Randomness, a Giftie and a Start

Randomness

~I have no idea how it's the middle of February. Serious? I must be dreaming. Someone pinch me...ouch!

~I am very anti-Valentine's Day. Those on my FB can attest to the interesting cartoon I posted. So color me surprised when I received tulips delivered at work, some sweet emails from friends and a guilt-free phone call from my mom. It was a nice Valentine's Day. I hope yours was too.

~Don't start asking about the tulips. I'm not quite sure what to think. But they are pretty and brighten up my desk.

~In the past week, I've been told I have to be nicer and that I'm a cranky-pants. *Sigh* I think I'm a nice cranky pants. I say please and thank you and have a nice day to everyone. I just don't deliver all my news with ego-strokes and smiles. So I'm working on being a nicer not so cranky pants.

~I've been very domestic the past week. I made beef stew, minestrone soup and meatballs. On the last, I managed to smoke out the apartment. Do you know that smoke detectors can talk now? So not only do you have to deal with the beeping, you now have some lady yelling "fire, fire, fire" at you while you are trying to open windows and having to climb up a step ladder to try and get it to be quiet while wishing you grabbed a hammer. I'm happy that no one called the fire department because we all know how embarrassing that would have been!

I'm exhausted and scatter brained so the randomness returned. I feel like I've been running nonstop and doing all these fun things but it's been such a blur that I can't totally remember what I even did to share with you all.

I'm shopping around for new glasses. This is hard for me to do solo since I'm indecisive and glasses are a huge part of my look. I like them to be classic yet make a statement. Be a little hip and a little nerdy librarian. I am also a hard fit for the types of frames that I like. Narrow face, narrow nose bridge and most styles don't come with nosepads which I definitely need. This is where I got called crankypants. Some frames made me look like a girl version of Drew Carey. Others had bling. Some had pink on them. Some were weird colors. Some were thin wire. I got it narrowed down to two styles. Either black/clear or brown/teal. One of the brown/teals would be a complete deviation from what I normally go for. Yet, they're fun. I guess I'll decide in a week when they are all here for me to try on at the same time.

Giftie

I received a lovely surprise in the mail from Sally! Look at this cute little pincushion!
Sally is such a sweetheart. She was looking for a pattern so I let her borrow mine and she stitched this up as a thank you. I was just so happy to help. This is a bonus. I just love it and am hoping this little sheepie brings me some luck! Thank you so much Sally! Sorry it took me so long to post and share.

A Start

Well, I've barely had much time to stitch lately. Since finishing up my stocking, I've been plugging along on my new start with every spare minute or five that I can find. Here is what I've completed so far.
Here's my start on Jingle All the Way by Notforgotten Farm. I'm stitching it on 40 count Lakeside Linens Pearled Barley with the recommended DMC.

This weekend is IHSW! Yay! I look forward to this each month no matter how quiet or hectic that weekend happens to be. This weekend will be busy but I have stitching group on Saturday. Yay! I am hoping to stitch more and gab less but we'll see what happens. If you want to join in on the fun, go sign up on Joysze's blog. She does a great job hosting and bringing us all together each month. Thanks Joyzse! :)

I hope everyone is having a nice week. I'm heading to bed early tonight. I've been so tired lately!

Until next time...

Building Houses & Surprises

Building a house is hard work! Oof, I'm tired! Laying bricks, slapping on mortar, hammering on roof tiles, installing window and door frames and erecting a chimney. Lots of work! Here's how my Valentine Rose looks after a week and a half of stitching...or, uh, building. Not bad!


The house still needs a little more work...a bit of mortar and installing the door. I think I will do the door last as I'm unsure of my dyelot for that area. Besides...I think I could do with a change of scenery so I'll head over and work on the potted plants in this block.

I am stitching along with Sally, Jane and Lisa on AotH. I think I'm a little farther along but they'll catch up soon. I'll soon be busy with class pre-stitching, ornie stitching, finishing and trying to get farther along on Mary Wigham.

I would *love* to finish this block by the end of the weekend. That might be hard as I have a hectic schedule through next Tuesday. Yikes! Busy, busy! Not to mention, I need to finish a couple of things that need to go in the mail. I must put my finishing procrastination to an end. I just need more time...and hands. Yea, both, in abundance, would be helpful!

Last night, I received a lovely surprise. A few weeks back, KarenV emailed me asking if I would like a pattern she had when she was done with it since she had seen it was on my wishlist. How sweet! I said yes and put it in the back of my mind. Well, I was surprised to see a big envelope in my mailbox for such a tiny chart. Imagine my surprise when I opened the envelope and out came a baggie filled with assorted trims and a stunningly cute Birds of a Feather Angel ornie. It took me a bit to close my mouth from the shock of it all! She recently showed this ornie finish on her blog and I had commented on how cute it was. Little did I know it was me who was the intended recipient!

And a close up of the ornie...so cute! I just love the pompom trim!

I've been reading Karen's blog for a while now and I'm always surprised and inspired by all her finishes! They turn out spectacular and she always has the perfect fabby and trim. One day I commented that I wished I could find similar trims locally but how my selections are limited. Well, I guess she remembered! So many lovely trims. I am so excited to use them. Thank you so much Karen! I love everything!

Well, short post for me today. I hope to stitch and then drag my lazy bum to yoga instead of just thinking about it all the time. I could use some zen and meditation. I'm sporting a tummyache today though so I may just hold out until the weekend.

Hope you're all enjoying the week...2 more days to Friday!

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...

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...

Where'd the Weekend Go?!

Weekend...come back...I don't want to go to work tomorrow. Ugh!

Seriously, was time suddenly placed in ultra fast forward? Or like the records that you put on the wrong speed and it sounded like the Chipmunks. Yea, time is feeling like that. Doesn't time know that the workweek needs to be fast and the weekend s-l-o-w?! I think time needs a pep talk and some setting straight...don't you think?

I've got the fever...Giants fever! They are finally in the playoffs and so I've been sitting in my recliner perch watching a lot of baseball. More than I normally would. They about gave me a heart attack on Friday night with their loss! Shame on them...got all cocky with their early advance and then the Braves showed them. Did you hear screaming Friday night? Yea, that was me berating the tv. Nooooo!!! There was less screaming today because they won! I hope they win tomorrow too. :::fingers crossed:::

The weekend was a blur of errands and mail and shopping and gift wrapping and other pretty boring stuff that kept me from stitching. I tried but I was either trying to do something else or amazingly distracted. I do have a few things to show though...

First up is my TUSAL. I always seem to remember it's the New Moon on the actual day but then it takes me 2-3 days to get my act together enough to take a photo.
Here is my jar next to one of the cards I received. I end up leaving my cards up or taped to my living room door for the entire month. They are nice to look at...

I did get some stitching accomplished on my Where My Heart Blooms but not that much. I have most of the roof done on the yet to be built house. I have the feeling this house is going to take me a while. I decided to leave the over 1 til the end so it doesn't derail me from stitching. I will figure out the full cross over tent stitch then...for now...I'll have fun with the areas that won't cause me to stress and panic.
I also started my SAL on the Traveling Stitcher but I haven't really stitched enough for a picture. I'm hoping to be a bit more productive on it this week. Hope, hope.

I got some surprises in the mail. I made a couple of penpals through the blog that I email with semi-regularly. On Friday, after chasing down UPS to get my packages (yes, for reals!), I found a package from Kevin (no blog). He gifted me with Sleeping Beauty from my wishlist! Complete with threads, fabric and beads!
I wonder if I can get to her next year during my Year of Mira. Thanks so much Kevin!

I also received a package from Belen (no blog). Funny thing about Belen is that she is from Spain but lives in France and found my English blog. I write to her in Spanish to try to use it and not lose it. I'm sure I make a ton of mistakes since writing in Spanish was never my forte but she seems to understand what I am saying and I learn new ways to phrase things. Sometimes...there is a lot of "how to you say ____ in spanish?" in my emails. I've gotten very rusty but I enjoy practicing with her. It's amazing how the internet brings people together.
Belen made me a necklace and send me a pattern for an embroidered V. Gracias Belen...me encanta!

*sigh* Time to head off to bed to be ready for Monday. Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Until next time...

Birthday Gift Arrived!

Wow...two posts right after one another. The Postal Service is working overtime getting my packages out in a timely manner!

First of all, my sister says thank you to all my blogging friends for wishing her a happy birthday! She was quite pleased! Thanks for taking the time to do that. I never realized how much she reads my blog now. Apparently, I am supposed to be posting more. I'm working on it Karen! =)

Second, my sister received her gift today. She dropped major hints a few months ago that I was way overdue in stitching her something. You have to remember that she was taught the same way I was (by mom) but with a full-time job, 2 kids and activities with kids' sports and church involvement, she's more content reading or napping when she has free time than trying to make heads or tails of a pattern. That's my job! She told me she wanted something red and cream and I immediately had something in mind. And with her 50th birthday quickly approaching, I had big reasons to stitch her something nice! A while back, I had seen a kit in The Stitchery called Bless This House by Kooler Design/Janlynn. I chucked the fabric (aida...ick!) and the thread and replaced it with Lambswool and Gloriana Cranberry. Deb finished it for me into a bellpull and she did a wonderful job considering the tight time constraints. Thanks Deb! Here's Deb's photo to me. It always seems like folks take much better pictures than me!

Remember all those red/cream sneakpeeks? This is what it turned out to be...

Here's my attempt:

I think I need photography lessons...

Karen called me today and was very happy with her present and even told me she already hung it on her wall. Yay! Hearing that made me very happy. I'm so glad it was a hit!

Ok, off to stitch on Boo Club a little more. I do more computer surfing (and cart clicking!) more than stitching nowadays. I already have enough stash to last me my lifetime...like I need more! I'm working on the Eek block and it's pretty simple. I'll probably finish tomorrow and get back to my gift programming.

Until next time...

Saved by Silk

Hey All...

Not in the most talkative mood but I thought I would blog really quick. The weekend was a complete drag because *the boy* was sick ALL weekend. I don't know what is up with this guy but he seems to be sick every other weekend and it's no fun. Not to mention the whining and the inability to do anything else when he's feeling bad...I don't really want to deal with it on my days off that are so few and far between. Maybe that makes me cold-hearted but sheesh...after a year of broken leg and everything else, I just want a break already! And we had such nice weekend plans. Plus, you know, he just started a job! He's supposed to be able-bodied and ready to work...especially after a 2 year hiatus. This is just ridiculous!

But anyways, you guys aren't here to listen to me rail on about *the boy* and think I'm a meanie. Stitching...that's what you're here for! I dragged my bum to the LNS this weekend and picked up the silk and it was pretty much a dead on match! Yay! Initially, I thought it was a little brighter than the original but the variation made it blend well. Since *the boy* was sick, I stitched my little heart out. Stitch, stitch, stitch! I would have finished this gift Sunday night but I was unfocused and burnt out on all the red. But I finished Monday night and am sending it to Deb so see if she can work her magic on it. OMGosh, I hope so. I feel pretty darn proud that I managed to finish this up in one month. A short month too and the finished dimensions are 8" x 18". Proves that if I focus, I can really be a fast stitcher when I want to be!

Here are a couple more sneak peeks...
Ignore the boy hair...I don't know how it got there...
I'll reveal it in its entirety once it's been received by the recipient.

For now, I am going to enjoy a couple of low-key days stitching on Boo Club. I'm behind now since I didn't stitch on it at all in February. I'd like to get 2 more sections stitched before I set it aside again. I still have 2 more gifts to stitch and my blogoversary is rapidly approaching and I would like to stitch something up for that as well for a giveaway. So Mary will have to wait a little longer. I swear, she yells at me everyday!

Thanks for everyone's suggestions on the "running out of silk" issue. They were useful for the future. I'm just happy it all worked out this time around.

Until next time...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

I did not have huge expectations for Valentine's Day this year as *the boy* is still technically unemployed and isn't due his first paycheck until mid-March and he is scraping pennies since his unemployment ran out months ago and EDD is slow on appeals. That's ok. We're going out to a nice dinner thanks to a gift certificate he bought at half-price months and months ago and that's fine by me.

We wakes up *way* before me. This morning, when I got up and went to the front room, I bypassed the kitchen and saw a bouquet of roses, card and small box of chocolates on my dining table. I did a double take and asked how he managed to sneak that stuff in! He snuck clothes into the hallway closet last night and woke up at 7am. While I was sleeping, he snuck into the hallway to change and snuck out of the house and walked to the nearby grocery store! I'm surprised I slept through it all but most nights I sleep with earplugs. What a sneaky boy! He says there were loads of guys out trying to pick out flowers and cards too. Hmmm....
He also said he'll be stuck eating tuna this week! haha Good thing we have a stocked pantry. Neither of us will starve! After slowly waking up, *the boy* made me a pancake breakfast and we headed to Costco. Normally, I need a valium (joking) before or after any Costco run but it was very quiet there today...although I got the usual sticker shock at the register.

It's also time to report on my TUSAL. Here's my jar modeling with our cards.
and a rather dark close-up...notice all the red threads!
I've been gift stitching every spare moment I have. I'm only about 40% done with it but I'm enjoying the process thus far. I'm only showing sneak peeks because the recipient peeks here every so often.
Hope everyone enjoys their day!

Until next time...

P.S. I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for my delivery from Jill Rensel scheduled for tomorrow. I'll be sure to share my framing soon. So excited!!

The House That I Built

So I'm back a day later that I thought. Let me tell you something...furniture shopping is really tiring!

Friday, we ordered chinese delivery and I stitched my little heart out. I built this house.
This is a sneak peek of part of the gift I am stitching. I think it's cute! The windows need to be backstitched but I am holding off on that until I finish all the cross stitches because I am fearful I'll run out of the Gloriana I am using and all the stores near me are out and let's not even get on the topic of dye-lots, etc. I hope I make it to the end! Hmmm...looking at this pic, I realize I missed a stitch...

Saturday, I made my pitstop at NiaH and had my list with all the fabric, threads, accessories and charts I was looking for and sadly, almost everything I wanted was out of stock! I walked away with this small collection.
Some black belfast for some ornies I will be making later in the year, some WDW for another project I plan to start late Summer and the dowel I think I will be using for the end result of the gift I am making.

And the kicker is that while I was shopping, *the boy* said he was going to go for a walk and I had to remind him not to walk far since we'd do more walking. So I shopped and was pretty much done fast but he hadn't come back yet and so I did more circles around the shop and he still didn't show up. I checked out and you know where I found him?! Asleep in the car!? We'd have gotten a move-on sooner if I had known that! *sigh*

The we hit four furniture shops. We sat down and got up like a million times and by the end of the day, I couldn't bear to get up one more time and was a log on the futon for a good part of the evening. *The boy* fell asleep the minute we got back home and he laid down. How does he do that?! The only times I nap is when I'm sick or incredibly exhausted! I think I am set on a Lane Snuggler and a Flexsteel sofa. I was disappointed to find out Lane doesn't really manufacture Snuggler and stationary sofa combos hence the mixing and matching. I still have more shops and research to do but that's the road I'm headed.

Sunday, I headed out for girly pampering and while I was at Hallmark picking up the month's selections of cards, I came across a display of Peanuts paraphernalia celebrating their 60th Anniversary and came across this cute little trinket. There were 4 to choose from and even though I wanted all of them, this one made me laugh out loud! It has a place of honor in the bookcase.
OK, this is getting pretty long but I have a couple of other things to share.

First off, thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment and share in our happiness. *The boy* came by and read all the comments and says thank you for the congratulations and good thoughts. I think he realizes that there were really people everywhere who were rooting for him and us and you all have been a great support system over the past year. For reals! He's also very happy I didn't chuck him off the balcony. haha He doesn't start until the Monday after next as they conclude his background and get things set up for him. His position is an entirely new one...not him replacing someone.

Second, Hillery pointed out I didn't share I am the new moderator to the Mary Wigham USA SAL blog. I didn't want to take away to *the boy's* news. So I'm the new moderator and I'm hoping to get everyone all excited to stitch on their Mary's and share. Of course, I do this transition when I am solely gift stitching and Mary is yelling at me every night. What a contradiction, right?! I am stitching as fast as I can on these gifts so I can return to my Mary. I can't wait! I hope everyone is stitching on their Marys! And if you want to join in on the fun, there's one spot left and I can start up a waiting list if anyone is interested! Just email me and let me know.

Thanks for sticking with me and this long post. I better peel off...I need to draw up *the boy's* to do list (taking full advantage of the time before he starts working full days) and figure out if I owe Uncle Sam and money or he owes me. I betcha...I owe him! And if I can stitch a little bit, that will really round out the day.

Until next time...

The Eagle Has Landed!

er..I mean the postman has arrived and two of my three packages have reached their final destination. That means I can share stuff. Woot!

Last month, Missy Ann sent me an old floor stand she had stored up in her attic and was no longer using. I mentioned earlier about how I had a floor stand fairy! I was so grateful that she was willing to give me the floor stand and I know I'll get much use out of it. It already had Mary Wigham ready and waiting for my SAL with Lisa to begin on Friday. I decided I would send her a little thank you package and Missy Ann let me know she received it. I'm so happy she liked everything. I made her an Isis scarf similar to the one I made for *the boy's* mom but with the correct cast on and needle size in an aqua, purple and fushia colorway. I also sent La D Da's Something Wicked with recommended silks, Tournicoton's Pere Noel and some other little things I came across.
A special thank you to Carol R. for being the courier for the yarn. Isis yarn isn't readily available around here not to mention the price hike is astronomical. But UK residents benefit of buying it at cost which is much more affordable, even with her shipping it to me. Thanks Carol!!

I also heard from Laura who was my partner in the SBBC birthday exchange. She sent me a funny email letting me know that she was so surprised to get a package as her birthday was actually September 22nd and not November 22nd and she had since forgotten. Oops! Guess there was a misunderstanding somewhere but she got her package and is happy and that's most important. Many of you may remember me talking about working on this exchange. I took my time, finished early and loved everything about it!

I stitched a tasseled pincushion and floss tag. The pincushion is filled with crushed walnuts to keep needles and pins sharp.

La D Da Tiny Sampler (freebie)
32 count Platinum Belfast
Recommended threads (omitted beads and added GAST Brandy in it's place)

I added SBBC on the back of the floss tag since that was the origin of the exchange and "happy birthday" on the back of the pincushion so she remembers why it was received.
And the entire exchange! I also included a couple of charts from Laura's wishlist and the corresponding threads for Mayflower Landing and a couple of other little goodies.

I hope it was all worth the wait Laura...happy birthday!

I'll fill you in on sewing pics tomorrow. I'm delayed. I finished all my samples but haven't done a thing about my pants other than take measurements. Time for me to peel off and trace my pattern now.

Until next time...

Cake Should Be A Food Group!

Thursday was my birthday. I turned 34 and it passed like a blur like any other day. But it was a nice day. *The boy* make me breakfast, I lounged, we saw the parentals and I got nice little gifts including birthday money I'm not sure what to do with and *the boy* took me to La Bodeguita Del Medio for dinner. We ordered a little less this time around but I was still ready to pass out in the restaurant from rum and food overload. Empanadas, croquetas, camarones en mojo (too spicy) and ropa vieja...everything was yum! Even the camarones...except after eating one my tongue was on fire! Thank goodness for the croquetas...those calmed the heat down afterwards!

Around noon, *the boy* sneaked out saying he had to run an errand. Mmm-hmmm....errand. He came back with this.
CAKE!!! I love cake...really, it should be it's own food group. Sometimes I go on a cake diet...and only eat cake...and somehow I lose weight despite eating lots of cake. Obviously, cake diets are not healthy but it's fun once in a while. This was a St. Honore cake...one of my favorites but *the boy* got it at my local bakery instead of making the trek to my long-standing go-to place for St. Honore. I didn't even know my local bakery made this cake! I decided to take it to my parents to share with them and minimize how much cake I'll eat. I haven't been exercising...my pants feel tight...you know the drill. Between the four of us, we devoured the entire cake in one sitting! It was yum!

The rest of the weekend has been nice...quiet with yummy meals in the evening. Yesterday, I went to a couple of morning appointments and the came home and relaxed until it was time to meet up with Claire for dinner at NOPA. We *love* this restaurant. Everytime I come here...it reminds me of the city vibe that I love and sometimes miss...and I feel happy and revitalized. The food never disappoints, I can have elderflower gimlets despite it not being on their cocktail menu and the service is beyond great. It's awesome! It's also cool because Claire and I like to share so we agree on an app, entree, side and dessert and just split everything and then walked out of their satisfied instead of stuffed and ready to roll down the street.

Tonight was filled with more relaxing, a trip back to the parentals to fix a couple of things and errands in the city. *The boy* and I passed by the spot of our first date and we decided to see if we could get a table. Reminisce a little, eat good food and be in a fun family-style place. It was like coming full circle at Capp's Corner. On our first date, we were both so nervous that *the boy* kept announcing he was nervous and barely ate a thing and I kept telling him to stop telling me he was nervous because it was making me nervous and I pushed food around on my plate. After a couple of glasses of wine, we were both more relaxed and having a great time. This time, we talked, ate plenty and then took a little walk around the neighborhood and stopped into his favorite bakery to have a little chat with the owner and have a little coffee before heading home. So far...great birthday weekend!

I'm pretty low-key about my birthday but even more so about this one. Bad year, relationship hoopla, slight hermit-mode...makes me want to hide-out and stitch a ton. I was surprised to find these goodies in the mailbox last week. I received a lovely card with little needlebook from the lovely CarolR and another card and little package from the ever-generous Edgar! And here is what was in Edgar's package. A lovely pinkeep (or pynkeepe as Edgar says) which is CarolR's SewRed design! I thought it was so funny as I was planning to stitch this up soon and now I don't have to. I love the purple and wine color scheme that Edgar picked out and it's found a special place in my living room/stitching nook. Thank you so much Edgar! I love it! Edgar's birthday is also tomorrow so Happy birthday Edgar!
And a little peek into my living room. I do this every year...for my birthday and at Christmas. I tape up the cards to my door so I can see them from where I sit on the futon. I mishmash of cards from stitchy friends, family, friends and co-workers.
So my mom, dad and *the boy's* mom gave me birthday money. I am debating whether I use the money for some semi-essentials like a new wallet and new work flats and you know, be kind of responsible. Or do I go all out on stash. I have 4 BAPs I want to start soon. Two of them are Mary Wigham and Fairy Moon which are both ready to go and fully kitted. But I also plan on stitching The American Sampler and Chatelaine TajMahal. I only have the charts for both. Birthday money would buy me the Taj kit(minus fabric) and all the silk for American Sampler (it's all super pricey) and I'd have to decide on fabric for both. I am so tempted to buy stash even though there is no way I'd be able to start either by the end of the year!! Ay, decisions, decisions.

And I've been stitching. I've been staying up super late each night working on the Letter G. I am really enjoying this so far but I think once I hit the fairy...those fractional stitches will drive me a little batty. *The boy* is amazed at my attitude about this one. I love it!! I really wonder what Letter V will look like...and when it will come out!

I'll work on it a little more tonight but I have the feeling my Tuesday report will be delinquent. Tomorrow will be an all sewing day...lots of homework. Monday is my long day (work from 8am-5pm and sewing class from 530pm - 930pm) plus *the boy* leaves Monday night too. So not much stitching outside of tonight for a few days...

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time...

Weekend Things and Stuff

What a great weekend! *The boy* and I had a funfilled time and I actually started my Monday on a good note. Miracle of miracles! On Friday night, we settled in to watch Semi-Pro with *the boy*. For every 2 Valerie movies, I'll pick out a boy movie off Netflix to share with *the boy*. I really do not understand the Will Farrell draw but whatever. It was an ok movie with a bunch of basketball references I didn't understand or would pick up like 10 minutes later...you know...when the joke is old.

On Saturday, *the boy* and I headed onto Bart for our little city adventure. We avoided the masses by heading through the Financial District and then walking up to North Beach. We grabbed an awesome chinese lunch at Brandy Ho's and walked about the neighborhood running errands. Not too long though because we had to hustle to grab two buses to the Castro Theatre to see Milk. With 15 minutes to spare before the movie was to start, the theatre was packed and we had to climb up to the balcony. I've been to the Castro Theatre tens of times and have never sat up in the balcony but it was very nice and much less crowded. *The boy* was in awe of the old glory of the theatre. I guess I've been there so may times that I now take it for granted but it was funny to see his reaction. The movie was fabulous but very sad considering the subject matter. All the actors did a wonderful job. After the movie, we walked back to Bart to end our journey. Once home, we tucked in to see a Bing Crosby movie called Going My Way. I had never heard of it before but it was very well done and quite funny! We both really enjoyed it.

On Sunday, I told *the boy* I wanted to stay home and stitch. It was supposed to be stormy and I had no desire to be out in the rain. While I stitched, *the boy* went to the grocery store, watched some football, took a nap and made a scrumptious roast chicken dinner. I had such a great day. Before the sun went down, I took this picture of my progress on Donna's Quaker RR. Not much to show but it's progress. I did stitch more after taking this picture and have that bull's horns motif almost done. That was a pesky motif seeing as there were a couple of mistakes in the chart and so I had to do a bit of frogging. With the holiday approaching, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to stitch since I have out-of-town visitors and big family dinners planned but I already have some time slotted for next Saturday to continue on this project. I really love this fabric and dark shade of green!
And after dinner, *the boy* and I tucked into watch Holiday Inn...another Bing Crosby movie. I had never seen it before and it was also quite funny. Not to mention, Bing Crosby's voice is amazing and Fred Astaire can dance like no other! Lots of movie watching this weekend!

This morning, I received an email from Carol telling me she received the birthday package I sent to her. I was so hoping I would time it right and that it would arrive on her birthday but alas, I was a few days late. Here is the pinkeep that I made for her. She told me she really liked it so I am very happy!

Quaker 2008 by Gazette94
32 Count Lakeside Linens Navy Bean
Crescent Colors Belle Soie Blue Lagoon

Carol included some much better pictures of the pinkeep details and extras which you can find on her blog here. I am so happy she liked her birthday surprise! Yay!

Be merry and delight...

Woo! I'm a Winner!

No, I didn't win the lotto but the next best thing is winning a bloggiversary prize. Monique had a giveaway on her blog a few weeks back and I was the lucky winner. I was shocked! I don't ever win anything! I was very eager to see what Monique had in store for me and I was so happy to see her package in the mail on Monday. She included two of her designs, a cut of 32 count belfast which will come in handy for sure and some lovely hand-dyed Dinky Dyes floss. I think it's hysterical that she sent me her *Daydream* design seeing as I ordered a threadholder that looks exactly like that from Monique a few months back! Thanks Monique!
A few weeks ago, I finished Brittercup Kitty with Bird for *the boy's* mom as a Christmas gift to her. Natasha asked that I post a picture once it was framed and here it is in all it's glory. *The boy* did good with picking out the frame. He did it all himself since I don't know what the mom likes or how she decorates. He picked this antiqued gold frame which actually accents the bird charm, yellows and the pale blue of the bird very nicely. I'm very happy with the framing job and I think that the mom will like it very much. At least I hope so!

Here Kitty, Kitty!

Recently, *the boy* has been subjected to a lot of "omg, I need time to stitch, I am so behind!* comments. Sometimes, he will sit with me and watch me pull needle through thread and other times, he'll head off to the other room to watch boring news shows. When I was making the floss tag for Claire, he said that he would really like it if I would make something for his mom and he really liked the Brittercup Kitty I stitched up on the tag so I had him pick out a pattern for me to stitch and he chose Brittercup Designs Kitty with Bird. It was a fast stitch and shown below. Not the best photo and the little blue bird is a very pale blue. I am debating whether I should stitch it up in a darker light blue. *The boy* wants to frame it so we'll head off to Aaron Brothers to see if we can find a nice frame for it.

Brittercup Designs Kitty with Bird
28 count Zwiegart Lugana Bisque

suggested WDW threads

That's all for now. The weekend will be filled with ornament finishing and a couple of new starts. All for gifts. I hope everyone has a nice relaxing weekend before the insanity of what is always Thanksgiving!

Giftie for Claire

This past weekend, I went on a relaxing getaway with my dear friend, Claire. She's an October baby too so this was a quasi-birthday getaway as well. I decided to try my hand at making a floss ring tag using the cute kitty from Brittercup Designs. Claire is new to cross stitch and has been dying to have me take her to Needle in a Haystack so she could gt the supplies fort he Trick or Treat Kitty featured in the JCS Halloween Ornament issue. Since it was her birthday, I decided to get the supplies for the project as part of her birthday gift and attach all the threads to the Kitty floss ring tag. Here is the front and back of the floss ring tag to be. It was a quick stitch! On the back I stitched her name with the year and a couple of pink hearts.
Below is the finished product. I was very proud of myself! It was super easy to make thanks to the handy-dandy Crop-o-Dile I bought at Michael's recently. And the best thing is that Claire really liked it and loved her birthday present overall. Yay! That makes me happy!

28 ct. Mushroom Jazlyn
WDW Onyx and Hibiscus
Design: Brittercup Designs Kitty Freebie

Giftie for Edgar

I finally dragged out my camera and just brought it to work with me this morning in the hopes that I could be productive in my *show and tell* and I discovered this photo. Wow, I am really behind on blogging!! I made this little quaker pinkeep for Edgar in celebration of his birthday at the beginning of October. Edgar's birthday is 3 days after mine so it was really easy to remember! Edgar likes all things quaker and pinkeeps which he calls pynkeepes so I decided to make him something within that realm. Along with the pinkeep, I included a tin of Altoid licorice mints because I remembered he said he liked licorice candy, as well as a skein of Crescent Colors overdyed floss in Camaoflage. Edgar sent me a nice email and thank you card to let me know how much he liked the giftie and extras. Yay!! Happy Birthday Edgar!

Pinkeep for Edgar
32 ct. Lakeside Linens Vintage Light Examplar
Crescent Colors Belle Soie Moss
Pattern: Gazette94

Birthday Gift for BossLady

Last night, we threw BossLady a surprise birthday bbq. I think we had her fooled until her husband drove into the parking lot and she saw all the company cars in the lot. Ack! Well, what are we to do? She was pretty surprised and happy at the bbq and there was lots of food and drink. I went home sleepy and full. Good way to end the day. I managed to whip "Woof" into a small flatfold and Ta-Da...here is what it looks like. I decided to tackle making a bow and used Vonna's tutorial. Vonna is a lifesaver with those tutorials in guiding a new finisher like me to create some cute things like Woof shown below.

Lizzie*Kate Woof Flip-It

28 count Light Mocha Cashel

Recommended threads - WDW, GAST and DMC

Finished as Flatfold

Here is the side view. I really liked the ribbon I used for the bow and the backing fabric. Can you see it? The backing fabric is a cream color with hearts, bones and pawprints. It is very cute! I did have problems joining the trim on the bottom because it began to fray at a crazy speed. I had to use lots of glue to get it back in order so now there is a little bump. But at least that is on the bottom. BossLady seemed to really like it and I also gave her some dark chocolate and strong mints as well.

Now my obligatory stitching is all done and accomplished and it's time for selfish stitching. Instead of working on Santa or Fairy Moon (like I should), I decided to start a new project, the Bent Creek Snappers. I started it this past week but have only managed the border on the January square. I'll share a snap after the weekend to show my progress as I definitely have stitching in the weekend agenda. Yay!

Oh and please keep the state's firefighters in your thoughts. California is in bad shape and my department is now in it's 5th deployment since May. I really wish that it rained in the summer here...

Happy weekend everyone!

Woof

I finished a small project that I have yet to transform into a cute birthday present for my boss at work. She is a huge dog fanatic and I thought that the Lizzie*Kate "Woof" Flip-it would be really cute for her. Below is a snap of the completed stitching. I think it came out very cute and I really like the combination of colors. Sorry, the snap is so wrinkled.
The Boss Lady has always commented on my stitching and how much she wishes "she can do that". I tried teaching her once but I guess trying to teach someone needlework after they've had a couple of cosmos isn't all that bright. Shoot....cosmos never stop me from stitching! Perhaps having her own piece to study will inspire her. I'm hoping to turn this into a pinkeep or a flatfold. I'll be sure to share the final product once I'm done with the transformation.