Lady of Shalott progress pic

I've started working on Legends of the Spellcasters, so I figured it would be good to get a photo of where I'm stopping for now on Lady of Shalott. I'm enjoying this piece, but I'm letting myself stitch where I want for the break. I deserve it! :-)

Stitching goals for the new year

Since I'm not sure if I'll feel up to writing after my sinus surgery Monday, I'll take care of my review of goals now. I didn't seem to do too well on my stitching goals this year, but I did get a lot of stitching done on Teresa Wentzler pieces, which I'm excited about. I also read a lot more this year. I have one series of Mercedes Lackey books left to read, and I can say I've read all her books. Then it's on to other favorite authors I've been meaning to read! And then there are all the illnesses. I was sick a full half the year--every month I got a sinus infection, and they usually last two weeks. That wears you down, but the surgery should take care of that.

Here's how I did, stitching-wise, in 2009 and what I hope to accomplish in 2010.

Pieces I finished in 2009:

• Autumn Faerie
• Winter Faerie
• Spring Faerie
• Medieval Miniature
• Sun Dragon
• Futurecast (six TWs for those who are counting!)
• Royal Blossoms
• Stitchie Witchie
• Heart Throb
• Violet Bouquet NR
• Tulip Time NR
• Victorial Floral NR
• Sweetheart NR
• Strawberry Patch NR
• Wildflowers NR (finished all the needlerolls in the series!)
• Teeny Tiny 'Love' Bag
• My First Gray Hare
• She Sells Seashells
• Happy Jack
• Finishing of Goblins
• Zelda's Fancy Hat

Current WIPs:

• Lady of Shalott
• Legends of the Spellcasters
• Spirit of the Snow Angel
• Rose Quilt
• Maggie the Messmaker
• Magnificent Wizard
• Eternal Promise

Review of stitching goals for 2009:

• Autumn Faerie--done
• Chatelaine's Rose and Butterfly Quilt--nope
• Maggie the Messmaker--no, but I did make a lot of progress on it
• Magnificent Wizard (work some on it)--nope
• Work on more Teresa Wentzler pieces--yes, a lot
• Start an embroidered knot garden--nope
• Try doll making/polymer clay--nope
• Make more cakes--a little

Stitching/craft goals for 2010:

• Maggie the Messmaker
• Magnificent Wizard (make some progress)
• Legend of the Spellcasters
• Lady of Shalott
• Summer Faerie
• Finishing of two Just Nans pieces

Merry Christmas!

My mom gave me the little fob shown above. I don't usually like fobs on my scissors (though I like to admire them), but this one is cute and doesn't get in the way. Now helping me "never lose my scissors again" as the card promises? Ha!

We had a very good day today, me, Matt, Mom, and Logan. Logan is old enough to understand presents, so he went nuts opening them. He loved the train set my mom gave him and all the Duplo blocks and cars we bought him. (The dinosaurs weren't a hit, at least not yet). He didn't know what to play with first. He haven't given him is trike yet because it's been too cold to go outside with it. This being Texas, we just have to wait a few days for warmer weather.

For Christmas, I received one of my cross stitch pieces framed (my idea) and a car stereo (Matt's idea). My stereo has been out for years, and it's driven me nuts the entire time, especially when I have to take the long drives in to work. I just need to get it installed now! My husband is tricky and clever.

Matt received assorted CDs and DVDs he requested, plus the Maglite he wanted. I bought him two T-shirts he says he likes. It's hard to judge how much he liked them, though. My mom bought him an RC helicopter that seemed to go over well, though it's steering isn't great.

My mom wants something for her sewing machine, so I'm pitching it for that. The one thing I bought that was a surprise didn't work--a key finder. You clap and it's supposed to go off. Not so well actually.

Right now I'm taking steroids and antibiotics in preparation for my sinus surgery Monday. That, of course, is keeping me awake all hours. I catch up on my sleep during the day, which is wreaking havoc with my schedule. But at least the meds are making me feel better when I'm not dead tired.

So an enjoyable Christmas with family and simple fun. I also got to stitch in the living room with my floor stand. Logan played with a few knobs, but when he didn't get anywhere with them, he left it alone. So nice to be able to stitch with my stand again! I've been working on Legends of the Spellcasters. I figured that since I had a break from work until January 4 and was having surgery next week, I deserved a new start. I'm also participating in the stitch-along on the TW bulletin board--just getting a head start.

And lastly, I had one of my best friends from school write me on Facebook. She was my best friend from kindergarten through junior high. We had a falling out and then never talked again. It always made me so sad and resentful thinking about it. I thought I would reject her friend request if she ever sent me one. But when she did, she apologized, and that released the flood in me. I never thought it would be such a relief to hear that. She and I will never be best friends again, but that's just a little more resentment I don't have to hold onto. Yes, I'm stubborn, and it's hard for me to give up on old wounds.

I hope you all had a good day too!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

Here's my progress on Lady of Shalott by Teresa Wentzler. Lots of wrinkles, huh? That's what happens when I use a small set of Qsnaps. I've started on the image in the mirror. We'll see how it comes out on this light-colored fabric.

I also received my fabric for Legends of the Spellcasters, my little splurge for the new year. I can't wait to do the floss toss and see what the colors look like.

If you're on Facebook, there's a group called Teresa Wentzler Cross Stitch SAL if you're interested. If I knew how to link to it I would. :-/

Finishing of Goblins

I finished the stitching of Goblins by Patricia Andrle in 2003 and always planned to get it framed. But now that I'm rethinking what pieces to get framed (because of the cost and lack of wall space), I decided to finish some of my smaller pieces as wall hangings and such. This piece I did all myself, with only a little consultation with my mother, the expert seamstress. To some this may be easy sewing, but to me it's quite an accomplishment since I've never been much for sewing. It's growing on me. I've even thought about making a quilt. Maybe someday.

Matt hung this for me in our office. He got to decide on the paint job in this one room. It's light grey with a darker grey stripe around the room. It looks pretty decent, in case you were wondering.

I've been working on Lady of Shalott and plan to take a progress picture maybe tomorrow.

Sinus surgery: I go in for sinus surgery next Monday. I haven't gotten too scared yet. What worries me right now is not eating until after the surgery. I tend to get nauseous and have stomach pains when I don't eat. But then I'm sure I'll have worse pains after the surgery to think about.

Right now we're dealing with getting ready for Christmas while we're all sick. We have the crackling lungs, and Logan at least has had to take breathing treatments. His breathing is sounding a lot better now, though. Getting the boy to sit still with a mask over his face has been challenging. Bribes of candy work wonders, but it's probably not the best thing for him.

Incidentally, I had an allergy test and am officially not allergic to anything. I had very mild reactions to cats and timothy (not that I've ever noticed), but they weren't bad enough to qualify me as allergic. That's pretty surprising because I thought I'd be allergic to something. Awesome.

End of the semester: Matt finished another semester, and that leaves only three to go (plus a summer session). He passed all his classes, which is a relief since some classes were in question. We're getting closer to that goal of his getting an electrical engineering degree and a good job! I can't wait!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

I finally finished the border. I think there may be some errors in the chart on the leaves since they were inconsistent. Not that anyone would notice. As you can see, I've started working on the drapes at the top. I still need to pull the rest of the floss for the piece.

I've also been working on the finishing of a wall hanging and managed to get it done this evening. I did the binding myself and everything! I am so proud since I'm not much of a seamstress. I need a dowel rod and some hooks and then will be able to hang it (somewhere...the walls are getting full). Pics soon!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

I've been making pretty good progress on this. It's fairly easy to tote around the house. Logan's letting me stitch while he plays with his toys, so I can stitch while looking after him now.

I plan to join a stitch-along in January with Teresa Wentzler's Legends of the Spellcasters and then Legends of the Dragons. If you're interested, check out the TWBB.

Sinus surgery: Since I've had 10 sinus infections in 10 months, the ENT ordered a CT scan and then determined I need surgery to clear out my sinuses and fix my deviated septum. I'll be having it right after Christmas, which means my birthday on December 31 might be spent recovering. Oh well, it's not like I was looking forward to turning 40!

Lady of Shalott progress pic

Not the greatest picture, but it shows my progress on Teresa Wentzler's Lady of Shalott. Progress has been slow because there are a lot of color changes and I haven't been using my stand.

I'm going to try to take a picture of all my needlerolls, but I need a bigger basket first.

Sick again: This is the 10th sinus infection in 10 months, so the doctor has referred me to an ENT. I really hope he can fix this without having to cut me. A few years ago I had a doctor comment that he was surprised I didn't get sick more often and they could scrape out my sinuses. I don't think I'd be as quick to say no now, but I still wouldn't be eager.

Last two Sweetheart Tree needlerolls done

I finally got the last bit of ribbon I needed to finish up these last two needlerolls (Violet Bouquet and Sweetheart). I am so happy to have these all done. I started the series at the beginning of 2008. It feels like I've been working on them a lot longer than that.

Now I've been working on the Spirit of Snow Angel by Brooke Nolan, but I'm having second thoughts about the perforated paper. I've already ripped a square out when trying to tuck a tail in (fixed it, though). I'm wondering how long this paper's going to last. I don't need it to last hundreds of years, but just through my lifetime would be nice. The angels are a fair amount of work and money, so I want them to be around for a while. The paper's also taking a bit of bending with all the stitching, Kreiniks, and beading. I could switch to fabric, but then I like the paper-doll quality of the pieces. Hm.

As you may have heard, TW Designworks has closed. This makes me very sad since Teresa Wentzler is my favorite designer. I still have lots of her designs to stitch, but there won't be any new pieces, not even Illuminata, which was promising to be something spectacular. This economy really sucks.

Halloween exchange received

Chris sent a beautiful Just Nan piece for the HoE Halloween exchange, plus a whole bunch of goodies. The piece is Fraidy Frog from the Sept./Oct. issue of Just Cross Stitch. She finished it as a really cute tin and did an excellent job with it. It's one I probably would have stitched for myself eventually, and now I don't have to!

She also sent the chart and a frame for Moon Riders. I've admired this chart for a while. She also sent some orange TicTacs, but they inexplicably disappeared. They are my favorite, so they didn't last long. They remind me of baby aspirin from when I was a kid. Yes, I liked them!

Not much stitching going on lately, which is so unusual for me. I pulled out Skeleton Crew and hope to put in a few stitches. I noticed the fabric's gotten warped, undoubtedly from my Qsnaps last time I worked on it. The Wichelt fabric is so loosely woven that the strands move around a lot. Bleh. I hope I can get the fabric back into shape. It's not motivating me to stitch.

Sick, sick, and more sick: We've all had a few rounds of illnesses lately. The latest one is Logan's pink eye, which had been going around daycare. The drops the doctor gave him yesterday have really helped. I'm hoping the rest of us don't get it.

Finishing of Gray Hare

This morning I put the bow on a second pinkeep, My First Gray Hare by 4 My Boys. Let's see what other items I can pull out to finish up.

Finishing of Stitchie Witchie

I completed the finishing of Stitchie Witchie by Brooke Nolan as a rather large pinkeep. I used some fabric and ribbon that I received in an exchange too!

Remember Zelda's Fancy Hat I was selling in a charity auction at work? It sold for $26, and the minimum bid was $25. Rather disappointing.

I'm still searching for the right colors of ribbon to finish the needlerolls. So far Wal-Mart, Joann's, and Hobby Lobby have not had what I'm looking for. I even looked online and haven't had any luck yet.

Almost finished with all the needlerolls!

I haven't had much time to myself recently(my mom's away on a trip, and Matt's been studying nonstop), but I did get a little time to work on these needlerolls here and there. I just have two left to finish up. I'm missing some 1/8-inch ribbon in colors 503 and 3041/3042. I'll have to check around for them. Then I can say I've finally finished this series of Sweetheart Tree needlerolls! What an effort it was. I also need to find a bigger basket for my needlerolls. (The rest of the series is on my Sweetheart Tree page.)

I've been more in the mood for finishing than stitching lately anyway (very strange for me). I have a few other pieces I'd like to finish off as pinkeeps. Stay tuned.

In other news, my Zelda's Fancy Hat is about to go up on auction for my work's charity event. We set a minimum bid of $25. I've already had one person tell me she'll bid on it. We'll see how high it goes! I'm very excited.

Halloween exchange

Marie received my Halloween exchange package, so now I can show it off. I stitched Happy Jack by Knotted Tree Needlearts from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue. I found this cool paper mache box at Michaels, and it's just perfect. Even the colors match the piece. You can see more pics. I had already sealed up the envelope, but I have some stickers and a cool card in there. Matt found the card for me at the grocery store. It's one of those that you tilt to see different pictures, and a cute little pumpkin turns into a big scary jack-o-lantern. The extras are a little sparse this year. I usually go nuts for Halloween, but really I didn't find anything I liked much this year.

So I'm sick again with a sinus infection or something. I went to the doctor last Friday and got antibiotics. I was feeling great. Then I started feeling bad again. Poor Matt has it too, and his eardrum ruptured. So, since I'm feeling so bad, I decided I'd better stay home this weekend. Yet another stitching get-together that I'm going to miss, this one at Jo's in Houston. I'm really disappointed. I had been planning to go to this for months. I'm going to try to make myself feel a little better by spending some money on stash tomorrow. Still, not happy about this and feeling sorry for myself. I may need to go to the doctor again Monday for more antibiotics.

Stitchie Witchie HD

While looking through the Just Cross Stitch ornament preview issue (July/August), I fell in love with Brooke Nolan's spirit angels! I'm not usually one for angels, but I love these. I ordered a few from her website. I joined her Yahoo bulletin board, where she has some free charts. Stitchie Witchie is one of them. I just couldn't wait to stitch her! I'll turn this into a padded matboard ornament, I think.

Halloween argh!

That's all I can call it. I was working on my Halloween exchange piece, Halloween Spot Motif Shoe, from the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issue, which I finally received after Nordic Needle was out and Ginger's delayed shipping on me twice. I stitched it on some large-count fabric I had on hand, over one. Bad idea. I put interfacing on it, sewed it together, and tried to flip it inside out. It was too bulky, and all my attempts just shredded the fabric. So the entire stitched piece wound up in the garbage, and I threw away that fabric just so I wouldn't be tempted to use it again. Argh! So now I have to figure out something else to stitch, but I think I'm going to take a break. I'm too annoyed to enjoy it.

Family outing: Yesterday Matt, Logan, and I went to the Austin Children's Museum. It was...mediocre. The baby section was too boring for Logan, and the other areas were mostly too big for him (as in he couldn't understand them or wasn't tall enough to see them). He eventually started to enjoy what he could do, but it took a while. At least I don't have to keep wondering if he's missing out. Also, he's been babbling up a storm lately, giving a good try at saying most words. There are many sounds he can't say yet, but he's giving it a go at least.

Zelda's Fancy Hat finished

Here's Zelda's Fancy Hat finished! (Click for bigger pics.) I'm donating this to a silent auction at work. I was going to show pics at every step, but with everything going on, I didn't get to it. No worries, I'm going to do a second hat, so I hope to take pics then. I learned a few things along the way, so maybe this will make my own hat better!

Whole bunch of sick: As you can tell, I haven't blogged in weeks! But then I've been sick with a sinus infection for about three weeks now (Levaquin to the rescue!). Matt wound up in the hospital with rhabdomyalosis, which means all his muscles were breaking down. They gave him IV fluids and bicarb, and his levels eventually came down. There are two theories: drug interaction since he was taking meds for severe back pain or a virus (the catch-all). He's all better now. Oh, and Logan got a stomach bug (fever, diarrhea, etc.). My mom caught something the other day, fortunately after we were all on our feet. Everyone's on the mend now. Matt just needs to catch up on a week's worth of schoolwork, poor guy!

Zelda's Fancy Hat pieced together

Sewing the pieces together was really easy. The owner of the local quilt store gave me the idea of putting a piece of thick tape on the 1/4-inch mark on my sewing machine to help guide the fabric, and that worked really well. Much better than buying an expensive foot for my sewing machine! Next is basting these onto large pieces of muslin. Then the stitching can begin! I'm looking forward to that part.

By the Sea exchange from Lisa V.

Here is a photo of the exchange Lisa V. sent me for HoE's By the Sea exchange. The cute little pillow is Wee Seashore by Heart in Hand. She stitched it on 28-count ice blue evenweave and added the small shell button. Logan helped me open the package, and it took forever to get those buttons away from him. He really liked them! I'll have to make something for him using them. I really appreciate what she sent and will use the extras with a good heart! Thank you, Lisa!

Zelda's Fancy Hat cut out

I managed to cut out my pieces last night for Zelda's Fancy Hat. I'm going to chronicle my progress in case you're interested. I cut out two of each in hopes of doing the second one for a charity auction. I'm excited! Now if I could just find a 1/4-inch foot for my sewing machine.... The next step is sewing it together, and I'm not sure I can freehand it.

Missed the gathering in Dallas

First Logan got sick, then my mom, and then me. So that made me miss the gathering of stitchers in Dallas-Fort Worth yesterday. I had been looking forward to this for weeks! This always seems to happen when I have plans. I'm pretty unhappy about it. I really wanted to meet my fellow stitchers from the boards.

So instead I stayed home in bed and read a book (a good book, granted). I also managed to trace and cut out my pattern on freezer paper for Zelda's Fancy Hat. I am toying with the idea of making two hats, one for me and one for the silent auction for charity at work. We'll see how it goes. I need to get cracking if I'm going to do it.

I have a free chart up for offer. It is She Sells Seashells by Country Cottage Kids, which I stitched for an exchange. The pattern is not perfectly crisp anymore (it's plain paper), and I've misplaced the plastic bag for it, but it doesn't have any marks. If you'd like it, please leave a comment with your email address (or email me your address if you don't want to post it). I'll draw a name if there's more than one person interested.

Coming soon: a progress pic of Lady of Shalott.

Lady of Shalott

I began this in June but have only now started working on it in earnest. It is very rich looking, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I do need to work on Maggie the Messmaker some more since one of my goals for the year was to finish it, but I'm indulging myself a little right now.

Incidentally, I had a reader ask about the Barnabee's Quest SAL a while back and never got to answer (please leave an email address if you have a specific question for me). The SAL was one that a few of us did together and wasn't on a website or anything. I think everyone has finished their pieces now.

Also, Babs asked where I found the Sweetheart Tree needleroll patterns. I found them in a variety of places, and some are sold out. Stitches and Stuff has some on their website. Sorry I can't be more help.

By the Sea exchange

Nic received the Hooked on Exchanging (HoE) exchange I sent, so I can show a photo now. This is She Sells Seashells by Country Cottage Needleworks. The back of the little pillow has a pretty blue-green fabric similar to the ones I sent her. It's so nice having a quilt shop in town now!

This was a fun stitch. I replaced the Crescent Colors with Weeks Dye Works. CCs bleed so easily that I'm afraid of using them anymore. I think I used an entire skein of amber for the sand! I changed up a few colors because I'm not fond of persimmon.

Wildflowers Needleroll HD

I finished this one last Sweetheart Tree needleroll today! That's the last of the series, and I'm so relieved. While I enjoyed stitching them, they're so similar that it got monotonous at times--and I have a high tolerance for monotonous stitching!

Most of these are done on Wichelt fabric, but the color for this one (champagne) was discontinued. I chose Zwiegart putty instead. Let me just say how much I prefer Zwiegart over Wichelt. Wichelt linen is coarse and see-through. Zwiegart linen is soft and denser. It also seems to have fewer slubs. I haven't really paid much attention to the maker of linens, but the difference is so pronounced, I can't ignore it. I think I'm going to stick to Zwiegart linens from now on, no matter what the design calls for.

Warhammer: Matt and I have been enjoying playing Warhammer Online. We're not letting it get to addiction level, though. That way lies madness. Once Matt starts the fall semester (in a week and a half), we're going to have less time to spend on it anyway.

My little biter: Logan got sent home from daycare the other day because he had bitten other kids three times. We emphasize to him how wrong that is, but it doesn't seem to get through. Ah, the terrible twos.

Facebook: Matt's gone and gotten me addicted to Facebook. It's so weird seeing my classmates from high school--only older and with kids that look just like them.

Dragon Alphabet framed

Here is a picture of Dragon Alphabet all framed, as promised. This one reminds me of the days when Matt and I were dating. I'd stitch on this piece while I listened to Matt and his friends game.

Yesterday I put the last stitches on the finishing of my By the Sea exchange piece for Hooked on Exchanging. I'll try to mail it off tomorrow. I think it came out rather nice, and I wouldn't mind keeping it, even though it's not my style. I try to stitch the piece I think my partner would like, not the piece I would like. There's no guarantee I'll get it right, but I try.

Cupcake: Here's yet another cupcake. These were a request from Matt, who loves peanut butter. They were good, especially the icing, but fortunately peanut butter is not my thing. They were safe!

Strawberry Patch Needleroll HD

Have you ever liked your mistake better than the way a pattern was charted? That's what happened to me here. I mistook a square symbol for a circle symbol and put beads where there should have been dark red stitches. I thought it looked different for a Sweetheart Tree pattern to have all those beads, but I double checked even! In my defense, the ST charts are tiny, faint, and hand drawn. I did really like the effect; even my mom commented on how pretty it is. Then I saw the symbol correctly on the smaller flower lines and realized what I had done. Normally I would have ripped it out to stay true to the designer's vision. But I really liked it! So I gritted my teeth and left it as is. Click on the photo to get a better look. It's very sparkly.

This is my second to last Sweetheart Tree needleroll, and I have the fabric for the last one. I ordered it along with a chart for the By the Sea exchange, which I'm furiously stitching on. It's a little large for an exchange piece, but it was all I could figure out to stitch.

I also ordered the Weeks Dye Works for Zelda's Hat. My mom bought me a ton of different black fabrics, so I'll need to start that soon.

Futurecast HD

Here's my second Futurecast by Teresa Wentzler. In 2006, I did a blue/silver version that I called Ice. I had the idea to flip the image and do a fire version. It took me a while to find an overdyed floss I liked (this still isn't "fire" enough for me)...and then I didn't work on it for a few years. I got the urge to work on this one again the other day, and since my mom's out of town and Matt and I had full babysitting duties, I worked on this one most of the weekend.

Logan is thankfully leaving my cross stitch stuff alone, with some reinforcement, but when you're the only caregiver, it's too much work to be able to stitch for any continuous amount of time. The boy's a handful!

Cupcakes: The cupcakes I've been featuring in my blog are from the book Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. You can probably also find them online if you do a search.

Sweetheart Needleroll HD

This one was very quick to stitch. I'm not fond of the eyelets that every one of these has. There isn't much space to anchor the thread, and the eyelets rarely come out looking good since they're done with perle cotton (or maybe it's just me). One of the eyelets also had a big slub get in the way--ugh. I do like the look of the needlerolls, and the stitching itself is fun (other than the eyelets). I have two left, though I'm missing some champagne/putty fabric for one of them. I'll wait to order it once I need something else because you know I'll need something else right after I place the fabric order.

I've been agonizing over what to stitch for the By the Sea exchange for HoE. I should get my partner's name today. I usually like to pick the chart after I get the name so I can stitch something she likes. But this one only has a month before it's mailed out, which probably doesn't leave enough time to order a chart. I've already checked the LNS. I probably would have stitched the Just Nan mermaid piece if Ginger's would have had it in stock.

Chocolate chip cupcakes

I think these were my favorite so far. The cupcake is white with semisweet chocolate chips, and the icing is dark chocolate with nonpareils (like a Snowcap!). I made a batch of these and some cheesecake cupcakes for a birthday party (which I didn't get to go to because I had to stay home with Logan). They were a hit; I got a lot of nice comments after the fact. :-)

It's also time for my ort jar and the Totally Useless SAL.

Victorian Floral HD

I finished this needleroll yesterday (I'll put it together later). I had thought about stitching it on something other than white since so many of these are white, but even cream fabric had the colors washing out. The next one is antique white (almost indistinguishable from white), and the floss colors are also very pale.

Spring Faerie HD

Here she is! This one definitely took longer than the other two. I think it just had more confetti to it. I also didn't preblend my floss on this one. Oh, and there's Warhammer Online, which we just started playing....

So to talk about recent stash acquisitions... When I went to Ginger's this past weekend, I picked up Bewitching Cross Stitch. She said she orders one copy at a time, and they keep disappearing! So I obliged and made this one disappear. I also picked up an embroidery pattern, Zelda's Fancy Hat. Matt spotted it, and he knows how much I like Halloween items. I haven't done embroidery in a long time, but I just have to do this one. I'll need to go shopping for some black fabric. Also, today a pattern came in from an eBay auction, Quilted Bear by Just Nan. I have been looking for this one for a long time, and now I have it!

What to start next...I may work on Lady of Shalott or one of my other WIPs. We'll see what bubbles to the surface.

Spring Faerie update

Not far now! I should be able to finish the stitching and beading this week.

I made a trip in to Austin this weekend to pick up my reframed Dragon Alphabet. I'll get some pics up soon. I also bought a few items at Ginger's, which I'll tell you about too. ;-)

Cupcakes: It's time for another cupcake. This is marble cupcake, and it tasted great. It's very light, though I kept choking on the fine texture. You shouldn't breathe in your cupcakes!

Tulip Time Needleroll HD

I finally finished this Sweetheart Tree needleroll. I've been working on it here and there for over a month. I'll turn it into a needleroll later, when the mood strikes me.

So I now have four more ST needlerolls to go. I plan to do them all because I'm a completist. I have to admit they're getting tedious by now because they're all so similar, but I just have to look at my basket of needlerolls to know it's worth it. I think they're so pretty.

I made a small purchase recently. I bought a "beading mat" in order to make the minimum order when I needed to replace my plastic bead case (which I shattered). What came in was a thick piece of fuzzy fabric, kind of like velour. I was skeptical to say the least. I tried it today, and it's actually pretty nice! My beads don't go skittering across my desk anymore to land somewhere in the carpet (and accompanying dog fur) where they're lost forever. I also picked up a little wooden bellpull rod; I can never find those when I need them.

Recipe

Zeb asked for the recipe for the Boston cream pie cupcakes. Ta da.

Spring Faerie update and Boston cream pie cupcakes

I got a pretty good bit done this week, with the holiday. Another two weeks should do it. But Matt and I have started playing Warhammer Online, which has taken up a good bit of time lately. (If anyone wants a key for a free trial, let me know.)

Cupcakes: Last week I made Boston cream pie cupcakes, which tasted really good. I now have a good recipe for pastry cream and chocolate ganache! The cupcakes were rather messy. I think a cake is a better choice than a cupcake for these.

Spring Faerie update

She's coming along pretty well. I ran out of a color, but my mom's supposed to pick it up today.

Rather annoying news: I found a fradulent charge on my credit card this weekend, so I had to go through the hassle of canceling my card. Argh!

Cookies and cream cheesecake cupcakes

We have a winner! These cupcakes from the Martha Stewart book came out really well. Matt loves cheesecake, but I rarely have any luck with them. These mini cheesecakes have Oreos in the bottom and were really easy to make.

Also, I'm very tardy with my ort jar picture for the Totally Useless SAL. I've been pretty busy stitching on Spring Faerie. New pic tomorrow!

Spring Faerie update

I didn't manage to stitch much this past week because I was pretty sick with bronchitis. Logan's almost completely better, and I'm on the mend finally. I'm really tired of being sick every other month.

To answer those who asked, no, Hobby Lobby did not give me a refund. I didn't ask because the person who told me they used acid-free materials (some student) was long gone, and I had no proof. Believe me, I was so sick when I realized they had framed all my stuff that way. I still have four or five pieces I need to get redone. And umpteen million that aren't framed at all.

Spring Faerie update

Not much progress this week. Still working on that wing.

This weekend I disassembled Dragon Alphabet because Hobby Lobby had not framed it with acid-free materials (after telling me they did). The mat and foam core hadn't burned the fabric, but the frame had! The edges were dark yellow. I washed the piece in Orvus, and it didn't come out at all, as I expected. I brought it to the LNS in Austin to have it redone. The framer is going to use tape or something on the frame to protect the fabric from further damage. I have a few other pieces I need to get redone when money permits.

While at the LNS, I picked up Witch's Hat Scissors Case by Historic Stitches. I just couldn't resist!

I also started TW's Lady of Shalott at long last. I've just put a few stitches in, but I feel good about it.

Kid's sick again: Logan apparently picked up a bug at the hospital. He has a runny nose, cough, and fever, and the doctor said it's in his chest now. Poor kid. Oh, and yes, Mommy did get it too.

Mint-filled brownie cupcakes

This week I tried another of Martha Stewart's cupcakes. I was again underwhelmed. This one has a peppermint patty inside a hard brownie. The peppermint puffed up and split most of the cupcakes. Then it shrank as it cooled and became a hard piece of candy, rather than the soft center they show in the picture. They tasted OK, but I wasn't overly impressed. My mom's coworkers seem to like them, though. :-)