this one's for the history nerds. i found this very short article to be quite interesting, as there has been fierce debate over whether or not any portraits of kathryn howard actually exist.

Portrait of King Henry VIII’s fifth wife Catherine Howard is found

HEVER: A painting thought to be of Henry VIII’s daughter Mary has been identified as only the second known portrait of Catherine Howard, Henry’s fifth queen, who was beheaded in the Tower of London.

The painting was unveiled at Hever Castle, Kent, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, after David Starkey, the Tudor historian, linked the sitter’s jewels and costume to documentary evidence. It has been bought by the Guthrie family, the castle’s owners, who have a collection of Tudor portraits second only to the National Portrait Gallery, Dr Starkey said.



cheers!

i decided to change my profile name. i'm a tudor history junkie, so i am going back to the name i used to use, which is...

well, i missed the deadline for the ilcs christmas in july exchange, so i am working furiously on my santa moon to make the deadline for the ilcs santa in september ornament exchange. i think the deadline is next wednesday, so i need to get crackin'! i just need to complete the backstitching, but i can't find my 535 floss. i may have to go buy a new skein so that i can finish it in time. here is my backstitching progress so far:















ilcs is also having a card exchange. i've finished my card, and the deadline hasn't even been set yet! well, okay, i still have to add the beads and stick it on the actual card, but all of the stitching is complete.




i decided to go with gold beads since there is some brown in the floss. i used dmc #4050 that Danielle sent to me in the ilcs color the world exchange. the gold beads are from the bead fetish. oh, did i mention that i have never added beads to a xs project before? i'll let you know how it goes.



last night i started stitching a pattern for a friend of mine, M., who is pregnant. the pattern is "french country baby carriage" by jbw designs. here is what the finished pattern will look like:




















and here is what i've stitched so far:



M.'s favorite color is turquoise, and she is having a boy, so i thought that this fabric/floss combination would be perfect. i am using satin floss to give the pattern a bit of shine.

i have another pregnant friend, N., whose favorite color is silver, so i am going to do the same pattern on black with silver satin dmc thread. N. & M. know each other, but i don't think they'll mind about getting the same pattern. it's the only baby pattern i have! the stitching is going a lot faster than i thought it would, so i should be ready to stitch N.'s gift in no time. both of them are due in october/november sometime. can't quite recall.

after that, it is on to wedding samplers. i have one cousin getting married in october and another cousin getting married in november. i don't think that i'll have cousin #1's gift completed in time, as it is more complex than cousin #2's.

still no word on the job front. it's ramadan, so the saudi embassy's hours are 1030-1530 edt. plus the university has not been responding to my emails. hence all of the stitching time!!! which i love, but i am seriously losing my patience. does this uni want me to work for them or not?! anyway, enough complaining for now!

happy stitching!

there are some thank yous that i need to catch up on (my apologies for the belated blog):

first, claudette sent me this lovely postcard from mammoth, ca- in july. did i mention that i'm behind in my blogging?



thank you, claudette! the postcard is beautiful and will be added to my collection.









next, i need to thank deborah for RAKing me "welcome to the nuthouse" by waxing moon designs.



i love squirrels, and this pattern is perfect for my house!! thank you, deborah!








and finally, i need to thank marjorie for the beautiful flosses that she sent me for the ilcs carrie's creations floss exchange. just look at these beautiful colors!







aren't they gorgeous?! of course, they are so much more beautiful in person. thank you, marjorie! i love every single one of them (especially banana split!)

















































thank you all for making random days feel special!!!

it was brought to my attention that my email address was not in my profile. i have remedied the situation, so if you need/ would like to contact me privately, it is now possible.

giveaway winners,

i have finally mailed your patterns!!! except for Louise & Micki, who are international; i will make it to the post office either tomorrow or wednesday to mail your envelopes.

i hope you all like your new patterns!