November Already?

I can't believe that today is actually November 1st!  Another year is almost over.  It really passed by so quickly.  Even with all of the trials and tribulations of this past year, I can honestly say that I'm sorry to see it is almost over.  Maybe that sorrow is because I still have TONS of stitching left to do!

This weekend turned out to be a great weekend for shopping and stitching.  On Friday my husband, my parents and I traveled about an hour north of our homes to a large outlet mall filled with great shops.  Hubby definitely made out with purchases from Nautica, Sketchers, Haggar and the Calphalon store.  We also picked up a few holiday gifts along the way as well.  Mom & I also made our standard trip to the Coach store.  Last time I went I couldn't find anything I liked, but this time I came home with a new purple purse and a new wallet.  Mom came home with the same purse and a wristlet.  (Good thing I don't mind my mom being a copycat......did I mention that we also purchased the same pair of sneakers from Sketchers?)

Saturday gave way to a little bit more shopping, but this time it was for a much needed shower curtain and some drapes for the great room.  Then I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening stitching with my stitching pals minus one.  I worked on trying to finish LHN's October, but alas the piece is cursed!  Remember all that trouble I had with September's border?  Well, turns out that I stitched October's border in the wrong color!  UGH!  If it were for me, I would just leave it, but it is for a model.  I CAN'T LEAVE IT!  So, there will be a little more frogging on it before I get it done.  I'll be so happy to get these stupid things done!  Oh......wait.......I still have to finish November and December!  Sigh.....  Well, maybe they won't be cursed like the last grouping.

The "fun" part of the weekend happened late Saturday night into Sunday morning.  It turns out the the Quest fittings on our hot water heater broke and there was water everywhere in the second bedroom.  I cleaned it up as best I could and Hubby took care of shutting down the water heater and the main water.  I called the HVAC guy since he put the water heater in (it is part of our HVAC unit).  He ended up coming out Sunday around 11am, but worrying about the ceiling caving in kept me up all night.  I think I got about two hours of sleep. 

The only good thing that resulted from my insomnia is that I am now almost finished with my memorial/memory sampler.  I only have one word, about a dozen eyelet stitches and a few tiny motifs to finish.  If I can get some time in tonight I could have a happy dance.  Then I will be off to find the perfect frame.  I'm going to try to frame this one myself since it is a special piece, but my favorite framer is still on call if I run into problems.

So, since this year is really running away, I think I need to set a few goals for the next two months.  Here goes:

1. Finish stitching on the memory/memorial sampler. 
2. "Finish" and mail my exchange piece for my private exchange since I didn't get to it yesterday.  (Dang hot water heater!)
3. Finish up those (dang) monthlies for Sharon.
4. Stitch, finish and mail something for the Blackbird Designs Exchange Round 6.  It is due to go out on November 30th, so I still have a little time.  I'm pretty sure of what I'm going to stitch, so that gets me that much closer to finishing that!
5. Attempt to self frame "Seaside Memories" by The Sampler Girl. If not, that one will get whisked off to my favorite framer.
6. Stitch and finish an ornament for the ornament exchange with my Saturday Stitching Buddies.  We talked about exchanging on December 4th, so I've got a little time.
7. Stitch and finish at least fifteen ornaments for Christmas gifts. (Uh, oh.....I might have to revise that number and hopefully down instead of up!)

Here's to hoping that November slows down a bit.  After all, I'm sure we could all use some additional holiday stitching time.

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!

All Good Vacations Must Come to an End

WARNING!!!! VERY PICTURE HEAVY POST!!!!

Whew, this post has been a long time coming!  Believe it or not, it has been three weeks since we left for vacation and I'm already ready for another one.  I hope that we get to go back to the OBX later in the Summer or in the early Fall.  Until then, here are some of my favorite pictures from the last day.

We spent Day 5 on the beach in Corolla.  Just hubby and me......we had some well deserved "us" time.  We got onto the beach with the truck and just drove until we found a spot that had our names on it.  There are some houses on this stretch of the beach, but the only way to access them is by a four wheel drive automobile.  I guess this person decided that when there are jellyfish in the water they can opt for a dip in the pool instead!

We finally found our perfect stretch of beach.  Believe it or not, we had this section all to ourselves.

There were lots of stretches of the beach that had amassed tons of seashells.  The shells were just ripe for the picking.  I picked quite a few clam shells of differing colors.  Hubby found a perfect hermit crab shell, without the hermit crab thank goodness.  I decided that each time we go to Corolla that I was going to pick up a few shells and display them in one of the ball jars that I purchased at an Estate Sale. So, every time I look at the jar full of shells I can remember all the fun that we had in the OBX.

The sand that day was almost like quicksand.  With each step you would sink into it deeper and deeper.  We saw many vehicles get stuck in the sand.  I didn't think this old car was going to make it, but he finally dug himself out and drove further down the beach.  We even got stuck on the way out.  In all the times that we have been down there we have never been stuck.  DH dug us in pretty deep, but there was a redneck kind soul in a Jeep that pulled us out.  If you want to know the truth, I think that was the only reason that guy liked going to the beach.  Why you ask?  Well, when we passed him earlier in the day he was sitting in the drivers seat of the Jeep.  And when we got stuck.....well, he was still sitting in the same place!  That is when you thank God for the little favors of a redneck strangers help.

After being pulled to safety we went on our merry way.  And, wouldn't you know it, we finally hit the tri-fecta!  There were wild Corolla Stallions heading up the dunes.  I was so shocked to see them that I had some trouble working the camera.  See the truck antenna on the left side of the picture?

Here's a few more with a couple of close ups........aren't those horses magnificent?

DH also saw these birds resting on the shore and thought that they were a hoot.  I love their little mohawks!

Later on in the evening we went back to the Lone Pine Inn to see Ricky, Lucy and their hatchling(s).  Apparently Ricky and Lucy nest there every year.  In these first picture you can see one of the parents and one of the hatchlings.  The second picture shows both parents and you can see the wing of one of the hatchings.

 

After playing with the Osprey, we decided to grab a bite at one of the pizza joints before heading off to the Sound Side of the island for some sunset pictures.  Unfortunately, there were storms brewing so our sunset was not exactly what we were expecting.  However I did get a few good pictures in before we had to go.  (This is also where the picture in my header came from.)  I especially love the last picture.  I don't know where that guy was headed, but he had a cold Corona in the side pocket of his shorts!

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of my vacation.  I don't know about you, but looking at these pictures makes me want to put on my swimsuit and head to the beach.  I can't wait to go back!

As for my stitching, I always have high ambition while on vacation.  Unfortunately I didn't get in as much stitching time as I thought I would.  But, I think I got a great start on Seaside Memories by The Sampler Girl.  I'll just have to put a little more effort into it so that I can get it finished and framed.  It will be another great reminder of a beautiful family vacation.

RAK, Stash & Vacation Day 3

It was another hot, humid and busy weekend around here, so there is much to share on this Monday post.

Late last week I send off a RAK to Sherry over at Isn't It All About Me?.  Sherry has been in search of a flower frog and hasn't been able to get her hands on one.  Well, with all of my recent frog acquisitions, I decided that I would send her one of the ones in my stash.  (It is the frog from this previous post.)  I have to say, it's so nice to be able to RAK.  I know that there will be many more RAK's in my future and I have started making plans for them already.  So, you never know when or where the RAK monster will hit!

On Saturday I went with a couple of friends to a not so local LNS.  It was supposed to be a 45 minute ride up, but it turned into a much longer one than that due to traffic.  Good thing there was great company and conversation!  Of course, we finally arrived and were more than ready to shop when we got there.  This is the first time I've been to a LNS since my trip to Arizona.  While it is nice to fondle all the goodies, I really didn't need anything.  But who cares about need?  When it comes to stitching stuff it is all about stashing!  I ended up with two older books from Blackbird Designs (A Fine Collection and Peppermint & Holly), some great 40ct Lakeside Linen (Copper, Autumn Gold, and Winter Sky), a new to me Bent Creek, a Just Nan (with fabric) and a Little House Sampler.

Don't you just love this Bent Creek?  I've never noticed this Row, so I'm guessing that it is an older one.  As soon as I saw it I knew that it had to be mine.  With my love of all things beachy I'm pretty sure that I this will be at the top of my "want to do now" pile.  However, once I get it stitched and framed, I will have to take it off the wall and hide it whenever my parents or my MIL comes to visit.  Otherwise I may end up with a missing piece of stitching!

I have to blame Maggee over at Stitching Devotee for the last part of my stash acquisition on Saturday.  I had seen this lovely LHN's Summer Sampler on her blog.  Her finish is perfect.  (You can see it here.  Didn't she do a fabulous job?)  I already have the Winter and Autumn Samplers in my stash, so you know I had to get the complete set after seeing her grand finish.

Moving on........I thought I'd share some more about our Outer Banks vacation.  On Day 3, Hubby's 90+ year old grandfather drove three hours to vacation with us for a couple of days.  Shortly after Grandfather arrived, he and Hubby headed out to play 18 holes of golf.  (Yes.....you read that right.....three hours of driving and then 18 holes of golf!)  That meant that MIL and I got in more shopping.  This time we headed to The Christmas Mouse, the Cotton Gin (one of my favorites) and a few other places.  Later we went to dinner at Lone Pine.

Over at Lone Pine, there is a nesting pair of Osprey.  You can get a real good look at them from the restaurant's deck.  But, by the time we got there it was so dark that we couldn't see them.  We vowed to come back before it was time to go and take some pictures.

But, since this post is a little long, you will just have to stay tuned for those pictures.  Oh, and as for a picture of my stitching on Day 3.....well.....there was no after dinner stitching that night since we didn't get back until after 11 PM.  After all, Hubby and Grandfather had to be up early the next morning for an 8 AM tee time.  Nine holes don't you know!

Happy Stitching!

P.S. for Claudia........your box will be in the mail this week!  Hopefully tomorrow!

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!

Autumn Begins

And so Summer must end. Therefore, it is quite fitting that I finished up my latest project on the first day of Autumn.

Summer Basket

Loose Feathers #38

by Blackbird Designs

Stitched one over two on 40ct Cupid's Blush by R&R Reproductions

Here are a few more views. I had to stitch the "X", "Y" and "Z" one over one. I also had to stitch my "H" that way as well. I used a half stitch since a full 'x' was way too bulky. The second picture is closest to the color of the fabric in real life. Just imagine it a little paler and you have it!

Now that I have finished this one, I should be able to start LHN's "Traveling Stitcher". I am lucky enough to be friends with a fabulous woman who gave me the stitching pocket to go along with the pattern. So, I'll be stitching it using the called for threads. Hopefully I'll be able to put needle to fabric tonight.

Speaking of LHN, I'm going to cave since Market is only a couple of days away. I know the pattern for LHN's Fairytale Series is up on her site, so I'm going to take the leap and show you the unframed models. I hope to have pictures of them in their frames after the weekend.

They aren't the best pictures, but they will give you an idea of what they will look like when stitched. For these models we used 30ct Tin Roof by Weeks Dye Works and used one strand of Belle Soie.

I would like to take a minute out and thank all of my readers. I love getting your comments! I would also like to thank each and every one of you. Through you I have connected to so many other great blogs.

Thanks again and Happy Stitching!

Manic Monday

I went from having absolutely nothing to do at work to having a desk full of bonus calculations and tax returns. When it rains, it pours! Speaking of rain, I wish we would break out of this afternoon thunderstorm patten. It starts turning dark around 4pm and makes traffic messier than normal. Oh well! What are you going to do but respect Mother Nature? (ETA: Wouldn't you know it? I write about rain and the sun is shining like there isn't a cloud in the sky.......HUMPH!!)

I've been real busy on the home front too. My needles have been smoking this past week and over the weekend. I finished LHN's "Winter Sampler" on Friday night. Only three short evenings to stitch that baby up......


I also started LHN's Rose Sampler on Saturday and I've been flying my way through that pattern as well. I would really like to finish it up tonight, but bills and other promised needlework have to come first. Maybe I'll try to sneak a few stitches on it in the morning while I do laundry so that hubby has a clean uniform. I'm stitching this one on 32ct Caramel Swirl Opalescent by Silkweaver and when I finish it will go on the Limited Edition Rose Thread Pouch by Impie, Hattie & Bea. Now maybe you understand why I'm so anxious to get it done!

Looking at this picture, I think I'm going to change my initials to the darker rose color (I haven't used it yet) so that they stand out more. This project is very special to me since it reminds me of my Grandmother. Her name was Rose.......

I've also joined a LHN exchange. So, in my spare time I'm going to have to come up with something and stitch that too. I didn't realize that my stitching was going to get so hectic when I originally signed up. At least I have an idea in my head and it's not due until October 1st!

Speaking of Dianne Williams, did you see that she has been featured in "The Gift of Stitching"?


I just love this pattern and I've already got it printed out. I would love to be able to pull all those luscious Crescent Colours tonight and go stash diving for some fabric. Alas, duties call........

I've got tons of stitching waiting in the wings, so I better set my needles back to smoking!

Happy Stitching!

Holiday Finish

This beautiful finish is brought to you by my best friend Sheryl. She was able to finish it before the holiday. I even got to help pick out the frame. Hopefully it will be back from the framer next week.

It is from the Red, White & Blue Leaflet by The Cross-Eyed Cricket. I don't know all of the specifics, but I have to say that this is a fabulous piece. Congrats Sheryl! You really worked that one up fast and in style!

And in the spirit of the holiday, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th filled with fun and fireworks!

As for myself, I've been very busy over the weekend. I spent a wonderful Friday at some Outlet Stores in the area. It's normally about a 45 minute ride, but due to the holiday and local amusement park traffic, our ride took about 20 minutes longer than we expected. It didn't dampen our spirits in the least! I was a good girl and bought hubby a new pair of Oakley's so that I couldn't feel guilty about spending more money in the Coach store. We all know I really didn't need that purse! Of course, it just called out to me.....it was destiny. I can't help it if the lining of the purse was my favorite color! (It's purple, of course!) It just jumped into my hands and forced me into the checkout line. Can you sympathize with me? We all know how those purchases go!

Saturday was spent at one of our local festivals. I'll have to make a separate entry about that later since I took a few pictures while I was there. Hubby & I were going to stay for the fireworks, but they let him off early (he was working there). We were both so tired by 6pm that we decided it wasn't worth it. I ended up watching fireworks from NY and Boston on TV instead.

Sunday was spent at the LNS. On the first Sunday of every month we have a get together where you can either stitch on a Loose Feathers Design (Blackbird), any Shepherd's Bush Design or an ornament. This month I chose to keep working on my current Loose Feathers "It's Berry Time".

This is where I was on Thursday evening before I started talking and stitching at the LNS for our weekly get together. (Sorry, the lighting wasn't too good!)


And now, here's my wip as of Sunday night:


It's all those eyelets and the few lazy daises that are taking so long!


And because I was asked, here's a current picture of HAED's "Bo Peep". As you can see, I'm at least halfway there. Now, if I could only finish my Loose Feathers, I can get back to this until the symbols make my eyes cross.


Happy Stitching!