I’ve been a lazy slob today curling up on my bed with my laptop headphones on listening to another audiobook while stitching some more on Mirabilia’s Winter Queen. The book I’m reading now is “Dark Horse” by Tami Hoag … aside from the occasional bursts of language that have even ME turning grey, it’s an OK book so far - not the best I’ve ever read, but it’s kept me awake and stitching. I’ve been running downstairs to the laundry doing my week’s washing inbetween stitching and reading. I’ve managed to get to a stage on Winter Queen when I’m about to roll up the fabric on the scroll bars so I thought I’d take a WIP photo before I do … sorry but the quality is dreadful as it’s at night and I can’t find the battery charger of my ’stitching camera’. Oh well, at least some of that dreadful white-on-white stitching has been done … almost one skein down, four left to go

Mind you, the white may not be the death of me … it’s more likely to be the revolting Wisper thread - geez I detest that stuff!!!  But, hey, I only need 2 cards of the stuff for my Queen … 2 cards too many :/

At least her knees will be warm while she’s waiting to be finished!

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PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

This week’s theme is “Candy” and I have to admit I almost didn’t bother posting because I couldn’t be bothered finding a photo or taking a new one - then as I was loading the WIP photo of Winter Queen I remembered the photo of the Peeps that Monique kindly sent me … et voila, you have Candy!!

I’ve been managing to get a few stitches into Winter Queen this week … I suppose any little bit is better than nothing!  This is how she looked before I put her away in January 2007:

And this is how she looks now (minus her head, ‘cos that’s now hiding under my scroll bar!):

I’m glad to see the beading all done, but now I’m facing the eternal swirls of the skirt part of her dress … endless miles of white stitching on white linen - I’d better start stocking up on wine in readiness!!!

Just a very very quick public service announcement that Sampler Cove have released the photos of the next design in the Rhapsody in Red series … yep, yet another design for the wishlist!!!

Aside from that, not much happening in this neck of the woods that’s worth showing you - I’ve done about 3 hours worth of stitching on Mirabilia’s Winter Queen, including frogging an entire section of beads three whole times last night … hmmm.  Hopefully by the end of the week there’ll be enough progress to warrant a photo.  I can’t believe I haven’t touched this WIP/UFO since January 2007!!!  That’s a crying shame, and one wrong that’s being put right - I am to get this one finished before the end of the year

No stitching at all tonight, as we went to the movies straight after work to see “Made of Honour” - personally not a movie I would have chosen to see (Lisa is a HUGE Patrick Dempsey fan, so that was her choice!), but I have to admit I really enjoyed it, and had a blast.  It’s a bit stressful at work right now, so it was really good to chill out afterwards and have a good belly laugh

I’m also a bit of a hermit at home right now while listening to an audiobook and stitching … poor Lisa will wonder if she has a flatmate this week - I’m listening to The Red Dahlia by Lynda la Plante, and really enjoying it

I dropped Barnabee’s Bride over to Karen at The Stitching Post yesterday, and she’s now sitting on display in the smalls cabinet.  Alison joined me for the trip, and I had a wonderful time catching up with her before we made the drive - we had time to have a cup of coffee while I wandered around her stitching gallery and admired her beautiful stitched pieces on the walls … that was a real treat before we hit the road!  I was dying to see Alison’s latest stitched piece from her blog, and the photo doesn’t do it justice … that wallhanging is just divine in real life (as is everything else)!!!

Alison is always great company and we had an enjoyable drive chatting away the whole time.  We arrived at The Stitching Post early, where I had a panic attack that the shop was closed, not realising it doesn’t open until 12 noon!!  Phew!!!

Catching up with Karen and Brendon is always a treat - although poor Karen got absolutely no work done while we were there ‘cos we spent the entire hours of opening chatting away.  I apologise in advance if extra hours are needed this week to catch up!

I was given a thank you gift from them for the model stitching that was totally unnecessary, but it will be treasured always.  I am now the proud owner of one of Brendon’s jewellery pieces … isn’t this amber just amazing??  It will always be a reminder of their friendship when I wear it - thanks so much once again, Karen and Bren, I love it!

I had an extra treat of seeing the first three of my framed pieces up on the wall - I didn’t realise they were there, or I would have taken my camera with me and taken a photo … but I intend heading back again in a fortnight with Mum when she comes to visit, so I’ll remember to take a camera with me then

What I can show you a photo of, though, is my latest finish - I truly ADORE this piece!  As usual, because the photo is taken late in the afternoon without a flash or tripod the photography isn’t the best, but here it is in all its glory … in real life the colours really pop

“Beach Roses” by Just Nan
Stitched on 28ct natural Cashel linen
using recommended threads (DMC)
and embellishment pack of charm and pearls

And don’t you just love the little scallop shells and starfish charm??  I sure do!!

This project will likely head on over to my Trade page at some stage in the future - Nan was really generous with the beads, so there are still just enough pearls to complete the design again … but a charm will have to be bought separately.  I’ll make an announcement post here when I eventually get around to updating my list after I clean out a few folders in the future.

Right now I’m not entirely sure what to stitch next - I’m quite keen to get some of my older WIP’s (they’re probably better categorised as UFO’s now, but we’ll stick with WIP’s for now LOL) finished, as well as getting a few more models stitched for Karen - so I think I’ll bring out one of my BAP’s to concentrate on (that’s already started, eg Mirabilia’s Winter Queen), and do a 10-hour rotation with 1 or 2 of those, with an LHN/CCN design or Christmas design/ornament inbetween - with any luck that’ll see me get at least one BAP finished before too long!

Hmmm, perhaps that’s what I should work on tonight … Winter Queen … but an LHN is calling … oh decisions, decisions …

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

This week’s theme is “Share ANY photo you’d like” so I’ve chosen a couple of photos from Santorini that I really love (they’re scans from the actual hard-copy photo so the clarify isn’t great, but I still love them).  I’ve asked Mum to bring some of my other photos of Greece and Paris so I can scan them in and use them in the future (almost all of my old photos are still with my parents in New Zealand).

I managed to get all the finishing done on Barnabee’s Bride in time to drive her over to The Stitching Post tomorrow morning.  She looks very cute (although I have a bit of wrinkling of the green wool when she’s rolled up, if I had more fabric I might have unpicked it and cut it a bit smaller, but it’s OK I guess), and I couldn’t resist taking a quick photo in the sunlight to show off her wee sparklies

Barnabee’s Bride (kit) by Just Nan

I forgot to take a photo of the needleroll opened out - I’ll take one later … if I remember … but I’ve run out of time to take one this morning, as I’ve now got to race off to work (I’m on the late shift today ‘cos I’m “on call” for the next 7 days in case of emergencies, which gave me time to quickly take these photos this morning).

Just ‘cos I have nothing to write about …

Your Personality Cluster is Introverted Feeling

You are:Tolerant, flexible, and open to new ideas.A stickler for integrity and authenticity. Passionate about causes, beliefs, or politics. Likely to have many “best friends” from many walks of life

You Are A Lily

You are a nurturer and all around natural therapist. People see you as their rock. And they are able to depend on you. You are a soothing influence. You can make people feel better with a few words. Your caring has more of an impact than even you realize.

Your Power Bird is a Vulture

You are always changing your life and the lives of those around you. You aren’t afraid to move on from what holds you back. Energetic and powerful, you have a nearly unlimited capacity for success. You know how to “go with the flow” and take advantage of what is given to you.

Yippee, the stitching is now all finished, both front and back, so the tuffet is ready to be put together (which won’t be happening this week … but next weekend is looking good).

“French Monogram III Tuffet” by Twisted Oaks Designs
stitched on 32ct cream Belfast linen
with DMC 115 floss

I’m soooo happy to finally get the stitching on this one finished - it’s been a WIP (or perhaps more like a UFO of late) for far too long.  It used to be my evening stitching when I was on the overnight shifts at work - that is until I found out I was one stitch out somewhere in the outside border, and only found out when I’d completed the whole thing.  Mum very kindly took it upon herself while I was at work to find out where I’d gone wrong and unpicked it all for me … bless her heart!  It’s amazing how quickly it’s stitched up once I had the time to concentrate on it without having to take phone calls inbetween stitches!  Now I just have to stitch up the needlebook and fob to match … not sure whether I’ll do that straightaway now or pick up an older WIP … ah decisions, decisions …

I have to admit after my stressful night last night I’ve been taking it pretty easy today, and didn’t attempt to put together Barnabee’s Bride - I hope to get this finished during the week, however, so I can still take it over to Katoomba next weekend.

I did manage to get the food processor out this morning and after donning a surgical rubber glove onto my injured hand I finished off the soup, as well as cooking a whole new batch of soup with pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato.  Lisa had that for dinner tonight, and apparently enjoyed it, so that’s good

As for the finger/fingernail, I changed the dressing tonight and I’m quite pleased with how it looks after I cleaned the dried ’gunk’ off it - as long as I don’t bend the nail at all you can only just see where I sliced it through … thank goodness (and no, I didn’t attempt to actually bend the nail, last night was enough trying that little trick out!!).

Rightio, time to get into bed … so much for my planned early night tonight, as I coudn’t pack up the stitching until I put those final stitches in … now I can sleep a restful and happy sleep … helped along by a glass of Omrah Shiraz that I chose as my nightcap - that’s a wine that was recommended to me while I was in Perth, and I have to say it was a good recommendation!

Well, the pumpkin soup is essentially finished, but not put through the blender yet … I ended up getting Lisa to heat up a can of soup for me to eat with some homemade damper fresh from the oven.  It didn’t get finished because Lisa couldn’t stand the smell of the soup (it has a teaspoon of cumin in it, and she can’t bear the smell apparently!).  Anyway, the reason I couldn’t get to finish it myself is because I had a small accident in the kitchen with the meat cleaver! 

All limbs are still attached, but I did manage to slice right through the nail in the middle of my finger (the finger next to my little finger, thankfully on my left hand) … luckily my reflexes kicked in a bit so I managed to not take the top of my finger off!  Needless to say there was a fair bit of blood, and I broke out in a nauseous sweat thinking I was going to pass out.  But after I stopped the bleeding, I called out to Lisa to give me a hand with some Savlon and a large band-aid.  She wanted to take me to see a doctor, but I figured the bleeding had stopped, and they could hardly stitch it, so there was no point.  The nail itself seems to be sliced right through, but as long as I keep something covering it while it grows out, I figure it should be alright (although perhaps a tetanus shot may be worthwhile hmmm).

The pain was pretty intense for a while, but my nursemaid Lisa made me sit down and drink a soft drink to give me some sugar and fluids in my system (apparently I was as pale as a ghost).  I then had something to eat and took a couple of Nurofen and eventually the pain eased off, and is so far OK as long as I don’t touch the nail with anything.  I got stir-crazy and sat looking at my hand, and figured I just might be able to stitch (much to Lisa’s amazement as I’d been ordered to sit down and rest without doing anything … but I just couldn’t do it).  Anyway, sure enough it was a bit uncomfortable at first getting used to holding the needle differently so I didn’t touch that finger, but I actually managed to get a fair bit stitched tonight!  I think it helped to calm me and take my mind off my injury more than anything else!

Here’s the result of my stitching efforts tonight … I’m now hitting the hay after taking another couple of Nurofen to help me rest during the night.  Fingers crossed tomorrow it will still be relatively painfree, otherwise I just might have to make a visit to the local medical centre …

French Monogram III by Twisted Oaks Designs
Tuffet - front
stitched in DMC 115, on 32ct cream Belfast linen
(as usual at 1.30am the colours are not true to life)

I can’t believe how long it’s taken me to stitch up this little piece - mainly due to numerous attacks of the frogs!  If it was my own piece I’d probably have left two of the errors in it, as the larger blue flowers were one stitch out in their placement (I was quite impressed I managed to do that same error in both of them!) … and the border was unpicked three times as I’d managed to get loops and knots in the pearl cotton and not realised … mutter mutter mutter.

Barnabee’s Bride by Just Nan (kit)
(once again apologies for the bad photo - I’ll take a better one
once it’s all finished into the needleroll)

Anyway the stitching is finally all done, and all I have to do now is the finishing, which I hope to attempt tomorrow.  Then this will be driven back home to The Stitching Post where it will live happily with its owner (I’m stitching this as a model for Karen).

As for the rest of today, it will be spent making a beef stew in the crockpot, along with a big pan full of pumpkin soup ready for the freezer.