Not Getting Very Far

I haven't had the time nor the energy to make a dent into this one. Ah, 'Tis Spring is coming along slowly and I don't have a lot to show you. Here is where I'm up to...

Ah, 'Tis Spring - 26 March 2010

I decided to do the carrot tops in WDW Guacamole which is the same colour as the top section of the grass. The actual grass in my pictures is some cat grass I'm growing for my girls (cats not humans). Being indoor cats, they don't normally have access to grass. Sometimes I let them outside while I'm there and they like to potter around and will eat some grass then. It's good for their digestive system.

I've been given another award recently from Theresa and Marylin. Thank you ladies for thinking of me when passing on this award.

I am supposed to now pass it on to 12 others. Please forgive me, but I have recently been given an award and am finding it hard to come up with 12 more people to pass this one onto. I do get a bit overwhelmed by these awards and sometimes I try to pass them on but other times I find it difficult. I do appreciate the time and thought to give it to me in the first place though.

After a busy weekend I've had, I'm looking forward to working a four day week next week instead of five. Over the Easter break I plan to put some plants in the garden that I've bought recently. It will be nice to get that extra time to enjoy a bit of gardening.

An Award

I've been lucky enough to receive an award from two of my stitching friends! A big thanks goes to Melissa and Su for honouring me in such a way.

Now I'm going to combine the two together but they're both slightly different. One is seven things about yourself that people may not know and pass the award onto seven, the other is the same except it's ten. So I'll tell you ten things about me and will hand it on to seven, if that's OK.

1. I have only owned 3 cars in my 25 years of driving - first two were manuals, and my current one is an automatic.


2. I hate catching public transport and will rarely use it.


3. My first overseas trip was on my own. I went to England when I was 23 to meet up with my penpal (male) but we didn't get along as well as I had hoped. He had a strange sense of humour, an annoying laugh, and I had to spend two weeks with him on a bus trip around Europe!


4. I have only been to two other states in Australia, apart from Victoria where I live - New South Wales and Queensland.


5. I have blue eyes.


6. Sometimes I buy more stash than what I show on my blog! Naughty, aren't I?


7. I'm more reserved/quiet when I first meet people, until I get to know them a bit better.


8. I love Colonial/American and primitive type furniture. Anything that looks old and worn and has character.


9. I've only had three jobs in all my life. My current one I've been employed with the same company for 22 years.


10. My favourite cut flower are gerberas (especially pink!). I love how colourful a bunch of mixed coloured gerberas look - so happy and cheerful.

I never find it easy to pass these awards on because I think everyone deserves them. Here's seven lovely blogs in no particular order.

1. Tammy


2. Bea


3. Isabelle


4. Nina


5. Yuko


6. Anna


7. Theresa

Please, if any of you have already received this award, I apologise for doubling up.

So tomorrow I'm back to work - yuk! Back to getting up early of a morning, feeling tired when I get home of a night. I have to earn some more money though to buy more stash! lol

I haven't started Ah, 'Tis Spring yet. Once I do though, I'll let you know. Thanks for stopping by!

What's next and Awards

Ok, so I've been having a bit of a break from stitching this week. I've sort of known what I was going to do next, but have had a few nights relaxing after work to get my needle hand back into gear and ready for my next project.

I'm probably like a cracked record but I've picked another Shepherd's Bush winter themed kit. This one's called Wooly Winter and it's a long, narrow sampler but not a very big one.

SHEPHERD'S BUSH - Wooly Winter

The linen is a 32ct Twilight Blue, with Au Ver A Soie silk threads (no variegated one this time).


I was tossing up whether to do this or Snow Patch for my last start, and Snow Patch ended up winning. So instead of looking at what else I could do, I decided to pick Wooly Winter as the next project.


I've also received a few Awards lately from some lovely ladies. It's so kind of them to send them my way.

The first is from Hilda ~


Another from Natalie ~


Then a third from Lucy ~


You're all very sweet to send these my way. I don't seek any accolades when doing my blog, only enjoyment for myself and others who want to drop by to see what I'm doing. It's also a way to share information on my favourite hobby, needlework. I love that people are inspired by my works, and that I too, am with theirs. Please drop by these ladies blogs to see what delights they may inspire us with. I am not passing on these awards as I do find this a difficult task, but believe me when I say that I am honoured to have received them. :)

Happy stitching!

I forgot to show you this!

How forgetful of me. I promised to show you the stash I received in the mail last week. Here it is...

An assortment of Crescent Colours and Gentle Art Sampler threads.

Some Shepherd's Bush kits ~

Quaker Heart and Purple Snowman

Wave, Flag Bag (which I've already finished), and Home

LHN charts ~

Alphabet Rhyme, State Fair, and Colonial Women

Stacy Nash charts ~

Prudence Miller's Framed Sampler, Early Style Bluebird Cupboard Sampler, and Birds Of A Feather

Primitive Bettys charts ~

My Favorite Kitten Pinkeep and 1836 Spring Tyme Sampler

Meagan has also given me an award.

Since I have received this award before, please forgive me if I just shamelessly accept it and not pass it on. Thank you Meagan, you're a sweetie!

As I hope to finish The Rain Fell in the not too distant future, I am already thinking of what to do next. Is that bad? I don't think so. :) Seeing what other people are stitching sometimes makes me want to do the same if I have the project in my stash. It's so inspiring to see these creations unfold. I also go through my mind what other things I have, and sometimes designs will pop into my head that way. It's always so exciting to start a new project.

Happy stitching!

Apple & Cinnamon

Yesterday I went shopping for my Dad's birthday present. I found a lovely potted arrangement of blue and white flowered plants in a terra cotta pot. I also found something for myself. :)

It's the most gorgeous scented candle in an apple and cinnamon aroma. They're Australian made and are supposed to last 100 hours. The brand is Glasshouse Candles, they have numerous candles in different scents, and the one I chose is called Strasbourg. It has that wonderful country smell of freshly baked apple and cinnamon. I had it burning last night and the aroma was just divine.

Now I know you can get similar candles in the US. Yankee Candle comes to mind, and I just adore their range of goods, but to find something similar here is wonderful.

I'm finding it hard to get into a stitching groove since the weather here has turned cooler and the daylight hours shorter. It's not really motivating me. I'm feeling more tired when I get home from work each night, and the weekends have been fairly full lately. So I'm sorry I have no progress to show.

Last week though I was given another award, this time from Zetor. It was so unexpected and I thank her very much for it.

I'd like to pass it on to:

Tammy

Jurga

Bea

Marti

Susan

Snip

Be sure to drop by these wonderful blogs and enjoy some stitching time with them.

I do find it difficult to select people for these awards, so I have tried to choose new ones this time that I may not have selected before. Everyone is deserving though and please do not feel left out if your name is not shown.

Happy stitching!

Blogging Award

Hi everyone out there in stitching land! How are all those wonderful projects going? I'm about to catch up with you once I finish this post, via your blogs, to find out what you're all up to.

I've slowed down a little myself since going back to work. We're in the process of moving premises this week, so it's been a bit disorganized, which I think has rubbed off with my stitching or lack there of. Too much on my mind at the moment.

Anyway, enough of boring work talk. I've just dropped by to say thank you to Adriana for honouring me with an award. She's so very kind and it was such a surprise. My blog allows me to log my process, be a little creative with my photos, and it's a wonderful information tool. The fact that other people are enjoying looking at it just makes it more pleasurable. So thank you to everyone who takes the time to visit my corner of the world, whether you comment or just end up browsing.

Now I need to pass the award onto four others. This is always a hard task to pick just a few because I end up leaving people out that are deserving as well. But four it is...

Loreta ~ If you think my photos are good, then take a look at Loreta's blog. Her pictures are sensational and her needlework is beautiful.

Dovile ~ Again, wonderful pictures and such interesting projects.

Melissa ~ She's only got back to doing needlework within the last year, but her enthusiasm for the craft is wonderful. She loves collecting stash too - always a plus!

Nicole ~ So inspiring with the pace she stitches at and the number of finishes she gets through.

These people are some of my blogging friends. I visit their blogs regularly, comment often, and am inspired so much by their works. Please, if you don't already, take some time to drop by and visit their wonderful stitching blogs.

Thanks for visiting!

Herbs To Hang

Although I haven't yet done the herbs hanging, the wording has been finished. I've also done the potting stand where all the pots are sitting on shelves. There's the odd bead to go here and there but I'll put those on last along with the charms once my sampler is completely finished.

The Potting Shed - 8 March 2009

Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments about my Strawberry Emery. It was quick to do and I really love it! I'm wanting to get some more pieces of different coloured wool and make a few others. Wool is such a beautiful fabric to stitch with - soft and flexible. I didn't age mine, but that is another technique you could use.

I've also been given another award. Debs has been so kind to send one my way. Thanks Debs! I really just do my blog as a reference to look back on, and to share with others what I'm stitching. Hoping that a few people may be interested in what I have to show along the way. It allows me to indulge in the activities I like - stitching and photography - and it's a great means to be a little creative. It's certainly a way to encourage me to do as much stitching as I can. As I've mentioned before, I think all stitching blogs are wonderful in their own way, so I am not listing individual ones, plus I think most people have already been given this award by now. The award is much appreciated Debs, and through all of our blogs different types of friendships are created.

Just when you're wanting to stitch...

... then the power goes out! I was cruising along last night, starting work on the pudgie, then all of a sudden - no power! It was just after 7:30pm and I was using my Ott-lite to work with. Well, that put a stop to my stitching. This is where I got to...

The Potting Shed - 4 March 2009

The weather had turned cooler, and there were strong winds late yesterday. The winds may have had something to do with the blackout. After the power went off I was kind of hoping it wasn't going to be for long (so I could get back to my stitching), but I wasn't so lucky. I phoned the power company to check there was a problem in my area and not just at my place, and they said about 140 houses were without power in my area and they were looking into it. They had no idea when it would be back on. Great! What's a girl to do without any power at night time? Takes you back to the olden days. :) After a while of just sitting there, I decided to light a candle, grab a magazine, and read by candlelight. That took up some time, but by 11pm I'd had enough. Still no power, I went to bed. It came back on at 1:30am because my front sensor light went on and woke me up.

So back to my stitching... I wasn't too impressed. I was ready to get a bit done last night. I'll just have to do some more today, won't I?

I love reading all your comments and thank you so much for taking the time to leave them. I'd just like to answer a few of your recent questions. Jean wanted to know whether I would get the mat for Potting Shed. Yes, I would love to. It certainly compliments the design but have not definitely decided on that one. She also wanted to know what a pudgie is. (I forget everyone's not into Shepherd's Bush as much as I am.) It's a term used in Shepherd's Bush designs. They have these little people found in their patterns who are fondly known as Pudgies. The man I'm working on in The Potting Shed at the moment would be classified as one. Chrissie, yes, I am enjoying my leave from work. It's nice to get up of a morning when you want to, not when you have to. :)

In my last post about my stash I forgot to do a link for The Rocking Horse which is where I bought it from. Someone had asked whether it was the one in Michigan. Yes, that's the one. I've ordered from Barb there a few times over the years. They will put on a sale which is usually 20% off but you have to subscribe to their newsletter in order to hear about it. They don't mention the sale on their website at the time and I usually make a note about the discount when I put my order through to them. It's one place I know I can get my Shepherd's Bush items for a reduced price.

Well, I hope that's all questions answered. Just one more thing before I go. Yuko sent me a beautiful award recently. She was so kind to do that and I'm pleased to be able to bring some happiness to her part of the world. It's called the 'Makes My Heart Smile' award. I think I'm supposed to pick 10 blogs that make me smile but I always find it hard to pick some people and not others, so everyone in my blog list gets an award. You all make my heart smile. I think anyone that goes to the effort of doing a blog deserves some sort of award. People's stitching blogs certainly make my heart smile because it's my passion in life and I love to see what other people are doing, whether I comment or not. It's a nice community to be a part of where we can share a common interest. So a big thanks to all of you stitching bloggers out there!

Kreativ Blogger Award

What a surprise to be nominated by Loreta and Anne for the Kreativ Blogger Award. It's so very kind of you both. I'm truly honored. It has been done according to the following rules:

1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.

2. Put a link to the person you got the award from.

3. Nominate 5 blogs.

4. Put links to the blogs.

5. Leave a message for your nominees.

There's so many talented people out there, and so deserving of this award. Some of them have already been nominated by others, so I have spared them from being nominated again. The five I have nominated are people whose blogs I regularly visit and inspire me so much.

1. Nicole

2. Chrissie

3. Dovile

4. Debs

5. Alison

Congratulations!