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So I'm late with my TUSAL posting...two weeks late, but I refuse to give up...LOL!
The picture has been languishing on my camera. This morning, when I went to get my camera cord, it was not to be found. Someone (probably me, but don't tell me that) put it in the "wrong" drawer.
See the adorable little orts cauldron? That was one of the sweet goodies awaiting those of us who attended last year's 10-10-10 event at Ginger's Needlearts in Austin, TX. The day went from 10am to 10pm, of course, and involved stitching, food, shopping and lots of laughter.
The fabric in the background of the picture is one I'm thinking of using to finish off my iStitch Mystery SAL. In person, the colors are a near perfect match for the WDW Dutch Iris.
So, though it's late, I hope you've enjoyed seeing my jar, my cauldron & my stitching!
Click for a larger image...
Here is my jar for the month of August. Right in the front, on top of the blue ribbon, you can see a bit of WDW Dutch Iris. That's the thread I'm using for the SAL piece (by Carol of iStitch) shown in the picture. The fabric is Country French Cafe Mocha...love it!
My jar still looks anemic in comparison to others. I think I'm too frugal with my floss...ha ha!
The magazine I used for a backdrop was a recent find at Books-A-Million. It's Issue 1 of Cross Stitch Creations, a new magazine out of Spain. It's full of gorgeous photos and charts by mostly French designers. There's also a French version of this magazine, published by the same company. On the back of the magazine, there is information on how to order back issues of the French version. It looks as if there have only been 10 issues so far (8 regular, 2 special edition). If subsequent issues are this beautiful, I'll have found a new magazine addiction (as if I need another one).
Click for a larger image...
I hadn't forgotten that there were two TUSAL rounds for July, I simply haven't had the time to post. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
The project in the picture with my jar is the one that I'd hoped to finish off before it was time to take the picture. It didn't happen (still hasn't), but there are some new ORTs of GAST Raspberry Parfait & Midnight in there.
*Edited to Add: The stitched piece shown in my TUSAL photo is Texas Twirl by Redbird Designs. Lorraine had stopped designing, but recently started up again. As far as I know, she will NOT be re-releasing any of her previous designs, of which, Texas Twirl is one. This saddens me, as I'd love to collect a bunch of hers that I missed the first time around.
Click for a larger image...
I've also been meaning to share my most recent finish. I made this little pillow (my first!) for an exchange. The stitched design is a free chart from The Victoria Sampler. My soon-to-be 14-year-old son chose the finishing fabric and I think he has a good eye for color/pattern! My partner was very pleased with her pillow and I learned alot about what to do/not do for my next one.
Click for a larger image... (and enjoy the pattern of my ironing board cover!)
I love to read blogs and then to click on the links I find in that blog and then to click on more links. You get the idea. It's addictive!
During my most recent link-clicking session, I found the new blog for the new online needlework shop called The Stitcher's Market. They're hosting a special giveaway for Lizzie*Kate's Limited Edition Life's A Beach kit!
Follow the link for details on how to enter. You'll have to hurry, though, as the contest ends tomorrow morning!
The Stitcher's Market - Purls of Wisdom - L*K Giveaway!
Here is my TUSAL jar photo for July. I added a decent amount of blues, mauves & white to jar, while stitching up a patriotic piece from The Victoria Sampler. There was hardanger involved, so there's a bit of perle cotton in there, too.
Also in the photo, you'll see my other current obsession. It's a Springbok puzzle called Yards of Yarn (1500 pieces!). It's a bit of a misnomer, as closer inspection revealed to me that it's really Yards of Embroidery Floss. That meant I had to have it. I love jigsaw puzzles!
My mom and I are working this one together, every chance we get. When it's finished, it will measure 29" x 36"! We'll use Puzzle Saver glue on it, and then frame it for hanging over my desk. Woohoo!
Click for a larger image...
I'm squeaking in here with my TUSAL post for June. Still no stitching to speak of, as I didn't even pick up a needle during our vacation. Instead, I napped and vegged out in front of our cabin's TV, watching endless amounts of Cake Boss and A Baby Story...LOL
My ORTs are in their new home this month. I definitely love this jar and it's a huge improvement over the old one.
Click for a larger image...
Well, I didn't get to add anything to my jar this past month, but I still have some good news!
See the other jar & holder in the picture? That's my new ORT jar! The base is actually meant to hold a jar candle, but this Libbey jar fits perfectly. I can remove the jar from the holder for pictures, which is another plus. I found the holder at Big Lots and the jar at Michael's.
This new jar makes me happy. I can remove it from the holder for monthly pictures, but during the rest of the month it can sit in the holder and "look pretty".
We're going on a short vacation the middle of next week. We'll have nearly 4 days in a cabin on a lake. There's a family reunion happening, too, but we're going down early. I can't wait for some relaxed family time and lots of stitching!
Anyhow, here is my picture for this month. Click for a larger image...
Here is my jar as of today, April 3. Can you see the bright blue & yellow and the mossy greens? Those are from the finish in my previous post. There's even a snippet of blue satin ribbon floating around, for a little added texture.
Click for larger images...
I finished this in February, but just managed to get the photos uploaded.
One of the groups I belong to always has at least one fun exchange going and I couldn't resist joining in on this one. This exchange involved finishing off a blank card with stitching for Valentine's Day.
I chose to stitch a freebie from Industrioushead. Emily is a very talented designer. You should definitely check out her blog!
Here are pictures of the card, inside & out. I'm very pleased with how it turned out! It's hard to see in the picture, but the paper inside the card is pale pink with darker pink fiber flecks. (I will admit to having a bit of a paper stash, too.)
Well, February was not a big month for stitching. I work for Hallmark & Valentine's Day is always a very busy time. Right now, I'm enjoying the lull before the Easter/Mother's Day/Graduation/Father's Day card rush.
I had the pleasure of attending a GTG in February, hosted by the wonderful Jo of Dinky Dyes fame. Jo & her husband are the most gracious of hosts and a fabulous time was had by all. Unfortunately, I had a massive allergy flare-up and only managed a few threads worth of stitching during the GTG.
I also started my first counted canvas piece, which will add some new & interesting fibers to my jar over the next few months.
Okay, on with the picture, poor though it may be...
Here is my very dark picture of my TUSAL jar, for February. I've got to find the "sweet spot" in my house for future photos.
Anyhow, my jar actually has some ORTs in it! Yay! They don't look like much, but they represent a FINISH! Woohoo! I can't show that finish just yet, as it is an exchange piece that hasn't reached it's final destination.
Oh, the jar will also soon be stripped of its pretty, yet annoying, stickers. They're starting to peel up (maybe because they're paper stickers?) and they do inhibit the view of the jar's contents. The March picture should be much clearer.
Click for a larger image...
As part of my plan to stitch more in 2011, I'm joining the TUSAL for this year. Daffycat is hosting this year. If you're interested in joining, click the button in the left sidedar.
My jar is still empty, but it looks pretty! I found some stickers that match one of my most favorite fabrics and used them to decorate a re-purposed candy jar from last Christmas. The stickers keep trying to come loose, so I think the whole thing will be getting a coat of Mod Podge. After that, I have some lavender & yellow ribbons to tie around the neck of the jar.
Click for a larger image...
I've been looking forward all year to Missy's "second annual" 13 Days of Halloween giveaway.
So imagine my surprise and delight to find out that Missy has teamed up with Annette to have a 31 Days of Halloween giveaway bonanza! Woohoo!!!
There are two buttons in my lefthand sidebar, one to each blog. On the odd-numbered days in October, click the button for Annette. On the even-numbered days, click the button for Missy.
The rules are simple and you can find them here.
It's going to be a super-fun month! So get to commenting and good luck!
Belinda, of Blue Ribbon Designs fame, is hosting a giveaway! She's celebrating reaching 200+ blog followers! Congratulations, Belinda!
So, if you're in need of a new project bag, tool bag or 1 or 2 of Belinda's charts (don't we all need all those things???), head on over to Samplings from a Blue Ribbon Girl and enter for your chance(s) to win!
Okay, so I'm 5 days late with the "Happy New Year" part, but it still counts, right?
2009 was really a bust as far as stitching, so I don't really have much to post about in that respect.
In other areas, it was an amazing/crazy/busy year! Steven was promoted yet again in January. He's now the Local General Manager for Schwan's Home Service. He's in charge of 6 (soon-to-be 7) routes here in Waco and the surrounding area. It's a multi-million dollar responsibility and I couldn't be more proud of him. This makes three promotions in 2 years! The next step will be up to a District Manager position or a lateral/vertical move into another division of Schwan's. The company definitely offers a lot and we still feel so blessed to be part of it all.
In conjunction with his promotion, Steven was invited to attend LGMU (Local General Manager University), an accredited school within the company, just for managers. Steven was away from home Sunday-Friday, for 13 weeks. Saturdays became very precious to us and to say we missed him would be a severe understatement. He graduated right before our anniversary and then we had a week's vacation; which we all needed.
Speaking of anniversaries; 2009 marked our 15th! Where has the time gone? Steven & I were just 17 & 14, respectively, when we met nearly 19 years ago. It was pretty much love at first sight for me and he caught up rather quickly. He's truly my best friend and I can not imagine my life without him.
Our wonderful children are all doing really well and growing like weeds (the pretty kind...hehe). Andrew will be a *gasp* teenager come August 2010, Annemarie just turned 10 and Olivia will be 9 in just a few months. My babies aren't babies any longer.
Currently, I'm on a mission to declutter and organize our home. I've been blessed to be a stay-at-home mom for most of the kids' lives, but I haven't always been the best homemaker, in my opinion. Steven & the kids are on board and helping with the decluttering (including the garage). That alone is helping me more than any of my own determination ever could.
As for stitching in 2010, I'm hoping to take the first quarter of the year to focus on some obligation stitching that I've apparently been boycotting. I've been so distracted, for lack of a better term, by everything I want to do for my home & family, that I've let "doing for myself" fall to the bottom of my priority list. I have come to realize, however, that I am much more productive if I take a little time for me (& my beloved hobby).
Okay, I think this post is long enought. I'm off to tackle some laundry & dishes...and some stitching!
*** Missy's giveaways are over for this year, but I have a feeling she'll be doing this again...yay! Congratulations to all 13 winners! ***
Yes, it's been a year-and-a-half since I posted. So what has prompted me to post again?
I met Missy. Missy is awesome. Seriously. Then Missy told me about her giveaways for Halloween. Then I ran out and bought a new-to-me monitor so that I could use my computer again. Then I ran to Missy's blog and started drooling (at a safe distance from my treasured keyboard).
Missy is giving away goodies for the "13 Days of Halloween". Just click the button in the sidebar (<~~~~~ look over there...it's a cute button!) and get all the easy details.
Good luck to all who enter!
Updates are long overdue, but they're coming!
My template isn't going to change, as it took too much time and effort to get this one just the way I wanted it...LOL However, my sidebars are in need of some serious adjustments! Watch those sidebars!
I cannot believe it's been over a year since my last post!
Shortly after my last post, "real life" decided to interfere with my stitching (and my blogging) in a big way. Steven & I dropped our paper route and I then went to work directly for the newspaper, in their distribution center. For the next six months, I worked 5-7 nights per week, from midnight-7am (and sometimes much earlier and/or later). It was very hard work, but I met some wonderful people and found several aspects of the job to be very satisfying.
Between shifts, I was home with our children while Steven worked. The kids were great about letting me nap in the afternoon...most days...LOL. After their bedtime, I would lie back down for a few more hours and then head back to the paper.
In January 2007, Steven changed jobs. Within a month, we could tell that his long days did not mesh well with my long nights. After much discussion, we decided that it was time for me to be home full-time once again. By this time, we'd made the last payment on our minivan, which made us debt-free except for our mortgage. We also had the beginnings of an "emergency fund" in place. Those were the goals we'd set when we began our paper route in May 2006.
It's taken a lot of time since then to get back to "normal". Stitching this year has been fairly non-existent, save for a few exchanges. I see that changing soon, as I've started a few new "just for me" projects!
I will post soon with pics and details of the projects I've completed and the new ones I've started. I spent days switching my blog over to the new layout and am just thrilled to be back!
I don't think I'll manage another finish before August is over, but I am happy with the three I have!
For my son Andrew's 9th birthday, I stitched a card for him, using a Mouseloft kit sent to me by a friend in the UK. Thank you, Diana!! Andrew had a Luau/Pool Party and the card was very well received!
I also finished two projects on my StRIP list...S&BF's Bad Maid and JBW Designs' Tooth Fairy Pillow. You can see pics of both by clicking the links under the "My WIPs" section of my lefthand sidebar.
My dear friend, Brenda, who was so kind as to send me the chart & beads for the Tooth Fairy Pillow, will also be finishing it into a pillow for my kids to use. You can see the fabric I chose for the pillow here.
That's it for tonight! Have a great weekend, everyone!
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