My stuff is home

Mom picked up all my entries at the fair yesterday. I already hung New Birth of Spring back on the wall; it looked terribly bare without it there. They sent the premium check as well, for $66. Which is wonderful. And desperately needed. SO is trying to see if we can get my tires for wholesale through his friend that runs the raceshop, and he needed the size on them. When I bent down to look, I realized that the belts may be starting to show. NOT GOOD. With the check, I have enough money to replace the front tires right now, but we'll hold off on the back til closer to winter. I bummed myself out a little by admitting I can't use the prize money to buy a new camera, but it's pretty a pretty obvious choice and I only look stupid. I can always buy a camera. The little dogs told me they might be willing to buy me a camera for my birthday if I was a good mummy.So that's that.

And I was pleased to see what the special contest will be: things that begin with L. This makes my quest for the perfect lighthouse chart more crucial. Particularly since I had an idea to choose a peachy pinky orangey hand-dyed fabric to stitch it on and make it look like it's a lighthouse at sunset. I have a vision, now to find the chart that finishes that vision. But then, too, I have some lion charts that would be pretty cool too. I don't know. I have 50 weeks to make it happen.

I am buzzing on the geisha. I finished the backstitch on her head, and did a kimono rose. It never fails to impress me how effective backstitch really is. People complain so much about it, but really, it changes your piece from blobs of color to something beautiful. I did realize this is a pattern that looks better from a distance than it does up close; the backstitch is really sharp from a little bit away. Hopefully, I can have her totally and completely done by the end of the month.

I got my partner for the HalloFall exchange. She's in England. LOVE IT. I am doing her the Brittercup from the JCS Halloween issue, since she wanted Halloween. That should be a quick stitch. I just need to get the button for it. Or a button. She wants tricks, too. I'll have to think about that. I am not too good at that kind of thing, LOL.