ORT's, wherefore art thou?

Hand in hand, with fairy grace,

Will we sing, and bless this place.

~ William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream ~

As another month, and indeed another year, draws to an end and the New Moon rises, I am reminded yet again of how remiss I have been with my blog posts this year.....

My last ORT report was back in September.... but then again given there probably hasn't been too many ORT's in the jar recently you weren't missing much!!

December's ORT report is the last for 2014 and luckily I have a full jar of ORT's to show off!  I did manage to get some stitching done over the last few weeks which is making up for my severe lack of stitching for most of this year.

December 2014 TUSAL

The ORT's on the top of the jar are from the Joan Elliott "Faces" SAL that I have been stitching this week, and just underneath are ORT's from Lizzie Kate's "Jingles".  I will have a "Jingles" update in the next couple of days for you.

As we are nearing the end of the year, it is obviously too late now to sign up for the 2014 event.... but I did read on Daffycat's blog today that she is planning to continue to host the TUSAL in 2015. So start collecting your ORT's and join in the fun next year!

The next ORT report will be the first one for 2015.  I will now empty my jar of 2014 ORT's and start collecting new ones ready to post on or around 20th January 2015.

New Moons - 2015
20th January
18th February
20th March
18th April
18th May
16th June
16th July
14th August
13th September
13th October
11th November
11th December

Til next time, happy stitching!

Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

TUSAL September 2014

I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering

~ Steven Wright ~

The quote above quite accurately describes my state of mind lately.... no clear focus on anything!  I keep thinking of all these things that I need to do, but still nothing gets done!!  Oh well, at least the new moon appears every month without any help from me!

September's TUSAL report does actually have some colours to show.... I have been stitching on "Jingles" and my Hallowe'en Ornie 2014 Blog piece, so there is a mixture of Christmas and Halloween colours on top of the jar this month.

TUSAL September 2014

I must admit I was struggling to think of something exciting for my TUSAL photo this month.... see told you I have no focus... my mind keeps wandering!  While looking around for the perfect companion to my ORT's, I spotted the Wandering Buddha sitting on our shelf of reflection!  Maybe he will help me focus on my stitching for the rest of the year and the next few TUSAL photos will be overflowing with ORT's!

That's it for yet another short ORT report.  As we are nearing the end of the year, it may be a little late to sign up for the 2014 event.... but if you would like to sign up anyway and join in the fun for what is left of the year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and start collecting your ORT's!  And if you don't want to join in with the ORT collecting, you will still find links to some great blogs that you can read to while away the hours!!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 23rd October 2014.

New Moons - 2014
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

"Bee" happy and keep stitching!

Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

TUSAL August 2014

The young moon has fed

Her exhausted horn

With the sunset's fire.

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~

Wow, can you believe it.... a TUSAL post from me!!! The last one was way back in May....  although I did take a photo for July but just didn't get around to posting anything!  So does this mean that I have been stitching if I have some ORT's to show... Oh yeah!

So here she is - my TUSAL jar with some very pretty ORT's and a very happy little gardening "Daffodil Day" teddy.  "Daffodil Day" is the Cancer Council of Australia's big country-wide fundraising event.  It is held every year and besides selling Daffodils to raise funds for cancer research and support for cancer patients, each year there are all sorts of other merchandise to buy.  This year they had some gardening teddies and I just could not resist the charms of this little fellow!

TUSAL August 2014

In the ORT's jar this month (and previous months since my last post) are the colours of my exchange gifts, a pretty little Durene Jones cupcake from WOCS that I just had to stitch, Jingles and on top of the jar, my latest Halloween stitch - photos of all to follow in future posts.... after all I have to keep you wanting more!! LOL!

That's it for this very short ORT report.  If you would like to sign up and join in the fun for what is left of this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in and start collecting your ORT's!  And if you don't want to join in with the ORT collecting, you will still find links to some great blogs that you can read to while away the hours!!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 23rd September 2014.  Hopefully I will now be back on track with more regular posts and stitching!

New Moons - 2014
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

"Bee" happy and keep stitching!

Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

Old Mac Noni had a farm......

Video games ruined my life. (Good thing I have two more.)

~ Author Unknown ~

Yep, that's my new song - Old Mac Noni..... I am now a farmer!  Well sort of....

My "Farmville 2" Farm

No, as you can see I am not a real farmer.... I'm just a virtual farmer!  A virtual farm is probably the only farm that I could safely run! If it was a real farm everything would be dead after a week!!!  "Farmville 2" would have to be the most addictive game I have come across in some time!  It is always a case of one minute more or ten minutes more while my sheep is growing wool or while my jacket is crafting.....  Ten minutes becomes an hour almost before you know it!

So yes, while Hubby and I have been quietly achieving with our farms over the last couple of weeks not much else has been done.  No blog posting or blog reading, no stitching and virtually no Facebook news....  I blame the weather! It has been quite cold and overcast lately as winter rolls in and that type of weather just makes me want to curl up on the couch in front of the fire and vegetate!  The photos below were taken from our front yard last Monday morning around 8am. The misty, foggy cloud lasted for about another hour or so after I took the photo before the sun finally managed to break through.

View down the street on Monday 2 June 2014

View down the street the other way on Monday 2 June 2014

I must admit that my inactivity is not just all about the weather.  Since Easter I have been back to working 5 days a week and I am finding it a bit challenging some weeks!  Fingers crossed it is only a short term thing as I do miss my Fridays off... that was the day when I would get most of my stitching done!  We are currently in middle of some re-organisation at work and my boss is currently Acting Managing Director... which means I am supporting him in his new role as well as continuing to do my original role. Hence, the five days a week and the brain fade every night..... which is where Farmville 2 comes in.... it is about the only level of activity that my poor old body and brain can handle!!!  But I am not complaining really.... I am very blessed that I have a job and the extra $$'s from the extended working hours never go astray!  Hence the stash building I have started doing by adding to my collection of Nora Corbett Mira charts!! :o)

Now onto some stitching updates......

My TUSAL photo for May was taken outside last Sunday a couple of hours after the fog lifted when we finally had some absolutely glorious warm sun!  I always feel energised by the sun during winter... I think I must be solar powered as when there is no sun my batteries really run down - summer is definitely my best season!

TUSAL May 2014

My stitching since the last TUSAL report has been all about Lizzie Kate's "Jingles".... up until 2 weeks ago when I found Farmville 2 any way.  So the new ORT's in jar are all whites and reds with a little bit of blue tossed in for good measure!

Now for those of you, like the lovely Rita, who are waiting for a "Jingles" update - sorry but I am going to make you wait til tomorrow :o) - after all my pig has just finished rolling around in the mud and I need the clay to make an ale mug and sell it to the Trader before time runs out!

So, that's it for another monthly ORT report.  Don't forget if you would like to sign up and join in the fun for the last half of this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in and start collecting your ORT's!  Even if you don't want to collect your ORT's, you will find links to some great blogs that you can read to while away the hours!!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 27th June 2014.  (Gosh that will mark the end of the first six months of the year!)

New Moons - 2014
27th June
26th July
25th August
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

"Bee" happy and keep stitching!

Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

TUSAL - April 2014

Try not. Do or do not. There is no try

~Yoda ~ The Empire Strikes Back

Goodness, here we are again.... another TUSAL post and ORT report.  And did you notice - I am on time this month!!!  Amazing what a week off work has done for my time management!!!  But I will have to warn you that normal service will be resumed shortly... back at work today... and from now on I will be working 5 days a week for the foreseeable future so my spare time will be severely curtailed!!  Oh well... as they say "the only constant is change"!!

April 2014 TUSAL

So as you saw from my last post yesterday, I have been doing a little bit of stitching during April.  All those lovely long weekends make for more stitching time!!

This month we have threads from my Halloween April Ornie, Jingles April stitching and also the start of the MS SAL #5 sitting on top of the jar.  I decided to stick with the Owl theme of April and take the photo with my little Owl that sits on the bookcase in the Craft Room.

That's it for this short ORT report.  If you would like to sign up and join in the fun this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in and start collecting your ORT's!  And if you don't want to join in with the ORT collecting, you will still find links to some great blogs that you can read to while away the hours!!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 28th May 2014.

New Moons - 2014
28th May
27th June
26th July
25th August
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

"Bee" happy and keep stitching!

Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

TUSAL - March 2014 Take 2

But ne'er the rose without the thorn

~ Robert Herrick ~

And so it has happened again... two new moons in the same month for the second time this year.  All though that was actually a week ago and I am only just reporting in!  But then again I think you are all very used to me being late with my ORT report each month!!

The ORT's this month have a real mixture of colours.... some have come from my Halloween February stitching of the Count and others are from a secret stitch, and then the ones on top are from my Halloween March stitching.

Unfortunately I had some frogging happening on my secret stitch while I was trying to work something out... which is why the ORT's jar looks extra full at the moment.  Nothing that a little squish down won't fix!

March 2014 Take 2 TUSAL

This month's photo has been taken with some of the lovely roses that are currently flowering in our front garden.  The smell from the red roses is wafting around the house at the moment as we have the doors and windows open letting the gorgeous Autumn sea breeze flow through.  Such a wonderful breeze and a beautiful smell... just delightful!

That's it for this ORT report.  If you would like to sign up and join in the fun this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in and start collecting your ORT's!  And if you don't want to join in with the ORT collectiong, you will still find some links to some great blogs that you can read to while away the hours!!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 28th April 2014.

New Moons - 2014
28th April
28th May
27th June
26th July
25th August
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

"Bee" happy and take the time to smell the roses!

Hugs, Stitching Noni xx

TUSAL - March 2014

There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast

~ Author Unknown ~

Another month has gone by yet again.... and how do I know that!

Well, because it's TUSAL time again!  It seems quite strange doing this report as there was no new moon in February and two in January and I feel as if I haven't prepared an ORT Report for ages!   This month there are two new moons as well, and then things will get back to normal with one a month between now and the end of the year!

So what is in the jar this time round?

TUSAL March 2014

Well, as you can see, there is lots of black and orange and purple.  Those colours are from my Halloween stitching, and there are also some ORT's from my latest Chatelaine.  The pile is growing but I don't really seem to have a lot finished stitching so far this year to show for all the ORT's!  Never mind, I have nearly finished the Count and then it will be time to rotate back to the Chatelaine... or maybe time to start one of the MS SAL designs!

This month's TUSAL photo shows the pretty tin that we bought back from Paris with us.  It was full of yummy toffees and came from the wonderful Angelina Tearooms.  I just love collecting tins like these... full of yummy delights when first bought home, and then refilled with lots of other delights - threads, ribbons, buttons, etc!!!

That's it for this ORT report.  If you would like to sign up and join in the fun this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in and start collecting your ORT's!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 30th March 2014.

New Moons - 2014
30th March
28th April
28th May
27th June
26th July
25th August
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

Be Happy

Hugs,

Noni xx

TUSAL - is it January or February??

Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.

~ W. Clement Stone  ~

We have all heard of a "Blue Moon" which is what they call the second Full Moon in a calendar month, but do you know what we call the second new moon in a calendar month?  Apparently it is called a Dark Moon or a Black Moon.  Another little fact I discovered is that the two New Moons in January 2014 are also Supermoons.  The January new moons are perigee new moons which "means a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90% of) its closest approach to Earth".

It's amazing what you can find out on the interweb!

Anyway, enough of that Astronomy stuff, let's have a look at the ORT's jar and see what is lurking in there from my stitching over the last month.

TUSAL - January part 2  - the supermoon
Second new moon of 2014

I know it probably looks like there is a lot of ORT's in the jar at the moment which might mean I have been doing lots of stitching.... well, I guess that is sort of correct, but some of the ORT's are just very long gold ORT's from my secret stitching.  I love the look of metallic thread, but sometimes it can be so frustrating stitching with it, and I do often find that I end up with longer ORT's than normal as the thread just frays a bit too much for further stitching.  Which means my ORT's jar looks a lot fuller than it probably should do at this stage of the year!!

Photos of the secret stitching will be revealed next week.  It is all stitched but I now need to go fabric hunting for just the right colour fabric to finish it into a hanging.  I thought that I had the perfect one until I went to put it all together today and now that fabric just doesn't look right.  Am I the only one who changes their mind on what fabric to finish with?  Somehow I think not!

There are also some black ORT's in the jar from my latest start... but I will tell you more about that in my next post.

That's it for this ORT report.  If you would like to sign up and join in the fun this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in and start collecting your ORT's!

The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 1st March 2014.

New Moons - 2014
1st March
30th March
28th April
28th May
27th June
26th July
25th August
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

Be Happy

Hugs,

Noni xx

Guess what....

Darn the wheel of the world!  Why must it continually turn over?  

Where is the reverse gear? 

~ Jack London ~

I am late again for my TUSAL post!  Really late this time!  The New Moon was on New Years Day, but here we are already 12 days into the new month and the new year and no posting from me!

TUSAL January 2014 - New Year Starts

Seeing as how this is the first ORT report for 2014 I thought I would take the photo with the three projects that I intend to start this year - a Chatelaine, a Mirabilia and a secret project from the World of Cross Stitching magazine hiding in the back of the photo.

If you would like to sign up and join in the fun this year, then pop on over to Daffycat's blog and leave a comment saying that you're in!  The next 2014 ORT report will be ready for publication on or around 30th January 2014 - hopefully I will be on time for the next one!

New Moons - 2014
30th January
1st March
30th March
28th April
28th May
27th June
26th July
25th August
23rd September
23rd October
22nd November
21st December

Til next time happy stitching!

Be Happy

Hugs,

Noni xx