Jo-an-Ray Update

In the post of 9 September last year about my parent's house, I promised to give an update on the progress of the two new houses which were being built on their block of land.  You may recall how it was once a humble, small two-bedroomed house that, over time, had undergone a couple of renovations to accommodate a growing family and also suffered extensive damage by two devastating floods. 

This was the family home - my childhood house - that I decided to cross-stitch for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary - the house that they had spent all their married life in.  It was sold after the 2011 flood and demolished to make way for two very contemporary styled houses.

Well today my Mum and I were in the area and drove past the newly finished houses and were wonderfully surprised.  We realise the whole suburb is undergoing a demographic change with very modern houses being built and squeezed onto smaller blocks against the much older and characteristic Queenslander styled houses on larger blocks and for the most part it all works well together.  

These houses might stand out against the older smaller houses close by, but are really beautiful in design and presentation.

Visiting the site today made me realise how very pleased I am that all those years ago I made the effort to stitch a keepsake of the family home that once occupied that block of land as there is absolutely nothing remaining (trees, fence, driveway, etc.) as a reminder.  But when I took my Mum back home to her retirement unit, the framed cross-stitch of the family home on the wall greeted us ... and it was a wonderfully warm feeling.

Ros

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us" -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

New Design Release - Australian Pelican

In conjunction with Australian Day celebrations this weekend, I am delighted to release a new design which is symbolic of our Australian outdoor lifestyle.  Whether swimming at the beach or boating or fishing on or near lakes, the Australian Pelican can be a tranquil sight when spotted gliding on the water early in the morning or at dusk but equally as noisy and displaying flamboyant behavioural patterns when in flocks.   When the country experiences monsoonal rains and flooding of salt lakes in arid inland Australia - which coincidentally is happening at the moment - many pelicans will take advantage of these conditions and flock in their thousands to these locations to breed. 

The Australian Pelican is the largest of eight (8) species of pelicans throughout the world which can live to between 10 and 25 years in the wild.  They are found widespread over the continent and are quite capable of travelling long distances for suitable water, food and breeding grounds which can range anywhere from mudflats to beaches and reefs of inland and coastal waters.  Their diet consists mainly of fish but they will also feed on insects and aquatic crustaceans and sometimes work in groups to drive fish to shallower water.  But probably the most unique feature of the Australian Pelican is its pink elongated bill which is considered to be the longest of any living bird.  It is used as a pouch to collect food and water and has a sharp serrated tip on its beak to grip slippery fish before wedging and holding it into the bill and swallowing.



Recently, just after Christmas my family took a short break to the beach at Bribie Island (about an hours drive north or Brisbane) and as we drove over the iconic wooden bridge spanning the mainland to the island, were greeted by these beautiful creatures sitting atop wooden posts acting almost like sentinels and welcoming us.  It inspired me to get out my sketching pad again and put needle and thread to work.

The cross stitch design has 11 colours and is 49w x 37h (89 x 67mm/3.5 x 2.6in) in dimension.  The light sandy ocean effect has been depicted by using double strand pale blue and pale green thread. 

I was very pleased with how this design stitched up and I'm sure it would appeal to anyone who loves the beach or fishing.  It certainly makes me want to visit Bribie Island again.

Ros

'Remember day by day, to scatter seeds of kindness as you pass along the way' - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

    

Butterfly Birthday Card

Yesterday was my Mum's birthday ... I won't reveal her advanced age ... and she insisted on the fact that she didn't want any 'presents' but rather our 'presence'.  As someone who has always loved craft and sewing, I knew she would appreciate the love that goes into a handmade gift, so I set about stitching her a birthday card.  

This butterfly was one of a set of six gorgeous butterfly designs in the March 2014 issue of the Cross Stitch Card Magazine and, as I sometimes do, adjusted the colour shade selection to suit what was available in my stash and to have fun by experimenting with varying colours. However, I was really happy with the blended shades for this design as I think the soft teal and blue work well against the contrasting purple outlining and matching cardstock.  

With the design 10cm square (3-3/4 in.), 53 high x 53 wide and stitched on 14 count white aida, took approximately 3 to 4 hours to complete over the space of a couple of days.  My only regret is that I was running out of time to finish the card before collecting my Mum to bring her home to our place for a home cooked birthday dinner and as such would have liked to add embellishment with a few beads here and there to give a certain sparkle.  I think it would have given a pretty finish.  As with all my cards a white paper insert was attached to write a special message.  

I'm happy to report that Mum loved the card, a small posy of my home-grown miniature roses and the birthday dinner and mentioned on more than one occasion that she had had a lovely day.  I guess that's all that really matters, isn't it?

Ros

'Love is like a butterfly.  It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes' - Author unknown.

'Isn't She Lovely'

This is just one of my favourite Stevie Wonder songs - singing about the joy and happiness and overwhelming love on the birth of his baby girl.  

Fitting for this post, because a couple of weeks ago the son (and his beautiful wife) of one of our neighbours - who we witnessed grow from a highly-spirited and adventurous young boy into a responsible and hardworking man - were blessed with the safe arrival of a daughter. I decided to stitch them a card as a personal gift to welcome the new family member.

The design was from Issue 77 of the Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine and I just used slightly brighter threads from my stash to blend in with the recommended colours so as to appeal to young, modern parents.  Stitched on 14 count white thread, consisting of only full cross stitches and clear-taped onto folded bright pink cardstock, it probably took approximately 3 hours to complete.  I always love the detailing of backstitching as, I believe, it transforms the stitched work into artwork.

Our best wishes to the new family and their future happiness.  

Ros

"A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it." - Frank A. Clark

Fringe Benefits

Over the past few months my husband and son have been creating magic in our front yard by building raised garden beds and replacing dated framed lattice panels with wooden slats all of which is giving a fresh and modern appearance to the house - and, may I add, some wonderful compliments to the 'carpenters' from our neighbours.  My part in all of this landscaping project is to oil the wooden slats for weather protection and select plants for the garden beds - a job which I have undertaken with much relish.  

I decided to fill the beds with native plants and delighted in the task of visiting the plant nursery to choose suitable plants.  As time goes on and my natives flourish they will form the subject of other posts, but for today I would love to highlight a pretty and delicate flower which, up until I saw it at the plant nursery, didn't realise its quaint size.  It is in fact one of my earliest designs - the Fringe Lily - and I must admit that when I saw it, I just knew I had to buy it (much like a pair of shoes or dress) because it is such a sweet little flower.

There are a cluster of buds on a stem and each flower only blooms once but they don't all bloom at the same time so each new day brings a new and perfect bloom.  It took about a whole week for this particular cluster to complete flowering with about four blooms each day and there are a couple of smaller clusters still yet to flower.  The flower itself is about the size of a thumbnail but what I found absolutely unusual was the pretty frilled fringe around each petal and the gorgeous colour.

My cross stitched design of the Fringe Lily depicts the actual flower perfectly with its markings and colourings and the frilled edge. It contains 9 colours and measures 82 x 73mm (3.2 x 2.9in) in size and there is currently a Fringe Lily card for sale in my Etsy shop on purple cardboard.

I don't seem to recall the flower having a fragrance, but I think we can forgive it for that when it produces such beauty and provides such pleasure.

Ros

'Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.' - Judy Garland

Design Release - Boronia

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and so in keeping with the recognised colour of pink associated with breast cancer I thought it appropriate to release a new design - the Boronia.  

                         

Boronias grow as low shrubs in open forests and woodlands and belong to a family of approximately 95 species Australia wide.  The species of Boronia chosen for my particular design - Boronia safrolifera (or commonly known as Safrole Boronia) - grows mostly in south-east Australia in moist soils but can also be found in protected areas of swamp regions of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.  It has a pretty and dainty star-like shaped flower ranging in colour from deep to pale pink with a beautiful perfume which is harvested for its well-known essential oil qualities and strongly-scented aromatic leaves commonly used in potpourri.  An interesting fact is that the Boronia was named after an 18th century Italian botanist Fransesco Borone.

My cross stitched boronia measures 54 x 78mm (if stitched on 14 point Aida) or 30 stitch width x 43 stitch height dimensions and consists of 9 colours.  Small white and lemon french knots placed in the centre of each open flower complete the design.  Easily and quickly stitched, this design would be beautiful for any floral enthusiast.

Ros

'Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength' - Francis de Sales

Jo-an-Ray

About 10 years ago I decided to undertake the ambitious project of cross stitching a picture of my parent's house (my family home) for their 50th wedding anniversary.  Apart from the fact they had lived all their married life in this house and that it had undergone two major renovations, this robust house had also survived two catastrophic floods - the 1974 flood where the waters totally inundated it and the 2011 flood where it peaked at just under the roof.  I also wanted a sentimental keepsake for my parents as I knew that eventually they would 'move on' to retirement accommodation and this would provide memories for them.

The cross stitch program I have enables me to import a photo which will automatically convert it into a chart and then tweak the colour if needed.  I should add here that this was the third cross stitch house project undertaken (the others will be the subject of future posts) so I felt confident enough with the task of emphasising the shading and lighting required to create a realistic interpretation of the 'real thing'.  There were many computer hours spent on perfecting the 34 colours used, but many, many, many more in the stitching process which comprised of a total of 64,518 stitches and 362 stitching hours (yep I kept track!!). Framing completed the work beautifully and it hung proudly in their lounge room and was one of the very first items to be whisked out of the house with the threat of another flood in 2011. 

After the flood my parents did indeed 'move on' to retirement village accommodation and hung their family home portrait proudly in their lounge room.  But the fate of the actual house is an interesting story with it first being sold to an investor for rental purposes and then later sold to a developer where it was duly demolished to make way for construction of a newer and modern house.  We had heard from old neighbours and friends still living in the area that construction of the new building was well underway so the other week my Mum and I went to visit the site and inspect the progress and simply could not believe our eyes.

With the scaffolding it's a little difficult to get a true appreciation of the size, but let me tell you that this massive construction is actually two (2) three-level houses and with a pool in each backyard, there will be hardly any grass.  The neighbours have been practically built out with very little light or air flow or privacy.  I will post an update when the houses are complete.  

It really is hard for me to comprehend that 60 odd years ago a simple, small 2 bedroom hardboard house sat in the middle of this large quarter acre block and now all these years later 2 massive houses occupy it.  To think that I used to ride my bike around the house and then later when I had my drivers license and bought my first car that I could park it at the side of the house (of course Dad's car got the covered garage).

Jo-an-Ray was a 'play' on my parent's names of Joan and Ray and a very good family friend made a plaque with this name on it for them when they were first married and it was attached to the front of their house all the years they lived there.  When they sold the house, we made sure the plaque went with them.  It has been cleaned up and now sits proudly on the brick wall at the entrance to the new home and my cross stitch of the family home is proudly displayed in its new place on the lounge room wall.  It is indeed a beautiful family heirloom.

Ros

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves, otherwise we harden" - Goethe