May WIP Update....

Two posts in one day.... wow!  What has happened... well.. I am off work sick again - that's what happened!!

You know the old saying it never rains but it pours - well I think that is me at the moment!

I spent all of last Saturday and half of Sunday in the Emergency Department of our local hospital in the most agonising pain with my gallbladder!  They also hooked me up to a potassium drip for over 9 hrs as my potassium levels were really low.... I couldn't stitch til Saturday night when they unhooked me and then I didn't get much done as I wasn't feeling too flash!  Then on Sunday morning the hospital staff went into a spin as my liver levels had gone on a 24hr skyrocket ride!!  I think I was very lucky that they let me go home at all...

I go back to the Doctor tomorrow afternoon to check on what yesterday's ultrasound scan showed - although the Radiographer did tell me she could see a gallstone.... :o(

So I have been at home all week recovering and praying that the gallstone doesn't get stuck again.   Every twinge I get in my back/chest is freaking me out at the moment....

So while I worry about work.... and my health... I have managed to spend a bit more time stitching that I would normally get done during the week!

WIP updates.....

Queen of Peace - Nora Corbett

Christmas Test Drive - Mosey N Me

Almost done..... 

ABC Chats - F (Les Brodeuses Parisienne)

Stitched on this for "Stitchers in Red"SAL - 24 May 2016

These three are all part of my May starts for the Stitch Maynia SAL and hopefully before the end of May I will have at least one of them finished!

That's it for today... I am now going to go back to my couch and blanket for puppy cuddles and lots of afternoon stitching!

Til next time... happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Smalls SAL May 2016

Hosted by Stitching Lotus

Today is posting day for the Smalls SAL hosted by Stitching Lotus.  This month I don't have a lot to show you.... ;o(  That didn't take long did it - after that fantastic start last month!!

Anyway... here we go!

Finish #17
Trick or Treat - Pickle Barrel Designs
Just Cross Stitch - Halloween 2015 issue

Started 9 May 2016
Finished 18 May 2016

Stitched on a plain piece of 28ct linen using the called for DMC threads.  Nothing fancy about this one!

Only one finish so far this month - I am so close to finishing one more small but that will now be a hangover to next month's post (although you will see it in another post before then I am sure!)

I do have some WIP stitching to show you so I will be back again in the next couple of days with a final May stitching update.

Til then, happy Smalls stitching...
Hugs xx

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL 2016; IHSW Pt1; Stitch Maynia

Hello!  I'm back.... This post is a real Heinz variety post... it is a mix of Stitch Maynia, IHSW and Gifted Gorgeousness...

Stitch Maynia Update:

First up I will show you the last of my Stitch Maynia starts (Starts 10 - 15)

Day 10 - "Joyful World SAL - March" (Snowflower Diaries)

Day 11 - "Joyful World SAL - April" (Snowflower Diaries)

Day 12 - Christmas Card Freebie (Cross Stitch Crazy magazine)

Day 13 - Christmas Card Freebie (Cross Stitch Crazy magazine)

Day 14 - "Snow Story - Cold Hands" (Lizzie Kate)

Stitched on 32ct Belfast
"Into the Blue" from Stitches and Spice
Threads: Weeks Dye Works

Day 15 - Floral Bookmark - Cross Stitch Crazy Freebie

Designer: Kate Knight

So that's it... Stitch Maynia (my version....) is over for 2016 and I think I did pretty well in the end.  I managed to get some starts happening on some of the WIPs / SAL's that I am working on as well as starting a couple of small things that I will try and finish off in between WIP stitching over the next couple of months - which means I should be well on my way to starting and finishing 31 pieces before the end of the year :o)

Gifted Gorgeousness Stitching:

Now.... onto my GG update!  I have to say that this month I have very little offerings to show you :o(

I didn't stitch on any of my pieces that form the traditional part of my GG stitching... but I have a plan.... and I can tell you that the Kate Knight bookmark above is actually for my Mum as part of her birthday present.  So as I said... slim offerings this month but I at least I did have something to show you!

IHSW Part 1 Update:
Yes... that's right - Part 1!  Joysze organised for last weekend to be the first part of IHSW for May... the coming weekend is Part 2 (and is the weekend that is normally when it would be IHSW!).

My stitching on Friday, Saturday and Sunday you can see above!  I also did stitch on my Trick or Treat spider but forgot to take a photo of him after my Sunday stitching.  (He is nearly finished so I will just wait now til he is done)

So overall part 1 of May's IHSW went quite well!  I finally managed to start the Lizzie Kate "Snow Story" that I have been itching to start for months... even with all that white!!

So that's it for this update... told you it was a Heinz post :o)

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.

Stitch Maynia Update

As you will know from a previous post I am doing the Stitch Maynia 15 day challenge (15 starts in 15 days) this month.  So far I have managed to do 9 out of 9 new starts so I am on track!  I showed you the first two days on a post earlier in the month.  Below are pics of the Start 3 through to Start 9.

Day 3 - ABC Chats - F: Les Brodeuses Parisienne

Day 4 - Star Wars (Original Trilogy): The Cloudsfactory

Stitching the design as a bookmark with 2 or 3 characters and light sabers
note the Star Wars needleminder in the photo!!

Day 4 coincided with the "May the Fourth be with you" SAL on 4th May... so this is my Star Wars stitching that event :o)

Day 5 - ABC Chats  - G: Les Brodeuses Parisienne

Day 6 - Faces of Joan Elliott SAL (Dragon): Joan Elliott

I started that tiny bit of grey 3 times on Friday night.... I miscounted and didn't realise til I reached the top, then after stitching it again I realised it should have been the darker grey! So not a lot to show for a Friday night of stitching....

Day 7 - Christmas Test Drive: Mosey n Me

Just Cross Stitch Christmas 2015 issue

Day 8 - Queen of Peace: Nora Corbett (Mirabilia)

Day 9 - Trick or Treat: Pickle Barrel Designs

Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2016 issue

Well over half way there with the Stitch Maynia starts.... probably I will be back onto my ABC Chats tonight but who knows!  I must admit I am itching to get back onto the last three starts so I am counting down til 16th May and all 15 starts are down and dusted!

That's it for now... I have no idea when or if this will even post as there are issues with blogger... so fingers crossed you will see it and it won't end up in the great wide world of nothingness!!

So til next time, happy stitching
Hugs xx

TUSAL.. Bling... Stash...

As they say a picture paints a thousand words.... so who wants to see lots of pictures?

I have a rather boring TUSAL photo... then some bling... and then some stash acquisitions!

TUSAL
Well here they are... my ORT's for the last month.  Lots of gorgeous colours in that tin!

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 June 2016

********************

As my credit card will reliably inform you I have been on a bit of stash/bling buying frenzy!  And slowly all my purchases are landing in the the mail box!

First up I have Bling...

Gina (Gina's Unique Boutique) was having a moving sale so I just had to indulge... to be honest I do not know what I will do with them all (except have them in the craft room collecting dust) as I tend to only use them when I am stitching on large projects!  But they were so pretty.... :o)

I have a couple more coming from Julie (Nifty Needle Nannies) and once they get here I will show you a pic...

Next up I have some new pretty Stash Acquisitions.....

I am the first to admit that I am normally very boring when it comes to threads... DMC all the way! Occasionally I will branch out to Weeks Dye Works or NPI Silks or Caron Waterlillies as required by a specific chart but I haven't ventured very far into the world of hand-dyed variegated threads before! Until now that is!

Have a look at these stunning threads that I ordered from Jodryi Designs in the UK.  I also bought the April Limited Edition Fabric (Cairn's Birdwing Butterfly) and the matching thread (thread is the one on it's own on the right).  It helps that she was having a sale which meant that I could order twice as many as I might have normally ordered!

Next up we have a Mira added to my stash....

One of the many Mira groups that I am in on Facebook is having a "Queen of Peace" SAL and I have always wanted to stitch that gorgeous design.... but as it is an Out of Print chart I was not able to find it in Australia.... so I when I did find someone (Hawkins Hobbies in the UK) who had it for sale I just had to buy it (along with the Krienik, beads and treasures).  The kit also came with the fabric but that went into my stash as I am doing this on something else.... as you will see very shortly!

I am hoping to have this stitched and ready to take with me to the Mira Retreat next May (yes I did say next May - 2017!) in Katoomba.... after all I don't want to be the only one without a Mira lady to show at the retreat!! :o(

So that's it... my credit card has melted now from overwork!

So til my next post, happy stitching
Hugs xx