Dani picks a winner

I was out for lunch today with Dani - the Dani that started me on this journey - at our favorite restaurant - The Lone Star Bar and Grill and so I had her pull the winning name from the Ziplock of Destiny LOL

Dani

and the winner is

BERIT!

Congratulations Berit. I have sent you off an email.


P.S. I have had a couple of packages sent to me that were redirected back to their owners. I moved last fall and have a new  Canadian address. If you would like my new address for your files please contact me at drewsgrands@hotmail.com and I will be happy to provide it. 

Blogaversary #4

 Four years ago today Dani talked me into starting up a blog. I had just finished Celtic Banner and she convinced me to share it and go from there.
It has been a wonderful four years! I have met many new stitchers. They are as varied as the grains of wheat. They have laughed with me, cried with me and more importantly stitched and frogged with me.
Thank you one and all for sharing these past four years.

In honor of the blogaversary, I will having a giveway. It will be a gift certificate to Knowledge and Needles.
You know the drill - comment on this post.. You do not have to be a follower - but that would be nice. You don't have to post to your blog or add a button. If I have enabled you in some way, I would love it if you would share but it's not necessary. I will draw a name on the May 23rd.

Good luck everyone.

4 cans of paint

That's right - 4 cans of oil-based, heavy-spatter paint!!!! The worst paint I have ever used! All that to cover the ceiling and walls in a garage that was used as a smoking room for 20 years. But - it has done the trick. The brown walls and ceiling are gone and the smell has dissipated completely. I hope I never have to do that again.

What does that have to do with stitching? Well, nothing really but it's the reason I'm overdue posting to my blog.

 I did receive the most wonderful package in the mail this week. Margaret sent me some gifts. .Margaret's husband is an avid nutcracker collector and his collection makes mine look small. I sent him a Canadian Mountie nutcracker a while back. You can see him on Margaret's blog.
He and Margaret sent me a Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa) nutcracker and matching ornament. Included was a lovely Cricket Collection pattern called "Spring" and a skein of the ever elusive DMC 931. It was a wonderful treat and greatly appreciated. Thank you so much to Margaret and her DH.

It has been another week of stitching whatever called to me. I think everything did.

I stitched on Fairies in the Garden - a couple of mushrooms and a fairy.

I stitched some more of the wings on that darn angel - not much worth a photo but a couple more strands.

I stitched and restitched on Snowflake Serenade. LET IT SNOW was stitched twice.  I was out by a row. I think I have stitched every section of this piece twice.

I pulled out Mirabilia's Valentine Fairy. She has not seen daylight in a while. I added her wings both left and right side.

Then it was Sampler de Bouquet's turn. I finished the pot of flowers. I am very happy with my progress on this piece. 

I am off to visit with Dani this weekend. She is hosting a stitching weekend and Beatrice and I are going to join our friends for some quality stitching time. I am looking forward to catching up with everyone.

I am behind on my blog reading but will try to catch up now that I don't have to spend every minute at the end of a paint brush and roller. 

My blogaversary is coming soon!

Until next time - may all your stitches be in the right place the first time!

TUSAL and Indecision Central

Hello my fellow stitchers.

I have stitched on every thing I could find and got a lot of nothing done. Do you ever get a week like that? I just couldn't seem to settle on one piece and work with it.

For all that stitching my TUSAL dish is not very full!

Maybe it is because I left my precious martini glass in Arizona and my threads are not drunken orts this time.

I completed the back stitching on my Fairies in the Garden - at least until I ran out of Kreinik. I then stitched a bit on bottom right of the next page and ran out of 270, 271, 272 for the leaves. Hmmm - not good. I will pick these up when I go to Knowledge and Needles this week.

I stitched some more of the wings on the Angel that I volunteered to do for someone else. This opalescent thread is horrible to stitch with. I do not like working on pre-stamped fabric. The chart is impossible to understand.  I am not enjoying this one at all. Ok, have I grumbled enough. I wish I had kept my mouth shut lol.

I picked my Snowflake Serenade and put it back down - not a stitch.

I took out my Etui, ironed the fabric, pulled the threads and got ready to grid. Then I discovered I was missing CC Joshua Tree. A call went out to my dear friend Margaret who will send me off a skein. It is so nice of her to do that for me. To buy one skein would cost me three times as much for shipping and she has offered to pick up threads for me when that happens. She is the best.

I picked my my Sampler des Bouquets. I LOVE this one. It just flows along so smoothly. It is such a joy to stitch. It calls to me often. 

Do you notice a pattern of missing threads here? Me too! Maybe there are just too many things on the go and my threads are everywhere but in the project that I want to work on now. I must take the time to go through my threads and refresh my supply.

I have been very remiss in reading your blogs. DH and I also had to go out of town for a few days for a funeral and I did not take my computer with me. I promise to get to those blogs very soon. I miss seeing what you are all up to. You keep me inspired and ohhhh so very busy.

And a little note - my Blogaversary is coming up soon - so stay tuned!!!

Until next time, my stitching friends, I hope the only frogs you see are on someone's dinner plate.

Fellsmere, Florida - Frog Leg Festival - January 19-22, 2012

Frog's legs anyone!

Home safe and sound

After 5 very long days on the road we are home, sweet home. The best part of being home was the hugs from our kids and grandkids. They were worth every single mile.

When I got home there were a couple of lovely things waiting for me. My BFF Beatrice I saw right away and she gave me this wonderful project bag that she made. Don't you love the fabric.

She also gifted me with this lighthouse chart of Point Loma from her trip to San Diego. She knows me well (smile).

I worked away on my Fairies in the Garden in the car and in the days since. I have all the top half stitched and have started on the backstitching. I want to do the back stitch on the top part before I get to the bottom or I will be doing that part of  a veeerrrryyyy long time.

Yesterday, I stitched on Snowflake Serenade for my stitchalong with Cheryl. I did not have to rip out any stitches. That is a miracle. Believe me, with this piece, it hasn't happened too often for me!

Remember my Jardin Prive SAL and the missing 931. Well, when I got home I went right to my threads here and would you believe no 931 there either! I had a couple of very partial skeins but nothing that I would consider using for such a large piece. I am sure it is a conspiracy!! Oh well, it will have to be put aside until I can resolve this issue.  ( I have received an email that some 931 is on it's way from Las Vegas!)

I have had several requests for information on that piece. It is called Sampler des Bouquets and comes in Part 1, 2 and 3 and can be purchased as a pdf. from www.jardineprive.com . Go ahead - order it and SAL along with me!!!

I bought myself a cover for my Kindle just before I left Arizona and well, I bought the wrong one.
It is too big for my Kindle. Perhaps it will fit yours. If you are interested in this cover (it is purple leather) and it will fit I would be happy to send it off to you at no charge.  Just let me know.

That's it for this week one and all. Our youngest grandson is here for the week and we are enjoying the snuggles and cuddles he dishes out.
Until next time I hope you can be cuddled by someone you love too - be it human or animal!!!

Yesterday, I slipped and fell -------

Last week, I packed and packed and packed. And then, I wondered - how did I accumulate all this stuff and how is it going to fit into the van. Well, it all fit but we are loaded almost to the roof. And isn't DH happy about that! NOT!
In the little amount of time I found, I worked on and finished Andie's Mirabilia RR. I chose Winter Queen. I think she fits the theme well.

Here is her RR to date.

I finally managed to make a little progress on Snowflake Serenade. Here it is after working on it today in the car.

Yesterday, I slipped and fell into a new start. I really tried hard to resist this one but ------ I was not too successful. Just what I need -  another new start. But then, I realized I finished Royal Holiday, my Santa Stocking and my Lighthouse RR so far this year. And I have that lovely new project bag that Annette gave me.

And so here is my meager progress on this one.

I really enjoyed it but have a small snag. I don't have any 931 and both Michaels and Joann's didn't have any either. I will have to wait till I get to Canada to see if it is in those threads. If not the call will go out to my local stitchers looking for that color.

I'm off to check some emails and curl up on the bed in front of the TV in Effingham, Illinois. Tomorrow - Toledo, Ohio and then home on Wednesday.

Then to find a place to put all the things that are in those boxes. 

Until next time, keep on stitching.

I WON!!!!

Remember her!  Well, look at her now all decked out in her new ribbons.

 I entered "Royal Holiday" in the Yuma County Fair and won! 

The top ribbon, the Grand Champion Rosette and the Cash Award!!

It has been a busy week for me. I finished the second "I Spy" quilt top. You can see a picture in the previous post. They are basically the same.

Last Monday was my SAL day with Cheryl. Here's what I accomplished - before I start again today. The frogs stayed away and so I was finally able to enjoy stitching on this one.

I am also working on Andie's Mirabilia RR. Can you guess who I am stitching? There is no prize for guessing right.

And in the mailbox this week, this wonderful gift from Annette - project bags from The Attic in Mesa. It took me two seconds to fill the larger bag.

I don't know if I will be able to update my blog next week. I am presently packing up my house in Arizona and heading back to Canada on Sunday. I will have my stitching in the car.

My husband laughs at me. I treat the front seat of the car like my living room. I have my books, my snacks, my needlework and my Kindle all around me. The miles fly by as I work away on whatever catches my fancy.
It takes us four 10 hour days to get home.

Until the next time, keep those needles flying and don't forget to smile every once in a while. It's good for the soul.