17 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

Pay It Forward copy

I’ve been a looooong time signing up for any of the rounds of Pay It Forward (PIF) due to personal circumstances … but I came across Ronel’s PIF round at the perfect time, and I’m feeling really keen to start joining in and getting some little gifties off to people over the next 12 months.

I think everyone knows how it works by now, but if not, here goes – I will send a stitched gift to three people some time over the next 365 days. Those three people then need to commit to offering the same on their own blog … and so the goodness and caring continues 😀

The closing date for entries is 31 October – if there are only three people wishing to sign up, then all three will be the confirmed winners – if more than three people want to sign up, then I will draw three names out of the proverbial hat 🙂

Please remember to leave an email address, and also your blog details.

I’m really looking forward to choosing something for each person 😀

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In the meantime I’ve been doing a bit of my own version of Paying It Forward, and sending a number of little RAK’s (Random Acts of Kindness) around the world – I’ve heard that another few have been received in the UK, Melbourne (Australia), New Zealand, the Netherlands and Singapore. If you want, you can click on each link to the relevant blog post that the recipients have made … as I don’t think I took any photos myself! 🙂

There is still a pile of padded envelopes waiting to be posted out, but the last lot cost nearly AU$80 in postage, so I thought I’d stagger the postings a bit 🙂

Beading, Boo Club, Cross Stitch, Lizzie Kate, Works in Progress

Another round of Boo Club

17 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

My little needles have been turbo-charged over the last couple of days – and today is the first day that I’ve woken up and actually thought through all the housework that needs to be done etc … signs of this blasted bug finally getting out of my system. While I’m still quite wheezy and trundling through the tissues, I feel much brighter within myself, and ready to start getting out of my stitching chair for more than 5 minutes at a time – yippee 😀

In the meantime I’ll leave you with a latest photo of my progress on Lizzie*Kate’s Boo Club – here are parts 1-4, which leaves me with just 9-12 to go (although in honesty I’ve almost finished part 9, with the exception of the broom handle).

Time to put my rotation to one side briefly, though, as the final round of our Friendship Quaker RR has arrived on my doorstep so I really need to get cracking and get that one finished soon! Mind you, I also have two little gifts that are well overdue being stitched, so those will have to be slotted in as well – oh so many things to stitch, so little time 😛

I’ll finish up with photos of a beaded fish that I made once at a class in Melbourne. I’ve never been able to take a good photo of it, but now my Panasonic Lumix has a fantastic macro setting, I thought I’d give it another shot while it was just sitting there! You probably can’t tell, but it’s hollow all the way through to the tail – I just adore this little fella …

I really need to get the instructions out again and brush up my beading skills so I can get these little guys out of the ‘filleted’ stage and into the finished stage, which will knock off another two UFOs! (UnFinished Objects for those of you who are searching for actual UFOs in this post) In this photo you can clearly see how the little fishies are constructed … I only hope I can work out how to do the beaded stitch once again, as it’s been quite some time since I took the class! 😀

Animals & Insects, Photo Hunt, PhotoHunt

Photo Hunt – Free Week

17 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

This week’s theme is ”Free Week” which means we can choose any photo we want – my choice this week is one that I recently re-found again in my pile of print photos, which I’ve been scanning into digital copies. I absolutely adore this shot – it’s almost as if it’s following the stages of the little giraffe’s life span from childhood, to teenship, to adulthood. I know it’s actually three different giraffes walking together, but the symmetry has always struck me … and there goes my choice for the week. I think it’s actually harder to choose “anything” than an actual theme!

Cross Stitch, Finishes, JBW Designs, Needlerolls, Sweetheart Tree

Anne, the UFO Slayer

15 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

Thanks to my dearest flatmate leaving me her entire collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVD’s to watch, my eyes are now square, and I think I have almost OD’ed on Buffy over the last few days (I’m now up to Season 5 – not bad going in two weeks!). For someone who’s lasted 40+ years without having Buffy in her life, I have to say I’ve rather enjoyed it! I’ve shed tears over the ‘Angel-thing’, and laughed out loud at poor old Spike, and slobbered a bit at good ol’ Giles (who I’ve always adored as the Prime Minister in Little Britain – had I known he was in Buffy, I would have started watching years ago haha). Anyway, watching all this slaying has been good for the soul, and good for the stitching – I’ve been doing a bit of slaying of my own today, and managed to finish two old UFO’s – I’m not quite feeling up to tackling the sewing machine just yet, so the needleroll will get finish-finished later.

“Wildflower Needleroll” by The Sweetheart Tree
stitched on 32ct Lambswool linen by Wichelt
using recommended DMC threads and Mill Hill beads

This really, really old one just needed to have one heart bead attached for it to be finished (after unpicking and restitching some of the beads in the outer border), so within 1/2 an hour today this one is also finished. Unfortunately it’s really hard to get a good photo of it, as it’s all pretty much monochrome. I’m going to attempt to frame this one myself, I think 😀

“Love and Affection” by JBW Designs
stitched on 32ct antique white Lugana (I think)
using recommended threads and beads

This “rotation” business is really helping me to keep focused on my stitching goals – no more dithering between stitching sessions, I know exactly what I need to be stitching next … although right now I can’t decide whether to tackle the start of yet another UFO, as I have a few hours of my rotation left, or whether to just move on to my next slot, which is my Boo Club focus piece … ah, decisions decisions … 😀

Still not feeling 100% today, I asked my boss if I could reinstate the two days leave I’d just cancelled last week, so I have the next few days off to recuperate more fully … which means more stitching, yippee 😀

Cross Stitch, Works in Progress

A lot of illness and not much stitching…

14 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

Unfortunately when I was finishing off my Acorn Needlebook on Saturday, I was also fighting off a viral infection/flu-bug that had been kicking me for a couple of days last week. On Sunday it hit me full force on the side of the head, and I spent 3 full days in bed either in my bedroom or on the sofabed in the lounge – a high fever and blinding headaches as well as a beautifully phlegmy chest and nasal congestion have put paid to any major stitching on my days off work … I hate being so sick you can’t even stitch! 😦

Today, though, I finally managed to stay upright all day, albeit in my stitching chair and not wandering around. Still feel pretty grotty, but certainly not as bad as I have over the last few days. I did, however, manage to get a little bit of stitching in today. I forgot to take an ‘in progress’ photo of this piece that I started weeks ago, so you can’t see the minimal stitching I’ve actually managed, but I’ve now stitched as far as I can until a skein of Crescent Colours Cocoa Bean turns up … sorry, but the photography is really bad as I had my stitching light directly over it and it’s washed the colours out really badly.

Then I started on my next rotation slot (WIPs/UFOs), and picked up an old UFO and added a few beads, as well as doing a spot of unstitching of the satin stitch band ‘cos I’d miscounted the last time I touched it – 1 3/4 years ago sitting on the floor of my empty flat here while I was waiting for the removalists from hell to deliver my furniture days later than planned. This is the “before” picture, but I won’t bother taking the “after” picture yet as there’s really not much to show aside from a few beads – with luck it won’t be long before you see the finished product – the way I’m feeling, I think I won’t be doing a great deal over the weekend, just taking it easy and continuing to recuperate and recharge the batteries again … Hopefully then I can get a better photo!

Cross Stitch, Finishes, Finishing, Stitching Smalls

Acorn Needlebook all finished

10 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

A very big happy dance today as I not only put the final stitches into my Acorn Needlebook, but I also spent the entire day curled up in my stitching chair doing the actual finishing – not 100% perfect by any stretch of the imagination, as this is my first attempt at this style of finishing, but I’m pretty pleased with the end result 😀

So, without any further ado, here is my Acorn Needlebook by Periwinkle Promises…

PhotoHunt

Photo Hunt – Sports

10 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

This week’s theme is ”Sports” and here are a couple of photos from the NRL finale last year (that’s Rugby League, for those of you who may not know) – please note, however, that I am not a Melbourne Storm supporter (nor a Rugby League supporter) – give me the All Blacks and Rugby Union any day!! … These just happened to be photos that fit the theme for the week!

Blogging Memes, Home & Family TO BE FIXED

I am Castiel :D

9 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

Yay baby 😀

Which Supernatural Angel Are You?

More on Supernatural. Created by BuddyTV

And double YUM!!!!!

Which Supernatural Character Are You?

More on Supernatural. Created by BuddyTV

If I’m technically Dean, then that means I have the hots for myself!!! 😛

And there endeth a great night – started with a flying visit from my lovely flatmate and close friend Katie on her way between travelling destinations … a girly night in with a bottle of Jansz bubbly, an exquisite Angus Steak pizza from Crust pizzeria, the first episode of Amazing Race, followed by the latest downloaded episode of Supernatural – not to mention Season 4 of Supernatural arriving on the doorstop compliments of the Bay of Evil …

Life just doesn’t get much better than this … 😀

Home & Family TO BE FIXED

Great day at work

8 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

Today’s been the third day in a row where things have been “mental busy”, and I’ve been pulled in a million directions … the project leader of a massive project we’re working on has been sick the last couple of days and not in the office so I’ve taken over a lot of the work and providing input to making big decisions etc … and I’ve thrived on it! I got some incredible comments and feedback from the project manager saying that I’ve stepped up to the plate and exceeded all expectations, and the next project he gets he’s going to sit back and let me drive it and just have a weekly catch-up or provide help when I need it … feels pretty darned good!

I had a wee chat to this particular manager when I came back from holiday, as he’d (unbeknownst to me) been attending project meetings without me, so I was out of the loop – then when he needed me to step into the breach to assist I didn’t have the background knowledge to be able to assist. I pulled him to one side and told him that I needed to be more involved, so that I can help take some work off his shoulders and to provide me with more enjoyment in my role … that little chat has really paid off, and I’ve certainly been thrown in amongst the pigeons over the last few days … and loved it!

It’s been so busy I’ve hardly had any time to ponder over “the feral one” – while the hours have been really long again the last two days, my enjoyment levels are through the roof – I work so much better under pressure … and being put into the position of having to make snap decisions and handle crises as they arise is probably one of my fortes. That’s why I really loved the overnight shifts when I worked on the Hotline in Melbourne – many times it was just “you” on the desk when the “proverbial” hit the fan in, say, Frankfurt airport for a customer and you had to find a solution right then and there so the customer could board the aircraft … I really do miss that part of my old job 😦

Unfortunately, since a bit of restructuring happened about 6 months ago, nowadays the pressure is just from being overworked – but it’s more a challenge of the amount of work which is just draining and mind-sapping, it’s not a challenge where you are learning anything new or building your skills in any way, you’re just at the beck and call of the other sites and follow their instructions like a little lamb … gone are the days when we used to have a major input into decisions that are made, even though we are 3 levels higher in pay scale! Probably one of the main reasons I’ve been so unhappy at work recently … I’m bored sh*tless because I’m not getting any mental challenges.

Even at home Mum used to comment all the time that I’m always having to try something new, be it crafts or whatever, ‘cos my mind always needs to be challenged – she still has the remnants of those many challenges in her garage at home ‘cos there are many craft supplies in there that didn’t make the cut once I got bored … silk fabric painting, fabric dyeing, basketweaving, glass painting etc … after a few sessions it was a case of “I’m bored now, what can I do next?……” – I’m not quite sure why I stuck to XS, but it’s the only craft that I picked up and never put down again – perhaps because I also did a number of classes in the early days as well, so I dabbled a little bit in hardanger, silk ribbon embroidery, stumpwork etc … and now XS is my little sanctuary of peace and quiet where I actually don’t have to challenge myself, but the fact that every design I stitch is different there is a separate challenge in itself …

Anyway, this week has been a blessing – it’s been mentally challenging, and I’m learning so much … I’m enjoying it so much that I’m thinking of cancelling two days annual leave I have booked at the end of next week, so I don’t miss the final stages of the project (it’s being pushed back by a week) …

I’m too knackered to stitch … but it’s OK … it’s a rewarding and fulfilling type of knackered … 😛

It’s also probably got a lot to do with why I’ve been waffling on and on here on the blog too – perhaps I also chat more when I’m happy 🙂 With any luck the bliss will last a while longer … although fingers crossed this raging sore throat I’ve had all day will stay at bay and let the bliss continue! 🙂

Beading, Gifts TO BE FIXED

Prize Draw offering

7 October, 200925 February, 2012 Anne S

4th Blogaversary

Prize Draw !!!

As I briefly mentioned earlier, I am offering a (slightly belated) prize draw for my home-made beaded scissor fobs to celebrate four years of blogging and waffling online.

I’m offering four prize fobs – one for every year I’ve been blogging. The way it will work is that winner #1 gets first choice from the below selections, winner #2 gets the next choice, winner #3 gets the 3rd choice, with winner #4 getting the final choice. Of course if winner #4 really hates the remaining choices, I may be able to whip something up in a preferred colour scheme, depending on what beads I have to hand at that time 🙂

How do you enter for the prize draw?

Simply leave a comment in this post only, stating that you would like to be entered into the draw. Please ensure that your email address is provided, along with the fobs that you prefer, in order of preference, eg 1st choice = #1, 2nd = #5, 3rd = #2. If you only like 1 of the fobs, feel free to just put your name down for that one – if you are one of the winners and your preferred choice has already been taken, I might be able to whip one up in your preferred colour choice if I have suitable beads available at the time – no guarantees though! 🙂

I will leave the draw open until the end of the month – so you can leave a comment throughout the month of October – at the start of November I’ll draw four lucky winners out of the proverbial hat and get them out in the mail to you.

So, which fobs can you choose from? I’ve tried to have a reasonable selection of colours, so fingers crossed you’ll find something you’d like to win. Here goes (all are numbered to make it easier to request a specific selection in your preferences):

Note: The prize is NOT for the scissors in the photos, it is ONLY for the beaded scissor fob 😀

If you are having difficulties viewing the fobs due to the high number of piccies, please go to my Webshots folder and view them all there 😀