Red Thread - Part 3

I am glad to be able to say that things at work are finally settling into a nice routine. We all have our new schedules, I actually get more than one day in a row off now... last week I had a 5 day break and you know what that means... time for stitching! I have finished Red Thread Part 3 and am working on 4. The piece that I was working on for my Aunt and Uncle's Anniversary is finished and I wish I could show you, it's absolutely stunning. I have the frame ordered and we will either mail it or drive it to them next weekend so you'll get a picture then. I have also been asked to stitch something for the shop, as soon as I have all the supplies you'll get that picture too!

Red Thread - Fly A Kite

That's it for today folks, I have web work, yard work, and a post on the family blog to do today. Get outside and enjoy it while you can, yay summer is here!

PS. Love you too babe, always and forever ever.
Thanks for the cookie too :)

Red Thread - Part 2

Not much time today friends, this is going to be brief! This weeks Bent Creek - Red Thread update.

February is called Love, and very soon I will be caught up to May.

I am also working on a project for my Aunt and Uncle's 30th Anniversary but it's a surprise so I can't show you until it's done. (Hint) I am finding it very satisfying to be doing special stitches for a while. It is designed by The Drawn Thread, I already have one of their patterns stitched and on the wall.

My personalized Gameboard Sampler by The Drawn Thread, stitched in 2005.

Soon I will have a chunk of days off in a row so hopefully after I get that front yard planted I will have more time with my needle and thread. Until then, I enjoy reading your comments and emails and watching my traffic feed and seeing visitors from all over the world passing through. I've just surpassed 2000 hits and am thrilled you like it. Come back soon!

Catch You Up

Since my last post there hasn't been much time for stitching because it's nice enough to be outside. I love gardening, hence my schooling in Horticulture and Entomology. We manage to grow some pretty incredible vegetables in our teeny back yard and I have a stunning perennial border under way, with many thanks to Spaz and Boo for the awesome raised beds they made for me last year for Mother's Day. This year the front yard is getting re-made too. We have large pine trees and no matter how hard I try grass seed just won't take. I have re-seeded that darn lawn every spring for 5 years, so, this year it gets sod. Sorry stitchers, I'll try to keep my garden blabbing to a minimum on this blog...

Mom, because I know you have limited internet access I'll say it here: thanks for coming home to visit us, we had a blast with you, as usual. We all love you so much! There are pictures and news on the family blog so head over there if you haven't been already, if you can. With all the excitement, I forgot to show you, Boo mailed me a cute hand-written letter from school... it says 'you are the best', like the poem spelled out in macaroni thing I made you in when I was in grade 2? Miss you already, keep your chin up and call anytime.

So, no stitchy pictures this week. I am a little behind on all my projects. Flower Power has gotten some attention, Red Thread is getting worked on this week and in an effort to be more helpful at work I am learning to crochet. It's not my thing at all, but having an understanding of different yarn weights and techniques should help a bit. I have knitted in the past (once), I made Boo a scarf for his Halloween costume. He was Harry Potter last year and it turned out pretty nice for my first knitting project. He was quite pleased with it anyways.


Happy stitching, have a great week! I'll try to post stitchy news and pics soon.

A New Start!

Yes, another new start... someone I work with showed me this one, geez she knows me well! It's a typical Bent Creek pattern, their catch is to include little tiny snaps as embellishment but I just don't like them. Pretty beads or fancy buttons enhance projects by giving them colour, character or sparkle... these snap things make we want them snapped to each other! Needless to say, I am not going to attach them! I did a 'floss toss' the other day after work, pulling the overdyeds and corresponding DMC numbers and most of the time I would see that going with overdyeds produces the best results but this time I just didn't see it. I will proceed with this project using DMC and stitching on 32ct Mushroom Lugana. Hubby saw me pull out blank fabric and said "Oh no, not a new one..." See, the verse states:

'An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet... it may stretch or tangle, but never breaks.'

That describes the history of our relationship perfectly. We've known each other our entire lives, literally grew up together. We started relationships and families independently of each other, until one day, one very happy day, fate brought us back together. That's all it took. One glance on one day. See? We have a Red Thread! Once hubby understood, I got the 'go ahead' nod and a small smile. He gets it and he gets me.

The Red Thread by Bent Creek

I will work this one doing a new square every two weeks. In between it's going to live at work, maybe you'll stop in and see it and be tempted to stitch it too :)

Have a sweet and special Mother's Day. Love you Mom! We'll call you Sunday and we really wish you were here! Come home soon, ok? 'No es television, es HBO'! Remember?

Mom 'n Me, Mexico 2000

Happy Mother's Day everyone, happy stitching!

Yay #8!

I am happy to post finished project#8 of 2008! Long ago I finished 'Sun' and now I have 'Moon' too. The sun is for my sweetheart Boo, because everything in our home revolves around him and he is the light in our lives. The moon, for my amazing hubby, there's so much more to him than you can see, just like our moon. I am a very lucky girl and a sentimental sap!

Sun by M Designs (to be framed)

Moon by M Designs (to be framed)

I think they will fit nicely on the wall, nestled into that
empty space just below Mirablia's Christmas Elegance.

Lastly (what would one of my posts be without blabbing and pictures!) I wanted to again mention my boss... before we moved the shop she gave each of us a finished stitched picture from the shop walls to take home and one other thing I forgot to mention... an original, now vintage, really collectible wooden DMC Floss storage box! 3 weeks ago Boo and Spaz built me great wooden dividers for each drawer. Unlike the nasty plastic ones you get nowadays, these hand made ones stay in place perfectly and don't chop up your cuticles when you dig for floss! I have almost the entire DMC line and it fits perfectly into one box of 3 drawers (taking into account that half my floss is in project bags!). Now everyone at work wants dividers!

Happy Stitching,

Flower Power Update

On to stitchy news! I have picked up Flower Power again and have made some progress... I FINALLY FINISHED THOSE FOXGLOVES! Too many colour changes, they were making me NUTS. Well, they are done and I am on to Coneflowers. After those I will be at the 2/3 finished mark and from the middle all the way left will be complete. I have other blogs to post on so I'd best get going but check back here, I will do a much better job from now on of keeping you all in the stitchy loop.

Here's where I was at last time I worked on Flower Power, December '07

Now I am here, April 08. Not much progress but I will persist!

A close-up, hummingbirds all sparkly...

Traci L, if you are reading this, you were right! There is 032 Pearl Cord on the list and I have ordered some in. We could always share the spool, I'm nowhere near that part... yet :)

Have a great day everyone!

Just a Little Behind :)

It has been a while, but it's not unlike me to skip weeks here and there. With all the packing then the moving and the reopening at work, different shifts/schedules... spending every spare minute I have either with my sweethearts or catching up on sleep... I haven't had much time to think about techy blog stuff. A break is good now and then but this space is how I keep track of various projects so I'd best get on with it. On that note and seeing as how this blog is now read mostly by stitchers here is some news:

Originally this started as a 'gratitude' blog to open my mind to the everday joys I have in my life, then into a 'rant' blog to relieve stress from life's frustrations and eventually into a 'family' blog to share my sweetest memories of the two most important men in my life (hubby AKA Spaz and step-son AKA Boo), all those changes, within a year! Lastly, it has finally and forever evolved into a stitching blog. That's it. I will be starting a new blog for family news which will be for members by invitation only, so if you email me I will assign you a username and password along with the URL for that blog. One more small step for those who have access to it, peace of mind for me. Any posts on this blog relating to my family have now been transferred to there. Co-workers and shop customers and strangers won't have to read my personal stuff anymore! Phew eh? Yay! I feel better now!

Have a wonderful day!

Finished #7!

We are all quite pleased with this one, it was a quick simple project that didn't cost a penny! I stitched it and Hubby re-framed it and Sweetheart helped hang it. I just love their enthusiasm for my stitching stuff.

Heinzit - ABC Charms

Finished framing but not home yet is StitchInspiration's - Sister's Choice (it will hopefully have a space to hang in our new shop, as there aren't any blackwork samples). I'm very pleased with having chosen the 'suede' mat but in the photo you can't appreciate how beautiful it really since it's behind glass and the photo has a bit of glare... so eventually along with the Heinzit ABC it will hang in our bathroom.

StitchInspiration - Sister's Choice

This week has been hectic to say the least but we have been granted two more days off before we can start unpacking (construction delays) so yesterday I spent some quiet time stitching. Coming soon, finish #8! Here's a peek at M Designs - Moon Needleroll, a companion to Sun, both which I will frame instead.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, enjoy the gorgeous springtime weather!

Bloomin' For Gran

Sorry blogland, I've been too busy to post! Working, packing and moving - long days, I'm dirty and tired but pleased with what we have accomplished. We have a great team, with all of us pitching in it got done! The new shop is coming along very nicely too, we are all excited to see it finished (and see if our stuff fits). I have finished a personal stitchy project or two but I'll save that for when I am caught up on emails... a hot bath and a good solid night of sleep will help too. It's been a LONG week!
Now that you have been brought up to speed I will leave you with a photo that I took a few days ago. Schlumbergera truncata, my grandmother's 'Christmas' Cactus which was a stumpy, half-dead mess I rescued from her apartment 4 years ago. It decided to bloom for the first time just as I have been longing to get into the garden again, to brighten our lives. It's gorgeous and cheerful and kind of flashy and full of blooms. Enjoy!

Flashback to Gardening

Here is our garden last May, ready to plant...

I'm sure you remember we had tomatoes in August... 8 feet tall!

Now we have snow! Will I ever see the soil again?

What happened to all those beautiful perennials I grew from seed? Are the heirloom Poppies ok? I can't remember what we decided to do about the vegetable garden space this summer... something about only 2 tomato plants? No green beans? Double Sugar Snap peas in rows? Sheesh I should have written it all down! I can't wait to be outdoors again.

After the blizzard that was last week, Spaz and I brushed off our cars and sat in the snow bank on our front lawn with our faces turned to the sun and waited for the plows to finish our parking lot. It was glorious and we laughed ourselves silly when we couldn't get out of the drift. Those moments sitting there in the snowbank with him and that sunshine... delightful, wonderful and completely enjoyable...

Here's my progress this week on Heinzit's ABC Sampler...

At work yesterday I met a lovely lady who is a member of the Snowbird SAL, Lynn, it was great to connect a name with a face and I look forward to stitching with you too! Your CDC is gorgeous, thank you for sharing it.

Have a wonderful day. Try and do something nice for someone else... the world needs more nice!

Without Further Ado... #6!

Edited to add: finish #6 of 2008

Stitching Scissors by Dessins DHC

With a little help I have identified all the words (which are in English, not french as stated on the DHC website).

I have decided to remake a project I have had hanging upstairs. It was stitched for a bathroom in a colour scheme we no longer have, so it seems to me that if it is re-stitched with the floss leftover from Sister's Choice I could hang them together in the bathroom we have now. Taking it down also gave me the space I needed to hang my lovely gift 'Angel of Grace' so in the end it will all worked out beautifully. Two new pieces of art for our bathroom at almost no cost and a hallway I am very happy with. In order for you to follow along with my progress... here's the old one...

Now watch for the new one!
Have a wonderful day...

A Very Thoughtful Boss and A Very Special Birthday

We have a really great team at work and have all been working pretty hard at making the best of our little shop. I won't elaborate and bore you but it's a joyful slice of my life working with these people, all top quality 'Good Folks', you know? Anyways, as a 'Thank-You' to her employees for the extra efforts we've made preparing for the move and all the extra work we are going to be doing actually moving we were given a choice of wall models in the shop to have for our very own! I've long been fond of a piece the Boss (I call her Boss, have since forever) stitched but it was a Santa thing. I loved the idea of having one of her works hanging in my home, however I have no desire to see Santa in July so I hmm'd and hmm'd until what did I spy? An angel... framed so beautifully... on my favourite fabric... I don't have any stitched angels... pinks and greens and very sweet indeed... here is the special piece, which now hangs in a nook just outside my bedroom door where I will appreciate and enjoy her everyday. This wall was just waiting for her. Thank-you so much Boss!

Angel of Grace by Lavender and Lace

A quick minute to wish a very Happy Birthday to my special, dearest, longtime (20 years!) friend, the world's greatest x... 50 has never looked so good! Hope you've had a fantastic day and keep an eye on that belt!Great boss, awesome co-workers, fantastic friends, loving family. Wow.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Bonus Update

I've been working hard the past few weeknights to get in some stitches and relax (things at work are busy busy busy but no one has asked anything of me yet) and I finally finished that scissor handle loop so I thought I'd squeeze in a sneak peek. It will be finished in time for my next scheduled update... barring any unforeseen schedule changes!

I see many words in relation to needlearts. Can you find THREAD, STRANDED COTTON, COLOR KEY, FLOSS, FABRIC, SHADED, CLOTH and LUREX? On the right hand side of the right handle there are one or two words I can't figure out still...

** Edited to add: Blogger still isn't helping with the 'clickable' problem with images, I did NOT code it wrong you should be able to click it to see it bigger! Oh well... squint I guess? I can sorta make out the words but I know where they are!

** Edited to add: Thanks Dani! You were right and I am relieved to have figured it out. Glad it's not my code either...

** Edited to add: Changed the picture, I added the image of the actual scissors so you can see what this is patterned after. I'm guessing I shouldn't have rushed blogging this morning eh? What do you think Hubby? Pretty cool right?

If you are experiencing the same snow we have here get outside and build a snowman and have a wonderful day!

Almost forgot...

I have too much work to do today to put much effort into this one... here is my weekly update, as promised. It's really quite beautiful and thankfully not quite as challenging as I was expecting, thanks to my Thread Heaven... pretty huh?
Nothing much else interesting to share except to say a big thank-you to anyone else in the needlearts community that shares our excitement about the move downtown. The support has been overwhelming!

Happy Dancing #4 and #5 for 2008

As promised I can now show you my 4th finish for 2008. It was well received from my best girlfriend and I am very glad she likes it. It was a wonderful wedding, we had a blast!

Elizabeth's Designs - Home Sweet Home

Next HD #5 for 2008 is a 'blackwork' piece I picked up a month ago, they are always quick to stitch up with amazing results. It's a bit smaller than I thought it would be but I am very happy with it.

Stitch'Inspiration - Sister's Choice

A new start... Dessin's DHC does a line of patterns called 'Words Around A Theme', this is Stitching Scissors... eventually it will be in the shape of a pair of scissors (duh) those ones that have a pelican on them? I am doing it over one on 28ct black Lugana with 1/2 a strand of DMC Rayon in a light gray shade. Yes, a half strand... if you play with a strand of rayon floss it will separate into 2 tiny strands. One whole strand was just too thick. Teeny tiny stitches but it's coming along quickly and it will be gorgeous I am sure if I don't go blind first. Inside are words related to the theme, by the time I am posting this pic I can already see the word THREAD, you can see the H. I am making the most out of my staff discount, wouldn't you say?
Yesterday I didn't get much stitching done, my work team was all summoned to view the new shop location and I have to say, I am IMPRESSED. It is really truly gorgeous with big bright windows, not as small as I thought it would be and it was easy as pie to get to. Just after the morning rush hour I got a parking spot at the door NO PROBLEM. It only cost me $2.50 to park for the hour. Downtown! That isn't too bad at all when you consider other major cities. Seeing it made a huge difference to me... I am sure there are going to be people that see a move downtown as being an 'upgrade' and more expensive but really, it's half the rent we are paying now because WE pay for parking! Support your LNS! We can't survive without your support! I for one am going to enjoy working downtown again. I hope customers give the new location a chance and see it for themselves.
Have a great day, I have to go get ready for work! I'll try to get back online one night this week and post wedding pictures and shop news

First Tag: 7 things

I have been 'tagged' by Dani and she knows I have no-one to tag back! I'll do it anyways, for her.

1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

This was tougher that I thought it would be... I think I'll do random facts. I wouldn't want my weirdness to permeate the 'net :)

I cannot mix meats with sweets. Mint jelly on lamb!? Apple sauce and pork chops?! Gross! Don't get me started on apple pie and cheese... *shudder*

I enjoy spending time with my hubby, he really is my best friend.

I've always wanted to be able to fix my own car. I like understanding how stuff works.

My last career I was a horticulturalist (aka landscaper).

I worked construction one summer when I was in my 20's. I was a drywaller.

In case you couldn't tell from the blog, I like pink and I am as girlie as they come, on the inside though. It's a secret.

If I was one of the seven dwarfs, who would I be? Most definitely Bashful. Definitely.