I am so thankful for all of my followers and friends, I hope everyone has a safe and very 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I'm Back...

Now that the smoke has cleared...

I can return to my normal everyday life and I have things to share. On the 6^th of November my daughter was married and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day.  The temperature was in the 60’s (yes in November) and the sun was shining bright as can be all day. I know I may sound a little partial but my baby was the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. Here see for yourself.

She asked me to make her a wedding cake, something I had never done before and it just about drove me to the loony ben. I used a Martha Steward, marble wedding cake recipe with white butter crème frosting with a chocolate Ganesh filling all made from scratch. After making a couple practice cakes the end result wasn’t too bad…

 Don’t worry “Cake Boss” you still have your job.

In between practice cakes I was able to frame the wedding sampler, they loved it.

I was able to make a little progress on “Around the World in 80 Stitches” I now have half of part 14 done.

I have been keeping up with the “Plum Street” mystery SAL every Sunday; there is only one more part for both I & II to go.

I completed the third part of the Jardin Prive’, “Positive Thoughts”, I think this one has about two more parts.

In the mean time I have also finished "Angels of the World" by Joan Elliott.

Well thank you all for sticking with me during my absence; I don't know who was more nervous me or my daughter, but I'm back and will see you again soon. I'll be making more wonderful little xxs. 

As Usual...

I'm late with my Wipocalypse report again but here goes:
I actually stitched part 13 on Around the World in 80 Stitches

This is without the beads, they will be easier to put on at the end.
I have been working on Angels of the World

I'm a little farther along since this picture, I've started on the globe in the center.
I finished the 4th part of the Plum Street sampler I shared before.

One sampler is more detailed than the other with more little motifs(the top one in black) and is stitched on 28ct and the lighter one is stitched on 32 ct linen. I also completed the second part or Thinking Positive sampler from Jardin Prive.

No progress on Trick or Treat, Africa, Three Kimonos, Idelia Mae, or the Rose Sampler. However the anniversary sampler for my son and daughter-in-law has be delivered and according to daughter-in-law is hanging in a place of honor.  
Well until next time thank you to all of my followers who still visit in spite of my tardy post and off I go to make those little xxs.

And the Winner Is...

 RICKETYJO

The Just Cross Stitch 2012 Special Christmas Issue will be winging it's way to you as soon as you email me your mailing address.

TUSAL and so little time...

First let me start by sharing my TUSAL, it has a little of everything:

White on the bottom from "Spiral", black from "Trick or Treat", and purple from the wedding sampler for my daughter. So as you can see I've been a little busy.
Speaking of busy I have framed the anniversary sampler for my son and daughter-in-law.

All that is left is the delivery.  My needle book exchange is finished and here is mine that I sent to my partner.

I will show the disaster I made with the first attempt next time.  Once this was done I started on DD sampler and all that is left for it is framing.

 The picture doesn't do justice to the Picture This Plus fabric called "Mirage" it's medium gray with purple undertones and yes my daughter's choice.

Last but not least I started on the Facebook Sunday SAL "Mary's Sampler" from Plum Street Samplers designed by Paulette Stewart. Actually I am attempting to do I & II, one is on an unknown color 32 ct R&R fabric and the other 28ct black cashel and both being stitched with DMC.  

Well like I said I've been a little busy and I've still got lots to do.  I would like to welcome my new followers and say thank you for all of the wonderful comments.  The back is back to normal or at least pain free for now.  I know I have been promising a drawing, well here is a little one for now.

As I was organizing my many magazines I discovered that I had a duplicate 2012 Just Cross Stitch Special Christmas Issue.

  Yes it is the 2012 issue but it's full of beautiful ornaments and it could be yours, just leave a comment saying you're interested and I'll draw a winner next Sunday October 13th.  Until then I'll be making so of those wonderful little xxs.

  

Getting Older Sucks!

Yes, it really does.  Last week for some unknown reason my back started to ache, it was a throbbing pain on the right side. It hurt so bad I couldn't lay on my back to sleep I had to try and stay on my left side, anyway I thought maybe it was a kidney stone.  So I started drinking more water and cranberry juice, no improvement, it got so bad that I drove myself to the emergency room.  Once there the doctor checked all the vital signs, asked all of the important questions and then sent me for a CTscan, after telling me that the pain could be anything from a aneurysm on the aorta to muscle strain.  As the pain meds started to kick in I finally got the results, all the test were negative and the only thing he could tell me was maybe I had slept wrong or tweaked (not tweerked) my back some how. I was happy that there was no major problem and this was categorized as old age aches and pains for no reason. But I guess I'm luckier than some as long as I'm in pain I'm alive. Okay that's the end of the rant, now for some stitching updates.
I  missed sharing  my IHSW progress and my Wipocalypse report so this will cover everything.
I made no progress on any of my original wips:
Angels of the World
Africa
Three Kimonos
Idelia Mae Rich
Rose Sampler
Around the World in 80 Stitches
But I have managed to add to their numbers with:
Spiral

Thine is the Trick or the Treat

The Way to Happiness (a free SAL from Facebook)

As if this isn't bad enough I have also signed up for another Facebook SAL that starts this coming Sunday all I have is the floss toss.

Last but certainly not least I have the floss and chart for my daughters wedding sampler still awaiting the fabric which is on it's way as we speak.

The pumpkin I posted yesterday I purchased a couple of years ago at a craft show, I thought it was rather unique. It was posted for Cathey at Pumpkin Patch & Co in celebration of her blogoversary and sponsored by Sharon from It's Daffy Cat.
Well I won't promise to post more often because I hate to keep breaking promises but I will try my best. For now thank you all for the wonderful comments and I'm off to make some more wonderful little xxs.

PUMPKINS FOR CATHEY

Have a great day Cathey! To see more pumpkins visit Daffy Cat.

37 Years and Still Together...

I met my husband when I was 12 years old, we were both tall and rail thin but we fell in love at first sight. All through junior high and high school we were inseparable, he played on the basketball team and I was his biggest cheerleader. Even when he went away to college and me to the Army, nothing came between us, we vowed to grow old together and so far we are doing just that. 

This past Saturday we celebrated 37 years of marriage.  We may not be rail thin anymore, and our hair is a lot more salt than pepper but the same love we felt way back then is still going strong to this day. For our anniversary we spent the weekend in Atlantic City at Harrah’s casino, and I got to stand next to a box of money (supposed to be a million dollars).

 I would have loved to be allowed in that box for a few minutes. We played a few slots and walked the boardwalk and I enjoyed spending alone time with my soul-mate.

Last week I showed a piece I was working on a piece called Thine is the Trick and the Treat well; all I showed had to be ripped- out.  I usually start my stitching in the center and work outward, but that I thought would have been confusing with this design so I began with page 1 which is the top left corner and as you saw I had finished that whole first page. Just as I was removing the q-snaps to start the second page I noticed that the fabric was turned the wrong way. So on Thursday I began to slowly and carefully remove all of the stitching, I worked from the back cutting the floss.  It was hard work but saving the fabric was more important than the floss (fabric $27.00 vs floss $.39) you do the math. Anyway I restarted on the drive to Atlantic City but it was a little hard working on the uneven threads of the linen  in the car, so this is all I got done.

On Sunday after being out walking the boardwalk and enjoying a delicious lunch at “Pickles Deli” (Rueben on marble rye)

 we went back to our room to relax and hubby watched the football game I decided to start the other design I took with me (just in case). It is called “Spiral” from Jardin Prive, the fabric is 32 ct Lakeside linen called Woodsmoke and it is stitched with DMC #5200. I love the all-white on this color it really pops.  

As if I need another project to stitch, I have just joined another SAL this morning (it’s free) from http://lesmarottesdenath.free.fr I will start gathering my floss and fabric in just a little bit. 

Thank you all for stopping by for a visit and I hope you come again and leave lots of wonderful comments as I go to make some wonderful little xxs.

TUSAL Time

Presented by Mr Cleo Jenkins himself.

TADAAAAA!

MIA again...

Yes I have been missing again from here and if I have disappointed anyone I apologize.  I guess the blogging bug can leave you just like the stitching bug.  Hopefully it will return permanently. I have been doing some stitching and listening to some audio-books  A couple that was really good is: “The Apple Turnover Murder” by Joanne Fluke and “Southern Comfort” by Fern Michaels.  I made trip to the library today get more and I picked up “Death’s Half Acre” by Margaret Maron, “Wicked Appetite” by Janet Evanovich to name a couple, I love murder mysteries as you can probably tell.

As for stitching, well the coward in me has come out and I have been afraid to try assembling the needle book again after my last disaster and I haven’t framed my son and daughter-in-law’s anniversary sampler even though I have everything on hand to do so.  I have ordered the fabric for my daughter wedding sampler and have the chart decided on so that will be my next major project. 

In the mean time I was stitching on “Thine is the Trick and the Treat” when I saw a beautiful sugar skull being stitched by a friend on a Facebook group and I thought about the chart that I have had for a while and decided that I should stitch it for Halloween so I started and just couldn’t put it down.  The name given to it is “On the brighter side of life”.  I got the chart as a freebie on the Director of Cross Stitch (to find skull click on DMC on the upper left, go to page 5 and scroll down)  however it now has to be purchased for $4.00 and it is by a designer known only by “beauty123”.  This was a very easy and colorful design and I really enjoyed it, now to decide what to make of it, maybe a large hanging ornament or a small pillow. 

I am so excited tonight is the first “stitch-in” at In-Stitches Needleworks since the lock-in back in June. It will be nice to see the other ladies and see what they have been working on if anything over the summer.  I may even pick up a couple of items from my wish list while I there. I guess I should get a move on so I can make a snack for tonight and maybe put in a few stitches before I go. 

Thanks for dropping in and hope to see you soon, oh snap I almost forgot to post my few pictures, which is probably what you came to see.

"On the Bright Side of Life"

Until next time I’ll be making those wonderful little xxs.

August Wipocalypse

Yes, I am posting again this soon and I’m still a day late for the full moon.  I just can’t seem to get everything done in my days.  I usually check emails, and then read Facebook post, visit About.com Cross Stitch and read blogs (not necessarily in that order), but by then half the day is gone and I do (believe it or not) have to sometimes do actual housework and cook.  My poor stitching is suffering greatly, even though I have finished a couple of things, there are so many more that need my attention. This brings me to my Wipocalypse post, this month I have not touched “Angels of the World”, “The Rose Sampler”, “Idelia Mae Rich”, “The Three Kimonos”, “Africa” or “Around the World in 80 Stitches”.

I have, as mentioned finished the stitching of an anniversary sampler, stitched a piece (that I can’t show yet) for a needle book (twice) and finished this piece “Stitching Mend the Soul” by Waxing Moon Designs. 

finished

close-up of beautiful face

And of course I have neglected my blog terribly. Hopefully I can get a little more organized soon.  I’ve got to design and stitch a wedding sampler for my baby girl who is getting married in November.  She and her soon to be hubby are taking care of all of their wedding plans and preparations so that I don’t have to worry with but this sampler has to be perfect like the one for my son and his lovely wife.  

Thank you to my followers for hanging in here with me and coming to visit, I really enjoy the comments.  Well as always I have got to make some more little xxs.

IHSW and a little more

A lot of activities this past week. First Friday was the beginning of the IHSW (to see who else was hermitting), second my monthly “Stitch & Bitch” and last but not least the beginning of my “Summer SWAT”. Also last week I had a slight mishap with a piece for a needle book exchange  I think I mentioned before, so I used the weekend to re-stitch the whole thing and I can’t show you what happened until the exchange next month, but I promise to share the whole terrible mess. I also started something new by Waxing Moon Designs, called “Stitching Mends the Soul”.

before

after

So this is my IHSW report and I will keep working on this one for the rest of the SWAT.  I did finish the anniversary sampler and have everything to finish it but need to gather my nerve before any cutting on this one after my last attempt at finishing a gift.

Well I can’t finish anything if I don’t make some little xxs. See you next time.

TUSAL Time

What is a TUSAL, you ask?  Well, it’s when you save your little old ratty tails (thread ends) and share a picture with friends and love ones. Why? It’s a TUSAL (totally useless stitch along).  If you would like to join the fun scoot on over to “Its Daffy Cat” and sign in.  I am so ashamed I missed TUSAL last month and by the time I realized, it was way too late to post so I continued to collect my orts for a double dose this month.

Bud even likes the electric blue

As you can see I’ve been very careful of threads on the wedding/anniversary gift so there is a lot of electric blue and gray. Can’t have carry-over threads seen through the white fabric. 

See you again soon until then, I’ll be making those little xxs.