L & L Angels

After years and years sitting in a Sterilite container, one since about 1993, it was time for my L&L angels to be framed. I had had the Larson-Juhl frames that I bought at 50% off at Michaels about 7 years ago. I had bought the frames all alike, so they could be displayed together. Best laid plans and all of that, they just never got framed. DH has been bugging me about it since we started dating a little over 5 years ago.

I have been thinking about it for a few weeks, pretty much every time the frames would "jump" out of my semi stuffed closet. DH does pretty much all of the framing around here. Having been a carpenter, he gets out the measuring tape and squares it all up. This is in stark contrast to my "eyeballing it" method of framing, which can also be referred to as the "willy-nilly method." He will also actually measure on the wall when hanging the pictures, which always has me standing there hands on hips asking the ridiculous question, "How come we can't just eyeball it?" This leads to a fair amount of eyerolling, exasperated exhaling, throwing up of hands and ultimately, apologizing. But again, I digress.

My hubby, henceforth referred to as "Sir Bob, Knight in Shining Armor," got out the supplies and framed my angels. They are truly breathtaking. Each one is in a 16X20 frame so they are quite large. I can not believe it when I look up and see them. I feel a bit ashamed that they were tucked away for all of these years where we could not enjoy them. I see them now and they give me a sense of peace with their size and beauty.

I feel so fortunate and happy. They look wonderful and I am so looking forward to looking at them for many years to come.

Wonderful Fall Day!

We woke up today to really cold temperatures. It was 38 degrees Farenheit. Brrrrrr. We have a standing date with our furgirl to go to the beach on Saturday mornings. Today was just too darn cold, so we lit a fire and waited for the day to warm up a bit. It was finally about 11 am before we could walk around the neighborhood. By then, it had become a beautiful day.

After our walk, we went and ran some errands. I do not know why I insist upon going to Costco on Saturday. I must be out of my mind. At the very least I should remember to stay away from the bottlenecks that occur around the food samples. There are days I swear that people roam the aisles of Costco for lunch. But I digress...

There is one thing that always comes to mind when the weather turns crisp: Sweet Potato Pie. Yum! Today was the day to make the first pie of the season. I love sweet potato pie. Traditional sweet potato pie has the orange peel and nutmeg as flavoring, not the cinnamon that many recipes call for. It is so comforting to eat. My hubby made his fabulous pie crust. We both remarked how we would both love to just take a spoon and eat the sweetened condensed milk as we tried to scrape every last bit out of the can. There really are not many things better than sweetened condensed milk, really.

It was such a nice day, very cozy at home. Hubby baked bread, we watched the race and Liesl napped amongst her various blankies. It was nice to have such a great day, for tomorrow I have a monster paper due for my class, when I would really rather stitch...

Craft Stores

We are pretty lucky here. We have not one, but two pretty good craft stores. We have a California based company called Beverly's, which has a nice selection of crafts, and an exceptional selection of fabric. They carry Michael Miller and Moda fabrics, which are my very favorites. In addition, we have a brand-spanking new Michaels. If I do not need fabric, I will usually drive the extra 10 minutes to the Michaels because they have a terrific overall craft selection and have better prices.

I had to go to Target today, which is in the same shopping center as Michaels. (I always seem to run out of all of my cleaning supplies all at once, hence the trip to Target.) I needed some feathers for an angel Chrismon that I am working on so I ran into Michaels. I am noticing that the bead section gets bigger and bigger. They are so beautiful, and seem to get nicer and nicer with each selection that is added. However, this also makes me sad...

I realize that crafts are cyclical and sadly, cross stitch is not at the top of the cycle. I have noticed that there is hardly anything left for cross stitcher. There is the obligatory selection of DMC and aida cloth, but no patterns, no Mill Hill beads, no nice linen, no pretty Gingher designer scissors. While I do not purchase many kits, I was disappointed to see that cross stitch kits never even made it to this store. It just seems like such a shame. I remember a day when even department stores like JC Penney and Mervyn's carried stitching kits and supplies. Every mall had a LNS.

I will say that the quality of craft supplies has improved so greatly over the past twenty years. I am so impressed with the varied items and the professional look that the average person can achieve with what they can pick up at the local craft store. I love being able to work with a lot of different materials and have a varied interest in crafts. However, my first love is cross stitch and my worry is that eventually the limited selection will eventually become no selection. I realize that craft stores are also just trying to accomodate what their customers want right now. I also like the immediate gratification of quilting, making a bracelet, or making a card. But I really hope that cross stitch makes it back to the top of the cycle again, that good materials are readily available, and that this artform will not be lost forever.

Monday, Monday!

It is really amazing to me that it is October already. Today at work we were discussing Thanksgiving. It is right around the corner. Then on to Christmas...

I decided to put together a few more Chrismons while I am in between projects. I found some really great wood cut outs at Michaels, so they should be a good foundation for me to paint and decorate. They will not be as ornate as the others, but they will still be nice. Our tree in the church sanctuary is so large that it really makes for a lot of space to cover. I am really excited about seeing it with all of the ornaments on it. My pastor was telling someone about the Chrismons that I had already turned in and that "they are gorgeous." It made my day.

As a side note, for some reason everyone I spoke to was really sleepy today. I think we are all headed into our season of hibernation now that the rain has started and the weather is turning cooler. I was so tired today. Even the dog looked sleepy. I am looking for the rainy season to really go into full swing. It is absolutely cozy.

Blessing Of The Animals

Every year the churches in the area celebrate St. Francis of Asissi Day. We hold our services outdoors and everyone is welcome to bring their pets to receive a blessing. This was my first year with a pet, so first thing this morning, Liesl got her bath, and her hair brushed before we all went to church.

One by one, we are able to bring our pets to the front of the congregation, where they received a blessing. Liesie even received the sign of the cross on her sweet little head. We also received a box of animal crackers.

I think somehow the dogs all know they are present at God's house, because all of them were on their best behavior and sat quietly through the shortened service. There was even a treat table set up for them at Fellowship time. They had bowls of water and biscuits. It was a beautiful fall day, too.

Had To Clean My Room

My craft room was a mess. A real mess. Yesterday's bead organization was a small part of an overall cleaning project. Things had been piled and piled to the point where I could not see the desktop. This is not a normal thing for me. I have an accounting mind so everything has a place to live. I could not believe it got to this point. Guilt got the best of me. You will note in the above before and after pictures that my little project started while in daylight. The finished project is at night.

As I went through my many projects, it appeared that my piles were a result of things that had one small thing to do on them, so they waited on my desk to be dealt with. I needed to organize those beads. I needed to put the hangers on my daughter and son in law's stockings. I had received patterns in the mail last week, so they needed to be filed, et cetera, et cetera...

I was able to take care of all of those items. Whoohoo! Everything is in it's place. I also want to point out in the pictures the desk that I love so much. It is a beautiful trestle dining table that my hubby made many years ago. It is the perfect sized workspace and it makes me happy!

All The Leaves Are Brown...

Wow! The first day of October. Can you even believe how fast this year has flown by?!

I got a bee in my bonnet today to organize my Mill Hill Beads. I had been storing them in one of my old plastic Darice floss boxes. They did not exactly fit in that old box because they have that little flap that is just a little too tall. So a few weeks ago, a smart person on 123stitch posted their storage solution. It was a box from Walmart with 24 "Tic Tac" type boxes with flip lids in it. Total price $4.97. Awesome! Plus I do not have to worry about those devilish little boxes springing open and my frenzied chasing of beads before the dog gets them.

So I proceeded today with re-organizing my full Darice box into the new box. They now all fit in this box, which is smaller than a cigar box. It was very eye opening. To my surprise, I had five open boxes of 557. Three open boxes of 81. Ummm, my bad. Needless to say, I kept buying the same beads with every new project. I am really glad that I had to consolidate everything. Hopefully this will keep me from re-buying the same stuff.

I have to share that I had something really awesome happen to me last night. I went to my choir rehearsal and sat next to my lovely friend Wendy, as usual. (Waving at Wendy!) Wendy shared with me several weeks ago that she used to cross stitch and now knits. So last night she placed in my hands two of the most stunning cross stitch kits. She said that she knew that she would not stitch them, so passed them to me. One kit was Theresa Wentzler's Father Winter and a Janylnn kit which was a creche with all of individually stitched figurines. Both are absolutely stunning. It was such a nice thing to do and I can not express how much I really appreciate it. I feel like a little child at Christmas. I have a couple of projects to do before Christmas for gifts, so I will be starting these right after Christmas. I want to start them right now. My goodness, they are so beautiful.

A Really Good Day!

Today was one of those really good days. The day started with going to church, which was wonderful as usual! We have really been looking forward to today, because a couple of days ago, my hubby asked me out on a date for lunch today. I have been pretty excited about it and made sure I did my hair cute and all.

After church we dashed home to change into comfy clothes. Neither one of us was hungry yet, so I mentioned that I would like to run by Michaels for a bottle of paint for some more Chrismons. Of course, one can not run into Michaels for one item. Today was no different. The beads that I really like were on clearance for $2 a strand. Even better, the rack was full, unlike when I usually see a clearance sign for cool beads at Michaels. I bought four strands and a pretty pendant that was made from mother of pearl. Sweet! Then hubby teased me while I picked out two gorgeous strands that were on sale at 2 for $5. They were sparkly, so they had to be mine!

By this time, we were getting hungry so we went off to one of our favorite restaurants, which has our favorite menu item on special on Sundays. Oh, my goodness, it was delicious! It is a fabulous gourmet meatloaf that is served over garlic mashed potatoes. We got to eat out on the patio. Many of the restaurants here are not only dog friendly, but also have menus for doggies. So we got to take the furgirl after her hard, no fun week. (her bandage is off, but her footie still hurts from the incision) She got to have her very special treat of chicken breast. It was such a beautiful fall day, warm and sunny. It was so nice to linger over a long, leisurely lunch and chat. We had such a great time.

Since I was so stuffed and sleepy, I came home and got out the knitting, while Bob puttered. Liesie has been napping on and off since we got in, probably still dreaming of grilled chicken cut into little puppy sized bites. LOL. I was making really great progress on my knitting and then looked further down the page, where, gosh darn it, I saw that I need to add ribbing on this sweater with circular knitting needles. Umm, I do not own any circular knitting needles. I would have to go back to, you guessed it, Michaels. And of course, you can't just get one thing at Michaels...

A Knittin' And A Grinnin'

Well, it has been ages since I last picked up myknitting needles. After my evening of knitting with my daughter the other night I got all inspired. I spent today working on the sassy red sweater for my furbaby. I am afraid that my stitches are not as precise and uniform as they once were but this is a good project to do to get back in the swing of things.

I think this sweater is going to be really cute and warm. As I mentioned in a previous post, the sweaters that I like at the local dog boutique (yes, DOG boutique!) started at $55. Since I do not even buy $55 sweaters for myself, I knew that if it was going to be, it was up to me. I found the cutest patterns at 123stitch and bought acrylic yarn so that it would be washable. My sweet doggie is not so much into sweaters, but I am hoping that she will think differently of this one since it smells like her momma.

Autumn is in full swing here. It is hard to believe that we are in the last two days of September. I am looking forward to the rainy season starting. It is always so nice and cozy to be inside with a fire while it is raining outside. I can't wait!

New Stash!

My fair winnings have been burning a hole in my pocket for the past month. I knew that I would purchase the ornament issue from JCS as a definite with it. In addition, I purchased Prairie Schooler's "Prairie Birds" and Shephard's Bush's "She Tends." I have been so good about using the stash that I already have this year and not making a lot of new purchases. It was a real treat to receive my envelope from 123stitch.

Every year I look forward to this issue. I have to say, this is the best one to come out in years. In fact, it is so awesome, I am seriously considering a subscription to their magazine. I do not stitch too many ornaments, but there are so many in this issue that I simply have to stitch. They are beautiful! The designers all went above and beyond in 2008.

Tonight I have been working on a knitting project. My daughter came over last night to play knitting. She is working on the prettiest socks! I had started a sweater for my Liesl a few months ago, but she was not done growing yet so I knew it would be too small. I put off pulling out all of my work until the last possible moment. Then restarted. My daughter taught me a totally cool new way to cast on, which is awesome because I hated the way that I casted on for about 25 years. So now I am reknitting Liesl a nice red sweater. It is getting cold here and unfortunately the dog boutique wants $55 a sweater. I am not feeling it. This should go quickly, so Liesie can be stylin' by next week!

Second Stocking Finish! Whoo hoo!

Yay! I am happy now! I got my daughter's stocking put together. I still have to put a loop on, but I am still deciding which style to use. It feels good to have it done after all of these years. It is nice to know the married couple will have stockings this year.

The colors in this are really pretty. I picked this one originally because my daughter use to always where a long braid when she was a little girl. The picture just reminds me of her and her little brother when they were little. Makes me a little wistful thinking about them when they were small. I blinked and it all went by so quickly.

As a side note, little Liesl is doing is doing much better today. She has the red bandage on until this Friday, when the vet checks her. She was her usual sassy self today, for the first time in a couple of days. It was good to see her walking on the foot and playing with her toys. She has a perky little way of trotting around the house, which was back.

Poor Liesie-poo!

My best laid plans of getting my daughter's stocking done hit a little speedbump. Yesterday, my little Liesie had a hurt foot. Of course, these things happen when the vet's office is closed. By last night the foot had doubled in size. Thank goodness the vet took us the first thing this morning(after a very sleepless night.)

Foxtails are evil things to dogs. I can not spread this warning enough. Their mission is to burrow further and further quickly. This is our third run in with foxtails, even though we are diligent and check her constantly for them when she comes in. Anyway, three foxtails had worked themselves into her foot, between her toes, over time. One had gone in about an inch, according to the doctor. He ended up doing surgery. She now has an inch incision, stitches, a huge bandage and is logging lots of lap time with her momma and daddy. There has been some handfeeding of the furgirl by her momma.

I am so glad that she is okay. Our vet is heaven sent and we are so grateful for him and his staff. It was a long day but thankfully our little furbaby is on the mend.

Hug your pet today.

Finished!

Sleigh Ride at Dusk is finished! I was able to sew it together this evening. It feels really good to have it done. Most of the background is half stitches, so it almost has the appearance of being needlepointed.

I am so thrilled to have this done. Now I just have to sew my daughter's stocking that I stitched years ago. I am finally getting better about not just stitching something, but actually finishing it right away. I think it really helps to see other people's finishes. It gets me motivated to see other beautiful pieces.

The stocking that I stitched for my daughter is the Christmas Window Stocking by Janlynn. It is really colorful. I can't wait to see it finished! I feel like I am on a roll!

One Last Thing To Do!

The tree and the snowpeople are all done. The snowfolk have their cute little carrot noses. The tree is all a twinkle with a gazillion french knots. It looks really awesome.

All that remains now is the horse section in the toe of the stocking. That is my project for tomorrow. I am hoping to be assembling on Saturday. Most of the section is done, as you can see from the photo. I will just have to add some of the cross stitches and all of the backstitch, then it will be all done. I am so excited!

Now that I am so close to finishing, my mind is turning to what to do next again. I do have somethings to make before the holidays. The new JCS Ornament issue has just come out and I have my issue reserved at 123stitch. I can not wait to get it. There are always so many beautiful ornaments in the magazine. In addition, there are always great tried and true recipes.

Getting closer!

Whoohoo! We are coming into the home stretch! In the past few days, I have been able to complete a few more items on the stocking. The little "sled man" is complete, as is most of the Christmas tree. It appears that about 2/3 of the french knots are complete on the tree. In addition, I was able to outline all of the snowmen. They now await their arms and carrot noses. The last sizable bit is the horse and sleigh section. There is so much detail in this stocking, which makes it visually stunning up close. I hope to be able to assemble it this weekend and into my daughter's hands within the next couple of weeks.

One of my very favorite parts of my day is when all is quiet and I am able to read the blogs that I love. I feel like I am catching up with friends. I love seeing everyone else's labors of love! One of my very favorite blogs is the crockpot blog that is on my blog roll on the left here. I have made a few of the recipes. Last night I made the coconut beef recipe and it was amazing! It was even better as leftovers today. We also made the vegetable lasagne on her site and it was really incredible. Well, worth making. I love my crockpot. There is nothing like having the gorgeous smell of already made dinner when you open the front door after working all day. Without all that dinner prep I can stitch longer! Yippee!

I Am Making Progress on the Stocking

I was happy to be able to work on the stocking for a bit today. I had a really hard homework assignment for my class that took much of the day. I was bound and determined to get some stitching time in though.

I am proud to say that I have the backstitch and french knots done on the church and the house now. They both look so lovely and cozy with the french knotted Christmas greenery all around the windows and doors on both structures. Next on my to do list is the backstitch on the little person with the sled, then onward to the tree. I just love the colors and the cozy feeling of the piece.

I have been thinking about working on my knitting of my doggie sweater for my sweet little puppy girl. While it is still on the needles, I had the realization today that I started that sweater some months ago when my Liesie was quite a bit smaller. It looks like I will be taking some measurements of an uncooperative miniature schnauzer this week.

It has been really chilly here this weekend. My feet have been cold and I have been finding myself wishing for cozy fires, a cup of tea and pumpkin bread. I am ready for fall!

First Cozy Fire of the Season

It is hard to believe. September and October are usually our summer. We look forward to these two months all year. It has been getting progressively colder this week. Tonight it was so chilly that a fire was made in the fireplace. Over the past few months I had forgotten how cozy a lit fireplace makes me feel. The smell of the wood, the warmth of the hearth, the light dancing in the room while I stitch. I just love having a fire in the fireplace. Liesie curled up at about 7:15 and went off to doggie dreamland.

I am still working on the stocking. It should be done pretty soon here. I will be thrilled to finish it and sew it into it's actual stocking shape.

Now that my knitting needles are sitting out on my desk, they are calling to me. Now that it is getting chilly, I really need to get that doggie sweater done. Then I have a wall quilt to finish, a blanket to make, a couple of Chrismons that require a quick last think done on them. A crafter's work is never done...

A Fun Evening!

I just had a wonderful evening! My daughter has mastered the art of crochet and decided that the time had come to learn how to knit. It has been a while since I have really knitted, aside from the dog sweater that I started last year, which is still on the needles. When I got to the arm holes for her little puppy arms, I kinda freaked out and put it to the side. Fast forward to the lesson, which of course, my daughter picked up instantly and was knitting away, pretty much immediately.

We had such a lovely evening. We started with a big pot of spaghetti for dinner and cake for dessert. We were so stuffed that under normal circumstances I would have put on my jammies and slipped into my pasta induced food coma on the sofa. But we had a job to do, so my hubby made us some coffee and went to watch baseball on the bedroom TV. So we got to spend time yacking and catching up, just us girls. It was so much fun. It really was nice to get the knitting needles in my hands again, too. The weather is getting chilly again, so I really do need to finish this sweater for my little furgirl.

Liesie just can not bear the thought of going to sleep with her company still here. It was past her bedtime, and she was getting a really good cranky on, but she would not give in. She is afraid she is going to miss something. My daughter was pulling out of the driveway as Liesie finally gave up the ship and went to bed. She is so happy when friends and family come to visit her!

Ooh, almost forgot a really cool thing. My daughter brought me a chocolate bar that has BACON in it. OMG! My two very favorite food groups. It is delicious and had quite a bit of bacon in it. The salty and the sweet, the creamy and the crunchy. It was beyond good!

And The Beat Goes On...

Time flies when you are stitching. I stayed up late again last night working on the stocking. My needle was smokin' ! I got a lot done, but sadly, I am not done with the house yet. My big hope is that it will get done tomorrow. I would have liked to work on it today, but with school upon us, I was a good student and did my homework for Business Law. I worked pretty hard on it for about, yikes, eight hours.

It is hard to believe that Labor Day has passed and we now look forward to the Fall. We are experiencing Indian Summer right now with the temps hovering at about 100 degrees Farenheit. Soon enough though there will be a crispness in the air and we will be getting the fireplaces going.

I have a beautiful autumn piece by Drawn Thread in my stash that I would love to stitch. I just know that I would probably not finish it in time to display for this autumn. Oh well, there is always next year. In the meantime, I will have to settle for those new pumpkin kisses. Pumpkin on the outside, white chocolate on the inside. This just sounds glorious! I shall have to try to find them this week!

Back In The Saddle Again

Well, this is really coming along! I finished the backstitch and french knots 0n the church this past weekend. Some of the nicest ladies on 123stitch were doing an all night/late night stitch along last Saturday and Sunday night. It provided a lot of motivation to focus by having nice (and funny!) people up late with me. So I stitched and checked the message board until the wee hours of about 11. I know, I am such a party animal, huh.

The detail looks really good on the church. There are clusters around the door and windows of french knots stitched in red and green to appear like Christmas greenery. It is awesome. Tonight I was able to move on to the house next to it. I have gotten the cross stitches filled in, so tomorrow will be spent on backstitch and french knots. Next I will be on to the tree.

As you can see from the photo, there is a lot of detail and subtle shading. It is so pretty. I love the colors.

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie...

Today when my hubby came home from work, he had a new-to-us piece of furniture that had been given to him. It is a stunning piece. So as he walked in the door, we set about putting it in the spot where it will live. Of course, this meant that we had to move another piece of furniture that was in the spot. This led to the re-arranging of furniture in the sitting area, the living room and dining room. In addition, there was the re-hanging of pictures and the vacuuming and dusting of previously hard to reach spots.

As a joke, I told him that the sofa in the living room and the curtains will no longer do. Frankly, he seemed somehow unamused by my wit.

The house does look nice in it's new state. In fact, it somehow seems bigger. Granted we are looking for a spot for the ficus, hubby's telescope, and the dog's toys... Whenever I start a project like this that seems simple, it leads to a variety of other projects. It reminds me of the book I used to read to my kids when they were small. It was called, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." It started out that giving a mouse a cookie leads to him wanting a glass of milk, then a napkin, then his needing you to hold him in front of the mirror to see if he has a milk mustache, whereupon he sees that he needs a haircut, etc.

All of this re-decorating, cleaning, and moving about left us a bit behind in time so I was unable to stitch tonight. I just love the way the house looks. All in all, it did go rather quickly. I feel like I was on one of those re-design shows on HGTV.

My Stitching Buddy

Liesl has been known to spend some late nights as my couch companion as I sit up and stitch. There is something comforting about a little gray ball of fur sleeping peacefully a foot away in the late night as I work on a project. When it is time to turn in, she gets one last cookie, then off to dreamland.

I wanted to post a picture of Liesie at her favorite place in the whole wide world - the dog beach here. Here she is able to be off the leash. She finds it her personal mission to keep the beach bird free. On this particular day, a pool had formed that had some ducks (yes, ducks) in it. Liesie decided that she should go for a little dip and let those ducks know that they were "mallarda non grata" on her beach. She was sopping wet, then decided that digging would be really fun. This accounts for the sand in her beard, on her nose and over her front. I think you can imagine the impact this had on the inside of the truck for the ride home. This picture makes me smile, not only because it is funny, but also because she was so happy that day.

So now she is sleeping next to me, oblivious to the tapping of computer keys. She will sleep here faithfully again tonight, waiting for the moment when she gets her last cookie of the night, then cuddles up for the night on her spot on the bed.

Whew! This week flew by...

Well, it has been an active week, which is explains why there have not been any posts for a few days.

I started back to school this week, which is always exciting. I am done with my Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting Classes, which were pretty difficult subjects. I am happy to say that I got a lot out of them both. This semester, due to gas prices, commute time, etc., I am taking my classes online. So now I am studying Business Law and another management course. I have really been looking forward to both of them.

I did get my Chrismons over to the church mid-week. The pastor was both surprised and delighted by them. As we talked about them, I shared that prior to my beginning the journey with them, that I truly did not understand their history, purpose and symbolism. This led to a discussion about how we can use the ornaments to teach others. It appears that I will be assisting with a Sunday School forum as well as writing something for our church publication. I learned so much myself so I am really eager to share.

I am continuing work on the stocking as well. I do not have batteries yet for my camera, a situation I hope to remedy tomorrow. It really is such a beautiful piece. My daughter did so much work on it and did such a beautiful job. I am sure that her hubby will treasure it forever.

In the meantime, it is Labor Day, so I am really, truly trying to stay of the fabric store websites that are advertising major savings on fabric. It is really hard not to be checking out those retro fabrics that I love so much.

Stocking WIP

I am continuing onward with the stocking that my daughter did most of the stitching on for her hubby. I am currently working on the backstitch on the church. I have found that there is another set of graphs that show some additional stitching that goes around the windows. Apparently, there are supposed to be some wreaths done in french knots. I know there are alot of stitchers that hate french knots, but I like to do them. Plus the finished product looks so nice. The wreaths add so much to the picture, so I am anxious to get started.

It appears that the backstitch has a lot more detail work than I had originally thought. It is really detailed, which of course, makes it all the more lovely. I think it will be really stunning when it is done. It will be a very special keepsake.

As a side note, I am proud to say that I am now a great aunt. My niece, Sasha, gave birth to beautiful little Aiden on Sunday. He looks like a sweet little pink angel. We are so happy that he and his momma are doing well! A true blessing!

Oops! I Did It Again...

It started so innocently. I had to run by my fabric store to buy a lining fabric for my son-in-law's stocking. I thought that since I was there and all, and what with the price of gas I should really make this trip count... I thought I would just cruise past the two clearance tables and just make sure that they were not practically giving away a really fabulous fabric. That was when I spied a retro Michael Miller fabric with little cookbooks all over it. It was on clearance at $3.97 a yard. Hmmm. That is some major savings right there...

So I had to pass the other area on my way to the cutting table. I tried to avert my eyes, but there was this bright yellow, retro Robert Kaufman fabric with nursery rhymes. It was also $3.97 on clearance.

Okay, two yards of fabric for less than $8. That is a pretty good deal. Plus I had the fabric for the stocking. I would get out of there for less the $20. Cool. So off I trot to the cutting table with my three bolts of fabric. I say to the nice lady cutting my fabric that one of these days I have to come in and buy the Michael Miller ice cream fabric. She told me that if I really wanted that fabric, that I had better not wait too long. She said that it is hugely popular and that the last of it was on the bolt. She suggested that I go check the bolt to see how much was left. Darn it. The bolt was a bit thin... Minutes later I am walking out of there with my purchase, which included the pictured three additional yards of fabric.

I really need to get my sewing machine out and get all of these pretty fabrics into a nice quilt. For now it just makes me happy to look at them.

Hurray! A Stitchy Project

As I was poking around in my craft room, I suddenly remembered that I had promised to finish up a stocking that my daughter had started for her husband. Actually, not only had she started it, it was pretty much 95% done. It is stunning. It is a Dimensions Gold stocking called, "Sleigh Ride At Dusk." I seem to remember that she had put away because her adorable kitten, Sundae, was offering all kinds of assistance, none of which was particularly helpful to her. I told her that I would be happy to finish it in time for this Christmas, along with a second stocking that I stitched for her a few years ago that stilled needed to have the back put on.

I was quite impressed as I took the almost finished stocking out of the bag. The back was nearly perfect. It looked much neater than my work. I called her and told her that I was afraid I was going to mess it up. She really did an incredible job. I am just going through line by line to make sure that each line is full. It should be done by the weekend and ready to line and put the back on. It will look totally awesome when it is done. I will make sure to post a picture.

Since I am on a finishing kick, I really should frame those L&L angels. I think I am holding off because the Angel of Love is so heavy because of the beads. I am afraid that is really going to be troublesome to mount. Maybe by this weekend, I will have courage.

My Plant Rescues

My heart goes out to all plants that are, shall we say, past their prime. I am the lady that you will find looking at the table of brown plants at the store with the 80% off sign on it. I have bought several of the beauties with great hope and have actually ended up with really great treasures, most of the time.

Some of my favorites are plants that were totally free. I have had this Candy Stripe rose for several years now. It was part of a rescue operation. I was at work and one of the managers asked me if I wanted to take it home. The gophers were killing the roots and it would not be around much longer. He dug it up for me and I went home with my new prize. It looked really scrawny and sick. I put it in a wine barrel, fertilized and watered it. It has survived a couple of tough freezes and a move. It is now about 5 feet tall. It just needed a little love and to be free of the gophers.

The orchid pictured above was from an arrangement that was delivered to someone in my office about three years ago. It was dying a slow death from no natural light, too much water one day after not being watered for a week, etc. Since it looked like it was for all intents and purposes, dead, I asked politely if I could have it. I put it in a sunny window in my cottage and aired out it's roots. For the last couple of years around this time it gives off these huge Moth Orchid Blooms. The blooms last two to three months and are incredible.

It pays not to give up on plants like these. They give me so much joy.

Ribbons!

Yesterday the fair closed, which meant today was the day that all entries had to be picked up. It never fails to amaze me how fast they can break down such a large fair. It was nice to get my ribbons. I have to figure out a new way to display them. I also need to figure out where three additional pieces are going to go on my walls. I think I will be doing a little re-organizing.

It is alway a little bit strange to drop off pieces for exhibition. Many times I have spent months or close to a year on a piece. I then drop it off and it will be away from me for a few weeks. It is really good to be able to take it home for it's permanent place on a wall in the house.

I am still in my selection process for my next project. Tomorrow I am off so I am hoping to have my selection made by then. Wish me luck!

Chrismons continued...

Well, I have about 14 Chrismons completed. I have learned alot about their meanings and had a great time cutting, gluing, glittering and such.

The craft room was looking really scary after two weeks of my projects. So it was time to clear off the desk, vacuum and get the dog glitter-free. She had kind of a Vegas look going there for a while, but I am proud to say that it appears that the house has been de-glittered. However, I do recall that glitter has a habit of making an appearance on stuff you do not want glitter on.

Now I am in a crafting mood so I am wondering if I should frame that three, yes three L&L angels, that I have completed over 5 years ago. I am embarrassed to say that they have been stored in a big Sterilite container with a a couple of stockings that I have to put the backs on for the family. I am feeling inspired so 2008 could be the year. I really need to think on this.

I am posting a photo of my beautiful little Liesl sans sparklies.

Decisions, decisions....and TGIF!

Whoohoo! Friday has arrived. On the way home I bought a nice bottle of wine, rented "Talledega Nights" and "Waiting for Guffman" and thought about relaxing all weekend. There is a major car show here in town that ties up traffic so badly that most residents try to stay home for the weekend. That is our plan.

While I am still working on my Chrismons, I am starting to get the itch to do a stitchy project. I have some small things to work on but I am thinking about something more substantial. The Prairie Schooler Farmer's Alphabet is calling to me, but my hubby is questioning my sanity since I have already completed five samplers. So then I am thinking about Cross My Heart's Mother of Innocence. Lovely piece, but then today while looking for something else, I came across L&L's Angel of Dreams, already kitted up in my collection. All of these pieces are begging to be stitched. I just do not know where to start. Since I have some movies to watch it would be so perfect to be able to stitch along with them.

I am hoping to get a few more of my Chrismons done. I would really like to present them to the church next week. I think I will make this an annual craft project. I have had a lot of fun doing it. Plus I have some pretty neat ideas for future ornaments.

Have a great weekend!