Finishes, sickness, and a note to JP

So, here I am, less than 20 days until my last day of school, and I manage to catch a sinus infection. Le Sigh. I still need eight more clinic hours to be had in THREE weeks. I'm so angry I could spit nails. Honestly, I just want to get this shit done and over with. Take my Nationals, become certified, get a job and then go on with my life.


In other news, I had one last finish in January, for a total of eight finishes, three of which were UFOs. I feel pretty good about those. I am hoping that once I get over this sickness, I will get more UFOs off the books and be even happier. :P


Here is my latest finish, which not only has the stitching completed, but it's been finished into a doorknob hanger/wall hanging/thingy/whatever. :P As Always, stitchy notes are included! :)


Design: Love (limited edition freebie gift design)

Designer: The Stitcherhood


Fabric: 28 count pearl linen in natural


Fibers: Crescent Colours Pink Champagne and SanMan Strands in Kaitlyn.


Accouterments: small brass charm substituted for heart motif in original design. Lace was from left over bits I had in stash and the red backing fabric was part of a remnant I procured at Joanne's Fabrics and Crafts.

Front:





Back:







Since in some cultures, today signifies the first day of Spring, I took it upon myself to change out the stuff on my stitchy wall to reflect that and the fact that it's Valentine's Day (and my wedding anniversary, yay!!!) this month. I also wanted to put up a rescue piece I found in a Goodwill recently. DH and I were in one a while back, killing time, and I came across this piece and I couldn't leave it behind. The initials on it read JP. I'm sorry, JP, that someone thought that little of your hard work that it wound up in a salvage store, however, I appreciate the hard work you put into it and it now has a place on my permanent piece wall, FWIW.


JP's Red Partridge:






And here's the rest of the stuff I put out. On the right side, I put the Valentine's day things up, and on the left the Spring side. Hope you like. :)























BTW, does anyone know of any photo hosting sites that do not have pop up ads and automatic video ads that constantly come up when you are in their site? I am seriously considering ditching Webshots on account of that. It's annoying as hell. And I do not think one should have to PAY to not have that as a 'feature'. That's a crock of shit. Ads I don't mind so much. God knows Webshots has ads at the top and on the sides of the website, but the constant pop ups that you can't get rid of unless you click out of them exhorting you to purchase their crappy mugs with your out of focus pet and family reunion pics on them and the video ads that come up and will NOT turn off and have the sound jacked up to the level of a jet engine are really pissing me off. I should not have to PAY to not have to deal with that shit. That's a crock. In the mean time in between time, I am looking for a photo hosting site that allows me to generate different sizes of my pics and have the option of not allowing any and everyone to rip off the images. (Yea, I know my shit will never wind up as Time magazine's photo of the year or in National Geographic as the photo of the century, however, I have my reasons, and copyright issues are one of them. Did you know on some pictures, you really do not have to have the chart, you can just stitch it straight from the photograph? Honest to God, you can.) If anyone has any suggestions for a decent photo hosting site, please let me know. I am really, really, really beginning to hate Webshots. :/


Off to take more meds and find some cough drops. Hope everyone is having a good day!


PS: Edited to add that Groundhog Day proponents state that the rodents' forecasts are accurate 75% to 90%. A Canadian study for 13 cities in the past 30 to 40 years puts success rate level at 37%. Also, the National Climatic Data Center reportedly has stated that the overall predictions accuracy rate is around 39%. FWIW, Punxsutawney Phil is predicting another six weeks, however, IMO, with a probable 39% accuracy rate, I'm calling bs. :)


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

A SanMan Originals Frenzy

Yay! Go me! Four more completed stitching projects for moi, plus a a finished finish! And there was much rejoicing in Stitchland! All four finishes are SMOs and I had a blast stitching on them. I have more kitted up and ready to go, and I can't wait to get started! :)


PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE SANMAN ORIGINALS GIFT AND SECRET SHOP DESIGNS FOR MEMBERS ONLY.


Well, without further ado, here they are:


Design: Cocoa

Designer: SanMan Originals

Fabric: 14 count tan marble from Sassy's Fabrics

Fibers: DMC







Design: Jolly


Designer: SMO


Fabric: 25 count gold and cream evenweave

Fibers: Soie d'Alger #1846 in Forest Green and 2935 in Lipstick Red








Design: Jolly



Designer: SMO


Fabric: 25 count white and silver evenweave


Fibers: Crescent Colours Cupid and Spinach








Design: Spring Side


Designer: SMO


Fabric: 28 count heavy cream evenweave


Fibers: DMC

Accouterments: Mill Hill hand painted buttons, birdhouse and bunny (when I saw this design, I immediately thought of them. I've had them for years and never found a use for them until now. It pays to have stash! :P)








Here is my Winter SMO banner all completed. I LOVE the ribbon I found for it (and I really love the 80% off on it that I got at Michael's for it! :P):







Here it is on the 'Winter' wall. I really do need to stitch more winter themed projects!:







And last but not least, I found this hangar at a thrift store for $1.99. Yes, $1.99. I thought it would look really good with this project hanging off of it and I got the idea of stitching up other things to hang off of it and sort of changing it out like I do my stitchy wall:







Right now I need to bolt for RL. Got lots to finish up stitching. DH also bought me 'The Lightening Thief' by Rick Riordan last night at Border's and man! is it ever good! :D


Hope everyone has a good weekend! :)


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C.

The end of December and the beginning of January

Well, I ended 2009 with a bang and began 2010 the same way. On Tuesday, December 29, I received a panicked phone call from my only sibling, telling me that my mother was being admitted to the ER and that while she was there, she had a stroke. The next 24 hours were critical, and we almost lost her. DH and I packed up the car and drove out to FLA, which is approximately 2500 miles from where we live now. By the time we had gotten there, the very worst was over, however, she still has a long road to recovery ahead of her. All of the prayers and good thoughts are soooooooo appreciative.


While I was in the car, I discovered that stitching in the car doesn't make me as sick as it used to, so I managed to get some work done there and while I was in the ICU unit with Mom. I managed to finish THREE old UFOs and I feel really good about it. I have two more that need finishing up, and then I can start the memorial project for my son. (That will be a rough one to do, but do it I will. :/)


Here are my completed stitching projects and the two current WIPs. Stitchy notes attached for your consideration. :)



Finish Number One:


Design: Bless the Freeze

Designer: Sandra Dering of SanMan Originals

Fabric: 14 count light blue aida

Fibers: DMC B5200, 310, 561, and 3810. Needle Necessities in #110. Original Six Strand Sweets in Bavarian Mint.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in numbers 03062 (dark navy) and 00479 (pearl). Mill Hill Treasures Snowflakes, and SanMan Originals Moon and Stars buttons.


Note: The original design called for three very large snowflakes across the bottom of the snowman to be stitched in the Six Strand Sweets Bavarian Mint and cardinal buttons on the snowman's arms. After a miscalculation in stitching on my part, followed by not a whole lot of that thread left plus no cardinal buttons to be had in my stash, led to the snowflakes being skipped and the SMO moon and stars buttons to be added.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS DESIGN IS A MEMBER ONLY PATTERN AND IS NOT FOR SALE!!!









Finish Number Two:


Design: Pear (chart pack with fibers)

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks

Fibers: Crescent Colours Sassy Brass, Antique Lace, Bramble Bush, Hickory Sticks, and Weeping Willow

Fabric: 28 count Natural Pearl linen









Finish Number Three:




Design: Blueberries (chart pack with fibers)


Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks


Fibers: Crescent Colours Wavy Navy, Blue Moon, Tomatillo, Weeping Willow, and Whatley Woods


Fabric: 28 count cream jobelan


Notes: Left leaves off of center design as I thought it made it look too busy.









Current WIPs:


Design: Love Letters (member free gift design)


Designer: Papillion Creations


Fabric: 32 count Country French Mocha linen


Fibers: DMC 815 and B5200








WIP number two


Design: Bee Sampler


Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks


Fabric: 28 count light cream Monaco evenweave


Fibers: Crescent Colours House Wine, Hickory Sticks and Bean Sprout, DMC 434, 644, 676, 937, and B5200


Note: Substituted CC Hickory Sticks for the called for DMC 3371 as I did not have 3371 in my bags at the time. (Usually, it's the other way around...DMC for specialty threads, LOL!)








Thank you so much for looking. Time to get dressed to go to the gym and work off all of the Bono's BBQ and Krystal hamburgers I ate last week! :D


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C.

A Christmas same day start and finish

Started and finished this one last night after all the hubbub had died down. It was nice to sit in the bed and relax for a bit before sleep. It also gave me the idea of putting my UFOs beside the bed and stitching on those every night until they are completed. :D.

I also tweaked the design a bit. The big star/snowflake charm was supposed to go between the H and the L in Holy, however, I thought it looked more like a big star rather than a snowflake, so I winged the letter O and put the charm between the Holy and the Night. There was a bit more to it, but I wanted mine a bit plainer. I haven't had a SMO finish in quite some time, and I am hoping to get to more in the coming year. And after the 12 Days of Christmas that Sandy just now got through hosting for the board members, I have more than enough to stitch! :D


Anyhoo, here is my start and finish with the related notes. :)


Design: Holy Night (Secret Shop chart)

Designer: SanMan Originals

Fabric: Black 14 count aida

Fiber: Caron Collection Waterlilies in Moonlight.






Hope everyone had a good day yesterday and is out hitting the sales today! :)


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C.

Finish #19 of 2009

A one day start and finish. Gotta love the rub marks left by the Q-Snaps. NOT!


Anyway....on with the show...


Design: Sapin coeur en carte de voeux


Designer: Pastel 49


Fabric: 14 count black aida



Fibers: DMC B5200 and Needle Necessities 1931


Began and ended: Thursday, December 24, 2009






Link to the free gift chart can be found here .



Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.


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C.

Finish #18 of 2009

Here is my latest finish. And by latest, I mean hot off the Q-Snaps 5 minutes ago. :)


I really enjoyed stitching this one. I am going to have to stitch it again in red I think. The chart was cheap, the fabric, not so much :P (although I did purchase a quarter of a yard of it!. I took my time stitching it. I really recommend stitching it as it goes rather quickly and it's a nice easy stitch. The center bit I left the heart out. I am going to attempt to find a sterling silver charm for DH's and my last name initial. Hopefully, I can find a nice one and it won't cost an arm and a leg. :P


Anyhoo....here's the finish and stitchy notes!



Design: JBW Designs

Designer: Judy Whitman of JBW Designs

Fabric: 28 count white opalescent Jobelan

Fiber: Access Commodities Soie d'Alger #1846 (Forest Green)

Began: Saturday, December 18, 2009

Finished: Wednesday, December 23, 2009







Hope everyone has all of their holiday shopping and planning finished and can relax and enjoy it!


Off to kit up the next project! :)


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C.

Sapin d'Elisa 2009

Got another finish under my belt. I saw this when I was on walkabout on the web and had to stitch it. The fabric was a fluke. I had this given to me a million years ago by someone whom I cannot remember and it's languished in the stash bin until now. I would like to thank whoever it was that sent me the fabric. It was the perfect background for this design! :)


Here's the completed stitching and the related stitching notes: :)

Design: Sapin d'Elisa 2009

Designer: Chez Elisa

Fabric: Picture This Plus 28 count Cashel Linen in Crystal Relic

Fibers: DMC B5200 Soie d'Alger 1846 (Forest Green, 2935 (Lipstick Red) and 4145 (Chocolate Brown.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #60479.



The link to the freebie gift design can be found here . Just as a warning, the designer likes to retire her freebie gift designs, and I suspect that she will retire this one at some point soon.


I started Winter Break from school this afternoon and I am going to try and stay busy. I have fallen into a massive depression and only my DH, my stitching, hot chocolate and the cats seem to provide any modicum of comfort. :/

Well, I need to go start the next project. JBW Designs Christmas Motif Sampler. I am stitching it on a 28 count white Jobelan opalescent with Soie d'Alger in the 1846 that I seem to be addicted to for some reason. (go figure).

Hope everyone has a good weekend.


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C.

Two latest finishes

Wow. Just... WOW. I have two more finishes for this month, totaling 17 for the year. That is well over my one a month goal, so I feel pretty good about that. Next year I am wanting to finish up one UFO per month. I really do need to get this mess either stitched up or traded off with someone. I feel bad about the amount of stuff I have let pile up. :/


On December 17, I begin my two week break from school. I am hoping to get some stitching time in. Hopefully, this will mean four new ornaments, but I am not going to push myself. I am still dealing with the horrible grief of losing the baby and Christmas is going to be rough, if not flat out sucking. I miss my son every day and Christmas will be particularly brutal. :(


Well, here are the finishes with the related Stitchy Notes. :)


Finish Number 1:

Design: Winter Bookmark- Hiver bien au chaud entre les pages

Designer: Pastel 49

Link: Winter Bookmarks


Fabric: 28 count natural linen


Fibers: Soie d'Alger 1846 (Forest Green) and 4145 (Chocolate Brown). DMC in B5200.

Began and Completed Stitching: Thursday, December 7, 2009





Finish Number 2:


Design: Winter Greens

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks All Dolled Up series (2009)

Fabric: 28 count Raw Linen/Silk blend (80% linen/20% silk) from Wichelt.

Fibers: Soie d'Alger in Noir (Black), 17 (Ecru), 942 (Christmas Red), 1844 (Frosted Pine), 1846 (Forest Green), and 4145 (Chocolate Brown).

Kreinik #8 Braid in 002 Vatican Gold.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #62031 (Frosted Old Gold).

Began: Friday, December 4, 2009

Finished: Tuesday, December 8, 2009.



The original designed called for DMC White, Black, 433, 3051 and 3052, 5282 Gold Metallic, a 28 count Clay Cashel from Zweigart and Mill Hill beads in 00557. Approximate DMC colors for the Soie d'Alger would be Ecru, 310, 321, 367, 890, and 898. Please note that these are *my* conversions and YMMV. :).





Had clinic today and managed to get three credit hours toward my 30 hours total I need of working with the public. I am dog tired, but I am going to pull some fabric and threads for my next start and hopefully start it. :P


Hope everyone is having a good week so far! :D


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C.

Three more finishes

Wow. I actually managed to get not one, but THREE projects stitched up and not only that but finished as well. =:O. Yes, they were all holiday related and quick stitches, but they are projects I've wanted to do for quite some time now.

Here are the finishes, in order of stitching completed, along with the related Stitchy Notes. :). Please note that the Soie d'Alger color 'names' are my own and not Access Commodities. Now, on with the show! :)


First Project:

Design: Joy Ornament (retired gift design)

Designer: Midnight Stitching

Fabric: 28 count Natural Pearl linen

Fibers: Soie d'Alger 542 (Star Yellow), 1846 (Forest Green), 2935 (French Red), Kreinik 004 Very Fine Braid in No. 1 Silver.

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in #60479.


Began and ended Friday, November 27, 2009








Second Project:


Design: Noel

Designer: Shepherd's Bush for Caron Collection Threads

Fabric: 28 count cream evenweave

Fibers: Soie d'Alger 1425 (Dark Navy Blue), 1846 (Forest Green), 2935 (French Red), 4145 (Chocolate Brown), Kreinik Number 8 Braid in No. 002 Gold.



Began and ended Saturday, November 28, 2009






Third Project:


Design: 2003 Christmas Alphabet (retired gift design)

Designer: Prairie Schooler

Fabric: 28 count khaki dyed Monaco (dyed by me!)

Fibers: Soie d'Alger 1846 (Forest Green), DMC in Ecru

Accouterments: Mill Hill beads in Claret (unknown catalog number)

Began and ended Sunday, November 29, 2009




Front:




Back:






My finishing isn't the best in the world, and one day I hope to have all the tools to do them up properly, but I am happy with the way they turned out. :)


Hope you all enjoyed them. I am off to finish a fourth ornament which I hope to have posted within the next day or two. :)


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C.

Trying to pick myself back up

I noticed that between the posts announcing that I was pregnant and when I lost the baby, it was a mere 10 days or so. Funny old world, eh?


I have been trying to cope with the loss and the almost unbearable grief. Unfortunately, this also means no stitching. However, last night, I vaguely remembered a snowman design, but I could not remember the designer or where I found it. I enlisted a friend to put out a call on various cross stitch boards to help me locate it as I could not find it in my 5 gigs of free designs I have on my computers. (Five gigs...YIKES!!. After awhile, the design was located and I got out the supplies for it, even though I was quite certain it would become another WIP/UFO. I had chosen some Soie d'Alger and I had forgotten how nice these are to stitch with. After awhile, it became apparent that I would actually finish the thing and sure enough, I managed to finish it just 10 minutes ago. And it's even a completed finish! Apologies for the glue still drying in the picture! Here's a pic and the stitchy notes:


Design: Snowman's Quaker Christmas

Designer: Midnight Stitching (http://www.hearts-desire.net/newsletter/dec2008.pdf)

Fabric: 28 count natural Pearl linen

Fibers: DMC 310, Anchor 001 and 1003, Soie d'Alger 1846 and 2935

Date started: Friday, November 27, 2009

Date stitching completed: Saturday, November 28, 2009

Date assembled: Saturday, November 28, 2009





Thanksgiving evening, I took down all of my fall stitching and put up the Christmas holiday stuff. Snagged a pic while I was taking pics of the latest finish.





Thanks for looking and I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I am off to see if I printed out another freebie I remember I wanted to do.


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C.

I've cried a thousand rivers, and it's not enough...

To be brutally honest, at this stage, I don't think it ever will be.


I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and they could not find the baby's heartbeat. Ultrasound confirmed that I had lost the child.


I got home from the hospital yesterday and DH and I are utterly devastated. This was our first, which turned out to be a boy instead of a girl as the sonogram tech had originally thought.


I lost him on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7:03 PM PDST. RIP little James Franklin Whitlow. So tiny and so perfect. I love you more than I can ever say!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Holy lack of posting, Batman!

I just realized that I haven't posted anything since mid August, and it's now mid October. I still haven't gotten my stitching mojo back, and I am not sure when/if it will return.


The reason?


Back in late July, my DH and I discovered (much to our surprise) that I was pregnant. Tomorrow I begin my 20th week, which means I am at the halfway point. YAY! Go me! :)

I've tried to find baby announcements and everything is overly frilly, flowery, and/or saccharine sweet. I have about decided that I will tailor one of the SMO monthly samplers like I did for my wedding announcement and be done with it. The baby is due in March, and that one I already have stitched up. I will just need to pick out some of the backstitching and change it a bit. I suppose I should stitch up the January and February ones, just to cover my bases. Maybe that will be the impetuous to get me to stitch again, eh? :)


Hope everyone is having a lovely, kicked back day today. I;m gonna go see if I can't find any Halloween candy. :D


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C.

Off and On Topic

Sorry for the lack of updates, folks. Been running around like crazy with school and up and moving to the other side of town to be closer to my school and DH's work. We are slowly moving everything from storage into the house and unpacking from there. It's kind of going like a root canal, long, slow and painful, but we have a roof over our heads and are no longer in a hotel. :)


As a consequence, I do not have any finishes for July and I doubt I will have one for August. I really have not been feeling up to it. I study a lot now, so I guess some things will be put on the back burner for a while, which is a shame. Basically, I am in school most of the day, come home, grab lunch, study and then pass out by 930 PM. I am hoping to get my mojo back soon as it's nearing Halloween and I adore stitching Halloween related things. (My beloved SMO board will be good for this. Sandy always has tons of treats for the members!)


This past Friday, August 14, DH and I celebrated 6 months of being married. It's crazy, but I have no clue where the time went. Neither does DH, LOL! He took me out for a *very* rare treat to Texas de Brazil (http://texasdebrazil.com/). I have a guy that's in my class who is the GM of the restaurant here and he told us to come by and he would take care of us. Oh, boy, did he! Gave us a break on the check and the food was flowing. It's a Brazilian steakhouse and if ever get the opportunity to go, run, do not walk! It's awesome!


I need to bolt for now. DH and I have errands to run and we need to get some lunch.


Hope everyone is having a good weekend!



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C.

Smokin' In the Girl's Room

First day of school today, and boy, am I whipped! Lots of stuff thrown at me and I even have homework that's due on Monday! :O


Today, I also got my books, my scrubs, my holster with bottle, and a 2 gig memory stick.


I've got about 20 pages of stuff to do. I'm gonna get the reading done in a bit, so I need to hop to it.


Hope everyone in CyberSpace is having a good day. And may the Intarwebz be with you all!


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C.



BOOKS!




Notebooks, folders, scrubs, and holster:

No finishes, just WIPs and UFOs

So here it is the middle of July and no finish yet. I really do not want to ride on the coattails of the months where I completed stitching on more than one project, however, I just do not have a lot of motivation at the moment. I have new glasses that I am trying to get adjusted to (after 10 years of wearing contacts) and there's been a lot going on in the house lately.


I've been trying to get a leg up ( so to speak!) on my upcoming schoolwork which begins in nine days. I still need to get the National Certification Board review book and start in on that, so I have time to prepare for the test. It costs a LOT of money to take and I do not want to have to take it umpteen times. (And if I read the Candidate Handbook correctly, you cannot take it past five times without serious implications. Even after 3, they start giving you a hard time about it.)


I seem to be on one of my 'collecting' kicks, whereby I look for free charts, trade, and purchase from other stitchers the various accouterments that needleworkers all over the world seem to think they *need* to have. Right now, I am contemplating starting another design. It's French and very pretty! (natch!) and I would change the middle motif to an initial if I did start it. I am thinking a classic red and white, although, I am kind of digging on a dark navy blue and white...maybe a DMC B5200 (Anchor 001) and a DMC 939 (Anchor 152). Or maybe something in Crescent Colours. IDK. We will see.


Although, I really should get off my fat butt and finish something I already have. /sigh.



RAWR!







Respectfully submitted,

C.
Hope everyone is having a good day!

Grease is the word....

I've held off making an official post about this, until I knew for certain that this was a done deal. On Thursday, July 23, 2009 at precisely 8:00 AM Pacific Daylight Standard Time I will begin a nine month journey towards certification to become a Licensed Massage Therapist.

This is a scary, exciting time as I have never managed well in higher learning institutions. I've tried college twice, and for various reasons, I never finished. I have few regrets about my life, as I think that the choices you make 20 years or even 20 minutes from now have far reaching consequences that impact a life or even lives that one does not really understand until much later. The path I have followed has led me to where I am now. What's the saying? When God closes one door, (S)he opens another, although it's sometimes hell in the hallway. Regardless, it's always kind of bothered me that I never finished college. I am not sure why, but at any rate, I will be rectifying the issue in approximately 14 days.

I've always tried to improve myself, to make myself a better person, and hopefully, this will be a giant step toward that goal.


As for the linked Grease video above, I took one of those dumb online quizzes, as I had some free time under my belt, so I took a 'test' to see which Pink Lady I am from Grease. I wound up as Rizzo and now, I really do wish I had a black bowling shirt with 'Pink Ladies' written on the back in pink. :P


Hope everyone has recovered from the 4th. Partying like it's 1776 can take a toll on a person!


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C.

iTunes Shuffle

Cause I don't really have a stitching update....


OK, so open up your I-Tunes, Limewire whatever music library you have and hit shuffle.
No cheating! Have fun!
Soundtrack to your life:

Opening Credits: Clubbed to Death (Kurayamino Mix) by Rob D

Waking Up Scene: Prayer of St Gregory Op62; Symphony No6 by Alan Hovaness

Car Driving Scene: Bass FX by Bass 305

High School Flashback Scene: Somebody Save Me by Cinderella

Nostalgic Scene: You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse

Bitter, Angry Scene: Mein Herz Brennt by Rammstein

Break-up Scene: When Love and Hate Collide by Def Leppard

Regret Scene: Woke Up this Morning by A3

Nightclub/Bar Scene: Dragula (Hot Rod Herman Remix) by Rob Zombie

Fight/Action Scene: One Man Army by T. Raumschmiere

Lawn Mowing Scene: When I was Seventeen by Frank Sinatra

Sad, breakdown scene: Lacrymosa by Evanescence

Death Scene: It's So Hard to Say Goodbye by Boyz II Men

Funeral Scene: I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy

Mellow/Pot-smoking Scene: Who Am I? (Animatrix Edit) by Peace Orchestra

Dreaming About Someone Scene: Mio Bello Bello Amore by Cirque Du Soliel Zumanity soundtrack

Sex Scene: Peaches n' Cream by 112

Contemplation Scene: Farewell By Tan Dun and Yo Yo Ma; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack

Chase Scene: Rock Star (Jason Nevins Remix) by NERD

Happy Love Scene: You Will Be My Ain True Love by Allison Krauss

Happy Friend Scene: Word Up by Korn

Closing Credits: Call Me by Blondie


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C.

Bling! Bling!

So, yea. Earlier today, my mother and I went to Caesar's Palace to wander around and see all the shops they have. It's all very 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'. Lots of bling, lots of stuff I cannot and probably will not ever be able to afford, but fun to wander around and look at for an afternoon.

A word about where I live. Vegas isn't like most places where they REQUIRE that you have an appointment to show up and when you get there, you had better be dressed in something resembling your Sunday best. Shorts and t-shirts don't cut it. Fortunately for me, I live in a place where, if I had the available cash, I can purchase a pair of million dollar earrings or a half a million dollar automobile at 11 PM on a Sunday night and no one blinks twice. Go me. :D


Here are some of the pics that I took. I am hoping to get to take my mother to the Bellagio, where they have some really neat botanical gardens inside the hotel. Please enjoy! :)


This fountain area is really pretty. Caesar Augusts there is actual a marvel of animatronics. It's really weird to watch him 'singing' and seeing the 'minions' do the same. :O




Whenever I see this store, I always picture Edina from Absolutely Fabulous screaming out, 'LACROIX, DAH-LING!!! LA-QUAAAAAAA!!!!!":




Jacket in the window at Christian LaCroix:




Pete Rose in the house signing autographs. No, I didn't get one, because I think baseball sucks :P:




Three levels of shoppers' paradise:




Reflecting pool/wishing well. Just about every casino in town takes the money they get out of the pools once a year and they donate it all to local charities. This is sometimes in the millions of dollars.




Eye level of the reflecting pool:








The Mecca that is Harry Winston. It has been a dream of mine to actually be able to go into one of these stores and today it came true. Harry Winston has outfitted Kings, Queens, actresses (Elizabeth Taylor!) and the just plain filthy rich for a long, long time now. He is a Master at jewelcrafting and if I ever get the chance to own a piece, even if it's just a tiny pendant, I would consider myself blessed.






Afterwards, my mother and I went to a local rock shop, Jewelry and Mineral of Las Vegas. I love to collect rocks and have quite a collection and I am always looking (and wanting!) to expand. Here are some pics:
































I hope everyone is having a good weekend!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Taking the Blue Pill

Morpheus: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cypher: I know what you're thinking, 'cause right now I'm thinking the same thing. Actually, I've been thinking it ever since I got here: Why oh why didn't I take the BLUE pill?


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So, I've been sick with a stomach virus for about 5 days now and apparently, I've lost my mind some place. The quotes from above are from one of my all time favorite movies, The Matrix. Keanu Reeves is pure sex on a stick in that movie. :D


I posted these quotes, because while I am an ardent, nay fanatical, believer in taking the red pill (ie: opening my eyes to Truth), when it comes to my stitching, I've wholly embraced the blue pill and all of its subsequent effects (ie, sticking my head in the sand. How's that sand tasting?! :D)

Anyway, this is as far as I have gotten on CCN's 'Ice Cream Shoppe':





I apologize for it being so out of focus, but as bad as I feel, I really didn't feel like dicking around with trying to get a better shot. :/


In other news, it seems the entertainment industry is taking it on the chin with two deaths yesterday, that of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. What I find utterly amazing is that there are utter and complete morons out there arguing as to whose death is more important. Say WHAT?! IDK about anyone else, but I find this incredibly disrespectful to both of them. They both lived, they both made mistakes, they both died and now we who are left behind will suffer the loss of them gone. Both of their families are in incredible pain right now, so the least the rest of us can do is be respectful and mind our collective manners.


Hopefully, I will not be so cranky tomorrow. :/


---

Respectfully submitted,

C.

Midsummer in a Stitcher's Paradise

I managed to remember to take my camera today, and I managed to get a few snapshots of the goodness and perfection that is Stitcher's Paradise. Please grab a cup of tea and a few cookies (biscuits for my European folks! :D) and sit back and enjoy the show!

Stitcher's Paradise
2550 S Rainbow Blvd # E25
Las Vegas, NV 89146-5179
(702) 227-9735‎


Front of the store:




The infamous Wall 'o Specialty Floss. This wall actually starts with the Needle Necessities/Threadworkx and goes all the way back to the back of the store almost:








Some of the models up on the walls:






One section of charts and more floss. This is near the checkout counter near the back of the store:





The infamous Fabric Room. This room houses the most fabric I have ever seen, plus the DMC, Anchor, Access Commodities and several other thread lines that they could not fit in the Wall o' Floss area.

Right side of Room:




Left side of room:




Fabric cutting table with my Betty Boop in Las Vegas purse! :D:




Some precut fabrics:






My purchase was a fat quarter yard of 28 count cream Lugana and some 'fresh' DMC. The CCN chart I purchase some time ago:




They also have a table where you can sit and stitch, however, today being Saturday, the table was quite full and I do not take pictures of folks without their permission. :)


Hope everyone is having a great weekend. DH is taking me to Dairy Queen for 'date night' and if I can remember, I will take pics, because the view we have is quite spectacular! :)


---

Respectfully submitted,

C.

CCN's Ice Cream Sundae

I had taken a poll in the house and by General Consensus, Country Cottage's Ice Cream Sundae was deemed to be the one that needed to be stitched next. I do not have any of the supplies, however, my wonderful DH has promised me a trip tomorrow.

If I remember to take my camera, I will take pics of Stitcher's Paradise, which happens to be located all of five minutes from my house. :D


Go me!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

LHN Summer House Finish

(Mandy Kitteh 'helping' me with a project).


Finally got a finish under my belt for the month of June. I'd like to get another, but I am not sure if it will be possible. I think I've lost my stitching mojo. I just cannot seem to stay focused and stitch for any length of time. My heart just isn't in stitching anything right now, but at least I got my one finish a month promise fulfilled for the month of June.


At any rate, here is the finish and the related stitchy notes:


Design: Summer House

Designer: Little House Needleworks

Source: 2006 freebie (no longer available as a freebie, however, you can purchase it, along with many past freebies in the LHN leaflet 'Something Old, Something New'.

Fabric: 28 count Carolina linen from Charles Craft in Sand

Fibers: Crescent Colours Cupid, Wavy Navy, Joshua Tree, Antique Lace and DMC 3371.





Hope everyone is having a good week! :)


---


Respectfully submitted,

C.

CRS*

*Can't Remember Shit


IDK about anyone else, but I suffer from this affliction. It seems like it gets worse every year that rolls around, but it could just be me (hopefully!!).


It really did bug me that I couldn't remember the type of fabric I used to stitch my last project (http://archangeldecker.blogspot.com/2009/05/french-rose-monogram-finish.html). I need to start labeling my fabrics as well as I keep up my stitching journals. After a considerable amount of time, I managed to track down the name of the fabric used, 28 count Glasgow linen in Flax. I am 98% sure this is the correct fabric. I have another UFO that uses the exact same fabric, so I am quite positive that it is the same. (I also need to get back to that UFO and finish it. It was started on Monday, March 21, 2005! That was FOUR bloody years ago! :O).


Stitched a bit yesterday on the My Big Toe Designs 'Joy of Christmas' 2009 ornament and Little House Needleworks 'Blueberries' kit. I chose a cream 28 count Monaco fabric for this project. The colors are really popping on it and I am pleased with the results so far. :)


Well, off to do some chores before my day starts. Actually, I have to do some more chores. I've been up since 6:30 AM and so far I've made breakfast, fed the cats, made up the bed, made DH's lunch for the day, sent said DH off to work, did some picking up and some general organizing. Still have lots to do, so I better get to it! :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful day out there today.

Peace, Namaste, and Sayonara! :D


---


Respectfully submitted,


C.

French Rose Monogram finish!

Got around to finishing the stitching I did on yesterday's post. Here are my notes again, plus the timeline, which I did not give in yesterday's posting.


Design: Rose Sampler (http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/pelintezer/?action=view¤t=AlphabetSamplerChart.gif)

Designer: Pelin Tezer

Fabric: unknown 28 count natural evenweave

Fibers: Anchor 001 and 102

Frame: Q-snap

Needle: 26 Platinum tapestry needle by John James


Began stitching: Friday, May 29, 2009

Completed stitching: Saturday, May 30, 2009

Finished project: Sunday, May 31, 2009.


Front:




Back:




Thanks for looking! :)


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

End of the Month

Been busy here lately, however, after I felt really bad about beating myself up so bad over so many new starts, I took an 'inventory' of how many finishes I had for 2009. I had a total of eight completed works:


January: French Monogram 'designed' by me (it's really bits of 2 charts together)

February: French Monogram for Amber (same as January) and Queen Bee by LHN

March: Easter Chocolate Box by Erica Michaels and Love Cats by Brittercup Designs

April: Hare Line by Bent Creek, Cottage Garden by CCN, Necessities Sampler by LHN



This is when I realized I did *NOT* have a finish for May. I have tried to have at least one finish a month, and I really wanted to have something for May. So, I checked in my freebie 'To Do' folder on my computer and found a French type monogram that I stitched up in about 24 hours.


Here's the results:

Design: Rose Sampler (http://s171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/pelintezer/?action=view¤t=AlphabetSamplerChart.gif)

Designer: Pelin Tezer

Fabric: unknown 28 count natural evenweave

Fibers: Anchor 001 and 102

Frame: Q-snap

Needle: 26 Platinum tapestry needle by John James







Had a mini stash buying spree. Everything was on sale, so I got some good deals. Floss for two projects, new scissors, fabric for a project, and some other goodies. Here are some of my goodies:











I also got Country Cottage Needleworks 'Summer Retreats'. I cannot wait to get started on that one, but I've promised myself that I cannot until I clear some other things out first. Ah, well. :) I have the charts and the fibers are all DMC so i do not have to worry about specialty thread companies going the way of the dodo bird. :P


Well, I am off for now. I spent three hours this afternoon cleaning out me and DH's walk in closet and I'm exhausted. :)


Hope everyone is having a good weekend! :D


---


Respectfully submitted,

C.

Stash Aquisition and a Rant

Had an absolute blast of a weekend this weekend. Weekends like this are rare, so I enjoyed and savored every moment of it.

Friday: SPA DAY!!! :D Got my hair cut, manicure, pedicure, and had a one hour aromatherapy massage. Absolute heaven.


Saturday: Napped and shopped for stash. DH Gave me a bit of spending money and I had the hardest time choosing what exactly I wanted! :P


Sunday: Yoga class in the AM and a hike in Red Rock Canyon with DH in the late afternoon.


Here's what I wound up with on my stash spree:




The July/August 2009 Just Cross Stitch magazine, Blueberries kit by Little House Needleworks, Bee Sampler also by Little House Needleworks and the two Crescent Colours needed for the Bee Sampler, Bean Sprouts and House Wine. I can't wait to get started on the Bee Sampler, but it will have to wait, as I seem to have gone on a starting free for all spree again, and I'm not completing a damn thing. While I enjoy the process of kitting things up and starting things fresh, not finishing sometimes pisses me off to no end. Not completing due to bad charting, horrid directions, crappy floss/fabric, mistakes that cannot be found, multiple froggings, etc are all very valid reasons not completing a project.


However.


I would guesstimate that a good half of my WIP/UFO pile is due to just plain not wanting to finish it, laziness, and/or being seduced by the shiny.


/sigh



I really do need to stop that crap. Honestly. I hate that about myself. If I make commitments to my family and friends, why do I not do that to myself, even if it's just finishing a stupid project that's been sitting around since God was a child? No wonder I can't make any dietary lifestyle changes for any length of time!


FFS. /grrrr



In case you were wondering what brought about this rant, it's this:





My newest start.

Design: The Joy of Christmas

Designer: My Big Toe

Featured: July/August 2009 Just Cross Stitch magazine Ornament Preview issue

Fabric: 14 count ivory aida

Fiber: Access Commodities Soie d'Alger number 2936 (DMC equivalent 816).



There are times when I loathe my lack of discipline in following through on my projects. Mind you, I have probably completed about 200 projects in my 13 years of stitching, however, I have way too many WIPs to feel comfortable about having that many.


I suppose if I wanted to be kind to myself I would tell myself that as the Buddhists say: Chop wood, carry water.


After enlightenment... chop wood, carry water.


Guess it's time to chop some wood and carry some water.


---


Respectfully submitted,


Cindy

Seasons change

I was passing by my stitching area and I noticed that I still had the 'April' Lizzie Kate design on the stitchy area walls.


I paused.


What's the calendar date again?


Oy!


Ok, stop whatever it was I was doing, get the step stool, get out my seasonal stitching. Decide what to put up and if I have enough frames to be able to change everything I want up.

Now, at this juncture, I would like to add that my idea of 'seasons' are different than what most people follow timewise. Most folks have seasons broken down thusly:


Spring: March, April, May

Summer: June, July, August

Fall: September, October, November

Winter: December, January, February


I, on the other hand, have known farmers, gardeners and other folk who follow a different type of seasonal calendar:


Spring: February, March, April

Summer: May, June, July

Fall: August, September, October

Winter: November, December, January


This makes more sense to me, somehow. I guess to me, it makes more sense that the 'seasons' are like this timewise, due to planting, growing, and harvesting of the stuff I eat. I mention this only because when I changed out my seasonal wall, everything is summer related. Temps are rising at a rapid rate here in Sin City, so it quite frankly feels like summer anyway.


Here are some pics of the updated wall:






Closeups of the work and related stitchy notes:




Country Cottage Needleworks 'Summer Strawberries'.
Fabric: Dyeing 4 You's 'Sandy's Sunshine' in 16 ct aida.
Threads used: Crescent Colours Spinach, Cupid , Pink Champagne, Granny Annie. White thread by DMC in B5200. SanMan Strands in A New Leaf.

Began Friday, June 27, 2008; 9 PM PST. Finished Wednesday 07.30.08.






Design: Sunshine Sampler #117

Designer: Lizzie Kate

Fabric: 28 count natural pearl

Fibers: DMC and Crescent Colours

Began: July 2005

Ended: July 2005

Stitched piece during trips to the beach Summer 2005 with Amber.






Design: Strawberry Sampler

Designer: Needlecraft (UK) magazine

Fabric: 28 count natural linen

Fibers: DMC

Start and end dates unknown. Probable 1996 or 1997.






Design: Cottage Garden

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Source: August 2006 Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Fibers: DMC 153, 155, 156, 157, and 420. Weeks Dye Works thread in Pecan. Crescent Colours Joshua Tree, Tomatillio, and Summer Spray.

Misc: Decided to skip the outer border as I could not find a nice enough color that would compliment the color changes I made and let's face it, I'm lazy as hell. Ran out of the WDW Pecan and I did not want to buy another skein as I find WDW threads to be thin and have a propensity to shred, so I just substituted DMC 420 and went on with life. The difference is not that stark and I wanted this one just plain finished instead of it languishing in the UFO pile.

Began: (approximately) Friday, March 20, 2009

Completed stitching: Thursday, April 30, 2009





Design: Bless the Breeze (former freebie, not for trade or sale)

Designer: SanMan Originals

Fabric: 14 count white aida

Fibers: DMC and Six Strand Sweets

Began: Friday, January 14, 2004

Completed stitching: Tuesday, January 25, 2004






Apparently, I didn't upload a pic of the one above 'Cottage Garden'. Stitchy notes to follow:


Design: Joyful Heart from the leaflet 'Seasons of the Heart 2"

Designer: Erica Michaels

Fabric: 28 count natural pearl linen

Fibers: DMC

Began: Monday, February 21, 2005

Completed stitching: Saturday, March 12, 2005



Newest WIP:


Design: Home of a Needleworker (2003)

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needlework

Fabric: 28 count natural pearl linen

Fibers: DMC in B5200, 355, 356, 450, 429, 729, 869, 3051, 3052, 3371, 3828


Began: Monday, May 4, 2009





Closing for now with a picture of Ozzy and Ushi pacing themselves:



It's a rough life, but someone has to do it!


Hope everyone had a good weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Surprise Trip

Early in the afternoon on Friday, my DH sent me a text message telling me to get packed for a few days, we were going out of town. I sent a reply asking how I should pack. He told me to pack for Flagstaff, AZ. We almost didn't go, as when we looked up the weather, it looked like it was going to rain literally everywhere on the planet, with the exception of Toronto, Canada and Cairo, Egypt. Ugh.


We decided to go anyway, figuring that even if it rained, we needed to get out of the house, and get out of town for a bit. We live in a fairly crowded house, so any time alone is precious. We left Friday afternoon a bit late, about around 4:30 PM. We had dinner at Cracker Barrel in Kingman, AZ (closest one!) and arrived in Flagstaff at around 9:30 or so.

We got up a bit late the next day, but to be fair, we really did not have a time schedule for anything. Just go when we felt like it, eat when hungry, sleep when tired sort of thing. We drove to the Grand Canyon and hiked along the southern portion of the Canyon. It's gorgeous. I can't wait to go back. I took a lot of pics along the way. We hiked about 5 miles, and that was not including the walking we did in Flagstaff when get got back.

Flagstaff is a really neat town and I really do wish we could have stayed longer and/or moved there. It's kind of quirky and artsy and we really like it there. Only downside is the housing market is weird out there and we don't have any way to support ourselves. :( Bummer.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip:

























On the way back, we managed to catch some of the Gumball 3000. (The Gumball 3000 is an annual 3000 mile (5000 km) international rally which takes place on public roads, with a different 3000 mile route around the world each year. 120 cars participate, often driven by their owners. Now in its 11th year the event has grown into an established fixture on the popular culture calendar annually attracting household names from music, film and sport to participate, including David Hasselhoff, Adrien Brody, Johnny Knoxville, and Tony Hawk. Although set up as a rally with no official timing, or prizes for reaching checkpoints first, during the rally, some participants have been fined for speeding and other traffic offenses by the police in countries they passed through. Cars participating have also been confiscated by the authorities of countries they pass through. The Gumball 3000 was founded in 1999 by Maximilian Cooper. Cooper invited 55 of his wealthiest friends to take part in a 6 day 3000 mile drive around Europe, partying every night.) It was really neat to see all of the exotics like Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porches, BMW's, a Jaguar XJ220 and even a Bugatti Veyron. (Whoooooooooooooooo!!!)

I managed to snag this pic while we were crossing over the Hoover Dam:



I took some completely random shots of the Hoover Dam as we were passing by. I basically just stuck the camera out of the car window and clicked until I got something. :D Here are some of my efforts:










I would have had some cooler pics of the Dam itself, however, it was 7 bucks for parking and we had no cash on us. :(. Oh, well. It's half an hour down the road and it's not like they are going to move it any time soon. :P


Here is a link to more pics: http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d27/Archangelcin/Travel/Flagstaff%20Grand%20Canyon%20May%202009/


I hope everyone had a good weekend!


---

Respectfully submitted,

C.

Whew!

The stitching blogosphere had a heart attack yesterday when the much appreciated and much favorited blog, LagattaC, suddenly went black for no apparent reason. When I went to this Blog of Awesomeness, it said CLOSED in big red letters. No one was able to ascertain the reasons why she elected to close down her collection of freebie links from around the web. I had speculated to friends that perhaps she grew tired of updating the million and one freebie sites from around the world or just found something else to occupy her time. Thankfully, when I logged on this morning to update this blog, I found that she had posted an update. Here is the translated text via Babelfish from the original Italian:

From some time I reflect sull' opportunity to close the blog. When I began in the 2006 c' they were little sites that they published " freebies" regularly, the spread of the blogs has widened the creativity of the lovers of the embroidery, and also my engagement. The beautiful season then tries to me with the walks in the forests and on mountains, all' leisure under the warm beams of the sun, the reading all' shadow of the trees in garden. They are elsewhere. To close definitively the blog is not necessary, leaves l' opportunity to continue to consult it even if from today in then I do not guarantee that the modernizations will be regular. Thanks to those who they have written to me, with calm I will answer to all, and thanks for the collaboration offered ones, of it I will hold account. Good day!

Whew! Well, I can't say that I blame her. I'm sure that with the proliferation of blogs and just plain 'regular' folks taking a stab at designing and posting their works for free out on the intarwebz, updating a blog with links to said freebies is probably a full time occupation. I, myself, have been spending a bit less time on the computer and choosing instead to take my stitching to the community pool and stitch poolside, rather than being cooped up in the house. It's getting warmer by the day here in Sin City and it's nice to be out by the pool stitching.

And in other news....

Had 2 finishes yesterday and started yet another project. It was nice to get some things wrapped up and start one I've wanted to start for a long time now. I am hoping after this next finish, I get out an older WIP/UFO and finish that up. Maybe rotate new starts and finishes, to clear some old stuff out and get to the stuff I have put off for so long and really want to stitch. Pic of the finishes plus the new WIPs. Stitchy notes attached! :)

Finish number 1:

Design: Cottage Garden

Designer: Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks

Source: August 2006 Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Fabric: 28 count white Monaco

Fibers: DMC 153, 155, 156, 157, and 420. Weeks Dye Works thread in Pecan. Crescent Colours Joshua Tree, Tomatillio, and Summer Spray.

Misc: Decided to skip the outer border as I could not find a nice enough color that would compliment the color changes I made and let's face it, I'm lazy as hell. Ran out of the WDW Pecan and I did not want to buy another skein as I find WDW threads to be thin and have a propensity to shred, so I just substituted DMC 420 and went on with life. The difference is not that stark and I wanted this one just plain finished instead of it languishing in the UFO pile.

Began: (approximately) Friday, March 20, 2009

Completed stitching: Thursday, April 30, 2009






Finish number 2:

Design: Necessities Sampler

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count antique white either lugana or jobelan

Fibers: DMC 420, 739, 869, 924, 926, 928, 936, 3011, 3013, 3371, 3768

Began: Saturday, April 18, 2009

Completed stitching: Friday, April 30, 2009




And now on with the WIPs! :D



WIP number 1:

Stitchy notes:

Design: Bee Pinkeep

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks and Nikki Lehman of Country Cottage Needleworks for The Gift Stitching magazine, Issue 12 January 2007

Fabric: 28 count natural evenweave of an unknown type (I need to figure out what it is, cause I'm really digging on it!)

Fibers: DMC 437, 761, 3011, 3012, 3371, 3712, and B5200.

Began: Thursday, April 30, 2009





WIP number 2:


Stitchy Notes:


Design: American Sampling (2005 Limited Edition kit purchased complete for $10.00 via E-Bay some time ago)

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count natural raw linen from Zweigart

Fibers: Crescent Colours Manor Red, Desert Mesquite, Bunny Honey, Toasted Marshmallow, Old Oak Tree, and Tartan Plaid

Misc: I am TOTALLY not digging on the CC Bunny Honey on the 28 count natural raw linen from Zweigart. The stitching completely disappears into the fabric. I am seriously considering swapping out the raw natural linen for a 28 count natural Pearl to lighten things up a bit. I'll do a test run on the Bunny Honey later on and see what's doin'.

Began: Thursday, April 30, 2009





Hope everyone is having a good day out there in cyberspace!


Respectfully submitted,

C.

What the fluff?

IDK wth is going on with me, but since I have turned 39 in March, with my health it's been one thing after another. Near continuous sinus problems, PMS issues, colds, possible flu, headaches, nausea that would fell an elephant. What the fluff?! If this is getting old, you can shove that. Bay-beh! Send my fat ass back to 38 and I'll just stay there, thankyouverymuchpleasedrivethrough.


I managed to start a new project (SURPRISE!!!) and I managed to get around to completing up an older finish. Interesting question: when do you call it a finish? When it's done being stitched on, or when it's in it's final form? Inquiring minds want to know. :)


Anyhoo....here are my WIPs, the lone completed finish and some kittehz bein....well...kittehz.


Enjoy!



Completed finish, all no sew (go go Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue!) :

Stitchy notes:

Designs: Monograms: DMC Italy (http://www.dmc.com/majic/pageServer/1c010100cl/it/ct/os/prid/26720/index.html)

Double M motif: Point de Croix Bourguignon (http://www.pcbdijon.com/accueil/TMP1072434954.htm).

Fabric: DMC printed aida in 14 count DC27T-arab3.

Fiber: Access Commodities 1846 (a forest green)

Needle: John James platinum tapestry needle in size 26.

Frame: Q-snap in 8x8

Began: Tuesday, February 17, 2009.

Finished: Tuesday, February 25, 2009.

Front:




Back:





WIPs:

Stitchy notes:

Design: Love Letters (member only)

Designer: Papillion Creations

Fabric: 32 count mocha linen

Fibers: DMC B5200 and 815

Started: Thursday April 11, 2009





I've about half decided that I really do not like 32 count fabric. My eyesight is 20/20 with my contacts in, but I just don't like the tiny aspect of it, if that makes any sense. Unfortunately for me, the color of the fabric really makes the design and colors pop, and I didn't have any 28 count mocha linen in my stash and I am on a 'use what you have' kick, ATM. Sucks to be me, I guess.


WIP #2:


Stitchy notes:


Design: Necessities Sampler

Designer: Diane Williams of Little House Needleworks

Fabric: 28 count antique white either lugana or jobelan

Fibers: DMC 420, 739, 869, 924, 926, 928, 936, 3011, 3013, 3371, 3768

Began: Saturday, April 18, 2009







Now for the kittehz!


Everyone pacing themselves:




Ozzeh!




Lou!!




Ush-eh!





Mandy's rep says he was unavailable for this photo shoot. Bummer.


Hope everyone is having a good day. And thank you for playing! :D


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Respectfully submitted,

C.