Off to VA!

Well, I am off to VA for 10 days. Going to visit a very dear friend of mine for Thanksgiving. We have trips to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Richmond planned. There will be massive amounts of food, drinking, partying, and shopping. I'll be sleeping on the plane on the way back for sure! LOL!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. And may the Turkey be with you all!

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Respectfully submitted,

C.

The very essence of polarity

Since I live in Las Vegas, the propensity for doing things seemingly unrelated runs about 150 on a scale of one to ten. What this means, is that in this town, one can go see a show, have dinner, go skydiving, and shop till you drop, all in the same day.

What has this to do with cross stitch? Well, in my case, this means I spent the good portion of yesterday cross stitching on my Just For Me SAL, and then last night me and the FH went to Rain at the Palms Casino. Let's get to the cross stitching first shall we? :)

For the Just For Me SAL, I chose to stitch Little House Needleworks 'Queen Bee'. I couldn't think of a more fitting design, given the 'selfishness' of this particular SAL (Stitch A Long, for the uninitiated out there in cyberspace). I chose a 28 count silk and linen fabric in a natural color. I stitched all of the DMC thread portion of the design, as I do not have the Crescent Colours as of yet. I am waiting until I go to Virginia on Thursday in order to buy them. (Out of town stash sprees, ftw!) It stitched up a LOT quicker than I thought it was going to, so I quite imagine the rest will go just as quickly once the CC threads have been procured.


Here is what I have so far:

I am happy with the way it looks and glad I chose the silk and linen fabric. I mean, if I am going to stitch something for just myself, such a luxe fabric is quite nice. :)


Now, as for the club last night, please allow me to state that I do not go clubbing with any sort of regularity. First of all, I am getting too long in tooth to be going. I don't wanna be the old chick up in the club, but here in Vegas, it hardly matters. In some of the hottest spots in town, there can be seen folks that look like they should be in a retirement home, rather than in a place jam packed with 20 and 30 somethings. More power to them, says I, however, it just makes me feel old. Vodka and Red Bull helps with staying up past one's bedtime, I can state with some authority. (pro tip!).

Secondly, it's plain expensive. I don't know about other portions of the country, but here, while females can get in for a reduced fee or even free as was my case last night, dudes can pay upwards of 75 dollars just to get IN the place. This does not include things such as 'table service.' Now for those who do not know what that is, it is a 'service' provided by the club, where you pay a 300% (in some cases) markup for a bottle of say, a liter of Grey Goose, and for the privilege of sitting down. Yes, you read that correctly. If you do not get 'table service', you do not get to sit down. So it basically feels like you are hanging around at a high school dance. 'Table service' also runs in the hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on what you want and where it is. Not a cheap night by any means.

Last night, we got on 'THE LIST'. What this means is, someone knows someone else, and our names got put on a list that the host keeps track of and we get in for free. Score one. This also means our wait time in line was nil. Once inside, the FH's boss bought drinks all night, so we pretty much sprung for the 8 bucks at McDonald's afterwards. Which, was needed after the FOUR Red Bull and Vodkas I had. o.o. We weren't 'special' enough to rate for 'table service', but that was ok. I've been going to clubs since I was 14, and I like being near the bar. :D

Insofar as clubs go, Rain is the absolute SHIT. Omg!! LOVED it!! I highly recommend going there. We have been to a few since FH started bringing me here, and while LAX sucked, Rain at the Palms was awesome. They have acrobats above the dance floor (Lordy, do I wish I could move like they can! I am supremely jealous!) and fireballs shooting out from key places in the club. It was quite entertaining. They also had folks dressed up in techno industrial costumes going around passing out glow sticks. I wound up with two and a pack of matches for my partying ways last night.



Next time, FH's boss said we will be on 'THE LIST' for Paul Oakenfold, which should be a good time. We were supposed to go next weekend, but I will be in VA, so it will have to wait. By then, I should be ready to go back and party like a rock star or like it's 1999 or whatever the hell I'm supposed to do to party really well. :P~


Time for lunch. I hope everyone is having a good weekend and it's hangover free like mine. :D

And may the Needle be with you all.

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Respectfully submitted,

C.

One day start and finish

Took a one day break from the 'Peace' ornament, to stitch up a bookmark. It needed to be done and it went fairly quickly, other than the blue Kreinik that was used. Needless to say, it was the slowest part, and had me cussing like a sailor on a 3 day pass in Hong Kong. The stuff is HORRIBLE. Yes, I know it was blending filament, and not cording, but still. That was the most wretched stuff I have dealt with in a while.


From the UK CrossStitcher leaflet, Treasures of the Pharaohs. Unknown gold/cream evenweave. DMC #310, Kreinik numbers 002 (gold) and 051HL (blue), Crescent Colours 'Cupid' for the backstitching.

I will stitch some more on the 'Peace' ornament today. Hopefully, I can put a big enough dent in it, if not outright finish it, before I leave on the 20th. I need to finish kitting up the rest of my projects and/or get the next ornament rolling before then. I also have to get my recipes and grocery shopping list done, before the trip, as well as do some preliminary packing. (Yes, I said it....preliminary packing. I do things like this, because I am probably borderline OCD and I don't want to over pack.)

Here is a pic from yesterday. Ushi got disgusted with the 'Boys' and walked off. Cats are funny! :D




Well, I am off for now. Lots to do today. I hope everyone is having a good day. And may the Needle be with you all!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

Getting there

Haven't really gotten that far with my Peace ornament. I was down for the count yesterday with the most wretched of sinus conditions. My head was torn up most of the day, and I won't bore you with the nausea that I had. I laid in bed 3/4ths of the day yesterday watching the CSI marathon on Spike.

Suffice it to say, I haven't gotten much accomplished on it. I am hoping to get more done today on it. The headache is gone, and I just have a bit of lingering nausea. Doing laundry today, as I am planning a trip to the DC area. I will be gone from the 20th until the 30th. I cannot WAIT!!! I am so excited. I have found some cross stitch shops to go to as well, so I am hoping to get to at least one of them. We are also planning on going to Philadelphia, so I am hoping for good times there as well.

Here's the updated WIP pic. Stitchy notes: Country Cottage Needleworks design as featured in the 2007 JCS ornament issue. 28 natural pearl linen. DMC flosses.




(Progress picture removed from Webshots 12.01.2012 and no copy found in records)


Hope everyone is having a good day out there in cyberland. And may the Needle be with you all!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.


And

Xmas Ornament #2

I seem to be on a roll here. I have 5 or 6 more to do, but I will cross those bridges (or is it stitches?) when I get there. I'm trying not to push myself or get myself into a bind. I started *kinda* late, but then again, I stitch according to whim and mood, not when something HAS to be done.

Had to make a run to Michael's yesterday for some DMC floss. Wow. Do I miss Wal-Mart. It was 35 cents per skein. Now, I know I have no right to complain really, seeing as how some of my overseas ladies can spend upwards of almost 2 DOLLARS EACH for the things, but really. Things are getting to be expensive all over, this I know, but I would truly hate to be priced out of my hobby. But damn Murphy and his laws that have me wallowing in floss, right up until the point I begin a project and I am missing at least one skein, if not more. Case in point: I chose LHN's 'Queen Bee' for my Just For Me SAL. 4 skeins of DMC and 3 of Crescent Colours. Now, I knew I would have to purchase the CC, as I have no where NEAR a complete set, but I'll be damned if I didn't have all FOUR of the DMC flosses. Yes, I had to buy all four. Then, I check my current project, an ornament for my mother, and here we go..... I am in need of 761.

Queue the swearing.


Queue sigh.


Make a list.


Google map the nearest Michael's.


Grab the car keys from FH who had the day off and is in the middle of playing Fable 2. He pauses long enough to shake his head at me.

Kiss said FH and head for the door, muttering about the square footage of the Mojave desert and finding this Murphy character.

Drive 10 minutes one way to the Michael's.

Rifle through the DMC bins for the correct numbers I need.

Swear at the unknown person who put the incorrect colors in the bins I was looking in.

Find the five skeins I need and check out with a very pleasant cashier.

Drive back home.

All of this is probably more than you needed to know, but since I am unemployed, I have a lot of free time to kill, and right now I'm waiting on the aspirin to kick in to quash this minor headache that I have. :D


At any rate, here is my latest WIP. It's an ornament for my Mom. It's from Country Cottage Needleworks from the 2007 JCS ornament issue. The design is called 'Peace'. I am stitching it with the called for DMC flosses and on a 28 count natural pearl linen. (I am a sad panda in snow because the yard that I purchased a few years ago, is almost out. I love stitching on this fabric as it is a nice neutral, but I just do not have the 65 bucks to replace it with another yard. /sigh)


I hope everyone has a good day. And may the Needle be with you all!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

YAY!!! It's here! It's finally here!!

In case you are wondering what all the hubbub is about, Stitch'n Time, (of Saginaw, Michigan) got permission from Judith Kirby's sister to reprint her Victorian Houses, numbers 9 and 15. Now, what is so special about these charts is that they will go for 30 DOLLARS and up on EBay. I could never afford them, until now. Stitch'n Time has them for 7.99 EACH plus the cost of actual postage.

YAY!! Go go me!! I am so excited!! I WISH I could start them now, but I just can't. I have so much going on, ATM, I am just swamped. I will start them next year for sure.

Here's a picture of my goodies:

Now, I do not know if this is a limited edition reprint or what. They do not have a website where you can email them, however, I have spoken with Colette, several times on the phone, and she is an absolute joy to deal with. Here is the shop information:

Stitch'n Time
7579 Gratiot Rd
Saginaw, MI 48609
(989) 781-5209

The shop should be able to answer any questions about if it's still available or not. While this doesn't make up totally for Marty Brodeur of the NJ Devils being out for 3-4 months with elbow surgery, it does take the sting out. :)


I hope everyone is having a good day today. And may the Needle be with you all!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

First ornament of the season finish!

Woohoo! Go me! And not only is it finished, it's FINISHED finished! LOL! The stitching part was finished at about around 11:30 AM PST this morning, and the finishing part of it was completed a half hour after that. It's a bit large for an ornament, so I'm thinking it might be a mantelpiece ornament or something like that. Just find a stand for it, and call it done. It's a no sew finish, because while I *can* sew, I just suck at it. :P

Stitchy notes: Little House Needleworks 'Home for the Holidays' ornament from the 2005 issue of Just Cross Stitch Ornaments issue. DMC flosses. Unknown count of gold and cream stitch fabric. Back with pine green velvet. The numbers were taken from LHN's 'Home of a Needleworker'. JCS didn't include an alphabet of Diane Williams' in that issue, so I had to fudge the name and the numbers. Ah, well. I am lucky enough to own a lot of her things, so it was easy to workaround. (My only worry was there wasn't going to be enough room on the fabric!)

Hope everyone is having a good day!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

***Just For Me SAL Starts today!***

Today is the day, ladies! Very Happy

The Just For Me SAL begins today. Some FAQ's to get us started!


What is this SAL about?

I know stitchers of any stripe are the most generous of sorts, but honestly people, when did we forget about gifting OURSELVES?!


Here are the 'rules':

1. The completed project is JUST for you. From start to finish. Not given away to your neighbor's cousin's aunt three times removed who will only toss it in a yard sale later on because it no longer 'goes' with her 'day-core'.

2. Anyone can join and there is no finish date. You work at your own pace and for the pure enjoyment of it. You can pick any design that you wish and it's finished when it's finished. Just please point others to my blog so I can see who all is joining us! :)

3. You can choose something you already have or you can choose something you wish to go shopping for. This SAL is all about you and what YOU want.

4. Be sure to post pictures of your finishes and WIPs. I love looking at them. If you're not sure how to do so, please PM me and I will be happy to walk you through it.


That's it! Enjoy yourself and have fun. And may the Needle be with you all!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.

I'm a reasonable guy!

Finally got a chance to take a picture of my current WIP. FH had the weekend off, and we've been busy with Halloween and chores and running around and what all.

Here is the ornament I am stitching for said FH. It's on a gold/cream metallic fabric, the count of which I have no clue. The design is Little House Needleworks 'Home For The Holidays' from the 2005 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue, using the called for DMC threads.

Now for my treat! My FH works for a computer repair place doing out call and bench work in shop when there is a need for that. The other day, a man bought a brand new laptop, after it was determined that the hard drive in the old one failed. Rather than just replacing the old hard drive, he bought a brand new laptop and gave my FH the old one to keep! =:O

My FH found a 10 gig hard drive at home and set it up so I could have a laptop. Isn't he the sweetest! He even gave me one of his bags for me to carry it in. :) Since I had to name the new tower PC he put together for me, plus the laptop, I named the tower Jack Burton and the laptop Wang Chi after one of the best movies of all time, Big Trouble In Little China. I told my FH that if I ever get an iPod, that will be named Gracie Law, due to the noise it makes! LOL!


We may upgrade at least the hard drive later on, but who knows. By then hopefully, I will have a good paying job and can get a brand new one. But for now, I have a new to me one, and the sweetest man on the planet for thinking of me and fixing it up to give it to me. :)



I hope everyone is having a hazy, lazy chilled out Sunday. And may the Needle be with you all!


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Respectfully submitted,

C.