'Tis the Season

Christmas has come to the Chicken Ottoman Empire! Aida and I kept the decor to a minimum this year... some lights around the windows, a couple of red throw pillows on the couch, a wreath on the front door, and a small table top tree. I might have done more but by the time I ready to start decorating, the stores have been picked over. I did try my hand at making a garland out of paper stars but I've seen better results from Kindergartners!

On the stitching front, I've been working on the latest Stitch Quarterly project called 'Tis the Season.

It's the cutest gingerbread house designed by It's Sew Emma. I'm stitching it on 14-ct. Pistachio aida. Even with aida, I'm having trouble seeing the holes. I found that putting it in a hoop helped tremendously, with the added bonus that if I lean it against my leg I can stitch with both hands. (Or stitch with one hand and throw toys to Aida with the other!) My goal today was to finish the right side of the roof. Tomorrow I will work on the left side and possibly one of the gingerbread trees. That snow looks a little daunting so I'm saving it for last!

 

If you're wondering about Aida, she has been a very good puppy this year and is anticipating a few new toys in her stocking Christmas morning!

"Pretty please, and thank you!"

 

Pumpkin Pals

Pumpkin Pals

by It's Sew Emma

stitched on 14-ct Platinum Aida

with WDW and DMC

 

I finished my Stitch Quarterly project from Fat Quarter Shop over the weekend! For about five minutes I was considering being super lazy and not stitching the border. After doing a couple of test leaves I decided they weren't as fiddly as I thought they might be and had them all done in no time. I'm so glad I did because I really love the way it turned out!

I love these Stitch Quarterly kits! They come with everything you need, right down to the needle, plus a matching project bag and other fun goodies. This one included a cute hedgehog needle minder (presently stuck on my fridge!) and a pair of scissors.

As soon as we've finished the laundry and had some lunch, my plan is to do some finish finishing. That is, if a certain small puppy will cooperate and not insist on Mom's undivided attention.

Mom? Mom! Hellooooooo???

MOOOMMMMM?!?!?!

Still Truckin' Along

Long time no blog! I am slowly getting things back together after this years hurricane season. Helene wasn't too bad here in central Florida but Milton? Yikes! He made a mess of things! A huge tree came down just across the street from me, taking out our power and blocking the road. I can't tell you how scary that was! Both Aida and me ended up having to take sedatives to make it through the night! They had our power back on in about 48 hours so that wasn't too bad considering the amount of work it took to remove the tree and install new poles and lines. Internet was another story. It was a good week before our service was restored. It was such a pain trying to drive anywhere to use WiFi that I mostly stayed home and did a lot of reading. My brother happened to be in town (not sure if that was good timing or bad!) staying at my dad's so I went over one day and helped him clean out the pool and repair some fence panels. For all the mess and inconvenience, I know it was nothing compared to what other people endured. I can count myself lucky!

On to lighter topics... I did get some stitching done!

August Truckin' Along

by Stitching Housewives

 

I love the vintage truck and sunflowers so much! Definitely one of my favorite finishes this year!

I subscribed to Fat Quarter Shop's Stitch Quarterly club and have been working on their September kit. It's been a really fast stitch and I'm hoping to finish it soon!

 

Aida is running out of puppy patience so I better click publish on this blog post and pay her some attention!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gather Pumpkins

Gather Pumpkins

by Hands On Design

I've had these stitched up forever but never finish finished them until today. They're super easy to put together so I don't know why I kept putting it off!

 

A few more shots...

After what feels like a month of being sick I am finally starting to feel better. It took two doctors, three prescriptions, and one shot but something must finally be working. I'm still going to bed at 8pm every night but I've been slowly regaining my energy and my appetite has returned with a vengeance. I'm glad I'm feeling better because Fall is my absolute favorite stitching season! I have so many projects I want to get to!

August Truckin'

I'm loving these fun vintage trucks!

Aida took a nice long nap earlier so I was able to get quite a bit done today. If she's awake, I spend half my stitching time tossing toys!

All play, all day!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We've been super busy here so it was nice to be able to sit and stitch for a change. I need to do some serious restructuring of my days so I have more time for the things I love to do!

Truckin' Along

September Truckin' Along

by Stitching Housewives

 

For once I feel like I'm ahead of the game with a September finish in August! This project has been languishing in my WIP pile for a few years. I know I was working on it when Aida was a puppy because the pattern corners have all been chewed on and the thread was a tangled mess! I learned to keep everything tucked away!

I've already been looking for my next project. I know I should stick to finishing my WIPs but it's so tempting to start something new! Maybe one of each?

Have a great weekend!

Move In Ready

 

The Little House

by Hand On Design

(front)

AKA Cattywampus Cottage

built by Ninnyhammer Construction

(back)

I'd love to have a little housewarming party and invite you all over but it may be a little cramped inside. We could hang out in the garden but Hurricane Debby has left it a bit of a shambles. We'll have to make do with a couple of photos for the time being.

Aida has been reminded several times that even though it looks like a toy, she is not allowed to play with it. Strictly paws off!

The sun is actually trying to come out so I think Aida and I are going to take a quick look-see at the yard and get a start at picking up some of the mess. I took a chance and left my plants on the patio and a couple of them took a beating. We'll have some trimming and tending to do but they should bounce back.

I hope everyone is warm and safe and dry!

Five Easy Pieces

Okay, if I'm being honest, maybe not so easy. Mostly due to my own ineptitude at counting and reading instructions. But here they are at last...

Those two rectangles at the bottom were much harder than I expected them to be due to having to stitch them on a diagonal. For whatever reason, I couldn't see the holes unless I tilted my head one way and turned the fabric the other. I also had to employ some crazy counting hijinks, yet still managed to make several mistakes. I swear, I watched the entire Aurora Teagarden catalog twice just doing this backstitching!

I need to run to Hobby Lobby for some interfacing before I can start assembling the pin cushion. Aida is napping here next to me so it'll have to wait. I took her out for a nice romp after lunch so she's a tired puppy!

Two Weeks Later...

Has it really been two weeks since my last post? At least I have a little bit of progress to share on The Little House.

I had to do a bunch of frogging on the front part because I had the 'pitch' of the roof wrong. I was off by one stitch, and as bad as I wanted to just leave it, I knew it might make assembling the pin cushion more difficult and goodness knows I don't need the extra challenge. I'm really hoping there's enough of the light pink thread left for the restitching. It's going to be a close one!

 

Aida is once again recovering from the trauma of having her nails clipped. To make matters worse, I clipped one too short and it started bleeding. I didn't realize how bad it was until after she'd jumped all over me and the living room furniture. If a forensics team ever came here, the whole place would light up like a discotheque!

Poor baby!

 

 

Wake Up Call

Good Morning!

by The Prairie Schooler

stitched with DMC on 28-count lambswool linen

I saw this in February 2002 issue of Just Cross Stitch and knew I had to stitch it! It turned out bigger than I envisioned, but then I stitched it on 28-count rather than the called for 32 so that's on me. I thought I might be able to snuggle it into my tier tray or maybe a basket of wooden eggs but it's having none of that. I have plenty of shelf space in my kitchen so I'll tuck it in with the cookie jars or teapots. It's a happy little piece and I want it someplace I can see it every day!

I worked on The Little House over the weekend and have the side pieces done except for the back stitching. There's at least a mile of it so I'm saving it for last.

 

Yesterday I started reading a book called A Lady by Hannah Honegger. If you ever watched the series Turn on Netflix, it is set in that same time period and follows the whole spy ring plot but is told from a woman's point of view. I thought it would be a good read since we are coming up on Independence Day. 

 

As soon as I finish my laundry, my nose is either going to be stuck in my stitching or a book for the rest of the afternoon!

 

Little Cottage Finish*

I added the asterisk because I have two boo-boos I need to rip out and fix. Plus this is only the front of the cottage. I still have the back and sides to do. They won't involve as much stitching but at my pace it might still be a couple of weeks until I'm to the point where I can start assembling the pin cushion.

 

This week has flown by but I haven't the foggiest notion why! I would love to have a complete replay of the last four days to see exactly where the time has gone!

On a Thursday

Stitching...

The Little House by Hands on Design

(I finished the right side of the cottage last night. I love the pink curtains peeking through the windows! So homey!)

 

Reading...

I've fallen in love with Ruth Ware after finding one of her books (One Perfect Couple) in the "popular books" section of the library. I want to read the rest of her books in the order they were published so I hopped on eBay and found the first three. I scored another one while out thrift store shopping. (Library books must be kept out of reach of Miss Aida who loves nothing more than chewing on the covers!)

Craving...

Publix Everything Bagel Dip!

I had this a couple of years ago and, good golly, was it ever good! I haven't seen it since then and I'm worried that it wasn't only a limited edition but a final edition. I've resorted to making my own with sour cream and everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's. (Publix, if you're listening, please bring this back!)

Loving...

Miss Aida!

(And Miss Chick Chick who fears for life and limb every time she is chosen from the toy basket!)

Yesterday

I have been focusing on WIPs these past couple of months, and have actually finished a few which I will get around to sharing soon. I wanted to work on something cottage-y so I picked The Little House by Hands On Design for my next project.

The back and sides of the cottage are also stitched so you end up with a cute little pincushion. I've never attempted a project like this before so I'm counting on Cathy's amazing finishing instructions to lead me through!

The fridge needed cleaning out almost as much as my WIP box so I made a delicious stir fry for dinner last night.

 

The green pepper is actually one from my patio garden! We've had so much rain lately that my peppers plants are in hyperdrive! Aida's little pot of flowers has also gone *kaboom*! I will try to remember to take a picture of it to share.

Speaking of Aida, she wasn't too happy with me. We had a Nail Trimming Day and afterwards she hid in her bed under her toys.

We really really REALLY hate Nail Trimming Day!

I'm going to try to get some stitching time in before dinner and then head to an HOA meeting. I believe the hot topic tonight is gutters. Should be riveting. 

January Wreath Swap

I'm coming in just under the wire with my January Wreath Swap.

I have February all kitted up and ready to go as soon as my fabric arrives. I've been using 14-count chalkboard black Aida and it's sooooo much easier to see the holes!

Alexa just chimed with a reminder that I have a dentist appointment in two hours. Ugh! I could have paid off my car with what I've spent on my teeth this last year! I just had to throw one of Aida's toys at Alexa. Nothing like shooting the messenger, right?

I best go tackle my Monday chores before I have to leave. Laundry and trash. Good times here at the Chicken Ottoman Empire!