Monday Update / Gifted Gorgeousness / IHSW

Grab a drink and pull up a chair it's a big update today. I decided to put the computer aside and stitch so it's time to catch up today.

First up is Gifted Gorgeousness. I worked on several pieces but for this check in I will share with you another beach themed piece that my mom got me at the PALs retreat last year...

This one is called Beach Blessings. It's from Erica Michael's. I'm stitching it on 36ct 1 thread over 2 with GAST threads. I love working with them. They turn out so pretty. I started this one for the DUCJC Jan 25th. This is now 3 days of progress.

This weekend was a IHSW (International Hermit Stitch Weekend). I picked up the Spring Bell Pull from Stoney Creek. Here is where I got after the weekend on the P block...

Love the cute rabbit and adorable caterpillar on the top. My needle really fell in love with this block and I was happy to get so much progress over the weekend.

I'm also going to check in with the Monday Stitchery Link Party. Follow the link and see what some others have been working on lately.

A quick look ahead and my life is getting busy busy. 3 sleepies (how we count down to something haha) until we leave for a camping trip. 3 sleepies after that I leave on a trip with Mom and Jeremiah to Minnesota. Memorial Day another camping trip. Next weekend after that I leave with Fred for our anniversary trip. So I'm excited and yet thinking WOW. Hopefully I'll steal time for X's in there too.

Monday Update

Hey everyone. Time for a Monday update. I'll link to the Stitchery Link Party too. Make sure to pop over and see what everyone has been working on. She also has a too cute cat embroidery freebie this week. Friday I got to working on the April Whimsy from the Year of Whimsy leaflet. Here it is after 2 days of work...

I didn't get to work on him Saturday though. My framed pieces were ready and we went to pick them up. Here they are...

 

 

I also got the last two seasons from Cricket Collection ready...

Then when it's time they just pop into this frame on my wall...

Above the seasonal one is You are my Sunshine. I did that one for Jeremiah in 2009. I used to sing that song to him all the time. I figured I might as well share it too. I got it framed a long time ago. I love how the framed pieces turned out. The Dog Wisdom piece is just PERFECT. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful framing shop nearby. I took the pieces in all wrinkled and now they are perfectly framed.

After picking up the frames we went phone shopping. We've been paying too much for nothing for way too long. We still had dumb phones. We were paying more than most our friends with a data package even. Of course we found out our plan didn't even exist any more. But they aren't going to tell you hey you could save a lot of money if you stop what you're doing. So for only $10 more a month we have smart phones with 16 gigs a month data!! We really lucked out. We did some research before hand and ended up picking Samsung Galaxy Core Prime phones. We already have tablets so didn't need to replace what we do on those. So it's a fantastic cheap starter smart phone. As with anything new it took us forever to get it all setup and figured out so Saturday was a waste. We did rent a movie (The Visit - a fantastic scary movie!) and enjoyed that together though. I can't get over we actually have smart phones now! About time haha.

Monday Update

I hope everyone reading this had a very Happy Easter weekend. We ate ourselves miserable several times haha. It was just our household to celebrate this year but we had a great time and enjoyed each other. Jeremiah found a bunch of candy and some new PJs and swim clothes. He was one happy little kiddo. I was able to get a lot of stitching time too. So it was a fantastic weekend indeed.

After the WIPocalypse update on the 23rd I picked up the Spring Bell Pull from the Stoney Creek Magazine. I was able to get the S block all finished up...

It took me 9 days to do. Here is a reminder of what it will look like...

There are backstitched words that go along with the blocks in the pattern. This one said Sing. I've decided to leave the words off. It's funny because I saw another person doing this set of patterns and she left the words off too. Anyway in the opening on the left of the letter S there is a cute little bee button. I just won't put it there until the piece is finished so it doesn't get broke. After I finished the S block up Saturday I knew Sunday Hope could pop back out. I got 540 more stitches into her...

I'm linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. She has an adorable duck embroidery freebie this week. If you want to head over and link up to share the project you've been working on.

Also there is a giveaway going on over at Sasha's blog. Follow this link. She found some beautiful patterns at a sale and is willing to part with one of them. The giveaway ends 4/3.

I hope everyone has a great week.

IHSW Update / Winner Announced

First things first I have a winner to announce for the giveaway I hosted. I printed the names off and Jeremiah picked out the lucky winner...

Mii Stitch

Congrats! I look forward to watching you stitch this one up and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Now let's talk about IHSW (International Hermit Stitch Weekend). I started my Aquatic Maiden and boy she was fun to work on. I've noticed there are not near as many color changes as on my HAEDs so that's a nice change. But still a lot of different shades of the same color. So I present to you my navy blue blob...

I was able to stitch all 3 days. Friday I got 800 stitches in! Saturday we ran to the store so I ended with 600 in. Sunday we did our putting decorations away fast so I got another 800 in! So 2,200 total for the 3 days. Not bad at all!! I went to take her off my Q-Snaps but she's going to stay on at least another day.

Linking up to the Monday Stitchery Link Party. She has these adorable embroidery freebies each week. It's fun to see what other projects people have been working on. Stop over and check it out.

We have a busy week getting ready for Easter. Even though it's just our household we will make it a special day. Hope everyone reading this has a great week.

Monday Update Treasure Finish

Finish Number 12

Christmas Treasures 1 of 4 by Elizabeth Almond of Blackwork Journey

Published in Just Cross Stitch Dec 2015 Issue

Used 18ct sparkly white Aida

Thread is Jodyri Designs called Tulip Garden 054R

Started for DUCJC 2016 on Jan 7th. Took 5 Days.

Linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. If you do work with needle and thread head over and share your progress too.

We had a nice even though it was busy weekend. Izzy's vet appointment went fine. Her leg where she got surgery a few years ago is finally building up more leg muscle so that will help but she will always have arthritis to deal with. She put on some weight over the winter but he laughed and said every dog they saw that day had haha. So time for Spring weight loss. I took my pieces to be framed and the guy who frames them picked out the perfect frames so I can't wait to get them back to show off. I made it out of the store with only buying two threads I needed. I told my hubby don't even let me look at anything else haha. Sunday we went down to my families and had a little bday party for my Grandpa. Here is the cake they made for him...

He loved it! We had the normal cake too haha. It was a great visit and my side hurt from all the laughing we did.

Here it is the start to another week. We need to get ready for Spring and put away our snowman decorations. This coming weekend is International Hermit Stitch Weekend and I'm going to start Aquatic Maiden from Tilton Crafts finally!! She is ready and waiting. I don't know what I'm going to work on till then. I was thinking of some older pieces so I can justify the new start haha. I'll be back in a few days to share. Hope everyone has a great week!

Monday Update - Hope

She's still loaded in my Q-Snaps so you get a close up for now. I'm close to finished with another column. This is 26,168 stitches in now. 87 Days. She's going to stay out to play.

I'm linking up to the Monday Stitchery Link Party. She posted some adorable Easter themed embroidery patterns. I really enjoy seeing what other projects people share. So stop over and check it out.

Fred's bday went great. We had a lovely dinner with friends and then they came back here for cake. Yesterday Fred had a Ham radio thing so I cuddled up to my stitching and some scary movies on Chiller haha. It was a good day. Today's the start of a new week. Hope it brings lots of stitching time and is nice to all of us.

Seaside Squared Finished DUCJC 8 of 31

Seaside Squared by Erica Michaels

Started for DUCJC 2016 Day 27

Finished after 4 Days of Work

Stitched on 40ct gauze

Using DMC threads. 1 thread tent stitch.

Wohoo another DUCJC finish. This makes 8 out of my 31 starts. My 10th finish for the year. Love this TINY little piece. The details are crazy cute. It's also really hard to photograph something so teeny haha.

Linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. If you enjoy crafts with needle and thread stop over and see what others have been working on.

We had a very nice lazy weekend. Looking at our calendar filling in starting in April we better enjoy it while we have it and we sure did. I think I finally got fully rid of my flu bug I was holding onto so well haha. Luckily I was the only one in our house that caught it so I'm really thankful for that. I got our anniversary trip all setup for June. Fred and me will be together for 15 years. I can't believe it. He's taking a week off work and we are heading to Outerbanks, NC. Mom always loved it and I fell in love with the area when I visited. I can't wait to show Fred an area he's never been to. We have so many fun filled things to look forward to already on our calendar. So thankful!

Monday Update / Gifted Gorgeousness

Few things combined in this Monday Update. I already shared with you my two finishes. Yesterday hubby and I had a DVR day. I spent the morning doing some catch up on computer stuff. I really enjoyed the Valentine Blog Hop. So many beautiful pieces had been entered this year. Caught up on my blog reading and email replies. In the afternoon I decided to start the Feb Year of Whimsy piece. Here is where I got...

Here is a reminder of what they look like...

I'm going to link up to Stitchery Link Party. If you do any hand and needle crafts you can check in. It's amazing to look at what some others have been working on. So pop over and check it out.

Today is also the 15th so that means it's time for a Gifted Gorgeousness check in. So let's review what I've been working on that's gift related since last check in...

10 more of my DUCJC pieces were gifted to me from my mom for Christmas. She did the best job ever shopping for me at the PALs Stitching Retreat last October. The two finishes in my last post were both purchased by my mother. We have already said we can't wait to go back this October to do more shopping.

I also started a set of seasonal bell pulls from Stoney Creek. I purchased Spring for myself and then found out I won $250 which will pay for all 4 seasons goodies so I guess they will end up being a gift from my survey company right?

I need to find a gift to do for some friends I'm going to see this weekend. They love Disney so I need to find the perfect Disney themed piece to do for them. See ya next check in!

Year of Whimsy - Jan Finished

I finished the January design out of the Year of Whimsy leaflet. I started him Day 1 for the DUCJC. I was really surprised how long he took (6 days) but there was a lot of color changes and the backstitching took me forever. I love how it looks now though! I thought for sure I would be done yesterday early and be able to pick up another piece but no luck. Instead of making him into a hanging ornament I'm going to stick him to cork board by my calendar. I think he looks cute that way!

Saturday I ran out and got the few floss I needed for the Spring Bell Pull design. Fred got the mail Saturday and my goodies arrived. So today I'm going to put the first stitches into it! I can't wait. Well we have school and I have some chores and then it will be started haha. I told my other pieces don't worry I'll be back to them soon (hopefully).

Hope everyone has a great week! I'm linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. I love seeing what others have been crafting lately. Stop on over and see and if you've been doing a project go ahead and share so others can enjoy it too.

Monday Update

One of my CJC starts the beginning of the year was Let's Be Jolly by Ursula Michael shown above. I had only worked on it one day. I'm pretty sure it is the last of the word play designs I started in 2015. I pulled him back out and have 6 days into it now. Here is where I am now...

I'm hoping to finish it before the end of the year but we'll see. I'm also going to link up to Stitchery Link Party. If you do anything with needle and thread you can join in. She also has beautiful embroidery patterns for free each week.

Now I have to get off this computer. Lots to do. Laundry. Packing for our trip to Dad's. Hopefully there will be time for X's. If I don't post before...

Monday Update

It's another Monday. We are getting close to Christmas so life is crazy with lots and lots to do. But I was able to stitch 2 days on my HAED (Heaven and Earth Designs) Hold on to Hope. Here is where I am now...

I have 80 days into her now. I'm so close to the bottom of the page. 200 more stitches down till the end the pattern.You can see her knee starting to come into the picture. I'm going to link up to the Monday Stitchery Party. Follow the link and see what other lovely pieces have been worked on this past week. Here's hoping in between all the Christmas preparing chaos we can all find some time for those X's.

Speaking of Christmas Craziness Saturday Fred and I went out shopping till we dropped. We had those last gifts we needed to finally purchase. Here in Indiana we are having crazy warm temps. We've been breaking records for a few days in a row. It's December and we saw so many people wearing shorts. We had to take our jackets off it was so warm. Crazy!! Honestly I wish it was cooler. I live in Indiana it's supposed to be cold in December. But we got all our shopping done. Saturday evening we went to his work company party. It's always awkward because I don't really know anyone, but we had a good time together. I have found the only bad part to being spoiled. When it comes to being in charge of wrapping the presents there is A LOT to do when you're spoiled haha. I'll be doing some each day till it's done. Here's hoping I can finish before Christmas haha. Hope everyone has a great week!!

Monday Update

Lots to talk about so let's get to it. I've been working on Life Without Snow. I'm close to finished so I figured I might as well keep at it. Here is where I was after Day 9...

Here is where I am now after Day 14 on the project...

Getting closer and closer. Love the little bird at the bottom pulling on his scarf. I'm linking up to Stitchery Link Party. Pop on over and see what the people who check in have been working on. If you happened to work on something with needle and thread go ahead and post your own update.

I received these gorgeous threads in the mail this weekend...

I was lucky enough to win a giveaway over at Tiffstitches blog. Aren't they gorgeous? They are my first Jodyri Designs threads. I can't wait to use them. Thank you again!!!

We also went to the Christmas Tree Farm and cut our Christmas Tree...

Jeremiah's job is to put the star on the top. Of course Fred (hubby) gives him the lift up. Now I think our decorating is finally all done. We really went all out this year. I just love all the bright lights and decorations. Now let's hurry and get to Christmas haha. Also I told a few of you ladies I would keep you updated about the house across the road. They had the lot all finally cleared and started building finally. Here is an update...

We found out this is just the garage! It's bigger than the house they tore down. Our other neighbor said the owner has a lot of money. But we also heard he's a great guy. So it will be interesting to see the size of the house. We've sure been enjoying watching all the chaos going on.

Finish to Report and Monday Update

(Finish 22) Nov 28th
  Fall from the Seasonal Wordplay book by Leisure Arts.

Fabric 28ct Antique White Jobelan

Used Suggested DMC threads 920 and 3829

Started for CJC Jan 11, 2015. Took 3 Days.

 

I finished the last season from the Seasonal Worplay booklet. I just LOVE these word designs. They go so fast and I just love seeing what words they use to make the designs. Sunday I pulled out another CJC piece that I haven't worked on it a long time Wish Upon a Starfish by Designs by Lisa. Here is where it was when I picked it back up...

Here is where I got now...

Finally got a bit of Sea Star on there. I'm also linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. Stop on over and see what the lovely participants have been working on.

Over the weekend we got down all our Christmas decorations from the attic. So today we will get everything all decorated. I love Christmas time. All the bright lights and fun decorations everywhere. It takes a lot of work but it's so worth it. Hope everyone has a great week ahead!

IHSW Update

So it was the 3rd weekend of the month which means IHSW or International Hermit Stitch Weekend. I did my best to be completely lazy and do nothing other than stitch. I worked on HAED Hold on to Hope. Here is where I was on her before this weekend...

I had finished the 6th page and was ready to start another page. Here is where I got after the weekend of stitching...

Love how the wing is being finished off. I definitely got a lot done this weekend. Here is the main reason why...

We got a beautiful snow storm. We ended up with about 3.8inches here. I just LOVE how it hung in the trees. So I snuggled under a blanket with my stitching and watched a ton of TV shows off my DVR. Today Fred had another day off work to use up his vacation days. Mom and me went shopping for our Turkey Day meal. We also did some Christmas shopping. We have determined it will probably take several days to open all our gifts haha. Fred and me went out this afternoon and was hoping to get some things taken care of. One of things I want is a new camera. We were shopping and I was so confused on which one was the right one to get....we just took notes and we plan on doing more research. So that didn't go as planned. But oh well at least there is still time before Christmas.

I'm also linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. Pop on over and see what beautiful things have been done this week.

Monday Update

I got the 5th ornament from Christmas Pals Ornaments by Dimensions finished yesterday. I really like this one. Now I just have one left to finish. I'm pretty sure he will jump onto my Q-snaps as soon as I take this one off.

I'm going to link up to the Monday Stitchery Party again. I just love seeing what beautiful pieces each person who checks in has been working on. She has opened it up to anyone that does any type of hobby with needle and thread. She also gives a beautiful embroidery type pattern each week. Something I wouldn't know how to do but I know a lot of people who do.

Saturday we started Christmas shopping. Mom and me hit the stores and shopped till we dropped. Our whole bodies hurt after we were done. So yesterday we took a day to recover. Fred (hubby) volunteered at a Ham Radio event both weekend days. So I settled on my couch and finished up the ornament while watching TV. When I got it all finished I started something new but not stitching related. I'm sure you've heard of them or you live under a rock haha.....the new fad....adult coloring books. I always loved to color as a kid. Now it's "cool" to do it again. Santa Claus is bringing me a few coloring books but Saturday I found one while we were out shopping and somehow it followed me home for now haha. (I hate waiting for Christmas!!) So after finishing up my ornament I decided to try it out...

How fun!! I know it's not "perfect" but I had a blast. Just what I need....another hobby to scream at me to Come Play! Today Fred had the day off work to use up leftover vacation days. So he had a long honey do list and also put up the Christmas lights (which we won't turn on till the day after Thanksgiving). So Mom, Jeremiah, and me loaded up and went to do more Christmas shopping. So now I really really can't wait till Christmas. We have just a few more things to get but we are mostly done. Feels great because we found some fantastic things. I can't wait for Jeremiah to open his gifts now. He's so spoiled haha. Yeah like I'm not haha. Well now I have to go rest. Shopping till you drop.....hurts!

Monday Update

Stitching update first. I got the background finished. Now I'm doing the border. It's finished on the left hand side so you can see what it will look like. Love how it just gives it a little finished edge. Not much longer now at all.

I'm working on setting up my Crazy January Challenge new starts. I have officially decided to do the full 31 new starts. Now the getting them ready part begins. I'm also going to join the Smalls SAL next year. I have a cute little monthly series I want to do for that one. So slowly but surely it will all come together. Sure getting excited about the new starts though.

I'm linking up with the Monday Stitchery Party. Pop on over and see what everyone has been working on lately.


For those here for the stitching I'm done with that part. Now onto my fun geocaching weekend...

It was in a little town in way southern Indiana called Santa Claus. We headed down early so we could do some shopping. They had this adorable Christmas store that had at least 4 million different ornaments. I found 3 that had to follow me home and a few other cute things that I of course couldn't live without. Then we waited for our friends to show up. We stayed at Santa's Lodge and it was all decked out Christmas...

Too cute. Friday evening we went over to the campground and attended an evening event. We got to see some friends we don't see very often so that was really nice. Saturday we spent the day out geocaching. We went over to Evansville, IN. My favorite cache was at Willard Library...

I guess it's the oldest library in Indiana and it's reported to be haunted. The gentleman working there we talked to said his personal experience was if they push in all the chairs at night and lock up, when they open in the morning the chairs will all be pushed back out. Very beautiful....old...place. We really enjoyed touring it. We ended up with maybe 12 caches for the day but we really enjoyed ourselves...

That's my hubby Fred and me right by the Ohio River. It was such a fun day. We went back to the campground to another 2 events too on Saturday. The night one we sat around a campfire. It was perfect. Since we shared the room with 3 friends we had a fun slumber party and really enjoyed getting to know one another better. It was a fantastic mini vacation.

Always Thankful Update

I've got 3 days worth of work into Always Thankful now. The 2nd day I finished the words and the motifs at the bottom. Now I get to fill in the background. It takes more time since there is a lot more stitching but I LOVE how it is making everything stand out better. Also all the counting is done so it's fun to just mindless finish the piece off. After I fill it all in there is a backstitch type of border and it will be complete. Still loving it!

We had a very nice Halloween. Fred (hubby), Jeremiah (son) and me went down to visit my Dad's side. They purchased a very nice woods property and they have made into a campground for family members. We are having Jeremiah's big 18th bday party there in April. We helped cut down some trees and pile up the wood for the fire pit. Better to get it out of the way now when we have time. My grandparents got an adorable little cabin and they are getting it all fixed up. It will be perfect for them to join in the fun too. It was a very nice visit. I also gave my Grandmother and Step Mom their bead birds I had finished earlier. They both loved them! It's always fun to give stitching as a gift but of course makes it extra better when they appreciate the work you put into it.


I'm also linking up to the Monday Stitchery Link Party. It's a wonderful place to share our love of needle and thread hobbies. Stop on over and see what lovely things people have been working on this past week.

Bead Bird Finish

 (17) October 25th

Bead Birds from Foxwood Crossings

(Limited Supply of these so might not be available to purchase.)

Bought 2 kits of Bead Birds at 2015 PALs Retreat

Took 4 Days

I finished my little bead birds. I was doing a lot of other things so I'm sure I could have done them quicker if I had tried. Sometimes life just intervenes in stitching time doesn't it? I love being in love with my cross stitching I know sometimes I lose my mojo and I just don't feel like stitching at all. Right now I have the opposite problem (if it can be considered a problem haha). My mojo is in over drive. I want to work on everything at the same time. I have so many pieces SCREAMING at me it's hurting my ears. I picked up Let's Be Wicked by Ursula Michael yesterday after finishing my birds. I worked on it at the PALs Retreat. I'm so close to finished I know I should make myself finish it. But my other new projects are yelling Me Me Me!! So we'll see what wins.

I'm also going to link up to the Monday Stitchery Link Party. Stop on over to see what lovely projects people have been working on. It's for anything needle and thread related.

Monday Update

Here's what I've been working on. I started the #4 ornament in the Christmas Pals Ornament kit. All I have left to do is white and backstitching. Just have to steal some time.

Linking up to Stitchery Link Party. Stop on over and see what it's all about and what the participants have been working on.

It was another crazy blur of a weekend. Saturday we went to a geocaching meal with friends. It was really fun to visit with everyone. Then two of our close friends came over to the house to visit for a bit. It was very nice! Sunday Mom, Jeremiah, and me went down to our hometown (Wabash, Indiana) to see Mary Poppins play. One of my mom's cousin's daughters was Mary Poppins. I LOVE musicals so it was a great excuse to attend. Jeremiah really enjoyed it and I just loved it. I hadn't seen Mary Poppins as a play. It was very well done. It was very well done for a very small community theater too. Now we have two days to get done since we leave Wednesday. So much to do! But hopefully I'll find some time to finish up this snowman in there too.

IHSW

Saturday was a busy day but I found time here and there to work on Life without Snow by Stoney Creek. I had the song These boots are made for walking....stuck in my head the whole time wonder why haha.

I'm linking up to the Stitchery Link Party. Stop on over and see what lovely pieces have been worked on this check in.

Life Update: Friday when Fred was on the way to work the truck broke down yet again. He was able to fix the part no problem. Then he went to start the truck and it wouldn't start. We got it towed to the mechanic. Mom and me woke up early Saturday to go shopping. She needed new shoes so we went to Meijer cause around here they have a lot better shoe selection than Walmart. I even found me a bright bright new pair of shoes. We also got our groceries for the week since I'll be gone. Fred got the yard trimming done before the heat advisory went into effect. After noon our heat index was 105 to 110 which for around here is not normal. After Mom and me got home Fred and me ran out. We needed to go the pet store to get Izzy (our dog) some treats and we went to Best Buy. We were hoping to make the move to smart phones. We were all ready to sign the bottom line and she said we would get a gift certificate if we came back the next day. Of course it was worth waiting. After I stood up and thought more about our decision I was like wait a minute. We were going to pay more than double a month to have a smart phone. Yeah we could afford it but here we are with a vehicle in the shop. Fred dropped me off at the movie theater and Mom came and met me. We went to see Jurassic World. It was really good. Finally after all that we were done running around and I got more stitching time.

Sunday we all decided it would be a lazy day. It was so needed. Then today was a whirl wind day. I started writing this entry this morning.....yet here I am at almost 10pm trying to finish it. First we were really getting stressed about our truck. No word. Still in the shop. Then the call. It was going to be $875 and no promise it would work. Our truck is a 98 and has 218,000 miles. It's barely been holding together. Is it really worth it?? So it's been a long stressful day. We made the decision to call it done. Good thing we didn't get those smart phones right? So we loaded all our camping gear into my van and we will sit off tomorrow with it. When we get home....we will start truck shopping. Sorry for rambling. Thanks for sticking with me this long. I'm really looking forward to my upcoming relaxing camping trip to just relax and breath for a bit.