Apologies

Just a quick post to apologize for not being around to post the winners of the drawing. I had an unexpected trip to tend to family matters and was out of town when the 3rd came and went. Now that I'm back, I'm catching up at work and at home this week so will probably not get to tend to the blog until this weekend. So please stay tuned....

Stitch Each Day Challenge Chart

My blogiversary is coming up on March 3 so I've decided to have two drawings to celebrate. One will be easy - leaving a comment on my blog between now and March 1st will earn an entry in the doorprize giveaway. The more you comment, the more chances to win. The second drawing is harder but the reward will be bigger. Is it better to know what the prizes will be or is it more fun to be surprised? (Here's a chance to leave a comment and help me decide.) Today's free chart is a challenge chart - stitch it up, get creative - add beads, buttons, charms, specialty stitches and threads, change colors, etc., etc. What will you do with it? Stitching tote? Pinkeep? Doorhanger? Notebook cover? Flatfold? Framed? The possibilities are endless and I love seeing how stitchers take a design and make it their own. Everyone that sends me a photo of their finished project will receive a small prize for participating and be entered in the 2nd drawing for the Grand Prize. All entries must be received by March 1st, 2016. The drawing winners will be announced on March 3rd, 2016.

Download Stitch Each Day pdf here

2016 - A New Beginning

What is it about starting a new year with high hopes for better things? Each year we reflect on the previous year, our successes, failures, tragedies, joys, blessings and goals. Was it a good year overall or did the bad outweigh the good? Whatever the answer, we always hope the new year will be better than the last. It wouldn't take much for 2016 to be an improvement on 2015 so here is hoping that it is a better year. I can't control what events occur but I can try to cope better with what comes, look for every tiny bit of joy in each day and focus on the positive instead of being overwhelmed by the negative. Lofty goals...

November didn't go quite as planned. I did stick to my no-spending on anything but necessities but the necessities ended up being expensive. Starting with an unplanned veterinary visit to have Kitty Kat put to sleep which of course led to me being emotionally devastated for weeks. Stress, grief and my seasonal allergies kicked my asthma into high gear, totally out of control, which has required doctor visits and more prescriptions. Usually a good steroid shot and prednisone pack fix me up in a few days but not this time, going through another round and have added some new medications as well. Aggravating because I don't feel sick, but have no energy or strength to do anything due to the lack of oxygen. It makes me wonder how people with chronic and severe health problems manage each day.

To partially fill the huge void left by the loss of my precious Kitty, I have adopted a new cat. He is very amusing and has helped ease my grief. It's hard to get good pictures of him, though, he's so quick.

He doesn't really have a name yet, nothing has seemed just right. My husband calls him T for Trouble and I've considered Smoky, Scamp, Rowdy or Ruffian. Rascal would be perfect except we already have a dog named Rascal so in the meantime, I usually call him Li'l Stinker. I'm sure he will inspire a new cross stitch chart or two in the near future.

So here is to a new year, a better year, a more productive year. I want to stitch more, share more and enjoy life more. Lofty goals, but not beyond reach...

Smalls SAL 2015 - October Check-In

Since I've been busy "organizing," I haven't done as much stitching as I would like. I have several projects underway but have only managed to complete one in time for the October Check-in. It is a Prairie Schooler Design from Book No. 164 titled "October" that was stitched with the called for colors of DMC and finished as a scissors fob.

Maybe the other projects will get finished in time for November's Check In! It's not too late to join the Smalls SAL for 2015 and Heather will soon be taking sign-ups for the 2016 Smalls SAL. It's a great way to stay motivated to complete some small projects without the stress of a major deadline to dampen your stitching pleasure. Check out what others have stitched in October here.

No-Spend November and Links Updates

Day 4 of No-Spend November and so far, so good. I promised myself I would not spend ANY money this month on hobbies, scissors, ebay, Amazon, etc., etc. Absolute necessities only - like food, utilities, gasoline for work....REAL necessities, not just things I THINK I need. I'm a notorious collector, unfortunately, of several things - scissors, cross stitch stuff, hummingbirds and a couple other things, okay, a few other things, OKAY, many other things. Needless to say, these things can quickly get out of hand and overrun available space. I can't add more space so I can only better utilize the space I have, so I have been reorganizing. Why is it that everything gets so disorganized and chaotic when you are trying to organize? So while I have now managed to make a shambles of three rooms in the process, I am working toward the goal of getting everything in a proper place. Started off with adding two bookshelves on top of my storage cabinets, then filling them with photo boxes - they fit the depth of the shelves perfectly and have a label holder on the front of each box so they can be labeled and relabeled as needed. Works great for all those crafty things, extra electronic accessories, buttons, beads, ribbons, small chart packs, etc.

My goal is to have everything in its new assigned space by the end of November. Because in addition to these shelves, there is the under the bed storage, the cabinets under the shelves, various nooks and crannies, a closet and two curio cabinets involved. I wish I didn't have to work for a living so I could get it done much sooner but such is life....

I have added a few new links to the Websites with Free Charts list and to Favorite Links. I want to call special attention to Needlecraft and Embroidery Glossary added to Favorite Links. I've used this site often in the past but somehow had not added the link to my list before now. There is a wealth of information there, including stitch diagrams, that makes it an invaluable resource for stitchers.

"Ugly Scissors" Fob

Things have been a bit hectic lately, or maybe I should say more hectic than usual. I thought by this point in my life, I would have more free time and life would be less frenetic. Wrong, wrong, wrong! I had planned to add this chart 2 weeks ago and where has the time gone!? This is the chart for the scissor fob pictured in my last post. I've included a different back that can be substituted for the initials that I used.

Life Is Too Short for Ugly Scissors - Fob (pdf here)

And...

Charlene kindly shared photos of her projects using three of my charts, Mermaid Scissors Fob, Seahorse Fob and Life is Too Short for Ugly Scissors. Thanks, Charlene for letting me post them here!

No ugly scissors in the lot! Beautiful stitching and finishing to complement the beautiful scissors! 

2015 Smalls SAL - September

I decided I needed to get more active in the online stitching community again so I joined the 2015 Smalls SAL hosted by Heather of Stitching Lotus - a little late in the year to get started but it's open to new participants all year so I decided to join the fun. Hoping it will help keep me focused on stitching and blogging more. So, drum roll, please....here is my first check in for the SAL - September!

Of course my small of choice is a scissor fob. I knew what I wanted the fob to say but in order to fit it in I had to ...sigh... stitch over one....again. There are only two things I like about stitching over one, getting done with it and the end result which makes the effort worthwhile.

I stitched my initials on the backside using my Stork Scissors Alphabet, yet again, stitched over one so it would fit the space. I used 25ct Potato Lugana which is great to stitch on, not so great for finishing something so small and the stork scissors and needle colors don't show up very well. Live and learn!

Next is the Neon Cats scissors fob based on a knitting pattern of repeating cats that I saw online. I had to make some changes to make it work for me but I was pleased with the result and I loved the bright neon colored floss which was unexpectedly wonderful to stitch with. Stitched on the same 25ct Potato Lugana except this one is stitched over two threads! Yay!

Now I just have to figure out which pair of scissors looks best with it - any suggestions?

Too Many Scissors? Never!

I love scissors. Pretty scissors. Pretty embroidery scissors. I'm always so excited when I see new ones and there always seem to be new ones these days. I can't afford to collect them as much as I used to but I still add some here and there. Quality can vary greatly and top quality scissors are a joy to use but that doesn't keep me from picking up some that are lesser quality but fun to look at and display - just makes stitching even more fun! My first pair of stork scissors got me started on a lifelong hobby of collecting embroidery scissors and they range from antique to brand new, expensive to free, sturdy to delicate, colorful to plain metal and everything in between! I love the variety and admire the creativity of some of the makers. Cute, pretty or just plain fun scissors can be found for less than $10 so treat yourself or a stitching friend!

I have already preordered the new Gingher Designer Series "Wren" 4-inch Scissors due out in September. I haven't yet heard anything on this year's limited edition that the Jo-Ann Stores usually have. If anyone has info on them, I hope they will share it here because I would really like to get them as well.

Gingher Designer Series "Wren" 4-inch Scissors

So for all the avid scissors collectors (I know I'm not the only one!) a new chart to keep those scissors company.

Life is Too Short for Ugly Scissors - pdf here

Lisa of Sleeping Double in a Singlewide is hosting a giveaway contest on her blog. The prize is a lovely scissor frog - for a chance to win, just visit her blog and follow the instructions on her post of June 2, entitled A Giveaway! Hop To It! Her goal is to add to her reader base so stop in, enter her contest and check out her stitching pics!

This has got me to thinking how long it has been since I have done one myself. Time to put on my thinking cap and figure out a nice prize to get excited about. Any suggestions?

In the Loop

No stitchy picture today but I thought I would post a new one of the Cat in Charge. He is still supervising all activities in his domain and always wants to be "in the loop." Here he is in the middle of the aquarium cleaning operation a couple of months ago.

Yearly Housekeeping

Yes, it is time once again to do my yearly blog maintenance. I have added some new links, edited some old ones and deleted a few that no longer went anywhere we would want to go anyway. I'll be adding some new links as I come across ones of interest. I've been looking about at stitching blogs both new and old - I really miss old ones that are no longer being updated or that are completely gone. It makes me realize that I must make more time to post to my own. I know many have moved on to Facebook and other social media but it just isn't the same and I have pretty much lost interest in Facebook altogether. So, I'm moving backwards, back to blogging. I'm going to try to be better about commenting on the blogs I visit, so they will know someone still cares and wants them to continue updating them. I hope that others will join me on this journey....