Behind the Gate by Blue Ribbon Designs

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Behind the Gate

Damier Part 8

I managed to chart a W and add it. I'm not thrilled that the piece is off balance, but at least it has all its letters. If I had noticed this before I started, I probably wouldn't have started. Yes, I'm funny like that. Ah well. Just one more line to go, and it is a very cute piece. I'm thinking I'll turn it into a wall hanging.

I also finished my Think Pink exchange piece this weekend and did most of the finishing. I just have a little left to do. I think it's turning out rather nice. I don't know where the time went on this one. I have just a few more weeks before I can mail it out.

The hurricane: We have some relatives riding out Hurricane Gustav in Louisiana. We're thinking of them.

Received my Biscornu Exchange

I received the most wonderful package from Jill! The biscornu is Manuela's Sunflower by Chatelaine. I love Chatelaine designs, so she did a good job picking this one. The little ladybug in the center is so cute. I showed the biscornu to Logan, and he smiled hugely and tried to pull the ladybug off. I had to then remove it from sight, of course. The back button is a sunflower--so appropriate.

She also sent a bunch of other items, just overwhelming! She must have read my mind because I love them all. First off, as you may remember, I've been collecting 1/8-inch ribbon for my needlerolls, so I have more! I've also been using marking pins now that I have some, and I love the one she made for me; the heart is just my taste. I recently asked Carol what floss drops are, and now I have one! This will go well with next month's Finishing Challenge piece, which is a floss ring tag. I've wanted to try Piecemaker needles for a long time, and now I can, with my favorite size for 32-count, 28s. And other goodies--Needle Necessities (yummy purple), floss numbers (which I've also wanted to try), a bobbin box (which I always need), and a packet of Gloves in a Bottle (which I use). I bow down before Jill's awesomeness! :-)

I've been working on my Think Pink Exchange piece, but I discovered that I miscounted, so I have a good bit of ripping to do. Bleh. That will slow me down, but I have lots of time. I also need to start thinking about the Halloween and Pumpkin Patch Exchanges on the SBEBB, but I'll finish this one first.

Rock Band: Matt's friend brought over Rock Band (and his X-Box 360) yesterday, and they had a lot of fun. I had fun watching. Since I can't sing and have no hand-eye coordination, I just watched. I wish the version for the Wii was better than it is cause we'd get it, but I'm not buying another game system. Oh, and I think Matt's getting sick now....

SBEBB Biscornu Exchange

Valerie received the package I sent, so now I can show off what I created for the SBEBB Biscornu Exchange. This is Christmas Ornament by Jodi Watson, a freebie I found somewhere. The fob is the center portion repeated, and I personalized both items. Times are lean, so the extras were a little sparse.

Baby: Yesterday we got a wave out of Logan. It seems like such a little thing, but it means so much to us parents. It's a big step toward communication. The first time, Matt moved Logan's hand for him. Thereafter, if someone waved at him, he flapped his hand back. My boy's getting so big!

Diet: I have now lost 20 pounds, and this time it's real weight, not just water. The illness helped control my appetite, but I've been making a conscious effort to be good. I haven't been able to exercise because of the sinus infection, but I'll start that again soon.

It's Halloween HD

I put the finishing stitches on this today (click the picture for a better image). I didn't think I was in a Halloween mood, but I keep doing Halloween pieces. This one is It's Halloween by Drawn Thread. I thought someone had given the chart to me, but I can't find any information on who would have given it to me. In any case, I'm glad to get it done. I've had my eye on it for quite a while.

I substituted WDW Carrot for the Gentle Art Brandy (which I placed a special order for, argh). The Brandy was so close to the Gold Leaf in the candy corn that there was almost no difference between the two, and Brandy was definitely not orange for the pumpkins. The model's skein of Brandy must have been very different from mine, or someone tweaked the photo a whole lot. The model definitely shows orange.

Next, I'll probably work on the piece for my Think Pink exchange on the SBEBB. I have months to work on it, but I like to finish early just in case something comes up (like being sick for a week, bleh). I also signed up for the Pumpkin Patch and Halloween exchanges. I just love fall. I can't wait til it gets cooler!

Speaking of which, we got rain -- finally! We had 2-2/3 inches and some definite storm rumblings yesterday. I love hearing it rain, something I miss from Louisiana. We need a whole lot more rain, but it's a start.

Halloween Fob HD

I received my missing beads and finished Halloween Fob by the Sweetheart Tree. This is one I've been wanting to do for a while. I received the chart from my wishlist in an SBEBB Harvest exchange with Carol. Thanks so much!

So now I'm going to whine a bit (OK, a lot). I've been sick for an entire week now, and I'm just starting to get out of bed and do things today. Last Sunday I took a nap and woke up with bad nausea, a headache, and chills. Stomachaches are common with me (hiatal hernia anyone?), but chills are not. Matt knew I was sick because I never wear socks in the house, and certainly not in August! Tuesday night I started feeling better, but then Wednesday morning the sore throat and sinus stuff hit. The doctor said sinus infection, but he said a lot of people have been coming in with the same symptoms (some kind of bug?). My mom also got sick with a sinus infection but not the nausea. I've been taking my antibiotics, which help a lot, and the antihistamine, which knocks me out. So I've had a completely wasted week (I didn't even stitch!) that will take up most of my leave time from work. Matt's had to take care of all of us, so he's completely worn down. The good thing is that neither he nor Logan have gotten sick. I'm hoping it stays that way.

First trip to a restaurant

Yesterday the family went to Macaroni Grill, the first time Logan had ever been in a restaurant. He behaved so well, as long as something kept his attention. Unfortunately, there weren't many people there for him to watch (it was dead a little after noon--very strange). We had to take up some of the slack with bits of bread. He gobbled down his baby food the minute we got there.

My little man is about 10 months old now. He looks so much older in this picture.

I also hit the LNS, which I hadn't done in a long time. I picked up a few threads for an exchange and the Just Cross Stitch Christmas preview and Halloween issues. There are a few I want to do from the Halloween issue.

Our main purpose for going in to Austin was a trip to Sam's. We picked up a few things, including 14 pounds of powdered sugar. I go through a lot of the stuff.

Maggie the Messmaker update

I finally finished this quarter of Maggie the Messmaker. One of my goals was to finish this piece this year, but that's not going to happen. Oh well, I still want to make some progress this year. It's a cute piece, even if it is a Dimensions kit (cough, gag).

Also, here's the promised photo of the needlerolls I've stitched. I moved them around so you can see them all.


Oh, and Anubis kept trying to get in the shot, so I took one of him. He was purring so hard he couldn't keep his eyes open. Poor kitty is on a special diet because he throws up so much (food allergies, the vet says), which makes him hungry a lot. And of course for kitties, hungry = affectionate.

Diet: My own diet is going OK. I've been getting on the treadmill in addition to working out at the chiropractor's. I thought you were supposed to just lie there while the chiropractor worked on you, but man, I get out of there sweating! Right now he has me on the treadmill (forward, sideways, backwards) and doing exercises for my back and legs. I'm getting better, but I still hurt a lot. (My bad back is a result of my pregnancy, by the way.)

Cool links

I just thought I'd share a few link. You probably know some of these.

Cute Overload -- Cute stuff
I Can Has Cheezburger -- Cute kitties
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog -- Three episodes by Joss Whedon, comic books meet musicals
Cake Wrecks -- I hope never to see my cakes here!
Typo Hunt across America -- For the editor in me

Hey, it's 8/8/08!

Celestial finishing

I finished this fob on my lunch hour. It's Celestial Sun by Teresa Wentzler and Celestial Moon by Dragon Dreams. After I sewed the pieces together, I anchored my thread firmly and then turned the fob right side out. And that's when things went wrong. My linen started coming apart. Argh! I used a little Fray Check to hold the linen ends in place and then tried my best to hide the pulled threads. It's OK, but one seam is lumpy. That really aggravates me. I guess when I use the sewing method, I need to use Fray Check on the edges before I start sewing the pieces together.

So now I have a finished piece that just irritates me. I really don't want to stitch it again. Sigh. I guess I'll put it with Needle Guardian, which I'm also not happy with. My TWs mean more to me than other pieces, and thus frustrate me more when they're not perfect.

Damier Part 7

I am now up to date on this piece! If you wonder what the second block is, Maryse said it's jam jars. I was wondering there. You'll also notice that I only have two lines to go and then the outer border. Yay!

Simone explained the missing W: apparently the old French alphabet didn't have the W or J. Bummer. I'll probably either cram the Y and Z into one block or replace the middle image with a letter (which do you think is better?). I'm an editor, and I can't have a missing letter in the alphabet. They'll take away my Chicago Manual of Style.

Traffic cone HD

I have been cross stitching, honest, but there's not much to show right now. I finally finished this crochet amigurumi piece that I've been wanting to do for months. I had to create the pattern myself, which is what took so long. I wasn't anxious to experience the trial and error I knew was necessary. I only had to restart twice, which isn't too bad. I work for a transportation agency, so I'm thinking I'll put this up at the next charity auction. I have plans for several improvements to the pattern, so I may wind up making more if they're popular.

I managed to stitch for a few hours on Maggie the Messmaker last night, and I've been working on the outlining on Damier. Something I discovered about the latter...the designer left out the W in the alphabet! Oh no! I've taken French, I know they have W in their alphabet, so what the hell??? I guess I'll have to try squeezing Y and Z together in one square; otherwise, it'll drive me nuts.

New mixer!

The big news: my mom bought me a Kitchen Aid Professional stand mixer! This thing is huge and awesome. I can't wait to try it out.

This is the cake I made at the last session of my Wilton I class. I've been just slapping stuff together in class (I'm slow--can you believe it?), but this one came out pretty good despite my hurrying. I brought it to work, and they really liked it (at least that's what they said). If you'd like to read my cake-baking adventure, check out my cake page.

Stitching: I stitched up a Halloween fob, but I'm missing a pack of beads. They should be in soon. Have I mentioned I really like Threadneedle Street? I can buy small pieces of linen for a reasonable price. I did break down and get a few (more) items. It's so hard being on the wagon!

Baby: Logan's getting bigger and bigger! We took him to a wedding, and he had a blast. He can be very whiny at times, but he was perfect the entire time. He didn't cry or scream at the wedding, though he did growl a bit (...protect us from evil...grrrrrrrr...). He was happy at the reception because he got to see everyone and ate everything we gave him (bread, cheese, mashed potatoes, even lemon). He yawned a lot since he had missed a few naps, but he didn't let that stop him. Oh, and his two top teeth are so close to popping. You can see them bulging his gums. He's been pooching out his lips lately; it's his new favorite thing. People at the wedding said he was so cute. One lady even said he was the cutest little boy she had ever seen. Of course I think so, but I'm highly biased. Once I get some pics from the wedding, I'll post one and you can judge for yourself. But don't disillusion this proud momma. :-)

Blueberry Needleroll finishing HD

Here's the fifth Sweetheart Tree needleroll I've done. Only eight more to go! I'll have to take a picture of my little needleroll collection.

I'm having trouble working on larger pieces right now. I can't keep my stand in the living room because Logan loves the thing. I have to drag it out every night I want to stitch, and often I'm not spending a lot of time in the living room anyway. So that makes smaller projects easier to work on since I can take them with me. I have the urge to do some Halloween smalls, but I'm missing some beads. Hm.

Many thanks to Lee for the links to the ort bags. Apparently they're also called scrap caddies. I'd like to make one for myself eventually, and I've though about making some to sell on Etsy. But they're selling for $10-15. That's a lot of work for not much profit. I'm still thinking of some ways to make a little extra money to pay for supplies.

Blueberry Needleroll HD

Here is my latest needleroll by the Sweetheart Tree. I finished it up between games today. I'll turn it into a needleroll soon.

Double XP weekend

This weekend is the double experience points (XP) event on City of Heroes/Villains, our computer game of choice. I took today off, and we plan to spend most of the weekend playing (minus times when Mom needs a break from the kiddo). Oh, and we recently got our fifth character to level 50, the maximum level in this game. Time to start a new one!

Matt also got me to play a game of Civilization with him. It was pretty cool, but I just don't know what I'm doing yet. That makes it a little less fun.

Stitching: I'm almost finished Blueberry Needleroll from the Sweetheart Tree. Pics soon!

I need some help here. I'd like to find a website that has instructions on how to make those arm-chair ort bags. Or maybe a website that sells them.

Mini Topiary 6 Finishing HD

Lots to talk about! On the stitching front, I finished up Mini Topiary 6 into a needleroll yesterday. I also received my goodies from Threadneedle Street yesterday, so this morning I fixed up the closure for my Boo Scissor Purse. I can also start working on my Sweetheart Tree needlerolls again! I'm missing a few of the heart charms, but I have enough to keep me busy for a while.

Cake: I took my first class Thursday night, Wilton Class 1. I didn't learn much that I didn't already know, but I was glad that I was prepared. We decorated our own cakes. Everyone finished before me, but I did a better job than most of them. Some cakes really looked bad. Mine doesn't look perfect, but it's pretty good. So, we iced our own cakes (but didn't have time to let them crust and smooth them), outlined, filled in stars, and did the border. The week after next is part two.

I had another class this morning, this time on baking. I learned some good recipes and techniques. Again, I was glad that I had some knowledge to work with. We got to sample a few cakes--yum! I'll need to try them out. I also got to browse the cake store. It was just as thrilling as going to an LNS for the first time!

Mini Topiary 6

This is a design by Jeannette Douglas. I'm going to turn it into a needleroll. I substituted for the Needle Necessities and beads I didn't have, but I think it turned out well. I also recentered a few lines.

I put a few stitches into Maggie. Perhaps if I can stop working on smalls, I can get to working on it!

Sheepies!

I had lunch with Cheryl the other day, and she gave me my Christmas present from a while back. We'd been having some trouble getting together, what with me having a baby and all. She commissioned some polymer-clay sheep since I've done a few pieces with sheep on them. Aren't they adorable? They're technically knitting markers, but I just like to take them out and look at them!

Also stashed in there is Chippy Cthulhu. Cheryl said he was for Matt, but I think I'm keeping him! He's so cute! (Can an Elder God be cute?)

Thanks again, Cheryl! I love them!

Oh, and I finished the Boo Scissor Keeper today. At least I was kind of productive over the holiday.

Boo Scissor Keeper and Purse HD

I've almost completed the finishing of Boo Scissor Purse (more pics). I'm missing some pearl cotton for the closure, so I had to order some. (And while I was ordering, I got the materials for the Sweetheart Tree needlerolls--I couldn't take it anymore! Shop--buy--spend!).

I finished the stitching of the companion piece, Boo Scissor Keeper, last night. I'll turn it into a fob in the next few days.

I received this chart off my wishlist from Carol during an exchange. Thanks again, Carol! I just love Halloween pieces.

I'm going to start working on a freebie from Jeannette Douglas as soon as I get the supplies squared away. And Maggie the Messmaker's on the to-do list at some point too.

Holiday: We had a quiet Fourth of July (other than the illegal fireworks our neighbors shot in the very dry subdivision--not that I'm bitter). Matt grilled for us, which is always great. I took a break from making cakes, which was surprisingly hard. I have my first class next week. I'm both excited and nervous.