A Little Pre-Xmas Stash

I ordered some stash over the last two months and it's only just arrived recently. The first lot was from Stitching Bits and Bobs. This I ordered early October and because one chart had to be ordered from the supplier, they hold back your entire order. This can be a bit frustrating, along with my priority package taking three weeks to get here! Anyway, the main thing is I have finally received it safely. I ordered some Victoria Sampler charts for Mum as part of her Xmas present. Another one of theirs she wanted to buy as she already had the accessory pack. This, I think, was the chart I was waiting on (Heirloom Nativity Sampler). These charts aren't in the photo.

Stash from top left clockwise: Plum Street Samplers - Hares' Christmas, LHN - The Family Sampler, Sarah Street ~ Faithfulness, Pumpkin Hollow Farms, BBD - Honeysuckle Manor book, and Farm House.

The next lot I got from The Rocking Horse. All Shepherds Bush kits.

Our Hearts Pin Cushion, My Land, Liberty Scissor Fob, The Journey, Lucky Sheep, Liberty Pin Cushion, My Pins, and Blue Snowman.

All lovely kits with beautiful supplies included. You probably won't see me stitching them soon, but one day I'll get to them.

Well, I've calmed down a bit since Oprah has left the country. I wasn't one of the lucky ones to actually see her show being taped in Sydney, since I would have had to have taken about three days off work. December isn't a good time to do this since it's our busiest time of year - no one is allowed to have any annual leave for all of December where I work. Plus you had to go into a lottery style draw just to get tickets! Knowing my luck, I wouldn't have got any. So I just kept up to date with all the news on the TV. Those at the first show's taping were given a necklace that you can actually buy yourself. Worth $AU450, it's not cheap, but it's certainly lovely. An Australian pearl hanging within a silver 'O'. Only available for a limited time, you can buy it from Kailis Jewellers Australia online. I'd love to buy one myself, but it's a bit too expensive for my budget.

So I hope everyone's gearing up for Xmas and are all organised. I've purchased all the presents I needed to get and tonight I'm going to sit in front of the TV and watch Carols In The Domain (live from Sydney), while wrapping my presents. It's a little tradition I've started and gets me in the festive mood.

Oprah Day

The day finally arrived. Named by the media, Oprah Day, saw the culmination of a year's preparation being displayed with two Oprah shows taped today at the Sydney 'Oprah' House. There will be four shows in all to be seen in January (around the 19th) in the US and here in Australia the day after.

The audience went wild and there was even an accident with guest Hugh Jackman arriving on stage. Don't worry though, he's alright. They may not show the actual incident when it goes to air but he flew on to stage via a flying fox, pulled the breaks too late, and ended up crashing into the back of the stage. Apart from a bruised, cut eye, he's still his perfect self. Oprah went ahead and interviewed him, as the show must go on.

She flies out of Australia tomorrow and our country can settle down a little and get back to some normality. What an exciting time it's been, for us here in OZ! THANKS OPRAH!!!

Oprah Soaks Up Sydney

It's the day before Oprah's big show/s in Sydney. Monday, and she set sail with Russell Crowe out on Sydney Harbour. A perfect day weatherwise for her to experience it.



Tomorrow is the taping of her show. Lots of Australian guests will appear, but with Bon Jovi in Australia as well at the moment, will they drop by to visit? Yes, they will! Bit of a fan of Bon Jovi (especially Jon Bon Jovi - is he hot or what?). Here's details of who will be on her show.

Oprah in Sydney Australia 2010

Day two in Sydney for Oprah and she started off with a climb of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. She wasn't so enthusiastic to start with, since I believe she's afraid of heights, but was happy she did the climb. Then she went on to Bondi for lunch at Icebergs Restaurant. (Watch out for a glimpse of Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and their daughter Sunday Rose arriving in Australia, in the video. Nicole and Keith are among the guests to appear on Oprah's show being taped this Tuesday.)



Are you getting sick of these updates? Hope not. Only a few more to go...

Oprah Arrives in Sydney

Another day of Oprah in Australia. Here's what she got up to in the last 24 hours.

Oprah in Australia #2

Oprah's first day in Australia was spent at Hamilton Island, visiting a wildlife park there (saw two koalas mating within the first hour of her arriving - welcome Oprah!), had a seafood barbeque on the beautiful Whitehaven Beach created by Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone, and stayed the night at the exclusive Qualia Resort on Hamilton Island.

Day two, she hopped on her private jet and flew to Darwin, then got a helicopter ride to see our famous 'rock' Uluru. While there she caught up with some of the audience guests she's brought with her from the US as well as meeting some Indigenous Australians. Then staying the night in the area at Longitude 131° accommodation.

Today was Melbourne with thousands of fans packed in at Federation Square in the heart of the city. She made a 15 minute public appearance then headed off for a quick shopping trip. It was reported she went to a jewellers in Toorak Rd, Melbourne whom she'd met in Chicago, USA. Then she was onto The Block Arcade in Melbourne (possibly more shopping) and to have a dinner which had been arranged, with some of her audience. Staying tonight in Crown Towers, probably in the presidential villa where Tom and Katie Cruise stayed while Katie was in a film being produced here July 2009.

Oprah's certainly seeing some good spots and staying at some lovely places while she's here. Perhaps not your typical holiday tour for the average tourist, but it's definitely an exciting one. Here's the second edition of her stay here which featured on the Today show this morning in Australia.



Tomorrow she's off to Sydney and will climb the Harbour Bridge over the weekend. One of my friends has done this and she raves about it.

Stay tuned for more on Oprah's adventures in Australia... here's another clip on today's visit to Melbourne as featured on one of our news shows.

Oprah in Melbourne

Oprah's in Australia!!!

Yes, us Aussies have been anticipating her arrival ever since we found out she was going to land on our shores. I'm a big fan of Oprah and am excited that she's actually in Australia! She arrived on her private jet yesterday and got straight to seeing some of what our country has to offer. This clip was shown on one of our morning breakfast shows (the $10 meal they refer to Curtis Stone creating is in reference to an add he does for Coles supermarket here where he comes up with meals for the family for less than $10 - I'm sure Oprah's cost $10 many times over).



She's brought with her audience guests from her show and they have split into groups who are travelling throughout different parts of the country. Then they'll meet up next Tuesday to do two shows being filmed at the Sydney Opera (Oprah) House. I think they're filming other parts around Australia as they go along. She'll be in Melbourne tomorrow for a short public appearance but unfortunately I'll be working.

It's just so interesting to see a mega guest like Oprah in our country. Though she hasn't been here long, she seems to be loving it. The media are in a frenzy over her visit!

Stitching, Wine, Cheese & Chocolates

Hi everyone! Another late post, sorry. I've still got this bug which has been going on into the seventh week now. I don't feel too bad, just going through different stages with it. This past week or so I've had a runny nose and coughing still. A number of people have caught it, so the doctor says, and it takes awhile to go.

Anyway, Christmas time is upon us. I've redecorated my blog but have done nothing at home. Not one Christmas decoration to be seen so far. I think because I haven't felt my best these past weeks, I haven't been in the mood. I've got a small tree that I may put up and some decorations I can place on top of a cabinet. So I will probably go with 'less is better' this year.

I've been hearing in the news that Briton/Europe has been in the grip of a cold snap with lots of snow and harsh conditions. I hope my stitching friends in this part of the world are OK and keeping safe and warm. We're in Summer now and have had some warmer days. We had a long Winter and not much of a Spring, though we did get quite a bit of rain throughout Spring (the plants are growing wild). We've also had tropical downpours in Victoria this past week which is not normal for this part of Australia. You would expect it in Queensland and the northern parts. After being in a drought for the past decade, it's wonderful to get the rain though.

Last Sunday I went on a wine, cheese, and chocolate tasting tour with my workmates for our annual Christmas party. We usually go out to a restaurant for tea but this year we decided to do something different. It was such a good day and everyone enjoyed themselves. Here's a few pictures of where we went...

First stop was a winery called Box Stallion. This used to be horse stables and they've left the building as is. Inside it had the stables still as they were when horses resided in them. There was a wine tasting area, tables to eat at, and their administration areas. The boys liked the drier wines and the girls liked the sweeter ones.

Next winery was T'Gallant. We had another wine tasting there and then sat down for lunch. A lovely place to have a relaxing lunch on the weekend and listen to some live music in the background.

Then onto cheese tasting. Strange smell when you went inside but then we were able to sit outside under cover to taste the different cheeses. This place was out of the way and you wouldn't really know it was there. Looks like the owners lived on the property in a building next door. Lovely bushland surroundings.

Then my favourite, chocolate tasting! This was in Flinders and just up the road from where the hotel was, so we stopped for a drink before we did the chocolate tasting. Beautiful chocolates but very expensive. So I didn't buy anything there.

We got picked up at a central location in a minibus and was driven around to all these places. Such a great way to do it. No problems about worrying how much you were drinking because you had to drive. It was at places along the Mornington Peninsula which is such a beautiful area. Lots of wineries there and interesting places to see.

Now on to stitching. I did get my little project started but haven't got any further with it. So there's not much to show I'm afraid. Now I'm trying to get Christmas shopping out of the way, I don't know whether I'll have much time to stitch. Anyway, here's my start on it...

SHEPHERD'S BUSH Thanks A Lot - started 7 November 2010

Today I'm just getting the housework out the way before I head out to the shops again. More presents to get. It's starting to get busy in the shops. Since December arrived, people are now thinking they have to start organising themselves because time is moving on. I usually like to get my shopping out the way by end of November because it gets so busy during December. Plus this is the busiest time at work so I'm usually pretty tired during this month. I know there are probably people out there that are so organised, that they've already done everything they need to. Oh, the bliss of it. Me, I'll just have to plod along with what needs to be done. Merry Christmas!

Am I Actually Going To Start Something?

Here I go again! I've changed my mind. I thought I was going to start on a small Shepherd's Bush kit, then I discovered one I was going to do around this time last year and never got to it. It appeals to me a bit more and is appropriate for this month of the year. Called Thanks A Lot it's another little kit of SB that comes with a piece of Light Sand linen, silk threads, and a JABC bee button. With Thanksgiving later this month in the USA I though it was a good time of year to stitch this one up.

Shepherd's Bush - Thanks A Lot kit

I'm a sucker for their kits. I love how everything is there ready for you to stitch. Their instructions are easy to read also. Each of their kits comes with an actual photo on the front of the instructions, showing the finished piece.

I've seen on their blog a picture of their retreat piece for this year. It's a sampler within a sampler. Of course we'll have to wait for around another year before this will be released to us folk who didn't go to the retreat, but I think it will be worth the wait.

So back to this kit I'm thinking of doing. I love the thread colours SB choose for their patterns. They're usually soft and muted, not glaringly bright. The button that's included with this one is a bee. I thought it was a bug because it was purple until I read the details on the chart. Who knew a bee could be purple? That's the joy of needlecraft. You can change anything to suit the situation.

Well, wish me luck with this new start. I hope to have some pictures of it soon.

Melbourne Cup

I was back at work yesterday and tried to take it easy. A few jobs needed to be done which allowed me to sit down, so I took full advantage of it. I'm still not back to my 100% but am getting better each day. Just waiting for this dreaded bug to leave my system entirely.

Today I didn't have to go to work because it's a public holiday in the Melbourne metropolitan region. The first Tuesday of November each year celebrates our biggest horse race in the country, The Melbourne Cup. I'm not big on horses but usually watch the race on TV when it's running. This year's race finished an hour or so ago and the winner was an overseas horse called Americain. Both horse and jockey come from France. The local favourite was So You Think which ended up coming third in the race.

(click on picture to visit website)

It's a big day for those who go to the race. They usually get dressed up in their finest outfits which some have planned months in advance. Unfortunately you can't predict the weather in Melbourne and today it was overcast and rained for part of the day (before and during the race). Some years it can be wonderfully sunny but it's pot luck as to how the weather will turn out this time of year.

Myself, I've never been to the race and just enjoy the day off from work. Today I've had a relaxing day since I'm still trying to get over the flu. I've been looking at what project I could do next and may have found something. A small Shepherd's Bush kit which I find are handy as everything you need to stitch it is included in the kit. So hopefully I'll have something in the way of stitching to show you soon. I'll keep you posted...

*Happy Halloween*

A big spooky hello to those of you who celebrate the Halloween Holiday. Here in Australia we don't actually get a holiday for this occasion but it is still celebrated a little with young children wandering around, trick or treating throughout the neighbourhood. The stores of course like to get into the act and sell a variety of Halloween costumes and an assortment of related products. Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying the celebrations whatever you do to mark the occasion.

It's been a while since I dropped by last so I thought I better do an update to let you know that all is well. Actually, all was not well last week. I was home all week with the flu and will go back to work tomorrow for the first time since. I still have the last bit of it lingering but I can't stay home forever, right? My girls (cats) enjoyed having me home. A little more entertainment for them during the day. Plus they were able to get a snack here and there that they don't normally have while I'm at work. Still, I'm sure they'll love the peace and quiet when I go back.

So the picture up above is one I've taken and played around with for Halloween. It's of Shepherd's Bush Little Witch that I stitched up a number of years ago. It's got the Jill Rensel mat around it and has a black wooden frame with detail. I thought it was quite suitable for this time of year to show you a picture of it.

The other things I have to show you is some charts I bought a short while ago from Country Stitches. I love Brenda's designs and find it hard not to add them to my stash every now and then.

Broom Hilda, St. Noel, Pumpkin Farm, and Fruit For A Song charts by Country Stitches

Nothing else to show right now. I'm still not stitching which is quite annoying (to you and to me). I'll have to find something really tiny to do, to get back into it. I know I have some small projects in my stash, it's just a matter of sorting through them and finding one that suits. I've had a couple of offers for SALs which is very nice but I'm not in the right frame of mind to tackle this. So I will have to decline on the offers, sorry. I will do one again some day, I'm sure.

That's it for now. Have a Happy Halloween everyone!

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What's New Pussy Cat?

A few people lately have been wanting to know when I was going to do another edition of my famous 'Pussy Magazine'. Well, wait no more! Here it is...

(Remember this is supposed to be light hearted and meant to give you a laugh. I don't intend to offend anyone.)

So this cover has my youngest Birman, Charlotte on it. She's gazing out the window wondering where the sun has gone. Since we are still in Winter here, this edition has articles relating to the season. Pity you only get the chance to view the front cover because you'll be amazed what's inside! Good luck finding yourself a copy.

Just dropping by!

I'm sorry that my blog's been very quiet lately but my lack of stitching has led to a lack of enthusiasm for blogging. I still haven't started anything new but I do have something to show you. It's the latest Girl Club Stacy Nash kit for which I'm a member through Country Sampler. It arrived recently and I thought I would share some pictures with you.

It's called the Country Sampler Liberty 1776 Sewing Pouch. It includes lovely pieces of fabrics as always, so you're never disappointed. There's some 32ct Dirty linen, reproduction cotton print fabric in natural with a red flower dotted throughout, a piece each of natural and olive silk matka, and your thread along with a mother-of-pearl button. Stacy has been raving lately about the silk matka and now I can see why. It's really lovely and quite rustic looking with its uneven weave. I don't know whether you would cross stitch on it but you could probably try if you like a challenge. I think it's purpose is more of a fabric than a linen if you know what I mean. So using it as a backing or applique would serve it better.

I see a few others are going through a bit of a lull with their needlework so I'm in good company. We all have highs and lows with whatever we do in life. I don't want to force the issue with my stitching because then it will feel like a chore, which it shouldn't. I will get the enthusiasm back again in time so please stay with me and look out for a future post update. Thanks to those who have emailed or commented on how I am. Everything is fine, though it's still dam cold here where I live. Maybe when the warmer weather comes and there is more light I will want to pick up my needle again. Thank you all for the time you take to comment and read my blog.

Just before I go I will leave you with a picture of my adorable cats. I love them to bits and they are both keeping warm during this cold weather we're having. They get along so well and are truly great friends for each other. They keep each other company while Mum spends long days at work. This photo was taken while they were on their cat house. They both just squeeze themselves on the top of it and sometimes have a battle of the wills to see who can push the other off so they can have it all to themselves. This day though, they were happy to share.

Til next time...

My First Shepherd's Bush - Evening Sampler

My, how long it's been since my last post. I must apologise for the absence but to tell you the truth, I haven't felt like stitching or blogging lately. I guess we all go through these moments but mine seems to be going on for a while. Just as a fill-in I have something to show you from many years ago.

Shepherd's Bush - Evening Sampler

Stitched in 1994

This one is going back sixteen years to 1994. It was my first Shepherd's Bush pattern that I stitched. Designed by Tina Richards Herman in 1991, Evening Sampler is one of many of her creations that I like. I worked it using mainly the recommended threads except for the house filled in with a purple colour instead of a grey. The fabric was a Lugana 25ct in Mushroom or Bone (can't quite remember now). I used two threads for the most part and one for the words and other details. Plenty of beads are used throughout as well. This design is still available at Shepherd's Bush and takes you back to their earlier style of patterns.

There's a house to call home.

Children playing with their kite.

A verse to read with ducks a waddling.

The frame I chose for it is red wood with an aqua colour filled around the edges to tone in with the aqua in the stitched piece. I had this framed many years ago as well, not just recently.

These earlier patterns of SB come with more than just one design. Evening Sampler includes three small patterns that they placed on fabric blocks. They also have a needle roll shown that they've taken elements of the main design to create. Lovely little bonuses from the one chart. The needle roll would be nice to do one day. This picture I've taken from the chart.

It's Winter time here so I thought I'd change my blog background to coincide with it. We're getting a proper Winter with cold mornings, cold days, and cold nights. It's just so cold! Rain and cloudy days are the order of the day. I go into hibernation mode like a grizzly, old, bear. Maybe not so much the grizzly, hopefully not the old, but definitely bear like behaviour by trying to keep warm. I just dream of those of you who are in the northern climes and are getting some sunny weather now. Enjoy those warm days ahead. I'll just snuggle up with my mohair blanket and crank the heat up!

A Quick Finish ~ Buzz Buzz Bee

Instant satisfaction with this one! Only a day's stitching involved and already a finish is created. I stitched this small kit on Saturday and here's the end result.

For me to stitch this in a day, it has to be small. The design size measures 1" x 3 1/2" approx. which makes it very tiny. Done in silk threads with a gorgeous bee charm to add.

As mentioned in my last post, this little kit is a Shepherd's Bush exclusive and can be purchased via them direct only. The kit comes with the surrounding mat and all that it needs is the frame.

DESIGNER ~ Shepherd's Bush

PATTERN ~ Buzz Buzz Bee (shop exclusive kit)

FABRIC ~ Shepherd's Tan 32ct hand-dyed linen

THREADS ~ Au Ver A Soie & Silk Moire (1 over 2)

EMBELLISHMENT ~ Bee charm

STARTED/FINISHED ~ 22 May 2010

I knew I wasn't going to get through a bigger design very quickly and I wanted something that would be quick to do, so I knew I could count on a SB piece to suit. Unlike me, I haven't done any of their designs this year so I needed to rectify that. Now I'm happy, and I have another finish under my belt (albeit a small one) and I can do a little happy dance!

So small was this one that I could even use my mini hoop to stitch it up. So cute!

I hope you've had fun drooling over my pictures, and as always, thanks so much for dropping by. Until my next little adventure... happy stitching!

Shepherd's Bush ~ Shop Exclusive

I've picked up my needle again and have chosen a Shepherd's Bush kit as my next project. Since I haven't done any of their designs so far this year, I thought I would have a look in my stash and find a quick one of theirs to do. It's a shop exclusive which means you can only buy it direct from them, not through other needlework shops. I bought a number of their exclusive kits a while back, so you may see more of them popping up on my blog in the future.

This one's called Buzz Buzz Bee and comes complete with everything needed to stitch it up, including the Jill Rensel mat for when it's ready to be framed.

Buzz Buzz Bee - Shepherd's Bush Shop Exclusive Kit

It has in the kit this gorgeous little bee charm and of course comes with silk threads.

I started it today and have already finished it! So quick to do. I'll show you some pictures next time.

I also wanted to mention that my eye has completely recovered from the infection. Thank you all for your kind thoughts. It meant a lot to me.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope you get some time to stitch.

Simple Joys and Other Pleasures

Thank you all so much for your kind words on my Ah, 'Tis Spring finish. I forgot to mention that the chart calls for two skeins of DMC 3848 (or WDW Dove if using the conversion). Since I did mine on 35ct fabric using one thread, I only needed one skein, though I didn't have much left over from that skein. The pattern was a joy to stitch, and now my Mum wants to stitch it too!

Talking of joy, I've just had a look at Little House Needleworks blog and saw some new releases. I love all three of them! These pictures are from their site.

Simple Joys by Little House Needleworks

The Mercantile by Little House Needleworks

The Merry Skater by Little House Needleworks

Diane has done well with these ones. I love how The Mercantile has Post Office included because that's where I work. So I think I'll definitely have to stitch this one some day.

Not much else happening. Haven't started a new project yet but thought I'd do a quick update on my blog. Have a pleasant weekend!

I Had To Add The Words

I had planned on posting a lot sooner than now, so I'm sorry if you've been waiting for the surprise I mentioned in my last update. I said you'd probably see Ah, 'Tis Spring pop up again and here she is. All finished with the words added. I know I could have left it as it was but I felt that the words complimented the folksy feel of the piece. I also added the bunny's nose and mouth.


I actually got this finished at the start of the month. Then for the past week I've had an eye infection and have hardly been on the computer at all. I'm still needing to take drops for my eye but it's a lot more comfortable than what it was, though still a little sore. So I thought I'd update my blog before more time passed.

Now onto my finish. This was such a fun pattern to work on and I've loved the colour changes to the original pattern. I can't take credit for coming up with the different thread choices though. They have been worked out by the lovely ladies at Shepherd's Bush. Lots of variegated colours in cotton threads, using assorted brands, but still in keeping with the original colour scheme. This is my version of Ah, 'Tis Spring...

DESIGNER ~ Notforgotten Farm

PATTERN ~ Ah, 'Tis Spring

FABRIC ~ 35ct Sand Linen

THREADS ~ Sampler Threads, Crescent Colours, and Weeks Dye Works (1 over 2 - except for the pocket and carrot sticking out, which I did with 2 over 2)

STARTED ~ 17 March 2010

FINISHED ~ 1 May 2010

So I promised I'd list the threads once I finished this one and here they are.

DMC ~ SUBSTITUTE

310 ~ Wood Trail (Sampler Threads)
434~ Onion Skin (Crescent Colours)
610 ~ Dublin Bay (Crescent Colours)
611 ~ Bunny Honey (Crescent Colours)
612 ~ Stepping Stones (Crescent Colours)
644 ~ Linen (Weeks Dye Works)
730 ~ Pea Pod (Crescent Colours)
732 ~ Bean Sprout (Crescent Colours)
733 ~ Guacamole (Weeks Dye Works)
758 ~ Sand (Weeks Dye Works)
783 ~ Copper Penny (Crescent Colours)
921 ~ Clay Pot (Crescent Colours)
3013 ~ Bean Sprout (Crescent Colours)
3021 ~ Picnic Basket (Sampler Threads)
3848 ~ Dove (Weeks Dye Works)
Ecru ~ Linen Weeks Dye Works)


The changes to these that I made was the carrot tops in the grass at the bottom, which I did in Guacamole. I thought they stood out more using this than the darker green would have. I got the symbols mixed up and did the basket pattern in Bean Sprout rather than Onion Skin. I quite liked it so I decided to leave it that way. The last change was with the wording. SB had chosen Dublin Bay which is a darker blue. I wasn't going to be comfortable with that and chose Onion Skin instead. The original chart had called for a 'drab brown' colour and thought Onion Skin fitted nicely. I'm so pleased with the result. I also wanted to take the opportunity to say a big thanks to Loraine for helping me with the threads too. She was my angel in need with this project. Please take the time to drop by her blog if you haven't lately, as she's just been on a short trip which is so interesting to read about, and is also working on Ah, 'Tis Spring (with a different colour palette).

A few more photos for your pleasure.


I haven't started on anything new as I haven't felt like stitching with my sore eye. I'm seriously considering working on the latest Stacy Nash Group project I received in the mail recently (see last post). I really like it! Whatever I do, it will be something small. I'm just not stitching a lot lately to get through a bigger piece.

Thanks for your dear comments and kindness, my stitching friends. Have a lovely week and I do hope those mothers out there who celebrated Mother's Day this past Sunday, had a wonderful day.