August finish

Gotta love M Designs name trees - they are great for stitching away from home.
The chart is not too big, use of overdyed thread saves colour changes and progress is obvious.
And they look awesome when finished.

I can recommend this designer as her service when ordering personalised name trees was fast and friendly.

This one will be on it's way to its namesake on Monday if I can get my act together. I won't "finish" it though for several reasons:

1. it's easier to post flat;
2. I can't decide on the best method of finishing (frame, bell pull, cushion etc); and
3. I actually think the recipient should get the choice in this instance - plus her mum has far greater technical skills in this area than I'll ever have, LOL.

hello world - and please say hello back

Carrying on a cool idea from StitchItAndie (who stole it from Chiloe)...

So who reads my blog?

1. 
   As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we've never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually really funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Cameo from Studio Window also had a recent post discussing/ wondering who reads her blog, and I've just added a live feed showing where people have popped in from - so it seems that curiosity about one's blog readers is a bit of a trend at the moment.

Anyhoo, hope y'all had a good weekend and are enjoying the Olympics (great excuse to be on the couch stitching!)

Go New Zealand :)

competition season is finally over

Tamsin's last comp was back at the beginning of July, but Jess had several more to go. The most recent was at Counties the first weekend of August.

There is one more on the calendar (Pukekohe), but Jess insisted that she not be entered, and as it wasn't a sanctioned comp, I agreed.

Technically though, the official end to the comp season is always considered to be Nationals held the first weekend of the holidays in Hamilton. And it's what attending sanctioned comps has been aiming at: qualifying, and then being selected to go to Nationals for your region (TriStar, Eastern Suburbs and Waitakere clubs = Auckland Region)

Tonight the Auckland team for Nationals was announced, and Jess got her wish:

L4 reserve

and her team mates Mandy and Maxine made the L4 team.

She's thrilled to be reserve as she doesn't have to do anything, LOL. No leo, tracksuit or training - only if one of the team pulls out up to a week prior to Nationals will she be called in.

So Jess' comp season is truly over and she doesn't have to train routines again till next year and she is so happy to be moving on to L5 skills.

I'm so happy (and proud) for her - she's been given credit for the work she's put in this year, and she's now able to relax and enjoy learning new skills again.

things to do on a Thursday night

Read my favourite blogs, and follow the links therein...

Found this link on Aly's blog:

Random Questions. (:

What time do you go to bed?: 10.30pm usually
Do you drink coffee?: no
What was the last song you listened to?: Pink Floyd - Final Cut
How old were you when you got/gave your first kiss?: 16
What kind of ice cream is your favorite?: goody goody gum drops
Have you ever met an internet friend in real life?: not yet
Are you/have you ever been anorexic?: no
Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Saving Time?: nope
What size shoe do you wear?: 37
Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?: my husband
Which is more important in your life, TV or Internet?: I have to choose?
Do you have an iPod?: nope
Have you ever been fired from a job?: no
Have you ever taken something you knew belonged to someone else?: not deliberately
Do you overuse smileys?: probably
Who is better; Madonna or Blondie?: depends on which incarnation of Madonna we're talking about..
Who is better; Elton John or Billy Joel?: both
Do you know the song Total Eclipse Of The Heart?: yup - both the original and the cover
When was the last time you ate something?: dinner
Name three website you visit every day:: yahoo, google, webmail
Have you seen all of the Jaws movies?: no
Do you have Entomophobia?: no
Do you know what Entomophobia is?: no
Have you ever worn black eyeliner?: years ago
Have you ever worn blue mascara?: it is possible
Ever spiked your hair?: nope
How long have you had a computer?: personally, 10 years. Does the Atari we had when I was 14 count??
Have you ever written something, and published it on the internet?: other than my blog, no
Do you have a crush on anyone at the moment?: my husband
Do you like Starbucks?: been there about 3 times, so no opinion
Have you ever owned a kitten?: yup - latest one is 8mths old
Is it raining where you are?: amazingly, no! first day in 2 weeks
When was the last time you played cards? (not on the computer): can't remember
Can you play chess?: I know the moves, but not any strategies
Ever owned a pair of the original Nikes? (white, with only a single swoosh): no
Ever worn leg warmers?: yup, in the 80s
When was the last time you read a book over 700 pages long?: at university
How many people are on your IM friends list?: don't use IM
How many hours of sleep do you usually get?: 7 on average
Have you ever drank cherry coke?: about 3 years ago
Do you prefer using pens or pencils?: pencils
Have you ever skipped for a long distance?: as a small child possibly
Have you ever had a black eye?: yup
The torture is over, you may now leave. (:

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