A riddle and a drama

This weekend I have been working really hard on constructing my Winter Exchange for the Crazy Exchange Group. Here's a riddle for you. Can you guess what this will turn into? Tomorrow is a public holiday here and I will get this finished and packaged. Once it arrives in its far off destination I will show you the completed item. This has been a real drama to construct.

But talking about dramas - on the way back from church this morning I turned into the street to buy the Sunday newspaper and couldn't get through because of a police barricade. Around I turned and back the other way. The shopkeeper could shed no light - he speaks no English! - but I found out later that a taxidriver had been stabbed and the whole street was cordoned off as a crime scene. What! In my peaceful neighbourhood. I am thankful to live in a gated apartment building and have several levels of security.

And finally a picture of my white lilies. They have taken months to come from a dry dusty looking bulb to this but the smell is heavenly and they are worth the wait.

Have a great evening everyone.

Olya's Mystery Biscornu #2

My rotation has already been put aside for a short time- I started this mystery biscornu from Olya's blog and tonight finally finished it off. This is the first I have made with "ordinary" fabric on the back and it was rather a mission but I am pleased with the result. This was stitched with unknown threads from my stash on a scrap of 28 count linen of unknown origin. The little star button suits don't you think? I had the green velvet in my stash - a left over from Christmas stockings some years back. Ahh - the value of a good stash.Do visit Olya's blog and see the beautiful red one she made.

I have managed to complete and construct page one and page two of my "Anne of Green Gables book - so I haven't totally abandoned my rotation :-) We have a long holiday weekend coming and I plan on finishing - constructing my Winter Exchange and after that it will be some days on Anne - I need to make progress.

Have a good evening everyone.

Rotation

Hi there everyone.

Following the good example of so many of you in Blogland I have set a rotation to try and get my three WIPs finished - I don't want to call them UFO's yet! So last week was the Wiehenberg Christmas Quaker (an SAL from 2008- oops) and I completed page 4. Here's a picture close up so you can see the Angel.

Then this week I stitched on a Winter Exchange for the Crazy Exchange Group. No pictures of this one until it is received and then I will show off - I have fallen in love with this exchange and it is going to be hard to part with it. Do you ever feel that way? We were totally unrestricted in this - the instructions were to handmake something in the theme of winter and send it with a small souvenir of our country and a postcard to our assigned partner. BUT it's midsummer here and it took a while to be inspired to stitch anything wintery! But I am pleased with the result and as next weekend is a long holiday weekend here in Auckland I will construct, package and get ready to mail to .... oops Almost spilt the beans there. Let's just say that this package has a looooong way to go.

So tonight as I settle in for a TV marathon of Antiques Road Show and then Monarchy I am going to stitch some more on my Anne of Green Gables book.

And the reason for all this disciplined industry - the temptation to start a whole lot of new things that I have seen on your blogs! It is so inspiring and very very tempting to see all that you are doing.

Have a good evening everyone.

Blogaversary Draw

Tonight Grandma's bowl is dusted off

The hand of the "half blind half deaf elderly mother"

drops .... once and the first winner isand then again (oops other hand !!)

.... and the second winner is

Congratulations to you both. Lisa can you email me (address is in my profile) with your postal address. I will package up the angels and send them on their way to you this week.

Thankyou very much to all of you who joined in this celebration. Entering the blogging world has been such fun and so inspiring.

Have a great evening everyone

Margaret's Blog is 2 Years Old

Hello there everyone. Over the past two years since I started blogging so many of you "angelic" stitchers have assisted me and inspired me that this year I have persuaded my "half blind half deaf elderly Mother" to assist me with drawing two names and each of you will get one of these minature beaded angels and a surprise package of goodies. Please leave your name on this post and on 17 January - Sunday evening 9pm (New Zealand time) I will put the names in Grandma's bowl and draw the two lucky winners.I am still stitching valiantly on my Wiehenberg Christmas Quaker and trying not to grow frustrated at the slow progress. Just to show that I am persisting here's an update shot. Hopefully tonight the Angel will get her other wing -she certainly looks lopsided here! I wish you all a very happy evening.

A New Start

When I saw this mystery biscornu on Olya's blog I was tempted to a new start. The last one, in 2009, was such fun to do and only a little stitching each day. So I chose some floss and fabric from my stash and here's part one. The colours are not very exact to life but it is late and I am photographing under artificial light. You will see more of this one and hopefully the next photos will be better.

Have a good evening everyone and be sure to check in at the end of the week when I will be posting my blogaversary giveaway. Yes, this blog has turned two! And as thanks to all the angelic bloggers out in cyberspace I will be having two small giveaways. Check in later for more details.

Inside and Outside #2

Hello there everyone. The sun is shining brightly here and its warm but not too hot. How I wish I could package up some sun and warmth and send to those of you who are shrouded in cold and snow :-)

Today I have been in the garden and here's the produce I have harvested for tonight's dinner. This photo was actually taken to send to my younger brother who is a great gardener but who, whenever I ask him "what shall I plant?" says 'radishes' (I love you little bro')

On the stitching front I have been making good progress on a 'Winter' themed piece for Crazy Exchange - but no photos of that until it is received by its recipient in mid-Winter.

Also making some more progress on Wiehenberg Quaker Christmas. This is DMC 777 one thread of floss over one thread of linen on 28 count Antique White Cashel Linen. Rather hard on the eyes but will look great when its framed for Christmas 2010 (oops - hope I make it by then. This is only Page 3 of 28!)

Have a good evening everyone.

Happy New Year to you all

First post for 2010 and I wish you all a very happy New Year. Isn't it great to have a whole new twelve months to plan for. I have one exchange planned for February, three more cycles of the Round Robin and a long list of "what I want to do"

While on holiday in Wellington I did make a start on a Christmas present - how good is that ?!!

This is a freebie nativity design from Kirsten Schmidt (you need to scroll down). I intend to make this into a flat fold so am stitching it in half cross stitch over one thread on 26 count Brussels linen. Despite the coarse count of the linen this is hard on the eyes and I will probably rotate with one of the other four WIPs I have in the basket. In real life the DMC threads are much brighter - this is a lousy photo sorry.

Today it is 26 degrees and at 7:30pm is still sunny and bright outside. Have a good evening everybody.