Santa cross-stitch update

Have made a fair bit of progress on the Santa cross-stitch since my last cross-stitch post.  I am determined to get this finished as it has been a long while in the making.  Plus I have since purchased a number of other cross-stitch kits (yes I know I am a sucker, but secretly aren't we all lol) and I am not allowing myself to start any of them until this one is done, otherwise I know I will never finish it and it would be a shame to leave it incomplete.

I am so glad to have finished the greenery at the top.  There was so much of it!  And with up to 5 strands for some colours it seemed like it would never come to an end.  I must admit though, the dense tree effect does look impressive so it was worth the time spent on it.

Bears Paw finished quilt

Well, the Bears Paw quilt is finally complete!!!  The quilter did an absolutely amazing job!  The quilting around the applique in particular has really made it stand out.  Here's a few pics:

I don't know about everyone else but seeing one of your projects completed is always so motivating to start on the next one (of course I have already started on the next quilt, who could possibly resist :)

Owls

Hi everyone!  Didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. Those of you who follow Bec's Cross-stitch creation blog would have already seen pics of the Owls I painted for her, a little while ago now.  I know Bec is a fan of owls so I just couldn't resist the chance to paint a few for her :) 

Below are some progress pics of the paintings.  The owls were painted on a wooden door hanger.  These are always great to paint on as they are quite small, which means whatever design you choose will be very quick to paint, and you can have your painting up on display in no time.  The flat surface is wonderful also, no tricky corners to get your brush into when base coating the background colour or varnishing at the end of the project.  It is so much easier to be able to rest your hand on a flat surface also, unlike when painting a wooden tissue box cover for instance. 

I decided to paint one owl on either side, that way the door hanger can be flipped over at any time for a different look.

You will notice Baci is a fan of my paintings.  You can always count on him to supervise the latest craft happenings, gotta love our helpful feline friends!

 

Bec, I hope you are enjoying having the owl painting/s in your home.

In other news the Bears Paw quilt is now finished, quilting and all!!!  Will post some pics up shortly.

Mini holiday in Sydney

My fiance Daniel and I visited Sydney 2 weeks ago primarily to attend a 3 day conference about wealth, success and happiness.  There were about 12 speakers who each told of their financial success and offered advice relating to business, internet marketing, real estate, stock trading etc.  It was eye opening to see what others have achieved in their lives and to see that this could be possible for anyone if they are willing to put in the time to see it through.

We went down a few days early so we could explore the city and visit Taronga zoo.  You would not believe the obstacles we came across on one of the days.  We headed out early (on a Sunday) with the goal in mind to go to Paddington Markets, as we'd gone past them the day before, and then go straight to the zoo from there, be there by 10:30am.  So we head out of the hotel and as we weren't exactly sure where to go and we didn't have time to waste, as we wanted to go to the zoo as well, we hopped in a taxi.

Well the roads we needed to go down were blocked off so the taxi driver took a detour.  We spent about half an hour going 200 meters.  Then a young lady ran in front of the taxi (she didn't look before running across the road) and of course the taxi driver crashed into her.  She was ok though, luckily he wasn't driving fast.  She would have had some nasty bruises though.

Then we get to the street the taxi driver was trying to get on since taking the detour and it was blocked off also!  We decided to walk the rest of the way, which was about 2 blocks, in the sun.  40 minutes later we reach where the markets usually take place only to find they don't open on a Sunday, oh my gosh!  This was now 10am already and we had just spent all morning trying to get to markets that were not open.

We hopped in another taxi to get back to the city as we needed to hop on a ferry to get to the zoo.  On the way back the roads were blocked still and we had to walk again (not as far this time) to get to the ferry but on the way we discovered the reason the roads were blocked:

There was a fun run being conducted through the city.  We of course were on the wrong side of the road and had to literally dodge between the runners to get to the other side that we needed to be lol.  We ended up making it through and jumped on the ferry, now off to the zoo.  Does anyone else have days like this?

Here's a pic of Dan and I on the boat, with the Opera House in the background:

And here's the Harbour Bridge:

Finally arrived at the zoo.  The animals were all gorgeous (I'm an animal lover).

I'm certain this lion just spotted lunch!:

There was a bunch of us standing outside the glass and the lion had her eyes fixated on someone because every time they moved the lion would move her head and stare intently.  Scary.

This was one of the most beautiful pelicans I have ever seen, the photo doesn't do it justice though.  It was immaculately groomed, definitely well looked after.

Giraffes, with a view of the harbour!:

Can you spot the Chameleon?:

This baby elephant was just adorable!  It was rolling around in the water having the time of it's life with the elder elephants looking on in awe.  So cute:

All in all it ended up being a great day, and week, out and about in Sydney.

Shoe bag

I have been meaning to put together a bag for my work shoes for some time and managed to sew one up today. I found the pattern on the internet and found it difficult to interpret the instructions. After a few incorrect seams and a lot of unpicking I realised where I went wrong. Here are some pics:

The zigzag stitch was the most challenging. I've rarely ever used it before, as I'm relatively new to using a sewing machine, and it ended up bunching the fabric. I tried re-threading the machine but that didn't seem to make a difference. I think the fabric was too light and thin. In the end it turned out ok though and I can now carry my shoes in a much nicer bag than a spare plastic shopping bag :)

Kitties

I thought I should introduce you to the loves of my life!

This is Baci (pronounced Barchy, like the chocolates):

And this is Meeka:

They are three and a half years young and full of personality.  Baci is a Seal Point Siamese and Meeka is a Lilac Point Siamese.  Never a dull moment, or should I say quiet moment, with these two around.  They just love to talk to you :)  Baci is a bit of a sook and demands your attention often!  Meeka is more independent but my gosh when she wants a pat you'd better drop what you are doing and give her one or her meowing will get louder LOL.  It's true what they say, it is not you who owns the cat but rather the cat who owns you!

Santa cross-stitch

Have picked up the Santa cross-stitch again. Am currently working across the top of the design. This pattern is quite complex in the sense that many of the colours require multiple threads, up to 5 threads for half cross stitch. Some stitches also have two different threads for the one stitch.  It is a bit bulky because of the extra threads used but I suppose it gives it some depth. Will be so happy to finish off the greenery. Next cross-stitch will definitely be a simple one.