Nearly time for TUSAL

So nearly time for the next T.U.S.A.L on Friday.

I nearly missed signing in to celebrate and join in for 2012 Tusal.  Daffycat is hosting it again - click on the button on my sidebar, which will take you to the signup page.

What is TUSAL ????

What do you do with your orts?  The little bits of floss at the end of each section of stitching, those that are not long enough for anything.  Do you sacrifice them to the god of vacuum cleaners?  Leave them to adorn your clothing?  Much better to collect them in a pretty container, and post a photo every month to your blog - and see how other obsessive stitchers collect theirs month by month.

What do you do with them at the end of the year?  Some people put their orts into clear christmas ornaments and hang them from the tree.  I tend to use mine to stuff christmas ornaments themselves.

Come along and join the fun.

Are you prepared for Christmas???

No matter how many times a year I think I'm prepared for Christmas, now that I realise that it's only 5 weeks away, I realise, once again that I'm woefully unprepared.
I have all these ideas of gifts to make for satellite people, unsure if I'll have the time to start them, let alone any idea of gifts for close friends and family.
AND I still have my christmas tablecloth to stitch.!!!
So for now, until I have my stitching commitments under control - I'm not going to play hours and hours of playstation or mindless facebook games.  

Are you with me???

I believe that next year's 'Year of the ???" will have specific rules that include time for Christmas Stitching every month !!!!!

(I'm still leaning towards cats, but houses are trying to bulldoze their way into my intentions.....)

Year of the Sheepie - 11-11-11 Remem-baa-rance Day

Finished on the stroke of midnight - a race against the clock - After all these months, I couldn't let 11-11-11 go un-stitched could I?????

A special date - and perfect to pun.  

How do you fancy my poppies???  Off the cuff, because I've no graph paper to work with for the moment, and my computer is slightly tired (using son's computer - thank you Harry)

So I have one more to go to celebrate 2011 - the Year of the Sheepies

(4 more sheep ..... I think that takes me up to 91 for the year!! )

Remembrance Day 2011

This footage was taken on ANZAC day this year, however, today, 11-11-11 will be the 73rd CONSECUTIVE YEAR, that my Father, Harry John has played the Last Post for Remembrance Day.

What an outstanding achievement.
I am so very proud of my Dad.


We Will Remember Them

Happy Creepie Halloweenie from BOO-ronny!

Sometimes it's worthwhile being known as the local crazy lady.

You see, we don't 'DO' Halloween here in Australia, although over the past 3 years, Trick or Treating has become more and more popular.  All Hallowe's Eve, once celebrated as a pagan ritual in the UK and Europe, becoming Halloween Celebrations in the USA - we've got this odd notion of Trick or Treat, with our children expecting to knock on the doors of people they would never normally approach, dressed in ghoulish outfits.  Where once, a few years ago, I would not participate, now I decorate, using the wonderful kitchy witchy items, exchanged with blogging friends (remind me that I need to do a halloween/aussie fabric exchange again next year, I'm running low on specialty fabrics) and the local kids know that I can be the one house in the street where they WILL get a handfull of treats.

Poor fellow must have been waiting for awhile

I started today, by decorating my office.

Trick or Treat at work!

My boss just shook his head, muttering something like "Only Bronny........."

At the end of the day, I took the decorations down and raced home, knowing there was not a lot of time left to get my decorations back up, before the local toddlers made their way around to my door.  

Jack Skellingbone welcomes you

View from the front door...

One or two adjustments, such as moving my table near the entryway, a few cobweb or two and I was ready...........

Each little group of trick or treaters came up to my door and quietly murmured 'Trick or Treat'.  Of course, that was not good enough for me, and after a bit of coaching, each one was calling out so loudly:  TRICK OR TREAT !!     Then I would open my door and tell them I had treats for them.

I spy Candy Corn.....

Witch Witch?

The verdict from the group of pre-teen witches was that my display made their night and I was the 'Best Halloween House' in the neighbourhood.  I was the only adult that had made an effort and had as much fun giving it out as they did dressing up.

Webs to the left

eyeballs in a bowl...

Table from the other end

TUSAL TIME AND HAPPY DANCING IN THE MAILROOM

Whoa!!!   it's TUSAL TIME!!!!!

Nearly forgot to post - not having my own computer at the moment really stuffs up blog posting.

You can see how full this is getting AND not only is there halloween autumn tones at the top, but you can see WHITE floss - what do you think - Ghosts or Sheepies????  What do you think of my little sheepie - new to my flock?  I found him at an antique shop for a couple of dollars - he's an old ceramic sheepie and now has a new home - at least until the new year, on my sheepie display..... (what AM I going to do, come January, with all these sheep???)

I also get to share a wee bit of happy dancing with you - Pauline sent me a lovely package, and I received it today at work.  There's Voodoo Bob at the back right - a Mill Hill Christmas Sheepie chart, a pattern for a sewn sheep, a lovely scissors bag AND a sweet pair of scissors (hmmm....what sort of fob will land on these???), a lovely mug rug and a really sweet stitched pin pillow.  Thank you Pauline, I don't remember winning something, but this was a sweet surprise in the mail...I don't think Voodoo Bob will make it in time for this year....I love that pillow...so nice to make friends in blog-land.

Happy Halloweenie Spider Scissor Fob

With just on a week to Halloween, I realised that it was really getting to me, trimming my Halloween Orts with my Sheepie Fob Scissors. 
This afternoon, I fixed that dilemma - and I'll be able to use these next year.
I made a tiny little pillow, stuffed it then fashioned a spider, using the same trick as my last Halloweenie finish, with a button, beads and stitched legs.  I added a few beads and a tassel and there you have it...

Yes, I know - two posts in a row with no sheep..... I'm working on that...

I just checked, and this was my 301st blogging post.  Leave a message on this post, and I'll draw a winner on Halloween - they shall receive their very own Spider Scissor fob.  The usual conditions apply - If you are a follower, you will have two entries!!

Happy Halloweenie!

Halloweenie Madness creeps further in.

Here's my latest stitchity offering - sorry for the wonky view, but you know how it is, finish late at night, having only a chair back to drape your project on, and the flash washes out the colour of the tea-dyed fabric.  You only realise that the pic has a bend in it when you post it to blogger - but that will all be fixed when you fling it into a frame and take another pic later that same week (fingers crossed!)

This is Spooky Stuff button Sampler, by Homespun Elegance.  I stitched it using more of the lovely Nancy's handdyed floss - Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe - Swapped around the order of colours for the alphabet so that important letters were highlighted.

B = Bronny  

I = I stitched it!  

J= John (my maiden name and one of my son's -sorry Harry - you missed out this time!)

N= Needlecraft and Nancy (my mum's name)

S = Stitching!!

X = X-Stitch of course!!!

The chart called for Olde Brass embelishments to be stitched in each corner.  I, of course, changed that to something I could afford.  4 nearly black buttons, to which I added brass toned seed beads as I stitched them on to the fabric, then added 8 stitched black legs to each.  They make me smile, every time I see them.

Such an easy look - I might play with a bit of fabric later today and make a small fob with the same idea.

It's nearly TUSAL time again - and looking at my container, I can see so very few white floss orts.  I really need to 'raise the baa' and get a wriggle on to some more sheepie stitching.

What do you call it when a flock of sheep roll down the hill?????

A LAMB-slide    !!!!!

guffaw!

Year of the Sheepie - October's Sheepie

I had thought about Dimb-ewe-la, to celebrate our brief holiday in Dimboola last weekend, but couldn't think of what to stitch the sheep about.  Of course, I'm about to drag out my Halloween decorations - and had to pick that as a theme.  But; how to title it.  Let's face it, it's hard to come up with something fitting that links sheep, fleece, baa, flock to Halloween - let alone keep it precise.  I toyed with :
Boo! - Did I Scare Ewe
Woolly Boo-lly
Happy Hall-ewe-een

but in the end, decided that Creepy Sheepie fitted the bill.  I like my 'ghost sheep'

Now back to working on Spooky Stuff by Homespun Elegance and Halloween Magic by Carriage House Samplings  - I should be able to finish one, if not both by the end of the month.

Parlour games and a halloweenie finish!

For those who are interested, the answer to the quiz I posted a few days ago are:

1. Inimitable
2. Vegetable
3. Delectable
4. Irritable
5. Adaptable
6. Marketable
7. Comfortable
8. Profitable
9. Unsuitable
10. Portable
11. Unforgettable
12. Indubitable
13. Inevitable
14. Disreputable
15. Palatable
16. Respectable
17. Unbeatable
18. Notable
19. Tractable
20. Illimitable

Did you get them right???  I think Illimitable (20) has disappeared completely from the english language

I'll post another word challenge next week.

What have I been stitching??  Not much in the way of sheep I'm afraid, but as I'm on leave from work for the next fortnight, that could change.  I am however planning to stitch and finish 2 more projects for Halloween before the event.  I did design and stitch a quick cushion for a surprise gift for my sister ......... turn away NOW Meg - you cannot see it until tomorrow night.... !!!!!



..................

stop looking Meg (or at least pretend you've not seen it before I hand it to you!)
I was reading SPINSTER SISTER's blog and she mentioned having a small plaque on her wall, with these very words....  That started me thinking, and this is the result.  I've stitched it on some more of that tea-dyed aida using some floss that came to hand.  I finished it into a mini cushion this afternoon - something she can stick her pins into perhaps...
I hope she likes it...

back in a few days - I'll try to remember to take photos of my holiday to share with you.
bronny