Updates Galore

Now that I've finally been able to bogart the camera from my hubby (who is at this moment wandering the house trying to figure out where he put it, as I download), I've gotten picture of all my finishes and updates over the past several months. So you know this post will be jpeg heavy.

First up is my last finish of 2007.
"One Starry Night" by Carol Scott Higeli of The Stitcher's Habit. From JCS Christmas Ornaments: 10th Anniversary Collection.

On 28ct Navy Cashel Linen, using recommended DMS treads. Substituted Kreinik 102 with 002, and 085 with 095.

And two finishes, so far, for 2008:
"Merlin's Oak" by Hermon Adams
Pictures never do these things justice, do they...

This is an Embellished Cross Stitch kit from Candamar Designs Inc, which I started in July 2005.

And "Daisy Dream" Mill Hill kit.

This beaded pin pillow is on 28ct Cashel Linen, and took approx. 15 hours to complete.

And the Baker's Dozen RR returned in time for Christmas for my son. Although once he saw the package when we picked up the mail, he knew what it was and has refused to let it go since (Oh the uproar when he realized he forgot it at his Aunt's house in San Antonio!).

THANK YOU to all the ladies who worked on this. My boy absolutely loves it, and has me read all the letters you wrote at least once a week. You all did great work and I am grateful to you.


Now for my lovely ongoing projects...
Here is "Winter White Tree Skirt" at 180 hours


"Winter's Grazing" at 54 hours


wXSw (Yahoo group) Mystery SAL "Back on the Road Again" at 30 hours

I'm using 14ct Oatmeal Aida (I think it is Oatmeal. Its part of some stash I was given and it was not labeled.) and DMC threads. I have substituted DMC's Light Effect colors for the White, 334, and 818.

And lastly, "An October Box" at 10 hours

A RR, a finish, and a present

I've gotten this month's RR piece finished, for Dana.


Quite honestly, it took my son a couple of hours to pick which flowers to stitch for Dana's piece (he liked them all). In the end, with the help of his sister, he chose June, since that is when his birthday is. He has been a great help in picking out the patterns to stitch each month as I'm liking everything and having trouble deciding.

Next up is my very first finish of 2007!

It is "Peppermint Nick" by Jeanette Rees of Jemini Designs, from JCS 2006 Christmas Ornaments. On 28 ct. Ice Blue Alma, with DMC regular and rayon thread, and WDW thread.
After I get him cleaned, pressed and made into an ornament, he'll have a fuzzy scark and will be holding a candy cane. This is the ornament my daughter has picked for this year's tree.
This makes nine projects finished in my 25 project challenge.

And lastly, the reason the challenge has been easy, I recieved a package from Diane at PALS for the Month color exchange. February's colors were pink and red with a theme of hearts and Valentine's Day. And Diane sent me a package of finishing stuff...mostly.

What you see is:
• fabric with red and pink hearts
• red and white tulle
• 4 skiens of DMC (white, 304,349, B5200)
• finishing cord in sparkly red and sparkley white
• package of size 26 needles
• heart-shaped key ring (I have one like this in purple, but I LOVE the blue)
• bookmark
• notepad with magnets


Did I miss anything?


I just hope Leigh likes what I got for her.


Recently, my mom dropped off some 'craft stash' which she got from my grandmother, who is cleaning out her house. She brought several different stacks of material, including some she remembers her sisters wearing when the were 6 or so (shall we just say the fabric is over 50 years old), as well as some very brightly colored yarn, dolls heads, and I don't know how many yards of a yellow and brown wool. Also, some prestamped doilies to be embroidered. Unfortunatly, they are stained and I don't want to attemt to clean them, as the stamping will wash off, until I can finish them.
I have some friends that I'm going to let have first dibs on what I'm not going to keep, and then I'm thinking of post pictures here to see if anyone else will use it.

Bakers Dozen RR

I just put the last french knot in a RR piece. This is Deborah's blanket. My portion: Strawberry Emery.


libhita

Now if I could only find some strawberries in the market.

On to work on this week's TAST challenge; the buttonhole stitch. I'm not feeling particularly creative, so it may just be me perfecting my technique this week.

Bakers Dozen RR update

Here is the latest finish on a round robin, to be mailed out tomorrow. "Kitten and Teddy" from Stoney Creek Collection: Cat's Meow.

A small finish before I leave on vacation

I finished my portion of Janice's piece in the Bakers Dozen RR. 'T' chose "October Curls"; I think mainly because he is ready for Halloween.



Now to put it in a safe place until it is time to mail it, in a month. And set a reminder on my Palm....can't go and forget about it!

Thank you everyone for your kind words and keeping me and my famil in your thoughts during this past week.

A Poll and a Finish

I need some help picking out a fabric to use for a nametag. I have narrowed it down to 6 choices and would like your help choosing one. Pictures are uploaded into my Webshots album. Some of the fabric is very subtley different from the others, but still looks good, which is why I need some help.
I need to start the nametag this weekend, which is why the urgency.

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Although I didn't get a lot of stitching done this week, I was able to finish this month's portion of the Bakers Dozen RR.



My son has decided that since all these ladies are making something for him, he is going help with their's. Considering there have been so many nice patterns to choose from, I don't mind the help.

I really wish my scanner was better at picking up the sparklies.

MY SHAMPOO SHOCKED ME!!!!!

I'm not kidding! I was in the shower about to wash my hair, and noticed I was out of shampoo and conditioner. So I reached under the sink and pulled out 2 new bottles, that I got last time Beauty Brands has a liter sale. Poured some of the shampoo into my hand, and as soon as it touched...zzzzt. "How odd" I thought, but just passed it off as being really cold and washed my hair. Poured the conditioner in my hand, and as soon as it touched....ZZZT. OK, I jumped at that point, and said "WTF!". It hurt! SO I decide to read the bottle, to see if I can figure out what is going on, and it says, "Contains Quadramine ComplexTM, an exclusive blend of positively charged, low molecular weight and size proteins. I think this means I'm going to get shocked every time I wash my hair! Oh wait, it also says apply directly to hair. LOL

I wonder how funny it would be if I switched this out with my daughter's shampoo?

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Stephanie's RR piece arrived this week. A very cute little christmas piece. My son, as usual, thought it was for him. But after reminding him that twelve women were working on these, and one of the things was a blanket for him, he said, "That means I can help too!" As my mom brought me up to never turn down the willing help of a child, I'm letting him pick out what pattern to do on each RR piece. It really is adorable when T sits down with a pattern book, oohing and awwwing over everythwhich(WHich reminds me; I need to hunt down his "treasure room" and see if he has absconded with any of my WIPs) After he picked the pattern, I started pulling thread. You know I still don't have all of the regular DMC line! Or Kreinik. Off to the store today.

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On the same BB that the Bakers Dozen is on, we have a Wednesday wishes. Where everyone can pick one stash item they would like or need. A couple months (?) ago, Julie requested purple Aida to make this:


As I had a couple good size pieces in my stash, I sent one to her. How do I know that is what she wanted to make? Because I apparently sent enough to make two and she gave one to me! I love it! Of course T saw the candy corn button on it and declared that there was candy inside, but didn't want to open it because it was pretty. (Have I mentioned T is 4?) This one was rescued before it ended up in his "treasure room". Right now, it's sitting on his table in the living room, until I get a chance to sneak it to work. Although hubby is trying to figure out out to mount it to the wall next to my broom.

A finish and an update. Happy anniversary!

Rough week for me; bad case of insomnia all week.

But I finished a Round Robin for the Bakers Dozen. Its a huck towel. I picked "Spring Fever" because the bees were just calling to me.


by libhita

So it is packed up and ready to be shipped off to it's next stop.

And I also made progress on "Tanager with Tulips". I'm really hoping to start on the backstitching this week on this.

by libhita

Yesterday was my 8th anniversary. We had fun yesterday, very laid back. The day started out with some "fun". Well fun for me and hubby; the 4 year old walking in didn't think so. I swear, one of us will remember to lock the door one of these days. Later we had a late lunch and went to the movies. We saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: Deadman's Chest". I liked it. From all the new plot twists, I'm really anxious to see how it gets wrapped up.

Today is my brother's wedding anniversary. My love to the two off them and their 3 children, especially since they are separated from each other for the next 4 months.

Bakers Dozen RR

The first square for my son's couch blanket is complete. As he loves the outdoors, I found a tree, in each season, to put on the corner of the blanket. The first is a free pattern called "Spring Tree" by Designs by Stitch Witch from www.cyberstitchers.com . There was a lot of confetti stitches, but my son loves it.

by libhita

Now it is getting packaged up for its journey to Wisconsin. I'm writing a little story for my son about the travels of his blanket, so he'll have a fun little tale to go with it when it returns a year from now. I've already got the beginning written:

The Travel’s Of Trey’s Couch Blanket

The blanket knew, as it came out of its package, who it would belong to and where it would reside. It knew, because Trey’s mommy told it.
“Your going to be Trey’s couch blanket,” she said, “So Trey and his sitter will stop fighting over whose blanket is whose. You will only belong to Trey and no one else.”
The blanket was scared. It was just it a plain white piece of cloth, it thought; no little boy would want me.
But Trey’s mommy knew better.
“You’re going to be the best blanket in the living room,’ she said.
“When?” asked the blanket.
“In about a year, and even better, you’ll get to see the world (well, North America at least), before you come back here and spend the rest of your life with Trey. A wonderful lady will put a new picture on you at each stop of your journey, and I’ll put the first one on you now.”
Trey’s mommy pulled out her needle, colored threads, and an oddly looking black and white picture.
“I certainly hope THAT isn’t what I’m going to look like!” the blanket thought.
But Mommy knew what to do. She created a pretty little tree, with the buds of spring on it in the corner of the blanket.
“Oh! How pretty!” exclaimed Trey, “Is it done?”
“No,” said Mommy, “Now it is going to travel to a bunch of different places, and when it returns, there will be 12 pictures on the blanket, and a whole year will have past.”
“But that’s too long!” Trey cried.
Mommy was sad to see Trey so sad, “Yes, it is a long time for you, but you can help me make lots of other things while we wait for your blanket to return.”
“Like bookmarks!”
“Yes.”
“Yea!!!!” he yelled, and Trey ran off to his treasure room to get the book of bookmarks that he had ‘borrowed’ from his mommy.