No photos :(

Sadly no photos in this blog. I have been slack and haven't uploaded any recently.

Anyway, in exciting news: I HAVE FINISHED MY THESIS! About frickin' time! It's handed in and I don't have to think about it until it's returned from the markers with recommendations for changes, probably about 5 weeks away. These shouldn't be too drastic.

Now, in my last post I wrote up a list of goals for my "month of leisure" as I shall call it. I am now 1.5 weeks in, and I am loving that I made up the list, as I can go back and check over how I'm going. Let's see...

1) finish all uni-related paperwork (forms, case summaries etc) On its way. I just finished some bits of paperwork
2) finish Kitten Reflections DONE! Picture in next post
3) start a new cross stitch project (maybe a Mira) I started Ashley's Roses about 2 weeks ago. Photo in next post
4) continue working on Happy Cats :) A little bit of work on this, but not much, I've been caught up in AR
5) read novels (averaging 1 per week) Not at all. I've been reading travel guides
6) start swimming Nuh. Need bathers. However, I've just been offered to teach a permanent class at my local YMCA which means I'll have free pool access, so it's on the way.
7) plan my overseas trip That's definitely on the way, flights all booked and paid for, paid for some accommodation, thinking about trains.
8) learn a few necessary words of the languages for the countries I'll be visiting (France, Netherlands, Italy...hopefully I should be right for the U.S. and England). Not really. I'm trying to cast my memory back to primary school Italian, and high school French. I think I have a very basic understanding of these languages. Dutch, I'm completely lost.

So that's what's happening. I am only working about 3 days a week at the moment, which is absolutely tops. I will be going to Queensland for a beach-based holiday with friends in a few weeks, then on to international travel. I think I'll have to set up a travel blog as well.

Photos of finished projects, and works in progress next post, hopefully within the week :)

Thanks for reading x

Shhhhh! I'm "working"

Haha! I'm at work at the moment, quite obviously not working. Let's call it my 3.15 lunch break. Thought I would put up a post as it's been about 6 weeks. Really, I think I post irregularly because I'm not sure anyone is reading. So if you do have a peruse, drop me a comment, it will make me feel special :) ...not that I can't enjoy blogging regardless of who is or isn't reading.



Anyhow. Let's look at some progress pics.



Kitten reflections is nearly finished. I've put up two photos as the more recent one (first pic) is pretty cruddy quality:







I have really enjoyed working on this one. Dimensions do such nice designs. All that is to go is the cross-stitching and back stitch in the top right corner (bringing the second smitten to life :) and then a shed-load of french knots making up little flowers in the bluey-green bushes. Oh how I love french knots (shame sarcasm doesn't come accross in written text).



I have also been working on another piece, Happy Cats (has anyone noticed that I like cats a bit?) This piece is fantastic, all simple shapes and bold colours. There is a progress pic below, as well as my initial floss toss, with a shot of the expected finished outcome.

I've actually made a fair bit more progress than this as well, I just don't have a shot of it to post. No wait, I do have a shot of a more recent Happy Cats! Unfortunately it's obstructed by my unhappy cat.

CAPTION: "Where's my dinner, b%^&$!?"

Lastly, a little mother's day card I knocked up a week before the day. This is from one of the more recent issues of CrossStitcher. I changed a few of the colours around so that it wasn't so pastelly, then stuck it to a bit of manilla folder to make the card! I really like this piece, but it hasn't reached my mum yet. She's currently holidaying in Europe and hasn't received it more than a week later :( Here's hoping it shows.

In other news. Within two weeks I plan to hand my thesis in! I know, I know. "We've heard it all before" they say. Well, I think it's actually very close. Then I'll have a month of working a 2-day week and chilling out before I go overseas. I was thinking I might make some goals for my month off:

1) finish all uni-related paperwork (forms, case summaries etc)

2) finish Kitten Reflections

3) start a new cross stitch project (maybe a Mira)

4) continue working on Happy Cats :)

5) read novels (averaging 1 per week)

6) start swimming

7) plan my overseas trip

8) learn a few necessary words of the languages for the countries I'll be visiting (France, Netherlands, Italy...hopefully I should be right for the U.S. and England).

Can't think of anything else at the moment. I'm excited about the prospect of having time to myself!!

Thanks for reading, and sorry for rambling :)

Kitten Reflections

Well, I've been working a lot on Kitten Reflections, and I've got to say, I am loving it. Look at how much progress I've made!!! It's going very quickly :) I love that you can begin to see the shape of the first kitten coming out. I think the colours are really nice and the shading/blending is beautiful. Go Dimensions!
I was even a bit worried that I was going a bit fast...I do like to be able to spend time on projects, but then I realised that if I do finish it quickly, my enjoyment won't be hindered, and I'll be able to begin one of my other projects sooner! Double positive!

In other news, I'm addicted to reality television. Biggest Loser & SYTYCD Aus, are great!! I want Charlie to win Dance and I think he just might. If you are elsewhere in the world and/or haven't seen any of the show, I recommend you youtube some of Charlie & Penny's dances...lots of fun.

Anyway, back to the dreaded thesis :(

What have I been doing?!?

Well, I'm back in blog-land.

Not sure what I've been doing that means I haven't been able to post anything. I suppose I'm back at all my jobs now (I work at 6 different places!...no wonder I'm confused all the time). Other things of interest: I have been working on improving my diet...go me! And in doing so I've lost a little bit of size (not weight, but it's the size I'm interested in losing). I'm hoping that with a healthy diet will come nice skin, but I suspect that that will sort itself out when I'm not so stressed (someone tell me to cut it down to only 3 work-places).

I have also been working on my thesis...I have to hand it in before the end of March and it still needs a fair bit of work...I can't wait to have it done.

In happy stitching news:

I have finished Stroke of Midnight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my god. It's about time. I have been working on it for about 4 years

Obviously she needs washing and ironing. I think I'll work on all that, and getting her framed once I've handed in my thesis...and gotten on top of some other projects.

Here are some photos of the detail in the piece:

beading and over-1 detail...I like the way her face turned out.dress detail (including over-1 parts)

I have since done a little bit of work on Kitten Reflections (no picture as yet), and been working on some round robin pieces...also no pictures on the off chance co-robiners stumble across my blog. I am loving working on round robins, it's such a great opportunity to stitch pieces that I enjoy working on, but wouldn't necessarily do for myself. Brilliant. I will post photos of these once they have been received by their owners

Thanks for reading. I will try to be more diligent in my posting, reading and commenting :)

Too much to do

Aaargh study! I am so over it at the moment. I am currently working on an essay that Just. Keeps. Going. I imagine I'll finish it some time in the next century. Sadly, this has meant that I haven't had much time for stitching. I won't post any pictures for this post, as there's not much change to appreciate in either piece that I'm working on at the moment. I have been doing mostly backstitch when I've had the time.

I was away over the weekend for a conference in Brisvegas (realistically known as Brisbane, and not really anywhere near as exciting as Las Vegas). But it was nice to get away for a bit. Although I had to work, I looked at it as a holiday and had a really good time. I did a bit of shopping and went out for a few drinks...I also watched a lot of Greys with my colleage who I was sharing a room with. Good times.

Alright, it's late and I'm off to bed (I have ANOTHER conference tomorrow!) bleugh! I'll include pictures in my next post. Thanks for stopping by :)

Older and tireder

It was my birthday on Friday...hooray I love birthdays. I got a lovely necklace, Grey's Anatomy Season 4 on DVD, and lovely bowl and a massage. Brilliant! However, I am now excruciatingly tired...I had a pretty big weekend...went out on Fri and Sat nights, had an aerobics workshop on Sunday, had to prepare a presentation for a conference next week. Too much. Now that I'm 25 I can't quite handle as much...whinge whinge.

But, beside that I have done a bit of stitching.

I am currently participating in a Christmas round robin and secret santa. I finished my Secret Santa piece, but have decided not to show it on here for the moment. I will wait till I send it out. Needless to say, I am incredibly proud of myself. I sewed my little christmassy piece into an ornament and made and attached my own cording! I'm beaming :)

I have done a bit more work on my puss cat for my other round robin. He is below.

Isn't he cheeky!? Loving him to bits :) Should finish him in the not too distant future, then I can get back to Stroke of Midnight...I am actually missing her and very much want her finished.

Paris is also coming along. I'm a little bit nervous that I won't get it done it time...but I must remember Christmas is still a good 5 weeks away.

This probably doesn't actually look that different from my last post. There would be more white, and more backstitch. Looking forward to getting this done so I don't have to work on things in secret (I think it also means that I am spending more time on this when I should be studying...naughty).

I have also done a bit of spending. I bought '501 Cross stitch designs' by Sam Hawkins. I used to borrow it from the library when I was a teen. I feel all nostalgic now owning. Plus it will be great for my Christmas round robin :)

I also bought the lastest editions (available in Australia) of Cross Stitch Gold and Cross Stitch Collection. I have a problem. As we have all thought at some point..."when will I ever have time to work on all these?!?!"


Anyway. That's probably about it. Thanks so much to those who have read and commented on my blog. Keeps me motivated. Have a lovely week! :)

Maiden Post

Well, the blog begins.

I have so been enjoying the blogs of others, and have so been enjoying cross stitching, that I thought I would take the step to share my enjoyment with others! Hooray!

I imagine my blog will consist of a vast variety of content, depending on what's going on in my life at the time.

At the moment, it is likely to contain lots to do with cross stitch, as it is my means of avoiding study in every way possible (even now, I am working split screened on the computer...Word is on the left).

Once I figure out how I will start to post photos etc. Should be interesting