January WIPocalypse

Last year, even though I posted each month, I never really worked on any of my older works in progress.Almost everything I posted were new starts and sometimes, finishes. This year, I've decided to really try and get to some of those UFOs and WIPs that have been lying neglected for awhile.

The first project I am tackling is Waiting for the Harvest from Blackbird Designs. This was one of my Crazy 15 starts from 2012 (or was it 2011???) and I have no idea why I just let it sit. It was going to be my take to work project, and I actually did do that at least once or twice, but then I hardly ever have stitching time at work, so it kind of fell into the basket, never to be seen again.

This is where I left it off last January:

And here is my progress after working on it for a few evenings this month. Wednesdays are WIP days at Friendly Stitchers, so I am trying to at least work on WIPs then. I'm about 2/3 done.

Everything else I have worked on this month has been for exchanges, and I have shown pictures of the ones that have been recieved.

On to February...Thanks for visiting!

Sharing time!

A few of my secret pieces have arived at their new homes, so I can finally share them with you all!

We had a Christmas/Winter exchange at Friendly Stitchers, and Libbie and I were partners. She said that she likes reindeer, so I stitched this design from Lizzie Kate for her. It is one of the Christmas Rules Flip-Its.

And this is what I received from Libbie...all the way from Australia! It's from the Gazette94 blog. I love it. Thanks again, Libbie!

I showed you the beautiful ornament that I received from Tami in our Valentine exchange, and this is the ornament I sent to Diane. It is a freebie from a blog that I have had in my stash...if anyone recognizes the designer, please let me know. I can't seem to find it. It is stitched with one of the DMC color variations threads.

And, finally, this is a little pillow I made for Mouse to thank her for loaning me a pattern a while back. It is a design from Homespun Elegance which was in the latest issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine.

I hope everyone is staying warm and comfy wherever you may be!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

what a wonderful mail day!

It is always such a treat when a little parcel shows up, but today I found three in my mailbox! And it's not even my birthday!

First, I received the last robin that I will be stitching on with the Friendly Stitchers group this round. It is a Just Nan design for Sally, called Miss Kitty's Dragons. I'm hoping to get to it this weekend.

I have belonged to the Stitching Buddies group for many years, but haven't participated in an exchange in a long long time. So when a Valentine exchange was mentioned, I signed up, And yesterday I got the most wonderful pillow ornament (along with a sparkly pair of socks, a box of candy and two beautiful vintage-y valentines). My partner was Tami, and this is the beautiful Jane Austen inspired design she stitched for me...I really love it! Thanks so much, Tami!

Lastly, there was a package from Gaynor. She has been stitching up all sorts of wonderful creations and giving them away in exchange for contributions to the Irish Cancer Society. You can read all about it here. The heart is a cute little pocket for stashing scissors, threads or whatever, and the owl is just precious. I thought it was going to be a small little pillow, but this guy is large! I'm hoping that Asher will help me give it a name when he visits this weekend. Until then he (or she) will remain nameless as he/she sits perched on my stitching lamp.

I've been mostly stitching on exchanges, so have nothing to show...but today I have picked up a Blackbird Designs piece that has been a UFO for awhile. I'll show pics on Saturday's WIPocalypse post.

Thanks so much for visiting...I'm still working my way through all the blogs from Saturday's party!

Daybook for January 23

for today...

outside my window...it is raining again, but not as cold as predicted, so no ice
i am thinking...about what to stitch next
i am thankful...for the blanket I brought today to keep me warm
in the kitchen...eggplant parmesan
i am wearing...not enough layers
i am creating...an exchange for a friend
i am going...stir crazy
i am wondering...if i will ever get this office cubby of mine uncluttered
i am reading...The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
i am hoping...for a smooth drive home
i am looking forward to...a new project runway season
one of my favorite things...cuddling with my doggies

and here is equal time for our other furbaby....

Please visit here to read other daybook posts and learn how to join in with your own!

Thanks for visiting!

January IHSW & Growing Your Blog

This was a fun and productive weekend...it was really cold here, but sunny, which made the cold more bearable! I was even able to get some stitching done too!

We are doing a round robin with the Every Stitch Counts group and I stitched my square on Sue's piece this weekend. She has asked us all to stitch a square from A Sampler Story by Brenda Keyes. I will stitch with orange every chance I get, so I chose to do this square, I love this design and have it in my stash, and have stitched some of the squares for gifts and exchanges in the past, but never the whole sampler. Maybe I will put it in my "to be stitched" pile finally!

I also stitched my Christmas ornament for January. I am going to try and keep up with stitching one a month again for this year. The colors in the photo are not at all true. The fabric is more of a bright dark green and the thread is a dusty green...I think it is a sampler thread but not sure...the label was gone. Maybe the colors will look more realistic after I finish it! The design is A Very Merry Christmas from JBW Designs.

I joined another SAL blog this year...we are stitching small designs every two months from different designers. The first design is from Patty C. and it is called Let's Stitch. I have changed the fabric and thread colors and am about 1/3 done. I love stitching this one. Patty's designs are really fab! Not sure how I want to finish this one yet.

I also started stitching on an exchange piece for Stitched with Love exchanges, but can't show that one yet or give any hints. You'll just have to be surprised when the time comes!

I would have got more stitching done, but Saturday was Grow Your Blog Day and I ended up spending way too much time on the computer scrolling through lots  and lots of wonderful blogs! There were a few stitching blogs that I was already familiar with, but oh so many more! I have not even begun to scratch the surface and I'm looking forward to finding lots more blogging friends. I even see that I have gained some new followers from this. It is a really fun experience. Thanks again Vicki for all your hard work and for hosting this wonderful party!

And now I should probably get back to work. Welcome to any new followers and thank you all for taking the time to visit!

Grow Your Blog Day!

Grow Your Blog Day is Vicki's brainchild and it is a way for bloggers to discover new blogs, get to know one another, and maybe get some new followers or find new blogs to follow themselves. I know that I am always looking for new blogs to read. There are so many wonderful and talented bloggers out there...of course, there is never enough time to read them all every day, but I love to pop in and visit when I can, and I hope that some people might also like to do that here.

One of the things that was suggested is that we give an introduction of sorts. I can't remember if I ever did that when I started this blog!Apparently, I have been on blogger since August of 2006, but I am far from a prolific blogger. I think that I have been posting more lately, but I know that when I first started, my posts were few and far between. I think that at that time I felt that I didn't have much to say or share. I don't know that I have that much more to say or share now either, but I don't care about that as much. I just enjoy what I am doing more!

So...if you look in my sidebar, you will see that my name is Lynda. you will also see that there is not a photograph there. I hate having my picture taken. My husband is always threatening to take my picture and put it on Facebook! Not nice, hubby! Maybe at some point I will give in, but not quite yet! You will see Flat Lynda there however. If you have children, you may be familiar with Flat Stanley. Anyway, several years ago, one of the online groups I belong to had a retreat. It was too far away for some of us to go, but we could go "virtually"...so I sent along Flat Lynda...she actually does resemble me a bit. I've used her ever since.

We live in Oregon, having moved here from New York nearly 19 years ago. I love it here, and even though I had lived on the East Coast all my life, when I got to the Pacific Northwest, I felt like I had come home. I have never had any desire to move back. We live with our two dogs, a Golden Retriever and a Brittney Spaniel/Lab mix, and out two cats. We have two grown daughters...one lives in Quincy, Massachusetts (just outside Boston), and the other lives here in Portland, with our adorable grandson. We are so fortunate to have him living so close because we get to spend lots and lots of time with him. He is almost 4 1/2.

I have been a librarian for nearly 39 years (yikes!). I used to work as a school librarian back East, but since we have lived here, I have worked in public libraries. I am currently the manager at an old Carnegie Library. We are looking for a new site for a bigger library because, although this building is beautiful (and will be 100 years old this summer), it is really too small for our needs.

I love reading, especially cozy mysteries and biographies; love watching baseball, especially the Seattle Mariners, even though they lose a lot!; love spending time with my family, especially my grandson; love exploring new places; love cuddling with our furbabies; and love cross-stitching.

Cross-stitching is the reason I started blogging. This blog is mainly a place for me to share my love of stitching and to post pictures of some of the designs I have stitched. Sometimes I'll talk about other things too. I started blogging myself after reading and enjoying other stitcher's blogs, and I hope that there are some people out there who enjoy reading mine as well.

One of the fun things about stitching, other than the actual stitching itself, is just enhancing your stash...buying stuff you know you will probably never live long enough to stitch. I know this is true with other crafts as well. But it is part of the fun! I am one of those people who is not as organized as I would like to be when it comes to my stash, which often results in my buying the same patterns more than once. This actually happens way more than I feel comfortable admitting to! One of my favorite designers is Sandra Sullivan of Homespun Elegance. And while looking for a design for an exchange the other night, I realized that I like her designs so much that I repeatedly buy them more than once! So I would like to offer a giveaway of a selection of these beautiful designs. You can see her designs here . Anyone can enter this giveaway...all you have to do is leave a comment saying that you would like to enter and please include an email address where I can reach you. The winner will be posted here on February 1.

Lately, I have been discovering lots of other fun blogs, not just ones that talk about stitching. There are so many wonderful blogs out there and I am living vicariously through some of them. I love to look at the beautiful handmade things that others make, and the wonderful ways people find to decorate their homes. There is so much creativity out there...it boggle the mind. There is so much to learn, and one of the things I love most about blogging is that so many people are so willing to share their talents and knowledge with the rest of us.

I am hoping to discover lots of new blogs through this Grow Your Blog Day, and meet lots of new friends. Thanks in advance to all of you who continue to expand my horizons, thanks to those who have come to visit here, and thanks for your comments...they are always appreciated!

TGIF - yay!!!!

This feels like it has been a very long week. Short-staffed, too many meetings, and it's been icy cold besides! I am so looking forward to this three day weekend. Asher is going to his dad's, so I'm envisioning a weekend spent sitting in front of the fire with something warm to drink and lots of stitching to play with.

Most of my stitching over the past couple of weeks has been for exchanges, so I can't show those yet. But I did do a few things that I can share.

I joined Lainey's Halloween SAL because Asher is totally into Halloween, and I thought it would be great fun to have a little Halloween tree for him this year. Each month will have a theme...January was pumpkins...that we can follow if we want (or not!). I chose to stitch this little design from Lizzie Kate called Eek!!!. It is stitched on a dark spooky looking linen (darker than it appears in the photo) with the recommended GAST threads. Even though I really do not like spiders, I found a little spider button to add...he's not too creepy!

The Stitchers' Timeout yahoo group has been doing block exchanges for years, and these are always fun to do. There is a theme for the month (these used to be monthly, but now we do them every other month) and we stitch a small design and then they are exchanged with someone else in the group. We don't know who gets our square until they have been sent out, but we always post pictures on the group as soon as they are stitched.

January's theme was "beverages"...and since tea is probably my favorite beverage, i chose to stitch Official Tea Lover, again from Lizzie Kate. I stitched it on a piece of light blue aida with DMS threads.

March's theme is "birds" and I stitched this little design from (I think) Heart in Hand...it's an older one and I know it is one of the Trilogy designers...I'll check when I get home! Anyway, it is stitched on a scrap of evenweave with DMC threads. (Actually, this is from Bent Creek - Red Winged Blackbird)

This is the first International Hermit & Stitch Weekend  of the new year, and I hope you will all be joining me for a weekend of stitching. Tomorrow is also Grow Your Blog day. You can check here for details about that.

Thanks so much for visiting, and for all your lovely comments! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Daybook for January 16

for today....

outside my window...it is icy cold
i am thinking...that I would rather be sitting in front of a nice warm fire right now
i am thankful...that we have a roof over our heads, and warm heat on days like this
in the kitchen...roast beef sandwiches for dinner
i am wearing...not enough layers
i am creating...small stitched pieces for exchanges
i am going...to too many meetings today
i am wondering...how my grandson will make out at the dentist today
i am reading...budget reports
i am looking forward to...a weekend of stitching
one of my favorite things...hot apple cider

a peek into my day...our golden, Boonie

Please visit here to read other daybook posts and learn how to join in with your own!

Thanks for visiting!

TUSAL January 2013

It is the first TUSAL of 2013...we have been doing this for a few years now and it is always fun. If you don't know about TUSAL - Totally Useless Stitch-a-Long - you can read all about it here on Sharon's blog.

Since I haven't found my "perfect" vessel for a year's worth of orts yet, I've decided to post each month's gatherings on their own before adding them together...so here is my little collection for January. Lots of pretty colors in there!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

Daybook for January 9

for today...
outside my window...it is gray and rainingi am thankful...for a husband who keeps me from going over the deep end
in the kitchen...homemade clam chowder for dinner
i am wearing...really warm socks
i am creating...a gift for a friend
i am reading...an irish country wedding by Patrick Taylor
i am hoping...that my co-worker's doctor's appointment yields good results
i am looking forward to...seeing my grandson this weekend
one of my favorite things...a hot cup of original malt ovaltine
a peek into my day...sharing a photo of my grandson on his first day of preschool

Please visit here to read other daybook posts and learn how to join in with your own.

Thanks for visiting!

Daybook for January 2

I haven't done one of  these in such a long time, but I would really love to get back to it for this new year, so...

for today....

outside my window...it is cold and windy
i am thinking...of all the projects waiting to be started
i am thankful...that the heat is working here today
in the kitchen...there is some yummy chicken soup that hubby made last night for tonight's dinner
i am reading...meet me at emotional baggage claim by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella
i am hoping...for good health, peace and happiness for all my family and friends in the coming year
around the house...de-cluttering and organizing has begun
a peek into my day...this is a photo of the library where I work...a Carnegie library that will be 100 years old this summer

Short and sweet for this week! Please visit here to read other daybook posts and learn how to join in with your own.

Thanks for visiting!

out with the old, in with the new

I've decided to try and go on a stash diet this year...nothing new, except for the things I have on automatic...Santa's Village, the Sheep Virtues, the little designer  SAL,  and some fabric of the month clubs. I took advantage of the DMC sale at JoAnns and stocked up today ...hopefully I now have all the colors I need. I have lots of overdyed threads too, and I will just try to use what I have, substituting when I have to.

So, of course, just like any good dieter, I binged before the real dieting begins...so I will be getting some goodies in the mail over the next few weeks I think.

But that's it...nothing more. And truth be told, I didn't really need what I just bought either, but it's that feeling of dread...nothing new to drool over.

So, hopefully, some of my WIPs and UFOs will finally get finished and I will get to start some of the wonderful designs that I loved so much I just had to have them (sometimes, more than once...I see some giveaways in my future!)

And there's always a wishlist....

Thank you all so much for taking the time to visit and leave comments here. I so enjoy hearing from all of you. And I send my very best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy, peaceful 2013 filled with everything you wish for.

Last WIPocalypse for 2012

I must say that I don't think I really embraced. The true spirit of the WIPocalypse this past year. I did start out with a list of WIPs to stitch on, but didn't make much progress on those. I managed to stitch lots of ornaments, several exchanges, stitched on lots
of round robins and did finish a few other pieces...but not as much as I wanted to.
So for this year I am going to start with a list of ten WIPs, work on all of them throughout the year and hopefully get some of them finished.
I'm counting on all of you to keep after me and keep me on track...please????
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

exchanges and a giveaway

I am finally finding a minute to post this last exchange done with Stitched with Love Exchanges. It was a holiday theme, and this is what I received from my partner, Shannon. She stitched two really cute pieces for me...an ornament and a stacked cube finish. Both were displayed on the mantle this year. Shannon also sent lots of other goodies, including a cute LHN ornament design, a little crocheted angel pin, buttons, floss...well, you can see in the photo.!

And here is what I sent to my partner Jessica. I was glad to hear that she liked everything in her package as well.

So thanks again Shannon and Jessica...for a wonderful exchange!

Missy is having a giveaway at her brand new blog, so please go over and say hi...especially if you are a scissors lover!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

TUSAL post

It's the last New Moon of the year, and that means the last TUSAL post as well! I haven't filled my jar, but I'm getting close! This has been fun...and I hope we get to do it again next year!

Thanks for visiting!

the perfect start

Last night we had the perfect start to our holiday season. A friend suggested we see A Gospel Christmas. This is an annual event combining the Oregon Symphony Orchestra with a local choir. Her son was a soloist this year. Anyway, we always like to do some special Christmas-y  thing each year, so we got our tickets and went downtown. What a wonderful experience! The voices were extraordinary, the music was magical...everyone was on their feet...getting into the whole performance. It was a truly wonderful way to start our holiday celebrations.

We also got to walk over and see the City's tree...it was raining, so the photo is kind of blurry, but it really is very pretty!

And now I am off to do some more exchange stitching...

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

way late wipocalypse!

I thought I should probably post this wipocalypse update before the next one comes along! Better late than never, I guess! Most of my stitching this past month was for exchanges, which I can't show yet...but I did manage to finally finish some ornaments...

These first two are designs by Twisted Oaks...two of three Christmas Quaker Ornaments.

This one is Lady Scarlett's Christmas from Just Nan.

This is Winter Joy from Little by Little Designs.

This is Second Day from Plum Street Samplers.

This is Sweet Christmas from Lizzie Kate.

And lastly, A Christmas Blessing from Full Circle Designs. I changed this one a bit, adding our names. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

It's Day 4!!!!

 It's the fourth day of Jo's 2012 Advent Calendar Blog Hop...and I'm so happy to be participating for the first time!

I've chosen to share a piece I stitched several years ago...the patterns are from Lizzie Kate...the Christmas Blessings Flip-Its. Sorry, but I can't remember what year they are from! I decided to stitch them all on one piece of fabric...it's hard to tell from the picture, but the fabric is a very pale peachy beige color with lots of gold flecks. I used the called for sampler threads from GAST and Weeks.  I chose this design because I think it looks really festive and covers all the things we love most about the holiday.

The theme question this year is "Stockings, Sack or Something Else?".

We do stockings...ours have not be unpacked yet this year, so I can't show a photo, but I can tell you how our stockings evolved. When our oldest daughter celebrated her first Christmas, she was just shy of three months old, and I had sewn her a beautiful red satin quilted stocking with lace and bells and her name cross-stitched on the cuff. It's about a yard long...much bigger than she was for sure! And, of course, when her sister came along 3 1/2 years later, she got a stocking just as big.

We still hang those stockings every year, and I can tell you that both girls look forward to seeing them even now (they are 34 and 30 years old!) There are also stockings for the rest of us (hubby and I, and now our grandson), as well as the dogs and cats, and usually one or two assorted "partners". I can't tell you how many stockings I have made over the years! (and actually, saying they are hung on the mantle is a bit of a fib...they usually weigh so much that they end up stacked against the walls and chairs!)

Please go here to see everyone else who is participating in the blog hop this year!

And thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

the day before

it's the day before Thanksgiving, and since I don't know when I will get back to the computer, I wanted to wish everyone in the US who celebrates...a wonderful day filled with family, friends, and lots of good eats!

My daughter has been visiting from Massachusetts, so I have been busy and haven't had much time to post, or even read much this past week. We have been having fun ...she is planning her wedding and that's just about all she talks about! I did get to see her dress though, and it is really pretty and she looks beautiful in it.

I haven't picked up a needle all week either, but did finish off two ornaments that were sent out on Friday. I'll share pictures once they are recieved.

And here is my newest pair of scissors...these are also Ginghers (but not the Joann's exclusive)...called "Emily"...a pretty addition to the collection, I think!

Thanks for always taking the time to visit, and thanks too for all your comments. Blogging and stitching friends are the best!

stitched with love

I have been lucky to participate in several rounds of exchanges with the Stitched with Love Exchange group.  The Fall into Halloween exchange has just been completed, and since everyone has received their parcels, we are free to share photos. Autumn is my most favorite time of year, so this one was really fun.

My parcel arrived from Greta, and it was just super. I love biscornu but do not do a very good job stitching them, so I was tickled to find this beautifully stitched one in my parcel. I love the little acorns and squirrels!

Top:

 

Bottom:

And here is a pic of everything else that was included.

Thank you so much Greta!

And here is the piece I stitched for Cath. It is Autumn Bird from Heart in Hand, made into a pinkeep.

And a photo of the whole parcel.

I hope Cath enjoyed it as much I enjoyed putting it all together!
  
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

it's TUSAL time

Another month has flown by! It seems that I have actually done quite a bit of stitching this month...my little bowl was nearly full and this one is getting there too! I don't know why it is so orange...I'll say it is autumnal!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

victory!

I dusted off my sewing machine, found the instruction book and had some fun this afternoon! It sure saved me a lot of time putting together a little piece for an exchange.

And who knew there was a needle threader on the machine? Has that always been there? I can't tell you the problems I have had trying to thread the sewing machine needles!

Anyway, I am a very happy camper! You can see a teeny bit of the piece off to the right...sort of!)

I am off to pick hubby up at the airport...so glad to have him home safely!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

a soggy sunday

Today was the perfect kind of day to stay inside by the fire, with lots of hot tea, watching football and stitching...and that is exactly what I did!

None of my teams won, but I did get some more stitching done...another exchange ornament is done. I'm off to dust off my sewing machine and get to the finishing. Wish me luck!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

a stitchy saturday

It's been a pretty productive day!

Hit Michael's for some needed DMC and a few other goodies for exchanges. Also bought Christmas cards at B & N. wonder how long it will take me to start writing them...I do have stamps though...

The patterns I was waiting for arrived from 123stitch, so I'll be able to start another exchange piece tomorrow.

The elusive "Jennifer's" are still nowhere to be found...at least in this area. I think if a design is going to be exclusive to Joann's (which these are)...then they should be available at all the stores and on line too. It doesn't seem fair that some areas of the country get them and others don't. I think it should be an across the board thing. Maybe they'll still show up...we'll see!

I've been stitching on an exchange piece today, so can't show anything yet. I think it will be cute though!

Watching some college football...go Ducks!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

friday flights

Hubby arrived in Arizona safely. He will be spending the next few days with his brother whom we haven't seen in a few years, so this will be a fun trip for him.

Still trying to track down a pair of the new Gingher Jennifer scissors. None of the Joann's around here seem to have them and it is very frustrating!. It's not like I need another pair of scissors, but I really like these. And I have a great coupon too! Oh well, I'll just keep at it and maybe one of these days they'll show up!

I also made a small trek to Acorns and Threads because I needed a few flosses for an exchange I am doing. I thought the pattern would come in today's mail, but it didn't. I did get my fabric for Santa's Village though so I'll be all set once that pattern arrives.

Some of us in the Friendly Stitcher's group are doing a round robin, and I finished stitching my part on Judy's today. She chose Language of the Flowers from Rosewood Manor as her piece and it is really a beautiful design. This is a shot of the bit I stitched, all except the "P" and the bottom of that vase in the upper corner.

and here is a shot of the piece so far. It is going to look really lovely; I think Judy will be pleased.

I'm off to work on another exchange piece...

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

grimm

The people who film the television series Grimm have invaded this little town where I work. There are massive equipment trucks surrounding our little library and streest being closed even as I type this. The actual filming is being done in the church across the street, I think. I know that this show is based in Portland...they have done lots of filming in the neighborhood where my daughter lives. But it is kind of exciting. I guess I should start watching the series...

Hubby is off on his travels tomorrow and that gives me a 4 day weekend...I have grand plans to get many things done and I hope that that is what happens. It is very cold today, so if it stays this way I have every excuse to just stay inside by the fireplace and stitch and read to my heart's content, right? Of course, the doggies have to go out, but we can bundle up for that.

An ex-coworker came in today with her daughter...the last time I saw her she was a tiny little baby...she is nine years old now! (and as tall as her mother!) Where did those nine years go?

I also went to a presentation this morning on our retirement plan and how to apply, etc. Not that I am really getting ready to retire (although hubby would love it if I did), but it is always good to find out that information early. It is kind of confusing, at least to me. I never have been one for numbers!

Time for a nice hot cup of tea...I have been sitting here freezing all day..hope I'm not getting sick...wish I had brought some stitching with me.  It seems like whenever I do that, I never have the time. Was wondering if I should just have a "work project" and leave it here. Do those of you who work outside the home ever take your stitching to work with you?

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

bits and pieces

With the election finally over, the knot in my stomach is gone. That's a good thing.
I realized that I missed last month's WIPocalypse, but I think I've already posted pics of anything I worked on last month...other than some exchanges, and those have to wait anyway!
Still stitching on Judy's round robin..it's going a bit slowly, but coming along.
Lots of you have been participating in Loretta's blog hop questions. I kind of fell behind with those, so thought I might try to answer a couple.
What's your absolute least favorite thread to work with? Color wise it has to be white thread...which is really unfortunate because I really like snowman designs! The one type of thread I avoid is metallics...they drive me nuts!
What are your must have stitching tools? I have lots of those...I have to have a magnifier...also a needle threaded...I also like to use highlighter tape. My hubby bought me a great combo light and magnifier which I also love to use.
I'd love to hear about some of your favorite tools!
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

this is a test...

I've had this iPad for just about one year, but I don't think I am using it to its full potential. Granted, I am not the most tech savvy person on the planet, so there are probably lots of things I could do if I only knew how. So I got a book from the library today, but before I start delving in, I thought I would see if I could post to my blog.
I wonder what it will look like? I wonder if it will show up at all! Will I ever learn how to post a picture? Only time will tell...I'll just be taking baby steps!
Thanks for taking the time to visit!

misty monday

There has been a constant mist here for most of the morning...sometimes thicker than others...and now, just before it will start to get dark (because of that darn time change!) the sun has come out in full force! I shouldn't complain, because yesterday was a really lovely warm day...wonderful for November.

I've ordered my fabric for the Santa's Village project. I just went ahead and got the 32ct. lambswool. I probably could have been more creative about it, but I just really want to get everything ready and be able to (hopefully) keep up with this one. I failed dismally with the cottages...only finished one all year (although I do have high hopes for finishing December so that I can display it this year...we'll see).

Some good news...my sister and her family in New Jersey finally have their power back...and hubby went back to work today after a bout with pneumonia. It seems to be going around here too...kind of weird. Election Day is finally upon us...no more of those constantly irritating political ads...I am not looking forward to staying up late tomorrow night to find out the results, so maybe I'll just go to bed and be surprised in the morning.

I worked some on Judy's round robin last night and hope to get some more done tonight. She chose Language of the Flowers from Rosewood Manor for her piece. It is really pretty, and we are each just doing a small bit, so Judy will finish it up later. I'll post a pic when I have my bit finished.

Well, it's time for me to pack up and go home. It's been a long work day and I am really feeling it. Why do Mondays always seem so hard?

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

a little sunday stash

This is the first Sunday of the month, and on those Sundays, Acorns and Threads, my LNS, opens for a few hours. They were holding CCN's December Cottage for me, and while I was there I thought I'd just look around a bit. I've really been trying not to buy too much stash over these last several months...because I really really do have way too much already...but I couldn't resist picking this one up. It's new from Dinky Dyes, and it even had all the threads, so how could I resist? I love those autumn colors!

I also stopped by Michael's on the way and picked up some beading supplies. I'm thinking of trying to make a fob or two. We'll see how that goes!

Off to watch some football and stitch on Judy's round robin.

Thanks so much for all your comments on Joy in the Journey...it really was a fun design to stitch.

And thanks for taking the time to visit!

a quiet saturday

This has been a pretty quiet day. Hubby is finally starting to feel better...he's had pneumonia and has been feeling lousy for a couple of weeks now. We got lots of errands done...car stuff, laundry, shopping, hair cut...watched some college football...Oregon beat USC...go Ducks! Now I'm coloring my hair and getting ready for some stitching time tonight.

Just have one small thing to share today. We are doing a round robin with Every Stitch Counts and this is my bit stitched on Berly's piece. She chose the Seasonal Nine Patch from Amy Brueken. I chose to stitch two of the autumn blocks. The colors in the photo are way off...the fabric is actually white!...but I just loved the autumn shades in these squares. This is going to be a really colorful piece when it is completed.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend! Thanks for taking the time to visit.

a fun exchange

One of the yahoo groups I belong to is Every Stitch Counts, and the friends there are always coming up with fun things to do. Over the past weeks, one of the things some of us did was a scissor fob or biscornu exchange. All of the stitched pieces were so lovely!

I decided to do a scissor fob because as much as I love biscornu, I never think mine turn out very well. My partner was Mylene, and this is the fob I stitched for her. It is a design from Little House Needleworks.

This is the adorable fob I received from Mylene. It is a design from Plum Pudding Needlearts, and includes some of my favorite motifs and pretty autumn colors (also my favorites)

This was really a fun exchange...can't wait for the next one!

Thanks for taking the time to visit!

there's joy in the journey

When I found out that my sister-in-law was celebrating a milestone birthday, and that we would actually be seeing her right around that time (she lives in Maine...3000 miles away), I thought...oh good, I will stitch something for her (which I haven't done in a long long time) and set about thinking of the perfect design.

I remembered that I had ordered a Diane Williams design awhile back, and thought the sentiment would be perfect, and I knew she would like the style of the design. I know that this design goes back aways...before Little House Needleworks, and if I remembered right, it wasn't easy to find. I ordered a kit (which came with beads, by the way), never opened it, put it away in one of those safe places for the future and forgot about it.

So I spent a good part of a day searching through lots of stash and finally found my treasure. But, when I opened the package I found beads, a piece of aida, thread, instructions....but no pattern!!!!!!
And it would be so perfect too...darn. Hubby thought I might still be able to find it online...and he was right. So I ordered it again, hoping the kit would be complete this time. 

And it was (no beads this time!). Unfortunately, it came with only one week left to get it stitched and framed. I guess I work best under pressure (and luckily, had some time off from work) and I was able to finish it with one day to spare!

This is, of course, a very poor photo, but she loved it...and it did turn out to be the perfect gift after all!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit!

October's TUSAL

Well, this TUSAL showed up before I knew it! Not much added this month, but I love all the Christmas red!
Hope everyone else had more stitching time than me!
Thanks for visiting!

Wipocalypse!!!

Gosh...these months are just flying by! I don't know if I really like that or not!

Anyway, I have actually done some stitching this month, some things I can show and some I can't. There were two exchange pieces...one for a scissor fob exchange with Every Stitch Counts, and the other for an Autumn exchange for Stitched with Love Exchanges. I really was pleased with how they both turned out, and I hope the recipients will like them too!

This month there was also some round robin stitching. This is my bit or Carein's piece (another project with Every Stitch Counts) She chose Prairie Schooler's A Prairie Year design, and I chose to stitch the October square, because I love pumpkins and fall colors!

The other two little stitches were both for block exchanges with Stitchers' Timeout. The first block had a reindeer theme, and I found this cute design from The Floss Box.

The second theme was Santa, and I stitched this design from Twisted Oaks Designs which was in the JCS 2007 Christmas Ornament Issue. I stitched this once before and made it into an ornament and I've always liked the design.

So there you have it, lots of small things, but I feel like I'm getting more stitching time in, and that makes me happy!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit! I appreciate it so much!