WIPOCALYPSE 2012 and some other little stitches

Warning: This will be a photo intensive post!!!

Good morning everyone from frigid Arizona! That's right FRIGID!!! It was 36F this morning. What is up with that. The weatherman is calling for rain Monday and Tuesday. Did I stop for the winter in the wrong state????

Well, since I can't do anything outside I have worked on my new Mirabilia RR that will start in January. This time I have picked Christmas as my theme and I have gridded out a window. At least, I hope it looks like a window. This took me forever to stitch - it is only 4 rows thick. All I stitched for this entire week was DMC 535 in rows. Making the archway look like an archway took some doing. I tore it apart several times until I got the right look. I don't think I want to see that color again for a while.This fabric shows blue but it is actually a gorgeous green and cream called Wandering Ivy - Silkweaver 28 count lugana.  Did I accomplish my mission? 

I received the latest UFO RR in the mail this week. This is - The Good Huswife - Book of Spells. This is how it looks when I received it. I hope to get a lot accomplished on this one over the next few weeks. It looks like a fun stitch.

I have joined Measi's 2012 Wipocalpyse. Here is my list (photo intensive). I so hope I get some of these things marked off  I need to be on a NO BUYING diet.

1. Jardin Prive - Sampler des Bouquets -  I think I stand a chance of finishing this one.

2. Prairie Moon - Merry Xmas -  for my son and DIL

3. LHN - Summer Splendor -it was a gift

4. Long Dog - Bagatelle - My Jan 1, 2011 start - not much accomplished here. Am I signing up for a new start in January 2012 - NO WAY!!!

5. 4 designers contributed - A Petit Sampling Etui - I am into this one to the tune of $150 and really should get it done. The fabric is gridded.

6. Glendon House - Witches Wheel - love this fabric!!!

7. LHN - Acorn Hill - it was a gift and has those two skeins of the world's most expensive silks lol

8. Point Loma Lighthouse - it was a gift

9.Handblessings - Hooked on Lighthouses - would make such a nice addition to my lighthouse guest room

10. Nora Corbett - Sunflower Fairy - this was a SAL that I failed at miserably

11. Birth Sampler - Quaker Teddy Bear - this child will be 2 this summer and not a stitch is done

12. LHN - Travelling Stitcher - been carrying this around forever. Bought the backing fabric 3 or more years ago.

13. Chatelaine's Desert Mandala - love this one and it cost me a fortune.

14. The Stitchwork - Malcolm the Moose Race Car - for my son who is a Dale Earnhardt collector

15. JBW ornament from 1997 - found this in the very bottom of my trunk

16. HAED - Peacock Lagoon - love this but what was I thinking????

17. Lynn Nicoletti - Hockey Player - grandson Jackson wants a hockey Christmas stocking and so I have to design one around this chart

18. Autumnal Abstract - another one that cost a fortune. Lent the chart to a friend. She has it stitched and framed and mine is stilll like this

19. Mill Hill - Queen Anne's House

20. Lizzie Kate - Christmas Rules - had this one forever

21. M Designs - Las Vegas tree - Juls - remember this one! - had this one for a long time too!

21a. Finish my current Mirabilia RR

22. New Mirabilia RR starting in January

23. UFO RR - ending in April

24. Band Sampler RR - ending in March

25. Band Sampler RR - starting in May

26. Twenty-twelve RR - nutcrackers - starting in January -  with some new Facebook Friends



Wow, I am almost embarrassed to write it all down here. Hopefully, I will be able to accomplish some of this.
I will start with my Jardin Prive, then the baby sampler, then some of the smaller pieces to get them off that list. PLEASE, wish me luck.

If you made it to the end of this post, I appreciate you taking the time. I hope you have a wonderful stitching week and are frogless the entire time.

Busy little fingers

Boy, is it nice to have all that dust cleared away and be back to stitching and quilting. And another post in just one week! Can you believe it????

Every year my quilt group here makes a quilt to be raffled for charity. This year the theme is "Black with White, White with Black and One other Color". Here is the block I have sewn together. It is called Formal Garden and I will be interested to see it and the other blocks together.

I have seen the quilt that we all contributed a square to last year and I will take a picture when I can. It is amazing!

Annette's Mirabilia RR arrived this week. I sat down right away and stitched. This is the last round before this RR goes home and I wanted it home to her before Christmas. I stitched "Deepest Love". What a beautiful RR this is.

My own Mirabilia RR arrived home a couple of days later. Feast your eyes on this one.
I love it! I will stitch the last square soon. It will be Lily of the Woods - The Dreaming Fairy.

I have done some secret stitching and sewing and will have to wait until those things are received before I can post them here.

Oh, the internet can be wicked some times. There are just so many beautiful things out there to look at. I have enhanced my stash too. These are my new purchases.

Sunflower Fairy - fabric, Valdani threads, Kreiniks and beads.

I had purchased the pattern and beads for Witches Wheel - and look at the gorgeous fabric that just came to stitch it on!

I ordered a couple of skeins of Belle Soie silk to use on a LHN chart - $19.52 for two skeins - won't do that again!!

This gorgeous 14 count hand-dyed aida is for a RR next year with a Yahoo group.

I don't know when I think I will be able to stitch all these wonderful new things but oh well!!!

And I will leave you with this beautiful sunrise when I went to get the newspaper recently.

Until next time, keep those x's crossed and those frogs far away!

TUSAL and catching up

I am back in Arizona and therefore my orts are once again floating in their martini glass. I am afraid it was a very small party as stitching has not been at the top of my list. There are a just a few stitches from my latest UFO RR, a secret ornament and my Sampler de Bouquets in the glass.

The trip from Canada to Arizona was an extended one - almost two weeks. We had some great visits and fun times. I will share a few pictures from that trip another time.

And when a girl is travelling and no stitching is happening what can she do??? Shop, did you say shop?

Yep, I did - in the stores and online. Here are a few things that happened into my hands along the way.

Fat quarters, fabrics, patterns, and some new charts.
I got a chance to go to Fancimats in the Denver area and had to add the M designs Colorada tree. I also have the Las Vegas tree from a previous trip to Stitcher's Paradise in LV.

I do have a bit of stitching to show you.
One of my friends at home is planning to make a quilt using the Prairie Schooler alphabet. Many of us have volunteered to help her out. Here is my choice - X is for cross stitch.

It went home to Canada in the mail last week.

I managed a few stitches on my Jardin Prive - the pot with the plant is my latest addition.

My stitching group at home has a retreat in November. I don't go as I am in AZ. They have a wonderful ornament exchange. This year they let me join the exchange. Here is the ornament that I contributed and it was won by Adriana!

My friend Judy did not know I was taking part in the exchange and she wanted me to have an ornament. She made me this lovely ornament, gift wrapped it, stapled it closed and I opened it the day of the retreat.
She is a penguin collector.This is so approriate coming from her. I love it and it hangs above my computer desk so that I can see it all the time.

Beatrice also Skyped me and walked her laptop around the room so I could say hi to everyone. It was fun.

When I arrived in Arizona a dear friend came for a visit and left me these two beautiful charts! I love them.

I do have a confession to make. My google reader had over 1000 posts and I just could not possibly catch up. I blew them away and have started fresh. I am so sorry but that was more than I could handle. I will try harder to stay on top of them and get back to commenting on your posts.

Until the next time, I have missed my stitching friends and look forward to catching up with you all.

TUSAL and small stitches

Here is my TUSAL update. With my neck and shoulder problems this past month my stitching has been very limited. I don't think I have ever had so few orts. Hopefully, next month will be better.

I did receive a couple of wonderful packages in the mail lately. From Patti - this nutcracker design

and from Jen this nutcracker pattern

My UFO RR went out in the mail this week. This is what the design looked like when I received it.

After 20 hours this is how it looks now.

And here is the latest Band Sampler RR. I stitched the area below the beaded blackberries.

The designs were chosen from 2 Sweetheart Tree Designs - Bleeding Heart and Pumpkin Time Heart. Aren't the little spiders just sooo cute. What a wonderful Autumn RR this is becoming.

I am not sure if I will be able to post now for a couple of weeks. We are in the process of packing up the house and getting ready for our winter migration to Arizona. We leave Sunday. I will have a big bag of stitching with me and hopefully, my neck problems will ease up and I will be able to stitch my way across the country. We are making stops in Guthrie Center, Iowa and Denver, Colorado to visit friends on our way south. We should be in AZ by November 8-10.

Until then, my friends, keep those x's crossed and those frogs away from your beautiful work.

Stitches, gifts and Christmas in October.

Good day everyone. I know I am lax in posting but you will understand as you read this post.

My neck issues seem to have sorted themselves out. I have to be careful but if I stop when I feel that twing my neck doesn't start tensing up and spasming again. Chiropractor's conclusion - bending over the computer and looking through my magnifier when I stitch, for extended periods of time, is not the best way to keep my neck from hurting. I will have to limit myself for a while.

The "I Feel Good Gifts" that I sent have been received.
Here is the gift that went to Edgar.

Here is the gift that went to Ariadne in Greece no less. Ariadne and her blog are new to me and maybe others. Stop by and pay her a visit.

Both packages took less than 5 days to arrive. How come it takes two weeks for something to arrive in Canada????????

I have been working on the latest Mirabilia RR and have finished my section.
I have stitched Queen of Peace. The blank spaces are for Mill Hill Treasures which I will send seperately.

Here is the RR to date.

There is only one more round and these RR's go home to their owners. It has been a wonderful experience. These stitchers have all been so gracious and diligent. They have made it easy to moderate this RR.

I am working away on the UFO RR that I have in my possession.

This is Dimensions "Angel of Peace". I now have more than a red blog - there is some green and blue ribbon to be seen.

Warning - lots of Christmas photos here.

And the Christmas comment - well, we will be in Arizona for Christmas this winter and so we had Christmas at Thanksgiving. It took 4 days to get the house all decorated.

 

This fella greets you at the front door - all 4 feet of nutcracker.

 

Front entry table

Up the front stairs

In the living room . The small tree is our traveller's tree. I try to buy a decoration for this tree when we visit new places. You will see my Canada nutcrackers - a mountie and a hockey player.

Isn't this what a TV stand is for?

 

Our beautiful tree and the wonderful nativity that DH brought home from Isreal.

Beside my stitching chair.

 

Yep, those are nutcracker placemats.

Even the kitchen gets a little tree.

 

Going upstairs.

The upstairs landing.

Do you think that I am a nutcracker collector?

The entire family came home and we had turkey with all the fixings and gifts under the tree. Hunter, who is 5, wanted to know if he was still going to get presents at Christmas and if Santa was still going to come. After we reassured him, he was okay with the tree and presents. It was a good year for me in the gift buying department. I was bang on with all the family and they were thrilled with their gifts. WHEW!!
And then it took 2 days to take all the decorations down and store them away. Boy, the house looks empty now.

End result - one very tired but happy person. Now, I am free to stitch and read.

I will soon have to put them aside and start packing for our transition to Arizona for the winter. We have sold our van and now just have the Jetta. It will be interesting to try and pack into such a small space. Wish me luck cause I'm gonna need it.
I'm off to stitch. I hope you find as much joy in your stitches as I do.

Aches and Pains

Oh it really sucks to be getting older. I moved the wrong way or sat the wrong way a week ago and have been unable to stitch much. I hurt the muscles in my neck and upper shoulders and have been struggling. I am going to a chiropractor and applying ice to my back and shoulders. Things are improving but slowly.
Here is my sad progress on my UFO RR - a big red blob.

My BFF Beatrice took a quilting class and learned to make a "Spicy Spiral Table Topper". She showed me how to make it and here's what I came up with. It will be a gift for a friend. The sewing was difficult with my sore shoulders so I did 15 minutes at a time.

And I thought I would show you my latest scissors - Canada  by Dinky Dyes!

Since I have so little stitching to show you perhaps you would like to see the few pair of scissors I own. It started with a pretty pair of Ginghers and just grew from there. Many of them have been gifts.

When I looked at this photo, I felt so guilty I polished my silver frog.

Hopefully, next time, I will have some stitching photos. I wouldn't want my poor frog to be empty this month.
He would be awfully hungry.