Cross Stitch, Ross Originals

RIP Graeme Ross

Anne S

I was sorry to hear of the death of the designer and artist Graeme Ross this weekend – he was the creator of Ross Originals designs, and had an incredible designing talent.  If you want to read more about him and his life, feel free to wander over to the Ross Originals website for more information.  I personally adore his bird and wildlife designs.

One of my all-time favourite stitched pieces was a Ross Originals piece – this is one of my very first ever XS projects, stitched on 14ct Aida back in the days when I didn’t know anything called linen was in existence.  Here is my Ross Originals’ “Tiger” in all its magnificent glory.  Actually it looks like I scanned the piccie years ago, as I notice the right-hand side in particular is a bit cropped off – oops!

Tiger XS

I’ve always wanted to get this piece framed, and have never managed to get it done (in fact I’ve never managed to get much framed at all … I can probably count on one hand the number of XS pieces I’ve had framed) – but now I have a real urge to finally pull my finger out and get him finished.  I want to learn how to do my own framing, and this one will definitely be added high to the top of the pile to be done.  I’ve had a mat-cutter for years now, that I bought in the US at the Heart of XS shopping mall way back in 1999 – and I just bought the beginning kit for the staples and frame straps to start framing at our recent craft show in Sydney, but just need to buy some cut up pieces of frame ready to give it a go … I really do need to do this soon and start building up my confidence!

Of course, I still have two pieces in particular by Ross Originals that I still have to stitch – one that is currently sitting in UFO status, that I was stitching as a SAL with Carina (who has since disappeared off the face of the earth), and one that is very very high up the list of wanting to stitch.  Both of these are being stitched over-one … probably why the Macaw is currently sitting in UFO status!  Of the two pieces, my absolute favourite is the Rainbow Lorikeets piece – but I started the Macaw first, as that was the choice of Carina for us to stitch together.  Perhaps now that I’m not doing a SAL any longer I should just ditch the Macaw and get the Lorikeets done first – life’s too short … and I can always return to the Macaw again afterwards 🙂

Here’s the Macaw chart, along with my current pitiful progress where I left it a couple of years ago:

Ross Originals-Macaw Macaw by Ross Originals

And here’s the beautiful Rainbow Lorikeets chart – I just adore this one!

Ross Originals-Rainbow Lorikeets

The world has lost an exceptionally talented designer and stitcher – but his name will continue in the finished works of those of us who adore his designs.  RIP Graeme Ross!

Blue Monday, Cross Stitch, Just Nan, Works in Progress

Blue Monday & Just Nan Progress

Anne S

First up is Sunday night’s progress on Just Nan’s Winter in the Square – this should be finished in another couple of nights, as the cross stitch is almost completed, then it just leaves the specialty stitches and backstitching to be done.  As more and more stitches get added, I’m remembering just why I fell in love with this piece in the first place 🙂

Just Nan-Winter in the Square 25Oct09

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Here is my choice for this week’s Blue Monday – this is a rustic-looking urn I found while walking around Timbertown, near Port Macquarie, NSW. Once again, I’m not sure whether I’ll continue doing this meme, but I’ll give it a go for a couple of weeks 🙂

Blue Monday

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Cross Stitch, Scenic Sunday, Works in Progress

Scenic Sunday & WIP progress

Anne S

I managed a tiny bit of stitching tonight while catching up on a bit of recorded TV – after a couple of episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds and City Homicide (no girlie shows for me! LOL), here is the current progress on Just Nan’s Winter in the Square – at 1am, a crappy photo as usual … and oh boy, am I looking forward to the end of all that white stitching, pretty though it is!

Just Nan-Winter in the Square

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Here is my choice for this week’s “Scenic Sunday” – Ashcombe Lavender Gardens in Melbourne, Australia … with a little touch of spring in the air.  I’m not sure how often I’ll continue with this photo meme, but I thought I’d give it a go and make a start anyway … and seeing as it’s technically Sunday, I’m posting early! 😀

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Scenic Sunday

Uncategorized

Audible Offer & Reminders

Anne S

audible

If anyone is interested, Audible.com are offering a 14-day Free Trial for friends that I refer to them – this includes one free audiobook.  I also receive a $10 credit for anyone that stays on as a member beyond the free trial, but I’m not particularly interested in that.

If you are keen to try Audible out as an audiobook provider, this is a really good opportunity to trial the service – if you want to, please feel free to leave me a comment, ensuring you include your email address, and I’ll complete the form and send off for you.

Note, the offer ends 6 November to sign up for the trial 🙂

I have to admit I’m pretty biased towards them – I’ve been a member for a couple of years now, and I absolutely love them!  Unfortunately not 100% of the books on the site are available to Australia for downloading, but I’ve had a pretty good success rate on the books I’ve been looking for in particular.  I was stunned to be able to download Diana Gabaldon’s Echo in the Bone a week or two ago, and for a SUPER cheap price thanks to a special member’s offer (I’m talking approx $11 here for the unabridged version, which is approx 46 hours of listening pleasure!!).

Anyway, leave me a comment if you’d like to sign up for the trial, and I’ll complete the form for you 🙂

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Pay It Forward copy  Also, while you’re at it, don’t forget that the PIF (Pay It Forward) offer ends at the end of the month, and I still need one more person to make up the three – details can be found in the original blog post HERE 🙂

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And … lucky last … don’t forget to put your name into the hat if you’d like to go into the drawer to win 1 of 4 beaded scissor fobs for my 4th Blogaversary Prize Draw – just leave a comment on the original post, which can be found HERE … there are 10 fobs to choose from as your preferred winning choices.

Fob Collage

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Lastly – Have a great weekend! 😀

Ackworth Friendship Book, Cross Stitch, Finishes, Quaker, Round Robin, Round Robins, With My Needle

Ackworth Friendship Books

Anne S

I just realised that I haven’t shown a photo of the final round of our Ackworth Friendship Book/Quaker Friendship Round Robin.  Here are the final photos of both Katrina’s and my pieces – I think they look really lovely 😀

Anne's Finished Quaker Round Robin
Anne’s (my) Round Robin
“Ackworth Friendship Book” by With My Needle 
Stitched on 35ct Lambswool linen by Wichelt
with Carrie’s Creation thread “Twinkle”

Katrina's Finished Round Robin
Katrina’s Round Robin

One thing that Katrina asked is for us all to provide a quote or two about Friendship – and I thought I’d share my choices here:

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go.  Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts.  And we are never, ever the same.” – Anonymous

“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” – Aristotle

“Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.” – John Evelyn

As for me, for the first time yesterday in two whole weeks I felt closer to being back to normal healthwise, and even managed to get a fair bit of housework done during the day.  I’ve continued to potter around today to try to get the lounge back to normal, so hopefully tomorrow I will just have to run around with the vacuum cleaner and mop, and finishing cleaning the bathroom.  Then Monday it’s back to work – and unfortunately, being a week behind now, I will probably end up working late most nights – gotta love deadlines!

As you may have worked out by now, I opted for Mum not to come over – my first reaction to Mum’s suggestion was that I was worried she would catch this dratted flu bug, and comments received confirmed that that was the right decision to make.  As much as I would have loved to have been pampered for a couple of days, I’m really not much company when I’m sick and prefer to be away from people, so it seemed a lot of money to spend for a couple of days being housemaid!

Anyway, time to walk away from the computer again and get a few more things tidied away while my washing is in the machine – I may even bake a batch of muffins tomorrow ready to start eating healthily next week!  Hopefully next time I post I’ll have enough progress in my Just Nan piece to warrant a photo 🙂

Blue Monday, Ruby Tuesday, Scenic Sunday

Blue Monday

Anne S

Little did I know there was a “Blue Monday” weekly meme out there in blogland!  Resistance is futile … how could I possibly neglect to join in??  So, along with the weekly Photo Hunt, I’ll probably also be contributing to “Blue Monday” 🙂

Blue Monday

Then of course there is “Scenic Sunday” – gotta join that one too, right?

Scenic Sunday

Then if I feel really keen I could also join in with “ABC Wednesday” or “Ruby Tuesday” (or Wednesday/Thursday) … oh decisions, decisions … so many fun memes, so little time 😛

Ruby Tuesday

If nothing else, it means I’ll have more regular posts coming up!

Home & Family TO BE FIXED

A new blog header just for Halloween

Anne S

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Seeing as I love Halloween so much, I thought I’d build a new blog header just for this month – these are probably my favourite Halloween pieces that I’ve stitched to date … love, love, love those bright colours!

I attempted to kit up two small Halloween projects yesterday ready for stitching (Just Nan’s Scream Girls and Lizzie*Kate’s Hocus Pocus), but it turns out I’ve ‘mislaid’ half of the DMC that I need.  I basically thought “oh, sod it” last night, and just put a few stitches into Just Nan’s Winter in the Square instead.  I think perhaps if I hurry up and stitch up those things I’ve already kitted up, my DMC will miraculously appear again!  Either that or I’m going to have to do a stocktake and take a run out to Spotlight to stock up again 😦

I must say I did leave the house for an hour today, for the first time in a week – even my old neighbour on the bottom floor climbed up the stairs to see if I was OK ‘cos she hadn’t seen me out and about for so long … anyway, I did a ‘quick’ trip to the Post Office to pick up my mail and send a few more little parcels off to their new homes, and popped into the bank to deposit a couple of cheques, finishing off with a spot of ‘healthy’ food shopping for a few bits of fruit and salad items, plus 4 litres of fresh orange juice.  I’d forgotten to eat anything (although I haven’t been eating too well for the last two weeks since being ill), so I called through the McD’s drive-through on the way home to get a small burger to tide me over …  Well, within an hour of eating it I’ve had intense stomach cramps and basically been in and out of the bathroom ‘clearing it out of my system’ ever since.  I’m now looking at all this lovely healthy fibre-rich food/drink and thinking “hmmmm”…

I am supposed to be doing my final unpacking of boxes etc this week on a week off work, and I still have barely any energy to do anything – I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to stitch, as that’s all I’ve managed.  The house is a pig-sty, and every room I walk into just depresses me more.  Bless my Mum, after talking to her on the phone this afternoon after my ‘gastric attack’ she’s offered to fly over to help me out for a few days until Katie returns home (she’s been overseas for the last couple of weeks) – I have to make my decision whether I need her to do that by tomorrow … 

In the meantime, I’m going to take it easy again for yet another day – I have to admit I don’t even have the energy to really stitch now, so I may just end up taking my fed-up body into bed and cuddling up for an early night …

Cross Stitch

Halloween Giveaway

Anne S

13days

As I’m a total sucker for Halloween, I just HAD to share the fun with a Halloween giveaway that’s being offered by Missy.  If you’re a fan too, pop on over to visit the Deep Inside Missy blog, as there is a giveaway every day for the next 13 days up until Halloween.  If you click on the “13 Days of Halloween” button above, it should take you directly to the information on how to enter for the giveaway 😀

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Just thinking of Halloween makes me want to get out some more Halloween stitching – even though I’ve got Boo Club underway already, I’m itching to start another one as well … hmmm, perhaps I could put Just Nan’s Winter in the Square to one side until the next rotation … and scratch that Halloween stitching itch by starting a new Halloween one – but then the only problem is choosing which one to stitch! 

I love, love, LOVE Halloween stitching – dunno what it is about it, but I just ADORE Halloween designs … just can’t get enough of them – even though we don’t really celebrate Halloween … I just love the designs 😀

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