Bunch of SALs

Last weekend was IHSW again. Like Joyce, I had the dilemma of being torn between stitching and Diablo III. Thanks to Blizzard, it's Diablo III Open Beta Weekend. Yes, of all the weekends they picked, it had to coincide with IHSW. What's a girl to do?
Fret not, I did manage to get some stitches in. Say hi to Stella again :)

I'm still having so much fun with her it's unbelivable.
Yesterday was once again our weekly 6 Fat Man SAL. I had more fun stitching letters this time. Don't you just love the "o" in snowmen?

Finished off two more boring borders. That's four down, two to go. Hopefully, after next Monday, it will be on to the fun part.
On a sadder note, I found out today that my favourite painter, Thomas Kinkade, has passed away on 6 April 2012. He was 54. Known as the "Painter of Light", I fell in love with his paintings the first time I laid eyes on them. My favourite is his Sweetheart Cottage II. All those hidden hearts throughout the painting. How could one not love that?
So as a tribute to him, I took this month's TUSAL pic with two of Kinkade's jigsaw puzzles that I own as backdrop.

On top of this, I also found out the previous day that Roger, the gentleman who created and manufactured the Stitchmate floor stand had passed away last Wednesday via Valerie's blog. More details here. I've always thought that someday, one day, I would own a StitchMate. His passing is a great loss to the stitching community.
Talk about a bummer way to start the week. May these two gentlemen who has brought great joy to many in their lifetime rest in peace.

Boring Borders

Here's my rather pitiful progress for Monday's 6 Fat Man SAL.

I just plain dislike stitching dull and repetitive borders. Okay, maybe not so much repetitive in this case but gosh is it boring. That's probably why progress was so slow? I'll try to do better next Monday.

After weeks of not stitching on Stargazer, it's now Stella time. Oh, have I missed her.

Happy Stitching!

For the Birds

Caution: Another picture heavy post.

Last October, a challenge was issued by Margaret for 2012 Anniversary Gift Exchange. Similar to the Gingham Heart Challenge last year, in addition to a handmade item, every participant will have to include a Bird this time round.

Not an owl, a chicken or a duck mind you, but a bird. Note the discrepancies in this statement. I can assure you, objections were voiced but our protests were futile. The decision has already been made.

A week ago, I showed you a sneak peek of my silk ribbon embroidery. After yesterday's NNC Anniversary Meet, I can finally reveal to you... my Bird.

Yup, it's a zippered, fully lined pouch as you can see here.

I added a piece of satin ribbon to the zipper puller because I think it gives the illusion of certain birds with feathers behind its head ^.^
My bird wears a necklace of lace with a birdie pendant.

I embroidered its wings with some flowers and beads.

Here are the flowers I showed you in my previous post, located on each side of its body.

Both wings hid a secret... There's a pocket under each wing.

The tail acts as a handle to carry it.

And that is the bird I designed :)

As for my gift, I made a bag.

A bird cage bag to be precise. I don't know what's to be said about my sense of humour but it just amuses me to make a bag fashioned like a bird cage where the bird pouch can be put into it. LOL!

The black bars on the bag are actually sewed on satin ribbons. For my first dabble in appliqué, I pick Sweet Round Bird from Cinderberry Stitches Tail Feathers Block of the Month.

Don't you think he's the sweetest bird you've ever seen? Huge thanks to Jo for sparing me some of her HeatnBond so that I didn't have to buy an entire roll to make this.

I bought the wooden handles off Etsy. I love the flower detail on it.

I really hope Shanny likes them. I can now breathe easy again. I actually took Thursday and Friday off just to work on this. Am I the queen of procrastination?! Oh the stories I can tell you of my last minute induced panic, motivation and inspiration. ROFL!

2012 NNC Anniversary Meet

Caution: Picture heavy post.

Today is NNC's 5th Anniversary Meet. This year, Mel has graciously offered to host the event at her house. Thanks to Bee Ee who gave me a lift and Vivian who served as navigator, we arrived around 9:30 am.

First thing I saw after greeting everyone was this gorgeous cupcake stand.

Talk about a feast for both the eyes and the tastebuds. On top of that, Mel has prepared these gifts for everyone. Framed Pincushions,

Tins of Buttons,

and Little Pink Cupcakes which are actually a crafter's microfibre polishing cloths.

I just love this handmade decoration she has hanging off the ceiling.

Off to the side was a lovely pond full of koi fish. There's just something so soothing about watching fish swim round and round. LOL!

I chatted and hung out with those in the living room for a bit. Then, I walked into the kitchen to see if I could lend a hand and was greeted with this adorable bunny bowls that I couldn't help but take a picture of.

"What were they for?", you asked. Well, they had something to do with these

and my new found addiction.

Oh yes, that's a chocolate fountain! Which can only mean one thing.

Chocolate covered strawberries. Members who were there will confirm that I was on a sugar high the entire meet ^.^

Of course, let me not neglect the other available dishes.

And this macadamia chocolate brownie is as sinful as it looks.

Okay, enough about the food :P

Every year, a challenge is given to members who participated in the Anniversary Gift Exchange. Last year was the Gingham Heart. This year is the Bird Challenge.

These are what the participants came up with.

Just look at the lovely birds on display. I'm always amazed at the creativity of this group.

To ensure the voting remains fair, every bird was labeled with a number with no prior notice given on who its creator is.

But sometimes, we can venture a guess.

For example, these beautiful tatted birds belong to Zarina. Hehehe...

When everyone has eaten, the demos were given. Here's Vivian showing us her Big Shot.

Zarina also showed us basic piecing method for quilts. I was too busy asking questions to take a picture.

Once votes were taken for the birds, the winner was announced. I won!... Again. Some said I should be banned from entering next year :(

This is the prize made by Margaret.

I'm so happy everyone love my bird. I'll show it to you in my next post.

Check out Margaret's gorgeous stitching. Unfortunately, I have no idea which design this is.

Next, gifts and prizes were given. Here's Margaret, one of the organizers, showing off an owl she received.

And Nik, our other organizer with the cat she made for NNC's 1005th Posting Prize winner.

I was lucky enough to win this pincushion made by Margaret too. This is a Primitive Hare freebie downloadable here.

I had wanted to stitch this the moment I saw it. Now I don't have to anymore :) Thanks, Margaret.

Finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for. Every gift has been labeled with a number. Underneath each bird on this tray is a Hershey's Kisses and a number. You get to pick a bird and the gift that matches the number you pick goes to you.

Mine went to Shanny in Switzerland.

This is the bird that came home with me, made by Vivian.

Can you guess what treasures are in this pretty box?

Three stunning handmade cards,

A tissue holder, book cover, zipper pouch, hand-bind book and a bottle of perfume.

Last but not least, door gifts were handed out to everyone.

What a haul! Thank you so much to all who contributed. I had a fabulous time today.

Get Set, Ready, SAL!

9 April marks the start of our 6 Fat Man SAL. Unfortunately, it was that time of the month and I had a roaring migraine the whole of that day. So, I started mine a day late. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better now.

I finished the bird house that was included with the border instructions in the middle of the design. Aren't the birds adorable?

I'm loving my HDF conversion so far and PTP's Tarnish Belfast is a joy to stitch on. I can't wait till next Monday. I'm having a ball with this design.

I'll be dropping by to see everyone's progress.

Happy Stitching!

Purple Paradise

After being on time for my last TUSAL update, here's my prompt report for April's WiPocalypse. What is going on? I'm usually the world's first class procrastinator. LOL!

Until a few days ago, I stitched one project and one project only. I hope you're not bored with seeing Stella again. Here's my progress so far.

Have you noticed she has so much purple on her gown? Hence the post title ^.^ Alas, I had to put her down due to an exchange commitment. Can't show you the whole project yet but here's a glimpse of what I've been up to.

Yup, silk ribbon embroidery. Let's hope this project turns out exactly as I've envisioned it. Wish me luck.

Happy Stitching!