100th follower gift received - Pictures

Now that I know my 100th follower received her present - here's a quick pic at what I sent Sharon. (Please visit her brand new blog)
I covered a cute box (I never throw out cute boxes any more - and a workmate keeps giving me great shoeboxes after I covered the last ones), with some black and gold fabric. I replaced the ribbon pull with a couple of matching buttons. Inside I placed a couple of my special coasters, a scissor fob with a pocket in the back to hold orts. I had stitched the freebie from My aunt's attic a couple of years ago, but only made it into the fob last month. (I really need to catch up and finish all my stitching into something useful!!) Sharon had told me she liked yellow and sparkling, so I added a couple of skeins of yellow and metallic floss. I also tossed in a few bags of yellow and gold beads!!

I'm glad Sharon enjoyed her gift - It was so much fun to put it all together! I'm looking forward to watching Sharon's new blog grow! It's only fitting that I'm her first follower - will you be the next?

Framed finishes - 3 samplers and a mermaid

I've had a framing splurge and picked them all up from the framers at once.

Just Nan's Catnip Tea - this kit was a gift and it was my first Just Nan stitched. I finished it in 2005 and waited this long to have it framed.

Just Nan's Creativity - my second Just Nan, also a gift and finished in 2008. I love the colours in this one - perfect for my loungeroom. I have green floor tiles and a pinky/red feature wall. This wall will become my sampler wall over time.

The 'B' Sampler - Some of you may remember when I finished this one in February this year. Not so fancy a finish, also because I hadn't given the framer a lot of excess fabric to work with. This one is destined for another wall in the house. I still like the verse I changed. The chart was a gift - a friend saw it and thought of me!!


The whopper - I had been quoted in excess of $270 to have this framed. My lovely local lady charged me $80 - double matted, lovely frame, stretched and glass. (I should have remembered to ask for non-reflective!) Mirabilia's 'Mermaid Queen' (I think that's the title) - stitched on hand dyed evenweave (also a gift).

TUSAL - August - I may be the last one continuing...

I think we've lost Yo-Yo. For the time being, I'm happy to continue keeping my orts and showing them growing each month....
After all, It's keeping my carpet clean.
My workmate has contributed a little here - she thinks it's a crazy idea, but won't keep her own TUSAL jar...
So here's mine, with white and blue and pink and green and black and orange....
I'll have some framed finishes to show on my next post too!

My latest finish - a comfort cushion for a workmate

Finished at midnight last night - the stitching on some pale pink aida, using whatever DMC leapt out at me.
A work colleague's MIL was diagnosed with bowel cancer last Tuesday, and my gut instinct was to stop stitching my snowmen or halloween projects and stitch up a comfort cushion for this person i've never met.
I have stitched Lizzie Kate's Cherish-Dream-Live before, and made exactly that - a comfort cushion that was taken into hospital by another work colleague about 18months ago. She still holds that cushion and knows it was stitched with love and compassion.



Yesterday morning, I called at my local quilt shop to see if they had any suitable fabric to use to make a cushion. I chose some pretty floral flannellette. This afternoon, I put it together, and added three yo-yos with button centres. I will have to go to Spotlight tomorrow to pick up some more filling because I raided one of my snowman cushions...
Even Harry said it was one of the better finishes I've done.




I'm looking forward to giving this one away. I think he will be pleased that it's been made for his family.

Speaking of GIVEAWAY - I nearly forgot to mention Fiona's 100th follower giveaway!!!

Stunning Giveaway !! (not mine)

Oh drooly drool!! This is a heavenly giveaway... special Moda bake shop bundles....

Go see my newest bestest blogging buddy: Bev at 44th street Fabric

It's a little bit of hunt and seek, but that adds to the fun! Good Luck!
(but I hope I win!)

Giveaway Winner ! (and another snowman finish!)

Thank you all for posting and your entries. It certainly was a milestone that is worth celebrating. My son's friend, Danny stayed overnight and on Sunday morning, once everybody had surfaced, I arranged entries into the Pink Bowls of Destiny (love that term, thank you Edgar). Danny drew the following winners:

Post Office kit (plus): Margaret (Solstitches)
Bluebells & Daffodils (plus): Val Laird
Patchwork mags(plus): Beck
Various Charts : Nutmeg

I am finishing off the stitched item for my 100th follower today : Sharona
YOur prizes will be on their way by the end of the week - Congratulations!!!!

What I didn't show you was my purchase to celebrate Mum's birthday yesterday at the Antique Fair.
This little enamel teaset is not complete, although the 3 coffeepots all have their lids. I have 12 tiny cups, four saucers, four bowls, four plates. One cup is missing it's handle. They have some weight to them, I don't think that they are aluminium. I feel that there is some age to them - and they were just whimsical enough to appeal to me. (new mantra - I do NOT need to start another collection theme - doll's toy sets!!!!) I call them tiny, the coffee pots are just under 1" tall.

SNOWMEN - SNOWMEN - SNOWMEN

Another snowman finish for 2010
Bent Creek's Winter Row.
Stitched on soft blue 14count aida - using Needle Necessities floss for the most part - the orange carrot noses were an obscure hand-dyed found in my stash.

As this is rather a wide finish - it is not likely to end up as a cushion. However, I might fashion it into a wall hanging.......hmmmm the possibilities...

Saturday 24th July - Happy Birthday Mum!

To celebrate what would have been my Mum's 80th birthday today, I wore pink and sparkly and had a lovely time at a local Antique Fair looking to find more pink glass.
The first stall had a piece of 'Mum's Pattern', but as I already had 12 of the same bowls (2nd from the left) - Hocking Glass - Mayfair pattern, I thought I'd leave this to another collector.

I did see a lovely epergne, but that was way out of my price range. OOOOO, but isn't it pretty?? I'd be so worried having this on the table, everytime one of the boys, or the dog would race past...
(if somebody is in the market for one of these, I can put you in touch with OSCAR BROWN'S in Surrey Hills - the owner graciously allowed me to take a photo of her item)

Now to the drawing of my 200th post GIVEAWAY - we have a guest staying with us tonight - I'll be enlisting Danny's help first thing Sunday morning to draw the winners. You still have about 12 hours to enter. There are few entries, so there is a good chance that you could be a winner. I'm likely to add a few surprises to each parcel! Please enter by leaving a post on my 200th post.

I'll call back in 12 hours to announce winners....

A view from my stitching chair.

As I sat in my stitching chair the other afternoon, I looked across at my little display table as the ornaments upon it caught the sun. I thought it was pretty, and thought I'd share it all with you.Starting left to right, and I apologise for the spot of bright sun that washes out the sheep in the left corner....
I have my sitting shelf pig - just makes me smile to look at him. There is a grouping of 3 ceramic sheep - one of them is a nodding sheep found in a thrift shop. Behind them you can almost see my Bendigo Pottery Kitchener Jug - It belonged to my Mum's Mum, and was always in display in the kitchen. In with the sheep is a tiny little enameled brass picture frame - another thrift store find, with a hand coloured picture of a little girl. Somebody loved it - so I brought it home with me. There are also 2 dice - why? - Why not??
Then there is my Beswick Duck Candlestick holder - never quite sure if I like it or not - another thrift shop bargain. Behind is my brass parrot. There is the little clock that seems to now be stuck at 11:20. I also have a dried banksia bloom - It was on a table setting for the Germanfest at Dimboola in April 2009 - originally it was a vibrant orange, but it's faded and still soft. Oh the red candle in the front smells nice.
There is of course, some pink glass. The underbowl to the large flared bowl was a recent win on ebay. The pattern in Royal Lace. My pink glass blog has more pink glass featured weekly. Behind the pink glass is a ceramic chook on long legs holding a bucket. Next to the chook is a lovely vintage biscuit/toffee tin with butterflies on it. A gift from a lovely friend. My mum loved butterflies. The grouping on the right includes a small wooden bowl that was one of the first bits of wood-turning that Dad did. I don't remember where the little country bunny pair came from. The little antimony box contains 12 vintage plastic dogs - each about 1/4" long. I remember playing with them when I was really little - always being careful not to lose one. At the back right is a trinket box featuring a sewing machine - a surprise gift from the hubby a couple of years ago. The green enamel bowl was intended to be my Christmas gift from Mum in 2007 - Dad gave it to me last year. In it is a small selection of small plastic fruit - and my first tomato pincushion - still waiting on some green felt leaves..
At the back of the table, are the pair of candle holders - I fell in love with these when I first moved to Pakenham - they are my welcome gift to me. The seasonally confused daffodils are the leafy group in the rear and you can see a baby photo of Harry and a lovely portrait of Martin and John on the walls.


Don't forget to enter my 200th post giveaway - leave an entry on my giveaway post..... drawing this Saturday!!!

TUSAL - July - a tad tardy... (and don't forget my giveaway!)

I've managed to miss the past 2 months of TUSAL, but was determined NOT to miss July.
(has anybody heard from YOYO???) It's been a few months and I'm concerned for her and her hubby - any news?)
Ok..so this should have been posted last tuesday or wednesday, but here is the current state of my TUSAL jar:

The clumps of black are from where I've been working on a halloween project, the clumps of white are from various snowmen projects...There seems to be an amount of colour there too...must be snowman scarves and lettering...hmmm.
Can you see the little ort box I made for myself in the lower right corner? I found a quick pattern for one on somebody's blog - have no idea who, but thank you. I remembered how to make one, and of course have now made 3. I've given 2 away already to stitchy friends - they are great to put in your project bag, because the orts sit in them nicely and don't float all over your project and then when it's time to travel about, the ort box folds in on itself and traps all the loose threads. So quick to make and reversable too!

So far only a handful of entries for my 200th post giveaway - I'm finding more and more things to give away as I go, so at the moment, it looks like every post is a winner!
Lucky Sharona is my 100th follower and wins a special prize.

I'm sure there was something else I wanted to tell you all about, but right at the moment I'm having a sunday funk and it escapes me!

Happy Stitching!

200th Post - Framed Finish - Giveaway!!

18 months it has taken me to reach 200 posts.
In these 18months, I have 'met' such a variety of wonderful people who share my interests and obsessions: cross-stitch, patchwork, thrift stores.
I have learnt and tried new techniques - some that worked for me, others that have turned into something else along the way.
I eagerly check my list of favourite blogs several times a day - and I love being allowed to share in your daily world and family events. At times I feel like a favoured aunt, sitting on the sidelines watching you laugh and cry, sharing the highs and lows.
I've lost track of one or two bloggers, where life has interrupted their online journals, and hope that it is merely the strain of blogging of an ordinary day that turns them away.
It was the intention at the start, that this blog was to be a journal of stitching - recording in picture and print my creative finishes. Along the way, I have shared with you my daily walk - I don't see kangaroos every day, but when I do it's magic and too precious to hold to myself.
In my male-dominated household, I long to visit with like-minded women, and by burying myself in my bloggy friends list, I do. I've met with one or two of you - and would love to meet up with some more of the local lasses for a cuppa, a cake and a good ferreting session in their local thrift shop - (I might make that a springtime project for the Melbourne girls!)

My crafting has expanded - from almost exclusively cross-stitching - with the occasional stitchery thrown in, to pretty much full-blown quilting. There are so many talented bloggers out there who are inspirational and motivational and I seem to add more to my reading list weekly.

Now it is time to show off a finish from last year - the Papillion SAL for 2009 - "How does your Garden Grow?" I stitched it on some lovely hand-dyed evenweave received as a RAK. I used the new DMC variations. I enjoyed stitching this one, however never quite managed to get the 2010 sampler underway
I took a lot of samplers to my favourite framer and picked this one up first. Isn't it devine?? I really love the frame - it was one of the first things I picked out, I just knew one of my samplers had to have it as it's frame! I've tried to show the detail in it. I am so lucky that this works nicely with the colours in my loungeroom. I've decided that my family tree sampler will no longer sit solo on the wall. I'll be putting most of my samplers on it and watch it fill up!

As this is my 200th post - AND as I've nearly reached 100 followers - it is well and truly time for a giveaway.
I've made a few parcels up.....and will have some fun adding more stitchy items over the next couple of weeks!

1. Cross-stitch kit of the Post Office
2. Cross-stitch kit of bluebells & daffodils
3. 3 Patchwork magazines and at least one fat quarter
4. A group of cross stitch charts

My 100th follower will get a stitched/sewn gift.

Please leave a comment on this post, indicating which gift you would prefer. Please feel free to let others know - share the fun!
I'll leave this competition open until I draw a winner from the comments list on the 24th July - (This would have been Mum's 80th birthday - the bowl of destiny will be one of my lovely pieces of pink glass!)

Good luck - and thank you for your inspiration in the past 18 months!