Swapsies anyone?

I have a couple of charts I'd be interested in trading -

* Ladybugs and Bumblebees by Country Cottage Needleworks
* Rose Cottage by Elizabeth's Designs

I would quite like to swap for Country Cottage Needleworks, Little House Needleworks, Prairie Schooler or charts on my wishlist.

If you're interested, my email address is in my profile. :0)

UFO bustin'

I finished LHN Bee Pinkeep yesterday. A UFO I started back in January. I intend making it into a pinkeep for one of my sisters.



I bought the latest issue of the UK's Cross Stitcher on Friday. I haven't bought a cross stitch magazine in ages (only two that I can recall this year), but I was very taken with a lot of the designs in this issue. I've already made a start on the freebie Geisha kit.



Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

A small finish

Thanks for all your birthday wishes and comments on my last post! :0)

I have finished my part on Debby's RR for the 'Hello Neighbour RR'. I stitched Rose Cottage by Elizabeth Designs, with a few modifications. As usual it's a poor photo when uploaded, but you can click it for a clearer view.



I haven't done any other stitching, and haven't even used my new sewing machine yet because I've been unwell. I had plenty of time to watch my new DVD set - The Forsyte Saga though (which was fantastic). Hopefully I'll have a more productive stitching/sewing week this week.

Tess has also been sick. Here she was last Tuesday morning creating havoc while I tried to make the bed, by the evening she had completely crashed. They don't know what is wrong with her, but she's showing signs of improvement now which is a relief.



Have a great week everyone.

I turned 30 recently...

and (hhhh-hmmm) 33 even more recently :0) (Sorry to Billy Connolly for pinching his joke!). Yep, it was my birthday yesterday. I can't believe how fast they come around, but hey I don't mind being spoiled and spoiled I was...

I was touched to receive a beautiful fob from Carol in the post for my birthday. Thanks again Carol - you are such a generous person, and a constant source of stitching inspiration. The fob is beautifully stitched and finished, and my Mum and sisters oohed and ahhhhed over it last night when they came around for dinner. I love it!



The spoiling continued... look what my family gave me!



We had a great laugh last night getting it up and going. Now to learn to sew :0)

Jack Frost...

Our home ventilation system said it was O degrees in our roofspace this morning, and 8 degrees in the rest of the house. So I kind of knew what to expect when I opened the curtains - ice and blue skies!

So, after checking my neighbours still had their curtains shut I tiptoed out in my pink fleecy pyjamas and took a few shots with my new pressie OH bought me last weekend (a Nikon-D40)! It's so icy I almost went for a skate, I don't remember the last time it was so freaking cold.

As usual, you can click the photos for a nice clear picture.









We are out for our usual Saturday lunch in a few hours, and then I'm going to Nancy's in Wellington (LNS). I've never been before, and whenever I have plans to go they get thwarted. Hopefully today I will actually make it! :0)

Hello Neighbour RR Part II

Thanks for all your comments on my last post. Ladybugs and Bumblebees is obviously a popular design! :0)

Cindy asked what fabric I used. It was 32 count 'Limestone' Lugana from Countrystitch. It's a creamy colour, and not at all blue like it is in the photo (that's due to the freezing, awful weather!).

Joanne asked where in Australia I'm going next month - first we are going to Brisbane for a few days, and then we are off to Cairns. I'm really looking forward to visting Australia Zoo in Brisbane, and to all the natural wonders which will greet us in Cairns, where rainforests meet the Great Barrier Reef. I've done a fair bit of travelling, but I've never been to Aussie... so I'm quite excited.

I've been working on Debby's RR for the Hello Neighbour RR. I won't reveal what design it is just yet, as I'm not sure if Debby wants to be surprised but so far I'm enjoying it.



Hope you're all having a good week - and if not, well just hang in there... it's nearly the weekend! :0)

Ladybugs and Bumblebees...

The colours in the photo are not true to life (the weather is cold, wet and dark), but it's finished. It's really pretty, and I'll probably get it framed quite soon.



I also dug out my Long Dog sampler and have put a few stitches in, after a long break from it. I don't know why I felt unmotivated, I adore it and it's so enjoyable to stitch. I'd like to get it finished this year since I have the year stitched already. I still haven't finished Drawn Thread's Lily of the Valley, and it has 2005 on it. :0)



Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!

Licenced to thrill...

Some of you may recall that I got my learner driver licence last year. Well, today I passed my practical test and can now drive on my own. Yippeee! I didn't mention it on my blog earlier because I was so nervous. OH kept asking me all weekend if I was OK because I was so quiet, and pale looking at times! LOL. But I passed, and the testing officer even told my OH that he wished more drivers drove like I did. Phew!

One of my sisters sent a congratulatory helium balloon to me at work after hearing the good news. Here's Tess checking it out earlier (she's not usually so brave!).



And double yay, my thread arrived from Karen at Dragonfly Dreams today. I can highly recommend the friendly and speedy service. And of course, I couldn't just buy one skein of thread - that wouldn't have been much fun to receive in the mail. So I bought Miss Mary Mack too - can't wait to stitch this one!

Hatched, dispatched & I didn't see a thing!

... that's the butterfly I'm talking about. Glad it made it, but bummed I didn't see it!

Progress on Ladybugs and Bumblebees was halted last weekend when I ran out of one of the main colours. Of course, nowhere in NZ that I could find stocks 'Cottage Colours'... but luckily I managed to find a stockist in Australia. It should be here very soon.



So I picked a UFO to work on while I wait on it to arrive. I thought that Woodland Santa deserved some attention, so I'm plodding away on that.



We were to expect a 'polar blast' this weekend. Well, I took this photo in my backyard today and if that is a blast from the Antarctic... then bring 'em on! lol. Yesterday was exactly the same. Sorry to my friends in the South though, who really are suffering the effects of the wild weather.



This was a photo I took earlier in the week out of my lounge window. We had a flurry of pretty rainbows, so I couldn't resist taking some photos.



I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I was doing some genealogical research. I have made contact with four distant relations (I found them online) - and amazingly, one lady lived in the same English village as my late Great Uncle and actually knew him and his wife - but never knew they were related until she got in contact with me!!! Amazing!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Friday again!

Thanks for your well wishes for my new job (so far, so good) and all your other nice comments lately.

Here's my progress on Ladybugs and Bumblebees. I just adore this design and the pretty colours it calls for. It's really cold here at the moment, so it might be a good weekend to sit and stitch by the heater!