How could I....

have missed this one?
Thanks to Outi I didn't.

You Are Grape

You are bold and a true individual. You are very different and very okay with that. People know you as a straight shooter. You're very honest, even when the truth hurts. You are also very grounded and practical. No one is going to sneak anything by you. People enjoy your fresh approach to life. And it's this honesty that makes you a very innovative person.

What Color Purple Are You?

I think it was one of the hardest ones I have answered... I am very a friendly sort but I prefer smaller groups is all. And depending on which group I am with is the role I take.
Wonder if some would think of me as sour .... ;)

Hi All!

5 magic fish now. Two to go.

I think I have come up with a game plan to finish the ornament. And to be on the safe side- if I mess it up royally, I have time to stitch another before the deadline.

That is all

a meme

from Outi
Once tagged by this entry, write a blog entry of some kind with six true random facts about yourself. Then tag 6 more people.

1. I can't stand Aaron Neville. The sound of his voice makes me cringe. His look, is well, confusing to me.
2. My hair was straight, so much so , no perm or curling iron could conquer it for anything over a few hours for a very , very long time. Now- It is very wavy and almost what you could call curly! If I wash, comb and then leave it alone (while longer like now) I get spiral curls.
3. I do not eat pork. Any type. (This confuses people to no end. "So you don't eat ham?" No I don't. "Why?" I heard a story about a pig and lost interest in it. "No bacon either?" Pig is pig. No ham, bacon, pork or anything made with it. Granted I slipped a few times, by forgetting details:like one time while at a rather large family function I ate the baked beans (which are made with pork). Whoopsie. Other than a few other minor slips similar to this one, no pig for me. More pepperoni, sausage, and such for the rest of the world. And yes, vegetarian bakes beans are quite good. Can't even tell the difference.
4. I have endometriosis. My first surgery was at 18, the second was February of 2005. Eleven years between the two which I am very thankful for. I manage it with BCPs, despite my doctor's recommendation of taking Lupron (shots to put me into menopause for a while to stop the tissue from advancing along.)
5. I am scared to death of ticks. Hate them. I won't go outside hardly at all when they are most prevalent. Bleh.
6. I want a cello. Have since I was a child. I played the viola then, thinking that the cello would be too big for me to "handle" (on and off the schoolbus). How I regret that. The sound of one, the tones, are just so soothing to me. Someday, maybe when the kids are a little older or something, I will get one.

*edit- forgot to tag!

Ami

Dawn

Laura

Prajantr

Tracy

trysori

New blog!

Brooke, the designer of the Sunshine Lines (& more!) (and a bunch of gorgeous freebies for the cross stitcher and papercrafter alike) has a new blog! Enjoy!
*edit to add- can't forget her store at eBay!

Ornament Exchange *update

DONE! Well, stitched. Now I have to decide how I will finish it and voilá. An ornament! The worst part is that I can't share the details here as it would spoil the surprise. *sigh
So I think I might take pics, blabber about it and such and just do the "save as draft" and then publish it to share once I get word it is received. Yippee!
I think it looks nice. Ohh's and ahh's from my daughter counts as a positive vote to I think! hee hee.
But I can share this+ it took work here and ther over the last 3 days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And the countdown: Tuesday the kids go to school. So I must wash the new clothes, pack up the needed suppplies in their backpacks and drag myself out of bed (yes I go to the bus stop in my pj's quite often= no one cares) and see them off at 7:30 am. Or at least that is what the bus schedule says so far....... Wish us luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And on a new fishy subject. I can't get the needed fish (a common one too) to make the 2nd magic fish. Aargh! Yes, the kids have it (I could get it for them but I can't get it for myself. And my MIL has the 6th one officially today.

Blub, blub

Guess what I have today? Fish Tycoon! Yeah!

And for all the stitch kids news.... I price hunted more than bought. The color variations are in at AC Moore. I walked by them more than once, they had stuck them on the end of the aisle! The packs are $16.99each. And they are $1.29 individually. So guess what happens now! Now I have a few and I am thinking I may have to play and use some on the ornament! Oh just when I thought I had a course of action!

Wants

Fish Tycoon

and now thanks to recent posting by Ami and Prajantr, I have a taste for Sweetheart Tree too...... No shops in Maine carry it though-*sigh

I just never learn

I am joining a new exchange over to LinaBear.
It's an ornament exchange which will be a great learning opportunity for me. ( I can send to someone and then they can make suggestions on the finishing.) So fingerscrossed for me folks....... I will not post pics until it is received. The send out date isn't until November. So, if I get the name within the next few days and get cracking- I should just make it!

SBQs

*****
Today's SBQs were suggested by Ami and Anna and are:

Do you have an organizational system for your fabric? If so, what is it? If not, what do you store your fabric in?

How do people store their fabric, especially those small but
potentially usable pieces? Do they sort by count? How do they label it or otherwise know what each piece is?

These questions sort of cross over so I will answer them together.....
No set system, but they are in the same general area. *wink
Well most of the pieces that are folded (from Silkweavers and some eBay fabrics) are in "the hope chest".The monaco that I have bought from the craft stores are still in roll form but usually already taken out of the plastic tube in came in, and is either in the basket next to my stiching chair or in the box in the livingroom closet (I think) as most of the last pieces I bought have been used.
As I just threw the fabrics into the chest and box there is no real set system yet.
The small pieces like from Silkweavers I left labeled in the plastic they came in (I even added information on a few of them such as size and count, as some of them were from the Odds'n Ends list as they were moving. Such good deals!)
I have been waiting to hear what everyone else does!
The system I am still working on, a work in progress in itself , is adding them to my crossstitch inventory Excel file. Which is a challenge for a few items, guesswork on some of the pieces from eBay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's SBQ was suggested by Ami and is:

For those of you who use hand or over-dyed floss, how do you store it?
Well I haven't used them yet but.....the threads are in a small plastic tote type thing and placed inside the hope chest. I have the light effects in there too.

It's that time again!

I am thinking of those cooler weather foods now. I was watching some food channel (don't ask me which) and the girl I haven't decided if I like or not, was making homemade minestrone (never done myself) and a chicken stew (I have made it but not that way). It was nearing dinnertime and I was absolutely starving by the end of the program! Must tootle around and see if I can find those recipes!
Oh and the thoughts of apple pie and banana bread are filling my mind too. Not sure if it's the smell of them baking or the consuming that I have the fondest recollection of.... But it's time again! Time for a new season! Let the food prep begin!
And here in Maine the seasons, well the three (known as mud, humid and windy) other than winter, are quite brief .
Normally, even in summer I bake. This year I just didn't much. Granted the annoying appendage had a bit to do with that, but, it's unlike me to have not fired up the oven despite the humidity- even late at night to make some goodie for the family.
So here's to Autumn!

UPDATE! refresh the page!

if you haven't noticed below I have changed the Peacedolls, well I added more "stuff"

The Peacedoll Challenge

More information can be found here- http://www.sacreddollsandbears.com/category/peace-doll-project/

People are creating and some are sharing what they have made. In paper form, digital form, fabric and yarn. The sky is the limit.

To answer Angelsan- "What will you do with these dolls? stitch them? Send them somewhere? " I may and I may not. Some people are creating such things and keeping them or giving them away to hope others or themselves cope with loss. Others are doing it for other reasons.

"But should you have done a French flag instead of an English one? " No I thought about making a bunch of different flags, but I made this for others to see what can be done with them. I had sort of envisioned several of them in a variety of clothing maybe little hats and such holding hands. Similar to paper dolls. I made this out of a board wide request . I responded that I have cross stitch software and said I may be able to come up with something. It was suggested to make them very simple (whole stitches) and easy to change and personalize. So that is what I did. The plain girl could be filled with a backstitch design in her dress. Or another symbol of peace like a dove. I may be able to come up with a fast mini flags for them to hold too (I have a terrible pet peeve that the American flag have all 13 stripes so I may not make an American mini flag.) Little buttons would be cute too
I have friends in Germany, England, Mexico, Finland and other places too. It has nothing to do with any conflicts or battles overseas, just the joining of people from different places. If someone wants to make a doll with that in mind, all the better. Or adding a yellow ribbon in that case would also be fitting as well.
There is an exchange in the works at Linabear too, a cultural one. I have been tossing around the idea of the dolls being related to that too. (I haven't joined it yet. I have a poor track record of stitch/craft exchanges. But that's a different story!)

Peacedolls

I read at the celticcrossstitch group there is an online project called the Peacedoll Challenge. I have created a pattern and barring any complications, will be posting it here for a little while. It is very, very simple and meant to be shared and made personal. Change the faces, hair and whatever you like. But please remember I made it and do not pass it off as your own.
I may just include the link from my photoalbum unless I can find a better way of supporting it. Please do share your thoughts, and if possible, you happen to stitch it, the pics or links for us to follow.
Oh and I included blank faces for people to play with and make changes. I think with changes of color and do-dads such as hats and things, or something of meaning in a hand it could be really cute

a new blog!

Thank you Angelsan for the heads up! It'll be so much easier for me to enter the monthly giveaways -stitcher's luck is not on your side when you are trying to send in for a mag you receive later than everyone else and may not make it in time to be valid. Okay so I admit I have never mailed any of them in..... forgetful me. Plus the postage is a bit more from the US as well.
We won't even get back into the whole Borders fiasco of trying to find a cross stitch magazine, a month behind, if at all.

not much

in the stitching front. I had the urge today but other things got in the way. I may be on the verge of trying a new tactic and stitching earlier on in the day. Maybe

And it is now countdown time! The kids go back to school the 29th. So a few odds and ends to pick up for school supplies and off they go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."

Okay so normally it's "fog" but I am improving at a very s l o w pace. Another thing to add to my "must do list" is to make time to type, seriously type every day. IMing does help me as it makes me watch the screen and not my hands,-but I am not really trying like the real thing then either. So- here's to improved typing.

A quote to ponder

"Sometimes, it’s not doing a person any favors to be someone other than the person you’ve always been for them, even if it might be in the name of giving them more support or making special consideration because they have it so hard. In fact sometimes, it’s a betrayal."

-prajantr (with permission)

Needles

My new and not yet used toy.
Having grumbled while rethreading just to finish a little section - I decided to order these......
They are so tiny!

And good news on the stash front.Prajantr has accepted a new addition to her stash. So all 50+DMC Stitchbows and the binder inserts to store them have been packed up and sent off to her house. :)
So I guess I need to update the "Looking for a New Home" section.

needles

I ordered and received the John James Petite needles today. They are so tiny! I can't wait to use them! :)

goals, in a broad sense

I won't go as far as creating lists with a defined set of goals as I probably would be less likely to do them that way. (Just makes it seem more like work .)
But I will list what I have and need to get done. So here goes.....

Peaches: needs to have lettering added. I have emailed for the exact details of weight, length, date of birth and so on. I haven't heard back yet so I may need to follow up. Then wash, press and maybe make into a card or something compatible with papercrafts. (As a keepsake.)

Jingle Bells: I need to backstitch and wash, press and hopefully finish into an ornament. This would be my first. So I am tempted to make another thing , a quickie , to try and make into an ornament as my track record hasn't been great with that sort of thing. Me? Chicken? Yes!

Fred: I have decided I detest the fabric I started him on -the count and the color. I'd like to restart him. But if I did so it would be to probably make into something ornament related as gift for someone. Seeing as how I stitch so slowly and it is pushing the season if I have a chance at accomplishing my stitch related gifts goal this year.

Silhouettes: I had planned on all four, but failed to stick with it. I had a possible gift in mind for a teacher, almost a mentor, through school. She loves sunsets and I thought I may be able to stitch one as a thank you card for her.

Popcorn and Souffle: Wanted to make that for Ainslie, she is going to be a big sister. But as I would also like to make something for the new (unnamed) baby coming in November(?) I have no idea what. Ainslie is really into ducks which is how the whole thing started. (No one knows it is meant for her to begin with so if it doesn't get done I have disappointed no one.)

Ghost: Which is a rarity, it is meant for me. I love the design and wanted something to hang onto/decorate this shelf thing that has a bar on the bottom. I may keep that as a reward for any other accomplishments that may come along... We'll see.

the unnamed items

>A new, shopped for and pondered item, for my sister. Who may be reading this, I have no idea. So I may stitch and have to leave WIP pics off until it has been received. But at this point it has a possible pattern, a stack of threads and beads so .... I have no idea.

>A promised redwork project for my mother-in-law. I have never done redwork but seeing as it is mostly backstitching type style and printed on the fabric I should be golden. SO I need to rinse some red thread with vinegar, she says it is purely for decoration , but I don't want to risk it needing a washing in the future and bleeding all over.

>And last but not least the fact that I want to stitch Christmas gifts (as mentioned above)

*sigh, here's another one

is that what you are thinking?
Funny part though is look how close I am to the Beast and Goofy. Hmm. How's that for a wide variety?!

You scored as Cinderella. Your alter ego is Cinderella! You often find yourself doing a lot of housework, but if you are patient, your hard work usually pays off. You are prone to losing things, so dont rush through everything. Cinderella 75% Goofy 63% The Beast 56% Snow White 44% Pinocchio 44% Peter Pan 38% Sleeping Beauty 38% Ariel 25% Donald Duck 25% Cruella De Ville 0% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

window shopping

interesting....
"Coming Soon are some more new threads from DMC. A Fluorescent
Collection with 6 colors each and Holiday Collection in the Light Effects
series." This is from the newsletter from- http://www.maryjanes.com


And how exactly can I find out the stitch counts to a few of these lovelies? No brainer I suppose to know that I am especially interested in the "Purple Perfection", "Pride" (is that really purple like it is on my monitor?), and my most favorite so far- "Peekaboo". But as I think they tend to be large I'd need a small one if I have any hope of finishing it in this lifetime. Ooh! "Keepsake" is looking nice too, and it is smaller, I think .

And there's a contest! You can 'name the seahorse' here
See you kept reading and found out about a goodie! Hee hee