven’t stitched, & I’m happy with that.

Late last year I asked Belinda (@aussiestitcher) if she wanted to part with her copy of Coffee Quaker (the one that says “first I drink the coffee, then I do the things”) and she sent me a huge haul. Three needleminders (great for holding up copies of charts on the frame), two pieces of Colour Cascade fabric, the chart and her thread remnants, some of which will be enough to complete the smaller portions on the chart! I’m spoilt.

February goals:

  • Bead & FFO Genoa Santa’s
  • Complete stitching on Wales Santa’s
  • Stitch & FFO Hello There March
  • Work on Fairy Idyll
  • Work on Shakespeare’s Fairies

Question: What SAL’s are you participating in this year?

After last year’s abysmal failure, I’m only doing two. One is the #ChristmasAllYearRoundSAL via my Instagram posts (if you don’t know, I’m Christmas mad) and the other is the #HarryPotterSAL via the Facebook group. I’ve completed a few challenges this year & I’m looking for ways to incorporate more WIPs into the rotations.

A LATE EDIT, JUST FOR STEPHANIE January Stitch From Stash has come out positive, despite the NZD-UK Pound exchange rate. Idyll cost quite a bit! And some fabric sales came thru the bank account last night, moving me from my already positive 59cents. LOL.

Jan-19
Budget $25.00
Fairy Idyll for Gail -46.76
Spotlight DMC*6 -11.40
Eiffel Quaker 21.25
Golden Tannenbaum *2 12.50
Fabric Sales (Lani) 70.00
Total Available Budget $70.59

As my One Little Word this year is THRIVE (and Simon has also adopted it when it comes to us as a couple, like he did with YES in 2018), we took advantage of a child & work free day and went to Hamilton on Monday. It was super hot very early on, so we didn’t spend much time in the sun but on the drive, I not only finished the stitching in Genoa but made a start to Wales. I enjoy these pieces when we’re driving. We ended up at the Gardens, a favourite place, and took in the new Katherine Mansfield garden. It’s based upon her short story, The Garden Party, and while I forgot to take shots of the tennis court area, the house had us going ah…

 

It’s just a 3-4M deep facade, but so much detail. In another year, when the garden is that much more established, it’s going to be beautiful.

And of course, in the entry piazza that leads to these extra garden “rooms”, there’s Alice & the White Rabbit:

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WIP Wednesday #238

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, goals, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Hello my lovelies! I’ve had an up & down week, and there’s lots of pressure at work (year end on the 27th & an annoyingly slow system) so I’ve been following doctor’s orders and stitching as much frustration away as possible. I am also at payday with money still in the everyday account, and I haven’t spent anything on stitching supplies for myself this month, altho there are 6 skeins I need for Shakespeare’s Fairies.

I did get rid of a huge guilt patch by sourcing and buying another copy of Fairy Idyll and having it posted to Gail. She lent me her copy in September 2017 and I never thought it would take me so long to stitch, & I’ve been feeling awful about it. The chart is OOP and was 25 pounds but… worth it for the relief.

Anyway, this week I’ve got (what I am counting as) two FFO with the Golden Tannenbaum ornaments now ready for the tree, a good start on two Genoa Santa’s and well past the monthly goal on Shakespeare’s Fairies.

Hope you all have a great week!

WIP Wednesday #221

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, friends, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, stitch from stash, stitching patterns by

Sorry peeps! I missed a week due to illness and work and all the horrid things. Life should be sorted out soon, I miss my summer routine & can’t wait for winter to be over. Not least bc it’s 7 bucks for a small punnet of tomatoes right now. I am craving tomatoes.

Not a lot of progress on Celebration Santa; most of this was done last week. I’m changing out some gift boxes for hens as the recipient has chooks galore.

I’ve worked on Persephone for 6 days now out of the 50. The beading on the top skirt is done, some fill in is going on & I’ve sorted the cream DMC conversion for the hem. Pretty happy with that progress.

That’s all from me, hope you are all well & getting lots of good things.

WIP Wednesday #220

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, stitching patterns by

I’ve been sick since I last wrote – I spent 3 days working from home (hooray for flannelled pyjamas & sunny spots & kids being in school & work laptops & internet connections & flu medications) – and didn’t get to my stitchy goals. A head cold and over-one stitching do not mix, and I didn’t want to tempt the frog.

One more session on Fairy Idyll brings me to not a lot, not really worth showing…

And three more sessions on Trinidad Santa and voila! Both are ready for me to back, so I am considering them done.

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Two sessions on a repeat stitch, the Celebration Santa, & I have a decent start.

Hope your week goes well & you get lots of crafty time.

WIP Wednesday #210

Posted in Christmas, cross stitch, embroidery, Smalls SAL, stitch from stash by

This week has seen virtually no stitching. I am mentally tired; we have been flat out renovating in the small refereeing window, both at home (the main bathroom) then from Monday, the MIL’s lounge/dining space. I am missing my two youngest, who are living it up in Invercargill with Grandma & Aunty Sharon (and Han Solo, the cat that thinks it’s a dog). I am reading garbage quick romances; anticipating the return to work as being refreshed. Sadly, I’m still ho-hum about it all.

Stitch from Stash – I finished 2017 in the red, thanks to a payment bouncing & a quick trip to the sale table at Ribbon Rose. However the money was confirmed in my account on the first, so I am starting 2018 on a high.

Dec-17
 Allowance $25.00
StitchNZ disct DMC -21.00
RR Fairy Idyll beads -52.00
Rose Of Sharon RR 12.14
Jamaica Santa #1 & #2 20.00
MH Believe 20.00
L*K Today’s Good Mood 9.94
Rollover -$113.09
Total Available Budget -$99.01

20171214_220410Smalls SAL – for December I finished the Jamaica Santa’s – they are so cute! One for me, one for Louise. I plan on completing the set at some point in 2018. I’m not going to participate in every month’s check in for 2018, altho I have enough Cozzolino Santas to keep me going!

Pass the Stash –  Heather B was the only one to enter, stating that she’d give coal to anyone who didn’t believe in Santa! Congrats Heather – please get in touch so I can post the chart & remaining beads/threads to you.

 

Hope everyone has a relaxing week – if you’re still on holiday, enjoy it for me!