Planes, Trains and Automobile

Hello dear blogging friends...

Just a quick post today to catch you all up before I go on vacation. Time is flying by as usual and I haven't stitched as much as I would like. Honestly, I've only been managing about 10 minutes per day and maybe one hour on weekends. Life is busy and if I do have the time, the chores and bills are calling me loudly. I am having a hard time keeping up. I wish I didn't have to keep saying that. I feel like a record playing on repeat.

Here is a quick look at how Jane stands. She won't be coming with me as it's more comfortable for me to stitch on her on the floor stand so I'll be taking some smalls to work on.

And here is how the TUSAL looks since I won't be here later to report on it. Lots of little threads from Jane. So strange to think she is all I've worked on this year. There is so much I want to start but fact is, I'm a one at a time kind of girl with maybe a small thrown into the mix.

I was so lucky to win a giveaway hosted by Chris. I received the package last week and am so in love! I loved this design from the minute it was released and am so happy I have the opportunity to stitch it. Thanks Chris!

I soon leave for a much needed respite to the Pacific Northwest. I'll be flying to Portland to visit an old friend. Fact is she is an old neighbor who turned into a friend. One day, we bumped into each other at the mailboxes and I asked if she was my downstairs neighbor. She was and she invited me to dinner!! And after that, I would go downstairs in my pjs and slippers to have dinner, watch tv, play with her kitties and stitch. She liked to stitch too! Now, I think she's more of a quilter but I will still be getting in some crafty time with her and she agreed to take me to Acorns and Threads. Yay! So excited!! Plus, she'll drive me around to sitesee. Then I will take a train to Seattle and meet up with a couple of girlfriends for a weekend full of sites, food, cocktails and fun. I am so glad this vacation is finally here even though I don't feel ready. If you have any fun "must sees" for Portland or Seattle, let me know.

Oh and here's a fun photo from Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt a couple of weeks ago. We were finished and headed to a place to eat and rest when we happened upon another dragon and firecracker show! It was fun to see.

Hope you all have a happy and safe week and St. Paddy's Day!

Until next time...

IHSW, TUSAL and a Winner!

Wowzers! Thanks so much for the lovely, uplifting comments on my photo. I know...it's taken forever for me to post one but deep down at the core, I am a shy, private person. As a kid, I hid from the camera. Most of my childhood friends have pictures of me with something in front of my face (book, hand, hair) to prevent the photo.

Natalia said I have to post more photos so I am posting one more...super cheeser of a photo.

***

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend (IHSW) wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I did manage to stitch quite a bit on Sunday but didn't finish the stocking. So close though. Here is a photo of how far I got.
I only have one small band of flowers to stitch at the very bottom and then to sew on all the charms and buttons. I am close! I adore the little village and the meadow. Look at all the little sheepies! So cute.

It's also TUSAL time. It's amazing how many threads I have in my jar already. All the orts are from Sadie's stocking and the perle cotton sure does take a lot of space in my ort jar.
But that's all I managed to do. I didn't even do any finishing.

***

Yesterday was the last day of the Year of the Bunny. It was a good year. I found clarity. I found my smile and myself. I made some wonderful blog friends. I shed some of my shyness and most of my sadness. I realized I am happy to be single and even happier to make friends instead of dealing with an endless string of first dates.

I have great hopes for the Year of the Dragon. New friends, lots of fun, good health and a someone to love. We'll see what happens. You never know.

Now to the winner of my surprise. The winner is Catherine! Catherine, I think it's your lucky weekend. Go buy some lottery tickets! Please email me with your address. I hope you don't mind waiting a bit because, uh, I never got to finishing this weekend and next weekend is already going to be insanity. I'll make it worth the wait, ok?!

Well, that's it for me tonight. I need to veg with the tv a bit before hitting the hay. I've got a busy couple of days at work. I don't even think I'll get much stitching in!

Until next time...

Busy Weekend and a Surprise

Hello my lovelies! Hope you all had a nice weekend. And a quick welcome to my new followers and commenters. Things have been pretty busy of late and I haven't had a chance to get back to everyone to say thanks and welcome the newbies. Thanks for stopping by my little blogspace.

The weekend was great! I took an extra day off so I had a four day weekend and go back to work in the morning. I will have a lot of work cut out for me. Lots to get done in three days.

I managed to try a few new foodie places this weekend. No wonder the scale is yelling at me. I tried Nopalito after wanting to for the past couple of years. It was tasty and fresh trendy mexican food. I'd go back but it didn't fulfill that craving for artery-clogging refried beans loaded with melted cheese and Spanish rice. Hmmm, this is probably why the scale is screaming at me. I've been having really unhealthy cravings lately. Chicken and waffles anyone? The next foodie place I tried was Bar Tartine for brunch. I had buckwheat speatzle with trumpet mushrooms and fried eggs. Yum! I really need to try this place out for dinner. And lastly, Tanpopo for ramen. Probably the best ramen (except for NY) to date. Ugh, I think I better load up on fruit and veggies this week.

I watched two movies. The Iron Lady which was fantastic! Seriously...don't walk...run and see it. I didn't know very much about Margaret Thatcher but the movie was enlightening and Meryl Streep seriously did a fantastic job. She was very deserving of her Golden Globe this past weekend. I also saw Hugo in 3D which was different than I expected but very good all the same.

In between all the eating and movie watching, I fit in a 4-mile hike around the city and nursed a sore back. I also went to a restorative yoga class that then did wonders for my aching back and made me realize I really need to start up with the yoga already. At least with the restorative classes until I can build up the stamina for the 90 minute vinyasa yoga classes. 90 minutes of fast paced asanas can really kick you in the ass when you're out of shape.

Today, I went to a photo shoot. I had bought a deal for the hell of it and with the intention to get some new, fresh photos of myself. I don't really like having photos of myself taken so this required a lot of self peptalking. But I did it and I am hoping I have a couple of decent photos. I'll find out in a week. But I think the little ego boost was being asked out on a date by the photographer. I'll wait to see how the photos come out first! But it was nice to just be asked out at random in a real life situation instead of the annoying online dating scenarios I've placed myself in.

In between, I've stitched some on Sadie's stocking and it's really coming along. I'm hoping to be finished by the end of the week or the weekend at the latest.
I don't feel like taking it off the scroll bars to take a full photo but that will come soon with the finish! The bottom section is my favorite with the little village and the tiny sheep grazing in the meadow.

***

So I said that when I reached 200 followers, I would have a little surprise to celebrate and ring out the Year of the Bunny which ends on Sunday. Here is a terrible photo of a sneak peek.
The prize will be a finished pincushion and floss tag which will happen when I finish the above. I stitched iStitch Sew a Brown Bunny last year hence the 2011 already stitched on it but will leave it in since 2011 was in fact, the Year of the Bunny. It's been stitched on 40 count Antique White (or Ivory) Ricamo with CC Secondhand Rose and Cocoa Bean. I'm hoping to use IHSW to do the finishing but please don't be upset if you are the winner and it takes me a bit longer to finish and send it on. I will find a couple of other goodies in the stash to send along as well.

To enter:
1. Please comment,on this post only, saying you want to be entered;
2. Be a follower or regular commenter;
3. Do not post about this on your blog as it's for regular readers and followers;
4. Tell me what your favorite candy is!

Easy Peasy! I will draw a name on Sunday, January 22nd after 5pm PST.

Ok, time to head to bed and prepare for a crazy end of week.

Until next time...

A Finish, a Start and Fun Mail

Hello my lovelies...I think this will be my last post for a bit. I need time to figure out what I need to take with me, strategize and have my freak outs and panick attacks in peace. =)

Last week, I finished Plum Street Samplers Favorite Spot Sampler. I think it's so funny this piece got such a high vote when I needed help deciding. It was a very fast stitch and lots of fun. I changed out the white from GAST Oatmeal to CC Bamboo. It's just a touch brighter so it stands out a little bit better against the linen.

Since I had finished a few days before Halloween, I decided to start something Halloweeny instead of starting a small Christmas Piece I was going to start. It just seemed appropriate. I started Plum Street Samplers Hallow Eden. I'm using the called for 36 count Lakeside Vintage River Willow and the recommended threads.

Here's my progress up to Saturday morning:
And my progress as of tonight:
I haven't gotten anything exciting done, obviously, but each letter is a mini happy dance. It did take me a while to be "ok" with the Hickory Sticks. I was hoping for more of the darker brown but you know what? It's growing on me. The DMC isn't even close and I didn't want to mess with a toss.

I have the feeling I will have to leave my projects at home when I go on my trip. Everything is on 36-40 count. Not condusive for airplane or night time stitching in a space that isn't my own. I will probably kit up an ornie or take a mini Shepherd's Bush kit with me. Actually the latter might be easier.

On my birthday earlier this month, I won a giveaway that Anne was hosting. What a lovely surprise that was! The post office was holding my package hostage until I was able to retrieve it on Saturday. It was wrapped very nicely...
...before I tore into it!

She sent me some lovely things! I am in love with the pincushion. The blue/purple varigation is so pretty and smells amazing! She stuffed it with some lavendar and it's a wonderful scent. She also sent me some amazing teas (and tea steeper) to try which I will do tonight since I ran out of my normal nighttime tea just yesterday.
There are also some fabric cuts, flosses, trims and pins! So generous!

And a close up of the pincushion! Thank you Anne!
I hope you all have fun while I'm gone. I figure I have one more day of stitching and tv before I crack down and finalize my planning. Between working a full week and leaving on a red eye, my time feels slightly scrunched.

How are you all liking the new fall programs? I am really in love with Once Upon a Time and can't wait to see how it pans out. I hope it survives. I'm also digging 2 Broke Girls and Pan Am.

Au revoir mes cheries...until next time!

Happy Bunny Year!

Hello my lovelies...it's a day to celebrate! Happy Lunar New Year or as I call it...Year of the Rabbit.

I'm ready to celebrate. My apartment is clean, I'm not wearing black (my sister will be shocked), I'm planning a nice meal revolving around noodles to promote longevity and will probably have an orange too. And my dad even gave me a Macy's gift card yesterday! It's not cash in a red envelope but hey, it's close enough. The gift card is red. I'm considering that lucky too since he knows nothing about Lunar New Year or how to celebrate it. I need as much luck as I can get, you know?!

Let's see who else is going to celebrate for sure. Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway. I hope that new commenters continue to comment. I may whine but I don't bite. Promise!

So the results...I don't know how you get the Random.org photo on the blog. Do you have to be a paying customer? Anyways, here is the shortened list...

There were 56 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. 9. Mainely Stitching
2. 40. Maureen
3. 2. Danielle
4. 43. Pat Matejcek
5. 18. Blu
6. 20. Sally
7. 10. Mel
8. 15. Cath
9. 51. Linda
10. 22. Catherine

The winner is Barbara of Mainely Stitching! Barbara, please shoot me an email with your snail mail address. Congratulations!

***

There's more stuff to talk about. Today is the New Moon so it's time to show my TUSAL jar. Compared to my last report...where it was empty...there's been much improvement. I've been stitching my little heart out.
Yes, I am getting my money out of my pumpkin pincushion! It makes me happy to see it so I've left it out way beyond Autumn. You can click the photo to see my orts up close...little orts from Mary, Snow Garden, my Angel ornie and the BBD pincushion so it's a hodgepodge of colors.

I also got some nice packages in the mail that resulted in this...
I got my fabric shears back from Gingher. I'm impressed! There and back in 2 weeks all for the small fee of $7.50 for sharpening. Much less than taking it to the local shop! So I can get to my finishing soon. May not happen this weekend since it's getting full but maybe the weekend after. I also got my order from Shakepeare Peddler. I signed up for their Fabric of the Month so I received a fat quarter of Examplar which will come in handy for sure. I also ordered a Stitcher's Pack to see what that's all about. I'm about 50% on this...there are some cute colors for smalls but not sure about half of the little cuts. Will have to see if I can find what ornies to stitch on them. I also ordered a copy of A Sampler Enthusiants Book of Days Calendar after seeing this on Michelle's blog. I think it will be a good way for me to keep apprised of what I stitched on what day...especially seeing as how scattered I've been lately. So happy mail too!

Well, almost time for my bunny year dinner! Happy Bunny Year to you!

Until next time...

Two More Days...

Until the New Year! Do you all have any special plans? I just plan on staying home in my pajamas all day, having a movie marathon and stitching as much as I can on Mary before going into a rotation with projects. Or shall I say *try* to go into a rotation with projects.

Stitching this week has been slow. With family in town, I've been playing tourist and coming home late and tired. It definitely hasn't been the lazy, stitchy week I imagined so far! Oh well, that's ok.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I've never been very good with holidays. It's the most difficult time of the year for me. I am just eager for the year to be over so I can feel like I have a clean slate. Once that happens, I should perk up some.

Before Christmas, I received a lovely package from Lisa. I'm a little late in posting my thanks here. She sent me this beautifully stitched ornie by La D Da found in the 2010 JCS Ornie Issue in a fun green with a beaded tassel. I love it!
She also included a journal and some tissues. Thanks so much Lisa! =)

Speaking of fun mail, I recently won one of the giveaways Blackbird Designs was hosting.
And received four great little packs of fabric. These will come in handy for pinkeeps, ornies, etc. They are small cuts so it would be my first plunge into piecing when I use them.

Now for stitching...as I said, stitching has been slow. I decided to take Mary off the scroll frame since I was tension issues with the fabric. My scroll bars are a little short for the fabric. And with family in town, I wanted to have my project portable so I can stitch at my parents. But there really hasn't been any time to stitch. What I have stitched has been in hand and I am starting to think I stitch faster this way even though I am a stabber and not a sewer. I haven't made that jump yet.

Here's my update on Mary...photo is clickable.
Since the last update, I've stitched the smaller pink-red motif, the large blue motif, the smaller yellow one with the yellow blob that I am still trying to identify, the quarter white motif and the initials. I am almost done with part 2. Just need to stitch up the squirrel in tree motif and I can move onto part 3.

NYE will be Mary stitching and on NYD, I hope to start on Snow Garden of the Anniversaries of the Heart series. Will have to try my hand at a weekly rotation. There is no way I can do a day of the week rotation as many evenings, I just can't get to it with work and gym and errands. So I am thinking first week, AoTH, second week, Christmas stitching, third week, Mary Wigham and fourth week, Where My Heart Blooms. When I finish one project, I can insert a new project into the rotation. I'm not very good with rotations but I will see how this works.

Are any of you starting a new project on New Years' Day? I think this is the first year I am actually committing to it!

I'm not sure if this will be my last post of 2010...but just in case...I wish you all a happy, safe and joyful new year!

Until next time...

Mondays...

Monday blues...you have to wonder what the week holds for you when you realize you left your coffee mug way upstairs when you are already way downstairs. But a Monday without coffee may as well be hell so it's best to trek up all the stairs and be late to work than sit in your cube under-caffeinated. Urgh...Monday.

I've been lacking a lot of drive lately. I've been feeling pretty tired since I came back from New York. No other symptoms...just tired. I have no idea what it is. It would be helpful if I could just go to sleep at a decent hour but I force myself not to fall asleep at 6pm (when I'm sleepy) to go to sleep at a more acceptable time but next thing I know, it's midnight! How's that happen?

My sister's visit came and went in the blink of an eye. She finally saw my apartment. Climbing my 50 steps is a daunting task to most everyone I know. I oftentimes get the "uh, I'll wait for you downstairs" response when people are meeting up with me. I get it...I've fallen off the gym bandwagon and my thighs are burning by the time I reach my doorstep. Apparently, I need to get back to the gym...stat! But it was a treat for me to have my sister in my very own space and see how I have it decorated and understand why it's my sanctuary. At least I get to visit with her in two weeks so it's only a short absence.

Stitching was slow considering...but I managed to stitch the "Needles" portion of the Traveling Stitcher.
All that is left is finishing both pieces to the pouch which makes me very apprehensive. How do I get them finished all pretty like in the picture by myself?! I think Mary Kathryn has a tutorial so I will be studying that and get to finishing it...but probably not until after Thanksgiving.

After putting the last stitch in "needles", I pulled out all my JCS ornie issues and ornie patterns and started planning which ornies I wanted to try to stitch before the end of the month. And then the threads. And then fabrics. And then I had a huge mess on my hands. As much as I like new starts, gethering all the supplies can be annoying. Missing overdyeds so I check my dmc and I'm missing those too. So I made a quick order and have to make a quick trip to Joann's to really get underway but I've made a decent start on an ornie. Ornies probably won't be shown though as I signed up for an exchange and will be going to my local stitching group's Christmas party so there are two ornie's I have to stitch up and finish(!) quickly. I wonder if I could stitch more...

My luck in blogland continues to run rampant. I won Robin's wonderful giveaway of some felted pumpkins. Thanks Robin! They will be a wonderful addition to my fall decorating. Here they sit with my etsy pumpkin and my TUSAL jar. The jar is getting more and more full. I love seeing the different colored orts and knowing what projects they came from!
I can't believe how fast time is flying! Before we know it, it will be Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping and decorating. Ergh...I'm not ready!

I've been fighting some massive kitten fever. It takes so much effort on my part to not stop in on the adoption annexes I pass by. Each time I do...I see a kitten I just fall in love with and I think about said kitten for days afterwards until I can assure myself that he/she's been adopted. I think I need to kitten-proof my apartment and look for a feline companion. It's a little nerve-wracking because I've never had a cat before. I would love to have a dog but that won't happen anytime soon so a cat is my only option for a pet. I just wish a cat would stay kitten size forever!

I'm hoping the next post will be my NY recap post. I managed to get pictures from my friend...now to edit them. I've been...uh...lazy about the editing part.

Until next time...

Mail Call!

Wow! I've been lucky the past few days. Instead of the usual bills and junk, I've received fun mail! Yay! I love fun mail!

I won Day 28 of Missy Ann and Annette's 31 Days of Halloween Giveaway Extravaganza. Talk about lucky! And I was excited when I saw the sneak preview. I remember just seeing the broom and I thought...it must be the With Thy Needle and Thread Design. Guess what!
I was right! It's gorgeous. Stitched over one on banding. I love it! And the best part is that now I don't have to buy the chart and stitch it for myself. I was seriously considering it since it's a great item for Halloween decorating. Missy Ann also included a cat threadwinder with a few handmade pins along with a bag of candy. Thanks Missy Ann and Annette!

I also got a cute package from Melanie. I won her Boo Beads giveaway.
OMG...these beads are even cuter in real life. I love that little ghost. Love it! Now I need to find a use for them because I'm not putting them on my cell phone. I think they'll become a scissor fob. Thanks Melanie. If you haven't visited Melanie's shop, you should! She's got cute beads!

And then...yes, there's more! I received a package from Sharon - Daffycat! She sent me a wonderful RAK.
Isn't it super cute?! I love it. And the other side has a little pie stitched on it which is funny since I just took a pumpkin pie out of the oven! Thank you so much Sharon!

Well, I have no stitching to show because remember the stitch-ass session I was supposed to have on Sunday? Uh, yea...that didn't happen. I got all carried away dress shopping that I was exhausted and had already missed half the Giants game by the time I got home! I found the cutest dress that cost a small fortune! Why do dresses cost so much money?! So I am debating whether I keep the dress...but it's so cute! Ugh...the inevitable internal debate. I need to find a fun guy that will give me reason to wear a fun cocktail dress in the near future...

Speaking of Giants...Congratulations to my home team! They played with integrity. I'm a little disappointed in the fans though. Rioting, causing havoc and mayhem, setting mattresses on fire, climbing on fire engines and busses. Ummm, hello...you're trashing your own city! Gawd, I have no idea what is wrong with people! What is wrong with people?! I didn't even get to watch yesterday's game but I knew we won by the fireworks, honking and yelling.

My sister is visiting for the week. Yay! My parents can drive her bananas for a week...mental vacation time. Woot! *sigh* Probably means I won't get much stitching done. I've visited 3 times in less than a week and my dad tells me not to be a stranger. For reals?! Holy cow...they are a lot of work. I'm very happy to have my sister in town.

Well, I better head off to bed. Still feeling so tired! Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

Until next time...

Beyond the Speed of Light

Time's still flying! The week and weekend has been a blur and I sit here typing trying to remember what I've even done. Let's see if my pictures remind me...

Ah ok...I'm starting to remember.

Mid-week, I received a package in the mail from Hazel. As luck would have it, I won her giveaway on my birthday! Talk about a wonderful surprise!
In the package, there were three English chocolate bars and a pretty wrapped bundle of three crocheted washclothes and a yummy smelling bar of soap. I can't wait to use them! Since I'm been running around like a chicken with her head cut off, I had to wait until Saturday to take a decent daylight photo. Do you know how hard it was to NOT eat one of those candy bars before then?! Oh so torturous! But I was good and I think I will be treating myself to the Crunchie tonight. Thank you so much Hazel! I love the washclothes, soap and treats.

Perhaps you can tell by the photo above that the giveaway items are sitting in a basket. There have been a lot of people moving out of my building. I have no idea why...it's a wonderful place to live. When people move out, they place things on the free table...sometimes, it's the free foyer depending on the amount of junk...er, I mean, stuff they leave behind. Late one evening, I came in and saw baskets stacked and saw this.
It was at the very bottom of the basket pile and I think I gasped. Longaberger? No...can't be. On the free table?!
Yep! Longaberger! I about ran up to my unit before someone came back changing their minds! It needs a little detailing but is in superb condition. I can envision a lot of seasonal pillows and ornies displayed in it, can't you?! I had better get my butt in gear and stitching some Spring/Easter, Halloween/Fall and Christmas/Winter. Um, I think this might be a multi-year project.

On Saturday, I missed out on going to the annual Pumpkin Festival. Woke up too late and if you leave after 8am, it's not worth sitting in traffic to get there as it's a one lane highway to get to the festival. So I found the pumpkin spirit and rang the day in with homemade pumpkin bread! Mmmm....I love pumpkin anything!
I only have about two slices left as I handed slices out to anyone I came across. As much as I love baking, it's dangerous for me to leave the treats in the house for long. Next thing I know, my pants don't fit! So a couple of slices for me and the rest is for sharing.

Claire and Andre also had their birthday on Saturday and I stopped by to drop off their presents. Amongst them was this.
Andre's Birth Sampler...one year later. Whew! At least it was done. I had a love/hate relationship with Newton and couldn't bear to even work on it so I had to come up with a fast substitute. Lizzie*Kate's Bless the Baby fit the bill. Of course, I sent it to Jill Rensel so she could fancy it up a little with her tremendous artistic ability and both Claire and I were very happy. Andre's 1...he was most happiest playing with the crumpled up wrapping paper! After the gift opening, we met up with Ann Marie for a lovely dinner at Wayfare Tavern. It involved interesting people watching, a couple of yummy chicken dishes (fried chicken was stellar) and breakfast for dinner as well as scrumptious carrot cake that made me feel like I finally had birthday cake worth writing about. It was a nice night out. Thanks AM!

Throughout the week, whatever minutes I had for stitching, I devoted to the Traveling Stitcher SAL with CarolR. I didn't want her to think I was a slacker! My progress has been slow though. But I've got my pink house, a fence, flower, tree and little stitcher girl done.
I'm going to work on the grass some tonight while watching the Giants beat (hope!) the Phillies.

This may be my last post for a bit. I am tying up loose ends before my trip to the Big Apple! I don't think I will have very much time to stitch seeing as I will be playing the part of tourist and I want to see everything! When I return, so do my parents and my housesitting duties finally come to an end but there will be some work involved getting them back up to speed and settled. I'll miss reading blogs, blogging and connecting with everyone but I'll try to catch up fast!

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

Until next time...

Busy, Busy

"In times of great stress and adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive."

- Lee Iacocca

I opened up my inbox this morning and was greeted by this quote. I think I've embraced Lee's wise words wholeheartedly. I've been keeping busy, busy. So much so that I haven't got the energy to blog that much. I'm sure the lack of posts puts my dear sister in some distress that I'm lying dead somewhere or sulking. No worries...I'm so busy keeping my brain and body occupied.

It's been a month now since I've gone from a 2-person household down to one. To be honest, it kind of feels like longer. I spend my days less sad but still quite angry. I suppose it's all normal. To deflect those emotions, I pack my calendar. This past holiday weekend was a blur of activity. I spent a ton of time with Claire and little baby Andre. We had a family style dinner complete with SF drama of someone blocking a friend's neighbor's driveway which resulted in lots of standing around waiting for DPT and the tow truck to arrive to take the car away. Life in SF...people get frustrated looking for street parking and just park wherever they want. That ends up being a painful $300+ mistake! Sometimes...I just don't get people.

The next day was a lovely breakfast out with some shopping in my neighborhood before we went recliner shopping. I'm happy to say my head didn't explode from all the fabric choices! A lot of them were old-lady/old-man-ish and very unstylish. It made deciding pretty easy. I am hoping that when I see the recliner in real life, I am happy otherwise my head may explode for real! I hate deciding on little things that in the end cost a lot of money (i.e. fabric vs. entire chair). Then in the evening, I met up with a different friend and grabbed dinner and watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for the first time at the classic movie theater. What a fun movie! I am so glad I made it out there to see it on the big screen complete with wurlitzer performance before the show. Things like that make me very happy! I think I need to make a more conscious effort to go to the classic movie theater this summer. I mean, where else can you be entertained for 3-4 hours for $7. For the cost of the ticket, you can see either one movie or two (double feature) plus get a wurlitzer performance depending on the time you get there. Plus, a huge tub of popcorn and a huge soda will only run you $5 instead of your first-born like at the mainstream theater! It was a great day!

Sunday, Claire, Andre and I trekked to the Fillmore Festival. It's my favorite one out of all the ones put on throughout the summer. There's great jazz and this year, there was even a swing dance section with music, performances and lessons. It was fun to watch. I found a margarita booth and seeing as it was the 4th of July, I indulged greatly and was in need of a nap by the time I got home at 2pm. LOL I reconnected with an old friend on the phone and it was a nice and unexpected surprise! In the evening, I stopped by a friend's house for bbq with her and her family. I made sangria for the bbq and it was just a boozy day in celebration of our independence. My friend introduced me to True Blood and frankly...what a weird show! I know there's this whole vampire following but I don't think I can jump on that bandwagon.

The last day of my weekend was spent doing lots of laundry and stitching up a frenzy. I am *still* not done with Letter C! Ugh, I am so close though. I finished the cross stitching.

Now, it's onto the backstitching and the beading. I am so close, I can taste it! Since the picture above, I've completed about 2/3 of the backstitching. I think I will be finished by tomorrow...Friday at the latest. One can hope!

So I am keeping busy and trying to find the positive. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it's hard and sometimes, it's unexpected.

One fun thing is that Deb is having a scissor frog giveaway. I want to win it!! I shouldn't be even telling you guys but I guess I'll do whatever I need to to increase my chance to win! lol

Until next time...

SBQ and Announcement

First of all, Lee at Lake Stitcher has brought the SBQ (Stitching Bloggers Question) back to life! Yay! I remember when I first started talking about stitching on my blog, I googled a ton and was amazed that 1. there were so many stitchy blogs and 2. there was this whole community stemming from it including the SBQ. But at the point I discovered it, I was still a little too shy to fling myself into it full-throttle and the SBQ kind of drifted away. This month's question is:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.

There are those who enjoy the “process” of stitching. They stitch for stitching’s sake and if something gets finished, so much the better, but it’s not necessarily the end goal. Primarily, it’s the application of needle and thread to cloth that makes them happiest.

Then there are those who are “project” stitchers. They move steadily through their projects, certainly enjoying their stitching time, but finding their greatest joy in the completed stitching.

If you had to pick one to describe yourself, which type of stitcher would you be? I imagine that we could all say that we fall somewhere in between, but really think hard about this and try to pick just one. And once you’ve decided whether you’re a Process or Project stitcher, tell us if your recognize that approach in other parts of your life.

I am definitely a project stitcher. Hands down. Some projects speak to me and I fly through them and others, I grumble through (remember that Snapper Year border?! ugh!), curse them and really want to throw them out the window. I finish them though and when I do, I hang it in full view for me to see and I feel so happy and excited and confident when I finish something. I tend to really be a one at a time stitcher. It's only now that I kind of juggle multiple projects but not very well. Since I'm a project stitcher, I don't have very many wips or ufos. My actual wips are Letter C, Boo Club and Mary Wigham and well...that Mary hasn't seen the light of day since January. She yells LOUD! The ufos are a christmas stocking on Aida and Newton (which I kind of hate). There are a few projects out there that have a few stitches in them but I don't count them anymore. The stitches are so few that they may as well be unstarted. So I'm a project stitcher.

I'm a process stash buyer by the looks of my growing stash cabinet! lol

Onto the announcement. I've decided to do the draw for my party favors! The first prize goes to Daffycat/Sharon and second prize goes to Lisa! Congratulations ladies! Thanks to everyone for entering my party draw! Sharon and Lisa, I've got your addys so no worries. I just ask that you be patient. Work has been something fierce and I just haven't had the time to get things together. I'll get your packages out in the next couple of weeks or so.

Work has been insane and it's only going to get crazier! Ugh! I have barely been stitching after work. Yesterday, I actually read. That means I'm just too pooped to do anything else. I've got lots to do in the next 19 days. I am going to lose my head...just in time for my vacation. And because of that, I may not be blogging as much.

I'm exhausted already. I have the feeling tonight will be an early night. *yawn*

Until next time...

The Motherload!

A couple of weeks ago, I signed up for a Christmas giveaway that Danielle was hosting on her blog. She mentioned she would send the winner a handstitched ornament and I love ornies. Well, on Christmas Day, I was the lucky winner. Yay me!! Hearing I won was a great Christmas present.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week...I open my apartment door and there on the floor is this huge package. Hmmm...what's that? So I open it and it's the giveaway package from Danielle! Holy cow...I hit the motherload! I was only expecting the ornie and maybe one or two small things. Danielle sent me so much stuff...I seriously felt like a 5 year old on Christmas morning. Here are a few photos...I piled stuff into the photos so it wasn't so photo-heavy.

Lots of past JCS ornie issues, Prairie Schooler, The Drawn Thread, Waxing Moon Designs to name a few...
And more charts....
And these were the things that made me *squee* out loud like a 5 year old...even though I was the only one home!

PS Ornie hand-stitched by Danielle...this is the design from November's (I think) GoS issue plus a bunch of overdyed threads! I've died and gone to heaven!!
And my absolute favorite charts out of the whole stack!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Danielle!

Wow...I'm still kind of speechless. I've been incredibly lucky in blogland this year. I've won 2 huge giveaways, a threads giveaway and an ornie giveaway this year. I have more stash than I know what to do with now...and after winning Danielle's giveaway, I am going to challenge myself to only stitch from stash this year. This will be hard because you are all enablers with the wonderful projects you work on that I may have not noticed otherwise but I am going to try really hard. *The boy* doesn't think I can do it but I think I can. There are a few things I will allow myself though:

~black fabric because I haven't any and just acquired the perfect pattern for ornie gifts for the women in my family next Christmas.
~beads for finishing ornies
~ribbon/trim for ornies or smalls
~BOAF Dashing pattern should I ever come across it
~Nora Corbett Letter V assuming she releases it and I like it

So the last 4 are *ifs* but the black fabric is a must!

We'll see how things go...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can! lol

Suenos Dulces

The winner of the pair of Spanish embroidered pillowcases is...

List Randomizer

There were 6 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Missy Ann
2. Natasha
3. Cole
4. Margaret
5. Aridne
6. Staci

Timestamp: 2009-11-30 05:28:44 UTC

Congratulations Missy Ann! I'll get these out in the mail to you shortly. May you have many sweet dreams (suenos dulces) on them.

Thank you to everyone who offered to re-home my unwanted Nicaraguan treasures. I really appreciate it! I hope that those who became adoptive parents enjoy their new items. To those who didn't "win", I may do this again in the new year once I do some closet cleaning.

Today is it! My final post of November for NaBloPoMo! I didn't think I could do it. There were some days I struggled for a topic and there were some days I didn't really feel like talking/blogging. But I did it! Thanks to those of you who read my drivel everyday, those who sent me much appreciated comments and to those who did NaBloPoMo as well. I felt like we supported each other. I know I didn't take this challenge alone and I feel like I've gotten closer to some of you through this experience.

Umm...don't expect me to blog everyday after this though. Oof...it's a lot of work...and I'm not used to talking so much! lol I might take a break for a couple of days and come back with stitching pictures! Hope...hope...

Until next time...

De Basura A Tresoro #4

There were only two takers for the little cross and I put them in the list randomizer. The new owner is CindyMae! Congrats!

List Randomizer

There were 2 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. CindyMae
2. Edgar

Timestamp: 2009-11-23 04:27:15 UTC

CindyMae, please send me an email with your snailmail addy. You can find my email in my profile.

The item for this Monday is a pair of embroidered pillowcases in a bright pastel colorway. One pillowcase says "Buenos Dias" which is spanish for Good Morning and the other says "Buenas Noches" which is Spanish for Good Night. Sorry for the poor picture...it's taken quite late.
These are brand new! I just took them out of the packaging to take the picture. I think my aunt forgot that she gave me a set of these already...which have also been sitting in my closet.

If you'd like to adopt the pair of pillowcases, please leave a comment on this post only. I will draw a name on Monday, 11/30. This will be the last De Basura A Tresoro post. I'd like to avoid the post office as much as possible in December. It makes me happy that 3, soon to be 4, items have been re-homed in November.

Until next time...

Packages, Packages!

Oof, what a day! 10:30pm and I am just sitting down now to blog. Work was busy and then after work, I ran a bunch of errands. Then home to wash all the dishes *the boy* dirtied and didn't wash up, dinnertime and just got three packages all gussied up and ready to send off to their new homes. I sure hope they make their recipients very happy. Now the challenge will be to get them to the post office before work. I'm the worst type of morning person...hit the snooze about 10 times, roll out of bed, get ready super fast, head out the door and am 10 minutes late t work....almost everyday. I hate mornings! The post office before you've had your morning coffee is a rough way to start the day but it's either that or use up my lunch hour.

Now...sometimes being late is my fault and other times, it's the fault of other people....like the lady who stopped on a busy highway this morning to ask for directions from someone walking on the sidewalk. Lady!! Pull the hell over to a side street...or better yet, see that gas station across the street? Go there and ask the attendant. For the love of all that is Holy, don't stop on the Highway and hold up traffic to.ask.for.directions! People wonder why my temper's already boiling at 8am. It's stunts like that!

Anyways, where was I? Oh yea, packages. So I've got packages to mail off but last night, I came home late from class (more on that another day) and had a nice package from Andrea waiting for me in my mailbox. She had a Christmas Ornament RAK giveaway a couple of weeks ago and I was one of the lucky winners! Yay! I received this lovely ornament handstitched by her. It's a design by Scandinavian Stitches out of the 2007 JCS Ornament issue.
Isn't it beautiful! I love it...the little bow and beads are precious! I "borrowed" this photo from Andrea's blog because look how wonderfully she staged the ornament! There is no way I can even come close to her photography skill!

Thank you Andrea...I love it!

Ok, time to relax, drink my Sleepytime tea and peel off to bed if I'm going to be successful with my post office plans tomorrow.

Until next time...

De Basura a Tresoro #3

It's that time of the week again! I decided to draw early since I didn't think there were any more takers for Mr. Bokbok. So without further ado...

List Randomizer

There were 4 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Doahleigh/Shannon
2. Ariadne
3. Deb
4. Peg

Timestamp: 2009-11-16 22:29:01 UTC

Shannon...looks like Random.org picked you so you're Mr. Bokbok's new mommy! Please email me with your snail mail addy and I'll get this to you as soon as I can find a box. Someone snagged the one I had saved for it. Curses!

The treasure looking for adoption this week is this lovely cross. I have a boxful and am not into displaying them as it is. I blame it on thirteen years of catholic schooling, plaid pleated skirts, religion and theology classes. But my unwanted trinket may be your treasure. This little cross is only 3"x5" and stands on an attached little pedestal as seen here. Wooden back with aluminum front.
Please comment on this post only and the winner will be drawn next Monday, 11/23 at 10pm.

Until next time...

De Basura a Tresoro

A while ago, I had mentioned getting some items as gifts from relatives in Nicaragua that I wasn't really into. In August, I did my butterfly adoption and the idea seemed popular so I'm moving forward with this and calling it De Basura a Tresoro which is Spanish for "From Junk to Treasure". Or it can also be "Save My Stuff from the Goodwill!". You can call it whatever, the end result is the same. I think I will try to put one thing up each Monday in November and the winner will be announced the following Monday. That gives the item one week to hopefully find a new owner that will treasure the item. All items are new. All items are from Nicaragua. You wouldn't find any of these things in the US unless someone from Nicaragua shipped it here for their own relatives or to sell in a bodega.

The first item is a wooden key ring holder with an aluminum plate with a butterfly and flower on it. The main colors are shades of orange, green, yellow and silver. It's meant to be hung on a wall and has two little key hooks on the bottom. The size is 4" x 8" so it's not that big. I think this is cute. I don't have any use for a hanging key holder especially since I live in a 1930's building with original plaster walls. My lease says no holes in the plaster so I hang all my art with heavy duty fishing line and moulding hooks. Sounds weird, huh? It's actually kind of cool but requires a certain amount of effort that I won't exert for this little key holder.
Excuse the plastic...pillow is not included! Item will be shipped the cheapest way possible and may take me a couple of days to ship depending on schedule and on-hand shipping supplies.

If you're interested, please post a comment being really specific that you want to be entered for the adoption/giveaway. I'm pretty dense otherwise and apt to get all confused! If there is more than one person, I will pick at random or have *the boy* do it if he's around and announce the winner next Monday, November 9th at 11pm PST.

Until next time...

13 Days of Halloween Starts Today!

Missy's 13 Days of Halloween Starts Today. Go check it out and see what ghoulishness fun she's planned for us!

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Nights

It's Tuesday so time for my regular installment. First up is fun mail news. I was the winner of Melissa's huge bloggoversary draw celebrating her 8 years of blogging and 1,000 posts. Whoa! Talk about a huge surprise. I rarely win anything!! Her fantastic package arrived on Thursday night and it boosted my spirits. Look at all the charts!!
And she included a ton of goodies! I am so drooling over the fabric, Carrie's Threads, the scissors, PinPals, the Chatelaine and most of all...the cute little door hanger Melissa made...just perfect for Fall!
Here's the little door hanger contributing a lovely splash of color hanging on my living room door. I can see it perfectly from my stitching spot on the futon. I love it! Thanks Melissa!!
I've been stitching but not much. Life keeps getting in the way. Here is my small start in Mirabilia Letter G. This will eventually end up being a gift.
And I stitched a little bit more on Red Sampler. I better get cracking! My mom's birthday is the 24th although they don't come back from their trip until the 29th so I have an extra few days to finish this up and frame it. Umm...I still have quite a ways to go!
On Saturday, I made a quick trip to NiaH to pick up Tall Turkey from the finisher. I had him made into a small weighted stand up. A perfect display for Fall and Thanksgiving. I had a couple of Halloween things and Christmas things but nothing for Thanksgiving so here he is! She did a great job! It's backed with green velvet and has a multicolor-metallic cording. If you click the picture, you can see how cool the cording is a little better.
Well now is the part for the good news and the not so good news. The EDD hearing for *the boy* went well considering the former employer did not show up to the hearing so *the boy* won. But the whole thing...appeal after appeal and showing up to the hearing was just a waste of time, money and brought about a good deal of anxiety. *The boy's* doctors appointment also went well. Not great but it's a step in the right direction. He's been upgraded to a cane. Three views of x-ray came back healed and one view is still questionable. There's a little gap so he has to be careful walking with the cane, still use the bone stimulation machine and go back in 6 weeks for a progress report. Now the not so good news...*the boy* and I are taking a break from dating. We've been dating a little over a year and the majority of it has been him unemployed, crippled, sick and me taking on the brunt of the expenses and caretaking. I'm mentally, emotionally and physically drained. As much as I would like things to work, it's just not working for me right now. I'm quite sad and torn up about it. We both feel him going back to RI is for the best until he fully heals, can get a respectable job and afford his own space. Perhaps when he is ready to come back, the stars will be re-aligned and it will actually be normal and happen smoothly for us. For now...we're on a break and not broken up...but it really does feel broken up to me. I wonder if that even makes sense. My birthday is in a couple of weeks and I feel terrible...certainly not the happiest of times. He asked to stay til then so he can still give me a special day since we had just started dating this time last year and he was out of town on my birthday. I figure it's best to try to have a happy day with *the boy* before he leaves than be sad and alone on my birthday. I so wish things could be different and normal and what we had planned for months ago.

So there it is...a total bummer. I'm not quite sure what will happen but I'm happy to have my stitching, sewing homework (lol) and great blogging and real life friends to keep me occupied and entertained. I'm definitely grateful for that...

I'll come back with more vacation photos soon...

Until next time.

Back and Buried!

Hi Everyone!

I am back from the East Coast and already buried. I am struggling to keep up! It's amazing how you can go from being completely sloth-like...hence no blog posts while being away...to ramped up and frazzled. It's amazing I tell you!

It didn't help that when I finally logged onto my computer when I returned, my Google Reader was up to 310!! I am down to 215 now so you can imagine it will take me a bit of time to catch up with everyone and see what you were all up to.

I have a lot of pictures to share and a lot of things to talk about and I'm not really sure if I can get it all together for my Tuesday installment. There were positives and there were negatives to the whole trip but in the end, I am happy to back and at home on the West Coast. Needless to say, the East Coast did not win me over like everyone thought it would. I'll get into it more later. I also have a huge finish to share too. Huge!!! Super relieved than happy and that should be a big hint as to what I actually finished! lol

I do need to announce the new adoptive parent to the Butterfly Family. Per my count, there were nine interested and #6 was picked by the random generator.

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1 Max: 9
Result: 6

The new parent is Peg! Congratulations Peg! Please send me an email (found in my profile) with your mailing address and I'll get it packed up and ready to mail to you.

Well, that's it for now. I hope to be back soon to share my big finish.

Until next time...