The WIPocalypse is coming! (and other stuff)

 
Is anyone still out there?  I have been caught in the avalanche of activity that comes upon me from the beginning of November through the end of the year--daughter's birthday, my birthday friends' birthdays, scouting events, Thanksgiving, the general Christmas shopping/festivities insanity, in addition to the extra school and work obligations...so, in short, not a lot of stitching.  Almost none in fact, aside from Christmas ornaments, most of which didn't even get photographed before going off to new homes.

I hope everyone had a good holiday.  We had a very relaxed Christmas (meaning DH's family did not put in an appearance : )) and I have spent the last few days wearing PJ's well into the afternoon, eating cookies and watching past episodes of Doctor Who and American Horror Story..perfect for Christmas...and now, sadly, reality has set in and am back at work. 

I did receive some lovely exchanges--one from the latest BBD round from Tatyana, and one from the Stitched with Love Winter Wonderland exchange from Colleen--but since I am at work the only pictures I have are the ones on my phone, so I will have to share photos next time.

As have many of you, I joined Measi's 2012 WIPocalypse and spent the better part of last evening going through my stash and compiling my list.  I have about 15 WIPs in progress (I always seem to have around 15 in progress, no matter how many I finish)  and dozens of untouched charts, some decades old.  Of the WIPs I picked nine that I am most likely to get finished:
--In the Sweet (La D Da).   Really only a few stitches left so this should be easy.
--Secret Pumpkin Patch (The Trilogy).  Pretty close on this one too.
--Photobooth Snowmen (Bent Creek).  This was going to be an ornie for my friend.  Maybe next Christmas.
--Santa Claws (The Goode Huswife).  I was going to make this for DD.  Again, maybe next Christmas.
--Kindred Spirits (The Primitive Needle).  This has seriously been languishing forever, and there is not a lot to do.
--Snow Garden (Blackbird Designs).  I started this about two years ago I think.  It's a small design what takes me so long??
--Bertie's Stocking (Shepherd's Bush).  Again, about 2-3 years in the making. And almost done.
--Four Diamonds (Carriage House Samplings).  I started this one recently then got sidetracked by Christmas.
--Alphabet Heart.  I don't know the designer--this was a freebie off the web.

My plan (which will soon go awry I'm sure) is to finish one WIP and  one previously unstitched chart per month.  We will see how long that lasts.    I will post my progress next month, along with pics of the exchanges.  Hope everyone has a great new year!

Over already?!, another exchange and another leg on the journey

I am trying not to slip into post-Halloween depression...another 364 days to wait!  Oh well.  It's not like I will stop stitching Halloween.  Speaking of which, we exchangers in the Stitched with Love Fall into Halloween exchange got word that we could post our goodies on our blogs, so...

here is what I received from Christina..the adorable pin pillow is Halloween Pin Garden by Raise the Roof Designs, and she also sent a Halloween banner (which is still in DD's room and probably will be for quite a while), floss, beads, Steweb scissors (which I had coveted forever), the new BBD Halloween chart, spiderweb napkins and Halloween address labels.  To say the least, a great package, thank you again Christina!

This is what I sent to my partner Heather--the pattern is Babs and Boo by Fresher Threads (I think) from the JCS Halloween book, but instead of stitching the little ghost I substituted a pumpkin button.  I included the Lizzie Kate chart, pumpkin candle mat and stuffed pumpkin, mini holiday cookie cutters and recipe cards and a little DMC magnetized needle case. Hopefully Heather likes everything!  

For those LOTR fans who were following my somewhat leisurely walk, I have finally made it the 458 miles from Hobbiton to Rivendell.  I started out strong on this challenge and did pretty well during summer, but once the kids started school...oh well.  I am now off on the next leg of the journey from Rivendell to Lothlorien, 462 miles.   I am hoping to finish by June 1 next year  but we'll see how that goes :0

By the way, I have made it through this holiday once again without getting a good scare..I don't know if it's because I'm jaded or because real life is so much more horrific than anything an author or screenwriter can come up with, but in any event, I am in search of good scary (suspenseful, not gory) movies or books to get me through my Halloween withdrawal.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Happy Boo Day, early

I don't know if time will allow for a post tomorrow, so happy Halloween everyone!  Here is my finish-finished Talking Board which now lives with my friend Olga (who was pretty pleased with it) and a design from the JCS Halloween book, Wicked Night by The Primitive Hare. 

I got the idea for the tray from Jane's blog Mamie Jane...she is not a stitcher but repurposes lots of older items and has some great ideas.

 I fell in love with this design the moment I saw it. I did this for my BFF but will stitch another for myself.  Sleepy Hollow is one of my all-time favorite stories.

This is the design I stitched for my partner Grace  for the Seasonal Exchange. It is another one from the JCS Halloween book (which has some fantastic designs in my opinion) called Pumpkin Tree from Plum Street Samplers, done on natural linen with the recommended threads and finished as a pinkeep.  In turn I received this gorgeous flatfold from Grace--a design from The Gift of Stitching Magazine, done on her own hand-dyed fabric.  Thank you again Grace!

I hope everyone has a great Boo Day and thank you for visiting and for all your lovely comments!

A quickie in which fence cat says "o hai"

I always amaze myself when I am able to post twice in two days, but I had a finish last night and time this morning, and that almost never happens.  I'm sure most of you already know but this is Fence Cat's Halloween by Berit of Jaunty Fox Designs, done on Carved Pumpkin linen from Weeks (?) and finished as a pillow.  I can't believe it's a little over a week until my favoite day!

a little post with no clever name

Cow test successful! I'm trying to post for the second time this week...a few days earlier dear old Blogger would not let me upload any pictures.  If I'd known it would work today I would have started with something more interesting...


Things have been crazy busy with school and the approaching holidays, but I do have a few things to show. Not much as my stitching time has been almost nonexistent.  The first of my many exchanges has been completed--This is what I sent Elisa for the Rotating Designer (Prairie Schooler this round) exchange.  This a portion of Pumpkin Patch, with the colors changed up a little bit.  My DD begged to be allowed to keep this one!  Fortunately my partner likes it too.

This lovely creation is what I received from Teresa.  I love stitching bags so needless to say I was thrilled!  The designs are from the PS chart Boo to You.

This little guy, along with the rickrack from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shop, was sent to Berit for being the first to guess that the WIP in my last post was in fact The Talking Board from Primitive Needle.  He is from BBD's Casting a Spell booklet.  

Speaking of which, my WIP is a WIP no longer. Pardon the wrinkles, it has not met with an iron quite yet.  I have a somewhat different idea for finishing (borrowed from another blogger, not a stitcher) so look for pictures of this one in fully finished form sometime before Halloween. 

Til next time, thank you all for visiting!

my monthly post

I had fully intended to post to this blog more often, but in the mad dash in the morning to get two kids off to two different schools, feed everyone, make lunches, etc.  it just doesn't happen, and I usually have but that one small window of uninterrupted computer access during the day :(  Just as well, I don't have a whole lot to show...I have been stitching, but mostly for exchanges (four to be exact--not sure exactly what I was thinking) so not much I can show right now.  I did take a couple of my old finishes and put them into box form, including the one above--a Goode Huswife quaker design done on willow green linen and trimmed with some of the antique lace I acquired at a garage sale during my recent trip.   The other is BBD's Peacock Pincushion, done on the recommended fabric with Belle Soie Cranberry (I think). 

I do have one other BBD finish (please forgive the quality of the photos and the lurid green background, I took some rather hasty snaps this morning on my son's funky cordoroy chair), Home of the Brave done with Cherry Bark on some very pretty Silkweaver fabric which I forgot the name of since I take everything out of its package once it arrives :)  The other snap is of my almost-finish, In the Sweet by La D Da.  Despite being within a few dozen stitches of finishing this little piece I have chucked it aside for the time being as the frogs are enamoured of those (*(&^ little flowers at the bottom...

This is what I am working on currently--love this pattern, the fabric (R &R 18th Century Mustard Seed) and threads (Belle Soie Noir).  This is will be a gift for a like-minded friend for an upcoming holiday :) Since it is only a few days until fall, and a little over a month until my favorite day of the year, I will give away a little something to the first person who guesses the name of the pattern and designer.  Just comment on this post, and if you want to play make sure I have a way to contact you.  Thanks much for visting!

I'm stitching again...blogging not so much

The title says it all I think. Thankfully I'm over the stitching slump, but whenever I contemplate the blog it's like...meh, too much work : ) But since I had a (small) burst of energy this morning I decided to post some recent finishes and assorted other stuff.

First off is my offering for the Seasonal Exchange--the latest freebie from Primitive Betty, finished as a pin pillow stuffed with crushed walnut shells and trimmed with brown chenille for my partner Pirjo in Finland. The fabric it is sitting on was used for backing. Haven't received my exchange yet, but hopefully soon!

I am soo ready for fall, as I'm sure most everyone is after this horrendous summer, and had to get a start on Halloween stitching. I received this Mill Hill kit as part of a giveaway from Ranae of Stitch by Stitch some time ago and finally got around to completing

it, using perforated paper instead of the linen.

Since Kitty Witch needed companions I stitched this little owl, a freebie from Cherrywood Studios, and a crow from Stone and Thread. Of course now some finishing needs to be done but I'm pacing myself :) Please forgive the awful photos but it is difficult for someone with my poor photography skills to get a decent shot of something this teeny. I swear I'm going to take a class or something before my next blog post.

And in keeping with the Halloween theme I pick up my old Kindred Spirits WIP again. I really love this design but I threw it aside in disgust some time ago when I realized (after I had stitched the words) that "kindred" was charted as "kindrid" which, well, is not right. Having overcome this obstacle, I hope to finish fairly soon once I tackle that monotonous border.

I hope I haven't bored anyone too much yet. I have some last-ditch summery-type finishes as well (when I get over a slump, I really get over it). This is BBD's Gathering Basket, sans basket which I didn't especially care for, done with random overdyed threads kinda close to what was called for, on a random piece of blue linen. And finally (for stitching anyway) a freebie from Little House Needlework, Summer House, again done with whatever random overdyed threads caught my eye. And no, I don't iron, lol. Ever.

Are you bored yet? Well get ready :) Here are some vacation pics.

OK this first is not a vaction pic--we went to a dog show locally and I could not resist getting a shot of this guy. He stayed in his car the whole time we were there--hope he wasn't glued down or anything.

So where did we go? Pennsylvania of course. I never tire of PA--what can I say, I love corn.

My first-ever (and possibly last) corn maze...

county fair with lots of livestock and other fair-like things...

This totally awesome antique sleigh which I really really wanted, no matter that it would not fit in my luggage and I don't really know what I would do with a sleigh.

These guys seem to have had a good time--a last little summer fling. DD

is starting high school in a few days

and I am already back to work so the good times are over for a while :(

Thanks for hanging in this long lol. I am going to try to post more frequently so I don't have to write a novel to get caught up again. Thank you all for visiting and for your comments!

giveaway winner

Inspired title, no? This will be one boring post unless you are the winner of my giveaway lol. No pictures since I am at work, and no stitching either...I am in the midst of stitching slump to end all slumps, I started a bunch of smalls at the beginning of last month and then just lost all interest in picking up a needle, even though I love patriotic pieces and have really enjoyed looking at everyone else's work...

Oh well. Enough of the whine. The winner of the giveaway is #17, Vicky L! I will be e-mailing shortly for your mailing info. Thank you everyone for entering and visiting.

EDITED TO ADD: Vicky, I can't find an email address for you, so please contact me!

Bad blogger & the high tea blogaversary giveaway

That would be me, the world's worst--or at least the laziest--blogger. I have passed my second year of blogging and only 65 or so posts in all that time...those of you that post daily or weekly, I don't know how you do it. I have neither the time nor, in fact, the material for a daily post!

I haven't been doing a lot of stitching recently as I've been in a bit of a funk lately over DD's graduation--you know, kids growing up so fast, the passage of time and all that. Those of you who have already been through your childrens' high school and college graduations, marriages, etc., please don't roll your eyes at me too much, I know it's just an 8th grade graduation. But I walked into the house the other day and saw her on the computer (her usual place) and had the thought that in a few short years she'll be gone.. I'll come home and that chair will be empty.

*sign* rotten kids. They make me feel really old. (She's in the middle in this picture btw, with her arm around her little brother who looks like he's ready to leg it.)

Anyhoo. On to the stitching, what little of it there has been :) This guy I started around Christmas las

t year but just recently finished for one of my DS's teachers, from the JCS 2010 Christmas ornie issue. For some reason the frogs loved this one, but it did get finished before the end of the school year.

Next is My Needle's Work from Little House Needleworks. I had been searching for this chart for a while and came across it at my

LNS quite by accident one day. So much for my resolution to limit my stash purchases this year! It's done on a grey-ish evenweave with the recommended overdyed floss, sans border of course. Don't know yet how it will be finished.

Well. I had other things to show but I had better

get to the giveaway since Blogger is being a poo right now and telling me it may or may not let me save this post :( A while

ago I went nuts over the Impie, Hattie and Bea kits and purchased

the tea cozy and Tea Room Chart from Little House. This has been sitting in my bin for a year or more and I belatedly realized I am never going to stitch it. So the giveaway will include the chart, floss, cozy, some tea-related items and perhaps something made by me. Just comment on this post, no other hoops to jump through. I will draw a winner on June 30. Good luck and thanks for visiting!

still here...kinda

Just popping in to say hello...end-of-the-school-year activities have me in an frenzy, DD is graduating (*sniff*) and even when I feel like stitching, I have no time! I have a few small finishes which I'll post shortly (I hope) but in the meantime, I wanted to ask if anyone wants to trade...I have two With Thy Needle & Thread charts (Love Letters and Sarah's Garden) which I will trade for Brenda's Soar eagle sampler ( kinda missed the boat on that SAL and now can't find the chart anywhere). Anyway, just drop me an email if interested and I will be forever grateful...

P.S. pup is random cute internet pup...not mine

pillow happy

I have been on a finishing frenzy lately...quite unlike me, really :)...so I am showing off said finishes. First off, I heard from my partner Lisa that she received the pin pillow I made for the Blackbird Designs exchange, so here it is--on a peachy linen of some kind from my stash, done with the recommended GAST and WDW floss. I added some buttons from my stash and rick rack from the Victorian Sampler Motto shop.

This cutie is what I received for the same exchange from Sarah--Bird in Hand done with some gorgeous dark red floss, with buttons on the corners and stuffed with rice. I had stitched this myself for the last BBD exchange (I am crazy for designs with birds), and was kinda sad to let it go...now I have one for myself! Thank you Sarah, I love this birdie!

Here are a few of my recent finishes in pillow form. This was my first attempt at making a heart and probably my last for a while . Definitely not my favorite way to finish something and certainly not the best heart pillow you'll ever see :0


And here is a not-so-great snap of my mom's pincushion, which turned out much better. I trimmed it with chenille and stuffed it with ground walnut shells, which increased the postage tremendously since I think I used about six cups lol.


Here is the final finish of my finishing frenzy--actually stitched and finished in one day, which is almost unheard of for me...La D Da's Yellow Bird, done on a slightly distressed cream linen with WDW Havana. I think I've finally satisfied my compulsion to stitch birds for a while :)

Thank you all for visiting and for your kind comments. My second blogaversary is coming up next month so I think a giveaway will be in order...Until next time, happy stitching!