Fee-Nee!

As our fearless Spinster Stitcher  her very self would say.

Behold “Joy Sampler” by Lizzie Kate:

I just have to attached the charms and it’s “finished” finished.

And today, thank the sweet baby Jesus, is the last day of NaBloPoMo. I’m sure you’re all sick & tired of me by now. I only missed one night where I totally forgot to write, so in my new version of normal, I think that’s pretty good.

Here’s a funny video I was telling the ladies about at stitching last night (I hope this works!): Cat-Friend vs. Dog-Friend

TTFN

Peanut-Butter-Jelly Dance!!!!

or Snoopy dance, if you’re so inclined:

Vee-O-LA:

“And a Garden Grew” by Rosewood Manor

stitched on 32 ct. Zwiegart linen “Autumn Blush” with the requested DMC flosses and add’l Kreinik braid and/or filaments.

Here’s the spider web:

Ta-da!

!!!Newsflash!!!!

Stay tuned for a post later- I finished Garden Grew!!!

I can’t decide if I want to post a photo here first or let my Thursday stitching  group see it in real life first!!!!

I started it February 5, 2009, and finished March 3, 2012.

37 months overall, but I really only stitched on it while I was barn sitting several days a month each, between March or April and October those years.

I spent about half an hour putting all my DMC bobbins back in their correct spots in their storage boxes yesterday afternoon.

Here’s a link to my start way back when. And here’s where I left off last October.

Better Late Than Never…

my January ornament:

From JBW, on 28 ct. even weave of some kind, with my choices for floss. I’ll put a bead at the tree top.

I put the CoHRH square 10 on the back burner for now; the over one was making the stitching experience not enjoyable.

23 more days to find, kit up & stitch February’s ornament!

Merry Christmas!

I’m pooped! But I had to share that my wicked awesome daughter got me a Keurig “Elite” coffee maker and a ton of assorted accessories!  I’m so excited- I can’t wait to try it tomorrow am.

I hope everyone has had a marvelous day with family and/or friends. Thanks for  visiting and all the wonderful comments you leave- I truly appreciate them all!

(Image from the Green Mountain Coffee website)

I made an apron for her:

It’s reversible- “evil” side and “good” side.

I also finished this pillow, and made a second:

I have to get a bigger form for the top pillow.

I made this for Michelle at the barn:

“Barn Yard” by Bent Creek I think. Here’s the back and a 3/4 side shot to show the thickness:

 

The horse I tried to emulate Molly, the horse Michelle rides. She’s a chestnut Appaloosa, although the only white spot is low on her belly on the left side, and she has two white socks on the rear.

Off to the couch for me. Merry Christmas and good night!

Almost there…

I finished this for my barn owner:

Here’s the backing fabric:

I think my obligatory cooking is done. I made this:

- a cheesecake for Tom. It came out perfect!

These:

Almond Poppy Seed Breads from Our Best Bites

and this, from Joanne of Thursday Stitching group:

White Chocolate Popcorn with Craisins. So easy! Pop 3 bags of salted-only microwave popcorn. Pour into a huge bowl. Melt one 12 –oz. bag of white chocolate chips- 2 to 2-1/2 minutes on high at 30 second intervals should do it, stirring each interval. Pour chocolate over popcorn and mix to coat evenly. Add one 5-oz bag of craisins and mix again. Spread out on baking sheets to set for an hour or so if you’re packing it up for gifts or start eating- your done! I melted about a 1/4 cup of semisweet chips (the same microwave method) and drizzled that over the spread out popcorn.

Tomorrow I have to brine my turkey, and make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, and a batch of chocolate chip cookies because I’m out. Almost all those cookies I made last weekend are gone. I’ve gone thru 5 lbs of sugar, a dozen eggs, and 3 lbs of butter. So far.

Time to wash dishes and have supper and finish another stitchy gift.

Why do I do this to myself???

Every year!! Craft projects right up to the last minute! One down, 5 more to go (that I can think of right now):

Meet LaLa:

The pattern came from Riley Blake Designs, but I realized on my way to work this morning that her pattern is for a two-legged elephant. What 2-year-old wants a two-legged elephant????

So flying by the seat of my pants, I made my own gusset for the belly. While I can now see where my gusset design went awry, it does allow for LaLa (as opposed to Layla) to stand upright on her own. So I suppose I’m somewhat successful.

Five different types of cookies have been baked, a batch of chili on Saturday and a batch of beef stew on Sunday. My feet are killing me! Two batches of baklava, some white chocolate & craisin popcorn, a cheesecake, and possibly almond poppy seed loaves left to do. Plus the craft projects….

Snoopy Dancin’ Time…..

Behold:

“A Quaker  Halloween Sampler” by Cherished Stitches

on 40ct. ivory linen with Thread Gatherers’ Silk ‘N Colors of my choosing

I will have to do some snipping of hanging chads on the back, but it is done. I looked back & my first post about this was March 30, 2010. I did enjoy every minute of this one, though., even though I screwed up the bottom. Here’s my fix:

I also threw in a couple of more bats and an extra cat in some of the unintended large voids.

I imagine I’ll find a couple of missed stitches when I do my snipping.

I just received my fabric for “Winter at Beacon House” from the Jan/Feb Just Cross Stitch magazine. I have to get my floss- there is a large quantity of floss required for that one, 5 skeins of the white, 4 of the oatmeal, 3 of the sea blue and reds, etc., plus all the individual skeins. I also have my eye on starting Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow, which I received as a Christmas gift 2 years ago. I have the fabric for that one too, and I have all the DMCs, and I think I bought the required multiple skeins of ice blue over dyed. I also need to get back to Hilltop Seasons. That’s been collecting dust in my bag….

If it’s Tuesday, it must be….

ummm… the day before Wednesday?

Well germs and boys (as Mrs.. Ahearn, my 4th grade math teacher would say), I manage to finish the stitching part of this:

Onwards to the BEADZZZZ!!!!!

Speaking of all that glitters, here are my options for finishing up my Heart in Hand Wee Santa:

The chart calls for 2 “wee” gold buttons with holes on either side of the hat, and 2 “wee” black buttons with holes under the candlestick.

 

My last foray to Joanne’s led me to find the Christmas-y Bag O’ Buttons and the Black & White Bag O’ Buttons , plus the tiny back-attached buttons in both shiny black & gold, and then I remembered I have a heat-set jewel gun-thing, hence the golden “jewels”. I have to pull out my other jewels to see if I have something dark. Or maybe go with the gold jewels on the hat and black buttons on the coat.

In other news, Delilah got her ovaries confiscated. She’s seems better today than yesterday.

Fun Things….

Here’s my tiny bit of proof that I stitched:

I just had to add the moon, so I can keep it right side up, don’tcha know.

I’m having a slight reprieve from what-shall-not-be-mentioned, so today, I made this:

An envelope for my Garden Grew frame, which is 36” wide. I’m so happy to not have to use plastic bags anymore- I had to use 2, over the top and over the bottom. Here’s a couple more shots:

The inside pocket is above, and proof that it fits below:

I still have the supplies to make 2 more envelopes for my 24” wide scroll frame, and maybe a spare 24” wide one. I have a lot of wide projects in my stash.

First Day of What???

At least yesterday was nice. I’m having a dreadful PMS/menopausal psychosis and literally ran away to the barn yesterday afternoon. I had been asked to feed lunch to the horses and let the dogs out because the owners were out all day. I grabbed my stitching bag in which I had this kitted up and ready to go: 

“Hilltop Seasons” by The Sunflower Seed. It’ll look like this:

I fed the animals, let the dogs out and then back in, and sat in my nice warm car. The sun was absolutely splendid! I stitched for almost 2 hours, then napped for about half an hour and then it was time to bring in the horses that were in their pastures. When I got home, I grilled a hamburger outside, and chilled out on the couch until the 2 guacamoles got home.

I also finished this last week, except for the little buttons:

And today I’m still very crabby and feeling out of sorts, but have to go to a Selectmen’s meeting for a hearing about the TATTOO parlor (!!!!!) that is moving into the strip mall behind my house- just f*%$*^-ing NICE.

Aren’t YOU tired of cooking?

It’s been Master Iron Top Chef in Hell’s Kitchen around here for the past week- what about you? I did make an Almond Poppy Seed bread, although in a tube pan, for stitching tomorrow night, though. Baking is a great way to warm up my freezing house!

In stitch-y news: a finish!

‘’Tis Red” by La-D-Da, JCS 2010 ornament issue. WDW “Envy” on antique white looks-like-28 ct. even weave.

Onwards to my December ornament!

Chicken goes back to the vet on Friday for suture removal; I know she’ll be traumatized by the ride in the pet carrier, but hopefully she won’t have to wear the radar cone anymore!

November AND December ornaments!

I went to check out a stitching store in Walpole last weekend called Hoops & Needles. During my browsing I saw this tiny stitched cube, 1 inch square, made from a kit they sold. Of course, being a woman of a very little brain, I don’t have the slightest recollection of who made the kit- it was in one of those flat plastic boxes, a little bigger than a credit card. I do remember it was called “100 Pins”.

So, I went temporarily insane, and made my own versions, one in DMC Variations Red/Cranberry and Blue/Indigo.

Vee-O-LA:

And here they are with a quarter for scale:

The “100 Pins” cube was stiffer; I think it had some card stock lining the inside faces rather than polyfil. The clerk said something about it being hollow. Since I was flying by the seat of my pants, I used polyfil and made ornaments out of them. I used 36 ct. antique white linen, 2 over 2, and I poached snowflakes from various charts in my stash. It’s sewn together like a biscornu. It took between 4 and 5 hours to make each one. I’m pretty happy with the results!

I still have my "’Tis Red to complete, and I had picked out a beaded snowflake design from the 2007 or’08 JCS ornament issue for December, so I may end up with 14 ornaments this year!

Our Stitch & Bitch group is having our Christmas party tomorrow night at Mamma Mia’s, an Italian restaurant in the next  town over. Chicken goes for surgery Friday morning. And they’re forecasting  snow for Sunday. Chickie can’t be in the car with the wipers on; that ride home will be fun!

See you next spring!

Garden Grew:

Thursday’s progress:

 

Saturday’s progress:

And a close-up of where I’ve left off:

Quaker Halloween, which is NOT retired until the spring:

And i finished this Thursday:

From the JCS 2010 Ornament issue,

JBW Designs “French Country Star” on white jobelan, 28 or 32 ct, with DMC Color variations 4210.

Now on to house cleaning. I should be finding out in the next couple of weeks if I’m a bone marrow match. I hope I am!

Ta-Da!

Behold my September ornament:

Bent Creek’s “Red Wing Blackbird” with colors swapped out for a cardinal.

Now to start October….

A Finish!

“December Swirls” by Bent Creek on 28ct. natural linen w/ specified floss

My next start:

“Red-Winged Blackbird” by Bent Creek on 28 ct. natural linen. Obviously, I’ve turned him into a Black-winged red bird, or a red blue jay as Bob calls them, aka: a cardinal.

Jeanne gave us each a zippered pouch- she scored a deal on a multi-sized set from TJ Max. AND she baked her delicious blueberry coffee cake. I have a piece for breakfast tomorrow.

Mild Rant Alert:

One of the boarders at my old barn posted a R.I.P. about her horse on Face book page, who passed away yesterday unexpectedly. He was a sweet horse- I really liked him- she could be wacky, which means she must be terribly upset. She didn’t deal well when her other horse passed away a few years ago. Anyway, a mutual FB friend coincidentally made a mobile update, just after the memorial post. (At least I thought it was coincidental, based on what I knew or thought to be this girl’s personality and the fact that she’s in another state) The mobile post was a joke about “Is there any horse that doesn’t suck money out of your wallet?” The answer “ Yeah, a dead one.”  It was so horrifying and insensitive I had to write a private message that she may want to remove it, because this mutual friend’s horse had just died. I don’t know how FB works, but the joke post appears on my page just before the memorial and it’s SOOOO awful!! I just rechecked, and the joke is still there, now with comments adding insult to injury, literally. Not about the specific deceased horse, but the 2 people are FB friends so I know the grieving one can read the other’s updates, and vice versa. The fact that the offending post is still there makes me think she a.) doesn’t care  and/or  b.) made the joke specifically and intentionally in reference to the deceased horse. I’ve tried to politely point out her faux pas on the assumption it was unintentional. I guess she will be my first “un friend”. Gah!

Think Cool Thoughts….

One thing about stitching Xmas designs in the middle of the Dog Days of Summer is, you can imagine being enveloped in cold, dry air. Like air conditioning, only green…yeah….that’s the ticket!

I finished this today (Day Late and a Dollar Short, as usual):

“Swirly Snow” by Whispering Winds Designs

on 28 ct. “Nordic Blue” with various fibers & beads

And the art-sy shot:

Then I started this:

“December Swirls” by Bent Creek on 28 ct CC Natural Linen w/ specified threads.

BBBBBrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! I’m getting chilly already!

Happy Independence Day!

A finish:

Prairie Schooler HedgeHog pin cushion, DMC flosses, 32 ct. “Lambswool”

Wicked Wednesday Warning!

Friday is National Donut day! Dunkin Donuts is giving away one free donut with the purchase of a beverage (which in my mind isn’t “free”). Krispy Kreme is truly giving away a donut per person, no purchase necessary.

I grabbed this picture off Google image search; I have NEVER seen this varied of a selection at my local Double D’s. And I’m in DD’s home state!

Back to stitching in the Better Late Than Never category:

My May ornament is:

Trail Creek Farm “Winter” on 32 ct. “Lambswool” with GAST floss- my color substitutions.

I’m going to do the Prairie Schooler Hedgehog for June. I’ve already lost my green somewhere between taking it from my floss box this morning, and pulling everything out at lunch. I have to go thru my tote……..

Don’t forget the donuts!

Spring has Sprung!

Where we last left off with “Garden Grew”:

After this weekend, I’ve finished page 8, and started page 9:

A close-up of my work:

I finished this freebie too:

“Pinwheel Flowers” by Ink Circles

32 ct. Jobelan “Ivory” w/ Thread Gatherer’s Silken Colors “Men-on-a-Pause”