Babies and bibs!

So my boss sent out a message that she was a grandma and I wanted to do something nice. I posted earlier that I found some cute bibs to make

 

(Exhibit A)

 

I finished the two turtles in about a week. It was a fun stitch, although my fingers get quite sore and bandaids were close at all times.

 

(Exhibit B)

 

I really enjoyed working on this bib. It was the first time I stitched a bib and I've only done stamped cross stitch a few times before. Imagine my surprise when my boss tells me that her daughter in law had a baby as well! Good thing these bibs come as a pair. I quickly stitched up the second bib in about two days.

 

(Exhibit C)

 

My boss is off to visit her daughter and daughter in law tomorrow so I was up until midnight last night last night finishing the bib. This is my evidence and excuse as to why I am tired and in need of more coffee today!

 

 

Sorry I was so long between posts. I caught a bug and was under the weather for a week, but thankfully I am coming along. I spent Labor day weekend at the shop watching movies and stitching a storm. I worked on my first punch needle piece and I'll post pics later, worked on the Rose Bower Wedding, also pics later, and just generally had a relaxing weekend. Things have been a bit stressful at home lately. We have some neighborhood kids who have been causing problems and they decided my car was a great target. They have done over 1500 dollars worth of damage! Broken window and smashed the door. I have never had anything like this happen before and it is a horrible feeling. It was nice to get away for the weekend and not have to worry. My mom didn't think it was so great the dog and I were staying. Rylee decided she needed to go to China and was going to dig her way there!

 

Mom has a lot of ground squirrels and Rylee must have thought they were inviting her over for tea and peanuts.

Well I'll leave you with furry baby pics. I'll post an update of Rose Bower on Monday. It will be nice to work on it this weekend and not on bibs!

 

My friends raccoon she is taking care of until she can release it. Very cute but very feisty!

 

Bella keeping me company while I was sick

 

They looked so comfy I didn't want to move them to use the blanket. I got up and got another one. No they are not spoiled at all!







Sore Fingers

The title of this post says it all. I stitched my fingers off this weekend! It was so nice to just sit around the house Saturday getting laundry done and stitching. I had declared that I wasn't going to have any plans of Saturday and my boyfriend obliged. We had a movie marathon day! Started with Mighty Ducks and D2, What Dreams May Come with a little bit of Red Dwarf to change things up. After going out for ice cream at the fab Union Dairy we finished the night with Night at the Museum. I managed to get 4 loads of laundry done and most of it is put away. Thats a new record being as how laundry rates up there with getting dental work done. On to stitching...

I pulled out an old WIP and started working on it for a change of pace. I started this birth announcement back in 2009 when my then best friend was pregnant. Well life got in the way as it usually does and the baby was born before I finished it. And then I had a terrible falling out with my friend. So it sat and sat until I was cleaning my closet the other day.

I had Pooh, the hunny pot, half of the checked bottom and the star stitched when I put it away. This last week I did some back stitching, and finished the bottom. I set this aside yesterday to stitch a bib for my boss. She sent a message out that she is a new grandma! I was sitting at the shop and thought this was the perfect excuse to work on a stamped bib that I had been eying for weeks!

I just love the way these look! It has been quite some time since I've worked with stamped cross stitch and my poor fingers are taking the brunt of it. I finally got a system down so I didn't stab myself!

2 colors done...3ish to go. I'm hoping to have this finished by the end of the week...I'll update later if I manage to finish.

As always I'll leave you with animal pics!

Bear deciding on if he is going to pounce the bug or not.

I should have taken a picture Saturday but Pippin was lying on my phone. All three cats were sleeping on the bed with Rylee in the middle. All 4 had tongues sticking out! It was so stinkin cute but Pippin had horrible gas and about 3 minutes later everyone had left the bedroom to seek fresher air.

Have a good week everyone!

Another Monday

Well another Monday has rolled round again. I wish I could work on the weekends and have all weekdays off! Wouldn't that be wonderful? These last 2 jobs I've worked have been Monday-Friday. Well my last job was Monday-Monday with no time off. It has been hard adjusting to working a what most would consider to be a normal job. I love have every weekend free, and getting home at a decent time...but I miss being able to do things during the week too.

Boyfriend and I went to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Saturday. It was amazing. If you haven't watched it yet I highly advise it. I laughed so hard my abs hurt the next morning. Sunday was spent at the shop. Got quite a bit of work done on Rose Bower. I filled in a lot of the white stitches. I hate stitching white on white. I repeat I loath stitching white on white. I have no problem with how it looks, but my eyes hate me afterward.

Rose Bower before

 

Rose Bower current

 

Quite a bit of progress made and I'm really happy with how it's turning out. Now I have a lot of popcorn stitching to do on his shoulder and that requires counting. I hate counting. I'm horrible at counting. Hopefully I can do it without too much frogging.

 

Also I wanted to make a note that I do read every comment, It's just really hard to respond. I do most of my posting and reading on my phone and for some reason the commenting doesn't go so well. When I get my actual computer to a state where I can use it more often I'll start commenting again. I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments!

 

As always I'll leave you with furbaby pics!

 

 

Rylee showing off her lovely hair cut.

 

Pippin pretending not to snuggle, Bear pretending Pippin isn't snuggling his butt.

 

Rylee (pre haircut) and Bear watching my Boyfriend eating supper.( Well Bear is protesting getting his picture taken.)

 

Happy Stitching Everyone!

 



Feeling Lazy

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. Life gets so very busy during the summer months (and spring, winter and fall too!) I haven't had too much time to stitch lately. Mostly just on Sundays when I'm at the shop. My Grandma's brother passed away recently after a long bout with Parkinsons. I've spent quite a few hours upstairs with her watching The Carol Burnette Show and I Love Lucy. She is doing better know. Destiny Beta for XBox One was last weekend. My friends and I played a lot, can't wait for the full release in September. And as always, work work work. I've picked up more days at the fire department as on call. Which basically means I do nothing different except commit to being in district from 5pm to 4am most days. Hopefully being home more will mean more stitching!
Went into Chicago last weekend with my Mom for her birthday. She choose Hard Rock Cafe. After eating we left the city and headed for the shop. On the way we stopped in Naperville and showed my boyfriend where we used to live and where I went to school. Boy does it look different now. At the shop mom picked up Quiltopoly. Like Monopoly, but with quilts!

 

The only picture I took that day. I am so not my mothers daughter. She must have taken thousands!

I have made progress on a few items and started a new project. I know I know another new start you say! Well I was at the shop stitching with my friend and I looked up and saw one of her finished projects and knew right away that I had to stitch it.

Victorian Charm

Picture taken at Lottie's Keep

Stitched by Debra Hartwig

 

I just love the way the colors work with the dark Aida. This has been a challenge so far! I've never worked with dark background before and its 18ct too. Its coming along and Deb assures me that as soon as I get some reference marks and don't have to count so much that it will go smoother. I don't have any pictures on the Wedding or Victorian house but I have made some advancement on those. I'll have pics next time.

 

One of my sweetheart patients ended her time at my clinic (which is a very good thing, that means she's healed.) She gave me a wonderful washcloth that she made, herbal tea and lavender soap. Made me tear up a bit when she gave it to me.

 

 

 

I'll leave you as always with pics of the kids. I took the cats outside and brushed them the other day. Got enough hair out of the three of them to stuff a large pillow! My middle child Bear decided that he rather likes the outside and now comes out to roll in the grass when Rylee plays ball.

 

And so ends another post. I'm off to work and make money to buy bones for the dog. At least thats what I tell her everyday and when I leave the house.

 

Bonus cat photo. Lazers ready Captain! (scuse the messy house)

 

 



Bits of progress and a giveaway!

Where does time go?! I swear it feels like we just started June and now its already after the 4th. I had a wonderful day celebrating with my friends and family. I took some great photos, but they are on my computer at home and I'm not. I'll post some of those later.

Updates

I worked quite a bit on Rose Bower Wedding. My friend isn't getting married for a year and a half but I want it to be done well ahead of time. I didn't take any pictures of my latest progress, but I'll take some and post later.

The Victorian house is coming along nicely. It's a small project that I can work on without dragging all my gear out. I don't have much room to work with. I usually do all my stitching from my bed. I live with my Gram in her basement. Well half the basement. I do have a couch but its on the other side of the room (and usually covered with junk that has no home) I don't mind stitching on the bed, but sometimes the cats think that my stitching is their stitching. In the photo Pippin kept trying to eat my thread.

 

Cats can be jerks when they want! Also A-Team lol.

 

Its actually starting to look like a house. I'll try to remember to get pics of my other projects in progress this Sunday while I'm stitching and watching movies at my friends shop.

 

 

Giveaways

 

Parsley is having a giveaway to celebrate becoming an EMT! I don't know if Ive ever mentioned before that I too am an EMT. Its a great profession to be in and I'm always glad to see new people coming into the field. You can read about her experience at her blog Seasons Of My Mind .

 

Well I spose I should get back to being productive. I'll post some more pics later if we don't loose power from the supposed storms heading our way. Have a great day everyone.

Can't stop stitching!

Have you ever had a project so fun you couldn't put it down? I started working on a stitch for my friend who is getting married a year and a half from now and I can't put it down. I'll admit when I started stitching on it I wanted to toss it out the window, that or beg my friend to pick a different picture. I couldn't figure out how my counting went wonky and I was off. Thankfully my new friend Deb helped me out. She runs a cross stitch shop close to my home town! I drove by the complex on my way to West Virgina a few weeks ago. I stopped in last Saturday and instantly knew I was going to be spending a lot of time (and money lol) here. She has a fantastic shop with a large selection of items., and also has an area to sit and stitch. We ended up stitching for 5 hours Saturday and about 3 hours on Sunday. It's so nice to meet some local people that like to stitch. I started working on Rose Bower Saturday, and even though I set it aside for a few days out of frustration I picked it up last night and stitched for 6 hours! I only stopped when my fat cat Pippin (also known by many names: The Pippinfather, Pippinpotumus, Blob) knocked my stand over because he was hungry.

Rose Bower Wedding

Started 6-21-14

 

Sunday after getting frustrated I picked up a Mill Hill Bead kit. Never too early to work on Christmas presents! This will be for my Mom, I've even got a wooden box picked out for it to go in.

 

Victorian House

Started 6-22-14

 

These are so fun to stitch on. Sorry the picture is kinda cruddy. I'll remember to turn the flash off next time!

I'll leave you with kitty pics. Pippin loves to help hold my projects down, just incase gravity fails.

Bella needs rehab for her box addiction

Bear just wonders if any of it is edible

Have a good weekend everyone!



 

So very busy!

Things have been quite crazy around here lately. The last weekend in May I went down to Missouri for my cousins wedding. It was about a 4 hour drive there and back, but it was a blast. Last weekend I worked my second job (have to pay for my awesome car!) It was also my anniversary, but due to my stupid second job I didn't get to see the boyfriend at all! This week I drove 9 and a half hours to Huntington, West Virginia for training. I split the trip by staying in Indy overnight. My room was a suite! I sat for about 3 hours on the couch and stitched. I worked on the seasonal chairs.

 Spring Chair Before

 Spring Chair After

Its hard to see but I finished the cushion and added a bit to the chair. I sat in class until 9 tonight and I have to be back by 8 in the morning so I don't think I'll get any stitching done tonight. But my plan for the week is to stitch after class. More pictures soon!

Lazy Sunday

Well today is one of those lazy days. I'm currently watching my parents house while they are gone for the weekend. I brought all my stitching stuff with me, but haven't had the energy to actually dig it out yet! I worked yesterday morning and this morning at my old traveling job. Getting up before the sun makes me sleepy about now. It's a beautiful day here in Illinois! I'm tempted to take my stitching out to the backyard, get some sun while the dogs snooze on the bricks. My boyfriend and I made our first big purchase as a couple. We bought a new digital camera! Not a point and click up a professional style. Thank goodness it has auto focus on it for me, I'm not as proficient in photo taking as the BF. He left for work earlier today and poor Rylee keeps looking for him to come back!

Rion (Orion) was trying to figure out what she was looking for!

I found another great pattern on Ebay for cheap! The cut-thru Lighthouse!

I just absolutely love these designs. It's going to take me years to get all this stitching done! I couldn't pass this one up though. The theme of my Mom's house is nautical, which is fitting seeing as how they live on the river.  Maybe I'll finish it before they retire and move somewhere else and get a new theme lol!

Well I guess I'll wrap up this wordy post now. I need to go out and water all the flowers (FYI there are a lot of flowers in the yard!) I'll leave you with this information sheet from my Stepmom. She leaves one for me every time I watch the house. They always look a bit different but I love the effort and love she puts into each one.

Have a good Memorial day everyone! I promise to stitch tonight and posts some pics.

Deals Galore...and some stitching!

After my great deal on two Bothy Threads patterns I figured that was it for me for awhile. Nope! My local Joann Fabrics is moving. They have some great deals. I picked up an Ottlite caddy for 20 bucks. They normally sell for 80!

 It's so pretty! Well at least mine will be when it's out of the box.

I made some good progress on my Bothy Threads. We had some strong storms come through last night. My dog is terrified of storms. She has a thunder jacket and gets a dose of benadryl to calm her down. So I was up late stitching while she panicked.

Finished more cream and gold background. Think I'll work on the cat next to add more color!

I took a break from the shed to work on a newer start. I realized I have never worked on anything Halloween themed! I picked up this kit awhile ago and thought why not. The bright colors will be nice after all the cream!

 I am loving my chart clip I found at Hobby Lobby. Makes it easier for charts I haven't been able to copy or color the areas differently.

Here are some updated pics of my furbabies.

 Bella pretending she isn't waiting for Bear to look away so she can steal his food.

 My parents dog Rion cooling off in my step mom's project outside.

 Bear was mad at me and pouting!

 Poor  Rylee baby. So worn out by all the storms.

 My silent watcher Pippin. Okay, not so silent. He has asthma and wheezes and snores!

That's all for this time. I'll end with a question. Those of you with furbabies...How do you keep the hair off your projects?! Or remove it from them? I swear no matter how careful I am all I see is cat hair!

Bothy Threads!

A friend knows that I like stitching on my Bothy Threads cut thru. She pointed out two patterns on Etsy. I picked up the cut thru Windmill and cut thru North Pole House for about 35 total, including shipping! I'll post more pics of my stitching tonight. Grocery shopping and laundry come first. Oh the joy! I'll also post some updated furbaby pics.

Actual Progress!

Finally got some stitching done this weekend! I didn't make a lot of progress on my cut thru. Mostly because I had to tear out the blue above the umbrella and restitch it. I hate it when you're off by one stitch! I plan on stitching more on this tonight and tomorrow working on my exploding Tardis. When the boyfriend and I find a place we like (and can afford! ) we plan on having a Doctor Who themed bedroom. Maybe I'll get the stitching dine before we move out. HA! By the way, big thank you to my Mom for making me a q-snap cover. She used some leftover scrub fabric. (She makes all my scrubs)

How time flies!

Holy Moley how times flies. Its been almost a year since my last post! I was really busy with my job there for a bit. Working 70 hours a week, sometimes 20 days in a row. I'm so happy that I have a newer job (again). Now I work 8 to 5 with no nights, holidays or weekends! I pulled out all my old sititching and looked over my projects yesterday. I have not touched anything since last August. My boyfriend is out of town for the weekend at a convention (ACEN) so I am planning on stitching and getting caught up on some movies. I'll post update pics soon. Promise!