GG 2017 - February Update

I know late again!!

The GG post check in date was 15th February... and that day just slipped right by me - before I knew it was 17th Feb and now it's the 20th Feb... 5 days late and not a lot to show you either!

Last month I had my lovely giveaway win from Julie at Nifty Needle Nannies, this month I meant to take a photo of some threads that I received from Michelle at Jodyri Designs as a prize for coming 3rd in the Advent Competition she ran during December - but I forgot to take the photo.... sorry!

So what am I going to show you?

How about a pretty pink piggy??

"Piglet" fits into the GG category as he was a Free Gift from the World of Cross Stitching magazine many moons ago!

I needed to stitch on something pink for the Cross Stitch It's Fun / Stitchwats (FB Group) weekly challenge earlier in the month - Piglet was perfect for this challenge - so after many years of hiding in the stash file he came out and was started.  As per the challenge requirements, more than 300 stitches were stitched and now he is waiting for a bit of love again in the next few weeks and he will be a finish.

So that's it - must try harder next month to have something a little bit more exciting to show!

Til next time, happy stitching
hugs xx

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 link here, or the button on my sidebar and you will be re-directed to Jo's blog.

T - Tigger

23rd April "T" Post

"Tigger"

And then it's Thursday before you know it!!!   23rd April, Day 20 of the "Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge" has arrived.  We are almost there now... one more week left of this crazy blogging challenge!

Today is "T" - "Tigger"

Tigger: Tigger is a fictional tiger character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book "The House at Pooh Corner".

Tigger never refers to himself as a tiger, but as a "Tigger". When Tigger introduces himself, he often says the proper way to spell his name is: "T-I-'Double-G'-Er (T-i-gg-er), which spells 'Tigger'".

"Web image"

"Oh, hey, hey. Look, look, look. Oh, what a strange-looking creature. Mmm, look at those beady little eyes, and that "purrposterous" chin, and those "rickydickorous" striped py-jamas!"

[looking at his reflection]

Tigger is my absolute favourite "Winnie the Pooh" character - that's not to say that I don't adore the others but there is just something very special about Tigger.... and of course "Tigger's are wonderful things. Their tops are made out of rubber, their bottoms are made out of springs."

My "T" post was originally going to be a "Tombstone" as I need to stitch one before the end of April for my Hallowe'en SAL posting..... but I just so wanted to stitch a Tigger for "T" that the tombstone got dropped like a hot rock over the weekend and Tigger took it's place last night!

A nice bit of cheeky yellow face appearing after a couple of hours stitching last night.  This particular design was included as a freebie with the UK Cross Stitcher mag way back in June.

That's it from Tigger and I, it's time for us to bounce on out of here.... see you tomorrow!



T-T-F-N, Ta Ta For Now!
Hugs xx

Catching up on the news....

“Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?“

― Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh certainly had it right!  I have been meaning to write a post for the last couple of weeks, but that is as far as I have gotten... thoughts have not gone any further than my little pea sized brain and they certainly haven't appeared on paper - virtual or otherwise!

This month I have missed both the TUSAL and IHWS again... that is becoming a bit of habit, isn't it?  But I did remember to take a photo of my poor old ratty threads though.  

TUSAL Oct 2013 - ORT's and Birthday Cards

This month's New Moon happened to fall on my birthday so I decided to take the photo with some of my lovely cards.  Also in the photo is our Dubai camel - more on him later!

Not too many ORT's have gone into the pot recently as the only stitching I have done over the last month or so is my Halloween piece for the MS Lovers Exchange.  Stitching mojo and blogging mojo appear to have both gone on holiday together!!!  The Halloween piece has now arrived at its destination in Germany so I will do a post shortly to show you what I stitched.  That will make a nice change to see a stitching finish from me!!

Speaking of holidays, Hubby and I have been away and are now back after a lovely 2 weeks in London and Paris.  We have been back three (3) weeks now, and I am only just now starting to get my head around what I need to do both at home and work.  For some reason it has been a real struggle to get back on track after our holiday this time around!  We had a wonderful time while we were away and like all holidays it wasn't long enough!

The only sad part of our holiday was that while we were in London my Nana (Mum's mum) passed away.

RIP Nana
26 May 1916 - 25 September 2013

I have fond memories of all the holidays when we used to go and stay at Nana and Pops' house in Adelaide when we were kids.  I remember watching Dr Who for the first time at Nana's house and being so scared by something on the TV that I hid behind the couch!  Nana was always making us laugh... the "fun" we used to have collecting eggs in the chook house... fun - oh yeah, being chased by the chooks, who said that was fun!!  I last saw Nana in 2010 when Hubby and I went over to Sorrento in Victoria for a visit.  Unfortunately she had Alzhiemer's so she didn't really know who I was... but every now and then during the few hours I was with her that day she would remember something that made us both laugh!  That is how I remember my Nana, happy and laughing!

Nana and I - Queenscliff, Victoria, 2010

I will hopefully get around to organising our holiday photo's over the next few days and then I will do a post or two to tell you about our lovely trip away. But for now I will leave you with a photo of someone very famous that I just had to go and see while I was in London....

Paddington Bear at Paddington Station
September 2013

Not the best photo of me... but then again cameras and I don't tend to get on too well!! Isn't Paddington Bear just the cutest thing.  We arrived in London from Heathrow Airport by train into Paddington Station but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to take a photo then, so we went back on our first day of sightseeing just so that I could get to see him!!  I know I am silly, but I just love Paddington Bear!

Well, that's it for now.  I will be back shortly with a bit of stitching update and also to show you some of the pics from our holiday.

Til next time, happy stitching everyone, see you again soon!

New Moons - 2013

3 November
3 December

Totally Useless SAL update - New Moon 3 April 2011

Here we are again - another new moon today.  I can't believe how quickly 2011 is flying by...

The ORT's have been multiplying away quite happily this last month.  I have actually had to push them down in the jar - maybe I had better find a bigger jar soon!

This month the ORT's are made up of the last of the butterfly that I stitched for Quilts 4 Kids, a bit of my Margaret Sherry cat that I must finish.... and Eeyore and Friends which I stitched for Quilts 4 Kids, and the browns of the monkeys that I have just started.  So quite a variety of colours with the blue of Eeyore starting to disappear under the brown of the monkeys!

Will post a monkey update in the next couple of days....

TUSAL 3 April 2011
(The red rose is from our garden)

This new moon finds my ORT's playing with the snow globe that hubby bought back from Sydney for me.  Unfortunately I didn't get to go this time but maybe next time ORT's and I will be able to tag along on his junket!!  I wonder where my ORT's will want to have their picture taken next month??

For more info on the TUSAL pop over to Daffycat's blog.

Stitching update:

Eeyore and Friends was finished on 30 March 2011.  I just need to wash and press it and then pop it in the mail to Quilts 4 Kids to be added to the quilt of Alexis W.  I really enjoyed stitching this and it was actually quite a quick stitch - especially after the very long "Wings" one....  Would quite happily to do this one again!

"Eeyore and Friends"
Stitched for Alexis W - Quilts 4 Kids
World of Cross Stitching, issue 170

Til next new moon on 3rd May 2011, happy stitching

Anyone for tennis?

So what do you get when you have a spare couple of tennis balls lying around the house and two bored cats!  Well, according to the "Law of Felix and Oscar" - you get a whole lot of fun.... but don't let Daisy Dog see them!

Last night Felix and Oscar were moping around while I was doing the dishes - Daisy Dog was sound asleep somewhere.  On the kitchen bench was a packet of three tennis balls that we bought for Daisy but as yet hadn't opened.  So me being me thought - "wonder what the cats would do if I gave them a tennis ball to play with?" 

Felix took to the ball straight away.... Oscar had a little play and then preferred to watch his brother have all the fun.  But then that is Oscar all over... he is just too grown up to play like a kitten!  Felix played with the ball for over an hour - think he has a new "Precious".  That is until Daisy finds the balls and then they will not be around for much longer....

So enough of my crazy cats and their tennis balls....

It must be about time to give you a bit of a stitching update.....

Have been stitching on the "Winnie the Pooh & Friends" quilt square for the last week or so.  I am really pleased with how quickly this is coming along.  It is a really nice design to stitch.  The design was in Anchor threads so I have had to convert to DMC, but I think I managed to get the crucial "Pooh" colour right.  Eeyore is a blue colour which looks about right as well!

Eeyore & Friends design
World of Cross Stitching, Issue 170

My aim is to have this finished by the end of the week and then I can finish off my "February" MS Cat and start my "March" cat.

Margaret Sherry Culinary Cats
MSherry Lovers Blog SAL

February's cat is almost finished - just need to do his feet and tail and then the backstitch....

So that's it for this very quick post....

Til next time

Two does go into one!

Well, this is a first - I have had two finishes in one day!  Never before have I managed to do this....  don't think it will ever happen again either!

Firstly, I have finished Thomas the Tank Engine.  I stitched Thomas for the Australian Quilts 4 Kids organisation.  I started him on 27 December 2010 and put in the last bit of the backstitch today.  I even totalled up the hours I took to stitch him - 30 hours all up (give or take 1/2 an hour).  I will now wash and press him and mail him off to the Quilts 4 Kids organiser during the next few days.

This square is due on 28 February, so I am way ahead of schedule so far!  Just as well too as I have quite a bit of stitching to do in the next month....

Thomas the Tank Engine
completed 16 Jan 2011
Design from
Cross Stitcher Magazine (April 2002)

The second finish of the day is a little cat fridge magnet but as it is a birthday exchange gift for someone in the UK I can't show you a photo until it arrives there safely along with the birthday card that I now have to start stitching.  This exchange is due in the UK on 3 February.  Not much time to stitch and send but the card I have chosen shouldn't take long to stitch (I hope!)

Once I have done that exchange, I need to get onto the stitching for the Valentine's exchange that Parsley has organised.  I have my swap person's name but I'm not giving you any hints as to where this exchange is being sent or what I am doing - you will just have to wait until February 14th!

After stitching the Valentine's exchange, I then need to start on another square for Quilts 4 Kids.  This one will be the butterfly design for little Sarah I.  That square is due on 30 March.

Then it will be the Winnie the Pooh square for Alexis W which is due 15 April.

If I get a good head start on these two I might sign up for a fourth square but I suspect that really would be biting off more than I can chew or I should say stitch....

And, I have also signed up to do a Biscornu exchange for the end of February - although I am still waiting to hear if that is going ahead or not.  I have never done a Biscornu so I am quite looking forward to doing this... I hear that they are addictive though!  Oh, well what's another harmeless addiction to add to my other addictions - cross stitch, blogging, cross stitch forums, exchanges... the list goes on!

Of course, I still have to find time to finish off the "Edwardian Country Lady's Diary" that I started in November last year, and I also need to put the needle back into Bonsai and Buddha.  Buddha is feeling very neglected!

As I have mentioned before I always work better with a deadline, and it appears to apply to my stitching as well as my job!  Stitching goals are just as important as any other goals....



Oh, and before I go - have a look at Felix with his "Precious".  This is a little blue toy mouse that he plays with.  He has been walking around the house with this in his mouth over the last couple of days and meowing like he has caught a real mouse!  He then took it outside into their enclosure yesterday morning and wouldn't let Oscar anywhere near it!  My Precious!!  (and yes, he did bring it back inside so that it was safe and sound and no other pussy cats could steal it)

My Precious

Til next time,

Quilts 4 Kids

I recently discovered this very worthwhile charity that supplies stitched quilts to sick kids around Australia.  The way I found them was via a blog that I read (The Twisted Stitcher).  Vonna had mentioned on her blog that she was stitching a quilt block for the Love Quilts programme in the US.  So me, being the sticky beak that I am, had a look at the website, and while nosing around I discovered the link to the Australian version - Quilts 4 Kids. 

Basically the idea is that stitchers sign up to cross stitch a theme square (30cm x 30cm) for the child and then send it to Quilts 4 Kids for making up into quilts to be given to the registered sick children.  The designs that have been stitched are really gorgeous and the quilters do a fantastic job of finishing them and really showing off the stitched squares.  And what a great thing to do for sick kids.  There are some photos on the website of the kids with their finished quilts.  It is amazing to see the number of quilts that have been completed since the group started in 2005.

At the time of my first visit to the Quilts 4 Kids website all the quilts had closed for 2010 and the 2011 children were yet to be listed.

So I waited and checked back a couple of times and then just recently Linde uploaded the 2011 kids.  There are 7 sick kids that the group are making quilts for this year.  I have signed up to stitch for 3 of them, Anakin, Sarah and Alexis.  Each quilt has a due date, and if I can get my fingers stitching quickly enough I would like to try and sign up for a fourth one.  But I do know my stitching limitations, and I just hope that I haven't already bitten off more than I can  chew.... or rather stitch!

So what am I stitching....

Anakin G - Anakin's theme is trains.  So I searched through my old magazines and found a Thomas the Tank Engine design to stitch for Anakin.  The design comes from the UK Cross Stitcher magazine, issue April 2002.  This square is due on 28th Feb, so that gives me just under 2 months to stitch and send.  I started this one yesterday while watching the cricket!

Sarah I - Sarah's theme is butterflies.  I knew that I just had the perfect pattern for this one.  It is an old freebie DMC chart that I sent away for years ago and is called "Wings".  It is a beautiful coloured butterfly with pink flowers.  That square is due on 30th March.

Alexis W - Alexis' theme is the Winnie the Pooh characters.  Well, I do just happen to have one or two Winnie the Pooh patterns, however before I had even had the chance to sift through all my old magazines, books and my stash, the perfect pattern appeared in the latest World of Cross Stitching mag (issue 170) that I bought.  It is a design of Pooh, Eeyeore and Piglet on a Christmas sled.  Just perfect!!  This square is due on 15th April.

So as you can see I have a bit of stitching to do over the next four months!  If I can get a good head start on the first two then I might sign up for a fourth square... but let's not be too ambitious to start with - three squares are probably more than enough for me to handle!!!

So it looks like "Buddha and Bonsai" is on the back burner again.... although I think I might have to spend an hour or so every couple of weeks on it just so that I can get it finished in 2011!

I will post a WIP photo of Thomas in the next couple of days.  So far I have made quite a good start on him and fingers crossed with the next week off from work on holidays I can get him almost finished!

Choo Choo til next time,