TUSAL and why the glass is so empty

My poor TUSAL glass is so very empty this time. There are a few threads from my Mirabilia reindeer and not much else.

And here is why the jar is so empty.


Legoland

Seaworld

San Diego Wild Animal Park

Our youngest son, DIL and two grandsons were here for a two week visit. We had the time of our lives. We laughed and played and cuddled and hugged. It was a very special time for all of us.

And here is my progress on the Mirabilia RR to this point.

 I am stitching "Comet".
And this is what the RR looks like so far.

I have to get my needle smoking. This RR is to be back in the mail by April 9th and I still have many stitches to do.

I also received my UFO RR back this past week.
Here is where it was when I sent it out.

Here is the RR when I received it back.

There were some issues with this RR. I must say I was hoping to have a bit more done on it. It will have to go to the bottom of my WIP drawer until I have time to work on it.

Well, that's it for this posting. I am off to stitch more reindeer.
Until then, I hope the frogs are off having a great time and leaving you all alone.

Wipocalypse Post February, Giveaway, 2012 RR biscornu and Stash

Here I am with a much delayed WIPocalypse post. When I went to write this post, I didn't think I had stitched very much. I was quite surprised to find I had accomplished quite a bit.

I stitched

ABCD pillow

UFO RR tiger

Mirabilia RR for Cat

LHN Summer Splendor

Point Loma Lighthouse

Summer Splendor and Point Loma Lighthouse are on my WIP list so I have one finish and one in progress. Not so bad after all.

I have a wonderful giveaway to post.
Dear Lynn stitches the most beautiful, amazing stitches and then finishes them impeccably. I have been trying for a number of years to win one of her awesome giveaways and it finally happened.
I won this gorgeous, dainty, beaded, tiny Valentine pillow.

And because Lynn did not want the pillow to be lonesome she sent along this stunning teapot necklace and gorgeous hand-embroidered felt heart.

Thank you so very much Lynn. These will be very treasured pieces.

For the next round of the 2012 RR I have been asked to stitch a biscornu.
I picked this freebie of maple leaves and stitched it with a beautiful Sparklies variagated thread that reminded me of autumn colors. I wanted it to be a representation of my Canadian roots.

You will notice my signature block says "Canari" - a Canadian who winters in Arizona - lol. The owner will finish them into the little pillows when they are returned to her.

And wandering around a couple of boards on facebook I ran across this little goodie. Could I turn it down? No way!!!

We are having the best time with our children and grandchildren. I will post some photos at a later date.

I hope your stitching has been frog free and full of happy smiles. Until next time.....

cross stitch kits

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a lovely lady by the name of who owns a  company based in the U.K. She is new and working to get her company's name out there. She asked if I would review one of her kits - any kit that I chose. I responded that I would be delighted.

With very quick service! I received this wonderful kit in the mail - Seaside Lighthouse.

The kit was beautifully put together. Can you imagine - all the threads came prewound on bobbins!!! How cool is that.
She offered the option of evenweave or aida and that I really liked. I much prefer evenweave.
The pattern is nice and large and easy to read. At my advanced age (approaching 60) I need good clear print.

Am I pleased with the kit. You bet!! Would I purchase from her? YES!

I am excitedly waiting. My son, DIL and two grandsons will be arriving in San Diego tomorrow. I will be there with my arms wide open looking for some grandkid hugs. We have a busy and exciting two weeks planned. Will keep you posted.

I will check for any frogs in San Diego and remind them they love the beach and sand and really want to stay there.!
Until next time

Stash, tigers and spirals

Oh dear, my clicky finger has been at it again. I purchased some gently used charts. I couldn't resist a pretty Just Nan, a froggy scissor fob and a magazine with Nora Corbett's "Gathering Eggs".

Remember the traveling pattern that I showed you last week. I wanted to show you the journal for the traveling pattern with my entry. Each participant has added a note, a photo of their piece, a snippet of fabric and a sample of the threads they used. What a wonderful tribute to this pattern.

I found this fabric when I was at the quilt shop the other day and thought the colors matched the Jellyfish thread so well. I have stitched it into a little pillow. I think I will wait until I return to Canada to stuff it. It packs easier this way.

It will be interesting to see each new stitcher's work. The pattern has gone now to Blu at Therapy by Thread. Watch for her progress.

I made this spiral runner for a friend of mine. The colors are very similar to the one I did in November.

 I am getting the hang of making these sprirals now. Don't mix up the fabrics and don't turn the fabrics. You get this crazy circle instead of a spiral and spend lots of time unpicking threads.

I have spent the last 6 weeks working off and on this UFO RR piece. This is a Dimensions kit.
 The tiger looked like this when I received it.

It looks like this as it goes out in the mail.

I have also put some stitches in Point Loma Lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is starting to appear.

I have been asked how I get so much stitching done. I generally get up between 6 and 7 a.m. I usually stitch 1 - 1-1/2 hours in the morning. I rarely get time during the day to stitch. If I have time, it is spent quilting. I am usually home in front of the TV by 8 p.m. I love me some TV. I usually stitch from 8 until 11-12 p.m. I have this sofa with an unused seat in the middle and there are always two or three projects stacked there. I stitch whichever one calls the loudest or whichever RR has arrived in the mail.

 I am so very excited. In 6 days my son, DIL and 2 grandsons will be here for a two week visit. We will be doing some touring in San Diego and enjoying some quality time with our family. I will post when I can.

Until then, keep those stitches crossed and those frogs confused.

TUSAL time, pretty stitches and stash shopping

It is TUSAL time again. There are lots of pretty threads in my martini glass especially since the frogs came to visit and stayed far too long.

I stitched the La-D-Da - ABCD - travelling pattern. I chose Carries Creations - Sunflower and JellyFish as my threads and a piece of mystery 32 count linen from Silkweaver. Here is my finished stitch.

It will go in the mail next week to the next stitcher. The pattern is making a trip to western Canada.

Talking to a group of stitchers on Facebook caused a shopping experience. From 1-2-3 Stitch came these lovely patterns. What can I say - I love nutcrackers and the embroidery one was on clearance. I did need that skein of thread and couldn't order just that!

Until next week, keep stitching and watch out for those frogs. I kicked them to the curb and I hope they hop off!!!



I have had to turn on comment moderation. The spam has been awful. 

Some of the angels in my life

Angel #1
 The angel who lives next door to me. My neighbor Gale is a treasure. I consider myself very fortunate to have her in my life. She is such a wonderful person - and she teaches line dancing. She asked me to make her an apron and so I introduced her to quilt shops. She and I had so much fun. I decided to make her a reversible apron  and she picked two wonderful southwest fabrics.  I got her to model the apron when I was done. Can't you tell she is a happy person.

Side 1

Side 2

BTW - this is called a church or Sunday apron. You use one side to cook with and then, when the priest comes for Sunday dinner, you flip your apron and present a clean apron when you sit for dinner.

Angel #2
 Dawn of Golden Angels Works fulfilled a wish for me on the Sanman board. I wished for a scissor fob for my newest Gingher scissors. This is the delightful fob that arrived in my mailbox. Dawn wrote me a note that says she now has the Queen stitch down pat after several tries. I really appreciate the work she put into the fob and I have met another Arizona stitcher!!!

I wish my fellow Arizona stitchers lived closer :(

Angel #3
 A wonderful lady by the name of Gaby. I fulfilled a wish for her on the Make a Wish board several years ago. Although we don't communicate often we keep up with each other's work. I saw a book on facebook that I went crazy over but when I looked into purchasing it the price was exorbitant - partly because the book was from France. Gaby lives in Germany and was able to purchase the book for a more reasonable price and sent it to me. It landed in my mail box this week and I am still drooling over it!!!!! It is a book full of Long Dog designs.

I have sent her a package in return but will have to wait until she receives it before I share.

Angel #4
 Jennifer of the Confessions of a Serial Starter blog started a wonderful LaDeDa traveling pattern. I was privileged to receive it in yesterday's mail. She has included a journal and the wonderful words that everyone has wrutten in it are all so inspiring.

Here is my choice of fabric and thread and I will start to stitch asap.

Angel #5 is my BFF Beatrice. She gifted me with a cross stitch of the Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego, California.
Here is my progress on my newest stitch!

Aren't I making huge progress ROFL

And I have a finish to report!!! Here is LHN -Summer Splendor in all it's glory. That is finish #5 for me this year!!!!!!

Oh and a frog report - I sat down to work on the travelling pattern and lo and behold sitting on my chair was a monstrous ole frog. After I picked out about 6 letters I kicked his behind to the curb. I hope I didn't send him your way but he was OUTTA here!!!!!

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day to my dear blogging friends.

I joined the Secret Stitching Sweetheart  on Jo's blog.

Here is the Valentine I was sent.

I wonder who is the wonderful stitcher that stitched this one.
You can go to Jo's blog to see the list of participants and visit the blogs to see the Valentine's stitches.

Edited to add: My secret stitcher is a lady by the name of Valentina.
The pattern is The Red Thread - A Bent Creek Snapper design. She is a new blogger to me and has some wonderful stitches. Check her out.
Thank you for such a wonderful Valentine stitch.