Enchanted Swans and Frightful HDs

I finally found a charm to go on this piece, Enchanted Swans! This is a Just Nan limited edition that someone passed on to me (generously!). It didn't have the charm, of course, so I had to find a replacement. I tried painting a brass one I found, and it came out all blotchy. I think this silver one goes pretty well, better than the brass.

This is another Just Nan piece that I finished, Frightful. I think it would look good on a box, so I'll need to keep a look-out for a good one.

I visited Ginger's again and bought more fibers and beads. I also got a beautiful Christmas quilt/table runner for $40; I couldn't make it for that (and probably couldn't make it, period). It's so depressing seeing Ginger's almost completely stripped. :(

So does anyone remember my rant about losing weight? I sure do. The good news is that I've lost 20 pounds since mid-April. How? First, I set a goal of booking a Disney Cruise once I got to a certain weight. I have 2 pounds to go. Vacations are a big motivator to me. Also, I joined My Fitness Pal. It lets you track food and exercise, and you can get support from your online friends, kind of like a Facebook for being healthy. If anyone wants to join and add me, look for Arthemise1. I still have a long way to go, but I'm finally thinking it's possible! And I can now walk 3 miles in an hour -- pretty good for me.

Next bit of news... My 2002 Mazda Protege got rear-ended and totaled. I wasn't hurt, but it's very depressing to lose a car not by choice and acquire a new car payment. The new car is helping me ease the hurt. It's got as many dials as a space shuttle. OK, maybe not, but my engineer husband is loving it. It's by far the nicest car I've ever owned. It's a 2012 Infiniti G37, by the way. We got a great price on it.

I've been reading and playing Diablo III more than stitching lately, but that'll change at some point. It's a temporary slump.

Rose

I stitched Rose for Jo's round robin piece. I really like the pinks and purples in this one. Red roses are so boring.

Butterfly Fairy

I haven't posted in a while! My hobbies wax and wane, and lately it's been playing computer games, first Star Wars: The Old Republic and then Diablo III. I'll get back to cross stitching and reading, I'm sure.

In the mean time, here is a section of Butterfly Fairy I did for Debbie's piece for the Joan Elliott round robin.

I do have sad news: Ginger's in Austin is closing. Her landlord raised the rent higher than she could afford, and she has to close shop. I am devastated. Ginger's has been around since I started stitching and has been my haven for cross stitching. I will miss being able to browse and find exciting new things to stitch. She also won't be having the stitching retreats any more. There's nothing like getting together with your kind of people and talking about your passion. This makes me so very sad. Ordering materials online just isn't the same.