Karen's Colourful Creations

It's summer already!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 28 May 2012 14:07:00 +0000

My dear friends, it certainly has been awhile since my last post and since I was stitching last. I finally picked my needle up again a few short weeks ago and finished off the Santa you can see in some of my earlier posts. Sorry, no picture to share of him just yet, but I will add it shortly.

I do have some pictures of my latest project...

This is a kit from Periwinkle Primises called Strawberry Jam. It will a small pin cushion when it is done. It is full of specialty stitches and came complete with linen and luxurious silk threads. I think this is just what I need to get me back into the swing of things.

As you can see I haven't gotten very far just yet. The outside border is made up of Queen Stitches, which are very time consuming. It's not my favourite stitch, but I do like how it looks.

On a side note, I've been considering buying a lap/table stand. Anyone have any suggestions? My wish list of features include:

easily access the middle section of a project for easier stitching
be able to "swing" the frame around so I can tie off the ends
adjustable in width and length

If anyone can think of anything else that I should consider please let me know. Although, I have my wonderful StitchMate Floor Stand, I'm pretty new to the world of table stands. I'm assuming the same features I like so much in my Floor Stand are what I should look for in a table stand.

In other news, I recently read that, Roger Garrett, the gentleman that hand made my StitchMate Floor Stand passed away this past April after battling cancer. He was only 64 years old. My condolenses to his family and friends. He was a fine craftsman that changed the lives of many stitchers, including my own. You can see his obituary by going to the following link:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pntonline/obituary.aspx?n=roger-t-garrett&pid=157135901

Well, that's all I have to say for now. Hopefully, my next post will be a bit more timely!

Karen

My oh my... how time flies

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:59:00 +0000

Well, folks, it has been awhile! There have been many changes in my life and I can finally say that I am moving forward. :)

I totally and completely stayed away from my blog during my break. I didn't even attempt to keep up with all of you and for that I am sorry. Also, there has been absolutely no stitching! Horrid thought isn't it ladies! I am finally getting the urge to stitch back and I hope that I will actually sit down with a needle and thread soon.

As for now, I wish you all the best and I promise, I will be back!

Karen

Blogging Break

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:05:00 +0000

Just a quick post to let you know that I will be taking a blogging break for the next little while. Hopefully not too long, but depending on circumstances it may be a month or more. I will try to keep reading your blogs, but I can't promise that I'll be able to stay on top of that either at this time. I do wish you all the best and hope that you will be patient with me until things calm down in my world.

Karen

Totally inappropriate Santa update on Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:03:00 +0000

Happy Halloween!!! I hope you get lots of ghosts and goblins at your door begging for treats. :o)

I have no Halloween or fall like projects on the go... all I have is Santa.... so, here's a pic of what I've done over the last couple of days.

I wonder if anyone ever dresses up as Santa for Halloween?? lol

I'm thoroughly enjoying this project. I love that I can stitch for an hour and see a ton of progress. Going back to the small counts of fabric I'm used to will be a challenge lol. Anyways, this was just a quick update post to prove that I have been stitching.

I wish everyone the best this Halloween!

Karen

Santa Update

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:03:00 +0000

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and that's the longest I've had between post in some time. I've held off on posting because well, I just didn't have anything stitchy to share. Last night, I finally managed to sit down with needle and yarn and this is the progress that was made.

Santa is finally starting to look like a Santa. If I can just sit and stitch I know he won't take long at all to complete, but I just can't seem to get into a good stitching groove. Oh well, every strand stitched means progress even if it is only one strand per sitting.

It looks to be a beautiful sunny day here in New Brunswick, albeit on the cold side (it is 0 Celsius right now brrrrrrrrrrrrr). I hope your weekend is an enjoyable one with many stitching pleasures!

Karen

Something Different

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:22:00 +0000

This is something a little different for me since I rarely use aida. Actually, I can't even remember the last time I used aida. It is a Santa kit by Janlyn and has been sitting in my stash for a few years now like a lot of my things, but it takes up quite a bit of space since it is kitted with yarn. So, I thought its time to get this out of the way (literally) and the easiest way to do that is to actually stitch it. It shouldn't take too long, after all it is stitched on a huge aida count with yarn.

The kit is a complete kit including little bells for trim, felt for backing, and a ton of yarn to stitch with. I'm not even minding the aida. It is soft to the touch, not stiff like some of the stuff I used years ago. I usually find it looks really blocky for lack of a better word, but that isn't even bothering me with this. Perhaps I've been a fabric snob for too long and need to give aida another chance. I do believe it has its place in the stitching world.

I'm sorry to say that I have been extremely busy recently and I just haven't had the time to post comments regularly although I do read your blogs regularly. Hopefully, things will start to slow down soon and I'll have a little more spare time.

Also, I wanted to thank all of you for your very kind comments on my finish of Shades of Autumn. There are a couple of mistakes in it that I noticed after I was finished, but they won't be coming out. It just makes it a little more unique to me. At least that's how I'm going to look at it. hehe

And finally, I hope all of my Canadian friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend last week with family and friends and lots of good food. As a Canadian, I believe we truly do have a lot to be thankful for in our every day lives. :)

Finished it!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:02:00 +0000

I'm very pleased to share a finish with all of you!

Shades of Autumn

Nancy's Needle

Recommended threads

18 ct canvas

As per usual, I under-estimated how much time it would take me to finish this off today. Each of the four remaining squares took about 45 mins-1 hour.... crazyness, I know! lol Anyways, I'm pleased to say that after about 5 or 6 hours (maybe more) of stitching today (and yes, that's a lot of stitching for me in one day!) It's done!

I'm not sure if I'm going to get this framed or if I'll make it into a little pillow. I think I'm leaning towards having it framed.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and thanks for your lovely comments! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:03:00 +0000

Shades of Autumn is coming to an end. I have 4 more squares around the outside and the final border left. This piece is definitely taking much longer than I anticipated. With the coverage of the thread and the fact that you don't stitch every hole, I figured this would be a really quick stitch. But the fact is, each outside square is taking me about 30 minutes to complete. I think this is mainly because of the many colour changes. I'm not one to drag my thread accross the back, so I start and stop my thread for almost every bar. With the way the pattern is laid out it's not simple to see where the colours will be in the next square. So, I find it easier to just stop my thread after each bar.

With any luck, this will be finished before I head back to work tomorrow. If my estimate of 30 minutes per square is correct there should only be a couple of more hours of "intensive" colour changing work. The outside border shouldn't take too long since it's all one colour.

Oh yea, I received a notice in the mail yesterday that there is a package waiting for me at the post office. It should be my JCS Halloween book and the Christmas issue! Can't wait to pick them up! :)

From My Grandmother's Closet

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:43:00 +0000

I always new that one of my Grandmother's was very talented with a needle and thread, but I didn't know that my other Grandmother also had a hidden talent. Last night, my mom told me that her mother enjoyed embroidery a lot, but never had the time or money to work on it. I was always told that she didn't like sewing at all, so, I figured that included every form of needlework. What a surprise! Hidden away in her closet was a stamped linen tablecloth that my mom passed on to me.

This is just one corner of the tablecloth and you can see the price tag is still attached. My mom thinks she probably bought it in the discount basement at Eatons. She paid a whole $1.39 for it. It is 36"x36" and the linen is really heavy. Nothing at all like today's linen. There wasn't a pattern, so, I'll have to try my hand at figuring out a colour scheme for this. It could be fun or frustrating lol!

Something else she found hidden away was something I think I actually worked on as a kid. It looks kind of familiar anyways, and since the Xs in that little finished patch don't all go the right way, I'm assuming I did it lol.

It is a small table runner. Can you believe all of the threads and the pattern were still with it in the terribly tattered paper bag! I haven't worked on stamped cross stitch in a very long time, but it might be fun for a change.

Next up is today's stitching progress on my canvas piece.

It has been terribly hot and humid the last couple of days, and I haven't felt like stitching very much. I did manage to pick up my needle for an hour or two today and this is what became of it. The center part definitely stitches up much more quickly than the outside border. With any luck, I'll have this finished within the next couple of weeks.

In other news, I've signed up for a Victoria Sampler SAL at the Stitchers' Village for the month of October. I haven't picked out a pattern just yet, and I guess I should get on it since October is only a week away!

And finally, I don't discuss my work in very much detail on here, but I thought I'd share a little something with you. I'm taking on a new "acting" role and start training tomorrow. If all goes well and the position gets approved by upper management, the position will become permanent at a later date. The transition from union to management is not the easiest of feats in my place of work and there's a lot of red-tape to get through before that ever happens, but I'll be crossing my fingers and toes that this becomes long term! Overall, I'm looking forward to the change. If it doesn't become permanent, I'll enjoy the change for as long as it lasts. And the bonus (at least in my opinion) is that I get to continue working a condensed work week with a mixture of days and overnights. I may be crazy, but I love this schedule. Hmmm, maybe this schedule is making me crazy haha! ;o)

That's all for now folks! Have a great week!

Karen

Stitching at the speed of a turtle....

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:52:00 +0000

Where art though oh stitchy mojo!?!? You are not lost completely, but other desires have taken your place these last few days. Why can I not sit for hours like I once did? My fingers have been working, but the progress is very slow these last few days. I guess I should be glad I haven't lost my desire to stitch completely, just mostly....

The little bit of stitching I have completed on my days off has resulted in the following progress:

This is the top half of the pattern. A lot of you probably think that I've made plenty of progress, but you have to remember how quickly the main portion stitched up and that I've had 3 days to stitch to my hearts content and this is all I have to show for it! I am sooo ashamed!

The boxes around the center portion were a bit boring and I think that's why my stitching progress has slowed to the pace of a turtle. They're great for when I'm tired, but not so much when I'm alert. Maybe I need to have something else on the go? That's a pretty big decision for a one-at-a-time stitcher! But I feel the urge to stitch soemthing with specialty stitches.... hmmmm.....:)

In my last post I mentioned that my order from Picture This Plus, from about 3 months ago, finally arrived! They had such a huge response to their sale that they sent out an email shortly after and stated that they hoped they would have all of their sale orders fulfilled by the beginning of September. It's great to see a little company like this be in such great demand! And here's a couple of pics of what I got:

From left to right: All are 32ct fat quarters of linen. First, is Chalice which is more orangey/peachy than the picture shows. I think it will work for some Halloween pieces. Next, is Relic, which is a gorgeous neutral light brown, and then Heritage which is also a lovely neutral. The fibers are needed for another Counted Canvas piece that I have in my stash. I also ordered the piece of canvas for it, but I didn't bother putting it in the picture cause it's pretty plain.

And I also ordered Spting Quaker and all of the goodies needed to stitch it! I can't wait to get my fingers on those Valdani threads!

That's all I got for now. Happy Wednesday!

Karen

STASH = Stitching Treasures Acquired and Still Hidden

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 15:35:00 +0000

While at work last night my mind wondered to something pretty serious for me..... my STASH. Sometimes, I feel that I might have little too much set aside for my future stitching adventures.  Have I reached SABLE(Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy)??. But when I see something I gotta have, it quickly goes into a cart from an online site, credit card info entered and ta da, a few weeks later it arrives at my door.... my next S.E.X. (Stash Enhancing Experience).

Like most people I have UFOs (Unfinished Objects) and WIPs (Works in Progress) and even a few WISP (Works in SLOW Progress), all waiting for that forever elusive HD (Happy Dance). Maybe my UFOs have had too many FROGs (rip-it, rip-it) and have been shamefully been set aside for years?

Overall, it never fails, for some reason, somehow, I manage to see something that I just got to have even though there are so many things in my STASH (Stitching Treasures Aqcuired and Still Hidden) sitting there. My charts, fabrics, and threads are just waiting for their time to shine on my Q-Snaps or Scroll Frames,  but someone out there has enabled me and so they remain in their bins and boxes hidden from view. I do believe I am fairly easily enabled and I suspect that others reading my blog might have been enabled a time or two themselves. I mean, really, all it takes is seeing a picture of a project that you really like than off to the LNS/ONS (Local/Online Needlework Store) we go.

Some of us have been on the wagon and have done very well at it. I know I make the same vow every year, to stitch from my existing stash.  Maybe if there was some sort of real punishment for S.E.X. than I would refrain from adding to my ever-growing STASH.   Some have even tried to STRIP (Stash Reduction Implementation Plan)! Shocking, I know.   And then there are others that try being PRUDE ( Person Resisting Unnecessarily Diminishing Existing stash) and so look to the enabler to help them figure out what to add to their STASH so they can have their next S.E.X. experience.

These are the odd things that go through my mind in the wee hours of the morning while at work on an overnight shift. After feeling the guilty pleasures of another S.E.X. experience this week when my order from Picture This Plus arrived, I started to think about SABLE. Which lead me to think about all of the other lovely stitchy acronyms we have and ones that should exist and don't. What do you think of all of our lovely stitching acronyms? Can you believe that STASH doesn't seem to have an acronym? At least I couldn't find one.  After some careful thought of my own STASH I came up with Stitching Treasures Acquired and Still Hidden. My STASH is hidden away in baskets and bins, under my bed and in my closet. So, I guess it works quite well for me lol. What are your thoughts? What does STASH mean to you? My mind sure does wonder at work sometimes hehe. :)

Oh, and I apologize for all of my crazy talk above. This is what happens when I write posts without sleep! I promise that my next post will be much more sensible and won't have a single acronym in site and will hopefully include some pics of my newly acquired STASH.

Happy Sunday!

Karen

A lil' finish and my first counted canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Lots of stitches have been made over the last couple of days. First up is the finish of one of the four snowfakes in my old JCS magazine.

Snowflake Ornament

Alice Okon for Whicelt Imports

JCS December 1995

28 ct scrap of linen

Threadworx 1083

Mill Hill Beads

The orginal version in the magazine was on a teal green fabric with gold thread, which didn't really appeal to me. But these types of designs are kinda unversal and easy to substitute with whatever you would like, so, after a very quick search, I chose Threadworx 1083. I also added a few beads to give it a bit of sparkle. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the end result and plan on doing the three other snowflakes with different overdyed threads eventually.

Next, is something a little different for me. Counted canvas work. It caught my eye at my LNS about a year ago, which is when I bought everything for it. They have the finished piece hanging on the wall, and I just loved it and had to have it. Since then, it has been sitting in my stash waiting for the right time to be stitched. It is by From Nancy's Needle and is called Shades of Autumn.

Shades of Autumn

by Nancy's Needle

Recommended Threads

These pieces really seem to stitch up quite quickly. I started it yesterday morning and have about a quarter of it completed, give or take.... I've worked on needlepoint painted canvas' in the past, but never ventured into counted canvas. It's really quite enjoyable. I look forward to doing more of these in the future. The ladies in the store warned me when I picked it out that I'd be hooked on needlepoint after one project, and I think they were right haha.

I'm off again tomorrow and am looking forward to some more quality time with my needle. I'm not sure if I'll keep working on the canvas piece or work on another snowflake. I already have my second snowflake started using a red overdyed Threadworx floss. Which ever grabs my attention in the AM shall be what gets worked. :)

Variegated Snowflakes

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Sometimes, something can be said for simplicity. I've been so busy lately that my stitches have been few, and when I made some on "Summer" by Victoria Sampler I realized I was using the wrong thread..... There were only a few stitches, so, it wasn't too hard to frog, but when I finished frogging, I decided to turn my attention to something with no thread changes and simple Xs. Something easier to do when I'm tired out, but still wanting to relax with my stitching.

I still had my magazine sitting out that had the Victorian Stockings in it (JCS Dec 1995). After quickly thumbing through, I found 4 snowflake ornaments. Their version was done on blue linen with gold cotton thread. Kinda dated to say the least. Knowing that I had some variegated Needle Necessities threads not too far away and some fabric scraps already cut, it was an easy decision to go with the Snowflakes. The thread I chose consists of light pink, burgandy, and green. I'm thinking of adding a few beads at the end to give it some sparkle. Anyways, here's a pic of my very meager start.

And that's all I've got to show for now. I've got another long week at work this week with more extra shifts, so, I expect the stitches will be few.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable long weekend filled with lots of stitching and fun.

Karen

A few new things

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:36:00 +0000

Kathy at Kathy's Sit and Stitch let me know about a sale at Knowledge and Needles, which is owned by Ann. Ann was very sweet and helpful as I emailed her my order. She even mailed my order out that same day! It arrived today and here is a pic of what I got...

From left to right is Keys to the Kingdom by Rosewood Manor, Lighthouse kit by Michael Powell, and Bug Collector with thread pack by Jeannette Douglas. Ann also included three very cute little Prairie Schooler designs with my order!

I wanted a Michael Powell kit for ages, but have had a really hard time finding them. I was thrilled when I saw that Ann had a few of the kits available! And they were all 40% off!! Keys to the Kingdom has been on my wishlist since it first came out. As for Jeannette Douglas, well, I've always been a big fan of her work and just had to get something when I saw her designs were 40% off too!

There is no stitching progress to share today. It was my day off, but I think I slept through most of it. Something I don't begrudge myself is sleep time. If I think I can sleep, I take advantage of it no matter what time it is because I'm usually short on sleep due to the overnight shifts and the extra early start times for my day shifts (6:30am, which means I gotta get up at 5am). I did manage to get "Summer" by Victoria Sampler set up in my Q-Snaps and the threads are all organized, so, now I just need some stitching time. Hopefully soon.....

Well, I'm going to go watch some TV and relax, maybe even cross a few Xs.

Happy Stitching!

Karen

Halloween Ghost

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:27:00 +0000

I'm too tired to even think of what to write, which probably means I shouldn't be writing a blog post right now, but here goes nothing! I just really wanted to share my first ever stitched Halloween ornament.

Halloween Ghost

San-Man Originals

JCS Sept/Oct 2010

32 ct Wondering Ivory Jobelan

DMC

Unfortunately, the swirling green in the fabric doesn't really show up that well in the picture. It looks really Halloweenish though. I will probably stitch some other Halloween ornaments on this fabric.

Aside from this little ornie, there has not been any other stitching. Work seems to be taking a priority right now. Lots of overtime and stuff.... But the extra money is always handy.

Anyways, instead of rambling on, I think I'll end my post quickly. I need to go to bed and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

Not much to share

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:14:00 +0000

Since my last post, there has been very little stitching time. It took me forever to figure out what to work on next, and since I finally decided, I've only put in a few stitches. It's definitely not picture worthy. I suppose I could share my plan of action. My larger project for now will be the final two seasons (Summer and Autumn) of Four Seasons by Victoria Sampler. And since I'm still in the mood for smalls, I've picked out a little Halloween ornament from last year's Halloween Ornament issue of Just Cross Stitch.

I don't expect to have any great amount of progress of either of these projects over the next few weeks, since I'm working quite a bit of overtime plus traded shifts with someone which means not a normal working schedule for me. Once my schedule is messed up a bit like this, I find my normal routine is lost and my stitching mood is gone, which is what happened last week. Hopefully I manage to get something done though!

There really isn't much else to share right now, so, I will bid you all adieu. A la prochaine!

Karen

Vcitorian Tea Rose Stockings 3 and 4

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:10:00 +0000

So, this is my "sleep day" as I worked overnight last night and I have barely slept at all, so, I apologize in advance if I ramble or make little sense. I was just excited to post pictures of the final two stockings in this little series. The thrid stocking was finished last week as I had hoped plus I managed to finish the fourth and final stocking this week. There really isn't a whole lot of stitching to them so, they stitched up really quickly.

Heart Stocking

Alice Okon for Wichelt Imports

JCS December, 1995

28 ct scrap of linen

DMC

Heart Charm substituted with Snowflake Charm

Holly Stocking

Alice Okon for Wichelt Imports

JCS December, 1995

28 ct scrap of linen

DMC

I have a huge list of things I want to stitch next, and I am having such a hard time deciding that it's absolutley ridiculous! I want to stitch everything all at once LOL. I'm feeling the urge to stitch something big, but I also want to stitch some ornaments too. I want to stitch Halloween and Christmas designs, but I also have some summery things kitted up as well. And then there are the Christmas gifts to make. Do I want to do specialty stithes or plain cross stitches? Oh my.... there is just soooo much I want to stitch! Do any of you have this issue?

Sometimes, I know exactly what to do next, and other times, it seems like it is such a huge decision. Maybe if I get some more sleep the decision won't be so difficult to make lol. But since sleep doesn't seem to be an option (too over-tired to sleep at the moment) I think I'll go play with my stash and see what I can come up with. : )

Til' next time,

Karen

Victorian Tea Rose Stocking 2

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:06:00 +0000

These are really quick to stitch. The second one was finished off this afternoon.

Candle Stocking

Alice Okon for Wichelt Imports

Just Cross Stitch

December, 1995

DMC

28 ct scrap of linen

For this one, I used a darker mocha coloured fabric, I`m not sure of the exact colour cause it was just a scrap from my stash, just like the first one. I made a couple of design changes to this one and I think I may add another change after looking at this pic. I don`t think there are enough yellow stripes for the heal.

The first change I made, was the beads over the candles. The pattern calls for a specialty bead that I didn`t own. I made due with some gold Mill Hill beads. The second change was the charm. Again, I didn`t have it... so, I embellished with a couple of Mill Hill Snow Flakes from stash again. The third change was to add another row of yellow border along the top of the stripes. These charms were a little small to fill the entire area and the added row seems to fill it in nicely. The final design change I made was to add to the white section below the candles. There was a big gaping space that really needed to be filled, so I added two more rows of white.

I would love to have a third finish this week! Crossing my fingers that I`ll get enough time to finish the third stocking.

Karen

Flipping through magazines

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:11:00 +0000

When I was flipping through some of the magazines I found at the Thrift Store, I found a set of little Victorian Stockings that struck my interest. There are four in the set, and I finished stitching the first one this morning.

Christmas Tree Stocking

Alice Okron for Wichelt Imports

28ct Fabric Scrap

DMC

Just Cross Stitch

December, 1995

After the stitching was finished, I still think this needs something. I will probably search my stash for a charm or maybe even add a few beads. We'll see.....

Thank you all for your kind comments about my finishing spree. Your comments are always much appreciated!

Karen

Catching Up from My Finishitis

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:13:00 +0000

Fiiiinallly, Husqvarna and I had a date! It was messy, fun, and intense! What a time we had! For those that don't know, Husqvarna is my dear sweet sewing machine. She hasn't seen the light of day since the beginning stages of my Finishitis just before last Christmas.

In my state of productivity, I managed to finish quite a few ornaments off and my finished pile has dimished quite a bit, although, it isn't depleted.

I'll let the pictures do the talking....

The Dragon Dreams and Flurries ornaments were stitched by my sister. She can't sew at all and I offered to ornamentify them for her. I wanted to add ruched ribbon to both of her's, but I couldn't get it to turn out right. I might try again later, because I think I know what I was doing wrong now.

I added a little pocket to hold a package of needles, and the pages in the middle for some extra places to store needles. The pocket and the back slip of felt were attached with the Blanket Stitch. I'm really happy how the whole Accessory Set turned out.

I also received a wonderful package in the mail that I have to share with all of you. If you remember, I won a giveaway from Pat, The Southpaw Stitcher and the prize arrived.

She sent all of these wonderful goodies! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway Pat!

With my finishing spree came a HUGE mess that I need to get cleaned up before I head back to work tomorrow. I might even try to squeeze in another little finish before Husqvarna has to go back to her sleeping quarters in the closet. Ohhhh how I dream of a sewing room!

Karen

Cute froggies

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:01:00 +0000

Not the Reverse Stitching kind of frogs but cute cross stitched frogs... I finished Edge of the Pond this morning and I have to say that the little frogs in the picture are my favourite aspect of this design. The birds add a lot to it too. It is very elegant in all of it's simplicity.

Edge of the Pond

Diane Graebner

32 ct cream linen

DMC

In my last post I mentioned how I felt this was dragging on, so, yesterday and this morning many hours were spent in my stitchy chair with lots of determination to finish it off. There really wasn't all that much left, it was just a matter of putting in the time to get it done.

My plans for my next project were to pull out a UFO needlepoint canvas and finish it off, but I don't think that's what I'm going to do. I'm feeling the urge to work on some smalls for Christmas and Halloween. Decisions, decisions........

But the decision probably won't be made today. We're going to see Cowboys and Aliens today. I'm not sure what to expect from this, but I do like Harrison Ford. We went to Captain America last week and I enjoyed it.

That's all I got to say for now. 'Til next time! Have a great week!

Karen

A RAK

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:12:00 +0000

I got a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday! This beautiful beaded scissor fob and fabulous little What Not bag were sent to me from the fabulous Kathy at Kathy's Sit and Stitch. She made both of these.

Now there's a little story behind this. I sent her a chart just before the postal strike and of course it got caught up in the mail. A couple of days after the strike ended it came back to me "Return to Sender." So, I checked the address with Kathy and sure enough, I missed a number on her street address, so, I corrected my mistake and sent it off to her again. Thankfully it made it there that time.

So, this little package from Kathy didn't actually arrive in my mailbox..... it arrived in someone else's mail a block away who kindly took the time to hand deliver it me instead of sticking it back in the mail. I was thrilled! When I looked at the address, I noticed that one letter in the postal code was off.... so, I do believe any mailing correspondance with me is doomed!

My next pic is of some stuff I picked up at my LNS this week.

We went to Sandy Beach in Shediac and on the way back stopped at my LNS and this is what I came out with. I seem to have a blue theme going here lol. The first design is Skating Buddies by Gitta. This little eskimo series is so adorable. I had a hard time leaving with JUST one. Secondly, I picked up Winter Arbor by The Drawn Thread. This is a kit with all the threads and beads, so, I just need to pick out some fabric. And finally, the little hardanger ornament, Christmas in Blue and White III by A Stitch In Time Designs and I bought the light blue pearl cotton to go with it.

And finally, an actual update on my progress on The Edge of the Pond by Diane Graebner.

I sure am taking my time with this one! I thought this would be done by now, but I still have a few more reeds to go. I'm getting anxious to move on to something else.

Recently, Lee posted about a sale at Picture this Plus last week and I ordered some gorgeous fabrics along with everything for Spring Quaker. This may actually be the first and only Quaker pattern in my stash, once it arrives that is. I do love looking at Quaker stitching, but never ventured out to do one myself before. I'm looking forward to the arrival of this one!

Well, that's certainly enough for a single post.

Thank you for all of your comments. They are always a bright spot in my day! Enjoy your weekend!

Karen

I'm a Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:53:00 +0000

I can't believe I won a giveaway from Pat, The Southpaw Stitcher! Pat's blog turned 6 months old and she is celebrating her Half Blogoversary! Congratulations Pat! Her email letting me know of the win really brightened my day!

Not much stitchy to share as I just finished my work week this morning and have had no time for stitching. So, in lieu of a stitchy picture and to add a little bit of colour to my post, I thought I'd share a picture of the view from the road beside my parents house. Isn't it a beautiful sunset?

I'm off for the next 4 days and am trying to decide what to do or where to go. I vow to get outside for every sunny glorious minute this week. Summer is such a short season here, I have to take advantage of the great weather while it lasts. Can you believe we're almost in August already!?!

That's all I've got to say for now, so, I guess I'll get some stitching time in this evening. I wish all of you a great week!

Karen

Belleisle Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:40:00 +0000

The weather this week has been absolutely beautiful. So, yesterday we decided to go for a drive to Belleisle which is about an hour away and we get to go on two ferry rides. The first ferry is a really short one, only about 5 minutes accross the Kennebecasis River. It's actually Canada's first cable ferry. The second one is a little bit longer, about 15 minutes, accross the Belleisle Bay. The Belleisle Ferry is the longest cable ferry in the world. There are a lot of summer homes and farms in Belleisle. Here are a few pics...

On the way home we stopped at a little place that is well-known for home-made ice cream. It's a bit expensive ($5 for a single scoop) but sooooo worth it! It is the best ice cream I have ever eaten!

As far as stitching goes, there hasn't been much of it. I've been too busy enjoying the outdoors.

As you can see, there are a few more green Xs, but not too many.

I was going through my stash the other day and came accross a needlepoint project that I started about 10 years ago and never finished. I don't have too many UFOs in my stash and after finding this I'm determined it will be finished. No, pic of it right now, but I've got it lined up as my next big project.

I hope the sun finds you wherever you may be!

Karen

Lots and lots of green stitches

noreply@blogger.com (Karen) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:42:00 +0000

As far as stitching is concerned there hasn't been a whole lot of it going on. But when I have stitched there have been lots and lots of green Xs.

The apron looks like it's finished, but I still have all of the white to stitch. I don't want it to get it dirty and will be stitching it at the end.

I've pulled this pattern out from my stash numerous times over the last few years and even kitted it up a couple of times with the intentions of stitching it, but always set it aside for something else, so, it's nice to finally get to it.

As far as my wisdom tooth extraction is concerned, the major pain is over, but I seem to have a side effect that I'm not enjoying. My jaw is constantly clenched and I can't seem to ease it. It's actually waking me up in the middle of the night because it's throbbing. I browsed the Internet to see if this is common, and it looks like it probably is, but there doesn't seem to be any clear solution. From what I understand my jaw and teeth are trying to re-align and I think since I still have my other three wisdom teeth it's not going smoothly. If this clenching doesn't stop, I'll be going back to get them out sooner than later (I'm so not looking forward to that). I'm being told that it takes a long time for it to really heal, so, I'm probably still just going through part of the healing stages (I hope).

There's still a little time left in the evening and I think I will try to cross a few more Xs before bedtime.

Take care!

Karen