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!

Post-Thanksgiving Post

Another Turkey Day is in the books! The Macy's parade was watched. The National Dog Show winner was declared. All the meal planning and prep paid off with a delicious meal. The dishes have been washed and the counters wiped clean. Leftovers have been parceled out. The "gravy explosion" will be a funny story to tell next year. Not quite a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting but I have no complaints!

Today is recovery day, even for Aida. We're enjoying lower temps here in Florida so I have the windows cracked to let in some fresh air and my little fireplace going to make the room nice and cozy. With Aida snuggled in under the blanket next to me, I couldn't want anything more.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and has a chance to put their feet up today!

I'm Back!

I've had quite a stitching drought here but for good reason... or maybe not so good! I managed to almost slice off the tip of one of my fingers back in September. The middle finger of my right hand to be exact, which is also the finger I use for pushing the needle through the fabric. I'll spare you the gory details but suffice to say, don't ever use a mandolin without the guard! This was by far the worst I've ever cut myself but did I go have it stitched up? Of course not! I wrapped it up in a towel until the bleeding stopped, then slapped a bandage on and went back to slicing potatoes. I really had my heart set on that au gratin casserole, LOL!

It's still super tender but I've been able to stitch again. The first thing I did was finish my PS Summer Breeze sampler...

I also finished the Gather Wildflower rounds from Hands on Design and have started the Gather Pumpkins set.

 

I've had plenty of time for cutting and gluing stuff in my scrapbook journal notebook thing. I really don't know what to call it because it's just so random. I did a lot of Halloween themed pages which seemed to trend more towards the creepy side. I'm sure any psychiatrist would raise an eyebrow! I did do a few fun ones, too. My favorite was made from pictures I cut out of a Richard Scarry book.

There was more to the story but I wanted to keep it simple. (Sorry Lowly Worm!)

 

Aida did have a costume for Halloween but I neglected to get a picture of her in it. I made her a "pillowcase" to wear so she could be Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter. Every time I get near her with it now she runs and hides under the bed!

 

Myself, I was the scavenger version of Rey from Star Wars.

My brother helped me make the costume and we participated in a truck or treat event held by the local police and fire departments. We had a great time hanging out with other Star Wars costumers and passing out treats.

The best news of all is that the Texas Rangers won the World Series!!! I've been a fan since the early 80s so I'm super happy to see them finally win! Aida and I are going to celebrate tonight with Ball Park franks and ice cream in little plastic batting helmets! Woohoo!

Thanks for stopping by! I promise I will try not to injure my stitching hand again!

The House Idalia Built

Idalia has come and gone and we are none worse for wear. A lot of rain but not much wind. I did err on the side of caution though and rescheduled my appointment with the endodontist!

Aida and I camped out on the sofa most of the day. She slept and I stitched. My goal was to finish the house at the bottom of Summer Breeze and I had it done before dinner time. I'll get some flowers planted today and put the fence up. Then I can move on to sodding the lawn. Not sure I'm on track to finish by Labor Day but I'll give it the ole college try!

 

The scene yesterday...

"Wake me when it's over!"

 

This Post Has No Title

I don't know about anyone else, but sometimes the hardest part of posting on my blog is coming up with a decent title. After ten minutes of sitting here staring at the screen, I have nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

 

Enough of the staring! Let's just jump into the post, shall we?

 

I found the perfect project to close out my summer stitching with...

Summer Breeze from Prairie Schooler

 

I'm not sure when I started this but I reckon I'm a little over halfway done now. Can I finish it before Labor Day? We shall see!

 

I finally got around to reframing "Love My Coffee" after it was damaged in my kitchen flood.

I don't think I did as good a job the second time around but it hangs on a wall under the kitchen cabinets so won't be subjected to my daily scrutiny. At least I hope not.

 

In other news, we are getting ready for another hurricane. The Publix was packed this morning and I've been getting alerts all day regarding closings and potential service interruptions.

Aida and I have plenty of canned food, water, and candles so we are as prepared as we're gonna get. We're not on the coast so don't have to worry about storm surges. I can't promise we won't lose power but the guest room is made up with a new mattress and clean sheets if anyone needs a safe place to evacuate to.

Mi casa, su casa!

 

Late Night Shenanigans

Late last night (or was it early this morning?) I was doing that thing I tend to do called "not being able to shut off my brain and fall asleep". It dawned on me (haha... dawned...) that I have a yellow frame that might be perfect for my Lizzie Kate Welcome Friends finish.

 

Insomnia is for the birds (LOL... birds...) but I did end up with this...

I'm dead chuffed as the Brits would say!

 Aida, on the other hand, wishes I could count sheep like normal people do!

"This is how it's done, Mom. Watch and learn."

Well, I'll Be

I have another finish to share!

Welcome Friends

by Lizzie Kate

stitched on 32-ct Antique White Linen

with DMC

I didn't have the little house charm that goes between "Welcome" and "Friends" so I substituted a heart that goes with another chart. Which means if I ever stitch THAT chart I'll have to do another charm substitution.

Reminds me of the time I whacked into a gorgeous piece of hand dyed fabric before realizing it went with a kit I had spent beaucoup dinero for. Whoops.

I'm still not ready for fall stitching so I think I'll go through my WIPs and see if there's anything that piques my interest.

Someone thinks my light is too bright...

 

A Finish and a Start

  

I finished the last of the Gather Butterflies rounds over the weekend. Do NOT look too closely at any of them! I think I broke a personal record for the number of mistakes in any one project! 

I have the kit for the Gather Pumpkins rounds waiting in the wings. We're in the midst of a heat advisory here so I'm not quite in the mood for fall stitching. Maybe when the temperatures dip into the 80s? I'm still getting used to Florida "seasons". My spare closet is full of cardigans and booties I can't bear to part with yet. I did at least box up my coats and sweaters. Baby steps!

Since I put the pumpkins on the back burner, I pulled out the Lizzie Kate Welcome Friends birdhouse project.

 

No mistakes so far! (I hope!)

 

Today was supposed to be laundry day but there's a broken water valve somewhere and they've turned off our water for who knows how long. I didn't even get a chance to brush my teeth this morning!

 

On the bright side, no laundry means more stitching!

And more napping if you're a certain puppy!

 

Butterflies and Bad Luck

Yesterday was a wonderfully stormy day which gave me a good excuse to stay inside and stitch. I finished the second of the Gather Butterflies rounds from Hands on Design. I need to get busy with the third one since I've already received the next kit! 

I had a bit of a catastrophe earlier this month. The line to my ice maker broke during the night and flooded my kitchen. Part of my ceiling collapsed and everything was soaked. Just an amazing mess. Aida had gotten up several times while we were sleeping and would trot around the house like she needed something. I just didn't realize she was trying to alert me to what was happening in the kitchen. The insurance adjuster has been out so now I'm waiting to hear what may be covered. 

One casualty was my Love My Coffee cross stitch. It was soaked by the water running down the wall and the colors bled. I've managed to get most of it out but still need to reframe it. I don't think it will be noticeable. 

The obligatory photo of Aida... she's doing the "lean", anticipating me throwing the ball I was holding to get her to look at the camera! 

I just heard thunder so it looks like another rainy day! Yay! More stitching!

 

Shelf Love

I'm happy to report I finished the cross stitching on Homespun Still Life last night.

As you can see, I changed the color of the towels from red to blue. All I have left now is the backstitching which I plan to start on tonight. 

My brother was in town last week so we hit up the estate sales and thrift stores in the area. I was in search of some 80s decor and did manage to find one shelf similar to the one I'm stitching. He brought me a tall four cubby shelf that I think could be turned into a vegetable bin if I can convince him to make some doors for me, similar to these with the wire...

Aida thinks it would make excellent storage for her collection of toys!

Time Travel

I decided to tackle sorting out my mess of DMC yesterday. I've never settled on any one way to organize it and I can't say I'm any closer now. Some of it is wound on bobbins that are filed numerically in plastic boxes which was my go-to method back in the 80s when I first started cross stitching. I also have a cabinet with little drawers that I use to organize skeins in. There was a lot that wouldn't fit in the drawers so all of that went in numbered ziplocs which then went in plastic bins. Then there's the Joann's bag with odds and ends because I'm too lazy to check if it needs to be wound on a bobbin, stuck in a drawer, or shoved in a ziploc. I'm telling you, it can be overwhelming!

 

I did manage to get through the bobbin boxes and made a list of what's missing. In the process I ended up getting all nostalgic about my stitching "journey". I remember wanting every color of DMC back when there were only 360 colors and you could get them for a dime. Every time Michaels would have a sale I'd run over with my list on my lunch hour and stock up. My late husband would help me wind it onto the bobbins, and I still have some with his writing on them!

 

I remember my subscription to Cross Stitch & Country Crafts was quite the splurge for a young couple but I loved every issue and would sit out in the back yard on my chaise lounge (remember the ones made with the plastic tubing?) and read every word. I still have all my issues and ended up sitting on the floor with Aida, paging through them. There were quite a few designs I had stitched and even more than I had wanted to.

 

Before I knew it I had picked a pattern, pulled the DMC from my newly organized boxes, found some linen, and got started on a project from the July/August 1986 issue! 

This is called Homespun Still Life and the designer is Lynn Waters Busa. Such amazing 80s vibes! I had so many of these knick knack shelves in my home back in the day, crammed with little houses, farm animals, and I even had the old timey iron on one!

 

I might need to hit up some garage sales this weekend in search of 80s decor! How can I not?

Gathering Butterflies

I finally finished Quilted Butterflies from the Gather Round series by Hands On Design. I swear all I had left was maybe 16 stitches and backstitching the stems but it sat there for a good two weeks. I think I procrastinate when it comes to finishing something because I know I'm going to have to face my disorganized craft room if I'm going to kit up my next project.

I'd ask Aida to help me sort thread but she has a habit of pulling the paper tags off and eating them.

 

She also has a hard time distinguishing between Q-Snaps and chew toys.

Another Finish!

 Barry Manilow's magic must have worked because I have another finish finish to share today!

This was stitched from a Bent Creek Zipper kit called Liberty. I can't say how long this has been in my fuppie box but I'm sure it's been several years. There's probably a good 20 years worth of unfinished finishes in that box which borders on embarrassing! I've never had much confidence in my finishing skills but I'm determined to get better!

Cue Barry Manilow!

 Because... it's a miracle!

My Gather Wildflower rounds are FINISHED!

 

And amazingly enough, my rounds are actually round!

Can we get a happy dance???