Monday, May 14, 2007
A thousand apologies for not updating for so long. How long has it been? It feels like about a month. My life has been absolutely hectic lately, I spent a week doing clinical at pre-school (so much fun, the children were so adorable!), and I've had two major assignments due in the last week, so I've been working hard on those. And exams are just around the corner, plus working hard on top of all of that... I've been exhausted!

So it's for that reason that I've been so slack with my SALs, as well as all my other stitching in the last few weeks. I have to confess that I didn't get a single stitch in Japanese Octagon Box for the past two weeks, until today. I worked on it for 8 hours today, and got the outline for the seventh panel finished. Only one more to go!

Actually, that photo shows the fabbie colour very well, but the stitching looks a bit dark. *Sigh* one day I will learn to take photos properly! Anyway, next up is a very overdue photo of last weeks contribution to Toccata II. This is Area 17 - Cross and Upright Cross Filling, and Area 18 - Interlaced Diagonal Cross, which is small and simple but very pretty indeed! I'm really happy to be working on this one again, I love it so much!

Next up is Tranquility Mystery, and of course I'm waaay behind. I'm still on part 4, and part 7 came out last friday. I know I won't possible catch up, but I'm still having great fun with this one, especially with picking out the colours!
Hmmm, looking at that photo, I just noticed a mistake I made at the bottom of that purple one. Oh well, easily fixed!

So, even though I've been busy, I still managed a Happy Dance at work on Friday night (yay!). This little cutie is Popcorn. He was for the other Round Robin I'm in. Actually, I'd nearly forgotten about that robin, it's so disorganized, I haven't had a rotation from that one for about four months. But now I seem to be back in the loop! Teddy bears aren't really my kind of thing, but he is very sweet, and he only took 10 hours of stitching!


It was Mother's Day yesterday, and I had great fun buying Mum' presents. I usually buy her fabric for quilting. But she used to cross stitch all the time, and I really miss that, so I decided that if I bought her something that I know she'd like she might be forced to have to stitch again. I got her two kits, Fruitful 1 and Splendor from The Heart's Content, because I know she's been eyeing them for a long time. And of course, since I was buying online, I thought I'd better make the most of the postage, so I bought myself a silk gauze kit: Gaze Awhile. When I got it in the mail, I was going to start it right away, but my WIPs are really getting out of control as it is, so I'm saving it for a bit later ;)

Well, Mum was very pleased with her Mothers day present, so she bought me a present to say thankyou (I told her that's not how it works, but I didn't argue with her too hard.) A gorgeous overdyed silk (Grape by Caron Waterlilies) and a beautiful pair of scissors I can wear around my neck whilst stitching, and a pincushion kit, with my very favourite (NOT) stitch all over it. Mum said she forgot that I hate Queen stitch, but I know that she was giggling the whole time, sneaky Mummy. So, I haven't been around, but life is still moving on. I do have some good news which I've been bursting to tell, and that is that I quit my sleep over job, and I couldn't be happier about it. I was really unhappy there, and I was doing 4 nights a week, which was just too much for me to handle with full time uni and the other two jobs. I've just had a horrible few months there. Plus I wasn't getting paid enough... $100 for 12 hours work is criminal! However, now that I have quit I will be absolutely broke! I think after I pay the mortgage and bills I will have $100 a fortnight for everything else. So there will be another job in the near future, but I'm definitely going to enjoy a few weeks of having more stitching time.

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posted by Tash at 01:24 | 1 comments
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Here's week two of Tranquility Mystery Sampler. I'm loving this so far. 1x1 stitching is so lovely, and it's so much fun choosing what colour to use next. I managed to get to Victoria House on my way down to Canberra last Sunday, and bought threads, (all GAST and WDW), and got thoroughly ripped off. 13 threads cost me $71.50!!! At the Crewel Gobelin it would only have cost me about $50 and online it would have cost me even less, including postage! But I am too impatient, so I paid the $71 and got over it! The colours I've used so far are GAST Cherub (LE), Cherry wine, and Bayberry (simply shaker), and WDW Curry and Purple Haze. The chart for week three is up, and I'm already deciding what colours I'm going to use.

I had a week off uni last week, but I still managed to get no stitching done whatsoever. Only a few hours on Mystery X, a few more hours on Michelle's RR, and page 2 of Tranquility Sampler. I haven't even done my motifs for Toccata II yet. I was hoping to get so much done this week. And back to uni next week *sigh*. But, I've decided that Tranquility is the perfect size to do at uni during lectures, so at least I'll be sure to keep up with it :)

So... tomorrow I was hoping to get a lot of stitching done, but I was asked to do a shopping service for a couple tomorrow morning, and I have to go and clean Dad's house in the afternoon. What a bummer :( Maybe I can do a quick job of the cleaning and be finished by about 4ish, then I can stitch until I have to go to work at 8. Here's hoping!

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posted by Tash at 22:09 | 1 comments
Wednesday, February 21, 2007

And got a lovely surprise in the mail from Mel. Look at those gorgeous colours! I have no idea what I'm going to do with the fabbie yet, but I know that those threads will make some fantastic biscornus for me and my mum. Especially that purpley-red one. I'm just bursting with exciting possibilities :) Thank you SO much to the very talented and generous Mel! (by the way, the chocolate was fine, not melted, amazingly! But I couldn't take a photo of that because It's already opened and half gone!)
This also reminds me that I've got to get going on my own PIF packages. I've got them all planned... hehehehehe

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posted by Tash at 10:53 | 3 comments
Monday, November 13, 2006
I finished my biscornu for the biscornu exchange on Friday evening... but unfortunately, I can't show you pics yet :( That's so frustrating!!! I'm really proud of it, because I've never finished anything before, not even a pincushion. I don't know how you guys who do tons of exchanges can do it all the time. Oh well, hopefully it won't be too long until I can show off pics.

So instead, I'll show you some stash pics :)
The first pic is $350 worth of stuff, that I only paid $100 for at Stitched From the Heart.

The next picture is just some random stash I've accumulated over the past couple of months. I've developed an obsession with hand dyed fabrics and threads... but sooo expensive.

As you notice, my little bubba has to get in on the act, in both photos! I swear, she thinks she's a model. She has to get in every shot!

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posted by Tash at 00:36 | 4 comments
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
One of my favourite little ladies at work died yesterday. She was such a sweet little thing, everyone loved her... but, she was 104 years old, she was probably ready to go. It was so heartbreaking looking after her for the last few nights and hours. She was really suffering, because her doctor wouldn't give her any pain relief... it's terrible to see someone so distressed and to be so powerless to do anything to help them. I always feel sad when someone dies, but you do get attatched to some of them more than others.

So when I came home from work yesterday, I didn't feel like writing about Liechhardt. So instead, I put in a very large order at Stitched From The Heart. I read on Mel's blog that they are having a closing down sale, and 70% off everything(!) is just too good to miss. So I've been spending money that I don't have. I seem to be doing a lot of that lately.

The good news is that I think I've finally found a suitable piece of fabric for Toccata 2! It's only taken me 3 months or so. *sigh* The first two pieces I tried were just awful... that's the problem with ordering online... you never get to see exactly what you're buying until it arrives! I finally settled on 36 ct Stitches and Spice Celtic Blend. I did order it online again, but I'm not worried, because I've actually stitched on it before, for my Celtic Banner, and I know it will be lovely. Not so pinky in real life though.

So... I'll be starting that SAL soon, and I'll be posting off my HAED RR in a couple of days (still plugging away at that horrible border...), and receiving (I think) Nicki's to stitch on. Plus, I've signed up for a biscornu exchange at LJ XstitchXchange (link fixed), so I have to find an appropriate pattern and learn how to make one for my recepient. AND I had a new start today! I made myself get started on Jaxon's birth sampler. (No pic yet, so far it's only a blue blobby.) So my fingers are very busy!!

And don't get me started on a week of clinicals, my major assignment (which, of course, I haven't started) due next week, OSCAs coming up, the mortgage being approved (or more likely, rejected) this week, and changing jobs (which further complicates the mortgage stuff)... I'm a very busy little vegemite! (And a bit of a stressed one too!)

Actually, speaking of vegemite, did you hear that they've banned vegemite in the USA?!

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posted by Tash at 15:56 | 3 comments
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Hmmm.... blogrolling wasn't working all day yesterday for me. Thank goodness it's back up now. It's such a pain to try and remember everyone's blog addresses.

The Needlework Show is on. My wishlist is going to double in size by tomorrow!

Anyway, gtg to work for a fire lecture and a medication assessment. As though I don't have enough assessments to bother with at uni too! *sigh* fingers crossed I can get some stitching done this evening.

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posted by Tash at 13:11 | 1 comments
Saturday, August 19, 2006
-Teresa Wentzler's Noah's Ark Kit

























-Noah's Ark by Ginger & Spice
-Wee Darlings Miniature Stockings
-A freebie from The Sweetheart Tree























-The remaining 150 DMC threads I needed to complete the collection
-YLI invisible thread (for beading)
-Mirabilia: The Rose of Sharon, which I'm planning to do after Firefly Fairies.
















From Dragonfly Dreams:
-Wind by Sheila Wolk (HAED)
-D, E, I and P by The World of S's Ruritania alphabet (I want to do them for my RL friends Daula, Elisa, Iz, and Prue)
-Soie Perlee for Toccata II (my silk pack came with the DMC perles, but I decided I wanted the pretty shinies :)













-Queen Anne's Lace kit by Lavender and Lace. There's so many lovely kreiniks in it :)

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posted by Tash at 16:12 | 0 comments
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
I've been trying all day to post pictures. I have so many stash pictures to show you... but no luck! Stupid blogger. Why does it hate me so?

Thanks Nicki for asking about the dentist. It was amazingly good. And my mouth hasn't been in agonies this week so... hooray! He let me keep my tooth, and it's really gross!!

I've been stitching away on Scent of Enchantment. I'm 80% done. Yay! I think it'll be finished this time next week. Well, I hope.

I still haven't decided which HAED I'm going to do. Wind came in the mail, and the picture on the front has all weird colours, the top looks green instead of pink. So i'm going to have to do a floss toss to help myself decide. Then I'm going to go and buy The Langsuir and Lady of the Lake and look at them, because I still don't even own them! But I figured there's no real hurry to decide, because I first have to do my RR piece, and I really want to stitch Automne SK, and I keep forgetting about the mystic stitch and the GK miniature I have lined up. Wow, at this rate, I'll never get back to HAED!

So.... I don't really have much to say now that I have no pictures to talk about. I've had five separate stash parcels in the last couple of weeks! And I can think of at least 3 more that are on the way. So much lovely stuff to show you! So much money I no longer have. I'm actually starting to feel bad that I've spent so much money. And there's still a couple more things I have to order (including the aforementioned HAED charts)! But I'm buying in advance.. because starting January 1, I'm going to be on a stash free diet. For no less than 6 months. I'll need it, because my friend Veronica and I are going to America next year, and I'm planning to well and truly wear out my credit card :)

In other news, partly triggered by my guilt at excessive stash buying, my sister and I decided to sponsor a child! She lives in Mongolia, she's 5 years old, and she's so cute! It's something we've been meaning to do for a months, and I'm so glad we finally got around to it.

Okay, gotta go and get and early night, I have to be at uni at 2pm tomorrow *le sigh*

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posted by Tash at 19:30 | 2 comments
Monday, August 07, 2006
My birthday was on April 1st (please spare me the obvious jokes), and my birthday present from Mum FINALLY arrived! We first ordered some things from Nordic Needle, but had to cancel the order because of 3 months of back order, and no communication from them. So we ordered new stuff from The Silver Needle instead. And it arrived! yay!

I got the silk pack for Toccata II from The Drawn Thread... Kreinik metallics, DMC perles and lots of yummy NPI silks.

Peace Tree and Snowflake from M Designs

The Mermaid Sampler kit from Threads Through Time. It includes 40 count silk gauze, which I can't wait to play with.

And Noah's Sampler Reborn kit by Just Nan which is a Silver Needle exclusive (you'll have to scroll down the page a bit to find it)... and I'm SO glad I got it. I have a thing for Noah's arks, and this one is gorgeous. And it has the most divine GAST, I've never seen them before, and I can't wait to use them. I have so many arks, but I've never actually stitched one yet. I think this one will be the first. Now just to find the time *sigh*

Aaaand, they added a freebie design from the Cricket Collection, Sunshine, and a little packet of jelly bellys (which are not in the picture as they were already in my belly)

Yay for stash! I've spent a couple of hundred dollars on ebay this week, so I'll have even more coming into my mailbox soon. When I picked my parcel up from the post office, the girl looked at me and said "another parcel?!". Hahaha, I'm famous.

In other news, I made my HAED wishlist, and I'm hoping to expand it to a general stitchy wishlist, and stick it on my List Blog. I'm gonna have my stash list, my reading list, my "What I will stitch next" list, etc. I can't wait. I love lists :)

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posted by Tash at 12:44 | 1 comments
Updates on this list and other wishlists will be in my list blog.

Leighton
Flaming June

Ian Daniels
***The Langsuir*** (I bought the QS, but decided I love it enough to do the large one)

John Waterhouse
Boreas

Sara Butcher
Lover's Tarot
Death Tarot
Raven's Eve
Water ACEO(I have the other three)
Summer ACEO (I have winter)
Autumn ACEO(When it comes out...)
Spring ACEO(When it comes out...)
Aries ACEO(When it comes out...)
Temptation QS (I already have truth)

Selina Fenech
***Bright Skies***
The Madness of Hatred
Shimmer QS
Greenman's Door
Atlantis
Nouveau Mermaids
Nouveau Fairies
Nouveau Angels

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posted by Tash at 10:45 | 0 comments
Amoreno
Scent of Enchantment QS

Bernadette Lusk
Letting Go

Caron Vinson
Blushing Rose

Ian Daniels
Faery Queen 2
The Langsuir QS
Scotland QS

James C. Christensen
Faery Tales

John Waterhouse
Tempest

Leighton
Flaming June QS

Linda Tso
The Passing

Rachael Anderson
Queen of Hearts

Sara Butcher
Truth QS
Earth ACEO
Fire ACEO
Air ACEO
Winter ACEO

Selina Fenech
Centre for Bright Skies Dark Waters
Dark Waters (I really must get Bright Skies, then I can start them!)
Storykeeper
Storykeeper SK
Impossible Love

Sheila Wolk
Gatekeeper
Heart's Content
The Garland

Tracy Butler
Martyrs

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posted by Tash at 10:38 | 0 comments
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Oh, I've had a terrible couple of days on the stitching front... only a handful of stitches. I didn't even touch a needle today, and yesterday I only did 21(!) stitches on Scent of Enchantment. It feels like such a waste of valuable days. I'm always worried that I'm going to die before I have time to stitch everything I want to. Well, actually I think that's a certainty, because I have enough stash to last me several lifetimes, and a fairly exhaustive wishlist. So when I go for four days without doing more than a couple of threads I'm horrified! I did start a new WIP on Monday (like I needed another one...) but this one is only small. It's 'S' by M Designs, and I'm doing it on 40 count white linen and using Gloriana Desert Rose. It've only done a few threads, so it kind of looks like a weird scary eye to me. Heh.


I'm making it for my Grandmother, whose name is Sylvia. My biggest problem is going to be figuring out a way to finish it. I don't have a sewing machine, but I have no problems with hand sewing. But I've never finished anything before, not even cushion or needleroll, so I'm a bit scared. Anyone have any ideas or links?

Catherine returned safely from England, and came bearing gifts for me! 3 Flower Fairies kits: Willow Fairy, Snowdrop Fairy, and Almond Blossom Fairy. There was more, but those are the stashy gifts. I've been thoroughly spoiled. And, since she wasn't able to find most of the other kits I requested, she gave me back the money I gave her to spend, and I used it to place a $100 order from SB&B. Yay! I'm going to have a very stashy few weeks :D

Frankly, I'm going to need the stashy excitement, because work starts again on Saturday, and Uni on Tuesday, and I'm gonna be miserable again. I miss my holidays already :)

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posted by Tash at 03:31 | 0 comments
Friday, July 21, 2006

Stash in the mail today :) I bought this kit because I want to stitch it for my Dad to put up in his office. I hope he'll like it. It's so hard to choose something for men. But Dad used to be in the Navy, so hopefully he'll like the ship.

It's so much fun getting stash in the mail... I'm expecting a few more parcels in the weeks to come. Yay!


Well, I did do a little on Fire and Ice, but only 4 threads, then I got tired of it. I am really struggling with that one. It is stunning, but I'm just getting bored of the colours and so on. Here's where I got to so far. I think it's going to have to go in the UFO pile. I hate that!
The other thing that's keeping me from it is that I only want to stitch on Scent of Enchantment.

I finished the second row. And I love her. She's so beautiful. The colours are stunning. I would love to keep going on her, but I'm putting her aside for a while. For the weekend I'm going to make myself work on Japanese Box. I'm going to finish panel 3, and do the whole border of panel 4. Well, that's the plan anyway. Then next week, from Monday to Thursday I'm going to do Firefly Fairies. Hopefully I'll finish the pink fairy, but that might be a bit ambitious. We'll see.

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posted by Tash at 22:04 | 0 comments
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
I got back from Canberra yesterday afternoon. It's soooo nice to be home again.

I did have a lovely time with the family, we played games on Saturday night, and we didn't clean the house, and we ate lamb chops and roast veggies... it was lovely. But unfortunately I didn't get much stitching done. I took Japanese Box, but didn't even get to finish the frame of the next panel. Shocking, I know.

I did some stash shopping in the last couple of days. I went to Stitchabout and got some fabric for my HAED RR, which I might not even use because I still haven't decided for sure on the theme. It's from 28 count Lugana from Stitches and Spice and the colour is called Tundra. I stopped at Victoria House on the way down to Canberra and bought 2 skeins of Caron Soie Cristale silks because they didn't have Gloriana. Mum gave me a needle case, and some Udder Cream, because it's so hard to find around here. And I bought the Flower Fairies book at Spotlight last time they had a 20% off sale.

I did plenty of online stash shopping too. I bought a few things on eBay, a couple of which are being posted to my aunt's house so my sister can bring them home from England for me (yay for cheap postage!!) Mum ordered some stash for my birthday (all the way back in April) from Nordic Needle, but some of the items were on back order for so long that we ended up cancelling the order, so I made a replacement order from The Silver Needle. Now I can't wait for it to come, then I'll have even more stuff to show you :)

I spent the morning doing some house cleaning, and then I spent two hours moving all my stash from the box it was overflowing out of into the drawer set that used to house most of my underwear and socks. It was so exciting. I love going through my stash, I seem to find so many things I forgot I had. I'm all excited about doing Flying High again!

But of course, there are only so many hours in the day, so after all of that, I only got 400 stitches done on Scent of Enchantment. I've done all down one side, and all along the top, and I've started with the first block on the second row. It's nice now that I can see how big it actually is. The colours are amazing!

I'm having so much fun stitching it, but I'm feeling guilty because I know I'm neglecting Japanese Box, and I should really be doing some more on Fire and Ice because I don't want it to become a UFO. I think I'll get that out tomorrow to do some on it.

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posted by Tash at 00:40 | 1 comments