Finally!!! Blog Time at Last!

The last week and a half has been incredibly hectic! I feel like I've hardly had time to breathe, let alone do anything else. The weather is rainy here today so maybe things will slow down a little - I certainly hope so. If you have sent me an email this past week don't give up on me, I'm trying to get caught up on email, blogging and reading blogs to see what everyone else has been up to. Lots of stuff to blog about right now, too! I received two fabulous exchanges last week and although I have emailed my thanks to the senders, I have not had time to post the photos of their generous gifts - something I hope to rectify today!

First of all though I would like to take a moment to answer a couple of questions that have been posted to the comments.

First Berit asked about the fancy tools and scissors that stitchers seem to accumulate. Berit, that is half the fun of stitching! At least for me! I have a huge collection of embroidery scissors and I love them all - some are very expensive and some are really cheap but they are all wonderful to me. Check the needlework stores, the hobby and craft stores in the needlework departments, online shops, even Ebay - you will be surprised how many you can find and what a great variety is out there. If you need any further help on this, email me at xstch crzy2 @ yahoo. com (without the spaces) I will be happy to help as it is a subject dear to my heart! And another hint: keep an eye on my blog for something new in the next few days.

Next, Geraldine ask about joining an exchange group. There are lots of them out there - check some of the cross stitch blogs and I'm sure you will find links to many of them. They cover different designers, themes or finishing techniques so look for one you think you would be interested in. Except for a small Thanksgiving/Fall Harvest exchange I'm currently participating in, the only regular exchange group I've joined is Hooked on Exchanging. It is a great group of stitchers and has been a lot of fun. I think there may be some openings now but I'm not sure - you would need to check with Carol S or Cathy B - their contact info is on the Members Page. One of the Yahoo groups I'm in - bbinteractive · Brooke's Books Interactive - runs various exchanges also but I haven't done any of those yet.

Speaking of exchanges - I have really enjoyed the ones I'm in. It's fun getting to know your recipient by reading their blog and figuring out what they might like and not only stitching for them but shopping for a few extras as an extra treat. Then there is the suspense of waiting to see if they like what you chose (okay, that part is a little nerve-racking......okay a lot nerve-racking!) But, have you wanted to join an exchange but been concerned about the cost? I've been thinking about setting up an exchange group that is just for needlework smalls - fobs, needle cases, scissors cases, pincushions, small biscornus, etc. The only extras that could be included - a picture or postcard of the sender's area. I think this would be fun and the small size items and lack of extras would keeping mailing costs down as well and maybe make it easier for ones to participate even though they may be feeling the pinch of the tough economic times right now. Please let me know what you think - if there is enough interest, I'll see about setting it up.

One other bit of news......I've seen other bloggers commemorate their Blogoversaries with giveaways and drawings, etc. Well, mine came and went without much thought on my part except surprise that I stuck with it for a whole year! But now I wish I had done something like that, sooooo.............I'm going to have a contest of sorts and a couple of drawings. I am finalizing the details and prizes and will post them in the next day or two - hopefully tomorrow but I'm giving myself some wiggle room on that.