le sigh....

I'm so so sooooo sorry for failing to update and leave comments and all of your blogs. I really haven't even had time to read them. Heck, I haven't even stitched since I finished Miss V. I'm just feeling so bummed out lately. My birthday is next month, and I've got a bad case of the b-day blues. I know I'm not "old" by any stretch of the immagination, but I always thought I'd have a baby by now or at least be married. I wonder if I have some fertility problems? My mom and two sisters are fertile myrtles and we've been trying for a year - nothing. Blah....

So, again, I'm sorry for neglecting all of my wonderful stitching friends - I love you all dearly and I'll try to make some time in the near future to visit all of your blogs, leave comments and for the love of God - STITCH! ( I NEEEED it :( )

Oh, and to put forth an effort at making this a stitching related post - I love love LOVE Passione Ricamo's newest design - that mermaid is stunning. Maybe I can hint to my BF that I'd like it for my birthday? Heh... we'll see. He isn't very good at picking up hints. lol

I suppose I could at least post a picture of my sweethearts before I go.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO,

Carolyn

A Finish... its about time....

Hi Friends,

My sincerest apologies for not being around much - I've just been so busy and DBF's new work schedule monopolizes my computer time ;-) I do think of you all regularly and read your blogs - just haven't had a whole lot of time to comment (or update my own blog!).

Right to business.... The pup's name is Charlie and he is such a handful! I'll probably post more pictures of him later. :)

Okay, NOW, right to business..... Miss Valentine - all done! (wish I could've gotten a picture that actually shows her sparklies, but alas....)

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting - it really makes my day :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

Just popping in....

To show pictures of my new baby!! He is a lab/rottie mix.... so adorable and so extremely busy!

Also... we have a bird's nest and the little babies just hatched about 3 days ago... Thankfully, I have a fairly decent zoom lens - this was taken about 8 feet away from the nest (didn't want to get too close and upset the mamma).... and, yes, the nest is in a cactus!

Lastly, I've been working away on Miss Valentine:

XOXO,

Carolyn

YES, YES YES!!! Welcome to lay-over central!

I finally have a truly happy post!! Yay!! Allow me, if you will, to set the scene....

I'm browsing through the fabric viewer, call DBF over to get his opinion on some fabbies for Mermaid of Atlantis (yes, I couldn't resist).... so we're browsing, then suddenly, in a rather loud voice, " AWWWWW.... SILKWEAVER WAS HAVING A BONUS BATCH OF SOLOS!!!"
I thought I had missed it.... so I immediately jump over there and AMAZINGLY, I was able to get TWO fabrics. To my DBF, "OH MY GOSH!!! I CAN PUT THEM IN MY CART!!!" lol... to anyone who knows SOLOS knows you have to be quick to get the ones you want. Added to this, I NEVER get to snatch any up since I'm at work when the usually post during the day so this was SUCH a nice suprise!! (and I needed it!). Sadly, DBF just doesn't understand the sweet wiles of fabrics, but he was happy that I was happy. :)

Soooo.... thanks to the SWEET Noreen, I was able to do a layover of MoA on both fabbies that I chose. I think I like the first one best, but its hard to say - I think they are both beautiful!!

First....


Second....



I'm still learning Photoshop, so I don't know how to get rid of the wording, but you get the idea. :) I'm so extremely pleased!!

Ahem.... I also decided to join the TOTM club at SMF (about a day after I questioned the price lol). It is the opalescent selection, but I have some regulars thrown in for good measure.

Also, I don't have the following fabric in this layover, but what do you all think? I'm still trying to choose a fabric for Crystal Symphony.



And lookie here!! An actual STITCHING update! lol Pssst.... do those bunnies look like they are trying to make more bunnies? lol :::removing mind from gutter:::



As always, thanks for stopping by :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

Seriously!!!

Geez Louise.... I just keep having one issue after another. Yesterday morning, my car wouldn't start, but when it did, it was "knocking" so heavily that I immediately shut it off and called the dealership. They came and towed it away.... luckily I got it back yesterday evening - they had to replace the ignition module & the fuel regulator. Luckily I'm still under warranty... but only for another 1600 miles or so. And the worst part? My car is only a 2005 and this is the THIRD time I've had to take it in for work. Unbelievable. I don't know what I'm going to do when my warranty ends.... I know I can't afford to replace things left and right (on a fairly new car!) all the time. :::::sigh::::::

On to happy things..... Noreen tagged me! lol Here it is:

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I've probably watched less than an hour worth of TV commercials in the past YEAR thanks to TIVO.

2. I watch the Simpsons religiously... yes, I'm nerd.

3. Strangers ask if my Sis and I are twins all the time - there's a 4 year difference in our age!

4. My sister is my best friend.

5. I was in the delivery room for my niece's birth - it was both beautiful (in that awe-inspiring way) and scary at the same time!

6. I've known my DBF (Kevin) since my freshman year of HS... of course, we didn't start dating until over a year ago.

7. I'll try anything (food-wise) at least once - Frog legs, escargot, calamari, etc... are all part of my dining history. :)

I'm off to tag: Jamie, Dani, Becky, Debbie, Jenn, Hazel & Dawn.

Before I go, look at what was on my wall by the front door (outside, thank goodness!)



We get those geckos every summer - come July/August, there will literally be 5-6 on the wall (at night) at any given time. Ewww..... :)

I promise to post some actual stitching photos tomorrow or Saturday. I also have some possible fabric ideas for Crystal Symphony & Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace so I'll post the "lay-overs" then too.

Thank you for stopping by! :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

Abandoning Ship....

Errr... well, I'm ashamed to say, abandoning Wagon. I just can't resist the sweet wiles of Miras new charts and I'm really jonesing for PR The Night & Queen Fairy.

::::sigh:::::: couldn't even make it one month.

Well, to make myself feel better, I think of it like this - I probably don't have too many years left before I have a baby or two and right now my bills are quite managable. So, I suppose its okay if I spend my extra free money on stash, right? Rigggght? Please tell me I'm right. :-/

Having said that.... I'm thinking about joining SMF's TOTM club. Is anyone a member? And if so, I'm interested in the linen/opalescent version which is $26/month - does that include shipping or will the shipping wind up pushing it closer (or over!) $30?

While I'm here, I might as well post a pic of my Motherhood QS. Not a huge amount of progress, but at least its something:






Well that all, but before I go - My thoughts and wishes are with Dani and her recent "test" & a big THANK YOU to Noreen for helping a sister out. ;-)

XOXO,

Carolyn

Haven't had much time....

Since DBF started his new job last week, working nights, I haven't had much time for blogging or reading blogs. Why, you ask? Because he *was* leaving around 11pm (and getting back in the morning) and I just didn't have the heart to take his computer time before he left for work.
This week, however, he'll be going in a earlier in the evening, so I should be back to blogging a little more often. :)

Might as well do a goal re-cap since I don't have any pictures to show in this post....

April :

1. Finish the top half of the Petal Fairy chart - No :( I did work on her though.

2. Finish working my way across the top of Motherhood. Heh... no, but I worked on her too!

3. Start and finish at *least* 1 page of Rainbow Bridge . Phew! Yes, I completed that!

I also did some time on Mira's Miss Valentine AND finished a UFO.

My goals for May:

1. At least finish the flower on the top half of Petal Fairy.

2. Get at least 6 10x10 squares on Motherhood done AND finish the griding.

3. Do TWO pages on RB

4. Work on Miss Valentine

5. Kit up at least 3-5 items in my stash.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to stop by and leave comments - they really light up my day. :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

One down, two to go! :)

Well, I worked on that angel UFO I posted a short while ago... and now she is done! Just need to wash her and get her framed and sent off to my niece. That makes for one (out of three) of my required finishes before I can splurge - according to my wagon rules.




By the way, this was a Dimensions Gold Petite kit - Twilight Angel.

I also wanted to say THANK YOU to all of my wonderful stitching friends for their kind thoughts and wishes. Here's hoping that this week goes better. :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

Awww... I don't mean to be a downer - truly!

I've been having a really rough week.... last week was bad too. I just want for things to go well. First, I had some problems with my teeth... then, this week, one of my eyelids got so swollen. And I'm having heart pain (of the emotional variety)... I even received (finally!) my SB&Bs order that I placed while in Utah and I wasn't even that excited. :(

Oh well.... on to stitching related tom-foolery I suppose.

I've been doing a bit of work on Petal Fairy again - here she is :

And, for those interested, my stash haul (the last one according to my Wagon post):

Second part of my order... yes, I went Bent Creek crazy:

XOXO,

Carolyn

SBQ - how ironic......

Well, I don't think this SBQ could have come at a more appropriate time....

Today's SBQ was suggested Danielle (http://scopist.blogspot.com/) and is:

Are you on "The Wagon?" If so, how long have you been on and how
"serious" are you about it? If not, have you considered it?

Well, as mentioned just a few posts ago, I put myself on a very, and I do mean VERY, lenient version of my own personal Wagon. I've been on it for less than a week and I'm serious about it - but my guidelines were so lax that, well, its fairly easy to comply with. :)

I've spent a several hours stitching on RB today and managed to get the kitty and fish(bowl) done (along with the another portion of the poem - but that was actually started yesterday).



Before I wrap up, a big THANK YOU to Heather who was able to send me a copy of Be Happy. :)


XOXO,

Carolyn

Photos-a-plenty

Thank you, everyone, for your well wishes. They are very much appreciated. :)

I'm still on the hunt for the Be Happy freebie... Becky and Gill were so wonderful and both sent me *Bee* Happy (which I really like!!), but its not exactly what I was looking for. I really do appreciate their efforts though and will probably stitch the one they sent too as its very cute! :)

To make it a bit easier, I've tracked down a photo from here. I hope its okay to post this on my blog - if not, please let me know and I'll remove the photo. Anyway, here is the Be Happy I've been looking for:

And, as promised, a progress picture of RB (not much to look at, but progress is progress)

And here is a picture of my UFO... Its about 3 years old. I plan on frogging nearly all the backstitching, adding some of the extra sparklies and such that the pattern calls for, and getting rid of that *thing* thats hovering on top of the wing lol.

Lastly, I wanted show to a picture of the little gift my niece (Celeste) had given to me my first day visiting with my family in Utah. I sure do miss them a LOT :(

Thanks for stopping by. :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

Not feelling too great.....

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days and, unfortunately, have no photos to bombard this post with. Just came to whine a bit. Stayed home from work - which I truly hate since I just returned from vacation and its so busy :( I don't to get into the nitty gritty details - just don't feel very good. :::::sigh::::::: Haven't even gotten any stitching in. When I get home from work tomorrow, I'll be sure to post an update on RB and I can think of a UFO that I'll post a picture of as I think it'll help me to finish it (it was one of my first projects - and its so close to being done - I've just need to fninsh/redo backstitching, embellishments, etc... ).

I just remembered! I do have something very worthwhile, IMHO, to add today - I found this link from the Victoria Sampler site - it has tutorials for all kinds of specialty stitches and is just wonderful! Makes me want to try one of those houses by Elizabeth Designs that I love - but was too afraid to get due to all of those specialty stitches!! Here it is for those who might be interested. (hope this is okay to post)

Thats all for today - I'm sorry friends. :(

XOXO,

Carolyn

Finally Started

I've finally made a meager start on Rainbow Bridge - even though it may not look like much, this is easily 3 hours of work - that backstitched writing took so much longer that I could have anticipated! I've not done much "writing" on any of my projects - I only went over 1 "block" (2 threads on linen) - maybe I should've done longer stretches of floss? I guess I'll continue as it is.... Also, those dots over the i's are colonial knots - I just learned them last night after battling with french knots for years! Yay!!

I went outside to take this photo, so although the sun had already begun to set, its a pretty fair representation of what the fabric looks like (SW Blue Dynasty belfast).

Now, as mentioned in my previous post, here are my wagon rules I'm enforcing for myself - remember - they are ridiculously generous! lol

1. I must finish at least three (hey, I said they were easy lol) projects before I go on anymore binges - and one of those must be either Motherhood QS or Petal Fairy.

2. I *am* allowed to buy supplies - floss, needles, and continue with my Enchanted Fabrics monthly club.

3. I can only buy things if they are on major sale/clearance, but those items must be on my wishlist!! (I'm notorious for placing huge orders and only a few things will actually be from my wishlist..... heh, I know, I know

4. I get a bonus this week and next month is the gloriously elusive three paycheck month - so I may allow myself one last binge.

LOLOLOL..... why even bother with the Wagon, huh? But I'm going to try to stick by these rules - if I can't, that'd be truly pathetic. lol

Phew, that was almost embarrassing! lol

Now, attention to all you computer gurus: does anyone know how I can make a new header for my blog? A nice, pretty one that isn't so generic as the one blogger provides? I don't have Paintshop or Photoshop - only Paint.net which isn't back considering its free, but there aren't that many tutorials for it online.

Speaking of Photoshop - does anyone know if the one that runs for around $80-90 is good enough to make things like headers, sparkly signatures, edit photos beyond getting red-eye out, making small animations, etc...? I really don't know anything about it other than there are multiple versions with some of them being $800!!!

One last thing - does anyone know if any copies of Shepherd's Bush freebie design "Be Happy" exists anymore? I've wanted it for a couple of years, but was never able to track one down - and while I was able to visit the actual Shepherd's Bush in Utah - they didn't have any copies of it :(

Thanks, Lovelies! :)

XOXO,

Carolyn

I'm baaack

... and I miss my sis, niece and nephew so much already :( But, I have to look on the bright side - at least I got a chance to be with them and I know I'll see them again. :)

Here are a couple of photos of my niece & nephew (Celeste and James):



...And here is little James with the baby doll I bought him. As you can imagine, my brother in law just LOVES this... lol

It also SNOWED one day!!! I've only been around falling snow about 3-4 times in my life, so it was very exciting for me.... And of course I have a picture of it and of one of the mountains in Utah that looked so ominous and beautiful at the same time during this small snow storm.

And now on to stitching (finally, right? lol)... First things first - I think I'm going to put myself on a very lenient version of the wagon. I'll post the exact "rules" of my wagon-ism a little later - but be forewarned... its almost ridiculously lenient lol... but I've got to start somewhere. :)

Having said that, here are some goodies that I bought on clearance from Hobby Lobby while with my sister:



Thats Mirabilia chart is actually the whole kit! I managed to snatch it up for $17!

And I got the chance to visit Shepherd's Bush... yes THE Shepherd's Bush. Unfortunately, I didn't get to buy as much as I would have liked, but here is what I did get:



I would have like to have gotten a start on Rainbow Bridge while I was gone, but Silkweaver didn't get around to sending my custom-sized fabric until this week. :( So, instead, I started to work on Miss Valentine - it doesn't seem like I got a whole lot of stitching time in, but at least I made a start on her :)

Thats all for now. In my next post, I'll let you all in my almost laughable set of wagon rules I've set for myself and hopefully have a picture of my RB start.

Okay, okay, I also have to admit... while I was in Utah, I made a fairly large SB&B splurge too. :::sigh:::: and I'll post a picture of that stuff when I get it... it'll probably be a few weeks though.

XOXO,

Carolyn

Tomorrow's the big day!

My flight is tomorrow! I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to post, but I'll certainly try! I'll miss you all until I come back next Thursday!

Geez, I'm a stash-a-holic

I've been stitching on Petal Fairy for the past few days and it was such a nice change after Tinkerbell. Petal now has full wings (minus beads) and part of her stem.

ABCStitch shipped my order lightening fast!! Now if only they'd have sales the way SB&B's does... :::sigh:::

But, ahem, it doesn't end there. I also received some eBay stash too...

Yes, I clearly have a Calico Crossroads obsession.... :-/

Now, if only SW would hurry up with my darn fabric for RB!! I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that I get it by this Thursday. (otherwise, I'll be long gone - for a week anyway ;-) )

And to wrap up.... behold my babies (again!) :)




XOXO,

Carolyn

SBQ and April goals

I'm really excited to post a set of April goals as I've never really set goals for myself before, but here we go!

1. Finish the top half of the Petal Fairy chart (excluding beading - I'm a glutton for punishment and always save it for the end)
2. Finish working my way across the top of Motherhood.
3. Start and finish at *least* 1 page of Rainbow Bridge (the chart has shipped - just waiting on SW for my fabric)

I think I'll leave it at that for now.

By this time next week, I'll be in Utah! I haven't seen my sister/her kiddies since she and my brother in law moved there this past October (he is in the military - they relocated them :( ).
I'll be leaving this coming Thurday - April 5th. And as sad as this may be, this is my first flight completely on my own! I've never flown alone and I'm kinda nervous!

Thank you to all who commented on Tinkerbell - it makes me feel good (even though I really dislike that little thing! lol). And, Noreen, she was actually done on a one-of-a-king Stab and Stash fabbie. :)

Stitching Bits & Bobs is having a sale and, WOW, do they ever have some beautiful new charts!! Its taking every ounce of will power I have not to BUY like crazy... I may end up ordering anyway. Heh... I'm a serious stash-a-holic. One of my favorite new designs (although I probably wouldn't order this one... LOL...) is this by Dimples Designs:

Before I go, the SBQ....

SBQ: Freebie Organization
This week’s SBQ was suggested by Cindy and is:

Do you have a system for organizing freebie charts in your stash? If so, what is it? Do you print out copies of all of the freebies that you find on the web (that you think you might actually stitch) or do you maintain electronic copies of them until you are ready to stitch them?

**I have a ton saved on my computer, but I also have about 20-30 printed out and stored in plastic sleeves in a binder**

XOXO,

Carolyn

Tinker is a stinker....

First, I wanted to thank everyone for all their positive words & prayers for my Dad. It really means a lot to me. :) Hugs to you all. :)

I finished the last of Tinkerbell last night. I really do *not* like the way this turned out. The chart was horrible and I can honestly say that if I had never stitched before and this kit was my first experience, I would never have finished it or looked into stitching again. Blech....

Well, here she is in all her... ahem.... "glory"

Also, I was RAK'd for the first time. Three lovely ladies (Novi, Joyce & Ee Koon from the Coven) sent me this beautiful DMC chart - it can't be bought in the U.S. so that makes it even MORE special! Thank you ladies!!!

XOXO,

Carolyn

Heh... I'm bummed

I've been trying to think that my Dad's skin cancer isn't all that much to worry about (because, well, I guess lung cancer or lymphoma or other types of cancer just seem so much worse), but I am worried :( I mean, cancer is cancer, right? I'll just feel better once its removed and any testing the docs have to do come back clear.

In other news, Vanessa (magicmonster) from the Mira board and I are going to do a SAL (my first, no less!) of Rainbow Bridge by Sue Hillis. It has the sweetest poem - it warms my heart and makes me all teary-eyed at the same time. If anyone would like to participate, please let me know (I just ordered it, so I'm way behind Vanessa). Here's a picture:

Hmm... come to think of it, I need to get myself a larger piece of fabric for this piece. While at ABCstitch, I also ordered a couple of items off of my wishlist (Mermaids of the Deep & a Calico Crossroads design) along with all the "fixings" to do the Pixies my Mirabilia and some of their sale/clearance stuff.

Also, I'm still plugging away on Tinker Bell and I have to say - I HATE this kit. It was so poorly charted and I just don't like the way its turning out. I'm determined to finish it though - I just need to complete the wings, a tiny bit of backstitching and her wand.

Anyway, I guess thats all for tonight.

XOXO,

Carolyn

My Dad...

Well, I went to my Dad's today. He was so happy with the framed picture I made for him. :)
He also, casually, mentioned that his doctor sent him to a dermatologist.... he had a biopsy of a spot on his back. The results say its melanoma. Thats no good. They are going to cut out a massive chunk of his skin soon. Luckily, they found it early. Heh.... he wasn't overly concerned by it though - and the weird part is - he always wears hats, sun glasses, a t-shirt with a long sleeved button-up shirt over it when he is outside. I guess stuff just happens no matter how careful you try to be.

Rainy Days are here again....

I'm so glad its almost Friday. Its been so busy at work - I'm ready for a break!! Its also been raining all day and is supposed to rain tomorow. I love it - its given us a break from temps there were dangerously close to 100F!

I decided to start a little project a day or two ago just because I was in the mood for it. There isn't much there yet, but I imagine I'll finish her off by the end of the weekend.


I've also accumulated a bit more stash this week....



Tammy from Stab & Stash is working on a beautiful piece of fabbie just for the Firefly Fairies.

There doesn't appear to be a new SBQ yet (or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place...) so I decided to answer the one from a couple of weeks ago:

SBQ: Rip, Rip!
Today’s SBQ is:
Do you use your needle, a seam ripper, or something else when you have to frog stitches? Why do you use the method that you do?

I think my answer is probably like most everyone else's. I use my needle and "unstitch" the area if its only a few stitches. Otherwise, I pull out my sharp, pointy scissors and cut those offending threads out!

XOXO,

Carolyn

Weekend update

Before I show my stitching pictures, I managed to snap a couple of pictures of my babies.

Here's Jagr having fun.

And here he is singing to his Mommy. He always does this after I say "Well, tell me!" Yes, I talk to my babies... I'll say, "want to go outside? want a treat? or want to go to bed?" (he starts wagging his tail) and I say, "well, tell me!" and he starts to sing to me. LOL.

And, I musn't leave out Miss Kita. She is as stubborn as a mule when it comes to picture time, so all I could manage was her with her sexy, sleepy eyes. LOL.

Now, behold my very first framing job! I really couldn't have done it without some seriously good tips from Vanessa (from the Mira board). She made what seemed like the impossible, very possible! :)

And finally - Motherhood update! Hey, look! I can actually make out part of an ear! (sorry about the horrible picture - its really tricky getting this one for some reason)

Before I go, if anyone has any answers/comments to my questions (from yesterday's post) regarding Gift of Stitching and UK stitching mags (for U.S. subscribers), please let me know. :)

Thanks & I hope you all have a wonderful, lazy day!

XOXO,

Carolyn

Oh, what a tease!

Well, I'm very proud of myself! I officially framed my Dad's birthday gift! I stretched it out onto the matboard, got the decorative mat and stuck it all in the frame. It looks good too if I do say so myself! Now here's the teaser... I'll post a picture tomorrow. :) Its dark here and I'd like to get it when the sun is out. :)
I also spent a few hours with my Mom today which was nice since I don't get to see her all that often. Also, instead of Hobby Lobby, I went to Michael's to get my decorative mat - I ended up buying three so I could choose the one I liked best (and at 2.99, it wasn't too bad - even acid free!). I also went to B&N and got the newest (for the states anyway) issues of World of Cross Stitching and The Cross Stitcher. So, 3 out of 4 of my "to-do" list isn't too bad!

I do have a couple of questions for whomever might have an answer:

1. whats this Gift of Stitching I hear so much about? I've gone to the website, but they appear to be dedicated mostly to folksy, sampler type designs. Is there more inside that I just *must* have?

2. Are there any U.S. readers who subscribe to any of the UK stitching mags? If you do, do you get the issue relatively soon after its release? Because when I buy them from the bookstore, I'm lucky to get the issue from the month that we're in - sometimes even from the month before!

I think thats it for the night. Have a wonderful and safe St. Patrick's Day!

XOXO,

Carolyn

Dagnabit!

I was really hoping to be able to get an updated picture of Motherhood up today, but alas - time got away from me. I'd really like to get a bit more stitching done on her this weekend and will likely post a picture on Saturday.

My goals for the weekend are:

Stitch on Motherhood
Take an inventory of all the UK stitching magazines so I don't go buying duplicates off of eBay
Go to Hobby Lobby (for mats) and Barnes & Noble for the latest UK stitchy mags
Frame my Dad's very belated birthday gift (after Hobby Lobby trip - its 30 miles 1 way for me - bah!)
Spend some time with my Mom tomorrow


In the meantime, I might as well answer my *FIRST* SBQ of the week:

If you had $500 to spend on stitching-related items, what would you buy?

Easy! First, I'd get an Ott Floor Lamp (which I'd likely buy from Joann because they are *always* having tons of sales on this things). Then, I'd try to get a decent recliner or some other type of comfy stitching chair. Lastly, with any left-overs - wishlist, here I come!! :)

Well, I'm gonna hit the sack pretty soon. Good night for now!!

XOXO,

Carolyn