Too Much To Talk About

That four day weekend really went by in a blur!  With the exception of the "Monday Hot Water Heater Hiccup", everything was rather pleasant.  The guy who was supposed to show up at 2pm never came, but we did end up hearing from the owner of the company about 2 hours later.  He ended up coming out and fixing the problem, but I won't be using them anymore.  I've been able to get a few names from friends and I think that in the next couple of weeks I am going to call and have someone look at our system to make sure that everything really is alright.

Now that the water heater problem is solved, I can begin to tell you about the fun I had this weekend.  I made lots of progress on many different things, so I think I'm going to break it up over the next few days.

First of all, Hubby and I traveled to a few estate sales on Saturday.  I didn't find any stitching goodies, but I did find this:

A lovely piece of blue Wedgwood.....and in the original box too!  See the stamp on the back?

And, at $5.00 it was a fabulous find!  I don't think I will be that lucky again when it comes to a piece of Wedgwood!  Too bad it is not green.  Then I would have given it to my mom to go with her set.  (Don't worry Mom, I'll be on the lookout for more.  Especially if I can pay those prices!)  I don't know how much it is worth right now, but I do know that it is worth more than what I paid for it.

Saturday afternoon was spent with my Stitching Sisters.  I didn't get too much stitching in as I wasn't able to stay too long because I had to meet my mother for dinner.  But, I did manage to "grow a little grass" on one of my Crazy January Challenges.  (More on that soon!)

I do have so much more to talk about, but time is getting short.  So, I'll leave the rest for another post.

Oh, by the way, tomorrow is my THIRD BLOGOVERSARY!  Stop by tomorrow for details on a giveaway!

Happy Stitches!

Partial Fulfillment

As promised, here are a few pictures of my newest estate sale rescue.  There were others at the sale that needed saving, but this is the one that called out to me the most.

This is draped over the stair railing.  The part you can't see looks exactly like the bottom.

I don't think that this is too old because there is some variegation to the fibers in the border.  Hopefully this is just DMC!

Another border close up.

There are a few stains along the creases, but hopefully I will be able to clean her up a little.  The piece is rather large, so I'm thinking about displaying it on our dining table.  We don't really use the table that much for sit down eating, so I wouldn't have to worry to much about things being dripped all over it.   Plus, if I can't get the stains out, the centerpiece that would sit on top of the linen should get covered up.

Hopefully I will be able to post some finishes tomorrow.  (I forgot to take a picture of one of them and the other picture didn't turn out at all.)  Maybe I'll also have some quilting work to show as well.  I'm attending my second class tonight and I don't know if I will have something picture worthy by the evening's end......

Happy Stitching!

Birthday Giveaway Arrival

Remember earlier this month when I decided to hold a give away for my birthday?  You know, in the time before the whole world came crashing down?

Well, it arrived safe and sound at Patty's house.  (Don't tell her, but it was me, not the mailman, that included some extra special items along with the frog......)

I also sent her some Kelmscott scissors, a cut of opalescent linen and a scissor fob.  After all, you must have scissors to go along with your frog.  And, who wants a naked pair of scissors?  Those scissors were just screaming for a fob!  So, I stitched up the fob from LHN's Needle and Thread.  I even decided to fancy up the backside with the year.  I filled the fob with crushed walnut shells, so it will also double as a pin cushion.

Enjoy Patty!

Happy Stitching!

A RAK and a Birthday Giveaway

I know, I know, two posts in one day!  What can I say?  I'm hoping that this will be a good week!

Remember Friday's post?  Well, here is the finished project.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself!  Hubby even got into the act with this one and he picked out the button.  I don't know about you, but I think he did a great job. 

'Tis Green by La-D-Da

2010 JCS Ornament Preview

Stitched on 28ct Solo by Silkweaver

Limited Edition Belle Soie by Crescent Colours

This little pillow was put in the mail this morning, so I hope it goes by "pony express" instead of "snail mail" if you know what I mean.  I hope that my RAK recipient enjoys it.

Now, onto other business..........  While I was Estate Sale shopping this weekend, I picked up not one, but two self contained glass flower frogs.  So, in celebration of my birthday this Thursday, I'm giving you the gift! (You can also check out another photo of this frog on the earlier post.)

Here are your rules:

1. Make a comment on this post only if you wish to participate. 
2. For a second entry, let others know about my giveaway.  You may either blog about it or post it somewhere on your blog.  You must comment a second time telling me that you have done this in order to get the second entry.
3. For a third entry, in a separate comment, tell me about your most cherished birthday gift.  You must comment a separate time in order to get this entry.

Unfortunately, due to the high cost of postage, I can only award this prize to an address in the U.S..  However, if you live outside the U.S. and you would still like to participate, I will send you an alternate stitched surprise if your name is drawn.  This way everyone still has a chance to win!

The contest ends at Midnight EST on Friday, August 13th.  I will draw the winner over the weekend and announce it on Monday, August 16th.

Good luck!  Happy Un-Birthday to all of you!

Happy Stitching!

Seek and Ye Shall Find

*****WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY POST TODAY!!*****

Happy Monday!  I can't believe that we are back at the beginning of the week already.  Time is just flying by so quickly.  I don't know about you, but sometimes I wish it would slow down for an instant or two so that we can enjoy it that much more.  However, I really did enjoy my weekend, even if it flew by.  There wasn't too much in the way of stitching time, but there was plenty of quality time spent doing other things that I liked to do.

I'm going to be a little backwards today and tell you about Sunday first.  (Karen, I'm still being a tease and the piece de resistance is at the end of the post! LOL!)

Sunday was a wonderful day, even if Hubby was raring to go at 7:30am.  (So much for sleeping in!)  But, early to rise means breakfast at our favorite local diner.  As we were eating I started telling Hubby about the
Estate Sale that I had been to the day before (that was still going on) as well as a few Antique stores in the area.  I also told him about another sale that I missed that was right down the street.  I guess I peaked his interest, because he was raring to go.  So, after filling our bellies, we headed out for an Estate Sale/Antique Store Marathon.

First stop was the Estate Sale down the street.  Let me just say that they either had a raging sale on Friday and Saturday, or there wasn't much there to begin with.  However, Hubby was able to dig through the scraps that were left and he came up with a couple of items.  Not a bad haul for $4! After all, the box of blades would be at least that much.

Just look at this level!  It's made out of wood, unlike the aluminium levels of today.  Plus, it says "Sears Roebuck and Co".  Not something you see that much anymore.  As an added bonus, the level still works great.  (Yes, of course we tried it out first.)

Next we headed to some Antique stores as well as the sale that I was at the day before.  At the sale I picked up this great little wooden bench that had caught my eye.  I'm glad that I didn't buy it the day before since it was 50% off on Sunday.  I told Hubby that it was meant for me to have that bench since it was still there.  He just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.  As for the Ball Jar lids, I got those at one of the Antique stores that we rummaged through.  Hubby had to climb over a bunch of junk to reach them.

Here's a close up of the two frogs that I found yesterday.  The one on the left is clear glass and it is self contained.  The middle will hold a candle, but I think I'm going to find a way to make a small pin cushion that will fit in the hole.  The one on the right I found in an Antique Shop.  It is made out of "Vaseline Glass" which contains Uranium.  Apparently, it also glows neon green under a black light.  I just liked it because it was different than all the others that I had.  I have to say, I'm becoming quite the frog collector!

Now, here's where things get interesting.  (Yes, Karen, this is what I was teasing about on FB.)  On Saturday, I went on a ton of errands by myself because Hubby was working a double shift.  I took my wedding rings into the jewelry store for their check up and I had to kill some time while waiting.  So, I went over to an Estate Sale that looked promising.  As I'm walking through the house, it was easy to see that this family had a needlewoman (or man) in their midst.  There were small cross stitched pieces, mostly on aida or evenweave, as well as a few needlepoint pieces.  I felt so horrible about seeing all of that on the wall and knowing that it would not be loved.  I really wanted to buy it all up, but the prices on them were so ridiculously high.  It broke my heart to see them there!

So, I'm walking down the hall with my heart breaking about those lovingly stitched pieces when I see this....................

I couldn't believe my eyes!  Here was this grand piece hanging on the wall in the hallway.  It was almost as if it was sitting there waiting for me.  I kept running my hands over the frame while trying to decide if I should take it off the wall.  I was kind of afraid, because of the cost.  While it was 25% off, it was still more than I would normally spend.  But, it called out so strongly that I decided that I would endure Hubby's wrath for overspending.  I just figured that I could call it an early birthday gift to myself since my birthday is this week!

Here's it is a little closer (I kept the pictures large, but you should still be able to click them to see detail):

I just love the middle portion of the piece with the house nestled in the trees! 

This is a snap of the bottom of the piece.  I think that it was supposed to be a rose or a flower of some kind.

Along the edges you can see dark blue threads.  I'm wondering if this was mad into some kind of a purse or handbag at one point.

I'm just so thrilled with my Estate Sale find!  It really made my day....and my weekend!  I would really love to be able to get in contact with someone who could give me a little insight into this piece.  I wonder if it is really worth anything.  I'd love to find someone who could appraise it.  I checked into a few people, but no one has experience in this arena.  Antiques Roadshow, where are you when I need you?

Happy Stitching!

Bach's New Home

Yesterday I mentioned that Bach had a new home.  Well, my lurker was kind enough to send me pictures of where he now resides......  See him there on the left?  He fits just perfectly in that spot, don't you think?  And, look at that organ!  What a beauty!  It belongs to the husband of my "lurker".   Boy, do I wish I could hear him play.  Seeing the organ really makes miss those days of junior high, high school and college wind ensembles.

I'm just so glad that Bach found his home.  I know that he will be well loved!

Happy Stitching (and lurking)!

Estate Finds and Promised Pictures

Happy Monday everyone!  A new week is upon us already.  Can you believe it?  I'm still trying to recoup from my week of vacation.  I arrived at work to a loaded desk with lots of things to go through.  At least I know I'm still needed here at work!

As is typical of a Monday, I thought I share some of my recent estate finds with you.  Hubby and I managed to go to one Estate Sale before we went on vacation.  It was in a real nice neighborhood that was near our home.  (That is another thing that I like about Estate Sales.......we get to look at neighborhoods that we might not otherwise find......it will be helpful when we are ready to move to a larger home.)  The house was large and had lots of antiques in it.  In my opinion, they were overpriced, but then what do I know.  While I was in the sun room picking out a couple of clear glass flower frogs, Hubby was in the kitchen seeking out Ball Jars.  He found one of the bicentennial jars and so it got added to the collection.  We are now up to 3 old Ball Jars!  And, luckily enough, I had a great purple glass votive holder that has now become the base to one of the flower frogs that I bought.

On the way home from the Estate Sale, Hubby saw a sign for a Garage Sale in the neighborhood behind ours.  Can you believe it, he wanted to stop?  I think that I have created a monster!!!  I'm not as fond of Garage Sales, but you never know what you will find when you stop at one.  (Some of the Garage Sales I have been to have been better than some of the Estate Sales I have been to.)  Luckily enough, I found a nice frame to add to my collection.  The inside measures about 6x6.  Not too shabby for 50 cents!

This past Saturday I had to go Estate Sale shopping on my own since Hubby had to work.  I only hit one sale since I had other things that had to be done around the house before I went to visit my BFF for some stitching time in the afternoon.  Anyway, as I'm walking through the house I was becoming more and more disappointed.  After all, who are these people didn't know their cross stitch designs from their needlepoint?  They deal with estates every day, don't they?  And, all the items seemed to be way overpriced, especially for quilts that were thread bare!  Just because it is old or says "antique" doesn't mean that it has to be overpriced.  Soon I found myself down in the kitchen/dining area and what do my eyes fall upon but this:

Is that not the most amazing flower frog you have seen????  It is made of pottery!  I couldn't find a signature on the bottom, but there were marks on the bottom where it had been in a kiln.  And to boot I found a black glass frog and another clear frog in a configuration that I haven't seen yet.  I HIT THE FROG JACKPOT!!!   I've got quite the collection forming.  Now I will just be on the lookout for colored or unusual frogs since I have plenty of the clear glass ones.  I'm so excited and I can't wait to see if there are any good Estate Sales around next weekend.  I think I'm hooked!

Here is my first self-framed finish.  I spent the last part of my evening last night putting this bad boy together.  Whew!  What a task!  All I can say is "I love my framer" and I will never complain again about the cost of framing.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't too hard, but it was very time consuming.   I think I will continue to try and frame many of my small pieces, but I will be sure to send the bigger ones to my favorite framer.  (She's awesome!)  If you look close, you may be able to see where I "puffed" the piece instead of putting it behind glass.

Now I Know My ABC's

Blackbird Designs Reproduction Freebie

40ct Vintage Basketweave by Lakeside Lined

Colors were changed to the Crescent Colours Cottons that I had on hand

The frame was purchased at an Estate Sale

Here is the other thing I promised you.  Pictures of the RAK that I received from Faye over at Carolina Stitcher.  Thanks again Faye for the lovely gift!  I hope you don't mind, but I'm following in your footsteps with the RAKs and the pins.  I even tried my hand at creating a few pins last night and I think that they turned out well.  I will be sure to share pictures of my pins soon.

Stay tuned this week, as I have some vacation pictures and stitching to share!

Happy Stitching!

Surprises, Finds and Finishes

Happy Monday!  I hope that you had a wonderful weekend!  I don't know about your weekend, but mine was full of all kinds of surprises. To boot, our weekend was hot, hot, HOT with temperatures up to 100 degrees and heat indexes of 105 and up.  The temperatures make me think of my Arizona friends.  (HI Karen! HI Sharon!  Miss you guys!!!!!)  It is hot again today, but we should have a cool down to the upper 80's later in the week......

During the week I gathered information on local estate sales and I had a list full of sales to visit on Saturday morning.  The first house was way in the back of a picturesque neighborhood. The master bedroom had a fabulous view of a local inlet.  What a picture to wake up to in the morning!  There were lots of great antique pieces that I couldn't afford.  But, I did find a small glass flower frog and bowl set for $2.00.  The frog has a small chip in it, but I can live with that.  Since the frog sits in the bottom of the bowl I think I'm going to try and raise it with some Styrofoam and then I will hide the Styrofoam with shells or marbles or something of the like.  That way my scissor tips will be protected and I will have a nice dish too.

I went to the second sale only to find that it was really a garage sale and the people were asking outrageous prices for junk!  So, I left that one in a hurry and moved on to number three.  The third one had some really great stuff, but nothing that screamed "Buy Me!".  But, as I was leaving the sale I did get a lovely surprise...............(can you read the sarcasm?????)

She might have been a sweet little old lady, but she still sideswiped my car while it was legally parked on the street.  All I could do was stand there and watch her do it!  What a nightmare!  I seriously wonder if she should be driving!  I know the street had cars on both sides and I know that it was a tight squeeze, but there were Suburbans driving by with no problem and all she had was a 2001 Dodge Stratus.  It's not like she was driving a "boat".  At least her insurance company is going to cover the damages.........that is, if I ever get a call from the adjuster!

After the drama, I did manage to go to two more out of three estate sales.  I didn't find anything that was either worthwhile or affordable or both.  Why is it that some people think the words "estate sale" mean "price things really high"?  There were some great old frames at one of the sales, but I wasn't about to pay $80 for one frame when it was approximately 5x7.  Sheesh!

Anyway, Saturday evening I got to spend time stitching with my BFF.  I love being able to spend time with her on the weekends.  We talk, laugh and eat.  Sometimes we even stitch!  Like this past Saturday, I think that we spent more time in silence because we were both concentrating so hard on what we were stitching.  Actually, we were both working on the same project.  It's called Desert Sunset by Fireside Originals.  It is the piece that I'm going to surprise Hubby with, so I had to really concentrate while I had the chance.  I got a fair amount done on it, but I still have a long way to go.  With the exception of the light fabric peaking through on the cactus, I'm very pleased with my progress.  The light fabric is quite noticeable in the picture, but not so much when you are standing back a little.  I'm just going to say that the light parts are the prickly spines of the cactus!

Sunday we went to a cookout at a friend of Hubby's.  There was so much good food and we made some new friends.  We even played a game of Horseshoes (my first ever) and we fought hard to win.  But, the other team got a ringer in the end and that won it for them.  Let me tell you, even though it seems easy, horseshoes is hard!  And, boy do they hurt when you get hit with them.  I've got a small knot on my shin where I got hit.  OUCH!

Whew.....what a weekend!  Well, I guess I will leave you with one last picture.  I did get a little start and finish on Sunday.  I worked on SamSarah's Heart Tin.  It was a real quick stitch.  Now I will just have to really "finish" it sometime this week.  I've got a boatload of "finishing" now that I have also finished the stitching for my Blackbird Designs Exchange.  Guess I will have to call it an early day at work and stop by the quilt store on the way home.  Fabric, here I come!!!!

Happy Stitching!

I Stand Corrected and I'm Gonna Keep 'Em!

Many thanks to Nataly and Vonna for whipping me back into shape.  I knew I had seen that pattern somewhere!  Here's the link to the "Ole Pincushion" on Theresa's blog (aka Shakespeare's Peddler).  Theresa is a very sweet lady and she has some really great patterns to boot.  I would be doing her a disservice to not mention them.  So, if you get a chance, check out her blog and her online shop.

As for the Ball jars I picked up at the Estate Sale, I think I'm just going to leave them be and use them as decorative items around the house.  I'm sure that I'll find something to put in them.  After all, as the man said, they are worth so much more with the lids!  Hmmmm, I wonder which aisle in the grocery store would have some lids that I could use for the pincushions........

There wasn't any stitching last night, so there are no pictures today.  Instead Hubby and I met some friends for dinner.  It was a "couples night out" that we had been planning for sometime.  By chance, all of us finally had the same night off.  Mexican food is even better when you can share it with friends!

Hopefully there will be time for exchange stitching tonight since Hubby has cooking duty.

Happy Stitching!

Finding, Finishing and a Father's Day Start

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend.  It sure did go by fast, didn't it?  I know mine did since I was quite busy as usual........

Saturday morning I had the honor of attending my nephew's 8th birthday at a local movie theater.  It was one of those theaters were you can sit at tables and have a real meal while watching a movie.  Neat concept, don't you think?  This was the first time I had ever been to this particular theater since it had been converted from the old style theater.  We had pizza, ice cream and cupcakes......yummy, but a little much at 10:30 am!  We saw Toy Story 3 and it was a cute movie.  The kids were so wrapped up in it the adults had to remind them that they had ice cream melting in front of them. 

After the movie I set out to find a few estate sale bargains.  I had several stops on my list, but due to the earlier party I had to settle for two out of four.  I found one that was close to the theater and hit that first.  There wasn't much there, but I did find some Ball jars with lids in great condition.  I took the smaller one and walked around while deciding if I should scoop up a second one.  When I told the man that I only wanted it for the lid so that I could make a pin cushion, he thought I was crazy.  (You have seen Vonna's tutorial on making a pin cushion, haven't you?  You didn't think I came up with that idea on my own, did you???)  Of course he proceeded to tell me that the jars were worth more if they had the lids.  Men.......they don't get it!  But, after serious consideration, I thought that I may want to keep one jar fully intact.  So, off I went and got them 2 for a $1!  Not to shabby!!!  And, to boot, they both washed up beautifully.  (The tall one isn't cloudy now, it just wasn't dry when I took the picture last night.)

Feeling successful I headed towards home to hit another estate sale.  Can you say BIG BUST?  Yup, nothing, nada, zero and zilch.  It was horrible!  It was a bad imitation of a yard sale too boot.  I guess you never know what you are going to find.  So, since I had time before meeting my BFF for stitch night I decided to make one last stop.  I went to a local "mom & pop" sewing & vacuum shop not far from the house and I looked at this:

Janome 3160QDC

That's right, a new sewing machine!  Don't you remember that Hubby gave me the "green light" to start quilting?  And this machine would really help me with my "finishing" too!  It was a real nice machine and was comparable to the Bernina activa 220 that I looked at previously.  I just don't know what to do!  I don't know what machine I should go with!  They are both so nice.  Does anyone have any experience with either of these machines?????  HELP!!!!

Speaking of finishing, I did have one small stitchy finish this weekend.  I finally finished the second coverlet for Needle and Thread by LHN.  I really should have finished the second fob to go along with it, but in true "Serial Starter" fashion I picked up another new start on Sunday instead.  It is for the Blackbird Exchange so no snaps anytime soon.  But, I will say, I'm having fun stitching on it and I think it is going to be a quick stitch.  I'm sure that means that there will be another serial start soon enough!

Happy Stitching!

Shopping, Stitching and a New Start

Whew! Where did this weekend go? Just yesterday it was Thursday and I was getting permission from the boss to play hokey on Friday! I guess that's what happens when you have fun weekends.....they just go by so fast!

First on Friday I had to decide if I was going to call out or not. I've really been good at saving all of my comp time this year and work full 40 hour weeks whenever possible. However, with nothing to do at work it is so easy to skip a day or two.  So, early in the morning I sent a text message saying "See you Monday!  Have a great weekend!".  (I'm so lucky to have such a great boss!!!) 

With that done, Hubby and I spent the morning together exploring.  I found an estate sale that ran Thursday - Saturday (they usually go Friday - Sunday in our neck of the woods), so off we went.  It was one of the better sales that we have found so far.  I found a great frame with this odd looking sand sculpture in it.  I pulled out the piece only to find that it is a thin layer of sand on plywood.  I'm not too sure about it, but I know that as much I love southwestern type stuff, this is not my cup of tea.  I think that this "sculpture" may end up the in Goodwill pile!

Saturday found us at a few more estate sales in neighboring cities.  Both of them were busts.  (It made me so happy that I found the great frame the day before!)  On the way home I remembered that the local Farmers Market was having its opening weekend at our city park so we stopped by.  We were on the late side, so much of the good stuff had already been sold, but we did manage to get a few ears of local Silver Queen Corn, a huge Zucchini, some Peaches (grown out of the area) and two Sweet Potatoes.  Oh those Peaches were good.  Nice and juicy!  Next time I will have to remember to bring my camera.....

Saturday night was spent stitching with my BFF.  I decided that I wasn't in the mood to stitch anything that was in my bag and that I needed a new start.  I think that this was fueled by my earlier purchase of the frame.  You see, I found a great stitchy piece of a desert sunset two years ago while on my honeymoon in Arizona.  I thought that this piece would fit perfectly in the frame and boy was I right.  I was going to stitch it on 36ct instead of the called for 32ct, but then I noticed that it was full of blended threads........36 would be a bust!  So, I spent much of the evening looking through BFF's Crescent Colours stash and I came up with an alternative.  Then after some discussion on the piece I decided not to start it until I went home and measured the inside frame dimensions.  Again.......BUST!  Instead I spent the rest of the evening working on my second (yes, second) Needle and Thread by LHN.  I'm almost done!

Sunday morning after some measuring, thread pulling and more measuring, I decided to dump the 36ct on my new start Desert Sunset by Fireside Originals.  Using the 32ct will work so much better.  It will be a perfect fit for the frame that I bought on Friday.  That means that all the work that I did with choosing thread color is out of the window since I'm going to go back to the original plans.  Even with the original plans, I didn't get very far with it this weekend.  My intention is to make it a surprise for my husband, so I can't work on it when he is around.

Whew!  What a weekend!  In closing, I'm going to leave you with the best find that I made all weekend.......at another local farm stand.......and boy did they taste as good as they looked!!!!

Happy Stitching!