Another finish

I finished this little piece off this weekend. It is the last Stitching For a Cure project I will do for 2010. I still have to do the binding around the piece and put a bow on it, but the stitching is done.
Again I changed the fabric and the colors for the freebie, C is for Cure from Just Cross Stitch Magazine by Lizzie Kate.
If the fabric and colors look familiar, they should be. I used the same fabric and threads on Lizzie Kate's Chicks Rule.
I just loved the colors and thought they were very appropriate for Relay For Life.
I can now focus on some stitching "just for fun". We have a new recruiter in our office and she is expecting a baby girl at Christmas. I have been really wanting to do some stitching, esp. for a baby girl. And since I think my daughter is through giving me grandchildren, harassing the office staff to have babies has become my new hobby.
I found the cutest patterns to stitch and am going to do a little pair of white lace shoes, a hooded towel, a diaper cover (so cute!) and a little sign that says "Shh! Baby's Sleeping". I really hope since she is new and doesn't know me as well as the others do that she won't think I am a cross stitching stalker!
On another front, the cooler weather (if you can call 94 degrees cooler!) has made my garden go back into full bloom. I have a BUNCH of grape tomatoes and a couple of larger tomatoes on the vine, the peppers (yellow banana and green) are growing like crazy, my basil is just taking off again, the strawberries are in bloom and I have the tiniest little mint leaf starting. And oh yeah, I have this giant "Jack and the beanstalk" bean plant that is taking over everything. It has blooms all over it and I hope it produces some beans.
I even sat outside this morning with my DH and had our coffee in our lawn chairs without dying from a heat stroke. It is so nice. Rain is on it's way tonight and will cool off things even further.
Hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Finally stitching

I am finally stitching in my new chair. And as I anticipated, it is a great stitching chair!
Just Cross Stitch Magazine has a freebie pattern by Lizzie Kate called C is for Cure. I stitched it up on Strawberry Milkshake lugana by Silkweaver and changed the colors. I think it is really cute!

I am so looking forward to fall and cooler weather so I can stitch outside again. It has been almost unbearable here. We had 23 days of over 100 degree temps. It just makes you miserable when it is that hot for that long.
We have a new employee in our office that is expecting a little girl around Christmas. I have been waiting to stitch for a baby for so long! I could hardly wait to pull out the baby stitching stuff I have socked away. I hope I don't overwhelm her! Seriously though I have a little cotton baby blanket with 6 1/2 inch by 6 1/2 inch squares in each corner. I bought it for a really good price and it has been just waiting for me to pull it out and stitch on it.
Hope you all are having a good start to the school year and looking forward to the fall season ahead of us!

Time For God (oh and a giveaway also!)

I am pleased to announce I am now through with my pity party. And I am stitching again.
Many of you will remember I had been stitching on Time for God by LK. I only lacked a little on it, but I lost my stitching mojo and hadn't worked on it for awhile. Well, I worked on it today and I am almost through. All I need to finish it is the little border at the bottom.
Here is a pic of it:

This has been a very spiritual piece for me. It seemed like during each verse I was stitching, something in my life was occurring that related to that. Such as when I lost my little dog, Alex I was working on the verse "Hard times, Trust God".
And while I was stitching on it, I kept thinking this piece was meant for someone special, but I didn't know who. I debated on friends, on the minister that had married James and I, and on my daughter. And while I know all would appreciate it, I just kept thinking it was meant for someone else.
Last week God spoke to me. There was a family in our area that had a house explosion. They lost their 18 month old son and the father was seriously burned rescuing his sons. Their 3 year old son was also burned in the fire. And the house, well, it was bad. Really bad.
This family lives in Gatesville, the little town that I worked on one of my Relays with. A little town I have fallen in love with.
And while I don't know this family, I have come to know about their lives because we have done a number of blood drives for. Here is a video clip of one of the stories about them.
Gatesville Family
I now know this piece is meant for them. I plan on finishing it and then giving it to the family in the next few weeks. I know it will mean as much to them as it has to me while I have worked on it.
And also last week, I couldn't help but read on many of your blogs that this heat is taking it's toll on you. So I thought it was time for me to do another giveaway.
Since generally Christmastime means cold weather, I decided it would be a Christmas related giveaway.
I am giving this Christmas tree shaped scissor holder to one of you who leave a message on this post. I will draw a name from all the entries on July 31st. Christmas in July! Here is a picture of the kit. By the way, it is a limited edition Lizzie Kate kit that has the bells and stuff with it. All you have to do is provide a couple of strands of DMC. And it could easily be made into an ornament.

So just leave a message with a way for me to contact you (your blog name or email addy) and maybe you will win a little cool in the summer!
PS. Thanks to all of you for your support during my pity party! It is good to see I have friends in the good times and the bad!

A question

I am interested in this scroll frame stand.
I started working on Warm Water Wash. Actually, I put the fabric on the scroll frame and put exactly 6 stitches in it until I realized that my holding a 24 inch scroll frame and stitching wasn't going to work.
So I started looking at scroll frame stands. And I like the look of this one the best. Now I need your help.
Have any of you used this frame stand? If so, do you like it? And I need to hear from my "big" girl friends on this also.
My biggest question is am I going to be able to position this in a way that I can stitch and my stomach doesn't get in the way. There, I put it in words.
I know I am not the only one out there that has this issue. And until I can lose more weight, I still want to stitch!
I would love to be able to take it outside with me when I stitch in my new chair as well as in my living room chair.
So, how about it friends? Have you used this and if so what do you think?

Some stitching, some flowers and a new addition (very long post)

I know it has been awhile since I posted anything here. Truth is, I went through a grieving period and a period of depression.
I had to put my sweet little dog to sleep Wednesday a week ago. She was 15 and had gotten very sick. It was probably the hardest thing I ever had to deal with, short of my father's death 14 years ago.
Alex the puppy was about 2 or 3 when she came to live with me. Her previous owner had treated her like a queen before his death and when she came to live with me, she made it clear she would accept nothing less. She ruled the house and I loved her dearly.
I miss her more than words can say.
I had not felt much like stitching until today. I finished a verse in my "Time For God" by LK. I think it is appropriate that the verse is "Hard Times, Trust God" for this has been a very hard time. Here is a pic:

I only have one more verse to do and then I will be finished. I haven't decided who will get this piece. My husband and my 5th anniversary will be in May and I am really thinking of giving it to the Pastor that married us. He is a dear family friend. He took me to summer camp when I was a teen, presided over my father's and my grandmother's funeral and then married James and I.
While I have really loved doing this piece, I want to do something a little more colorful before I dive into LK "ABC's of Aging Artfully". Those shades are muted much like these are and I have the need for color.
Here is my next piece. It is a Raise the Roof Design called "Warm Water Wash". It is a wide piece and I am going to have to get some 20" scroll rods to accommodate the design as well as the extra fabric to frame with.
I purchased this on E-Bay and it came with threads, buttons and the patterns and was half the cost of what it was on most ONS. I really love patterns that come with the threads and everything so all I have to do is pick my fabric. Especially when they are GAST or WDW.
Here is a pic of the new project:

This spring has been very good for my flowers. A combination of cold weather to kill the bugs and lots of rain has brought out the best in my roses. My pink rose bush is fuller than full and my yellow rose bush is doing better than ever.
My dear husband, during my grief, helped me plant some petunias and snapdragons in my wagon. Our plan was to rototill the back yard (the grass is a bunch of weeds anyway) and plant a garden. But last weekend all the rototiller had been rented out and this weekend it has rained, rained, rained. So on to next weekend for the garden.
But my husband did purchase this wonderful 2 chair set with an umbrella in celebration of my 20 pound loss with WW. I have now lost 23.4 pounds (I didn't weigh this week yet). I love this set. I can take it with me to Relays and the umbrella will keep the sun out of my eyes when I sit and enjoy my garden.
Here are some pics of my flowers and my new chairs:





And we seem to have a new addition to the neighborhood. My husband has been telling me he has seen a bunny in our yard, as well as around the neighborhood in the early morning hours. And while we sat in our yard Friday morning, he appeared in the area between my house and the neighbors. My husband snapped a photo:

What I have now seen (but don't have a pic of) is that there are at least two bunnies and from the kissing they were doing, I suspect it won't be long until we have more! They are cottontails and when I told my youngest grandson that I thought the Easter bunny forgot to go back home, he told me that he had seen the Easter bunny and he talks. So I needed to talk to this bunny and if he talks back, it is the Easter bunny.
Here bunny, bunny...

A cube finish, an early Mother's Day Gift and of course a drawing!

I decided to finish off "Chicks Rule" as a cube. This is my first attempt at a cube finish and I am somewhat happy with it. I need to get some round wooden beads to attach to the bottom to make it stand straight. But I do like it. Here is a pic:

This week I also received a gift in the mail from my daughter. I love brooches (to say the least). And I love brooches that are eclectic.
I do not wear any other types of jewelry except my wedding ring unless it is a special occasion and then I might wear a pair of earrings.
But I have wanted a Mother's brooch with the birthstone colors for my daughter and grandchildren. We have searched everywhere and the only ones we could find were very expensive.
My daughter checked on Etsy and there was a woman making Mother's necklaces out of silver wire and colored beads the color of the birthstones. Jen (my DD) contacted the seller and asked if she could make a brooch. The answer was yes and so she ordered one. Since my DD and first grandson are both July birthdays, I have two red beads and then a teal/aqua color one for my second grandson born in March.
I have to tell you I love this pin. It is first of all handmade which I really appreciate and second, you won't find this pin on anyone else. It is just mine.
The picture was difficult to take, but here it is:

I just love it!
Now for the moment you all have been waiting for! The winner of the Lizzie Kate limited edition Spring Fab Fob with scissors!
The winner is...... MEARI! You can thank my oldest grandson for picking your name!
If you will e-mail me your mailing addy I will get it in the mail to you next week!
Congratulations!

Finish on Chicks Rule and my daughter is stitching!

While my daughter was visiting, she picked up an embroidery kit from Sublime Stitching. It is an old fashioned, iron on pattern company with a new look to it. Really cute patterns, updated to the looks of today, that you can make tea towels, pillowcases, etc.
She got the kit on Thursday and was really excited to get started. She stitched and stitched and finished her first tea towel. I am one proud Mama. She can crochet and knit, both of which I cannot do. But to take up stitching, whew! Just thrills me. Here is picture of her first piece:

And she inspired me to finish a new project. My intention this week was to do 2 verses on my Time for God. I did finish one of the two as I previously talked about in a post.
But getting the new purple fabric and the new Lizzie Kate "Chicks Rule" made me itch to stitch it. And stitch I did! I finished it tonight. And it is so cute. I just love it! Here is a picture of it:

I don't know what I am going to do with it. I might do a folded stand up like she has on the photo or I might do as a hanging flat fold. Have to find some cute fabric for it!
Don't forget to read my post before this for your chance to win a Lizzie Kate of your own!

An update

I have been stitching on my new project. I showed you pics of the fabric, threads and pattern in the post just before this one.
It is called "Time for God" by Lizzie Kate. It is funny how a stitched piece can affect you. The first part of the piece says "Happy Times, Praise God". So I have been praising. The second part says "Difficult Times, Seek God". I have reflected on that part quite a bit this weekend also.
I am making it for my friend Lisa's birthday, which isn't until June. She will appreciate this piece, I am sure.
This picture is terrible. The colors are just absolutely beautiful on the piece itself. I am not sure what is wrong with my camera (or maybe it is me!). I took several shots and they all were slightly blurry.

I stitched quite a bit today, which made both Mom and myself happy. Mom because it means I was in the living room with her and not in my room on the computer. Me, because stitching brings me joy. I sometimes forget that.
I also had to "visit" my sister's dog this weekend while she was away. Gator was happy to see me.
On my way home from visiting with The Gator I stopped by the Arboretum. I looked at the daffys. They must have really split up a lot of the bulbs and transplanted them all over because they were EVERYWHERE! And on the way home, I saw my final sign that spring is definitely here. I saw the little reddish, purplish buds on a red bud tree that is a few blocks from my house. Red bud trees can make me smile even on a bad day. So there you have it folks. I saw a robin last week, daffys are out and now the red buds have burst onto the scene. SPRING! Skip de do la! It is SPRING!
Hope you all have a week that is as beautiful as you all are!

Stitchy update

I have neglected the stitching part of my blog! So I thought I would post some pics of stitchy stuff.
First, my friend Marian and I had a, err, challenge between friends during the Texas/Alabama game. My Longhorns really disappointed me and I sent some fabric to Marian for losing the "challenge".
So imagine my surprise when I open my mail and find a goodie bag from Marian for being a good sport. And what a nice bag it was! Here is a pic:

It had some silk threads, some silk ribbon, lots of needles and my favorite purple ribbon fabric. Just so FUN!
Then for my birthday I received several skeins of threads from my exchange group. Here is a pic of some of them (I have already started using the rest of them!)

And finally here is a pic of my newest project I hope to start on this week. It is called "Make Time for God" by Lizzie Kate. It will be stitched on 28 count Lugana by Silkweaver called "Days Gone By" which has got to be my absolutely favorite fabric and color. It seems to go so well with Sampler Threads and Weeks Dye Works. Those muted shades just pop on this fabric.
And speaking of Weeks, I also have the threads in the pic for the piece. I am going to stitch this for my friend Lisa for her birthday in June. I think she will love it!

Today my husband took us by the Arboretum, which is my favorite place to go. The daffys are in bloom! They made it past the 3 inches of snow we had last week. They had a wedding going on there and I couldn't stop to take pics, but I plan on going by there tomorrow and will take lots of pics for those of you who think spring is never coming. I also saw a red robin on Thursday, so my heart is singing! Spring has sprung in Central Texas! (fingers crossed!).

WIP (or UFO, whatever you want to call it), a trip and a surprise

I have been steadily working on my SFAC project for so long that it has consumed my stitching time. I made several of the Christmas ornaments and several of the quilt squares, along with cutting fabric and getting everything ready to go to the quilter.
We have one quilt sent off to sweet Halina, our quilter and the other is just about ready to go.
So, along with the pillows I have and left over ornaments, as well as the quilts, I think we are set for our fundraising for the 3 Relays. Whew!
Now I can do some "just for fun" stitching. I pulled out this WIP (more like a UFO since I have had it for so long). I started stitching this for my director several years ago and then it got put away. It is from the Cricket Collection. The picture isn't great, but I tried and tried to get a good pic.


It is on 28 count Cashel linen which used to be my favorite until I found Lugana. It is with Sampler Threads and a bronze metalic thread (it called for silk, but silk thread and I do not get along!). Hopefully I will finish this before he retires!
Yesterday, my DH took me to Austin. I had to go to Relay University for a training session. On the way back home we drove by 6th Street (no trip to Austin is complete without a trip by 6th Street) and we also ate at my favorite restaurant, Baby Acapulco. They have this amazing chicken soup that I just love.
If you wonder why they say Keep Austin Strange, well this picture says it all:

Did you see it? Go back and zoom in on it. Yes, it says Bat Jewelry on sale! Well, now I know where to go when I am in need of Bat Jewelry!
Mom and I went for a drive to the Arboretum today. I didn't have my camera, but I saw something special. The daffodils are peeking their green sprouts out. I think in about 2 or 3 weeks we will have daffys. If that isn't a sign that the groundhog is not going to see his shadow, I don't know what is!
I have been going through some changes in my life here lately. On Feb. 4th I have a big announcement I am going to make. So check back here then!

For the love of stitching and a little baby

Well Folks, I am stitching again. It seems like ages since I have had the desire to stitch. Perhaps it is all the frantic stitching I did for my Stitching for a Cure project.
Speaking of Stitching for Cure, we are coming down to the home stretch. Check out my blog, Stitching For A Cure tomorrow for some news!
So what got me stitching again? A tiny little baby. One that has already been through more in the 14 days he has been on this earth than most of us would through in a lifetime.
I am stitching a little block that has a flamingo design on it for a quilt that will be given to this little angel. I have a short deadline, so I must get back to stitching. If any of you would like to know more about this little one, go here
I want to thank each of you for your encouragement to me during this stitching hiatus!

Finally some stitching

Well, my vacation is over. And I have a cold or severe allergies to prove it. This inside girl spent most of the week outside in the most pollenated time of the year. Enjoying all those lilacs, bluebonnets, red bud trees, etc. has made me have a cough and lose my voice (my husband is delighted at the latter).
But I did do some stitching while I was on vacation. Actually a lot of stitching. I finished my Big Girl Panties by Lizzie Kate. Here is a pic:

Don't you love my cha-cha trim?
I have spent most of my time stitching ornaments for my Stitching For A Cure project. I have done more stitching since starting this project than I have done in years. But I was at the point of either burning out or becoming so obsessed with the project that by the time November came I wouldn't care if the tree sold or not.
So I decided to take time out and stitch something I really wanted to stitch. This pattern I fought over on E-Bay to get because I didn't get it before it sold out. And I couldn't wait to start it when I got it. But I got misdirected and had slacked off on it. It feels really good to have it finished.
Now I have a confession to make. Mary, get ready to get the cattle prod out. I have decided to let one of my EGA members finish the biscornu for me. I have stitched most of the top of it and she will stitch the bottom part and put it together.
Before you cast judgement on me, let me explain. I know I can do this. I have the skills to do it. But I simply don't want to. It was taking all the joy out of stitching for me. I don't know why. I suspect it is because I "had to" do it for the class and Lord knows I hate to "have to" do anything. NO ONE forced me into the project. I did it to myself.
I had gotten to the point that I would do anything rather than stitch on the biscornu. So my friend Lenna stepped in and took the project and will do a fine job for me.
Don't be surprised though if you see a biscornu in the near future on this blog or my Stitching For A Cure blog that has been stitched by me. I think once I take the pressure off of myself, I will probably do one for the fun of it.
Ok Mary, I am ready...

Progress on the biscornu

As I have said before, I don't know why I dread working on this project. I haven't even gotten to the point where I am attaching two pieces to make the biscornu. Right now it is just regular cross stitching with some specialty stitches.
Maybe it is because the color changes every two or three stitches. Maybe it is because I think I ordered the wrong color fabric and I don't like the way the colors look with the fabric. And maybe it is because for the first time in a long time I am working with DMC and the texture of the thread seems different.
But in any event, here is my progress. I'm scared of Mary in my Cross Stitch Addiction Yahoo group (wink, wink). She threatened last week to get out a cattle prod. My DH even told me today after we got the groceries, when I headed to the computer, that I had better plant my rearend in the chair and stitch on it or else someone was going to get me.
So, here it is. I have a little more specialty stitching to do and have to attach a few beads. Then I have to do the back piece and put it together. I think I should have it all done by end of March. I want to show it at the April meeting (third Thursday in April). I have to kit up all the supplies for it and pass it out in May and then I will show how to put it together in June. SO good news is I am ahead of the game.
Put down the cattle prod Mary. I have been good this weekend. LOL

I started the biscornu

Ok, I have started the biscornu. I had put a few stitches in it yesterday, but didn't like it so I put it aside. I think it is because I am working with DMC and I have been working with GAST and WildFlowers so much that the difference was throwing me off. I am still not happy with my stitches, but I have made progress.
Mary in my Yahoo group CSA accused me of procrastinating. And I am an expert at that. But since I had asked for her (and the entire group's) help, I decided this was not the time to procrastinate. So off I went.
Thank you Mary for that little push!
I also finished stitching another ornament for my stitching for a cure project and started another. You can see the pics for that on my other blog, http://stitchingforacure.blogspot.com
Tomorrow, I am going to only work on the biscornu. Wish me luck!

The Altoid TIn

As some of you might recall I was given a million (ok, not a million, but a bunch) of Altoid tins from my boss. I had never done an Altoid tin so this was a wonderful opportunity for me to do one.
I did this one for my boss, who was a Navy Pilot during the Vietnam war. I did another one for one of my other directors who is ex-Military also. They make nice business card holders for their desks.
In my Yahoo group, Cross Stitch Addiction, this is the January FAL challenge. I actually stitched and finished them the very end of December for a late Christmas gift for both. They turned out nice, but I definitely need to work on this finishing technique.
I used a heavy weight card stock to wrap the stitching around. I think I needed to use something with a little more weight to it. And getting the trim just right around it was a little challenge.
But all in all I am pleased and both men were thrilled with their gifts!

Ok, now some stitching pictures!

Well, besides playing with my grandsons, I have managed to get a little stitching in.
The little diamond pattern is called Heart Diamond. I am going to make it into a floss tag ring & pin keep to give away at my EGA meeting later this month in honor of Women's Heart Health Month in February. My DD made the floss holders and I used my new Crop-A-Dile to put in the heart eyelets to hold the ring with. This was my last finish of 2008. I started and finished it on New Year's Eve while ringing in the New Year with my grandson. I used some Wildflower thread to do it up in.
The other photo is what I have been stitching on my "Big Girl Panties" by LK. You might have remembered I had a contest when I stitched the first line on it. I had put it away in order to do some Christmas stitching, but now I am back on it. The trim I photographed the stitching with is some cute eyelash trim that I am going to put around the flat fold finish I am going to do with it. It will be a hanging flat fold. I think it will be very cha-cha!
Now that the boys have left, I have to go back to work, but I plan on getting lots more stitching in. I want to continue doing small projects, but want to add some specialty stitches to my work such as blackwork, pulled thread, etc. My goal this year is to also learn to do more finishing techniques such as Altoid tin covers, cubes, biscornus, etc.

Plant, sow, garden by LK

Plant, sow, garden by Lizzie Kate.  Stitched on 28 ct. cashel and framed in a planter frame

Peace, Love and a Cure by LK

Stitched and framed with autographed copy of the pattern for Relay For Life auction.