Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Works in Progress

New WIP

Anne S

This new WIP will eventually be a gift for someone … and she reads my blog … and she’ll no doubt easily work out that it’s for her … but I still can’t resist sharing ‘cos otherwise I won’t have anything to show stitching-wise for a while!  Here’s as much stitching as I’ve managed the whole last week (it’s a repeat of something I stitched last year or the year before, I can’t remember which now) – the new skein of thread I have is a bit paler than my original one, but I think it’ll still work out OK … I hope so anway!

On the home front, Katie and I have been very virtuous by eating healthily all week, slugging back zero alcohol and replacing it with water, and we’ve been going walking most nights this week (tonight was a write-off thanks to lightning strikes and impending rain).  It was Katie’s boss’s wedding celebration today, and Katie baked an awesome white chocolate mud cake for her … we had the tiniest of slices to show our support but at the same time restraining that calorie intake … and we’re definitely feeling very very virtuous after all our efforts this week!!  Of course that means there’s been less time for stitching, but it’s all for a very very good cause … ‘cos eventually when I shift some of this weight, I’ll have more energy to stitch, which will probably mean MORE stitching!! 🙂

The other news is that this week at work we were told of a team restructure, along with the results delivered as a fait accomplis … no input from those of us who have been impacted, which is really shitty quite frankly.  I spoke up and said how I found the process itself extremely disappointing, and had to laugh to myself that we’re currently undergoing reviews of a staff engagement survey from last year and about to commence workshops on how to improve communication and engagement … well, duh, people … I wonder what will come us as a prime example of lack of communication and collaboration by people directly impacted!!!  Anyway, all-in-all there are pros and cons of the changes, and at the moment the pros are probably outweighing the cons … I’m hoping it will be a good change in the fact that I will have more of an opportunity to grow and build new skills in the project management arena (I’ll be in the “project team”), and I no longer have to try to juggle lots of ‘operational’ work every day as well, but rather can focus on one type of role (albeit it by taking on more project work than I currently do) … time will tell how things will progress at work, but it sure as hell can’t be any worse than it currently is!!! :/

Anyhoo, tonight I’m about to catch up on a spot of blog reading … I still haven’t caught up since my Christmas trip, and I’d really love to get that blog feed back down to zero so I can keep on top of things weekly again … I’m tempted to hit the “mark all feeds as read”, but scared I’ll miss something exciting and important! 😛

In saying that, it’s time to head over to FeedDemon to see what lovely treats you have written and displayed photos of to tempt me … 😀

Bent Creek, Cross Stitch, Finishes, JBW Designs, Summer Snapperland, Works in Progress

First finish for 2010 & Snapperland

Anne S

Well, I have gone as far as I can with Summer Snapperland – the stitching was completed last night, and now I have to sit and wait for the buttons and snaps to arrive so it can be ‘finish-finished’ … then I will throw it place it gently into the framing pile for a few months time when I can hopefully afford to order some more frames and mattboards 🙂

Summer Snapperland whole

Summer Snapperland 15jan10

After I finished the stitching of Summer Snapperland last night, I pulled out a Christmas ornie I started stitching in about November time, and did a couple of stitches in when I was in Auckland at Christmas … I figured enough was enough, time to get it finished, as it’s only a wee thing – and sure enough two episodes of Dawson’s Creek later and it was all finished … FINALLY an actual “finish” for the year 😛

JBW Designs-Christmas Keepsakes II Tiny Motif Tree
“Tiny Motif Tree” from Christmas Keepsakes II by JBW Designs
Stitched 2 over 2 on 32ct natural Belfast linen
with WDW Garnet and GAST Dried Thyme
Stitch count 41W x 45H

Bent Creek, Home & Family TO BE FIXED, Summer Snapperland, Works in Progress

Shock, horror, a stitching post!!

Anne S

I wish I could say that I was posting my first finish for 2010, but alas that appears to be a few days away yet … hopefully by the end of the week (or weekend at the latest) this one will be finished, stitching-wise anyway.  I don’t own the buttons/accessory pack for the border, so I’m having to order those, and while I’m at it I’m ordering the same pack for the Winter Snapperland as I’d really like to stitch that in the upcoming year.

In the meantime, here’s my current progress on Bent Creek’s Summer Snapperland – I’ve finished the final block, and am now working on the outside border.  I’m just marginally over half-way stitching the border, then it’s off to the waiting pile until the buttons etc arrive.

Bent Creek-Summer Snapperland 10Jan10b

Bent Creek-Summer Snapperland 10Jan10a

This last weekend Katie and I had a lovely weekend away – we drove over to Brenda and Nigel’s late Saturday afternoon (fantastic traffic – or rather lack of it – we were there in just marginally under an hour yippee!!), where we were greeted with an ice-cold Margarita on arrival.  We had another friend of ours from work and her two teen sons come to join us, and we were treated to Nigel’s culinary treats of one of his famous BBQ’s.  It was a really lovely night with good wine, good food, and really good company!  We stayed overnight, then yesterday toodled off to Castle Towers to see Avatar 3D in Gold Class … WOW, what an incredibly awesome movie – I was seriously blown away by it!!  One of the best movies of that genre I’ve ever seen, I’d have to say!

Eventually we headed back home again, after a detour via JB Hi-Fi for Katie to spend her Christmas prezzie vouchers, then we sat and watched Katie’s Dawson’s Creek DVD’s while I did a little bit of stitching.  I have to admit the characters etc are growing on me, and I’m enjoying the lighthearted viewing for a change, but it’s probably not a series I’ll ever re-watch again … but if nothing else, it’s getting me to sit down at the end of the day and get a few stitches into fabric, so that’s all good 😀