I can see the beginning of the end

Woohoo! Joan Elliot's Friendship Sampler has been zapping my weekend nights or rather mornings, but the results as always is worthwhile. I can see the completion of the piece although there's some more work to be done. The backstitching is going to be just as massive.

Even with loads of work lately (what a bummer) and more soon, I am inspired to complete the piece with my fellow SAL partner Nik. I am looking forward to closing this SAL so that I can dedicate an equal amount of attention...and love to some small pieces and some finishings for some dear friends.

I hope to report on Thursday morning the completion of all the teapots, cups and saucers and hence I am left with the bottom shelf liner, borders, background polkadots, letterings and backstitching.

Dear Sean...

I know this comes 1 year late, but you'll learn as you grow...'better late than never'.

It's a really good feeling when I've completed a project and happy with the results. A wonderful sense of accomplishment. My hands have wrought the piece from nothing to something truly beautiful, that itself is a little miracle. I hope Sean will treasure his teddy sampler when he becomes older and maybe even when he's a teenager. I don't know when I will see him, from what I hear from the grape vine, next year sometime.

It'll be more of an X'mas present for Sean as I'm taking my time to get it framed and mailed all the way to Zurich, Switzerland.

Happy Birthday dearest Sean!

Work it out!

Phew! Moved my lard butt (hahaha! that's what Adrienne said) . Good workout indeed. Have gone 4 days without one :( While you are working out, you are living in the moment and nothing else matters. Hence you pay attention to the zone i.e. your level of intensity. Did a 40 mins step with Keli Roberts. I wish I had her abs...

Because I got lazy on Monday and Tuesday...I'd have to workout through this weekend, the thought scares me. It's difficult to let my group at PT down as we're setting mini goals everyweek and hope to accumulate them week after week. This week for me would be 5 days of workout in a week (a mini goal from last week- achieved!) AND dieting i.e. brown rice for lunch and shredded wheat cereal or multigrain bread for breakfast and dinner.

Suppose to have added weights and abs this week, maybe I'll make it my mini goal next week instead. OK all, I could eat a horse but I'm gonna settle for those shredded wheat...mmm...yummy!

A little bit of soap...

Decided to change my table cloth of my corner desk, about time too :p Rearrange some stuff, cleared it up a bit and it looks so much more condusive for 'creative' work. This is the corner of my room where I work on my pieces, where I dream of what I want to stitch and accomplish, ponder if I have the fabric and relish as the pieces come together slowly...but surely.


I'm gonna finish the backstitch for the Teddy Sampler tonight and then I'll have only the border and Sean's name and date of birth to stitch. The teddy's looking quite apealing :)


I did some quick stitches in the morning and thought I'd stitch 2 Lizzie Kate designs for Christmas. They will be finished as pillows. I've replaced Rainbow Gallery's Wisper W88 with Anchor Perle No. 8. I think it looks decent. Note Santa's cuffs.

Tatted finish

I finished the conifer edging designed by Faizon. Attached it to a cheapy RM10 t-shirt and what do you have? Wearable art! I really liked the design of the conifer edging and Faizon's gave me some invaluable tips to tat the edging for a round collar. Here it is:

Reduce it and repeat it

Gin Miller almost screams. Am getting into the swing of working out again, since the 1st of August. I've pretty much squandered my July. And to no suprise the weight creeps up again and this time I cannot glorify muscle mass.

I've set a mini goal this week with my group at PT. Workout 5 days this week Mon-Fri. So far so good and I've been pumping it up a little with longer workouts on the step. Next week I want to add weights and abs and I will come full circle...again. Not sweating enough, which says I've laid off excercise too long. Okay not going to beat myself about it...I am taking small steps to get back on the wagon and eating a lot wisely this past week, so the weighing scale's gonna be friendly.

On the stitching front, I've tatted Faizon's conifer edging for my blouse and it's completed. I've just got to sew it to my blouse sometime soon. Will post pics once ready.

Beautiful Sunday

I finished Le Quaker!! The finished piece is absolutely beautiful and my mind is racing on how I want it framed. It's a rather challenging piece for me because it was done in one colour (monochromatic) and that can be quite monotonous. I had to be resolute and focused to see it to completion. It was good excercise in discipline. You can download the free design at Le Quaker by Broder Ensemble