The End of 2010....THANK GOD!

I was on the phone with my friend Sharon tonight discussing what's happened in our life since we last talked (about a week).  We both concluded that 2010 was the worst year ever and that 2011 will be much better.  Between sick parents (and nearly losing one of them for both of us), nephews, daughters getting married (hers), no dating, very little stitching or reading, and a lot of work, 2010 was a rough year. But there were some good notes.

I finished the Seasons Series from Kick Back & Stitch.  I started this series in 2007 and finished receiving the patterns in 2008.  Well I finished the last of the series December 30th.  It seemed like I would never finish Maple Trees before the end of the new year but I did it.  I finally finished the 16th needlepoint patterns.  I only gave two of them away Crocuses to my Mother and Frozen Pond to Michelle.  The rest I have trimmed then I frame 4 on the wall then switch them out every few months.

I am so glad that October is basically over

As you know I planned the math conference for the beginning of the month.  What I didn't post is that my mother went in the hospital the day before.  She stayed in for 12 days then came home.  She has been convalescing until Friday morning when we had to rush her back to the hospital.  Well she has been in ICU for the weekend but is now being moved to a room.  Hopefully she will get to go home soon.  Keep us in your prayers for a fast and full recovery.

 On the stitching front.  I finished one of the Geometric Needlepoint patterns while my mom was in the hospital earlier this month.  I framed it for her and it hangs in her stitching room.  This weekend I finished a fleece blanket with owls on it.  You know the one - cut and tie knots.  I also finished crocheting 4 Halloween trick or treat skull bags for the 4 youngest - and still trick or treating - boys.  They are so cute.  I already have request from the 7 and 5 year old for a pumpkin and a Frankenstein for next year.

I've been working on several things but it has been slow going.  Hopefully I will be able to finish some stuff the month of November.  When things slow down, I will post pictures of the Halloween bags and  framed needlework for my mother.

Well I am exhausted.  Trying to keep myself awake until it is a decent time to go to bed.  I think I will go stitch for a while.

Thanks for stopping by

Sharon

I finished a couple more projects yesterday and today.  I finished the 13th block in the Kick Back and Stitch - Geometric Series that I have been working on for a very long time.  I finished the "Frozen Lake."  While I was working on it Liz's daughter Michelle asked if she could have it.  Well since there are 16 of them I thought why not.  She is going off to the university in a few weeks and her birthday is at the end of the month.  So I finished it for her.  Then I had to decide how to frame it .  Well Friday, Liz and I were killing time before our movie "Charlie St. Cloud" (a three hankie movie) at Hobby Lobby and found these floating frames that were on sales.  So I bought one to try for Michelle's gift.  It worked wonderfully.  See.




 I like how it looked so much that I decided to frame my other ones the same way.  The only difference is that I was going to frame 4 at a time.  This solved my problem "What do I do with them when they are finished?"  I think I am going to frame them seasonally this year.

The other project that I finished was the Erica Michael's freebie for August.  I had the large flower and g-u-s-t finished Friday.  On Saturday, Michelle asked me to ride with her to Paul's Pastry in Picayune, MS to pick up her birthday cake.  I said yes.  So, I stitched on August while she drove (it was 1 hr one way).  I really like this one.



Now I am off to bed.  Thanks for stopping by.

Sharon

Beware! Genius at work?!?

I am so mad at myself right now. I was transferring my pictures from my camera to my laptop and lost over 70 pictures. Most of which were pictures of my nephew Leif's first birthday. Well it is not like the "Clarkarazzi" didn't take a bazillion pictures. But, I deleted all the pictures I took this month. With my mom's digital camera, you connect it to the computer with a wire then move the pictures to the computer then delete the pictures. With my camera, you take out the memory card and put it into the computer then move the pictures. Well I moved the pictures from one folder then deleted it. The problem is when I deleted that folder the computer deleted all the folders on the memory card. Darn it!!! I tried to undo and all it did was put the photos I moved back on the card. I'm waiting on my brother Pete to call me back to see if there is a way to restore the pictures.

On a lighter note, I completed a couple of things. The first one was the next installment in the Kick Back and Stitch Geometric Club. The name of it is Forest Glen. It didn't take long to finish it, but I didn't stitch much the last couple of weeks. I have 5 more to go but since it snowed I chose to start the Snow Day pattern next. (I skipped one pattern.) I will be glad to finish this club and start back on my Halloween Pudgy club. I have eight panels to stitch and have only stitched 1/2 of one. I hope to finish stitching and have it put together before Halloween this year.


The second thing I finished was a plastic canvas love bug. I finished it on the 13th right before Valentine's Day. I have two pattern books that are seasonal. The first one was given to me by my friend Lorrie. The patterns are suppose to be window hanging with suction cups on the front, but I put magnets on the back to hang them on the refrigerator. The second book is actually designed to be magnets. They are smaller and egg shaped. I had already completed the lovebug years ago. I designed the Mardi Gras egg based on the candy corn egg. But, as you can see my nephew Theron got a hold of it and made it pretty. Actually there were Mardi Gras coins glued to the egg where the garland is missing but he removed them to play with them. I have to fix it.

I have stitched the face and started the arms on the Rose of Sharon pattern. I ran out of "Dark Chocolate" before finishing the border on my Red Thread series. So I started stitching the words in Gentle Arts "Cranberry".

Thanks for stopping by

Sharon

January Works

Well I didn't do what I wanted to do in January. That is, blog once a week but this month will be better. Today I will show the projects that I finished in January and my progress on the ones I'm working on at the moment.

First up is the Mirabillia Christmas Fairy. I worked on this project ever since the pattern came out. I stitched it on Silkweaver, Rock-A-Bye, 32-ct Opalescent Lugana. I stitched the shoes and the dress, then I gave up. It got to the point where I could not see the holes in the fabric. So I asked my sister Jennifer to finish it for me. She agreed to finish it. Once she started she had trouble with the fabric also. The thread would split and it was hard to see the holes. But, she finished it anyway. It turned out beautifully. I think I am going to frame it for next Christmas.


The second finish was the Christmas Present Afghan for my brother-in-law Tim. I crocheted the March afghan from Leisure Arts "Birthstone Afghans by Carole Prior. The name of the afghan is Aquamarine. I started this in December after working on Dad's afghan. Dad's afghan had 8 rows that repeated. This one only had one row. You would think that I could have finished it before Christmas not a month later. I crocheted using Red Heart Soft Navy Blue that was in the super size (16 oz.). I am going to wash it (since I dog loved to rub against it), then give it to Tim today when I get off work.



The third and final finish are the Erica Michaels 2004 freebies for Rainbow Gallery. We as I posted earlier, I had finished cross-stitching them earlier in the month, but made them into magnets on Sunday. On Sunday, Jennifer showed me how to make them into magnets. She finished the February while I finished the January. I think that they turned out beautiful.


As for my active project, I have 4: Kick Back & Stitch's Forest Glen - needlepoint, BC's Walking in a Winter Snapperland, Miriabillia's Rose of Sharon and the border on BC's The Red Thread.

The first project is KB&S' Forest Glen. When we got together and stitched in January, I finished the squares/borders. Then Saturday while I was at Liz's watching Human Target, I stitched 1-1/2 of the 4 boxes. My goal is to finish it today. This pattern was part of a needlepoint club I joined a few years back. The club contained 18 patterns of which I have stitched 12 and am working on the 13th. When I finish this set then I plan on working on the other club that I joined at the same time. Then I have several needlepoint projects that I bought back in 2006 when I moved back home. There isn't a needlepoint store in the area.

The next project is BC's Winter Snapperland. I've decided that I will do the border with each square (even though there are only four). I don't want to have this pattern end up like my red thread project (all but the border done). I'm stitching it on Silkweaver's Winter Skye, 32-ct Opalescent Lugana with DMC floss. I have some colors that I need to buy to finish the project.



The third project is Mirabillia's Rose of Sharon. I'm stitching this on linen fabric that I bought about 15 years ago. When my nephew Patrick was born, I bought some linen to stitch the Precious Moments Noah's Ark for his birth gift. The plan was to make it a wall hanging. Well the project has been stitched but not made into a wall hanging. Do you think that a 15-year-old boy would want a Precious Moments Noah's Ark hanging on his wall? Well maybe he can use it for his baby when he get grown, a job, and a wife. Anyway, this fabric was leftover from the project. I have had the Rose of Sharon pattern since at least 1992 when I moved to Lafayette and bought it at Stitch n Frame. The girls I stitch with decided that each one of us will work on a major project that we have wanted to work on for a long time. So I picked this one. I have stitched from the shoulder down in the middle area of the dress. This is going to be a lot of work. When I finish this one I think I do the one with the American Flag. I bought it for next to nothing at Michael's and it included everything.


Finally, I am working on the border of BC's Red Thread. I'm stitching the border with Gentle Art's Dark Chocolate but I will run out before I get to the words. So, I've decided to stitch the words in a red different from the "Red Thread" in the pattern. I hope to finish this project this month.

Well, I think I have blogged about everything I'm stitching on this month. I plan on blogging every week instead of every couple of weeks like last month. Thank you so much for stopping by and looking at my work. I appreciate it very much.

Have a great day

Sharon

Needlepoint

Fridays will be needlepoint for my rotation for awhile. I have been working on my Fireside Stitchery Seasonal Squares for a while. I started Early Blossom yesterday and finished it today. I have completed 10 out of 16. Once I finish the remaining six, I will work on my Halloween Pudgy then I will work on the sun canvas that I bought (and spent way too much money on it). The sun will be beautiful when I finish it. Of course, I have several more canvases to stitch on that I can't wait to work on them. Before I start on the sun, I need to get a really big set of stretcher bars and a frame to support it.

Photos

I said I would post pictures of the projects that I have completed along with the gifts I received. So here they are. First is the ornament from my summer exchange. I think she did a wonderful job on the ornament. It is the word liberty with beautiful 4th of July fabric.

Second is the ornament that I stitched. It is from a Lizzie Kate Seasons pattern. I really loved stitching it. Once I finished it I was disappointed. I thought that I should have stuffed it more. I thought it was overstuffed but it wasn't. I wish that I would have redid the finishing before I mailed it. Next time I will follow my instincts.



The next picture is the first part of the Ink Circle Celtic Stitch Along that I finished. I really love this pattern. My sister Jennifer helped me pick out the colors.The next pattern finished is the block below the first one. It was quick and easy. The next block will take a little longer because I have to work on the border also.



Finally, the last pattern was the September Block - Indian Summer - from the Fireside Stitchery Seasons Geometric Series. My mother and my friend, Lisha, absolutely loves it. I like the colors. These are easy and fun to stitch.

Well thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed it.

Sharon

I've been busy

Really!! I have finished a couple of the blocks on the Ink Circle Celtic Mystery Stitch-a-long. I also finished the September 2007 block from the Seasons Club at Fireside Stitchery. I will have pictures to post soon. The reason I don't have any right now is that the dogs got the camera out of the car during the 4th of July holidays and carried it off. We found it in the rain. My sister Bridget took it home to dry it out. Now, I need to get the photos from her.

I also received my ornament from my sister from our ornament exchange and my PIF from her also. They are beautiful. Pictures to come when I get the camera back.

I've also joined a book swapping club. I have so many paperbacks that I need to read or have read. I have mailed off 4 so far and am waiting on another.

On top of all this I need to find a full time job. I found a posting for a job for which I would be PERFECT. I have filed my application and am waiting for a call. I really would like this job even though it is an hour and a half away.

Well my nephew Leif is crying and I've got to go.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sharon

Sorry I Haven't Posted

As you know, the satellite modem was down at my house. Well my brother Pete got the part and put it in the machine. Then..... nothing happened. So now we are waiting on a technician to come out to the country and check out the satellite link and everything. Right now I am using a friends computer to post.

So what is new? I found a temporary job teaching math in a high school (the one I posted about in my last post but it is only 1 hour away). I'm teaching 9th and 10th graders Algebra I. At present we are preparing for the state test (which they need!) I now remember why I went to work at a community college. But, the students are cute, somewhat well behaved (they love to talk), and are generally easy to work with (when they aren't whining). I like working with them. I am continuing to teach one night class at the community college, and working for Sylvan. I am still looking for and praying for a permenant job at one of the local universities.

Oh, Oh, Oh! I almost forgot----my sister-in-law had her baby boy 8 days after my sister had her little boy. The new nephew was 8lbs 110z and 21 inches long. The babies are so cute. Leif is so laid back and calm while Tyler provides his opinion whenever he wants. That makes 6 nephews. Too many boys!!! Another set to play trains, swords, and video games with.

As for stitching, I have completed several things. I don't have any pictures right now but I will tell you what I have completed:
Knitted: dishtowel and two baby blankets
crocheted: an afghan (almost finished) and a dishcloth
cross stitched: finished my portion of a round robin (waiting on the next installment) and a biscornu
needlepoint: Finished a geometric square from the club I joined a couple of years ago.

I finished listening to the Left Behind Series on CD and am now listening to DaVinci Code on CD. I finished reading the Hobbit and am reading The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Well I got to go. Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have internet access soon and will post pictures of all the things on which I have been working.

Fireside Stitchery Package

Yesterday I got the 2nd installment for the Halloween Pudgy and the July installment of the Seasons Geometric Club. They are both beautiful. I can't wait to finish the 1st panel of the pudgy. The Seasons club has to wait until I finish the Meadow Grass kit for June. I really like having a stitch guide for the needlepoint I do. I'm not very creative in choosing stitches for effect on my needlepoint projects. I can't wait to finish the pudgy.

Bare Branches

I finished another Seasons Geometric from Fireside Stitchery. This was the May installment of the club. I have to finish the June installment soon because the July one will be here soon. This one was interesting. I liked doing the spider web in the middle. I chose to do the alternate pattern in Band C. I think it turned out beautifully.

I still haven't decided what I want to do with them. I like the idea of coasters but I need to research the available materials. Another possiblility is to bind them together somehow (like a quilt) and frame them. Well, if you have a suggestion, I am open.

Autumn Leaves

I finished the April installment in the Fireside Stitchery - Geometric Seasonals club. The pattern is called Autumn Leaves. It was a really quick stitch. I would have been finished sooner but I got Harvest Moon, Magical Melodies for my birthday. So, I've been playing on the Nintendo rather than stitching. Today I've been stitching on all my projects. I plan on posting updates on all of them tomorrow.

I also went through all of my patterns, kits, and canvases, I made a catalog of all of theses items. I wanted to be able to see all of my patterns when I needed to add a new project to my rotation. As I have told my friends and family, "My nerd-itis has reared it's ugly head." But, now I can see all of my stuff and chose a new project.

Summer Sands

Well, I finally finished a project this month. I received this project as the February installment in my Fireside Stitchery Seasons Club. I was halfway through it then got side tracked. Now I have two more projects to do. This project is called Summer Sands by Kick Back & Stitch. This was actually a very easy project to stitch. I started back on it Sunday around 6 and finished it at Midnight last night.

When I finish this club I will have 16 different pieces. I really have no clue what I'm going to do with them. I thought about making them into coasters but how do I protect the fibers? Well that is a problem for later. You can view the different projects at http://www.firesidestitchery.com/infoAlerts/Clubs/Seasons/export1.htm

Fireside Stitchery - Summer Sands

I'm about halfway finished with this one. I like the pattern; the colors are not that exciting but they work with the name. I hope to finish this one this weekend because the next one arrived today in the mail (It's called Autumn Leaves).

Fireside Stitchery - Spring Flowers

I really liked this one. It is beautiful. My mother and sister really like it. The stitching wasn't too difficult but the center flower took me several times to get it right. I really like these kits.