Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you had wonderfully crisp weather with a warm, delicious meal!

Little ornament WIP!

Tried to get a little finish in before my trip on Thursday but alas, my beads were either too big or too small for the bats! Luckily, my aunts have a trip to their LNS planned and the hunt will start again.

This is Waiting from the 2012 Halloween Just Cross Stitch.  My brother chose this one and I made several changes. The fence was supposed to be black and a single thread, I used brown and 2 threads for the posts outline and 1 thread for the markings.  The border was supposed to be blue-gray and I went with a dark navy.  The sun was supposed to be bright orange and I used WDW Fiesta which turned out splendid, if I do say so myself.  Baby bro chose Fiesta in about 2 seconds at the LNS and asked me what was so difficult about choosing colors. He lives, but barely! Haha. Anyway, this just needs some bats and it's done!

Recently...

Tora says time for sleeps not stitches! 

Happy Birthday!

To my mom!!! And to the royal baby! We're sure that Kate & the baby decided on today so our family would always remember his birthday!

Party nails for the celebration! Don't look too close, it was my first attempt! And no way I'm showing my right hand, haha. (Tutorial from Cutepolish here.)

Halloween Stash & the Dallas LNS!

A quick visit to the new-to-me Dallas LNS proved very pleasant!!! I love how open and spacious the store is and how they display their special floss.  Each color for CC, GA & Weeks has it's own spot on the wall which makes choosing a color MUCH easier.  The Kreinik is either in braids on a rotating stand or in beautiful wooden drawers by shade. They are kinda low on fabric but they do have some beautiful choices I hope to explore on my next visit. And they are just getting started!

Picked up some Halloween stash - JCS Halloween edition & a small black bat needle minder! So cute.  Also got a couple threads and a Mill Hill Christmas kit.

The store was playing country music loud enough to hear it but not too too loud. Ya know? AND they had guard puppies! Who doesn't love a store with cute critters.  The Westie is the more active guard puppy... also keeping the Mom on the ball with cookie time.  The Scottie is more laid back and content to nap under a table. But, should someone walk past the store without entering, she can be called upon to bark her disappointment! It was an awesome fast trip! And it's always fun to recognize someone and be recognized in return! I fear the closeness of the location and the ease of dropping in may damage my budget.  We shall see!

Also... Tora likes to help stitch by chewing on the fabric and frame! Managed to snap this shot before she did any damage to the fabric or my calm. We talked and she laid stretched out along my legs for the rest of her shift as helper.  Progress, slowly but surely! Crazy cat...

 Now... off to pick favorites from the JCS Halloween issue & compare notes with the Stitchy Cousin!

Looking forward to Halloween?

I am! And I know one other stitcher who is too!

This freebie is from Cross Me Not. Stitched on 35 Onyx with DMC threads.

123 Freebie SALs!

This was catch-up month! Not sure I'll get them finished by show & tell but they are stitched and that counts!!! :)

May --- Plume 

I exaggerated a tad when I said this one was done.  There are four little pieces left to add! 

June --- The Guardians of the Sea

Love how I was able to line up the beads facing the trident and the tridents are horizontal. First time arranging beads and I'm very pleased when how they turned out! Also, blending filament to add shiny to their hair & tails!

July --- Cozy Christmas Wishes
A favorite that I'm really happy with.  Just not too happy with the photograph.  The steam from the cocoa is sooooo pretty but nearly disappears in the pic.

More Tora!

As requested, more pics of Tora! When we first got her, I texted a pic a day to our friend who was worried and missing her. 

Her favorite evening activity is napping in Mom's lap when she gets home from work.  

She also likes sitting on top of chairs. It did freak me out at first that she likes to stare at the floor... WHAT is she looking at? Do I need to kill something?? Nope, she just likes hanging on stuff.  Pretty sure she's part monkey.

And sleeping upside down!

She loves long, skinny things... straws, pencils, cords. And by love, I mean completely obsessed. 120%.

Playing is hard work! She does that thing where she falls when she sleeps... the more asleep she gets the further she slides.  Hilariously cute.

New Additions!

We have two new additions to our house! One planned & long-awaited and one unplanned & sudden.  First the planned... Jake's new car!

After looking at several cars (to see if he'd fit - 2 hits & 1 miss on that test!), finally he decided on a 2014 Mazda 6, currently unnamed. Jet Black Mica with a sand interior, 6-speed standard shift.  Yes, he chose a manual that I can't drive yet! I'll learn one day and his total happiness over the purchase erased my angst.

 

 

And the unplanned addition... Tora!  Tora was found in a box in a Wal-mart parking lot with a sign that said free cat next to a somewhat friendly but shady guy.  She was very sweet and nice but had a matted eye and was generally in not good shape.  Our friend decided to take her and get her healthy.  The vet said she was too young to be removed from her mother causing her to be sick and gave her some antibiotics to straighten her out.  Fast forward a few months... our friend's dad decided one day to lock her in the back yard with no notice or chance to get her a new home.  So, we stepped in! We couldn't let such a tiny kitten be locked outside in the hottest part of the year! She's adapted very quickly to her new home but is very bitey and totally nuts.  We're *hoping* when she's old enough to get fixed, it'll calm her down!

Oh, and she *hates* being locked out of the bathroom when someone is in there.  It's pretty hilarious.  She throws herself at the door hoping to get in, sometimes hanging on the door knob and scratching with her back legs.  If we've not latched the door well, she gets in and sits patiently until we are done. Doesn't make another sound or cause any more trouble, no matter how long we take.  Totally weird.

Spring has arrived!

Ok.. I know spring officially started a while ago but at my house, spring is here when the turtles wake up.  They pay no attention to the weathermen and wake up several weeks after the last freeze.  We are supposed to have another cold spell at some point but no more freezes until winter.  Seasons in Texas don't play by any rules! 

A couple weeks ago on the way home from our favorite cafe, we passed a creek that we have come to call turtle creek.  These turtles do not hibernate and can be seen on any warm day regardless of the date.  But... we have never seen this many at once!

This morning our turtle pen was undisturbed but sometime mid-morning, Dad noticed 3 new round holes.  After we dismissed burrowing aliens, we looked for the turtles.  It could happen... you don't know! ;o)

Two were hiding under their terrace.  The terrace was a late addition to the turtle pen and was immediately their collective favorite spot.  In fact, Dad could not even finish building it without them trying to get under the nifty tin shade.  A near constant dance of removing the turtles to the far side of the pen and trying to get some work done before the speed demons came back lasted a whole afternoon! 

Perhaps because they were still waking up, but neither turtle had any curiosity about their water dish nor their food plate newly filled with their favorite food.  One brave turtle eventually made it to the fancy blue plate to dig in. What is their food of choice? Well, surprisingly it's turtle pellets -- Rep-Cal Box Turtle Food to be exact.  Something they refused to eat at their previous residence. 

The other one is not to sure yet and kept backing up to the terrace.  But the first one is enjoying his first meal of 2013.  I would be too!

This one is a bit blurry because I was zooming in... every time I walked close, they would run.  I guess they will have to get used to me all over again. Joy.

And in stitchy news... stash for the April freebie on the 123 Stitch Freebie SAL is all ready. Hope to get it started soon! 

Floss, floss & more floss!

A little over a month ago, a very kinda lady who frequents the cafe I also frequent had to give up cross stitching.  She debated for a long while on what to do with her considerable stash collected over many years.  Finally she asked a crafty chick who works there if she knew anyone who cross stitched.... my name came up! 

It took only a long afternoon to sort the magazines and charts.

Next came the floss... a huge fabric bag full of little baggies of floss. This small bit is the next part I'm working on. (Yes.. I said small!)

I got some new large boxes to organize the floss and am working my way through the bag slowly but surely.  The first box is now full!

And onto the next... :o)

Twelve Weeks!

Can you believe it's already twelve weeks into 2013? I can't! Things have started to slow down here. We have had too many funerals this year already, one wedding we had to miss because it was out of the country, and people in my house continue to get sick, ignoring my instructions to stay well! I've also been very busy with Key Way business and my stitchy sessions have taken a hard hit.  My plans to be finished with all my 2012 WIPs and have a couple 2013 finishes has gone out the window.  Hopefully, the spring will be more productive on the stitchy front! 

Updates! First, my SAL with my stitchy cousin over at The Copper Fox. We're doing The Cricket Collection's spooky Skeleton Crew. I finally have the main sail completed and a small touch of brown added at the top.  Next is filling in the spooky face on the sail and deciding if I want to work my way up the mast or down toward the boat.  Decisions, decisions.

Next, one of my 2012 WIPs that is closer to being done now... Mill Hill's Moonlit Kitties. All the cross stitches are done and it all that is left is the beadwork and backstitching.  I say "all that is left" like it's quick. It won't be! Haha :) 

I do love how both are turning out and am really excited about the next phase on each project! Now off to make some progress on a special snowman... Have a wonderful weekend!

Market Stash!

I enjoyed looking at the Market stash online last year but didn't find too many things I *needed.* This year however, was a different story! My LNS had a Market One-Day Sale today and I had a TON of fun looking at all their loot.  For the first time in ... well... ever, I actually had to limit my purchases because there were so many items I wanted! I'm still mostly a rookie, remember. (Online, however, is a very different story!)

My NEW Stash! 

Can you tell I like Sue Hillis??? I got the first 2 of her new Dessert of the Month series.  I love how with the small squares you can complete a "month" and count it as a finish and come back to do another square later! I also got her Gingerbread Street and the Patriotic & Snowflake Santas from her annual Santa series. Also included was Ravenmoon Hall from Praiseworthy Stitches.  Every time I look at this one, I see something new. It's my favorite of the Manor House series, at least for now!


I should not look at the fabric section but I was walking by the table and it'd be rude not to check it out a little! I'm a sucker for the cheap little packets of fabric so I got small cuts of White Opalescent Cashel, Grey/Straw Gingham, and New Port Natural/Cream (the larger square piece) all in 28ct.  There were more packets of PTP Solar - I adore that fabric but my willpower won and I let them keep it for now!.  The floss is new from Weeks Dye Works called Tatanka and is a rich dark brown with very little variation.  I was looking for a good brown with some variation and came up empty so this one was too pretty to pass up.

And for my aunt who loves the Santa series from Sue Hillis... She now has all the ones she wants from this series and is done collecting them until #9 comes out!

I think my first Market sale was a complete success and I hope my LNS is still operating and goes to the Nashville Market again next year!!!

A long overdue update & a surprise!

SAL update! I have not forgotten to update. I have not had any noticeable progress.  Finally, some progress on Skeleton Crew to be done by Labor Day (fingers crossed)! This is the largest sail on the main mast. Thinking about doing one part that is not winter white next, just to mix things up. To be continued...

And a surprise tease... here is one corner of the completed monthly SAL taking place on the 123 Stitch message boards. It's a freebie called Spring, but that's all you get for now.  Are you excited, Honeybee?!?! I am! I should clarify, this is not totally finished, it's stitched & signed.  I need a second opinion on one aspect but that will have to wait for the big reveal...

...which is on February 28th on the message boards and afterwards, I will post it here! It will be the first finish I post on the message boards, so a little excited about that also.  OK, perhaps more than a little! Less than 2 weeks. (Insert Final Jeopardy music here.)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Supplies!

My supply run went better than expected today and I got everything I wanted at Hobby Lobby! A cute little frame for one piece, some backing for another, and some trim for the third. Getting so close!

To hold you over, 2 products that are NEW to me that I'm in love with and definitely count as necessary supplies for finishing fun stitchy items! Well maybe... :)

First, Cool Whip Icing.  Coolest thing since Cool Whip! Comes in 3 flavors, chocolate, cheesecake, and vanilla.  Listed in order of importance, of course! These little containers of joy are not available everywhere Cool Whip is sold so you may have to look a little.  In fact, I found them only at Albertson's. Kroger & Wal-mart haven't caught up. It's probably a good thing I only visit Albertson's when my meds need refilling and therefore cannot make frequent purchases! 

Second, Hershey's Special Dark Syrup. I love almost any chocolate in almost any form but was VERY skeptical that I would enjoy dark chocolate in syrup form.  I was completely wrong.  It is crazy delicious. While it is good on ice cream, never have I tasted better chocolate milk! And with fat free milk to boot.  Not completely sure how this syrup made that milk taste so amazing but it is now a staple in our fridge!

CSC Freebie!

Every once in a while the stitchy magazines &/or companies will post freebies on their Facebook page.  I made an interest list on Facebook will all the stitching pages I could find. It's so cool to check-in with so many sites at once!

Cross Stitch Collection releases their February issue tomorrow in the UK and it's all about flowers... Full Bloom! Seems like it takes forever to reach us colonists. Leslie Teare will have a feature on daffodils and the magazine is offering a teaser daffodil freebie... here!  Ms. Teare, at a quick glance, also has a lot of cute freebies on her blog Thoughts on Design. Check em out! 

I'm working on completing the stitching on a small piece I started last year and then I have a day planned to get 3 pieces finally finished! Yay!

My rookie year of stitching!

After years (and years) of subtle (and not so subtle) suggestions from my wise slightly older cousin that I should start cross stitching, I finally gave it a real try last January!  I've started pieces over the years but never really got the hang of it and never even came close to finishing anything.  So this year, with the help of detailed emails & cute illustrated cards from the aforementioned cousin and some videos on YouTube, my first completed piece took about a week! Let's review my rookie year! 

First ~ My cousin sent me a cute beginner kit of a Panda from Bucilla for my birthday. LOVE the pink bow! You can also see I didn't have the hang of signing the piece in a good place yet!

Second ~ A birthday gift for my aunt who loves Hummingbirds! A pretty kit from Counted Cross Stitch for Dummies, Hummingbird Floral on 14-count white Aida.
 

  
Third ~ One of my favorite pieces of 2012 came next... a kit called Equestrian Duo from Dimensions for my mom's birthday. I changed the fabric from the included 14-count Aida to 28-count Antique White Evenweave.

Fourth ~ Another gift! This time for our family neurologist who was awesome! When her dummy of a husband got a shiny new job in another state, she made sure her replacement would still treat me uninsured! The chart was a full wreath in a Just Cross Stitch magazine... I'll have to look up the date. [Update: March/April 2012] Stitched on 28-count Country French Linen, I changed it to a smaller spray and changed the bird from a Robin to a Goldfinch to match the Wild Roses -> both are state symbols of Iowa, where our Doc was relocating.  That worked out nice.

I did manage to complete the stitching on 2 more projects but they aren't finished yet.  Pics to come when they are! Also looking forward to finishing my 4 WIPs, starting my list of 2013 charts, and finally making some progress on my first annual SAL with my cousin - the insanely cool, wait for it... Skeleton Crew from Cross Eyed Cricket! 

Do you have a Stitchy New Year's Resolution?  Don't go 3 days in a row without stitching at least 20 stitches. Let's hope this resolution will last longer than February! Happy New Year!!! (Yesterday.)