Character Creations September Update

Can you believe it? I'm actually a day ahead this month.

There are four new releases this month, two from Lisa Hunt (one of which I know is a request) and two from Abranda Sisson - one is a petite and the other has been stitched by Lyn is just beautiful.

Anne - Abranda Sisson
Tilley - Abranda Sisson
Tara - Lisa Hunt
Venus - Lisa Hunt

As always, details are on the news page.

Two Today

Two Today
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

The family on Marcus' second birthday in January. I deliberately used the same papers and things as the layout of Marcus called "Two" since they were taken at the same time.

Credits ~
Sketch by Liz Newberry; black paper from Mystic by Melanie Willman; red and medium blue papers from Sweet Liberty by Gina Cabrera; dark blue paper from Navy Fall by Amy Tanabe; light blue paper from Paradise Sampler by Amy Teets; ribbon from Summer Sunsations by Krista Mettler, Jeanine Baechtold and Jen Reed; alpha is A Child's World by Katie Pertiet; font is Grace

Handyman

Handyman
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Marcus helping Dave put a hole in the door frame for the deadbolt. (The drill is unplugged, I promise.)

Helping Daddy fix the front door
26th August, 2006

Credits~
Everything is from the Scrapmommies Collaborative Kit "I Heart Dad"; silver action from Atomic Cupcake; font is Jarman

Mad Hatters

Mad Hatters
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Journalling~
Friday, 25th August, 2006
[Daycare] had a Mad Hatters Fish and Chips Night. You didn't eat any of the food Daddy and I brought with us, but you happily munched up [daycare] sandwiches. You got tickled by Aileen, swapped hats with Daddy and had a very happy time. I had a good time too and got to meet some of the parents of the other kids in the Kingfish Room.

Credits~
Paper from Fundamental Fun by Trish Jones, alpha is Surprise Inside by Carrie Stephens; paint strokes from Painted Brush Strokes by Miss Mint; font is Big Fish Ensemble

Bliss

Bliss
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

I decided against any journalling on this one. It's a case of a picture telling a thousand words I think.

Credits~
Paper from My Sunshine by Melanie Violette; "bliss" from Fundamental Fun by Trish Jones; stitched words by Amy Martin; calender from 110 Years by Anita Stergiou

Who's Guarding Who

Who's Guarding Who
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Journalling~
I don't know who is guarding whom here, but if you are the little prince, then I suppose that makes Daddy the dragon. Is he a scary dragon do you think?

Credits~
Everything is from Prince Edward by Katie Pertiet; font is Cheryl

Beta Blogger?

Has anyone converted over to this? What do you think of it? Is it worth it?

I stitched today!

Just a little bit and it was mostly fudging around an earlier mistake, but it's still stitching.

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sharing the Love

Stacey Tippin is a fantasy artist, whose lovely art is charted by Heaven and Earth Designs. I've just learned that she has also been designing some beautiful sampler type designs for Dinkey Dyes.

My favourites are Wave Dancer and Summer's Gate Sampler but they're all beautiful and you an see them here.

Hmmm, is it too early to drop hints about Christmas presents?

Wave Dancer


Summer's Gate Sampler

Succumbing to temptation

I went across town today to catch up with some friends today. Since I was near my favourite bookshop and I knew they'd had a new shipment in lately, Marcus and I called in there on our way (okay, slightly beyond our way).

There were a couple of books there that were on my "want to buy" list, so I decided to use up my last two gift vouchers (I asked for gift vouchers for my birthday back in March) on them.

I've decided to push all new books to the top of the TBR pile and read them as I get them, in an attempt to stop the backlog growing. Books that have already waited for ages can wait a bit longer, and I'll work on keeping up with new ones and catching up on the others in between.

I bought "Blood and Iron" by Elizabeth Bear, which I thought looked fascinating when I first heard about it on her livejournal and "Mysteria" which is an anthology of short - and apparently rather silly - stories. I read the excerpt from Susan Grant's offering on her website while looking for more info on her new series and thought it sounded fun. Since it was there on the shelf, I brought it home.


  


So I'm trying to concentrate of "Yay, new books!" rather than "oh no, more books to find time to read".

I haven't written comments for everything I've finished lately as some days I haven't felt up to it, but I am keeping the sidebar updated and my reading list is now available at Library Thing.

Loving You Through the Glass

Loving You Through the Glass
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

This photo is me and Dave by Marcus' incubator the day after he was born.

Journalling reads ~
On the walls of the long NICU corridor at National Womens’ Hospital, there were lots of posters. You were in the furthest room of the unit, which was the most intensive care level, so I walked past those posters a whole lot of times. They were all uplifting and special because they were the stories of other babies who had passed through the NICU, many starting out as small and fragile as you – some were even smaller and earlier than you.

There were two that spoke to me most.

One was about a little girl who was almost exactly the same size as you were and just as premature. I loved that one because she had made the poster herself. She was perhaps seven by then (I don't remember exactly) and she had written all the words herself, which seemed to me to be a great testament to her survival and growth, more so than any of the photos of big, happy healthy children on the other posters.

But that was only my second favourite poster. My very favourite was a poem written by a premmie baby's mother. It never occurred to me to write it down - I had a lot of other things on my mind at the time - but I remember the title and the essence what it was about.

It was called “Loving You Through the Glass” and in it she poured her heart out about how hard it was to be on the other side of incubator walls from her precious, tiny, fragile new baby. That just spoke to my heart, especially the title. That's what your daddy and I were doing, I realised. We were loving you through the glass. Maybe we couldn’t hold you unless the nurses thought it was a safe time. Maybe I couldn't hold you to my heart and have you suckle at my breast. Maybe we couldn’t pick you up whenever we chose. Or just hand you to your grandparents and aunts and uncles for a cuddle.

But we could love you. Gently, fiercely, continually, sometimes even desperately. Through the glass.

Credits ~
Alpha is by Kellie Mize; Love word art is from Love Me Tender by Dani Mogstad; frame is from Deckle Frames by Katie Pertiet; everything else is from Chelsey's Dream by Michelle Coleman; font is FG Lova

Quick reply to Erin

My one complaint about Blogger is that it doesn't easily let you hold a conversation in the comments the way you can do with Livejournal.

Erin, thanks for the lovely comment about my layout of Marcus on his second birthday.

I've taken photos of him with that teddy from when he got it at 3 weeks old so that I have a sequence. 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months and 2 years. I'll probably keep doing it on his birthday at least until he's five.

Here he is with teddy at 3 weeks to show you just how much he's grown. (Image is clickable to bigger version.)

Dangerous Tides - Christine Feehan (8/10)

I enjoy Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters series. The sisters are all lovely - if a bit perfect - and it's a nice break from the angst of the Carpathian books. Her heroes still tend to be alpha males, but they're not as totally annoying about it as the Carpathians are.

There's a lot of wish fulfillment here; seven beautiful sisters with magical powers who love each other with a depth and strength most people can only dream about. But that's okay so long as you start the book with that awareness. It's a lovely fantasy that I enjoy visiting. My only complaint is that there is such a focus on the sisters that the fiances that were found in the earlier books barely seem to figure in each new book. Of course, there were three of them at the start of Dangerous Tides and now there are four, so I guess it would be character overload. All the same, it was good to see brief cameos from the men this time around.

I like Ty. Despite his faults, he's another perfect hero - a genius scientist who is also, buffed, strong, handsome and brave. I don't care. This is a fantasy and it's a nice one. Besides, having my own share of social ineptness, it's nice to see that on the page. It was well done, especially the way Ty tended to spout out random facts when he couldn't face something emotional. And while he improved, it never disappeared completely, which I thought was good. I think he's my favourite of all the Drake sister fiances so far.

I accidently spoiled myself to the identity of the villain, which I think affected the way I saw the character before the big revelation, so I'd be interested to hear if other readers picked it up from the hints dropped.

If you're looking for a solid, realistic story, this isn't for you - but you probably didn't pick up a book about magic sisters if that's what you wanted. But as a perfect romantic fantasy, this pushed all my buttons. Sit back, go along for the ride and enjoy the Drakes. I did, and I'm looking forward to the next three books, especially as we're beginning to see just how much Hannah, Joley and Elle need to find someone to balance them and their gifts.

Reading but not stitching

I am so shattered and exhausted at the moment. I am physically tired all the time, even if I'm not necessarily sleepy. Although, give me a quiet moment to lie down and I'll probably fall asleep. I just don't get many quiet moments.

I'm not doing any stitching at all, which is very frustrating, especially since I have a project with a deadline that isn't get any progress made on it. However, right now I just can't do it. It's too much effort to hold up the Q-Snaps and move the needle up and down at the moment. Sigh. But it's silly to overstress myself.

I have been getting a bunch of reading done, but I've moved from more "serious" books to lighter ones as I can cope with them more easily. I thoroughly enjoyed my latest J. D. Robb and if all else fails, I may concentrate on that serious and finish it up.

All the same, I'm feeling very non-productive at present. I look after Marcus and I sleep mostly.

Portrait in Death - J. D. Robb (10/10)

I loved this one. I flew through it when I've been struggling a bit with other books, so that was great too.

Like most of the books in this series, while it has a good solid crime (more of one that some of the last few), it's really about Eve and Roarke's continued learning curve about love and marriage.

This time it's Roarke's past that comes up to bite them, and boy is it a biggie, as pretty much everything he thought he knew about himself gets turned upside down. He doesn't handle it well, shutting Eve out instead of leaning on her strength. They sort it out in time, as they always do, and I look forward to seeing more of the new characters introduced in this book. (Anything more would be a spoiler.)

Summerset and Eve continue to bicker, especially since he manages to fall and break a leg just as he was about to go on vaction, giving Eve three weeks of Summerset-freedom. The accident, coupled with Roarke's problems futher demonstrate the depth of the relationships between Roarke, Summerset and Eve.

Tangled in with this is a neat and tidy murder mystery where all the pieces point in the right direction, but it is only at the end that everything finally falls into place. Clearly, working with Eve is a dangerous occupation, as another of her team is injured, although fortunately all is well at the end.

I thought it was particularly telling that it is only when Eve and Roarke get their balance back and start working as a team again that the investigation begins to come together.

An excellent addition to the series.

Two

Two
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Journalling ~
This photo was taken at the Esplanade in Palmerston North on your second bithday. You look so happy, with your grin and dimples in your cheeks. You rode your bike all around the cafe courtyard and we had to keep running after you so you didn't drive into any of the other patrons' knees.

You're holding up the teddy that Great Nana Rose gave you when you were born. Back then, it was almost as big as you were - you were such a tiny, scrawny wee thing. Look at how big and healthy you are now. It makes my heart sing to see it. Now you're two, no-one would even know you had been born a whole three months too soon.

You look like any other happy two year old birthday boy and it makes me so happy to see it.

Credits ~
Sketch by Traci Reed; black paper from Mystic by Melanie Willman; red and medium blue papers from Sweet Liberty by Gina Cabrera; dark blue paper from Navy Fall by Amy Tanabe; light blue paper from Paradise Sampler by Amy Teets; flowers from Scrap Street Simple Florist by Jen Wilson; alpha is A Child's World by Katie Pertiet; font is Grace

Guess How Much I Love You...

Guess How Much I Love You...
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

I struggled and struggled with the elements for this one after having the original idea, but I'm pleased with what I finished up with. I love these pictures of Marcus. I'm not sure when they were taken and can't find a reference at the moment, but I'd guess he's under one and both were taken in 2004.

This layout was inspired by one of the DigiShopTalk gallery by slkone (http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=7261) and uses the same kit.

Stitching is from Dinos by Heather Roselli; everything else is from Space Odyssey by Heather Roselli

Planning Ahead

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you plan ahead for your reading? Work off of a to-be-read pile? A reading list? Or do you wing it, chooe whatever you're in the mood for?
   
   I have a to be read pile that is actually a bookcase shelf. I aim to read from that, although I can be sidetracked by new things.
   
   



2. If you do plan ahead, how far ahead? Do you have two or three books waiting in queue? Or are you backed up by dozens of volumes waiting their turn?
   
   I have way too many books I'm trying to read. Since I developed CFS (16 years ago now!) I haven't been able to read with the same ease I used to do. However, I can'thelp myself and still buy books at the same rate. This means I can't keep up and the books keep backing up to the point I'm rather stressed about it.
   
   So I keep the books I know I really want to read on my TBR shelf and the idea is that I can pick anything I choose from the shelf. When new books turn up I now try to read them pretty much straight away so that I don't get even further behind. Between new books, my goal is to start reducing the number of books on the shelf - then I might be able to add in some rereads as there are lots of things I'd like to read again.
   
   I try to decide what I'll read next when I start a book, but don't generally make a specific plan beyond that. And this can all be tossed aside at a moment's notice if something comes up I just have to read immediately. Or if I change my mind.



3. If you do not plan ahead . . . well, never? What about if you're reading a series? Or someone gives you a book for a present?
   
   As I said above, anything is subject to change.
   
   If I'm reading a series, I'll usually keep the next one up on the TBR shelf and once I get that read, I add in the one after that and it comes up when I'm ready for it. Then I repeat the process. For example, I have Portrait in Death on the TBR shelf right now. I'll read that when I feel in the right mood for it, and once I finish it, I'll put it back downstairs and put Imitation in Death on the shelf.

Lover Eternal - J. R. Ward (9/10)

Okay, so a guilty admission here. I loved this. I kind of feel like I shouldn't, but I'm not sure why. It's one of those books where if I had to describe it to someone else, I would probably find the premise and plot silly and would find myself justifying reading it. Which I guess is what I'm doing now.


But Ward pulls it off beautifully. Her characters are surprisingly well rounded and real - I've discovered that she posts "slices of life" with them on her bulletin board and I wonder if this is part of their charm and depth, that she spends a lot more time with them than just in the pages of the book.


I was cheering for these characters, for Mary to take a risk and let someone in, for Rhage to take a risk of his own and let go. It took a while - and I do wish he's just told her his secret a lot earlier - but they got there in the end.


There's not a lot of plot in this book, and what there is seems to be mostly set-up for the next in the series and maybe others later, but it doesn't matter. The story is carried beautifully by the characters and I got to the end feeling fully satisfied.


I'm kind of glad I read this now as the third in the series will be out fairly soon and poor Bella has been left in a bit of a hole - literally. Fortunately, the excerpt at the end tells us she'll make it out again.


I had a lovely time getting to know Rhage and Mary and I'm looking forward to Zsadist and Bella's story soon.

Song of Unmaking - Caitlin Brennan (9/10)

Like my previous read, The Dawn Star, Song of Unmaking started out slowly and I was worried that I was going to struggle to read it. It seemed to suffer from that danger that strikes a second book - lack of new action and more consolidation than story. I was happy to be proved wrong.


The beginning shows both Kerrec and Valeria being typically stubborn and refusing to let anyone know they are still damaged from the events of the first book.


Once that is revealed the action really begins, as Kerrec is exiled from the Mountain and Valeria follows him. From there they find themselves still inextricably linked to the fate of the world and now Kerrec's sister Briana has been pulled in as well, linked to the horse gods as well as the empire as the emperor's heir.


I particularly liked the parallels drawn between Kerrec and Briana, bith called to duty by both the empire and the Mountain. Before this, each thought they had to choose one or the other, where now it becomes clear that each is both and they must work together. For Kerrec the Mountain's call is stronger and he will be a rider, but he still has a destiny and duty to the empire as well. For Briana it is the reverse, her greatest call is to the empire and she will be Empress, but she is still called to the Mountain and accompanied now by one of the Ladies of the horse gods. Each has their own place, but each needs to accept the other part of their destiny and their best change to salvage the future is together.


As for Valeria, again she finds that she really is more than "just a Rider" but she begins to realise that raw power isn't enough and she still has much to learn for both her and Sabata to come into their power.


Her relationship with Kerrec is almost non-existent at the beginning of the book following the damage he suffered and the darkness she carries. It slowly builds and changes and is something strong by the end, which was lovely to see.


The visit to Valeria's family at the end was a treat, even if the reason why was sad, and I hope we see more of all of them as the series continues.


I'm glad I have book three on order and I'm lookikng forward to more of the story. I did read somewhere that the story may be going to be six volumes, so the thought that it will take at least another three years to get to the end is a little bit of a downer.

Foot Fetish

Foot Fetish
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Made using Traci's sketch from the Ezine release party at Scrapmommies.

All the papers are from Jen Reed's A Baby Boy Story kit (both the original and the updated versions). Fonts are Hanky Pankee and Genius of Crack.

Journalling
Sheepworld 17th April, 2005
Daddy and I took you to Sheepworld today. It's a tourist farm just north of Warkworth where they have lots of animals that can be fed and petted, as well as a show with dogs rounding up sheep, sheep shearing, goat milking and even a duck race. You had so much fun. You loved all the animals and you weren't the tiniest bit scared of any of them. You tried to touch all the animals - even if you did almost poke out a donkey's eye - and you laughed and thought it was all great fun. You made friends with this goat and just giggled when it tried to eat your shoes. We have lots of lovely photos from the day, but it is this one, with you laughing and showing your dimples that is my very favourite. We promise to take you back to Sheepworld again when you are older and can appreciate it even more.

Dragon Eggs

Dragon Eggs
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Marcus at the playground at Auckland Zoo in Feb 2005. They have a big concrete Chinese dragons and this is one of its eggs.

Credits ~
Striped paper from Shabby Baby Mini by Dani Mogstad; solid paper from This Love Solid Papers by Dani Mogstad; Paper tear from Atomic Cupcake; Alphas are Between the Lines by Katie Pertiet and Stitched Alpha by Laura Kaye; dragon stamps are Microsoft Office Clipart.

The Dawn Star - Catherine Asaro (9/10)

Like The Misted Cliffs before it, The Dawn Star seemed to take a little while to get going, but once it did, the story flew.


Asaro has created a fascinating world here, that gets more complicated as she ties all the various countries up into various alliances. I'm glad there is a second trilogy coming so I can find out how the events of this book change the future of the settled lands.


I love all the characters as well. I was initially annoyed when first Drummer and later Jade were introduced - I wanted to know more about Mel and Cobalt, not be sidetracked by new characters. However, I was quickly won over. Now I want to know more about Jade and Drummer as well as Cobalt and Mel. Oh, and more about Chime and Muller and most of all, more about Iris and Jarid.


Jarid and Iris actually remain my favourites in this series and I wish they'd got a full book instead of just a novella. Ah well, I can always go and reread Moonglow.


One of the lovely things about Mel and Cobalt's developing relationship in this book is the way neither of them has turned into a perfect hero or heroine. They function really well together and temper each other perfectly, but they need each other and alone neither is anything as strong. Or, especailly in Cobalt's case, as balanced. He needs Mel, not so much to keep him in check, but to keep him in touch with parts of himself he doesn't really believe are there.


As for Drummer and Jade, theirs is just a lovely - if complicated - romance and I thoroughly enjoyed how it played out.


My biggest - and really only - complaint is simply that the book isn't long enough to give everyone the screen time and character development they deserve, leaving me feeling vaguely unfulfilled. I've had a lovely meal, but I'm still kind of hungry.

Book covers

I just put up covers for four of the books I posted about yesterday over on A Cover a Day...

Oh no, all over again (books this time)

Not only have I found new cross stitch charts, RomanticSF.com have just updated their upcoming books list and there are way too many I'd like to read, including some from favourite authors that I didn't even know had new books coming out.

Sigh.

August 2006

• Cast in Courtlight - Michelle Sagara
  I'm tossing up over this one. I read the first and found it quite confusing, but still really liked the setting and characters. I suspect I'll succumb eventually, because I do want to know what happens next, and besides, I love the cover.

Fortunately (or not as the case may be) all the others that I'm interested in for August I've already got in hardcover or trade paperback.

September 2006

• Alpha - Catherine Asaro
  So it's a hardcover, but I've already ordered this one. Catherine Asaro is my favourite authro and an autobuy for me.
  
• Fairest - Gail Carson Levine
  This one sounds rather good and it has a beautiful cover. I suspect I'll resist, but I'm tempted.
  
• The Hollow Kingdom - Claire B. Dunkle
  Another one that's looks interesting and has a nice cover. I think it's YA and I know I won't buy it, but I still like the look of it.
  
• Firestorm - Rachel Caine
  Actually, this is book five in the series, so I don't want this one (yet), but it reminds me I'd like to find time to read book one, Ill Wind, which is sitting on my TBR shelf, loaned to me by a friend.
  
• Dead Man Rising - Lilith Saintcrow
  See above. Reminds me I want to read the first in the series, Working for the Devil.
  
• Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder
  See above, or sort of. I actually have this one in hardcover, just need to find the time to read it. (That's starting to sound like a familiar refrain, isn't it?)
  

October 2006

• The Sharing Knife: Beguilement - Lois McMaster Bujold
  I admit it. I've ordered this one too, hardcover and all. Lois McMaster Bujold is my second favourite author and I buy her automatically in hardcover now because I'm impatient. This is the first in a new fantasy that is coming out as two books.
  
• Magic Study - Maria V. Snyder
  The sequel to Poison Study above, I'm being strong and holding off on this one until I've read that first. All the same I'm so tempted by having a matching hardcover. I'll wait. Another beautiful cover.
  
• Spellbinder - Melanie Rawn
  I love Melanie Rawn. She writes long, complicated but lovely books. I didn't know she had a new book on the way so I'm delighted to see this, but also fruststrated that I so can't justify another hardcover right now. Maybe I need to buy a Lotto ticket, but money can only buy the books, not the time to read them. Darn it. Gorgeous cover too. I'm a sucker for beautiful covers.
  
• My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding - Sherrilyn Kenyon and others
  Already ordered for the Dark-Hunter story in it.
  
• Shattered Dance - Caitlin Brennan
  I've ordered this one. It's the third in the White Magic series and I'm reading book two right now (or rather it has a bookmark in it while I read Catherine Asaro's The Dawn Star, but I'll be back to reading it soon).
  
• Greywalker - Kat Richardson
  Another in the current paranormal trend, but looks interesting. All the same, I can't really spare the time or cash on spec right now. I'll wait for some reviews to come through.
  
• Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
  See above. The same argument applies to this one.
  

November 2006

• The Mislaid Magician - Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermeyer
  This is a fun series and I look forward to reading this one, but I don't feel the need to buy it, let alone in hardcover. Phew. Thank goodness.
  
• Bloodring - Faith Hunter
  This is a new author to me and a new series, but it looks interesting. I like this kind of book, although I have no idea why, so I'll think about it. Hopefully it will turn up in mass market paperback.
  
• Eyes of Crow - Jeri Smith-Ready
  This is the first in a new series from Luna that looks interesting. Luna remains a bit hit or miss in what attracts me, but I'd like to try this one.
  
• Harrowing the Dragon - Patricia A. McKillip
  I really like Patricia McKillip, but I'm not very good with short stories so I may give this one a miss. Still tempted though.
  

And that's only four months. You see my problem?

Darn it, Nora

It's the beginning of the month, so I've been checking out the new books page at Hoffman Distributing to see what new cross stitch is out this month (and to check if the new order he made from me is up - which it isn't unfortunately).

Nora Corbett of Mirabilia has just released the latest in her seasons in the garden series. It's Autumn, and for all the pumpkins make it look very American, I love it.


Autumn in My Garden - Mirabilia

I didn't think much of this range when it first came out - I think I was into the big, full dresses at the time - but now I really like them all and the elegant simplicity of them. I think the new Autumn and Winter are my favourites, but the others are lovely too.

I do wish I had more money and more stitching time, but sadly I have neither.


Winter in My Garden - Mirabilia


Spring in My Garden - Mirabilia


Summer in My Garden - Mirabilia

The frogs are defeated!

Well, temporarily at least.

I've been stitching on my mystery gift project for the last couple of days. Yesterday I passed the point where Leigh had pulled it all out for me and I'm onto new parts of the pattern.

Hooray!!

Today I'm going to do something totally outrageous for me and put Dawn Star on the Q-Snaps. For this month I'm going to try to swap days between the the gift and Dawn Star. I've never done this before, so I don't know if it will work for me or not.

August Releases for Character Creations

Today I'm introducing a new size range called "Petites". These are smaller designs (under 150 stitches across) to make for a quicker stitching project. I've started with five lovely paintings by Nicole Cadet that she sells as ACEO cards (Nicole defines them: ACEO stands for "Art cards, Edition and Originals", miniature works of art that are made to be collected and/or traded). Wonderful model stitcher Lyn has completed Celtic Moon for me, which will give a good indication of how the other four stitch up as well.

Celtic Moon - Nicole Cadet
Regency Fae - Nicole Cadet
Dark Elf - Nicole Cadet
Briar Elf - Nicole Cadet
Handmaiden to the Princess - Nicole Cadet

All five new designs are available at a 12.5% discount for the next 10 days. (I know it's a funny percentge, but it works out at $1 off the regular price in US dollars.)

I've had a number of people send me photos of their stitching lately. I'll be working on updating the gallery next. I'll also add all the pictures onto the Bulletin Board. Do take a moment to pop over to the board and say hello.

Check out what's new here.

Tourists for Today

Tourists for Today
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

Marcus and me at Sheepworld, a tourist attraction and farm about 45 minutes north of Auckland. Marcus was totally fearless about meeting and feeding the animals and had an absolutely fantastic day.

Credits:
Polaroid frame from Build Your Own Bulletin Board Add On by Gina Miller; background, paua, silver fern and photo corner from Pacific Paradise by Lauren Bavin; raffia and fiber from Pacific Dreams by Lauren Bavin; font is A Little Pot

Little Brother

Little Brother
Originally uploaded by rocalisa.

My "little" brother while he was visiting recently. While he was sitting out in the sun talking to his wife, I took the opportunity to take some pictures. Of course, Marcus had to see what he was doing and is in most of them.

Credits:
Frames from This Love - Bold Moves by Dani Mogstad; fabric flower from Summer-y Start by Gina Miller; swirl from Miracles Within by Jen Miller; dried flower from All Natural by Melany Violette; paper from DDE November 05 kit by Gina Cabrera; fonts are Sir Talks A Lot and LainieDaySH.