Memory Bag - thank you

I am pleasantly surprised at the compliments about my Memory Bag.
I cannot take the credit for the design of the bag, as somebody on my blog list posted a picture of their finish only about 2-3 weekends ago. It was such a simple idea - I had to try it out. I only wish I knew who it was so that I could thank them for the idea.
The idea of making little tags and calling it a Memory Bag came from nowhere but compassion for Maria. It is such a simple design and idea - I am more than happy if somebody wants to take the concept and run with it.
The next bag I make, I will take progress photos in an attempt to explain, step by step, how it's made. After receiving a lot of Halloween fabric in a recent exchange (and it's all so yummy - believe me!), my next bag will be a Halloween bag - for no real reason, but that I've got a few small finishes and I've now got the right fabric to finish them properly.
So, hopefully, Saturday looks like stitching day, and as long as the batteries in my camera work, I should be able to have some 'How-To' photos on Sunday. (hmmm...do I really have to go to the family lunch on sunday????)
fingers crossed!

September WIP - and Competition updates....

As promised, here are my current two 'flavour of the month' WIP's.

On 14count white Aida - stitched with DMC 3362 is The Country House by Ginger Gouger. I chose the green because blue doesn't suit my house colour scheme. I've had this chart for quite some time, but as I've been scrounging my stash for sale for the 'Bronny needs to buy a Sampler' fund - this one leapt out at me. The subtle shading is achieved by a combination of full x-stitch with 2 strands, full x-stitch with one strand and half x-stitch with one strand. At times there does not seem to be a definition of one or two strand x-stitch as I look at it, but then from a distance the subtle change is noticable.

The other WIP is Redbird sampler by Bent Creek - stitched on a 32 count evenweave - over 2 threads using one strand. I did a test stitch and felt that 2 strands of DMC was too bulky for my taste. I admire the look of the specialty floss as per the model, but have to stitch within a budget and use the floss I already have.

Check out this newest blog on the block - I've stumbled across it from Lizzie's Blog - A House in the Country - it looks like a very interesting group of bloggers/designers and I look forward to getting to know them and their designs better. Best wishes on your new venture! Be sure to follow up on their competitions.

Speaking of Competitions - don't forget to leave a message on my last post if you want to join in my Centenary Post celebration. My mystery gift should be a mish-mash of stitcher supplies - possibly some of my hand made buttons - patchwork fabric - stitching fabric and some DMC or other floss.

Centenary Post - Giveaway, memory bag, Gone with the wind, and more.....

Double celebration - my 100th post AND over 60 followers...!!!!

I've got to give out something special to mark this occasion. But what to give??? I don't have much - most of my charts are now listed on ebay - for the 'Bronny needs to buy a sampler fund' -

However - I will put together a MYSTERY BAG of at least 2 pieces of fabric and 6 skeins of DMC and at least one chart - Leave a comment on this post only to enter. I will draw a winner next SUNDAY night - my time (ie: you have 8 calendar days from this post to enter.....)

I also want to show off a memory bag I made for a workmate. She is devastated following the loss of her father and I had a 'gut feeling' to make a Memory bag for her - especially after seeing on somebody else's blog a similar bag - I had to try making it myself.

I charted the words 'Special Memories' using the old-fashioned method - graph paper and pencil. I'm so pleased how it turned out - adding a rhodes heart. The tokens contain thoughts/themes. The idea is that she selects one token and has a happy thought about her father with that theme. I included such ideas as : present received, present given, food, flower, colour, pet, sibling, favourite christmas meal, favourite item of clothing, most repeated anecdote.

I watched Gone with the Wind the other night - more so a 'chick-flick' as I drooled over the sets and the glassware and the clothing. Vivien Leigh's Scarlett was a tad over the top, especially in comparision with current acting techniques, but as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the movie

John has payed today at the final for the Youth in Blues project - although not a winner today, is already determined to enter again next year and is as I type, sitting in his room practicing a new song.. Check out his myspace page (I don't run facebook or myspace - have enough trouble keeping up with blogger!.

I would love to show you what I'm working on, but have not taken photos...I might take a few tomorrow morning and try to upload them. I've picked up Bent Creek's Redbird Sampler, I've started a monochromatic picture of a house on aida, I've still got Inspiration and Poppies going (not to mention a few others that are trying so hard not to fall into the UFO pile!)

That's all my warblings for now.....please leave a post if you want to enter my centenary post competition...

Halloween - of competitions, stitching and buttons

Once again - not mine - but never fear - I'm searching through my stash today to see what I can offer for my own 100th post giveaway!

However - Riona is offering a Halloween Giveaway to celebrate - duh! Halloween ..... AND her birthday!

I am getting more and more excited about Halloweenie stitches... I bought these on ebay this week - so excited over mere buttons - but I've plans for them - I wonder if I can post finishes this week??? hmmmm I might have a finishing flurry tomorrow afternoon..

I also bought some bat buttons - (wondering where I put the remnants from last halloween) and some creepy cat buttons, but I've no pic's of those to share until I use them on my finished stitches. I was looking for a teeny tiny spider button, but might have to fudge a stitched one.

A step or two outside my front door.......

We have a few native plants in bloom - one small grevillia is quite pretty, although very prickly to brush against. There are also 3 bushes close together - a bottlebrush (dark pink) a light pink one (possibly a larger, softer grevillia), and a yellow one that was never planted, but appears to have grown with the bottlebrush - I'm hoping it's not a weed, because it is growing quite well and is quite pretty with its yellow blooms. Although we lost the kangaroo paw in last summer's heat, the Anzac Bottlebrush (I hope that is the right name) is showing it's lovely cream blooms off now. As you can tell - I'm not that great on knowing all my flowers, but they are pretty.

A proud mum talks about her son...

My eldest John, (16) is a blues guitarist. He has been playing guitar for 2 years thereabouts...it is his passsion. More than a hobby...(just don't mention that he looks like a young Elvis!!)

He is currently involved in the Melbourne Blues Appreciation Society - Youth in Blues Project. This culminates in a 'Battle of the Bands' style playoff mid-September.

Last night, he was offered a chance for his band - "Rags & Old Iron" - to be the headline act for a function organised for this Saturday to aid the local CFA.
(Long story short - the person organising the 'entertainment' failed to do so, and John' and his band were thought of as an emergency replacement)
This is a function for the local High School age youth. A femal vocalist and a DJ have also been called in to help.

John and his band will be playing 2 sets - from 7-8pm and from 10 to 11:30pm.
The really exciting bit is that Southern FM 88.3 will be broadcasting the function live from 10pm. They also stream their transmission..

Please tune in on Saturday night if you are able - this will be John's first Public appearance and we wish him and his band all the best!

Ice in August - brief storm

Evening all.
We've had a severe storm warning all day - very windy and quite a heavy rain forecast. Tonight at 5:45 the storm hit our street. Gale force winds, lightning, thunder, hail and heavy rain lasting about 10-15 minutes in all. There is still a forecast for more overnight. I took a couple of snaps from the front door to show the hail against the pilar and the side of my car. (sorry, the one against the pilar didn't work.... :o)
Ok - to those people who live where it snows - it may not be that spectacular - but it was a bit of excitement in my day.

Sunday - Of Scrabble - TUSAL and stitching....

Had a great evening last night - my girlfriend came around to give me a bit of moral support with identifying my ebay glassware and pottery - then then settled down to a few games of Scrabble
Now, it can take Wendy up to 20 minutes to make a move, and mine are usually made within 5minutes. I won the first game with some splendid words, Wendy by chance had a poor selection of letters. Then, I won the 2nd game in only one move - Wendy conceded when my first word placed was a 7 letter word and all she had to contend with was an Irish version of Old McDonalds Farm (O-II-O-I-OO) After carefully (& sneakily) taking all the letters off the board while I made coffee, we started the third game - which I won again!
Ahhh I love it when my brain functions. I can gloat, because It's unusual for Wendy to be so off her game!

Ah yes.... My TUSAL update: You can see a lot of black and arond the back is hidden some more orange - must be all that halloween stitching. I'm also showing off a vintage Black flower frog - originally designed for holding stems of flowers steady in vases, now being used as a scissor holder - I really must invest in some fancier scissors! In the background is the now framed print of Van Gogh's Iris's - I found this print in an Op-Shop for $2 - it is a National Gallery Print and would have been very expensive when bought new. I've had it framed and it is due to be hung over my bed-head. I've always loved this picture and it was a treasure find!

Next is a quick snap of "Spook" and "Boo" (WIP stage) - I really like the orange cat version. Looking forward to playing and finishing all my Halloween stitching into ornaments and pillows - Here also is my quick stitch - Lizzie Kate "Spooky Patch" - I've got to find a little spider to attach to the web - unless I feel like stitching one...I used all DMC for this one - including the new variations.

I'm itching to use WDW Tin Roof (as is suggested in the chart, but I don't have the opportunity to buy it just yet),having seen it in use on other blogs, but I like the greenie one against the pumpkin. I might just stitch this again on the black aida.

Friday morning thoughts

Here I was, finally thinking to leap into the waters of daily blogging, incorporating meandering thoughtwaves that would leave deep and meaningful ideas in the minds of the readers......
and the best I could come up with all week was the Yellow Cars!!
Seriously, the days have just flown by - by night-time, I've tended to veg-out and stare mindlessly at the tv screen or even worse - face to face with the PS2 and Lego characters exploding everytime I walk them off the edge.
I don't even have photos to alleviate this post - my camera cord is 'somewhere'.
My original plan today was to talk about my little car. I have a 2002 Dihatsu Curore and I love it. It's such a little car, and a lot of fun is made about the size (or lack of it). The yahoos next door have tried to move it by getting a burly male at each corner and lifting. It probably would have been successful had they not been so drunk at the time (possibly just as well). It seats 2 of us comfortably, and until John had a growth spurt, was also capable of taking the 2 boys in the back seats. When the 4 of us are in the car, it is hard to keep a circus theme from drifting through your head when we disembark - there are only 2 doors and my lanky teen having to try to untangle himself and pull himself out. The storage area is small, but can fit 6-8 green shopping bags carefully placed. However, I have been known to transport 4 kitchen chairs at a pinch (no other passengers)
It is great on economy - only having a 30litre tank - I travel nearly 600km on a tankful - a big joke to the motorbike riders in the street - the engine is less than 1 litre capacity - but it gets me where I need to go - safely.
The worst bit is at night. The other night on the way home, I had a whopping huge Landbruiser behind me - and his headlights were aimed directly forward. The problem was, his quartz-hallogens lined up either side of my little car - one into each outside mirror. I was blinded each time I had to stop in the traffic and he pulled up behind me. I couldn't see to change out of the lane for some distance and I was so tempted to get out of my car and tell him to re-angle his lights, if they had been angled down a smidge, he wouldn't blind smaller cars. (the pic is not my car - mine is a darker blue, but you get the idea)


well I seem to have waffled on enough for this morning. I'll search for my camera cord today and see if I can find some photos to cheer everybody up!

Giveaway - Blog Candy bonanza

Oh my - what a superriffic giveaway - Mel (my newest bestest friend in the whole wide world) is having a giveaway to celebrate her 8th blogoversary How generous is that? Look at all that stash! If it were icecream it would make your teeth hurt! And the scissors !!! Spread the word - visit her blog - leave your entry and share the joy - Good Luck!