March TUSAL

I have had a fairly decent stitching month for me, so I added a nice pile of thread bits to my TUSAL bottle.  I    now have as much as I did for the whole year in 2012 which was not a productive stitching year, so things are progressing well.

Lately I have been stitching mostly on the Blue Ribbon Designs Mystery Sampler, Blue Jeans and Daisies.  And here is an update.

I just purchsed Part 2 of this mystery sampler, and I love it!  I need to pull myself away and stitch on a couple of my other WIPs, but it is difficult.

Winter Woodland and a Santa

Somehow, in my absent-mindedness, when I posted my end of February WIPocalypse projects, I missed Winter Woodland.  I stitched on it near the beginning of the month, but then also did some of the words later.  Anyway, here it is.  I hope to get started on the next square this month, and get a couple more words stitched as well.

With this month's Theme-a-licious, we are supposed to stitch on a different project each day.  So far, I have stitched on BRD's Mystery Sampler - Blue Jeans and Daisies (Mar. 1), Mill Hill's Greenland Santa (Mar. 3_, and LHN Elizabeth McGuire (Mar 4).  I was not able to stitch on Saturday, March 2nd, because I was just too busy with other things...sigh.  Here is a progress picture for the Greenland Santa.  It is actually starting to look like a Santa.  I have just his hat left, and then the sheep next to him.  I just love working with the beads.

Tomorrow, I am going to get back to the Mystery Sampler, which is such a fun spring piece.  Have a fun week of stitching everyone!

February WIPocalypse & Theme-a-licious

Regretfully, I am quite late in posting for the February WIPocalypse, so late it has run into the time for the month's end wrap up for Theme-a-licious   I just haven't had a spare hour this whole week.  But anyway, here they are:

Since the WIPocalypse designer this month was Little House Needleworks, I put a few stitches onto Elizabeth McGuire on my Dear Diary Sampler. And since Elizabeth is featured in this design, this one qualifies for this month's Theme-a-licious as well.   Elizabeth is getting close to being done.

I also pulled out a very old WIP, really a UFO, called Strawberries and Cream from on older Cross Stitch Collection magazine and stitched on it some.  Although not stitched yet, this design also has a young lady in it, to the right of the cottage, so I am counting it also as a Theme-a-licious project.  

And here is my progress on the Blue Ribbon Designs Mystery Sampler, Blue Jeans and Daisies.  I just love the colors and fabric on this one.  

The theme for next month's WIPocalypse is spring time, so I will keep stitching on the Mystery Sampler and Strawberries and Cream.  For Theme-a-licious we are supposed to work on a different project each day, and I'll give this a try and see how it goes.

February Theme-a-licious

This month is Figural February, and we are supposed to stitch on our WIPs that have figures, or people in them.  So far, I have two to show you that meet this criteria.

The first is Coeur de Printemps by A Mon Ami Pierre.  I finished the boys legs and shoes and some of the lace at the bottom, and I stitched the girls shoes and the bottom hem of her dress.

I also worked on Mill Hill's Buttoned and Beaded Greenland Santa.

I plan to work on the Dear Diary Sampler, which also has people in it in this second half of the month, and hopefully have some progress to show there at the end of the month.  

Finally, here is a picture of Logan, who likes to lay on the fireplace.  We think he learned to do this from the Oliver the cat.  

Blue Jeans and Daisies Mystery Sampler

I just couldn't resist this new mystery sampler series by Blue Ribbon Designs.  It is called Blue Jeans and Daisies and it will be released in three parts.  It is being stitched on 30 ct. Blue Jeans linen by Weeks Dye Works, and this is the first time that I have stitched on WDW linen.  I really like the color, very much like stonewashed denim and it has a very nice feel to it as well.  It is fun to be working with spring colors, and I can tell that this is going to be a fun stitch.

I plan to get back on track, though, and stitch on another WIP now that has people in it for this month's Theme-a-licious.  I have so many with people in them, it is difficult to choose.  I think that I might go with Mill Hill's Greenland Santa as I feel like working with a few beads.

On another front, we had some drama at the vet office with our new puppy, Rex.  Rex had a set of puppy vaccinations at the end of last week, and while we were driving home, one eye started swelling up.  It quickly escalated and was swollen nearly shut, and then the other eye started swelling.  I turned around and headed back to the vet office, and by the time we got there, his whole face had swollen.  He looked like a Sharpei puppy.  Here is how he looks normally.

And this picture was taken about 3 to 4 hours after he had Benadryl and a steroid shot to counteract his allergic reaction to the vaccinations.  It pretty much took about 12 hours for the swelling to go down completely.  

Our vet has told us that from now on, for the rest of his doggy life, we will have to give him Benadryl and a steroid shot before he is vaccinated.

February TUSAL

I really can't believe it is already TUSAL time again.  This has been an incredibly busy month and time just seems to have flown by.  I have been stitching, though, in spare moments here and there, and here is the jar of orts for the February report.  When I compared it with my January pictures, I could see a lot more snippets in the jar, and that is encouraging because I have really have been fighting for every moment that I am able to stitch lately.

Until next month, have fun filling your jar...

TBR Reading Challenge 2

I have read another book for the Embarrassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenge.  This is a year-long challenge where we attempt to read from our shockingly large stack of already owned books.

I finished Death of Charming Man by M.C. Beaton, #10 in the Hamish MacBeth mystery series.

This is an important one in the series because there is a crucial development in the relationship between Hamish and Priscilla Halliburton-Smythe.  I have read these shockingly out-of-order and had wondered what had happened between these two, and now I know.  The frenzy of all the matrons in Drim over the "charming man" seemed somewhat far-fetched, but otherwise, I enjoyed this light mystery set in the Highlands of Scotland.  

January WIPocalypse

It is time to post my very first WIPocalypse update.  This month we are supposed to introduce ourselves and  talk about our projects and goals.  Basically, I am married and have two children, one is really an adult now and a sophomore in college, and the other is 14.  I cross stitch and crochet and read lots of books, mostly mysteries.  As for projects and goals, I want to make some serious progress and see some finishes this year from this list of projects:

1.  Beacon House by Praiseworthy Stitches
2.  Winter White Woodland by Blue Ribbon Designs
3.  Gingerbread by Madame la Fee
4.  Dear Diary Sampler by Little House Needleworks
5.  Strawberries and Cream from Cross Stitch Collection Magazine #158
6.  Strawberry Field Farm by Victoria Sampler
7.  Mon Beau Chalet from De Fil en Aiguille Magazine
8.  Sunflower Inn by Little House Needleworks
9.  Buttoned and Beaded Latte by Mill Hill
10.  Buttoned and Beaded Dashing Reindeer by Mill Hill
11.  Greenland Santa by Mill Hill
12.  Winter Snapperland by Bent Creek
13.  Coeur au Printemps by AMAP
14.  Deer in Winter from Agenda 2009 

Probably the one I would most like to finish is the Dear Diary Sampler, made from all the Dear Diary charts by Little House Needleworks.  Next would probably be Gingerbread by Madame la Fee.  But we'll see what happens.  

This month I have so far stitched on three of these projects.  I have almost completed Elizabeth McGuire's cabin on the Dear Diary Sampler.  Hopefully she can move in soon.

And so here is a picture of the whole project also.

I also worked on Sunflower Inn by Little House Needleworks, which was also a Theme-a-licious project.

And finally, I got some stitches into Winter Woodland by Blue Ribbon Designs.

I am enjoying my stitching again, and blogging also.  Hopefully, I will have more to show for next month's WIPocalypse. 

Theme-a-licious

This year I am going to try and participate as much as I can in Theme-a-licious.  This month is Jardin January and we are supposed to stitch on projects that have flowers or gardens in them.  In light of this, I have been working on Sunflower Inn by Little House Needleworks.  I finished the grassy area beneath the house and the sun that is up at the top.  The sun was fun, but for some unknown reason, I really don't like stitching grass, which is probably why this has been languishing in my pile.

Here is a picture of Sunflower Inn before I started working on it:

And here is the picture of where I am now, with the sun and grass.  

Next up will be the border.  

I have also been stitching on the Elizabeth McGuire square of my Dear Diary Sampler, and should have a picture ready of it soon.  

Happy Stitches!

First TUSAL Post

This is the day to post my first TUSAL update.  If you don't know about TUSAL, the Totally Useless Stitch-Along, go here and you can read all about it.  I actually started collecting orts last year, but didn't participate in TUSAL.   This year, I have decided to sign up and do the whole shebang with pictures and everything.    I don't have a whole lot yet, being only 11 days into the new year, but here it is.

and another view:

Most of the threads are from Winter Woodland by Blue Ribbon Designs, and here is an update on it.

Finally, we got a new furry family member back in November.  Meet Logan, our new beloved German Shepherd puppy. He is now four months old.   So far, he doesn't get what all the fuss is about fabric and threads and charts, or the laptop either.  They just keep me from playing with him.

Two Finishes

I finished the Faith, Family and Friends Sampler from Cross Country Stitching. I am not sure how I am going to finish it, either as a bell pull or framed as a picture.  I like the country kitchiness of it.

I also finished Hide and Seek by Diane Graeber last year.  I love pumpkins and black cats, so this was a fun one to stitch.   I hope to get through more of my UFO stack this year.

TBR Reading Challenge

I saw a link for the Embarassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenge on Ruth's Little Leprechauns blog, and decided to sign up.  I have cupboard full of books that I have acquired that are waiting to be read.  I have signed up for the Bronze challenge, which is to read 12 books from your TBR stash this year.

I have already made a start and finished The Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley, a light enjoyable romance set in a remote corner of England.  My favorite part of this book was the main character Holly Brown.  She was a hard-working, dependable, practical kind of woman who loved to cook and bake, and also loved animals.  I also revelled in all the English Christmas foodie content in this one.

Plans for 2013

Well here I am again, and with the beginning of a new year, the first day of a new 365 day adventure, I am responding to that inevitable compulsion to make a list of hopeful goals and plans. Basically, what I would like most is to finish some long-standing WIPs that have been long reposing in dark dresser drawers and would dearly love to see some daylight and have an escapade or two with my needle.

So, in light of that over-arcing goal, I have joined this year's WIPocalypse over at Measi's Musings.  Just to make things more complicated, and therefore more captivating, I am also going to make an effort to participate in Theme-a-licious for my stitching in 2013.  So here is a list of the WIPs that I plan to stitch upon... some are nearly done, some are barely begun, and many are around the midway mark.

1.  Beacon House by Praiseworthy Stitches
2.  Winter White Woodland by Blue Ribbon Designs
3.  Gingerbread by Madame la Fee
4.  Dear Diary Sampler by Little House Needleworks
5.  Strawberries and Cream from Cross Stitch Collection Magazine #158
6.  Strawberry Field Farm by Victoria Sampler
7.  Mon Beau Chalet from De Fil en Aiguille Magazine
8.  Sunflower Inn by Little House Needleworks
9.  Buttoned and Beaded Latte by Mill Hill
10.  Buttoned and Beaded Dashing Reindeer by Mill Hill
11.  Greenland Santa by Mill Hill
12.  Winter Snapperland by Bent Creek
13.  Coeur au Printemps by AMAP
14.  Deer in Winter from Agenda 2009

Since it is Jardin January over at Theme-a-licious, I plan to pull out the WIPS that have flowers or gardens for some needle time this month.  That would be Dear Diary Sampler, Strawberries and Cream, Strawberry Field Farm, Sunflower Inn, and Coeur au Printemps.

I have also signed up to participate in TUSAL this year.  I have my jar ready and will start keeping those snippets as of today.  I have been amazed how much some of you accumulate over the year.

So, Happy New Year, Happy Planning, and most of all, Happy Stitching!