...and proof that RAKs really do get started.


Thanks Belinda!

This is an extremely fun project. And fast! I started Monday evening and I'm half done page 1 of a 2 page pattern.

FYI: Purple is not my favourite colour. But I do seem to be using it quite a bit lately.

Oops. I didn't mean to disappear. After I finished that last temari ball, I made this one:



This was one of those balls where I started out with one idea and ended up making changes along the way. Overall, not bad and the colours look fabulous!

Then June was an Alhambra month and I made a nice amount of progress.


I've finally gotten to the point saying there's only one of this and one of that left to do.

Also, Karin tagged me way back when with an interesting meme.

Where were you 10 years ago?
Hmm. 11 years ago, we were in the middle of moving into our new house (and haven't moved since). But 10 years ago, I honestly don't have a clue except that we went to Newfoundland (Gros Morne) later in the summer.

Five things on your to do list for today:
1. Vacuum the downstairs and mop the kitchen (every Wednesday)
2. Wash, hull and cut 4 quarts of strawberries.
3. Colour my colour
4. Laundry
5. Make an appointment for a hair-cut

Snack foods I like:
Apples, grapes, cheese and crackers, chocolate

If I were a billionaire:
My yard would finally be landscaped properly and we'd look into making the heating and cooling in our house more efficient. Right now, cooling means turning on the fans and opening the windows

Places I've lived:
Oromocto, Greenwood, Petawawa, Toronto and Halifax

Thank you all for your lovely comments. Both about Reflecting Pools and Le Jardin. I know I probably don't mention this enough but I really do appreciate them.

And here's my latest HD. I finished this a few days before Mother's Day but life (and my 10 km last weekend) got in the way. It's called Halo Stars from one of Diana Vandervoort's Temari books (sorry, I can't remember which one just now).

And speaking of Mother's Day, I had a very nice one. DH found the sweetest, goofiest card ever and I recieved two school craft flowers. Actually, I have a sizable collection of those flowers.

Here it is finally complete: Laura J. Perin's Reflecting Pools.


And it turns out, I worried about nothing. The new skein of Watercolours didn't match exactly but the colours blend beautifully.

Now, it's time to dig out that temari ball I've had half finished since last Easter. Maybe, I'll have another HD before the end of the month. A girl can dream, can't she?

Two Happy Dances for me in the same year! Woohoo!



psst: If you click on the picture, you can see a larger one with more of the stunning details (yes, I'm more than a little smitten with this piece).

Yes, March was another Alhambra month and I didn't get as much done as I hoped. Spending a week in Disney without my stitching probably had something to do with it.

And since I haven't mentioned it yet - a landmark event for a family took place in March. We finally went to Disney. We had originally planned on taking DD#1 when she was about 6 but that was when DD#2 came along. Last year, DD#2 turned 6 and with the Canadian dollar so close to being at par the the U.S. dollar, it made a lot of sense to go during March break this year.

Erin posted a picture from the GTG we had with Kay, Kay's DD (who came along for the ride) and Belinda. It was really nice to finally meet some stitchers that I've known online for years.

As for our trip, it was fun but I'm not in a hurry to do it again anytime soon. I've had my fill of rides where you sit on a bench and get ferried around through a fun house (Pirates, Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, etc.)

Here's a brief summary:
- Soarin' is the best ride ever
- the acrobatic troupe Karuka (in Animal Kingdom) is absolutely amazing
- Flights of Wonder was by far the best live action show
- Muppets 3D and Mickey's Philharmagic are amazing but we could have skipped the 3d show in Epcot (the mix of scary and cool just didn't work for us)
- the cafe in the Norway pavilion have the best lunch in all of Epcot
- if you share a bottle of wine at the restaurant in the French pavilion (or anywhere, that's just where we had dinner that evening), the movie (Impression of France) takes on a 3D effect

That pretty much sums up how I was feeling on Wednesday after my (first) mammogram.

So what did I do afterward? Went to Michaels of course and bought a few skeins of the DMC variagated floss just for fun and just this morning, I placed my first ever order with Silkweaver for 3 small cuts of fabric: Romance, Days Gone By and Parkland.

Romance is going to be for Elegant Ironwork and the other two may or may not be used for biscornus. I also placed an order with Nordic Needle for some random things I need to finish kitting up a few projects and can't get at my local Michael's (but that was going to happen anyway).

I have also discovered that I need to make a proper inventory of my cross stitch fabric. I had orginally been saving what I thought was the the perfect piece of white linen for Elegant Ironwork. This week, I used the fabric for a floss toss for Blessed with Happiness (I bought the fiber pack when I bought the chart at CATS). Looking at the package the fabric was stored in, I discovered it was actually 28 ct. Jubilee and not 32 ct. white Belfast (faulty memory at work). On a whim, I measured said fabric and discovered it's exactly the size I need for Blessed with Happiness.

So, instead of ordering fabric for Blessed with Happiness from Nordic Needle, I went on the search for new and even more perfect fabric for Elegant Ironwork and Romance was the winner.

How's that for justification!