What European City do you belong to ......

You Belong in Amsterdam

A little old fashioned, a little modern - you're the best of both worlds. And so is Amsterdam. Whether you want to be a squatter graffiti artist or a great novelist, Amsterdam has all that you want in Europe (in one small city).

What European City Do You Belong In?

Oh Kewl !!!!!!!! I already knew I have to visit here !!!!

What Colour Purple are you ???

Dark Purple

To others, you seem a bit dark, mysterious, and moody. In truth, you are just a very unique person who doesn't care what others think. And you really enjoy your offbeat interests and friends. You've decided that life is about living for yourself - simple as that.

What Color Purple Are You?

I'm not a purple fan - but I had to find this quiz for mum - and yeah - its pretty accurate!

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

You Are A Pine Tree

You love agreeable company, peace, and harmony. Compassionate and friendly, you love to help others. A natural poet, you have a very active imagination. You are very soft on the inside - needing affection and reassurance. You can fall in love deeply, but you will leave if you feel betrayed.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

Awww how sweet!

Gothic completed

Well I did *no* stitching over the weekend, then a blitz Monday night and then nothing since - poor FireFlower is feeling neglected .....

However the stitching I blitzed on Moonflower Monday night was to finish Gothic. Pics here:

She's finished, washed, ironed and ready to go to the framer's on Friday. I was thinking of a thin but intricately carved dark blue or black wooden frame. Paul suggests with a thin line of silver on the inside edge. Any thoughts?

What artist should paint your portrait?

Who Should Paint You: M.C. Escher

Open and raw, you would let your true self show for your portrait. And even if your painting turned out a bit dark, it would be honest.

What Artist Should Paint Your Portrait?

Oh WOW !!!! Ome of my favourite artists !!!!!

Round Robin Border Questions

Morning all, Back in 2004 I joined a just beginning RR for an email group that I am no longer subscribed to.

The RR was 12 people and supposed to last 12 months. I learned new techniques and ways of stitching - and I met The Dragon (Hilary) for the first time through that RR.

I also finally had my project returned to me 24 months later with only 8 people having stitched on it! I was one of the lucky ones! Some didn't get returned at all! Some came back with only three or four being stitched on them. It turned me off RRs for quite a while.

However two good friends here have offered to stitch two of the three remaining motifs for me, so I pulled this item out and having had the week off with a migraine, decided I'd play with the border of the piece during my more lucid moments.

I first unpicked the border that was there, then washed and ironed the piece and then started stitching in a new border. Close up can be seen here.

I used two limited edition Carrie's threads that Tracy sent me for Christmas last year. I created the border design myself, chose the colours etc etc all by myself. My first attempt at designing anything. It is a very very simple stitch, but I would like some feedback please. Honest feedback! What do you think of the design I chose? Are the colours complementary to the motifs already stitched? Are the chain links long enough ???

I'm still thinking about the inner dividers for the motifs. Not sure whether to just put the outer border and leave the inner stuff blank, or whether to use a thinner chain - only 3 stitches wide instead of 5 - for the inner border. I have enough of this thread left to do all of the inner border panels. I also have a red and a brown in similar toning in the same limited edition set that I could use instead for the inner border ..... questions questions ....

Any creative constructive criticism is eagerly sought! I'd love some pointers from you guys on how to improve this for next time ....

Gotta love Snoopy Dancing!

Love Snoopy Dancing !!!!! 

http://www.unitedmedia.com//comics/peanuts/

Mel's Late Monday update

Well I was hoping to report a finish today - but it was not to be. Had Paul around all weekend and spent my usual sunday morning stitching time, finishing book one of the Dresden Files! Gotta hunt down book 2 now ..... Teegs thanks for the heads up -I am loving this series! Liked episode one of the TV series too .. I love the way they've altered Bob for the TV series - Harry himself looks too grungy for my taste, but I love Bob - can I take Bob home ?????

Anyway I'm loving stitching this design and I've been playing with my stitching technique to get a better look from the variegated. I altered the direction of my stitching from horizontal to vertical to diagonal to try and keep the mottled shading moving smoothly around the design - and try to minimise the stripy look. Pics here!

Please guys - honest feedback - was taking this extra time worth it in the outcome? Does it look any better for me taking the extra time to change the flow of the stitches?

Anyway will hope to finish this next Monday!

You Tube - Introducing the Book

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

If you've ever helped anyone to use a computer - you will appreciate this :)

What does your Birthdate mean?

Your Birthdate: August 15

You take life as it is, and you find happiness in a variety of things. You tend to be close to family and friends. But it's hard to get into your inner circle. Making the little things wonderful is important to you, and you probably have an inviting home. You seek harmony with others, but occasionally you have a very stubborn streak. Your strength: Your intense optimism Your weakness: You shy away from exploring your talents Your power color: Jade Your power symbol: Flower Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Hmm - very very different to the usual answer I get - I'll need to ponder this one ....

Froggies !!!!!!

Ever stitched the same line of stitching four times and each time it wont line up and then you realise that the line you are comparing it against is the one with the mistake ????

Anyway its after midnight but I've finally finished the outline for this piece - having stitched the equivalent of the whole thing at least twice :)

Now just to fill in the middle - no thinking required and then attach the charm and we are finished.

The froggies didn't worry me - cause I still have broadband !!! YAYYYY !!!!!

Which Buffy Character are you most like?

You scored as Anya. You're a very straight forward person. Some people think you're self-centered, but you don't care. Though most of your relationships seem to shatter in front of your eyes, when you love it's with everything you are. Buffy Summers 75% Anya 75% Willow Rosenberg 71% Spike 63% Dawn Summers 58% Xander Harris 50% Tara Maclay 50% Rupert Giles 42% Which Buffy The Vampire Slayer Character Are You Most Like!? created with QuizFarm.com

I got a tie between Buffy and Anya :) I was hoping for Spike :)

GUESS WHAT I'VE GOT ???????????????????

I'VE GOT BROADBAND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its been on for an hour and I'm stilll doing an actual real-life Snoopy Dance !!!

Woo Hoo !!!!!!!!

YEEEE HAAAAAAA !!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day !!!

Yes it is the morning of 14 February ... I've driven and then walked past three florists this morning and I swear they have the world's supply of roses outside each shop !!!!

Well seeing as none of those roses or anything else is coming my way this year (yes self pity .... ) I decided to do a small S.E.X run to PTP

FireWing Designs - Singularity (chart and fabric)
Moonflower Designs - Stellar (kit)
and a present for mum: FireWing designs Shadow Storm (chart and fabric)

Then I came to work. On the way as well as seeing all the roses intended for other people, I stopped past my Post Office box. Inside was a package from VicStitch - an ONS based in Victoria - I don't remember ordering from them lately ....

IT WAS A PRESENT !!!!!! "From the Dragon" it says!

It contains a chart - Heritage Stitchcraft Silhouette: Late Shift and
a quarter (70cm x 50cm) of evenweave fabric. Colour is eggshell/pewter/ivory/china pearl ???

WOWWWWW !!!! Thank you Hilary !!!!!!

Umm as there is no invoice or anything with it - could you let me know what the fabric is please :)

Edited to include picture - also in RAK album.

Harry Potter Character Compatibility Quiz

You scored as Hermione Granger. You're extremely hard-working and will not feel satisfied with yourself unless you've given everything your all. You're very intelligent and make good use of your witty remarks and astounding ability to insult people. You tend to be a stickler for the rules but are smart enough to know that rules sometimes need to be broken. Your major downfall, however, is your fear of failure, which you should have no reason to fear. You love your friends but also like to keep them in line. Hermione Granger 94% Luna Lovegood 84% Sirius Black 78% Harry Potter 78% Lord Voldemort 75% Severus Snape 75% Percy Weasley 72% Ron Weasley 66% Oliver Wood 63% Bellatrix Lestrange 63% Neville Longbottom 59% Albus Dumbledore 56% Draco Malfoy 56% Remus Lupin 34% Harry Potter Character Combatibility Test created with QuizFarm.com

Hoffman Weekly New Cross-Stitch Book Listing

http://hoffmandis.com/newbooklistings/weekly.cfm
One of my favourite websites - Hoffmans lists all new charts they carry every Friday. Today they have just listed all their new releases from Nashville.

WIP - Gothic

Over on the PTP yahoo group they've decided to do a FireWing Friday so we can all stitch on Eva's designs as a SAL.  I half-jokingly added "well then, lets do a Moonflower Monday too!"

So last night being Monday, I pulled out an old Moonflower WIP and started working on it.  I started Patty's Gothic last year, but made a mistake right at the
beginning and put it down without frogging!  So last night I pulled
this back out of my UFO pile.  I finally found my mistake and frogged
and re-stitched.  Phone calls then interrupted me and I got no further
for the evening.  But I just wanted you to know that I did stitch on a
Moonflower project on a Monday :)

Burble on Cross Stitch

Karen wrote:
I'm wondering what impact internet stores are having on not just LNS,
but the chain stores like Wal Mart and Hobby Lobby (and whatever you
have in Oz) - the needlework stocked in those stores is getting mighty
thin, too.

Cross Stitch is certainly seen as an "old ladies hobby" by the stores here in Aus. And the major chain stores only put out charts for that demographic. Hmm why do I have the feeling I've had this conversation before.

I guess from their perspective, if this range works and sells to their target demographic then why get in a different range and possibly lose money when all their polls and market analysis says that younger women do different crafts like scrapbooking and beading. Those crafts are on the rise and all younger marketing is aimed in those areas - some of the scrapbooking supplies are funky, and hip and trendy and all those other words I hate :)

Oh well - as long as there is the internet and designers keep designing, I wont run out of things to stitch for a while - but I do miss being able to look through actual charts in an actual store and take a purchase away with me ......

I liken this to work. As you know I manage a small branch of a public library. We have eight branches to our library. Seven branches are roughly in a half hour drive radius from the central core. So the drive between branches can be up to an hour depending on which spoke you are in in and which spoke you are going to ....

Anyway we have a floating collection, any item you borrow from any branch can be returned to any other branch. That means if we have four copies of Darkly Dreaming Dexter, at four different branches, they all get borrowed and all four get returned to the central branch then the central branch they stay at until someone borrows them from there. *OR* you can request then to be sent to your branch for you. Once again depending on what time of day you make your request and where from and to it can take up to three days for the courier to get the item to your branch.

My fellow librarians can't see any issues with this! They've lost all appreciation for the lost art of browsing!

Whenever I am working at another branch I nab one copy of all duplicated popular titles and I take them back to my branch - to widen the range of browsable material. No-one else does that. They don't see what its a hassle if you want Book X and its at another branch then you only have to wait three days - what's the big deal ???

Its a completely different mindset! I just can't get through to these people - so I arrange what I arrange for my branch and just leave the rest of them to it.

Oh included here is the cover pic of the one item I bought at the NSLNS. This is the *only* item in the store that caught my attention and its a half price linen kit. Picture in RAKS and Presents album because I didn't know where else to put it .... oooh bother I just noticed that I didn't put a picture up of the chocolate Tracy sent me before I ate it {blush}

Which mix of the Hogwarts schools are you?

Which Mix of the Hogwarts Houses are You?

You are a Huffledor!: You're a natural peacemaker and mediator. People come to you with their problems and you're happy to help them. Friends are very important to you and you ever needed help you know they would be there for you. Your weakness is that sometimes you trust too much on the good will of other people, you have to remember that they don't always have your best interests in mind! You are generally optimistic about life and with the sweetness of a Hufflepuff and the passion of a Gryffindor you're sure to go far! Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Hi all, yes I'm back from my weekend away with mum - will blog tomorrow - am off to bed shortly - had a tiring weekend and I didn't lift a needle at all!

Anyway just thought I would quickly take this quiz and I'm afraid its probably too close to the truth - destroys my reputations but is probably the real me - well maybe not the mediation bit but the too trusting probably is true.

Mel's Thursday update

Evening all,

I'm heading down to mum's tomorrow for a three day weekend, and I *wont* be taking The Castle with me ... so here's a Thursday update instead. As some of you know I had a very frustrating week with threads constantly tangling and knotting - but oh well - I got a little bit of good stitching done today and I have finally completely finished the bottom level of the walls. Link here:

I'll start on the bushes and roofs next month.... it'll get me away from those pink and grey blends for a while.

Off to bed now.

Fire Wing Designs

http://www.picturethisplus.com/html/fire_wing_designs.html
For those who like dragons! I *must* add her latest "Singularity" to my stash as soon as its released at Nashville next week!

Dragons and Storms

Well OK them - one of each ...

Last night my dragon wish *still* sulking. I had just as many hassles as the night before and got even less stitches completed - around 10 stitches all up for an entire night's stitching!!! I might try changing the needle tonight - I tried all the different skeins of floss last night and they all tangled !!!!

We also had a storm last night, not a tornado or hurricane, just a large windy, thundery storm. Emphasis on windy! Loud banging as the trees hit the sides and roof of my house ... I've since found out there were whole trees uprooted further down my street .....

How did I find this out .... at 12:30am the emergency services crews turned up. At 1am they started their chainsaws to cut up the trees that had fallen where they shouldn't. And they kept at it - loud whining chainsaw noises from 1am until 4am. And then the noises of the hydraulic winches as the pieces of trees were removed. All went quiet around 5am - when the cars started up as the first of the commuters scurried off to the train station ......

I understand that the SES do a great service, I know that some of these trees could have fallen onto people's houses .... but if I *ever* find the a##hole who constantly revved his chainsaw when it was not in use - for over three hours !!!! - I will go all Dexter on him and chop him into little pieces and put him in garbage bags and feed him to the crocodiles and alligators at the local reptile park!

Chainsaws have an idle function for a reason !!!!!

I got a couple of hours sleep and then the weather hot me - really warm and muggy - rally tropical weather. I looked out the balcony and everything seems fine in my front yard. I mean there's more debris, but hey, how can you tell? All telephone, electricity etc cables are still intact. I went out the back door. I attempted to go out the back door. Pics here and in my backyard folder ...... Once I removed the offending bit of tree - required me to put the camera away and use both hands and all of my strength - it was firmly wedged in the decking - I could scamper up the stairs and check on the car.

Salem was covered in debris but appears to be OK. I removed most of the leaves and small twigs and crap covering her and there may be a few scratches on the duco, but the rest is fine - no dents or smashed windows etc.

Coming back down the stairs I looked up on the room and saw more of the offending tree on the roof - so I grabbed the branches and hauled them off the roof. I can't see any damage, but seeing as they are roof tiles, I'll tell the owner tonight and she can have a look and decide whether or not to get someone in to look and see if any are cracked ....

So basically I have a headache from lack of sleep thanks to revhead chainsaw owner but no other hassles. I've called in sick to work and I'm heading back to bed.

Fabrics and Internet

Received the last 2 missing FOTM packages in the mail on Monday, Powder Blue is cute, but I really love Wandering Ivy - and now I have two types, the linen Natalie gave me and now the opalescent lugana !!!!!

My next door neighbour (and owner) got broadband on the weekend. No worries no fuss. Needless to say I rang the company on Monday and demanded an explanation - they couldn't give me one. They tested my line yet again and still no go.

However they then realised that I had put in a second line, and they tested *that* one and apparently that one is fine! Apparently the second line is broadband compatible! Huh? Both lines are through the same physical cable come up to the house from the street ???????

Anyway skepticism notwithstanding, I'm not the sort to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I agreed to sign up for broadband yet again - I'll find out in a fortnight whether it actually is going to work. As I said, I'm hopeful but skeptical!

Finally Paul and I went to the local reptile park on Sunday afternoon. As well as the reptiles and spiders they had a great collection of Australian native birds mammals and flora. Took lots and lots of pics but will need to sort through them before trying to upload any. Due to their entertaining education officer, and the sheer variety of Australian fauna all in one place, I would recommend this place as a Must See for all overseas visitors. And not just because its only 20 minutes down the road from me :)

And finally my Dragski hates me ...... {sigh} .... I think he got jealous because I was enjoying working on Fire Flower last week. I sat down with the castle last night and the floss tangled, the pinhead stitches wouldn't stay, the needle wouldn;t glide properly! No frogging due to poor stitch placement, I put the stitches in the right place, but oh the thread !!!! I had to do every stitch two or three times because of the tangles and knots! and that was using two different threads straight off the skeins! From four different skeins !!!!

I'll try again tonight.

Mel's Sunday update

Well as you all know I started Marc's Fire Flower this week - and this is as far as I got :)

A broken down freezer full of meat and Aussie summer weather made an unpleasant foray into my stitching time for a few nights this week - but I've been having a ball with this design - each of the elements flows into the next one - it is a stitcher's' dream!

I really didn't like the thread I chose when I first started - and I finally figured out why - the colour change is much faster than in the thread Marc used for his model. I was figuring this would be the slow languid change of colour as his was - but instead it seems to jump and leap in sashes from burgundy to olive to straw .... Now that I've done more of the design, I've decided I love this thread after all !!!!

Details:
Chart: Fire Flower by Marc Davis
Threads: Almost Autumn limited edition by Carrie's Threads
Fabric: 32ct Black Belfast linen
Style: All done in two threads over two - including the backstitching.
Specialty fibres: kindly donated by Troublecat.

Onto TW's The Castle SAL for the next week ......

Fabrics and Phone calls

OK so it *sounds* like alliteration ....

After a night of disturbed sleep I received a rather wonderfully long phone call from Claire this morning !!!! (eeep I didn't realise how long we'd been on until we hung up !!!!)

I love conversations that range all over different topics :) And she has a gorgeous accent and a great sense of humour and is a treasure mine of information !!!!!!

Just posting pics here and in my Fabrics album of the FOTMs that arrived in the mail a couple of days ago - this is the November selection and then in the album are both November and January - there's a light green with a faint mottling of purple (I know Chele wont pinch that one) A lovely terracotta, a beautiful mottled blue and white (TC restart 5 perhaps?) and a lovely pale warm beige .....

I'm also slowly adding more pics in my wildlife album - a possum that visited last night and a kookaburra I took pics of over New Years.

Also depending on my upload times, there will be a cute new pic of Trouble in her album at some point over the next few hours .....

Off to do a touch more on Fire Flower before posting update ......

Whine ......

Stitching Bits and Bobs is selling the whole Dye Is Cast line of threads at a discounted price - but its still too expensive - I just can't can't justify $300 Australian - not fair I want I want I want {stamps foot - pouts}

https://www.stitchingbitsandbobs.com/cgi-bin/Store/pageread.cgi?Discontinued

I thought if I could nab these now then I have them for when Tracy's next design comes out and any other charts I have in my stash that call for these threads .....

Oh well - thems the breaks .....

More Fire Flower

Well after the freezer incident and consequential freezer issues I lost a couple of nights stitching, but I'm back at it tonight and here's the next update. I've now finished the main central motif - and yes I'm happier with the thread colour now that I've done more :)

Pics in FF album Teegs.