Friday, January 29, 2010

Who Won?

Fabric #3! Seems like hands down, it was the favourite choice :o)

Now are you ready to know what the different fabrics were? You might be surprised (or maybe not).

Fabric #1 - 32 count Dark Taupe Lugana.

Fabric #2 - 32 count Natural Light Linen (the fabric Sabrina is actually stitched on in the picture).

Fabric #3 - 32 count Mushroom Lugana

Fabric #4 - actually, none of the above ;o)

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So really, the colors of the fabrics were pretty close and as much as I would LOVE to stitch her on a hand-dyed piece, I think I will stick with a neutral. She's just so elegant that I don't want anything to take away from her beauty. I am contemplating changing the colors of her skirt hem but I'm not 100% sure yet.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my finishes so far. It always brightens my day when I see comments waiting for me to read them :o) Right now I've started another small project but there's not enough done to show a picture. It's a thank you gift for my neighbour and it will be finished with a special touch. I wanted to stitch the pattern for myself too so I might do both at the same time. Now does that count as one or two completed projects? My rules, my decision? LOL!


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Fifth Finish For 2010

My goodness, where has this week gone???? I meant to post sooner than this but time just keeps getting away from me. It's not that I'm super busy either. I've just been SO tired lately! It's seriously started to annoy me.

You didn't think that I would let January go without another finish did you? ;o) Oh, what do we have here? Could it be 'another' snowman? I think they have invaded my house! This is the 2006 Snowman Ornament by Mount Forest FrameWorks -

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Isn't he adorable? I didn't want to order the fabric suggested, 28 count Evening Song Linen by R&R, since I required so little. I ended up substituting with 28 count Wedgewood Lugana and I have to say that it's a pretty close match color wise.

These patterns include a hanger so it was fairly quick to complete -

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I used the same finishing method as the last MFFW Snowman, seen here, and now I have another ornament ready for my Christmas tree next year :o) Speaking of ornaments and trees, I have a question for you all. We always get a live tree each year but I'm so afraid to put my cross stitch ornaments on it for fear they will get pitch on them :o( Are there any of you who worry about that?

Before I go, I also wanted to spread the word that I would like to get my hot little hands on some of more these MFFW Snowmen Ornaments! If you know where I can find them, please let me know. I'm not sure how many years they did them for but I have 2004 and 2006 so I 'assume' there's at least a 2005 floating around there somewhere :o) Thanks!

And don't forget...there's only one day left to vote for your favourite fabric!


Sunday, January 24, 2010

Exercise Your Right To Vote

FINALLY! My Sabrina stash arrived in the mail on Friday and since then I have been doing a floss toss to see who the lucky fabric will be ;o)

When you first look at Sabrina's picture, you automatically get ideas in your head of what you would like to see but when you actually pull the colours, that's when your eyebrows raise two inches and you wonder what the heck Nora was thinking! You may think, like I did, that the bottom of her dress is black and grey. Nope. It's dark brown (DMC 3371) with different shades of blue (DMC 926,927,928). Surprised? I know I was.

To top it off, the fabric that she calls for is not even close to the color of the fabric in the picture. When will they ever get good photography of stitched pieces???? I've seen this happen all the time. Maybe they should hire a good photographer ;o) LOL!

So...I'm faced with another dilemma...what fabric to use. I've narrowed it down to three different fabrics and I've taken pictures of all three with the floss and beads. Here is your chance to have another say but...I'm not going to tell you what color fabric you are voting for until the poll is closed! I figure that way you'll be less swayed in one direction or the other :o)

Let the judging begin!

Fabric #1 -

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Fabric #2 -

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Fabric #3 -

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Oh, we've had a last minute entry! It seems there is another possibility...

Fabric #4 -

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Once you've made your selection, go to the voting station on the right sidebar of my Blog and enter your choice. I'll leave the poll up until Friday, January 29 and at that point I will announce the names of the fabric and who the winner is.

Good luck and may the best fabric win!


Friday, January 22, 2010

Breast Best Before Date?

Any woman knows that when it really comes down to it, men are all about the tits and ass. The bigger, the better. Now, DH and I have come to the conclusion that I have no butt whatsoever! I'm not joking! If you look at my behind, it's just not there. Nothing! I'm seriously thinking about buying a weeks' worth of GOGA Pants from Old Navy. Apparently, they are supposed to give you some bou-te. It would definitely be cheaper and less painful than butt implants ;o)

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As most of you know, I had breast cancer almost ten years ago. I went with a radical mastectomy on my right side and got a saline implant put in. The girls aren't 'twins' anymore but they're pretty close. One's more firm than the other and missing a nipple. No matter how hard my plastic surgeon tried, one was not going to be put on ;o) LOL!

So almost ten years ago when I had this done, my plastic surgeon told me that I would probably get about ten years out of the implant. At the time, I didn't relish the idea of having to have it replaced someday down the road but eventually that thought left my mind. That was until just lately...

To ease my worry, I brought the subject up with my new doctor, Dr. G. He's awesome and must think I'm a total nut. I tend to come in and ask weird questions. Apparently he's used to this so maybe my ability to shock him will never work. Anyway, I explained my situation and asked him what he thought. I guess implants don't have an expiry date! Huh. As long as things are feeling good and it doesn't all of a sudden become deflated, I'm fine :o) Whew!

When I told him I was not looking forward to another operation, he said that he sat in on a few of these and they are one of the more painful operations to have. Uh-huh! I completely agreed with him there. I said I have no idea WHY women want to purposely insert these sacs into themselves just to make their boobs bigger. He agreed. But that's what some women (and men) want.

I still shake my head at young girls who want to have this done. You're putting a foreign object into your body and behind skin that was not meant to stretch overnight to accommodate its new neighbour ;o) After ten years, mine still hurts. You try having one of these squished in a mammogram machine! Love what you have. Your girls are your girls.

I really am worried that I will spring a leak someday. LOL! I guess I had better start paying attention where I put my embroidery needles...


Thursday, January 21, 2010

Fourth Finish For 2010

Sniff, sniff. Can you smell the smoke? ;o) I know, it's almost been a week since I last posted but I haven't been stitching this whole time. Honest!

This is Frosty Friends by Mosey N' Me from the 2008 JCS Christmas Ornament Issue -

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I always thought he was so cute :o) I didn't have the recommended fabric but I had something 'very' close by Sassy's Fabrics and I think it worked out well. I was in a dollar store one day and saw 'the' perfect trim for this ornament so.... You probably guessed right! I completed another finish and here is the result -

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He's a little bigger than I had hoped but I still like him. The cording was a pita but so worth it! For the backing material, I used just a plain white fabric with silver snowflakes -

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I think this snowman obsession is getting out of control! LOL!

I still haven't started Sabrina and I'm getting very frustrated with the whole thing :o( I have yet to receive my stash with the fabric, beads and fibers. I thought it was mailed out at the end of December but I was just informed that it didn't leave until January 12. At least I know it didn't get lost. I did pick up some material while in Moncton but I can't really do a floss toss until I get the other fabric to compare with. If this frustration continues much longer, I may give up on her completely :o(


Friday, January 15, 2010

Infomercial

Are you a little down? Are you having one of those days where your clothes just don't fit right and you're not feeling beautiful? A bad hair day perhaps? Do you just need that extra boost of confidence? Well, have I got the product for you! Meet Alvin -


Yup, Alvin is only four inches tall and can be placed in your purse, on your desk or in the bathroom. Tap him on his head and instantly get that feeling of gratification that someone is noticing you :o)

Where can you get one you ask? Just drive to your local McDonald's and ask for a Happy Meal! For only $5.19 CDN (less in the US), you can be the proud owner of an Alvin.

Now tell me, what woman wouldn't want to hear this being said to them every day ;o)


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Third Finish For 2010

Don't hate me because I'm fast! LOL! You're going to hate me even more when I tell you that this piece is finished finished as well ;o)

This is Snowbound by Heart In Hand -

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Yup, another snowman :o) I wasn't thrilled with the colours but now that it's all put together, it's not too bad -

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Okay, so I cheated when it came to finishing because the kit came with the pillow tuck ;o)

I feel like I'm dying here! I'm still waiting for my stash to arrive in the mail and it's killing me. I want to start Sabrina soooo badly! I wonder if it will arrive in the next few days. If not, I might have to visit the LNS in Moncton when DH and I go visit my Gram this weekend :o)


Monday, January 11, 2010

Second Finish For 2010

Are you shocked? You saw my list of goals so you know I have a bit of a road ahead of me. Might as well break away fast from the starting gate ;o)

This is the 2008 Snowman freebie from The Prairie Schooler -

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Can you see a theme going on here? LOL! I'm smitten with snowmen :o)

Okay, I'm going to shock you even further because I actually finished finished him into an ornament! What do you think -

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Believe it or not but I didn't have any pinking shears in my box of tools so I had to venture out and find some. Luckily Wal-Mart had them at a decent price.

This is my first time using the felt as a backing so I'm pleased. I'm not sure if I should have had more felt showing or not. DH said no, that it was fine. The next time I attempt this finish, I'm going to use more batting though because he looks kind of flat to me.

So I have another piece completed and it counts as one ornament off my list. At this rate, I might have all twelve stitched up AND finished for our tree next year ;o)

As you can see, Sabrina has won the poll! I've pulled all the DMC threads and I'm just waiting for the beads, specialty threads and fabric. I do have one more question though...I do like her on the Natural Light linen that is suggested but I pictured her on a light grey. I have a piece of Pearl Grey linen but I'm not too sure about it. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as fabric colour goes? I tried a gif of Sabrina (someone sent it to me) on the Pattern Viewer but she won't show up :o( Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Goodies, Goodies & More Goodies

Monday was 'the' day for good mail! I get so excited when I see items in the mail for myself :o) DH doesn't understand my fascination but then again, as incredible as he is, he's just a guy. LOL!

Sabrina finally arrived in my hot little hands -

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I know there are some issues with her shoulder area but I still find her so beautiful and elegant. As of right now, she's first place in my poll so if you haven't voted yet, please see the sidebar of my Blog and give me your input :o) There's only two days left!

I was 'extremely' happy to see an envelope from Jolene! I won one of her giveaways and the first package never arrived :o( It must have gone to the Bahamas or something because it never materialized. So Jolene sent out a second package and lookie at what was inside -

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Stash and chocolates...does she know the way to my heart or what ;o) The coin in the picture is a magnetic needle holder and boy do I need one of those! I'm forever sticking my needle in places and forgetting where I put it...

I don't know if many of you have done photo books but I have found a website that does a fantastic job with them. Shutterfly sent me a coupon for a free 8 x 8 hardcover book so I decided to get one done of my black and white photography -

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I've decided to use it as a kind of portfolio of my work and it's easy to carry around with me. Unfortunately the free book was very basic but it worked well for me because I wanted simplicity. DH loves it. They also sent me a coupon for 40% off another one of their photo books so I made one up in memory of Brie. It hasn't arrived yet so I'm anxious to see how that one turned out.

Finally, I went and got groceries on Monday. As I was walking through the bakery department, I noticed they had a display up of Easter candy and guess what was there...

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OH YEAH! They're out and you know what this means ;o) Forty-one Cadbury Easter Cream Eggs were consumed last year. Can I beat that? I'm not sure but I'm up for the challenge! Keep an eye on the counter in my sidebar. Btw, for those of you who are new to my Blog, you might want to read last year's post to completely understand this idiotic obsession that I have. LOL!

I want to thank everyone for all their kind comments on Let It Snow :o) Boy, there were a lot too! I've looked at some of the tutorial links that you left me and flat folds don't look that hard. All I need to do is find some matching fabric and a block of time in order to get it done. I don't think that's 'too' much to ask. LOL!


Monday, January 04, 2010

FIRST Finish For 2010!

Ta-da!

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This is Let It Snow by Heart In Hand. I just love this guy :o) I had issues with the fringe on his scarf and I know I made mistakes there but I don't think you can tell. It was hard getting all the colors in order, counting and watching a movie at the same time. Shame on me ;o)

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The little sign he's holding is sweet and all but if I can find another one, I think I'll change it because we have way too much snow, with more coming towards the end of the week. Ack!

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I had planned on squeezing him in for the end of 2009 but it was a no go :o( But, on the bright side, he counts towards one of my small pieces for 2010! He's too big for an ornament so I'm thinking I'd like to make a flat fold. I've never done one before so if anyone knows of a great tutorial, it would be greatly appreciated if you could leave or email me the link.

I have lots more to show you but I'll keep this post short since it's close to bedtime for me :o) That just means you'll have to come back and see what goodies arrived here today and what I found at the grocery store...


Saturday, January 02, 2010

It's...

s-s-s-s-SNOW!

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Pictures are worth a thousand words -

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Yup, my car is underneath there somewhere...

For some reason, Nova Scotia loves to have things done differently. Three of our four doors going to the outside swing outwards. Not a problem right? Maybe in a warmer climate but not up here in the north where you get lots of snow (at times) -

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LOL! Luckily we have a new door on order and it's going to swing 'inwards' ;o)

This is our largest storm this winter. We had a small one right before the holidays, enough to say that we had a white Christmas but then we were back to green lawns. I now have to bite back my words. I bragged to my parents that we lived in God's country because we've had nothing but mild weather and they've been snowmobiling over there for about a month. It seems I'm paying for that now :o)

Enough of the "S" word. It's that time where I set my stitching goals for the upcoming year. Two years ago, I came up with the perfect formula. I found that it gave me the freedom I wanted but also something to work towards. If you check out the Pumpkin Patch & Co. Graveyard, you'll see that I achieved my 2009 goals by 100% and over! This year I'll use the same method but I've changed the numbers around a bit.

I'm still up in the air about my large project so I've narrowed down some of my choices and I'm going to list them in my sidebar. What I'd love you to do is tell me which one you'd like to see me stitch this year :o) I'll leave the survey up for a week to give everyone a chance to vote for their favourite.

My 2009 list of completed projects has been moved to the Pumpkin Patch & Co. Graveyard so if you'd like to see them at any time, just wander over there. When will my first 2010 project be revealed? Ha! Now that's a secret so you'll just have to keep coming by and checking ;o)

I hope everyone had fun welcoming in the New Year. I can honestly say that DH and I did! We ended up with our friends, T and K, as planned but the Wii wasn't brought out. Why? Because we ended up playing a FOUR HOUR game of the 90's version of Trivia Pursuit :o) I have never laughed so much in such a long time. And I've never stayed up until 3:30 am in a VERY long time! Oye. Needless to say, I'm still recuperating...


Friday, January 01, 2010

Out With The Old And In With The New


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I want to wish all my family, friends and readers a very safe and Happy New Year. May 2010 bring you happiness and new adventures :o)