Syd's Stitching Room

Happy Birthday Jack

2012-02-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

Today is my awesome husband's 50th. No special plans tonight, just cake and a quiet night in.

Personal Update

2012-02-22T12:53:00.000-05:00

The busy time at work has passed and I am back to the usual pace. A bit more sedate and much less stressful most of the time.

A month or two ago I realized that my personal time for resolutions should not begin until March 1 or thereabouts because of my work commitments. After all, it's not a good time to add stress when you are already stressed to the max! So with that in mind, here is a list of the things I hope to accomplish in the next few months.

1. Follow my Nutrisystem plan which includes daily exercise. I have quit my gym and am ready to get back to my walk at home dvds and soon my walks outside.

2. Work through the book Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke. Her website is here. (Looks like they are making some changes to the website so check back another time.

3. Work through the book The Prosperous Heart by Julia Cameron. I've borrowed this from the library and haven't quite figured out how I'll complete the twelve week program. I think I can renew it a few times. So far, I am enjoying doing her Morning Pages. I journal most days anyway and this just adds to my practice.

4. Get my stitching room organized. I keep chipping away at this one - I'll get it if I keep at it. It's such a small space and one thing left out makes it look cluttered. I am having serious organization envy after reading these posts - overview and details by Coni a/k/a Spinster Stitcher. I'd also like a space that large but don't see that in my immediate future.

That's about all for today. I haven't been doing much stitching but will be getting back to it in short order. I miss having a needle in hand on a daily basis.

WIPocalypse Update #2

2012-02-22T12:33:00.000-05:00

Here's my progress for the second WIPocalypse post.

Sweet August by Blackbird Designs. I put the last stitches on these on February 1. You can see close ups of the individual stockings in my February Already? post.

Pretty scant - but it's a busy time of year for me at work which spills over into the amount of energy I have left for other things.

Oops! Old Post

2012-02-22T12:31:00.000-05:00

Sad to say, I didn't get ~~much~~ any stitching done this weekend. Don't know why - just didn't happen.

I did do a little stash enhancement at my not so local LNS for their Super Bowl sale. I got some of the fibers I need for planned upcoming projects by Breath of Spring by Blackbird Designs and Make It Do by Heartstring Samplery (a freebie ). I wasn't able to get all of the colors I wanted so will do some substituting for Make It Do - I know, I know, buying fibers for this one goes against what it says to do. Sometimes that's just how I roll! I do intend to do that over one so that I can keep it on display in my little trug. One of these days I'll post a picture of that trug - I probably should get it out of the attic first :).

Mr. S and I did not watch the Super Bowl but we did enjoy a Super Bowl dinner, hot wings, potato skins, and nachos. I think there were some vegetables in the salsa. Not so nutritious, but it is only one day a year.

So, today is my first day on Nutrisystem. So far, so good. I do have to say that I need to use smaller plates. The cinnamon roll I had this morning looked puny on the usual plate I use for breakfast. Thank goodness I have lots of plates to choose from - this should be fun.

February Already?

2012-02-02T19:49:00.001-05:00

It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating New Year's. And I'm a day late with this post, but I wanted to share my monthly decorations for February.

Sheepy in my stitching room with his February blanket by Homespun Elegance.

February Monthly Mania by Heart in Hand

February Heart that hangs on my corner cupboard in the dining room by Leisure Arts.

February Santa of the Month by Curtis Boehringer

Be True by Shepherd's Bush. This is on the end of the love seat that serves as my happy chair.

January was a busy month around here. I did get some stitching done - a minor miracle since I spent a good part of the month recovering from bronchitis - but I am much better now. You can see pictures of my earlier accomplishments in my WIPocalype post.

Last night I put the last stitches on these three beauties from Sweet August by Blackbird Designs.

Gentle Poppy

Wild Sunflower

Roadside Thistle

I have yet to finish finish any of these little stockings but will be attempting that soon - maybe in the next week or so. I'd like to put these in a little basket that I have with seasonal pillows.

Also, in the next few days I need to get out my Valentine's Day decorations. I don't think I have that many things finished for this holiday but I sure have a lot in the box in shame to be completed. I think I feel some finishing coming on in the next little while!

Keep on Stitching!

A Gift Given

2012-01-31T13:02:00.000-05:00

I finished this bag quite some time ago and have been saving it as a gift for my stitching friend Sherry. We celebrated her birthday last Saturday at Panera so now I can share a picture and not ruin her birthday surprise.

The bag was made from a kit I purchased at The Village Sampler in Big Flats, New York, ages ago. They had these kitted up with a Moda HoneyBun, the batting, and the little bit of velcro needed for the closure. I had to provide the thread and the little jewelry charm that I subsituted for the called for button. The pattern is called Sweet Treat Bag. I also made the scissor fob shown in the picture with goodies I got from Michael's to match the bag.

I included a little plastic jar to use for orts and one of the cool calculators I got at The Village Stitchery Shop in the Fall.

Keep on Stitching!

WIPocalypse Post #1

2012-01-31T08:41:00.002-05:00

I wanted to post a picture of each item on my WIPocalypse page but found out that would be over 30 pictures!! YIKES!! So I will post what I have so far. I finished stitching and have even framed Little Boys by Cricket Collection. Shown below.

I have finished stitching By the Chimney With Care (Three Stockings for January) by Blackbird Designs.

I am currently working on Sweet August (Three Stockings for August) by Blackbird Designs. Sorry for the lousy out of focus picture. A better picture will be coming soon when they're stitched.

I also fiddled Anniversaries of the Heart and organized the floss - no small feat - and with all this would you believe that I am missing some of the colors? I'm sure they are around here "borrowed" most likely for a different project. I'll track them down soon.

Getting ready for the WIPocalypse ~~forced~~ inspired me to clean up my stitching room.

Happy New Year! Happy January!

2012-01-08T17:38:00.001-05:00

I have a few pictures to share of my January Monthly Decorations and my winter pieces. Not as many pictures as my last post.

Monthly Mania - January by Heart in Hand

Heart of the Month for January by Leisure Arts

Santa of the Month by Curtis Boehringer

Sheepy with his January blanket by Homespun Elegance

Be Warm by Shepherd's Bush

Winter Solstice by Eventide Designs

Winter by Lizzie Kate (I think)

Winter by M Designs

My snowmen by Heart in Hand or Bent Creek - not sure which one today. If you know please leave me a comment so I can give proper credit to the designer. Thanks.

I've been stitching but working on a piece for a special little boy. I'm in the home stretch and will post a picture after he receives his gift next week.

Have a great week.

Keep On Stitching!

Year End Wrap Up

2011-12-31T16:33:00.000-05:00

WARNING!! THIS POST IS PICTURE HEAVY! You may want to get a little something to drink and a little something to nibble, too. This is a wrap up of all the pictures I had hoped to post over the past month and haven't.

First Up - December Monthly Decorations

I would like to point out that the box next to the Santa of the Month in the first picture was a Christmas gift from my stitching friend Sherry.

Next - a birthday gift from my co-worker Clarie - a beautiful handstitched etui.

Front

Back

Inside

Outside when open.

What a special gift and one that I will treasure. Thank you Clarie.

Usually some of us stitchers gather at Panera on a Saturday in December. This year we were running out of Saturday's in December - it was getting a little close to Christmas - and I don't know about your Panera but ours can be really crazy close to the holidays - or a day off from school. This year I invited the ladies to my home for a Christmas Tea Party on the 17th (also happens to be my birthday). And everyone was able to make it.

We started with Christmas Scones - a star shaped scone with orange and cranberry flavors dusted with cinnamon sugar with Devonshire cream.

Phyllis brought lovely cut up fruit to have along with our sandwiches. I made ham and swiss on white or whole wheat with apricot jam on one piece of the bread and brown mustard on the other. A yummy combo. Roast beef on white or whole wheat with a horseradish mayonnaise. And egg salad with a bit of dill on your choice of white or whole wheat. And some store bought pasta salad.

For dessert, Sherry brought plate of her wonderful cookies. I made strawberry mousse (from a mix) in chocolate cups, mini cheesecakes, and peanut butter candy. Fortunately, or unfortunately I only remembered to take pictures when I was putting dessert on the table. Here is a picture of that.

Sherry's cookies are in the foreground and my contribution is in the background.

Of course, we had tea, lots and lots of tea. And a gift exchange, and lots of laughter, and even a little bit of stitching.

I put together these gifts for the ladies. A scissor fob made by me with a sea shell, a tape measure and for three of the ladies chocolate frogs (and one sugar free chocolate - couldn't get a frog) and a little note inside that said "May all your 'frogs' be chocolate." All of this fit very nicely into a Vera Bradley eyeglass case. I had intended to put these in something else that I was going to make but ran out of time due to some work commitments.

Here are some of the things I received. I can't remember what was from who but here's the haul. My dining room floor was covered with gift bags since we all buy for each other.

I do know that the case with bathing beauties is from Debbie and the Namaste case is from Phyllis.

This little vintage project bag is from Debbie.

The Prairie Schooler cards are from Claire-Ann. We each got a different set of the Prairie Schooler cards so that we can share. What a great idea. The other things are from Debbie and Phyllis.

I think more from Debbie and Phyllis.

And more from Debbie and Phyllis.

And still more from Debbie and Phyllis. I forgot to take a picture of the glass angel from Sherry, the snowman mug from Claire-Ann and the candy filled jar from Phyllis and Debbie.

I love each and every thing. Thank you ladies.

Sometime in the beginning of December Ali and I managed to get the house decorated - before the tea.

The cookie cutter tree in the kitchen - one of my favorites.

The bird tree in the dining room

Our advent calendar in the dining room.

My shelf in the dining room with Peace on Earth by Blackbird Designs and Quaker Garden also by Blackbird Designs underneath.

A closer view of Peace on Earth.

Christmas Strawberries by Prairie Schooler (I think) in the dining room.

Santa Claus by Hinzeit in the dining room.

The 'big' tree in the living room.

A nativity set that I stitched in the living room.

And the entertainment center with some of my Christmas pictures - also in the living room.

We celebrated Christmas at my mother-in-laws this year. We went to her house on Christmas Eve and to church there. Some of our kids came later that night. Andy and his girl came on Christmas day. We had a wonderful holiday.

I have been on vacation this week.

On Tuesday Jack and I went on a little journey. I dropped him off at Cabela's and went on down to Stitch n Stuff in Reading, PA to pick up some framing that they had finished for me. The ladies in The Framer's Nook have a wonderful 'eye' for what frames will set off a piece.

Count Your Blessings by Shakespeare's Peddler.

House on Acorn Hill by Blackbird Designs.

A Penny Saved by La-D-Da. I love the double frame on this one.

Also, this week a few of us managed to get together for a little field trip. We went out to Just Cross Stitch in Lederach, PA. What a charming shop. We went across the street to lunch at the tea room. Then on to Piper Classics for a different type of shopping in Pipersville, PA and a quick run through an antique shop on our way home.

This week is always a time of reflection for me as well as a time to look ahead to next year.

I realized that in the past year I have managed to lose and keep of 15 pounds. I had lost more but gained some back - but I am starting 2012 15 pounds lighter than I was in the beginning of 2011. I hope to be a lot lighter by this time next year.

I have begun to exercise by taking yoga classes twice a week and getting to the gym most other days. I hope to add Aqua Fit classes to my schedule this coming year.

Stitch wise - I didn't do as much as I had hoped. I have lots to finish in the box of shame - and hope to get most of those liberated in the coming year. And I need to post my WIPocalypse list in the next day or so. That means poring over my stash to see what I think I will accomplish next. year. I have plans to attend two retreat in the coming year and am looking forward to that.

We will have two graduations in our family this year one college and our last high school graduation which will mean getting our youngest off to college in late summer. We will almost empty nesters when she leaves. I think our eldest will still be living at home.

Our first great nephew will be celebrating his first birthday. I am working on a special project for him and will post a picture of that in the next week or two.

Jack and I will be celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary in the next week. What a wonderful life we have had together. I am so blessed that this wonderful man came into my life and continues to stay in my life.

Happy New Year! Keep on Stitching!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T16:17:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that Christmas is almost here. I've been getting ready and still have some wrapping, food shopping, and baking to do.

I don't know about you but I'm finding it hard to squeeze in some stitching time with all the holiday preparations. I have seen from other blogs that people are getting things accomplished. Good for you.

I'm off work for the next week and hope to get some serious stitching done before the new year. I also hope to get a nice picture filled blog post together. I have been working on a project that is a gift so I can't show my progress on that, yet.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Keep on stitching!

Black Friday/White Friday

2011-11-25T08:55:00.001-05:00

I had hoped to post a Happy Thanksgiving message on Wednesday but for some reason did not have an internet connection. I hope you each had a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels.

We went to my mother-n-law's for the day. We had a nice dinner. The company was wonderful as always. And were home in time for bed last night.

I wanted to show you pictures of my Thanksgiving decorating before I start to do the Christmas decorating.

This guy is propped against a lamp on a table in my living room. I can't remember the name of this piece or the designer. I really am going to start labeling my things.

This piece hangs in my dining room. Thanksgiving by Hinzeit. I like the coordinating frames that they choose for their pieces and usually follow their suggestions.

Another piece in my dining room. Again I'm not sure of the name or designer.

And one last piece displayed in the dining room.

Some progress pictures. Slow but steady - An Open Heart by The Drawn Thread.

And more slow but steady progress on Count Your Blessings by Shakespeare's Peddler.

I have three days without work stretching before me. What to do? What to do?

I know I won't be going to any of the Black Friday sales. I'm observing White Friday avoiding the whole early Christmas shopping thing. I will go buy groceries today - I've found that no one is in the store on Black Friday since they have leftovers from the day before.

I'm going to try to get to the gym. At least to get in some treadmill time.

And I think I'm going to go to the library. I can get there without getting involved in any type of mall traffic.

And I'm going to wash my car - myself. We are having a beautiful sunny day here with highs in the 60's expected. I don't know how many more of those we'll have before the snow sets in again and will try to take advantage of that today - and I think the same is forecast for tomorrow.

Maybe a little Christmas decorating.

I'd love to finish Count Your Blessings today and get that ready for my trip to the framer in December.

I've been a little remiss in my blogging the past couple of weeks. I was spending a lot of my free time car shopping two weeks ago and resolved that last week. And I have been trying to go to the gym on a daily basis to move a little. Like so many other habits this one is hard to establish. For a little while my stitching will have to take a backseat until I figure out how to fit it in - especially on weeknights.

I do hope to finish Count Your Blessings today among the other things I have planned.

Enjoy the weekend.

Keep on Stitching!

Monday, Monday

2011-11-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

Back to work today.

A thank you to those of you who have visited for the first time today after a mention on Lake Stitcher's blog today. Thank you to Lee for mentioning my blog. And thank you as well for the nice comments. I do read and appreciate every one. I feel like I am making new friends.

Stitching updates

My latest progress on An Open Heart by The Drawn Thread.

My newest lunchtime stitch - Count Your Blessings by Shakespeare's Peddler. Seems appropriate for this month.

November Decorating:

Monthly Mania - November by Heart in Hand -this guy hangs in my kitchen.

Heart of the Month for November by Leisure Arts on the knob of the corner cupboard in my dining room.

Santa of the Month by Curtis Boehringer on an end table in my living room.

And Sheepy with his November blankie by Homespun Elegance in my stitching room.

What a difference a week makes. Last week we were without electricity, phone, cable, and internet. This week things are back to normal for most of us. There are still some that do not have power. The number of power companies and trucks on the road has been amazing. Those men and women deserve every penny that they earn. I have noticed there are still some branches dangling over the roads and I'm not sure who is responsible for those. I just hold my breath and hope they don't land on me.

Have a great evening.

Keep On Stitching!

Stitching Updates

2011-11-05T16:37:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures of what me and my needle have been up to - not as much as I had hoped. Progress is progress.

Progress on An Open Heart by The Drawn Thread. I'm not sure if the first heart in the next section is right and I'll have to figure that out before I move forward. I was working on this at Stitch n Gab on Wednesday and was having a hard time concentrating.

A start on Autumn by Blackbird Designs. I had hoped to work on this on Wednesday but failed to make sure that I had all the necessary floss in my bag. So hit a bit of snag on that one. Fortunately, I almost always have more than one project in my bag.

A little more to show on The Red Thread by Bent Creek.

And a start on A Stitcher's Purse by With They Needle and Thread.

I'm hoping to log lots more stitching time in the coming week. I think that things are starting to settle down with the restoration of our power and getting caught up on my homekeeping tasks.

Keep On Stitching!

Big Update

2011-11-05T13:54:00.002-04:00

I think this will be a long one. I've got lots of pictures to share.

First up are some more storm pictures. We wound up with 9 inches of snow when it was all over. We lost power on Saturday afternoon and had it restored on Wednesday afternoon. Thankfully we have a generator so we were able to keep our food cold, our house warm, and the well pump running. Many people weren't as lucky. As far as I know there are still many people who are still waiting to have their power restored.

This was the first casualty early in the storm - a branch from our neighbor's walnut tree.

This is another neighbor's tree that kind of split in half and took our power lines with it. You can see them dangling from the pole on his side of the road.

These are pictures from the day after the storm. It was a beautiful sunny day with great blue skies. Hard to believe after the day before. The second picture shows just how heavy the snow was, bending a branch on our Japanese Maple down to the ground. Normally a person can walk under that branch without having to bend over. I am amazed at how resilient some of the trees are. Once the snow fell off the branches many of them bounced right back. The other pictures from around our house and neighboring properties.

Ok, so I never showed the pictures for the monthly decorations for October. Without further ado they are ..

October Santa of the Month by Curtis Boehringer.

Monthly Mania - October by Heart in Hand.

Sheepy with his October blanket designed by Homespun Elegance.

And my October heart of the month from a Leisure Arts book.

A little fall decorating is shown in the following pictures.

Moonlit Garden by Blackbird Designs, part of the Loose Feather series.

Awesome Autumn by M Designs.

An Autumn piece by Lizzie Kate.

A couple of Bent Creek or Heart in Hand pieces that I put out for Autumn. The piece in on the top in the center was a Twisted Threads piece that was published in one of the magazines years ago. That was my first over one piece. I'm not sure who designed the Sunflower Sampler on the second shelf, perhaps Sunflower Samplings. And I think the heart and sunflower was from a Leisure Arts book.

The shelf in my dining room with Autumn Silhouette by Blackbird Designs and I think a piece called Autumn House by Bent Creek or Heart in Hand. I'm not sure which. But if you know, I'd be happy to correct my entry.

Then a few Halloween things.

I'm pretty sure that the pillow on the left is from The Cricket Collection and the one on the right is by Trail Creek Farms.

A little door knob pillow by either Heart in Hand or Bent Creek.

And a framed piece by Carriage House Samplings called Ravens and Pumpkins and Cats, Oh My!
I stitched that last year.

And a view of our entertainment center done for Autumn and Halloween.

I will post some stitching updates later tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy your Saturday!

I have learned from this post that I need to keep better track of what I've stitched and the designer. It's hard to remember all this stuff!

Keep On Stitching!

Where to Begin?

2011-10-29T13:06:00.000-04:00

Lots to write about today especially since I have been absent for a while. Sorry - that thing called life getting in the way again.

I'll guess I'll try to do this in a somewhat chronological order. First up a picture of an early birthday gift received from my friends Claire-Ann, Debbie, Janice, Phyllis, and Sherry (in alphabetical order.) I think this is the earliest I have ever received a birthday gift. What a wonderful surprise and something I would not have bought this for myself contrary to popular opinion. :) Thank you ladies. I just love this piece from Liberty Hill.

Next are pictures of a gift given to Debbie for her birthday. I made this bag following the pattern Zippy Strippy by Atkinson Designs. What a wonderful pattern, easy to read and more importantly follow directions. The zipper was so easy to do following the directions. I look forward to making some more of these in the future.

I made the little beaded zipper pull and added a flying pig charm to symbolize one of Debbie's favorite expressions. Then as an extra I made this Thread Catcher (Ort Collector) from a pattern I found on this blog but am unable to locate there again. I think that it was only up for a few days during the Moda Country Fair. Again, easy to follow directions.

And finally a scissor fob with the signature flying pig charm.

I wrapped this all in fat quarter of fabric from Moda by Blackbird Designs - you know the one that looks like a sampler.

Next up are continued progress on Grandmother's Flower Garden. For some reason, I've put a lot of purple and red in these flowers. I was never a fan of purple, but have been coming around.

This came in the mail this week. I hope to spend some time this weekend adding it to the Summer piece.

And now for some disturbing pictures of the weather here in Eastern Pennsylvania today. I commented on someone's blog this week that we rarely get snow in October. Do you think that jinxed us? I took these pictures from the windows - I'm not ready to go out in this yet. Thank goodness it's not a work day!

I was upstairs a few minutes ago and see that there is much more snow now. I'll take pictures later today and post them.

I have lots more to share, but will save it for another post.

Thank you to those who have become followers and those who have left comments.

Keep on stitching!

Did you ever notice?

2011-10-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

Did you ever notice how hard it is to establish a new routine and how easy it is to abandon the same routine? That's how it goes for me and blogging. I am going to try to do better.

Admittedly I have not been doing a lot of stitching. Other things have been happening.

On Friday I left home on a road trip to see my dad in Bath, NY. My first stop was at The Village Stitchery Shop in Lewisburg, PA. What a great shop. It's in what was once a one room schoolhouse outside Lewisburg in the hills. Beautiful views no matter where I turned and I was still in the parking lot! The inside of the shop is my kind of place. Lisa has used antiques and vintage pieces including picnic baskets as displays. So charming. I did buy a few things there. The best thing I saw there was a Mirabilia (I think) reindeer finished as a standup rather than framed. What a wonderful idea - so cute to have them all lined up along a shelf or mantel rather than framed individually. I am thinking this would be a great way to finish the reindeer I have in my stash (once I stitch them.) You can see their website at http://www.villagestitcheryshop.com/. Such a nice place to visit - unfortunately I didn't think to take any pictures.

My next stop was at The Village Sampler in Big Flats, NY quite a bit north of Lewisburg. What a pretty ride up there. Unfortunately, I arrived there a bit late in the day so didn't have time to really look through their quilts and fabric, but I was able to do the front room with cross stitch and some quilt kits. I did a little stash enhancement there as well.

On Saturday I met up with my sisters and brother and two of my nephews. We went to visit dad and get him out in the fresh air and sunshine. It was a beautiful day. We ventured up to the Glenn Curtiss Museum later in the afternoon to see their quilt show and tour the museum. The quilts done by the ladies were lovely. My favorites were the redwork quilts. I don't think I have any pictures. Mind you I had my camera but didn't use it.

Here are two of the flowers for my Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt. I have a few others done and will add these to the pile.

This is my progress on A Red Thread by Bent Creek. I have made this my travel project since I don't have to concentrate on it too hard. So this one goes to my groups and to lunch with me.

And some more progress on An Open Heart. I haven't worked on this in over a week. I hope to do more with weekend.

I'm sorry about the picture quality but I can't do much about it right now since my camera needs to recharge. Better pictures in the next post.

Keep on stitching!

Monday Update

2011-09-26T07:18:00.000-04:00

I've made some progress on An Open Heart by The Drawn Thread. This is fun to stitch, although I find I'm making stupid mistakes that lead to some serious frogging.

So good progress for the weekend.

I also made a little bag over the weekend but need to find a great button to truly finish it up. I'll post a picture of that once I find just the right thing.

Have a great week.

Keep Stitching!

Wednesday Update

2011-09-21T07:34:00.001-04:00

I've been busy the past few days and haven't had much stitching to post. But today is the day.

I had a three day weekend last weekend. I had planned to get lots of stitching done. Friday I was off so that my dishwasher could be delivered. I was getting things done around the house and the dishwasher was delivered without incident.

I went outside to empty the garbage and found that I had locked myself out of the house. Forutnately, it was a beautiful day and I was able to enjoy sitting in the sun until someone came home. I kept thinking while I was sitting there that that would have been a great time to be stitching. In fact, that was the first question someone asked me about the incident - did I have my stitching. Somehow, I managed to fritter away the rest of Friday without any stitching.

And more of the same on Saturday, without the getting locked out part. I did do my Fall decorating. It's too dark today to take pictures to show that. Hopefully, it will be lighter tomorrow and I can do that then.

I did read How to Knit a Love Song by Rachel Herron over the weekend. Each time I read a book about knitting I want to be a knitter. Only thing is that the gauge thing trips me up every time. Unless it's a project where gauge doesn't matter a lot, like a scarf, I'm out of luck. I am going to go and watch someone else knit one of these days to see if I can see where my problem is. I may even have to take a lesson.

I did get some stitching done on Sunday and finished stitching A Very Merry Autumn. I hope to get this put together this coming weekend. Actually, I had hoped to do that last weekend, but I would have had to finish the stitching before Sunday night.

I decided over the weekend that I would like to choose one of my projects to focus on - meaning that's the one I work on exclusivelly while at home. I chose An Open Heart by The Drawn Thread. Here is my progress so far. I am finding this piece to be a lot of fun and a tad addictive. Each little motif is a different stitch and last night I found myself wanting to do just "one more" before I went to bed.

Tonight is stitching at a friend's house. I made brownies last night to take there tonight. Not sure which project I'll take, but I have all day to figure that out.

Keep Stitching!

A Finish

2011-09-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

I've finished the 1992 Santa. It took a little longer than I had hoped, but it's finished. Or the stitching is finished. The finish finishing will have to come later.

I spent some time looking through my stash and decided that this will be my next piece. It should be a really quick stitch.

I'm off to start my new project.

Have a great night!

Monday, Monday

2011-09-12T20:08:00.000-04:00

First up, the progress update on the 1992 Santa. He's coming along - I think he only needs accessories (boots and fishing pole) and he'll be finished. Here's hoping that I can focus enough to accomplish that tonight. So I may be able to post a finish tomorrow.

This is where I had lunch today. I actually eat under this tree on most nice days. A peaceful place in the shade. At least that's what I tell myself when I try to tune out the trucks on the three-lane highway within yards of the park.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll come back soon.

September 11

2011-09-11T11:54:00.000-04:00

No stitchy post today.

I am thinking about what happened ten years ago and how our country has changed in that time. I had an opportunity to see some of the news coveage this morning and found that it was very moving. The creativity that went in to the memorials is inspiring.

Gone but Not Forgotten.

Saturday

2011-09-10T15:48:00.000-04:00

So far, it's shaping up to be a wonderful Saturday. The sun is shining and although there are clouds in the sky they are layered over a blue background.

I spent this morning and early afternoon at one of my stitching groups. Here is my progress to date on the 1992 Santa. He's coming along. I wasn't able to stitch last night since we had to shop for things like groceries, a dishwasher, and a back door. But, I should be able to get more accomplished tonight.

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.

Glad It's Friday

2011-09-09T07:43:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you but I'm glad it's Friday. Just one more workday until the weekend.

Sorry, I don' t have any stitching updates to show. I wasn't able to stitch yesterday. Hopefully today and/or tonight.

Have great Friday!

An Update

2011-09-08T07:42:00.000-04:00

A little progress on the 1992 Santa yesterday. I hadn't looked at the picture on the chart and was pleasantly surprised to find that what I thought were sprigs in the basket was actually a lobster. How cute is that? I still need to do a little more work around the lobster - maybe at lunchtime today.

It's still raining here. So far we've had 8 1/2" of rain. I think we can get up to 3 more inches today. I'd really like to see the sun one of these days - the forecast is saying next week.

Stay dry. Have great day.

What A Great Idea

2011-09-07T07:20:00.002-04:00

While reading blogs I stumbled across a reference to WIPocalypse (thank you Kielrain for sharing what you found.) I have signed up and will need to make a list of WIPs and UFOs I'd like to complete in 2012. (I had signed up for something similar in 2011 but due to technical difficulties I couldn't overcome I wasn't able to participate. ) What a fun prospect and motivation to work on my stitching room to see what goodies may be lurking there.

The 1994 Santa is finished. I put his last stitches on last last night. I'm happy with the way he turned out. Not sure how I want to finish him yet. So into the box he will go.

Next up is the 1992 Santa by Prairie Schooler. I think he is the oldest thing in my stash. I'm not sure I want to dig any further to confirm that. This is how he looked when I found him again last night. So, I've got a long way to go on that one. Sorry about the glare on the chart, that was the best I could do picture wise. The others were even worse!

I hope to make progress on this guy tonight at Stitch n Gab.

Back to Work

2011-09-06T07:13:00.000-04:00

The lovely long weekend is over today. It's back to work for me.

I did make more progress on the 1994 Santa as you can see below. Another evening or so and I may have him finished. Poor guy really needs some boots. Something to look forward to tonight!

It's rainy here and may be for the next couple of days. So far I can see 3 1/2" in the rain gauge. It should be an interesting ride in to work to see how far the rivers have risen overnight.

I only got two hexies added to one of my flowers for my grandmother's flower garden quilt. I'd like to make some progress on that in the coming week.

Have a great day.

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T12:50:00.000-04:00

I hope that you are having a wonderful Labor Day. Ours is a bit rainy - so it's probably good we don't have a picnic planned. I feel for all those people who have decided to have an end of summer bash today.

A little more progress on 1 the 1994 Santa. Again, hope to make more progress today and tonight. It looks like such a little thing and seems to be taking a long time.

It seems to be such a slow go, but I can see a little more progress. The colors on the birds seem a little distorted in this picture. I'll try for a better picture tomorrow.

I got Will's room back to the way I like it and actually stitched in here last night.

Lots of progress on other fronts this weekend but not as much stitching as I had hoped.

Enjoy the rest of your Labor Day.

A Little Progress

2011-09-04T15:04:00.001-04:00

I did my thing and went to the football game to sell raffle tickets - we only sold 3 and I bought one of those. We have a long way to go on this fundraiser. A lot of people said that they didn't have money with them and would catch us next time. I hope so.

A little more progress on the 1994 Santa. Certainly doesn't look like hours of work when compared to yesterday. I must say that I am having to stab on this one since it's done on 18 ct Davos and I am not able to establish the sewing rhythm that I normally use when I stitch. I was searching for some missing floss and found out that this isn't the oldest one in my stash. I found the 1992 Santa! I guess I'll stitch him when I'm finished with this one.

Still haven't gotten the hang of styling my hair. I did buy some "product" which is supposed to help, but I may not have bought the right thing. It looks a little better than yesterday. By the time I go back to work on Tuesday I should look presentable.

I did get some home tending done yesterday. And a little more today. I've got Will's room put back together the way I like it. And that is one more task off my list. I also spent some time sorting papers today and have two nice bags full to be burned when Mr. S gets home.

I hope to make more progress on Santa. It's after 3:00 here so I had better get started soon.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Saturday Update

2011-09-03T12:51:00.002-04:00

It's Saturday and a beautiful day here in Pennsylvania. A bit humid, but it is September and likely to be humid a good part of the month.

Last night I put that last stitches in Summer by Blackbird Designs shown below.

And I resurrected this guy from the WIP pile. It's the 1994 Santa by Prairie Schooler. I think this is one of the oldest things to be stitched in my stash. He is the Santa with sunflowers. I hope to put in some of the details tonight. I had already done about half of the red you see here before I picked it up again last night. I don't want you to think that I'm that speedy or sleep deprived.

I did meet my stitchy friends for lunch yesterday. We had a wonderful time. I think some people were curious about what we were finding so funny - I noticed several people walk past us several times to see what was going on. A wonderful afternoon. I had to leave so I could see Mr. S before he left for the shore for the weekend.

Also, got one on other mission accomplished yesterday which was a haircut. I should have taken a picture when I got home yesterday because what I have done today bears little resemblance to the way I looked when I left the stylist yesterday!

I'm off to the high school football game. I don't know who is playing and don't even understand the game - just know I need to go to as one of the drama moms to help out with a fundraiser for the drama club.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your day.

The Weekend Is Here

2011-09-02T10:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm off from work today so my weekend has officially begun. I planned it so that I can have a four day weekend (a little greedy, I know) and I think I'll be at home.

So, weekend plans. I am meeting some of my stitchy friends for lunch at Panera later today. Always good to see them.

I would like to get some work done on Summer by Blackbird Designs. I do not have much stitching left to complete this part. I hope to finish it up this weekend. That way I'll be ready when the second part is released this month. For this I used fibers that were in my stash a mix of DMC and the called for Weeks Dye Works. The fabric is a substitution provided by The Silver Needle since the suggested fabric was on backorder. I'm not sure what this is called but I like it.

This arrived from here this week. However, the fabric is on backorder so I'll have to drool over this for a bit longer.

I'm working on a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt and would like to add the next row of hexies to these blocks before the weekend is over.

And then, of course, there are all the usual home tending things that I had hoped to get done during the week but didn't.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend. Keep stitching.

Happy September!

2011-09-01T07:36:00.000-04:00

I'm think I'm coming back to blogging.

Today I'd like to share some pictures of things I put out this morning which I call my monthly decorations. I have a bunch of these that I rotate every month.

I have a collection of these Santas of the Month. They were designed by Curtis Boehringer. They are all done in flower thread. I place these on a table in living room.

I also have a collection of these little hearts. They came from a Leisure Arts book years ago.

This lives in my kitchen. I think it's by Bent Creek. I swap the picture out every month and use the frame again and again.

Sorry for the blurry picture of Sheepy. He lives in my stitching room.

Have a great first day of September.

Back to Reality

2010-07-11T20:24:00.000-04:00

Vacation is over for another year. We had a great week - a bit hot, but very little rain. I shopped, read, ate, fished, walked on the beach, shopped some more, and rested. I didin't get a lot of stitching done - but that's ok.

I feel rested and ready to jump back in.

The laundry is done for the week ahead. I have been to the grocery store - so we will eat well.

I heard and later saw my first whale. We think that it was a humpback whale. What an awesome experience.

Thank you to all those who visited during the party and left comments. I appreciate every one.

Where This Blogger Creates!

2010-06-18T20:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome - come in and have a seat. If you don't want the pillows, just put them on the floor. Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea? I drink lots of tea in here, iced and hot, though mostly warm - no matter how it started out.

My room is small - only five by eight. But its suits my needs. The space is carved out of part of the basement. So, I don't have any windows - but that doesn't matter - it's usually dark outside when I play in here. I must admit that it was hard to photograph parts of my room because of its size.

I used curtains and bookcases to create my walls.

The fabric curtain hides the furnace and hot water heater, and some scrapbooking supplies. It also helps to insulate the room from the furnace sounds - it can be a little loud.

This shade closes my room off from the rest of the basement. I mainly did this so that it would be difficult for people to set things on the table. That way I can come in and get down to ~~work~~ play without having to clear the table.. When someone else is down here I can raise the shade so that we can see and talk to each other.

My work table is an old farm table that was in my parents' home. I remember meals and talks held at that table. And one of my sister's carved her initials in the table - so that's a little reminder of her! Both of my sisters had the same initials - but I think I know who did that.

These shelves house my supplies and work in progress.

The baskets on top of two of the bookcases hold fabric and finishing supplies. They are vintage type picnic baskets.

The multi-drawer cabinet is another piece that came from my mom. I think it belonged to one of my great-grandmothers. My mom always kept little things in the drawers. I do the same - little notions like beads and buttons. It's perfect for that. The one drawer has been missing as long as I can remember.

I got the mantlepiece at Hobby Lobby. The pieces around the mantle were stitched by me just for this room. One of them was stitched before I had the room - kind of stitch it and it will happen.

These Nantucket baskets hold some things that I have made. Take a look.

The pieces in the four previous pictures were designed by Lauren Sauer of Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches.

This piece as designed by The Cricket Collection.

The baskets in this table hold magazines and cross stitch charts. The bag to the right of the table holds my quilt fabric.

This little box once held a cross stitch kit. I keep it to remind me that everyday is a present. When I first told my children about that - they chuckled and shook their heads! Maybe now that they are a little older they understand.

This is a cozy place to have a private conversation. I must admit that I've dozed off once or twice in the wicker chair. Especially with a blanket on my lap.

You may wonder what I do in here. The other entries in my blog show some pieces that I have done. I mostly do counted cross stitch. Sometimes I assemble projects like making little pillows or framing pictures. Other times I may make some jewelry. And sometimes I sew like when I made the chair cushion cover, pillows, foot stool cover, and curtain. I knit a little - and am working on a pair of socks. Sometimes I scrapbook. I would like to quilt again and have the fabric - just need to get it started.

Thank you for stopping by today. When all else fails remember:

A Quick One

2010-06-18T15:38:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post before I join the party at Where Bloggers Create II tonight. I need to go straighten my stitching room and take some photos to post later tonight. You can see lots of other spots where bloggers create by clicking on the button on the right.

Here are a few pieces I have stitched but not yet finished:

Make Do #3: Kindness

by Shakespeare's Peddler

Make Do #4: Springtime

by Shakespeare's Peddler

I will add a bow with the ribbon which I just happened to have in my stash.

Make Do #1: Love

by Shakespeare's Peddler

Sweet Heart

by Heart in Hand

Long May She Wave

by Lizzie Kate

And last, but not least, a picture for the Totally Useless Stitch Along. I haven't added much since the last time - but hope to correct that soon, like this weekend.

Please come by tomorrow for the party!

Not Much Stitching

2010-06-02T15:44:00.000-04:00

I haven't been doing much stitching. I had hoped to post photos of some finishes - from weeks ago, but my camera is MIA!

I have been reading quite a bit. But not to much else going on. I plan to go to one of my stitching groups tonight so maybe I can get inspired to start again.

May Bloggers Question

2010-05-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

I found this month's question here.

I think that I have been both a process and a project stitcher. But, lately I am more of a process stitcher - stitching because I love the process, not necessarily concerned about actually finishing a project. I am afraid to count my WIPs but know that each will have it's day. And, I'm not overly concerned about those finished pieces in the boxes of shame, although some of those have been seeing the light of day. I am no longer hesitant to start yet "another" because I want to see how the colors looks on the fabric, or try that new to me stitch. Sometimes, I just want to start something new.

A Few Finishes

2010-05-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

A busy night in and around the stitching room last night. I finally finished some pieces that have been languishing in the boxes of shame.

Woolly Tyme Club - March by Homespun Elegance

Woolly Tyme Club - April by Homespun Elegance

Woolly Tyme Club - May by Homespun Elegance

Woolly Tyme Club - June by Homespun Elegance

I think that Sheepy now has a full wardrobe!

Spring-Time by Eventide Designs

Sunny Summer by M Designs

Sweet Spring by M Designs

Bluebird's Threakeep by Blackbird Designs

I had only intended to finish one piece but found that I was on roll - and the ironing board and all the finishing supplies were out. I hope to finish something else next week - we'll see!

Sunday Update

2010-04-25T18:31:00.000-04:00

The weekend is almost over - and it's been busy.
We went to see my favorite college student yesterday to attend the Convocation Ceremony at Millersville University. What a lovely ceremony. Also, such a thrill to hear my son recognized. We went to lunch nearby. And left for home in the early afternoon.
On our way home we stopped at my not-so-local LNS. They had called earlier in the week to tell me that they had framing ready for pick up. I picked up these pieces yesterday.

This is Quaker Faith, Hope, Love by Midnight Stitching. I stitched this in 2009.

This is Live, Laugh, Love by Hinzeit. Also stitched in 2009.

I dropped this off to be framed. Garland Fair by Blackbird Designs, I believe it was Loose Feathers 16. I finished stitching this on Wednesday. I'm not sure what the fabric is as it was a gift.

And, as long as I was there, a little stash enhancement. They had this finished as a small pillow and it is so cute. It even comes with it's own baby mug. There are no babies in our immediate future, but I thought this would be a great Easter piece.

A quick stop by Cabela's on the way home for Jack. While he was in there I worked on Ravens & Pumpkins & Cats, Oh My! by Carriage House. Actually, I stitched on this for most of the car ride. I ran out of WDW Sweet Potato, and so it was good we stopped by my not-so-local LNS so I could continue. Obviously, this was a WIP before yesterday. I save this for car rides since it's pretty much background fill in and doesn't require chart reading.

I have joined the Totally Useless Stitch A Long and will be using this jar as my container. It's one I've had in my collection for quite some time. Over the years it has been used for flower arrangements and orts. So it's back to being my ort container. It's posing here on the table in my stitching room. Later tonight I will add the orts from Garland Fair and from Ravens & Pumpkin & Cats, Oh My!

Dinner is smelling wonderful, and I need to go put the finishing touches on that.

Happy Stitching!

I'm Back

2010-04-21T19:26:00.000-04:00

A year or so ago, I decided to shut down my blog so I could focus on other things. The blogging bug has bit me again and here I am. I have seen so many great new layouts - they've come a long way in short amount of time.

I'm currently stitching Garland Fair by Blackbird Designs. I'm about finished and hope to finish this week.

I have many WIP's - too many to list here, but I will show you them as I go along.