Presents

I can finally show you the presents I made for my two best friends, since we were able to exchange gifts this past weekend - The Trilogy's Friendship:

There is the slightest difference between the two - the sunflowers on the right are different colors. I thought it was a little too dark in the first version, so I made it a bit brighter in the second version. I still have one more of these to finish for myself.

I also received these lovelies as a birthday gift:

They include Christmas Tea and My Pretties by Plum Street Samplers, French Country Snowglobe by JBW Designs, Tribal Crab by White Willow Stitching, The Hamster Did It by Stitchy Kitty and Blackbird Sampler by Blackbird Designs.

2011 Finishes

Looking back, I finished more projects than I thought in 2011. Shortly after the New Year, since I didn't get them done in time for Christmas 2010, I finished these two Mill Hill beaded ornaments. I ended up using one of them as a hostess gift for a cookie exchange I went to in December.

In February, I also finished the second Octopus's Garden for my other sister's birthday, which was in December. I finally framed both of them in time to give them to my sisters on Easter. (UGH!)

A quick little finish from an old Fulmer Craft pattern -  Great Smoky Mountains from the National Park Needlework Collector Patches series. I have a square green frame for finishing.

Bent Creek's cROWS. I left out the words "a fine day" and replaced them with another star. Also, I didn't like the Dark Chocolate that came with the kit to stitch the birds (too brown), so I replaced it with some WDW Charcoal I had instead.

Mill Hill's Pink Sneaker kit. I replaced the heart charm with a pink ribbon and finished it as a pin to give this to my friend who was walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure race in DC back in the fall. I also stitched three of these in green with a green ribbon charm for my sisters and me to wear for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk back in October (I never finished them as pins since we didn't participate in the walk after my grandmother passed away the same weekend). I hope to finish enough for our entire team for the 2012 walk.

Plum Pudding's Spellbinding Witch Hat. Stitched on a very old piece of 14-ct. black Aida that I could finally get rid of. I changed the ecru squares at the bottom to purple to match some of my other Halloween decorations. I saw this finished in a display at Salty Yarns back in October and it was adorable. I definitely need to finish it before Halloween.

Ireland Nutcracker - a birthday gift for my sister that I stitched in December from an Imaginating/Sandra Collozini leaflet. Stitched on brown perforated paper with the called for DMC. Finished as an ornament with a piece of stiff green felt.

It was a last-minute decision to stitch these "Sled Heads" as Christmas gifts for my aunts. I had seen the designs from Dixie Darlin' awhile back and loved them. I think the reason I liked them so much was that I had a bagful of these sleds leftover from my wedding (13 years ago) and knew I could use them to finish these designs. I hope to make some for myself using the Mrs. Claus and Rudolph designs that came with the Santa design.

Finally, I stitched two of The Trilogy's "Friendship" for my two best friends as holiday gifts. I haven't exchanged gifts with them yet, so I'll wait to post those later once the gifts have been received.

2011 Reading List

Just under the wire, I finished book #25 last week when our books were due back at the library on the 27th, so I reached my goal of reading at least 25 books in 2011. My favorite was "The Last Child" by John Hart. I read it while we were on vacation and it made me cry while I was sitting by the pool with a crowd of people on a 100 degree day. Good thing I was wearing sunglasses! I also discovered author Julia Glass. I read her book "Three Junes" first and couldn't get my hands on her other books fast enough. I hope she has a new novel coming out in 2012.

1. The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
2. Disordered Minds by Minette Walters
3. It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh
4. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
5. Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
6. Three Junes by Julia Glass
7. The Whole World Over by Julia Glass
8. Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman
9. I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
10. I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
11. The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman
12. Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin
13. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
14. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
15. The Uses of Enchantment by Heidi Julavits
16. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
17. Bent Road by Lori Roy
18. Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron
19. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
20. The Last Child by John Hart
21. Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon
22. The Chameleon’s Shadow by Minette Walters
23. The Widower’s Tale by Julia Glass
24. The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb
25. Summer in the South by Cathy Holton

UGH!

For the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to compile two new catch-up posts about WIPs and finishes since I last posted (you know, since it's been so long). One thing that's been dragging me down is that one of my WIPs had me completely frustrated.

Last year, before we went on vacation, I started "Sea to Shining Sea" from the July 2003 issue of Stitcher's World. I had the entire project kitted up, but some time this spring, I lost the project bag with all of the floss skeins in it - all 36 of them! Luckily, the pattern and fabric weren't in the bag, just the floss. At first, it wasn't a big deal, because I was just working on the red, white and blue squares on the perimeter and I didn't need the other colors. But as time went on, I became increasingly frustrated that I couldn't find this project bag. I have searched and searched for it several times. I had decided when I first started stitching it that it wasn't an on-the-go project because of all the color changes, so to add to the frustration, I knew it had to be somewhere in the house.

This week, I looked one last time, to no avail. So I finally decided I would re-purchase all of the floss.

Tonight, I went through all of the my floss to see what I might have on hand so I wouldn't have to buy all 36 on a trip to Joann's tomorrow. As I'm going through the floss, I slowly start to realize that I have all of the colors. WTF?!

The only explanation I can think of is that somewhere along the way, back in the spring, the floss got mixed back in with my stash and re-filed. I don't know if one of the kids mixed them together or if I did it without even realizing it was the floss I had already sorted for "Sea to Shining Sea." Regardless of whatever did happen, I'm relieved to have the floss and glad I won't be going on any more wild goose chases through my house.

Now, if I could only find my Tacky BOB so I can finish another WIP that just needs beads to be completed! (I obviously have an organizational problem on my hands here, but that's a post for another day.)

101 Things

I posted my incomplete list of 101 things to do in 1001 days as a separate page at the top of the screen. I don't have an official start date - maybe I'll just say February 1, 2011 - and I still need to add more things to do, but I thought it was a good start. And on Friday, Feb. 4, I donated blood for the first time this year (I tried to donate in December and January, but I was sick both times), so here we go!

2010 Reading List

As I just finished my first book of 2011 (The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian, which I liked right up until the Shutter Island-like ending), I realized I didn't post my annual reading list like I usually do. My goal was to read more than I had been and I wanted to read at least 25 books in 2010. It turns out, that's exactly how many I read. I didn't stop at 25 on purpose; again, taking a retail job during the last two months of the year pretty much put a stop to any extracurricular activities like reading and cross stitch. So here's my list for 2010:

1. Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell
2. The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy
3. Girl from the South by Joanna Trollope
4. Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
5. 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
6. 13 ½ by Nevada Barr
7. Life Sentences by Laura Lippman
8. Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron
9. The Dark of Day by Barbara Parker
10. Merciless by Richard Montanari
11. 212 by Alafair Burke
12. Flipping Out by Marshall Karp
13. Strange Angels by Jonis Agee
14. Coal Run by Tawni O’Dell
15. Caught by Harlan Coben
16. Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson
17. Roseflower Creek by J.L. Miles
18. Sister Mine by Tawni O’Dell
19. Badlands by Richard Montanari
20. A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley
21. South of Broad by Pat Conroy
22. Faithful Place by Tana French
23. The Liar’s Lullaby by Meg Gardiner
24. Burn by Nevada Barr
25. Dismantled by Jennifer McConnell

Happy New Year!

I just returned from my annual scrapbooking weekend. I got off to a slow start, but managed to complete 26 pages from 2008 and 2009. I felt like my photos were very unorganized - maybe because I hadn't printed photos since April of 2009 and I was rushing to get things done before leaving for the weekend.

Now that the holidays and the scrapbooking weekend are over with, I'm ready to get back to stitching. I took a part-time, seasonal retail job for November and December and it really cut into my stitching time. I only finished one of the three Mill Hill ornaments I had planned to stitch (and forgot to take a picture of the one I did finish before I gave it away) and only one of the two "Octopus's Garden" design for my sisters' birthdays. I gave the finished "Octopus's Garden" to my older sister unframed and then took it back to finish the framing. At least I have both frames once the second one is finished!

In 2011, I want to start (and maybe finish, dare I say) Kringle's Christmas Tree Farm. I have the fabric and about half of the threads. But I need to finish the other octopus design before I can start anything new. And now that I have my own laptop (the best Christmas present ever!), I hope to post more without having to fight the kids for computer time.

Winner!

I won a giveaway on the Colorbok blog! I'm so excited. It was their first giveaway of the month and the prize is a "Grinch" Christmas craft kit. THe best part is, I just bought the felt ornament "Grinch" kit on Saturday, so I'm glad I didn't win the same one and we'll have a wreath to compliment our ornaments.

Holiday Stash

My LNS had their Holiday Open House last weekend and I was able to stop in on Friday. I was trying not to buy too much and just stitch what I have, but I couldn't resist the bargain charts. All of these charts were only $1 each, except for "Ravens & Pumpkins & Cats, Oh My!" by Carriage House Samplings, which was $3. The GAST and WDW threads are for Kringle's Christmas Tree Farm.

Still Here and Still Stitching...

Yes, I have been stitching, just not posting. I've been spending so much time on the computer job hunting and sending out resumes that I run out of steam when it's time to post about stitching.

I spent most of October stitching these pumpkins from last year's JCS Halloween issue. I had all year to stitch four more for my sisters and friends by Halloween, but waited until the last minute, of course. I finished them with the scrapbook paper backing and green wire on the 30th.

Now I'm working on Christmas gifts and have three Mill Hill ornaments in various stages of progress. Photos to come...

Fall is in the Air

I saw this tree in the Pier One catalogue that came in the mail last week and fell in love with it. Maybe I can find it for 50% or 60% off after Halloween is over. I think it would be perfect to hang stitchy Halloween ornaments from it.

Speaking of stitchy Halloween ornaments, I found a copy of the Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue at Joann's last week - and was able to use my 40% off coupon to purchase it, which was a plus since Michaels doesn't let you use coupons on books and magazines. This week, I'll have to check for the Christmas ornament issue now that it's available and use a coupon again.

Unofficial End of Summer

Happy Labor Day to all! To celebrate, here are my patriotric finishes from earlier in the summer (finally!). After stitching the Quaker 4th of July freebie, I was then inspired by Carolina Stitcher's patriotic tree. I stitched "Very Merry Summer" and "Wee Flags" rather quickly, although both still need buttons attached (and to be finished finished, obviously). And I'm trying to finish up The Sampler Girl's "Summer Day 1776" freebie today. All I have left to stitch are the sails on the ship.


A Very Merry Summer
JBW Designs
Stitched on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Jobelan using DMC


Flags (Wee Ones)
Bent Creek
Stitched on 28 ct. Tea-Dyed Monaco using DMC

Giveaway

If you're a fan of Blue Ribbon Designs (I am!), Belinda is having a "Milestone Giveaway." Be sure to check out her blog for all of the details.

Winner!

I'm so excited! I was the winner this week of one of Anna's summer giveaways - a collection of Mill Hill kits, one of my favorites. It continues the good vibes from vacation. We just returned from a week in Florida - our non-Disney Orlando vacation. Instead, we went to Sea World, the Aquatica waterpark, Daytona Beach and we stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel, which was very fun.

We drove down - about 17-18 hours each way - and I had all of these big stitching plans since we were going to be in the car for so long. I had kitted up a few new designs, basted fabric and even started a few borders so I wouldn't have to do too much counting. And what happened? I didn't stitch a single stitch the entire week! I don't know what I was thinking. The kids were constantly asking me for things - food, a drink, change the movie. And it was so hot, I felt like my hands were sticky all the time. So I just read instead. I finished two books, one of which was Pat Conroy's South of Broad. I had been waiting for vacation to read it and it did not disappoint. I love Southern fiction. And when we came home, I had an e-mail from Amazon telling me that my all-time favorite Southern writer, Anne Rivers Siddons, has a new book coming out next week - Burnt Mountain. I can't wait!

But I need to get back into stitching mode. To help me along, I had a chance to visit Needlecraft Corner today - by myself, without toting one of the kids along. I picked up two pieces of fabric - 28 ct. Flax Cashel linen for some miscellaneous ornaments and 28 ct. Rue Green Quaker cloth, which will hopefully work with Octopus Garden - a cute little needle slide with pumpkins on it and one of the new Mill Hill Festival of Trees ornaments (Old Fashioned Tree).

Still need to post those patriotic finishes! Coming soon...

July SBQ

I guess I should answer this while it's still July. Lee's question this month is:

Stitching is an activity that tends to be solitary. Sometimes I wonder if we choose stitching because we are more comfortable with pursuits that we do alone, or does our stitching cause us to be loners? So what do you think?

And you know that I can never stop with just one question or thing to think about, so here’s something else that’s been on my mind. Since we’re stitching alone most of the time, it seems to me that we get great joy from coming together with other stitchers. It can be such a good
feeling when we find a group of people who speak our language and understand our
stitching excitement and passion. But since not all stitchers are perfect, not all groups can be perfect either. So…if you could create your own perfect stitching group, what characteristics would make it perfect?

For instance, would you all be near the same age, or would you like your group to span a generation or two? Would you enjoy political or religious discussions while you stitch or would that make you shy away? Would you like a big group or a small group? Those are just a couple of variables in groups…tell us what’s important to YOU.

For me, I know I like to stitch because it is a solitary, peaceful activity. It's my "me time." None of my other friends stitch. We share other interests that could be solitary, but we do together, like scrapbooking or discussing books that we've read.

I'd love to find a stitching group of people my age (late 30s into 40s), but I feel like that could never happen. I imagine it might be like the stitching message boards online. Everyone gets so off topic and just uses it as a place to complain or gripe instead of really talking about stitching. I'd like to have someone or a small group of someones with whom I could talk about new charts or bounce questions off of about techniques or fabric, etc. The blogs that I follow come closest to this right now.

I hope to have some pictures of my latest stitching projects in the next day or two before we head out on vacation.

Quaker 4th

Here is my finish of the Quaker 4th of July freebie. This was quick and easy to stitch. I've never stitched a Quaker design before and I really liked it. This one was stitched on a piece of 32 ct. linen (that looks more cream-colored in person than in this picture) using DMC 304 (red), 336 (blue) and 5200 (white). It's inspired me to stitch a few more small patriotic designs to finish into small ornaments to hang around the house for the summer. I have Heart in Hand's "Wee Flags" that I stitched as a gift a couple of years ago. I think I'll stitch one for myself!

June SBQ

Lee posted this month's SBQ on Monday:

Tell us about something that you have stitched or plan to stitch for any father in your life. Maybe it’s for your father, your father-in-law, your children’s father, your grandfather, your godfather, or someone who was or still is an important father-figure in your life. Why did you choose this particular piece of stitching? Tell us the story behind it.

Her question made me realize I have never stitched anything for my dad or really for any men - up until this year. I did complete the Christmas stocking for my husband back in February. In the past, I've looked at a few golf patterns that would be a good fit for my dad, but I never got around to stitching anything for him. Maybe I'll change that for Father's Day next year.

Out of Sorts

I've been completely out of sorts for the past month or so, but I have been stitching. It's just about the only thing keeping me sane right now! I pulled out "Quote the Raven" by Crossed-Eyed Cricket after the Big Family Room Move and realized I only had a little bit to finish - mostly the little motifs on the outside and a few letters in "nevermore." I love the colors in this design! I stitched it on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Blue Jobelan with the called for DMC threads.



Since then, I've been working on the fourth Christmas stocking and yesterday I started the Quaker 4th of July everyone else is working on. Hope to have a picture of that tomorrow if the sun is out and an answer to Lee's SBQ.

May SBQ

Thanks to Lee for starting up these questions again. This month's question is:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.

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

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

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

I am definitely a "process" stitcher. If I gauged my success at stitching by how many projects I finished, especially compared to what others are able to accomplish, I would not be a success. I find the act of stitching enjoyable and relaxing. I love starting new projects and picking out the floss and fabric. Fin ishing is great, too, and I've definitely finished more in the last couple of years than I ever have, but the act of stitching is more meaningful to me than finishing.

That being said, it's time to get back to stitching, which I haven't done very much of this past month. First, we rearranged the family room and I had to pack up all of my stitching stuff. Then, I spent the rest of the time planning and preparing for my daughter's First Communion. I felt guilty about stitching when I had so much cooking and cleaning to do. But the ceremony and party were on Saturday and now I'm free to make a mess in the family room again!

Cake Wrecks

If you've never visited the Cake Wrecks website, you must. It's always good for a laugh. On Sundays, the site features beautiful cakes instead of wrecks. Check out the cross-stitch cake (and other needleart cakes).