If I could do a perfect cartwheel...

I would! Guess what I managed to finish on the train to work Tuesday night??? Little House Needleworks - Home of a Needleworker (Too!)

Stitched on Country GrainVintage Country Mocha 32ct Linen

with

Crescent Colours Belle Soie Silk Floss

(conversion by Mary Kathyrn)

Please excuse the wrinkled fabric, it's been in my bag since Tuesday. I would have posted a picture yesterday but I went to the zoo right after work with Kelly, my cousin, her husband, and my god-daughter Isabel. Once I got home I went straight to bed and zonked out! It was fun, I rode a camel for the first time and hung out with Isabel who is the CUTEST! I love her so much :-)

I figured since I still have one more day in July I should pull out my Red Thread Snappers to start July but I really would like to stitch something Halloweeny or my CC/CC Thread Packs dilemma dilemma!

Well thanks so much for the comments on the last post (and all other posts!) I appreciate them so much :-) TTFN!

Pictures Galore

I have an update picture of Home of a Needleworker (Too!) seriously this piece should be finished by now! I'm not stitching on my Red Thread Snapper this month because I'm afraid if I put this down I will never pick it back up again. I'm still enjoying stitching on it so *yea* but I am so ready to have this finished and off of my Q-Snaps.

A while ago my partner for the Summer Exchange Round for F&S received my stitched piece. Since I went back to work blogging time is slim so this is my first chance to share with you guys what I stitched for her. Here's The Trilogy's Summer Tree (with my signature square.) Keeping with the theme of birds in the mail this is what my partner (Laura) stitched me... I LOVE IT! It's Halloweeny and she finished it into a basket lid so I was able to display it right away instead of putting it in my pile of things to finish. Thanks Laura!!!

In June and part of July the mailman was *not* good to me. Two of my exchanges went missing and some of my packages were marked certified but weren't so instead of leaving them in my mailbox I had to go pick them up at the post office (I go to a different post office because the one my neighborhood is assigned to is a mad house!)
Well since they weren't certified they weren't in the certified location of the post office and hence "lost" *sigh* well after waiting about an hour they were finally found. My exchanges, sadly, never showed up. I feel horrible about it but both of my partners were nice enough to restitch and resend. I think my mail is back to normal...atleast I'm hoping it is. Yesterday my HoE Freebie Exchange arrived *yea* Edda stitched me a wonderful pinkeep! I love it! One of my "small" basket ideas is having one that's a dog/pet theme and while I haven't stitched any of the charts I bought for the basket I now have the first one to add to it. Right now it's in my other basket but I love it. Thanks so much Edda!!!
Here's a picture of the entire package she sent me :-) I've been playing a lot with my camera...I don't think I'm getting any better but I may have developed a lens fettish. Thankfully the ones I want are expensive so I can't go out and buy them all at once. I just added a Canon 17-40mm F4.0L to my teeny collection. I took a picture of the entire width of my room and realized I live in a box! I took my camera to work to take pictures of the nurses so we can have a board with our pictures on it like other floors have (we have one but I've noticed only the day shift nurses are on it *grrr*) It's been busy at work so I didn't take many pictures and I won't share them with you for obvious reasons but I will share a picture I took this morning of Ana with my new lens...I think it looks sharper but I'm even newbie-er than a novice, if there's such a thing, so what do I know LOL.

Mini Happy Dance!!

I just put the last stitch to that blasted house on Home of a Needleworker (Too!) It took me so long to do it that I thought it would become a UFO for real haha! Now to do the rest *sigh* No picture of the house because I have to get ready to go to work but believe me it's done wooooooooohoooooooooooo!

Happy Mail :)

Thanks to Google Reader I was able to see a blog post on my stitchy friend's blog that then vanished into thin air. She sewed together the most wonderful quail pin cushion so since I couldn't comment on her original post I commented on another post. A few days later, on her blog, she wrote that she was going to give a quail away to her stitchy friend for noticing the missing post. I got excited but then thought, "Well what if someone else told her first *gasp*" Today, after my nap I went downstairs and found a box on the coffee table and this was inside of it!Some close ups!


Lisa thanks so much for this! You really don't know how much I love it...it's the one of the prettiest things I've seen and you are truly creative!

Since we're on the topic of birds...these pretty little things also came in the mail earlier this week.
Cute no? The pictures aren't the greatest, I just sort of snapped them quickly but I love them! They were made by Barbara and can be bought at her Etsy Shop. She still has one there just in case you'd like to own one.

Last picture for the night is of my stitchy corner. I'd like to add more to my basket and I'd like to get a taller tree so my birds can be seen better.

The Fat Lady has sang

I go back to work tonight *sigh* My next "long" vacation is in November but I have a week coming up in September and I think in October. I hope tonight isn't busy, I get my break, and my patients are stable...and if they aren't I hope they wait until I'm done with my work before they decide to give me problems so I don't get behind in my work haha!

Two of my exchanges arrived to their destinations so I can finally share some finishes with you *yea* but first let me share this with you...hot off the Q-Snaps!

Sam Sarah Design Studio - Pearls "Nevermore"

Stitched on Silkweavers 28ct Cashel Linen "Boo"

with

Crescent Colours Floss

Now I wasn't suppose to start anything new but Monday night I went to Kelly's house and although I knew I packed my Home of a Needleworker (Too!) project bag before leaving when I got home it somehow walked out of the bag and stayed at his house. I was pretty bummed about it because I was really psyched to work on the windows. I had to stitch something so I started this teeny design and finished it up this evening. It was a quick stitch (it's only 29x29) and will be made into a teeny ornament for my Halloween Tree (another project that exist only in my head hehe.)

Sidenote: Monday we took the dogs to Kelly's friends house to play, they also have a Bull Terrier, and well they have a koi pond in their backyard and the mosquitos ate me alive! I have 6 mosquito bites on my left leg, 17 on my right leg, and 1 on my right arm. I'm so itchy :(

Now on to my other finishes...first up is the square I stitched for Stephanie for Round 7 of the Fair and Square Exchange. I stitched L'R de Rien's Une Poule au Jardin for her and she informs me that she likes it :) She has pictures on her blog of the extra goodies I sent and my signature square in case anyone would like to see more.

L'R de Rien - Une Poule au Jardin

Stitched on 32ct count Linen

with

DMC Threads

Second exchange was for the Quaker Inspired blog. We were to stitch one of the Workbasket's Quaker Animals and finish them into whatever we wanted to. My partner was Edgar and while I was excited to stitch for him I was also nervous...he's one of the blogs that I look up to :) I decided to stitch the turtle in blue for him and finished it off into a flatfold. He also has additional photos in case anyone wants to see more.

The Workbasket - Quaker Turtle

Stitched on Babbling Brook Linen (forgot the count)

with

Vikki Clayton Silks in Indigo Ocean

Here's the backI have one more exchange finish that I've done but I have yet to mail it out. The mail out date is July 14th so I'm doing OK. Hopefully Friday morning after I get off of work I'll mail it out. Before I go I do have one more picture to share and it's of my new stash!!!I went to my LNS yesterday after the beach and picked these up :-) I've ordered my fabric for these online last night and it has already shipped. I can't wait to start stitching these! I also joined 2 FOTMs since I have a few monthly $$ to spend and I have a very small fabric stash. Well I'm off...time for dinner and then I have to get ready for work *waaaaaaaaah*

WIP Update

So this is how far I've gotten on Home of a Needleworker (Too!) I feel like the slowest stitcher ever! It took me around 6 hours to stitch the roof. I feel like the house is going to take super long to stitch and I hope I don't get bored and then this turns into a UFO. I would really like to have this hanging on my walls some day. You can see the before picture here. I'm happy that I do have this WIP because it gives me something to blog about. I have 3 finishes to show but they're all exchanges and haven't reached their destinations...tomorrow *hopefully* one of them does arrive and I get to share it with you.

I do want to start something new but thankfully I do not have the charts to what I'd like to start. I was going to go to my LNS to buy them but they're closed on Monday so now I don't know if I should wait until Tuesday to go or order them online today. I know that I'd get them quicker if I wait until Tuesday but it's just the feeling that I have new stash coming in the mail that makes me feel better. Plus I don't know if my LNS has all of the charts that I want but she could order them for me. They would make PERFECT train projects! OMG I'm getting excited thinking about them!!! By the way I'm talking about the Country Cottage Needleworks "Sweet Treats etc." I've been seeing them stitched up on some of the blogs that I read that I now have to have them for myself. I'd like to stitch them separately and finish them off as something small for my growing "smalls" corner.

In other news, I go back to work on Wednesday and these are the last two days of my vacation. I enjoyed the first portion of it but didn't enjoy the last portion. I think it's because in the beginning I was all "Yea! I'm on vacation! Whoo Hooo!" and this last week I was "Jeez this is my last week I go back to work on Wednesday *tear*" Well it's 2am here and although I'd love to stay up to get back on my "night" schedule I'm going to try and enjoy my last 3 nights of actual "night" sleep. TTFN and thanks for the comments on my last post :-)

Fair and Square :-)

I don't know why I didn't post a picture of these with my last post but I should have! I received my F&S squares from Stephanie M. last week. She stitched me L*K Halloween snippet and I love it! First because it's Halloweenish and second because her signature square is wonderful! I plan to stitch the HIH Wee Pumpkins over 1 for my over 1 collection (that so far exist only in my head! LOL)

WIP Time

I've been really wanting to stitch this for a while. I love stitching on it and although, to me, it's a big project it seems to stitch up quickly. I'm stitching it with Belle Soie Silk Floss (thanks to Mary Kathyrn!) and it's oh so yummy! I have to put it away for a while though because I thought my Summer F&S was due at the end of July but I double checked and it's due to mail out on the 14th...eek! I still don't know what I want to stitch so I have to do some research on my partner and hopefully I have something in my stash that will be perfect. Well that's all from me for now. I'm off to do my research!

I'm in the phone booth, it's the one across the hall...

If you don't answer, I'll just ring it off the wall
I know he's there, but I just had to call
Don't leave me hanging on the telephone...

Last night I went to see Blondie. My cousin asked me a few weeks ago if I wanted to go and since I knew I'd be on vacation and needed some activities to fill up my days I agreed. I went thinking I only knew 3 songs but found out that I knew a lot more (who knew I was a closet Blondie fan??) The show kicked serious butt! I was actually surprised on how great it was. Debbie was awesome! If I could see them in concert again I definitely would. They didn't allow cameras in but I did manage to get one crappy picture with my phone! Does she not look great???? In other concert news...Modest Mouse decided to throw together a very last minute show this past Thursday (Friday morning) after playing MSG with R.E.M. It apparently sold out quickly but luckily I was on my computer at the right time and bought 4 tickets. So at 12am my cousins and I were on our way to see the show. The last time we went to see them play was lame...it didn't have that modest mouse feel that all the other concerts had. I hoped that this show wasn't like that and you know what?? It wasn't! They played for almost 2 hours and we got home at 4am...drunk and satisfied lol. I luv Modest Mouse! They even played my fAvOrItE song in the entire Modest Mouse would Dramamine!

I did manage to finish something small this Saturday too :-) It's the 6th square in my Red Thread Snappers. I still refuse to work on the border and will pay for it dearly once I get these all stitched up *ugh*

For my Smelly Kelly :-)

I took this picture in the park a week after I got my camera. I was just trying out the different settings on the camera and I kinda like the way it came out :-) I took other pictures but he was acting silly and I don't think he'd appreciate me putting them on here...

Anyway the real reason for this post is not about the picture above but of this picture below!
I finally have a finish that I can show! It's Brightneedle's Little Ones: Our Souls Entwine. I stitched it on 28ct Cream Linen (if I could have done something different I would have stitched it on a smaller count) with all the recommended threads. It's my anniversary present to Kelly which is this July 18th. I could have finished it last night but I fell asleep :(

Well that's all I have for right now...I'm doing laundry, plus I work tonight so I'm trying to multi-task with all the things that have to be done around here before I can leave (I'm missing my mother more and more everyday LOL) Well it's only 2 more days before my vacation and then I can go to Kelly's house and he can wait on me hand and foot and I can be spoiled again hehe :-) TTFN Have a great day and thanks for the comments on yesterday's post...I appreciate them more than you can imagine!

I've been stitching!

But unfortunately I can't show you because it's all for exchanges. I've finished the stitching for my F&S square (just need to stitch up my signature square) and I've even finished up the stitching for my Quaker Inspired Exchange (just need to do the actual finishing.) I just have one more F&S square to stitch up but since it's not due until the end of July it can wait. I would like to start something new (for me) today so depending on my mood (whether I'd like to stitch, play GTA, or learn my new camera more) we'll see what I start. Did everyone see the new LHN??? I love it and I want it! Will I ever stitch it? Probably not but I'd still like it.

In other news, my mother left for Ecuador on Friday for 2 weeks! I'm missing her like crazy which is weird because when she's here she drives me crazy LOL. My father and I are NOT getting along, I gave him a Father's Day gift but only because my mother instructed me to. For those that don't know (and not many people don't) he's an alcoholic and although he has periods of sobriety he tends to relapse during certain times of the year...Father's Day is one of them and September is another one. It pisses me off like you wouldn't believe (or you would if you ever lived with an Alcoholic.) As soon as I'm on vacation (Wednesday *yea*) Ana and I are going to stay with Kelly until my mumsy poo gets back. My grandfather isn't doing so well...I don't know why they took him to Ecuador but it was sort of a last wish for him. All of his kids are taking turns going over to visit and take care of him. When I spoke to my mother she told me he managed to break his hip (he's now diagnosed with osteoporosis) and is bed ridden. I don't know if they'll do surgery and if they don't well I told her he won't be getting out of bed and walking around ever. Getting sick as you get older sucks...

I'll leave you with this picture of Ana...I hate blogging without pictures and since I can't share any stitching with you I'll share this it's a little dark but I'm still learning how to use the new camera...I'll get there though :-)

A "me" update

I've been having fun with my cousins and Kelly now that they're out of school. Yesterday we had a cook out at the beach. It was a bit breezy and cold but fun and yummy! I sustained a few burns (it was our first cook out) but nothing too serious. Tonight I'm off to work to start my weekend shift :-( The temperature here is in the 90s and will be so until Monday so I really wished that I could stay inside in the AC. It won't be too bad while I'm on the train and once I get to work but waiting for the train is going to be horrendous! I hate the heat and already have a headache!

I do have one finish but I can't share it since it's for the F&S exchange and I have an almost finish which I also won't be able to share because it's for Kelly and he knows nothing about it...well since he reads my blog I guess he does now. I can, however, share this...This is the pinkeep I sent Sharon for the HoE Freebie Exchange. It's by Barbara Ana Designs and can be found here.
Here's the back. I used a red fabric with swirls and gold stars. I also used yellowish goldish pins.
I couldn't find a gold heart but did sew on a silver heart in the middle ribbon. I loved the way it came out and best of all she emailed me to say she loved it too!

I'm still learning how to use my new camera. It's pretty complicated but I'm reading and learning. I can't wait for my cousin to come back from vacation so he can show me...I learn better by demonstration. He showed me a little while at the airport but of course I forgot some of it LOL. Until next time! I have to eat dinner and get ready to go to work. TTFN :-)

I did it!

I just bought a new camera!!! *woot woot* I can't wait until it comes in. I've been contemplating buying a DSLR for a while now...since my first Bloc Party concert in 2006 to be exact. I talked myself out of it because I didn't want something to happen to it at a concert or for it to get lost. Then about a year ago my cousin bought one and again I entertained the idea of getting one once I saw his pictures. I was trying to get out of debt so I couldn't do it last year. Now lately I've been noticing the quality of pictures some people post on their blogs and I've become totally obsessed with getting a new camera. I mean it's so bad that I dream about it LOL. After talking to my cousin on Monday (he's one of my go to guys) I decided to buy it and this morning after taking it in and out of my cart and wondering if I should dip into my car savings to buy it I thought of all the really nice pictures I can take of my cross stitch loved ones and bought it. I'm really happy about this buy :-) Of course I will now have to buy accessories for it *and* actually learn how to use it but for the sake of taking quality pictures of my cross stitch loved ones I can do it! Until next time!

Look at what I've been up to

There's a third but it's for my HoE freebie exchange so I can't show it until I mail it out and it arrives to its destination! I even managed to play GTA IV, go to my LNS, and get a mani/pedi! Oh and I have a finish to share as well now that I remember...the 5th block to my BC Red Thread Snappers :-)
I do have 2 other soon to be pinkeeps to show you soon *but* the ribbon that I bought today matched the pinkeeps PERFECTLY in the store but once I took it out the bag and started working on them all of a sudden it didn't go anymore...I blame the lighting!

Has anyone seen the new HIHs?? Apparently I love them! I didn't at first but when I saw them at my LNS I scooped them up. The plan is to stitch them over one because I really don't need all of these long things to frame or hang up. I'm off to kit something up to stitch on the train tomorrow (most likely my F&S square.) I took a mental health day today because when I woke up I was tired and my patience felt non-existent. I'm hoping they come back tomorrow because I can't call out again, plus tomorrow night is time and a half pay! Happy Stitching!!!

Dilemma Dilemma...

I want to stitch, I want to do the finishing for my HoE Freebie Exchange, I want to play Grand Theft Auto IV, I want to shower, get dressed, and go get a mani/pedi, I want to go pick up Kelly from work, I want to go to either JoAnns or The City Quilter to peruse the fabric, I want to go to one of my not so LNS' and I want to do all of this RIGHT NOW! The only good thing about this list is that I'm already too late to go pick up Kelly from work since I'm not showered yet. *sigh* I guess if I blog later on about my recent finished finishes or new fabric/stash conquests we'll see what I decided to do since I obviously can't blog about the latest beatings I've given to the poor innocent citizens of Liberty City ;-) LOL TTFN!

Freebie Month Continues!

Here are two freebies that I finished this month. Both were my train projects and one of them is for an exchange. I know my partner doesn't read my blog but just in case she stumbles across it I won't say which one :-) Sorry if the pictures are dark...I want a new camera and haven't been feeling like "playing" with my "old" camera.

Barbara Ana's Designs

Home is Where the Heart Is
Stitched on 32 ct Lt Sand Belfast Linen
Stitched with DMC Threads

Brightneedle Designs
Blue Moon (from the Small Samplings Book)
Stitched on 28ct Jazlyn (Unknown Color) Dyeing 4 U fabric
Stitched with DMC and WDW

Side note: I miss Dyeing 4 U...they made some awesome fabric and their FOTM and TOTM clubs were great. If anyone personally knows the people who ran the company tell them I miss them LOL.

Well that's all for now...I'm stitching on another Brightneedle piece. It seems like they're my new favorite designer :-) I've been stitching on it off and on now for a while. It seems like every time I pick it up to stitch on something happens between Kelly and me and since it's for him I can't stitch on it...so far this time nothing has happened so I may be able to finish it this time around. TTYL and thanks for visiting!!!!

A Gift, a finish, and a WIP

A few days ago my dear friend Barb texted me and told me to expect a package from me. Thursday when I was on my way to work a yellow envelope was waiting for me on the table, I didn't get a chance to open it until today though and look what was inside!
It's one of the freebies that I wanted to stitch :-) I haven't thanked her for it yet but I love it! I'm going to finish it up *hopefully* this weekend. A little story about Barb...she's one of the *very* first stitchy friends I ever made! I love her to reece's pieces! One day I wrote in a group that we were in that I wanted lemon cookies and a few days later I received a box full of homemade lemon cookies and she included the recipe that she used (I still have it.) I've met a lot of people online but Barb is one of the very first...she even stitched me an EMS baby for my graduation quilt that a group of friends made for me :-)

Now here's a finish...HIH Birds This was my train project but I was so close to finishing it that I stitched on it last night at home. There was an error in the chart that I didn't catch until I sewed the button on. The orange is suppose to be blue but the DMC (I stitched it in all DMC) conversion to the WDW was wrong. It looks good with the orange though...right?

I realized that I have not stitched a Shepherd's Bush since the year started and had to do something about it. I received an order from DSL last week and decided to start SBs My Mother's Garden. It's going to be my home project and this is what I have stitched so far...It's a really pretty piece. I love the color of the fabric. Hopefully I'll finish it and my mom will appreciate it. I'm having a hard time choosing what initials to put on it. My sister and I have the same middle initial (as a matter of fact we have the same middle name LOL) so I was thinking I'd use our first and last initials and then share our middle initial.

Well I'm off to stitch. I'm off the weekend and the weather is dreary outside so it's a perfect day to stitch :-) One last thing! I went to my LNS today and picked up my JN Hop Tin and Needlebook fob (along with other goodies) and it's so cute! TTFN

Brightneedle Freebie Finish :-)

This is Humble Daisys by Brightneedle.

I changed the grey to blue and I think I may stitch this at least 2 more times in the future...it's a perfect size for F&S and I'd like to make one into a pinkeep for myself :-)

Yesterday was Ana's birthday...I'm one of those crazy people that celebrate their pets birthday so yesterday I had a little get together for her. She doesn't get any presents but I know she loves the company. I took a picture of her with her balloon and cake and it would have been a good one if my mother didn't walk by. Ana knows what she can and can't do so once she saw my mother she wanted to jump off the chair. It was beginning to get torturous for her so I didn't get a good one that I could share. She turned 6 and we had Popeyes (one of her favs) and ice cream cake. She didn't get any cake because it was chocolate and she doesn't like ice cream. Here are some pics...


I did get Ana a present...a new fan LOL. We have one of those round ones and at night when it's too warm for a blanket but not warm enough for AC it's either aim it at her on the floor (because she won't sleep with me) or be selfish and aim it at me. Since she's the ruler of the house she, of course, gets it and I suffer. Plus for some reason the old fan either blew hot air or no air. We slept with it on last night and slept very comfortably! Of course she slept with me instead of on the floor but I bet you had I brought out the old fan she would have been on the floor.

I work tonight *blah* and haven't been feeling well (I went to the ER Wednesday...they didn't know what was wrong with me) and I'd like to rest before I have to get ready. My tummy hurts, it has gotten better, not like Wednesday where I could barely walk or move...I just hope this weekend is quiet and not crazy...TTFN!