September SAL Updates.... October Stitching Goals....

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Hello! Another month has come and gone!! I won't tell you how long it is till Christmas as it will freak you out!! It is so close now....  

Anyway here's what I got up to in September and what I am planning to do in October if all goes well! Note there are a few shoe-horns being used here and there.... but what's the good of having a shoe-horn if you don't use it!

September SAL Update:

**JCS SAL (FB Group): "Christmas Delivery" (Designer: New York Dreamer) ✘

Fail.... I have sort of fallen out of love with the chosen designs for this SAL at the moment.... The October design is more to my taste so I will stitch that one!

**Christmas Ornie SAL Blog - Theme: Christmas Food - Figgy Pudding! ✓

**Halloween Ornie SAL Blog - Theme: Bad Fairy - "Black Hearted Queen" (Designer: Sub Rosa Blog) ✓

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

**Stitch Maynia (FB group)
Monthly SAL's:

"World of Pure Imagination (month long) - Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL - Wizard ✓

"Catch the Hogwarts Express" 1st Aug - Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL - Wizard ✓
"Colour-A-Day SAL" - "Orange Crush" - Tigger ✓

Year Long SAL's:
Year of Starts! (at least 1 start/finish each month): ✓
I had 6 starts and 2 finishes in September

Brooke's Books Year Long SAL: stitched on Christmas Grumpy Cat ✓
2016 Chatelaine Shenanigans SAL: stitched on Mini Mandala II - C ✓

**Cross Stitch Finish Line (FB group) 

"Monthly "Month" SAL - September": Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL - Wizard ✓

"Mill Hill SAL" - stitch on any Mill Hill kit/design: started Rubber Ducky ✓

"Now I know my ABC's "D": started Little House Needleworks "Dog House Sampler" ✓
"Magazine/Book SAL": Double Double - Lizzie*Kate  ✓

"Autumn Equinox" - (Sept to Dec) stitch any Autumn piece through to Winter Solstice (Northern Hemisphere Solstice): Lakeside Needlecraft Fantasy SAL - Wizard ✓

**Debbie's Ultimate Crazy January Challenge 2016 (DUCJC2016):

Modified to 31 starts & finishes 2016: as at the end of September I have 33 finishes for 2016 of which 28 are new starts for 2016 ✓

**Lakeside Needlecraft / Durene Jones Fantasy SAL 

Monthly fantasy SAL designed by Durene Jones - aim is to start and finish the design during the month ✓✘
Started September but didn't quite get it finished

October SAL Plans:

**JCS SAL (FB Group): Designer: From The Heart

**Christmas Ornie SAL Blog Theme: Toys/Presents

**Halloween Ornie SAL Blog Theme: Black Cats

**Stitch Maynia (FB group) 

"BAPs & Smalls, we love them all" - stitch on your biggest and/or your smallest project

"Colour-A-Day SAL" - "Catch the Rainbow" - stitch colours of the rainbow in a design on 24th
"Stitch Maynia's Election Challenge" - daily stitching challenges leading up to the US elections - runs from 25th Oct to 7 Nov

**Cross Stitch Finish Line (FB group) 

"Monthly "Month" SAL - October" - stitch on any design that is October related

"Mill Hill SAL" - stitch on any Mill Hill kit/design (15th)

"Now I know my ABC's "E" (26th) 
"Autumn Equinox" - (Sept to Dec): stitch any Autumn piece through to Winter Solstice (Northern Hemisphere Solstice)
"Weekend Rush #7 & #8" - 500 stitches every 2nd weekend
"Weekly Rush" - 500 stitches w/c 24 Oct

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

**Remember to post for:

Lainey's Christmas Ornie SAL

Smalls SAL

**Lakeside Needlecraft / Durene Jones Fantasy SAL (FB Group)

October design released 1 Oct

**Joyful World SAL - Snowflower Diaries (FB Group)

November design released 10 Oct

Til next time...

Take care and happy stitching

Hugs xx

The Alphabet Club - Detention for Letter "O"

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

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

O.S.: Over Sea's

Ocker: Unsophisticated person [stereotyped uncultured Aussie male]

Off One's Face: Drunk [extremely drunk]

Off the Beaten Track: Away from the main stream of traffic, seldom used road/roads

Open Slather: Anything goes - a free-for-all

On for Young and Old: This is usually referring to a fight or an argument - involving everyone

On the Nose: Smells awful

Outback: Remote country - bush location

Out in the Sticks: In the bush, away from civilisation, or in a remote area

Outhouse: The toilet was in it's own little "house" in the back yard

Oz: Nick name for Australia

Now for something very Australian beginning with "O"

web photo - Yalgoo Shire

Outback!

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid interior of Australia. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush" which, colloquially, can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas.

Early European exploration of inland Australia was sporadic. More focus was on the more accessible and fertile coastal areas. The first party to successfully cross the Blue Mountains just outside Sydney was led by Gregory Blaxland in 1813, 25 years after the colony was established. 

The Overland Telegraph line was constructed in the 1870's along the route identified by John McDouall Stuart. While the early explorers used horses to cross the outback, the first woman to actually make the journey riding a horse was Anna Hingley, who rode from Broome to Cairns in 2006.

Other than agriculture and tourism, the main economic activity in this vast and sparsely settled area is mining. Owing to the complete absence of mountain building and glaciation since the Permian (in many areas since the Cambrian) ages, the outback is extremely rich in iron, aluminium, manganese and uranium ores, and also contains major deposits of gold, nickel, iron, lead and zinc ores. Because of its size, the value of grazing and mining is considerable. Major mines and mining areas in the outback include opals at Coober Pedy, Lightning Ridge and White Cliffs, metals at Broken Hill, Tennant Creek, Olympic Dam and the remote Challenger Mine. Oil and gas are extracted in the Cooper Basin around Moomba.

In Western Australia the Argyle diamond mine in the Kimberley is the world's biggest producer of natural diamonds (including the rare pink and red diamonds) and contributes approximately one-third of the world's natural supply. The Pilbara region's economy is dominated by mining and petroleum industries.  Most of Australia's iron ore is also mined in the Pilbara and it also has one of the world's major manganese mines.

I grew up in the Pilbara - my parents took us from the outback of South Australia to the outback of Western Australia in the late 1960's and I stayed there until I moved to the big smoke (ie the city - approx 1000 miles/1600 kms away!) in the early 1990's.

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As an aside.... for those of you that buy Dinky Dyes threads... they have a red thread called Pilbara!  I love reading their thread names - they started their thread dyeing business while they lived here in Perth so there are quite a few West Australian names as well as Aussie names in their thread ranges :o)

So that's it for "O".... quick and simple!  Next month is "P" - I was going to doing something on the Pilbara but might rethink that one now!

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 "O".  Posting is generally the first Saturday of the month.

Smalls SAL September 2016

Hosted by Stitching Lotus

Hi there! Today is the last Thursday in September which means it is the day to post our Smalls finishes for the month, and I have some to show! ☺

Double Double
Just Cross Stitch Halloween 2013 Issue
Designer: Lizzie*Kate
Finish #30

Stitched on 32ct fabric from Colour Cascades Fabric (un-named - Studio Session piece)

DMC threads - I did sub out a couple of colours as I didn't have the charted threads for the blue wave and the witch's body parts.

Flower Owl
Bucilla Kit
Finish #31

Isn't he cute? I showed him off in my recent GG post as I received this kit as a gift in an exchange some time ago... but he also belongs in this post as he was finished in September!

Figgy Pudding
Designer: Jane Greenoff
Finish #32

This little card was a freebie many many moons ago... When I was looking for something quick to stitch the other day for the Christmas Ornie SAL blog I found it languishing in my box of magazine free gifts - it is perfect for the Christmas Food theme on the blog! ☺

Black Hearted Queen
Freebie - Sub Rosa Blog
Finish #33

Stitched on 32ct fabric from Stitches & Spice (Lime Ghost Gum) with DMC threads.  I wish the photo would show the true colour of this fabric - it's a really pretty light lime green colour and is simply gorgeous.  Unfortunately it is the only piece I have and as Naomi is no longer dyeing fabric I can't get anymore!
If you like to stitch this design you should pop over to the Sub Rosa blog and see what else she has on her blog - link is here

So that's it for today's Smalls post!  I have some WIPs and new starts to show you... hopefully I will get that post up in the next couple of days.

Til next time, happy stitching!
Hugs xx

Jo's Big Birthday Blog Hop!

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Happy 50th Birthday Jo

As most of you in Blogland know 50 years ago today a very special person was born - the wonderful Jo from Serendipitous Stitching is celebrating her birthday today and she is celebrating in style with a blog hop!

As part of the blog hop Jo has sent everyone a year of her life and some info to post on our blog... we then need to post something about ourselves from that year or age.  So here goes!

2008 - Jo was 42
As her son was settled at full-time school Jo decided to look for a job which fitted in with the school day and started work at a High School Library as "The New Library Miss", job description courtesy of the pupils.  Jo was enjoying this new role when she discovered she would have to leave soon - there was a Small Boy on the way!  Jo, her husband and the soon-to-be Large Boy enjoyed a holiday at Euro-Disney even though Jo couldn't go on many of the larger rides with her baby-bump.  Jo's stitching finishes were starting to increase as she had evenings free, she was still a strict OAAT stitcher.

So now it's my turn....

1. What happened to you in that year
2008 was quite a stressful year for me and my hubby.  We moved house on 8th January to where we are living now and we had our own business at the time (which is why we moved - we went from 2.5 acres in the bush to a normal suburban house to give us time back to run the business).  Later on in 2008 the GFC hit and affected the business income which meant I needed to find another job and then the following year we sold the business.  (Side note.... hubby is now back running his own business again as he really didn't enjoy working for anyone else.... I am still working full time elsewhere but the plan is that eventually we will go back to working together - one day!)

2. What happened to you at that age
42... that was 10 years ago... I don't think I can remember that far back!!  From the dim distant memory banks I think that life was just ticking over quite nicely - Hubby and I had been married 12 months and we were living the dream on our 2.5 acre block.... I was just getting back into my stitching again then after a break of a few years.

3. What happened when you had that life event (I am thinking Jo is talking about the small boy coming along at this time in her life)
Nothing to see here.... I haven't had children so I can't give you any details on this life event!  I do now have 2 grown up stepsons which I inherited when Hubby and I got together.... but the only babies that I have had in my life are all of the 4 legged variety!!

Now one last thing I need to do is post a picture of something I have stitched that I think Jo will like....

Seeing as I haven't stitched any dragons (yet) I will have to show off a Halloween piece... and I decided to use my Stitching Witch finish from earlier this year. (I love it... wish I could get more of that fabric!)

So that's me done.... I will sign off by saying Happy Birthday Jo! I hope you have the most wonderful birthday and that you get all that you wish and hope for on the day and going forward.  Thank you for being a wonderful friend (even though we have never met in person!)  I love your energy for stitching and blogging... I really don't know how you do it!  Have a fab stitching birthday....

Til til next, happy stitching
Hugs xx

Gifted Gorgeousness SAL 2016 - Update #9

It's time for a GG update...

I have a little finish to show you.... I managed to finish stitching my little Flower Owl (Bucilla Kit) the other day.  This kit was a gift from someone but for the life of me I can't remember who gave it to me... and shame on me I can't find where I may have posted about it.... if you recognise this kit and you sent it to me, please let me know! :o)

Finish # 31
Flower Owl
Bucilla Kit

He does come with his own little frame, so hopefully by the time I do my Smalls post I will have actually framed him!!

That's it for this month...

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.