Win a Signed Magazine, Autographed by a Famous Person!

World of Cross Stitch magazine has been having a Blogger of the Month slot for some time now, just a little link and a few details about the person's blog.  Well, now Cross Stitch Collection has gone one better!  the actually interview their chosen blogger, ask for photos and feature them in their Meet the Online Stars column.  It's a new series so there have only been five people so far:

236		Carol	Stitching Dreams	http://stitchingdreams.blogspot.co.uk/
237		Heather	Stitching Lotus	http://stitchinglotus.ca/
238		Anne	Doll's Musings	http://www.dollsmusings.blogspot.co.uk/
239		Zeb	Keep Calm and Cross Stitch	http://www.ixari.net/
240		Jo	Serendipitious Stitching	http://serendipitousstitching.blogspot.co.uk/

Yes, that's right, me!

I was contacted by a very nice journalist called Rachael who sent me some questions and asked for photos of me and my work.  The questions were easy enough, the standard questions which do the rounds of the blogosphere regularly; choosing photos of my work was harder - which pieces should I show?  Heather had already shown her Teresa Wenztler Dragon!  But choosing the photo of me was terrible!  I just do not have any decent recent pictures and the older pre-digital were not high definition enough for the magazine to use.  We went back and forth and the Large Boy took endless photos of me in different lights and places until we got the least bad one which is in the article.

The interview was edited (we get half a page which is very generous but you know how bloggers like to run on!) but here for you exclusively, is the full unexpurgated version:

Meet… Jo from Serendipitous Stitching

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a stitcher from the far east of England, married with two boys in Primary School.  I work as a bookseller and also run a Baby & Toddler Group as well as being part of the School PTA and the local NAS group.  I’d love to belong to a stitching group and would like to set one up in my town if only I had more time!

How/when did you fall in love with cross stitching?

Like many people, I made a Binca mat at school which I gave to my parents.  My Mum was a keen needleworker, cross stitch, tapestry and dress-making too.  However I didn’t really discover my love until I was an adult.  In 1993 I saw a friend stitching a Country Companions design and although the subject matter didn’t appeal I was rather impressed with the idea of making a picture onto a piece of plain fabric.  The local department store had a haberdashery section with some kits and I chose two small Anchor sampler kits to make.  They hooked me on the hobby straight away and I started to find out what else I could stitch.  My next project was on black aida and the one after that was a gorgeous Chinese Dragon which used gold metallic thread.  You can see I dived straight in at the deep end!

What's your biggest stitching disaster or biggest challenge?

Apart from the occasional attack of the frogs (where you make a mistake and have to “rip-it, rip-it, rip-it” out) I have not had any major disasters.  I do enjoy a challenge, I love stitching over 1 on 28 count evenweave or higher counts, I like the more delicate effect this gives.  I like to design my own samplers too.  The one area I do find difficult is “finishing”, ie making the stitching into something.  I have learned a lot of useful techniques from my fellow bloggers who post tutorials online.  Probably the most challenging finish is Drac in a Box by Acorn House Designs.  My friend Sharon from Shebafudge blog challenged me to stitch this one with her so we could learn the techniques together.  The box itself was easier than I thought but the little figure was a challenge!  On the way we made friends with Susan the designer who cheered us on to completion.

Do you have a particular piece you're most proud of/is particularly special?

I was stitching a Lavender and Lace design called Angelica when my Nana passed away so that one will always have a place on my wall.   The most special pieces are ones I no longer have, because I love to stitch Birth and Wedding samplers.  I love to find a suitable design for the family and amend it to personalise it and make it perfect for them.  I also like to change designs to make them unique.  The Joan Elliott Christmas Angel I adapted to fit into a multi-frame is one which has featured in your magazine and also received a comment from Joan herself on Facebook.  It is an amazing feeling when the designers comment on your work and they like what you have done.

What's your advice for stitchers with lots of WIPS?

Stitch what makes you happy.  Some people like a strict rotation, others are happier OAAT (one at a time).  My current rotation is 3 small challenges per month, one sampler I stitch one length of thread each day and one larger project, usually an obligation piece for a wedding, birth or round robin.  This way I always have a choice of projects so I don’t get bored with the same one.  I also have regular finishes to encourage me while still making steady progress on the large sampler.

Why did you start your blog?

So I could join in with the TUSAL!  Regular bloggers will already know that the Totally Useless Stitch A Long is where we save the ends of our thread into a jar each and post a photo each month, just for fun and to connect with other stitchers.  But seriously, I wanted to talk about my projects and share information with other stitchers in a way that you can’t on forums or FB.  I belonged to three forums and noticed people had links in their signatures to their blog.  I started to “follow” a few of these and very soon wanted my own.  I now have my main blog and my Happy Dance blog which is a chronological record of every single piece I have stitched (currently over 400 pieces!).  I also run some group blogs which are a great way to connect with people.

What sort of things do you most like to stitch?

My top two types of stitching would have to be Fantasy designs and samplers.  I love traditional samplers especially learning about the history behind them.  Earlier this year some of the Scarlet Letter bloggers had a vist to the V&A museum in London for a private viewing of their sampler collection.  It was incredibly inspiring. I love the fantasy designs by Nora Corbett, Joan Elliott and Teresa Wenztler too.  Since discovering the online world I also have discovered a whole world of Hallowe’en stitching and run a Hallowe’en group blog too. But if I was forced to choose just one topic to stitch for the rest of my life it would have to be Dragons!

Anything you’d like to add?

One of the most popular features of my blog is the regular Blog Hops.  I host five a year; Valentine’s Secret Stitching Sweetheart, Easter Treasure Hunt, Summer Postcard, Hallowe’en Treasure Hunt and the Advent Calendar.  Each one is slightly different but the end result involves hopping round lots of different blogs all posting on the same theme.  It’s a great way to discover new blogs and learn a bit more about people you already follow.  At the moment we are sending photos of our stitching on a Garden theme for the Summer Postcard Hop. I also like to discover and promote less well-known designers.  As well as the Big Three named above, I am a huge fan of The Little Stitcher, Snowflower Diaries and Primitive Hare, all of whom feature heavily in my current collection of WIPs.

Cross Stitch Collection sent me a complimentary copy of the magazine but of course I already have my subscription copy so I said I would give it to one of my loyal followers.  Autographed of course!  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post saying which one of the designs in this issue you would most like to stitch.  (NB NOT the designs illustrating my interview but the ones in the following contents pages)

I did have to laugh when I saw the front cover of the magazine with the large picture of the Barn Owl, because a Barn Owl is officially my worst project ever.  I am so glad I didn't mention it in the article!  have a look at this to see why - Barn Owl

You have until 10th September to leave a comment.  Make sure I can contact you, if you are "no-reply" then email me with your email after you have left your comment.  Obviously you have to be a follower in order to be a loyal follower LOL.

Finally, the Summer Postcard Blog Hop is now completed!  Sixteen postcards were sent out to fifteen bloggers because I sent mine to Krista as well as the one from Astrid.  We both had visited and stitched Clovelly in Devon.

First postcard from Marcy goes to Gracie at Needles,Pins and Dragonflies

Second postcard from Krista goes to Jocondine at Jocondine

Third postcard from Michelle goes to Sharon at Shebafudge

Fourth postcard from Mouse goes to Vickie at A Stitcher's Story

Fifth postcard from Christine goes to Marcy at Stitching Plus

Sixth postcard from Astrid goes to Krista at Just Stitching Along

Seventh postcard from Vickie goes to Michelle at Michelle's StitchCraft Place

Eighth postcard from Jocondine goes to Deborah at A Patchwork of Crafts

Ninth postcard from Gracie goes to Maggee at Stitching Devotee

Tenth postcard from Deborah goes to Heather at It's Geek to Me

Eleventh postcard from Maggee goes to Mouse at Tales of a Stitching Mouse

Twelfth postcard from Sharon goes to Kaye at Kitten Stitching

Thirteeth postcard from Kaye goes to Astrid at Dragon Stitches and Stuff

Fourteenth postcard from Heather goes to Chiara at The Grey Tail

Final postcard from Chiara goes to Christine at The Alchymyst's Study

I hope you have all enjoyed hopping around the blogs this summer.  The links all go to the exact post so please do visit if you have missed any.  I have a theme for next year already and I'm also thinking about the Hallowe'en Trick or Treat Hop, sign-ups coming soon.

Theme-a-licious July Update, Yet another set of 11 things and a Secret SurpriseGiveaway!

July's theme is Jolly July - It's a jolly holiday with your WIPs...you can concentrate on Christmas designs, ornaments, or even pick a different holiday to render in stitchy goodness.


Yana asked me recently how Jolly July was going, up until that point - not at all!!  I'd been focusing on my Baby Birth Samplers.  So I grabbed the Just Cross Stitch ornie preview issue and chose the Blue Ribbon Woodsy Winter for my Theme-a-licous project.  Here's the progress so far:

This is a nice quick and easy stitch, only a few fractionals in the cardinals.  I've nearly stitched the border then it's just some snow to do.  I'm planning to stitch the matching ornie from last year's Christmas Special and frame them together.  It's stitched on 32count linen in twilight blue rather than the tan colour.  I bought a FQ of this linen for various small projects, it's very stiff but that makes it easier to stitch a small.  I think it would be annoying for anything bigger than I'd have to roll up and crease it (I always stitch in hand).

The 11 Questions are still rolling around Blogland and here's my latest tagging by Evalina from This and That

1. What projects do you like to stitch - big or small?  A real mixture, I always have one of each on the go.  Small for daytime, big for evening.
2. What is your favourite fabric? - 32count Murano for most projects.  I do prefer evenweave to linen as a rule.
3. How many cross stitching books do you have? - Lots!  More than 20 anyway.  I keep them in the kitchen as I can browse them while I'm "cooking"
4. What is your favourite cross stitching magazine?  The now no-longer with us Gift of Stitching.  I haven't read all the back issues I treated myself too, I save one per month so I can pretend it's still going!!
5. What time of the day do you do most of the stitching?  Weekends and evenings.
6. Does your significant other supports your stitching hobby?  Financially or emotionally? LOL.  Now I working I can buy my own supplies again.  Hubby can't understand why I can't make money out of selling the finished pieces as he sees them as works of art.  The Large Boy is always interested in what I'm stitching too.
7. Do you collect stash or just buying supplies for the current project?  Collect stash!
8. What is your favourite drink after five?  I'm teetotal (does that surprise you?) so it'll have to be a nice cup of coffee!
9. Do you listen to music, audio books or TV while stitching or just to the sounds of nature?  At the moment I prefer silence, partly because the Small Boy still isn't sleeping perfectly so I like to be able to hear him if he wakes.  Otherwise it's either an audiobook or Kerrang Music Channel.
10. Do you have any live plants in your home?  Love this question as I have at least three dead ones!!  I have some very leggy cyclamen on my kitchen windowstill, they're still alive.
11. What do you like to read? (Adventure, romance, mystery, non-fiction etc.) Books or magazines?  Fantasy and Sci-fi.  I'm reading alot of YA (Young Adult) at the moment for work.  As I mentioned in a previous post I get some advance copies of forthcoming releases which is a huge bonus!  I've just read John Boyne's new one "The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket" a nice story about a floating boy.  I've also started reading Eragon out loud to the Large Boy at bedtime, 2 chapters a night, it's going to last us most of the year as there are four books in the series.

And the Secret Surprise Giveaway?  I've been keeping an eye on my comments as they crept towards the 2000 mark.  This weekend Anne from Doll's Musings left 2 comments, they were numbers 2000 and 2001 so she is my Secret Surprise Winner!  Not sure what she's won yet but I'll let you know when she gets it.  Don't hold your breath anyone, Christine is still awaiting her Easter Prize!

Finally - the finished Noah's Ark by JBW.  A lovely gift from the lovely (and generous) Kaye of Kitten Stitching, totally unsolicited she sent me the chart when I admired it on her blog, along with the fabric and thread.  As baby was already here I had no excuse not to start immediately!

I love this design with all the cute little animals.  I think the little elephants are my favourites.  It is stitched on 28count flaxseed linen 1 over 1.

And Another 11 Things

This is a Brooke's Books design I stitched for a blogging friend's Birthday, I emailed it off to her last weekend.  I stitched it on 32count lavender evenweave using the recommended DMC.  I subbed the 818 for some beads which look great.  I also added some straight stitches to the flower centres.  I stitched the border in one of the variegated threads (105 from memory).  It's a nice chocolaty colour anyway!

I'm planning on stitching all 12 of these, there is one cake for each month, so if you'd like an "e-card" for your Birthday then let me know when it is!  I'm going to scrapbook the originals in pairs as I stitch each one.

Ruth the Musing Badger has just answered her 11 questions and posed these for anyone who wanted to have a go!

1.      Does all of your family understand your stitching obsession?

Pretty much yes.  The Large Boy is very interested in what I'm stitching and the mechanics of it.  Hubby is fascinated but can't understand why I can't sell the finished pieces for large amounts of money.  He points out the hours of work and the fact that they look as good as any painting!  Small Boy thinks "it isn't food, what's the point!"

2.      Do you own an e-book reader (Kindle, Nook, etc)?  If you do, do you think it makes you read less or more, and do you think it will make a significant dent in your physical book purchasing?

No, they are the work of the Devil LOL.  I also really dislike that the word "kindle" is used by the general public to mean an e-reader.  It's a bit like "hoover" and vacuum-cleaning.  Since working in the bookshop I often have several different books in different rooms, some being advance copies not available yet.  If I had an e-reader it'd forever be in the wrong room or lost under a cushion!

3.      Do you have a theme song—or a pet song?  One that you always catch yourself humming?

"It's just another Manic Monday" every Monday!  We use rhymes and songs with the Small Boy alot to help him.  How about "Let's go change your nappy" sung to the Conga tune!

4.      What’s your favourite trip you’ve ever been on and why?  Would you want to go back, or is the experience in one way, shape, or form non-repeatable?

I won a holiday to New York in 2001, we flew back to the UK on Sunday 9th September, 2 days before 9/11.  I guess that trip is pretty much non-repeatable.  I collected my photos 2 hours before the planes hit, I have some of the last pics of the Twin Towers.  Weird.

5.      What stitching piece of yours are you most proud of and why?

Teresa Wentzler's The Castle, my first BAP with a multitude of blended threads.

6.      What piece of your stitching do you sometimes wish you had never started?  Or did you/do you love them all?

A gorgeous alphabet on the most hideous scratchy 14count aida.  I actually have a burn mark on my wrist from where it rubbed!  I'm using a variegated thread too so have to think about the placement of the colours.  It's a UFO for a reason!

7.      You have an entire weekend free and clear to stitch – do you want your stitching time to be enlivened by:  a TV show marathon on (if so, what show), a movie (or series of movies) (which movie/s), a new music release (what music?), or a new audio book (which one)?

At the moment life is so hectic I actually like stitching in silence.  Usually I like an audiobook, it's great if it matches the stitching.  I listened to the Empress Orchid while stitching an Oriental lady for a RR.

8.      What’s the goofiest thing you have ever done because of your stitching?

Stitching standing up to finish a challenge piece to a deadline because if I sit down the Small Boy thinks it's lap time!

9.      Can you cook without recipes?  Or do you only like cooking with precise guides?

I don't enjoy cooking at all.  My idea of precise instructions is "place in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and eat".

10.  Iron  Chef America or Iron Chef Japan?

I don't do cooking!  Or watch it happening!  I don't think we even have those programmes in the UK unless they're on some obscure cable channel?

11.  Do you have antique stitching passed down through your family?   Have you ever bought antique stitching?

I have two of my Great Aunt's stitched pictures which she left to my Mum and Mum passed to me when she moved into a smaller house.  They are on my bedroom wall well shaded from natural light.  See this post here for pictures.

I hope you're all enjoying these 11 things because Minnie has tagged me back!

Finally, a reminder about the Summer Postcard Blog Hop, the postcard must be a stitched picture rather than a scenic photograph.  You can send a photo too and I'll forward both but this is mainly a stitching blog hop!  I'll be accepting photos until the end of August so there's no hurry!  Hopefully even more people will join in as we go. 

TUSAL, IHSW and 11 More Things!

First things first - TUSAL:

This month my TUSAL jar is posing with the Queen and the usual calendar.  The goodies surrounding the magazine are a prize from Jenny of One Stitch Closer to Nirvana's 100 Followers' Giveaway.  Look at the sweet rabbit thread-holder and the daisy scissors!  The little bag contains "Made with Love" hearts to attach to my projects.  There are two charts - the April Word Play plus M Designs I and J which are a little extra because I sent Jenny a bird chart as a RAK a while back and she's been wanting to repay it!

For IHSW I worked on Papillon's Around the World in 80 Stitches, Part 2.  Which is good, because Part 3 is now out!!  I'm doing the Speciality Stitch version sans cutwork!

I'm stitching on 28count white evenweave with my choice of pinks, purples and one yellow DMC.  I've changed some of the stitches.  I couldn't get on with the lazy daisies in the Hearts, I tried one strand, I tried two, they just looked untidy so I weeded them out and did a circular ray stitch.  In the Tulip I've stitched them as a four sided parallogram.  I also passed on the Mordvinian Stitch because I did one and it looked lumpy, so I stitched some more Kloster Blocks instead.  I finally chose my metallic - DMC light effects 155 and I'm filling in the left hand heart now.

I need to decide on beads, I want two from pink, purple and silver.  The question is - which two?

1. pink and purple

2. pink and silver

3. purple and silver.

I also got tagged again for the 11 Things Thing (as Julie cleverly called it!).  This time Chiara Grey Tail tagged me.  I won't do 11 more things or tag anyone else but I will answer her 11 questions because they are good ones!

1. how long is it since you’ve last played, sat on the floor, with a kid?

About 30 seconds at any given time.  Also the same answer for "how long since a kid attached itself to your head while you try to read a blog/type an email etc".

2. your favourite school trip?

Not the one where I had an asthma attack in the middle of the night and ending up sleeping in the teacher's room so she could make sure I didn't die and freak the other kids out.  I can still "see" her multi-coloured hand knitted cardigan now!

3. when you go to sleep, do you wake up in the same position, or do you find blankets and pillows all over the place?

I find a small boy all over the place LOL.  But only when it's my turn to co-sleep with him.  The rest of the time I wake up curled in a ball regardless of how I went to sleep.

4. shades, hat or both?

Summer - Shades, with prescription lenses.  Great for "no-make-up mornings" even when it's not that sunny.

Winter - Hat, for "hair is a mess" days.

5. was there a time you thought “I wish I was born there!”, if so when/where was it?

I do love staying with friends who live in cities but it doesn't bother me that I wasn't born there as I could always move there if I really wanted.  Time-wise this is the best era for women so far (which isn't saying much!) so if I was going to be born in an earlier century I'd choose to be a wealthy man!

6. do you know how to make candy corn? could you tell me? I’ve never tried it!  (if candy corn is not traditional in your country, could you tell me how to make something you’re thinking is way better than candy corn  )

Cowpat cake - melt some cooking chocolate, take the tiny bits of cornflakes that settle in the bottom of the box and stir them in, pour into a pie dish, pop in fridge.  It looks like a cowpat but tastes better (I guess as I've never tried cowpat LOL).

7. how many years have you been stitching? did you learn by yourself or did someone help you along the way to the stitching madness it’s nowadays?

Since 1993 so nearly 20 years.  It's a special anniversary year next year!  I taught myself but did have a couple of work friends who were also keen. 

8. the perfect sandwich: what is in it?

For a hangover nothing beats a bacon butty!  I do like shop-bought sarnies best, Boots do a Chinese Duck Wrap which is lovely.  When we came back from France the CdG airport food was hideous, expensive and primarily cheese-based which I can't eat.  The wrap I bought as soon as we landed on UK soil was heaven on earth! 

9. honestly, do you think ironing our clothes is really necessary? how do you deal with the dullest house work ever?

Ironing is the only chore I actually like!  You can listen to music and it's strangely therapeutic making a nice neat pile of folded clothes.  My favourite thing to iron is the Small Boy's body vests (the ones that popper under his nappy).  

10. you reckon there’re even duller things than ironing? what is it?! ;D

Vacuum cleaning, dusting, scrubbing baths, toilets etc.

11. is there a TV commercial you like? (makes you laugh, takes you back to old times, reminds you of someone you know, ..)

I'm not a fan of commercial TV, the boys mainly watch the BBC for that reason (see I'm really Middle-Class LOL).  But we do like anything with a cat in it - Krusha milk shake mix and the Cravendale cats with opposable thumbs spring to mind.

Finally, don't forget my Summer Postcard Blog Hop!

Theme-a-licious June Update and 11 Things

June is Jumanji June or birds and animals themed stitching.  We're really pushing the boundaries of definitions here.  I have a robin and a guinea pig.


Here's the robin:

What do you mean, it's not a Robin, it's a Lady in a Fur Hat?  It's for a Round Robin hahaha.  This design came from an old issue of World of Cross Stitching.  I added the golden curlicues to fill the corners.  It was a nice quick and easy stitch, great fun and a real "just one more colour" as I never wanted to stop stitching at bedtime!

And here is the whole of Melva's Christmas themed RR:

She's having the four Joan Elliott Christmas Petite Angels in each of the corner blocks then a selection of Christmas designs in the other.  Melva will finish the Lady with Book when it returns to her.

And here's the guinea pig:

What's that?  It looks like a snowflake to you?  That's because I was the guinea pig.  Beverly who blogs as Wee Stitchy has a new website Love Thy Thread.  A while back she offered a free chart to anyone who wanted to be a guinea-pig.  So I said "wheep wheep" which is guinea pig for "Me please" and received this lovely snowflake.  I'm stitching it on navy blue aida using 2 strands of DMC Blanc.


The only comment I will make, as the charts are computer generated the snowflake wasn't quite symmetrical.  I just stitched the top right hand quarter then flipped it for the bottom right.  I've inverted the chart and will stitch the left side that way.


Bev has several of these snowflakes on her site plus a wide range of designs at very reasonable prices.  She also runs a loyalty programme whereby you get a free chart if you send a photo of a completed design.  That's an incentive isn't it?  The charts are available as pdf instant download or by post if you don't have a printer with an ink in it!


Heather from It's Geek to Me who runs Theme-a-licious tagged me with this fun 11 things Activity.


The Rules:

• Post these rules.
• You must post 11 random things about yourself.
• Answer the questions set for you in their post.
• Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
• Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

11 Random Things About Me: 


Number 1. I like to cheat.
Numbers 2. to 11. See this post 10-things-you-might-like-to-know-about


My Answers to the 11 questions from Heather:


If you could choose any profession other than your current one, what would it be? 
I'm a bookseller but I'd like to work in education again, a school librarian or maybe as a Parent/Teacher liaison advocate.


What craft or hobby would you try if money and time were no obstacle?
Nicola from Stitching by a Cornish Seashore is signed up to make this embroidered-cabinet-of-curiousities.  I would love to be able to join her.  Alternatively I'd use the money to pay someone to do my housework then time would be less of an obstacle anyway!


What is the first movie you remember seeing at the movie theatre?
Bambi, in Singapore, when I was about 4.  I clearly remember standing outside the cinema waiting in quite a long line with my Dad. 


What was the last video game you played?
Does Spider Solitaire count?


What are you good at? In other words, what makes you unashamedly yell, "I can do that!" 
Stitching!!


What is your favourite holiday that you've ever taken?
A stitching retreat I did years ago, 4 days of stitching and chatting, all food cooked for us and beauty treatments in the evening.  Bliss! 


If you could have unlimited money to spend at one store, where would it be? 
Libertys of London, they have clothes, stitching, home furnishings, the lot!


What's the best book you've read recently? 
This week it has to be The Consadine Curse by Gareth P Jones, a book about a very strange group of cousins.  It's aimed at the 9-12 age range and I read it in one day.  Very interesting ending!


Star Wars or Star Trek? Why? (NOTE: You must pick one. Flip a coin if you have to, and I will be appropriately dismayed. ;) 
No contest - Star Wars!  Why?  Captain Kirk LOL.  I do know that fans of Star Trek are called Trekkers NOT Trekkies though.


What's the best Halloween costume you ever wore? Or, if nothing sticks out...the best one you ever saw.
The best thing about being a Goth Hippy is that we just wear our normal clothes at Hallowe'en and everyone thinks we've made an amazing effort!
The year I was pregnant with Small Boy I was on the door at our music venue (too big to work the bar as I would usually have done!).  I wore a black hoodie with a kangaroo pocket, hidden inside was a baby doll's leg which I used to "kick" anyone who patted the bump, then I'd slip the leg out of the pocket and scream "My baby's getting out!".  That was fun!


If you had to leave your home quickly what 2 items (besides family, pets, and necessities) would you take with you?
Depends on how long I've got!  If there's a fire then I'd grab my New Rock boots and my leather jacket for practical purposes.  If we're fleeing the country for tax reasons then my stitching, books, earring collection, photos etc.


Here are my 11 taggees:


Heather It's Geek to Me (because I want to read her answers to my questions LOL)
Julie and Yes Dear (because I love her writing)
Shirlee the Easily Influenced Stitcher (because she makes me stifle giggles when I read blogs late at night)
Mouse (because she'll make us all a cuppa when she posts)
Topcho Bla, Bla? Bla! (because she has great taste in books)
Alicia Crafty Princess (because she's a stunner!)
Joyce Random Ramblings (because she's like Blogging Royalty)
Sarah-Beth Cross Stitch Blog (because she lost her furbaby recently and deserves cheering up)
Minnie All XXs (because she might include a photo of one of her collections of figurines which I love)
Karen StitchyWoman (because she helps me come up with mad ideas for projects)
YOU! (because I can't choose between about 10 more people so if you want to be number 11 then leave a comment.)  (see, I told you I cheat LOL).


Of course, none of you are obligated, and I fully realize some of you may not be "in" to this kind of thing. No worries, I am not offended (in advance).


My questions for my taggees: 


1. Watch the film first or read the book first?


2. Which book would you most like to see made into a film?


3. Who would play you in the story of your life?


4. What was the first live band you saw?


5. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?


6. Did you embarrass yourself by blushing/clamming up, saying something stupid?


7. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner or Breakfast, Dinner and Tea?  or some other random names for your meals?


8. Does your family have a word for something which no-one else in the world uses?


9. What is the worst job you've ever done?


10. How did you get out of doing it?


11. What is the theme song to your life?


Finally, don't forget my Wish You Were Here Summer Postcard Blog Hop.  Click on the picture to find out more.