Goonies never say die!

Another day, another finished cross stitch piece. This time it's something we have kept for ourselves as we think it's brilliant! 

Remember I told you about weelittlestitches on Etsy? I purchased their Justice League of America pattern and stitched Superman and Wonder Woman as a wedding present for some friends who got married recently (I blogged about it here). Well, I also purchased another couple of patterns at the same time and I couldn't wait to get started on The Goonies! If it's not one of your favourite films of all time what the hell is wrong with you?! ;)

Luckily a lot of the thread colours from the Justice League pattern came in handy for The Goonies, and for the colours that I didn't have I picked the closest match from my thread collection, so it cost peanuts to make as I didn't have to buy any new colours.

That's the great thing about being subscribed to magazines like Cross Stitcher - you get a lot of great thread colours with their free gifts so I save them all for a rainy day. I also have a big bumper pack of thread that Jonathan's Sister bought me for my last birthday which has pretty much every colour you could need, so that has been a lifesaver for patterns like this where you may only do a handful of x's in one colour.

It has been one of those projects that I've been doing inbetween other things but had I stitched it continuously it wouldn't have taken long at all. There is a fair bit of swapping colours and checking back to the pattern which takes up a fair chunk (< ha geddit?) of time.

It now hangs with pride of place on our picture wall in our computer room ready to be joined by the next set of pixel people that I'm working on. I've also got my eye on another pattern I'd like to buy. I need more hours in the day!

You have read this article crafts with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://oscarthemaori.blogspot.com/2012/08/goonies-never-say-die.html. Thanks!

Gap basics & my Bank Holiday weekend.

I'll never be a proper clothes/fashion blogger and that's because my main aim in life is to be comfortable. Not very glamorous I know but when it comes to clothes I get rather excited about a good white t shirt (and if I'm honest, pyjamas and a hoody!)

I've tried a few places over the years and struggled to find the right one, until GAP came along. GAP isn't somewhere I shop at regularly as I think the prices are a tad too expensive for casual clothing but their sales are fantastic.

Last time I popped in they had a million and one t shirts in the sale for around £5 - £10 each so I picked up this v-neck white number which has become a firm favourite ever since.

I can also use this opportunity to show off my beautiful Anniel pumps (c/o Sarenza) which I managed to wear in between the horrendous weather we've been having. I love the pink detail and the pretty bow. This pair are called Irise and there are a few pairs left if you like them.

I have a couple of pairs of Anniel pumps now and can confirm they're so comfortable and well made. I like pumps in neutral colours as they're easy to throw on with any kind of outfit.

Lily seemed pretty keen on them too...

Irise pumps by Anniel c/o Sarenza

I hope you've all been having a good Bank Holiday weekend so far? Well, for those of you who haven't had to work? I've had a lazy one which has been nice after a busy few weeks. On Saturday morning we headed to the cinema early to watch The Dark Knight Rises on the IMAX screen which was fan-bloody-tastic. We both really enjoyed it even if it was a little long. I had to make a mad dash to the loo half way through as I feared I may not make it to the end!

After the cinema we went for lunch and, as it was my choice, I picked the Blue Moon Cafe in the centre of Sheffield as I'm a vegetarian (as of a few months ago) and thought it would be nice to have more than a choice of 3 things from a menu like I usually do.

We shared homity pie and a quesidilla, followed by a huge slab of vegan chocolate cake. I washed mine down with a pot of elderflower tea and Jonathan stuck to water. It was really tasty so I'm sure we will head back there again soon.

Aside from the cinema and lunch I've been catching up on a few jobs around the house and doing a bit of cross stitching in front of the telly which isn't something I find time to do normally. I also had a sneaky watch of The Vow while Jonathan was out yesterday and blubbed my little eyes out.

As for today, while Jonathan and his Dad lay some new tiles on our bathroom floor I shall be stepping up to head cup-of-tea-maker and watching 500 Days of Summer a little bit later on. Bliss!

You have read this article fashion / Sarenza with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://oscarthemaori.blogspot.com/2012/08/gap-basics-my-bank-holiday-weekend.html. Thanks!

Butterflies and hurricanes.

After a hectic month in July I was hoping August would quieten down a little for us and give me some much needed time to relax. Unfortunately this hasn't happened due to one thing or another, most recently that our bathroom flooded a little and soaked the carpets in the surrounding rooms and the floor below. So after a mad dash to hire a Rug Doctor device yesterday we have been tirelessly trying to extract the water and this afternoon, after work, I will be shampooing the carpets through the whole house. If you live in Rotherham and you see a Rug Doctor machine hurling out of a window then you know that's me...

Aside from this little drama though, we do have a few things coming up to look forward to. In a few weeks time Jonathan will be best man and I will be bridesmaid at our best friends wedding, then the following weekend we are going on holiday for a week in the sun. So it looks like September is going to be our month.

I wanted to share a few photos that I took yesterday. I got home from work and went out into the garden with the dogs and found the most surreal sight. Dozens and dozens of butterflies and bees were all buzzing around one of our plants, flying around my head and landing on the side of our house. 

The butterflies were so beautiful and colourful. It was very calming to watch them and rather funny to see Lola taking a dislike to them and trying to jump up to get them. If only she knew with her little legs and the height of the plant she had no chance!

It was just what I needed, taking a time out for 10 minutes and just watching the world go by...

You have read this article diary with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://oscarthemaori.blogspot.com/2012/08/butterflies-and-hurricanes.html. Thanks!

Etsy treasury: Don't be cross. Stitch!

I am often asked where I find cross stitch patterns to make my crafty projects. The answer is very simple as I mainly use Cross Stitcher magazine (which is brilliant) and Etsy. You can find a pattern for pretty much any type of cross stitch project on there, from the sublime to the ridiculous and everything inbetween. A quick search for "cross stitch patterns" will give you thousands to scroll through, although don't blame me if you spend far too much time trying to look at them all!

I tend to steer towards silly patterns, my favourite being by weelittlestitches, as they're so much fun to make and everyone seems to love them, but I also like to make more sensible and/or traditional stitched things too as gifts.

Top: 1 / 2 / 3

Bottom: 1 / 2 / 3

I thought I'd share some of my favourite patterns with you and link to the different sellers. Hopefully you will be inspired to pick up a needle and thread and stitch something. The best thing about buying a pattern online is that they're only a few pounds each and you can keep the PDF to stitch the design over and over again.

I hope you see something you like. There's a little bit of everything here, from simple beginner patterns to slightly bigger and more intricate designs, so I hope they will give you a few ideas for your future projects.

Happy stitching!

Top: 1 / 2 / 3

Middle: 1 / 2 / 3

Bottom: 1 / 2 / 3

You have read this article Etsy treasuries / share the love with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://oscarthemaori.blogspot.com/2012/08/etsy-treasury-don-be-cross-stitch.html. Thanks!

I don't need your moneybox. 'Cause I got lots and lots. Of what I need right here. Right here with you, my dear.

Today is my day off. I use the term day off lightly as since I got up at 6.55am I've done nothing but housework, washing, painting, running errands, and popping to the Post Office and the supermarket. Still beats a day at work though, and my "to do" list on the chalkboard has reduced greatly!

Some new supplies arrived in the post today which I'm very excited to have a play around with this evening. I'm working on some new designs for my shop using wire and beads (like I used to do) as they're much more versatile and my mahoosive bead collection is crying out to be used.

I hate to talk about the weather but this time yesterday I was sunbathing in the garden and now it is absolutely peeing it down. Lily and Lola don't know what to do with themselves. They hate the rain!

Anyway, I thought you might like to see some photos of the little ones (and me!) out in the garden on a slightly sunnier day than today.

I'm officially in love with my new Converse (c/o Sarenza) and as they had their first proper outing at the weekend to a BBQ I thought I'd share some snaps. I threw them on at the last minute with my sausage dog dress which tends to be my standard way to get ready: throw on whatever is closest! They probably don't go together but I don't mind too much. I love the light blue colour with the white detail. I can tell they're going to get a lot of wear so I shall make the most of them while they're still light blue!

They started to rub a little bit today when I wore them to run a few errands (just with jeans and a t shirt) but I'm sure my feet will get used to them. As I mentioned in a previous post they are a tad snug but the next size up would be too big. Who needs room for their toes anyway?!

Converse c/o Sarenza

In other news I have a million (exaggeration) blog posts lined up in my draft folder waiting to be finished off and published. My blogging bug is well and truly back!

Hope you're all having a nice week. It's halfway through which means the weekend is almost in sight! What are your plans? I think we are making a rare trip to the cinema to see the new Batman film and finishing off the tiling in our main bathroom. It's all rock n roll!

Have a good Wednesday :)

You have read this article diary / fashion / lily and lola / Sarenza with the title . You can bookmark this page URL https://oscarthemaori.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-don-need-your-moneybox-i-got-lots-and.html. Thanks!