Vicki's Life and Stitches

It's Been a Very Long Time

2010-06-25T10:50:00.004-06:00

So much has happened since I posted last. First off, no, DH has not found another job as of yet. He had an interview two weeks ago for one that would be perfect--full time middle school math tutor at a charter schools here in town. It's just a few blocks from our house and would be just the job for him. We've been anxiously waiting to hear something.

STITCHING UPDATES

I have managed a little stitching since I posted last, but actually not very much, considering my last post was May 5 and today is June 25!

Oakhaven Months SAL (I haven't done June yet)

Spring Sampler SAL - Page One Complete

Bittersweet Moon by Blackbird Designs

for Blackbird Designs Summer SAL

HAED Dragon Luck SK SAL

(I've made further progress since this

photo was taken)

TUSAL - 5/21/10

(More than a month late posting this!)

Also, I could have sworn I took

a mid-June photo of my TUSAL

I have one more start, but don't have a photo yet. It's "Frugal Samplings" by Waxing Moon Designs.

I'm doing 'Use It Up.' It will look like this when it's finished:

I've just made a smalls start on the top left border so far.

GARDEN PRETTIES

Our yard is full of beautiful blooms of all varieties. I can't help myself, but I'm out snapping photos nearly every day! So, I'll share some of them with you.

Bouquet of Roses from my Garden

that I brought to work last week:

A few of these next photos are late blooming tulips from our front yard.

I'll save photos of the vegetable garden for next time.

ILCS SUMMER EXCHANGE

I participated in a recent exchange on the ILCS Yahoo group. You were supposed to stitch an ornament that representated summer to you for your partner in the exchange. Here's the ornie I received from Emily:

Wonder how she knew how much I love flowers? :)

To me, summertime always means watermelon, so here's the ornie I did for Emily:

A fun exchange.....

THERE'S A NEW FROG IN TOWN....

Several weeks ago, I received the cutest card and my very own thread picker from Lisa. Isn't this frog adorable?!

I liked him so well, I ordered several from her. They should be arriving soon...can't wait to see what she's come up with.

This entry has gone on and on and on, and I haven't even said anything about Mother's Day, our trip over Memorial Day, and so many other things. Guess those will have to wait for another time.

I'm so close to 75 followers. I've decided once I get to 75, I'll host another giveaway, so stay tuned.

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Sad News--Don't Feel Like Stitching Today

2010-05-05T21:12:00.000-06:00

I have not stitched a stitch as of yet on my new blessings project. It's terrible how life gets in the way. I do have the fabric chosen, and I do have a bunch of ideas running around in my head. I'm very excited to get going on this! My squares are going to be 2" square; the more I thought about 1", the less I thought it would work well for me. My eventual goal is still 100 squares.

I really thought tonight would be 'the night' to start on this project; not to be. My DH has been retired going on 3 years now. He's been working very part-time at a local Sylvan Learning Center as an instructor for a couple of those years. As the economy has gotten worse, the number of students enrolled has steadily declined. While last year he was working 20+ hours a week most weeks, this winter he has been lucky to have 4 hours a week! We've had a feeling it was coming, but today he learned the center closes tomorrow. So, he'll be working his last two hours there tomorrow.

I'm sad for my DH, who was a teacher for the first 6 or 7 years of his 'after college' years. He taught junior high school, high school, community college, and freshman college courses. He spent the rest of his working life as a computer systems analyst (made a lot better money than teaching school). BUT, teaching was always his first love. I was thrilled for HIM that he got this chance to work with students again, at the end of his working years. He'll be 68 in September, so I'm not sure he'll get this chance again.

I'm also sad for those young minds who will miss out on getting to know my funny, smart, special DH and his fantastic sense of humor, as well as have the chance to improve their minds, particularly in all things math-related; (his expertise and first love). His expertise ranges from teaching a young child the basics of counting through most college-level mathematics courses. Needless to say, after that news, my mind hasn't been on stitching this evening.

Until next time...

Vicki in CO

Spring in Colorado and a Tale of Two Kitties

2010-05-03T13:40:00.002-06:00

FIRST DAY STITCHING OUTSIDE FOR 2010

Last Tuesday, the weather was just beautiful. When I got home from work, I decided to sit out back on the patio and stitch for a while. The cool metal sun above hangs on the back wall of the house. Here's a photo of my stitchin' spot:

We haven't brought out all our patio furniture yet, so I brought out a couple of old pillows from indoors to sit on. The little dog you can see behind the table is Miss Molly Noritake, our Japanese Chin (a rescue from the Humane Society believe it or not!). The sliders to the right go into the kitchen, the sliders behind Molly with the mirror finish go into the master bedroom.

I had a great time sitting outside for a while and made a small start on my first SYHO project. It's by Blue Ribbon Designs and is called Established With Love. I'm still working on the windows; it will be a while until mine looks likes this.

WEDNESDAY

Remember that 'Spring in Colorado' heading on this post? Here's why. This is the sight that greeted me when I looked out back about 6:45 as I was getting ready to head off for work. What a difference 12 hours can make! This snow was those big, fat, heavy, wet snowflakes so prominent in spring months. Oh joy!

And here's what my cozy stitchin' area looked like...

By the time I got home from work that day, we were back to spring (altho not spring temperatures). It remained fairly cool and windy right through the weekend. We are supposed to be back to high 60's today and into the 70's tomorrow. (Until the next cool, wet weather hits again) :(

GIFT OF A KITTY MUG

This morning, one of the MA's (medical assistant) at the Health Center where I work, brought me a wonderful kitty mug, filled with Starbuck's Chai Tea (my very favorite beverage!) Isn't this the cutest thing?!

BLOG GIVEAWAY WIN!

I won a giveaway at Prairie Grove Peddler blog recently. Look at the great chart she sent me:

She does a weekly giveaway, so you might want to check it out: Prairie Grove Peddler

NEW STASH!

A while back, I won a giveaway from Evalina's blog---a $20 gift certificate for my favorite ONS (of course I chose 123Stitch). I finally spent it; I used it to purchase the chart for Quaker Gone Tropic. At the same time, I ordered the floss and fabric. Doesn't all this look like a fun and yummy stitch?! Thanks once again Evalina!!

A FLEA MARKET FIND

Meari move over...for once I found a great deal at a flea market! Usually I'm reading Meari's blog in disbelief at the incredible deals she finds. A couple weeks ago, DH and I were trolling for an entirely different item at a flea market/antique shop about 20 miles from home. DH found the other item I was looking for (more about that in a future blog post).

Since moving into my new office in the fall, I've been wanting to put a live plant on a little table of some sort in the little alcove area. So, I was keeping my eyes on the various small tables I saw in the flea market. Yep, spied a likely candidate buried under a cookie jar, some other dishes, and a plant of some sort. Looked at the price tag...$14.95. Hmmm, sounds interesting. So, I move all the 'stuff' off the top and give it a closer inspection. It looks brand new!

When DH picks it up to inspect it further, we discover it is VERY heavy (solid wood), and the bottom is stamped 'Ethan Allen' (a fairly well known and moderately expensive) furniture store. Doing a search on their website, the closest-looking little table I can find retails for $499!

We found a very nice plant at Lowe's for under $15. I think it looks quite nice in the alcove at work. The little mini-quilt hung on the hanger on the wall is one of a series I started making last year. I need to get moving so June is ready to put up when it's time!

SMALL STITCHING UPDATE FOR LAST WEEK

I've almost completed Page 1 of the Spring Sampler. I am just loving this stitch! While I had full intentions of doing lots of stitching this past weekend, one thing led to another, and I ended up surfing the Internet for most of two days. Also watched 'Hotel For Dogs' (not nearly as cute as thought it was going to be), and assorted other movies. Hopefully I'll do much better in the stitching department this coming week.

STITCHING ORGANIZATION IDEA

Last, I wanted to share something I found that works really well for me to organize the stitching chart pages for current projects. Because I don't want to write on my actual chart, I always make a working copy of the chart. I actually like to enlarge it (since my eyesight is not great); so I like to scan the chart, make it into a PDF file and then use the Snapshot Tool to highlight a portion of the chart and then print it on a full page (which automatically enlarges the size of the chart grid to fill the page.

Now before anyone gets upset that I'm violating copyright law or some such; I am NOT sharing the file with anyone. I'm only enlarging and printing a working copy for my own use.

Anyway, here's a current example. I'm getting ready to start a LHN design, Coming to America, which comes all on one sheet of paper. I scanned the chart, made a PDF and broke the chart into SIX sheets for printing. That makes the chart a size I can see without difficulty. I also enlarge the key at the same time. So, now I have 7 sheets to work with for that one chart.

When picking up a prescription at Target the other day, I was browsing through their office supplies while I was waiting. I came across a heavy plastic folder that has the metal prongs to hook pages into. It also has front and back pockets. So, here's the great organizational tool I came up with from that find:

Front Cover

Inside Front Cover

Inside Pages (I used sheet protectors
to create the inside storage pages)

Inside Back Cover

I purchased a couple of these folders and as I complete a project, I'll just reuse the folder again for another project. Since they are made of plastic, they should last a long time and they only cost a few dollars.

RHUBARB RUNNING AMUCK

Last spring, DH was moving some plants around in the backyard. I distinctly remember him saying 'I'll just put the rhubarb in this clay pot 'temporarily' until I decide where to plant it. Well, look what happened this spring....

You can barely see the red clay pot underneath the leaves. I think his pot runneth over! :)

UH OH....WE HAVE A DROWNING VICTIM! DOES ANYONE KNOW CPR??

This photo doesn't begin to do this crisis justice! The other day one of my stitching magazines arrived in the mail. I was holding it under my chin, while standing at the kitchen sink, before retiring to my sewing room to look through the magazine. Sure enough, next thing I know, the magazine flapped it's wings and flew right into the sink which was full of water at the time! Let me say, the magazine was dripping; each and every page was well and truly wet. Not a pretty sight at all. I nearly cried. I emailed the company, explained what happened, and a nice lady responded right away, saying she'd send a new copy; no worries. The new copy arrived in today's mail.

SO, WHAT HAS LUCKY BEEN UP TO NOW??!...THE SCENE OF THE CRIME...

I know I keep whining about how much I want grandchildren. Well, guess I (almost) got my wish. Heard this noise in the kitchen the other night (I was sitting on the sofa in the upstairs family room watching TV). I didn't think too much about it. A little later, DH comes upstairs (he's watching baseball or some such sport on TV in the downstairs family room). He comes into the kitchen and wants to know why I left the cabinet door open under the sink? I say, "I haven't been in the kitchen since dinner."

He closes the door, and is standing at the fridge, refilling his iced tea glass. He says, "Come here, you need to see this." Okay....what do you suppose is going on? Lucky (the McDonald's bag kitty), is standing on his back feet, stretched up and he opens the cabinet door with his front paws. Within 10 seconds, Lucky and his pal Doc, are both inside the cabinet; happy as clams, snuggled up to the various bottles of cleanser, dish washing soap, etc. Good grief. DH's quick fix to that was the wooden spoon through the handles.

The next day, he finds them inside the bathroom cabinet (same exact cupboards with double doors). And a little later that day (you'll LOVE this!), DH opens the bottom drawer in the bathroom vanity (it has double doors and 3 drawers) to find Lucky lounging inside the drawer! Our guess is, Lucky opened the drawer and climbed in and Doc shut the drawer on him.

So, wonder if we are going to have to invest in those kid-proof latches for the inside of the doors and drawers once again?! Thought we were all through with that sort of thing.

My tale of two kitties draws to a close. Hopefully next week I'll have a lot more stitching to share.

Until then,

Happy Stitching and Happy Mother's Day! (Our son should be home this week for Mother's Day!) The sweetie hasn't missed being home for a Mother's Day since he moved away a couple years ago.

Vicki in CO

Cat in a Bag, Flowers, Flowers, Flowers and Stitching

2010-04-26T21:52:00.000-06:00

This is the back half and tail of Lucky, the kitten we rescued from the shelter in October 2009. You can read his story here. DH stopped at McDonald's the other night after work. Guess the empty sack just smelled too enticing; Lucky did his best to get his entire body inside the paper bag. Maybe DH should have asked for the bag to be 'super-sized' as well as his beverage!

SPRING HAS DEFINITELY SPRUNG!

I am so excited. While our Colorado spring weather has included warm days, windy days, rainy days, and even some snowy days; spring is definitely my favorite season. When we redid our backyard a couple of years ago, we planted a lot of tulips and daffodils. Last year, just as they were getting to the point of blooming, we had a really nasty storm that annialated them...no flowers to speak of. I was so bummed! This year, they have been blooming like crazy! Here's a bunch of photos for your enjoyment.

There was a story in our local newspaper last week about a woman who lives just a few blocks from us. She has planted over 5,000 tulips in her yard! She was welcoming people to come this past weekend to see them in full bloom. I would have loved to see that, but one thing led to another and we never made it there.

STITCHING UPDATE

I don't have a huge amount of stitching to show this time. I found myself with very good intentions, but little time spent with the needle in my hand. If everyone would stop talking so much on the lists and stop writing and posting such wonderful things on their blogs, I'd get a lot more stitching accomplished!

TUSAL

I'm very late in posting my TUSAL for the month. Ooops! It looks like there is some green floss trying to escape from the jar.

OAKHAVEN DIVA SAL

Here's my stitching on this new project as of April 18. This photo is kind of dark. Sorry. Believe it or not, the red on the left will be a cat. Once again, I used artistic license with my choice of floss colors.

OAKHAVEN 2010 MONTHS SAL

I finished April on Sunday, but not before doing a bit of ripping! I was stitching along and before I knew it, I'd put a leg on the 'P' and made it an 'R' so had to take that out. The month of May should be a really quick stitch.

Bride's Tree SAL - April Stitching Finished

The stitching is finished, but I still need to get the ornament put together. The background is the fabric I'm using for the back. I got the pins as a freebie in 'Cross Stitcher' magazine, Issue 224 that I picked up at Borders bookstore recently. The ribbon is from Michael's. I'll post another photo once it's all finished.

Wiehenburg Spring Quaker SAL

I simply couldn't resist this SAL! Her quaker designs are just lovely. I decided to go a bit outside the box with my fabric and stitching. The border all around is shown stitched in green. I simply could NOT bring myself to stitch the tulips in one of the motifs in green; so my tulips are pink. I'm using DMC floss and Silkweaver 28 ct Cashel Linen called Serenade.

This is what the sampler will look like when it's finished.

Counted Blessings - A New Project!!

Check out my new blog, Counted Blessings. I started this blog to record my progress on a project count my blessings. This will be done by stitching 100 - 1" squares. Each square will signify and illustrate one of the blessings in my life. It's not too late to join in this new endeavor. Check out Amy's Blog, Counting My Blessings to learn more about this project.

I'm still in the beginning stages of planning my project. I think I'm going to use a 28 ct Lugana from Enchanted Fabrics. It is called Mystique Bubblegum, a very nice, lightly marbled pink. It's my intention to use a variety of threads, buttons, beads, and other embellishments on this project. It will be quite a challenge to stitch 100 different blocks that are only 1" in size! Besides that, I've done very little embroidery, so that will definitely be a stretch for me. But, I hope I'm up for the challenge.

There are lots of other things I could share with you, but I think I'll call it quits for this entry. If you've read this far, I commend you, and appreciate you, as well as your comments, very very much!

I'll leave you with a couple photos of my 'stitching kitty' - Oreo Cookie. She is always wherever I am in the house, 'helping' me with my stitching every chance she gets. Unfortunately, her idea of helping is grabbing the floss and eating it.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Scissor Lovers---Run, Don't Walk!

2010-04-22T07:46:00.000-06:00

Wonderful giveaway at Jennifer's blog...

Wouldn't you love to own these?! Sign up by midnight on Mother's Day.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Great Birthday Giveaway

2010-04-12T22:24:00.000-06:00

My Internet friend, Vicky L, has a wonderful birthday giveaway on her blog. Head on over and help her celebrate a special birthday!

Happy Birthday Vicky!

Vicki in CO

A Surprise, Blog Awards, Stitching Finishes and a New SAL

2010-04-10T14:48:00.005-06:00

BIG SURPRISE

Thursday afternoon at work (April 1st), a florist delivered an absolutely gorgeous bouquet to me. The card says, "Happy Spring. Your Secret Pal." It was printed by the florist, so no handwriting to analyze. After asking all the prime suspects...DH, DS, co-workers, my staff, even my boss...I'm still at a loss as to who sent the flowers. I'd sure love to thank them.

Take a look...

Aren't they spectacular? You can't see the roses on the other side of the vase, but there are a bunch of them.

SPRING FLOWERS OUTSIDE

I took these photos a few days ago, of a few of the flowers blooming in our backyard. I'm so ready for warm weather every day and no more snow!

STITCHING UPDATES

LHN Fa-La-La Finished

Well, the stitching is finished at least. I still need to put the ornament together. I'm trying to decide what to use for the hanging cord. The background fabric in the photo will be on the back of the ornament.

LHN Pear Tree Finished

I started Pear Tree last weekend and just kept stitching on it until the next thing I knew, it was finished! This was the first time I've put on more than just a couple beads...I asked for some beading tips from my ILCS friends.

I still need to choose fabric for the back and get it finished into an ornament. (It is not framed, the gold frame is just a picture frame I added in my photo editing software).

I have not stitched on anything else, not even Everyone Needs Their Own Space, for a while now. Horrors! I am trying to decide which bunny design to use for the my April Bride's Tree SAL design. I thnk I have it narrowed down to two choices...Bunnies Galore from Brittercup Designs or Funny Bunny from Calico Crossroads.

A NEW SAL!

Yep, I've joined yet another SAL...SYHO (Stitch Your Heart Out). Of course, I'm a couple months behind, since it started in February. You can join anytime and you don't have to purchase kits, you can get just the charts. They also have a Yahoo group (info on the SAL blog).

I decided on kits so I'm not chasing down assorted threads, etc. Right now, I'm waiting for the first three kits to arrive (ordered from The Stitcher's Hideaway). When I stumbled onto this site, I just couldn't resist joining in.

The cool thing about this SAL is each month the design is from a different designer. The designers are:

Glendon Place

CherryWood Design Studio

Blue Ribbon Designs

Designs By Lisa

Homespun Elegance

Rosewood Manor

Ink Circles

Country Garden Stitchery

monsterbubbles

Myrtle Grace Motifs

Trail Creek Farm

La-D-Da

You need to stitch all of the designs on the same count fabridc; the kits all come with 32 count linen (in various colors). At the end, you will create a stitched Designer Encyclopedia from the designs. How cool is that? The designs are all 50 x 50, so quick stitches each month.

SCISSORS

ILCS members have been discussing their collections of scissors recently. I decided to try to round up my various scissors and take a photo of the whole bunch together. So, here it is:

The two-colored Little Gems in the bottom right came with the new Spring Fab Fob kit from Lizzie Kate (not stitched yet!). My only good, expensive pair is my treasured Gingher cloisonné pair in the center (purchased with a coupon at JoAnn's a few years ago). The others are inexpensive ones picked up here and there over the years. I really had no idea I had so many scissors until I gathered them up to put them in this photo!

Here is my new frog scissor fob from My Big Toe Designs: I just think he is so darn cute!

MYSTERY FLOWERS

I did finally find out where the beautiful flowers came from. I work with a company located in Texas (they are the managing underwriter for our student health insurance program at the university where I work). For the past several years, I've played some very ornery April Fool's jokes on the accountant there (he is the brother of the company president). He tried to retaliate one year, but it backfired on him and he hasn't tried since.

This year, I sent him a cute April Fool's Day t-shirt. On April 1, he sent me a couple photos his wife took that morning before he left for work (he wore the t-shirt to work that day). Of course, he was one of the first people I 'accused' of sending the wonderful flowers. He totally denied it, saying, 'I did not send you flowers. I don't even send my wife flowers.' It wasn't until the next day, that he e-mailed me, confessing they were from him. Altho, he said he really did not 'send' them, since the his brother's secretary actually ordered them. The stinker!

A couple days ago, the company president called to say something like 'he heard there had been some April Fool's pranks going on again.' I told him I'd be sending a thank you card soon, warning his brother that now he's set the bar, and I'd be expecting an even more wonderful bouquet next year! He admitted he was in on the prank as well, and said he'd been sitting there laughing when I was accusing his brother of sending the flowers. But, what a wonderful 'prank' it was! :)

SPRINGTIME MEANS...

Cleaning closets, switching fall/winter clothes for spring/summer. I started on this task when I got home from work yesterday. Pretty much finished it up this morning. It's always a nice surprise to see my clothes from the other seasons; kind of like seeing old friends after you haven't seen them in a while.

Now I have a pile of items to donate. I always photograph them, write down a short description of each item, then pack them up to drop off at a ARC Thrift Store. Each year, I burn a CD with the photos and keep it, along with the written description sheets with our tax records.

BLOG AWARDS

Some of my stitching/blogging friends were so kind recently; three of them awarded me the Beautiful Blogger Award! Thank you so very much for thinking of me my dear Evalina, Mare, and Shelley! It is wonderfully motivating to know that others are reading and, I hope, enjoying my ramblings.

The rules of Beautiful Blogger Award are simple:

Accept the award
Thank the person who gave you the award
Add a link to the person who gave you the award
Put the award on your blog
Write 10 things about yourself others might not know about you
Pass the award on to 10 others

TEN THINGS ABOUT MYSELF OTHERS MIGHT NOT KNOW

I lived in Guam in 1974-1975
I used to fly airplanes (yes, I used to be a private pilot)
I had 5th row seats for an Elvis Presley concert in Denver in 1969 (LOVE Elvis!)
My favorite flowers are Peace roses
In 8th grade, I won a typing award for 90 wpm with no errors on a manual typewriter
One of my favorite movies is Independence Day
I wear size 11 narrow shoes
I used to work at a nuclear generating station
I was first chair saxophone in band from middle school through high school
I am strangely fascinated by Adam Lambert, of American Idol fame

Try as I might, I totally fail at the last requirement, passing this award onto others. I read and appreciate such a vast array of blogs, I simply can't narrow it down to 10. Many of the blogs I would choose have received this award recently, and others I would not want to disappoint by having them think I overlooked them. So, I've decided not to pass the award on. If I could, I'd send the award to everyone whose blogs I read...you are ALL winners in my book!

One last thing for this VERY LONG post...

I'M A WINNER!!!

I recently posted about a giveaway Jennifer was hosting on her blog, Feathers in the Nest. She was giving away this great Waxing Moon chart, complete with threads and fabric. One of the best parts about this giveaway was the reason....her son, Brandon, was returning home from deployment safe and sound!

And, guess who won?! Little ole' ME!!! I'm so surprised and excited; can't wait for it to arrive! Many thanks for this great giveaway Jennifer. If you haven't already, you should take time to check out her blog. It's wonderful!

OK, I think that's it for now. Whew! Until next time...

Happy Stitching!!

Vicki in CO

Surprise Giveaway!

2010-04-01T09:24:00.000-06:00

Riet is hosting a surprise giveaway on her blog. If you haven't visited her blog, she posts the most wonderful photos of flowers, family, and scenery in the Netherlands.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Great Giveaway - Brandon's Homecoming Celebration!

2010-03-29T20:48:00.001-06:00

Check out this great giveaway! Enter thru April 5th.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

The Week in Review

2010-03-25T19:24:00.012-06:00

SPRING IN COLORADO

View of our back yard on Tuesday evening about 9 pm:

Before 5 pm on Tuesday, there was not a speck of snow in our yard. This storm dumped at least 7" in a few hours. Another winter storm predicted for tomorrow night and into Saturday. We are now at a snow total of 61.4" so far this year. An 'average' snow total for winter for our area is 32.6". We have defiinitely had a banner year for snow this year. Oh joy.

Our house is supposed to be re-shingled on Saturday morning. Maybe next week sometime? It's supposed to be close to the 70's then.

VISIT WITH OUR SON

We had a very nice visit with our son--we left home last Thursday about noon and returned home on Monday about noon. We forgot this past weekend was March Madness, which meant DH and DS spent a good deal of the time we were at his house doing some serious male bonding watching basketball and hockey on TV.

That wasn't ALL bad though, it gave me plenty of stitching time. I listened to the first in the 'Outlander' series on my IPOD and was a happy camper overall. Of course, the visit meant I made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies for DS (his very favorite).

LOTS OF STITCHING UPDATES

Bride's Tree SAL - March Finish!

First up is my completed March ornament for the Bride's Tree SAL. I stitched this design on the way to DS's and did the finishing today after work. The background in the photo is the fabric I used on the back of the ornment.

14 ct white AIDA

DMC Floss

Design from free booklet

with Cross Stitch Crazy magazine

LHN Ornament SAL

I am STILL trying to finish Fa-La-La, the first in this new LHN series. I tried to work on it at DS's but found myself frogging more than I was stitching, so finally gave up on it for the moment! That 30 ct linen and I do NOT seem to get along!

Bouquet for Cheryl SAL

This is the project I stitched on the majority of the time we were at our DS's. I am very close to being half finished now--woo hoo!

Everyone Needs Their Own Space

This one is still my current obsession, but I did NOT take it to DS's, so I haven't stitched on it a great deal this past week. But, some progress to show from my previous post about it. I just adore this one!!

HAED Dragon Luck SK SAL

After struggling with doing this one 2 over 1, I finally gave up and frogged the entire thing. I've started over doing 1 over 1 and it is going SO much better! This time I started in the center of the design, rather than the top left corner. Not a tremendous amount of progress to show as of yet, but it's a new start.

BLOG AWARDS

I received a blog award from Evalina and also from Mare, but will wait to post about that next time. Thank you both so much for thinking of me!!

GIVEAWAY WIN!

I was the lucky winner of a giveaway that Evalina had on her blog to celebrate her 20th anniversary of living in North America. The prize was a $20 gift certificate from your favorite ONS; of course I chose 123 Stitch. I've not decided yet how to spend it; I want the purchase to be something I REALLY want! Thanks SO much Evalina!!

That's it for this time.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Lots of Stitching

2010-03-16T19:09:00.001-06:00

In looking back at my recent blog entries, I see I've actually accomplished a bit of stitching I haven't posted. No new finishes, but some progress. :)

KUSTOM KRAFTS - EVERYONE NEEDS THEIR OWN SPACE

This one is my current obsession! I can't wait to get home from work every day to stitch on this! The new Needlework System 4 floor stand is definitely helping me with the progress. Here's how it looks as of last night:

I can just see the beginning of the basket handle; can't WAIT till I get to the kitty at the bottom of the design! What a fun stitch this is!!

KUSTOM KRAFTS SAL - NAPTIME DRAGON

I fear, stitching on the project above has made me seriously neglect this one, altho I do have a tiny bit of progress to show:

Here's what this one will look like when it's finished:

I've just barely made a start on the top left flower. I love the bright colors in this design.

LHN - Fa-La-La (ORNAMENT SAL)

I would really like to have this one finished up by the end of the month; we'll see how it goes. I haven't even finished the first ornament in this new series, while lots of the SAL participants have finished at least the first three. I'm a slug!

BOUQUET FOR CHERYL SAL

I'm on vacation for the next few days (yeah!) and am thinking I may concentrate on this one. I do have progress to show since I posted this one last though:

OAKHAVEN 2010 MONTHS SAL

I completed March a couple weeks ago but never posted it:

TUSAL AS OF MARCH 15

Last but not least, it's time once again to post progress on my TUSAL (Totally Useless SAL). You can find the link in the sidebar for more info on this SAL.

That's about it for now from my little spot in Colorado. My tulips and daffodils are coming up; weather prediction is for close to 70 tomorrow! BUT, rain/snow predicted for Thursday evening and into Friday/Saturday....that's springtime in Colorado. Can you believe March is generally our snowiest month of the year?! I sure hope that isn't the case for the second half of the month...we haven't had much here so far.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Overdue Update

2010-03-09T16:22:00.001-07:00

The Olympics had me totally engrossed...every minute I wasn't at work, I was watching the Olympics! Boy, did that hurt when my alarm went off at 6:00 am! I think I'm about caught up on my sleep now. I sure did enjoy watching all of those athletes compete; regardless of the country they were representing. Altho I admit, it was great to see the U.S. win so many medals.

STITCHING OBSESSION

Okay, I admit, I'm already obsessed with cross stitch. However, the past couple of weeks my stitching has taken a decidedly strange turn. While I have several projects underway, and generally rotate between them, I've found myself completely engrossed in one particular project...a long-time UFO that I started stitching again for two reasons:

Tuesday UFO night on ILCS list
UFO stitching on Kustom Krafts list

This project just happens to be one of Dyan Allaire's designs (Kustom Krafts). It's called "Everyone Needs Their Own Space." Since I started stitching on it again in January of this year, I've found myself wanting to work on it instead of anything else, and that's exactly what I've done the past couple weeks. I am astonished with the progress I've made on this in a month!

As of 3-7-10

As of 2-9-10

It may not look like a lot of progress to you, but considering my stitching time is limited to a little while in evenings after work and the time I can find on weekends, I'm really excited at the way this design is coming to life! Not to mention, I absolutely love the ease of reading the KK chart and the beautiful colors in the design.

NEEDLEWORK SYSTEM 4

Oh yes, I know I said I'd talk about the Needlework System 4. I AM now the proud owner of this awesome stand and couldn't be happier! It is absolutely THE best thing invented for stitching since the needle! It is adjustable to just the right height for my eyesight. The KK project is on scroll rods on the stand, and with my stitching glasses, I'm a serious two-handed stitcher. (NOTE: I don't stitch sitting in this recliner. I stitch sitting on the sofa next to this chair).

I also purchased the part that will hold q-snaps, but have not tried it out yet.

I did stitch a little on LHN 'Fa-La-La' but haven't taken a photo. I'll probably wait until I finish it up at this point.

LIFE IN GENERAL

I had a rotten cold last week (caught either from DH who had it a few days before, or from one of the staff at work).

Today I taught a new class for our Asian Pacific students on campus---giving them the basics of health insurance, information about our health center and student insurance. I sure do enjoy teaching, so every opportunity is always fun for me.

I started giving more thought to what I eat; back to basics--more fruits and veggies, more whole grains, less sugar and processed foods. I'm sure my blood sugar levels will appreciate the effort, and can't hurt the way my clothes fit either.

Spring Break is next week, so should be quiet on campus. I have a new temp employee starting on Monday; we can use an extra set of hands for preparing mailings, purging charts, etc. I plan to utilize her during Spring Break, again during the summer, and perhaps during Christmas Break this year.

Think that's about all of the excitement here for the moment.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Stitching Update

2010-02-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

While I love staying in touch with my stitching friends from all over the world, the past week I've been doing my best to stay away from the computer in the evening and weekend....stitching, stitching, and stitching (while glued to the TV watching the Olympics). I just love watching all the amazing athletes doing things I couldn't dream of doing! GO USA!!!!!

So, here's my updates for this week.

TUSAL

Yep, it's time to post the TUSAL (Totally Useless SAL) photo for February. I admit I'm sure I chose far too small of a container for this undertaking! Yikes!

BRIDE'S TREE SAL

I'm happy to say that I finished my February heart ornament tonight!! My 5th finish for 2010!

"Love" by Barbara Smith Cooley

Free Chart from Plum Pudding NeedleArt

Stitched on Silkweaver 28 ct Jobelan Solo (marble lavender)

DMC Thread

Backed with purple fabric from my stash

CHATELAINE ROSE GARDEN MANDALA SAL

I spent some time during the weekend working on this one. I'm finding it fun, but a low stitch (probably the stitcher, not the design!)

LHN MONTHLY ORNAMENT SAL

Still working on the January ornament, but I hope to finish it up by the end of the month. I stitched the girl yesterday. Ok, so I'm a couple months behind. I received the charts and fabric really late, plus I have waaaaaay too many SALS on the go! Yikes!

HAED DRAGON LUCK SK SAL

HUGE mistake to be doing this 2 over 1 on 25 ct! I will NEVER do this again! If I stitch another HAED, it will be 1 over 1, and perhaps on a smaller count fabric. This one is making me nuts; of course, the fact that I started in the top left, where it is all very dark colors, doesn't help a bit. Right now, it just looks like a very tight, thick, dark blob!

OAKHAVEN MONTHS 2010 SAL

I got this one caught up and finished February over the weekend.

LAST UP, BENT CREEK SNAPPERS

My traveling UFO turned WIP is coming along a bit, thanks to some recent trips to Denver. I'll be going to Denver tomorrow for a meeting and since I'm not driving, may get a few more stitches in, we'll see.

DH and I did make a trip to Diversions, a needlepoint store in Denver on Saturday (thanks much to the stitcher who told me about them!). They had the Needlework System 4 stand. More about that later...

Until then, Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

What's New Wednesday

2010-02-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

STITCHING FOR A CURE

I am so excited to show everyone the quilt that was made as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. Here's a photo of the completed quilt:

I stitched the yellow block, top row, third from the left. I chose this particular block in memory of my grandfather who died from bladder cancer. Woo Hoo! It means so much to me to be a part of this fundraiser.

Check out Donna's 'Stitching for a Cure' blog HERE for more information on these projects and to get involved.

LHN MONTHLY ORNAMENT SAL

I finally received my fabric and made a start on the first ornament in the new LHN series. It's called 'Fa-La-La' and it's so cute! Need to get busy with this stitching if I'm to keep up; I hope to have the first two ornaments stitched by March 1...we'll see how it goes.

LAST NIGHT'S STITCHING ON MY UFO

'EVERYONE NEEDS THEIR OWN SPACE' BY KUSTOM KRAFTS

I'm sooo close to finishing the top and starting my way down the left side! This one is so much fun to stitch; I don't really understand how it became a UFO in the first place.

Current Photo - as of 2-9-2010

Progress as of 2-7-2010

I think tonight I'll work some on my Chatelaine Romantic Rose Garden SAL project; I haven't made much of a start on that one yet.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Virtual Stitching Update and New Stitching Glasses

2010-02-07T15:51:00.003-07:00

STITCHING UPDATE

Yesterday I participated in a virtual stitch-in. DH and I ended up needing to run a few errands in the morning, so I didn't get started with my stitching until noon, but I still made good progress. I ended up spending the entire time working on the 'Bouquet for Cheryl' SAL that I'm doing with some other stitchers on Sticher's Showcase.

Here's what it looked like when I finished up last night:

And this is what it looked like when I started stitching yesterday:

Neither of these photos show the nice light lavender fabric I'm stitching this on. I am enjoying this stitch so much!

I almost forgot, I pulled out a UFO to stitch on during a couple trips I made to Denver this past week, it's the Bent Creek Snapper Series. I'm stitching them vertically on stitchband. This is how it look as of 2-5-2010:

Last time I stitched on it was 2-18-2008, here's how it looked then:

I think this will be my travel project for the moment; it's small enough to transport easily, and I really do like these designs.

I need to get busy the rest of today stitching on my Oakhaven Months SAL for February, and also on the February heart ornament for Bride's Tree SAL. I'm waiting on fabric to arrive from 123 Stitch to start the LHN ornaments and also for the Prairie Schooler ABC Stitching Bee.

Oh yes, my small LNS had a Superbowl Sale yesterday; everything in the store 20% off, and one item (your choice) 50% off (with the postcard they mailed you). I looked around a little, but actually only purchased two small Val's Stuff charts, a couple WDW threads I needed for a chart. I used the 50% off for a cute scissor fob that has a spool and thimble on the end. Only spent $18 total, so I was a very good girl indeed.

FLOOR STANDS FOR STITCHING

I'm seriously considering purchasing a new floor system called 'Needlework System 4' that I've heard about. All the reviews I've seen for this system seem to be extremely positive. Have any of you used this system? If so, what do you like and/or dislike about it? You can check it out HERE

I currently have the double-sided wooden floor stand by American Dream Products and while I like it for stitching a project that is currently set-up in it, it is NOT 'portable' to move around from place-to-place easily, or set up to easily switch projects.

I'd love to hear your comments on floor stands!

NEW STITCHING GLASSES

I took the afternoon off work on Friday and DH and I made a quick trip to Denver to go to a store that specializes in products for people with vision issues. The stitching glasses my eye doctor came up with for me were woefully inadequate for my needs, so I decided to try something else. They had just what I needed!

After trying several different strengths of glasses, I came home the proud owner of a slightly expensive but extremely functional pair of glasses that werre made in Germany. They have prism lenses and are +8 diopter strength! BUT, I can actually SEE to stitch up to 40 ct without any other magnifying aid! Woo Hoo! The other nice thing was, I was able to purchase them on the spot; didn't have to place an order and come back in 2 weeks to pick them up.

Now, these glasses mean that the focal length is fairly short (I think that's the right terminology), so I need the stitching 8-10" from my eyes in order for it to be in focus. I did find that a challenge yesterday while trying to

stitch with my lap stand. If I'm stitching with a smaller q-snap, hoop, or in-hand, it is not an issue at all.

As you can see from this photo, the lenses are very thick on the inside. However, these are actually not as thick as the lenses I wore all day every day for the past 57 years before my cataract surgery; and my lenses before were very thick on both ouside and inside edges. So, they don't feel like much to me.

Until next time - Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

PIF Winners!

2010-02-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

I said I would draw for this PIF on February 1; I just didn't have a chance yesterday to post the results. DH drew three names for me from those who posted comments saying they wanted to enter.

Drumroll.....THE WINNERS ARE:

Donna
Carissa
Gillie

I have an e-mail address for Donna, but I need Carissa and Gillie to please contact me. My e-mail is in my profile. Winners, let's keep this PIF moving forward....please post it on your blog and watch your snail mail for some stitching goodies from me.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

My Computer and Stitching - January 2010

2010-01-31T16:05:00.001-07:00

COMPUTERS...IT'S A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP!
(Warning, this is a long and miserable tale!)

I seriously doubt anyone reading this has not experienced the ups and downs of being a computer owner. It can be your best friend, 'Window' to the world (pun intended!), storage of the many small details of your life (bank account, income/expenses, photos, cross stitch patterns, knitting patterns...whatever your passion is), and so much more.

And I'm sure everyone has experienced that sinking feeling inside when something goes wrong with the computer. It might be a virus, faulty hardware, software incompatibility....dispair comes in many forms; but it can be gut-retching just the same.

The past few weeks I've had a continually frustrating series of major issues with my home computer. It all started when I was unable to install Turbo Tax 2009. I got a message saying it needed 'Windows .NET Framework 3.5' update installed in order to install. After much research on the Microsoft website, I concluded that it was a problem outside my comfort zone to solve.

We took it to the computer store at the university where I work, which is also where the computer was purchased. A couple days later, I got a phone call from the IT tech saying the system had a bunch of viruses and the hard drive needed to be re-formatted and Windows reinstalled. This was not good news; but wasn't as bad as it could have been, since the majority of my data is kept on a separate, external hard drive and backed up to CD periodically. It would require reinstalling all my software, which is time consuming but not overwhelming.

After a week in the shop, my computer is ready to come home. I begin by reinstalling my Microsoft Office 2007 Suite and get my e-mail up and running again. From that, I moved on to Turbo Tax. This time I was able to install it without problem.

In the next few days, I work to get the various software reinstalled and things seem to be fine. UNTIL I try to play a new CD on the computer. I put the CD in the drive, close it and wait for it to autoplay. The green light comes on, I can hear the disk spin briefly, then NOTHING. I try another music CD, I try a software CD; all with the same result, or should I say NO result?!

I check 'Computer,' yep, the DVD/CD drive shows up. I check 'Control Panel'. It has a message that the CD 'failed to start - Error 10.' It searches for a solution. 'No solution found.' Great. Now what?!

After trying numerous things, I can't get it to work. DH once again unplugs everything and takes it back to the computer shop the next morning. He calls me and says the check-in person says there are at least 40 computers ahead of mine, and will be at least two weeks before they can even look at it! That is like telling me I have only one hour left to live!! I ask, 'can they save my place in line and you can bring it back when they are about ready to be able to look at it?' No. The machine must be physically checked-in and kept by them. Wonderful; just like a terrible toothache!

So, I suggest he take it to our local Best Buy to see if they can look at it sooner. While we are talking, the check-in person apparently looked up my computer in their system and tells DH, 'Oh, it's still under warranty. Tell her to call Dell directlly. They should be able to help out much sooner than we can.' OK, maybe there is hope that I won't be a victim of the shakes from computer withdrawal!

When I get off work that day, I race home and call the support number at Dell. After quite a long wait on hold, I finally get a live person. I explain the problem and she says, ' Oh, no problem. We'll send out a new drive and a Dell-certified tech will come to your house and install it.' That sounds promising.. How long will this take? 'They should call you tomorrow.' Wow.

Sure enough, early the next morning, the tech calls and comes over an hour later. It takes him about 3 minutes to install the new drive. However, when we try the new drive, same exact error message as before. (How did I KNOW this was going way too well?!) He says I need to call Dell again and explain that didn't fix the problem.

I get someone on the phone at Dell and explain the situation. 'Oh, no problem. We'll send out another new drive, a new motherboard and a new cable.' Okay. (in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, I just don't think that is going to fix the problem). The same tech comes out the next day, removes and replaces all those computer parts. You guessed it...SAME error message.

Oh man! This time, the tech calls Dell and after having a discussion with them, asks DH for the OS disk that came with my computer (I'm at work and miss out on all this excitement). The tech starts reinstalling Windows on my computer, leaves and gives DH a short messsage for me. I get home, the install was waiting for someone to click 'accept' on one of those install agreement messages that we've all seen and never read. I 'accept' and it takes over an hour for the OS to reinstall.

Alrighty, that is done. Problem fixed? Not quite. The drive now works (finally), but there is a new issue. The computer will not connect to the Internet via our old-fashioned home network with router and hub. After recycling the hub and cable modem downstairs a couple times with no result, I make yet another call to Dell.

After waiting at least 45 minutes on hold, I get someone who listens to my tale of woe. She asks if I have another disk that came with the computer. Yes, I have another one that has never been opened. She walks me through installing it and then explains I need to unzip, extact and install each of the drivers checked on one of the screens. She gives me an extension number and says to call the support number and use that extension if I have further difficulty. Getting all that accomplished takes the rest of my evening. But, eureka, the computer finally connects to the Internet.

Of course, since I now had the orignal version of Windows VISTA Business that came with my computer, once I was back online, the Windows Update function found a TON of updates it wanted to install to get the OS up-to-date (121 the first time!). I started those installing and went to bed!

The next morning, there is a message waiting on the screen telling me that 14 of the updates 'failed.' Wonderful. And even better, guess what? You guessed it....one of those that 'failed' is the '.NET Framework 3.5' that started this whole mess!!! At this point, I'm ready to cry or throw the dang computer out in the snow.

So, once again, when I get home from work, I get on the phone to call Dell. I enter the extension number the woman had given me. I get a young man on the phone within a matter of 5 minutes. After going through the whole tale once again, he informs me, 'Windows is a third-party software to Dell. Therefore, we cannot assist you with issues related to it. You will have to speak to Microsoft or speak to one of our fee-based support people.' At this point I was at the end of my patience! I informed him that I was not paying a CENT for help with this issue, since one of their Dell-certified techs had seen fit to reinstall Windows on my computer without my knowledge. He tells me to 'hold on, he'll transfer me.'

I'm figuring he'll transfer my call to Siberia and will either be on hold for the rest of my life, or I'll soon fine myself with a dial tone in my ear. Instead, after pressing '1' for this and '3' for that option, I actually get a live person on the phone. This time, it is a very very nice woman. After I explain (yet again!) what is going on, she says, 'I understand. I can help you with that.' WHAT? You're kidding?!

She connects to my desktop remotely, looks at a couple things, goes to Microsoft's website, downloads and installs three items, then is able to install all of the 'failed' Windows updates! After restarting the computer, she asks me to try installing Turbo Tax. It works!! The DVD/CD drive is still working. Could the problems actually be fixed finally?!

The answer to that question remains to be seen, but at least for now, everything seems to be okay. I'm still working to get my software installed once again.

STITCHING UPDATES

The computer fiasco cut into my sewing time this past week, but I did actually accomplish some stitching on my Tuesday UFO/KustomKrafts SAL--'Everyone Needs Their Own Space' by KustomKrafts. Now that I'm working on this one again, it's one of my favorites to work on. Here's an updated photo.

No new updates on any of my others SALS, but I did join another one! Tonia from Oakhaven is hosting a 'Months 2010' sampler SAL on her Yahoo group. I recently joined the list and all of my stitching time yesterday went to completing January from start to finish. Here's how this one looks.

I'll leave you with a photo of my TUSAL as it appears on this, the final day of January 2010.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

One More Finish and SAL Updates

2010-01-24T21:04:00.006-07:00

I wanted to post an update tonight because once again, my computer must go into the shop. Late last week, the DVD/CD drive stopped working. The light on it goes on, DVD/CD spins, but won't do anything. The computer says the drive 'cannot start - Error 10' or some such nonsense. Tried updating the driver; it tells me that the driver is up-to-date. I'm at a loss on how to fix whatever it's malfunction is. Grrr! So, this will be my last post for at least a few days.

A NEW FINISH IS FRAMED

I finished LHN Heart & Home Sampler last week, but was waiting on the beads for the berries to arrive. I got those sewn on yesterday and got it framed in a little Mill Hill frame. Not sure of the final destination of this one yet.

Also, this LHN project is my January finish for the Bride's Tree SAL.

SAL UPDATES

HAED Storykeep Dragon Luck SAL

I got started on this one on Friday, January 22. Boy, stitching 2 over 1 on 25 ct is a bit of a challenge for me. Now that I'm started, wish I had tried using just one strand of floss instead of two. This is antique white fabric (must be the fault of the cummy photographer - me!)

25 ct Antique White Lugana, DMC floss 2 over 1

Victorian Christmas Stocking SAL - Stitcher's Studio

I finally got a bit of a start on this one; worked on it last evening and also a while today. This one has been a fun stitch so far! I started at the very top left corner of the stocking (that seems to be my current favorite starting point in a chart).

25 ct Mushroom Lugana - DMC Floss

Here's what it will look like when it's finished someday.

Totally Useless SAL

As I was browsing blogs today, I came across another SAL I just HAD to join. This one requires you to find a see-through container. You then collect all your 'stitching throw aways' - regular ORTS (thread ends), broken needles, stray beads, labels from floss skeins, etc. Once a month on the date of the New Moon, you post a progress photo of your Totally Useless SAL on your blog. Check it out for yourself; it's not too late to join.

Here's my barely-started collection of 'stiching throw aways' for this year's SAL:

This an old jar candle container; the black you see in the bottom is the little metal thing that held the end of the wick. I've done everything I can think of to get that out, but not luck. I think I'm going to come up with some sort of stitched topper for the jar at some point.

COLORADO QUILTING COUNCIL (CQC) MEETING

I didn't get as much stitching in this weekend as I would have liked. Saturday was the monthly CQC meeting. It was in the Denver area this year, so about an hour's drive from us. We went with a friend from our local quilt guild. The speaker was Annie Smith. Her talk was "Help! My Fabric Stash is Growing and I Can't Make It Stop!'

This meeting was jammed with people--250 members and 30 guests in attendance! A fellow quilter/cross stitcher from ILCS, Joan, is also a CQC member. We had agreed to look for each other during the break. No such luck. There were just too many people! So, next month we'll plan a specific spot to meet and hopefully we'll find each other and can have a chance to talk for at least a few minutes.

THE WEEK AHEAD

It will be a very busy week at work. Tomorrow is a full day meeting with the insurance managing underwriter who is here from Texas to work on our renewal for the student health insurance I manage. Tuesday, I'll be staffing a table for an event from 5:00-8:00 pm to talk to prospective students and their parents. So, I plan to do my Tuesday UFO stitching on Monday this week (Everyone Needs Their Own Space).

I'm really hoping to get my new glasses early this week. I am so tired of constantly switching readers for the computer or for reading. It is a pain!

Think that's it for now. While I sure hope my computer is not out of commission for long, I will get more stitching done while it's away. :)

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Very Stitchy Update

2010-01-20T21:51:00.001-07:00

Wow, I'm amazed at how much stitching I accomplished when my computer was in the shop! Now that it's back home and I have most of my software up and running again, I've been trying madly to catch up with everyone's posts and blogs. Whew! You all talk SOO much; how on earth do you get so much stitching accomplished? It is a total mystery to me.

The other thing I decided, something I should have realized a long time ago, if I don't enjoy what I'm stitching, then why am I stitching it? The projects I'm working on right now are all so much fun, and that is truly what this hobby should be about. Artistic expression, no matter the medium, should be about the enjoyment of the process, not about how fast you finish, or even necessarily about the finished project. This seemed like a revelation to me.

THREE FINISHES!

But, I digress. Up first, Elvis is finally finished and framed, altho not on the wall as of yet. It's close to a month late, since it was to be a Christmas gift for DH, but what can I say? Surgery definitely got in the way.

Normally I don't use glass on my framed items, but with our fur babies, I figured it wouldn't hurt on this one since it is all black stitching. The photo doesn't do it justice; it is a double mat and a flat black frame.

I finished a long-standing UFO, Ascot Albert Wizzer ornament. The first photo is how he looked on 8/17/07, when I last worked on him! I love Rene's idea of having a theme tree during the year, so I'm thinking various snowmen would be great for January. So, I have one (pretty bare tree)! :)

Here he is finished. Yes, our little tabletop tree is still out; I'm waiting on DH to bring up the plastic tubs from downstairs so I can take the Christmas decorations down.

I have one more small finish, actually for a SAL, but won't show it until it is framed. I'm actually waiting on some beads from 123 Stitch, which should arrive tomorrow.

SAL PROJECTS

Heaven help me, I have joined so many SALS this year, I think I need to give up sleeping to have a prayer at keeping up!

Bouquet for Cheryl

This one is a pure pleasure to stitch! I could easily keep on stitching and stiching, but I'm trying to do a sort of rotation with the various projects I have going. I tried photographing this in several different room, and even outside, but the lavendar fabric just refuses to look right on the computer.

My chosen fabric is a Silkweaver Solo, 28 ct. Jobelan. It is a lightly marbled lavender.The threads I'm using are Carrie's Creation 'Lumière de Cheryl.' This floss was dyed by Carrie's Creations especially for Cheryl Miller. I purchased it a while back, with the intention of using it for this free chart, but just hadn't gotten around to stitching it. This SAL makes that possible!

Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine - Martina Weber

A very small start on this one. I admit I'm a bit intimidated with all the beads and directions on this one! I love how the mandalas look; just hope I'm up to the stitching! This beautiful design was in the September 2009 issue of the wonderful online stitching magazine, The Gift of Stitching.

Everyone Needs Their Own Space by KustomKrafts

I started on this a couple years ago as a SAL on KustomKrafts list. This was my progress as of 3/10/07. I pulled this one out again and am working on it on Tuesdays as my SAL with the ILCS list and also as my UFO SAL on the KustomKrafts list. It is such a beautiful design; sure would be nice if I could get it finished by the end of 2010!

Silkweaver 28 ct Jobelan - Spring Garden, DMC Floss

This is my progress as of today. I've finished a section and will soon be ready to work down the left side of the design. Woo Hoo!

This is what the finished product will look like someday. Isn't is awesome?

Other SALS - HAED

Alas, I have several other SALS for the new year that I have kitted up but have yet to put a stitch in!

One is my very first try at a HAED design. You signed up and chose one of four storykeep designs to stitch. During the SAL, you have to post at least three progress photos. It doesn't matter how far you get in the project, it is the fact that you do post three and make some progress each time. At the end of the SAL, you recieve the other three designs. How cool is that; four HAED storykeep designs for free?

Since this is my first HAED design, I thought it was good to start with something fairly small. The one I choose--Dragon Luck, is 50w x 178H. I'll be using Antique White 25 ct Lugana and DMC floss, and stitching 1 over 1. I'll post progress photos once I actually get started on this.

Other SALS - Victorian Christmas Stocking

Rae, from one of the lists I'm on, is hosting a SAL to stitch a Victorian Christmas Stocking. The original designs were from a magazine called Cross Stitch & Country Crafts. They also appeared in a book compilation. I was looking for something else a while back and found a pile of these magazines (I'm guessing one of my eBay purchases a while back). There they were; the issues with the various designs! I'm planning to stitch the one called 'Stitcher's Studio' from the July/Aug 1989 issue. This will be on 25 ct Mushroom Lugana. I hope to get a start on this one in the next couple days as well.

Still Another SAL - LHN Monthly Ornament Stitch-Along Too

I really like the charts by Little House Needleworks, and in the spirit of creating lots and lots of new ornaments, I joined this SAL to stitch the new monthly ornament series they are putting out. I have the first two charts and that's as far as that has gone so far!

And Still More - Bride's Tree SAL

The Bride's Tree is a German tradition. It's believed that a couple's Christmas tree needs twelve specific ornaments for happiness in their life yourney together. This SAL gives you the theme for the month and you choose the design to stitch. It doesn't have to be finished into an ornament. January is a house, which symbolizes shelter. I have the stitching on this one done, but don't want to show it yet because I need to finish it. This one will not be an ornament.

Yep, Another One - Mary Wigham USA SAL

This great sampler is available for FREE download from Needleprint. This is an idea of what it will look like when it's finished, although my colors won't be exactly the same.

I've made a VERY small start on this one so far; not enough to post.

Last One (I Think) - Brooke's Books - Stitcher's Alphabet SAL

These FREE designs are just adorable; each block is 31 x 36 stitches. Right now, A-O are available for download. I haven't started this yet, but I just love the possibilities for these cute designs. At the very least, I will be collecting all of these for stitching at a later date.

Whew! If you read all the way to the end, I commend you! And, putting it all down in writing, I know for sure that I need a SERIOUS 12-Step Program for this SAL addiction!! But, what a lot of great stitching!

Just for staying with me for all of this, I'll leave you with an updated photo of our dumpster rescue kitty---Lucky aka 'Little Squirt.'

Happy Stitching!!

Vicki in CO

Here's a Great Giveaway!

2010-01-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

You need to check this giveaway out if you are a cross stitcher! I would sure like to win this one myself. Entries close on January 31, so hurry over and leave a comment.

Look at all these LHN charts and the awesome wood thread organizer!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

READY FOR A PIF?

2010-01-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

I was the lucky recipient of a PIF on Evalina's blog. She will be sending me 5 stitchy things, so, it's my turn to Pay It Forward.

The rules are as follows:

Send no less than 5 stitching related items per person within the next 365 days.
Items can be DMC, other threads, stitching needles, straight pins, buttons, scissors, ribbons, etc. - a combination of items such as 3 threads, 1 pack of straight pins and 1 pack of stitching needles or just 5 threads.
The items must be new and not used. (Send things you'd be happy to receive.)

If I choose you, you must be willing to post this PIF on your blog and do the same for at least 2 people.

If you would like to join in, leave a comment for this post. Be sure to leave me your e-mail address so I can contact you! I'll be choosing three winners on February 1st, to give everyone who is interested in participating time to comment.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

2010 Olympic Reading Challenge

2010-01-04T14:00:00.002-07:00

I've decided to join the reading challenge hosted on another blog. Thanks to Vickie for hosting this! Since I tend to read very long books, I signed up for the Bronze level. I'll keep track of what I read in the sidebar of my blog. Right now I'm actually reading two books, "The Fiery Cross" by Diana Gabaldon and "Dead Ringer" by Lisa Scottoline. I've been reading the Outlander series for a good year, but tend to read other, shorter novels at the same time.

So, if you like to read, hop on over to Vickie's blog and join in!

Happy Stitching (and Reading!)

Vicki in CO

TGOSM Ornament Exchange

2010-01-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I realized I never posted a photo of the wonderful ornament I received from Cindy D. in the TGOSM exchange. Isn't it great?! It's a Prairie Schooler design and I love the way she added sparklies for stars.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Goodbye 2009 and Hello 2010!

2010-01-02T20:41:00.003-07:00

FIRST FINISH FOR 2010!

I spent a lot of time the past couple days stitching on my quilt block for the SFAC Quilt, and it is my first fiinish for 2010! My block is in memory of my grandfather who died from bladder cancer way back in 1976. I'll be sending this off to Donna next week.

GOODBYE TO 2009

December was definitely a busy month at our house.

Lots of snow--over 16" of the 39.1" we've had so far this winter.

I had cataract surgery on December 3 and 10. I'm now seeing 20/20 in my left eye and 20/25 in my right eye! I have never seen better than 20/40 in my entire life, even with my coke-bottle thick trifocal glasses! This had been quite a big change for me. Now I just need the inexpensive readers available from most any store instead of the old $600+ glasses!

December 14th brought back surgery for me--a laminectomy of L-3 to remove bone spurs from my extensive arthritis and two cysts. The surgery meant a couple days in the hospital and a couple weeks recovery at home. It's been a challenge to get back to 'normal' activities, and I'm still struggling with fatigue and lack of energy some days, but I'lll go back to work at least part-time on January 4th. The good thing is the surgery seems to have resolved the intense pain I've been experiencing down both legs.

Look at the absolutely gorgeous crocheted afghan one of my staff, Cece, made for me! That's our year-old Golden Retriever, Murphy on the right.

Pieceable Friends, the local quilt guild I belong to, brought over a comfort quilt and sent me a nice Get Well card.

Because of my back surgery, we weren't able to go to our son's house (250 miles away) for Christmas. This was the first Christmas since he was born that we haven't all been together on December 24 and 25. DH and I spent a quiet day watching movies on TV. Our wonderful next door neighbors brought us a wonderful Christmas dinner.

Our son WAS able to come home the next week for a couple days, so we actually celebrated Christmas with him on December 29th. Gifts were very small and inexpensive this year, but that's okay, the important thing is, we were together.

STITCHING UPDATE

I didn't feel up to stitching for quite a while after my surgery, so didn't finish the Elvis cross stitch I'm working on for DH. But, here's my progress to date.

I'm trying to catch up on the various lists I'm on, and getting stitching organized for 2010, I'm signed up for several SAL's, as well as have a long list of items I want to stitch. So, I hope I can be productive this year.

Wishing everyone a wonderful, happy and healthy New Year!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Check Out This Great Blog Giveaway!

2009-12-12T09:03:00.001-07:00

Jennifer is having a wonderful blog giveaway!

WOW! OH HOW I LOVE GIVEAWAYS!!!!

I just get all excited and wish and wish I could win!

I just love scissors.... there are way too many to drool over!

December 15th is the deadline to enter!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

ILCS Sock- It To Me Santa Exchange et al.

2009-12-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Birthday

Here I am on my birthday, in very cold Colorado...last I heard our current wind chill was -13. Expected actual low tonight is to be -17. Brrrrr! You can bet I have the fireplace going! DH called me at work today to ask where I wanted to go for dinner for my birthday. I told him home to have leftover chili and cinnamon rolls! Guess I'm getting old.

I received a great birthday gift from one of my staff, Darya. It's a wonderful glass cutting board with the exact same kitty design as one of the notepads I received yesterday from Nancy. Guess they know what I like.

It's about 9" x 10". I'm actually considering displaying it at work in one of my bookshelves on an easel. Don't you think it is way too pretty to slice tomatoes or potatoes on?

ILCS Sock It To Me Santa Exchange

Today's mail brought me a wonderful exchange from Rene la Frog. Look at all the great goodies she sent!

I've had one pair of toe-socks before and loved them. Can't wait to wear these---you can bet they will be on my feet tomorrow. They will be perfect with my blue Christmas sweater with white stitched snowflakes!

She also sent a tiny 'Doodles' kit that is complete with a snowman button, my favorite John James tapestry petites, a skein of Threadworx (I've never had any of this brand before), and a cute Stitch A Card kit. She totally spoiled me!

However, the most exciting item in this exchange was the absolutely awesome snowman scissor fob Rene made for me. I've actually never owned a fob before. This genius fob deserves it's own photo. If you look carefully, you can see that the beads and black in between each make little snowmen! Is that cute or what?! I put this on my very best pair of embroidery scissors...my cloisonné Gingher's.

'Ring Around The Rosie' (one more time!)

I posted the framed 'Ring Around The Rosie' Hummel I'll be giving Nancy at her retirement luncheon tomorrow, but I think the post got lost in all of the updates I did. So, here it is once again for your viewing pleasure....

This is 18" x 18" framed. I'm extremely proud of it; it's one my largest completed cross stitches so far.

Our next door neighbor works for a framd shop and I gave her the cross stitch and told her to 'do what she felt was right' to mat and frame it. I think she did a wonderful job! Here's a close-up of the frame.

That's it for now. Happy Stitching!

Vicki in Cold and Snowy Colorado

Birthday and Christmas

2009-12-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my 57th birthday. Yikes! How did all those years go by so fast? It seems incredible to me. But, spending 38 of those years with my DH, one of the very best husbands in the entire world, have made those years very very special and wonderful, no matter the challenges and obstacles over the years. And, I must also give credit for a wonderful life to our stupendous son, Carl, the joy of my life.

Enough of the serious stuff, I want to show you the wonderful birthday gift Nancy gave me today:

The green fabric bag is a wonderful mix for 'Creamy White Chicken Chili Soup.' It is from a local company called Warm Hugs.

My supervisor, Cindy, gave me my gift last week. We work in different parts of campus, so don't actually see each other in person very often, but we keep in constant touch via e-mail. She has called my 'Wonder Woman' for years, so what else but a Wonder Woman PEZ dispenser?! Over the years, she's given me a Wonder woman address book, Wonder Woman shirt....it is an ongoing joke with us.

She also gave me a wonderful tin of pomegranate tea, but that is already residing in my 'food/beverage' cabinet in my office. :)

This moring, my department had our annual gift exchange and holiday get-together. Wonderful food and great conversation. We draw names and exchange gifts. This year, Connie got my name. She really spoiled me with some wonderful edible goodies from Harry & David.

Don't you love the eyes on that reindeer cookie?! Oh yes, the mini loaf at the bottom was a gift from Nancy. Yum!

One other gift found it's way to my desk this morning. This one is from Liz. I'm not going to open it until Christmas. From the shape, I suspect it is a CD of some sort. What do you think? The snowman on the bow is a pin I can wear after I open it. Doesn't she do a lovely wrapping job? Almost too pretty to open.

OK, that's all the updates for now. The next update will probably be this weekend, after my second cataract surgery. I'm excited for Thursday!

Until then,

Happy Stitching and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

Vicki in CO

My New Office

2009-12-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, today is the day for lots of blog updates for me. At long last, here's a couple of photos taken of my new office. As you can see, these were taken when I first moved in--before Thanksgiving (even though I already had a poinsettia on my desk. The decor has now changed to a Christmas theme. No, I don't have any new photos. :)

I absolutely adore my new office. It is so nice to have space to hold meetings. My concentration level has also greatly improved without the constant interruptions in my old space.

Alas, I'm still not quite unpacked. There are at least five boxes left to unpack, and I also need to organize my bookcases. I try to work on one small area each day.

This is looking into my office from the lobby area.

This is looking from my desk back at the front door. In the back left of the room, there is also a door from my office into the workroom/kitchen area. That is very handy because there is a refrigerator and microwave in the next room

One last photo...this one is my new credenza. I've been constantly rearranging things on it; I can't decide for sure exactly how I want to utilize it. I think the 3-in-1 scanner/fax/printer on my 2-drawer file will be moving to the right side of the credenza because I'll be getting a new scanner for use with one of our internal systems soon. I use the 3-in-1 as a copier for single copies and for scanning at the moment. My printer is a new laser printer that sits on the counter across from my desk.

I already loved my job, but working in this new, spacious office makes going to work a joy!

Still more updates to come....

Vicki in CO

"Ring Around The Rosie" Framed and "Elvis" Update

2009-12-07T17:55:00.002-07:00

Finally got some photos taken of the Hummel design for Nancy, This is her retirement gift. A group of us are supposed to go to lunch on Wednesday to celebrate her retirement. Sure hope the snow doesn't cuase us to postpone to a later date!

I'm really excited to give this to her! She collects Hummel figurines and I think she is going to love it.

I think the framing turned out wonderful. Our next door neighbor works at a framing store and she chose the mats and frame. The size of the frame is 18" x 18". DH got a specially made box from a packaging store so I can wrap it properly.

Here's a close-up of the stitching.

And here's a close-up of the frame.

I worked on Elvis just a little bit in the past week. I can see him coming to life; sure hope I can get this finished up and framed for DH by Christmas!

Lots more updates on other subjects, but I'll save them for another post.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

A Bit of a Stitching Update

2009-11-30T22:09:00.000-07:00

Holy cow! Life is just too hectic to accomplish half of what I need to! Today was the last work day for one of my staff. We have worked together for 20 years! She will definitely be missed. The only consolation is, her replacement is hired and will start work tomorrow morning.

I have her retirement gift back from the framer. DH got a box made especially to fit it today from the packaging store (it is 18" x 18"). Now I need to get to the store to find some nice wrapping paper, tissue paper for inside, etc. I'll give it to her next week at the retirement luncheon we're having for her at a local restaurant. I KNOW I took some photos of it, but darned if I can find them right now. So, guess the photo will have to come in another update. It is the Hummel 'Ring Around The Rosie' I finished up the backstitching on recently.

My first cataract surgery is coming up on Thursday this week. Tomorrow my work day will be engulfed with the monthly epidemiology meeting at our County Health Department, a seasonal flu shot clinic for our campus community in the morning and an H1N1 clinic in the afternoon. I'm tired already just thinking about it! A fair portion of Wednesday will be spent at the hospital getting all the pre-op lab tests, X-rays, EKG, etc. done before my back surgery on December 14.

But, I wanted to at least post a little stitching update. I haven't worked on the Snowman Welcome Banner for a week, but here's my update on it from November 21.

While we were at our son's house for Thanksgiving (Wednesday-Sunday), I did get some stitching in. I finished up the stitching on my entry for TGOSM Challenge #1. I did the finishing after work today (see the entry below).

I've been working on an Elvis project for my DH for Christmas. No idea where I found this chart; somewhere on the Internet. The printout I have says it was printed in 2006. Long story about why Elvis. I'll save that for another day.

This is the progress I made on Friday. NO Black Friday shopping for us!

OK, that's it for now. I need to get off to bed. One last thing, I love to read everyone's blogs and posts, but at the moment, simply haven't had time to comment nearly as often as I'd like. I sure hope the new year brings some peace to my life! After all the surgeries in December, I sure hope to go into 2010 with a whole new outlook on life.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

TGOSM Creative Cross Stitch Challenge #1

2009-11-30T21:07:00.001-07:00

Kirstin Edwards, from the wonderful online stitcher's magazine, The Gift of Stitching, has issued a challenge to stitch a motif and finish it in some way. I love Christmas, it is definitely my favorite time of year. So, since it 'tis the season, what else to do with the motif but make a Christmas ornament. Without further ado, here's my attempt at the challenge.

You can click on the image for a larger view. I tried over and over, but failed to capture the gorgeous opalescent fabric it is stitched on! It's a 28 ct Solo from Silkweaver.

Here's the back of the ornament.

The thread I used is a silk from Vicki Clayton (Hand-Dyedfibers.com) called Zaffre Cobalt. Again, the photo doesn't do justice to the luscious color changes in this varigated silk thread.

This was a very fun stitch!

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

PIF Winners

2009-11-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

OK, I said I would announce the PIF winners on November 15. That's today! So, since I had four comments, I will PIF all four who entered:

Leah
Trecie
Deb
Mare

Congratulations! Sometime within the next year you will each receive a small, handmade gift from me. I will contact each of you by e-mail. Please send me your mailing address. And, now it's your turn to pass it along....post the PIF on your blog and pass it on!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Life's Craziness and a Little Stitching

2009-11-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

FABRIC FOR 'BOUQUET FOR CHERYL' SAL

Ok, I asked for your help in choosing fabric for this SAL. I had narrowed it down to 'Ray of Light' (pale yellow) or a Silkweaver Solo (a soft lavender). Here's how you voted:

Ray of Light - 8
Lavender - 9

Very close, no wonder this choice was giving me so much trouble! So, lavender it will be. Thanks for everyone's input!

I'M FALLING APART!

My goodness, my life has been crazy lately! Saw my eye doctor this past week for my annual check-up. I am extremely nearsighted and have worn bifocals since I was 5 and trifocals for over 20 years. My doctor has been watching my cataracts for about 10 years now, prolonging surgery until they were bad enough to warrant it. Well, the time has come. So, I'm scheduled for surgery on my right eye on December 3 and December 10 for the left one.

Now, don't forget, I'm scheduled for back surgery on December 14. So, for the cataract surgery to take place, I need approval from the back surgeon. He's out of town until some time this next week.

Considering my job (at a University), December is the best time of the year for all of this health stuff. So, I'm hoping it all works out. DH and I are scheduled to go to the hospital this Thursday morning for a class about the surgery.

OUR 38th ANNIVERSARY

We celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary on Thursday, November 12. My wonderful DH brought me the most beautiful bouquet of pink roses to work. It is in the most unusual vases I've ever seen; Ijust love it! He is definitely a keeper!

That evening we went to Olive Garden for a nice dinner. Looking forward to many more years together. We agreed on 126 years when we got married, so we still have a lot of years to go.

STITCHING UFO STYLE

ILCS list (my very favorite stitching list), is doing 'UFO Tuesday,' which will hopefully help me dig out some of the numerous UFO's I have hidden away in drawers and closets and get them finished. So, for the first UFO, I chose a cute Lizzie Kate design I started quite some time ago, 'Fall Y'all.' Here's a photo as it appeared when I stitched on it last, way back on 9/30/07!

And here's how it looks after some stitching on Tuesday evening.

Can't see any change? Well, I did do several rows of his face, but the color is so light, it really doesn't show up much in the photo. Maybe I'll manage to get his face finished up this week, we'll see.

OTHER STITCHING UPDATE

I did put a few stitches in 'Snowman Welcome Banner' that is for our son for Christmas. I need to get busy and get this done--I have a long way to go!

I also managed to finish up a Christmas ornament for a swap on TGOSM list. Now to find the proper size small box for mailing! I hope she likes it. The fabric is opalescent, but the sparkles do not show up in the photo.

NEW OFFICE AND WORK

On Tuesday at 7:20 am, I got a call from the movers at work, saying if I was ready to move, they had time that day to do the move. If not, it would be several weeks before they would be able to come. I didn't have a single thing packed, I figured it would be a month before they got around to me (I'd just put in the moving request on Monday!), but, thought with the way December was going to be, better to get it done now. So, called my DH to come help me (sometimes I love that he's retired!).

We packed up the basic things the movers don't do, like desk drawers, things on the wall, contents of bookcases, etc. They soon had the furniture moved and placed in my new office. Wonders not ceasing, the IT person showed up just about the time the movers finished and got the computer, scanner, and phone all moved and hooked up for me. Incredible!

I'm still trying to unpack and organize, so won't post photos of my wonderful new office until probably next weekend. I am in heaven, finally having my own private space!

DH and I spent almost 6 hours at my office on Saturday, sorting through my department's storage closet, packing up items for shredding, reorganizing, and condensing and reorganizing. We weren't able to finish, but will probably work on it again this Wednesday. After the move, and all the cleaning and sorting on Saturday, my back and down my legs are just killing me. I sure hope that surgery can relief the pain.

I'll be spending tomorrow and Tuesday in Denver at a vaccine course, taught by CDC vaccine educators. I hope the roads are ok after all the snow we've had the past couple of days. Our roads are pretty good, so hopefully the highway will be okay.

That's the news for now from my little corner of the world.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Fabric Choice Assistance Requested

2009-11-08T15:32:00.003-07:00

I'm planning to do a SAL that starts in January on Stitcher's Showcase. We will be stitching the freebie 'A Bouquet For Cheryl' that was designed by Marc Davis, Diane Jourdan, and Kat Zak in memory of a stitcher--Cheryl Miller, who passed away a couple years ago.

No problem picking my floss--'Lumiere de Cheryl' by Carrie's Creation. My problem is making a final decision on my fabric. I'm down to two choices. A Silkweaver Solo 28 ct Jobelan (it's a very light lavender):

Second choice is called "Ray of Light" - it is a 28 ct. Lugana (pale lemon yellow):

Unfortunately, neither of these photos shows the true color of the fabrics! Drat it! But, I'd love to get your comments on which one you like best:

1. Solo - lavender

2. Ray of Light - light yellow

My DH says 'Ray of Light'; that's almost enough to make me pick the lavender just on general principles!

Thanks much.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

A Finish, WIP Update, New Start, and Health Update - Scheduled For Surgery

2009-11-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

A FINISH

Lots of news today. First of all, I finished 'Ring Around the Rosie' Hummel last weekend. It's off to the framer at the moment. But, I discovered this morning I forgot to take a photo of the finished design. Duh! So, you'll have to wait to see it until it comes back from the framer. I need it before the 30th, because it is the retirement gift for one of my employees who last day is Nov. 30. So, stay tuned for a photo.

WIP PROGRESS

Next, I have an update on the Snowman Welcome Banner I'm doing for our son for Christmas.

I need to be spending more time stitching and less time reading and replying to e-mails and blogs, if I have a prayer of getting everything stitched by Christmas! Aaack! HOW do some of you get so much stitching accomplished and still seem to be sending lots of e-mails, blog updates, etc? Did you find more hours in the day somewhere and failed to give me the website link?!!

A NEW START

Next, I have started (just barely) on a new BAP. It is the Mary Wigham sampler from 1790 and is actually available free from Needleprint's blog. Check it out if you like this type of design. This is what the finished project should look like:

This is my very small start....a row of about 15 stitches in the top left corner! :)

This is a pretty large project (for me). I'm doing it on 32 ct Permin Lambswool, stitched over 2 threads. The design area is approximately 20" x 20". So, This is on my 24" scroll rods. I am using a conversion to WDW, CC and GAST that I found online.

HEALTH UPDATE - SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY

Some of you know about my serious back injury almost two years ago. I fell down our basement stairs and fractured six vertebrae in my upper back - T1-T6. After a lot of misery and wearing a horrible 'turtle shell' hard plastic brace for many months, that injury i about as good as it willo ever get.

I've had lower back issues for 30 years or so...degenerative disc disease, bulging discs, bad arthritis...you get the idea. The past six months I have been suffering from awful back and leg pain. I've seen numerous orthopedists/neurologists/spinal specialists in the past couple of years. All have told me essentially the same thing. I have so much wrong with my back that there is essentially nothing they can offer me to give me long-term relief from the pain.

When I saw my regular physician recently for a check-up, we discussed my continuing battle with back/leg pain. It has become so severe in the past few months that I am taking as many as 8 Vicodin a day to try to cope. It has also caused me to severely restrict my activities, to the point where I have to greatly limit my walking. I just hurt all the time and really need some relief of some kind! My doctor recommended I go to a spinal specialist here in town (not someone I'd seen before).

I got an appointment, went in on Wednesday this week for some X-Rays, saw him on Thursday for an initial appointment, had an MRI on Friday afternoon and saw him late on Friday to discuss the MRI results. My DH accompanied me on all these visits,. On Friday afternoon, he showed us the MRI results, and explained what we were looking at. While he concurs with what the other specialists have said regarding a long-term 'fix' for my problems, he DID say that looking at one particular disc (L3), he believe a Lumbar Laminectomy (Open Decompression) of that disc will bring me relief of the leg pain, and with PT and long-term water therapy after the surgery, I may be able to manage my other issues much more easily than I'm doing at the moment. You can clearly see in the MRI that disc is severely pinching the nerves at that spot, plus there is a bone spur and a cyst at that location.

So, I am scheduled for surgery on December 14. He had an opening for the day before Thanksgiving, but we opted for the December date because our son is expecting us to come for Thanksgiving, plus December is a much better time for me to be away from work; it is after Fall Semester has ended, so most of the students will have left campus for the Christmas Break

I'm nervous about having back surgery, but I'm also SOO hopeful this will make me feel 'human' again! Prayers would be MUCH appreciated!

I was supposed to go to Denver today to the Sampler Guild meeting; my back/legs are hurting so much, it just wasn't meant to be. So, I hope to get a bit of stitching done before the day is over today;

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Wednesday Updates

2009-10-28T16:07:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I posted an update. I have several things to talk about, so let's start with today's mail.

I received my Bingo prize from Shelley for the recent Bingo game I won on ILCS. It is so cute! A fall-themed magnetic list pad (going right on the fridge) and an adorable Lizzie Kate 'Boxer Jr' called 'Autumn.' I LOVE Lizzie Kate; thanks so much Shelley! Great choice! She also included a nice note.

I can see three purchases in my future--so I have the complete set of seasons...they are shown stitched together and put in one frame on the back of the box.

Since I'm hosting the new Bingo round, I need to start thinking about the prize....hmmm....more shopping!

Update on Lucky

As some of you know, our new little furbaby, Lucky, was very ill last week. Here are a couple of photos I took, that clearly show how his devoted adopted-Mom, Oreo, kept vigil at his side while he was ill. In this first photo, Lucky is inside the box, sound asleep. Oreo slept with her head on the edge of the box.

In this one, you can see how Oreo is sleeping with her paw and head up on the edge of the box, just a few inches away from Lucky. Is that a devoted Mom or what?

I'm happy to say, Lucky seems to be well, altho he'll still be on antibiotics for several more days. But, he's now racing around the house like a kitten should. Thank goodness! We were so worried about him.

Colorado Quilting Council Meeting

Last Saturday, I went to Boulder with a friend from our local Quilt Guild to the monthly meeting of CQC. The speaker was Nancy Odom of Timid Thimble Creations. She was an interesting speaker and had lots and lots of quilts to show, which I always enjoy.

I took along my Halloween Kitty wall hanging and my Stitchin' Kitty wall hanging (that hangs above my cutting table), for Show 'n Tell.

I Have Another Finish!

Well, at least the stitching is finished! Someone I met on TGOSM list recently (thanks Patti!), mentioned a group called Sampler Guild of the Rockies. They meet once a month in Denver. I have exchanged e-mails with the current president of the group, and weather permitting, plan to go to the November 8th meeting. It will be so much fun to meet some other stitchers in person!

They will be working on finishing an Altoid tin. Since I don't have the design they are stitching, I came up with my own, so I can participate in putting the design on the tin. It's a simple design--just my initials with a border around it. I finished stitching it last night. It's simple, but I'm pleased with how it came out. I chose a DMC thread color that matches the edge around the top of the tin pretty well.

First Big Snowstorm of the Season

We had the first big snow of the season today. From what the National Weather Service was predicting though, it sounds like it could have been much worse than it turned out. I'll be interested to see the news in a few minutes to see what they say about tonight and tomorrow. Here's a shot looking out our front door a while ago:

Here's a two photos looking out the back door into the backyard.

I think that's the major updates for the moment. Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween. Hopefully our weather will clear up and not be quite so nasty out for those little ghosts and goblins.

I'll leave you with a photo I took of our three dogs last night. They were all lounging in my office/sewing room. Of course, as soon as they saw the camera, Max (our Cocker Spaniel) came racing over toward me. Aren't they quite a trio...small, medium and extra-large!?

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

It's PIF Time!

2009-10-28T13:52:00.002-06:00

It's PIF time! Jade from Budapest, Hungary, is doing a PIF on her blog, and I was one of the lucky winners of her PIF. So, it's my turn to pass this along!

To join in, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog entry saying you wish to participate. If there are lots of candidates, I will draw three names from a hat to pick the winners. They will have to post a PIF entry on their blog and post this logo as well.

I'll pick the winners on November 15th. Be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you're selected.

The three people will then get a small, hand-made gift from me within one year. In return, they too will have to gift the winners they have chosen. And so on, and so on. This is how we stitching bloggers spread the love we put into our projects.

Ready to PIF? Leave a comment.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Here's a Giveaway You DON'T Want To Miss!!

2009-10-22T20:57:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: It's a Happy Halloween Giveaway!

WOW - check out this awesome giveaway!!

Kathy Has Two Nice Giveaways

2009-10-21T10:45:00.000-06:00

Check out Kathy's blog for two nice giveaways for her blog-aversary! Deadline for entries in October 31.

Vicki in CO

New Finish & Fabric for New Projects

2009-10-18T16:33:00.001-06:00

I finally got a photo taken and uploaded for the Quilt of Valor (QOV) I finished up on our way home from our son's last Sunday. I'll deliver my two finishes for the month to Alycia, the lady who coordinates this program for our Guild at our Tuesday meeting this week.

Here is a closeup of one of the sections with the star fabric. The silver around each star is sparkly and looks so nice in person.

Hopefully I'll have another one to finish binding on when we head to our son's for Thanksgiving in a few weeks; stitching binding down is the perfect job for a car trip.

I made a quick run to JoAnn's this morning to get a few DMC floss I needed for a couple projects, and also to take advantage of their sale on Christmas fabrics. I picked up 6 different fabrics for a song.

The one on the bottom right is a 'cheater' fabric panel. I need to get a quick, small project done to donate for an upcoming Silent Auction fundraiser for our local Humane Society. So, I thought I'd use a couple squares of this fabric to make a table runner, one of the other fabrics for a border (not sure which one yet), another for backing (top left) and binding.

Then, I'll use the rest of the panel (2 squares x 2 squares) to make a Christmas table topper for our son's kitchen table (his table is a round, slate tile top, Bistro style set). I think this would look very nice in his kitchen.

I'll post photos once these projects are finished up. Meanwhile, I want to get a little backstitching work done on the Hummel for my friend before the day is over. I have lots of photos to post from our trip, but I'd like to play around and see if I can create a slideshow for those photos; I think that is a project for another day.

My camera has been busy clicking more photos of the mama and her adopted baby. It brings a smile to my face that goes all the way through my heart, watching those two enjoying being together. A very special thing indeed. I'll save those updates for another day as well.

So, that's it for now. It was over 80 here today; definitely a beautiful Indian summer day. Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Lucky, The Newest Member of Our Family

2009-10-16T21:49:00.002-06:00

Some of you know about our new fur baby, Lucky. He was featured on the front page of our local newspaper on Tuesday; he and his five litter-mates were rescued from a trash dumpster and taken in by a local animal rescue group. You can read the story here.

Seeing that little furry face, that looks SO much like my Oreo Cookie (aka 'Helping Kitty,' 'Tacky Oreo' and other names not suitable for all audiences), in my heart, I just KNEW he was meant to become part of our family.

Fairly early the next day, I called my DH from work and said, "How much do you love your wife?" Having been married for 38 years next month, he knows me pretty well and replies, "What did you buy now?" A bit indignant, I replied, "Nothing. BUT, I do have something I want YOU to buy."

I went on to tell him I'd spoken to the rescue group, and the kittens we'd talked about at dinner the night before would be available for adoption at noon that day. I told him I REALLY hoped he'd go and get one of these kittens.

He was second in line to choose one of the kittens at noon! The lady who was first in line choose one with an all black face. DH said he choose the one he felt looked the most like Oreo, and turns out he chose the one who was featured in the newspaper.

When DH brought our new fur baby to my office to show him off, one of my staff suggested we name him Lucky, since he was lucky to be alive after being in the dumpster without food or water for who knows how long. That seemed to fit just fine, so Lucky it is.

This is Lucky taking a catnap during his first evening in his new home. Isn't he adorable? He has the loudest purr for such a tiny kitty!

He is giving me that "WHY are you taking my picture over and over?" look.

At first, Oreo Cookie felt obligated to hiss at him, and he obligingly returned the hiss. However, it wasn't long before Oreo was sneaking over to him to give him a couple of grooming licks and a sniff or two, then letting out a half-hearted hiss. Isn't Lucky the spitting image of his new mom?!

Today, the hissing is all over and Oreo has taken over her role as Lucky's adopted mom, grooming him patiently and lovingly, just as I knew she would!

I have a suspicion from his early fame, he just MIGHT be a bit of a ham. What do you think?

One last photo of the little sweetie...

OK, I think that's the update on Lucky and Oreo for the moment. Expect more photos and stories of his escapades in the future.

Till Then, Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Halloween Time!

2009-10-16T20:57:00.001-06:00

Another work week is over--yeah!! I hope to get some stitching time in this weekend. Below is the top of my lateral file cabinet at work. I change the artificial flowers, depending on the holiday. The blocks are changed on a regular basis, depending on the season and/or holiday.

When I was looking for something in a downstairs closet a week ago, I found a large shopping bag I'd completely forgotten about. Inside was an applique wall hanging I made last year to hang in my office behind my desk. So, it is now on the wall in my office for the Halloween season. Here's a photo:

Since I'm a cat (as well as dog) lover, wouldn't it figure I'd do a black cat for Halloween?

LOTS of updates for the past week or two, so I may have several posts in the next few days.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Oreo Cookie Attacks Tacky Bob During Stitching Finish!

2009-10-14T21:42:00.001-06:00

Oh my goodness, I have so many updates from the past week, I hardly know where to start. Guess I'll start with the last one first (sort of). Tonight I finished the Kustom Krafts October SAL. Woo Hoo!! It is an adorable poinsettia design, intended to go on a jar lid. I was tempted to finish it as a tree ornament, but found the perfect jar while shopping at Wally World last night.

I decided to add a few green beads to the center, and that's when my 'helping kitty,' Oreo Cookie, got into the act. I grabbed my beading supply container, found some green beads, poured a few out on my Tacky Bob and got to work. As you can see by this photo, my Tacky Bob is now broken and is not so tacky anymore! The photo doesn't capture just how much Oreo Cookie fur is now covering Tacky Bob! Maybe I'll rename it my Furry Bob?! I don't think Oreo will ever be very good at bead work! Guess I'll have to add a new Tacky Bob to my 'Wish List.' Dang cat!

As a long-time paper crafter and scrapbooker, I have a 3-ring binder of various shape plastic templates. One of the circle templates was the perfect size, so I drew a pencil circle on the back of the stitched design and cut it out, added a circle of high loft quilt batting, and glued that to a cardboard circle. Then I glued all of that down to the jar lid, with the excess fabric glued down around the edge. Last, I added sparkly ribbon around the side of the jar lid to hide the raw edge of the fabric. These photos don't do justice to how pretty this looks in person (blame the photographer--me!)

For right now I 'borrowed' my DH's bag of almond M&M's. I think this would look great on a shelf or table with red/white peppermints or holiday color M&M's in it. Thanks so much to Dyan from Kustom Krafts for this free project through her Yahoo group! Here's another photo of the finished project.

Needless to say, Oreo Cookie is now banned from my stitching area when I'm beading!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

First Stash To Go Is Posted!

2009-10-07T12:33:00.002-06:00

I found a few minutes this morning to get the first 10 items listed on my Stash To Go blog. Check it out! There are quite a few brand new, never opened, kits, including one adorable Eeyore Candy Cane Ornament.

I'm not trying to make a bunch of money from these sales, just clear out things I know I will never stitch, and find homes for these items where they will be appreciated.

I am set up to take payment via Paypal, and will also take money orders.

So, take a look and let me know if you see something that is of interest to you. Happy shopping!

Happy Stitching -

Vicki in CO

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: Freaky Friday Fun Giveaway, WK# 2

2009-10-06T21:57:00.000-06:00

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: Freaky Friday Fun Giveaway, WK# 2

Anniversary Giveaway Link

2009-10-06T19:46:00.000-06:00

Check out this awesome giveaway! Annette is celebrating 6 years of blogging. Entries accepted until midnight on October 18th.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

'Helping' Kitty and Monday Stitching Update

2009-10-05T21:47:00.001-06:00

We had cool and rainy weather over the weekend, which led to some good stitching time for me. Some good progress was made on "Snowman Welcome Banner."

I also got a small start on the October Kustom Krafts SAL. It will be a small poinsettia. It's supposed to go on top of a round jar, but mine may turn into a tree ornament. I'll have to see what I think once the stitching is complete. It really is on white fabric; my camera and I didn't get along very well today!

Last, serial starter that I am, I found the perfect pattern to make for my DH for Christmas! He was in a rock band for several years in high school and college, and at the ripe old age of 67, still loves his guitars!

I had the perfect fabric in my stash from Silkweaver for this one. I have yet to put a stitch in, but I do have the threads all collected, so I'm ready to go. I'll be using the GAST threads the pattern calls for.

In the next couple of weeks, I hope to go through my stash to start weeding out items I know I will never have time to stitch. I'll be listing them for sale on my other blog "Vicki's Stash to Go." It is currently empty, but be sure to check back, there will be lots of charts and kits up for grabs at great prices.

Eventually, I hope to go through my stitching magazines and may also have quilting kits, books, and other quilting goodies for sale as well.

For those of you who haven't met Oreo Cookie, my 'helping' kitty...here she is snoozing on my cutting table (on top of the fleece I bought to make a football-themed throw for our son for Christmas). She 'helps' me every second that I am in the house; following me everywhere I go. In this case, she was 'helping' me while I got the binding ready to sew on another Quilt of Valor.

Oreo is still sleeping, now cuddled securely under the quilt; have you ever seen such a 'helping' kitty?

And one last shot, taken this evening. Oreo is all sprawled out on the top of my messy desk...'helping' me as I read my e-mail and watch TV. With 'help' like this, no wonder it feels like I never get anything done! BUT, I must admit, I wouldn't trade our fur babies for anything.

One last item....check out this blog for a great giveaway: The Happy Needle. It runs through October 8th.

Until next time, have a GREAT week and Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

I Won! I Won!

2009-10-03T11:15:00.001-06:00

My first small project to get back into cross stitch was the September SAL, designed by Dyan Allaire from KustomKrafts. She did three drawings at the end from those who participated, and I was one of the lucky winners! The prize is a chart of our choice from her website! Woo Hoo!

This is my finished project:

It has taken me a couple days of pouring over her website to finally decide on my choice..."Blue Eyes." I've never stitched a chart of this type before, but something about this tiger's blue eyes just grabbed me.

Isn't he magestic and extremely real looking?

I was so thrilled to win!

Until next time...

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Stitching Updates for the Week

2009-10-03T09:28:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, Alycia, a quilter from our local Guild, Pieceable Friends, decided to work with fifth grade students at an area school on quilts for Quilts of Valor. Read a local newspaper article about her efforts and also more information about the Quilts of Valor Foundation. Last year, over 700 quilts were delivered to Fort Carson, in Southern Colorado, for wounded soldiers. This is an ongoing project for our Guild.

I finished up stitching on the binding for a QOV quilt yesterday on our adventure to Denver:

I currently have one more quilt to get binding made, sewn on, and stitched down. I hope to get that all completed next week.

I also started a new stitching project, a Snowman Welcome Banner for our son's entryway. Hopefully I'll get it stitched before Christmas!

I've made a small start on this one; hope to see more progress this weekend.

Several yars ago I completed the cross stitch on a Hummel design, "Ring Around the Rosie." The intention was for this to be a retirement gift for one of my staff at work (she collects Hummel figurines). We have worked together for almost 20 years.

Anyway, last year she took her retirement, but continued working for me in a part-time position, so I decided to wait to give it to her until she fully retires. Well, that time sounds like it is coming before the end of this year, so the pressure is on to get the backstitching finished and get this framed! Yikes! I am not a huge fan of backstitching! Here is how the design looks at the moment:

That's my stitching updates for the moment.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Denver Shopping Adventure

2009-10-02T23:20:00.003-06:00

I get the e-mail newsletter from a stitching/framing shop in Denver called FanciMats & More. The newsletter this week said they were going to be open special hours--3:00-7:00 p.m. today--to introduce their finds from Market. I've only been to this store a couple times, even though we live just 50ish miles from there (I HATE driving in Denver traffic!).

Anyway, I convinced DH that we should head down there today. We got there about an hour and a half before they opened, so we wandered around downtown Littleton a while, until we found a nice place to have a late lunch. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and wandered back to where the car was parked to wait for 3:00 p.m.

I did a bit of stitching on the way to and from Denver; I'll share that tomorrow.

When it was a couple minutes to 3, we walked across the street to the store; there was a group of 10 or so ladies waiting outside for the store to open. Obviously there are some serious stitchers in the Denver area!

DH found a bench inside and made himself comfortable while I started looking around. It only took me about 40 minutes to find a LOT of new stash! Oh my! Here's some photos of what I came home with.

To start with, they had several copies of the new "Christmas at Hawk Run Hollow" by Carriage House Samplings, along with the fabric cut for it. The fabric is 40 ct, which I've never tried before, that could turn out to be a real challenge with my bad eyesight. I'll definitely need my magnifier lamp for this one!

I noticed those charts and fabric did NOT last long! These women stitchers did some serious shopping--a feeding frenzy if I ever saw one!!

Next is Lizzie Kate's new series "Christmas by the Letter." I purchased the threads and patterns from Silver Needle online a while back, but got the fabric today. They had a sample stitched up and the fabric I bought is the same as their sample, It looks like a fun stitch.

When I saw their model of Lizzie Kate's "Boo Club," I just couldn't resist getting those charts as well as the fabric for it. I also picked up a really pretty needleminder by Kelmscott Designs, and a 10 x 12 cut of Stoney Creek's new fabric called 'Blue Sky' - 28 ct. (my favorite count to stitch on).

I seem to be collecting Prairie Schooler designs, altho so far I have not stitched a SINGLE one! I admit to being totally in love with "When Witches Go Riding" that Rene la Frog recently finished. Today I picked up "Boo To You."

One last picture from this stash adventure....a bunch of great freebies they had for customers to grab; on the table with a variety of goodies--candy corn (did you know they make chocolate/caramel candy corn?), cheese cubes, fresh fruit, and wine!

I left the shop a truly happy camper, even though my credit card was smoking! I stitched all the way home (altho I was putting binding on a quilt, not working on cross stitch). We were driving through Denver during rush hour, which can be rather ugly. We got caught up in a few traffic snarls due to accidents, but made it home safely, well in time to watch the entire Rockies/Dodgers game this evening.

GO ROCKIES!!!!

That's it for tonight. holy cow, it's after midnight and I didn't stitch a stitch, just surfed the web, read blogs, updated my blog, and watched the Rockies game. I seriously don't understand how some of you get so much stitching accomplished!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Blog Giveaway

2009-10-02T19:01:00.000-06:00

Check it out....Jolene at Dip Diddly Designs has a great giveaway on her blog! A different giveaway every week for the month of October! The first one ends on October 7 and is for a great design by Blackbird Designs called "Midnight Watch." It will include the chart, threads, and your choice of fabric!

Fall Colors in Poudre Canyon

2009-10-01T18:50:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday, DH and I took a drive up Poudre Canyon, in the north part of the Colorado Rockies, to view the fall colors. We saw lots of wonderful stands of golden yellow/orange/red aspen leaves. I saw bunches of views where I would have liked to snap a photo or two, but it seemed like the pull-offs were always in the wrong place on the road! I did get a few shots....

Here's a shot of the mountain side. Pretty, huh?

And one more....

One last photo....

A couple days after this, the mountains had a snow storm. So, don't know how many of the leaves are left now. Down here on the plains, we have had much cooler temperatues the past couple days, as well as lots of wind. Luckily no snow so far! I am NOT ready for winter!

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

We Have A Winner!

2009-10-01T18:40:00.000-06:00

Here's the entries, awaiting the big drawing, in a pumpkin dish on the table in our entry way.

My DH did the honors, and.....the winner is.....

Congrats to you! I'll be contacting Meari by e-mail to get her mailing address and will get the Halloween JCS (and a little something extra) off in the mail to her. Thanks much for everyone who played! Hope you come back and check out my blog again; there will be giveaways from time to time.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Non-Stitching Acquisitions at Quilt-A-Fair

2009-09-26T18:52:00.000-06:00

In addition to all the stitching and quilting items, I found a few other items that I 'needed' to bring home with me.....I couldn't resist these two handmade purses...isn't that lizard just adorable?!

This next photo is blurry, and no matter how much I tried, I could not get these items to photograph well! I collect the QAF pins each year, which will get added to my already crowded Guild nametag. One is a really cute stork scissor pin, and the last is a sampler-looking stitching pin.

Last, but certainly not least, is the absolutely awesome basket. This vendor imports hand woven baskets, made in Ghana, Africa. They are made from a straw called "Elephant Grass." The colors are mostly from plant extracts that will not run or stain. The handle is covered with goat...handles are a nice red and done in a woven style. The basket I chose is about 15 1/2" wide, 7 1/2" deep, and 10" high. This is going to be displayed on the top of the big hutch on my desk. I had a terrible time choosing from the dozens of baskets they had!

We met with an old friend and went out for a nice dinner after all the shopping. I was exhausted by the time we got home! But, I have lots and lots of great new things to stitch!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! My DH's favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals, are playing the Colorado Rockies in Denver this weekend. We talked about getting tickets and going to the game tonight, but eventually decided against it.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO

Quilt-A-Fair Revisited

2009-09-26T18:12:00.000-06:00

OK, here's photos of the various quilting-related stash I acquired at Quilt-A-Fair. I found some GREAT stuff!! I am collecting 5" charm packs to use for a tumbler quilt I'm planning.

I was excited to see one of my favorite vendors, Pincushion Boutique, from Davis, CA once again. They have what they call 'sweet treats' - packets of 8 color-coordinated fat quarters. They also have quilt patterns especially designed to work with the sweet treats, along with a coordinating border, binding, and backing fabric. This time, I found the gorgeous fabrics on the left, I believe they are from one of the Imperial Gardens fabric collections. I chose one of their patterns to go with this sweet treat. I also picked out three other sweet treats--two are batiks for a batik quilt I'm planning, the other one (the oranges) for a sunflower/autumn quilt I got the pattern for a few weeks ago. Their fabrics and the way they put them together is just yummy!

At the vendor from Brooklyn, NY, Come Quilt With Me, I found some very nice templates--one is for a mini tumbler quilt, the other for one of my favorite blocks--Card Trick. The other item is from Whistlepig Creek Productions, located in Arvada, CO (suburb of Denver). The tote bag is just adorable in person. She had models of a couple of these bags--the top right one with the cat photo really caught my eye. She said that particular kitty passed away recently at the age of 19! It would be fun to do a simiilar tote with a photo transfer of my Oreo Cookie kitty (she is my 'helping' kitty who always tries to help me sew, grab my threads, steals my thimbles, etc,).

From 1-3 pm. my DH helped out with the 'hospitality'--taking a cart of ice and water around to the vendors. While he was busy with that, I continued shopping. One vendor I don't remember seeing before, Glenda Sha, who designs as Liberty Homestead, from Kingsville, MO, really caught my eye! She designs all sorts of quilts, wall hangings, pillows, stitchery, banners, placemats, etc. I absolutely couldn't make up my mind, and ended up with three of her books! She designs using cotton fabric, flannels, wool applique, embroidery 'colored' with delicate marker colors or crayons...some very cool items!

One of the highlights of her booth was the lucious hand-dyed cotton fabrics she dyes and sells! It is also called 'sueded cotton' and is in a variety of wonderful solid colors. I purchased a couple yards of tans for use as backgrounds, a fat quarter package, a scrap pack of wool, a packet of wools for projects in one of the books, and a fat quarter of a very nice flannel.

Still more to show, but I'll save that for another post. I also need to take a couple more photos to share. Looking at all this new stash, I think I better get busy stitching! Unfortunately, I also need to get busy working on the October edition of the Guild newsletter.

Happy Stitching!

Vicki in CO