A life lived to the full

That was my friend Bethli.  And today she is another statistic, another life lost to cancer.

Photo from quite awhile ago - as that's Tamsin that Bethli is holding. Doesn't matter, as Bethli hadn't really changed any - not the whole time I knew her.  We met, first year university students, back in 1985. Such an indomitable spirit, our Bethli.
She will be remembered.

now for one I prepared earlier

The very attentive among you will have seen listed in my finishes box "RG comp leos - 7", but will have noticed that only 6 leos have actually been pictured.
So, here's RG comp leo number 7, finished in late August 2010 for one of the L3s whose own leotards were driving her nuts as they were too tight in the neck and too, too small in the butt.  As they were hand-me-ons, she didn't like to complain too much, but it's no fun competing with a wedgie.  So I took the opportunity to practise my leo skills and play with the crystals:

Olivia happily wore it at AKL Champs at the end of August.  I didn't get any photos of her on the comp floor as I was manning the door that day (Xtreme host that comp), but my spies said it looked great on her and really stood out on the floor.  I managed to get Jess to squeeze into it today so that I could have a record of it.  Hopefully, it will appeal to someone else and will sell at Xtreme's 2nd hand sale in early Feb.  All the leos I've made will be up for sale, with any $$ going towards buying more lycra stash for 2011.

yet another leotard...

While it's being modelled by Jess, it's actually a training leo for a gym buddy - Maxine, whom Jess used to train WAG with back at TriStar.  Jess had a group of her old artistic buddies over for what is becoming the annual sleepover: movies, junk food, play in the sprinkler and catch up.
I wanted to make another leotard to extend my skills ready for the upcoming 2011 comp season leotards, and Maxine chose this colour from the stash.

It was remarkably easy to put together - yay!

Tis the season

For Christmas crafts!
The lovely ladies at Quench (Hillsborough Baptist Church) put a notice up at Tamsin's school regarding a "Gingerbread House Workshop" they were running.  Joy of joys, it was for a week night that the girls had nothing happening - more rare than a blue moon, that.
So I signed up.
It was such fun.  Really well organised, well run - can recommend it.  Using a supplied kit, icing and lots of lollies I managed to construct...

I kept it minimalist as I have been known to not know when to stop!

All the houses at the worshop looked amazing, and such an incredible range of concepts and approaches to decoration were employed.

The evening was such a success the Quench crew are thinking of making it an annual event.  I know I'll look out for the notice again.

Please welcome....

Tinsel!

Jessica's long awaited "do well at Nationals" kitten. 12 weeks old, courtesy of the SPCA.

Cute, huh?

One from the stash

Way back when Jess was in her first year of gymnastics, she was training in Pakuranga, which happens to be next to Howick, where there used to be a hobby shop with cross stitch supplies.  Needless to say, Tamsin and I found our way over there reasonably often since Jess' class was on a Saturday and went for 3 hours.
Tamsin, bless her cotton socks, never minded being there.  She used to love pottering around showing me things she thought I needed to see (she turned 1 in the Feb of that year) and one of the kits she really liked was only $10, and cute, so I bought it.
When I opened it, I found it to be number 4 in a set of 6, and when laid out in a 2 x 3 grid made a bigger picture.  Good stash hoarder that I am, the next time we were in the shop I ordered the other five kits.
I decided I would stitch them in order, from "A" to"F".  "A" was done several years ago, but then the rest of the kits got left in the stash as other designs took my fancy and got stitched.
With all the "waiting at gym class" I do, I always have a travelling stitch bag in the car - and that's how the Christmas finish of the previous post got done.  So when rummaging in the stash for a smallish kit to go in the car, I decided it was time to haul Tamsin's choice of kit from 7 years ago out and get them done.
So here's design 35B from Pinn:

And here's the one done previously, 35A:

I guess you'd call them "fairybugs"...

Annual Christmas finish

And I can say annual now - this is the third year in a row I've managed to stitch a Christmas piece as a gift for my fellow ballet mom friend, Rachel.  She loves all things Christmas.
None of her kids do ballet anymore, since Paige stopped early last term, so I don't see her hardly at all anymore and it's a shame.  At least this gives me an excuse to drop by, don't you think?  And in plenty of time for Advent too - go me!