Whine & WIPs = Finish #20!!

Guess what...

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"Witch and Friends" is finished.....

I started this way back in 2014 for the Hallowe'en SAL Blog.   When I left it at that stage it looked like this:

October 2014

I then picked it up again on and off during the last couple of months of 2014;

End of 2014

and then again for the Crazy January challenge in January 2015;

January 2015

I was so close to finishing last year but unfortunately I got distracted... and as I heard someone say on Flosstube earlier.. I fell down the rabbit hole with this one!! :o)

So on 8th June I picked her up again... and stitched and stitched and stitched.... each night over the last week I kept thinking I will stitch on something else, but then I kept thinking "no, she is almost done!" so I kept going... and now she is done.... :o)

Finish #20
"Witch & Friends" - Donna Giampa (Vermillion Stitching)

Witch & Friends.... finished 16 June 2016

This lovely lady and her delightful friends is stitched on a Stitches and Spice fabric with DMC threads.  The design was published in the Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2013 magazine.

Besides stitching and finishing "Witch & Friends" I also finished a block on "Jingles"... and I have picked up "Prancer" again.

Finish #21
"Jingles - Joy to World"

There is only a couple more blocks left on this so I would like to try and get back to it again soon... but who knows!

Nora Corbett's Christmas Eve Couriers - Prancer

I have now finished the Krienik at the bottom and started on the border.... then it's the tail and onto the beading!!

So that's it for this update.... The "Whine and WIPs SAL" has certainly helped me touch some of these old and much neglected WIPs... not sure which WIP I will stitch on next... I certainly have enough to choose from. :o)

Til next time... happy stitching
hugs xx

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL 2016 - Update #6

I am not sure where yesterday went.... but I am now a day late posting for GG ;o(

First up I have to say that I have no GG stitching to show you this month.. sorry... but I do have a gorgeous gift that I received to show :o)

Most of you probably know all about KimM (Wisdom with Needle & Thread) and her birthday RAK's... but for those of you that don't know her, Kim decided that to celebrate her big birthday this year she would send out 60 RAK's to anyone that said they would like to receive one! :o)

I said yes please..... and low and behold this is what I found in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago.... I have been hanging out to show you but I wanted to save this gorgeous gift just for my GG post :o)

I just love these gorgeous stitched gifts....  a needle book with a cute puppy and bone button... a pin cushion with a puppy button, floss, ribbon and a lovely piece of red/gold fabric which everything is sitting on in the first photo.  She also included a lovely card.

I am so happy to receive such a beautiful gift from Kim... she picked the perfect design for me!  I love the idea that Kim plans to send out all these RAK's for her birthday and I do feel so lucky to be a recipient of such a beautiful gift.... thank you Kim :o)

If you get a chance, pop over to Kim's blog and see all the gorgeous gifts she has been sending out. She has a page on her blog showing all of the finished gifts and who she has sent them to.  They are all just gorgeous :o)

Hopefully tomorrow I will be back with a finish..... whoo hoo!!

Til next time, happy stitching

Jo from Serendipitous Stitching hosts the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL.  The GG SAL is about stitching charts/kits or using fabrics & threads that we have received as gifts, won in giveaways or anything that is intended be a gift or giveaway prize... or anything else that you can loosely use the word "gift" for!!  If you wish to sign up for this SAL, click on the button below or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.

Nancy's Wonderful Giveaways!

Well, as they say... you have to be in it to win it... so if you would like to win some gorgeous hand-dyed threads from Nancy (Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe)  read on...

Nancy regularly has giveaways on her blog and more often then not these days I miss out on entering as I am so far behind in my blog reading... but today I got over there for a visit and discovered that Nancy has 3 gorgeous giveaways running at the moment - feast your eyes on these gorgeous colours!

Star Spangled Banner Giveaway - winner announced 4th July 2016

image from Nancy's blog page

Halloween Patchwork Quilt Floss Giveaway - winner drawn 2nd July 2016

image from Nancy's blog page

Primitive Floss Giveaway - winner drawn 30th June 2016

image from Nancy's blog page

and last but not least.... for those of you that might not be aware Nancy also have a monthly birthday giveaway which is drawn on 1st of each month.

image from Nancy's blog

I do hope that you pop over to Nancy's blog and join in on the wonderful giveaways that she currently has running... if you aren't a follower of Nancy's blog make sure you do follow her blog before you enter otherwise your entry won't count...

I have some stitching progress to show you soon so hopefully I will get back to post again in the next few days!

Til next time, happy stitching everyone!
Hugs xx

TUSAL... late as usual!

Oops.... I nearly forgot to show you my ORT's for the last month - and there is one or two to show!!

I love the colours of this month's ORT's - they are so pretty....  You may notice that in the background there is a very old WIP that has come out to play!  "Jingles" by Lizzie Kate :o)

I decided that "Whine and WIP's" is a very appropriate SAL to pull this out of the stitching box and to show it some love for a couple of days!  I have now finished the "Joy to the World" block and started on the border between blocks.  Updated progress photo to follow in the next few days :o)

That's it.... another ORT report done and dusted!  See you next time

Til next time, happy stitching
Hugs xx



What is a TUSAL and an ORT Report??
Essentially TUSAL posts are all about stitching and saving our ORT's (Old Raggety Threads) and every New Moon those of us participating in the TUSAL post a picture of our ORT's, and then leave little msgs for Daffycat on her blog to show that we have been stitching and have posted our wonderful pics. Next New Moon - 4 July 2016

WIPs and Finishes....

Morning All!! Today's post is a very quick stitching update with WIPs and finishes on show :o)

Let's start with my 2 latest finishes.... I did manage to get both of these finished by 31 May... but I haven't as yet posted them on my blog.

Finish # 18
Christmas Test Drive - Mosey N' Me
Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2015 issue

Started: 7 May 2016
Finished: 27 May 2016

Stitched on plain green 28ct linen with DMC threads

Finish # 19
Penguin Christmas Card
Free Gift - Cross Stitch Crazy

Started: 12 May 2016
Finished: 29 May 2016

Freebie christmas card.... stitched using fabric and threads included in the free gift.

Whine and WIPs - June SAL event for Stitch Maynia Facebook Group
The month long SAL for Stitch Maynia this month is called "Whine and WIPs".  The SAL is all about stitching on WIPs that make you whine for whatever reason..... including because you dislike then for some reason or you just wanted to get them finished... you get the idea!

My plans for this month is that I would like to try and stitch on all my current WIPs this month as my whine is that I want to get them finished and I just never seem to have enough stitching time!!

So far the WIP's I have worked on are:

Mini Mandala II - C
Last stitched date: 19 January 2016

As at 1 June 2016

Joyful World SAL - February
Last stitched date: 3 February 2016

As at 2 June 2016

Joyful World SAL - April
Last stitched date: 11 May 2016

As at 3 June 2016

Joyful World SAL - March
Last stitched date: 10 May 2016

As at 4 June 2016

Faces of Joan Elliott SAL - Holly Fairy
Last stitched date: 25 April 2016

as at 5 June 2016

One more WIP for you.... this one is the Queen of Peace by Nora Corbett.  The last time I showed this to you it looked like this:

So now it looks like this.....

"Queen of Peace" as at 31 May 2016

You may notice that I have had to frog some of what I had previously stitched.... I was out by one in the green which put everything that I had previously stitched off... I knew that I wouldn't be able to fudge it as I went along... so... out it came!! Oh well I am slowly getting back up to the same spot!

That's my update for Whine and WIPs so far.... more to come later in the month.

Til next time.... happy stitching!
Hugs xx

The Alphabet Club - Detention for Letter "K"

"They only met online, but it changed their lives forever"

It's time for "The Alphabet Club" (TAC)

Oops.... I completely missed the first Saturday of June... but here I am with my post for the next letter of the alphabet... "K"

Below are a couple of Aussie "K" words... nothing too exciting I'm afraid!

Kangaroos loose in the top paddock: Intellectually inadequate ("he's got kangaroos loose in the top paddock")
Kelpie: Australian sheepdog originally bred from Scottish collie
Kero: kerosene
Kindie: kindergarten
Knock: to criticise
Knock back: refusal (noun), refuse (transitive verb)
Knocker: somebody who criticises

Two of our national animals start with a "K"..  Kangaroos and Koalas

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Both of these animals are well loved by Australians and both have featured in lots of TV shows and stories over the years.  I grew up with 2 iconic children's stories - "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" and "Blinky Bill".

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2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of Skippy the Bush Kangaroo on Australian Television.  The show ran from 1966 - 1970 in the first instance, however it was repeated for many years on Australian TV.

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Blinky Bill is an anthropomorphic koala and children's fictional character created by author and illustrator Dorothy Wall and he first appeared in 1933.  The books are considered quintessential Australian children's classics, and have never been out of print in Australia.  There has also been an animated series on TV as well as a movie produced over the last few years.

As you have seen over the last couple of posts I started back stitching on my ABC Chats during the Stitch MAYnia challenge.  My kitties now look like this:

So while I may have now started D, E, F & G.... I am still behind...

That's it for my "K" post.... see you again soon with another stitching update and a couple of finishes.



Hooroo for now!  Happy Stitching!
Hugs xx



If you would like to join in the fun of "The Alphabet Club", pop over to Chiara's blog (The Grey Tail) to see what all the fun is about and link up your post for the Letter "K".  Posting is generally the first Saturday of the month.

May SAL Updates.... June Stitching Goals....

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Hello! Goodness... where did May go?  As we roll into another month, I thought I would check off what I achieved during the month of May and make a note of what I would like to achieve during June (if all goes to plan!)

May SAL Update:

**JCS SAL (FB Group): "Christmas Test Drive" (Designer: Mosey N Me)  ✓

**Christmas Ornie SAL Blog - Theme: Reindeer - "Christmas Test Drive" (Designer: Mosey N Me)  ✓

**Halloween Ornie SAL Blog - Theme: Spiders & Bugs - "Trick or Treat" (Designer: Pickle Barrel Designs)  ✓

**Lainey's Christmas Ornie SAL: posted ✓
**Smalls SAL: posted ✓

**Stitch Maynia (FB group)
Monthly SAL's:
- Monthly SAL: "Stitch MAYnia" - the original SAL - 15 starts in 15 days in May:  ✓
Posted 15 starts in 15 days

- Colour-A-Day SAL (24th of month) "Stitchers in Red"   ✓
Stitched on ABC Chats - F

Year Long SAL's:
- Year of Starts! (at least 1 start/finish each month): ✓
I had two (3) starts and finishes in May (Penguin Christmas Card, Christmas Test Drive & Trick or Treat)

- Brooke's Books Year Long SAL: no progress on the Advent Animals....
- 2016 Chatelaine Shenanigans SAL: no progress on my Chatelaine WIP.....

**Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2016 (DUCJC2016):
Modified to 31 starts & finishes 2016: as at the end of May I have 19 finishes for 2016 of which 16 were new starts for 2016 ü 

Miribilia, Nora Corbett Designs SAL: (Nora Corbett Passions FB group)

Favourite Colours SAL (2 May - 15 May): didn't take part in this one
Any Nora Design SAL (16 May - 29 May): Queen of Peace  ✓

June SAL Plans:

JCS SAL (FB Group): "Joyful Santa" (Designer: Homespun Elegance)

Christmas Ornie SAL Blog June Theme: Christmas Animals/Pets

Halloween Ornie SAL Blog June Theme: Free choice

Miribilia, Nora Corbett Designs SAL: (Nora Corbett Passions FB group) 
- Nora Misc SAL (30 May - 13 June)

Stitch Maynia (FB group) 

- "Whine & WIP's" - work on those pieces that make us whine!

- "Colour-A-Day SAL" - "Pretty in Pink" - work only on the pink sections of a design on 24th June

Cross Stitch Finishing Line (FB group) 

- "June Monthly "Month" SAL" - stitch on something with June in it and/or something that has to do with June

- "Vintage SAL" - dedicate a month to some of our favourite vintage patterns

- "Summer Solstice" - (June to Sept): stitch any summer piece you want through to Autumn Solstice (Northern Hemisphere Solstice)

- "Now I know my ABC's" - 1 day SAL every month on the 26th starting in June with A

Remember to post for:

Lainey's Christmas Ornie SAL

Smalls SAL

So that's it... another good month of ticks on my monthly goals....  You may have noticed that I have joined another FB group that does lots of SAL.... as per usual I will try and shoe-horn existing stitching plans into these as well :o)

Til next time...

Take care and happy stitching

Hugs xx