Down and out for the count.

Been diagnosed with shingles :/ and am under "house arrest" for a week.

Time to catch up on crafting. 

When I'm working I'm always telling myself "I wish I had time to work on [insert project here]". Now that I am house locked I can't remember what most of these projects were! *self-fume*

But I did remember a cube biscornu project that was shared with me earlier this year that had me all excited because the sample was done in variegated thread... 

I've never tried stitching in variegated thread before. 

I read online and some people said to do it stitch by stitch (i.e. x by x) Some people said to stitch normally... (Like all the /// first followed by \\\). So I tried both. 

The left motif is stitch by stitch. The right motif is stitched normally. Both had different effects. So I mixed it up with this awesome anchor 1335 floss. 

Tadah! 

How do you stitch with variegated threads. 

A bit of colour

Decided to share a bit of colour today. Above is my newly oragnised cross stitch floss. I used to use stitch bows and a large folder but I found it hard to keep track of the colours. So with some cardboard bobbins (which cost like $4 for 100) and plastic folders ($2 each) and corrigated dividers ($2 each) my new organiser was born [man do I love the budget $2 store]. I love it. It's so much cheaper and space efficient than the stitch bow method... not to mention so much prettier! 

Photos of the completed gift with Ms Pam Palmer's rocking horse were also promised last time... so here it is

To Skai and Gail. I hope you like it. Congratulations on the addition to your family. =)

Am rather stoked now as well... I just ordered a pair of chainmaille earrings from Jeff! I can't wait! I hope it gets here in time for Chinese New Year!

Sandcastle Fun complete!

I've been working on this stitch for what feels like forever - and it's finally complete!

Suzy's Zoo is something right out of my childhood. As a kid I used to love looking at the stickers (that came in huge rolls and you paid for a small 'square' cut off from the roll, the postcards, the letter paper... it was all so cute! But at the time, all so expensive as well...

Now that I may actually have some spare money to spend on such things, I can hardly find anything in Singapore anymore... I did a quick search and didn't manage to find much online either... but I did manage to find this kit (Sandcastle Fun) in the local craft store, on a day where the craft store was having 20% off storewide. I couldn't resist!

And now I'm so glad that I finished it!

Fabric!

My sister has demanded that I sew her an apron for her birthday - I've never done one before... but I went to to town to pick her up some frabic to make one and I'm super pleased with my find =). 

I found a small shop that specializes in Japanese fabrics and picked up these lovelies. 

Don't know whether the bits with glitter can be seen in the photo. 100% cotton... cost me $7.00 per meter - I who have paid over $20 per metre when I was taking a quilting course whooped for joy =). Hope I can turn these fabrics into a kick ass half apron! Anyone have patterns to recommend?

And in case anyone is interested (and perhaps for my own selfish record)... this is the shop's card!

They are open Monday to Sunday from 12.00noon to 7.00pm

[I understand they will be closed for a while for Chinese New Year though].

Check it out!

In the meantime, I'm also making some (slow) progress with my MSCSG SAL! Hope to finish before I have to go back to work!

A Mondo GIveaway and a WIP

Check out the awesome giveaway that Ladyshuttlemaker is having on her blog here! Hmm... methinks that the next book in my challenge which I shall start should be from her books!

But that aside... item 1 of my 2012 Challenge is from Tatting Treats Two by Ms Pam Palmer. 

The lovely lovely Rocking Horse. I've done this little cutey a couple of times before. It's my favourite tat for the 'new parents!' prezzies =). This one in size 80 Lizbeth Sherbert Delight is for a little girl named Kyra =). I haven't bought the frame yet so I haven't finished the full present. Pics will be posted when I get around to getting the frame. =)

One of my first few tatting books - and still one of my favourites. I still recommend this as well as Tatting Treats and Tatting Treats Three (and in fact any other book by Ms Pam Palmer) to any 'fresh' tatter... =)

On another crafting front (since I'm on leave this week - clearing leave before it gets wiped out), I'm loving my WIP for my MSCSG January 2012 SAL! Woohoo!