Last updates before home.

Nearly time to board our flight home so we are just finishing off some stitching on the piece from Friday morning - Twisted Stitches. It is a fun piece and Sue the tutor was lovely. So inspiring I am going to sign up for her workshop by mail piece next weekend. We saw the finished piece and mum and I were both inspired, so will both do it I think.

 Mum and I both spent the shuttle drive stitching the border as that was easy slanted Gobelin stitching. 

Our work to date. Getting on plane now. See u all soon.

Seminar over

 This is how much I got done on amazing grays after two days. I did not spend anytime stitching after class so was very impressed about how much I got done.

Class has finished and we have been to the welcome banquet with the friends we have made. It has been lots of fun and I have enjoyed my classes, thanks to Nancy andSue for being such inspiring and enthusiastic teachers. I am sure we will both finish our projects and I look forward to being able to send photos when they are done. Also bought more threads to stitch another pieces a different colour way. I am looking forward to the challenge of this and hoping it will go with Sue's harmony piece.

Started amazing gray's

First day of the two day class and most exciting. A comprehensive selection of grey and white beads with mostly bugle but some delicas and #15 seed beads. Here is a picture of the first two squares and in the  morning I will post a picture of my days stitching. 

Have met a nice group of ladies and have been having lunch and dinner with them some nights. tonight I went off with Anne, Jessica and Chris to downtown Disney for dinner and fireworks. Really amazing show and went on for 15 minutes. Mum and dad had dinner in the hotel. Last night we went with Ewan to the outback restaurant across the road for dinner.

First day of school

It was the first day of school for Erin today. She is a junior at Sacred Heart Cathedral in SF. She has been busy with tennis trials as well this week as getting her summer assignments finalised. 

Erin ready to drive to school. Another couple of months and she will be driving herself. She has driven mum an I around the city which was great.

Final photo of Erin with mum and dad. We are off tomorrow to Los Angeles to the needlepoint seminar. 

First day of holiday

Had a good day yesterday with arriving a couple of hours late after delays with the plane. Good flight and lots of sleep so I was pleased. Today we were up early and Ewan and I went down to have breakfast with mum and dad at the hotel.
Off at midday for a shopping trip for Alex in his new apartment at university. He will be all sorted with some stuff for his room. After a quick side trip to Joann's for mum and I, MJ drove us down to the waterfront to go to the America's Cup park and watch the second race. In fortunately damage to both boats and an increase in wind speed meant that racing has been postponed for today, but still saw the boats go past on their way back to dock area. Had nice lunch and time for drinking while enjoying the ambience.
Tonight we dined out at a nice local restaurant which was a good meal and evening. When we got home Erin and I got into Alex's mardi gras beads which was quite fun. They were really heavy and he collected them over a number of days. MJ took this photo.

 The mardi gras queens.

Adventure begins

Just sitting in the koru lounge in Auckland airport waiting for flight to San Fran and then to Los Angeles for Ang seminar next weekend. Here is a photo of the yummy biscuit I am enjoying courtesy of Marie's sister Cheryl who made day of the dead cookies for her birthday today.

Unfortunately I ate the mouth before I took the photo.

I only bought a mill hill kit with me to stitch as still have prep work to do only seminar piece and also thought that my Latvian is tired of travelling the world and not being finished. Also bought a little bit of beading for the BJP but have done two pieces so currently only july and August behind now. 

This is one of the creative Stitchers pieces which I have been using for my BJP pieces. Turtle for month of June. I currently have a heart and ginkgo leaf to do. Ginkgo leaf is started buried did not bring it with me as too fiddly with the range of bead colours I want to use.

Back to stitching.

With the holidays over and not as much hand stitching done it has been a busy week at school with lots of changes to our phone system. Just when we think it is all going well it turns to custard.
I have managed to get some stitching done though with snap trays made for Lee and Sonia as well as one for mum to take to seminar. Also made some ATC cards for a swap. They all used tissue as the basis with embellishments. The paua series were fixed onto pellet vilene and then machine stitched a picture. I wasn't sure if it would work but had to use the old sewing machine, which worked out fine. I beaded the steam giving the impression of heat and punched a label to affix. The dress series was a tissue which had two printed layers. The first layer was stuck on across all three labels then the top layer trimmed, fixed on and coated. I then added the fringe and diamantés. Thought they turned out well so hope that the recipients like them, for a swap bot swap.

     

 My ATC cards made. cannot turn picture around no matter how many times I save it.

 
Snap trays are my latest craze. These have been made for a variety of friends and the NZ piece (in right photo) for mum to take to seminar. Snappy bag in left photo has mum's piece of stitching incorporated in it as well. This weekend I hope to make a snappy bag and tray for me to take to Seminar.