Upstairs, Downstairs

I have two spots where I like to stitch at home.

The first is upstairs...

This is where I am working on my VoHRH. I can set up my floor stand here and not have to worry about it being too much in the way. This is also home to the Chicken Ottoman Empire where I do all my sewing and store my stitchy stash!

My other spot is downstairs...

I work on smaller projects here where I can watch TV and be close to the kitchen when I have something cooking. It's very cozy in the evenings with a fire in the fireplace (yes, even in summer!) and my sweetheart sitting next to me!

Sweet Liberty

Look at me! My second framed piece! This one didn't go as smoothly as the first because the linen was a little heavier and didn't want to stretch when I was pinning it to the foam board, but I think it still turned out super cute! You may recognize it as an old Lizzie Kate design. I stitched this during my pre-blogging days, waaaay back in the summer of 2000. The kit came with the frame but I never did more than just sorta squash it in and hide the back. (I had done enough tuck style pillows to consider this an acceptable way to finish a project.) I feel all grown up now that I'm actually framing things properly! Woohoo!

Filling In

I have started filling in some of the black on Block 12. There has been no real rhyme or reason to where I stitch. I just pick a spot to fill in and the continue on to the next nearest spot. I've never done any of the Heaven and Earth Designs so if there is a proper way I should be doing this please let me know! In the meantime I'll just plod along with my no-real-technique technique!

More news from the garden...

After several days of steady drizzle, my broccoli has taken off! I've never been this far in my broccoli growing attempts so I am super happy that I can recognize that this is indeed BROCCOLI! 

I had been waiting patiently for just the right time to pick the two strawberries I had growing when one day they were gone! Vanished! Into thin air! Or into the fur-lined pockets of my gardening arch enemy, Squirkle! I will have to hire better security!

That's all I have to share today! We are heading into another sunny weekend here! Gotta love lake life!

Have a faaaaabulous weekend everyone!!!

Vintage Shepherd's Bush

Gentle Hearts Pillow

Shepherd's Bush 

Stitched on Valentina fabric with DMC

I don't think this is (was!) my oldest UFO but it has to be pretty close. The copyright on the pattern is 1988 and I had to have started it 'round about that time. I remember working on it at a Chuck E. Cheese type place while my first two kids flailed around in the ball pit. Chances are I was pregnant with number three at the time and hoping to have this done and sewn into a pillow for the nursery. Now some 25 years later it is finished and off to the Fuppie box to wait for that first grandbaby.

Framed!

This is my first real attempt at framing and I am quite pleased with how it turned out! This is one of the Lizzie Kate Coffee Crazy designs that I finished last year. I had planned to frame them right away and, honestly, I'm thinking a year later isn't all that bad! Considering the age of most of my Fuppies, I got this one framed in record time! 

Man vs. Squirrel

Once again I have started a little container-type garden on the back deck. Last years attempt yielded a bushel of jalapeno peppers and one green bell pepper but that was it. I think the reason the pepper plants survived was because the critters were too full after eating my broccoli and basil.

My challenge this year is with a certain furry critter we've named Squirkle. Last winter we would find him foraging for food on the deck. Bleeding heart that I am, I started putting out a dish of pecans for him. Pre-cracked, no less! He also gets a steady diet of dried corn.

Here he is back in February... 

Poor little fella!

Or so I thought until I caught him knee deep in one of my pots, digging furiously and making a huge mess on the deck.

Then there was this...

 

I had been watering these little guys for a couple of weeks and then it finally hit me, it wasn't anything I had planted... these were trees sprouting from seeds the darn squirrel had buried! In my pot! 

The final straw was when Phil pointed out that Squirkle had a greener thumb than I did. And technically he doesn't even have thumbs!

So yeah, buddy... it's a Garden Showdown!

 Who will be the ultimate victor???

Man? (well, woman...)

 Broccoli! Yes!

 Strawberries! Woohoo!

Or squirrel?

 Corn?

Trees

To be fair I have been watering Squirkle's two entries in the competition. But I've also hired some security...

Muahahaha!

Happy Friday! Have a GREAT weekend!

Two and a Half Bats

And so begins Block 12! I've been working on it "in hand" while watching TV downstairs but I think it's time to put it in the ole Q-snaps and get it on my needlework stand. The original plan was to get all the "bits" done and then work on filling in the black but I think now I'm going to go ahead and get started on it. You can see I did some earlier and, yeah, it's a bit tedious. I'm also not too thrilled with the color of the moon. It blends in with the leaves too much so that might need to be restitched in another color. (I have yet to restitch the dog that blended in too much with the fence so we can all see where this is going!)

And if solid black stitching isn't enough to kill all desire to work on a project, try outlining blocks. Actually it's not that bad working on this while I'm watching baseball. But now that I think about it, it's no wonder I fall asleep in my chair every night!

Here's hoping you're enjoying this Wednesday. We're having a bit of rain and cloudy skies here in SW Michigan so I'm planning to get a pot of chicken and dumplings going for tonight's dinner. It just feels more Fall than Spring here today.

The Weekend Report

Now that the weather is warmer, we seem determined to squeeze as much into a weekend as we possibly can! By Sunday evening we're falling asleep in our chairs but we're bound to do it all over again this weekend!

Saturday was spent cleaning up the lakefront. We haven't put the boat or Waverunners in the water yet but we did carry the kayaks down and did some leisurely paddling around the lake. 

 

 I like the way they looked sitting together on the grass. My daughter and I have been trying to perfect a way to get in and out of them without getting our feet wet. I think the only sure way to do that is to leave them on dry land, haha!

 

I braved the grocery store on a Saturday so we could grill shish kebabs for dinner. I had to be skimpy with the peppers because at $1.99 each you almost need a co-signer to buy them! I heard there was a shortage of limes, but peppers too? Anyway, they were absolutely delicious, served with some wild rice and extra pineapple. We stayed out on the deck and enjoyed the evening until the sun went down and the mosquitoes chased us in.

Sunday morning we went to Mass, then did some shopping and had an early lunch before heading back home. Phil worked on my daughter's car brakes while we did a couple of craft projects inside. Sarah has been wanting to learn to sew (apparently all they did in Home Ec. was cook) and I had some leftover fabric from another project (which I will show you as soon!) so we set about making a couple of mug-mats-slash-trivets-slash-whatzits. They came out about as well as could be expected considering our limited sewing abilities. 

This one is mine since Sarah took hers home with her. Please ignore the terrible job I did stitching up the bottom turnie-hole-thing. You would think I've never had a needle and thread in my hands! It's still kinda cute. (Just don't turn it over! This is the "good side"!)

Next is a wreath I've been dying to make ever since I saw it online last year. I bought all the materials but never quite got around to putting it all together. I like having a sidekick while I'm crafting so I took advantage of Sarah being here and the internet being out! 

I'm still amazed that this came out as well as it did! I did the painting and gluing while Sarah folded the pinwheels. If you want to see my inspiration, Google-ing "wreath frame pinwheels" should bring up a photo and actual instructions. Phil likes it so much he doesn't want me to hang it on the front door lest the elements destroy it. I may have to carry it with me everywhere I go just so people can see it!

I have some stitching to show you but that will have to wait for another post!

Thanks for stopping by!