oodles of magazines

I am in magazine HEAVEN today.

My bookstore has been having a poor selection of magazines lately, but today was a bonanza day. They had 4 new magazines: UK Cross Stitcher with a free kit, Cross Stitch Crazy with a little book of designs, Cross Stitch Collection (no freebie, but a gorgeous gypsy/mermaid/fairy on the cover, and Cross Stitch and Needlework.

I've made my way through the last two of these four and they're nice issues. CS&N features a beach design. Two actually, because there's a JBW in there as well. I think I prefer the JBW, particularly because it's done with DMC and is a quick stitch. There's a pretty picnic sampler, done in bright, hot summer colors--I don't know how the rest of you feel but I love how blue and reds looks against white fabric. It just looks summery and gorgeous. Then, there's a patriotic door chart. I'm trying to think how this could be used. I can't see hanging a door on the wall, even seasonally (That said, a Margaret Sherry Christmas kitten hanging in a wreath goes up at Christmas. But it was a kitten. A yellow tabby. Maybe this chart just needs a yellow tabby to get it onto my wall) Maybe a pillow?

I am totally loving the folk art animals. There are pictures of a rabbit, a cow, chickens, and sheep. SO cute! They aren't done by one of the normal designers to the magazine and they're country but not boring country. There are also some fruit designs with the French words for them. And a really cute little banner of strawberries and flowers. And the cool coffee banner. I don't drink coffee, so I couldn't stitch this, but it's pretty cute. There is also a little box with a watch on it. I can totally see doing this for my boyfriend, with a little goodie inside. Another highlight is the cute little holiday pillow.

I am not too keen on the China Blue towels. They seem very "80s" to me, and not in the good way. I'm also not fond of the Gail Bussi design, Sunshine and Love. It's just not my taste. Or the black and white roses rug. Sorry, I am not stitching a rug for people to walk over. Or a dog to lie on. Probably the latter--my dogs appreciate quality and love lying on cross stitch. Not that I don't appreciate the designers' talents, it's just not "my thing." The little things I've designed probably aren't anyone's taste.

Different strokes for different folks.

Not much happening

I am taking a break from the lions for a few days. I've been working on my longtime Fall Cat Sampler UFO. I actually managed to finish the pumpkin Tuesday while we were watching Deadliest Catch, which, besides Ghost Hunters, is one of my most favorite shows. It's taken me three years to finish stitching that flippin' pumpkin. I almost happy danced around the room, but it was late and I didn't want to get keyed up at 9:45 so I could actually sleep. Plus, SO kinda looks at me funny when I Snoopy-style happy dance for reasons only a cross stitcher would understand.

I guess I do look kinda funny.

I would laugh at me.

I have decided that, when I get my two large projects finished and am ready for the fair, I will stitch some small stuff. Most everything I've worked on this year so far has been big. I don't have a lot of finishes because of it. Probably My Kitty has been the smallest thing, other than the ornament for an exchange, that I've done. That is unusual for me. But I intend to remedy that, just must get these big projects out of the way.

Thank you!

Thank you for your comments about the lions. I am pretty pleased with them, and so glad they are coming along on schedule.

There were a couple questions about them. I've had this pattern forever, but I'm stitching them for a fair entry for our fairs this summer. First in the county fair, then as part of a special contest for the Maryland State Fair. I'm pretty hopeful for them to do well in the county fair, because there are never that many entries, honestly. It really is quite sad how people here don't "do" the home arts anymore. Does no one have time or desire to make something beautiful and useful anymore? Perhaps it would help if they had the homearts building a little closer to the entrance to the grounds--it is a hike, there are distractions, and, once you've seen a cow giving birth, deafened yourself with the monster trucks and viewed a ginormous cheese, quilting and cakes don't compare. Anyway . . .

I don't know if I should be hopeful for the state fair. That contest is a big deal. I loved my sheep last year. I worked so hard on them, and they were cute. And they got shut out. I don't know if the lions will fare better. They're more intricate, but, if they aren't something the judges are partial to, then that isn't worth much. I know winning ANYTHING at the state fair is an accomplishment. There are a lot of people who enter, pulling from all 23 (I think we have 23)counties in the state. But, really, blue is a way prettier color ribbon than green.

I have to find a frame for them. That's the next big challenge. I don't know what would complete the story of this piece. At least it fits in an 8X10 frame, so I don't have to pay out a lot to have it framed. Really just mounting and stretching. I guess if I can get a frame from Michael's--they have better frames than AC Moore--I can take it to the LNS and have them do it. They shouldn't fuss, they're still making money.

I did finish all the little confetti stitches on the lioness' body last night. And then I decided, I have worked enough on the pair for the week. For the rest of the week, I am working on nunstitching the afghan, and, when I get annoyed with that, I am working on the never-ending WIP, Fall Cat. SO saw me working on Fall Cat last night and asked if I had started another project. I told him, nope, just trying to get away from all that brown. He understood then; he watched me fighting all those shades of brown yesterday and saw me huddled under the stitching light. LOL.

Memorial Day Weekend progress

I am super-pleased with the progress I am making. I had hoped to have Mama Lion's body done by the end of the weekend, which may almost happen. So nice to have three solid days of stitching, right?

Happy Memorial Day

We've made it to Memorial Day! Winter is well and truly over. Summer is here!

Hope everyone has a blessed and safe weekend. If you're headed away, enjoy. If you look at Memorial Day as more of Decoration Day, and are taking flowers to the graves of a loved one, such as my parents are doing, in Pennsylvania, I hope your weekend is filled with joyful memories, not sad. I always feel a special closeness with my gramma at her grave, and I like taking her flowers. It's a gift I can keep giving her.

Not much happening here. I'm dogsitting the Mongrel Horde for my parents til Sunday. The twins are getting new dog toys, since Robbie shredded the lamby toy I bought him for Christmas. I suspect I'll be sewing up some existing, rather battered toys as well, since I have more time than money to replace them. But, sewing them up is such a joy with two bright, attentive little dogs, let me assure one. Chance has gone so far as to, while I'm sewing, grab the bottom of the toy and run with it, much to my horror (The needle's still there! The needle's still there! This is the stuff of nightmares.) And they have a refill of their favorite cookies. Well, not so much Chancey's favorite's--they were out of those--but her brother's. But I got her some extra special yummies just for her to make up the difference. And we're having a Schipperke spa day for them as well, which will be fun. I always do Chancey first, and her brother loves to stand by the tub and mock her. I know that's what he does, she always looks at him so hateful. I get the disappointed face, he gets the, "I don't know what stunt you're pulling, but you are NOT my real brother. And I hate you" look. If you had a brother, you can surely commiserate with her. And then I put him in. For a dog who spent a few years being gorgeous, and being bathed and groomed, he really does not like the process. This never ceases to amaze me. My dog would rather suffer the indignities of a vet visit than be bathed. How can being dirty be so comforting? I don't know, but he's getting bathed!

SO's brother's B-day is Sunday, so we have a party for him. And not sure what else. I'd like to go to the beach, but I don't think it's happening.

Enjoy your weekend and be safe! The world needs you around!

Unexpected bonus stitching today

I was pretty pleased too!

Our building lost power somehow right at the end of lunch. I was stitching for a few minutes, right at the end of my break, and the lights went out.

And stayed out.

Apparently, a crane hit a power line. And the power company was none too quick to repond

So I stitched. It wasn't like I could do anything else. I stitched by the light of the emergency lights. It wasn't too bad. I could have sat outside, but it's a little warm and sunny today, and I'm fair-skinned, and so, it seemed like a better idea to stitch. And my cub has the beginnings of a leg now. And I am almost all the way across the lioness' body. Yay! They told us that, if it didn't come back on by 3, we could go home. BONUS! I was planning to take a nap. Or walking by the creek.

It came back on at 2:45.

Bummer. But, all in all not bad. An hour and 45 minutes of blissful stitching.

Gorgeous freebies

This was posted on San-Man board.

http://battybat.free.fr/html/projet_papillon.htm

Wouldn't it be gorgeous to have a spring tree just covered in these?

Update on the lions

They're not moving quickly, but I haven't been working on them so much this week.

Found a great blog

This one.

This is one of my most absolute favorite LNS. In. The. World. One of my 30th birthday treats was a trip "downy ocean" to Ocean City, Maryland, to this LNS for a day with my mom and Chancey a few years ago. It truly was a treat to get to go here, and totally worth a 3 hour trip, down Route 50. Not only did I get to eat crab cakes and Smith Island Cake, which I will make when I stop being scared of how to make a cake with that many layers , buy
Fisher's popcorn, whose tins are perfect for stash, and stroll the boardwalk and play with Chancey (my profile photo is from that day, she's laughing because she ran off and I had to chase her all the way up the beach--apparently, my dog thinks it's HIGH-larious to make a fat girl run) at the water's edge, but we go to go to this store. The staff was so nice to us. They told us where to get good crabcakes and good Smith Island Cakes. You gotta love anyone who knows where a good crabcake can be found. We Mer-landers are picky.
Of course I had S.E.X. there! LOL.

I like this blog a lot, not just because it's a stitchy blog, but because it's about owning an LNS. A big LNS, right on the boardwalk, in a resort town. It's funny, you never hear about the wierdness of owning an LNS. And I can imagine, people would walk in, dripping, right off the beach, and ask for the silliness that she says they do.

Anyway, I thought it was neat. And I definitely recommend the shop. I have not stayed at the hotel, we always had a house, and I am going to talk to SO about going to the stitchy retreat next year. He's perfectly happy people watching, and there are way worse places to watch folks than on the steps of the Lankford hotel, just down the street from the popcorn place, with the whole Atlantic Ocean in front of you.

What do you think of this?

http://www.c-sn.com/products/product.aspx?sku=432010&id=6249&tab=

The new Cross Stitch and Needlework calendar? I don't have a lot of these, but I started paying attention a couple years ago. I have the 2009 one and love it; the December design is awesome and there's a tabby cat that I love.

I like the new one. I love November's design. And October. And July. The others will probably grow on me.

It's a little pricey for me right now, but I think I know what I'll be getting with my birthday discount from Needlecraft Corner in November.


Update: The actual designs are listed under the calendar on that page as related products.

What can brown do for you?

Drive you crazy . . . that is what.

I'm becoming quite the brown expert, I tell you. Now that I've finished most of the cub, I'm working on his brown mama. And these are not pretty browns. They're 869, and 167, and 3021 all mashed up together. With a dash of 434 to make you go, "WHAT THE . . ." And it's slow going. But not quite as bad as working all the various shades of white and cream that were in the little cub's ears. That stunk.

I took a break from this last night and picked up my neverending UFO, Fall Cat by Sisters and Best Friends. I've been working on it for 3 years, and it's not that big. I am actually almost embarrassed by the fact that it's still out there. But, it's all hand-dyed threads and wonky lettering and tiny count fabric (at some point between 2006 and now, I got old because my eyes just don't work so good on 18 count and my fingers don't like pulling two strands through that fabric anymore, I knew there was a reason I dreaded turning 30 so much), and so it's not my favorite project to work on. I pick it up when the guilt overwhelms me. But it's in my rotation now. And it's nice to work with color.

I won't enter it in the fair, though. I told SO that, in my opinion, non-traditional samplers don't do so well in competition, not up against traditional samplers, and I wish they had a separate class for them. Maybe I could enter it, though, as a wall-hanging, as a seasonal decoration. I don't know yet. Perhaps I should focus on getting the important stuff done.

Monday Update

Not much happened over the weekend. I was so tired Friday night (and why wouldn't I be, I left the house at 6:15 Friday morning?), I fell asleep at 9:30. I tried to stay awake to hang out with SO, but it was too much. He told me to go upstairs (maybe I was drooling on the futon, I don't know. I remember apologizing for being tired since I am Superwoman, LOL), and I was asleep in 10 minutes, and did not MOVE til 9:30 the next morning.

Saturday I went for a walk through the neighborhood. Either I'm getting stronger, or I wasn't hard enough on myself, because I wasn't as sore as I was the first time I made that walk. I've been trying to walk more and lift weights, so maybe it's helping. I don't feel smaller. The scale isn't moving, but I feel a wee bit stronger. We did watch the Preakness. I have to say, I didn't think Rachel Alexandra was going to win, and I was worried she'd hurt herself going up against the boys, but she is a beautiful, big-going girl, and I was so glad she won. Heck, as long as she made it through safely, it would have been a victory, especially since her former owner thought the Derby was a race for colts (he said stallions), not fillies. Wonder where that puts Mine that Bird, a gelding? This Triple Crown season is really a people's season; we've had an underdog from New Mexico beat the big boys, and a GIRL! Woo hoo.

Saturday night, my friend Samantha and I went karaokeing. I don't get the chance to do that much anymore, since there aren't that many places in my new county to do it in. And my voice has been wonky for the last month or so, but it was better Saturday night. I still didn't push it, though, and chose songs that are easy on the vocal cords. I need those!

Yesterday was our hanging out day. I stitched a little bit, but not much. The lions are back to confusing me, since all the colors are so close. I pulled out my stitchy light, and that helped some--the light really defines the colors on this piece. I'll try to post some pictures later.

Check this out!

http://www.just-crossstitch.com/current_issue.htm

The newest issue!

It was not in the store when I went yesterday. Probably next week.

I love the angel.

And the lighthouse.

And they have ornaments. I WILL have more ornies for my tree.


Also, White Willow Stitching is having a sale for the rest of the month. 15% off. I have a bunch of her charts--they're really gorgeous, and I love anyone who has a selection of horse designs. She also does a lot of fantasy designs! Check her out!

Lions are coming along

When I posted yesterday, I thought I wasn't making good progress on my lions, but I sat out on the office balcony and stitched, and realized I am making good progress, it just doesn't feel like it's going quickly. I think it's just the idea that I'm on a deadline here that has me stressed. It won't be done by the end of the month, I know that, I'm just pushing to get as much done as quick as I can.

Thank you for your comments about my issue yesterday. Lisa made a good point that maybe the apology was just a need to move on. I think you hit the nail on the head. And, as I pondered on my way home last night, emailing him made me let whatever last little bit of hurt I had go. And I need that; you can't move forward if you're looking back.

Still here

It's just been a crazy busy week. And stressful. One of those, "I got to think about some things," weeks. But it's not really a bad kind of thinking I need to do. Just trying to figure out why things happen the way they do. One of my prior loves got in touch with me on Facebook, to apologize for something horrible he did to me when we were young and foolish. Part of me was like, "What's the point? Don't apologize for what you can't fix. Don't worry about me." Another part of me remembers how bad it hurt and was angry for who I was back then and wanted to go off. And a third part remembered the fun times we used to have, and wanted to answer. And that was pretty hard to figure out. I wasn't sure how to respond, because a mean answer would be unladylike; I always try to be a lady, not just in the good times, but the rotten times too. So, I talked to SO, who, other than when I bought the car without consulting him (and, to his credit, he's gotten over that snit, which is good because he didn't have a reason to be angry: I needed a car and we're not married, and when I say I am gonna do something, I'll probably do it), is pretty sensible when I come to him with a problem. He said I should probably just email him. We just kinda talked about what happened, and what the other guy was probably thinking. So I did, I didn't go off on him. I just let him know what he did hurt when I was that age--I needed to say that, women seem to refrain from being honest with those that hurt them because they don't want to have anyone not like them, but the whole world doesn't have to like you, nor do you have to like the whole world--but that I have a good life and that I'm OK now. That ends it, I hope.

One thing, I do know I am blessed to have SO. Not only is he handsome, (and I told him so on the way out the door today), but I can talk to him and he's reasonable. And he didn't tell me I was silly or stupid for being upset, or get jealous--some guys would be that way, seeing their girlfriend crying over an old broken heart. He just let me talk and tried to help and give good guidance. I guess he's glad I came to him instead of drooping around the house, being in a crabby mood and throwing things. I told him he should have been my high school boyfriend, I'd have been a lot better off.

Anyway . . .

I have been working on the lions this week. It's slow progress. Veddy slow. But the cub's face is taking shape and that's good. The back looks like crap, but there are a lot of confetti stitching, and it's not like I'm jumping over vast spaces with my thread. If I am stitching and one square is more than 5 away from the others, I am tying off and doing a separate stitch, but other than that, it'll be OK.

Woo hoo

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=380119634103


I got this in the mail over the weekend. Words do not describe how ECSTATIC I am for this win. OMG, these are such beautiful projects. And the nice thing is that, for once, my eye hasn't outclassed my ability. The pictures from Ebay don't show it, but there is a gorgeous silver and blue on grey table runner that has no fancy picots or dove's eyes or stuff I am not able to do yet, but it's still droolworthy. How often do we run across things like that? There are actually a lot of really nice, fairly simple designs in this magazine, including instructions. Bonus! I'm toying with ordering the stuff to do that runner. But considering that I had to step over a pile of stuff we moved into the sewing room from other parts of the house in order to have Mother's Day (which, in a way, was a little of a waste, because the boys were sick and didn't come, and they are the ones we worry most about getting a hold of things, their sister just likes to wear my shoes--I don't blame her, I got cute shoes!), perhaps I should hold off . . .


Or not . . .

WIP photos

See my WIPs?

Spooky is on PTP Monet. It's not as blue as the picture seems to show, but it's so much fun to stitch. I'm putting it aside to work on the lions. Which are coming along. I got some good progress made on them last week. I hadn't been stitching on them at all, but, when I was at Mom's with no errands to run, and no desire to make errands for myself, I got a good bit done. You can now see he's a lion cub.

The chart is really tricky. A lot like a Stoney Creek in that there are a lot of color changes. I am thinking about doing a stitch and park, but still, it's a lot of floss, and I've had to frog a few times. I think Mama will be a little easier to stitch since she's bigger and therefore, not so many color changes, but I haven't really started her yet, so trying to keep realiztic.

Froggy went a-visiting and we did rip, um-hunh

Housekeeping note first: Pumpkin asked what fabric I am using for my Boo Club. I chose PTP's Monet in Aida. It's a blue-y purple. They had a special with the fabric and the charts, either Kermit or Monet. I priced out fabric and thread specials and it seemed a better value. I liked the purple more than the green. The special is still on their site in case anyone is interested.

I blasted out of work at 5 yesterday, glad to not have to work at my PT job and looking forward to stitching, got home, started stitching, stitched for an hour, and realized I had miscounted. AAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK.

If there is one thing I hate doing, it's miscounting with hand-dyeds. OMG.

Fortunately, it was an easy fix. I had just miscounted the position of some little squares, and it's in a color I don't foresee running out of, because, I don't know about y'all, but I am always scared that I'll run out of a color, go to the LNS to buy another skein of it, and get a dye batch that does not match (this happened with a Crescent Colors skein of Bunny Honey. The one at my regular LNS was greyish dark brown, the one I ran out of was like an 842--I ended up getting another skein from the place I ordered the first one from that matched better. Thank God I remember minutaie like that). I know there are ways to meld them together, but, in my own way, I am anal-retentive to a fault and that fault is that I no likey melding colors together.

I am almost finished with "Spooky" now. I think I'll hold off on starting to look for fabric for it til I get closer to the end. That way, I'll be able to figure out how to "finish the story" better, so to speak. Plus, I am working hard to deal with determining wants vs. needs--I want the Mary Beale Advent sampler, I need the Burda Hardanger book I bought for $6 on Ebay last week, LOL. But, now that I've found Equilter.com, it's easier to do that. With a small selection, I tend to buy more because I have to have "something," but with a big one, I can be a little choosier. I'm wierd.

I think I can do this . . .

The Boo Club, that is. I actually have the top two rows of border stitched, and some of the letters of "Spooky."

I was delighted when I got home last night and walked into a house that smelled of garlic in the most magical way possible. SO had made yummy dinner for us: chicken, peas, and macaroni and cheese. I left the mac and cheese for him. I am on a diet, and mac and cheese is not on that diet. And I am realizing I LIKE veggies better than the starchy fatty side stuff. They don't make me feel like sludge.

But I'd kill for a burger . . .


Anyway, hockey was on last night, so we watched that. It's nice to have a hometown team that is good, though I am not sure if they are really my "home" team, since where I live is more in the Baltimore area than the DC area (I'm not kidding you, most of the people I work with have NO idea where my county is located, other than vaguely waving west--I live in the north, but this is a small detail-- and saying, "it's over that way and you live in the country.") But, when a team other than the Redskins does well, I support them.

And the Caps disappointed us. Though Varlymov (I don't know if that's spelled right, I was stitching, not paying attention to spelling) did a heck of a job keeping the shots on goal out, the other guys played sloppy. 7 penalties. Ovechkin wasn't even doing that good. Accckk. They had better suck it up and do better. We need something good out of our sports franchises.

But I stitched. And I like these Boo Club charts. I didn't realize they were so big, til I actually started stitching. But it's nice. It's a nice change from the detailed stuff and the afghan. The thing I think that I like the most is that it's a good stop and start project; no major counting that can't be interrupted, and the individual little words will be good finishes. And I realize that I WANT to keep working on it. I can not put it down! That is huge considering it intimidated me like it did. I think I actually glowered at my boss when he came to see if I was doing OK at lunch (we moved to a new office and it's taken a little getting used to), but I was STITCHING. Happily. With hand-dyed products. And I have to keep going, in case I lose momentum. And enthusiasm.

I probably won't have this finished for Halloween. I've got too much to do between now and then, and, with the hand-dyeds, this isn't exactly a summer, take to the beach type project. I already know it's going to be a wallhanging. So that means I should start going through my stash to look for fabric to use, right? I think I have Halloween fabric . . . I think.

I am formalizing my game plan for my year of stitching freebies project. I have decided to hold off til January so that it follows calendar year, not the theatrical year it would have followed had I started after the fair, like I originally planned to. It just makes more sense, and I can spend the 4 post-fair months finishing UFOs. I should be able to put a good dink in those. I realized, with chagrin, last night that I was supposed to finish the Dimensions geisha for SO last fall, then for Christmas, then in February, and she still is sitting in a bag, waiting for her tree to be completed. I am now into my 9th year on this project This is getting to be ridiculous. She will be finished before Halloween. I swear it.

Slowly easing into it . . .

The Boo Club Lizzie Kates, that is.


I posted a few weeks or so ago about how frustrated I was by the Christmas ones. I couldn't space them, couldn't count them right, and was getting frustrated. I actually shoved the project in a bag, and haven't looked at it since. Someone (I think it was Suzanne) said to start counting from the top, but I was so irritated, I didn't want to look at it. Not then, apparently still not yet.

Anyway, I have the Boo Club supplies and floss, and I spent too much money on that stuff to just shove these in a bag and pretend they don't exist and I am not going to be beaten by a set of charts other people managed to stitch. Plus, I needed something smallish to stitch, and these needed to be moved out of the family room because the kids are coming over this weekend, and small children and stitching supplies can be a bad combination, so I decided that I'd do the Boo Club.

And it's not bad. I just have the tippy top row halfway done. It's different. I'm so used to starting in the middle, I am suspicious and a little stubborn when I start elsewhere. But I'm doing it. Anything is better than how I was doing it. When I actually follow the directions and not try to do it all mysel's like a demented cowgirl, things go easily. Whoda thunk?

What I've been doing . . .

It's done. I put the last stitches in this afternoon. I went home with a sick headache, probably aggravated by the fact that my co-worker walked in the door and started whining because, as part of the move, they're taking our water machine and the coffee machine, and she didn't know what she'd do til we moved offices. Um . . . buy water or coffee on the way in? Or from the deli downstairs? I realize our economy is tough, but filtered water or coffee is not a guaranteed perk of the job, nor is it worth whining about. And the pain was so bad that I swear my clients were sounding like the teacher in those Snoopy specials, and I just figured I'd do better in my bed.

I have a couple other WIPs, but they're downstairs, and I am too raggedy-feeling to go down and get them. I'll try tomorrow night.

It's time for the Derby, y'all

This is my most favorite sporting event of the year, the Kentucky Derby. I think I've made myself clear about the fact that I love horses. Thoroughbreds in particular--even when I was collecting model horses, the Thoroughbreds were my favorites. Probably the horse thing was what led me to the University of Kentucky. At least that's what led me there, Kentucky made me stay. I fell in love with it. This is the time of year when my adopted homestate (yes, dear SO, even though I wasn't born there, a good percent of my heart still resides in Central Kentucky) sheds the stereotypes and is the center of all that is awesome and elegant in the world. But I'll let y'all in on a secret, it's pretty stinkin' cool the rest of the year, too.

Anyway, since I'm not stitching today, and it's Derbytime, I thought I'd attempt to enable you by showing you some of my favorite Thoroughbred kits and charts. So, in celebration of the beauty of a horse doing what it was born to do in an elegant fashion, put on your finest hat, tipped over one eye, pour yourself a mint julep, cut a slice of Derby pie (or chess if you worry about copyright), and find a future champion to stitch!

Mother's Pride by Dimensions


Standing Proud by Xs and Ohs



Majesty in Motion, by Stoney Creek



Horse Companions by Janlynn Corporation


Dimensions Silent Meadow (available from Sew and So)



Lanarte (this is on my wish list)


DMC Misty Morning (available from Sew and So--this particularly reminds me of summery mornings in Kentucky)


DMC Playtime's Over--

The end of a long week

I don't know about you guys, but I am so glad it's Friday. I have thought it was Friday since Wednesday . . . maybe cause I needed the week to end. It's been a stressful one. Between moving offices and my natural resistance to change, in addition to having to deal with a bunch of nonsense at my part-time job and I popped off my pinky nail yesterday (the one I just had repaired two weeks ago), I'm a little more stressed than normal. But it will be OK. I get to spend the next couple days with the twins, I will try to take them to the dog park, if it's not too rainy, but not too sure about that. Robbie tends to be a littlethuglicious around other males (including humans--pretty embarrassing when I was single, dog parks are said to be great places to meet men, and he was up in their face, growling) and Chancey is a little sketchy on the dog park ever since she got jumped there.

I got some new stash yesterday. I have been trying to be good as far as that goes, but sometimes, a gal's got to spend some money. I ordered Sweetheart Tree's Irish Blessings Sampler, Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes by Green Apple, Bent Creek's So Happy, Primitive Needle's Earth Sampler, and The Second Litter of Cattitudes. I love the Earth Sampler; it's very sweet and cheery. At one point, I was collecting Cattitudes, and have gotten off track, but they are such really cute designs and these are religious. One says, "Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God." That is perfect, especially since I spend so much in the car, seeing nature at its most beautiful times (the one redeeming feature of my commute has been that, my heart was so happy that morning at Christmastime, when I listened to the Nutcracker while the sun was rising. Truly magical). The Cecily Parson rhymes were so cute, and they have guinea pigs on them. Adorable guinea pigs, could you resist? The Bent Creek is cute also, but I am confused in regards to the designs she references on the package. Is she doing a series and I am too stupid to figure it out? I don't know. All I can do is stitch, I guess . . .