Hello World

I did not realize it has been a whole 11 days since I last posted. I may have been absent from the online world but I have not stopped crafting. I finished the base stitching on the top of the Oriental Butterfly.

The next step is to complete the bottom portion before I start the back stitching. This looks wonderful as is but will pop even more with the back stitching.

I lost my stitching mojo for a little bit but could not keep my hands still so I continued working on a couple of crochet blankets. I ran out of the green/white yarn so I will have to pick some more up later.

The more I look at the green blanket the more I do not like that white strip. I may end up taking it out. We will see. I finally felt like stitching again but not something complicated. So I started working on this cute little free pattern from Stitching the Night Away. I used the blue/brown floss I won a couple of months ago from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. I just love this color combination.

I plan on finishing this on a little keepsake box (my first attempt). My daughter has already claimed it. WOCS received a snowflake pattern from Brooke's Books Publishing designed just for them. We are putting a quilt together using this pattern. We are using white fabric and everyone is using white for the snowflake. I have never been so thankful for my Otte Light as I am now while working on this project. I have to admit...I am having a wonderful time stitching this one.

I finally finished all my Christmas shopping and set up our simple tree. The Ex said he was going to purchase a much desired item for our baby but then backed out at the last minute (and wanted to get her clothes instead). So I had to do a quick run to find this item. Now all presents have been wrapped and put around the tree.

I took the picture before we put the presents near the tree. A friend of mine had some extra snowman ribbon and made me this wonderful bow. The perfect tree topper!!!

Now I am off to catch up on some of my friends in the online world.

Ta Ta,
Angela

Giveaway!!

I just found this wonderful giveaway where you get a chart just for entering and if you win you get 3 charts from her site. Go here to enter.

No XX's entered lately but I have worked on one of the crochet blankets while avoiding the housework. This weekend I will need to make up for it since I plan on having a moving sale next week. That is the goal anyway.

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

Blog Hop # 13

Hello all,

I have been working even more on the Oriental Butterfly but have not taken any pictures yet. I did need to do a satin stitch. Not as hard as I thought it would be. Maybe more will be in my future?

It is that time again. Another blog hop hosted by Stitching the Night Away. This prompt is...

The blogging prompt for hop #13 is:

The holidays are right around the corner and gift exchanges are happening everywhere you look. If an amazingly magical Stitchmas Santa were to fly overhead and bring you one stitching wish, what would it be?

I have been thinking about this one for a couple of days and right now I am feeling pretty selfish. I would wish for fabric. Hand dyed, sparkly, all counts would be welcome. My tastes in projects are slowly quickly changing with all the exposure to the different types of projects available out there. Most of it requires fabrics that are not easy to go out and pick up and of course are more expensive than I can afford right now. Oh well...in time all things are possible, even building my stash of fabrics.


Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

Not much stitching but a lot of reading

Today I think I only put in about 50 stitches. But yesterday I went to Wal-Mart (I know that many have problems with this corporate giant. Unfortunately I see both sides of the problem and am able to continue to shop there even though their employees are not treated as well as they should be) and picked up a few things. I happened upon this little stand of Rick Riordan books Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I have seen them before but since they were "teen" books I didn't pick any up. Well I have to say that they are a nice relaxing, easy read. I was able to get lost in the story for hours today. Some books are heavy. I don't mean this in a bad way. Sometimes they have things that make you think, sometimes they work on the hormones. But sometimes...you just want to wander in another world that isn't scary or reminds you that there are things as an adult you have to deal with on a daily basis. This series is the easy kinda world to get lost in. It has been a while since I was able to get lost in a book. I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

Busy little Bee

Hello All,


I realized this morning how long it has been since I made a new post. I am sorry for that. Last post I decided I would try to work on this little snowman ornament I picked up. Well..it didn't work out. I was trying to work on a piece of fabric that was 2.5 inches by about 2 inches that was extremely stiff and trying to place all those 1/2 and 1/4 stitches were miserable. So I kept the pattern and threw the partially stitched snowman out the window.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate) and for those who don't I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The kids were out of school all week last week so I had to find ways to combat the dreaded words from my girl "I am bored". What do I look like...an amusement park? I gave her a few options (hehe) I told her she could clean and sort thru her room, help me clean the house, or she could go out to play with her friends. I think we all know what she decided to do. Thankfully I didn't hear the dreaded words too much after the first time.

I have been stitching my little heart out though. First I made a few squares for WOCS.

 

I realize that it may be too late for the current quilt, but I know that they will be able to use them sometime. Next up is the finish of a gift for my parents. I ended up not liking the whole thing and decided it looked great (after consulting my DD) as is. Of course I forgot to take a picture unframed but here it is all framed and ready to be wrapped for Christmas.

 

Now all the gifts are complete and ready to mail. The picture above (4x6), two kitchen towels

and two trivets

 for the new place they will be moving in now that my Dad is back in the States.

 

Next I tried working on a book mark but just couldn't get into it. I made the border but haven't gotten very far. I will post a picture when I get a little more progress.  I hemmed and hawed about starting a new project or picking up one my WIP's. I finally decided to work on the Oriental Butterfly by Dimensions. Here is where I left off last...

and here is where I left off today.

The butterfly is almost complete. There is just a little black to put on the right wing. The next step will be to work the background. I have been using my video stash to get the work done. Now that my girl is back at school, maybe I can get back to a normal schedule. That includes looking in on all my cyber friends and seeing what everyone has been up to.

Ta Ta,
Angela

 

 



Random Thoughts

Today I spent outside blowing the leaves from the yard so that the neighbors wouldn't be embarrassed by their lazy neighbor when their holiday guests arrive. I spent 4 hours out there trying to make sure every leaf got put by the side of the road neatly. I have about 1/2 acre as my front yard and 4 large maple trees (along with a couple from both neighbors yards). By the time I finally finished and looked over to where I first began...What do you think I saw?  That space full of leaves again. AARRRGGG!!!! I was immediately reminded why I don't see the point in cleaning them up while there are still leaves in the tree. Oh well...they can stay there. At least you can see the ground still. (Maybe not by tomorrow morning.) My arms hurt from holding that darn leaf blower for so long. My hands have finally stopped tingling :) What I would really like is if the front that will be moving in this weekend will blow the rest of the leaves down so I only have to do this one more time this season. I know...wishful thinking. But a girl can hope can't she?

On to other thoughts. I was just vegging in front of the TV and saw a commercial for Medicare insurance. I know I am not quite ready for it but it made me think. Why are we required to sign up for Medicare insurance when we reach THAT age? Many people that I know are working and can afford their own insurance and want to keep it but were required to sign up for Medicare. Of course they now have to sign up for an additional insurance (that is not the normal full coverage) in order to fill the gaps left by Medicare. Is there anyone who can explain it to me? I am very confused.

On the stitching front, I have decided to go ahead and start a snowman ornament (that just might be more trouble than it is worth since it is so small). But since I have it and it is now open I really need to get it stitched so I don't loose any part of it. hehe

Ta Ta for now,
Angela the crazy cat lady (as my daughter calls me)

I did it!! and Blog Hop # 12

My first Biscornu!! This is what I have  been working on all weekend.

My girl modeling the front.

 

now the back

Close up of the Back

Close up of the front.

 

Of course I forgot to take pictures before I stitched it together. I used Mill Hill beads to add just a little bit of sparkle to the front and at the corners and generic sparkly buttons in the center. I did not realize how hard buttons were to put on this thing. lol. I can't remember where I picked the pattern up at but I do know is was a freebie online. For the thread I used my gift a Blue with Brown hand dyed floss from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe. Her floss is so pretty and easy to use. Thank you soooo much.

Blog Hop #12 at Stitching the Night Away

The blogging prompt for hop #12 is:

When it comes to the stitching part of your life, what are you most thankful for?
 

I am most thankful for that sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when I finish a piece. Sometimes it is when I finish stitching and sometimes it is when I finish, finish a piece. Each new project is a way for me to be artistic. I love playing with colors. I still use coloring books today. I sometimes wish I could paint but everything comes out in big blobs and no one (not even me) can tell what it is. lol. As I get older I find that I am unable to sit and do nothing with my hands. Even when I really want to watch something I usually have something crafty in my hands. Not a lot may get done but at least I get a little. After a little thought I am also thankful for the online stitching community. I get inspiration and encouragement from everyone. There is that little thrill when someone comments and tells me that something I worked so hard on is pretty. It gives me that extra little incentive to keep going.

Unfortunately I do not know how to add the links to all the other blog hops to mine or I would so please make sure you stop by Stitching the Night Away  to see all the other people who have participated. One of these days I will figure it out.

Update

I did not realize it has been a week since I last posted. I knew that I hadn't had a chance to look at my blog list all weekend. I have had to take care of some business with the house (getting it ready to sell). I have also had the chance to stitch in the evenings. When I first started participating in the online community I found the brushstroke butterfly from Stitching the Night Away. I fell in love with it but didn't start it. After finishing a couple of maple leaves for WOCS I wanted something simple but pretty. So I hunted through my stash of patterns and found it.

 

I find I really like using the variegated threads and completed two before I realized it. I decided to do a third  in solid colors. I will probably send these to WOCS as well but I haven't decided yet. I think my favorite is the green one.



 

That is all I have to show for a week's absence. Oh well. I will continue my stitching and hopefully I will have more to show next post.

 

Ta Ta for now,

Angela



What a weekend!

I have been going through my craft room and stash in preparation of moving next month. I found a few pieces that I stitched in '03 and even one I stitched in '98. Since I no longer have little ones or someone I wanted to give these to I decided to gift these pieces to a group called WOCS (World of Charity Stitching).

As I was washing the miscellaneous pieces my DD decided she liked the one below so much she needed a pillow made out of it. I don't think you can tell from the picture, but the material is a pretty baby blue. Now all I have to do is find some pretty background fabric. I might just have the right kind already in my stash. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

I was able to stitch this weekend. I found the maple leaf pattern WOCS is using for one of their quilts and saw that it was an easy chart to read. I used variegated threads on each of these and think that two of the three are worthy of being put in a quilt. I added the third in case my opinion was biased and others actually like it.

If not, my feelings will not be hurt. Each one only took the day to complete.  Now I am working on the free Brush Stroke Butterfly Pattern by Stitching the Night Away. Again I am going to use the variegated floss (at least for one or two). These butterflies are so pretty and can be used with any combination of colors that you would like.

My DD had an election at school today. She came home and asked to watch the election coverage tonight. (We have already watched all the debates we could). Normally I like to watch video's during the counting coverage and then find out either with the late news or in the morning who won, but I can't tell her no. I want her to grow up and vote based on informed decisions.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

Blog Hop

The blogging prompt for hop #11 from Stitching the Night Away is:

What has been your most unusual or most interesting stash acquisition to date?

Maybe you picked up a mystery package during a sale and found something cool inside. Maybe you shopped an estate sale or received a stash-inheritance full of vintage fiber goodness. Maybe you found a fantastic shop on Etsy with amazing supplies (in which case, please tell us where to go shop!)

I would have to say that the most interesting would be the stash I purchased from a former boss. His wife used to be a very active crossstitcher and she had a lot of floss, patterns, material and even some kits. To this day I still have a lot of the patterns (mostly magazines).

I have actually started and almost completed one of the Autumn Leaves for WOCS today. It has been a fun little stitch. I may even get another one or two done this weekend and be ready to send off on Monday. What a great weekend that would be!

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

Giveaway & an update

Good morning all,

With the cold weather comes blankets. For some reason the colder it gets the more I want to make blankets. The size doesn't matter as long as I am able to put some yarn over my lap I seem to be happy. LOL. I am still working on the green blanket. I started another one (pink this time) to take with me when I have to wait somewhere. I have not been able to take a cross stitch pattern with me yet. Eventually I will be able to find one I could take with me. I have made some progress with my final stitched gift for my father and his wife. (Pictures in a later post). I also plan to start a couple of autumn leaves to be included in a charity quilt. I purchased the material yesterday and have the floss. I just need to print the pattern.

If you haven't already been to Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe, she is having the most wonderful givaway. 25 gifts for 25 days starting December 1st. If you stop by, don't forget to mention my name.

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

It's Back!!!

Oh wonderful news...my stitching mojo is back. I was able to finish the stitching on second kitchen towel yesterday and today I was able to finish both of them. I sewed a piece of muslin almost exactly the same color as the terry cloth on the back of the stitching.

I have come to realize that I am a little OCD when it comes to hiding the back of my stitching. Part of the reason I wanted to do this was so that when the towels get washed the back of the stitching would not get caught on anything.  :) My DD is modeling the front of one of the towels.

I put a green ribbon on the top an bottom to give it a little more pizazz.

I was able to make more progress on the green blanket as well the last two days. During that time my most constant companion has been Gizmo. We were watching the show "Once upon a time" on I-Tunes this weekend. Good thing my DD and I have the same taste in shows.

My model for this picture is our cat Tigerlily.

One of the greens is a little brighter in the picture than in person but I think it is coming out well. I am going to continue to work on this one tonight and see where my inspiration takes me tomorrow.

Ta Ta for now,
Angela

Good Morning

Good morning everyone,

Everyone decided last night that I needed cuddling. I had all three cats and my daughter laying on top of me last night. :)

I have been able to work on the green blanket the last couple of days but I don't have an updated picture yet. I forgot to post yesterday that I received my Christmas Ornaments Magazine from Sunflower Crossing. Thank you Barb!

 

I will most more again this afternoon. We have a day out planned. Finally I get out of the house for a while.

 

TaTa for now,

Angela

Another Day

Hello all,

I worked on my craft room again yesterday. I was able to box up more books.

The stack of books to go.

 

I still have 3others that I am taking with me. Went hrough and found almost all my yarn.

The Big Box of yarn (I have my current projects in drawers)

Put my fabric (both larger pieces and scraps) in boxes.

I have also been working on sorting out my crafting supplies and putting them together so that I can find them again after the move. ;)

After filling up a couple of boxes I realized that I had run out of tape to close the boxes. So off I go to the store. I needed to pick up a few things for the house anyway. While there I passed the toy section on the way to the health and beauty section. I started to think about needing to get Christmas presents. I ended up spending about $50 on presents at the one store. Then I decided to go to a craft store to pick up the yarn to finish the green blanket. Of course they didn't have the colors I needed so I will have to place an order online. While there I saw a lot of cute stocking stuffers for $1. I picked up some of those for my DD and picked up a cross stitch pattern book for me. This will be wrapped up and put under the tree for me. :) My Dad taught me that if I wanted something for Christmas/Birthday get it and put my kid's name on it. Then I remembered that there were a few books that she wanted so I went next door and picked them up. Of course I couldn't help looking at the magazines and picked up a Christmas magazine.

Enjoy Crossstitch at Christmas

It came with the bonus penguin chart and enough material for six cards and 3 ornaments. I completed all shopping for my girl except for the candy for her stocking. I may pick up one or two more things for me before then. Since I probably will not be moving until after Christmas but before New Years I will not be doing gifts for many people this year. Anything I do give will be hand made from my current stash.

My girl has been begging for a pumpkin to decorate this year and I finally broke down and picked up a couple. I leave you with the results of our decorating. ( I painted mine).









TaTa for now,
Angela

Packing

My last post was quite somber. Today is a better day. I am still climbing that ladder up out of the dark hole but there is more light than yesterday. I was able to make some progress on my craft (dumping ground) room. I even started sorting my library. I decided to take a hard look at the books I currently own. I am only keeping about 5 series.

The rest will go into a yard sale. The picture to the right are the boxes of books I have decided not to keep. I have another 3 boxes so far that I am keeping.  I will be looking through all of our stuff as I go thru it and deciding what I can do without. Of course, not a single bit of my crafting stash will be going (lol). I love yarn. I didn't realize how much yarn I currently have until I started packing. When my daughter came home from school yesterday and saw my box of yarn she told me I am not allowed to buy any more until I use up some of my current stock.I know that I have not packed all of it so I had to agree. After working in the one room I was able to work on the green blanket

and was able to get quite a few rows done. I may have to go back on that agreement so that I can complete the current project. :)

Time for me to back back to the craft room.

TaTa for now,
Angela

Caution: Depression ahead

I seem to be stuck. There is much to do around here for the move. Lots of sorting and packing. But where has all my energy gone? (All I want to do is sleep.) It is being sucked down into the black hole called depression. I thought that this time between jobs would be great. Plenty of time to stitch and be able to slowly go through the house preparing for the move. The reality is that with the car still needing work I feel stranded. Then I start thinking of all the rooms that I need to start sorting and I start feeling overwhelmed. So I sit in my chair and think about the many projects I could be stitching and can't decide which one to work on. So I continue to sit and stare at the TV and pick up my yarn and a hook or I pick up the computer and look at the blogs of the wonderful community I belong to and before I know it a couple of hours have passed. Then I start beating myself up over wasting time when I should have been packing. So I continue to sit because now I have feel worn out. I lean back to watch one of the court shows (which seems to be the only thing on during the early afternoons) where people put their personal business on TV and I think about the kind of people who want their 15 minutes of fame so bad that they are willing to put the most embarrassing stuff out there for public consumption. I must have fallen asleep because before I know it the door is opening allowing my DD into the house after school. Where has the day gone? That's right, another day down the dark hole.

Today is a new day. Now that I am aware that the dark hole is there I can refrain from dropping any deeper into into it. I will start by working in my craft room which has become a resting place for anything and everything that is brought into the house. I will not plan on getting the whole room done today because that will be too overwhelming. So I will go for a few boxes. Get the things in those few boxes sorted and have a small accomplishment. During my thirty something years I have had to learn how to pull myself out of the hole a little bit at a time. I have learned the hard way that you can not escape a depressive episode in a day. It usually takes around a week to get back to feeling normal.

I was able to get a start on pulling myself up by putting the girls (the guinea pigs) in a new cage yesterday. I got so tired of cleaning their box of cat messes every day. I hate putting them in a cage but I think we will all be healthier and happier with their bedding cat mess free. Also, the girls will stop being so scared of anyone walking by.

Well enough delaying, I am off to pull a box or two from the craft room.

TaTa for now,
Angela

Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival and a finish

Hello all. I went to the Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival today and had a great time. Saw some great arts and crafts. Learned a few things about completing my quilts and basket weaving. I had a wonderful time with friends.


When I got home I had a package from JoAnn Fabrics. I splurged and picked up some wonderful greens and a cream. I figured this would make a great toddler blanket. I also picked up this little ornament. I couldn't pass it up. I can't pass up a snowman especially when they are on sale.

 

Last night I finished the wall quilt for my DD. I can do tops great but I am still practicing on putting the back on. ;) I showed it to her and she squealed. What a great feeling.

 

When I got home today I didn't feel like picking up a needle so I picked up a crochet hook and started on the green blanket.

 

Tomorrow I hope to work on my Trick or Treat pattern and put some more time in on the blanket.

 

TaTa for now,

Angela



Almost the Weekend!

Hello All!

The last couple of days have been a bust for stitching. Today was different. I started working on my crochet baby blanket. Then decided I didn't want to do that and so I cleaned (gasp...yes I cleaned). I do have a couple of finishes, an almost finish and a new start.

I started and finsihed these three little pandas. The first one came as a kit. My DD best friend goes gaga for pandas. I figured since finances were going to be a little tight I would make something as a Christmas gift. I finished these little guys as ornaments that she can hang up on a tree or anywhere in her room she wants to. My daughter just loved them and asked me to make her a couple.

 

I forgot to take a picture of all 4 cat stamps together after I completed them. I have cut the strips of material to quilt them together and will sew them together tomorrow since the little one is now asleep. I really don't want to wake her up since she becomes a little alot just a tad grumpy when she does not get enough sleep.

And I have been drooling over this Trick or Treat pattern for ages. I just love the colors in this piece. They make me feel happy. I finally picked it up along with the reqired thread. The fabric recommend is a 14 ct white aida but I changed it to an 18ct cream I had in my stash. Next time I post I hope to have a good start on this and the wall quilt done for my daughter.

 

Even though I have not signed up for the IHSW I plan on stitching this weekend when I am not at the local craft fair.

 

TaTa for now,

Angela