Plum Street Sampler's Yuletide Welcome

Well at long last this sampler is actually finished!  

Started way back in September 2014, I've stitched on Yuletide Welcome off and on again over the years, but this winter I decided it was time to get it completed :

Please excuse the wrinkles!

The linen I used was Lakeside Linen 36 count vintage colour I think? I also used all the recommended threads including the Needlepoint silks.

I'm just so happy to have it finished!  See you soon x

September Books

I managed to get through quite a few books during September so here's a round up:

The Betrayal by Kate Furnivall is set in the 1930's in Paris and WWII is on the brink of breaking out. This is the story of twin sisters, joined together by a secret. This kept me guessing right until the end, with lots of twists and turns.

The Dark Lake is by Australian author Sarah Bailey and is a psychological thriller about a detective investigating the murder of her high school rival. This is the first book in a series so I look forward to reading more by this author.

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robtham, is his latest book featuring a new character, Cyrus Haven, a police psychologist. I really enjoyed this book, fascinated with the characters and the mystery to solve.

Guardian of Lies by Kate Furnivall is another great read by this author filled with spies, intrigue, espionage and murder.

The Storyteller's Secret by Sejal Badani was my most recent Kindle read.  It has two timelines- Jaya, in the present day, who visits her grandparents' homeland of India and hears the story of her grandmother's past from a close household helper. A story of love, loyalty, and friendship.

What have you been reading lately?

A Weekend Away

On the weekend, we hit the road south, travelling to Palmerston North to spend a few days with my family there.

The windmill farm at the top of the Saddle Road is always a great sight, especially if they are all turning!

After a stunning day Friday, Saturday turned quite miserable, quite wet and cold, so after a very quick visit to the local market, we did the rounds of some of our favourite shops.

Sushi lunch in the Plaza, always a good choice as its delicious!

After all that walking around and shopping, it was time for an afternoon tea break with the family at one of their fav cafes.

Saturday evening we took Hannah to check out one of the indoor trampoline spaces, Cloud9 - she had a blast. This was a great time to visit, as the crowds from during the day had gone.

Sunday morning the sun had come back out so we went along to enjoy some sunshine at the Esplanade Park.

Before long, it was time to say goodbye to our relatives and head home.

A fun weekend away, just what we all needed after the last few busy weeks.

See you soon xx

Plum Pudding

I finally finished this cute design recently, Plum Pudding by With Thy Needle and Thread. I used most of the recommended threads and added Classic Colourworks Licorice Red.

Finished into a small pillow and trimmed with some natural jute ric rac, this will be popped into my Christmas pillows basket.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you soon xx

A New Start & Special Family Occasion

Once I finished a few of my Jolly July starts, I kitted up a new design that I've decided to stitch for santasundayxs and merrymondayxs, hashtags you can follow on Instagram.

This Christmas design caught my eye awhile ago and I was so pleased to see you could purchase the chart as a PDF and then download it, to start straight away.

Little Dove Designs can be found here: 

I'm using all the recommended DMC threads and my linen is 28 count China Pearl Jobelan, which is a very pale grey colour.


Week 1:

Week 2:

Last Sunday we headed up to Havelock North for the day to celebrate a special family occasion, Glenn's parents' recent 50th Wedding Anniversary. 

We had a delicious lunch at Piku, which we all enjoyed :

Then it was onto Birdwoods Gallery & Cafe for a visit to the old fashioned Lolly shop and gardens.

We ended our day out with a trip up to Te Mata Peak, for the best views of around Hawkes Bay. As it was a lovely day, there were lots of other people up there taking in the views.

It's the first week of the school holidays here, and earlier in the week I took a few days leave off work to spend with Hannah as she had her dancing exams. I am so proud of her, with all the extra practices and everything else she had on at school last term, she coped well and everything went fine with the exams.

This coming weekend we're off on a trip south to Palmerston North, for a few days away, visiting my cousin Donna and family.  Looking forward to some shopping too of course!

See you soon xx