Archive for Stash

so how did you spend your friday evening?

11.07.09 at 11:00 am · Filed under NaBloPoMo, Stash, life stuff

I wasted mine behind the ‘puter. LOL. Actually, I was trolling through Marktplaats, the Dutch answer to eBay, for unusual cross stitch designs. And I scored a lovely Merrily Beams pattern and a kit from Beardie Designs. Woohoo! Both for under 25 euros. :D

MerrilyBeams

marken

I had a fairly weird experience yesterday. While I was waiting to pick the kids up on the school ground, a fellow parent kept calling Arden by the wrong name … but not just any wrong name – the name we’d chosen for his twin. It was a Twilight Zone sort of experience.

Today I’m off to the acupuncturist again. With the drop in temperatures, I’m really glad I’m getting this taken care of now. I hope your weekend involves something that makes you feel better!

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coming clean, and other silliness

10.27.09 at 12:13 am · Filed under Stash, furbabies, give-away, kids, moving

Thanks for all the well-wishes regarding today’s showing. The realtor was enthusiastic about it, and complimented us on how well the place showed. Hooray for insane cleaning! The lookers are at home, discussing the house, while we sit here with crossed fingers. ;)

It was a very hectic day, which isn’t particularly pleasant, but things got a lot nicer when I found out I’d won Beth’s giveaway via her FB group. Yay! And thanks, Beth! I love her designs and now I get to pick one of my choice! :D

And speaking of great designs, I took the plunge and ordered a couple of Niky’s designs. I’ve long admired her blog, though I’m a lurker. She sent them incredibly fast. I really love how she packages her charts – aren’t they adorable? I’m a little less enthusiastic about the layout of the charts, however, because there’s no stitch count and no center point marked. I’m lazy, I’ll admit it – I want someone else to do the work for me. ;) But these are super-sweet designs that I look forward to stitching up once my obligations are done.

Niky'sCreations

Gilbert seems to think he needs his own Daylight lamp. When he was having some free time yesterday, he let me know that I’ve got the angle all wrong. LOL!

Gilber collage

And to close on a very silly note, here are my three younger kids acting up in the tub. Nick and Rowen are into Halloween this year and were trying to pull their most dreadful poses. With some help from Picnik, I made Nick into a proper ghoul.

bath collage

I hope you’re all doing something fabulous on this rainy end-of-October day! Thanks for visiting!

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sandpaper hands and all

10.22.09 at 4:15 pm · Filed under Stash, friends, kids, moving, round robins, stitching

Despite the damage done to my hands by all the intensive cleaning, I’ve managed to pull out some stitching and really enjoy it. First up is Karen V’s Quaker RR because there’s a deadline coming up next month that I don’t want to stress over. A fine group of us have done Ellen Chester’s Ackworth Friendship Book Sampler together and this is the last round. Karen’s is the only that isn’t monochromatic – isn’t it stunning?!

KarenV's Quaker RR progress

I also splurged a little bit on this threadholder from The Gift of Stitching monthly magazine shop. Kirsten comes up with the coolest things, and despite the fact that I’m supposed to be packing and getting rid of things, I simply had to have this. Check out the shop for this and other goodies! (Hint: The kits are fabulous!)

Threadwinder from TGOSM

Sadly, this is probably about the extent of my Halloween decorating this year – that’s a no-no with the house up for sale. No showing off the beautiful Halloween goodies I’ve received in the past from Su, Becky SC, and Mylene (among others!) or those I’ve stitched myself. Speaking of the house, the realtor was duly impressed with the tremendous changes wrought since her original visit 2 weeks ago. The property pamphlet that she created for the house is very nice, and now it’s time to cross our fingers and hope for the best!

Even if we have to keep the place gorgeous, playing must be allowed, and here are the kids with a particularly elaborate train tracks and city they built this morning. (We also enjoyed a nice visit from Marlies, but I neglected to take my camera out. Oops!)

civil engineers have to start somewhere

Enjoy a wonderful day!!!

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a sweet little finish

09.18.09 at 8:07 pm · Filed under Stash, finishing, kids

Friendship finish

Just a tiny thing, but it’s the thought that counts, right? I’ve stuffed it with chamomile blossoms for a sweet scent and trimmed it with a bit of pretty vintage lace. I hope it brings a smile to a good friend. :)

Today’s been a busy one, but the weekend will be even busier. LOL. I was trying to think what I’d do this weekend if I could do anything I want. Stitching would obviously be my first choice, but stitching what?? I’ve had a strong urge to do Prairie Schooler’s Bremen Town Musicians but of course I already have so many projects going ….

Speaking of stitching, have you read about this? My stash budget (a totally fictitious entity, btw, but it makes it sound like less of a guilty pleasure, doesn’t it?) had gone toward my monthly fat halves of Vikki’s scrumptious linen, but now I’m left without a fix. This sure looks like a wonderful packet to receive every month in the mail. And for those who were wondering what to use when stitching over-one on high count linens – this is the stuff!

Not much else to add. I have a houseful of tired kiddoes to put to bed. Think I can pry this one away from his favorite TV-watching spot? LOL. Wishing one and all a wonderful weekend!

Arden watching TV

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sometimes smaller is better

09.07.09 at 6:00 pm · Filed under Stash, exchanges, friends, stitching

Size isn’t everything. Really. ;)

To prove my point, look at this tiny treasure I received from Su to round out our year of Seasonal Exchanges. This is Dutch Strawberries by The Goode Huswife done over one on 40 ct linen. It’s exquisite, and even more gorgeous IRL. Su’s finished it as a floss fob/ornament. For now, I’ve taken the metal ring off so I can display it as an ornament. It is just so incredibly gorgeous that I can’t stop looking at it! It’s backed with a beautifully coordinating Moda fabric.

The Goode Huswife Dutch Strawberries
Here’s a little trio of petite pretties that I’ve recieved over the years. I have many others, but I like how these three look together.

overonetreasures

I’ve been busy with some tiny stitching, too. This is Hope from the Virtue Sampler Series by Carriage House Samplings. However, I’ve change “Hope” to “Love” because it’s a gift for Rowen’s teacher, whose daughter recently died after a long illness. I’ve stitched it over one using the suggested Crescent Colours and finished it as a very tiny box to hold small treasures of her daughter.

CHS Hope collage

This isn’t so small, but here’s what I stitched in the latest round for the Blackbird Designs exchange group. This is a compilation of various BBD design elements from several of their charts that I’ve done in a schoolgirl sampler style and finished off as a ‘make-do’ pin cushion on a tiny porcelein soup tureen with a tiny lace and ribbon trim. I love it! Luckily, so did my partner, Pilar! (I had to steal her photo, as I forgot to take one!)

BBD pie collage

And to show how well the international mails are working, here’s the Halloween JCS that Jennifer mailed me – it arrived in less than a week! Jennifer, you are SO generous and kind. Here’s hoping that your goodness will come back to you tenfold! :D

JCS from JenniferSutherland

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going green

09.01.09 at 9:06 pm · Filed under Stash, furbabies, life stuff, stitching

I have a list of around-the-house to-do’s that’s probably long enough to wallpaper my living room. Today I began with the front garden. It’s a tiny garden, but Mother Nature sure kept busy while we were on vacation!.

going green : weeds

This is what it looked like when I started. I pulled out all the weeds and removed all the rotting apples, but that had to be done in stages because the wasps didn’t think I had any business at all messing around with their fruit bar. Yikes. Tomorrow I hope to hoe, as the soil really needs to be turned over. Surprisingly, my hens & chicks did not fare well. Less than a third survived.  These plants were supposed to be indestructible – do I really have such a brown thumb?? Anyway, I’ll post an ‘after’ picture when I’m done.

Gilbert’s also going green. He was late molting this year and our neighbor, who cared for him during our time in Maine, was worried when all his feathers began falling out. I assured her he’s fine – he just looks like he lost a battle with the business end of a lawnmower. “Ack,” says Gilbert, “don’t let them see me like this!” I’ll post another picture when his new feathers are all grown in – he’s unbelievably sleek and glossy at that point. :)

going green : Gilbert's growing new feathers

on the stitching front

Today I received the latest Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers kit. I’ve mentioned that I order these from Carolyn, who is just great. But this time the design just doesn’t do anything for me. I know I’m not going to stitch it, so I’d like to trade or sell it if anyone’s interested. I’m willing to trade/sell just the chart or the entire kit – your choice. I paid $43 for the whole kit and have only taken it out of the envelope to photograph it (it’s now back in the envelope and safely stored in my sewing bureau). If anyone is interested, please mention it in your comment and I’ll contact you.

Loose Feathers chart

Loose Feather complete kit

And finally, here’s a little stitching progress to share. Very little, LOL! This sawtooth border required a bit of experimentation before I was happy with the results. I’m using two strands of HDF silk on 36 ct HDF linen. I really wanted the strands to lay flat but simple railroading wasn’t giving me the desired effect. So I got out a long pin and renamed it a laying tool and made a second attempt. Now I’m happy with it. :) It’s surprisingly tiny IRL. Next time, I’ll include something in the photo to indicate scale.

satin-stitched sawtooth border progress

That’s about it from me for now. I hope September is off to a happy and healthy start for you and yours!

Edited to add: Does anyone have a blue-ish version of GAST Purple Iris? Barb ran out on a project and is having problems with dye-lot issues. Don’t forget to sign up for her giveaway while you’re over there. ;)

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and other things irresistible

08.25.09 at 3:36 pm · Filed under (new) designs, Stash, stitching, weather

So there are some other sea-lovers out there – I’m glad to be in such good company. :) Luckily there are a lot of wonderful seaside designs to keep us all from feeling too homesick for the crash of surf. And for those who’ve asked me about Tanya’s freebie (shown in previous post), I’d suggest you contact The Sampler Girl herself.

In addition to soaking up lots of seaside air, sand, and salt, I indulged in a little pre-shopping before we headed to Maine. Taking advantage of some special sale offers and also picking up some things that I really needed and could save something on the shipping … well, you know how it goes, right? I don’t need to make too many excuses for myself, do I? Well, looking at this picture, maybe I do!

stash of summer 2009

Many thanks to Vikki Clayton for her wonderfulness in getting everything to my Mom’s address during the span of our vacation (despite an order that went on to two pages!), to The Sampler Girl for shipping not only my order but that of my friend Conny to my Mom’s address, to Mary Kathryn for getting orders filled even when distributors are a little slower than they should be ( ;) ), and to Tanya of  The Scarlett House for parting with some gently-used designs at wonderfully generous prices.

To show that my purchases really are justified, here’s some of that HDF linen and silk (Oil of Amber 4113, Examplar Dried Roses, and Knucker) already being worked up into a new design. ;)

NP Wip

Here in the Netherlands, autumn is descending – the rains have begun and the temperatures are dropping. It’s still August! But like it or not, Mother Nature’s following her own schedule and I may as well try to go along gracefully. Wishing you and yours a wonderful week!

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drips and drabs

07.12.09 at 4:36 pm · Filed under Stash, cooking, freebies, furbabies, life stuff, round robins, stitching

No, the title isn’t a typo of  ‘dribs and drabs’ – it’s raining (again) and I decided to take liberties with the phrase. This weather is good for cooking, even if it tends to get a bit depressing. Yesterday, I baked a couple loaves of bread to celebrate the kids’ summer holiday, and here’s the chocolate bread that disappeared almost immediately after the photo was snapped.  (It was another attempt at using flour other than wheat, and I’m now ready to concede that it’s not as easy as I thought it would be.)

chocolatebreadring

Yesterday I started a new project over one that I am just loving. Here’s a picture I took during a sunny break yesterday (I’ve gotten a bit further with it since then). I’m stitching it with DMC over one on 32 ct mystery linen that looks a lot like Lambswool.

PS newstartoverone

As a matter of fact, I’m loving it so much that I went off and ordered a large piece of evenweave from Silkweaver’s Odds & Ends to finally do SOHRH over-one. I’m taking it easy on myself, as it’s a 20 count evenweave and should not wear my poor old peepers out too much.

Silkweaver shadowbrook

I’ve also continued to work on this round of our Quaker RR, with the intention of having one panel done before we go on vacation to Maine. That only leaves the other panel to do after we return, which shouldn’t be too difficult (she said, full of confidence, LOL!).

QuakerRR3WIP

Our kitty, Spin, seems to have adopted a quieter family one street over and I miss him. I’m not sure which house he’s been going to, but I keep finding him down that street. I carry him home and feed him, but he only picks at his uninspiring dry kibble and leaves after allowing me to pet him a little bit. Though I can’t blame him for seeking out quieter lodgings, I’ve always felt that a home without a cat is just four walls with a lot of windows and doors.

spin up high

 

schools_outTomorrow is the first ‘real’ day of the kids’ summer holidays. I’ll need to get busy today printing out the activities we’ll be doing. Gosh, I should’ve checked our supply of printer ink yesterday when the shops were open. I hope to also get the Five Birds chart emailed out and the giveaway prizes posted as well – sorry for the week-long delay, but it really was a crushingly busy week.

Best wishes, all!

13 July, Edited to add: I’ve sent the two CHS freebies (Brite Birds and Five Birds) in a final mass emailing. I won’t be sending them out again, so please don’t ask. The upcoming days and weeks will be spent with the kids rather than behind the computer. ;) Thanks for understanding!

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28 count is huge!

06.25.09 at 3:19 pm · Filed under Stash, kids, stitching, stitchy gifts

I haven’t stitched on 28 count linen in quite awhile, unless it’s over-one, so when I picked HOHRH up the other day to join in with Becky’s initiative, I felt like I was stitching on window screening material. LOL. This is stitched on 28 ct Parkside by Silkweaver using the suggested DMC. I’ve been thinking that after I do house one on this one, I’ll go on to do house one on VOHRH and then SOHRH. Then on to house two, and so on. It sounded like an interesting way to get all three BAPs done without getting bogged down on one of them.

Day One:
HOHRH day one

Day Two:
HOHRH day two

Here’s the stash that Conny gave me for my birthday. Gorgeous, huh? Makes me long for autumn!

stash from conny

And my Liberty Primitives order came in today. Wow, she packaged it up so  nicely, with some gorgeous freebies. What a treat!

LibertyPrimitivesStashHaul

We had some fun at lunch today. Here are Arden and Rowen being very cute.

cute arden

Rowen being cute

It’s a gorgeous sunny day here – hot and bright and very summery. I hope you’re enjoying a wonderful day!

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called out

06.18.09 at 11:51 am · Filed under Maine, Stash, life stuff

II’ll have to admit that Annemarie called me out when she asked if I’d been in a blah when I wrote my last post. I was feeling a teeny bit sorry for myself, which simply isn’t allowed. I adjusted my attitude Monday evening and we’ve been enjoying a good week since then. Hair has been cut, gardens have been weeded, clutter has been redistributed cleaned up, and so on. I haven’t had much time for stitching, and what little I have done has been for gifts, so I’m afraid there are no stitchy pictures. I have engaged in a wee bit of retail therapy, though, and in the interests of spreading joy to all, here are a few people or places I’ve recently shared some economy-stimulating activity with:

Theresa of Shakespeare’s Peddler – Theresa is currently having a Cyber Sidewalk Sale that lured me out of my latest attempt to stitch only from my stash. LOL. Theresa’s so sweet & friendly in her emails, and she really does keep her shipping costs reasonable (a big concern for those of us who rely on international shipping!).

Vikki of Hand Dyed Fibers – Anyone who’s a regular reader knows that I’m a regular buyer over at HDF. Just love her products. Her Linen of the Month program was fabulous, and I’m in love with her new Be-series.

A new-to-me ebay seller, scots-banshee, was an absolute darling in regard to a shipping issue. I’m very hesitant about trying new ebay sellers, but she went a long way in reaffirming that there are still lots of good people out there.

And an ebay seller that I’ve happily done business with in the past has a sale going on that I simply couldn’t pass up. Liberty Primitives has always done right by me with quick shipping, reasonable rates, and top-quality charts. Many now at 20% off!

And after this therapy, if you’re looking for me, you can find me at the stoplight offering to wash your windshield while you’re waiting for the light to change. :0

Wishing you all a wonderful day. Thanks for sharing it with me!

PS: Anyone needing a little dose of Maine beauty should check out Martha’s latest photos. She was hiking out on Mount Desert Island, where my Mom’s family is from.

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