March ... Haven't Been Able to Stitch

Hello Friends! 

Well, March has been a busy month for a lot of thing, but stitching has not been one of them. For my kids, baseball season has started, so we have been busy with tryouts and practices. Then this past week we went on a trip to visit family & friends in Texas. It was an awesome visit, but very busy. We just got home late last night and today we are just chillin. So I've been catching up on a few things and getting things put away. Then I'm hoping this afternoon I will be able tog et back into my stitching groove! 

That's all I have for now! 

Until Next Time, 

♥ Margie ♥

August Stitching: A Finish, Progress, A Start, & Plans

Hello Stitching & Crafting Friends & Followers! 

So here we are, already 5 days into September! Only 111 days until Christmas, and I'm sure that will fly by! 

So I am very happy to show you the finished piece of Coffee Motto that I made for my Grama and her new husband. Here it is before and after matting & framing ... 

You'll remember on my last post how I mentioned about one of the groups I am in on Facebook doing a different White Willow Stitching tribal pattern SAL each month. Last month (August) was the Tribal Cauldron. Since I was using the size 5 cotton perle black floss and had never used it before, even tho I am stitching it on 28 ct evenweave, it is proving to be quite the challenge to stitch with. But I am getting thru it very slowly. This is the only progress I've made on it so far ... 

The pattern that we are doing for the September WWS Tribal SAL is the Tribal Cat. Originally I hadn't planned on stitching this one, but once it was added to the SAL list, I thought why not. I still haven't decided what fabric or floss to use for it, so I'll keep thinking about it. This is what the Tribal Cat looks like ... 

Towards the end of August, I decided to start working on the Kincavel Krosses Rules for Life. My dear friend that passed away, Momma Anna, I showed this pattern to her after I bought it. All the many years we've known each other, she had never asked me to stitch her anything specific before. But as soon as she saw and read the Rules for Life design, she said to me, "I really like this one. Please stitch this one for me." I had never gotten to get it stitched for her before she passed. This of course saddens me. So I am stitching it. And I am going to give it to Momma Anna's daughter after it's finished. I am stitching it on 14 ct light oatmeal aida and using ThreadworX 10342 Earth Stones floss. I think the fabric & floss combination is looking really really good. I'm still doing the border of the design so I don't want to post an update photo yet, but here is what the design looks like, as well as the floss & fabric together right before I started it ... 

Also during all of this, I am also trying to completely revamp and reorganize my entire craft room. That in itself is quite a job & quite time consuming. But it's going to be so worth it once I have it finished. 

Well that's all I have for this time. I should be posting some update photos soon! Thank you, as always, for reading and following my blog! 

Happy Stitching & Crafting to One & All!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

First Finish of the Year & One Goal Completed!!!

Hi there fellow stitchers, crafters and blog followers :) 

Well, here we are about 6 weeks into the new year. I have just been able to get into working on some crafty things this past few days with moving and everything. Sadly, it's just my husband and I that are having to move an entire house of things that we've accumulated over the last four years. And of course during that time my husband also has to work. So needless to say, moving is taking way longer than it should. C'est la vie, I suppose. 

So on to happier subjects ... CRAFTING!!! :) Those of you that read my previous post know of my crafty goals for this year. One of those goals was to finish crocheting the scarf that I started for my daughter. Well, I am happy to say ... IT'S FINISHED!!! So even if it is not cross stitch, I do have my first finish of the year and completed one of my goals! :) 

Here is a photo of the scarf ... 

I used a bright "hot pink" and a darker gray for colors. I did all the rows in double crochet and then stitched around the whole thing using single crochet. Then I just cut a bunch of long pieces of yarn to create the fringe and looped them onto the ends of the scarf. I'm trying to get a good jump on gifts for the holidays this year, so after I took this photo, I folded it up and put it into a ziploc bag to keep it nice until the holidays when I will give it to my daughter. 

Well, that is all I have for now. I'm going to start on the scarf for my son. He has mentioned that he wants a red/black scarf. He's only 5 (almost 6), so it should be a quick project. 

Happy Stitching and Crafting Everyone!!! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

It's 2012! Time for My 2012 Crafty Goals!!!

Happy 2012 Everybody!!!

It's a new year, so it's time for 2012 Stitching/Sewing/Crocheting GOALS!!!

 Let's start with the shortest list to the longest ... 

2012 Crocheting Goals

1 ~ Finish crocheting my daughter's afghan

2 ~ Finish the scarf that I started for my daughter

3 ~ Make a scarf for my son (if he wants one)

2012 Sewing Goals 

1 ~ Finish blanket for my father in law

2 ~ Make apron for father in law

3 ~ Finish aprons for stitching friend's kids

4 ~ Make stockings for sister & niece

5 ~ Finish blankets for two cousins

6 ~ Work on inventory of aprons and stockings

And now for the LONG list ... 

2012 Stitching Goals 

1 ~ Finish Henry for stitching friend

2 ~ Finish birth announcement piece

3 ~ Get back to & finish Red Rose that is artwork by my brother

4 ~ Finish Elemental Cosmos

5 ~ Stitch 3 versions of "Rules for Life" pattern

6 ~ Make some good progress on HAED Wicca

7 ~ Make some good progress on HAED Pale Rose

8 ~ Make some good progress on America the Beautiful

9 ~ Make some good progress on Elemental Masks (& maybe finish?)

10 ~ Finish the kids trick or treat bags

So there are my Crafty Goals for 2012. I would like to get at least one or two pieces stitched in time for the county fair in April, so we shall see! :) 

Happy New Year!!!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Getting a Little Further Along ...

Hi there friends, family & stitching peeps ~ 

So I think I have finally gotten all of the school supplies needed for the kids. We ended up having to order the folders from Amazon that my son needs. They will be here Friday, but at least he has the one in the mean time. I took my son to Payless to get his shoes. I swear he's pickier than a teenager! But we did manage to agree on a couple pairs of shoes. Today we're just hanging out at home. After such a busy couple of weeks getting things ready and going here and there for all the different supplies, I thought it would be best to have a relaxing day at home before my son starts school tomorrow and my daughter starts on Monday. My son has been getting things together for his lunch and such already. It's way too cute. He is really excited about school and I'm very happy about that. 

Ok, so I made a little bit of progress on the surprise gift last night after the kids went to bed. I think it's looking pretty good!!! :)

Take a L@@K ... 

 

So what do you think? How does the backstitching between the name and the Born in look? The name stands out a little more doesn't it? Next I'll either stitch the baby's name, since that's the only baby info I can really add at this point. Or I'll start on the Packers helmet on the left side of the pattern. Haven't decided which yet. So I'll post another update really soon! :~) 

Happy Stitching! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Slow Down Time ... Is there an app for that?!

Hello Family, Friends and Stitching Buddies! :~) 

I need an app to slow down time. Anyone know where I can find that? Haven't been able to locate it on the iTunes app store yet. And boy oh boy, I can really use that one ... like right now! 

Here it is August 9th already. In just two days, my son (my baby boy) is starting kindergarten. I'm excited for him, but he's my baby!!! These last four years of being a stay at home mom have been awesome. And I have loved being home with the kids. I just never expected those years to go by so quickly. My beautiful teenage daughter is starting 10th grade this year. She is very excited now that it's getting closer. I sometimes wonder if time seems to go by as fast for my kids as it does for me. 

So with all the preparations for the kids starting school, I haven't gotten in much stitching time. But I have made some progress on the surprise gift piece that I've been working on. All of the backstitching on the Cowboys helmet is finished. :~) 

Take a L@@K ... 
 

With the backstitching, I stitched the name with 2 strands and the backstitching in the helmet with 1 strand. I don't know if they look any different here in the photo. I was hoping that by using 2 strands for the names, that it would make them stand out a bit. What do you think? Can you tell the difference in the number of strands in the helmet backstitching versus the name? 


Well, more errands to run and school supplies and clothes to buy. Ugh, I think next to Xmas and birthday months, back to school shopping costs next to a fortune! My son has to wear uniform type clothes and no open toe shoes. So his boy sandals, or chanklas as we call them, are out. So that means a couple of new pairs of shoes for him. Thank goodness for Payless BOGO! My daughter gets to wear pretty much what she wants to school, within our rules of dress code of course lol. And let me just say, the cost of backpacks alone are a small fortune at $20 each! And the supplies list for kindergarten is HUGE! And who would have thought it would be so hard to find Mead Trapper Keeper portfolios. I have been to 4 different stores in town looking for these folders. And the stores that did carry them only had one in stock. And of course I need to buy two. 


Anywho, that's enough rambling for this post. I'm off to (hopefully) finish getting what's needed for school! 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Wow! It's already August!!!

Hello Family, Friends and Stitching Buddies! 

August is upon us already! So you know what that means ... 4 months until Xmas!!! Holiday gifts that we'll be making should be being started soon. Well unless you're like some of my stitching friends that stitch faster than lightening lol. As for me, well of course I have things I'd like to get made to give as gifts for the holidays. But before I can get started on those, I have a couple of pieces that I MUST get finished before or by the end of the month, the surprise gift that you've been seeing me working on and Henry. After those then I'll figure out what gifts I can work on. 

As for the surprise gift, it's coming along great I think. I have made some good progress on it and finished all the cross stitching on the Cowboys helmet and now working on the backstitching. Here are a few update photos ... 

 

As I said, I'm working on the backstitching of this helmet now, although I haven't been able to work on it in a couple of days. I really love stitching this piece. I'm super excited about it. I hope my friends that I'm stitching it for like it. Obviously they won't even see it until after the baby is born since I can't add the actual birth-date and weight and length until after she is born. I've been teasing and torturing my friend about her surprise gift lol. It's making her crazy but excited too lol. I haven't told her anything about it, not even that I'm stitching the gift. Although I'm sure she knows that part. I told her I'm making it, so that could mean I'm either stitching or sewing it. But really sewing doesn't take near as long to do in most cases. 


So what do you think of the piece so far? The reason for the color differences in the photos is bcuz the middle one I used the scanner to take the picture, and the other two I used my cell phone camera. Maybe next time I'll use my regular camera and see how it comes out. 

Well that's all for now! Happy Stitching Everyone!


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Progress is Being Made :-)

Hello Family, Friends & Stitching Buddies! 

I hope you are all doing well. We are doing great. Although summer is it still at it's height of temperatures and now humidity due to the monsoon season, summer vacation is nearing the end for my kids. My daughter will be starting 10th grade in just 3 weeks and turning 15 in just over a month. My son will be starting kindergarten in 2 1/2 weeks. They are both very excited to be going to school. I am looking forward to having some time for myself and hopefully getting more accomplished, both around the house and with stitching and sewing. But one thing for sure is that it's definitely going to be weird at first when both my kids are in school. 

So on to my stitching progress so far on the birth announcement for my friends that are having a baby girl. The due date is actually August 30th. I've been working on the piece as often as I can and loving every second of it. Last night the only reason I even put it down was bcuz one strand of the two strands of my floss broke and after being up for around 22 hrs, I just decided it was better to go to bed and then fix it today. Had that not happened I'm sure I would have stayed up for at least another couple hours. I was in super stitching mode and my bug was on fire! Looking forward to that same bug showing it's face again today. :~) 

So here are a couple of progress update photos. The second one is where I was before I started stitching last night. I'll get another photo posted later. I thought with all the pink that I would get tired of stitching the same color for so long, but I'm still very excited and enthusiastic about this piece and the whole design of it. And of course I especially can't wait to hear how my friends like it since I won't be there when they get to see it. I'll be mailing it to them along with lots of other baby goodies. :~) 

I have just a little while before I have to go and run a few errands and will be away from home for a few hours. Of course I'll take my stitching just in case I'm able to get a few stitches in here and there. But other than that I'll be stitching like crazy after I get home. So what do you all think? It's starting to to take shape, right? Can you see the start of the Dallas Cowboys helmet? The difference in the colors of each picture is the first one I used my scanner and the second picture I used my cell phone camera to take the picture. Surprisingly, my cell phone camera took a much truer color photo than my scanner did. The scanner is a new scanner that we just recently got bcuz our other was was so old (11 yrs old) and it would only work on my husband's windows XP netbook and not on any of the other computers in the house that all have Windows 7. It's still a great scanner and works great. Just not with my laptop lol.

Well, I'm off for now. Going to get that snafu out so that I can get back to stitching like a mad woman lol. 

Happy Stitching! 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Update on First One to Smile

Hi Stitching Friends! 

How are you all doing? I am doing pretty well! :~) I got a little bit of stitching in on Thursday and Friday nights after running around getting everything together for my son's birthday party. I stitched the rest of the X's on the frog. Then Saturday was the party and by the time we got home, I was WIPED OUT! So Sunday and Monday I didn't get any stitching done, but tonight I sat down and did all the backstitching on the frog. Now all I have left is the lettering and he'll be all done! :~) I think he's turning out really cute and I just hope my niece likes it and it makes her smile every time she looks at it. :~) 

So here is what he looked like before I did any backstitching ... 

And here is what he looks like right now, with all the backstitching done on the frog. 




When I look at this frog, he looks to me like he's being mischievous or up to something and it makes me laugh. :~) 


So what do you think so far? It's nearly 3am and even though I really think I should be heading off to bed, I also want so much to get this lil guy finished. So I'm torn between my comfy bed and catching some good Zzzzz's and getting some good stitching and quiet time in. Do any of you ever have that problem? 


Well, I'm off to decide ... stitching or sleep ... 


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

A New Quick to Stitch Project for My Niece ...

Hi there Stitching Friends! 

I hope you are all doing great! I seem to have found my bug again, forced that little bugger out of hiding I did! LOL! I found the cutest little frog pattern that I'm stitching for my niece. Her favorite color is green and she likes frogs and with all that she has been thru I am really hoping that this helps to bring a smile to her face every time she looks at it. It's so cute! It's called "First One to Smile". 

Here is what it will look like all finished ... 

And this is where I am at so far on it ... 




I just started the piece a couple of days ago, and I think I should have it finished by the weekend! :~) I really hope my niece likes it. 



Well back to stitching! Happy Stitching Everyone!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Change in Plans ...

Hello Stitching Friends ~ 

So the plan for finishing Elemental Cosmos in time to enter it into the county fair didn't work out. When I posted last time on March 21st, I was very optimistic and excited about working on that piece in time for the fair. About a day or two after that post, I asked my husband what he thought and if he thought I could get it done in time. He said he didn't think it could be done. And in his defense, as disappointed as I was with what he said, he wasn't trying to deflate my enthusiasm, but was being realistic about the time frame left until it had to be turned in. I did work on the piece for a couple of days, and friends, I'm here to tell you that stitching white on white is hard enough, but stitching black on black evenweave is INTENSE!!! However, I have to admit it does look really good. After a couple of days I began to lost my enthusiasm and kept thinking about what my husband said. So back to the back burner Elemental Cosmos has gone. And then a few days ago, I remembered a piece that I had started for my mom. I keep this piece in a ziploc back in my purse so that I always have something to stitch for like at the doctor's office or any place where I have to sit & wait. The piece is probably about halfway finished and it's only a 7"x5" piece. It's a simple design and on 14ct white aida, so I think to myself "I can do this!" It's not a big or fancy piece by any means. But at least it's something. And since the piece is for my mom, I know she will be happy with no matter how it does at the fair. Sometimes simple is best right? 

So here is what the piece will look like when it's finished ...

And here is where I'm at with the piece right now ... 






The reason that I've already stitched the backstitching in the middle is bcuz that was the easiest way for me to find the center of the design on the fabric. So just a few more two-toned "squares" and then back stitching and I'm done! I am giving this to my mom to hang in her office at work. I think it's so perfect for her office and I know she'll get such a kick out of it. :~) 

So it's Sunday night ... entries must be turned in either Friday between 3-8pm or Saturday between 10am-3pm. Of course the ideal goal would be to have it finished and turned in on Friday. So ... 5 or 6 days ... do ya'll think I can do it? Please send support! I can definitely use it. 

Happy Stitching, my friends! I'm off to stitch my tush off lol! 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

... 2010 ...

~ 2010 ~

Wow. So here we are just 13 short days until the new year. For me 2010 has been both eventful and uneventful. It has been eventful in that so much has been happening with family and with friends. And uneventful in that all the eventful parts have kept me from being productive in my stitching, my sewing, my painting, my scrapbooking, etc. My only finishes for 2010 were ATCs.

My year started with the saddest of occasions. One of my best lifelong friend's son had died in a motorcycle accident and I attended the funeral just a few days into 2010. He was a good kid and so young. He was one of her twins who are the oldest of her kids. I've known him since he was born. It was a very hard time. The accident took place on Xmas eve and he passed on December 28th of last year. It was a terrible tragedy. I think of him often and I keep them all in my heart especially this time of year.

This time of year always makes me sad. This was my dad's favorite time of year. We had family traditions. Dad & I always went shopping together just him & I for Mom. We loved going shopping for the tree and there was a tradition to that too. But my Dad passed away 12 1/2 yrs ago. I know that is a long time. But this is the time of year when I miss him most. Lots of holiday movies bring tears to my eyes. And it seems that each year it takes me longer to "get in the spirit". Here we are six days till Xmas and I just don't feel excited about it. I think it's a combination of a few things, but I know missing my Dad is part of it.

Something very exciting that has happened is that my brother, who is a very talented artist, has been contracted with White Willow Stitching!!! :~) I'm very excited & happy about that. I emailed Jaime and asked her if she was interested in having a new artist to design patterns of and she wasn't looking for any new ones at the time, but she agreed to look at his artwork. Once she saw it, she absolutely wanted to sign him to a contract. As of right now, there are six patterns so far. But she's working on several more. Take a look at the patterns of his artwork HERE. There is also a red rose pattern, however she needs a model stitched of it first for the picture before she can post it up for sale. So as soon as I found out that she didn't have anyone to stitch the model, I quickly volunteered! :~)

Ok, so 2011 ... my main crafting goal is to have more finishes than just ATCs (including one of two pieces to enter into the county & state fairs), to at least ten aprons and stockings made and posted up for sale, and to get two more sections of my daughter's afghan crocheted. I think that I set my goal list for 2010 way to high. I mean of course I didn't expect so much chaos to take place. But honestly , do we ever. This time I'm going to plan for chaos and maybe it WON'T happen lol.

Well since it's nearly 2am, I am going to take myself off to bed for now.

I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful holiday season and get everything you asked Santa for! And the very best wishes for an amazing 2011! :~)

Happy Stitching & Crafting!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

PS ~ I have a few more ATC pictures that I need to post so I'll get that up a little bit later on. :~)

County Fair Entry and Ribbon!

Hi Stitching Friends!

Well, the piece I had been showing you progress on did not get finished in time for the county fair. I was sick for 2 weeks and then babysat for a week and so 3 weeks took a big chunk out of my stitching time. The state fair is in October, so I will be working on that piece for then.

So remember the wedding piece that I made for my sister and brother in law called Together? Well my mom convinced me to enter that piece.

Here is a picture of it all framed when I submitted it to the fair to be judged.



Then last night was opening night of the fair and I went to check on my piece and see what the judges thought of it! So here's a picture of what I found!!!



It's kind of hard to see that ribbon hanging down below my piece, so here's a close-up!



I was so happy to discover that I had received a 2nd place ribbon! I didn't expect to do that well. Although I think I do stitch pretty well. For whatever reason, the judges are always pretty hard on some pieces. I know there were no mistakes in my stitching. But it is a pretty simple pattern, and even though I added the lettering and blending filament, to the judges the degree of difficulty was not that hard. I stitched the piece on 28count evenweave. And I suppose they feel that is not a difficult fabric to stitch on either. Those are some of the criteria that they judge each piece on. The piece that won best of class, from what I could tell, was on 14 or 18 count aida and was the pattern of the three labradors ... one black, one golden and one chocolate. I've seen that pattern all over the place. In fact, I think I might even have that pattern. So I'm sure some of you reading my blog know exactly which pattern I'm talking about.

But anyway, I am very happy with my 2nd place ribbon and I am sure that my sister and brother in law will be really happy knowing that their gift is an award winning one. :~)

So I'm still working on my 2010 stitching goals, and part of those goals is to finish the RR pieces, one of which being Henry and then finish I believe one or two of my WIPs. The other RR pieces are completely finished, just have Henry to finish. I am about halfway finished with the cross stitches and then there is a BUNCH of back stitching to do with Henry. So I'll go back to Henry and then finish Elemental Cosmos in time for the state fair. I will be posting updated photos of each within the next day or two so you can see where I'm at on each.

Thank you all for reading my blog. I know I don't have a lot of readers, so I am thankful for those that I do have. Hopefully over time I will get some more readers though! :~)

Thanks again and Happy Stitching!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Happy 2010!!!

Happy 2010 to all of you!!! I hope you all have a very productive and successful and happy year!

So, very little stitching for me in the last quarter of 2009. But with the new year comes new stitching & sewing goals for me! I have a bunch of UFO's I would really like to get done in my stitching world, as well as some sewing ones and a crochet one. "Hello, my name is Margie, and I am a serial starter." I would like to concentrate more on finishing UFO's and maybe squeeze in a couple/few new SMALL projects.

Ok so here we go ...

2010 Stitching UFO Goal ~ I would like to finish at least four of my UFO's. I have many more than this, but since they are larger pieces (with the exception of the 2 RR pieces), I don't want to give myself an unreasonable goal. I'm not sure yet which UFO's I will work on other than the RR pieces, so below I've listed all of my UFO's.

2010 Sewing UFO Goal ~ I would like to finish all of my UFO's.

2010 Crocheting UFO Goal ~ I would like to finish my one and only crochet UFO. This project is a HUGE afghan that I started for my daughter a while ago, but I put it aside to work on stitching and sewing projects. I don't really crochet much at all (that's my mom's job lol). So once I finish this afghan, crocheting is done for me lol.


My Stitching UFO's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) HAED Pale Rose
2) HAED Wicca
3) America the Beautiful
4) Song in Your Heart
5) My Son's Trick or Treat Tote Bag
6) My Daughter's Trick or Treat Tote Bag
7) Elemental Cosmos
8) Elemental Masks
9) Sleepy Moon Birth Record
10) Angel RR Piece
11) Snowman & Robin RR Piece

My Sewing UFO's
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1) Placemat set for my Grama
2) Apron for my Daughter
3) Apron for my Son
4) Stocking for my Son
5) Stocking for my Husband
6) Stocking for my Sister
7) Train blanket for my Cousin
8) Pink Camo blanket for my Cousin
9) American Indian blanket for my Father in law

Now let's talk about new projects that I'd like to do this year ...

2010 New Project Stitching Goals ~ I have a cute little pattern of a holiday saguaro cactus that I would like to stitch a bunch of them so that I can make them into handmade holiday cards to mail out, so approximately 50 of them ~ I have a small back stitch only pattern that I would like to stitch for one of my uncles ~ I have a pattern called For My Husband that I would like to stitch "for my husband" :~) ~ for new projects I don't think I am going to put anymore on this list bcuz I really don't want to get myself in another serial starter year

2010 New Project Sewing Goals ~ now this is the list that could get very long lol ~ I have several apron and stocking fabric pieces already cut & ready to be sewn together that I would like to get done so that I can have a full inventory for our local Octoberfest as I'm hoping to have enough to set up a booth this year ~ i have an order for a UofA apron and queen size blanket ~ also I'd like to make ... a blanket for my husband, a blanket for my son, placemat set for my Nana, apron for my Nana ~ since the Octoberfest inventory needs to be such a large amount, this is all that I'll list for now here

So there are my craft goals for 2010 ... I am really hoping to be able to get them all accomplished! :~)

Again, I'd like to wish you all a very happy New Year!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Still Alive & Kickin ...

Hello Everyone!

Just wanted to let you all know that I am still here ... alive & kickin! :) I haven't done much stitching since my last post ... maybe about an hours worth. So many things going on. My uncle passed away just a few days before Halloween. I wasn't able to travel in order to go to the services. That bothered me quite a bit. The only reason I wasn't able to go was bcuz my car still isn't working and if I would have gone, my husband would have needed my car in order to get the kids to and from our friend's house would have helped watch the kids while my husband was at work. My husband's car has a backseat but it's not attached and there are no seatbelts, so the kids can't ride in his car.

Anywho, so I have worked on the angel piece just a little bit. I got the grey done in the wings, but unfortunately that's about it. I think part of the problem lately is bcuz with my brother living with us, he puts tension in the air of our home and he freaks out if I'm just "sitting there". Even if I am actually doing something by means of needle & floss, he doesn't think that's "doing something". It makes me uncomfortable. I'm sure that is part of why my stitching bug has taken leave for the last few weeks. Has anyone else ever had a family member that makes you feel like that? I mean my brother is an artist and he has times when he just sits there and draws. But isn't that something productive just like my stitching is? Creative productivity, right?

My kids had a blast on Halloween. My 13 year old daughter dressed up as a pink & black gothic witch and my 3 year old son dressed up as a vampire. We were going to paint our son's face with vampire makeup and spray his hair with black hair spray. But by the time my husband got home from work that night, there were kids already starting to come to the door trick or treating and so our kids were totally ready to go when my husband walked thru the door at 6:30 lol. Our daughter however, we did manage to get the fake pink sparkly spiderweb lashes on and black lipstick. Her costume just wouldn't have been complete without it lol. Teenagers ... you know they have to have everything just right!

Here is a picture of the two of them after they were all done trick or treating ...



They had so much fun! Halloween is definitely one of our family's favorite celebrations.

So now it's time to start preparing for Christmas. SO SO SO much to get done. I have a cute little piece that I am going to stitch for my husband that says "My Hero". It's something I've always called him and when I saw the pattern I knew I had to make it. I have to make an apron for each of my kids. And a stocking for my son. My daughter already has one that I made for her a while ago with Christmas kitties. I also have an apron that I have to get finished by next Friday for someone that placed an order for one. That won't take much time tho. I also have to make a small hanging quilt for my grama that my mom was supposed to do but has never gotten around to it. She has so very much on her plate all the time, there was just no time for her to work on it. But before I can work on it, I am waiting for her to send me the pictures that are supposed to be part of the quilt. Pictures of all of my grama's grandkids and great-grandkids. We have this printable fabric for those. Then the center piece of the quilt is a piece that I designed and stitched with all of the grandkids & great-grandkids names & birth dates on it. I hope she likes it when it's finished! :)

So I'm sure some of you might be wondering what happened to the HAED Pale Rose SAL that I was doing. Well, the other person had decided that they wanted to wait until after the first of the year to work on it again, instead of the month on month off plan that we originally decided on. But then last night she decided that she just wasn't into the piece anymore and she isn't going to work on it anymore. So I will work on this piece again, probably after the first of the year, but it will be a solo job rather than the SAL. At this point, I'm thinking that RRs and SALs just don't work out very well for me, so I'm not even going to attempt to take part in any in the future. For the Pale Rose SAL, I had tried to convince my friend that we should do the QS version of the design as the SAL but she wanted to do the full sized version instead. Now she doesn't want to do it at all. But that's ok. I love working on it and am looking forward to getting back to it on my own after I get everything done needed for the holidays. I have been wanting to stitch a small design to put on holiday cards for this year, but I don't know that I will have time to do those. We shall see. It's not a very big design. It's just 34x32 stitches. But the thing is that I want to do at least 20 of them for at least friends and family. You know how some family members can be, if one gets it then they have to have it too lol. So that might be something that I work on after the new year, for next year. :) Again, we shall see.

Well I think I've rambled on for long enough. I hope you are all doing really great & aren't super overwhelmed with the holidays coming up!

Happy Stitching!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Wedding Piece FINISHED!!!

Hi Friends & Fellow Stitchers ~

YAY!!! I am finished with the wedding gift for my stepsister & her brand new husband!!! I was up until about 4am finishing it up ... and I am so excited about it that I have yet to fall asleep! I am going to be so wiped out today lol.

So I have taken a few photos of the piece. But I love how it came out & cannot wait to hear how my stepsister & her husband like it!

Here is a photo of it all finished ...



Then here is a close up photo of the piece all finished ...



On the names I used the medium colored pink floss (one strand) along with pastel rainbow sparkly blending filament. Here is a close up of the names ...



On the date, I used the medium blue colored floss along with the pastel rainbow sparkly blending filament for the numbers and then the medium pink & blending filament for stars separating the month, day & year. Here is a close up of the date ...



I don't know if I like the numbers that I used. I think the 7 & 9 look funny??? The letters for the names I LOVE!!! And I really like the layout for the names. What do you all think about it all?

I am very happy to have this piece finished. Now it's back to the frog and angel and then Henry. I also have another apron to make that was ordered. And after those things are all done, I have to get my butt busy with xmas gifts! An apron for my daughter, an apron & stocking for my son (my daughter already has a stocking that I made), a stocking for my husband and a stocking for my brother, some hand stitched cards, paint some plaster ornaments, put together beaded ornaments, and then maybe if I don't have other gifts/orders that I have to make & I possibly get all of that finished in time, maybe ... just maybe ... I'll have time to make my own stocking as well LOL!!!

I have a feeling of great accomplishment with this wedding piece being finished. Now on to more projects! :~) A crafters work is never EVER finished! LOL!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Wedding Piece Update ...

Hello Friends and Fellow Stitchers!

Well I am happy & excited to say that I have completely finished all of the cross stitches on this design! All that's left is the back stitching of the words & names & date and then the long stitches of the stars & hearts! I love how pretty the hearts are and I can't wait to get started on the rest! This piece really has been so much fun.

So here are the finished border & hearts ...



I think the hearts really POP, don't you?

I'm really looking forward to your feedback on this one as I want it to be just perfect for my stepsister & her soon to be (in a matter of hours) hubby!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Wedding Piece Progress ...

Hi Everyone!

I had a couple things that kept me from stitching for a few days. So unless I finish this piece tonight and then mail it overnight shipping tomorrow, I won't get this in in the mail in time for my stepsister to receive for her wedding day on Saturday. Although I don't think it's going to matter too much if they receive it early next week. I think it will be a nice surprise no matter what even if it a few days late.

So here is my progress from a few days ago ...



Since taking this picture, I have actually made a lot more progress. The pink heart is completely finished and I have made some great progress on the blue heart. I will post another update later on tonight after I do some more stitching today. I just love stitching this piece. The colors are so pretty and I love the way the colors inside the hearts work together.

Thanks to everyone for all of your support while stitching this piece. I really appreciate it. And thank you to those that have left me comments! I just love getting comments. It helps encourage me so very much! :~)

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Wedding Piece Progress ...

Hi Friends and Fellow Stitchers!

I am making some progress on this wedding piece that I am working on. Although I haven't been able to stitch the past few days, this is where I stopped then. It is lots of fun to stitch! I am working on getting the pink heart done by tomorrow night. Once that is finished, I will post more progress. But here is where I am so far ...



So what do you think so far? It's really actually starting to look like something!!! :~) Only 9 days until the wedding day. But of course I have to have it in the mail a few days before that in order to get there in time for them to open it on their wedding day! YIKES!!! I had better get my butt busy! LOL!!!

I will post again soon! Hope you all are doing well and stitching like crazy!

Happy Stitching!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

A Little Bit More Progress on the Wedding Piece

Hi Everyone!!!

I have a lil bit more progress that I have made on the wedding piece for my stepsister & her soon to be hubby. The border is really simple & I'm just moving right along on it. It's been really fun to stitch so far. The wedding is on October 17th and since I won't be able to attend the wedding since it is in Texas, I want to have this done a week before so that there is plenty of time for mailing.

So here is my progress so far ...




It's not much so far, but the piece is only 120x120, so I shouldn't have any problems getting it done in time so long as nothing else gets in the way lol.

I'll post more real soon!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥