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Woohoo! It took two car trips to NB to do it but I finally got the first completed project under my belt :o) Here is The Merry Skater by LHN -
I don't think I've EVER frogged so much on one piece before in my life! I'm going to attribute that to stitching in the car. Yeah, that's sounds good...
I made two small changes. First off I changed the color of her hair so that it matched mine a little better :o) Then I only used one strand of floss to backstitch the ribbon she is holding.
Now that I have done the Happy Skater and The Merry Skater, I'll have to make some time to finish them into ornaments. Yes, I'm a little late in doing this but at least they should be done and on my ornament tree this coming Christmas ;o)
So that means I have completed one of my 2011 goals and got one of my WIP's out of the way. Ahhhh, that feels good!
Next up will be Christmas Rules by LK. I want to have the heading and the first block done by the end of January. I'm doing this as a SAL with Nia. We've already decided that we're going to do the new Halloween Rules together in 2012 :o) I mean, how CUTE is this new series????
I want to thank everyone for their kind comments on our loss. The memorial service was very lovely and it was so nice to see friends that we haven't seen in quite awhile. DH and I left a white NB with snowflakes flying but arrived back home in NS under twilight skies with bare ground. Yes, we do live in a small oasis ;o) Until this morning that is -
It looks like the s-n-o-w followed us home >:o( 
I'm doing a small HD because I have a 'little' finish to share ;o) Here is Happy Skater by LHN -
This is such a cute ornament! I stitched it with the recommended fabric and threads. As I put the finishing touches on it last night, I told DH that this was for him :o) Here's a little known fact that I don't think I've shared before...he used to be a speed skater before I met him! And a great one at that.
I showed him The Merry Skater that I will be stitching next and explained that this one would be for me and that we'd have matching ornaments this year. A small smile creped upon his face and he said "We'll just have to pretend with yours." SA! LOL! Unfortunately a week and a half later I'm still dealing with sore blisters :o( They are getting better though!
Yesterday I got another nice surprise in the mail :o) I had won Day 30 on Missy's 31 Days Of Halloween Blog and this is what she sent me -
I borrowed this picture with her permission because the candy was already gone by this morning... I can't even explain how awesome the pinkeep is! It's stitched on 28 count black Jobelan with a velvet backing...oh so soft :o) I just found out the best part though...Missy stitched it with glow-in-the-dark DMC floss!!!! I didn't even know! I'll have to try it out tonight when the lights go out. LOL!
I want to thank Missy and Annette for hosting a full month of fun and surprises :o) The girls worked hard and it shows.
That's an understatement at the moment! LOL!
On Friday, my friend K and I went to the noon hour skate that they have at the local rink. I was excited because I haven't been on skates for 'years' and it was an opportunity for some girl time :o) Now I am not the most coordinated person on this planet but I was proud of the fact that I never fell...not even once! I wasn't the most graceful either but it definitely was a good workout. Unfortunately when I peeled my skates off, my socks were soaked with blood :o( If you gross out easily, don't go any further because here are my war wounds -
Ewwwwww! So now I have two good sized blisters on both heels and one huge blister on the arch of my right foot. Thankfully I haven't had to go out but when I do, I may have to wear my Crocs :o) LOL! No worries though, this hasn't deterred me from going again!
Sabrina has been making a few appearances but there are three other projects that I want to do before the end of the year. I've accepted the fact that she won't be finished and my goal will not be met but that's okay.
I've started one of these projects already. Here is Happy Skater by LHN -
The fabric in the picture will be the backing fabric when it's transformed into an ornament. I was SO happy to find something Christmassy that matched the Tumbleweed linen :o)
All I can say is that I hope it's going to be a good mail week! I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that it's been steadily raining since Thursday night. Yup, rain, rain, rain. After doing a little research, they're saying we've had five inches of rain since the evening of November 4. DH and I are seriously questioning this. Poor Duncan hasn't been able to get out much. This morning DH attempted to make him a rain coat -
ROFL! No, he didn't wear it during his walk this morning ;o)
Run! Run! Run as fast as you can! You can't catch me because I'm the Gingerbread Man :o) LOL!
The mojo must have gone into high gear yesterday because I completed Gingerbread Tree by LHN right before 11pm last night -
Again, I'm very pleased with this finish and the changes that I made. I decided against changing the DMC 221, so in the end I only made two colour changes.
Do you realize that there are TWENTY-FOUR French Knots in this teeny tiny pattern? Ugh! What scared me more was the thought that I had made a huge mistake and would have to frog the gingerbread men on the outside! Thankfully this wasn't the case. If you are going to stitch this pattern, note the extra DMC 221 stitch under the arms of the gingerbread men holding the candy canes. Maybe I'm the only one that didn't notice this ;o) Luck was on my side though because those spots were empty so I just had to go in and fill in that one stitch. Whew! That saved a lot of cursing and swearing you know ;o)
I can see this being finished as an ornament or pinkeep. Nothing extravagant. I'll probably use the same gingerbread fabric that I used for my cube.
What am I going to stitch next? Ohhhh...I have it already kitted up :o) I even have the backing fabric! Actually, this fabric is what shaped the ornament. I'll leave it at that and make you sweat it out for a few days :oP
Gee, that's quite a title isn't it? You just KNOW that there's a story in there somewhere ;o)
Here is my progress on Gingerbread Tree by LHN -
My stitching mojo has gone out the window lately but I've been slowly plugging away. In reality, this should have been finished by now.
I did change some things with this pattern. Again, I went with the 32 count Light Mocha linen (because I had another cut piece prepared) but I also mixed up the colours a bit. Instead of DMC 712 (I thought this was a weird choice), I went with DMC B5200 and instead of DMC 937, I went with DMC 3363. I am contemplating changing the DMC 221 to DMC 3722 but I'm not 100% sure yet.
Btw, I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on my cube finish. It really made my day :o)
On Wednesday night I was woken up at 3:30 am by thunder and lighting. My first thought was that I had to get up and close the windows! As I ran out of the bedroom, I banged into Duncan out on the landing. He was in a state with his tongue almost hitting the floor. You see, he absolutely HATES thunder and lighthning. He was running around like a mad dog when I noticed that he had peed on the hardwood floor just inside the TV room and was tracking it all over the place :o(
Once I was able to corral him into the basement, I was hit with the lovely bouquet scent of s*$@. Yup, he had pooped on the dining room hardwood floor. This did NOT make me a very happy camper >:o( So guess what I did from 3:30-5:30 am? I scrubbed floors. Yes...I was on my hands and knees for two hours cleaning the worst areas. I figured I would deal with the rest in the morning. Well, basically later that day.
Now poor Popcorn was in her own terrible state. I can only imagine how she felt when this 55 pound mad dog came running up the stairs and up to her cage in the dark :o( She was scared stiff. Literally. I had to sit there and pet her until she calmed down enough that I could go back to bed. The poor thing. Needless to say, the three of us were quite tired the whole day.
So yesterday and today I've been hobbling along, stiffer than a wooden board. My Fibro has flared up and the pain is intense :o( Thankfully we had a break in the humidity and I was able to get out and take some photos, therefore stretching out some muscles. Now today looks like another stinker. I think I'll wait until a little later before I stick my nose out the door. It might do me some good to lay down and watch a well deserved movie ;o)
Woohoo! One more step closer to the goals I set for 2008 :o) This is Herb Garden by LHN -
I really love the colors and I can't seem to say that enough. I'm not a purple person either but this fabric is so soft and lovely.
Here's a close up of the brown hare himself -
I shouldn't have a problem finding a frame. It's getting off my butt and actually stretching the piece is what will probably slow me down. Hey, I'm being honest because I know myself ;o) LOL!
So, this piece will go towards one more small finish. I really need to start focusing on my medium sized projects because so far I have none completed :oS I was really hoping my fabric for Halloween Fairy (I've named her Tot, short for Trick or Treat, thanks to Rachael) would arrive today but no such luck :o( I'm anxious to start her. My lips are sealed about the fabric until I show you my first WIP picture ;o)
I guess that means I either dig out my project for the Christmas ornament exchange or I can start one of the medium sized pieces that I have lined up and actually have all the stuff for. Hmmm....I'm not sure what to do. Does anyone know a great substitute for 28 count Vintage Lentil linen by Lakeside Linens? They say it's close to DMC 644.
There are a few thank yous that I want to extend. The first is to Suzanne for her RAOK :o) She sent me this pattern off of my Want List -
The other is to Rachael for nominating me for this award -
I know I say this a lot but I can't tell you how much it means to me when people tell me that they enjoy reading my Blog :o) From some of the comments that were left last time, it seems that a lot of you have memories from my fart posts. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing! LOL! Anyway, this time I will follow the rules and pass this award on to other people. Please DO NOT be offended if I don't list your Blog. My criteria this time is to promote some awesome Blogs that may not be as well known in Bloggerland :o) So here they are -
Jocelyn - this mighty woman adds magic to everything she does from stitching and quilting to gardening and baking.
Mary Ann - I am in awe of the kindness that she spreads around with her stitching for sick children.
Sue - I love watching all her stitching come to life and she's a fellow animal lover.
Nursy - she's finally been roped into the Blogging world so check her out to see how she's doing.
Renee - this wizard does model stitching for Nora Corbett and Country Cottage Needleworks, plus she's a great friend.
Cindy - not only does she make beautiful fobs but she's a huge Bon Jovi fan as well.
Stitch Pink - a wonderful Blog set up by Kim and deals with anything that has to do with breast cancer.
For those of you who have been awarded, please post the following rules on your Blog -
1. The winner can put the logo on their Blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other Blogs.
4. Put the links to those Blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the Blogs of those you've nominated.
That'd be it :o)
You open the door and even the dog won't go out :oS Poor Duncan took one look and if a dog can show disgust, he hit it spot on. LOL! What a rotten summer this has been. We've gone from hot and humid to wet. And with that comes the Blah's :o( Yuck! Curling up on the couch and watching television is as good as it gets this week.
Today I went to apply for a job with Michael's. It was 'supposed' to be for an Office Assistant but I wasn't told until I got there that it was already filled. Grrrrr! Waste of time. The good news is the store will be opening on September 13! At least I got that bit of insider news ;o)
In my last post I talked about Cindy being an inspiration. Well, I'm going to talk about her again because she is also one talented girl ;o) I have a HUGE thank you to pass along to her for sending me these gorgeous scissor fobs -
I apologize it took this long to get a picture up but...the weather is just not cooperating >:o( Now I have a pair of scissors waiting for Halloween and the pink ribbon fob goes very well with my pink bunny scissors. If you want to check out what Cindy sells, take a peek at Cindy's Stitchy Stuff.
I've been plugging away at Herb Garden, although not very enthusiastically. I'm pretty much at the halfway mark -
Please forgive the crooked linen but I was too lazy to take it out of the Q-Snaps ;o) I'm still really loving the colors in this one and since it fits a 5 x 7 frame, it should be easy to get up on The Wall of Stitch.
I did have a burst of ambition yesterday when I decided to go through my two drawers of fabric. Yes, I did say two drawers :oS I now have a better inventory system and they are grouped together by count and type. I thought it might be going too far if I went for color too. LOL! So not only will my fabric be easier to find, I now have spreadsheets done for each count so I know what I have on hand (count, type, color and size). Did anyone else do something motivational this week?
Brie is still doing very well :o) My parents were over on the weekend and said they noticed a big difference from a few weekends ago. It's harder for DH and I to see because we see her every day. That was nice to know. I was afraid we weren't going anywhere. She will now allow me to lift one front paw at a time as long as she is standing. Her hind end is becoming even stronger. On the weekend, DH and I bought her a new kennel because the other one was just too small and she would get too stiff if she spent any amount of time in there. Today I bought a huge pillow and some fabric so this week it's my job to cover said pillow with said fabric :o)
Thanks to my DSIL, C, DH and I ate in style last night...hydro cooled, peaches n' cream corn on the cob and LOBSTER! Mmmmm-mmmmm! It seems like forever since we've taken a trip down to Maine so this was definitely a nice treat :o) I can't remember the last time I had lobbies. The corn is awesome too but that has to come from the Saturday market and we don't get there very often. Apparently, I sleep in too late for DH :oP
My four legged friend seems to be quite the popular little girl lately! Not only did TC send her a toy made by Shannon but she also received another package in the mail yesterday. This time it was a pink toy purse (with squeaker) from Daisy, Tammy's little one :o)
Brie absolutely LOVES it! I made the huge mistake of squeezing it while Brie was sleeping. LOL! I swear, sometimes she can sleep through an earthquake but squeeze a toy or open the freezer door and the next thing you know, you have two beady eyes looking right at you.
Brie is now walking 100% on her own as of this past weekend. She is learning to sit properly by using the muscles in her haunches and she can now do her 'business' unassisted :o) The number of accidents is zero since the end of last week too. We 'may' have finally figured out her new schedule! It's bad enough trying to keep track of one's own. LOL!
My exchange with Sonda arrived yesterday as well and she surprised me with some adorable doggy fabric -
This will definitely get used :o) Thanks so much for the great exchange Sonda! We'll have to do it again sometime.
I'm really enjoying stitching Herb Garden -
It's such a change to actually be cross stitching again! This piece is being stitched on the recommended 32 count Lilac linen and I almost dropped when I actually had that in my fabric stash. It's such a pretty shade. I had bought a piece about a meter long when a LNS closed.
I came up against a snag with my Christmas ornament exchange idea. I know I have the fabric but...I can't find it! My computer/craft room really needs to be organized again. I've got a backup color and I'm hoping it will work out much better anyway.
Have you seen the contents of the JCS Halloween Issue yet? If not, check out their site where they have a little slideshow. I'm really loving some of those Halloween ornaments, especially the one by La-D-Da ;o)
I want to thank everyone for all the nice comments that they left regarding Stargazer. You all are too kind! I hate to say it but she will be going into storage for the time being :o( She was supposed to be framed and ready for the fair in September but that's not going to happen. Oh well. There's always next year!
