Bliss-X-stitches

Dinosaur Alphabet - Update No. 1

2012-01-27T15:19:00.002+08:00

The Rock Doctor Love Dinosaurs

First Weeks' Efforts

Australia Day 2012

2012-01-25T23:49:00.000+08:00

As the kids used to say to me "Hot day, isn't it, Mum?"
We're having a heatwave here in Perth.
It's decidedly nasty!
Nonetheless, we walked down to the river to watch the fireworks at 8pm on Australia Day
There were supposedly 500,000 people sitting on the foreshores, in the parks, etc around the river.
I'm sure that that was a fairly accurate number.
We had a great time!
Happy Australia Day

Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T08:44:00.001+08:00

My Personal Finishing Challenges

2012-01-18T08:06:00.000+08:00

Becky Bee's Stitching Hive is hosting a BAP Challenge.

Those who complete the challenge will have their name added to a drawing for a $100.00 gift certificate from the ONS of Becky’s choice.

I think Becky's BAP Challenge is a great motivator even though I'm not going to join.

I've got so many projects on the go that I really shouldn't start another one!

Two years ago, I joined a SAL with Margaret and Berta. The year before that, we did the 'Frederick the Literate' SAL. The girls were such an inspiration.

I should finish my chairs before I commit to something new.

I should also finish these...

Panda Days

Mermaids of the Deep Blue

Grand Marquoir

And this ...

It's a Dinosaur Alphabet for Felix

Enjoy the Ride

2012-01-16T16:57:00.000+08:00

This little gem is playing at our local Perth cinema. It's worth your while taking time to watch.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:01:00.000+08:00

Happiness & laughter to one and all

Felicity

2011-12-24T22:30:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Worth checking out...

2011-11-03T09:53:00.006+08:00

I haven't done a lot of internet stuff lately. Except for stitching, going to the gym & working a few days at school every couple of weeks, I don't seem to have done much stuff at all, to be honest. I did, however find this blog when I went looking for instructions on how to finish off a project.

flossieteacakes

I love the Tabitha Bag, Matryoshka Needlecase and Zippered Coin Purse Tutorials.

Melbourne Cup 2011

2011-11-01T13:05:00.002+08:00

Congratulations to Dunaden – winner of the 2011 Emirates Melbourne Cup! Living up to expectations, this year’s Melbourne Cup was a spectacular day of racing, fashion & entertainment!

Cross Stitch Collection issue 199 featured the first part of this huge racecourse design by Sandy Littlejohns and Deborah Lester (above). I love it!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

A Travelling Stitcher

2011-10-20T19:26:00.010+08:00

I am a ...

Traveling Stitcher
(a quick & easy stitch done in a week)
designed by
Little House Needleworks

Welcome to a new era in Blissful blogging!

Castle Bliss has been abandonned. The MOTH is no more.
Lucy & Harry are living with The Living Doll.

The Drama Queen is, of course, still the drama queen
(some things one cannot be changed).

Before you have heart palpitations, I should explain myself.

The MOTH has taken up a new position in the company for which he works.
This has required us to move from Brisbane, Queensland to Perth, Western Australia. We're about 4,000km from home and having the time of our lives!

© http://maps.google.com.au

We've taken an apartment in the city centre for a year.
If we stay longer, we will buy a house with room for the pooches.

The MOTH has become The MOTA (Man of the Apartment)!
The Drama Queen is teaching part-time and has taken up piano lessons.

The TUSAL glass is perched upon the piano & restarting from zero.

I've also joined a stitching group for the first time in my life.
Mondays & Wednesdays, you will find me travelling with TransPerth to Colours Down Under, still the most diverse cross stitch supply store I have visited worldwide (see my May 2009 entries), to join other stitchers for needlework, chat and a lot of laughter.

As I have plenty of time on my hands, I finished the Traveling Stitcher project in a week. I'm going to make at into a little zippered bag (not unlike a pencil case or small makeup bag) to carry my scissors, tape and needles.

I've also started another knitting project, this time for yours truly.
I'm using Patons Inca Lite which is supposed to be an 8ply wool but which is actually a 12 ply wool. There's no escape from those wretched fine knitting needles which made my hands so sore.
I love it!

The finished product will be well worth the effort.
I first made a jumper / pullover like this way back in 1998 when I needed something to keep me warm in France.

Wish me well!

I'll be back soon with more news, I'm sure.

Baby Blanket Happy Dance!

2011-09-06T14:01:00.002+08:00

Brookfield Show 2011

2011-05-21T20:05:00.009+08:00

Grand Champion of the Needlework Section
The Watergarden - Chatelaine Designs

It wasn't me who stitched it, by the way, but I have given myself 2 goals
for the show, next year:

Goal 1
Next year, enter something at the fair
in at least 3 different needlework sections!

Goal 2
Encourage other local stitchers to put in a project.

The Little Prince enjoyed himeself,
can't you tell?

Racing to Finish!

2011-05-16T03:41:00.006+08:00

Some things take precedence in life.

I'm knitting a blanket for The Little Prince and one thing I've learned about knitting blankets is that, unlike learning French or listening to audio tapes, one has to sit and knit, not make it grow by simple wishing!

Hence, no blogging. My sincerest apologies for no contact lately. It has been for a good cause.

Another lesson I have learned is that I will only ever knit four such blankets - one for each of the off-spring (as opposed to each new grandchild). They are hard work! LOL

The good news is that it should be finished by the end of the week so I will go back to stitching.

Time Out

Remember these cuties? My three older off-spring had them framed for my recent birthday.

The photo above is not a masterpiece, but the actual thing is simply gorgeous in its new frame.

The Little Prince

No 1 grandson is almost 9 weeks old. Last week he giggled at me for the first time. How wonderful was that? Mother & baby are doing really well. The only thing that The Divine Miss M. (The Princess Royale) is worried about is if her future children will be as delightfully easy babies as their older brother. Ah, to be so carefree! LOL

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Special Delivery

2011-03-15T12:59:00.009+08:00

To the Princesse Royale & her Rock Doctor

Their very own Crown Prince
Born 15th March 2011
At 11.20am
(Australian Eastern Standard Time)
(3370g or 7lb 5oz)
(48cm or 18.9")

Much happiness & laughter being experienced at
Castle Bliss

Mardi Gras Salsa!

2011-03-08T14:12:00.006+08:00

Cross stitch Happy Dance No. 1, 2011

A Quaker Christmas
Fabric: 28ct Country French Cashmere from Wichelt Imports
Stitch Count: 320w X 205h
Floss: Crescent Colors (Balsam Fir, Cupid, Ye Old Gold)
Started: July 2008
Finished: 8 March 2011

The Princess Royale
Another Happy Dance Due Later this week

Interesting times, folks. Interesting times.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

New

2011-02-26T01:32:00.003+08:00

© Papillon Creations 2011

Design size:-300 x 490 stitches
Finished stitched size:-
14/28 Count fabric:51.1 x 82.6 cm (20" x32½")
16/32 Count fabric:44.7 x72.1 cm (17½" x 28½")

It is designed as a companion piece for

Love With A Capital L
(which I stitched in 2007)

Yes, I'm a knitter

2011-02-24T04:34:00.003+08:00

I'm one of the very lucky ones. I come from a long line artistic/creative people (musicians, painters, engineers, architects, tailors, cabinet makers, sail makers, farmers/gardeners etc). Hence, thanks to watching my maternal grandmother and eldest sister knit, knit, knit when I was little and seeing the results of some pretty spectacular projects, I too caught the bug.

Having watched and learned (and being left handed), I knit from right needle to left.

This is the little jacket I started last week. Cute, isn't it? It still needs some buttons. Mama-in-training immediately put in an order for a matching outfit (for herself).

Baby News

2011-02-16T05:53:00.011+08:00

The Princesse Royale and her Rock Doctor
are expecting their first baby around about the 12th March.

She asked me the other day if I was excited.

LMAO

The whole family is excited!

We all find every excuse to visit or get together just so that we can watch Baby grow!

More than ever, we are ladies who lunch

Sunday get-togethers with extended family are back in fashion
(The Rock Doctor's Family on Sunday).

And of course, I'm doing my Grammar knitting...

Insanity - you get it from knitting!

I've been counting in grids of 10 x 10 stitches for so long that I get Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms each time I get to 20 while trying to count my 289 stitches. I think the red matinee jacket might have too many stitches because I've miscounted badly way back. LOL

The Birth Sampler has taken a back seat for a wee while because I've decided to wait until Baby is born to choose the design.

As she or he is going to be a Rabbit Baby (born in the Year of the Rabbit), I have a strong urge to stitch this:

Yes, I'm excited. I have a severe dose of Grandma Fever. I think and talk babies with whoever will listen. Fortunately, my other 3 daughters and 5 sisters seem to have been struck by the same baby bug. Even fellow park walkers (the 5AM groups) regularly ask me how The Princesse Royale is going & if Baby has arrived.

Over 30 years ago, however, one of my aunts wisely reminded me when I was preparing for my wedding that my mother had had her wedding and that it was an event to do it my way rather than my mother's way. I've been giving the Princesse Royale space to find her maternity and mothering feet. While she was morning sick and very anaemic, I worried for her rather than enthused about the baby, but as Madame glows like a lighthouse in good health these days, the two of us talk babies and swap baby stories (Madame is a midwife) in endless happy chatter.

Baby & I are also getting to know each other more. Yesterday, for example, in the car while driving his/her mother around Brisbane in search of the perfect pram, I introduced him/her to Classic 70s Australian Rock at the volume one is expected to listen to it. He/she liked it! LOL

Happiness & laughter to one and all.

I'll keep you posted about our special event.

Felicity

My Three SALs and the Current WIP

2011-01-20T06:13:00.008+08:00

I should be working on a baby sampler, but I haven't yet started. I want to see my new grandchild before I do. That's my excuse, any way. LOL

Current WIP - A Quaker Christmas

The Seasonal Chairs

At the beginning of the Australian winter 2008, I joined with Margaret & Berta to do this SAL. Obviously, the others are long finished. I'm still plodding along.

2011 Wednesday SAL stitching with
Taryn & Kaye

2011 Friday SAL stitching
with Paula.

What are you currently stitching or planning to stitch?

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Confession Time

2010-10-07T18:15:00.006+08:00

Meari's blog is telling me to get my mind back onto stitching, this week.

It's not possible, I say!

I'm too busy having an affair with Tom!

Tom is squiring me around town (occasionally taking me via Warwick in the hinterland, it seems) & I'm having fun. Yesterday I went down to the Gold Coast to see the Crown Prince's Consort. Tomorrow Tom's taking me to Bribie Island in the north. My little red mazda & I are clocking up the miles this week.

The MOTH seems quite pleased, really. He's in Singapore for work so he's not here to escort me places himself so he's quite pleased that Tom is happily telling me where to go and how long it will take to do it - and that I'm doing what I'm told.

"Tom?" you may ask. A simply gorgeous English accent and all ... a dream.

Every girl should have a Tom in her life - a Tom Tom, that is.

I love my GPS navigator!

Some time soon I'll tell you about my other love affair with family history.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

The cute pic above folks is from Tracks Publishing Ltd. Gorgeous, huh? For more info about where you can get their product email: info@tracksltd.com

Felicity's Fabulous Friday

2010-10-01T02:53:00.001+08:00

I'm not stitching at all, at the moment.
It's not bothering me at all because I'm too busy researching the family tree
and writing a paper.

Need a laugh and total perspective on where I'm at with stitching? Go & visit Spinster Stitcher and Master Stewey Angus Willowswamp, His Very Cute Self. This week, 'they' are as entertaining as ever and right on the money!

Felicity's Fabulous Friday

2010-09-24T11:24:00.004+08:00

Hi Folks,

I hope you have been happily talking amongst yourselves while I've been silent.

I've been busy! Fortunately, school holidays are with us once more & so I am back. I'll get around the sites and see what YOU have been up to, this weekend.

I thought you might like to see the sampler I've decided to stitch for my wee Fifi Trixiebell (the nickname I've given my future grandchild, for those of you who missed the announcement).

Cute, isn't it? Joan Elliott is my fave designer.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Stop Press

2010-08-14T16:06:00.005+08:00

The Crown Princess and her Rock Doctor announced today during a birthday celebration picnic in the Botanical Gardens that they are having a baby in March 2011. They're chuffed! We are all very pleased for the happy couple.

Of course you know what that means, don't you?

I'm gonna be a GRANDMA!

Felicity's Fabulous Friday

2010-08-13T10:42:00.004+08:00

The 13th August is International Left Handers Day.
Left handed me produced the left handed Crown Princess on the 13th August 1981

The Crown Princess Turns 29 Today.
She's one of my best creations!

Miranda aged about 6 years shown wearing one of my sewing creations.
For her 11th birthday, all she wanted was a shop bought dress!

With her lovely rock doctor, Duncan

All My beautiful creations Done Grown Up!
Yeah. Right!
The unofficial 50th birthday pic

The Official Pic for my 50th!

Fabulous Five

2010-08-06T05:20:00.002+08:00

6th August 2005

We celebrated with lunch under a blue umbrella at
Morgans Seafood Restaurant

Yummy seafood!

Felicity's Fabulous Friday

2010-07-23T06:27:00.004+08:00

The bathroom-laundry renovation is all but finished!
The MOTH & I tried out the bath earlier this week.
A heaven!

Panda Days
Reappearance of this little cutie.
This is 19 hours of stitching

Mermaids of the Deep Blue
Still gorgeous, huh?

Branded as Pirates

2010-07-22T07:18:00.004+08:00

© Randal Spangler's Fantastic Art Realm!

Please be aware that this entry may offend some people.
I'm going to talk about copyright.
The rule is not 'Thou shalt not get caught'.
The rule is "Thou shalt not do it!

“We have been alerted that over 5,000 charts have been shared amongst folks from customers in Australia and Canada (primarily) over the past 6 months. This is a violation of copyright and we have to take steps to prevent it” wrote the spokesperson of a well known cross stitch chart maker in a recent newsletter.

Great! Just what every Aussie and Canadian stitcher wants to hear. We were branded as cross stitch pirates. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Fortunately, the statement was modified a short while later in a second mass mail out (no doubt after several emails like the one I sent).

“I wanted to send an apology as I have offended folks in Canada and Australia. I never meant to say that these two countries were where the issues lie,”

Snort!

The trouble with pointing the finger at innocent parties is that they sometimes go looking for trouble. I did. I spend 2 days (on and off) searching in English, Spanish, French and Russian for pirate versions of said company’s charts. I didn’t find a single one of Australian or Canadian origin but I am stunned at how many pirate charts from just this one company are online and available for download. The author of the original email has a right to be worried. At one site alone, I found hundreds to look at and download! I looked at quite a few, I admit, but like my email to the director of the company stated:

“The reality is that a [name of the company] chart has to talk to the stitcher. One has to like the artwork to want to take time. Most real stitchers actually buy their patterns [because] they want to stitch, not just to have (yes, I admit sometimes it may take a while if one has a stash pile like some people I know).”

In the end, I kept it simple. I want the company to stay in business so I told the director the worst offending sites and bought the charts I want to stitch from the company. Along the way, I also emailed to a few other cross stitch designers and companies that they might like to do something about the piracy of their charts on the same and similar sites. It's now up the the companies to do what they think they should do.

Why am I blogging about this issue? It’s certainly not to blow my own virtuous trumpet! In this day and age where almost anything you want can be found online or so I’m told (the best thing I ever found was The MOTH), not everything we find is good for us. Pirate versions of our favourite patterns may save us money in the short term and may be nice to have but they eventually put the companies which produce the originals out of business. Piracy kills the desire to create because, like the rest of us, artists need to keep the wolf from the door. If one is so busy working to provide food for the table, one can only work at what one creates in the spare time.

Think before you leap. Say no to piracy. Don’t do it!

Felicity's Fabulous Friday

2010-07-16T15:46:00.006+08:00

Laundry - almost finished!

Bathroom -getting there!

Mermaid - looking fabulous!

Thanks everyone for your wonderful encouragement in the last month or so. Feedback that is constructive when I'm experimenting (& wondering what the heaven's name I'm doing) keeps me motivated during times when I all I want to do is kick the cat. Poor Gypsy!

I'm an avid renovator but the dust & chaos get to me as time drags on and where functional rooms, like a bathroom and the laundry, are out of action. Fortunately, we have a second bathroom at Castle Bliss. Do you remember the kitchen renovation of 2007? That was a nightmare but finally resolved itself into a gorgeous and functional kitchen! We've had few problems with this project, so it will be finished by this time next week. Yippee!

Having expressed concerns, I can only say that both renovation and mermaid are looking good. We have a fabulous team working on the reno. As for Nora Corbett, I'm sure she is spinning in despair on her office chair at my colour changes (if she knows about them). LOL. I like the mermaid on which I'm working. It will be the addition of a few beads on the outer fins before I'm 100% sure that I'm keeping it as it is, though.

Hoping that everyone in Blogworld is well, & wishing you happiness and laughter over the weekend. Stay safe!

Felicity

Friday's progress

2010-07-09T14:33:00.006+08:00

10 days of hard yakka by a team of dedicated professionals!

Not quite so many days of work.
My mermaid looks like she has high blood pressure.
No doubt, her health will 'improve' once all the beads are applied around the neckline.

Sparkley Girls

2010-07-08T03:53:00.004+08:00

Mermaids of the Deep Blue - Update No: 3

Day 8 close up

The MOTH's eldest son & his new wife
15th May 2010

The MOTH & his wife at the same 'Do'

Blue!

2010-07-05T16:06:00.004+08:00

Castle Bliss Renovation &
Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea (MoDBS)

Day 5 of the bathroom reno

Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea (MoDBS)

Day 5 of MoDBS

It's all related to water!

2010-07-02T09:18:00.010+08:00

Castle Bliss Renovation &
Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea (MoDBS)
Scroll down to see MoDBS

Out with the last of the pink!

We're on the home-run of renovations. The previous owner of our house (now fondly refered to as Castle Bliss because it stands at the top of a steep hill where we can sit on our veranda and watch the world go by) painted all the walls, tiled the floors and even had the kitchen and laundy cupboards built in salmon pink! The carpets were grey white or beige, both non-descript colours, depending on what area in the house they were. While somewhat old hat, it looked quite nice except that all the window frames are classic cream. The pink is now all gone.

Before: Laundry (there's nothing structurally wrong with it except that it needs a new tub and the tiles were stuck on the floor with wall glue rather than floor tile glue and therefore starting to lift.

The Bathroom: That's a short and narrow bath, even for the short people of the world, like me! The MOTH likes a tub too and his long frame simply cannot squeeze in without his legs up the wall.

The shower on the other side of the vanity basin (not shown) leaked into two walls (fortunately, it hasn't had much use since the Cadet Princess went to university 2.5 years ago), so it had to go and even part of the frame removed and replaced. There was also old but treated termite damage some time in the past before we bought the house in one of these walls, as well, so it's a good thing we went back to base.

Bathroom: End of Day 3 ... Everything's ripped out and the problematic walls have been fixed up.

Laundry: End of Day 3 - plumbing for the new tub (which is larger) and a new back door to let in some light.

Now the important stuff...

Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea (MoDBS)

What you have here are two examples of colour.
The green is the designer's choice. The blue is mine.

Here you can see the blue in detail. I'm still not 100% sure about it, but in my opinion it's a vast improvement on the two first attempts using the designer's choice of colour.
What do you think? Tell me even if you don't like it.

That's your lot for today. It's back to watching fit young men work, for me. LOL

Happiness & laughter to one and all and a great weekend!

Felicity

The Golden Age of Jazz Gala Ball

2010-06-27T06:22:00.001+08:00

Dressed for the ball in Grandma Duffy's crystal beads

Today is what should have been my mother's 80th birthday. As I have no new pictures of her to share (she died in 1993), I'm showing my dear readers a picture of me taken last night dressed and ready for a ball. The beautiful crystal beads were given to me some years ago. Originally, they belonged to my mother's mother, Molly (Reid) Duffy. How special is that? A jazz ball requires something from the era!!

Molly was given these beautiful beads back in the 1920s by my grandfather, Ven, either as a gift for their first wedding anniversary or for her 21st (I will have to ask my aunt for which). That makes them about 82 years old, even older than my mother! They are gorgeous, aren't they?

About the ball, The MOTH & I had a lovely night with friends. The music was very good (Jim Morrison and his youth band - one of the best musicians in Australia), the food superb.

UFO = destined to float around unfinished for an eternity

2010-06-16T01:09:00.014+08:00

Thank you everyone for your wonderful support! Your emails and blog comments are, as always, encouraging. I'm stitching about 4 hours per week at the moment. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm doing with myself. Life's one peanut butter sandwich after another (read: dog walk, gym visit, house clean, doctor's appointment, grocery shopping trip, visit with off-spring, job application). Pretty ordinary, really.

About the only real news is that we went to a family wedding in mid-May (no permission yet to post pics of the bride and groom, unfortunately) and The MOTH is again well after weeks of post-op recuperation. Phew! I feel like a wet rag this week. I decided to spend a day in bed just because my leg muscles were too sore to be bothered getting out of it. How lazy is that? Don't start worrying about anything. I'm fine, happy and having fun. It's nothing complicated. I just had a chance to do it (something I rarely do). As much as anything, it's getting colder by the day (winter is here) and I had a chance for an escape from Lucy and Harry who follow me around day in and day out. LOL

A Quaker Christmas - Update No. 7

It's just over half way but I have put it away for a little while.

Grand Marquoir - Update No. 3

Goodness knows what I've been doing with my time, lately, but obviously it hasn't been looking at the calendar in my cell phone. Yesterday I found a note to self that read: June 30, 2010 - finish the Vautier Grand Marquoir Sampler.

Yeah. Right. It's not going to happen, folks. June 30 is only two and a half weeks away! For now, the Grand Marquoir Sampler is in my UFO (read: I've put it down for a while but not for eternity) pile. That's not to say that I've not worked on it at all, I've simply put it down for a while ...

September 2009

June 2010

Medieval Town Mandala -Update No. 2

At the same time that I found the edict on my phone about GM, I found another: December 31, 2010 - finish Medieval Town Mandala. This one is more than possible and I should do it, but do I really want to finish it by then? I thought I did. I even worked on it all last week, even though I hadn't yet read my phone notes. We'll have to wait and see. It is one of my all-time-favourite designs but it is currently been pushed out in favour of Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea.

September 2009

June 2010

I guess you could say that I've got a rotation going (GM, MTM, A Quaker Christmas and now the MDBS). I rotate just enough that the fore-mentioned 'eternity' doesn't quite get reached. Pathetic! LOL

Mermaids

What can I say about the mermaids? I love the sampler and I hate it. I have already started it twice on two different pieces of fabrics (it seems a super easy stitch) and both projects have been abandonned. I think the problem is that the colours don't work together for me. I don't like the recommended fabrics with the floss and I haven't found a better piece of fabric. Or maybe I have... I have taken a leaf out of Paula's example and changed the floss colours. "The colours where?" you may ask. Wait and see. At this point, I'm thinking of swapping the yellow-greens of the mermaid 'dresses' to blues, the green fins to purples and the blue fins to greens. I might stitch a couple of changes and get opinions. Then again, I might even go coral reef for the dresses since I spent most of my adult life until quite recently living in coastal cities near the reef. LOL. Keep your fingers crossed, stitchers, I'm going in!

By the way, I found this while surfing for ideas, pardon the pun. Though I cannot remember who did it, I love it! The stitcher has put in lots of thought and effort.

From reading this blog entry, I guess you could say that life's kinda floating along and my stitching choices are ecclectic. It's semester break at uni, Winter break at school and I'm home most days. I'm trying to plan some cross stitch work from my stash supply and have too much from which to choose. I like mermaids and Christmas and most things Joan Elliott or Isabelle Vautier. The Medieval Town Mandala is unique. I like it but I loathe Martina Weber designs, in general, and simply cannot understand how the woman designs cross stitch patterns but never stitches models of her work to see if they work as well on fabric as they do on the computer screen before publishing them (particularly when the last online class I saw was some enormous sum like 74 Euros/$125+AUD).

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

A Quaker Christmas - Update No. 6

2010-06-05T17:32:00.002+08:00

Thanks everyone for your wonderful support with this project!

Quaker Christmas - Update No. 5

2010-05-30T05:29:00.006+08:00

I've discovered that The MOTH is one of those people who thinks Christmas just 'happens'.

He has been hanging around the house for the last few weeks & quizzed me as to why I was working on something 'Christmassy' at this time of the year. It's all perspective. Methinx that this project is going to be ready for Christmas 2012 at the speed it is shaping up! I should have started it two years ago ... er, in fact I did, didn't I? Sigh!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Family Wedding

2010-05-18T03:53:00.000+08:00

The MOTH's eldest son & his new wife
15th May 2010

The MOTH & his wife at the same 'Do'

Happy Dance No. 1 - 2010

2010-05-10T04:58:00.002+08:00

These sweet little puppies are just tuckered out.
They have been hard at play all day.
Or, if they are like my two,
Mama has used her big voice
so they have run for cover.

Designer: Dale Tremblay Begley
Finished Size: 14" x 7" (36 x 18 cm)
Started: January 2010
Finished: 9th May 2010

Update No. 4

A Quaker Christmas
Fabric: 28ct Country French Cashmere from Wichelt Imports
Stitch Count: 320w X 205h
Floss: Crescent Colors (Balsam Fir, Cupid, Ye Old Gold)
Started: July 2008

June 2009

May 2010

The Mad Tea Party

2010-05-07T09:09:00.005+08:00

In honour of my 50th birthday, The MOTH, Paul, & my children (The Crown Princess, Miranda; The Crown Prince, David; The Living Doll, Diana; and The Cadet Princess, Gabriella) threw me a Mad Tea Party! Everyone cooked for a week before the event. On the day, the off-spring, their father (my ex-husband) & The Crown Princess's SIL slaved away in my kitchen. They did a marvelous job, don't you think?

I thought I chose what I wore to the event, but it seems I was manipulated by the girls to choose the outfit that went best with my husband's huge surprise of dressing as The Hatter! Isn't he gorgeous?

The cooks did a wonderful job!
(This is a small sample of their work)

The Crown Princess

The Crown Prince

The Living Doll

The Cadet Princess with her Mama
(she and her brother were official photographers for the event as well as cooks)

The gift from the children was the long-ago requested portrait to hang on the wall.
Yes, they had to do it their way, didn't they?

My beautiful babies!
They did the same thing (with teenage ninja turtle masks) when in 1991 when I wanted an official photo for their paternal grandmother in the clothes that she had bought them for Christmas!

New Zealand Break

2010-04-26T10:25:00.000+08:00

The birthday celebrations are done, so now it's time for recovery!

The MOTH booked a unit by the inlet at Paihia in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, for this short working week between two long weekends in Brisbane, so we're playing golf in the mornings (albeit badly since we haven't played it since we were here last year), haunting the few coffee shops & restaurants that are open in the off season at lunch times & evenings, and spending the afternoon stitching. What a life!

Last year's project for the same trip was Lettres à mon Chat by Isabelle Vautier.

This year, I've taken along Dog Tower, an item from the 2010 Margaret Sherry Collection. The two pieces are not exactly a matching set, but they work well for the natures of my four legged beasties and the walls in my house.

Cute, huh?

I've also got some fiction in translation to read: The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard. It's his first novel. I've had a sneak peek, and it seems to be quite a fun read.

Happiness & laughter to one and all. I'll fill you in on holiday details when I get back!

Felicity

50

2010-04-23T05:00:00.005+08:00

50

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my shape to keep.
Please no wrinkles, please no bags
and lift my butt before it sags...

A little divine intervention never hurts!

It's St George's Day and my 50th birthday. It's a day worth celebrating!

The MOTH, my ex husband (I'll have to find him a nick-name, sometime), the Royal Family & I are going out to dinner, tonight. On Saturday (tomorrow), The MOTH & I are having lunch with his parents & a couple of school friends I've known since the 1970s, and then we are having a Mad Tea Party at home at 3pm with my siblings & their families & other friends. It's going to be a hoot!

Thanks to everyone who sent cards, letters, gifts or emails. In the next little while, I will reply to you all on an individual basis.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Time Out - Update No. 9

2010-04-20T23:36:00.000+08:00

All that is needed is just a little backstitch.

Thought for Today

2010-04-20T18:11:00.005+08:00

Women are Angels.
When someone breaks our wings,
We simply continue to fly
...On a broomstick.
We're flexible like that!

Time Out - Update No. 8

2010-04-18T07:34:00.002+08:00

There's not a lot of stitching going on at Castle Bliss at the moment
because we've been doing skylights and roof repairs, but
stitch by stitch, the project is getting there!

This is where it was at a month ago:

Time Out

This is today:

I want a photo of you in honour of your birthday, Harry

2010-04-03T07:48:00.008+08:00

You want what, Mama?

Do I HAVE to?

"This is how you do it, Harry," said Lucy.

How about this for a pose, Mama?

"Get on with it, Dipstick!" hissed Gypsy.

OK, OK ... let me sit down and pose properly...

Hello world. I'm two today!

Time for Some Real Shopping!

2010-03-29T09:45:00.005+08:00

Groceries, that is.

I've organised the envelopes & gift certificates for the competition winners, though a few of the winners still have not yet emailed back with addresses. By now, the gift certificates should be in Inboxes (or not far off). I'll do my postal duties tomorrow.

Craft fair, stash reduction, blah, blah ...
It's really time to grocery shop when one starts stealing sultanas from the cereal box to put in a cake mix! LOL. I've been letting the pantry run down because it seemed overstocked. As with most things I do, I think I over-did it. Easter week has arrived a week earlier than I thought (somewhere since January I changed the date in my head to the weekend after next) & there's not a thing in the house to eat unless we share Lucy & Harry's dog kibble.

The MOTH & I are on our own again for the festive season (which we seem to be doing a lot of, lately). The Crown Prince is off to see his Princess who is over with her family on holidays, in Korea; the Crown Princess & her consort are off to visit HIS parents in Toowoomba; the Living Doll is probably working (she only ever works and sleeps) & the Cadet Princess is, hopefully, eyes glued to the textbooks in order to pass the up-coming uni exams (yeah, right!).

We had a fabulous weekend here at Castle Bliss. The MOTH wants to buy a new car (you can imagine how much quid pro quo mileage of stash I'm going to get out of that!), so he arrived home on Friday afternoon with an A3 Cabriolet to test drive. No, dear readers, we are not buying a car like that, but since the dealer said:

"Take it for a spin!" who was going to argue? We zoomed over to Manly (the seaside) & munched fish & chips before returning topless (car, that is - though next time I will wear a hat to save my face from my hair). It was f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c-!

On Saturday, I went to a ladies' breakfast followed by another drive in the car before its return. On Sunday, we finished a last bit of painting and rehung pictures around the house. It took all day, but I now feel that we are 'at home' again. It's a lovely feeling. It also means that apart from a bathroom & the last bit of the roof (we're waiting for fine weather for that job), we're done with renovations for a long, long while. Woo hoo!

Next project: "A Rose Garden" - we have the perfect sunny spot for it.

A bit later this week, my Harry turns two years old. How the time has flown since he was a pup!

I'll take his pic on the big day.

In the meantime, I wish happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

You Won!

2010-03-24T17:26:00.007+08:00

First Prize - $50US gift voucher from 1-2-3 Stitch
Barbara at Barb's Stitches

2nd Prize - $10US gift voucher from 1-2-3 Stitch
Nic at Girl As Mad As Birds

Consolation Prizes
(a gift of something from my stash pile)

Dawn from Crafter's Creations
Meari from Meari's Musings
Tama from Stitching Daze
Sue from Stitching and Life in the Company of Pets
Terri from Threads Through Time
J. Rae from Rae of Sunshine Stitches
Karen from Little Cat Blogs
Lili from Another Cross Stitch Addict
Carol R. from iStitch
Maggie from BlackCountry Wench

Girls, I've tried sending you all an email, can you check your junkmail, please? Send me your snail mail addresses (even if I'm surpposed to already have it) so that I can get something out to you as soon as possible.

Thanks to all 85 participants for being such wonderful sports during the last year. Your encouragement & your friendship through comments, emails and letters has been priceless! I would have loved to give each of you something special during this round of giveaways, but it wasn't possible.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Blog Anniversary Today!

2010-03-23T04:22:00.001+08:00

Welcome to my cross stitching blog site. It's here that I am going to tell you about the projects I'm working on and all the stash that is part of the enthusiasm of cross stitch.

So said the first entry on my blog in 2006. 4 years later, I'm pleased to say that the stitching and blogging has continued despite interruptions of work, renovation, restoration and travel. Much of the enthusiasm is, thanks dear readers, to your encouragement. I've had a ball! Now, here comes the celebration bit for you.

As way of thanks, I have a giveaway! The competition is only open until midnight AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time which is to say until midnight GMT+10hrs Brisbane time). It's not a long time, folks.

There are two categories: First prize is a $50 USD gift voucher from 123stitch. To win in this category, you have to have already commented on my blog before yesterday's date AEST. Entry to the draw is automatic. To clarify: if you have contributed to the blog comments any time between 24th March 2009 and 21st March 2010 AEST, then your name is automatically on the list. I’ll collate the entries and get the MOTH to pull a name out of the hat on Saturday, 27th March.

Second prize is a $10 USD gift voucher from 123Stitch for those who read this blog entry today and who enter the draw before midnight (AEST) today. Everyone's name (previous commentators & new friends) goes into this draw. This means that you could win up to $70USD in gift vouchers, but you have to make a comment today.

Spread the news far and wide for the second category, because I'm happily celebrating the anniversary of my blog and my big birthday on the 23rd April.

Consolation prizes are available to those who have made comment before today (as yet to be determined). I've got some stash that I will never stitch so I’ll the anniversary as a method of giving it away.

Pictorial Update: Week 11, 2010

2010-03-20T05:42:00.006+08:00

Family Gathering!

Feeling short!

The Crown Princess

The Living Doll

Angels Afghan by Joan Elliott

Time Out

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Lá Fhéile Pádraig

2010-03-17T03:56:00.011+08:00

We're doing family dinner tonight to celebrate! I'm of 3/4-and-a-bit Irish origin (I have a great grandfather and his ancestors from Yorkshire in England - hence my very English surname - and set of great great grandparents from Newfoundland, so that 'waters me down' a bit). My family was also Catholic, so during my childhood we always celebrated St Paddy's Day bigtime!

The celebrations abruptly stopped when I married my first husband who was of Chinese origin. My celt origins were ignored totally because Chinese seemed so much more 'exotic'. To be fair, I think this partly also because I prefer Chinese cooking to potatoes and sausages. I loathe sausages of any sort and no experimental cooking is ever going to change this fact! Potatoes are more my thing than rice.

The MOTH, like my first husband, ignores that he's probably as much Irish as I am, yet celebrates that he has two ancestors of Welsh origin on his father's side (hence his Welsh surname). Too bad! The 82,425 people of Welsh origin in Australia are of probably of the same origins as St Patrick, anyway.

It's time to start celebrating the Celt in us, again! Tonight's about the Reid, the Duffy, the Hodgkinson, the Collidge and the Griffin in us! I've tried out a few recipes and settled on Guiness stew, stuffed mushrooms, fresh beans and mashed potato and a long walk after it (LOL). The Living Doll is doing her version of something Irish for dessert (which will be interesting considering she works in a British pub). The crown princess and her half English consort (his father was born in England) are looking after the drinks for the evening.

May you never lie, steal, cheat or drink.
But if you must lie, lie in each other's arms.
If you must steal, steal kisses.
If you must cheat, cheat death.
And if you must drink, drink with us, your friends.

Felicity

Colour

2010-03-06T19:00:00.007+08:00

I'm in the process of choosing colours for a new project.
I need two which complement each other...

Colours are chosen very carefully in design,
due to the attachment of emotion and tone that they carry.

Red - Energy, passion and attention.
Blue – Associated with trust, security, stability and peace.
Green – Freshness, growth, vitality, calm, wealth, prestige
Yellow – Light, optimism, motivation, warmth, positive
Purple – Sophistication, royalty, sentimentality, mystery, spirituality
Pink – Energy, fun, youth, excitement, affection, romance, sentimentality
Orange – Fun, vitality, youth, health, exuberance.
Brown - wholesomeness and earthiness. While it might be considered a little on the dull side, it also represents steadfastness, simplicity, friendliness, dependability, and health.
Black – Power, class, seriousness, drama, sophistication, boldness
White – Purity, peace, cleanliness, freshness

Which colours suit your creativity and inspire you?

Colour Relationships
In addition to understanding colour meanings, it helps with mixing and matching colours to know the relationship of adjacent, harmonizing, contrasting, and complementary colours.

Adjacent or harmonizing colours appear next to each other on the colour wheel. Harmonizing colours often work well together but if too close in value they can appear washed out or not have enough contrast. A harmonizing trio could be something like blue, light blue, and cyan or perhaps red, orange, and yellow.

Contrasting colours are separated from each other by other colours -- they come from different segments of the colour wheel. The further apart, the more the contrast. Red (from the warm half of the colour wheel) contrasts with green and blue (from the cool half of the colour wheel). Shades of purple contrast with shades of green.
Contrasting colours that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel may be described as clashing colours.
Despite the name, colours that clash are not always a bad combination if used carefully.
They provide great contrast and high visibility.

Complementary colours are on opposite sides of the colour wheel - they are each half of a pair of contrasting colours. For example, blue is a complementary colour to yellow. Green is complementary to purple and magenta. A pair of complementary colours printed side by side can sometimes cause visual vibration (clash) making them a less than desirable combination. However, separate them on the page with other colours and they can work together. Note the spelling. These are not complimentary colours. They don't always flatter (compliment) one another but they do complete (complement) each other.

Cool Colour Meanings (calming): Blue, Green, Turquoise, Silver
Warm Colour Meanings (exciting): Red, Pink, Yellow, Gold, Orange
Mixed Cool/Warm Colour Meanings: Purple, Lavender, Green, Turquoise
Neutral Colour Meanings (unifying): Brown, Beige, Ivory, Gray, Black, White

Time Out - Update No. 6

2010-03-02T06:49:00.004+08:00

The quick stitching is done, so progress reports are fewer in number.
Even so, it's still a fun stitch!

Saturday mornings at Castle Bliss

2010-02-27T12:16:00.012+08:00

The MOTH & I used to have a Saturday routine of "up early , walk the dogs, get fit, use up calories blah blah..." You know the good intentions. We've done it for years! Fortunately, poor Lucy and Harry have hot spot (skin infections) which mean we cannot take them out for walks at the moment, so we have had to change the routine...

Since our return from France, the Saturday activity has been "wake up as we wake (still about 5.30am in summer when it's light at 4.30am), shower and go to the Powerhouse museum vege markets for mushrooms, stuffed olives and great coffee and 'bugger the the dogs we'll walk them tonight!' " routines. What a life!

Today we followed the new regime & then headed to the south of Brisbane (we live in the way north West) in search of a garden nursery for supplies. What a wonderful and expensive mistake, dear readers. We arrived home with three triangle palms for the pool yard, a golden cane palm to fill a 'dead spot' in the back garden row, a hydranga because it was pretty, an olive tree because 'what the hell, we've spent a fortune, we may as well feed the cat another canary' and receipts for the leather lounge chairs for our family room and the back veranda dining setting which we have been searching for for about five years - all which seem like impulse buys but which are carefully chosen purchases we could never find, if you know what I mean.

As we were sipping champagne on our veranda chair to celebrate (not that we needed an excuse to sip champagne), it crossed my mind to ask you, dear readers, if you have ever had one of those days that seemed to fall into place but when you then analyse the situation you realise that that dream has been carefully planned and organised up to an inch of its life since Adam was was a nipper at Coogee Beach? Today was one of those days, for us.

Special, huh?

Nobody could afford it to happen too often, but goodness it was fun!

Happiness & laughter, one and all,

Felicity

P.S. Yes, I put about a hundred stitches into the 'Seasonal Chairs' project this week, but then frogged them. Let's just say that I was having a van Gogh moment and put them in the wrong place. Waa!

I'm Weak - Updated

2010-02-26T06:41:00.001+08:00

Blessings from the East

Paris Market

The Library
Designed by Little House Needleworks

Blunt statement on my part

2010-02-24T13:16:00.010+08:00

I'm probably having a fat day which makes me whine more than usual, but quite seriously Nora Corbett of Mirabilia Designs has either got an eating disorder or or a problem with fat people, folks. I really like some of her designs but the models are all so disgustingly anorexic! Do you think that we could approach her to design a few more 'womanly shapes' for her subjects - broader shoulders, bigger breasts and bottoms with proportional waists? As women we really should be complaining! If a man had designed cross stitch like this, we'd have been up in arms long ago.

I'm sick of the pre-pubescent look, to be honest. It kind of gives me the creeps in the same way that 40 year old men used to give me the creeps when they'd leer at my 11 year-old tall-and-skinny, flat-chested daughter dressed in shorts when we went to the beach.

Anyone got an email for her? Please email me so that I can get the ball rolling!

This is what I mean by 'real shape':

Joan Elliott's 'Queen of the Seas"
at least has well rounded boobs, nice waist and a gorgeous bedonkadonk!

Voluptuous Mermaids by Jill Oxton

Time Out - Update No. 5

2010-02-22T20:30:00.004+08:00

These kinds of puppy eyes watch me all day!

Time Out - Update No. 4

2010-02-17T17:12:00.001+08:00

In order to avoid stitcher's butt
I'm going out for the day tomorrow and so won't be stitching.

Gee, I'm gonna miss you, darling!

2010-02-16T19:16:00.008+08:00

The MOTH and I have been having a running (tongue in cheek) conversation about finances, this, last week or so. It goes something like:

"You spend $X on lunches five days per week, so I can spend the same amount on cross stitch stash, right?"

Or...

"I've spent $XYZ on my wine collection, today, Mme Bliss. That must translate into a kit or two from 1-2-3-Stitch, huh?"

LOL

The reality is that lunch & pocket money versus stash money cannot be equitable because that wouldn't leave enough room in our house for both stash AND The MOTH. Much as I love cross stitch I love The MOTH more. I'd miss him if trips to Woop Woop meant that he couldn't come home again because of lack of storage space. LOL

It has, however, kept us amused as we sip a glass of wine on our front veranda in the evenings watching the sun set over the hills.

What kinds of similar (totally without use) conversations do you have with the Man of the House, chez toi?

Claire, The MOTH is hoping you are on his side rather than pro-stash. LMAO

Time Out - Update No. 3

2010-02-16T05:33:00.004+08:00

I haven't done this much stitching in months!
I'll have pressure sores soon. LOL

Two Celebrations!

2010-02-14T19:35:00.007+08:00

and

February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 320 days remaining until the end of the year (321 in leap years).

February 14 is internationally known as Valentine's Day, a holiday celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. In 2010, it is also “Lunar New Year" or Chinese New Year, usually something big in my family owing to Han Chinese origins. Oh happy day to all of you, however you are celebrating it!

The MOTH & I are traditionalists. We went the romance pathway today. We swapped cards, a dozen roses and I cooked a feast of Kashmiri roast lamb followed by French cheese cake (a new recipe) for dessert (perhaps to get the Chinese New Year flavour, it should have been beans and meat and rice). We also did the romantic film bit –Notting Hill being the choice for this year. I’m seriously over-full tonight! Thankfully, Lent starts on Wednesday!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Stitching workshop

2010-02-13T09:31:00.004+08:00

Saturday is market day so we went to the Powerhouse Market, this morning. On the way home, The MOTH did the 'manly' thing and had the car washed (water restrictions, yad.da, yad.da, yad.da) at a venue right opposite my LNS.

No, no, no! The resolution is still intact, dear readers! But ...

I enrolled in a 4 week advanced cross stitching course for all the fancy dancy stitches. Hence, calling all stitchers in SE Qld. Come one, come all! The course starts on 15th April and runs each Thursday from 6 to 9pm. The cost is a very reasonable $100.00 for 12 hours of classes.

The teacher is Marjorie Poole formerly from Marjorie's Needlecase, a well known LNS that was on Baroona Rd in Milton.

For reseverations, ring Julie or Stacey at Peppermint Stitches on 07 3161 6606.

Time Out - Update No. 2 - A Quick Stitch

2010-02-12T08:05:00.004+08:00

If I Sew Fast Enough, Does it Count as Aerobic Exercise?

This project is a really quick stitch, folks! I stuffed around with it for about 2 hours on the weekend & then had to frog what I did (having gridded the fabric last year before I left for France).

I thought to myself in disgust: "Why am I bothering?" Then, I took a look at the two reasons why (both of whom were asleep at the back door) and made the decision that the only way to get a good grip on the project was to set it as my project for Tuesday afternoon & Wednesday after the MOTH left for Woop Woop. I don't want it to take the three years it took me to do Frederick the Literate. The pic I published yesterday had about 10 hours stitching in it. It's mostly half stitches.

As you can see, I did some work on Thursday too. I hope to finish the quilt before The MOTH gets home from work today.

Get it out of the stash pile and start stitching, girls. With the gridding, it's a cute and easy stitch, I swear!

I do have to fess up to one thing. I've got a New Year's Resolution to keep. I won't buy myself any stash until I've finished at least two projects that I have going. As you all know, I never do little projects, so as I have a wishlist an arm long at 123stitch, I have to actually DO some stitching before I can buy anything on it! LOL

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Time Out - Update No. 1

2010-02-11T04:43:00.005+08:00

These sweet little puppies are just tuckered out.
They have been hard at play all day.
Or, if they are like my two,
Mama has used her big voice
so they have run for cover. LOL

Designer: Dale Tremblay Begley
Finished Size: 14" x 7" (36 x 18 cm)

Harry & Lucy
(not puppies any more)

I told you ages ago that resistance was useless & you agreed.
A day of stitching, at last!
The MOTH is away so I took a day out to get the project going.

Family

2010-02-09T05:47:00.007+08:00

9th February 1980

Life's never quite what we expect, is it? Thirty years ago today, I got married for the first time. I was not yet 20 years old. He was 27. We were truly in love, folks, truly in love.

I expected the marriage to last forever. It didn’t. At the time he left, he told me that it was because I didn’t do enough for his career. The truth was that at aged 40, he changed his mind about what was important to him. Marital & family obligations got in the way of work commitments, so he left.

I cried for 2 years. Then I got on with living my life again, not just breathing in and out. I raised the four kids, went to university, then went to Europe & finally went to live in another town where I met The dearly loved MOTH, some time later. The rest is a story for another day.

This long ago marriage was a failure, so why am I celebrating it here on the blog? For me, the most important thing in life is family. The marriage failed but friendship between us & our sense of family prevailed. The ex wasn’t emotionally around for most of my 30s nor early 40s, but, for him, somewhere in the early to mid-noughties, family life took front row again. It’s one of those scenarios where you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s really gone (kids grown up, wife married to someone else, everyone living 2000km away). All off-spring, no matter what age or stage need both parents. We made a great team as parents!

July 1991

June 2007

Family, warts and all, is always a fabulous reason to celebrate!

My simple advice is old wisdom:

Don't ever be afraid to try to make things better;
You might be surprised at the results.
Don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.

Happiness & laughter to one and all. I'm enjoying the beautiful flowers he sent this morning.

Felicity

House repairs

2010-02-05T09:36:00.007+08:00

Picture taken March 2005

I haven't been doing much stitching since I arrived home. We had more water into the house while we were away, so my primary 'creative' focus has been to organise repairs to the roof.

It's going to be a major job! The builder gave me a list of things that I need to do, so I've organised plumbers to fix blocked downpipes, arranged the chopping of the offending trees (and a couple of others that were termite infested), looked at paint combos (to spruce outside the place up - the worst bits cannot be seen in the picture, but they were last painted when the house was built 16 years ago), made decisions to get a couple of skylights installed at the same time, etc. It's hot work but a lot of fun. We won't know the place when we are done.

I probably went too far with the tree pruning, to be honest. All the shrubs that have offended me over the last 4.5 years got the chop. They are the ones at the back of the veranda that you can see. I've made way for some citrus and mango trees (just one mango tree). I will be off to buy self-cleaning Alexander palms for around the swimming pool, too.

Lucy & Harry don't know what has hit them, either. The house has had a good cleaning, so they are not allowed inside until I have enjoyed (for long enough) the dog-hair free zones. LOL.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

OT - Black Lucy

2010-01-27T04:02:00.003+08:00

I thought I’d give this little meme a go …

YOUR REAL NAME: Felicity M G D
YOUR GANGSTA NAME (first 3 letters of real name plus -izzle): Felizzle
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME (favorite color and favorite animal): Blue Dog
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle & street names):Maggie Coburn
STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of Mom's maiden name): Grafeduf
YOUR SUPERHERO NAME (2nd fave colour, fave drink): Crimson Water.
YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME (Mother's middle name and father's middle: Mary Noel - I think my Witness Protection name is cool, but now that you all know it, I'll be forced to change it. Darn!
YOUR GOTH NAME (black, and the name of one your pets): Black Lucy - the best!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Black Lucy

Australia Day

2010-01-26T04:20:00.000+08:00

Thanks to Anne for reminding me of this beautiful Australian poem.

My Country

by Dorothea Mackellar

The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze…

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Friendship Happy Dance

2010-01-21T08:32:00.005+08:00

Hello everyone. I'm home!

It's unbelieveably hot, I'm jetlagged and I'm suffering from 'what next?' syndrome, but hey it's good to be back home again (one could make up a song that goes like that, huh?).

The house is a mess! Obviously, no one has done any housework in Castle Bliss since about August 2009 when the Drama Queen who lives here took herself off to work at School for Nerds. I cannot believe the paper clutter and dog hair which have accumulated in cracks and under tables that I haven't noticed for the last 6 months. Sigh.

Time to clean up. I put on my specs and took a serious look around on Tuesday ... and got distracted by the arrival of a month's worth of mail.

So what's the picture here all about? It's a happy dance that I've never declared even though I finished it some time back in 2006. It was just a quick stitch that, despite its size, only took about 10 days to do. It lives in a drawer in the spare room because I'll never be able to afford to frame it.

I've dragged it out today in celebration of all it represents - friendship. I've spent the last 48 hours going through the mail I have received from cross stitchers around the world since I started this blog. Some of it I didn't know that I had because the flood from late November 2008 meant that the house went into 'hybernation' for a couple of months and The MOTH carefully packed it in a 'safe place' (you know the story). As I sorted through the current stash of Christmas friendship mail and stowed it for safe keeping, I found the other box of about 20 letters.

Thank you, people, for your letters and cards and gifts over the years. In life, it's not just what you do that counts, but with whom you do it. 2009 will go down as the year of stupendously hard work (studying, teaching, house repairs and dragging myself around after The MOTH and his cruel work schedules). It has all been worth it when I read your letters of friendship and encouragement. I teach part time so that I can spend more time with The MOTH when he's around. I stitch AND I blog even though blogging uses up valuable stitching time because of the friendships I've formed with people who do the same. Together we make the yearly travel around the Sun something worth doing as we 'talk' about our lives and our happenings. My long ago friend, Roz, taught me the value of friendships like ours and how they do good in both directions of the friendship. We also keep the family GP worrying about the big stuff while we work out the small stuff together. Thank you!

I'm slowly getting through the pile, rereading your letters and replying to each in turn. Be patient with me because I'm probably going to take some time to get through it all.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

An Afternoon with Claire

2010-01-05T20:02:00.005+08:00

Felicity & Claire
at Le Bonheur des Dames

One of the greatest joys about this trip to France has been the chance to catch up with friends. On Tuesday, the MOTH & I spent a wonderful afternoon with Claire. Words are going to fail my efforts to describe exactly how wonderful an afternoon we had, yet it was talk, talk, talk the whole time we were together.

After a long lunch at the local Italian ristoranti where we swapped life stories and gifts (Claire generously gave me Isabelle Vautier's book of hearts) & proudly showed off our Grand Marquoirs (Claire's daughter's marquoir inspired my choice of colour), we wrapped up warmly & headed over to Le Bonheur des Dames to explore a little and have a photo shoot, & then back to a Tabac to keep warm while we chatted some more.

I've always thought that Claire's blog was inspirational. Claire herself is charisma personified! She was truly one of the special people to meet in life, even if it was just for one (all too short) afternoon. My simple advice to readers is that if you get an opportunity to meet a fellow stitcher, take it. My experience with Claire has taught me that it's a well worthwhile thing to do.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

P.S. For photos of my last trip to Le Bonheur des Dames & examples of the beautiful kits available in the shop, click here.

Susan Boyle sings with Elaine Paige

2010-01-02T01:24:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T17:08:00.002+08:00

Love, happiness & laughter to one and all in 2010,

Felicity

Back to Limoges

2009-12-30T20:00:00.000+08:00

Jocelyne & Felicity

Michelle, Felicity, Danielle, Naddy & Jocelyne
(together again after 10 years!)

The MOTH's business dream come true!

Jocelyne & Pascal
in George Sand's garden

Between September 1998 & May 1999, I had the wonderful opportunity of working at a college in Limoges. During our time in France, I had another wonderful opportunity to return. The MOTH & I travelled by train to stay with our friends, Jocelyne and Pascal, and their two children (not pictured for safety reasons). Pascal cooked for us the most delicious meals & Jocelyne organised some wonderful excursions in and around the town (walking in the old village, excursions to find cross stitch shops, trips to the local porcelaine factories & to the Aubusson tapisserie museum & George Sand's magnificent house included). She also organised high tea with fellow teachers who I met while I was there the first time. It was wonderful to catch up! Thank you, dear friends.

Les Petits Points - Limoges

2009-12-29T12:39:00.007+08:00

Come on in and be inspired by the beautiful work of Patricia Linder!

My purchase: Le Carnaval

"Let me tell you what I ate, Mum!"

2009-12-25T23:27:00.000+08:00

Crown Princess, aged 7 years, announced as
she climbed into the car after her first Brownie Camp
(Gladstone, Qld. 1988)

Le Jour de Noël 2009 has come and gone. Thanks to everyone who sent me good wishes for the season, either here or on Facebook. Your comments were much appreciated. It was only my second Christmas in France (I was in Limoges in 1998) and only one of a handful I've not spent with my family since I became a mother just over 28 years ago. I needed a bit of a boost, to tell the truth.

I have to say that it didn't seem like Christmas this year. Joyeuses fêtes and Bonne Année don't do much for me if celebrating the God bit at Christmas is totally ignored by the general public because it's politically incorrect to say anything. Why bother to celebrate Christmas without a reason for the season? It smacks of hypocracy.

Because of the unexpectedly sunny day, The MOTH & I took the Metro only as far as L'avenue des Champs-Élysées and walked the uncrowded few blocks further to our rendez-vous for lunch at Brasserie Lorraine at place de Ternes. We spent a delightful and delicious three hours in the company of our Australian friends from Newcastle, NSW, Natalie and Paul (& their three young children) and Sandra, from Huston, Texas, USA. The food was wonderful and the friendly table service without fault. What a Christmas treat (my only ever meal in a restaurant for Christmas day)!

After a wonderful three course meal, The MOTH, Sandra and I walked home via the Arc de Triomph, the Eiffel Tower (where we left Sandra at her apartment) and Montparnasse almost back to Gare de l'Austerlitz. Where else but Paris, huh? It was magical! There were no kilojoules to rest on my hips after that 7+km walk, let me tell you. LOL. I had Bûche de Noël for afternoon tea, today.

Food experiences have been a highlight of our 'trekking expeditions' around Paris, this week. Eschewing the Metro, we've walked for miles just so that we don't miss viewing a thing! Each day, we've lunched somewhere different (spaghetti in the Latin Quarter on Monday, a Corsican restaurant just off rue de Rivoli on Tuesday, a pub at the Mouffetard markets on Thursday). Delicious! Thanks to Harry and Lucy, I am quite fit enough to do it!

On Christmas eve morn, we planned our route to Cluny museum before leaving home, not realising how wonderful the markets were in rue de Mouffetard. I'll leave you with mouth watering to enjoy what we found - pictures say a thousand words.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

2009-12-25T11:59:00.000+08:00

-2°C SNOW!

2009-12-16T13:45:00.008+08:00

Le Bonheur des Dames - front window display

Hi there, this is France calling!

The most important thing about today, the 16th, is that it is my son, the Crown Prince's, birthday. The travelling trio, the prince's household, are spending their Australian summer break freezing their dangling bits off in Japan & Korea where it's rather cold at the moment! I'm sure you get the picture, dear readers. Happy birthday, David!

Not that the weather here is all that different. Yesterday's maximum was apparently a whopping zero, but as I wasn't outside for that heatwave, my personal maximum was only -2°C. Tomorrow, Thursday, it's supposed to snow. As someone not used to really cold winters (Brisbane maximums in Winter are often 23°C), I'm excited about the prospect. I'm pretty sure those of you who are used to cold winters think that I'm nuts. LOL.

My language and culture classes go from 9AM to 6.30PM, Monday to Friday. As you can imagine, I'm mentally stuffed by the end of the day. To counteract this mental fatigue, I explore the neighbourhood close to the school during my lunch hours. Most days, you will find me (sandwich au jambon in hand) trotting along the boulevards looking in the second hand book windows, staring open mouthed into the model doll house shops, or something similar. Yesterday, I found a cross stitch shop!

Le Bonheur des Dames is located just off the Grands Boulevards. It is one of two outlets for the creations of Cécile Vessière. This particular shop is run by her son, Monsieur Vessière, and he was kind enough to let me take lots of photographs for the blog. Fellow stitchers, let me tell you how beautiful the samplers of this talented designer are! She stitches nearly everything on either natural linen or on a cream fabric.Her stitching themes include the seasons, the months home, country and the sea. I particularly liked her table cloths, but they aren't the size of my table for eight, sadly (I'd need two life times to stitch them).

The shop didn't have a large range of other designers (a token number of DMC) but there was one designer that I've never heard of - FUYICO. Very pretty. For me, the highlight was the sampler of Thea Gouverneur's Paris in the front window (see above). Shoe shopping be damned! LOL. I could have spent Ali Baba's fortune in this shop alone!

Meanwhile news from Australia is two-fold. The threat of a transfer to far flung places has disappeared and so Lucy & Harry will now be able to live the term of their natural lives with me. Also, The MOTH is packing to leave on Saturday morning. By Sunday lunchtime, Paris time, we will be reunited!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

P.S Thursday, 17th December: Snow is lovely the first time you see it on a brand new day. This evening, I almost broke my neck on my way home, so I can see the less romantic side of it. I'm not quite as nuts as you thought, dear readers.

Morning Walk in Paris

2009-12-13T02:41:00.004+08:00

Greetings from Paris!

I'm settling in for a quiet evening indoors, listening to the music of Boris Vian (music that my father would have loved) while I write a few letters and reflect upon the year and decades which were.

It's getting quite cold for this Australian so far from home. While Brisbane has sweltered all this week with temperatures above 34C, it is getting colder each day here in Paris. It barely reached 8C today. It's marvelous weather for long walks rugged up in my thick old coat (though I should also have wron my gloves).

Being Saturday and having no classes to attend, I organised myself early (tidying my room and taking my clothes to the drycleaner) and then set out for a long morning of exploration - my first opportunity to do so since Paul's and my walk along the Champs Elysées that first week.

The first port of call was the local market. In Brisbane, we have the open markets like the ones at the Power House, but nothing like what I have seen in Europe and in Canada. For the locals here, they are a daily event. For me, they are a specialty which always remind me that Christmas is just around the corner, no matter the time of year it is. I think that it's because the food on display is the kind of food that we eat for special occasions ( oysters, specialty salamis and hams, cheeses, cuts of meat, game, poultry and rabbit). Er... no. Yes, they have rabbit, but I cannot knowingly eat rabbit because I'm a girl of the mixamatosis rabbit erradication era in Australia (stories about which I could tell that would make your hair fall out and your eyes roll to the back of your head). There was also a man selling pine Christmas trees - oh what childhood memories that brought back!

After that feast of the senses (the sights, the smells and the raised voices of vendors happily selling their wares), I set off to walk from Gare de l'Est to the Seine along the boulevard de Strasbourg which at a half way point changes to the Boulevard de Sébastepol. I walk a third of this route each day on my way to classes, but today was the first time that I poked my nose into any of the coiffeur type shops selling the most beautiful hair pieces and wigs that I have ever seen. Oh how I wish that the princesse cadette was with me, this morning!

Just to put you in the picture, I visited Gabriella in Townsville (about 2000km north of Chez Felicity) about a month ago and while I was there, she got me to put a bright red rinse in her hair. She has been experimenting with hair colour for a while now. Each time she comes to Brisbane, she has a different colour mixed in with the natural-born black: blue, red, pink, purple...

Anyway, back to my walk. Gabriella would have loved Bld de Strasbourg with all its trucs et astuces for hair. Par contre, my hair is so fine, I got the urge to shave it off and buy a gorgeous wig, but figured I'd end up looking like a character quasi escaped from the set of Prisilla Queen of the Desert.

Crossing Bld St-Dénis, I managed to resist the call of the bookshop next to Monoprix where I've already spent way too much money on books (oh how British Air will love me when my bags are weighed in at the end of my séjour in Paris!), I continued along the same boulevard, now named Bd de Sébastepol past the furniture shops until I got to rue Rambuteau where I turned left, first to see l'église de St Eustace and then to retrace my steps a bit to go to Les Halles. The Living Doll (let's be honest here, Felicity: any female with your DNA flowing through their veins - 5 sisters and 3 daughters) would have loved the shoe shops along the rue Rambuteau (who am I kidding? Anywhere I've been in Paris where I've drooled over shoes the way Harry the labrador drools at the mere mention of breakfast my sisters and daughters could easily have disposed of Ali Baba's fortune). Oh the boots, girls! Long, short, high or low healed, leather, suede, plastic and in any colour you could imagine. Where's my hanky?

I've always loved to faire du lèche-vitrines at Les Halles. I went there today, though, with a mission - to check out FNAC's book and CD floor. Good news is that it's still there. I'll take the MOTH when he arrives.

My last detour on my way to the river was to set eyes on the Pompidou Centre. En grève. Oh well, a treat for another day, next weekend, perhaps! This Paris icon is one of the late 20th Century presidents' bold grands projets or grands travaux. Unveilled in 1977, it prompted a furore (as did François Mitterand's Louvre pyramid in 1989) but, like the pyramid, it's now much admired. The building houses Paris' premier culture centre and is so unusual that you could spend hours looking at it (as I have done) without ever going inside. It reminds me of a building made from my brother's Meccano set - with plumbing pipes and air vents, painted blue and red, forming part of the external facade.

I managed to control myself and turn back once I got to the river even though I was oh so tempted to go and visit Notre Dame de Paris, my favourite building in Paris. I retraced my steps back to the gare where I enjoyed a late lunch before exploring the shops in my own quartier. I saw the nicest handbag that I have ever seen and nearly had a heart attack at the 999€ price tag. After that, it was home to settle the nerves and read the weekend newspapers (oh how I wish I could speak French as well as I can write it!).

Now it's time to get the washing dry.

Au revoir, dear readers. I wish you much happiness & laughter until next time.

Felicity

Romance in Paris

2009-12-02T13:41:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was The MOTH's last night in Paris before he returned for two weeks' work in Australia. As regular readers of this blog know, my DH works in a position where he travels a lot for his work (mostly around Australia, but somtimes to overseas places, too). From time-to-time I go with him on his trips when the school calendar allows. This Paris trip is a little different. I here for MY work, not just his. You see, as well as English literature, I teach French language and culture. Hence, I got to stay for three extra weeks to spend time in country to improve my spoken French & to catch up on the latest 'gossip', so to speak.

After classes last night, The MOTH sent me a text message asking to meet him at the Porte Maillot Metro station. The plan was to have dinner in town and then, on our way back to La Defense, to get off at Georges V Metro and have a quick look at the Ave des Champs Elysées. We met and mounted the train, but at the last moment I grabbed Paul's hand and we descended the train earlier than expected at Arc de Triumph and we strolled the length of the street, hand-in-hand. I've seen all the Christmas lights before and they are just as enchanting in 2009 as they were in 1997 - breathtaking! But oh the doing of such a thing with the love of your life!

We didn't walk quickly, reader, we took our time to 'faire du lèche-vitrines'. I've got to tell you that if I could have put my nose on the windows of the car dealerships, I would have. I have never understood the 'pull' of a car or motorbike, but I can understand why people buy the beautiful Peurgeots and BMWs that I saw last night!

We had a lovely time walking in and out of arcades with their windows dressed for Christmas, but in the end, The MOTh's hunger got the better of him and we headed for the Christmas markets closer to La Concorde to find something for him to munch while we walked a bit further. It was all oh so romantic!

The MOTH is now winging his way back to Australia. and I am alone to cross stitch in the evenings once more. I'll last about 8 days before I miss him more than I want, if you know what I mean. He's often away but we are never more than those 8 days apart, but it's good not to speak any English for a wee while.

Anyway, I finally understand the romance of Paris. Even though The MOTH was only here for 3 days, we made it a romantic time, probably the most romantic time since we met all those years ago!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Paris

2009-11-18T06:20:00.003+08:00

It has been a while!

Thank you to those wonderful people who sent Romeo and Juliet texts. The students were thrilled with them. Your generosity always continues to amaze me.

Neither stitching nor blogging (writing or reading) has been done here since September. These days, I don't seem to be able to work at school, keep a home, walk the dogs, stitch and blog all in the same week span. Sadly, I don't have the same abilities as I had when trying to be Supermum to four teenagers. The adrenaline rush has passed.

Ah well. Things change. I'm off to Paris on the 28th November for seven glorious weeks of summer holidays in a winter climate (read: romance, nice food, French culture and professional development).

The MOTH (who should be renamed The MNAH - the man never at home - with all the travel he has done in the last 5 months) is going to get a chance to miss me, for a change. He has a meeting in Paris in November and one in London a few weeks later, but he has to return to Brisbane (to work) in between times. Hopefully, he will stay in Paris for a few weeks from Christmas.

Anyway, who wants a visit? I have a few free weekends for train travel if anyone is game! Email me and we will arrange something.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Updates - Grand Marquoir & MTM

2009-09-28T15:30:00.004+08:00

Both very beautiful and both wonderful to stitch!
My fave, though, is Vautier's beautiful Sampler done in DMC 839 & Kreinik Gold.

Isabelle Vautier's 'Grand Marquoir' Partie 2 is now finished except for an opening for a signature to be done later on), so this is a mini happy dance.

A week's worth of stitching on MTM.

I'm really missing The MOTH, who is away for work for the duration of the Spring break, but time alone at home gives me some worthwhile stitching time between walks in the park with Lucy & Harry and visits to the gym, both of which my hips need before the next round of family birthday dinners in October. The Cadet Princess (or is that La Princesse cadette?) turns 21 on the 19th, so the weekend before, she will be home from university in the north for a party with family and friends. The MOTH's benjamin son also has a birthday at the end of the month.

The Lost Symbol - review

2009-09-27T05:39:00.000+08:00

I'm surprised that this book got published in its current form. If it was written by one of my students, I'd have called it a second draft not ready for submission. It goes to show that the publishing industry must be quietly desperate for a hit money spinner.

It's 'formula written' and then ends up with a sermon to end all sermons. I so wanted to give up five pages before the end, it was so bad.

Save your money!

New Beginnings - Medieval Town Mandala

2009-09-20T06:07:00.007+08:00

Thank you one and all for all your lovely comments about my mermaid and my cats. They made my heart sing.

For those of you who asked, I have ordered the cat pattern for you, but as it has to come from afar, it may be a month before it drops into your letterbox. I'm not into a simple photocopy job because I sincerely think that Isabelle Vautier deserves her 2c worth for such brilliant designing.

It's now time to introduce my next project (not that I haven't already got enough going) - Medieval Town Mandala (aka MTM) designed by Martina Weber. You've all heard of a BAP - a Big Arsed Project, right? Well, this is a B$P - big dollar project. To kit up MTM from scratch here in Australia cost more than $300.00US. It's my 50th birthday gift to myself, I figure.

Here is the kit. I'm using Antique White Lugana 32 count and all the recommended silks. I've got to tell you that it is simply gorgeous just seeing it all together!

This photograph shows my first days of stitching. I've gridded the fabric, as I always do with my big projects and I started on the left upper-most corner. This is contrary to how the group stitched it because I bought the pattern AFTER it was published and I cannot find the centre on the jumbled pattern that Martina hands out after the group finishes. I'll get to it, I'm sure!

The best part of the project is that Spring break from The College of Nerds started on Friday, so I have two glorious weeks of stitching when I want to stitch while The MOTH is working out of town. Woo hoo!

Wish you were here to do a stitch-along-together on this one.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

21735

Framed!

2009-09-12T05:33:00.006+08:00

Lettres à mon Chat
by Isabelle Vautier
Fabric: Antique White Lugana 28 count
Threads: Anchor 1036 & 1355

Queen of the Sea
By Joan Elliott

Panda Days - Update No. 2

2009-08-28T10:34:00.003+08:00

15 hours of stitching

Panda Days - 11 hours of stitching

2009-08-22T04:06:00.005+08:00

A week or so ago, I introduced readers to a cute little panda published in the October 2009 (Issue number 129) of Cross Stitch Crazy. Above is my progress after 11 hours of stitching (pardon for the yellow tinge. I took the photo at 6am so the light was not too good). He's already quite cute, isn't he?

Other updates - my embroidery scissors are found! They were hiding (point up) in the veritable paradise of the bottom of the Useless SAL Vase that sits at my feet when I stitch. It was only that I kicked the vase over the other day that I found them.

Off Topic But Big News ...

It's amazing how a week changes everything in one's life. I said to The MOTH on Monday evening, the 10th, that I was going to investigate a position vacant at one of the local high schools - one that is fondly known as the College of Nerds. Long story short, a phone call the next day secured an interview for the Thursday (Wednesday was a public holiday) and then a start on Friday, the 14th. So much to everyone's surprise because I said Hell would have to freeze over before I did it, I'm back teaching three classes a week (which is a 3/5 load that translates to working full time all week, but having weekends and evenings off).

But that's not all, folks ...

On Wednesday this week, The MOTH came in after work and told me that we are not going to Paris for my birthday next year, after all. There wouldn't be enough time.

"Pick at date this December and I will book tickets right now, while the fares are cheap and accommodation is available," he announced.

So, right then and right there at the kitchen bench while I cooked lasagne, he forked out for two air tickets for almost a month in Paris from the 20th December! How cool is that? Our job this weekend is to book an apartment. I want to stay in the 13me arrondisement where I lived when I was in Paris in 1997. The MOTH may have other ideas...

Meanwhile, as if you want to hear the mundane after those announcements, doggy walks now start at 4.45am (about 4km on work days and 8km on weekends). Lucy & Harry are in Heaven as far as their lives are concerned because they get more to eat on big walk days, sleep in the laundry at night (because it's winter) and they get to run hard and fast in the park on weekdays because all other dogs are still asleep in their warm beds and there is no need for a lead.

Gypsy is not so pleased. She used to sleep in the laundry, didn't she? Her nose is so put out that now and then she goes and plonks herself in the middle of the dog bed just to stir up trouble for bedtime. A blanket on the sofa in the family room must be a poor substitute.

... and that's my news. The MOTH has finished his rowing session (he's on a health kick & looking as trim as a 20 year old) so it's off weekend trekking the streets for us both.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity xoxo

Found It!

2009-08-11T14:46:00.007+08:00

It works every time!

If I cannot find something around here, I send a text message to the members of the royal family (my Brisbane based kids, none of whom still lives at home), and guaranteed that while no one will respond to the text thus owning up to anything, the item still magically appears back where it should have been after the next family get together!

Long story short, the same thing has happened to the stitching mojo & my magnifying glasses (no idea about where the embroidery scissors ended up - they are gone). I had a pathetic attempt at humour in my last blog entry (which The MOTH told me was rather scary) and things started returning very soon after. I don't know where the glasses were (they magically appeared as if on Harry Potter drugs), but the mojo came, I suspect, from England via Germany in the form of the latest Cross Stitch Crazy magazine or, more specifically, in the form of the cutie above.

This plea for mojo return right at this particular time was more fortunate than you can imagine, dear readers, as this was the last magazine of my subscription & I finished watching last episodes of NCIS & House MD last week! Hence, floss & needles are out and flying swiftly through fabric with the challenge of stitching the above project within 40 hours suggested.

Well you might ask why this is the end of my magazine subscription. Two reasons: after a while, all the British magazines and their projects seem to look alike to me, so I generally don't subscribe indefinitely; also, I had need for the money that I saved from not buy the subscription.

After drooling for however many years it is that I have drooled (and bought other stitching projects to assuage my yearning & thus probably having spent the money several times over, anyway), I have stepped up to the plate and have bought some threads for stitching a BAP I've always wanted to stitch. Floss is expensive here in Australia (silks are outrageous prices) so it's a piece-by-piece purchase which means I still won't start stitching for some months, but I still figured that new distractions in form of projects in magazines are expendable, under the circumstances.

As to what the project is, you will just have to wait and see ...

While I wait, I will beaver away on the pandas and other projects already on the go.

I hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are. August is always a lovely month here in Brisbane.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Lost (tongue in cheek)

2009-08-05T07:06:00.015+08:00

I'm a drama queen! Oh woe is me!
To skip my feable attemps at humour and to read the real news, scroll to *!

Sorry folks,

I'm not stitching anything at the moment, though I have done about three rows of knitting.

I seem to have lost my magnifying glasses, emboidery scissors AND my stitching mojo.

I know that this is careless of me, but I've put all of them down somewhere & cannot remember where. Not that I can see anything once I put it down, these days ...

If I've left them at your house or you find them aimlessly wandering in your neighbourhood, can you send them back to me here asap, please, because I have three shelves of stash waiting at home to be stitched!

"What have you been doing with yourself?" you might ask.

I've been busy.

I've been sulking, moaning and groaning.

I've fogged up every mirror in my house from all the sighing I've done.

I've stopped answering the phone, chatting, reading emails and quaffing red wine. Even shoe shopping with the princesses hasn’t cheered me up.

I've watched 5 seasons each of House M.D. and NCIS. Usually, I rarely watch Tv (by the way, Hugh Laurie is the spitting image of my brother!).

I've been swearing a lot. Lucy, Harry & Gypsy run for cover ever time they hear the phrase “Oh (choose your favourite rude word and insert)!”

The most creative thing I’ve done lately is switched the colour of the pen I use to do maths homework.

Worst of all, I’ve even been tempted to throw away my old cross stitch mags because I can’t stand being reminded of all my unrealised dreams.

*Quite seriously folks, life's pretty good. I've just been busy doing other things: family, studies, etc; and coping with the usual winter bugs (one of which meant that all alcohol was off the menu).

The last week in July, my youngest daughter, aka the Cadet Princess, arrived back in Brisbane after a 6 week work placement in New Zealand. She lives away from home all the year round, but having her overseas (again) made her seem further away than ever.

The last weekend in July was our 3rd annual Christmas-in-July get together with friends and family. The MOTH & I held three separate events: dinner on Saturday night for 12, breakfast for 3 of my siblings and their spouses (three other sibs couldn't make it because they weren't in Brisbane), and lunch for the Royal Family & their partners. Each event was great fun, but a lot of work. By Sunday evening, I was so tired that I was incapable of conjugating a verb! LOL. The MOTH says that he enjoyed the Saturday night do so much that he now wants to make it twice yearly (maniacal laughter from the cook).

Here are a few family pics from Sunday:

The Crown Princess with her Consort

The Cadet Princess & Crown Prince

The Crown Prince with his Birthday Princess

My Living Doll
(the Middle Princess)

and The MOTH & his fat wife
(I'll feel better about this pic in 5 years time, no doubt)

Let's hope you have your mojo safe and well and that it's not off holidaying with mine & that you, too are doing interesting things in other aspects of your lives.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

40 YEARS AGO

2009-07-21T04:30:00.000+08:00

If you were already born, do you remember what you were doing on this date 40 years ago?

I was in 4th class at St Peter and Paul's School, Garran, ACT. It was winter. We all packed into the school library (a room about the size of a double classroom) to watch the arrival on the moon.

Even as a 9 year old, I understood the enoormity of the event. Wow! The American nuns who ran the school were so proud. Little did I realise, what my future held. Gosh, I wasn't even aware of what was going to happen the next day in ways of future events back in 1969. Not that I can remember what I did the next day now - except that it was Tuesday, 22nd July and the feast of St Mary Magdalen - one of the three super special days of my year, back then.

OT: Harry Potter 6

2009-07-15T17:06:00.010+08:00

The good thing about living in Australia is that we get to see new-release films earlier than other viewers. I'm not giving out anything about the film except to say that it assumes that you are a Harry Potter nut from the beginning. Do a crash course or fim marathon before you go to 6, OK?

By the way, there is neither stitching to report nor blog visiting being done by me at the moment. Apologies to all. The mojo for both will return soon, I hope. LOL.

Happiness & laughter always,

Felicity

Winter

2009-07-02T19:13:00.002+08:00

Winter
from
The Seasonal Chairs

It's not exactly a happy dance, but it is the finish of one section of the project.

Happy Dance No 3. 2009

2009-06-25T18:37:00.007+08:00

Thank you everyone for your encouraging comments after my last blog entry. They were most appreciated. A hearty thanks too for the blog award from Olenka and for the offer of a chart from Molly in Wales. I was blown away by your generosity. I don't have an email address for either of you to send a thank you note. Could you use my email envelope on the side to send me details of your coordinates, please?

The purpose of this blog entry is to show off my latest finish - Lettres à Mon Chat.

Before you scroll, meet the Blissful stitching team, folks. Never think that cross stitch is a solitary activity here at Castle Bliss. Believe you me, I'm never alone! I have 'helpers' who should be acknowledged. LOL

Gypsy supervises the stitching. She rarely misses a trick (or the chance to wave a paw at a piece of floss).

On the other hand, Lucy & Harry tend to slacken off now and again.
I suspect that Harry stole my magnifying glasses, last week, because The MOTH found them outside on the back veranda with suspicious chew marks and scrapes. How do I know it was him? He looked far more guilty than Lucy. LOL

Details of the work of art

Full blown happy dancing finish!
Click image to enlarge

Lettres à mon Chat
Designed by Isabelle Vautier
Fabric: 28ct Antique White Lugana
Floss: Anchor 1036 (blue) & 1355 (varigated)
Started: 21st May 2009
Finished: 25th June 2009

Updates

2009-06-21T05:06:00.006+08:00

It has been a productive few weeks for cross stitch here at Castle Bliss. I've managed to get in some stitching most days, and, true to new resolutions, work on more than one project. Here are the fruits of my labours.

The Seasonal Chairs

Jeanne d'Arc
(from the Gift of Stitching, an online magazine)
Started: Monday, 16th June 2009
I'm using Autumn Field Lugana (32 Ct.) and DMC 960

The Midnight Enchanterer

A kit by Dimensions
Started gridding earlier in the week
Actual stitching: Saturday, 20th June 2009

Lettres a Mon Chat
which I want to finish this week.

OT - Simon and Garfunkel, birthday and exam results

2009-06-18T04:52:00.002+08:00

Last night The MOTH, now recovered from the flu, & I went to a Simon and Garfunkel concert here in Brisbane, Australia, thanks to a generous gift from friends. What can I say? They were brilliant!

I've only been to one other 'rock concert' - The Drifters in 1978. I had to pinch myself a many times with the thought of 'I am really here!'

I woke up this morning with 'Let Us Be Lovers' rattling around in my head.

Today is also the Living Doll's 23rd birthday.(Picture to be posted after the dinner tonight) Ah my darling girl! Have a happy, happy birthday!

Best news of all on a personal level: I passed an exam I thought I had badly bombed. I've been feeling a total failure for months and months - almost to the point of black dog stage. But now all's well - & I've got a new research paper to write as a result. Now all I have to do is pass year 10 maths. LOL

Grand Marquoir - Part 1

2009-06-13T16:12:00.006+08:00

Grand Marquoir
(designed by Isabelle Vautier)
Fabric: 28ct Antique White Lugana
Floss: DMC 838 & Kreinik #4 braid 3228

Thanks everyone for your wonderful encouragement with stitching. Without it, I would be doomed to a slew of UFOs on the shelf. You inspire me with the projects you do & spur me on to finish what I start. A hug to every one of you!

Today's presentation is the first part of Isabelle Vautier's Grand Marquoir SAL. Part 3 has already been published, so I'm way behind, but I'll eventually catch up. From now on, I'll only post when I finish an official part.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Monday updates

2009-06-08T08:05:00.006+08:00

Lettres à mon Chat
(designed by Isabelle Vautier)
Fabric: 28ct Antique White Lugana
Floss: Anchor 1036 (blue) & 1355 (varigated)
Started: May 2009

Grand Marquoir
(designed by Isabelle Vautier)
Fabric: 28ct Antique White Lugana
Floss: DMC 838
Started: May 2009

A Quaker Christmas
Fabric: 28ct Country French Cashmere from Wichelt Imports
Stitch Count: 320w X 205h
Floss: Crescent Colors (Balsam Fir, Cupid, Ye Old Gold)
Started: July 2008

The Seasonal Chairs
Fabric: White 28ct Lugana
Floss: DMC
Started: June 2008

Winter Begins in Australia

2009-06-01T14:23:00.008+08:00

Four Season's Chairs
by Janlynn Corporation

At the beginning of last Australian winter (June 2008), I joined with Margaret & Berta to do another SAL. In 2007, we stitched Frederick the Literate' together. The girls were such an inspiration!

Now that I'm home from the holidays in New Zealand and back into stitching, look for updates of this UFO project in the coming months.

Here's my winter chair so far.

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Happy Birthday Big Ben!

2009-05-31T14:10:00.001+08:00

For the tourists flocking to London there's no shortage of famous sights at which to aim their cameras. The been-there, done-that, got-the T-shirt shot every visitor to London wants is a picture of the most famous clock in the world - the Palace of Westminster Clock Tower - aka Big Ben. I'm no exception. During our trip to London in 2006, I must have snapped off at least 200 frames of the tower.

The name Big Ben is often used to describe the tower, the clock and the bell but the name was first given to the Great Bell. 1859 was the beginning for all three elements when the Clock Tower was completed, the Great Clock started on 31 May and the Great Bell’s chimes were heard for the first time on 11 July.

So, of course, one day I would like to stitch the attractive collage of London landmarks created by Thea Gouverneur (pictured above). I've just got to rob a bank first ... (which will make entry into the UK impossible, but that's another story).

Happy Birthday Big Ben!

and happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

Lettres à mon Chat - Update No. 1

2009-05-27T07:28:00.003+08:00

Holiday stitching

Lettres à mon Chat
by Isabelle Vautier
Fabric: Antique White Lugana 28 count
Threads: Anchor 1036 & 1355

Where is Johnny Depp when you need him?

2009-05-22T10:38:00.006+08:00

Greetings from Paihia in the Bay Of Islands, New Zealand.

I'm expecting a pirate ship to come around the headlands at any moment!

The MOTH & I have decamped from Brisbane, Australia, for two glorious weeks in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand, and we are having a marvelous time. The seafood chowder is wonderful, the New Zealand wines very quaffable, and (because the weather closes in to a cosy 10C each afternoon) I've had time for lots of stitching!

Wish you were here!

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity

P.S. Monday, 26th May. Good gracious me! There I was minding my own business, sipping rum with The MOTH in the local pub and waiting for my dinner to be served when who should walk in but a gang of pirates. I kid you not - if only I had had my camera with me - I didn't see faces, but my oh my that butt looked incredibly familiar, not to mention sexy. LOL

100 Projects

2009-05-12T17:49:00.007+08:00

As you know, last week I went to visit Janine, and while I was there I saw some of her projects on the go. This week, I've been dreaming big. I have all the projects I own out on my dining room table to get a feel for what I have on hand. A few of these projects are already on the go from last year, but as you know, I don't usually do more than one thing at once. I don't actually OWN all of the possible choices laid out below (my stash supply is quite modest compared to many people). Most projects are still in the formulation (pie in the sky) stage. The * indicates what projects I have started.

I'm nowhere near 100 projects, but at almost 50 in the scheme of the dream, I probably won't have time during my life to finish 100 projects of the size that I like to do. As time goes by, I'm going to update this entry and add more * on the list.

*The Rose Garden

*A Quaker Christmas

*Letters à Mon Chat (Isabelle Vautier)

Five Simple Rules for Happiness (Glendon Place)

Time Out

*Midnight Enchanter (James Himsworth)

Scarlet Ribands (future SAL with Paula)

Santa Sampler

Maidens of the Seasons I & II (Mirabilia)

Blackbeard’s Mermaid (I refuse to call her Bluebeard's Mermaid - Nora got the stories mixed up!)

Mermaid of Atlantis

Mermaids of the Deep Blue

*The Seasonal Chair - SAL with Margaret & Berta

Albero Dei Capricci - Tree of Knowledge

Settlers’ Cottage

*Grand Marquoir - SAL with Paula & Claire

*Joan of Arc - from Gift Of Stitching

*Collecting Shells from By the Sea Series

*Rosa (Marilyn Robertson)

Lola (Marilyn Robertson)

*Medieval Lady I (Joan Elliott)

Medieval Lady II (Joan Elliott)

Medieval Lady III (Joan Elliott)

Wedding Sampler (TW)

The Castle (TW)

A Chatelaine Mandala (probably MTM)

Snowmen (as yet undefined)

A Flower Wreath of some sort (as yet undefined)

Something with the Eiffel Tower on it (as yet undefined)

Several Christmas Projects (as yet undefined)

Any Charles Wysocki cat - I've got Frederick hanging in my 'library' already (another not yet determined - I was gifted the full set some years ago)

Any number of Mirabilia projects if the pattern ink doesn't wear out from my drooling over them while I read them before I start!

Winnie the Pooh (any will do)

Another Lizzie Kate project (as yet undetermined)

Probably another Dimensions kit that attracts my eye when the spirit is somewhat too weak to resist.

Any one of my Kats by Kelly projects collected over the years

Teddy bears and other birth samplers for future grandchildren.

French Flower Shop (current UFO)

Rose Sampler (former online SAL by EMS)

BOINK project (ink Circles)

a few other Australian themed projects

Love with a Capital L (again)

Any wedding or baby sampler needed for the royal family

Happiness & laughter to one and all,

Felicity