Tag: Stash

Hope the ghoulies don’t getcha tonight … and that your Halloween celebrations in whatever form they take are enjoyable and fun. I’m off to work in costume tonight, seeing as I’m working 6pm to 2am, so we thought it would liven up the night a bit. Here’s a photo of what I’ll kinda be looking like … except I’ve put weight on and don’t fit the skirt anymore, so wearing black pants instead … and will have to ditch the wig, as the fringe gets in my eyes for typing 🙂 Have a great time all!!

(Edited to add about latest stash arrival …)
And another small happy dance – my S.E.X. order arrived from The Silver Needle today – which was 100 floss away bags (yippee – I’ve been hanging out for those), 3 spools of Kreinik threads, some DMC skeins, a few buttons from Just Another Button Company (for my Christmas ornies), Mill Hill treasures and a red cabochon heart (again, for ornies etc), some size 12 beading needles (just ‘cos I’d never seen that size before and wanted to see what they were like … TINY, is all I can say LOL), and 3 kits – “Needle Nick”, a special edition kit by Lizzie Kate; “And Many More” needlecase, an exclusive kit by Just Nan; and “Terri’s Needlecase”, by Lorri Birmingham. This is fun getting a treat box/bag every week – it’s like a having an early advent calendar, except it’s weekly, not daily ;-P I’m hoping the next one arrives from Stitching Bits & Bobs (which is the biggest haul) either by the end of this week, or early next week … Now I’m off to pore over the instructions of the kits and drool over the stash haul in general 🙂

Warning – health topic for a couple of paragraphs, you might want to skip over it … Stash enhancement follows a few paragraphs down – just look for the photo 🙂

Thanks everyone for your kind comments you’ve left – as the doctor said the other day, I think there are a combination of forces at work with my headaches … I haven’t been eating, but been drinking more than normal (which is a good thing), and I’ve been very sinusey – added to the fact I’ve been spending way too much time on the computer of late (‘cos I’ve been too tired etc to stitch), and the fact I wake up every morning feeling like I haven’t slept … so, plenty of things to try and hit on the head!

I’ve just found my ‘old’ reading glasses for close work – I’ve never ever used them, and had them sitting around for about 4-5 years unused … I got them at the time ‘cos they were covered by my health insurance that I was soon going to cancel – the optometrist said I could use them straightaway if I feel my eyes are straining at any time, but I could just as easily do without them and put off having to wear them all the time … I’m starting to wonder if this is part of my problem – maybe I’m getting eye strain? So, I’ll drag them out of the case and try them for stitching next time I work on my ‘gift’ piece to see if it helps … I tried using them when I first got them and it made things worse, but that was 4-5 years ago …

I’m also going to go out and buy new pillows, as my current ones are uncomfy – which is probably aggravating the stress in my shoulders/neck … and I’m also going to try and cut down my computer time to help with the same – the problem is I work for 8 hours on a computer, then come home and do the same thing … would be much better picking up a needle every night instead 😉

I’m also increasing my intake of water – which I detest – I’ve been drinking more herbal teas of late, and trying to cut down on the coffee a bit … I figure at least those teas are getting more water into me – OK, that might be pushing it a bit. I’m also going to take a little bottle of Rose’s lime juice with me to work, which helps me get the water down … Last but not least, I’m going to try to get to bed at a reasonable hour – I’ve been on mainly late shifts at work just lately, which is really affecting me, and it’s been hard to stick to a routine … and this week I’m covering a different roster line for someone on annual leave, which means … you guessed it … back on a late shift yet again, the one I hate the most – 6pm to 2am YUK!!! So, even more important than ever to get these health issues under control as I always feel yucky on this shift anyway … so I’m also dosing myself with multivitamins etc too …

OK, boring stuff out of the way … exciting stuff now (to me, anyway) – my parcel arrived from Dragonfly Dreams … Folding Cross Needlebook chart by Indigo Rose (for a SAL later next year), the 2003 JCS Christmas Ornament magazine, Strawberry Patch needleroll chart by The Sweetheart Tree, a little blackbird button from Just Another Button Company, and 14 little bead flip-top boxes (10 x small, 2 x medium, 2 x large). I was thinking of moving all my Mill Hill and Delica beads into these little tubes, and thought I’d get a few to try them out. In hindsight I think the small ones are a bit too small, but I’ll find a use for some other things in them pretty easily – I may have to get some more of the medium and large ones … next year! I’m about to go officially “On The Wagon” – I have way too much stash as it is … especially after my other purchases arrive – I’m still waiting for shipments from Stitching Bits & Bobs (that’s a pretty serious order!!), The Silver Needle, and Nordic Needle – as well as some fabric from Silkweaver’s Spooktacular Sale … oh cripes, I really have to cut those credit cards up!! I think from now on the only things I’m going to allow myself to buy are fabrics for a specific project, if I can’t find anything in my stash that will ‘do’ – and any threads I’ve run out of …

Then Mum gave me some great news on the phone – she’d been ploughing through my piles of stash that’s still back at home in NZ (gee, I miss it!!), looking for something I’d asked her to find, and she came across another JCS ornament issue I didn’t remember I had – 2000. I’ve got issues 2001 & 2002 coming as part of my order in the above S.E.X.-fest, which means I’ve now got 1998-2005 yippee. Considering this year is the first year I’ve attempted to even start any of these, I really have no excuse not to now – there are oodles to choose from! Seeing as my Xmas tree is only relatively small, I’m thinking of hanging my old toy ‘teddy chains’ up from the curtain rod, and hanging my ornaments from that (thanks Mum for the great idea!) – yet something else for Mum to pack and bring when she comes over to visit. I was originally going to have a ‘metal tree’ on my dining table, that has scrolls you hang ornaments on, but they’re all too small. I’ve suggested Mum should just leave some clothes etc here, then she’ll have an empty suitcase to come over with, so I can fill it in its entirety next time hahaha.

Rightio, I’m tearing myself away from the computer now to do a bit more housework and get ready for work … I’m going to try and have an early main meal today before I go – it’s so hard trying to eat a ‘proper’ meal at 10pm when my lunchtime is scheduled for … instead I’ll take a bowl of muesli and yogurt with me to eat then, so that should help keep my energy levels up 🙂 Hope you all have a good night … thanks again for all your supportive comments – you guys rock!! :)))

Edited…’cos as I was putting things away in the dining area, I came across my shopping bag from yesterday … I managed to find a budget shop closing down, and it had 30% off everything left in store. Pretty slim pickings, but I managed to buy a photo frame that I thought’d be perfect for my giraffe/zebra little piece – it was only $4 even not on sale, so I figure if it didn’t work out, I’d just put another photo in it … but I think it’s going to look pretty good – at least it’ll be something else out of the ‘to be finished’ pile, even if I can’t put it on the walls yet. That’s one of the reasons I thought of finishing Dena into a cushion – in a rented place, I don’t have wall hooks (aside from one in the lounge and one in the bedroom I don’t sleep in!), so thought I’d have to be more creative in displaying my stitched pieces. Anyway, just thought I’d share my cheap find … right, back to cleaning!!! 🙂

A bit of a happy dance of a different sort today – the first two parcels of my latest S.E.X. episode has arrived (it’s OK Mum, it’s not some orgy or anything – it stands for Stash Enhancement eXperience!) … I haven’t bought myself anything for stitching for a very long time, and I have to admit to going a bit mad over the last few weeks – I am about to go officially ‘on the wagon’, as I think I’m close to being the S.A.B.L.E. queen! (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy). Anyway, I finally took myself off to the doctor today (half hour drive away, so hadn’t managed it before today) and came home with some Nurofen Migraine tablets … fingers crossed this will help, as I’ve now had my headache for almost 6 whole days! My blood pressure is also nicely normal – looks like my moving out of the last living situation has certainly helped on the health front, anyway … and I have to keep a track of what I’m eating that may be triggering the ‘gall pains’ I’ve been experiencing of late. I originally thought it must be the mince (even though it’s premium/lean mince) – but it may be the chilli giving me the pains, as I had a reaction to a chilli/parmesan/cashew nut spread Mum and I love … please say it’s not so – I love chilli in food … Anyway, time will tell – I have to do some experimenting with my foods so we can try and narrow it down.

Anyway, enough of that rubbish – back to S.E.X. … While I was at the doctor’s, I popped in to check my PO Box – and lo and behold there were two parcels in there … firstly from my Ebay win of some fabrics – 28ct Jubilee in Lavender, 28ct Cashel linen in Lilac and Taupe, 32ct Belfast linen in Natural, 28ct linen in Coffee Bean, 32ct Jobelan in Parchment, and a pretty 25ct Lugana in Delicate Teal – only one I’m not keen on is the Coffee Bean, but I’m sure I’ll find a use for it somehow …

The second parcel was my order from Criss Cross Row (very friendly and efficient service, too, I might add! – very impressed!!). The contents were an Acorn Needle Book kit by Periwinkle Promises (just follow the link – it’s at the bottom of the page), a December Box chart by Cherished Stitches, and A Secret Garden Needlework Necessary by Forget-Me-Not-In-Stitches … the Secret Garden piece is going to be a Stitch-Along with a group of gals in the Stitching Smalls Yahoo group I belong to – really, really looking forward to this one, but I have to cool my heels until early in the New Year until this SAL starts up … at least I have time to get my threads/fabric together and get it kitted up all ready to start. Still got a couple of orders coming in yet – again ready for a couple more SAL’s … but mainly just ‘cos I felt like treating myself! Mum you can lecture me later haha. I figure I don’t go out much, so stitching is my only vice …

And, yesterday I managed to actually get a fair amount done – I finished The Poet talking book, and managed to get another one almost finished – Shallow Graves by Jeffery Deaver … have to say, I’m pretty disappointed with this one. I love Jeffery Deaver’s books that are based on the character of Lincoln Rymes – but this one is based on a different character in the movie industry … it’s just not the same! Oh well, at least I know not to bother getting the other book in the library, as it’s the same series. I have to say, KarenV, I was wondering about The Poet – at the end it didn’t seem to ‘end’ on a 100% definite note … I wondered if there would be a sequel to it – and you’ve confirmed my suspicions – yippee, will have to get that one out now too! I love talking books – lets me fill both my passions at once, that of reading and stitching.

Anyway, here’s my latest rotation piece – those dratted Dolphins … I’m surprised how much stitching I managed to cram into 10 hours, and it’s starting to fill out nicely – I may even get it finished by 2007 haha.

Mum, you can tell me off later … but as you know, I AM a stitch-a-holic and I won’t change. My grab bag I recently ordered by a NZ store, Country Stitch, just arrived in the mail today – what a feast for the eyes, the colours are stunning! I really love them. I bought a grab bag of hand-dyed fabbies, as well as 2 separate “Kiwi Pearls”, which are samples or one-offs … yippee, today is good! Unfortunately the photo doesn’t do the colours justice …
While looking through my stash of fabric, I noticed it is almost all white/off-white … not real ‘pizzazz’ to it – well, I’m going to change all that. These pieces are probably big enough to do my small pieces such as needlerolls and pincushions, which is what I fancy stitching at the moment, so it is my little stitching treat to myself, seeing I won’t be able to afford to do it very often. And boy, oh boy, it felt good to check my mailbox today and find that little slip saying “a parcel is waiting to be picked up” – yippee. And I’m also arranging a trade with a lady in the USA for the latest 2005 JCS Ornament issue, in exchange for some Aussie threads or Inspirations magazine. Life is good … happy dancing here just for sake of it – not ‘cos I’ve finished any stitching, just happy dancing ‘cos I wanna!

A Cotton Case chart by Patrick’s Woods.