Running With Scissors

Wonderful Weekend!

2010-06-06T19:44:00.002-04:00

Well here I am sitting at the computer on Sunday night getting the kids ready for school on Monday, with showers, doing reading and going through backpacks. As soon as 8:00 hits it is ME time and I am officially off the clock and I can pull out my cross stitch and dear husband will have to answer any and all "dear mommy" calls for me.

We have been working on streamlining our house. Getting rid of anything we inherited from relatives that we really don't love and put up items in our house that only have importance to my husband or my self. We are also trying to clear up the clutter. We got some photos we have purchases from art shows framed and hung them up and my house is starting to actually look like MY home. I actually smile when I walk into the room. I love redecorating!

Well off to have the kiddies brush their teeth, find my cross stitch and punch my time card. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Feather Fairy Update

2010-06-04T15:14:00.003-04:00

Well she is finally here!(sorry for the wrinkles) I have been working on her everyday for about two months. This is my first full-size Mirabilla. I love the colors of this fairy and on this fabric she is absoluteley stunning, if I do say so myself. I pray this won't be a year long project.

I just started working on the the wings this morning, because I was getting burned out on the feathers. I will spend a few days on the wings and then back to the feathers. Here is another close-up of the feathers so you can see the detail of all the colors changes.

Onto to my next finish. Well I should say that it is my husband's finish, but I did help him hammer a few nails. He started a tree house for our two girls at the beginning of the winter last year and worked until it got too cold and when winter broke he was right back up there finishing it. He is so proud of it, as he should be. Our neighbors say, that it is a perfect place for the kids during the day, but at night the adults should put a few chairs out there and enjoy the peace and quiet and I think I just may do that this summer.

He has a few finishing touches left to do, but I wanted to share with everyone all the hard work he put in to make his children so happy. He said such a memorable thing to a friend who was over helping him work on it. He said it not the "Thank you's" he gets from the kids its the laughter that makes it all worth it....how true.

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to make some time to stitch..

A New Beginning...

2010-05-29T16:09:00.005-04:00

Well I am finally back...it only took about 2 years. I would say that was enough of a stitch break, now I am back in the saddle should we say. Currently, I am working on Mirabilia's Feather Fairy. I just love all the colors, they are so rich and vibrant. I can't wait to get it done to put it up on the wall. I also have taken a year off of riding horses, another one of my favorite hobbies and I am getting ready to get back to that again. I have been to two horse shows this season to watch my stepdaughter do some jumping and I just felt that tugging at my heart and I knew I had to get back into the saddle, literally.

Summer is almost here and everyone with kids has to make that adjustment of them being at home over the summer. I work at the school system so I am fortunate to have the summers off to spend with my children. It takes a few weeks to get into our new schedule, but it seems like once we do it flies by and before we know it the first day of school is just around the corner.

Dear husband finally got his dream job which will free up alot of his time. So I have got some new camping sites scoped out. I hear the Lake George area in NY is really nice, so that is going to be one of our new camp sites this summer. Also this fall we are going to take the family to a all-inclusive dude ranch called Ridin Hy Ranch, which someone at work told me was really great.

I will get some pictures up this week of my current project. I am very excited about getting back to the blog world. I look forward to reading about everyone's lives and also hearing from anyone else.

I hope everyone has a fabulous and safe Memorial Day weekend.

Can I have a bite of that cookie...?

2008-10-20T06:54:00.006-04:00

I don't have any updated cross stitch photos to share with you today, so I thought I would share this little nugget of "melt-in-your-mouth-deliciousness, with you. How do you like that for being descript? I came across this cookie recipe while searching some blogs and printed it out and decided to try it. You should understand before I go any further, that my family is a die hard cookie family. I have the best chocolate chip cookie recipe that I done for years, with nuts of coarse. I would make a full batch just the like the recipe called for and they would be gone the next day without a crumb left behind. Now in my family there is only my husband, myself and my 5 and 7 year old daughters and my stepdaughter on alternate weekends. We all look at each other and swear that we each only had like 5 or 6 and we don't know where the rest went. When I make multiple batches I have been known to put them in our big freezer and LOCK IT so DH does not sneak in there and steal any. I have self control though! At least while there are people in the house. When the kids are at school and DH goes to work I may have one or two. Sometimes in the craziness of my day I might lose count, but I'm sure it is not too many, but my rule of thumb is; If I made them... I can eat them!

Don't get me wrong we like are cakes, brownies and cheesecakes, I believe in equality around... I just made a chocolate chip cheese pie for my stepdaughters birthday (to die for!)...sorry to get off of track- when I start talking desserts I go a bit crazy. Now back to the cookies. They are called Cinnamon Cookies, you can find the recipe here. They are really easy to make, just allow enough time for them to harden. I put mine in the freezer to speed things up. These cookies were almost gone by the evening I made them, and I didn't start to make them until after dinner. We are a bad, bad family. I think we may need an intervention.

I hope everyone has a great Monday! Please let me know if you try out the cookies and liked them as much as we did. I have another recipe I will pass along later this week. Pumpkin drop cookies with pecans...love them!

Where has the time gone...

2008-10-19T16:46:00.011-04:00

Well DH has taken the kids out for a walk, so I have finally found some time to myself to sit down and catch up on some things in my life that I have let slip by. I have started working part-time and am finding it hard to adjust to making time for myself. I'm sure there are alot of you out there that can relate. Well I decided that today that must end! I'm no good to myself or my family if I don't take care of ME!

I have a Happy Dance to share with everyone! I finished Tigerlily by Mirabilia. This was my my first Mira I have done. I wanted to do one of the smaller ones to see if I would like all the bead work and I loved doing it. Here she is in all her glory!

I took some close-ups to show the bead work. Whenever you see pics of these you never get the full effect of all the beadwork that goes into them.

The beads really give the piece alot of "bling".

My next project is Morning Glory. She is one of the latest Pixie Coutures that was put out. I just recently started so I don't have much to show for her. She has the greatest colors and alot of beadwork also.

I did my beadwork on Tigerlily as I went along. I read up on how to do the beading and some people wait until the end and others bead as they sew. I was planning on waiting until I was done sewing, but I put a few beads on to see the effect it had and I was hooked. I couldn't stop putting them on. I did have to be careful towards the end so as not to crush the beads in my q-snaps. I put a piece of thin cotton quilt batting between my cross stitch fabric and my q-snap covers to help protect my fabric and it also helps to keep my fabric tight.

Here are some of my other WIP that are in my rotation lately. I have Blossom Hill Sampler:

I also have Blessings Abound, a freebie by The Cricket Collection:

We are sitting down to a big pot of bean and ham soup tonight. It has been windy and cold up here in New England all day. One of those days you just want to sit by a big fire and watch some good old classics. For me that would be Pretty In Pink, Breakfast Club, Top Gun and St. Elmo's Fire. Can you tell I grew up in the 80's? My husband doesn't let me go to the video store alone. I hope everyone is enjoying the change in seasons. Thank you for visiting and I apologize for neglecting myself, I will work on it. Have a great week!

WIP Updates...

2008-09-23T14:17:00.009-04:00

Thank you all for the wonderful comments you left about my daughter's cross stitch stocking, they were very nice. I am going to give it my best try and see if I can finish DH Christmas stocking for Christmas. I have been working on it a little every evening. Here is a current picture of where I am at with it. I have added a few more people to the bottom of the stocking. I am going to start to add backing stitching once they are complete, so as not to leave all of it to the end.

I have also been trying to finish a smaller project that has been sitting around calling my name. I think I would like to make a small pillow out of it and give as a xmas gift. It was a freebie, called Tree of Life. I really liked the design, although I think making it into a pillow will give it a bit more color and give it some "life".

Last but not least is Blossom Hills Sampler. The more I work on this one the more I like the colors. This one is going to be real nice when complete. I think I will have to frame this one. Almost done with the large flower and a few more stitches on the house and I will be done with that also.

FYI, there is a neat blog called The Pioneer Woman, you can visit it here. Ree Drummond, is her name and she has some really great stories to tell. I tried some of her recipes over the weekend, some we LOVED: Crash Hot Potatoes and some we thought were just O.K, Chicken Spaghetti. She has some specatacular photos in her photography section.

I hope everyone is having a good start to the week. I am off to my horse riding class tonight. Last week my instructor had us cantering without stirrups. I have to say I was pretty proud of myself after doing it. My butt stayed in the saddle all the way around the ring. I thought I was good to after that. Then she informed me that she wanted me to try a small jump with NO stirrups. I repeat NO stirrups. When I signed up to learn how to ride I didn't think I would ever have to learn how to ride a horse without stirrups, much less go over jumps without them. Isn't that why they put them on the saddle, for us to use. Well all went well and I made it over the jump and I didn't fall off. I am going back again to see what she has in store for me tonight. Wish me luck!

Remember to keep stitchin' and smilin'.

I NEED more time...but who doesn't!

2008-09-17T10:55:00.016-04:00

When my first daughter was born I had this not so well thought out idea that I wanted to cross stitch each and everyone of my family a Christmas stocking. Well, when I was pregnant with my daughter I had the worst case of insomnia and all I did every night was stay up and stitch, so shortly after my daughter was born I finished my most prized possession ever. I find it hard to take out during Christmas, because my daughter knows it's hers and she wants to hold it and play with it and I just want to get it hung up on the hook and have it "looked at" if you know what I mean. Well after that first child came the second one and time slipped by and the stocking idea came and went. I went shopping and picked out all the other stockings for my family and the idea seemed like a good one, but I just never seemed to find the time, with kids and all.

The other day DH came to me and said "I know what I would like for Christmas." I should give you a little background before I finish with my story. For the past 3 years, DH and myself decided not to buy each other gifts, instead we make something for each other. For example, one year I cross stitched him a design that he picked out and had it framed and he hand painted me a serving platter and had it fired, which I use to this day.

He asked me if I would finish his Christmas stocking for him this year. In my head I just sighed, knowing that I would not be able to work on my current projects with the zest I has planned. I had started to kit up "Morning Glory" by Mirabilia, and I knew that would have to be put on hold. I told him I would give it my best try, but with the time frame I don't know it I can finish something like this.

Here is a photo of the first stocking I did for my daughter about 7 years ago: It is a Dimensions Gold kit, this was before I discovered all these really great designers on the web. I will never go back to kits again, but I have to say, I was very happy with the final outcome of this particular design.

Here is a close-up of Santa holding the Christmas wreath with a tree over his shoulder:

Here is a close-up of his bag of goodies:

Now her is a picture of my DH stocking. As you can see I have a ways to go. There are buildings in the background with a large Christmas tree in the middle with a group of children holding hands around the tree, with various characters in the foreground. Someone standing by a lantern, a girl with a dog, etc. I definitely have a ways to go. There is so much backstitching once the actually stitching is done. All I can do is my best, we will see where that takes me.

I finished my first round with Fair & Square. I had a great time doing it. I will be signing up for another one shortly. Here is my squares that my partner, Darla sent me. Aren't the colors just wonderful! She also was kind enough to send me a cute note card with it along with some hand-dyed floss from Carrie's Creations. What a great experience!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments, I look forward to reading all of them. I love being able to visit "blog-land" each day. It puts a big smile on my face. Remember to keep stitchin' and smilin'.

After the storm...

2008-09-09T11:12:00.006-04:00

Well Hanna, did not turn out to be the storm she was predicted to be up here for us on the CT coast and I am very grateful for that. I got a bit worked up from all the hype. We pulled in all the possible items that could have been blown away and put them in the garage, we got any shopping of supplies we thought we might need for a few days early in the morning and then we just waited.
I'm OK dealing with the wind and rain, it was the possible tornadoes that we had a few warnings about that get me really worked up. It started raining about 5pm and rained all night long. I watched tv and stitched to keep my mind busy. I waited it out until around midnight and when we didn't have anymore tornadoes watches for some time I headed off to bed. I woke up bright and early to the sun shining without and cloud in the sky. What a difference a day can make!

I decided to work on Blossom Bay Sampler during Hanna and keep a record of how much I managed to get stitched during the storm, here is my before picture:

And here is my after picture. For the time I spent on it, I would have thought I would have progressed more, but one stitch at a time is better that none at all:

Now I am going to focus on Tigerlily until she is complete. Here is another little freebie from The Cricket Collection called Blessing Abound, which I have been putting a stitch in here and there whenever I want something easy to stitch. You can find the design here. It would make for a great show pillow. The sample they show on the website is what caught my eye, I just love the fall colors.

I apologize for not keeping up with my blog as diligently as I feel I should. I signed up to be an assistant aide at my girls school, just as a part-time position to get me back into the work field. Since school has started I have worked everyday and have not had a moment to sit down and get what I needed to get done around the house. This is the first opportunity I have had. Thank you everyone who has left comments, I love reading them, they make my day! I am off to catch up on a few blogs and do some household duties before I sit down and do some stitchin'.

Quirky...who me?

2008-09-02T06:52:00.009-04:00

I read a blog sometime ago, where the author listed 7 quirky things about themsleves. I got a great laugh from some of them, so I thought I might do it myself. I think this is a great way to let people know a little of the odd but charming side of yourself...so here I go:

7 Quirky Things About Me

I despise sleeping in a room with AC. I would rather open all the windows and run a fan and sleep with as little on as possible than turn the AC on.
I prefer to make chocolate chip cookies when my children and husband are NOT home, then I have no competition when it comes to eating the cookie dough.
I have to be in control of the remote for the TV in the evening. DH has gotten used to it and doesn't put up too much fuss. I will give in on certain situations.
Once summer arrives, I will only where flip flops and sandals. I won't put on a pair of sneakers (except for exercise) until the weather gets cold.
I am a list maker...I especially like to make lists of my meals for the upcoming weeks along w/ the grocery menu that goes with them. I even have them saved in the computer, so when I don't have time to make a NEW list I print out an old one an off to the grocery store I go.
I enjoy folding laundry...I can't stand putting it away. I will procrastinate for as long as I can until I have to empty the laundry basket, that is usually when DH does not have any socks left and they are all sitting in the bottom of the laundry basket (then I know it is time).
My husband is only ANAL about one thing in his life and that is where the dishes go in the dishwasher (I think it is a mother separation thing). I purposely load the dishes willy nilly just to irritate him b/c I get a kick out of him unloading and re-organizing the dishwasher LOL!!

September Goal List

Finish Tigerlily
Finish Tree of Life freebie
Complete "plaaaid" pinkeep
Finish and mail squares for Fair & Square exchange
Finish 2 main trees and house on Blossom Hills sampler
update Webshots with new stitching photos

Here are some of my WIP. I have Tigerlily, she is almost complete. My Happy Dance will be scheduled for sometime in September, I will be mailing out invitations.

Here is Blossom Hills Sampler by By the Bay. I pulled it out last night and did some frogging on the house and now we are back on track. I love this designer and her designs, you can find her blog here, with pics of her work.

Thank you all for who have stopped by for a visit, I look forward each and every day to posting on my blog and I am tickled pink when someone takes the time to drop me a line. I hope everyone is having a great week. Since both my girls are going to school full days now I have started working a few hours here and there. I can't believe where the hours go. Before I know it, it is time to pick up the kids and start all over the next day. I thought once the kids went back to school things for me would slow down a bit and I might get some things done around the house (I was wrong)! I haven't had an hour to sit down and stitch yet. Well I still have the rest of the week to try. Have a great day. Keep on stitchin' and smiling!

Has it really been that long?

2008-08-31T11:04:00.012-04:00

Well after an extended break from blogging, I am finally back. I feel guilty for not writing on my blog. I do find time every night to visit all the blogs on my reader though and have been inspired by each and every one of them.

While on my little break, my 82 year old grandmother came up for a visit from Richmod, VA. She is amazing, she is as sharp as a tack. She still drives and gets around just fine. She loves to quilt everyday. She took the train up for a long weekend visit. While she was up she helped me tie one of my quilts that had been sitting in my closet for some time. She taught me how to quilt about 5 years ago, so she loves coming up and seeing what new projects I have done. Now I only have to finish the binding around the quilt and it will be ready to go. Here is a picture of it.(Sorry about the shadows)

This was suppose to be my ugly quilt. Initially I started pulling all of my odd (ugly) scrappy fabrics out of my stash. I wanted to make a quilt for myself so I had something to snuggle with during this coming up winter. As the quilt started to come alive, I actually started to like the fabric choices. My husband saw it and said it was no where near an ugly quilt. As for the border, you will see that is in only on 2 sides, that is not by accident. My grandmother kept telling I put the border on the wrong side of the quilt and I told her I put the border on exactly where I wanted it.

My kids went back to school last week. This is the first year that both my kids are in school all day long. My 5 year old was chosen for full day kindergarten. I have been with one child or another for 7 years, so I was relishing the first day alone. I asked myself "what will I do"? Well I was supplied with the answer. The first day my kids went to school I had my stepdaughter with me for that day, she doesn't start school until the following week. The second day of school, my 7 year old woke up with 102.4 degree temp, so she was home for the day. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Tuesday after Labor Day. Maybe that will be my first day home without kids in 7 years.

While grandma was up for a visit, we took her to Newport RI and drove along the coast and had a picnic. I love going up there, it really captures the feel of New England. I don't mean the touristy stuff, I'm talking about just driving along the coast and then sitting around and watching the waves and enjoying the ocean for the afternoon. Everyone had their kites out and we had a great time. I thought I would share with you a few photos of the day.

Well at the end of our weekend, Grandma still the energy to plant some mums with the kids in the front yard. They loved being able to do that with her. I think most kids love to get nice and dirty and have something beautiful to show for it.

I finally tried my hand at Jambalaya last night. It was from a Cooking Light recipe. It turned out delish.. (as Rachel Ray says.) I love to cook and I am always looking for new things to try. I also tried some Lemon Blueberry muffins from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, they were wonderful. That is where she sneaks is veggies where you least expect it. In these muffins she puts in pureed yellow squash. My 5 and 7 years loved them, along with DH who I had to hide them from because I was making them for the kids breakfast and he just thought they were free game to snack on...that's men for ya!

I am feverishly working on Tigerlily. She is almost done. I hope to be close if not finished by the end of the week. I have also been working on my Fair and Square exchange. This is the first exchange for me. I have spoken with the my exchange partner through email briefly and she was very nice. I look forward to getting to know her better in the coming weeks.

Thank you for all stopping by to visit. I enjoy reading all the other blogs out there, they are so inspiring. I hope one day to be so well read. Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

So who reads my blog?

2008-08-21T07:28:00.009-04:00

I borrowed this from Dani's blog...Navy Stitching.

I do wonder if there is anyone who reads but doesn’t post comments, I don’t mind as I do read some blogs but don’t comment as well. But it would be nice just to say hello and maybe come and read your blog as well.

So who reads my blog?

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn’t matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we’ve never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It’s actually really funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I’ll assume you’re playing the game and I’ll come to your blog and leave one about you.

3.Do you read my posts from a reader,blogroll or is this your first visit?

On the stitching home front, I have put Tigerlily on the top of my rotation. I am close to a finish and I am at that point that I don't want to put her down. She is my first Mirabilia and I love the way she is turning out. I have Feather Fairy all kitted up and ready to start as soon as Tigerlily is complete. Here is an updated WIP.

Today I am also putting together my first pinkeep. This will be a xmas present for someone this year. Here is a pic of the front and back. Right now they are drying so I will have to finish it later this afternoon. I also have to go on the search for some special ribbon and pins to make this project complete.

Thank you all for stopping by and visiting my blog. I am off to replant some zucchini plants. My kids threw some seeds down at the end of our driveway in their "make believe" garden. Well their "make believe" garden turned into a real one and the zucchini plant now has flowers and is growing like crazy. So I am going to replant it for them in a safer place. Then they can take care of it on their own and I can teach them a few things about gardening, although with their green thumbs they just may end up teaching me a thing or two. Have a wonderful day everyone and keep on blogging!

Countdown until school starts.....

2008-08-19T13:31:00.007-04:00

I wonder if I'm like other moms who stay at home with their kids all summer long and right at the last few weeks we secretly start putting little check marks on our family calendars to let us know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and the kids will be going back to school shortly. Sometimes I feel if I hear one more complaint, I might lock myself into the bathroom with Calgon and spend a long afternoon in there. Thank you for letting me vent just a little, now on with news of the day.

I have been spending alot of time working on Tigerlily from Mirabilia. She is coming along nicely. I am doing her on Silkweaver fabric Silver Mist 28ct Lugana. I just went to the library and made my working copy of Feather Fairy and I should have some WIP pics of those up soon.

I also decided to make a small pillow out of the Lizzie Kate freebie Bloom, you can fine here. I want to put tassels on the corners, but I'm still working on getting them correct.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and is finding time to stitch. I find it hard at times to justify sitting down and stitching when there is so much to be done around the house. My children keep me very busy and I have to always remember that I have to take care of myself before I can take care of them successfully. Thank you for stopping by and I will chat again very soon.

Is the end of my vacation here already...?

2008-08-11T08:11:00.011-04:00

Sorry for not posting sooner. You forget about all the things that pile up and have to be taken care of when you go away on vacation. My family and my sister's family had a great time on our vacation. The cabins we stayed in were decorated beautifully and the weather was perfect. The place that rented the cabins thought of everything you could possibly imagine, right down to the birthday candles we found in the drawer for my DH birthday cake. The locals were real friendly. Mid-week they brought us some fresh catfish that they had caught from the river right in front of the cabins. I fried it up and it was gone within minutes. The kids got to play in the local river and swing on the tree swing. We made such wonderful memories. My sister and I decided we will be going back there in the near future.

While on vacation I managed on to work on Blossom Hills Sampler by By the Bay, here is where I stand with that. Sorry about the photo, it is done on a white evenweave fabric, not blue which is how it photographed.

Some of my other WIP are Tigerlily by Mirabilia. This one is coming together real nicely. I'm putting most of my time into her. My 7 year old asked if she could hang in her room. I think that would be a great place for her to be.

I finished my Lizzie Kate freebie you will find here, BLOOM. I haven't decided what I will do with it. I think I will just keep it out and wait until it talks to me.

The kids are heading back to school on August 28th. This will be my first year for both of my kids to be in school full day. I am lucky enough to stay at home with them, but part of me is a bit apprehensive wondering what will I do without a child home with me during the day. I am going to work part-time at the school so I will be able to keep the same hours as them. Maybe next year I will go back to work on a more permanent basis. I bow down to all those mothers who hold a full time job and take care of a family. I know at times I feel overwhelmed just taking care of my family.

I hope everyone is having a great summer. Winter will be here before we know it and the kids will be asking where their snow shoes are and making snowmen in the yard. Please make sure you take some time in your day to just relax and be in the moment. Find some joy whether it be with yourself or your children, because time isn't something we can save like the minutes on our cell phone. Have a wonderful day and thanks for visiting.

The Day Before Vacation...

2008-07-25T07:11:00.002-04:00

It is the day before we leave on our much needed week long vacation to southern VA. We have rented a cabin along with my sister's family. I don't mean we are staying in the same cabin, she rented another cabin right next to ours. We thought about getting one together, but I think that would have been a bad idea after the first 2 hours. I love her and her family, but we both know we our VERY different and we like it that way. Usually we go camping in our pop-up camper, so this is a first for us. DH is a bit apprehensive, but it has so much to offer for the outdoorsy people I think we will all have a great time. Here is the link so you can take a gander at the the beautiful cabins they have to offer.

We live by the shore in CT and they have two of the largest casinos right near us and they offer the best shows. I sometimes could shoot myself in the foot for not checking to see what they have there, but this time I did. Tonight we are going to see a great comedian by the name of Ron White. That will mark the official start of our vacation. We have alot of running around and packing today and we will be pulling out for our 12 hour drive Saturday morning at 8am.

While preparing to leave I have still found time to fit in some stitching. Here are some WIP. These two are the "Tree of Life" and a small freebie form Lizzie Kate "Bloom". I haven't decided how I am going to finish either of them yet.

I embroider children's aprons and sell them on a few websites. It never fails, that business has been quiet, which right before I go vacation I could use the extra time. Although the past few days orders have been coming in, I'm not complaining (please don't take it that way), but 2 weeks before would have worked out so much better. I love going on vacation, it is the stress of getting ready and worrying about packing every little small thing that makes going on vacation so unpleasant.

Here is one of my aprons modeled by my 5 year old.

Thank you all for taking the time to visit and leave comments. I enjoy reading and viewing all these other blogs and take great inspiration from them. I will be back to blogging next Monday. Until then, have a wonderful week and keep stitchin"!!

A Restful Sunday...

2008-07-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

Today is our second day into our heatwave, the heat is not bad it is the humidity that will just knock you down. I went out to play around in the garden this morning and that didn't last long. This is my first garden and I am really happy with the results. We will definitely be planting a bigger one next year. This year the zucchini and the tomatoes seem to be taking over.

I don't have many finished projects to show lately. It seems as though I am just in the starting phase. I finished a small bluebird to make a scissor fob for a xmas gift for my grandmother. She loves birds. I plan to also make her a needle book. She does alot of hand quilting and tends to lose alot of her needles. You never go over to her house and take your shoes off.

As for my two new projects in the works, I have started "Tree of Life". This pattern is a freebie pattern I found on a German blog. It has the most entertaining peacocks and deer in the design. A very unique pattern, I just felt I had to stitch this one. I dont' have much done yet, but I feel it will stitch up rather quickly. The other project I am getting ready to kit up is by the designer, By the Bay Needlearts and the pattern is called Blossom Hills Sampler. I just love the colors and the overall style. I like the exaggerated look of the flowers in the pattern. The designer, Donna does alot of that in her work. I have taken a great liking to it.

Well thank you for stopping by. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will have some finished items up to show you. I also have Tigerlily from Mirabilia in the works. We are leaving for vacation next Saturday and I think she will be coming with me. We will be doing alot of driving, so hopefully I can get a good part of her stitched and display some photos when we return. I hope everyone had a great weekend and thank you for stopping by.

Christmas in July...

2008-07-18T18:38:00.000-04:00

One Christmas present stitched. I haven't decided how I will finished it. I will work on that in the upcoming week. If anyone has any finishing ideas comments would be more than welcome. This little sheep is for my mother. This was a freebie from Casey Buonaugurio. You can find it here. It was easy to stitch up, I did change the original colors to go with my mothers current color scheme. My mother is very hard to shop for. She is one of those people who ooh and ahh at every present that is opened and comment about how she wished she had one of those also. So, you think you have it covered when you go out and buy her something that she obviously liked only to find out later in the year when you visit, that there your gift sits in usually the same place she put it once she opened it Christmas day. It is quite maddening. So I think I have it covered this year. She is very particular about her house and always wants it to "just right". I thought if I stitch something for her house that would give her the incentive to display it and it would be a win/win situation. Hey, all I can do is try. This could bomb just like the other gifts, but it was fun to stitch at least.

Up here in the Northeast we are experiencing another heatwave. Today we definitely reached over 100 degrees. This is our second one of the year. The last one lasted for 3 days. This is the first really hot day. They say it should go for about 3-4 days. We live near the shore in CT and the humidity always seems to be so much worse by the water. I guess the upside is that it gives me a reason to stay indoors and get some extra stitching time.

I am going to put another project into my rotation. I picked up a design from By the Bay Needlart. The design is called "Blossom Hills Sampler". This is not my style at all, but the colors and the flowers just called to me. I have the fabric, I just have to run up to the craft store tomorrow and pick up the threads and I think I will put some time into it over the weekend.

I decided to play around with my photoshop and see what I could do with my photo to give them a little snap. I hope everyone likes it. One of my other hobbies is photography, but I usually don't spend much time playing with my photoshop these days. I hope this gives me some incentive.

Well off to get ready for movie night. I think it is Indiana Jones again. Hopefully all the excitement will put the kids right out. Thank you to anyone who visits and have a wonderful weekend!!

Needlebook Finish!!

2008-07-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

I finished my "crazy chicken" needlebook, as DH has nicknamed the design. I think it is rather cute myself. It was real easy to put together and I was real happy with the turn out. I would have used another color ribbon beside white, but I was just using what I had on hand for a sample project. I think my next item of choice to make will be a scissor fob. I already have a design stitched out for that, I just have to sew it together. I am going to try to make my own cording.

I have been reading about how great it is to grid out a project, so I took a smaller project called "Tree of Life" and tried to grid it out. Half way through I decided it just wasn't worth it to me. I will have to try it again on another project. I will post some pics of "Tree of Life" in the near future. It is not really my style, but something caught my eye and it is rather small, so I said what the heck, I would give it a try. I found it as a freebie on a German blog.

I have decided to start a exchange called Fair and Square. I want to start with something simple and not too demanding. I think I might sign up for the Halloween exchange. I have to email the moderator and get accepted in it first.

DH is at the doctor right now getting his leg checked out. His took up dirt bike riding at 47. I think that was his mid-life crisis purchase. He pulled his hamstring pretty bad over the weekend and is going to have it checked out. I keep warning him that if he ever gets hurt really bad on that bike, it will be advertised on ebay by the end of the day. I am just waiting to see what the doctor says about his leg before I start writing up my advertisement. I will keep you up to date. Have a great evening everyone. Off to make some chicken enchiladas and do some stichin'.

A Ride of A Lifetime...

2008-07-14T09:43:00.001-04:00

My weekend horse riding competition went so GREAT. On Saturday I rode in 3 classes and I received 1st places in all classes and also walked away with Grand Champion. This is something I have always hoped of doing but I never really thought it would happen. I am so taken aback by it. I drove home that evening honestly PROUD of myself. It is very hard for me to say that I am good at something and really know it. I know I am good at cross stitch. I take my time and I do beautiful work. Now with all the practice I have put into riding I am beginning to feel that I am a good rider and that even though I started riding later in life, riding is something I am meant to be doing. My goal for my Sunday classes was just to place in my classes. I rode in 2 classes that day. What a great surprise again for me, in my first class I received a 1st place again. In my second class I at least placed. So I did meet my goal. So what a great weekend. I have one more month to go and I am looking real good in the year end placements.

On to my stitching. I really didn't have any time to work on stitching this past weekend. It is suppose to rain today and that always makes me want to sit down and stitch. I am trying to put together a needlebook. I have never done one. I am doing a little crazy chicken. Here is a picture of him as of now. I am also trying to finish my plaid sheep xmas present for my mother so I can put that in a frame and check that off my xmas list. I hope you all had a great weekend and thank you all for your inspiring photos that you post.

2008-07-12T05:58:00.000-04:00

This is my second month of Tri-state competition. It is where CT, RI, and Mass get together and compete in one of the largest horse shows. They have english and western competitors. I have 3 classes today to compete in and 3 classes tomorrow. I am anxious to see what I can pin. Last month on Saturday I took home 1-2nd place and 2-3rd places and a Reserve Champion. I am looking for at least one first place today. Last month we competed in 3 day heat wave where the temps reached 100 degrees ugh!. Of coarse this weekend it is looking to be in the mid-90's with high humidity. It never fails when we have these shows. It either rains the whole weekend or we have really hot weather. As long as we drink alot of water and stay in the shade it will be fine. Today is the day I ride in the outside ring. I will look forward to changing out of my show clothes when all my classes are done.

As for stitching news, I finally found a cross stitch store in my area. Well, it wasn't really "in my area" it was about a 45 drive, but it went by real quick. It was called Thistle Needleworks. I happened to call them and ask what they had and they informed me they had their big 20% off sale off everything in the store (they have it twice a year), so I had to make the trip up there. When I got there it was gynormous. I just stood there and didn't even know what to look at. I finally started looking and found 3 patterns. They were from LIzzie Kate, Bent Tree and By the Bay. Then came getting fabric. They were so hands on when it came to customer service. The ladies pulled all the fabric out and gave me all these ideas and comparisons. It was my cross stitch heaven. I told my DH I could go there and stay from opening to close and be completely content.

Off to my riding show. I have to be there at 8am and should return around dinnertime for a quick shower, wash a load of clothes, get some food and then hit the sack. Have a great weekend everyone!

I finally finished.....

2008-07-09T15:43:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my "Hello Spring" floss tag. It was a freebie pattern from Lizzie Kate. This was my first attempt at making a floss tag. I was happy with the final piece, but getting there was another story. I am one who is very meticulous. I never eat or drink when I stitch. I have NEVER had any mishaps with any of my previous projects. When it came time to whip stitch the two side together, I was so excited, I stabbed my finger with the needle in my haste to get this project all together. Well, that's fine no big deal, what's a little pin prick? My big mistake came when I didn't take the time to actually look at my finger to see if it was bleeding. When I finally turned the floss tag around I noticed I had gotten blood from my pricked finger all over it. I was livid! I ran to the sink and starting running it under water and scrubbing it. Luck was on my side, because it all came out. I got a very important reminder from this mishap, TAKE MY TIME!!!

Here is my first of my many floss tags. I think they are really cute. They make a great gift for that special stitcher. They are a quick stitch and they can be personalized which only makes it that more special. I am still learning when it comes to this "blogging". So usually every few days I learn something new.

I decided just to do my initials on the back with a simple checkerboard on the four corners. I thought it flowed with the theme. The lighting was a bit dark. Sorry!

Here is the final picture of my floss tag. I am off to pick a new design for another one so I can work on my finishing skills. I think it will be alot easier to stitch together when I don't use Aida fabric. I was using leftover from my old stash. Now we can move onto some nice fabric. I have my first scissor fob all stitched out and I will sew that one together for a first. Thanks for taking the time to looks at my projects. Hopefully with time and practice I will have more up to show in the near future.

Block Party!!

2008-07-07T21:33:00.000-04:00

We had a great holiday weekend. We had a block party with our neighbors and got the chance to know those neighbors that you tend to only wave at when you are coming and going. All the food was great and before we knew it it was time for the fireworks to start. There is nothing like good neighbors and good conversation.

Onto my stitching adventures. Since I have been looking through all these great blogs I have found so many new projects I have to try. I have even started stitching projects for xmas. My first one is for my mom who favors the Americana style. I found this cute sheep form Casey Buonaugurio in the freebies. I am changing around the original colors to go with her style. Here is my WIP. This is the original design with original colors just to see if I liked it. (I loved it!)

My next WIP which is just about finished is a floss ring tag, I came across the directions for the floss ring tags on the Snippets and Stash blog. I am using a freebie design from Lizzie Kate. She is another designer who I really enjoy. You can stitch alot of her designs up in a weekend. I should be done with that tonight. I will post a pic of that tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Today Is The Day

2008-07-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

Today is the day I will start with my first post. I have been busy reading as many stitching blogs as I can trying to get ideas as to how to start a blog. The only thing I can come up with is to just sit down and type. Today is the July 4th and it is turning out to be very quite. I just ran across a tutorial for a Floss Ring Tag and now I have a brand new project I want to start. Off to browse some books to find a new design.

I have been working on a few xmas projects for the upcoming holiday. I have decided with all the stitching I am doing I might as well save a few extra dollars and sew a few xmas gifts. I will post the WIP within the next few days.

I am going to start working on some small designs and see how that goes. I love working with color and watching things come to life. Hopefully I will have a few freebies to offer in the near future.

Off to enjoy the holiday. I'm glad I could finally sit down and start my blog and welcome everyone into my life as I know it.