Hi, my name is LoriRay. I'm a cross-stitch addict.

Want to see what I've been up to? Lots of pics to see!

2010-06-24T22:30:00.006-05:00

That's an ort bag/scrap bag ("stitching trash" as my husband calls it, LOL) view from the front.

Brown and blue tote/purse monogrammed...

Pink and brown tote monogrammed...

Baseball bag for a local baseball team...

Another monogrammed pink and brown bag...

Another baseball bag embroidered for a local baseball team...

Music tote...

Stitching bag, embroidered...

LOL, I love this one -- zebra stripe and hot pink "Spoiled Rotten Princess" tote...

Green quilted patchwork bag...

Can you tell I've been sewing? LOL! I've been selling these bags. If you're interested, feel free to drop me a line at loriray2003@yahoo.com or visit my Facebook page "Needlecrafts By Lori". Custom requests are welcomed!

Thanks for looking. Hope everyone in blogger-land has been doing well. :-)

Another sewing finish

2010-03-24T22:14:00.005-05:00

After making my serger ort bag and zippered bag yesterday, I was creative in my craft room again today and made my first tote bag, woo hoo! It measures about 11" x 11" and is about 5" wide...hope that makes sense...and the handles are one inch wide.

Here are the two pictures of the bag -- the first is the outside of the bag and the second is the inside of the bag:
The bottom has a firm insert (cloth-covered plastic canvas) to help keep the rectangular shape.

Thanks for looking and for letting me share.

Hope everyone is having the type of week where it's easy to count your blessings. :-)

Sewing/serger finishes

2010-03-23T19:35:00.002-05:00

I was a crafty sewing gal today! First, I made a large American Flag zippered bag with an aida insert:

And second, I made this cool thing that my serger sits on and has a bag attached by Velcro to collect orts and scraps:

I did most of the work on the zippered bag the other day but put some finishing touches on it tonight. The serger bag I started last night but spent most of the afternoon working on. I even learned how to make "box(ed) corners"! I do plan to make a similar bag/mat to fit the dimensions of my sewing machine.

Thanks for looking! Hope everyone is having a great week. I plan on posting more finishes Friday...stay tuned!

"O Beautiful" back from the framer

2010-03-06T12:53:00.005-06:00

My stitching may not be perfect but the mat and frame job from my local framer is.

I love it! Sorry for the bad photo...there really isn't a light spot on the blue mat. It's just a glare.

Thanks for looking!

Now off to play in my craft room...what to do, what to do...maybe I should make more zippered cosmetic/sewing bags. I've sold quite a few already. Wanna take a peek?

http://s37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/LoriRay2003/Cosmetic%20bags%20for%20sale/

The photo comments show pricing and details. Feel free to ask questions, especially if you're wanting something custom-made -- I'll see what I can do! :-)

A Hillside Samplings finish

2010-02-28T10:53:00.005-06:00

Yesterday I decided to start the little pincushion from the Hillside Samplings/Liberty Hill kit called "Folk Art Sewing Box". Well, I was up until almost 3 AM (*gasp!*) and got it finished. I've already added it to my curio cabinet dedicated to Liberty Hill. So, here it is up close:

And from a little bit farther away so you can see a little more of the cabinet:

I did the little scissor fob last year. All that's left of the kit is to line the little oval box with the fabric provided in the kit and it'll be all finished. I LOVE Liberty Hill and Hillside Samplings!

Today I plan to stitch the March installment of the "Heart Stitchalong" and work on another WIP or two while watching NASCAR. Goooooooooo Tony Stewart!

It's done! IT'S DONE!!!

2010-02-20T19:32:00.004-06:00

The above pictures are the top and bottom halves, up close. Below is the whole thing:

Info for those who may not know -- this was a kit by Shepherd's Bush called "O Beautiful". The chart is already spoken for.

I am so happy to have this project done. Next week I will take it to the framer's. Pictures to follow when I get it back. :-)

Stitching progress pictures

2010-02-19T13:13:00.006-06:00

Hello to my fellow stitching addicts! Let me warn you that the past two days have been horrible with my sinus issues, bad sinus headaches, and a low-grade fever. I am feeling better today but you might not want to get too close, 'kay? ;-) *ACHOO!*

This week, I was able to work on several projects. They were...

"Tall Guys - Valentino's Three" by Holiday Sparrow:

Please pardon the wrinkles as it is still a work-in-progress (WIP) so why bother ironing it yet, right? Besides, I think ironing was something invented by Satan himself. ;-)

"O Beautiful" by Shepherd's Bush:

"Heart Stitchalong" from a blog by Sylvia (http://syku66.blogspot.com/):

Sorry for the icky picture -- the pattern is underneath the fabric and I didn't realize it would show through when I took the picture.

I can't wait for the Nashville market releases to be posted on Saturday!!! There are several things I think I cannot live without -- the new Impie, Hattie and Bea release (I don't even know what it is but I gotta have it!) and I fell in love with Shepherd Bush's "Liberty Pincushion". I have been a very good girl when it comes to not buying new stash so I think a couple of these new releases are going to be a reward for me. :)

So now I need to get started and get an ornament stitched for the monthly ornament stitchalong. Hope everyone has a great Friday and an even better weekend. :-)

Rose Sampler by Little House Needleworks

2010-02-11T20:43:00.006-06:00

I am so excited! Just a little while ago, I finished Little House Needleworks' "Rose Sampler" and attached it to the premade Impie, Hattie, and Bea pouch. Here it is, details to follow:
This took me only 6 days to stitch, and that was with no stitching at all on one day and very little stitching on 2 other days! :-) The fabric is 28 count Navy Bean linen by Lakeside Linens and I used regular DMC floss, stitched with two strands over two threads. The pink buttons were just some I had in my sewing stash that happened to work out just perfectly! I hope Impie, Hattie, and Bea keeps producing those presewn pouches. I LOVE those things! I have them all except for the tea cozy, and that's only because I haven't gotten weak enough to buy it...yet. LOL!

I spent the day in my craft room. While my embroidery machine was running, I put the finishing touches on "Rose Sampler". Here are three freestanding lace bookmarks that I made with my embroidery machine:

In blogging news, I am finally giving in and doing the "following" instead of just listing them on the sidebar on the right side of my blog (you may have to scroll down a little). As I slowly but surely add blogs to my follower -- and I only do several at a time -- I am removing them from my sidebar. You may notice the list getting smaller but the blogs I follow are still the same. Once I've got it all changed over then I'll see about adding the list onto the sidebar again. No worries! :)

I've got a couple of new starts calling my name but I haven't given in yet. One is by My Big Toe and one is an adorable freebie stitchalong. I've also got to get my monthly ornament started. Crud, the next few days may find me with three new starts...and I've been so good about finishing lately! Oh well...it's all good!

Happy stitching! Thanks for reading and for the comments. :-)

Two new finishes and a hello to Lisa/Texan

2010-02-07T13:10:00.008-06:00

*waving and yelling helloooooooooo to Lisa/Texan* This post is just for you. *hee hee* A little birdie told me you had a special request for me to update my blog. Happy now? Hahahahahaha! ;-)

On to stitching news...I do have two recent finishes. One is "Jingle" by Mill Hill:

I'm not happy with the backing and plan to replace it with a red felt where a small edge of the felt will show, sort of like a border. But first I have to buy a piece of red felt. LOL! I stitched this over a couple of days when we were without power during our recent ice storm.

Side note -- if you want to see pictures of our ice storm, you can find a link to my Photobucket album on the right side of this blog. You might have to scroll down a bit but it's there. :-)

My other finish was "Magic of Love" by Twisted Threads:

Brad wants me to make it into a pillow so I think that's what I'm going to do with it. I stitched it with Belle Soie silks. LOVE those silks!!!

We've become good campers when it comes to winter storms now. We have a big generator that powers our furnace, refrigerator, deep freeze, crock pot and electric skillet...not to mention the boys' video game systems, TV, and DVD player. It's frustrating to go without power but that generator sure made life good, all things considered. :-) We got out electricity back several days ago and were without for 7 days but there are still people that haven't been able to have their power restored yet. This was a horrible (yet beautiful!) ice storm that left our entire town of 30,000 people in the dark for days and days. If it weren't for our hard-working city employess and many outside agencies that came to help, our town would not have fared as good as we did. My thoughts and prayers to those who are still without power and might be without for 3 to 4 weeks still.

More stitching talk -- My latest new start is Little House Needleworks' "Rose Sampler" that I will attach to the coordinating Impie, Hattie, and Bea presewn pouch. Just about anything Impie, Hattie, and Bea makes leaves me drooling. :-) I'll have to start and finish another ornament this month to stick with the ornament stitchalong I'm a member of. There are a couple of new starts calling my name but I'm trying to be a good girl and not start anything new without a few more finishes. I'm also trying to be a good girl and not buy any new stash. (Which we all know that usually last a few weeks at most. HAHAHAHA)

Please post a comment and let me know what you're stitching, too. :-)

It's giveaway time!

2010-01-21T08:19:00.003-06:00

I recently went through my stash to find that I am the proud owner of not one, but TWO "The Button Tree" charts by The Drawn Thread. Does that mean I buy too much stash? Noooooooooooo, it means it's time have a giveaway! LOL!

So, if you're interested, just post a comment to this thread and I will have a drawing sometime this weekend and will post the results here on my blog. I'll mail anywhere so all are welcome to enter.

Happy stitching! :)

Another LHN Finish

2010-01-16T21:45:00.005-06:00

Hello again! Surprised to hear from me again in less than a week? ;-)

Hot off the Q-snaps, the ironing board, and the sewing machine, I present to you my first wall-hanging:

Okay, so I guess "Repair Shop" was technically my first wallhanging but I didn't sew additional fabric on, etc. like I did with this one.

Here's the info on the piece: stitched over two on 28 count Vintage Light Examplar from Lakeside Linens with two strands of Crescent Colours hand-dyed floss. I sewed the coordinating fabric, my husband cut the dowel rod, and I made the cording with my Kreinik Custom Corder.

Overall, I am quite pleased. Not only am I pleased with my last two finishes, but also because I finished them without starting anything new. *listening to the gasps from my readers* No, nothing is wrong, I've just been on a finishing spree instead of a starting spree. I cannot guarantee how long it will last. *hearing new projects calling my name*

On a serious note, the people of Haita and all affected are in my thoughts and prayers. I cannot even begin to imagine what they have been through these past few days, what they continue to go through, and what the days/weeks/months that lie ahead hold for them.

Thanks for looking and may you all be richly blessed.

Winter Wonderland

2010-01-10T19:35:00.003-06:00

Here in Oklahoma, we still have leftover snow from the Christmas Blizzard of '09, but that's not the Winter Wonderland that I'm referring to. Here's the one I am talking about:

That's the front. Only the left, right, and bottom sides are sewn on, so the top is open like a pocket. The "Winter Wonderland" pattern is by Little House Needleworks and the pouch is premade by Impie, Hattie, and Bea. The white floss is DMC, but the rest I converted to Valdani 6-strand colorfast hand-dyed flosses. Open the pouch up and here is what you see:

There are some assorted sizes of needles, four different silk flosses (three of which were given to me by Winifred -- thanks!!!), and a small pair of pewter Gingher scissors tied on with a ribbon.

And here is the latest pic of my crafty area:

In the center is my Christmas present -- a Singer Futura combination embroidery/sewing machine. Love it! I gotta get back into blogging and posting pictures more. Maybe when tax season is over...ewwwww, taxes...

Anyway, hope everyone is having a wonderful 2010 so far. Take care and thanks for looking. :)

Want to come stitch with me?

2009-11-17T14:59:00.011-06:00

Hello fellow stitching/scissor/craft addicts! :-)

Next week, we will be having Thanksgiving at our house. Not only does this mean lots of family and friends coming over to eat or just visit, but it also means I have to clean the house super-duper good! Okay, so I don't really have to but my borderline OCD says I have to. Today I started with bathroom #3 (which is the smallest of the three) and my craft room (which is really a second living room but who cares, right?). Wanna see?

This is standing in the doorway of the room looking towards hubby's computer area (the desk on the left) and my computer/sewing/crafting area (the desk on the right), and the built-in bookshelves in the back (center) of the room:

The windows you see on the right are my garden/sun room. I did an excellent job of cleaning it out last week. That was one of those things that got terribly neglected while I was working. I got it all nice and neat...just in time for hubby and boys to pile firewood in there and make a mess exactly one day later. Oh well, after this post I will go sweep up the firewood bits that are on the floor. Besides, I think I'd rather have dry firewood and a nice, warm fire on a cold night when it's raining as opposed to no fire at all because the wood is outside in the rain. Don't you agree? Oh yeah - a real plus is that I didn't even have to help cut or haul the wood. So see? A little mess isn't all that bad. :)

Wait...did someone just ask a question? Ohhhhhhhh, okay...someone wants to see the shelves and cabinets up close. Well, here are the shelves:

And the cabinets below house much of my sewing stuff, like fabrics and patterns:

To the right is a doorway which leads to the little bathroom. Now isnt' that just too convenient? Ya' get all busy doing crafts and next thing ya' know...well, at least I don't have to rush all the way to the other end of the house to use the bathroom. (Note: There is a bathroom in the middle of the house but I try not to go in there because the boys use that one. Suffice it to say "eww". Trust me.) Anyway, 2 outta 3 bathrooms are always clean. Here is the one connected to my craft room:

To the left is my cross-stitch stash closet. It's a horrible mess because I've got tons of boxes piled on the floor. Shhhhhh, don't tell the boys, my mother-in-law, and my uncle because some of their Christmas gifts are hidden away in those boxes. Should the boys peek inside, they will just think it's crafty stuff. Hah! Let's keep that our little secret. *hee hee* Anyway, sorry for the mess but here it is:

Yikes! It looks awful but I promise when Christmas is over that it will look purdy darn tidy again. :) I love my stash closet.

Now when I put my back against the built-in bookshelves between the messy stash closet and the little bathroom, here is the view to the right:

The doorway on the left is the opening to the informal dining room. That is my mother-in-law's piano that she had since she was a little girl, my old National / Eldredge two-spool sewing machine, a bay window, lots of sewing goodies piled around, and a little four-legged table that belonged to my husband's maternal grandmother. They built that table together so it's extreeeeeeeeemely special. :-)

Looking to the left, here is what you see:

That's the door to the garden room / sun room, an old wooden rocking chair, my Clark's spool cabinet (NOT totally the way it's supposed to be but hey, I love it!), and a comfy couch to sit and visit on. (That's often where I go when chatting on the phone with Mom or friends. Both sides recline. Ahhhhhhhhh!) That big ol' square coffee table houses all of our CDs, board games, and family fun stuff, including photos. There are hours of great family memories and fun inside that table.

Oh, about that Clark's spool cabinet, here it is up close:

And sitting next to my comfy couch is a sign I fell in love with because it made me think of my dear firewood haulin' hubby: (Note: the carpet isn't really red...it's maroon like in the other photos. Actually, it's OU maroon. No, I didn't plan it that way. It was like that when we moved in and I think it's pretty so it stays. No college football carpet in my craft room, thankyouverymuch! LOL)

Thanks for touring my crafty area. Feel free to come sit a while, chat, and stitch with me. Wouldn't that be great?

As the holidays approach, a lot of people tend to get depressed. Not me -- I focus on what all I have to be thankful for. We are all richly blessed...sometimes we just have to search our souls to see that. Don't let the holidays get ya' down. :-)

Happy stitching, everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

"Button Tree" by The Drawn Thread

2009-11-14T19:45:00.003-06:00

What a crafty day I have had! And it was a good crafty day, too...no frogs, no mistakes, no big headaches...everything went well. Gotta love that!

Over the last several days, I stitched The Drawn Thread's "Button Tree" for my mother-in-law. I didn't have just the right frame in my stash closet so decided to come up with another finishing idea which led me to my first flange pillow finish ever. Thanks to finishing instructions by Summer Louise Truswell in her book "Needlework from Stitch to Finish", here is the finished product:

I folded down the upper left corner for this picture so the coordinating fabric could be seen. The buttons are from a bunch of sewing stuff my mother-in-law gave to me that belonged to her deceased mother, so it has special sentimental value.

The other crafty thing I did today was make this no-sew double-sided fleece blanket for a friend's baby boy:

I made another one last week for the baby boy's twin sister but gave it to the family before I took a picture of it. Oh well, it's the same except the backing fleece is pink instead of blue.

Now I have the rest of the evening to go stitch and perhaps read a bit before going to sleep. We'll go to church in the morning for the first time in about four months so that should be refreshing. :)

Thanks for visiting and commenting. Happy stitching!

Stitching pictures galore and more!

2009-11-08T12:05:00.010-06:00

Thanks to everyone who has welcomed me back and posted kind words about me quitting my job. It's not a big deal at all, I promise! And I'm really okay with it. Trust me...this is a good thing. :)

So while I was absent from Bloggerland the past few months, I did manage to get some stitching done here and there. Wanna see some pics? If not then you'd better leave now 'cause here comes a ton of pictures! LOL

First, I finished "Repair Shop" by Stoney Creek, woo hoo! Here it is before it was finished-finished:

And then here it is on the hanger (please pardon my hideous wall that desperately needs some TLC):

Second, I stitched a Halloween fob from a Shepherd's Bush kit. Here is the front:

And the back:

Third, I was also able to finish the Heart in Hand "Words of Wisdom" patterns that I stitched over one on 32 count Belfast Summer Khaki linen with the recommended Weeks Dye Works and Gentle Art Sampler Threads. I also used my beloved OTT light and a wonderful magnifier. *hee hee* So here is the finished piece:

And here it is inserted into a photo-frame box that I purchased at Hobby Lobby (at 50% off, of course, which made it only $10.00!):

Last but not least, I stitched a needlebook for my mother. The front cover is taken from a freebie design by Novalee02 and I charted the wording/borders myself. Here is the front cover with the needlebook tied closed with a black grosgrain ribbon:

The inside of the front cover:

The middle of the inside with two needles inserted into the plain black wool felt:

The inside of the back cover:

And the back:

And hey, guess what?!?!?! Our little Gingher family has grown by two more members! Mia and Elena have joined us. Here is the whole family (minus the plain chrome pair sitting by my stitching area as we speak):

Whew, I told you there'd be a ton of pictures! Hope you've enjoyed taking a peek at my finishes over the last few months. I promise to not be such a stranger. :)

Happy stitching and may God touch each and every one of you in a very special way. *hugs*

I'm baaaaaack!

2009-11-06T21:04:00.003-06:00

Okay, so this will be short and sweet but I just wanted to make a quick post to say "hi" to everyone. I quit my job (long story) but at least I will have time to be a real person again. *sigh of relief*

Maybe this weekend will find me uploading pics and roaming other people's blogs I haven't seen in ages...

Happy stitching and I'll "see" y'all soon! I promise -- pics will be included! :)))

A picture and an update

2009-07-25T16:55:00.005-05:00

Hello fellow stitching addicts! :-) Long time no see, eh? I've been working full-time the past month which has left me very little free time but I'm lovin' the paychecks! LOL

The stitching time that I've managed to get has all been spent on "Repair Shop" from the Stoney Creek magazine (October 2007). Here is the latest WIP picture:

Believe it or not, this is the only thing I have stitched on in the last month! Yep, that's right -- no new starts, no project-hopping...nothing! I've been a good girl. I'm dyyyyyyying to get "Repair Shop" finished to hang in my craft room -- which should (hopefully) happen within the next couple of weeks.

The new 911 dispatcher job is going great but I'm b-o-r-e-d with observing and reading stuff from manuals. It's a necessary part of training, I know, but this coming week should have me doing "real" stuff -- like answering calls and communicating with the officers over the radio. I'm pumped and ready!

Wishing everyone the best and lots of frog-free stitching time...bye for now!

Uh oh, another new start...

2009-06-26T22:03:00.006-05:00

*sigh* I tried to talk myself out of it but I just couldn't. That old sewing machine I bought recently is to blame. Check out my new WIP (work-in-progress):

That is Stoney Creek's "Repair Shop" from their October 2007 magazine. The fabric is 28 count aged ecru hand-dyed fabric by Stoney Creek. I love it! Well, not the metallics. Ewwwwww! Thank goodness for Thread Heaven!

We have another new addition to my sewing/craft room. It's a Clark's spool cabinet. :) Okay, so it's not totally original but I don't care...we got a great deal! The top drawer is original and so is the cabinet shell...and I think the pulls are original, too. Regardless, I love it and think it's a great piece for my sewing/craft room. Now I just have to find two perfect chairs for either side of the cabinet:

And just for fun, here's a silly picture of Freddie checking out the drawers to my sewing machine cabinet while I had them out for cleaning:

Now for job news...I got the 911 dispatcher job! It's official -- I start Sunday at 6 AM. My schedule is 6 AM until 2 PM, Sunday through Thursday for the next 60 to 90 days while I'm in training. Our benefits will start September 1 (WOO HOO!) and the pay is higher than they advertised. (Can I get another WOO HOO?) Get this...my supervisor told me that he's been on the job 37 years and he scored my interview higher than any interview in his entire career! Yep, it's WOO HOO time again! *patting self on back*

Okay, so enough WOO HOO'ing for a moment...this will take away from my stitching time. *sniff, sniff, pout, pout* But I think it'll all be worth it. :) Also, I'm way behind on e-mails, responding to people who have been so wonderful to comment on this blog, and checking out other people's blogs. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll be in a routine soon and can catch up or at least check out what y'all have been doing on your blogs. Once I'm through training in 2 to 3 months, I can stitch and surf the internet while on the job when it's slow. (I'm trying to refrain from another WOO HOO!)

Meanwhile, count your blessings and keep the frog away from your stitching.

Announcing the winner and introducing something new...

2009-06-18T16:35:00.006-05:00

Hello everyone! I am so sorry for being a day late in drawing names for the Just Nan chart. The winner is...*drumroll*...Taffy! Woo hoo, congrats to Taffy! Thanks to everyone for the nice comments and entries. It's always fun to have drawings. :) Taffy, I'll e-mail you this evening with a request for your snail mail address.

Now I have to introduce everyone to the latest addition to my sewing/craft room. *another drumroll* Here it is:

HAH! You thought it was going to be another pair of Ginghers, didn't you! LOL!!! There it is in all it's glory...and I haven't even cleaned it up yet. It's a National Two Spool treadle sewing machine -- formerly Eldredge but bought out and manufactured by National. After some extensive Googling, the best information I can find so far is that it was manufactured between 1908 and the 1920's. As far as I can tell, it's only missing a presser foot, a leather belt, and a plate to cover the bottom spool housing. It may take me a long time but I want to get this thing up and running!

Here are two more pictures of it all settled in my room: (pardon the open mini-blinds -- the cat has just gotta see outside, donchaknow?!?!?)

We've just started redoing the back living room and totally converting into my craft room. I am so excited that I could just screeeeeeeeeeeeam! :))) More pictures to come later as we change things up.

In job news, I have an interview next Tuesday for the 911 dispatcher job. I've said my prayers and kept my mind open to any direction the Lord may or may not want me to go and all I sense is to just go for it. So I am. LOL

I'm working on getting my June stitching goals accomplished but doubt I will make them all. Oh well, it's fun trying. ;-)

Thanks again to everyone for checking out my blog. I really enjoy everyone else's blogs, too, and some of the recent comments have shown me some new blogs to check out which I will do soon.

Happy stitching!

Heart in Hand's "Mothers Words of Wisdom"

2009-06-14T23:33:00.003-05:00

I just spent the last few hours stitching "Say Your Prayers" on my Heart in Hand "Mother's Words of Wisdom" series. Just three more to go until it's complete -- woo hoo!

My stitching would have gone much quicker if it hadn't been for thunderstorms all around us (had to watch the severe weather updates) and eating (those pesky hunger pangs!) but it still went quickly.

Gotta run -- storms are still around! They just announced on the latest weather update that most of our town is without power. Yikes! We do have a generator if need be. Brad knows that I'll be a happy camper as long as I can stitch. LOL

Happy stitching and bye for now...

Just Nan's "Sparkling Iris" is finished and framed!

2009-06-14T16:08:00.007-05:00

I was hoping to get this done yesterday but today is fine...at least it's done! Whew! I did a so-so job framing it but it works for me. LOL! It is stitched over two on 32 count Zweigart Periwinkle Prism Belfast Linen. I used plain ol' DMC floss and beads supplied in the chart pack. There are enough of the small white alabaster beads if someone wanted to stitch it again without the Swarovski crystals, soooooooo...I'm giving away the chart and leftover beads. If you're interested, just say so in your comment and leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win. Only comments on this post will be considered. I will draw a name on Wednesday, June 17, 2009, at 7 PM Central Time.

Hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday. Happy stitching! :-)

A finish (sort of), a WIP picture, and plants...

2009-06-12T15:50:00.006-05:00

TGIF, everybody! :-) Thanks for the comments! To reply to a couple of them from the last post...Cindy, you're a nut! LOL! I will check out your blog tonight or tomorrow. Should I be afraid? ;-) And to Pam, yes ma'am, those are bottles of Stitcher's Lotion in the picture of my stash haul from the previous blog entry. Love that stuff! My favorite is the Blackberry & Vanilla. Running a close second is Raspberry & Orange. They both feel good and smell good. :)

Stitching news...Last night, I put the final stitches in Little House Needleworks' "Blessed are the merciful" -- the second of four patterns I am stitching on one piece of fabric. Halfway done, woo hoo! Please pardon the wrinkles:

I'm thinking about making it into a pillow that will sit in a dark brown rocking chair. Maybe...maybe not...we'll see. My mind might change a few times before this thing is even finished. LOL

I started an iris by Just Nan a day or two before the end of May. I thought I'd have it done within a couple of days but nooooooooooo. You know how life gets in the way sometimes? Well, life is finally out of the way for a bit and I was able to put more stitches into it last night:

I can't wait until this is finished (surely this weekend!) so I can put it into the matching iris frame. It'll go into our bedroom which -- thanks to mine and my mother's stitching -- has an increasing amount of purple irises and lavender-shaded things. (Yes, my husband sleeps in there, too. He actually doesn't mind! LOL)

Today I passed by the nursery on the way to pay a bill. On the way back by, I just had to stop because something caught my eye. No, not a baby nursery...a PLANT nursery! ;-p Anyway, there were these huuuuuuuuuge planters full of assorted plants and they were drop-dead gorgeous. The prices were just drop-dead. (hahahaha) They were asking between $100 to $150 for them! *thud* Sooooooo, I made my own for about half the price. Whaddya' think?

I love it! It sits on Brad's side of the driveway so I hope he likes it. If not...well...it's too late now. Or maybe I could sell it for $150. HAHAHAHAHA

Happy Friday, happy stitching, and don't forget to count your blessings. *hugs*

Stitching updates! (and a little rambling, of course)

2009-06-10T18:44:00.004-05:00

Hello to my fellow stitching addicts! (Don't even try to deny it. We are what we are.) *hee hee*

I'd like to publicly thank CindyF for her recent giveaways on her blog. My name was drawn for the "Home Words" chart by Prairie Schooler. Thank you so much, Cindy! You're a sweetheart! Here's what I won:

I've been able to stitch a little lately but not as much as before. Continuing with my "Stash Closet Discoveries", I started the Redbird Designs Texas Alphabet Quilt. Since my sewing abilities are improving and I'm gaining confidence in that aspect, I figured it was time to jump in. Here is the first finished square, "The Alamo":

This past week, Brad, the boys, and I traveled to Ft. Worth to watch the Nascar truck races. As luck would have it, it was the most B-O-R-I-N-G truck race ever. There were two cautions for the entire race and both were due to debris. No, we didn't necessarily want anyone to wreck...but it wasn't even a close finish! *yawwwwwwwwwn* But there is a plus side to all of this...

We stopped in Decatur, Texas, at this little antique store that also happens to have a room and a hallway dedicated to cross-stitch supplies. I did some stash shopping there (WOO HOO!) and when we returned home, my stash-in-the-mail was waiting for me. (Wagon? What wagon?) Here's my haul:

In other news, I'm still in the running for a job I applied for. Have I mentioned it here before? It's for a 911 dispatcher job at our local police department. Last night was my first of two "sit-ins" where I observe the dispatchers in action and ask questions. Get this -- I can stitch when it's slow! *doing my funky lil' dance around the room, thankful you guys can't see me* I go back Friday night to observe a weekend night. I really like it and honestly I'd be surprised if they didn't pick me. We all hit it off so well! Sooooooo...we'll see what happens there.

Meanwhile, I'm thanking God that our area got some beneficial rain today but dodged the hail and tornadoes that occurred south of us. Whew!

Guess I'll go roam some blogs and then do some crafty stuff, like maybe cutting more fabric for the quilt squares, stitching, etc. Happy stitching! :-)

Another quick finish

2009-05-30T13:01:00.005-05:00

After roaming through my stash recently, I decided that I have some of the coolest stuff...and it's just sitting there in my closet. Sure, it's fun to drool over but no one is truly enjoying my stash as it sits there, right? Sooooooo, as you can tell by some of my recent finishes, I decided to do something about it. Even if they're just small finishes, I'm thinning out my stash and getting things done so that they can be enjoyed. The next thing I picked was a little something for my wonderful husband.

That being said, here is a close-up of my third finish in four days:

That is "I Simply Love You" by Twisted Threads. It is stitched over two on 32 count Silkweavers linen called "Days Gone By". The lettering is done with two strands of Caron Waterlilies "Sable" and the heart is stitched with two strands of Six Strand Sweets "Mocha". I mounted the fabric and put it in a box that has a frame as a lid which you can see better here:

The colors are more true in the first photo. The frame opening measures 5" x 7" so it's not teeny but not big, either. The box now sits on one of our bedroom dressers. It's really lovely! Good thing I like that box/frame combo because after roaming all my framing/finishing stuff, I found out that I had three -- yes, THREE!!! -- of those boxes stashed away. And all the same color, too! Gah! In other words, look for two more of these in the future. Plus, I made a mental note to buy a black one. I'll try to make sure I don't end up with three of those.

Okay, now I'm off to go find another little something that I can hopefully finish today or tomorrow. This is fun! :-)

Two finishes in two days!

2009-05-28T19:42:00.006-05:00

Okay, so they're small finishes but they still count! :~)

Today I spent the afternoon stitching and finishing a teeny little scissor fob from the kit "A Folk Art Sewing Box" by Hillside Samplings. Of course, you just know there was a Liberty Hill piece in that kit. *hee hee*

Here is the front:

Here is the back with my initials and current year:

Finally, where else would I display this little fob other than in my Liberty Hill curio cabinet, right? *big, huge grin*

I love it and it looks just perfect in the cabinet. There is a pincushion still do from that same kit but I'm behaving for now and not starting anything new. Yet. It's still early. *hee hee*

Thanks, as always, for looking, commenting, and visiting. Happy frog-free stitching!

Christmas ornament #6 finished

2009-05-27T19:51:00.005-05:00

And here it is:

That is Victoria Sampler's "All Spiced Up" from their leaflet called "Button Up For Christmas #2". I used the threads, wire, and buttons from their embellishment pack but stitched it on a mystery piece of linen from my stash.

Other than this ornament, I've been working on my "Footprints" WIP. Maybe I'll have an updated WIP picture in the next day or so.

Thanks for looking! Now get off your computer and go stitch! LOL ;-)

Major happy dance!

2009-05-20T16:34:00.005-05:00

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Guess what I finished last night? If you said "Hillside Sampling's Folk Art Sewing Roll", then you're right!

Here it is all folded up:

Unroll/unfold it once and this is what you see:

Unroll/unfold it again and then you see the complete inside of the roll:

Here is the back of the entire sewing roll:

Here is a side view with the roll all folded up:

Here is a picture of the completed roll with the box that came with the kit --- note my little helper in the background:

And finally, here is where the roll and the box will reside -- on the bottom shelf of my curio cabinet that is dedicated exclusively to my Liberty Hill collection:

I am so excited to have this roll finished and added to my curio cabinet. Thanks for looking!

Tonight I hope to finish an ornament. Maybe, just maybe, I might start a new project. *mwah hahahahaha*

Happy stitching! :-)

More pics, yay!

2009-05-15T10:32:00.011-05:00

I'm on a roll now! LOL! Actually, I've just sorted through more pics that I want to post for y'all to peek at. Some are stitching-related, others are not. Hope you enjoy them all! :)

My wonderful friend Carolyn sent me the most thoughtful gift in the mail. Know what she did? She sent me the Criss Ginghers!!! *drool drool* Aren't they gorgeous?

Here is a picture of my Gingher scissor collection (plus a couple of other scissors) where they sit in my stash closet:

And just look at the cats Q-snap cover my mother gave me -- too cute!

And just for grins, here's Freddie (aka: Little Miss Hateful) sleeping on top of the piano:

Now back to stitching stuff...want to see some of my WIPs?

This is my "Valentino's Three" Tall Guys by Holiday Sparrow:

And this is my "Folk Art Sewing Roll" by Hillside Samplings:

And this is my "Break Time" by Stoney Creek:

And finally, this is "Bathtub" by Imaginating:

Thanks for looking...again. LOL! I fell so behind on blogging and posting pictures but I think it's all caught up now. Whew! Plus, I'm still catching up on reading everyone's blogs and posting comments on them, too. Thanks for your comments! :-)

Lots of photos to show you what I've been doing...

2009-05-14T18:56:00.016-05:00

Hi everyone! I've received a couple of e-mails wondering about why I haven't updated my blog. Sorry! Life gets in the way sometimes but it sure is nice to know there are folks out there in the e-world who care. So instead of rambling on and on about what I've been doing, here are a ton of pictures to show you so you can see for yourself. :-) But no griping about work or anything icky...just the good stuff is all I'm gonna talk about. Woo hoo!

My 16-yr-old plays baseball and he got his first game-winning RBI (run batted in) recently. Here he is with the official ball -- and yes, we got a display case for it. *hee hee*

My other son is 13 and he plays drums now. He's only had eight or nine lessons over the last month or two and he is outstanding already! (That review comes from other people and not just his proud momma. LOL) So here he is in his room drumming on his very own drum set:

One of the top-secret gifts I stitched for my mother for Mother's Day was this Shepherd's Bush needleroll called "A Mother's Love":

My serger finally quit frightening me so much so I cleaned off my work area and made a cord cover for my OTT Lite -- easy peasy!

Before going to my oldest son's sports award banquet, we were taking pictures are home. For those of who you don't know what Brad and I look like, here I am along with my crazy husband:

Can you tell that he's the crazy one? *hee hee*

On top of being a Gingher addict and a cross stitch addict, have I mentioned before that I'm a Liberty Hill addict? It's certifiable now because we bought a curio cabinet and dedicated it solely to Liberty Hill pieces:

One of my dozen WIPs right now is the Folk Art Sewing Roll. I am on the fourth of four stitched areas and then it'll be time to do the finishing work. I am so exicted and can't wait to start adding some stitched Liberty Hill / Hillside Samplings pieces to my curio. *major happy dancing*

I've also been working in my sun room/garden room and outside. Here is a picture from my front porch of a hanging basket that I fell in love with -- the stand is from Home Depot and the plant is from Wal-Mart:

Well, I didn't post the other two gifts that I stitched for my mother for Mother's Day and I'm sure there are more pics I should post...but that's plenty for now, don't you think? Hope you enjoyed them!

Take care, happy stitching, and bye for now! :-)

Finally -- back to stitching and blogging!

2009-04-17T19:31:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been absent so long. Between trying to get our taxes finished and everything else life throws at us, I just haven't had the time to post on any blogs or boards, much less stitch much. But now...I think things are almost normal. (Whatever "normal" may be, right? LOL)

I stitched another ornament before the end of March but didn't get it "finished" until about a week or so ago. Here it is:

That is "Snowflake Ornament", the first in the series of Christmas ornaments by Stoney Creek from their February 2008 magazine. It is stitched over two on 28 count opalescent Lugana with Azure Skies Caron Waterlilies. A Mill Hill treasure is in the center and has two different colors of Mill Hill beads throughout the design, too. I made my own cording as well as my own tassel and have decided I hate making tassels. *grumble grumble* But it turned out okay...all except for the hanger, which is not-so-pretty. Notice I cut that part out of the picture? hahahaha Oh well, I like it overall other than the fact that it's about 4 1/2" square and that's a bit larger than I thought it would be.

Hey, quick question to my readers...How many WIPs do you have? My mother forced me to count mine (okay, so "forced" is a strong word) and I have twelve of 'em. *thud* So, 'fess up in your comments with how many you have...if you dare! *mwah hahahaha*

Hope everyone's been doing great. I hope to be back with more pictures soon. Take care, bye for now, and keep that frog away from our stitching!

I'm baaaaaaaaack!

2009-03-27T16:48:00.006-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to get together with a group of stitching friends (a rare treat for me!) and just look at the above picture to see the goodies they gave to me! Wow! I love it all!

I was also able to do some stash shopping. So much for the wagon, huh? The next two pictures are of the stash I bought. Two lucky finds were the Liberty Hill pieces in the upper left corner of the second picture. And yes, that's another pair of Gingher scissors in the upper right corner of the first picture. Those are the gold-handled epaulette scissors. But wait...there's more! In the upper left corner of the second picture next to the Liberty Hill pieces, you'll see the 3 1/2" black oxide scissors. Yay, two more additions! I have a third addition planned already -- next will be the 3 1/2" pewter scissors...mark my words...but first, I have two Liberty Hill pieces on order. Lemme pay for those then we'll see about the Ginghers. *hee hee*

There hasn't been much time to stitch lately. I have been working on a Christmas ornament that will hopefully be finished later or tomorrow so I'll post pictures when that's done. I also stitched my sister a floss tag but forgot to take pictures (DUH!). Sooooooo, I stitched one more pattern on my Heart in Hand "Mother's Wisdom" project. Just four more to go! I'm stitching on 32 count linen over one. There is a quarter in the picture for a size reference. They are so easy and fast to stitch, so maybe I'll just get 'em done soon. Here's the latest picture:

We are supposed to get between 3 and 7 inches of snow tonight/overnight. *crossing everything* It wouldn't even hurt my feelings if we ended up in a blizzard warning -- and that's only a county away at the moment! Quite odd for southwest Oklahoma at the end of March but I'll take it! :-)

Remember my friend from church who is battling breast cancer? She got a great report on her last doctor's visit -- her treatment has reduced the size of her measurable tumors by 30 to 40 percent! Isn't that wonderful? Keep those prayers coming anyway and thanks for all the prayers you all have said so far.

Hopefully everyone is warm, safe, and frog-free. Happy stitching!

Welcome home, Audrey! Welcome home!

2009-03-05T20:25:00.003-06:00

Ohhhhhhhhhhh my goodness!!! They're here, they're really here! It was so hard not to tackle the mailman today when I saw him coming with my package! These are the Audrey Gingher scissors that came in a set -- I believe they are from 2003. The first picture is just of them in the box, and the second picture is a close-up so you can see the floral design better.

Both the Audrey 8" shears and the Audrey 4" embroidery scissors are at home with the rest of my Gingher collection. This is a set of scissors I thought I'd never have so I'm just tickled pink to have them! Woo hoo!!!

No real stitching news to report...my time this week has pretty much been spent doing unimportant things like taxes. I hope to have my priorities straight soon (LOL) and get back to stitching. I will be out of town and away from work (woo hoo!) all week next week so surely I'll be able to stitch then. Hopefully a lot!

Meanwhile, thanks for looking and commenting. I enjoy everyone else's blogs, too, and I do try to comment so you know I've been there. Happy stitching! :-)))

4th Christmas ornament of 2009 finished!

2009-02-28T20:02:00.006-06:00

And there it is! It's actually much larger than I wanted so I'll probably use it as a hanging decoration instead of an ornament. (Most likely it'll be displayed during the holidays on that exact same hook. LOL) The pattern is 2006 Santa Ornament "From the Heart" by Homespun Elegance. It is stitched over two on 28 count linen with DMC threads. The linen color is 18th Century Brown. I covered the back in a matching tan flannel fabric and the trim is just Lion Brand yarn that I found at Wal-Mart, braided, and sewed on per the instructions on the pattern.

This is the fourth ornament I have stitched in 2009. If I can keep up this pace then we might end up with a Christmas tree decorated with lots of Christmas ornaments for the first time ever!

The other day, I finished one of my mother's gifts that I plan to give her for Mother's Day. I can't reveal it here because she is known to loiter here. Er, I mean...read here. Good thing I live over seven hours away from her or she'd just come over and steal it like she did my frog fob. *snort* ;-)

I've had a great lazy Saturday today and trust me, it's much needed. It's tax time and guess who's doing our taxes? Lucky me!!! Oh well, just remember -- if you hear a distant scream next week, it's probably me.

Now I'm off to work on Mother's Day gift #2. *hee hee*

Stash haul alert!

2009-02-23T09:59:00.007-06:00

Hello to my fellowing stitching addicts! :-) As most of you know, I've been on the wagon for about two months now which means I haven't been buying hardly any stash...virtually none! Sooooooo, this weekend found Brad and I were child-free -- which is rare -- and we went to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Do you know what that means??? I was at the Silver Needle! Woo hoo! *still happy dancing*

Not only did I get to shop at the Silver Needle, but I was also able to go to Stitchworks, Michaels, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and Hobby Lobby! Here is one of two pictures of my stash haul:

Oooooooooh! Ahhhhhhhhh! I got several square frames from Michaels, some eyelets and a hoop from Hobby Lobby and Michaels (the eyelets are for floss tags/rings and the hoop is for a miniature knotted rug kit), and the rest of the items are from Silver Needle or Stitchworks. Mostly Silver Needle. LOL! I did purchase a few more things...

Liberty Hill stash additions! *more happy dancing* I looooooooooove Liberty Hill stuff and can't get enough of it. I got the needlework tool box, a thread keep/thread board, a hornbook kit by Hillside Samplings, and the Acorn Hill First Stitch Finders kit by Historic Stitches. Ohhhhhhhhhh, I am sooooooooo happy to have these! And you thought Gingher scissors were my main weakness. HAHAHA

Here's a picture of the Liberty Hill stuff I already had:

I had the Folk Art Sewing roll kit, Folk Art thread keep, and the Folk Art sewing box that has the scissor fob and pin cushion kit. Those kits are calling my name. I feel several new projects might be started soon. LOL

Now, about those eyelets...I decided that I am going to be making more floss tags/floss rings. The one I made so far was fun! I'll be making more and will give some as gifts but I might try to sell some, too. Who knows? So meanwhile, I've been accumulating what I need to make a ton of those things. Here is my Crop-A-Dile along with a case of eyelets, rings, etc.:

Do I have to confess that I have about a dozen other eyelet shapes on order? *hee hee*

Well, it's time to catch up from our weekend getaway. Yuck. I really want to stitch, fondle, and roam blogs instead. Until I check in again, know that I appreciate my stalkers (followers) and love the comments. Happy stitching!

Yay, another ornament finish!

2009-02-16T09:59:00.004-06:00

Okay, so it's not like it was a tough one to do but hey, it's still a finish, right? :-) I sat down and completed the stitching and finishing in just a few hours but that was the plan. By this time in '09, I wanted to have three or four ornaments finished up. When I was searching for my next ornament, I picked this one because I adore snowmen and it was obviously very quick and easy to finish. Soooooo, this makes ornament number three! It is from the 1998 Ornament Issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine and is by Homespun Elegance Ltd. It is called "Starry Snowman". It measures about 3 inches across and I stitched it on some mystery linen from my stash, I believe it's 28 count and some sort of raw/natural linen.

Side note -- a while back, I purchased a good-sized lot of linens and evenweaves from eBay. (*drool drool* Ooooooooh, eBay!!!) The good majority of them were labeled but some were not. Even though I can figure out the count relatively easily, I'm not going to the trouble to identify manufacturer and exact color name, especially when the colors are all neutrals and earthtones, ya' know? I'm just glad to have the fabric! :-)))

Hope everyone's week is starting out on a good note. Mine started good as we've rented some movies and started watching them last night. Of course we had the fireplace going. My family was together, we had a good movie to watch, I had my stitching, and the fire felt great -- how much better can it get? Anyway...two of the movies we have are "Open Season", both the first and second ones, and we watched the first one last night. Too cute and funny! We started the second one but the news was fixing to come on, Brad was starting to doze off, my oldest son was tired, and my youngest had succumbed to his allergy meds and fallen asleep. Maybe tonight we'll watch the second one. Bring on the popcorn!

Another thing I did last night (after finishing my third Christmas ornament) was get back to work on "Break Time" by Stoney Creek. Good grief, they love their color changes, color blends, and backstitching, don't they??? Oooooooooh, but they are so worth it. Watch for an updated picture later in the week, probably Thursday night or Friday.

Take care, happy frog-free stitching, and bye for now!

My first floss tag / floss ring and a WIP picture

2009-02-13T11:40:00.006-06:00

That is the first floss ring / floss tag I have ever made. But it won't be the last! The finishing took about an hour and a half but I don't think that's too bad considering I've never done one before and I was taking my own sweet time getting it done. This will be a surprise gift for a friend I have "known" through the cross-stitching message boards for years, and that's why I can't post the back of it because if she reads this blog (which I don't think she does) then she'd know it was for her. *hee hee*

Thanks to the Snippets and Stash blog, I was able to find easy-to-follow instructions accompanied by pictures on how to make the floss tag. Here is the link: http://snippetsandstash.blogspot.com/ The only difference is that I used my Crop-A-Dile tool instead of the one listed in the tutorial. Once you click on that link and arrive at her blog, just scroll down until you see a little section on the right called "Tutorials", then click on the link for the floss tags. Easy peasy! :-)

Next is a WIP (work-in-progress) picture of my "Valentino's Three" from the Holiday Sparrow Designs series of Tall Guys:

With tomorrow being Valentine's Day, I think I might just keep stitching on this piece. It's appropriate, don't you think? LOL

BTW, for those asking and wondering, we made it through the bad storms and tornadoes just fine the other night and hope y'all did, too. The storms fired up about 20 to 30 miles east of us, so we missed all the excitement...thank goodness!

My husband (Brad) and I don't "do" Valentine's Day, so he took the day off yesterday (woo hoo!) and even made arrangements with my ex to pick up the boys after school. He wanted us to have a whole day together...and we did! We didn't do anything spectacular but that's part of what made it so special...just being best friends and enjoying each other's company is part of what keeps our marriage alive and happy. His thoughtfulness and our day together yesterday beats any over-priced bouquet of flowers or heart-shaped box of candy.

May everyone have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow and a relaxing weekend. :-)

What do you think?

2009-02-09T20:34:00.007-06:00

I've finally gotten around to making some changes to my blog. The plain ol' black and white had gotten old, especially with Spring just around the corner. So...whatcha' think? Feel free to vote -- the poll is located right there ========================================>

My stitching yesterday and today so far has been on my Tall Guys, "Valentino's Three". Watch for an updated picture later in the week. Heck, maybe later tonight. You never know about me. LOL

Our weather forecaster said we might get severe weather tomorrow morning/afternoon, which might even include a tornado. *thud* This is FEBRUARY, for cryin' out loud!

Hope everyone had a great Monday. I'm going to go stitch and probably play some Wii games with Brad and the boys. Take care and bye for now!

The best pillow I've ever made!

2009-02-05T13:29:00.004-06:00

Okay, so it's the first pillow I've ever made but that still means it's the best pillow, even if only by default. LOL! Here it is, hot off the sewing machine:

Actually, I'm pretty impressed with my first pillow. I opted out of mitering the corners or adding trim because it was my first sewn pillow effort but maybe next time. This pillow and the little pink book next to it will be given to my friend today or tomorrow.

If you're the praying type, please add Melissa to your prayers. She could really use them. If you're not the praying type, then we'd gladly accept any good thoughts/vibes you can muster. Thanks to everyone -- your thoughts and prayers are much appreciated.

Now for more pillow information in case some readers are interested... I got the finishing techniques from a book titled "Needlework from Stitch to Finish" by Summer Louise Truswell. She has a way of making things so much easier! The pillow measures right at 12" x 12". It is framed and backed with a pink ribbon breast cancer fabric I purchased at Hancock Fabrics earlier this week. The pattern is from Gloria & Pat and is free! It can easily be found using Google...just do a search on "Gloria Pat free What Cancer Cannot Do" (or something similar) and it should be the first thing that pops up on the list.

Thanks for looking and thanks for your comments. *hugs*

Christmas needleroll finished

2009-02-04T14:48:00.006-06:00

And there it is! The needleroll is a bit smaller than "normal" ones as it is only ornament-sized. It measures right under six inches tall and is less than two inches across at the widest point. I altered the design a bit and used a totally different button than what was called for in the pattern. Count this as one of my finishes that I'm proud of. :-) (Side note -- this is only the third needleroll I've ever made and is by far the smallest. It was a bugger to turn right-side out! LOL)

Well, that completes my ornament for February so I have go post it at the ornament SAL blog.
The stitching was finished on 1/25 but I "finished" it today. That makes my second ornament for the year, so I'm only one behind were I wanted to be. We'll see if February lets me catch up because I also want to make a floss tag for a friend. (Another side note -- I bought a Crop-A-Dile yesterday for those eyelets/grommets in the floss tags. I played with it last night and it's one handy-dandy tool! Okay, okay, enough free advertising. LOL)

Hope you're all getting some frog-free stitching time in. I plan on stitching this evening but don't know yet if I'll be working on "O Beautiful" (which is coming along VERY nicely!), or the floss tag, or maybe work on the finishing of the cancer piece I stitched for a friend. We'll see...but either way, I'm heating leftovers for dinner so you know what that means: more stitching time! Woo hoo! LOL ;-) Bye for now!

Pictures!

2009-01-26T13:28:00.004-06:00

There's the wrinkled "What Cancer Cannot Do" piece that I stitched for my friend who is battling breast cancer. It's all wrinkled from my Q-snaps and I haven't purchased the fabric to make a tuckable banner/frame for it yet...but the stitching is done. I altered the pattern a bit and didn't use the colors listed in the key, but here is where you can find the original pattern for free:
http://www.gloria-pat.com/resources/cancer_charts.html
The fabric I used was 32 count Silkweaver Belfast linen, hand-dyed and called "Remembrance Rose". The lettering is done in Vikki Clayton/HDF "Dark Mauve" premium silk, and the rest is DMC floss.

Now here's my recent eBay win:

That's the "Wildly Western" kit by Bucilla to add to my complete(?) Tall Guys collection. I just love those Tall Guys! Surely now I have them all. Surely...

Last night, I finished the stitching and beading on my next Christmas ornament -- "Merry Christmas" mini-needleroll by Shepherd's Bush from the 1997 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament magazine. I am now pulling the threads for the ribbon. I've got the stuffing on-hand but am not sure about the ribbon. I'll have to look later to see if I've got the color and width I need to finish it off and take a picture.

So much for doing any shopping -- I am officially iced in now. We are not even supposed to get above freezing until Wednesday, and the weather forecasters seem to think our freezing rain will continue off and on between now and Wednesday morning. Great. *sarcasm* Oh well, if we lose power then we're prepared...we've got the fireplace and plenty of wood, lots of food, two generators, and my wonderful husband always makes sure that every time we lose power, at least one generator outlet is saved for my stitching lamp. :-)))

My housework and laundry are almost totally done, so in a short bit I will be working on the needleroll and other stitching. Tonight we are having leftovers so it looks like a great stitching day and evening to me. Woo hoo! Happy stitching, stay safe, and watch out for that ice!

No pictures yet...

2009-01-24T21:00:00.002-06:00

...but I just finished stitching "What Cancer Cannot Do" for a friend who is battling breast cancer. It's hot off the Q-snaps -- wrinkles and all -- so I don't want to post a picture yet. Plus, I hope to get to Hobby Lobby next week and buy some pink ribbon fabric. My plan is to make a wall hanging / tuckable banner-type thing out of the finished piece. Problem is, Mother Nature is most likely going to give us some ice for Monday through Wednesday. Ewwwwwww. No trip to Hobby Lobby 'til that's over and done with.

I fell off the wagon but it's okay -- I consider what I bought "allowable purchases". LOL! One chart was purchased from a friend and I agreed to buy it before I went on the wagon. She finished stitching it and got the chart mailed off to me, so I had to pay for it. It's the "In Love" pattern from the Vervaco kit. I just love that! Anyway, the other purchase I made was off eBay for Bucilla's "Wildly Western" kit. I thought I had all the Tall Guys patterns from the Holiday Sparrow series of them but discovered that kit on eBay. I'd never seen that before! Now it's on its merry little way to my mailbox and then on to my stash closet to be stored with all the other Tall Guys. :-)))

I've got to catch up on everyone else's blog, stitch another ornament, and get a small thing done in order to keep my goals for the month. Technically, I have one ornament done for January but I really finished it in December...so I gotta get another one done. Besides, it'll be one more ornament in my collection, right? Woo hoo!

Hopefully everyone has been doing great. We've been crazy-busy here but at least I've managed a little stitching time. If we do get that icy weather then I'll just stay home, put a roast in the over or a stew on the stove, and stitch my little heart out while the boys play the Wii. Well, that is, assuming my 13-yr-old does his math homework and doesn't get grounded again. Ohhhhhhhh, SNAP! Anyway, keep that frog away and happy stitching! :-)

A finish for me and a gift from Mom

2009-01-05T19:51:00.010-06:00

Here is a quick finish I stitched up while we were traveling. It is "Snowflakes" by Pine Mountain Designs. I turned the pillow so that the stitching is in the upper left corner instead of the bottom right as it was shown in their stock photo. I also decided against using the large white felt snowflake cut-out that should be in the dark blue square. It just didn't look right to me and seemed to be rather gawdy. Yuck. Life's too short to display ugly snowflakes. LOL! ;-) So anyway, the pattern is being forward to one of my blog readers. Enjoy the pattern and happy stitching, Heather!

This is an adorable needle roll that my dear stitching friend Carolyn gave to my mother in a RAK package (Random Act of Kindness). My mother, in turn, altered a cat design and stitched this up for me. I love it for two reasons -- my mother did the stitching and it was formerly owned by Carolyn. Every time I see this piece in my home, I think of both of them. Thank you, Mom and Carolyn.

Today did allow me some, even if just a little, stitching time on "O Beautiful". I'm just a few stitches away from getting back to the bands and specialty work. The more progress I make on this piece, the more anxious I get about finishing it and having it framed. *big, huge grins*

With today being the one year anniversary of when I quit smoking, I decided to remove the little counter that shows how long I have been a non-smoker. So for those of you who followed my counter, don't panic -- I didn't start smoking again. LOL! Today I was able to call my insurance agent and let him know that I now qualify for the non-smoker's rate for my life insurance. *goofy lil' happy dance*

I also edited my list of Recent Finishes over on the right. It's now set to show only the last ten finishes. There wasn't an apparent reason to have a list of items that made the page longer than it had to be which surely slowed the page's loading for those who don't have high speed. (I used to suffer through dial-up so you folks who are now doing the same have my sympathy.)

The evening is still young so I think I'll go snack and then stitch some more. Stay warm and happy stitching!

And the winner is...

2009-01-05T11:19:00.003-06:00

*drum roll, please*

Lynda! Woo hoo, congrats to you! E-mail me with a list of your stitching likes, dislikes, wishes, wants, needs, etc. and perhaps even some general likes/dislikes. I'll spend a couple of days getting a little goodie bag assembled just for you. You can e-mail me at loriray2003 AT yahoo DOT com. This is going to be fun! :-)

Here's what happened with the drawing of the names: I put everyone's name on a little strip of paper and scattered them out on the floor. Then I called our cat over and told her to pick a name (like she could understand). Well, lo and behold, she came over and sniffed out Lynda's name. Soooooo, I guess that means Lynda has something about her that our cat likes. Consider that a huge compliment because our cat is, um...let's just say "not very nice most of the time". LOL

I told the cat to pick another name (again - like she could understand) but she was so freaked out because I picked up the piece of paper that she had so carefully sniffed out that she wouldn't come back over to the pieces of paper. Hahahaha! Crazy cat! This was fun and I'll have to have another drawing in the future.

Thanks a million to everyone who entered (and didn't enter...*pointing a finger at Lisa* ;-) hee hee). I appreciate the comments and reading everyone else's blogs, too.

We've been out of town for a couple of days so I need to post a picture of a small finish and catch up on everyone else's blogs, too. Hopefully today and/or this evening will allow me some free time to do those things and work on "O Beautiful". Happy stitching! :-)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:21:00.002-06:00

May 2009 be all we each want and need it to be. It's going to be a great year, I just know it!

Today I will work a little bit at the shop because we are taking off tomorrow and going out of town to visit my grandmother and my sister. Brad will do the driving so that means stitching for me in the car - woo hoo! I won't be able to work on "O Beautiful" because it seems linen and I don't get along too well in the car but I can easily work on an aida project, perforated paper, or perhaps a small evenweave project. (Like another 2009 Christmas ornament or a Pine Mountain pillow kit maybe?)

Okay, I'm going to take the plunge here and offer a drawing. If you'd like to be entered, simply leave a comment on this post stating that you'd like to be entered. The prize is a grab bag of things yet to be determined because I will try to pick things to send that the winner likes. Easy peasy, right? I plan on drawing a winner's name on Monday, January 5, 2009, so check back then for a post that announces the winner's name. By the way, that date also happens to be my annniversary for quitting smoking -- one year smoke-free, so celebrate with me!

I don't know how many of you frequent the stitching message boards but I usually do. That being said, the boards seem to be taking a turn towards being negative again. I hate it when those phases happen. Sooooooo, blogging and roaming other stitcher's blogs is becoming my favorite way to communicate with other stitchers, look at photos, and get inspired with tons of great ideas. Don't get me wrong -- I will never quit the boards altogether...but maybe it's time for me to play it safe and avoid 99% of posts that aren't stitching-related.

I don't make resolutions for New Year's but I do have some goals in mind I'd like to achieve (in no particular order):
1. Make it through year #2 without smoking.
2. Be a better mother and wife. (I'm not bad at all but my theory is that we can all find ways to improve, so why not?)
3. Change up my blog a bit...make it more visually appealing, add a few gadgets, etc.
4. Stitch at least one -- but preferably two! -- Christmas ornaments per month.
5. Stitch one "small" per month. I'd love to have a basket of needle rolls! Ooooooooooooh! A small might be a needle roll, Pine Mountain pillow, needle book, etc.
6. Try not to start a new project unless I either finish a project I've already got going, am making a gift for someone else, or if it's for one of these goals (like an ornament or a small).
7. Don't buy any new stash without stitching or purging some of what I've got first. There are a few exceptions which I outlined in the last blogging post. I did add the "purging" part, though. If I go through my stash and sell things that I know I will never stitch, then I can use that money for new stash. The points of this goal are to quit impulse buying and accumlating more than I am stitching because I already have way more than enough. Stitch more, buy less.

That's enough goals for now but I might add to or change that list. The main purpose was to just get some of my thoughts and ideas out and see what I can start working on accomplishing.

Hope everyone is stitching to their little heart's content today and feeling good about 2009. Take care and bye for now! :-)

Welcome home, Casandra!

2008-12-29T22:48:00.004-06:00

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!! Everyone please extend a warm welcome to Casandra, the latest collection in LoriRay's Gingherland! *drool drool* Okay, okay, so these will be the last Ginghers to add to my collection for quite a while now. The only scissors left that I wish to add to my collection are rarely found and sell for way more than I am willing to pay anyway. Besides, I think I have plenty now so there's no harm in stopping, right? Right?!?!?! *feeling Gingher withdrawal pains already*

Tonight I finished my second ornament in the Mill Hill Winter Greetings Charmed Ornaments series, #MH16-8305 titled "Noel". Here it is, hanging on our tree:

It's much prettier in person. The background isn't really reddish like that...it's more of a rich, deep burgundy...but that's the best picture I could get. So now I have a whopping grand total of three, yes THREE, ornaments for my Christmas tree in 2009. LOL -- but it's a start!

Now I think I'll go back to working on "O Beautiful" again. I'm sooooooo close to having the cross-stitched mid-section completed and will get to work on nothing but specialty stitches again, which I really look forward to. :-))) I think I have a spot picked out for this piece so I'm getting even more excited about finishing it.

Before I forget, I still plan on having a giveaway of some sort on my blog soon. I've got to sit down and go through my stash and figure out what to give away. Would y'all prefer fabric? A kit? Floss? Heyyyyyyyyy, how about a surprise grab-bag based somewhat on your likes/dislikes? What a great way to ring in 2009, right? *hint hint*

Quick stitching note -- I removed the Neighborhood piece from my WIP list (at the very bottom of my blog) already even though I barely got started. That's a very time-consuming piece and I have too many other things I want/need to stitch up this year. Maybe next year or later in the year but not right now.

*drum roll, please* Okay, I'm going on the wagon for an unspecified amount of time now. It's not necessarily the 10/25/50 challenge, but I have got to quit buying so much stash! I'm running out of room -- and I've got a huge stash closet! Time to stitch more and buy less. I will allow myself to spend gift certificates, replenish floss supplies as I use them, and buy items that are relevent to either something I am working on or kitting up. The only other exception is I can buy something that is normally hard to find (like another pair of old Ginghers -- mwah hahahaha) or an unbelievable sale. Oh yeah -- I can also buy the new Ginghers as they are released. Of course! Did I even need to spell that out? LOL!!!

Can you believe this year is almost over? 2008 was not a bad year but I have a plan on making 2009 even better. We discussed a theory during my church's adult Bible study group last Sunday, and that theory was that if a person focuses mainly on his or own self then he or she is likely miserable by the end of the day. But if that person chooses to focus on others -- like encouraging others and/or doing nice things for others -- then he or she usually ends up having a wonderful day! Also, if a person must confront another person, then it must be done as lovingly as possible -- no raising of voices, no name-calling, no insults, etc. The leader of our Bible study group has been battling breast cancer for several years now and she says the encouragement theory works for her. She is so inspiring - I wish you all could meet her! (But still, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she is going in about a week to see how this round of chemo is working as the previous chemos have not done the trick.)

Hope everyone is getting some great frog-free stitching time. The frog has been staying away from my house lately. *knocking on wood* Meanwhile, take this challenge -- send a card, make a phone call, or send an e-mail to someone you've been thinking about. Let them know you care. It's amazing how good it'll make you (and especially the recipient!) feel. :-) Take care!

Finished two books!

2008-12-22T10:29:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday night, I finished reading "Being Christian" by Stephen Arterburn and John Shore. It was an excellent book and answered tons of questions for me. I highly recommend this book!

Next on my reading list was a book called "Fireproof", based on the movie. The movie didn't come to our small-town theatre so we have to wait for its release January 27th. I figured I'd read the book before seeing the movie 'cause the book is always better than the movie, right? Well, I sat down after church yesterday and started reading "Fireproof" around 2 PM. Next thing I know, it's about 6 PM and I finished the book! LOL! It was such a great book! It was packed with action, romance, drama, and so much more.

Brad and the boys decided that I should have the night off so Brad cooked dinner and he and the boys cleaned the kitchen. (Gotta love it when that happens! *happy dancing*) I called my Mee-maw on the phone to tell her we received her Christmas package and to just have a nice visit with her. She started telling me about this movie she and a friend went to see for only a dollar each because the movie had been out for a while. She was trying to remember the name of the movie and kept saying it started with the word "Fire"...I was like, "No way!" Yep, my grandmother had went and seen the movie that afternoon for the exact same book I had spent the day reading! LOL! What a cool coincidence!

I did stitch a little bit on "O Beautiful" this weekend but didn't even give any thought to having a giveaway. BAD Lori! :( I think I'll get through Christmas first and then decide what to do. You couldn't pay me to go to a post office right now! I need to have a couple of giveaways -- at least one here and at least one at a the 123 Stitch message board. I have been the recipient of a couple of giveaways and I'm just so blessed to have my on-line stitching friends that I need to show how very grateful I am.

With this being the week of Christmas, hopefully the frog is on vacation (or frozen!) and will let everyone have some relaxing stitching time. :-)

"O Beautiful" by Shepherd's Bush

2008-12-19T19:53:00.004-06:00

And there it is, a little over halfway finished. :-) I have loved every stitch, too. The colors are a bit more muted than I prefer but I still love it.

I'm going to go work on that a bit...I'll update more this weekend and figure out what to do for a giveaway. Woo hoo!

Happy stitching and hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. Bye for now!

My first Stitchalong, woo hoo!

2008-12-17T14:14:00.004-06:00

There is a stitching blog/group called "2009 Christmas Challenge" that is going to try and stitch one Christmas ornament per month in 2009. After checking it out, I decided to join. I was their 100th (and last!) member. Talk about timing! Sooooooooo, one of my stitching goals for 2009 is, obviously, to stitch one ornament per month. Hey, it's a start! :-))) Here's the link in case you want to follow our progress: http://2009christmaschallenge.blogspot.com/

I have finally updated my Photobucket album with some recent pictures of my home with some Christmas decorating done. It's nothing fancy but it gives my mother (and anyone else who wants to) a peek inside my home.

Here is one of my favorite photos. I love it because you can see our white and silver Christmas tree's reflection in the mirror:

Also, before I forget...this is my 100th post! Woo hoo! Am I supposed to have a celebration or giveaway? I think I've seen stuff like that on other people's blogs...y'all think I should have a giveaway? Just leave a comment and let me know if there's any interest. :-)

Yesterday evening allowed me some great stitching time and I worked on my Shepherd's Bush "O Beautiful" WIP. I didn't realize how much I had missed that piece. Wow, it's gorgeous and I'm making great progress. Expect a WIP picture in a couple of days. :-)))

And finally, a bit of Gingher news...I won the 4" Cassandra Ginghers on eBay today! *thud* Wowee! That's the last pair I can (reasonably) add to my collection so that should be it for my Gingher-buying for a while. (I can hear y'all laughing! Stop it! LOL) From now on, I will most likely only buy the new releases. I have, however, toyed with the thought of selling some of my stash that I know I will never get to *gasp!!!* and building up my PayPal balance so that when/if Gabriella or some other major-high-dollar Ginghers that I don't have come along then I can buy them and be totally guilt-free. *hee hee*

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and please do leave me a comment. Not only do I love seeing what everyone has to say but it also leads me to more blogs that I can add to my list, visit, and leave comments at. Happy stitching!

A few blog changes...

2008-12-16T14:51:00.002-06:00

I've been piddling around with my blog today. (Can you tell we were stuck at home today due to some freezing rain?) I've moved my WIPs list and reading list to the bottom of the blog page. Another change is that I have updated the list of blogs I read. Now you can see more blogs than before and when they have been updated with most recently updated blogs at the top of the list.

Now that I've got a roast in the oven, I think I'll go stitch. Shame on me -- I still haven't uploaded the most recent pictures of my home. Oh well, there's always tomorrow... ;-)

New project, new scissors, and COLD!

2008-12-15T21:43:00.006-06:00

The picture above is my latest new project. If I don't quit starting projects, I will have a gazillion WIPs. LOL! Anyway, what you see is a barbed wire border that will surround my "neighborhood" project. If you don't know what a cross-stitched neighborhood is then you are missing out! Over on the right side of my blog, if you scroll down you will see a list of links to other blogs. Check out the two "Me, Myself, and I" blogs for more information, instructions, more links to other neighborhoods, and some pictures. Google also turns up quite a few hits if you type "neighborhood round robin". Mine won't be a round robin but those round robin links will show you some awesome pictures! One of my stitching goals for 2009 will be to work on my neighborhood at least once a week, even if just for a bit.

See the scissors above? If you guessed that those scissors are the latest to be added to my collection, then you guessed right! *mwah hahaha* Welcome home, Lanell! *drool drool* Lanell should feel right at home with the rest of the 4" designer Ginghers that live happily in my home. There aren't many left that I would love to add to my collection and then I can quit buying scissors with the exception of adding the new ones as they are released. No, really -- stop laughing. ;-)

The arctic air made it here to SW Oklahoma. BRRRRRRRRRR! We made it to 78 degrees yesterday and today we never made it past 24. Daaaaaaaaaaang! And we wonder why we're all sickly. Sheesh! Tonight we will be a whopping 15 degrees and our wind chill will be ZERO but we should "warm up" tomorrow to 33. One would think that with these cold temps that we could enjoy the snow or perhaps a freebie day at home due to ice or something but nooooooooooo, all we have received so far is just the bitter cold. :( However, there is hope! Our long-term forecast shows that we might -- just might -- get a white Christmas. *happy dancing*

The dreaded rooster is finished!

2008-12-11T23:18:00.003-06:00

And there he is! I am so glad he is done. Stoney Creek's attention to detail could make a pile of dog poop look beautiful but man oh man, their designs can sure be a pain to stitch! It's especially hard to stitck with something you don't care for and I do not care for roosters.

Now that I've got all my "have to" stitching done for the year, I worked on my Stoney Creek "Break Time" tractor WIP this evening. (One would think I've had enough Stoney Creek to last me for a while but noooooooo, I'm a glutton!) I only got about an hour's worth of stitching done on that WIP so I figured it wasn't worth the trouble of pulling it out of the Q-snaps, taking a picture, blah blah blah. Gimme a few days.

I still haven't uploaded my home pictures to the Photobucket album yet. *bad LoriRay* Maybe this weekend or next week. We're due to get some nasty winter weather between Monday and Thursday - perhaps all four days! - so I might be iced in next week. Not a huge deal if that's the case because I'll go grocery shopping tomorrow and Brad is going to cut us more firewood on Saturday. If we have no electricity it'll be no biggie -- we have two generators that can power our TV for Brad, TV/games for the boys, my stitching light for me, and our refrigerator. The fireplace will keep us warm and give us somewhere to heat soup since our stove is electric. Anyway, I'd rather have snow so I'm putting my vote in now to Mother Nature -- make it SNOW, not ICE!

Hope everyone has had a great week so far. I really like the feedback/comments and visiting your blogs, too. It's amazing how so many of us have never met, yet we seem to have to so much in common. :)

Happy stitching!

Procrastinating but still stitching

2008-12-07T23:22:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I finished cross-stitching the Stoney Creek huck towel rooster's tail and backstiched one thread's length before I got tired of it. *sigh* I set the project aside and picked up my Heart in Hand "Words of Wisdom" work-in-progress (WIP). I've now completed five of ten little patterns and am stitching them over one on 32 count fabric. Here's the WIP picture, hot off the Q-snaps:

So even though I procrastinated with Mr. Rooster, I still made some stitching progress on a different project. Once I get done with the backstitching on Mr. Rooster's tail then it oughta be smooth sailin' after that. I figure I've got about a week or so to get it done so it'll be finished in plenty of time even with my procrastination figured in.

Well, look at me go -- two posts and almost back-to-back, too! LOL! While that and my WIP are progress, I didn't sit down and upload pics from our home into my Photobucket album. Oops. Okay, so that'll be a goal for this week. Tuesday's high is supposed to be 41 with sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph and we have a chance for some snow showers. (Can you say "WOO HOO"?!?!?! I LOVE the snow!) Anyway, what it boils down to is that it looks like Tuesday will be the perfect day for me to stay home, work on Mr. Rooster, and get those pics uploaded.

I'll close with something for you all to ponder...I heard a phrase in church recently. It has been going through my mind off and on ever since. Here's the phrase: "You can either be part of the problem or part of the solution." Many of us have heard that phrase before now but it really hit home with me this time. As that phrase has been tossed around in my head, I came to the realization that, more often than not, I have been part of the problem. It was always my nature to gripe, moan, and complain -- or sit back and do nothing, thus allowing the "problem" to keep occurring -- instead of finding ways to help solve the issue(s) at hand. I'm trying to be a part of the solution now. More than ever I feel some "tests" are happening in my life but I'm trying to handle them the right way. And I'm trying my best. One can only hope and pray that that's enough to let others around me see the "new" me emerging and what a difference Christ is making in my life. :-)

So, on that note...are you part of the problem or part of the solution? Let's all work on being part of the solution. Goodbye for now and like a friend of mine says, "Be a friend." *hugs*

Christmas ornament finish, a WIP, Gingher scissors, etc.

2008-12-06T19:08:00.007-06:00

There's the dreaded Stoney Creek rooster I've been stitching on a huck towel for my grandmother as part of her Christmas from me. It is a "dreaded" rooster because I detest roosters! Hope I don't offend the rooster lovers out there but sorry...roosters just ain't my thang! ;-)

Once I get that rooster towel finished, that's all of the stitching I have to get done by Christmas. Woo hoo! Then I can go back to stitching for me and being able to plan some projects for next year's gifts for people.

Next is a picture of an ornament I stitched for a fellow stitcher/internet friend who lost all of her stitched ornaments during a recent move. It is from the Prairie Schooler booklet titled "Santas and Snowmen". It will go in the mail Monday and has to go from the southern US to Canada. Have a safe little journey, Santa!

Most of you know how I have this, um, slight Gingher scissor addiction. Well, there are more scissors in my happy little obsession...er, I mean, "collection". *hee hee* Here are some updated pictures...first, we have the whole group standing on display in scissor blocks my wonderful husband made for me:

Now here's a closer shot of the right side of the group. They are:
--In the very back, the pair with the scissor fob are plain ol' 4" silver Ginghers
--The other silver pair in the back are 4" curved blade Ginghers
--Front block, back row, left to right are: Glory, Katelynn, Jamie, and Ashley
--Front block, front row, left to right are: Penelope, Gloriana, and Lindsay

The last picture is a close shot of the Ginghers on the left side of the group. They are:
--Block in the back has a pair of black scissors with heart-shaped handles. These are not Ginghers, rather they are by Kelmscott. They are most uncomfortable to use but I love hearts and scissors, plus they are just adorable in my scissor collection. LOL
--Front block, back row, left to right: Freedom, Emma, Bianca, and Olivia
--Front block, front row, left to right: Roberta, Julia, Sarah, and Sophia

Ahhhhhhhhh, I do love my Ginghers. *drool drool*

I have a ton of pictures to upload to my Photobucket album in the album called "Home". Feel free to visit there to see a couple of updated pictures of our home. I might upload the pictures later this evening or tomorrow, so gimme a day or two. :)

Hopefully everyone has been having a great December so far. I know the holidays are rough and depressing sometimes for people but as for me, I think I'm enjoying this year's holidays more than ever so far. We had Thanksgiving at my house for the extended family for the first time ever and we all loved it, I'm less than a month away from being a non-smoker for a whole year (WOO HOO!!!), my Christmas shopping is already about halfway done (if not more), and last but not least...the two most important things...I am thoroughly enjoying my discoveries while doing my Bible readings (not to mention I was baptized two weeks ago tomorrow) and I have a wonderful little family that I am most thankful for every day. May they always know how much I love them. :)

Take care of yourselves and give someone a hug and a smile. Meanwhile, happy stitching and bye for now!

Another quick finish

2008-11-15T23:14:00.002-06:00

I stitched this card today for a person that I don't want to leave out this Christmas. I hope she likes it. :-)

It's a bit late tonight, so I'll probably wait until tomorrow to get started on a huck towel for my grandmother. It's a rooster and I'm dreading it! I apologize to you rooster lovers out there but man oh man, I do detest roosters. *gag* LOL ;-)

Bookmark finish

2008-11-14T23:54:00.002-06:00

And there it is! This is for my Uncle Ronnie for Christmas this year. Every year, I try to make a little something for him. He is one who appreciates every stitch and the efforts put into handmade items. :-)

The design is called "Authors" and is from a Cross My Heart booklet titled "Page By Page". I stitched it with plain ol' DMC on a prefinished Charles Craft 18 count white aida bookmark. To finish it off, I applied blue sticky-back felt to the back side of the bookmark.

Why do I wait until it's almost too late before I start my Christmas stitching??? *slapping self in forehead* I saw once where a woman was going to try stitching her gifts during the first six months of the year, then spend the rest of the year stitching for herself. I need to ask her how that turned out. Maybe I should try it in 2009? That and I neeeeeeeeeed to go on the wagon and quit buying more stitching stuff! *slapping self in forehead again*

Thanks for your comments on my posts. I really enjoy reading what others have to say. Meanwhile, TGIF and have a great weekend!

Two finishes fresh from the framer!

2008-11-10T19:49:00.004-06:00

Hahaha, I like the tongue-twister title. Oops, I did it again! LOL!

Here are two of my recent finishes back from the framer's today:

My Brother

Lizzie Kate's Flip-Its

I am so excited to have them! I will give the "My Brother" picture to my brother (like that's news to anyone, LOL) for Christmas and the other is for me. :-)

Also, here's my clock that I stuffed with orts and other leftover stitchy things:

I showed my husband the clock and explained how I had saved thread orts, floss wrappers and tags, pieces of perforated paper, etc. to fill it with. He looked at it for a bit then turned to me and said, "So...it's filled with stitching trash." I tried not to laugh at his comment but couldn't help myself. ;-)

It's been a great day (for a Monday - LOL). Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. Hopefully I'll be able to post a bookmark finish in a day or two. Stay away from me, you dreaded frog!

Top secret project revealed! (4 pics)

2008-11-06T18:45:00.006-06:00

My mother received the top secret project today so I can tell you guys about it now. Woo hoo!

I stitched Lynne Nicoletti's "Wedding Envelope" in honor of my parents' 46th wedding anniversary. I made the postmark their actual wedding date and I made the price of the stamp 4 cents, just like it was in November of 1962. The really cool thing I did with this envelope is that I used a very special Thread Gatherer silk floss for their names...the same floss used in a project for my late, great Aunt Linda -- a project my mother now owns and cherishes. :)

Here's the front of the envelope:

And here's the back:

Here is the back of the envelope with the flap open so you can see the lining fabric:

Here's one of the sides: (which I did stitch by hand, thankyouverymuch! LOL)

I, um, have a confession to make. There have been several new additions to my 4" Gingher family. *hee hee* Sarah has joined us and Roberta is (finally!) on her way. Today, Gloriana was welcomed to the family, too. Hiiiiiiiiii, Gloriana! Woo hoo! I will post pictures soon because I would rather let Roberta arrive first and get a picture of the whole happy family. I loooooooooove my Ginghers! I do use them, too. It's a ton of fun and gives me great pleasure to switch out Ginghers to use on various projects. I like to try and make the scissors match whatever project I am working on. Plus, matching scissors to projects helps feed my borderline OCD. HAHAHAHA!

Hope everyone is going to have a great Friday and that the weekend will allow us all some frog-free stitching time. Speaking of frogs...has anyone seen my frog fob? I can't find it. *scratching head*

Mail Art received...my first ever! :-)

2008-10-25T10:52:00.005-05:00

Even though I have already updated my blog once today -- see the post below this one -- I have to add this post all by itself so that it gets the recognition it deserves. My stitching/board friend, Winifred in Canada, sent me the first mail art I have ever received. It's even more wonderful than how mail art looks in pictures!

Included in the mail art envelope was a card, a Canadian breast cancer quarter, and a hank of Dark Mauve silk floss by Vikki Clayton. Wow, what a great package! Thank you, Winifred. *hugs*

Here is the front of the envelope: (note that I have strategically placed the floss over my last name and address...LOL)

And now for the back of the envelope, again with floss strategically placed to hide Winifred's address (LOL):

Thank you again, Winifred, for being so thoughtful, creative, and talented. I love my mail art and now you've made me want to make some, too. :-)

I'm baaaaaaack! This will be picture-intensive!

2008-10-25T10:02:00.009-05:00

Hello to my fellow stitching addicts! *big, huge, cheesy grin* Sorry I've been gone so long but I'm back and ready to blog now.

I've been a busy little stitcher at times during my absence. Ready for some pictures? Here we go!

Here is a cute little Halloween box that was from a Mill Hill kit sent to me by a friend. I stitched and finished it sometime during the last two weeks:

I also stitched and finished Shepherd's Bush "House Haunting":

Major happy dance here -- I finished the Lizzie Kate Flip-Its project and took it to my framer just this past Thursday. They said it should be framed within two weeks and I am so excited! Meanwhile, until I get a picture of it framed, here is the finished piece:

During the past month or so, I finished up a few smaller projects, too. One is this Holy Bible bookmark:

I had stitched the bookmark for myself but then ended up giving it to my grandmother. Funny how things like that happen, huh? ;-) Don't make me talk about my mother and grandmother coming to visit last week. Remember my frog fob by Stitchy Kitty that I put on a pair of green scissors? Well, my mother stole it. Yep, she stole it. (Okay, so I gave it to her but it's more fun to make up stories. LOL)

Anyway...I managed to stitch and finish my first perforated paper Christmas ornament. It was an adorable little kit by Mill Hill called "Frosty":

For now, the ornament is hanging out with one of my snowmen I have on display year-'round.

Whew, I think that's it for stitching updates. Now I have added a WIP that is top secret until I give it to my mother. *hee hee* Tell ya' what...I'll tell everyone but my mother what that top secret project is. Here we go...time for my mother to quit reading...for everyone else, just scroll down....

...keep going...

...and keep on scrolling down... (Mom, quit reading!)

...the top secret project I am working on is....

...HAH, I am not stupid! I know my mother is still reading this! LOL LOL LOL

On that note, I will end this post with a promise to try to update my blog weekly and check everyone else's blogs on a regular basis, too. Happy stitching! :-)

Goodbye, Sparky...

2008-09-26T16:15:00.004-05:00

Today, my husband and I took Sparky, my 21-year-old cat, to have him put to sleep by our vet. Sparky was the best cat a person could ever hope for. All those years of loving companionship...and now he's gone. Sparky and I had a very special relationship. He will never be forgotten.

To those who say "it's just a pet", let me tell you...Sparky was more pure, innocent, and loving than most human beings I have ever met. His love was unconditional, his faithfulness never wavered, and he was always my little fuzzy buddy. He was so much more than "just a pet".

I will probably write more about him as time goes by, but for now...my heart aches too badly to come up with the words to adequately describe what a wonderful cat he was, what a huge hole his absence has caused, and how he will forever live in my heart.

Okay, all joking aside...

2008-09-03T12:42:00.003-05:00

This will be a serious post from me. No pictures, no talk of stitching addictions, etc. I just want to clarify a few things.

Due to some recent events, I have decided to temporarily back off from the message boards. This is not one of those horrid farewells where other members beg the person leaving to stay. *gag* Rather, it's just a way of backing up and regrouping for me. There have been several people e-mail me with concerns so I just thought I'd go public with my thoughts and feelings.

I am finding that the older I get, the thinner my skin is getting. No, not like some bizarre medical condition, but I'm speaking in terms of the internet. Ya' gotta have a pretty thick skin to weather things on-line with message boards and such. Well, my skin isn't so thick anymore. For some reason, I am not as able as I used to be to allow things to roll off of me and just move along. I don't like that but it is what it is. So, that just means I have to take a break from time to time.

To my on-line friends and buddies: I don't wish to end any relationships with any of you. I don't mean to make it look like or make anyone feel like I have abandoned friends or boards. Just please understand that -- no matter how silly it is -- I sometimes have difficulty not letting things in the e-world get to me. That's when it's time to walk away. I will eventually come back around full-swing with a thicker skin and carry on from there. It might take me two weeks...it might take me two months...I don't know.

I hope this post is clear and that it explains why I am semi-absent from the boards. I cannot stay away from all boards 100% of the time, but I can choose to open stitching-related threads only and drool with the rest of you. You will most likely see me from time to time at the 123 Stitch message board, especially on Fridays when the weekly finish and weekly WIP posts are active. I love those pictures and posts!

Anyway, I have no clue if my e-mail address is anywhere in this blog, but in case anyone wants or needs to contact me, my e-mail is loriray2003 AT yahoo DOT com.

Bye for now and happy stitching! :-)

My needle is sssssssssmokin'!

2008-08-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

What a productive stitching month August has been so far! Last night, I finished the "September" Stamp in the Lizzie Kate series I have been working on. Here it is so far:

Yay, just three more to go and that piece will be off to the framer! :-)))

On a different note...I am learning to tell people "NO". Too many people are pulling me in too many directions. I cannot be everything to everyone. *sigh* So why do I still feel guilty? I have to work on that or else I am going to explode.

Meanwhile, at least I'm getting some therapeutic stitching time in. Without that, I would have surely gone postal by now. ;-)

4 of 10 HIH patterns are done! :-)

2008-08-02T22:59:00.003-05:00

And there it is! The quarter is in the picture as a size reference...teeny tiny! One more pattern and I'll be halfway done with this piece.

What a great stitching month I am having so far! Woo hoo! Hopefully, I can keep up this progress, especially after July was such an awful stitching month.

Well, Brad and I are off to get a late-night snack and then maybe, just maybe, I won't be too tired and I can get more stitching in. *crossing fingers*

Hi, Olivia! Welcome home!

2008-08-01T23:00:00.003-05:00

Today, the Gingher 4" embroidery scissors in the Olivia pattern arrived. Welcome home, Olivia! LOL! I'm too lazy to take a picture right now but I promise to post a picture of my scissor addiction...er, I mean...scissor collection soon.

The real reason I'm posting right now is because I just finished my very first scissor fob. It is "No Frogging Allowed" by Stitchy Kitty. I even made the cording. It's less than perfect (as are 99.8% of my finishes) but I love it!

Here is the front:

And here is the back:

Ironically, I had to frog a few stitches on the back of the fob. LOL!

Thanks for looking! I'm off to see if I can get some stitches in on a WIP before my eyes get too heavy. Bye for now! :-)

I'm baaaaaaaaaack!

2008-07-27T17:35:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been absent for several weeks...life just gets in the way sometimes. Don't ya' just hate that? ;-) There hasn't been much time for stitching lately but I have been working on the top-secret gift for a friend and a Pine Mountain pillow. I finished the pillow just minutes ago:

That is Pine Mountain Designs' "Winter Foursome" pillow that now resides...yep, you guessed it -- on my year-'round snowman shelves. *big, cheesy grin*

While I was away, I managed to do some major stash enchancement. Here's a picture:

Meanwhile, back to my stitching on the top-secret project. It has been a goal of mine for three months to get this done and in the mail. I am determined to be done with it so I'd better get busy. I promise to catch up on reading your blogs and updating mine soon. Bye for now, happy stitching, and keep the frog away! :-)

Tractor magnet

2008-07-04T18:10:00.003-05:00

Let's try this again...Blogger already ate my first post. *grrrrrrrr*

That's a little tractor magnet I started and finished this afternoon. It's on the refrigerator in our kitchen which has a John Deere theme. Guess I felt like a quick little finish, so there it is. :-)

Now, back to stitching that gift for a friend...

"Noah's Sub"

2008-07-04T12:15:00.002-05:00

It's been well over a year since I worked on "Noah's Sub". I managed to pull it out within the last week and have spent some quality time with Noah. Here's my latest WIP (work in progress) picture:

Summer baseball is over -- woo hoo! Even the boys are glad to have a break. We will spend next week getting all our duckies in a row because we hope to take a vacation the following week. :-)

Meanwhile, I am trying really hard to not start new projects. I'm weak...WEAK, I tell you!

Lisa/Texan - I plead the Fifth about the number of remaining Pine Mountain pillow kits in my stash. I also refuse to admit how many I have on my wishlist that will probably get ordered soon. Hah! ;-)

Thanks to everyone for all the comments. Have a wonderful Fourth of July...and be safe! Happy stitching!

A patriotic finish, courtesy of Pine Mountain

2008-07-01T01:28:00.003-05:00

It's dangerous to go through your stash when you already have too many WIPs. Trust me on this.

Last night, I started and finished my first ornament-type thingamajig. Tonight, I brought out another Pine Mountain pillow kit from my stash and got it done. When I saw the pillow's patriotic fabric, the firecracker button, and the saying "God Bless America", I figured it was just too perfect since the Fourth of July is just days away.

Tomorrow I have promised myself that I will work on that gift for a friend. I might not stick with it all day and all evening, but I will make some killer progress.

Many, many thanks to everyone for their comments! I LOVE seeing what y'all have to say. It truly tickles me to find comments, compliments, questions...whatever is on the reader's mind. It also gives me great pleasure to surf everyone else's blogs, too. It is at other stitcher's blogs that I find some laughter, tons of motivation, inspiration, and living proof that cross-stitch is NOT dying.

To Lisa/Texan (but everyone can read this...if it was private, I would have e-mailed her...LOL) -- To answer your question, I got my Mill Hill "On the Range" kit at Cross Stitch Haven in Oklahoma City. I didn't buy the extra kit (the little turquoise boot). Also, I had it custom-framed instead of using the recommended frame. If you can't find the kit, lemme know and I'll be glad to enable. Er, I mean...help you find it. *angelic smile* And about those Redbird Designs...ohhhhhhh man, aren't they great? We have good taste. *hee hee* I also have their alphabet quilt patterns and the Texas Montly Minis, as well as a few other single, small designs.

To Julie (again, everyone can read this...LOL) -- I will gladly post an updated picture of my year-'round snowman/winter display as soon as I get my shelves dusted. Hahahahaha! That might happen tomorrow...it might happen in a week. Who knows? ;-) Meanwhile, there is a fairly recent picture in my Photobucket album. Scroll down and look on the right side of your screen while at my blog and you'll see a link to "LoriRay's Photobucket Albums". After clicking that link, you will see a list of sub-albums. Click on "Home" and somewhere in there are a few pics of my snowman shelves. :-) I promise to post pics on my blog soon, just because you asked. Don't go gettin' a big head now. *snort* ;-)

Once again, I've stayed up almost an hour past my self-promised deadline. It was worth it -- stitching, watching Forensic Files, and getting a little quiet "me" time. *deep breath* Yeah, that was nice. *big grin*

Meanwhile, wish us luck for my oldest son's baseball tournament this week. The tournament will end Wednesday or Thursday, depending on if we win or lose our scheduled games. The first game is Tuesday evening at 6 PM. Win or lose, we'll play Wednesday evening. At least these are single games and not double-headers like in the regular season. This is really it this time -- after the tournament this week, there is no more baseball for the rest of July. Coach will start calling practice sometime in August before school starts.

We all need a break and are trying to schedule a vacation around mid-July. That was before one of our employees got himself a DUI last Saturday night and was also charged with an open container. Sheesh. How utterly stupid!!! I think his girlfriend wanted us to bail him out. As if! Let him sit and rot until his sentencing July 29th. See if I care. He shouldn't have been drinking and driving. When it comes to drinking and driving, I have ZERO tolerance and ZERO patience. (Betcha already had that figured out.) My point is that I am hoping we can still schedule a vacation. If not, then we MUST take one in August before school starts, even if it's not as long or as far as we had originally planned.

ANYway, my gosh, I have rambled forever. If you've made it this far, come back another time and re-read this entire post if you need help falling asleep. I won't even bill you for the assistance. If you didn't make it this far, well, thanks for lookin' at the pictures. ;-) Nite nite to everyone. *doing my Miss America wave which Carolyn knows all-too-well*

Stash in the mail...ahhhhhhh. :-)

2008-06-30T18:06:00.003-05:00

Today was a good stash day. I got all 6 "Winter Greetings" Mill Hill kits, all four patterns "The Twelve Days of Christmas" by Redbird Designs, the three Mill Hill kits I like best from the "Treasured Diamond" series, and the 7 1/2" Gingher pinking shears. (Yep, I tried to slip another pair of Ginghers in there. *hee hee*)

I plan on stitching a lot this evening. We ate dinner out (yippee!) so I'm free with the exception of the boys' baseball practice. Look out frog, here I come!

Teeny ornament finish

2008-06-30T01:01:00.004-05:00

I spent the better part of today stitching on a gift for a friend. It's about 1/3 done so I decided to take a break from that project.

In my stash, I found the cutest little stuffed ornament design by Stone & Thread called "Snowflake". (Does it really come as any surprise that I had a snowflake pattern in my stash?) I decided to stitch it up, attach the button, and finish it into an ornament before I went to bed. It's done! I didn't follow any directions or use any instructions...I just went with it. It measures about 4" square. I added a blue and tan checked fabric for the backing and then added a blue cord to hang it with. It's not perfect but I'm very happy with my first ornament finish, especially since I didn't follow any instructions or anything. Here it is:

It won't really hang on the wall like in the photo. I will find a spot for him near my year-'round snowman display. (That was another lil' tidbit of info that shouldn't surprise you.)

For the next ornament, I will follow some instructions because I do want the next one(s) to turn out better...but I'm happy for now.

Meanwhile, I'm quite sleepy as it's 1:05 AM, Central time now. I just had to finish that lil' guy and get it posted before I went to bed.

Nite nite to everyone and happy stitching! :-)

Stitching ramblings...

2008-06-27T17:13:00.003-05:00

Well, I took "Solitude" by Mystic Stitch off of my WIP list for now. It has been retired as a WIP and sent back to the "To Do" pile. I barely had any of it done anyway (like maybe a 1" x 2" area) and couldn't bring myself to work on it. It was eating at me that I started it on aida - which I rarely use anymore, and I have been really worried that my fabric would end up too small. Soooooo, I decided to quit while I was ahead. I will still stitch that piece...someday. Meanwhile, there are other projects I need to finish and want to start moreso than "Solitude". You know how fickle I am, though, so gimme time -- things may change. hahahahaha

Today I finally made some working copies of patterns for projects I am working on and projects that I want to start. Why do I put that off like it's some miserable chore? *scratching head*

The top-secret project for a friend is finally going again. This is the THIRD freakin' time I have started it. Third time's a charm, right? *eye roll* If I were to mess it up again this time, I would stitch her something else and I'd probably set fire to the chart, threads, and ruined WIP. Hah! I'd have to do this before the men in the white coats put the straight-jacket on me and carried me away for a looooooong time.

Oh, by the way, I finally started working on "Noah's Sub" again last night. I got part of a sea critter done and a little bit of a wave...probably about an hour's-worth of work...but nevertheless, it's still progress. :)

Ahhhhhhhhh, it's Friday night...the baseball game was cancelled (yes, that was me you heard screaming with joy when they announced that earlier) and I plan on doing nothing but stitching. Hope everyone's weekend is starting as good and lazy as mine. I can't be that lazy all weekend, but I'll enjoy it tonight, that's for sure.

Lizzie Kate "August" Stamp is finished

2008-06-25T00:16:00.003-05:00

With my stitching time being basically nil due to the boys' baseball games, I am lucky and glad to have been able to finish another block on this WIP. :-))) Just four more blocks/months to go -- yippee!

I have got to make myself work on that gift for a friend now. It's one of my June goals to get it finished and mailed this month. I'd better hurry -- the clock is ticking!

Blocks for scissors and cross-stitch gadgets/tools

2008-06-21T15:24:00.004-05:00

My husband is the best! I have been loving those wooden blocks to put scissors in. Brad went and bought some oak and made three for me! Woo hoo!

The first is a block with seven holes that I am now storing my most favorite Ginghers in:

The second is a block I had him customize. There are four larger holes for scissors, a boo-boo stick, star de-tailer, and whatever else. There are also four smaller holes for my thread picker, stitch counters, etc. I added a needle magnet on the front side. (The beautiful scissor fob, thread picker, and stitch counter you see were made by My Big Toe Designs. Thanks, Debbie!)

The third block has ten holes and is being sanded as I type. It will house the following Ginghers: Bianca, Freedom, and Emma. Roberta will be in my home ASAP. Uh oh, looks like I've got some holes to fill! *mwah hahahaha*

I love my husband. Thanks for looking.

Progress on two more WIPs this week...

2008-06-20T00:17:00.004-05:00

Between regular life, work, baseball games for both of the boys, and storms, I didn't get much stitching time. Come to think of it, I didn't get much time for anything, including sleep or communications with anyone outside of my home/work. I am so tired and about to drop but I just posted my WIP pictures at 123 so I had to come post them here, too. (The title of my blog should have spelled it out that I am an addict. Don't act all surprised.) *hee hee*

I got some progress done on My Big Toe Designs' "I Corinthians". As this project progresses, not only am I falling more and more in love with it, but also with other MBT stuff. Talk about some pretty patterns...but to make matters even worse (or better?), the designer, Debbie, seems like an awesome and wonderful person. That makes buying and stitching her designs even more exciting. Anyway, even though there's not that much to it yet, you can see it beginning to take shape:

The second WIP that I made a wee bit of progress on this week is "O Beautiful" by Shepherd's Bush. At this point, I am basically halfway done:

This has been a rough week emotionally and physically. Some reasons are obvious, others you would never guess...but I won't go into details. Let's just say I am ready for a nice, relaxing weekend with my little family. Hopefully we will remain storm-free, stress-free, and frog-free.

Now THAT'S what I call progress!

2008-06-14T03:43:00.003-05:00

I posted a work-in-progress (WIP) picture of "Break Time" less than 24 hours ago. Here it is with the windmill finished:

I also got another little pattern done from the "Mother's Wisdom" series by Heart in Hand. I started pattern #3 ("Drive Safely") and finished it, all in less than a few hours:

So, kiddies, that's what happens when you drink too much Dr. Pepper and get a stubborn urge to finish a pattern before heading off to bed. No one should have sympathy for me if I gripe about this later. ;-)

Now I'm off to get some much-needed sleep. Goodnight! Er...good morning!

Uh oh, we have a new pair of scissors!

2008-06-13T11:54:00.005-05:00

The latest addition to my Gingher family has arrived! Would everyone please welcome Jamie to the family?

"Hiiiiiiiiii, Jamie!"

Sorry about the glare but my camera batteries are in desperate need of recharging, so I didn't want to chance snapping another shot and watching my camera die. Lord forbid if I couldn't post these pictures on my blog right away instead of waiting a few hours for the batteries to recharge! *snicker*

Here's my latest finish --

That's a Tie On pillow kit by Pine Mountain called "Winter". Of course it now sits on my year 'round snowman/Winter shelves. I hope to add at least one pillow or small picture to that display each month.

I did get some work done on a WIP last night. This is the latest picture of "Break Time" by Stoney Creek:

It's hard to see but I have done some stitching on the windmill blades but it just doesn't show up very well because the floss color is almost the same as the fabric. Maybe I can get the windmill finished up tonight.

Tornado aftermath update: We finally got our power restored at the shop yesterday. Whew! It took a week but hey, we're glad to have to it back and our time without power certainly wasn't due to lack of effort on anyone's part. The head of our Emergency Operations Center keeps insisting we didn't have a tornado. He says it was a downburst. Uhhhhh, okay. Citizens have written letters to the editor of our newspaper with their eyewitness accounts including photos they took of the tornado, yet the powers-that-be still insist there was not a tornado. Whatever. Why can't they just admit that someone dropped the ball and didn't sound the sirens or at least admit that Mother Nature isn't quite as predictable as we'd like to think she is? Because they're men, that's why. HAHAHAHA!

Hope everyone is getting some great frog-free stitching time in and not worrying about this being Friday the 13th. It's just another day. :)

"Poker" by Hinzeit finished

2008-06-08T20:49:00.003-05:00

This is "Poker" by Hinzeit for my dad for Father's Day. He is an avid poker player so this is very fitting for him and a gift he will like. I used a different fabric instead of the suggested one -- I used 28 count lugana and is an opalescent by Silkweaver. IIRC, the name of the fabric is Sparkling Forest but I'm not certain. I didn't use the charms because I thought it made it look cluttered. The frame is by Kay's Frames. The photo showed the poker chips in the upper right hand corner but I like it better with the chips in the lower left.

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. If you'd like to see photos of some of the tornado damage from my town last Thursday night, click on the link to my Photobucket album and then click on the sub-album named "June 5 2008 tornado damage". Fortunately, we had very little damage at our business and none at our home. Whew! Other people were not so lucky. Some are homeless and there are still quite a few without electricity. We were truly blessed and we are very grateful.

Hope everyone is doing well. The weather is awful for everyone this year! Stay safe, happy stitching, and avoid the frog!

Gingher scissors

2008-05-23T17:29:00.003-05:00

Hi. My name is LoriRay and I am a scissor ho'. My scissors aren't just for collecting -- I actually use them and it feels good to do that. I don't plan on doing anything about my addiction so don't try and help me. There is no help for me. I am too far gone. See for yourself:

That's a picture of my entire Ginghers scissors collection. The two silver pairs at the top are the 8" spring-action and 4" spring-action scissors. The rest are all 4" embroidery scissors. The middle row from left to right are: Emma, Ashley, Freedom, Glory, and Bianca. The bottom row from left to right are: Julia, Katelynn, Lindsay, and Penelope.

Due to my scissor addiction, I am certain more Ginghers will find their way into my scissor collection along with a couple of cheap pairs and my new Heart's Content black cat scissors. Oh yeah, I forgot about the five scissor fob kits by Shepherd's Bush in my stash closet -- complete with matching scissors. One of these days, I'm going to make a ton of fobs for my scissors.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, I do love scissors. :-)

Last teacher's gift finished

2008-05-21T22:06:00.005-05:00

Well, I finished the final teacher's gift this evening, just in time to give the teachers their gifts tomorrow. Whew! I opted to purchase the male teacher's gift but ended up stitching the three female teacher's gifts. I didn't do that just because the teacher was male but because my 6th grader insisted his male teacher loooooooooooves golf and would prefer a gift related to golfing. So, that's what I did and it ultimately allowed me to relax a bit in getting the third and final gift stitched instead of worrying about four.

The third and final gift is from a Leisure Arts pattern booklet and is mounted on an eraser for a dry erase or chalk board:

The last picture I have for you is a wonderful gift stitched for me by my mother. She did one of those Altoid tins! Daaaaaang, I've never even done one of those! LOL! Here is the outside (top) of the gorgeous tin she finished:

And here is the inside:

Did she do good or what??? I know I am impressed and honored to have this gift. Thanks a million, Mom. I love you.

My life

2008-05-16T10:20:00.002-05:00

A friend asked me yesterday if I was having any regrets since I quit Radilogy school. Nope, no regrets...and her question got me to thinking about my life. If you don't want to read sappy, sweet, happy stuff, then back out now.

I am so content. Not "content" like "having settled"...but "content" like "happy and at peace". My life is good. I have two beautiful and healthy boys and a husband that mean the world to me. (The boys are up for rent when their mouths get going and I'd consider loaning out my husband when he decides to use my food storage bowls to house greasy nuts and bolts when he and my oldest son are working on a truck.) I get to work at the shop doing the books while working with my husband/best friend and I get to play happy little homemaker, too. Every week I do our grocery shopping after making a menu which usually entails several new recipes. My little family sings my praises every night at dinner (they do love my cooking!) and we have wonderful conversations.

Today is a wonderful day. I got up with the family this morning, helped the boys do their hair (shhhhhhh - don't tell anyone...it was a first and probably a last), and have piddled around the house ever since. I have had a relaxing bath, done laundry, started a roast in the crock pot for roast beast sandwiches for later (new recipe -- another perk of having extra time at home), posted on message boards, and played with the youngest cat (I tried to be affectionate to her but noooooooooooo). All of this and it's only 10:30 AM. See? Life is good.

The rest of today will be busy -- gotta work at the shop for a bit, wash the truck, clean up a little more around the house (dang cats and their fur balls that seem to accumulate overnight in almost every corner), finish up some laundry, and then this evening will find me stitching. Well, after the roast beast sandwiches, that is. ;-)

I hope everyone finds a reason to reflect and be happy today. *hugs*

Halfway done with teacher's gifts - woo hoo!

2008-05-14T22:29:00.004-05:00

As of today, I have one more week to get a total of four teacher's gifts stitched. As of this very moment, I have two completed -- stitched and framed! The first is a design from a Leisure Arts publication and placed in a frame I bought at Hobby Lobby for 50% off -- please pardon the angle I had to get to avoid strange glares and lighting issues:

The second is a Lizzie Kate pattern called "Teachers Touch the Future" and put in another Hobby Lobby frame that I got for 50% off -- again, please pardon the weird angle. I am not a professional photographer and it shows. *snort*

Thanks for looking! Now I have to get busy and get two more done, plus a Father's Day gift. And I wonder why none of my big projects ever get completed. LOL! ;-) Happy stitching!

Another LK finish and a PM confession

2008-05-06T23:58:00.003-05:00

Well, there it is! Just a few minutes ago, I finished the July Lizzie Kate Flip-It. I am getting more and more excited about this WIP and am anticipating what it will look like finished. *big cheesy grin*

I want to say thanks to everyone for their comments! It makes me feel good to know people are enjoying the pictures and my stitching ramblings here. And to Carolyn, thanks for the nifty lil' tidbit of advice about clicking on a commenter's name and how that'll take you to their blog (if they have one). I never knew that! Thanks! Cool beaners!

Speaking of leaving comments...one particular person (Lisa) recently left a comment on my blog and asked a question. (Lisa) This person (Lisa) actually asked me how many Pine Mountain pillows I have in my stash. (Lisa) Does she (Lisa) realize that counting how many PM pillows I have might cause me to go into some kind of awful seizure or something equally horrific? (Lisa) Okay...I'll be brave...but if something happens to me, it'll be her (Lisa's) fault. (*narrowing eyes at Lisa*) Okay...here we go...I'm goin' in. *insert Jeopardy music for about a minute or so...and keep an eye on Lisa so she doesn't leave town or something in the event I stroke out and can't return*

Okay, I'm back. I did it. I counted nineteen total Pine Mountain pillows left to stitch in my stash-- this includes tuck pillows and pillow kits that require separate pillow forms. And before somebody (Lisa) asks, YES, I already have all of the recommended pillow forms. (Are you happy now, Lisa?) ;-)

Hee hee, thanks for the laughs. Happy stitching!

And yet another Pine Mountain finish...

2008-05-01T22:03:00.004-05:00

I finished this a couple of nights ago but just put in the pillow form and took a picture tonight. This is a finish for me and Brad. You can see our names at the bottom of the stitched area. I was going to add our wedding date in the middle between our names, but since the two boxes on the bottom aren't the same sizes I thought it would look off-center.

2007 Finishes

2008-05-01T10:11:00.003-05:00

My list of "Recent Finishes" over on the right-hand side was getting too long. I decided to remove all of the 2007 Finishes and put them here.

12/31/07 - Bent Creek Zippie kit, "Snowman", for me! :-)
12/6/07 - Pine Mountain pillow kit, "Thoughts of Mother", a small Christmas gift for my mother
12/1/07 - Hinzeit's "Racing", a small Christmas gift for my 11-yr-old son
11/23/07 - a pattern from the "All God's Chillun" leaflet as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law
11/1/07 - Pine Mountain "Snowman Face" pillow kit
10/30/07 - "MKT/Katy Railroad Logo" for my uncle
9/5/07 - "Bucket of Bluebonnets" by Country Cousins for my mother
7/28/07 - Quilt Square for a 123 Board Member's grandson
7/21/07 - "Birds" by Heart in Hand for my mother
7/8/07 - Faithwurks wooden cat with the phase "Here Mousey Mousey" (for my shelf with cat stuff on it)
7/1/07 - Bent Creek's "Wedding Row" (for me and Brad)
6/22/07 - Hinzeit's "Nurse" (for a friend)
6/14/07 - sewed a pair of pajama pants for my bonus son
6/12/07 - Bent Creek's "Snowman" Flatbed Zippie (pattern only) for a 123 member's son
5/31/07 - completed square 5 of 16 for my "Town Square" afghan
5/19/07 - stitched a small card for a 123 member's son
5/18/07 - stitched an apple from a Glory Bee pattern and placed it in a tuck pillow for a teacher's gift
5/17/07 - altered the size and stitched Lizzie Kate's "To My Teacher" for a teacher's gift
5/14/07 - Lizzie Kate's "To My Teacher" for a teacher's gift
5/13/07 - a teacher's gift by Anna Lee Waite Designs that says, "Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning."
4/22/07 - a freebie "Pi, Er, Squared" for my Algebra instructor
4/14/07 - Pine Mountain pillow kit called "Sew Glad We're Friends" for a friend
4/8/07 - Shepherd's Bush "Forget Me Not" needleroll for a friend
3/25/07 - Pine Mountain pillow kit called "Play Ball" for my oldest son (Steven)
1/16/07 - sewed curtains, two fleece blankets, and three pillow cases for youngest DS's and bonus son's room
1/8/07 - Kreinik's "Snowglobe" 40 count silk gauze kit (over one)
1/7/07 - Hob Nobb's "Winter Blues" (for me)
1/6/07 - sewed curtains and a matching pillowcase for oldest son's room (Steven)

Lizzie Kate June Flip-It done

2008-04-29T10:55:00.002-05:00

Yay, it's halfway done! I finished the June stamp last night but was too tired to post about it before I went to bed.

Nothing much to report about here -- just the usual: the boys' baseball games, working at the shop, keeping up the house, etc. It sounds mundane and boring but I'm really loving it! :-) I don't have as much stitching time as I thought I would but I'm still getting quite a bit of stitching time and this summer should prove to be more stitching-friendly. (I say stuff like that all the time and it rarely works out. ;-) )

Before I go, I will do a shameless advertising plug. Debbie from My Big Toe Designs offered door prizes during the recent on-line needlework show. I was fortunate enough to have my name chosen as a door prize winner and I received the neatest package from Debbie! She sent me a thread picker, a scissor fob, and marking pins -- all in my favorite color of purple! I love them!!! Sooooooooo, if you've been thinking about buying some of her gadgets, I say go for it! They are wonderful!

Okay, advertising and rambling over. ;-) You may now return to your regularly scheduled blog-surfing.

Another quick, small finish

2008-04-20T00:01:00.003-05:00

This is a little adirondack (sp?) chair that I painted probably 5 years ago. It's a dark green and I had been meaning all these years to stitch a quick lil' something for my mother and her love of gardening. Well, here it is! It was hard to get a good picture because the stitching is behind glass but I think you can see everything.

This was a fun and very fast stitch...I think it took me 2 hours and that was with watching the news and visiting with Brad and the boys, too. LOL!

Now that I look at it, my centering left a lot to be desired but that's easily fixed. :-)

"Always and Forever"

2008-04-19T13:21:00.005-05:00

Here is my latest finish -- "Always and Forever" by Little House Needleworks. I completed this on 4/19/08 and framed it today in a black store-bought 5x7 frame. I stitched it on 32 count "Dusk" linen by Silkweaver with 2 strands of "Purple Iris" thread by Gentle Art Sampler Threads. I didn't leave the glass in the frame like I normally do because I just didn't care for the way it looked, so this one is unprotected. *gasp* Of course it's purple because it will sit on a dresser in mine and Brad's bedroom. :-) Also, I added a row to the girl so she was a bit taller. Being six feet tall myself, it made me feel like she was more 'me'. BAHahahahaha!!! I also purposely stitched it to where the guy was more blue and the girl was more purple -- sort of to make it appropriately more feminine and masculine.

I have got to get busy on a gift for a friend but my Stitcher's ADD has been kicking in big-time lately. Yikes! Oh well, at least I'm getting some good stitching time in with very little visitation with the dreaded frog.

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I love reading your responses. If I don't already have a link to your blog, please include it in your next comment because I'd love to visit your little corner of the e-world, too. :-)

"Love Letters" is finally finished!

2008-04-13T15:31:00.002-05:00

And there it is! :-) We went to Oklahoma City yesterday so I was able to get to a Hobby Lobby much quicker than originally anticipated. I found the perfect braided cording and glued it on a little while ago. I used pins to hold it in place until the glue was dry enough. You might still be able to spot a few areas where the glue has not finished drying and is slightly visible but I just couldn't wait any longer to take the picture and get it posted.

I'm actually a little proud of my first flat-fold. My next flat-fold will be better but this one is just fine where it sits on Brad's nightstand now. :-)

P.S. to Mom - Don't think you got away with your comment on my last post. Hah! ;-)

And another Pine Mountain pillow finish...

2008-04-12T23:03:00.003-05:00

Yep, I finished another Pine Mountain pillow for my snowman shelf. Okay, so this isn't really a "snowman" pillow, but it's winter and it has snow...that's close enough. ;-)

With as many Pine Mountain pillows kits as I had accumulated -- and there's still plenty more in my stash closet -- it's nice to get a few of them stitched up. It's even more nice to look at them all arranged on the shelves.

Back to other stitching now...who knows what I'll stitch next? I spent hours last night fondling stash and kitting up stuff. Then I found myself online placing an order for more stash to finish kitting up a few things. It's almost wagon time, folks.

Semi-finished "Love Letters" flat-fold

2008-04-10T21:36:00.003-05:00

Well, folks, here is my first attempt at a flat-fold. I used instructions I found on-line at the "Focus on Finishing" website. I still have to find a braided cord or something to go around the outside margin of the piece, but that may be a while as Wal-Mart didn't have anything today that matched and my nearest Hobby Lobby is an hour away. Anyway, here are the three views:

I promise it's not off-centered...that's just an optical illusion. (Really, trust me on this. I am anal and I have measured the finished piece a gazillion times.)

Being that this is my first flat-fold, it is far from perfect but it's somewhat better than I thought it would turn out. It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be but it was still somewhat of a PITA. Nevertheless, I will be trying my hand at another flat-fold -- maybe even in the near future. Overall, it was a learning experience and pretty fun.

On a different note...here is your helpful hint for the day. When the winds are gusting up to 48 MPH and you are crossing the Wal-Mart parking lot with your cart that happens to contain a 3-feet tall mirror, your cart is instantaneously turned into a sailboat. Er, sailcart. This, too, you must trust me on. Really. ;-)

Oooooooooh, irises!!!

2008-04-09T16:07:00.003-05:00

My most favorite flowers in the whole entire world are irises, especially purple ones. Little did I know that the house we moved into a couple of months ago had them planted already. Here is a picture from our front flower bed:

I can't wait to see more of them in bloom. More pictures will surely follow soon!

Today, I went to the fabric store and bought some fabric to make a flat-fold with my "Love Letters" piece. I've never made a flat-fold before, so may the force be with me!

Goodbye, BJ.

2008-04-07T13:04:00.002-05:00

We had to put down our 11-yr-old lovable mutt (BJ) today. He was a great dog. :(

Beej, I miss ya', buddy. Hope you feel great again now.

"Love Letters" finish...well, sort of.

2008-04-07T10:02:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it's not really "finished" but the stitching is done. I need to iron this piece and figure out what to do with it. Here it is:

The pattern is "Love Letters", a freebie by The Chocolate Cat. (http://choccat.com) I stitched it over two on Bittersweet 40 count Lakeside Linen given to me by a friend on the boards. I used one strand of silk floss in the color of Mulberry by Caron Waterlilies.

It's for my husband Brad, and even though he really likes this piece, he doesn't have a preference as to how I finish it. There's always the usual framing option, or maybe I could find a tuck pillow...any ideas?

Thanks for looking! :)

What a disaster!

2008-04-05T20:43:00.003-05:00

"Where Stitchers Gather" was calling my name. I figured I'd start small and stitch my first ever needlebook. It stitched up pretty quickly and easily. I went to start the assembly and ended up ironing the interfacing on the front side of the stitched piece instead of the back side. I was so heartbroken and felt almost physically ill. Needless to say, "Where Stitchers Gather" has gone back into the craft closet to sit on a shelf for a little while. I need to chill out about totally ruining my first needlebook. :(

And another Pine Mountain pillow finish...

2008-04-02T00:54:00.002-05:00

Yay, now the last Pine Mountain finished pillow isn't sitting all alone on that shelf. :-) But now there's only two pillows on that shelf. It needs more. I must stitch more PM pillows. *eyes glazing over* *mwahahahahaha*

What a blast -- and much-needed stress-reliever - all this stitching has been. I love updating my blog, my stitcher's journal, and my Photobucket album when I have a finish.

Tomorrow will find me stitching on a gift for another friend. It's a real PITA but I'm hoping that once I get into it that I'll just keep going. I'm at the very beginning of the project, it's over 40 count, and I've already had to frog part of it. *pulling hair out* We'll see what happens over the next few days. If it doesn't work out, I have another (easier!) project in mind for that friend already, just in case.

Quick update -- About that horrible instructor...I went and turned in my withdrawal paperwork to her last Friday. She said she would miss me, she cried, and she wrote me the nicest letter. I guess she didn't mean to be awful to me the time we had talked before that...she was probably just lashing out at me. It doesn't make everything all hunky-dorey and it doesn't make it right but it certainly makes it understandable. At least I got to leave with my held high and knowing that I really was the student I thought I was.

It's late so I'm going to eat some soup and head to bed. I've got a little work to do tomorrow at the shop but the rest of the day should find me being Happy Little Susie Homemaker (laundry, cleaning, etc....ugh) and stitching, too. :-) Hope everyone is getting tons of stitching time. Oh and btw -- keep that *@)! frog away from me and my 40-count project! ;-) hahaha

Another Pine Mountain pillow finish...

2008-03-29T18:51:00.004-05:00

Aren't Pine Mountain kits fabulous? I mean, you get everything you need (with the exception of a pillow form sometimes) and they are so much fun to stitch up. Pine Mountain pillow kits are a nice -- and sometimes much-needed -- break from BAPs, too. I love 'em! And now that I've done a totally shamless advertising plug, here's my latest finish:

I started this and finished it today. It looks so cute with my other year 'round snowman stuff but for now he is sitting on a shelf all alone. I, uh, kinda ran out of room on the one shelf I had dedicated to year 'round snowman stuff already and had to start another shelf. Oops. Guess I'll have to stitch up another Pine Mountain kit with a snowman or winter theme. Gee, whatta bummer. ;-)

Lizzie Kate "May" Flip-It finished

2008-03-27T22:04:00.004-05:00

Tonight I was able to sit down and finish the Lizzie Kate Flip-It for May with the exception of the buttons which will be the "holes" for the birdhouse:

When the entire piece is complete, I will press it and then add the buttons as the final, finishing touch. Here is the WIP picture of the entire project so far:

Now I get to decide which project to work on next. Hmmm...I hope I pick a project that's already a WIP and not start something totally new. *mwah hahahaha*

Top Secret project revealed!

2008-03-27T12:11:00.005-05:00

Recently I finished a "top secret" project that I sent to a friend. Well, she got her package today so I can post pictures here. It is a friedship needleroll by Down Sunshine Lane:

I also sent her half of a Shareables magnet that says "Bound by heart strings". She is a very special person and deserves for people to be good to her. :-)

Bye-bye Radiology School...

2008-03-25T00:19:00.002-05:00

Today I quit Radiology School. Even though I was an A-student and am totally in love with Radiology, the working environment was not for me at all. I am very saddened but how long am I expected to keep forcing something that is not meant to be? One of my instructors was quite horrible, nasty, and mean to me when I informed her of my decision, so suffice it to say that I'm still licking my wounds. Yowza. Ouch. Meanwhile, I have to get up enough nerve to turn in my dosimeter badge and withdrawal paperwork -- which means I have to face the instructors one last time. It kills me to say this, but I'm too weak and beaten down at the moment to do that. They can wait a few days.

I am taking with me some wonderful life experiences from Radiology School. No one can take that away from me. This just wasn't for me. Some folks may want to label me as weak or thin-skinned, but my own personal level of how much BS I could take was exceeded and I know I gave it my all.

Thanks to everyone for the support along the way, and now in the aftermath, too. *hugs* It's time to close that chapter of my life and move on. Goodbye, Radiology School. Let the healing begin.

A small and quick finish...

2008-03-23T16:48:00.003-05:00

Ta-da! :-) On our trip to Oklahoma City yesterday, I started this Pine Mountain Designs pillow kit. It's called "January's Cool Crowd" and is a top tie pillow. I finished it today - what a fun, easy, quick, and cute stitch!

It now sits on display with the rest of my year 'round snowman stuff. You can see the entire shelf by visiting my Photobucket album. Just go to the bottom right-side area of this blog where my favorite on-line places are listed and click the link to my Photobucket album. From there, find the album called "Home" and you'll see the right and left sides of my shelf.

It's been a great Easter so far...hope everyone is having a wonderful day. :-)