I won! I won! I won!

I generally consider myself rather unlucky when it comes to contests and such. Imagine my surprise, joy and all around giddiness when I was informed that I won the blog candy offered at The Sparklie Things Blog (don't you just *LOVE* that blog name???) last week. It looks as if there are some amazingly yummy threads coming my way. I feel so blessed. Now I need to decide just how I'm going to pass on my good fortune as I can't just keep this to myself. Keep checking this space, you never know what I'm going to come up with! :-)



My spot of good fortune came at just the right time as between still not feeling well (I think I'm actually going another round with this wretched cold!) and other stresses I've been quite down for the last little while. Both my little darlings are causing me no small amount of stress as of late, but it's neither of their faults - it's just life. My oldest DS is getting ready to go off to middle school next fall. It should be a simple process, but sadly for him it's not. Cameron has been classed as gifted (don't read too much into that, it's only Grade 5!) and as a result he has to go through this long, involved, STUPID process to determine what middle school he'll be attending next year. It's causing me no small amount of stress as I'm continually jumping through hoops to make sure he'll get into a school with a contained gifted program and neither his current school nor his school board is being helpful at all! With a bit of luck though the whole thing will be resolved at the next meeting I attend on May 31. I was happy when Cameron was classed as gifted, but now I'm not so sure about the whole thing.... *sigh* Oh well!


My little Bryce has come out with his own set of difficulties too. He's been struggling a little bit in school - nothing hugely major, but the school felt we should have it checked out by a professional. So, one psychoeducational assessment later and it turns out that Bryce has Inattentive ADD with the added bonus of a writing disability. It explains a lot of his difficulties in school, but I'm still unsure of what impact this will have on the rest of his schooling. The upshot of the assessment is that he is considered to be at the high end of average intelligence - almost gifted in fact. It explains why he's been able to cope as well as he has up until now, but as academic demands increase, he may struggle more. So, now we know. Next up is figuring out what comes next!

So, that's why the stitching is suffering slightly. The models are still receiving attention, but not nearly as much as I'd like. I haven't really picked up much else, although for my birthday weekend I did finally relent and let myself start a project that has been waiting for me for at least 5 or maybe 6 years - L&L's Nantucket Rose. I haven't got much done on it yet, so no point posting a progress picture and it's not going to get much needle time until the models get done - they're my top priority. But it was a nice birthday treat to myself to start a project that has called me for years.

And it's SBQ time!

Today's SBQ was suggested by Ish (http://ishsuth.wordpress.com/) and is:

How do you choose a project for an exchange? Do you pick solely onwhat you know of the taste of the recipient or are there other reasonsyou pick the piece you do?

The permalink to this post is: http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/05/sbq-exchange-choices/

Well, I'm participating in my first exchange ever, so I don't think I'll have a great answer to this one.... I'm just about to mail out my first exchange which is a Dragon Dreams exchange over at the Rotation Stitchers BB. Since the exchange is designer-specific, it was relatively easy to pick a project to stitch. I have to admit though that I had my finishing idea first and then chose the right design to fit the finishing. When I can post pictures that'll make more sense, really!

If I participate in another exchange then I would likely do my utmost to get a feel for what things my recipient likes and attempt to give them something they would like, even if it wasn't my taste.

Finally, here's a little picture of me with my boys with the birthday cake that they baked for me:

And yes, I'm grimacing in the picture. I was feeling quite awful at the time and really didn't want my picture taken, but DH insisted. At least the boys look cute (Bryce is at the front & Cameron at the back)! :-)

Anyway, I think I'll treat myself to some flower shopping for the garden - it's time to get a few baskets done!

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The Story of the Christmas Spider.....

At the Spring CreativFestival I was able to make an adorable little Christmas Spider at a make it and take it from Dragon's Lair Beads. I think I finally may have managed a halfway decent picture of my little guy, but I apologise for all blurriness. My camera and I are having a little bit of an argument over just what 'in focus' means apparently. Here he is:

He also came with this sweet story of why every Christmas tree should have a spider on it:

A long time ago a housewife was busily cleaning for Christmas. the spiders fled upstairs to the attic to escape the broom. When the house became quiet the spiders slowly crept downstairs for a peek. Oh what a beautiful Christmas tree! In their excitement they scurried up the trunk and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed amongst the glittering beauty. But alas! By the time they were through climbing, the tree was completely shrouded in their dustry grey spider web. When Santa Claus came with the gifts for the children and saw the tree covered with spider webs, he smiled as he saw how happy the spiders were, but knew how heartbroken the mother would be if she saw the tree covered with dusty webs. So he turned the webs into silver and gold. The tree sparkled and shimmered and was even more beautiful than before. That's why we have tinsel on our tree and every tree should have a Christmas spider in its branches.

I'm afraid I cannot attribute this text to anyone as there was no information written on the sheet. If you know to whom I owe an attribution, please let me know!

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Here's this week's SBQ suggested Kathryn:

How many WIPs do you have? How many UFOs do you have? When does a WIP become a UFO?

The permalink to this post is: http://blog.blondelibrarian.net/archives/2007/05/sbq-wips-and-ufos/

Ummmmm - well, I don't exactly count them.... I'm rather terrified of the thought actually! In terms of WIPs, well right now I've got 2 models on the go and I usually have another smaller travel project floating about with me too (an ornament or something along those lines). I don't have anything else large on the go as the models require top attention, since they're paying jobs..... I'm not sure how many UFOs I have but I do make an effort to pull at least one out every few months and finish it up if possible. Many of my present UFOs are from classes I've taken and I just haven't had time to return to the project. I personally consider a piece a UFO if it leaves the stitching basket beside the couch where my stitching nook is. If it's in the basket it's being worked on, even if I may not have touched it in recent months.... :-)

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I'm finally starting to feel a little more human, but I'm still so stuffed up that I feel vaguely like I'm swimming underwater. I've done nothing useful with myself this week at all. Zero energy. I don't think I've even picked up a needle. That's how you know I'm sick!

Onwards and upwards from here, right? I've got to get better for Saturday - DH and my boys are baking me a cake for my birthday! :-)

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Oh bleck!

Why is it that as soon as we get some nice weather (shorts and t-shirt weather), I always (and I mean always) manage to come down with a cold?? Yesterday was gorgeous outside. What did I do all day? Laid on the couch and moaned for the most part. I hate colds. My head's all stuffy and my throat hurts and I hardly slept last night.... *bleah*

Enough whining! :-)

I have tried to take a picture of the crystal spider that I made at the Spring CreativFestival but my camera just isn't co-operating. Every picture is so out of focus it looks as if I took it while standing on the deck of a rolling ship. I'll keep trying, but I give up for the moment! Trust me, it looks really cute though....

When I wasn't moaning and groaning (and sneezing *achoo*, 'scuse me), I was busily working at finishing my exchange piece for the Dragon Dreams exchange coming up shortly. I'm almost finished the finishing so then it'll be time to package and drop in the post! I'd share pictures, but you know how it goes.... Soon! :-)

In the meantime, here's a piece I finished a couple of years ago:

This piece is from a class I took with Anna Marie Winter a few years ago at the CreativFestival. It's supposed to be made into a needlebook, but I've yet to get around to that. I just really like how this piece looks. It was fun to stitch, relatively easy and just looks pretty. The fibres are all silk serica and/or silk mori with some metallics thrown in for sparkle. I'd dig out the name of the piece, but it would require more energy than I have to expend at the moment.

Anyway, I need to go buy some groceries as the cupboards are looking quite bare this morning. Then I need to work on the models again.....

Oh, and Happy Birthday Mom!

My birthday is this coming Saturday too. We're into heavy birthday season here. Next up after me is my MIL, then BIL, then DH and one of my nieces (and that only takes us to mid-June - there's more after that!). The fun never ends.....

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D'oh!

As Homer would say.............

I meant to say a big thank-you to the new commentators to my blog! So, thanks for your comments and I hope you'll keep reading!

I really need to find my head, I'm sure it's around here somewhere....

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Creativ Festival Stash, SBQ and Random Bits.....

Well, let's see - it's been a busy week since I last posted. I haven't been stitching too terribly much, but there has been a little bit of it here and there....

I have been dilligently working on my Dragon Dreams Exchange piece - the stitching is almost done except that I ran out of one fibre. I'm waiting for re-inforcements there... I did gather together just about everything else needed though, so just another hour or so of stitching and a little more for final assembly and it'll be done. Pictures will have to wait, 'natch....

I went to the Spring Creativ Festival at the International Centre in Mississauga last weekend with my 'new' stitching friend. We had a wonderful time. The Spring show has definitely improved somewhat since it's resurrection a few years ago. There still isn't enough there to keep me interested for more than one day, but I did enjoy that one day a lot. We shopped at the needlework vendors (although there weren't many of those), we made soap (terrifically easy), we made a jeweled spider with Swarovski crystals - neat and easy project, we got lost in the Lens Mills fabric bolts, we made neat art cards...... It was a fantastic day overall. Here's the main stash acquisition:

I didn't pick up a huge quantity of charts or fibres as there wasn't a heck of a lot at the show I wanted. I did grab "More Precious than Gold" at the festival and got to see the model IRL. It's really lovely and I couldn't resist. I grabbed a bunch of Dinky Dyes as well. I have a very serious fibre addiction problem. Some really pretty fat quarters of fabric just jumped into my hands as well - some dragons, asian fans, sewing-themed and butterfly-themed... I've been lusting after a magnetic pincushion for a while now - particularly after I dropped my entire pinbox on the kitchen floor some months ago. Luckily I found it on sale for a song. I couldn't resist another rotary cutter either - and this one comes with a blade that will do a wavy cut. Toys! Lots and lots of toys! Whee!!!!!!!! :-)

The rest of my little world just keeps spinning - it's been busy with pizza day at school, Primary Literacy (a program that helps Grade 1's with their reading skills) and various other things. The weather has started improving slightly as well, so I've been clearing up the garden too. I made the investment in a new landscaping plan for the front of our house and I've been dreaming of winning the lottery so I could execute the whole plan all at once.... Seeing as that isn't too likely, I may just have to settle for doing a portion of the work this year and work the rest in as time and funds permit. The plan is just lovely though and well worth the price. At least now we have a direction! It'll soon be time to take down the birdfeeders and I'll miss my little feathered visitors to my backyard - we've had tremendous variety this winter, including a Peregrine Falcon (who admittedly was hunting the sparrows that we had in the backyard, but still...) and the first Blue Jay I've seen in years. I have a little cardinal couple that has been hanging out all winter too - I'm hopeful they'll build a nest and have babies! Ah Spring! :-)

I'm very behind on my blogging and I missed last weeks SBQ, so here it is:

Suggested Danielle (http://scopist.blogspot.com/):

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

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/04/sbq-the-wagon/

I admit that the whole concept of being on "The Wagon" is a relatively new idea to me and I've only known about it for less than a year. I have considered going on the wagon, but realize that for the most part, I've been on it for a few years! I don't buy stash with any kind of regularity and while I still possess more than I can stitch in 6 lifetimes, I'm not obsessively adding to it. I am trying this year to use more fabrics and fibres from my stash for stitching ornaments as I have a large number of small cuts of fabrics from Silkweaver's and Sugar Maple Fabrics and the like, so I guess that is wagon-ish behaviour.... How's that for a non-answer? :-)

Back to the land of the models!

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Well, I really am here............

I'm not sure where the last week and a half has gotten to. I can't believe I haven't posted in all that time. There's nothing awful or bad going on - I guess things just got busy over Easter and I'm still trying to get back on track.

I've been plugging away on those two models I've got on the go. I have also managed to squeeze in one little Christmas ornament. A few weeks ago I posted about a little spot sampler that I had picked up from an old class and I've made a great amount of progress on it. Mostly thanks to the time my little guy was in hospital. It was the perfect size for hospital stitching...

Anyway, here's some pictures and details!!!!

This is M Designs Peace Ornament from the 2004 JCS Ornament Issue. I did a fair bit of substituting on this one as I couldn't easily get the Silk 'n Colors called for in the design. I replaced it with some Gloriana Silk in Cranberry. The linen is a 32-count Jobelan called Star Sapphire (from Silkweaver, I believe) - a greeny linen IRL. I'm really quite pleased with how this piece turned out overall. I elected not to put the beads on it partly because I haven't the right ones to hand. I do have a star charm to put at the top but I see in true-to-me-form, I've forgotten to do it just yet.... Soon, soon....

Here's my Small Spot Sampler from Timeless Designs. It's coming along fine - just some over-one bits left, some strawberries across the bottom and another row of eyelets below the fruit basket and it'll be done. This is my present travelling project, so it's not getting huge amounts of attention right now. It'll get done. Eventually. Really. Sometime before the next millennium at any rate..... ;-)

In a completely unrelated event, I think the tooth fairy needs to move into my house. In the last week between the two of them my boys have lost a total of 5 teeth. For a while I was worried that the tooth fairy would forget where our house is since it had been so long since anyone had lost a tooth. Now I think she needs to move in to save herself some time. My littlest one has lost his two front teeth and has a lisp to go with it.... I guess my baby is growing up after all.....

Well, I suppose I had better spend some energy on those models again - they're calling out for some time and attention.

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The Scream Heard 'Round the World

Yes, that was me last night in the wee hours. Wondering why I was screaming? This is why:

Notice anything funny? Yes, there's one little flower that isn't complete. Why isn't it complete you ask????? Because the little kit that came with all the floss didn't have enough freakin' floss. Naturally it wasn't DMC, but WDW's begonia. I ran out with 5 half-stitches to finish, plus another 3 stitches the row below. I'm not buying a full skein for that few stitches. I could complain to the shop where I bought the kit, but then again I did find the kit in the 50% off bin, so it seems a bit unfair to grumble too loudly. It was just annoying to be *that* close...... *sigh*


So, I ripped out the last flower and substituted plain old DMC. It doesn't look quite as nice, but it's not too bad, is it?

I guess I have to chalk it up to just one of those things. I still like this little piece from Lizzie*Kate. It's very pretty. I'm going to have to give it away soon though - that last flower is just staring me in the face. It's supposed to be the same as the second one from the left. IRL they're not even close now. But I don't want to rip out the other flower. Heck, flowers aren't all the same colour in nature, right? That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. So there. Phooey! It'll have to leave my house or it'll slowly drive me stark staring mad. Wouldn't that be fun? Hmmmmm - maybe not.


In other news - I've started preparing for the Dragon Dreams exchange over on the Rotation Stitcher's BB. It's my first exchange ever and I'm very grateful to the kind folks over at the Rotation BB for being so welcoming and permitting me to join them. I would share more details on just what I'm planning, but then you never know who might be reading! :-) Suffice it to say that I'm very hopeful my recipient won't be disappointed. I don't know precisely who I'm exchanging with just yet but I need to start stitching now so that it'll be finished in good time. Working on my models is my first priority but I usually eke out a bit of time here and there to work on small things for myself.

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And here's this week's SBQ suggested by Heather http://theneedlesbewitchingeye.blogspot.com/):

How do you decide which stitching blogs are worth repeat and/or regular viewings? Are there certain things you look for in particular?Are there things you wish there were more of? Less of? Is your blog a good example of what you like to read?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/04/sbq-blog-criteria/


This is a tough one to answer, or at least it is for me.... I have been watching and reading blogs for a number of years now but only seriously started my own a few months ago. I found the ones that I like to read mostly by tripping over them as I web-surfed. If I enjoyed what the author had to say, I subscribed to the feed and kept on reading. About the only thing I dislike in blogs are ones that play music that I can't turn off! I can't pinpoint anything in particular that I look for in a blog - I just want to enjoy reading it. I love seeing other people's WIPs and completed projects. They keep me inspired and hopeful that someday I'll finish something too! :-) I have found recently more blogs that show different and unique finishing techniques and have actually tried a couple. That has helped me to do more than just frame....


Is my blog a good example of what I like to read? I'm not really sure. I started blogging seriously mostly for myself. I wanted some kind of record of what I am doing stitching-wise and blogging seemed to fit most easily in my life. It seems to be motivating me as well to take more pictures of things as they are finished. I have many, many pieces that I gave away and I have no picture of them. Since I don't sign or date any of my work, I really do need to be better at keeping a pictoral record of my things.

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Back to model-land for a while.

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Little Happy Dance and a needlework survey!



Well, I took a few moments away from my models last night to finish up my Christmas ornament for the month of March. I fell in love with this design when I first saw it and I was really happy with how quickly it stitched up:

This piece is from the 2006 JCS Ornament Issue. It's by Patricia Ann Designs and it's called Christmas Poinsettia. I used all the recommended fibres, but changed the fabric from an antique white linen to a Lt. Mocha Quaker cloth. I really like how it turned out. I still need to get a snowflake charm for the center. I didn't have the right thing in my stash, so I'll have to do a little shopping... Boy, that'll be a hardship! :-)

And, if you haven't already done so, go fill out the TNNA questionnaire about needlearts:

http://www.HartBusinessResearch.com/needlearts.htm

They'll donate a dollar to charity and it's a great chance to voice your thoughts on the needlework industry in general!

Back to the models!

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New stash!

What a fun week I've had! I have recently discovered someone else who stitches and not just from kits from Michaels! Yay! She hadn't been to my favorite LNS, Gitta's - which is just a short drive away from my home. So, needless to say, we were off an an afternoon's adventure! It's been too long since I hit the LNS, as my smoking credit card will attest!!! :-)

Here's what I got: DD's Proof & Dragon Alphabet, TW's Knotwork Bookmarks II, a freebie from A Stitcher's Hands called Garden Square, and I got lost in the wall of fibres..... It seems that a whole pile of fibres just jumped into my hands - some RG Fuzzy Stuff, some Kreinik #4 in mallard (DS#1 insists it's the colour of dragon scales!), some WDW, some GAST (okay, a lot of GAST), some Gloriana silk and some Dinky Dyes. I also bought the cool bag as through it's purchase I'll save 10% off all regularly-priced stuff for the next 2 years. I already saved half the cost of the bag with just the stuff pictured above! I think this bag is a good thing! Plus it's pretty.

This picture is of a few things I pulled out of the 50% off wall - a nice little linen cut, Lizzie*Kate's Friendship blooms, all kitted up, Lizzie*Kate's Welcome Tooth Fairy Snippet, another kit from the Trilogy called School Treats (for DS#2's teacher at the end of the year!). Definitely got some good deals here and had to work very, very, very, very hard not to buy more! Darn that wall of fibres! ;-)

I had a fun afternoon and just know we'll be doing it again, but hopefully not until the credit card cools down a wee bit! ;-)

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Here's this week's SBQ suggested Cindy (http://didimr2.blogspot.com/) :

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

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/03/sbq-freebie-organization/

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System? What system? :-) I tend to print out many of the freebies that I like a lot and then file them in file folders by designer. Ones I'm not sure whether or not I'll actually stitch I tend to download and file away on the computer someplace logical. I do bookmark sites that have freebies that change periodically, but often forget to check them unless I see someone else has stitched a 'new' freebie...

Off to play in my new stash for a bit - then back to work on the models!

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Spring is here - I think...

Well, today it's supposed to warm up to a balmy 8C (46F for the non-metric folks)... At least it should get rid of the last of the snow. Wandering in my garden this morning revealed that my daffodils and many of my tulips are all poking their heads out of the ground. I hope it warms up instead of cooling down - I'm not sure what it'll do to the flowers if it gets cold again! I am so ready for some warm weather!

In my stitching world, not much is going on really - I've finally gotten back to work on my models now that Bryce is on the mend and back at school. Things are moving much more slowly than I'd like, but isn't that the way it always is when you're stitching??? :-)

I realized I've missed a couple of SBQ's - I guess I have a pretty good excuse! Here's the catch up:

SBQ - March 7, 2007:

Do you use your needle, a seam ripper, or something else when you have to frog stitches? Why do you use the method that you do?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/03/sbq-rip-rip/

I usually use a needle since it's right there and handy and all. And it's usually fitting punishment for that baaaadddd needle! :-) I have actually cut stitches out with my hardanger scissors a few times when I was just off by one stitch but would have needed to frog half the world to get to that one stitch. Then I usually need to locate my boo-boo stick (basically it looks like a mascara wand) to clean up the mess. My boo-boo stick has vanished recently (I'm hopeful the couch fairies who steal needles have it and will give it back! They recently returned my Clover cutter...)... Maybe I'll just have to buy another one!

SBQ - March 15, 2007

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

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/03/sbq-shopping-spree/

This is a tough one to answer as I'm not sure what I'd buy. There's just too much out there! I guess I'd end up buying all the speciality fibres I could manage (Crescent Colors, WDW, GAST, Dinky Dyes, etc.) and fabric and patterns..... Maybe a lap stand (I have a floor stand already) for when I'm taking classes.... Or maybe I'd just put the whole lot towards going to an American stitching festival as I've never been to one.

Then again, maybe the money should go towards hiring a cleaning lady so I wouldn't have to do it and then I could stitch more! ;-)

Off to work on the models again!

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Surfacing at Last....

It's been a crazy week since my little one had his surgery and this is the first time I've really felt like blogging much. His surgery went quite well - only 2 hours (it was scheduled for 3) and we were able to come home that evening. He had 3 doses of morphine in the recovery room which was handy for pain control, but gave the poor kid a bad case of the barfs for the next 24 hrs. Morphine really doesn't agree with him, but it did help us to get him home with minimum pain - he actually slept the whole way! It's not a terribly long drive, but we left Sick Kids right at rush hour, so what should have taken half an hour took a little over an hour.

Today Bryce is pretty much back to normal, although he's still walking around as if there's a basketball between his knees! Hopefully the swelling will continue to go down and he'll be back to walking normally soon!

It's March Break here, so the boys are home from school. We've had a fun time so far playing some video games, building some things with K'Nex (we've just about finished a roller coaster) and generally hanging out. It's difficult to do too much as Bryce's mobility has been relatively limited.

Stitching-wise I haven't really been doing much. Bryce needed a fair bit of help for the first while so my time was quite consumed with that. Now I'm worn out and find myself napping in the middle of the day! Hopefully that'll stop soon as I've got models that really need some attention!

Off to bed, I think!

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What pretty little fabbies....





I'm starting to think that Canada Post doesn't hate me as much as I think it does. Not only did it finally bring me the necessary floss to keep progressing on a model I'm working on but it also brought me some beautiful fabrics that I ordered from Sugar Maple Fabrics. SMF was having a sale on some 9X12 fabrics on e-bay and I just couldn't resist. I have a hopeless addiction to these small cuts of fabric and an even larger addiction to hand-dyed fabrics. I'm already contemplating what I'll stitch on these.....

From left to right the fabrics are: Ice Pops (28 ct.), Gilded Majesty (28 Ct. and much greener than in the picture), Treetops (28 ct. and really, really sparkly IRL), Water Sprite (32 ct. and a deeper green) and In the clouds (25 ct.). I've spent a good portion of my evening fondling and dreaming. I love good fabric.

I certainly needed this little stash boost to distract me today. We're only 2 days away from my little one's next surgery. I'm trying not to focus too much on it, but it's hard. It may be minor surgery, but it's minor surgery on my little boy! I'm such a mother sometimes! :-) I just remind myself that we're lucky he's so healthy and normal and that everything will be just fine.

Off to stitch a bit before bed!

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Random thoughts and musings........





Well, March certainly decided to come in like a lion today - although not until about 1 PM! Snow began coming down in a surprisingly hard fall this afternoon. DH has already shoveled once and no doubt will need to shovel again before long. We're in for some decidedly odd weather as later this evening it's supposed to change to freezing rain (joy!) and then in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow it's supposed to rain. I'm sure that tomorrow morning will bring an odd assortment of school closings, bus closings and we're-not-sure-but-we're-closed closings. Buses were cancelled today but we live within shouting distance of the school (I can hear the bell ring if I open my front door at the right time), so my boys were off to school today. They loved all the snow this afternoon. My oldest DS took almost an hour to walk home (it usually takes between 5 and 10 minutes!) - he was having too much fun playing in the snow with his friend. :-)





I'm starting to feel relatively stressed out. My youngest DS is heading into Sick Kids next Thursday for his 7th surgery to correct his birth defect. I won't go into the gory details here (it would likely give me a R rating). It's called hypospadias (the birth defect, not DS! :-) ) and is thankfully not life threatening, but necessary to repair. This round of surgery is relatively minor in comparison to some of things he went through in 2005 but I still stress out. I know it'll be fine, I just seem to need to put myself through this stress. I think I'm losing my mind. If anyone finds it, could you please return it?





The up side to the stress feeling - I stitch more when I'm stressed. :-) So my models are getting some goodly attention. I also picked up an old piece from a class I took at the CreativFestival a few years ago. It's a lovely little spot sampler and is just small enough that I can enjoy picking it up for those brief times when I'm not working on models. Plus it has some repetitive-ness about it that is very soothing at the moment. Here's a little picture of it:

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And I've neglected to answer this week's SBQ suggested by Danielle( http://scopist.blogspot.com/):

Do you find yourself stitching faster when you are getting to the endof a design?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/02/sbq-smoking-needles/

I think I do stitch faster when I'm nearing the end, but then I do stitch pretty fast in general (just ask anyone who has taken a class with me - I'm known for having electric needles!). When I'm nearing the end of a piece (particularly if it's a large piece) then I'm desperate to get it done so I can start something new or just bask in the glow of having finished something!

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Little Happy Dance!





With our electricity being so flaky yesterday I really hesitated to pick up my model as I was sure I'd just mess it up - who knows what I'd accidentally do when the lights went out! :-)





So instead I picked up another ornament that was just about finished and decided I'd polish it off. It's from the 1997 (?) JCS ornament issue. It's from JBW Designs and it's entitled "Hearts of Joy". I'm not sure what fabric I used - I've had this sitting in my project pile waiting to be stitched for at least a year. I used the recommended fibres (it was all DMC) and beads. It's such a pretty little ornament. IIRC it's at least the 3rd time I've stitched it.... Anyway, here it is:

I really need to spend some time ornament-ifying some of the ornaments I've finished so far this year. Maybe I'll get some time soon, but who knows?

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Of Snowy Days, Pizza Days and Power Cuts!

Woke up this morning with my children informing me that the power was out. Sadly it was still a good hour before I needed to be conscious.... Luckily for them they're so gosh darned cute! :-)

The power flicked off and on all morning. DH managed his shower but the power shut off before he could shave. It came on again just after he'd managed to get dressed (in the dark) so he jumped in the loo to shave quickly. It went out again not long after he finished that. He had to have a breakfast of cold cereal poor guy.... I managed a shower and got my hair dry before the power went out again. It came back on in time to make breakfast for the boys and myself (I got a cup of coffee! Yipee!) and went out again just as we sat down to eat. I feel like a human yo-yo.

As we were eating our breakfast (in the semi-darkness - sun was coming up by then), it started to snow these great big fluffy flakes. It was so pretty - all the trees and branches were covered in this pretty, pretty snow. The boys made snowballs the whole way to school.

And I spent my late morning helping out with pizza day - I guess the hydro stayed on for long enough for the pizza guy to bake 61 cheese pizzas and 35 pepperoni pizzas for us. We divided, conquered and served the entire school population in record time. I *so* don't want to see pizza again anytime soon. :-P

And just to finish off (just so that there's something needlework related here!), here's this weeks SBQ:

Suggested by Kathryn(http://threadsofdesire.blogspot.com/) :

What is the smallest count fabric you have ever used? Did you stitchover one? Conversely, what is the largest count fabric you have ever used?

The permalink to this post is:http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/02/fabric-count/

Hmmmmmm - let's see the smallest would have to be a 40ct. over-one piece I did. Not sure where the heck that piece ended up come to think of it. I may need to have a stash rummage. Largest is probably a 10-ct waste canvas used to stitch some motifs on some onesies when all my friends were having babies. I'll stitch on just about any size, any count, over one, over two, whatever - just give me a needle and floss! ;-)

Back to working on my models - although one is just sitting as I've run out of fibres and am (im)patiently waiting for more to arrive. Canada Post hates me. :-P

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Time for change and this weeks SBQ!

Well, it seems to be going around blogger-land - folks all seem to be changing their templates and I had a sudden inspiration to change mine. I kinda like the blue but I'm not sure about the rose - it seems a bit, well, big, doesn't it? Anyway, I'll try it for a wee bit - maybe it'll revert back to old faithful! :-)

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Today's SBQ is:

Do you like to buy "chartpacks" that include charms, buttons, and/orbeads or do you prefer to gather all materials yourself?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/02/sbq-and-psn/

Well, the short answer to that is it depends. If I really like the design then I would buy a quality chartpack that includes charms/buttons/beads, etc. Certainly makes it easier. However, if I think I can find a substitute more easily/inexpensively then I prefer to do that. I have difficulty justifying paying $10 - $15 extra for a charm when I could likely find a perfectly reasonable substitute for under $5.

However, I do like buying thread packs for designs as often there isn't enough of a specialty fibre used in the design to justify the cost of a full skein. If I'm doubtful I would use more of that particular fibre on other projects, I much prefer being able to just buy the amount needed for the design I'm working on.

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I have been trying hard to work on my models but time has been squished this week. I spent yesterday in the dentist office with my youngest DS as he was getting some cavities filled. He has a complicated medical history (that I won't bore you with) and one of the 'results' of all the trouble he's had in his little life is bad teeth. Most of his adult molars have erupted with cavities in them! Anyway, he was a real champ at the dentist's office and I was really proud of him.

Hopefully there'll be some stitching time this weekend, but it's not looking too promising. DH has to work this weekend so I'll be pretty busy with my boys. We'll see.

*And* I did get my smilies back! I think Meari was asking how to make smilies work - check out the instructions at this website:

http://freeblogspottemplates.blogspot.com/2006/03/blogger-emoticons.html

Follow the directions and it should work. The only thing that isn't in the instructions is to make sure your template doesn't have more than one < body > tag in it.... If you're still having trouble, e-mail me and I'll try to help! Good luck!

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Am I here yet?


Well, I've been dragged, unhappily to the new version of blogger. So far I'm unimpressed. The new version turfed all my cute little emoticons. Now I'll need to muck with some Java script to make them work again. Phooey!


On a happier note, I do have a finish to share. During my endless days of waiting last week, I managed to put in a good amount of time on TW's Needle Guardian (from this past October's Creativ Festival). I haven't made it into a needlebook just yet as I want to line the backside first (it's quite unsightly!)... Still, the stitching is all done. How do you like Stormy (as I've named him)?

He turned out even better than I had imagined. Thanks to Teresa for such a wonderful design and it was a fun stitch too!

Outside of my friend above, I've been plugging away at the models. They're both moving along much better now that I've scared off the frogs. I've managed to run out of fibres for one of the models, but I know replacements will likely be here in the next day or two. The other model can get some serious needle time in the interim.

There's supposed to be a major snowstorm coming this way late today or tomorrow. Good thing I've already got DH's Valentine's gift ready (shhh! Don't tell!).... I'm going to hunker down and curl up under a warm cat (or two) for the duration!

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SBQ

Well, it's that time of the week again:

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

Have you ever been to a stitching retreat?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/02/stitching-retreats/

Well, I'm not sure if what I do could be called a retreat per se, but every October I do attend the CreativFestival in Toronto. I've been a student at the show for a good 10 - 12 years now I think. I've taken classes from Charland Garvin, Shay Pendray, Jennifer Aikman-Smith (Dragon Dreams), Teresa Wentzler (TW Designworks) and many other fine instructors. It's a great show and luckily for me it's local. What's nice now is that I'm no longer the youngest person in the room. When I first started attending the festival, I was the only one in the room whose hair wasn't grey! It's nice to see more young people attending the show - now I'm the one with the grey-ing hair! :-)

There is also a CreativFestival in April, but I generally only attend for one day. There just isn't enough stuff there in the Spring to keep me entertained for more than one day. Still, I'll generally go and poke around and inevitably I can find something to buy! I'll be going this April in hopes of finding a new sewing machine.

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I noticed when I logged onto Blogger today that it's going to force me to the new Blogger next time I log on. I am so NOT looking forward to 'upgrading'. Their idea of upgrading is no doubt going to cause me hours of work to fix all the stuff they'll break. *bleah*

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Baby it's cold outside!

All I can say is brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It's gotten frightfully cold here - so cold in fact that the kids don't get to go outside for recess. With the windchill lowering temperatures to -30 C or lower I can't say I disagree with keeping them indoors. Frostbite is a legitimate concern! I do feel sorry for the teachers though - cooped up inside with all those kids - they'll be ready for the looney bin if this keeps up for too much longer!

I'm still plugging away on my models as always. But, I did manage to squeeze out another little ornament during my times of waiting - waiting to pick the boys up from school, waiting to pick them up from Beavers or Cubs, watching/waiting during skating lessons, etc.... I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, don't I??? :-)

Anyway, here's another little ornament that I've finished stitching - It's from Glory Bee entitled "Merry Christmas". It's from the 2003 JCS Ornament Issue. It will get made into an ornament at some point - but I really can't spare the time just now as those models need more attention!

I used all the recommended threads on this one as I had all of them in my stash (a bit of an odd occurrence for me as it was all GAST threads).... Although I did substitute the Porcelain called for in the pattern for the smyrna crosses with plain old DMC White. This was a *very* quick stitch. I can't remember what fabric it's on - I did some tidying of my fabrics and unearthed this from the bottom of the fabric pile. I thought it looked good with the fibres... *shrug*

And I think I've managed to get blogger to give me emoticons! Yay! ;-)

I'm off to try and defrost my toes.

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Ack, I've been tagged!

First off, I just want to say a quick thank you to the people who have been commenting on my blog. It's so nice to know I'm not doing this in total isolation and your comments have all been so kind! Thanks!

Second, I've been tagged by Meari for 6 weird things about me:

The rules: Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you." People who get tagged need to write in their blog of 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

Here's my 6 Weird things:

1. I like cereal. I like milk. Just not in the same bowl at the same time. I cannot eat cereal with milk. Goes back to my mother attempting to force me to eat it. After all, what kid doesn't like cereal with milk????? Won't touch it now. Ever. Period. Exclamation mark. Ew.
   
   
2. I don't do vomit. When the DS' are ill, it is completely and totally DH's job to deal with it. I could handle puke when the kids were just on formula/breast milk, but once they started solids - get me outta there! (I only think of this now as there is a nasty stomach flu bug going around school - DS' don't have it - yet! )
   
   
3. I actually like the fact that my hair is naturally curly. Most folks with natural curls hate it and those with straight hair wish for it. I actually like my hair just the way it is, wild curls and frizz and everything.
   
   
4. I wear contacts. There is a method to putting them in. Really. It must be done this way. Every day. Unscrew both left and right lens case lids. Clean right lens, put back in case. Clean left lens, put back in case. Wash hands. Put lenses in eyes (hopefully the correct ones). I can't cope if I have to do it any other way. I've honestly put them in the wrong eyes when doing something different.
   
   
5. I have a Bachelor of Mathematics degree. I can't count. Yet, the degree is hanging above my head at this moment showing this glaring anomaly.
   
   
6. On weekends I work very hard to never get dressed before noon. It's practically a law in my house. I'm grumpy if I have to get dressed/showered earlier.
   
   
7. Forgot one! I authored my first website back in the early nineties entirely in Notepad! And had fun doing it!
   

Enough wierdness for one day!

Needlework-wise I've done very little yesterday or today. We had a teacher-appreciation lunch at school today and I spent yesterday making food (chili and cookies) and today setting up tables and food and serving the teachers. It was a lot of fun, but I'm pooped! I'm glad we only appreciate the teachers once a year - I don't think I'd have the stamina for more than that! (just kidding though - it's one of the highlights of my volunteer times in the school and the teachers are so grateful and happy when we do it!)

Back to stitching tomorrow!

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Okay, so who sent in the frogs?????

I've spent a very frustrating few days dealing with a whole herd of frogs that seemed to have infested my stitching. First I discovered I messed up a stitch on one model. I just about cried at having to pull out as much as I did... So, I put it down, left the room and elected to scrub a toilet as a way of working out my frustration. Finally calm I returned to my stitching and decided I couldn't face frogging the model just then. So, I picked up my other model and happily stitched away for a good 2 hours or so............... And the ruddy frogs jumped all over the other model as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I went to bed. I just couldn't deal with it anymore.

In a calmer frame of mind I returned to both pieces, scared off the frogs and corrected my henious errors.

Anyone got some frog repellant????

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Ornament HD and the SBQ:

I've been stitching along on my models quite dilligently if I do say so myself. Getting a good amount accomplished, but always wish I was getting more done!

I did manage to squeeze in some time to finish up one ornament that was my travelling project for the last wee bit. I was waiting whilst our van was being undercoated for rust protection so naturally out came my travelling project. It's from the 2004 JCS ornament issue - Paw Printings "Penguin Hugs". I substituted different snowflakes than what was called for as I had these in my stash already and I thought they worked just fine! The linen is from Sugar Maple Fabrics - a 28 ct. Jubilee called Forget me knots. It's a fair bit pinker than the called for linen, but I liked how all the colours looked on it so, there you go:

And no, your eyes aren't deceiving you - it's crooked in the picture. I'm a stitcher, not a photographer!

And for this weeks SBQ (suggested by Danielle):

What company produces your favorite hand-dyed fabric? Are there anycompanies whose hand-dyed fabric you do not like? If so, why?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/01/favorite-fabric/

I don't really have a favorite - I love any hand-dyed fabric, pretty much. I have ordered a variety from Silkweaver and love the look and feel of them. I have purchased a bunch of the Sugar Maple fabrics as well (see above HD) and just enjoy looking at them. I like to buy the Sugar Maple fabrics since it is a Canadian company and I'm all for supporting Canadian companies!

Back to work!

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Oops!

I didn't realize that it's been a week since I posted! Bad blogger! Life does tend to get in the way sometimes.... I'm in the midst of changing ISPs right now, so I'm quite occupied changing e-mail addresses with appropriate boards/lists that I'm a part of. And I'm trying to get my website moved over to its new host and do a bit of an overhaul/update at the same time. I'm highly frustrated with geocities as some of the filetypes I had on my website aren't supported by geocities. It's forcing me to revamp things and create a whole pile of zip files just to get my website back up and running! Frustrating to say the least! Oh well, enough whining!

Stitching-wise I've been working like a madwoman on the two models I've got underway. I can't post any pictures of those, however I have received permission from one designer to post the first model I stitched for her. It hasn't been released just yet, but it was so pretty I asked for permission to show it off here... It's called Butterfly Arbor.

Isn't it pretty? I really enjoyed stitching this piece and it came together quite quickly. I can just see it being made into a pretty flat-fold and having it sitting in a highly visible area come spring! :-)

I missed the last SBQ, so here it is, fashionably late:

Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that talks about it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?

The permalink to this post is: http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/01/first-2007-happy-dance/

I kinda consider the model above a 2006 happy dance since it was completed then, but maybe I can count it as 2007 since I can show it off now??? :-) I haven't actually finished anything else as of yet since I've been too busy with my models. However, I have managed to almost finish 2 Christmas ornaments - I work on those whilst waiting to pick up my boys from school or from whatever activity they're up to. They should both have the stitching finished on them within the next week or so - not much left to do on them really....

Then there's the flat fold I made below - I guess it counts as a finish, doesn't it???

Off to do some blog reading and work on updating the website.....

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First Flat-Fold Finish!

As I've been wandering the net (the new high speed access is *so* nice) I came across directions for flat-folds some time ago. I was intrigued by the idea - it seemed easy enough to do and I filed it in the 'if-there's-a-good-project-I'll-do-it' file. Today, for some odd reason, I had an "ah-ha!" moment and remembered a project has bugged me off and on for years (literally years!). I took a class with Charland Garvin at the Creative Sewing & Needlework Festival (as it was called then, it's now called the CreativFestival) waaaayyy back - probably 1999 or 2000??? I fell in love with the piece originally, stitched it immediately after the show --------- and put it away. It's a Hallowe'en piece and every Hallowe'en it bugs me yet again - "Do something with me! Please! I don't like being rolled up in a container! I wanna come out!" (noisy little bugger, wasn't it?) I managed to ignore it for such a long time! But today, it came out of storage and *this* is what I did with it:

It's called (appropriately) Boo.

Ain't it purty? :-) I'm just pleased as punch with how it turned out. It was a learning experience, of course. Nothing went *exactly* as planned, but nothing went so horribly wrong that I won't show it off! (Well, okay - I won't show the back, inside or side view, but hopefully folks will be so stunned with my needlework they won't notice! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

Added bonus: I discovered I can *still* swear in at least 5 different languages! The glue gun and I had a somewhat acrimonious meeting. I'm sure my fingers will stop hurting soon, right?

I suppose it's time to get back to my model work. Those darned things just won't stitch themselves!

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Winter Arrives - Finally!

Well, woke up this morning to a world gone white. Unfortunately it's mostly freezing rain at the moment, but it is supposed to turn to snow later. My boys will be happy - they've desperately wanted snow so they could go tobogganing... Don't know if we'll have enough for that, but perhaps we're making progress???!!!???

I spent my weekend mostly cleaning and chasing down the kids. DH worked most of the weekend which left me on kiddie-patrol. Not a hardship at any rate - they're good kids and always fun to hang out with. But then I'm biased, aren't I??? :-)

I did work on both of my models over the weekend, but naturally can't show pictures! I think today will be a good day to curl up with my kitties and stitch. The cats will no doubt enjoy their version of Kitty TV - our birdfeeder in the backyard is seeing a huge amount of activity today due to the inclement weather (and no, my kitties are not permitted outside - they can only watch from the windows!).

Found this on my webwanderings too: What Tarot Card are You?

You are The Empress

Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.

The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents,
beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home
decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.

The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Guess it ties in nicely with my Royal name in an earlier post! Hmmmm - maybe it's time to inform the family of my Royal status!?!

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First SBQ of 2007:

From http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2007/01/first-2007-sbq/ :

Do you dream of running your own LNS/ONS? If so, tell us about yourdream. If not, tell us about your cross stitch dream� maybe you dreamof designing, dyeing your own floss or fabric, etc.

I have often dreamed of running my own LNS/ONS. I think there are few stitchers out there who don't entertain the idea at least once or twice in their lifetimes. The main reason why I haven't pursued the idea is mostly becuase I know it would mean the end of my ability to stitch. To make an LNS/ONS a success, my own personal love for the craft would have to go - there wouldn't be room for it. Just ask any LNS/ONS owner - they'll tell you the same thing. To run a business of this nature and make it successful it would require a tremendous amount of devotion just to get it off the ground. To keep it profitable would be another enormous task. Would I still do it? Maybe. My main problem would be location. Where I live I'm fortunate to have 2 LNS' within a short drive (less than 20 minutes if there's no traffic) so to open another LNS would just be too much for the area. So opening a brick and mortar shop would involve a long commute or a move for my family. Neither of which I'm willing to do at this point. I do see a need for a really, really good Canadian ONS as there really isn't one. It could be made successful - there are many Canadian stitchers who would like to avoid the hassle of customs! But the idea of an ONS brings a whole other set of problems that are just too many to go into here.

So, what would my fantasy shop be like? Well, it would have to be super welcoming and friendly - a place people would want to come and touch and play! It would need a great lounge/stitching area where folks would feel comfortable plunking themselves down to stitch when the mood strikes. There would have to be a large, airy classroom with great lighting. It would have to be full-to-bursting with fabrics and fibres and patterns and accessories, natch! :-)

Oh, to dream! What a great departure from reality. Just what I needed today!

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Stitching-wise I'm working frantically on my two models - so I can't show pictures of progress. I can say they're looking very interesting! I can't wait until they're released so I can share! In the meantime, I took a few pictures of some of the ornaments that were on my tree this year. I realized some of them have never been photographed!

On the right is a needlepoint ornament that I stitched ages ago. I think it may be the first ornament I ever stitched that actually got made into an ornament! Can't remember the designer or any information about the piece though. I guess I need to start keeping better track of these things!




The little penguin ornament is from a kit from years ago. There are a bunch more of this guys little friends that haven't been stitched. They're done on a plastic canvas-like stuff and the floss coverage isn't great, but it still makes a cute little ornament! (And, in case you're wondering, yes, there are little flags hanging on my tree - they're Danish flags and an important part of my Christmas! These flags hung on my parent's Christmas tree for as long as I can remember and now I have my own! )

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Feeling better!

Aaaaahhhhhhhh! It's wonderful to be able to breathe again. Amazing how much you miss it when you're clogged like a bad sink.... :-)

The kids went back to school today and were both looking forward to settling back into our usual routine. I enjoyed a lovely day of peace and quiet and managed to get some stitching done too!

I've got two new models to work on right now. I don't typically accept more than one at a time, but the second model is something I've been wanting to do since I first heard about the project this past October. When it came up for stitching, I just couldn't resist it..... So, here I am dividing my time between two pieces. Thankfully the other piece is a little looser on deadline, so I don't have to stress too much - just stitch lots!

As I've cruised other blogs I've seen many folks set stitching goals for the coming year - something I admire greatly. I think I'll try this myself, although my goals may not be very lofty in comparison to others, but hey, they're mine! :-)

2007 Stitching Goals:

1. Stitch Ornaments - how many? Well, at least 10 would be nice as that seems to be about how many I give out at Christmas. More than that would be better, but we'll have to see.
2. Finish TW's Needle Guardian. This is definitely within the realm of possibility, but will need to be on the back burner until my models are done.
3. Work on TW's Autumn Sampler. Loved this class piece from the festival earlier this year and do want to work on it more
4. Work on at least 2 other class pieces from 2006 or 2005. There's a lot of these floating around - they need attention!!! :-)
5. Work on models as they come up!

I think that's enough for this year. Maybe I'll add to it as time goes on or maybe I'll just leave well enough alone! It should be a busy year.....

Time to go get my little darlings from school!

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Happy New Year!

Well, things have finally settled down somewhat around here and I can finally pop up a quick post.....

Our family's Christmas present was a wee bit late this year - it arrived on Boxing Day in the form of a horrible, wretched, evil cold that has slowly felled each and every one of us......... *bleah* I'm still recovering and feel a bit like a wet dishrag - all soggy and limp. I don't do sick well. The boys are all improving though thankfully. It's just mom who seems to have trouble remaining upright for longer than a minute or two......

Hopefully things will turn about soon and we can get back to our version of normal.... :-)

I need to go lie down now. *sniff* *cough* *hack* *wheeze*

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Wierd and unusual websurfings:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Honourable Lady Erica the Undefeated of Chalmondley Chumleyton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Never knew I was royalty! :-)

It's been an astonishingly busy week - baking like mad (totals came to 3 blueberry-banana oat breads, 10 dozen one-bite Pecan Pies, 10 dozen Chewy Chocolate Bites, 2 large batches of Peppermint Chocolate Fudge, 1 batch of Cookies 'n Creme Fudge, 2 large batcheds of Chocolate Snow Swirl Fudge, 30 large cupcakes (iced), 3 dozen small cupcakes (iced), 14 dozen Chocolate Pinwheel cookies and I'm not exactly sure what else at this point but I'm sure there was more!). Teachers gifts are done and given, neighbours gifts are packaged and will be given tomorrow and I'm going to do dishes for what feels like the hundredth time this week........

Sadly, I've not picked up a needle. I'm feeling the lack. I do have a new model to start though all kitted and ready and another model should show up in another week or two.... Time to get back to work, I guess!

Happy Holidays to one and all! Stay safe, keep warm (or cool, depending on your locale) and most of all - hug someone you love!

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SBQ and a little finish!

Yes, it's that time again! From http://blondelibrarian.net/stitching/archives/2006/12/sbq-finishing/ this week's SBQ was suggested by Carol (http://carolsxsblog.blogspot.com/)and is:

Do you have any good internet links to tutorials for your favoritefinishing techniques that you would like to share?

I have found many good tutorials on-line. For the most part I finish ornaments with my sewing machine since it's quite fast and easy. This year I have found some other websites that have intersting finishing techniques that I've yet to try but really want to at some point:

http://susimac.blogspot.com/2006/02/ribbon-trim-instructions.html
- an interesting tutorial on how to do ribbon ruching

http://institches.batcave.net/mystitching/nosew/nosewcube.html
- how to make a no sew cube with a needlework design

http://institches.zap3x.com/mystitching/flatfold/flatfold.html
- how to make a flat fold

I also dug up some instructions given to me quite a while ago about how to make tuck-away pillows that I really want to try in the next little bit. It seems simple enough, but then I haven't actually sat down and tried it yet. I would share these instructions, but I'm not the copyright holder so can't share them. Maybe after I try it I'll write my own and post them. We'll see...

In the finishing department - I finished stitching my youngest DS' ornament for this year. It's from Dragon Dreams and was in the 2004 JCS ornament issue. Bryce is quite happy with his ornie!

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Busy, Busy Me!

What a crazy weekend we've had! First we had to head off to DH's family Christmas. This is a large gathering of family - we're so many now we need to rent a hall! I think there were between 35 and 50 people there. We do a gift exchange as well amongst the ladies and the men. I had a panic moment when I woke up on Saturday - I forgot to finish an ornament for the exchange!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Luckily I had one stitched, just not made into an ornament. So out came the handy sewing machine and the cording drill and some glue from the magic glue gun. Here's the finished product. It's from an old JCS issue, but darned if I can remember which one! I know it's a piece by Mosey 'n Me. It turned out quite well, I think, especially considering I finished it in an hour flat! :-)

Sunday had us at home briefly then it was off to a surprise birthday party for my youngest DS and the annual cookie exchange for me. It was a wonderful afternoon spent with friends. We do a little gift exchange as well and it's always fun. I had another AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH moment as I realized, yet again that I was asleep at the switch and I forgot to finish my stitched gift for the gift exchange..... This year I stitched an SB needleroll - English Christmas Roll. So, another frantic hour with my sewing machine produced a finished roll. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture of the finished product...... I'll have to 'borrow' it from the recepient so I can grab a snapshot of it! Someday I'll know where I put my head, really I will! ;-)

Now I need to spend this week getting the darned tree decorated (it's been up for almost 2 weeks and is naked bar lights!) and getting the rest of the decorations up. I need to get DH's Christmas gifts too and I've got to plan what I'm baking for teachers and neighbours for Christmas! Someone stop the clock, please? Just for a day or two???

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Over-ornamentification!

Well, I've been busy this last week! A bunch of friends and I get together every December for a cookie exchange. I got over-zealous this year and made everyone Sapphire Star as well as the cookies....(well, okay, the cookies aren't baked as of yet, but the dough is made - just need to slice and bake!)... I made the cording and the tassels and did the glue thing to put them together. They look alright, but it took waaaaayyyy too long. Think I'll go back to my trusty (if somewhat unreliable) sewing machine (please Santa - new machine please!!!???!!!)....

This design is from the 2004 JCS Ornament Issue. I substituted the Waterlilies called for in the pattern with Wildflowers (LNS didn't have any Waterlilies and I couldn't wait) and the bugle beads I used are from a little bead shop near my parent's house - Gecko Beads.

I think they turned out pretty good and hopefully my friends will like them. Just hope they don't read this before Sunday..... ;-)

Now I've got at least one more ornament to stitch and a few more to ornamentify before Christmas... Maybe I should finish putting up the tree at some point too..... Hmmmm.........

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Happy Birthday Bryce!





Well, so Mommy is a few days early..... My little Bryce will be 7 this coming Saturday. Hard to believe! We had his birthday party last weekend as we're busy with other things on the actual day. So here's my little birthday boy....who isn't so little anymore!

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