Pip Stitch

January 2012 TUSAL Update

2012-01-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

There's a new moon today so time for my first TUSAL report of the year. Not a great picture, I know.

What's a TUSAL, you ask. TUSAL stands for Totally Useless Stitch-a-long and it's hosted by Sharon at It's Daffycat. Despite the name, there isn't any actual stitching going on. It's more of bizarre hoarding situation. (No, not really.) What you do is toss your floss ends (you may know them as ORTs or thread clippings) into a jar and every time there's a new moon, you share a picture of the jar on your blog. You can find out more about the 2012 TUSAL over here.

I started with an empty jar for 2012 so all the ORTs in my jar are from this year. I've been working on a cross stitch called Ready for the Morning Ride plus I decided to re-do some of one called Little Blue Bungalow because I wasn't thrilled with the colors I used so there's lots of leftovers from ripping out stitches in that jar.

Get Crafty For The Troops And Homeless Dogs

2012-01-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Stitching Corp is a group that started out sending cross stitched Christmas ornaments to the troops and their families, and now they're accepting other handmade items (bookmarks, greeting cards, key rings, bags for wheelchairs & walkers) all year long. I heard about Stitching Corp via CyberStitchers.com, which has a list of charities that collect cross stitch projects. By the way, Stitching Corp, has a huge list of sites that offer free x-stitch patterns.

I have several ornaments started that I should add to my 2012 WIPocalypse list so I can finish them and send to Stitching Corp.

This was posted back in October 2011 but they need bags for 500 dogs so I'm guessing it's an ongoing project. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in England is calling on sewing crafters to make scented bags to hang in their dogs' kennels to keep them calm while they wait for new homes. You can find out more about making the bags and get a pattern for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier to put on them here.

Did you know that a group of kittens is called a kindle? I just read that on the Battersea website. I also found a few dogs I want to adopt. Did I mention they're located in England? In 2010, they celebrated their 150th anniversary. Wow!

It's Drafty In Here

2012-01-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

Why do I have a bunch of draft posts? Oh yeah. It's because I am really good at starting things and never finishing them.

Let's see what links are hanging out in my draft posts . . .

From the Make-It-For-Christmas-2012 file: Gingerbread Cottage has a super cute embroidery pattern. And here's a felt hedgehog ornament from Totally Stitchin' that I'm also going to add to my Hedgehogs-To-Make-Some-Day list.

Speaking of hedgehogs, this hedgehog cross stitch freebie from JB Cross Stitch is new-to-me thanks to the cross stitch blog at Craft Gossip. By the way, JB Cross Stitch has some cute charts for sale, in addition to more freebies.

I love, love, love this embroidered needlecase from Goosie Girl's and I've had the pattern for awhile but I don't think I ever linked to it before.

Over at Leslie's Art and Sew, there's a sewing pattern and tutorial for a mystery critter. You can sew one up and then make a face on it any way you want and add anything else too [link via The Toy Society blog].

How about a felt pincushion from Jenny of Elefantz? I like this one because it has appliqued fabric flowers on it. And, it's all hand sewn.

There's an embroidery pattern for a cute mini-sampler (with birds, flowers, alphabet) that's finished in a hoop at Patchwork Posse [link via Denise at Craft Gossip].

Did you know there's an embroidery section on about.com with stitch diagrams, free patterns and lots of information on tools, supplies and techniques? There is!

Major Cute Alert! Look at this adorable mushroom needlebook that my friend Loralynn at My Art, My So Called Life just linked to. She also had a link to the fun Random Tutorial Generator.

And, if you're like me and like to see classic movie stars and their four-legged friends, here are a couple of fun posts from I Can Has Cheezburger: part 1 and part 2.

Pardon me while I go make something!

WIPocalpyse Check-in Post #1

2012-01-10T16:58:00.000-08:00

There was a Full Moon on January 9th so time for the very first 2012 WIPocalpyse update.

To be honest, I have a ton of unfinished cross stitch and embroidery projects that I haven't touched in months but there is one that I have been regularly working on for three months now. I'm determined to finish it so it's on my list for the 2012 WIPocalypse. Back in September, Artecy Cross Stitch had a free pattern of a painting called Ready for the Morning Ride that I really liked because it was of a donkey and a dog. (It's available for sale on their site now.) Even though it was not my usual kind of x-stitch, (I like the quickies that I can turn into little ornaments), I decided to do this one. I'm using 18ct Aida so it's going to be 13" X 9" when it's finished. (Sounds like someone is going to get a really big ornament!)

Here's a picture of it I took on January 3rd.

And here's how it looks as of today. I know it doesn't look like it but I swear there really will be a donkey and a dog in there!

If you'd like to join the 2012 WIPocalypse, go go Measi's Musings and read all about it. Remember you have until January 15, 2012 to become an official participant and qualify for a prize at the end of the year, but you can join at anytime.

Thank You, Blogger!

2012-01-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one who is thrilled to see that Blogger now lets you choose if you want your links to open in a new window?

THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT, BLOGGER!!

Now if they could just get me to blog more often.

WIPocalypse 2012 List

2011-12-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

I'm supposed to make a list of UFOs & WIPs (cross stitch projects that have been started and either abandoned or are currently being worked on) that I plan to finish this year for the 2012 WIPocalypse. I still need to go through what I have but I know of a few that I really would love to get finished this year:

1. Ready for the Morning Ride from Artecy Cross Stitch-- I started this in September and have been working on it since. It will be 12" X 9" when it's completed so it will take awhile but I like stitching it.

2. Halloween ornament for um . . . someone -- Started this in 2009 for a blog friend. I need to re-stitch "2012" on it and add some backing fabric and stuff it.

3. Scottie pillow -- Not a cross stitch but I'm putting it on the list because it's my first real attempt at applique, and dang it, it's cute and needs to get done.

4. Three little dog x-stitch freebies that I did when my knee was broken (the second time). I may turn them into a needlecase but haven't decided yet.

I know I have a few more to add but this will do for now. Having a short list makes me feel like I may actually finish all four of these by the end of the year.

If you would like to join the 2012 WIPocalpyse, hosted by Melissa of Measi's Musings, go here. By the way, sign-ups will close on January 15th so get over there now!

My Final TUSAL Report

2011-12-27T20:08:00.000-08:00

Time for my final TUSAL ort report of 2011! Woohoo! I can't believe I actually stuck with it this time. This is the third year I started the Totally-Useless-Stitch-A-Long (aka the TUSAL) and the first time I made it all the way to the end. In 2010, I didn't even make it past January. But this year, I posted pictures of my orts jar all year long. Pardon me while I run outside to see if pigs are flying.

Thank you to Sharon over at It's Daffycat for hosting the 2011 TUSAL!!

If saving your thread ends, adding them to a clear jar of some kind and sharing a picture of that jar on your blog on the new moon (usually once a month but sometimes there are two new moons in one month) sounds like fun to you, consider joining the 2012 TUSAL. All the details are here on It's Daffycat.

By the way, I find it very odd that my jar is nearly full yet I haven't finished many cross stitch or embroidery projects this year. I have a bunch that are half-done or nearly done but hardly any finishes.

And, as much as I would like to claim I did, I did not make that hedgehog. It came with a book, The Hat by Jan Brett, that my sister got me a few years ago when I was going through my hedgehog phase.

Join WIPocalypse 2012

2011-12-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

You know how the world is supposed to end in December 2012? Well, here's some motivation for to get you to finish all those WIPs and UFOs before it's all over and done with. Go to this post on Measi's Musings for all the info on WIPocalypse 2012.

I had to join this because I have so many things that need to be finished but I'll wait until January to get started. First, I have to figure out what I'm making for Christmas this year. Nothing like waiting until the last minute.

Occupy Your Sewing Room

2011-12-03T22:31:00.000-08:00

Click for more details!

[Link via the Quilting blog at Craft Gossip]

A Year With Pumpkin

2011-12-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Oh no, I almost forgot to post about Pumpkin. Today is her Gotcha Day. Actually, both Lucy and Pumpkin were adopted on December 1st last year but Pumpkin had to stay at the shelter to be spayed so she didn't move in until December 3rd. I sometimes call her Chunkin Punkin, which has nothing to do with catapulting pumpkins across an open field but because she needs to lose some weight. OK, now I feel bad about calling her that. But Pumpkin wags her tail no matter what you call her. Just don't call her late for dinner.

One Year With Lucy

2011-12-01T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today is Lucy's Gotcha Day. Since we don't know her actual birthday, we celebrate the day she was adopted and that was December 1st, 2010. Here's a picture of Lucy from last January with my empty orts jar. (Actually, that's not the jar I ended up using.) She looks like she has a beard. It's been an interesting year. At one point, I didn't think we could keep Lucy but things are so much better now and she has turned out to be a great dog. Ok, she is still a little nuts but we love her so much.

Happy Gotcha Day, Lucy!

November Ort Report AKA TUSAL Update

2011-11-27T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hello from the kitchen table! I am so not used to this and still not sure if I like it but here I am on a laptop in the kitchen. And there's Mark Harmon on the TV across the room. An episode of "NCIS" that I've probably already seen 15 times. Now, let's see if I can find the picture I took of my orts jar.

Eureka!

For those of you who just tuned in, an orts jar is where I save my floss ends. You know the pieces of embroidery thread that are too short to use anymore. I throw them in the jar and then every month around the time of the new moon, I post a picture of my orts jar for the 2011 Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long aka TUSAL. And that's the one for November. Only one more photo to go for the year. I've been using the same jar all year and the thing I can't figure out is why my jar is nearly full yet I have so few completed cross stitch and embroidery projects. Obviously, the neighbors are sneaking in at night and dumping their orts in my jar.

Want to join the 2012 TUSAL? This isn't a contest. It's just a fun thing to do on your blog. I've started it three times and twice I never got past posting a February picture. I'm amazed I've just about made it through the entire year this time. When I thought I couldn't use my old camera with this lap top, I was bummed I wouldn't be able to post any TUSAL pictures for the last few months of 2011. Anyway, Sharon over at It's Daffycat is the host of the TUSAL and she is now taking sign-ups for 2012. Check out this post for all the details. Please join -- it's fun!

October TUSAL Update

2011-11-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know it's November 12 so it's a little late to post a TUSAL picture for October but I just found out that plugging my old camera into my sister's laptop will prompt Windows to automatically download a driver so the camera works with the computer. Who knew? Apparently, not HP. Anyway, here's a not-so-good picture of the current state of my orts jar. Complete with a scratched up desk.

To find out more about the TUSAL aka the Totally-Useless-Stitch-A-Long, check out It's Daffy Cat. Sharon will soon be taking sign-ups for TUSAL 2012.

It's dark and rainy here today but now that I know I can still use my camera, I'll get some pictures of what I'm working on as soon as it the sun comes out again.

Calling All Geeks

2011-11-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Update: Happy news -- I plugged my camera into the lap top and it automatically downloaded a driver so I can still use my camera. Yay! Thank you to Jenn, fullnovembermoon and Susan for your help!

So my computer couldn't be fixed. Which really is not a big deal because I hated it. It used to do this weird thing where it would lapse into a coma if I left it alone for 12 minutes. Or 37 minutes. It was never consistent. You know how your computer will go to sleep after awhile and then you jiggle the mouse to wake it up? Well, mine never woke up. The light was on behind the darkened screen but no one was home. From stuff I read on Google, there were other people with this same problem -- people with laptops and desktops from different manufacturers -- and guess what we all had in common? Windows Vista. I used to curse Bill Gates nearly every day. Even though I doubt he had anything to do with Vista.

The good news is the tech guy was able to save all my pictures, my 14,987 embroidery patterns, and my iTunes. He pulled out the hard drive and transferred everything to a laptop. This laptop has Windows 7 and the bad news there isn't a Windows 7 driver for my camera because it's too old. I had to download drivers from Microsoft for my camera, scanner and printer to get them to work with Vista. Apparently, I can't do this for Windows 7.

I haven't starting Googling yet but does anyone know if there are other places besides Microsoft to get drivers for things like older cameras so you can use them with Windows 7? I might need to call Leo Laporte.

For now, my blog will be photo-free since I can't upload anything to the laptop. So that means you won't be able to see ~~all the lovely projects~~ the one embroidery I've finished over the past few weeks. And I couldn't post an October picture for the TUSAL.

I'm off to cross stitch something that you'll probably never see. Have a good week!

It's Owl Calendar Time

2011-10-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Get your printer fired up because it's time to make your 2012 owl calendar.

(Click me)

Thank you, My Owl Barn!!

Random Photo Thursday

2011-10-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

The other night, I finished the Halloween embroidery for the September Stitch-A-Long on Feeling Stitchy. I'd love to show you a picture of it but I can't download any photos right now because my computer has stopped working. I can turn it on but then it tells me my registry is corrupt and that it hates me. From what I've learned through Google, it can be fixed but that will involve making a slave of my hard drive (or something like that) so I don't lose any files, and I know that should be left to the professionals, so hopefully I can find one of them to fix it soon. I'm using my sister's computer (thank you, Susan!) and it's been loads of fun trying to remember passwords so I can log into Facebook and Blogger and AOL. Does anyone know why my Gmail user name is my AOL email address? Shouldn't it just be my name? I'm confused. Anyway, since I can't show you my SAL embroidery, (which I will soon be turning into a pillow), please enjoy a picture that shows you how many emails I had a week ago. Either I'm really popular or just really bad about answering my email.

And look at this cute ghost garland from Ginger & George. I need to make one of those!

Cute Cute Cute Cottage Door Hanger

2011-10-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

Awhile ago, Sara from The Split Stitch posted a tutorial for the cutest little cottage door hanger. It's applique and she used Heat'n Bond so I'm adding it to my list of things to make because I heart the Heat'n Bond. Have you met Heat'n Bond yet? I love it so much, I'm ready to marry it.

Download Pumpkin Stencils For A Good Cause

2011-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

If you download a pumpkin stencil from Better Homes and Gardens, a $2 donation will be made to one of these charities: March of Dimes, Rebuilding Together, Big Brothers Big Sisters or Susan G Komen for the Cure. Go here for more information.

The September ORT Report

2011-10-01T00:52:00.000-07:00

I totally forgot there was a new moon the other day and I didn't want another day to go by without a picture of my orts jar for the TUSAL so here ya go:

The black and white thing in the background is Lucy, asleep on my desk, and the "spooky" is the embroidery I'm working on right now. It's for the September SAL on Feeling Stitchy. Obviously, I did not do much stitching on it.

I'm going rogue and skipping linking to anything tonight so if this post confuses you, go Google "TUSAL" and/or "It's Daffycat" and all will be explained. Maybe.

Good night!

Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week

2011-09-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

I know I tend to go on and on and on about adopting dogs, especially on Facebook, but I can't help it. About ten years ago, I was a volunteer for a dog rescue and I had to go to local animal shelters to check on Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus, Pomeranians and other small breeds, that were being considered for the rescue. (Now that I think about it, unless they were adopted or pulled by another rescue group, we pretty much took all of the ones I went to see.) I was new to visiting shelters -- my dogs had all been pet store puppies from friends so I had never been to animal control -- and seeing so many dogs waiting for homes was so sad. There were just too many and not enough people to adopt them or enough rescue groups to save them. And, knowing many of them would end up being put down broke my heart.

As you can imagine, some dogs are more "adoptable" than others. Older animals and those that are blind or deaf have a tougher time finding a home. I was told many times by rescuers that the least adopted dogs were the big black ones. This week, September 17 through September 25, has been designated Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet-Week by Petfinder to promote animals that are harder to place. Petfinder is a wonderful website you can use to search for a dog, or cat, or hamster, guinea pig, turtle, bunny, etc. that's up for adoption in your area.)

You can be a part of ALAPW by posting animals that are in need of homes on your blog, Facebook or Twitter. Read more about that here.

And, if you live in Ohio and are looking to adopt a small dog, please check out a couple of seniors that need homes:

Ripley

and Ollie

If only I could take them both!

Edited to add Blog Hop code.

Feeling Stitchy Contest

2011-09-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Feeling Stitchy is holding a fun contest called Covered in Stitches. To enter, stitch a book cover that's either based on the real cover of any book or come up with your own design. You can embroider it, cross stitch it, crewel it, etc., on any fabric, of any size. (Crewel is not a verb, is it?) Click the graphic above to get all the details.

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

I was still asleep when the planes flew into the towers but I woke up in time to see the first tower fall. I don't remember crying much back then. I think at first I was too stunned that this had happened and I was scared, and then I was just horrified for those people on the planes and in the buildings.

We watched TV for hours and hours. It broke my heart to see people walking around the streets of New York with pictures of family members and friends who were missing. Didn't leave the house until two days later only because I had to take my dog to the vet to get her spay stitches out. It wasn't until I was eating dinner that night that it hit me that it was my birthday.

I've found it really difficult to watch specials on TV about 9/11 this week. I start crying, which happens often when I watch sad things on television, but then I find myself having to get up and walk away. It's like I can't bear to see any of it, even if it's just people remembering about that day. There's a song by Bruce Springsteen that he wrote about the firefighters who went into the towers to save people. I wanted to post a video of it here today. The first version I found on You Tube starts off with photos of the World Trade Center towers as they once were. Then there are pictures of flames and smoke coming out of the buildings and I realized I couldn't watch the video any longer. I think I'm crying more now than I did ten years ago.

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."
– President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

The sky was falling and streaked with blood
I heard you calling me then you disappeared into the dust
Up the stairs, into the fire
Up the stairs, into the fire
I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher
Somewhere up the stairs into the fire

May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love

– Bruce Springsteen, Into the Fire

Works In Progress...Sort Of

2011-09-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure what happened but I could only find one picture of a pillow I'm working on. It's my first attempt at applique the right way -- I used Heat n Bond on my Scottie dog cut outs and then blanket stitched them to the pillow cover. This other time, I sewed an embroidered piece on to the top of a wool case for my iPod but I had no idea what I was doing and didn't use Heat N Bond or turn the edge under or anything like that so it doesn't count as applique. Anyway, I'm close to finishing this pillow. The pattern and idea came from Bustle and Sew.

Every two weeks, Artecy shares two free cross stitch patterns, and after seeing the one with a donkey and a dog and finding I had a large enough piece of Aida this afternoon, I decided to stitch it. I have the very upper left corner done so far and I can tell this one is going to be a challenge. It will be 12" X 9" when it's finished -- I hardly ever stitch anything that big -- and I used five different colors of floss today and I swear they are all various shades of grayish beige. If you click that link after September 8th, you won't see the donkey and dog cross stitch because there will be two new free charts available but you can probably find it for sale on the site. It's called Ready for the Morning Ride by John Emms. Looks like he painted a lot of dogs and horses in his time. I know nothing about fine art but hey, I like dogs and horses. And donkeys.

The "sort of" in the post title has to do with the Hallowe'en Trio stitch-a-long over at Feeling Stitchy. I know I'm going to do it; I just haven't started yet. I have to get moving though since it's a SAL for September and we're already a week into the month.

Ok, I am now going to work on my donkey and dog cross stitch and make a bunch of grayish beige X's until I get bored.

Vote Early! Vote Often!

2011-09-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, you can only vote once but if you read this before 11:59 PM PST Sunday September 4, please go here and vote for Belinda's quilt block. The poll is in the right sidebar. You won't have to register or anything -- just vote! Thank you! (And, if you've already voted earlier in the week, you can vote again now since it's down to these three finalists.)

Belinda is the designer behind Blue Ribbon Designs and I love her cross stitch charts. Plus she's a very nice person. :)

Nothing To Do With Duran Duran

2011-08-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

So, it's time for another new moon (on Monday) and that means I need to share another picture of my orts jar for the TUSAL aka the Totally Useless Stitch-a-long.

Next to my orts jar, are a couple of embroideries that recently did. They are part of a set so I still have three more to do. (I'll tell you more about them in my next post.)

Thanks to Sharon over at It's Daffycat for hosting the TUSAL!

Finished For Friday: Little Blue House

2011-08-26T12:57:00.000-07:00

Disclosure: I finished this cross stitch about a month ago so I didn't actually work on this recently, and I still need to turn it into something (An ornament? A little pillow? Something I've never ever made before so pigs will fly?). Oh and looks like I need to iron it too. But I wanted to share it for Finished For Friday because it's been way too long since I did one of those.

The chart was another freebie from Maryse. I had it in my stash for a couple of years and finally got around to stitching last month.

Head on over to Lit and Laundry to add a link for something you've been working on this week.

Pincushion Finish

2011-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

I finished this pincushion about a month ago but put off blogging about it since I didn't have the pattern handy and couldn't link to it since I don't remember where it came from. (I still don't know what I did with the pattern but I will find track it down.)

I have two tote bags full of "works in progress" and when I found this pincushion, all that was left to be done was stuffing it. I had already done the blanket stitching all around and left an opening for filling it. (Stuffing? Filling? Now I'm thinking about Thanksgiving...) So I stuffed it and closed the opening but got into trouble when I tied a knot in the end of the thread and it was too far away from the seam to be hidden. Frustrating! I removed all the blanket stitching and took out the stuffing and started over except I whip stitched it this time. That's a stitch I suck at but since the floss matches the felt, you really can't tell. At that point, I just wanted to finish it.

I don't think the original pattern called for so many French knots. Maybe I was on a roll and just could not stop making them. I used regular craft felt for the flower and the leaves, but the brown pieces -- they look really dark in these pictures -- came from a wool jacket that I felted in my washer a couple of years. The corners are wonky and that pink looks really bright in the first picture but I'm happy with my little semi-wool pincushion.

One more thing: I just saw this Little Pup linked over at Tipnut (click that for more softie links) and was reminded I've always wanted to make one.

Blog Hopping On Saturday Night

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's yet another draft post that I never finished. Enjoy!

Tonight, I'm catching up on some of my favorite blogs.

Sew Tara and Wild Olive have teamed up to make some super cute fabric bags for snacks (goldfish crackers, carrots & celery, cookies). [Link via Craft.]

What a cute cloudy needlebook from Art Threads! [Via Craft Gossip]

There are lots of cute (yes, I've used cute three times already. Let the drinking game begin!) embroidery freebies over at Hudson's Holidays. Like this kitty in the flowers and in the garden, and my favorite, a bunny pulling a wagon with bunnies in it. [Via Craft Gossip]

Cute Owl Alert

2011-08-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

There's a tutorial at Bugs and Fishes to make a cute felt owl. I see this owl squeezing into the #3 spot on my To Do list tomorrow. Right after 1. Waking up and 2. Eating breakfast [Link via One Pretty Thing.]

Bonus: a how-to on making an owl brooch also on Bugs and Fishes.

Pets On Quilts Show

2011-08-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Insights From SewCalGal is hosting the 2nd Annual Pets on Quilts Show on her blog starting today, August 15th, through August 19th. I apologize for not mentioning this sooner so there would be time left to whip up a quilt to enter, but it will still be fun to see the pictures of both pet-themed quilts and pets on quilts.

SewCalGal is also collecting photos of pets on quilts to create a calendar that will be used as a fundraiser for local animal shelters. She will be accepting pics until September 1st for the 2012 calendar. Her contact information is at the bottom of this post.

Now, go see the pictures on Lit and Laundry of some cute kitties on and under their quilts.

Dala Horse Craftalong

2011-08-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Carina's Craftblog is hosting a craftalong for Swedish Dala horses.

I love Dala horses. I know somewhere in my stash, I have a pattern to make a stuffed one but I love the applique pattern Carina shared and then turned into a pincushion. She also sells an embroidery pattern -- it's in the blog button above-- that I must buy some day.

The craftalong will be over on August 21st but you can join anytime and add your Dala horse to the Flickr group. Check out some of the ones already posted. I swear after seeing them, you will be inspired to make your own.

Cute Embroidery Stitch-A-Long

2011-08-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

There's a cute stitch-a-long going on over at Clover & Violet. It's about halfway over and blocks 1-5 are up already but I think you can catch up. You can find all the details here, including stitch tutorials and the supplies you will need to make the quilt. I love looking at the pictures in the Flickr group. Thanks to Flickr member shawnlorette for finding this SAL.

Scottie Embroidery Patterns At Tip Nut

2011-08-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

There are some days of the week embroidery patterns with Scottie dogs over at Tipnut.

Toto From The Wizard Of Oz

2011-07-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to For The Love Of Dog Blog, I just read this very interesting post at Hollywoodland about Toto from The Wizard of Oz and her trainer, Carl Spitz. Toto was originally called Terry and made a bunch of movies that I now want to watch so I can look for her. And, did you know she was paid more money than the Munchkins were?

Toto had been buried at Carl Spitz's dog training school but her grave was destroyed when the Ventura Freeway was built through the San Fernando Valley. A memorial marker for the pup was recently unveiled at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and you can read all about that here.

By the way, this was my first visit to Hollywoodland and I think I need to spend some time there. Lots of interesting stuff about old Hollywood (and new) on that blog.

New Moon On Saturday

2011-07-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know there are two new moons in July? Tonight is the second one so that means it is time for another TUSAL update.

What is a TUSAL? TUSAL stands for Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long and for this stitch-a-long, all you need to do is throw your leftover floss (aka thread ends) into a jar or container and share a picture of it every month on the date of the new moon. Or around the date of the new moon, if you're like me and never on time.

I planned to be on time today and even took pictures of my jar this morning. And then I forgot all about posting one of the pictures until now. At least it is still July 30th on the West Coast.

Thanks to Sharon at It's Daffycat for hosting the TUSAL 2011.

That teddy bear cross stitch is my latest project. I finished the stitching a little while after I took this picture except for a few X's around the eyes that I'll do after I find a similar shade of floss since I don't have the one recommended in the chart. It's a freebie from a French blog and I'll post a link to it as soon as I track it down again.

Summer Cottage

2011-07-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

I hope the title of this post doesn't make anyone think I was going to blog about my summer cottage or a summer cottage that I know of. I wish I had one to write about! It's just the name of my latest cross stitch finish. It's another UFO I recently found in one of two tote bags sitting on my bedroom floor. All the stitching had been completed last summer. I just added the year and a backing fabric to make YET ANOTHER LITTLE PILLOW. (Seriously, I have to do something different next time.) I believe I used all the suggested floss colors and stitched it on 18 ct Fiddler's.

Sorry you can't really see the tree on the right side. The fur surrounding the top half of the little pillow belongs to my dog, Pumpkin. She enjoys modeling my projects. Lucy, on the other hand, tends to chew on everything. As a result, Lucy is banned from my photo shoots.

The chart is a freebie from Les grilles de Maryse. There was one for each season and I was certain I had stitched the others but I can't find the Autumn one. Here's the Winter one from 2007 and Spring from 2008.

The free charts: Spring Summer Fall and Winter.

My plan is to finish at least a few more UFOs from that tote bag before I start anything new but after looking at the freebies on Maryse's blog, I'm reminded of another one I've always wanted to stitch. I have a feeling I'll be starting that very soon. Have a great weekend!

Animal Planet's Casting Couch

2011-07-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

From Animal Planet's June 30, 2011 email newsletter:

Animal Planet is casting for a new show about the relationship between people and animals.

We are looking for stories about how an animal, like a pet, may have turned someone's life around or helped someone in an extraordinary fashion.

For more info, go here.

July TUSAL Report

2011-07-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Of course I missed posting a Totally Useless Stitch-a-long aka TUSALupdate once again. This month, the new moon was on the first so I'm a few days late. But did you know July has two new moons? (Thank you, Sharon, for that bit of info.) My goal is to post my next update on time on July 30th. So hell can freeze over.

I just took four pictures of my ORTs jar and here's the best one. This is the current state of my jar of thread ends.

Thanks to Sharon at It's Daffycat for hosting the TUSAL 2011!

Last night I finished a WIP (it's a felt pincushion that I totally forgot about), and have also been working on a cross stitch that will most likely grow up to be an Xmas ornament. I recently told myself that no new projects will be started until I finish a few I've already started and have actually been sticking to that. I'll wait until there's more daylight to take some pictures of them.

Some Links I Should Have Posted Awhile Ago

2011-06-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

I guess I was saving these up for a rainy day. Or something.

I love this felt dahlia brooch from Not Martha. Not Martha was one of the first craft blogs I ever read. I always wanted to make these marble magnets (from 2006). Sad to say, they are still on my to-do list.

Another felt pin I really like is this felt poinsettia pin from Lil Fish Studios.

Every house I've lived in California except this one has had at least one bougainvillea so I was excited to see this tutorial for a felt bougainvillea garland from Art Threads. I totally need to make that.

And, a few more before I go.

Tipnut's pincushion pattern list #1 and #2 (I need to go through these)

Grandfather mushroom embroidery pattern from Little Dear Tracks (I somehow missed this one last June)

Potholder eyeglass case from Zakka Life

Vintage hankie pillow covers at Elsie Marley

My First Finish Of 2011

2011-06-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

As I was typing the title of this post, I wondered if I had actually finished anything this year, other than what I was about to write about. I know I've started a few things and still have a zillion other things already in progress, but really, do I have any other finishes for 2011? I don't think so.

I did all the cross stitch on this little reindeer last year. He was then turned into an ornament (shocker!) but I was running low on poly-fill (or whatever it is that I usually use) and he wasn't fat enough for me. So I unstuffed him and re-stuffed him some time earlier this year. And I am just now posting about it.

I most likely stitched him on 18 ct white or off-white Aida. I filled in all the background to cover up the white or off-white Aida. You can find the free chart for the little reindeer here.

Wordless Wednesd...Oh Never Mind

2011-06-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

I just can't do wordless. If I could, I would just post this picture and go back to reading blogs but I just cannot shut up about anything I put here.

Sometimes I sit on my unmade bed and show Lucy how to blanket stitch two felt circles together but she never pays attention. She is way more interested in looking out the window.

That's actually part of that strawberry penny rug (from Creative Breathing) I'm working on. I'm still embroidering the separate pieces and not ready to sew it all together yet. Hopefully, I'll get it finished before strawberry season ends. In 2012.

Speaking of the Creative Breathing blog, Elizabeth has posted two cute Good Morning/Good Evening bird embroidery patterns over there.

So many patterns, so little time.

I AM GOING TO START BLOGGING AGAIN EVEN IF IT KILLS ME

2011-06-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

Lately, as I come across cute stuff to make, I write myself a note as a reminder to later link to it on my blog , which is really lame. How's about I just put it on my blog then and there? So that is my plan: to blog. (I tell myself this every other week and never do it so we'll see it goes.)

Let's try out this feature from Cut Out + Keep where you can embed a project on your site.

See Cute Deer Button Brooch and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Neat-o! That deer is so cute and I love anything with a blanket stitch.

I started this strawberry penny rug before Easter and so far all I've done is stitch some seeds on a few of the strawberries. And, if you like that little rug, you should check out the rest of Elizabeth's Creative Breathing blog. She has tutorials for some of the cutest things.

I've always wanted to make a carrot cake (it was listed on the cooking bucket list I have in my head) and finally got around to it a little while ago. I used Ina Garten's recipe and oh boy, was it good. Really, really good. Consider rounding up the kids to grate the carrots for you because that is a real pain. Ina suggested using a box grater and not the food processor so that's what I did. And cursed her the entire time. Also, really good is her tomato feta pasta salad.

Off to see what else I have written in those notes to myself.

June TUSAL Update

2011-06-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

This is my TUSAL jar as of this afternoon. I've been working on a cross stitch so I finally had some thread to add to my jar, plus I found some leftover floss on a few homemade cardboard thread holders that I no longer needed so I threw that in there too.

I really thought I was finished with the Little Blue Bungalow cross stitch but I was looking at some pictures of it and noticed I didn't stitch the centers of the flowers so it's still a WIP for now.

The chart is a freebie from Blue Ribbon Designs and you can find it on the Weeks Dye Works Free Designer Charts page. (It's the very last one on the page.) Since I only have a brown and black WDW floss, I picked out my own DMC colors, which is always a big deal for me. I'm not sure if I'm happy with what I chose. I could blame it on the bad lighting in the photo but it is hard to see some of the colors on that fabric (Fiddlers 18 ct) in person too so I may re-do the parts I don't like.

Update: I just looked at the finish of the original version and decided I hate mine. Ok, I don't hate it but I am not happy with the floss colors I used. Some of those blues are too light and you can barely see the white and pink flowers. I may just start this one over from scratch and use some different colors..

Cute Little Felt Bird

2011-05-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

It's after midnight and here I am checking links to tutorials and finding stuff I want to make. Right this very second. This cute little felt bird from paper-and-string is one of them. Link via Tipnut.

May TUSAL Update

2011-05-05T00:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I posted this picture on Facebook and then forgot all about putting it here for the May TUSAL update. In case you're just tuning in, TUSAL stands for Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long, which isn't a real stitch-a-long but one where we post a monthly photo of our ORTs jar. At the end of the year, some lucky participant will be rewarded with fabulous prizes. And, if that doesn't make you want to start saving your thread ends and tossing them into a glass jar (or bowl or Ziploc bag like I did last month), I don't know what will). Unfortunately, it's too late to join the 2011 TUSAL but there's always next year.

So there's my ORTs jar along with a cross stitch I'm working on and some yo-yos I've recently made. I'll post the link to the x-stitch chart next time I blog. And at the rate I'm going, that might not be until June.

Thanks to Sharon for hosting the 2011 TUSAL.

Go See Martha's Aprons

2011-04-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Please go visit Martha at Q is for Quilter* and see her vintage-inspired aprons that will be given as favors to guests at her daughter's upcoming bridal shower. I don't know Martha but I wonder if I can get an invitation. I'll bring a nice gift.

*The aprons are shown in the last few posts starting on April 15th.

Also, Rachel has another embroidery pattern round-up on One Pretty Thing . Thanks, Rachel!

Just In Time For Easter 2012

2011-04-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

A few things I should have posted before last weekend:

Runaway Bunny Felt Easter Picture -- I must make this! [via Craft Gossip's Felting blog]

Marshmallow bunny plushies from Dandelions and Lace -- they look just like Peeps

Peeps Bunting posted on V and Co.

Do Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Roses

2011-04-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

The other day I snapped some pictures of my neighbors' roses because they were full-on blooming and soooo pretty, I was going to blog about them since I really have no other pictures to share since all I do anymore is go on Facebook and play Pet Society and make fun of stoopid status updates. Seriously, what is up with people who post that they're at the bank and at McDonald's and at the grocery store? Do they not realize that no one needs an update on their whereabouts every 17 minutes?  I would so love to go rob them while they're running their errands. Really. It's so annoying.

I know someone else who counts down to vacation. As in "142 days until Scranton."   Then, we get "138 days until Scranton.". OMG, PLEASE SHUT UP. I know you're excited to take your trip but none besides yourself is marking off the days on the calendar.

And, just so you know, I am not talking about anyone that I know through blogging and is a Facebook friend. any I don't mind the occasional vacation updates at all and I love looking at your vacation pics but the constant countdown is annoying.

Maybe I just need new friends.

So, anyway, I took some pictures of my next-door neighbors' roses and cannot get them to download or upload or whatever it is. I keep getting an error message. The photos are showing up on my camera so I don't know what's going on. I was thinking of cutting some of those roses under cover of darkness so maybe that's why my camera isn't cooperating. It doesn't approve of what I'm planning.

Like I would ever have the guts to steal my neighbors' roses. Please.  However, if they had heirloom tomato plants, that would be another story.

I am bound and determined to make something this weekend (does my bed count?) so I should be back on Monday with something to show you. Have a Happy Easter! (Just like that poor chick!)

April TUSAL Report

2011-04-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's time for a New Moon so I have another picture of my TUSAL jar to share. But, first, this is what I had to deal with when I sat on my bed to take pictures.

We had to clear out of the house for five days this past week while the new floor was being installed and I forgot to take my TUSAL jar with me so I collected my orts in a Ziploc bag. I think the embroidery I did while sitting in a motel room was the most I have done all month.

And, there's my jar with the new threads added.

Thanks to Sharon at It's Daffycat for hosting the Totally-Useless-Stitch-a-Long this year!

Dirty Or Clean In Felt

2011-03-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, Loralynn sent me a biscornu that she made out of felt that I totally love.

She makes a lot of really cool things and I have to share one of her latest projects because I love it so much. It's one of those Clean or Dirty signs that you put on your dishwasher. It's so cute and it's made out of felt. Please visit her blog now and check it out. Isn't that great?!

Help With A Quilt For Japan

2011-03-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

I was just over at Mom Wald's Place and read about the quilt project she has started to raise money for Japan. She plans to auction or raffle off the quilt and donate the proceeds to the Red Cross. You can help by stitching up a square with a vintage fruit or vegetable design -- she suggests checking Hoop Love on Flickr for patterns to use. She's also accepting fruit and veggie themed fabric squares. This post has all the details. And, read this one too.

Great idea, Mom Wald!

Cute Idea For Christmas Ornaments

2011-03-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's never too late to start making Christmas stuff and I thought these embroidery hoop ornaments from The Crafty Cupboard were really cute.

Adopt The Internet Day 2011

2011-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Today is Adopt the Internet Day.

Petfinder is asking us to promote pet adoption by spreading the word online. You can add a badge to your blog or website, and use your Facebook status or share a link on Twitter to a Petfinder pet who is looking for a home. In the past fifteen years, Petfinder has helped 17 million animals find new homes. Help them get even more pets adopted. Get more inforamation on Adopt the Internet Day here.

Pumpkin and Lucy say thank you!

Check Out Wild Olive

2011-03-11T02:01:00.000-08:00

Mollie over at Wild Olive is doing a series on embroidery basics, She's starting off with a post on materials you will need before you start stitching. Go check it out.

Hearts For Christchurch

2011-03-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

A blogger named Evie is collecting hearts for people affected by the earthquake in New Zealand.

"Two heart shapes sewn together, stuffed or not, embellished, embroidered, CQ’d, quilted, plain or fancy, felt or fabric or anything goes. Add a loop at the top."

What will she do with the hearts? One idea is to hang all the hearts in one place as a show of support so everyone can see them.

You can find all the details on her blog, Hearts for Christchurch.

That's the last link for today but I have more to post so stay tuned.

Stuffed Bunny

2011-03-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a Funny Bunny Plush Doll from A Beautiful Mess.

Cute Little Bag Tutorial

2011-03-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

This link turned up on Facebook but now I can't remember who posted it. Thanks to whoever you are!

A tutorial for a cute little drawstring bag with directions for hand sewing. Sign me up.

Owls!

2011-03-06T12:00:00.001-08:00

Janet of JMD Designs is holding an "artistic event." Make an owl based on her free design and you might win some fabulous prizes. There are two categories to enter. One is for hand stitched needlework or hand applique and the other is for mixed media. All the details on the Evie Owl Event are here. Link via Denise at Craft Gossip.

And, here's a tutorial to make a baby felt owl. Link via my Facebook friend, Shonna.

Embroidery Round-ups

2011-03-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

You can find a round-up of free embroidery patterns on Craft Gossip and on One Pretty Thing, including the latest freebie from Badbirds: a platypus.

Also, check out this post on Craft Gossip for some Easter embroidery patterns and cross stitch charts.

A Post Every Hour

2011-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

I feel bad about not blogging. I miss it. Sometimes I post links to crafty stuff on Facebook and think I should be doing that on my blog instead. I have a bunch of links to share so I'm going to write some posts and then schedule them to publish tomorrow.

Let's start with two for St. Patrick's Day.

Jenny has a tutorial for a cute felt shamrock pin. I made one a couple of years ago. And posed it with a felt guinea pig I made.

And, here's another cute felt pin from Paper Dali.

~~Wondering why I don't have a Holidays label.~~

March TUSAL Update

2011-03-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Time for the March TUSAL update.

This afternoon, I tossed my ORTs jar on the bed while Lucy and ~~Ethel~~ Pumpkin* were playing and snapped a few pictures. If you look closely, you can see a few threads in the bottom of the jar. The poor thing is not getting much action due to a lack of stitching on my part.

And yes, that is a different jar. For the third month in a row. After I knew there would be plumbers and work men in my bedroom to fix that leaky pipe behind my closet wall and they would see several jelly jars full of threads on my book shelf and think I was insane, I decided to combine the contents from all the jars into the large canning jar that I picked up last month at the thrift store and just use the one above for 2011. They can still think I'm insane, just not as much.

By the way, they plugged up the holes in the walls and re-painted them and they look fantastic. You can't even tell it was patched, or whatever the term is. Not sure when they will be here to install the new floor but we're halfway done now.

*My sister and I had Lucy at a new vet and when we mentioned we also had a dog named Pumpkin at home, he said we must be huge Peanuts fans. At first, neither of us knew what he was talking about. Probably because Linus and his Great Pumpkin story was never one of our favorites.

And, in semi-related news, this is hilarious:

P. S. Thanks to Sheila for the reminder it was time for a TUSAL update.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

Hello, Pumpkin!

The Latest News

2011-02-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a post I forgot to finish last week.

The good news is I don't have to have cataract surgery for six months to a year. Also, I don't have any new changes to my eyes from diabetes. But I do have to get new glasses for both reading and driving. Right now, I use a pair of non-prescription readers for the computer and reading, plus a magnifying glass for things like embroidery or cross stitch, and I thought I was doing fine, except on days when my cataract makes everything wonky, but I just looked at a photo on my huge-ass monitor of my latest stitching and I can't believe how clear it is. Look at the weave on that fabric. Who knew it was there? And, now I can see just how bad my embroidery skills are. Boy, do I need to practice my satin and back stitching.

By the way, that is a lop-sided mushroom with a round stem, in case you were wondering.

I've erased the rest of this post because it's already outdated. We had a leaky pipe in the wall behind my closet and I had written about that and was going to show a picture of the huge hole in my wall but it's already been patched and dry walled. Next up: new paint. And then, and this is the big one: we get new flooring in pretty much the entire house (everywhere but the bathrooms and kitchen/family room). Sounds good, huh? Especially when you consider the wood floor that's already here is scratched in places, there's previous water damage by the front door, and even though the same kind of wood was used all over, some it is shiny and some of it isn't (I think there are two different finishes). Plus the carpet in my bedroom should have been replaced years ago. I'm excited to get new flooring but it hit me tonight that we will basically have to pack up everything from nearly every room and put it somewhere while the new floor is being installed. It's almost like moving.

Just shoot me.

Of Course I MIssed The February TUSAL Update

2011-02-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

I was just over at It's Daffycat and found out there was a new moon yesterday so I missed posting a TUSAL update. I took some pictures anyway. .

I found this canning jar at a thrift store the other day and thought I would make it my new TUSAL jar. It's the bigger kind so it probably won't be filled up for years.

Meanwhile, this is my current jar. I made a finished cross stitch into an ornament (shocker!) and also did a little embroidery so few thread ends made it in there. (Last month, my jar was totally empty.)

On the left, is my 2010 jar and on the right, is my current one. Well, it was the current one before I bought the canning jar.

Wasn't that exciting?!

Make These For Valentine's Day

2011-01-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

I love these felt roses from Spending Less Living More. They were linked on this post of crafty Valentine ideas from Craft Gossip.

I also love these Valentine marshmallows from The Decorated Cookie. They were linked here on Craft Gossip.

And, nothing to do with Valentine's Day but also on Craft Gossip is Denise's latest free embroidery pattern round-up.

I love Craft Gossip.

Make A Cute Valentine Pillow

2011-01-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

I love this cute little love heart pillow from Lynn B [link via Craft Gossip].

Another Reason To Get Off My Butt And Make Something

2011-01-15T15:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm still sitting at my computer, trying to get caught up with some blog reading.

Over at The Inkling Network is a tutorial to make a cute little baby owl brooch link via The Owl Barn.

And, now it's time for a rant: Why can't Blogger set it up so that each link opens in a new window?!?! God, this annoys me.

Also for Blogger: why won't links work in preview mode anymore? Maybe I'm the exception but I like to check my links before hitting Publish to make sure they work AND open in a new window and now I can't do that.

Ok, I feel better now.

Get Off Your Butt, Patty

2011-01-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

I just read over at Craft Gossip that Aimee Ray is doing an embroidery stitch-a-long over at Lark Crafts and thought if only I could transfer some patterns using the stick-your-design-in-the-window-and-trace-it-with-a-pencil method right now and then I realized it wasn't 2 AM like it usually is when I'm online but only 2:30 PM and really sunny out (and 79 degrees!) so I should get up from this chair and go trace some patterns on to my fabric.

OMG, the free patterns are so cute! You can read more about the SAL on this post.

Lucy Video

2011-01-11T22:53:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with embroidery or anything I made. I just needed a place to post a video of Lucy doing her scary tail thing so I can share it with some people.

My January TUSAL Update

2011-01-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

Today in the New Moon so here's a picture of my 2011 ORTs jar for the Totally UselessStitch-A-Long. The jar is on the left. The dog on the right is Lucy. It's Lucy's and Pumpkin's fault that my jar is empty because I haven't embroidered or cross stitched since these two were adopted about a month ago. I've showered a few times and once I cut my toenails but other than babysitting the two little darlings, there isn't much else going on with me right now.

If you're my Facebook friend, you may have thought I was close to a breakdown over these dogs last night because of what I posted on my wall. I had reached my limit with Lucy going after Pumpkin. One minute they're playing and everybody is happy with tails wagging and the next minute Lucy growls and snarls at Pumpkin because Pumpkin walked by Lucy's blanket. I actually uttered the words "maybe Lucy needs a new home" to my mom because I was thinking she might need to be in an only dog household. The fact that I even said that out loud really shocked me. I suddenly felt like one of those loser pet owners who I've complained about or rolled my eyes at because they decided to get rid of their dog for some stupid reason. Like the ones who were now empty nesters and wanted to travel the world so poor 11 yr old Fido was dumped at a shelter. Or because they were moving on Saturday and if the rescue group didn't help them find a new home for their dog on Friday, well, it was going to the pound. Last night I actually saw a classified ad for an 8 month old Shih Tzu who was being given up because "we got her after being told she was house trained but she isn't and no one here has the time to do it."[insert scream here]

I spent a few hours reading up on dog behavior online and also emailed a bunch of my dog-rescue friends and those that have adopted shelter dogs to ask for advice. I'm convinced that Lucy & Pumpkin hacked into AOL last night and read that email because today was practically perfect with them. They played as much as usual but it didn't get too rough that often, and when it did, they took breaks and had little cat naps. I don't think I heard anything other than a play grow all day. Pumpkin even pooped in the garage and didn't even try to snack on it. Yay, Pumpkin!

I know we still have a ways to go until things are how they should be and we will work with a trainer as soon as I find the right one but today really was a good day. I think my frustration is born out of a lack of sleep and not being able to make anything for over a month. Seriously. Laugh if you want but sticking a needle and thread through fabric calms me and relaxes me and makes me happy. It's like your Prozac. And, her pot. And you over there passed out in a drunken stupor, your vodka. Crafting and Maggie are pretty much what kept me sane the past few years and now I don't have either one. But I can start crafting again and now instead of Maggie, I have Lucy and ~~Ethel~~ Pumpkin to keep me from sticking my head in the oven. (I just wanted to use the strike key in Blogger's new editor. And somebody PLEASE tell me they fixed it so you can set your links to open in new windows without manually adding the code yourself, which is a major pain in the ass and one reason I don't post as many links as I used to.)

In related news, I have a $15 gift card to blow on iTunes which ranks right up there with dogs and crafting on the things-that-make-me-happy scale so I am off to do that.

If you'd like to join the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long yourself, please check Sharon's blog.

And, in honor of the TUSAL here's the New Moon on Monday video from Duran Duran.

It's Two, Two Posts In One Day

2011-01-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, my second post of the day. And year. How unlike me.

Remember the Totally Useless Stitch A Long aka TUSAL? I started it last year and then abandoned it at some point. (It was February. How sad is that?) Which makes no sense because it's fun and brainless. (Just like I like my men. Har, har.) You don't even have to stitch anything. All you need to do is save your floss ends or ORTs, stick them in a jar and share a picture of it once a month, on the day of the new moon.

Yoyo, who used to organize it, has disappeared from Blog Land (I hope she's ok, she was a nice lady) but the wonderful Sharon over at It's Daffycat has stepped in to be the official keeper of the TUSAL. If you want to join in, go leave some Sharon comments on this post. Make sure you do it before the 4th of January because that's not only the first day to post a picture of your jar, but you will also qualify to win fabulous prizes at the end of the year if you post every month.

Here's a picture of my TUSAL jar as of last February. It's now full so I plan to start a new one and share a photo of it on every New Moon, even if it's always empty because I have two canine toddlers who never let me do anything but supervise them.

And, now I am off to make minestrone soup. And babysit the devil dogs.

Shhh, The Dogs Are Sleeping

2011-01-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

I started on this last night and didn't get to finish because I had to put two dogs to bed. I swear, this is like having toddlers.

Happy New Year to my three faithful readers!! I hope your holidays were merry and bright, and your New Year's Eve hangover is gone by the time you read this. I figured I'd get in a little blogging while the dogs are napping at my feet. ~~(Yes, Virginia, Ambien does work on dogs.)~~

Little Miss Shabby is doing a cute embroidery block-of-the-month called Birdie Stitches. You can see the layout for the quilt here and the supply list here. The first block is up on this post.
I love this embroidery freebie of Lulu and her dog, Bear, from Gina at Spot Colors.

That reminds me: I have one little dog who you take out and tell her to "go potty" and she does exactly that. I have another little dog who likes to poop on the pile of pattern printouts on my bedroom floor and then eat it. Lovely. Maybe she's telling me to put those patterns away. Actually, she has only done this once. The pooping on my papers part, not the eating part. She hasn't eaten her last two poops though so maybe she is getting over it.

I'd like to thank anyone who has continued to read this post up until this post.

Over at Tipnut, is a list of links to tutorials to make 24 softies. If I ever get a chance, I will actually go through that list. And, then pigs will fly.

Did anyone watch the Rose Parade? I had it on earlier and realized we (my sister, her friend and I) went to see it in person 31 years ago when I was 16. Frank Sinatra was the Grand Marshal. It amazes me how it never seems to rain during the parade. According to Bob Eubanks, it has rained twice for the parade (I honestly don't remember that) and both times they had a Supreme Court Justice as the Grand Marshal. Interesting.

No More Blogging, Crafting, Reading Or Cleaning For Me

2010-12-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

I do believe my blogging, crafting, reading ~~and cleaning~~ days are temporarily over for now.

(I crossed off cleaning since I do believe picking up dog poop and dealing with wet-from-pee newspapers counts as cleaning.)

Yes, there are two new little doggies at my house and all I have been doing for about ten days now is babysitting them.

It's so fun! (Except for the part where one is jealous of the other and there's a lot of growling or the part where one wants to play and the other doesn't understand and there's a lot of growling. Anyone have a number for dog trainer Victoria Stilwell?)

The taller but skinnier of the two, Lucy, will not stop moving long enough for me to get a clear picture of her so I've posted a video of her made by some wonderful shelter volunteers (they called her Minnie). I've also put up the video of Pumpkin (they called her Rosie). You can see both in the two previous posts.

Merry Christmas to me!!

Rosie A4214346 ADOPTED!!!

2010-12-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Meet my other new doggie, Pumpkin. (The shelter volunteers called her Rosie.)

Minnie A4210086

2010-12-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

Meet my new doggie, Lucy. (Minnie was her shelter name.)

Please Vote For Rachel

2010-11-29T11:28:00.000-08:00

All I want to do is go to bed so I'm going to post a link to a post on Average Jane Crafter and ask that you please go read it and then vote for Rachel. She embroidered the moon in a really cool way and now she's entered in the 2010 Space Craft Contest presented by Etsy and NASA. Yes, that NASA. Read all about by clicking the link posted above.

Goodnight!

Must Make

2010-11-17T21:41:00.000-08:00

I am just about finished with my felt sampler Christmas tree from Inspired Ideas magazine so I'm thinking about my next project. Decisions, decisions!

Little Birdie Plush from A Beautiful Mess

Puppy Pal (scroll down to the bottom of the post) from Turkey Feathers

Owl Hexie Ornament of the Week from Bee Tree Designs (make sure you check all the free patterns there)

Festive Felt Christmas Trees from All Sorts

Christmas deer and fox felt applique from Bustle & Sew

World Diabetes Day

2010-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

World Diabetes Day is today, Sunday, November 14th, which is why I put the giant candle in my right sidebar. You can use the match to light it (you'll be taken to the World Diabetes website).

I'm all for raising awareness about diabetes but the majority of the time it's focused on Type 2, which is not the kind I have. I have Type 1. Sometimes I want to scream when people talk about preventing diabetes because there is no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes. And, if you're a regular reader of this blog, I am sure you know that by now because I've whined about it enough over the past few years. See how well I spread awareness? :)

I'll leave you with my favorite diabeetus video.

P.S. Thank you to Drs. Banting and Best for discovering insulin.

Looking For Cookie Recipe

2010-11-11T12:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Marine Corps birthday and since my mom was going to her monthly lunch with a bunch of former servicemen today, she wanted to make some cookies with her giant Marine Corps emblem cookie cutter for her friends. Long story short, the dough would not cooperate when it was time to roll it out so I told her I would track down a recipe that she could use next time.

I haven't Googled it yet but I thought I would ask you all if you had a recipe for rolled cookies. Wait. Is that what you call them? I only know drop cookies. Anyway, the kind where you use a cookie cutter.

Thank you!

P.S. Thank you to all our veterans for your service!

Book Giveaways On Craft Gossip

2010-11-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

Craft Gossip is giving away a copy of Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection. Leave a comment on this post by November 14 to enter.

They're also giving away ten copies of Amy Sedaris' new book Simple Times: Craft for Poor People and a $250 craft voucher. You have until November 21 to get in on that one. Go here for more info.

Good luck to you all! And, here's hoping I win.

Free Redwork Patterns

2010-11-09T09:37:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, there was a set of free embroidery patterns on Bobby Socks Quilt Company of 50's style dresses (called Dress Me Up) that I just loved. I printed most of them out (I think I missed two of them), and I swear some day I am going to stitch them all up.

Stop laughing.

Anyway, I know I also printed out the freebies from the following year, but I hadn't been back to the new site in a long, long time. I was just there now and found a set of free redwork patterns for 2010, called Fairy Tails, which are really cute. Be sure to save them all now because they won't be up once the year is over. And, good news for me: the Dress Me Up patterns are available for purchase from the site.

Felt Flowers

2010-11-09T09:03:00.000-08:00

I had a link saved to this blog post on Twin Fibers because I loved the look of the felt flowers.

Tonight I was back at Twin Fibers and saw the finished white flowers. They're peonies. Funny because earlier I was searching for patterns for peonies, for embroidery, cross stitch, whatever.

It's nice to know there is a lovely version of a felt peony out there that I can look at from time to time and drool over.

(Yes, I have been drooling a lot lately.)

P.S. I love the dahlia too.

Drool Inspiring

2010-11-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

About ten years ago, I made a felt cat bag from instructions in Country Living magazine. I am pretty sure this was the first time I ever blanket stitched two pieces of felt together. And, when I look the picture, I hope to God that was my first attempt at blanket stitching because boy, is it horrible. (Click for larger version, if you dare.)

Did I say I made that ten years ago? I meant to say I made it when I was two. And sitting in the dark in the basement. During a power failure. And I was really drunk. And I was blind at the time. And in a coma.

I made that bag at the request of my mother so when I saw the tutorial for a felt cat bag in the Autumn issue of Inspired Ideas, I decided I should make one for my mom.

I just realized I must take pictures with my eyes closed. In the basement. Which apparently is painted white. (Memo to self: stop hanging stuff on the same white door for picture-taking.)

One thing I will say about that kitty bag is if I ever make one again, I will add the eyes and nose before I stitch the bag together. It's too hard for me to stitch on anything other than a flat surface.

In related news: Amy Powers of Inspire Co. has put out the Christmas issue of Inspired Ideas. I'm not even going to tell you what's in it. Just go take a look. I promise you will not be disappointed. You will probably be inspired to drool a little. I know I was. And I wasn't even passed out at the time. (If you can't see the e-magazine at the link above, try this one).

Click Me

2010-11-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to post at 10:10 tonight. Since it's still not up, I am adding another link. Take that, Blogger.

Dutch Sisters (a new-to-me blog) has a tutorial up to embroider and make a cute toadstool. There isn't a pattern (they do sell a kit for it in their store) but I think you could wing it.

I have way too many saved patterns for little stuffed animals and I think these are too involved for me to make, but I could not pass up linking to the tutorial for making Niblet and Biscuit. Niblet and Biscuit. Such cute words. They're cute dolls too. I also just fell in love with Gwenny Penny's Welcome Autumn banner. I'd print it right now but my printer needs toner.

Who knows when I'll get to it but I am definitely making one of these felt birds from A Feathered Nest in the very near future [via One Pretty Thing].

I love this Pottery Barn inspired poinsettia pillow from Spartan Living [via Craft Gossip].

The Felt Flower Mixed Bouquet over at Creative Jewish Mom is now at the top of my to-do/to-make/to-drool over list. As soon as I decide which colors I want my flowers, I am starting on this.

Two Great Quotes

2010-11-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

From an Etsy interview with Amy Sedaris:

"My philosophy is simple: if plain people craft, and attractive people have sex, and you find yourself a crafter, take comfort in the fact that with crafting, the risk of STDs is greatly reduced."

"If you craft, and you should, craft with abandon and don’t judge your work. It’s the process that’s important, not the final product. Remember, for every person who deems your project crap, there is another person who hasn’t seen it. The only person you have to please is yourself, and what do you know about art?"

Read the entire interview here.

The Most Amazing Unexpected Thing Just Happened

2010-11-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting at my computer reading the latest newsletter from Bunny Hill Designs and my sister wanders in and looks at the gift tags on my monitor (linked in the newsletter) and says "How cute!" And, I say how there are tons of free printable gift tags out there and that it's too bad I don't have any presents to give, and she says "Why don't you print them out and make a garland?"

Oh. My. God.

My sister does not craft. She once made a Christmas ornament when she was in Blue Birds in first grade but that was back in the 70's. She enjoys reading mysteries, doing puzzles and eating salami but she does not sew or embroider or paint or cook or collage or whittle or knit toilet paper cozies from cat hair so I was shocked and appalled and stunned and amazed at what she said.

I really should add that she was a graphic artist at her last job, so it's not that she isn't creative. It's just that she doesn't, you know, make stuff.

The gift tags are on the free page at Bunny Tales.

Diabetes Awareness Month Now With A Meme!

2010-11-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

November is Diabetes Awareness Month so how about a diabetes meme? [via Six Until Me]

What type of diabetes do you have: Type 1 aka insulin-dependent diabetes. And, please stop calling it juvenile diabetes. Really, people. This is 2010.

When were you diagnosed: August 1978

What's your current blood sugar: 163

What kind of meter do you use: One Touch Ultra

How many times a day do you test your blood sugar: 5-10 times a day

What's a "high" number for you: Anything over 199

What do you consider "low": Anything that makes me feel "not right," usually below 80

What's your favorite low blood sugar reaction treater: Mixed fruit glucose tablets from Rite-Aid

Describe your dream endo: One who treats me for free (I don't have insurance)

What's your biggest diabetes achievement: Living 32 years with it. Go, me!

What's your biggest diabetes-related fear: Kidney failure

Who's on your support team: Me, myself and I, and financially, my father

Do you think there will be a cure in your lifetime: Nah. And, I'm not a conspiracy theorist at all but do you realize how many people would be out of a job if a cure was found?

What is a "cure" to you? My pancreas starts making unlimited insulin again

The most annoying thing people say to you about your diabetes is: "Oh, I guess you can't eat cake." OMG, shut up.

What is the most common misconception about diabetes: That Type 1 is just like Type 2 and can be treated with diet. Which part of "my pancreas no longer produces insulin, and without insulin, I will die" do you not get?

If you could say one thing to your pancreas, what would it be: I'll bake you a cake if you start working again.

I'll leave you with my diabetes PSA from this here blog in May 2009:

Here's my PSA: Sonia Sotomayor has Type 1 diabetes. It's caused when the pancreas stops producing insulin. It has NOTHING to do with diet or being overweight. If I read one more comment about her having type 1 diabetes because she's fat or ate too much candy or junk food, I am going to kill someone.

Making you diabeetus aware, one post at a time.

Tie One On's New Theme

2010-11-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was happy to see that Tie One On has another apron contest going on. (Would that be an apron-along?) This one is Apple Cider and you can read all about it here.

The deadline to post a photo of your finished apron to the Flicker gallery is December 1st and the prize is a randomly selected book.

FYI: Amy from Angry Chicken is behind Tie One On.

Halloween Update

2010-10-28T12:17:00.000-07:00

Finally, something Halloween-y to share: ghosts and candy corn cookies.

The instructions for the ghosts were in Country Living (slide #7) and they are really simple to make. You'll need those white tissue paper honeycomb wedding bells that you find at party stores and black construction paper or cardstock for their eyes and mouths. (The magazine suggested glue dots to stick them on but I didn't have any so I just used my hot glue gun.) Then drape cheesecloth over the ghosts and there you go.

I saw the recipe for the candy corn cookies on a blog and then later found it on the Land O'Lakes website. The only difference was the blogger used sanding sugar on hers at the end. I just used granulated. These are just sugar cookies made to look like candy corn and are easy to make. You can find step-by-step photos here.

By the way, the recipe yields 15 dozen cookies, (they're supposed to be small), and even though I read that before I even started mixing ingredients together, it didn't hit me until I had one tray of unbaked cookies ready to go into the oven and saw I still had a huge amount of dough left. Tip from me: the bigger you cut the candy corns, the quicker you'll use up all that dough.

A Major Screw Up

2010-10-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished the cross stitching on my 3D pumpkin and trimmed the material so I could sew it together and look what I did while I was cutting the fabric.

I think someone needs new glasses.

I don't see how I can salvage it. I planned to make the pumpkin just as you would a biscornu by running one strand of floss under the seam on one pointy side and under the seam on the other pointy side. I have no idea if that was going to work because there are no instructions on the blog where the chart is but I think that's what you're supposed to do. If you want to see the chart, go here.

Even though I didn't end up with a pumpkin, this is one Halloween project I'm done with for now. (I'll probably attempt another one sometime next year.)

A Night Of Clicking Links

2010-10-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

AOL has something called My Favorite Places which is where you can save links. I rarely use mine anymore but I have a bunch stored tonight I clicked on the very last link in the "Crafty Stuff" category and was taken to a tutorial for a vampire bat softie on Silver Bug Studio. That made me want to see what else I had saved. Some of the links are now dead but I found a few things to put on my To-Do list. Because it isn't already long enough.

How cute are these little felt chicks from Comfortstitching? As much as I love garlands, I totally want to make the version with a button and ribbon to hang them up. Filing this one away for next Easter.

Here's a huge list of crochet patterns to make sweaters, etc for your pets, I love this jingle bells dog collar.

You can find a tutorial make a dog pajama bag on Timeless Truths.

Did you hear me squeal when I opened this one up? A member of Craftster shared some vintage stuffed animal patterns that her grandmother had saved. I'm ready to go make a dog and a horse and an elephant and another dog . There are also patterns for a giraffe, lion, hedgehog, calf, ostrich, ape and two for ragdolls. I'll have to put the animals on hold until after I finish my Halloween stuff.

Happy Wednesday!

More Halloween Embroidery

2010-10-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

If you're itching to stitch up something for Halloween there's a new embroidery pattern on Badbirds and this one is a Death Head.

And, if you have time to do even more stitching, see also Bat Boy (I love him!) and Pumkin Girl.

A Halloween Tipnut

2010-10-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Tipnut has a DIY Halloween website with lots of free craft projects, tutorials, recipes and costume ideas. Go check it out!

Vintage Embroidery Patterns From TipNut

2010-10-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

The nice lady at TipNut is sharing another set of vintage embroidery patterns. This is a days of the week/household chores set. What I like about them is how the designs are surrounded by the letter of each day. I've never seen that before. You can find the Monday pattern here. The pattern for Tuesday will be posted next week.

Edited to add:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday

Hey, Dog People Of Missouri

2010-10-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Edited To Add: It passed! Yay!

If you live in Missouri, please consider voting Yes on Prop B.

"The Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act is a measure that will improve the lives of dogs in commercial breeding operations in Missouri. Specifically, the measure will require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each breeding dog under their care with the basics of humane animal care including:

Sufficient food and clean water
Necessary veterinary care
Sufficient housing, including protection from the elements
Sufficient space to turn and stretch freely, lie down, and fully extend their limbs
Regular exercise
Adequate rest between breeding cycles"

Honestly, I don't see why anyone would oppose it.

By the way, this will not affect hobby breeders with ten or less breeding female dogs or those who raise dogs for purposes other than breeding them and selling puppies.

If you need more information, please go to the YES! on Prop B website.

Thank you!

File Under Hearts

2010-10-14T09:45:00.001-07:00

I started blogging so I could keep track of all the projects I wanted to make someday. Here's one for a wire heart tutorial from The Prairie Girl that I love because it involves vintage buttons. And it's a heart. And it's pretty.

And, here's one for making a small felt heart pouch (good for stashing a piece of candy) from Woolnest.

I'm labeling these Valentine's Day so I can find them again.

Stuffed With Love Plushies

2010-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Over at Vanessa Fire is a tutorial for making a Plushpuppie stuffed with love. He has a little window in his belly with a heart in it. So cute! [Link via One Pretty Thing.]

And there's also tutorial for making his friend, the rhino.

Tree Cones And A Felt Bear

2010-10-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

I love trees made out of pretty paper and here are some from Kind Over Matter. And, the trunks are toilet paper rolls.

And, look at this cute little felt Valentine bear. I love his glasses.

I found the Kind Over Matter blog via the Crafters Medley: 27 Neat-O Projects To Make post over on Tip Nut.

This Is So Wrong

2010-10-09T01:32:00.000-07:00

On the left is chocolate candy corn and on the right is caramel candy corn. My sister got me a bag of each because she knows I am a candy corn junkie and I was really disappointed, even though I love chocolate and I love caramel. Plain old candy corn is fine with me. Well, as long as it's Brach's candy corn made with honey.

Speaking of Halloween, the other night I saw this cross stitched pumpkin on Gazette94 and started working on it right away. (There's a translation widget in the right sidebar.) I'm about 3/4 of the way finished with the stitching. It looks to me like you put it together the same way you make a biscornu. I like the heart with the squirrels design in the same post. She has some really nice free charts there.

I have few other Halloween projects started and who knows if I'll ever finish them. My problem is I keep seeing more things I want to make. There is way too much good stuff out there! Like the ghost walkers from The Small Object Steno Pad and Jenny's pumpkin treat bags. And these vintage looking paper decorations from Martha. I was actually going to make the pumpkin tonight but didn't have enough orange paper.

If you 're looking for Halloween ideas, check out One Pretty Thing. Click the Categories tab at the top and then scroll down until you see the Halloween links.

Have a good weekend!

Super Cute Printables From Orange You Lucky

2010-10-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Look what I found in my draft posts pile. Since I made this list, Helen has posted three cute "Property Of" labels. I just want to stick her printables all over my walls!

Illustrator Helen Dardik shared another super cute book plate at Orange You Lucky back in May. That got me thinking about her other printables so I'm linking to all of them to make it easier to find them.

May 2010 book plate [link via How About Orange]

Xmas 2009 holiday labels

Back to school labels

June 2009 book plates

March 2009 book plates