Your Favorite Song

I like doing surveys or memes, and we all know MySpace is chock full of them, but I don't always share them here because I know no one cares enough to read my answers all the way through. (Except for a few people, the only visitors I get are Googlers looking for free charts, and I can't even get my friends to read my blog.) But I must post this survey that I found on Michelle's MySpace. It's kind of long and might take you awhile, but if you're a music geek, you'll enjoy doing it. And, if you decide to fill it out, please let me know so I can read your answers.

Fill in your favorite song by each band/artist.

1. Your Favorite Song by

2. The Beatles
"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"

3. Bob Dylan
I don't care as long as Bob himself is not singing.

4. Elvis Presley
"Suspicious Minds"

5. The Rolling Stones
"Tumblin' Dice"
"Happy"
"Gimme Shelter"

6. Jimi Hendrix
Sorry. Not a fan.

7. The Beach Boys
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"

8. Led Zeppelin
"In The Evening"

9. The Velvet Underground
"Sweet Jane"

10. U2
"Running To Stand Still"
"All I Want Is You"
"Bad"

11. Bruce Springsteen
"She's The One"
"Cover Me"
"Pink Cadillac"
"Thunder Road"

12. The Ramones
"I Wanna Be Sedated"

13. Nirvana
"Pennyroyal Tea"

14. The Who
"Squeeze Box"

15. Prince
"I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man"

16. The Clash
"Police On My Back"
"Rudie Can't Fail"
"Train In Vain"

17. Michael Jackson
"ABC" (with his brothers)

18. Madonna
"Into The Groove"
"Cherish"

19. John Lennon
"#9 Dream"

20. David Bowie
"Heroes"

21. The Doors
"Touch Me"

22. Public Enemy
Not a favorite, sorry

23. Janis Joplin
I'd rather listen to Public Enemy

24. Run-DMC
"It's Tricky"

25. Elton John
"Tiny Dancer" and can I please sit next to Billy Crudup on the bus?

26. Pink Floyd
Most boring band ever. EVER.

27. Queen
"Under Pressure"

28. Eric Clapton
"She's Waiting"

29. Grateful Dead
Cherry Garcia (I hate the Dead)

30. Aerosmith
"Sweet Emotion"

31. Sex Pistols
Did they do anything else besides "God Save The Queen"?

32. Tina Turner
"Proud Mary"

33. The Kinks
"Lola"

34. Cream
I have no idea but I can tell you Ginger Baker was the drummer

35. The Police
"Every Little Thing"

36. AC/DC
"Dirt Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"

37. Radiohead
"Fake Plastic Trees"

38. The Eagles
"Best Of My Love"

39. Beastie Boys
"Hey Ladies"

40. The Stooges
I only know "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and I don't love it

41. Eminem
Ugh!

42. Black Sabbath
The Replacements' cover of "Iron Man" from The Shit Hits The Fans.

43. Guns N Roses
"Used To Love Her"

44. Nine Inch Nails
Michelle's answer was "Didn't want to go with a cover on this one because I really heart soooo many NIN songs, but I LOVE Trent's cover of Adam Ant's (!) "Physical". Sexiest NIN song EVER!" I have to TOTALLY agree with her. Every time this comes on my iPod, I think about sex. Laugh if you want but go listen to it and you will know exactly what I mean.

45. Roxy Music
"Avalon"

46. Poison
"Girls Girls Girls" -- no, wait, that was Motley Crue.

47. Twisted Sister
The song that went with the video with the guy from Animal House. Actually, I hated all their songs and Dee Snider's hair too.

48. Styx
I would rather curl up into a ball and die than listen to them.

49. Peter Gabriel
"Sledge Hammer"

50. Jethro Tull
People actually like them??

51. Genesis
"Sususudio" (remember when MTV played this like every half hour?)

52. Portishead
All I know about them is they have a girl singer and come from Great Britain. I keep thinking her name is Natalie but I think I'm just getting her confused with Natalie Portman.

53. Oasis
"Champagne Supernova"

54. Bon Jovi
"Bad Medicine"

55. Pearl Jam
Can I say "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog -- Eddie Vedder sang on it and I think some of Pearl Jam was involved with that record so it sort of counts.

56. Motley Crue
"Girls Girls Girls"

57. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Even the Losers"
"The Waiting"
"King's Road"
Did you see how old Tom looked at the Super Bowl? And, Benmont Tench had gray hair. And, who told Alicia Keys to wear those pants?

58. Coldplay
Ugh. I just do not see the appeal.

59. Fleetwood Mac
"Gold Dust Woman"

60. Cure
"Close To Me"

61. Joy Division
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Do I even know anything else by them?)

62. Inxs
"New Sensation"

63. My Chemical Romance
I don't know anything by them but I bet they are better than Jethro Tull.

64. Def Leppard
"Pour Some Sugar On Me"
"Hysteria"

65. Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Love Rollercoaster" (cover of The Ohio Players song)

66. Foo Fighters
"Best Of You"

67. Devo
"Whip It"

68. Eurythmics
"Here Comes The Rain Again"

69. Duran Duran
John Taylor -- I mean, "The Reflex"

70. ZZTop
"Legs"

71. Journey
Once upon a time, I loved Journey. Then I discovered college radio.

72. Green Day
"When I Come Around"

73. Iggy Pop
"Lust For Life"

74. Mott the Hoople
"All the Young Dudes"

75. Dead Kennedys
I only know "Holiday In Cambodia" and it's not exactly a favorite of mine.

76. Kiss
"Rock and Roll All Night"

77. Metallica
"Enter Sandman"

78. New York Dolls
I don't know any New York Dolls' songs but The Replacements did one called "Johnny's Gonna Die" about Johnny Thunders

79. Petshop Boys
"What Have I Done to Deserve This" (thanks for the reminder, Chelle!)

80. Marilyn Manson
I did like one of their songs and I had a friend put it on a mix tape for me. I cannot remember the name of it now though.

81. Lou Reed
"Rock N Roll"

82. Sonic Youth
"Teenage Riot"

83. T Rex
"20th Century Boy"

84. Van Halen
"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"

85. Super Tramp
"Give A Little Bit"

Candy Heart Maker

Just in time for Valentine's Day -- make your own candy hearts!

One More Link

I forgot to add this yesterday.

Look what I found thanks to Mrs. Stitchy Britches: Craftini, another generous blogger who is sharing her embroidery patterns (and here and here too) and making these pretty lavender bags. I love them! Thanks, Sarah!

Trying To Get Caught Up

I just read on a blog (of course) that you're more likely to do something if you write it down. I don't know if that will motivate me to do some things I have been putting off but I'm going to give it a try. So, here are my goals:

post the rest of the links to a few more free cross stitch owl charts that I found and any other links I've saved to add here

finish Michelle's song survey

add a few more of my favorite blogs to the sidebar

answer all 327 330 emails in my mailbox

Until I finish these four things -- I could have sworn there was a fifth one -- I am not allowing myself to look at one single blog.

Not a one.

Well, except for Mrs. Stitchy Britches because she is always adding embroidery patterns to her blog and I couldn't live if I had to give them up, even only for awhile.

Speaking of embroidery, my half of the brain has a list of links to all kinds of embroidery posts. I know I've been to many of them before (like the ones at Feeling Stitchy) but I'm still going to check them all out when I have some time.

Vote Early, Vote Often

My friend Michelle has a son who is in a band called Three Foot Fall. Please vote for them in the Battle of the Bands by going to the Pasco Libraries page on MySpace and clicking on their name. You don't have to sign in or register even though it's MySpace.

And, The Apronista is having another giveaway. This time, it's for an apron from Carolyn's Kitchen. Visit Carolyn and you will find aprons with polka dots, stripes, eyelet, and heart-shaped pockets. Pardon me while I drool.

Hah!
17

For Once, I Cannot Choose A Favorite

Tie One On's theme for Autumn was Polka Dotted Lovelies and oh my God, they are all just that. They're now up on Flickr so GO LOOK!!

Puppy's First Christmas Ornament

Puppy's First Christmas
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

This was made for the Christmas Ornament Stitch-A-Long. One of the the themes for January was animals. I had seen the chart for this one a day or two before I joined the SAL and was planning on doing it anyway, but I probably would have put it off for months and months. I'm glad it's already finished now and ready to be hung on my Xmas tree later in the year. (That reminds me I still need to add some floss for a hanger.) This was done on 14 ct Aida (I am trying to use it up) and I changed the colors a little. You can find the free chart for Puppy's First Christmas at The Chart Shop.

My House For the Bride's Tree SAL

House Sampler
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

I finished this ornament a few days ago and forgot to take a picture of it to post on the Bride's Tree Stitch-A-Long. The theme for January was House and when I saw the free chart on The Floss Box, I decided I wanted to make it for the SAL. It was stitched on 14 ct Aida and I used DMC 355. The fabric shown is what I used for the back of the ornament (in another life, it was a jacket of mine). I'm really happy with how this one turned out. Thanks to Emily at The Floss Box for yet another great freebie!

Cat In A Basket

I made this for my sister for Christmas because she loves cats. But I also wanted to make another one of the pincushions from Les chroniques de Frimousse. It was stitched with a few different shades of blue and brown floss that I had on hand and done on 14 ct Aida. The free chart for this kitty can be found here.

Winter Wonderland Hedgehog

Winter Wonderland Hedgehog
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

I originally was going to make this hedgehog for a friend but decided he was too cute to give away. He hasn't become an ornament yet but it's on my to-do list. You can find the free chart at The Chart Shop.

Autumn Heart Cross Stitch

Autumn Heart
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

I wanted to get some pictures of my two Stitch-A-Long ornaments and found some other things I've finished recently. The free chart for this heart can be found at Kissy-Cross. Not a full picture, I know, but this is the only one that turned out nice and clear. I still haven't decided what to do with it but I guess that can wait until next Fall. :)

Another Post I Never Finished

Here's another post I never finished. There was way more babbling about marshmallows but I've deleted it to save you from dying of boredom. I realized today that I totally forgot to mention the Winter '08 edition of the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival and I wish I had done it last week since some of the giveaways are already over or ending tonight. But, the giveaway at And She Can't Even Cook! is open until Feb 3rd (yay!) so leave some comments on the post and you'll be entered to win a cute Valentine's Day Apron. Another giveaway that's still open is for an adorable stuffed puppy from So And Sew Crafty.

I can remember watching Martha Stewart make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats on her old show but she used some kind of sweetened cereal (Fruity Pebbles?). I really don't want Coco Puffs or Fruit Loops mixed with my marshmallows so I've never tried making them with anything but Rice Krispies. Well, Cakespy recently held a challenge [link via Pop Culture Junk Mail] to see if marshmallow treats made with other cereals would hold up to the Rice Krispie version.

(I started writing this post a few days ago and ever since I have really been craving a marshmallow and peanut butter sandwich. You might know it as a Fluffernutter but I never knew they had a name until I read it online a few years ago. The first time I ever had one, I was in sixth grade and my friend Kelly made it for me. She was from Texas and I thought it was something they all ate there. We always made ours with Kraft Marshmallow Creme but it looks like you can get Marshmallow Fluff shipped right to your door. Hmm.)

Someone Stop Me Before I Start With the 80's

I have a feeling I'm going to be at this site for hours and hours. I just took a bunch of quizzes based on matching actors to their tv shows from the 70's. Now I'm moving on to music.

I scored 100%!
I got 10 out of 10 correct on the Songs from 1970 #2 quiz.

Donkeys Donkeys Donkeys

I don't collect donkeys but I kind of have a thing for them. It's probably due to reading Brighty of The Grand Canyon during my horse phase in junior high. Well, I just saw the cutest donkey stamp on Write, Mama, Write. There was a link there to where the donkey stamp had come from so I went to Green Kitchen expecting to see the stamps for sale but guess what? You can download the pdf (it's linked in the post) or get them on Flickr! All the stamps (originally from a vintage French set) would make great embroidery patterns.

More donkey excitement: Mrs. Stitchy Britches shares an embroidery pattern of a donkey here and here and here too (she has been sharing a whole busload of patterns lately so be sure to go look if you haven't already).

Pretty Much A Geek For All Food

This was posted on my old blog on January 28, 2006.

I'm a geek for grilled cheese sandwiches and I'll eat them made with any kind of bread and any kind of cheese, and enjoy them all, but Venetian Panino is one of my favorite versions. This recipe calls for turkey, but when Giada De Laurentiis made this on her show, she said theu used ham at Harry's Bar so I did too. But you could forget the ham altogether. In fact, forget the bread and just eat the cheese spread with a spoon right out of the food processor, making sure you share some with your dog because she really likes it too.

On the same show, Giada also made Zucchini and Carrot a Scapece, which sounded good to me because it involved vinegar, so I made a batch one morning and then snacked on it for the next few days. I've never cooked with mint before and I was looking forward to adding it to the carrots and zucchini, but my mint plant had very few leaves on it, so I left the poor thing alone. And, the pickled vegetables were just fine without it.

Pork Medallions with Balsamic-Honey Glaze took me longer to make than the 20 minutes it took Sara Moulton to do it but it's still a quickie. To save time, she put the cooked pork pieces in a casserole dish and poured the glaze over it. I added my glaze to the skillet that I cooked the meat in and reduced it for a few minutes before pouring it over the pork. And, if you don't eat pork, I'm sure this would work with chicken breast too.

Another quickie is Paula Deen's Chicken and Rice Casserole. I usually don't make a lot of dishes that have condensed soup as an ingredient because I know they're loaded with sodium, but every time I taste something made with it, it's so good. And, this recipe was just that.

I'm also a geek for macaroni and cheese. I'll try pretty much any mac & cheese recipe I come across. When I saw Martha's Stewart's Lighter Macaroni and Cheese, I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. They've lightened it up by using a combination of low-fat milk and chicken stock, but it's just as good as any recipe made with whole milk. I didn't bake mine in individual ramekins -- sorry, Martha, but I don't have any of those -- I just used a baking dish, and I left out the tomatoes, although I will add them next time since I'm geek for tomatoes too.

I did not make this Chicken Saltimbocca but my mom did and it was delicious.

Forgot To Post This One 3 Days Ago

I'm not a huge fan of clowns but this bear is cute. He's flipping a crepe. And, he's skiing in this one. (To help you Googlers, I'll add that these are free cross stitch charts.)

I'm pretty sure this blogger is a member of a Yahoo group for redwork that I also belong to but I don't think I ever linked to her blog (which I just found again through another blog that I did not save a link to). She has posted some of the embroidery patterns from the J.F. Ingalls catalog that John Governale put online last summer. There are owls, birds, peacock feathers, and what looks to me like Little Bo Peep since she's holding one of those curvy stick things. EDITED TO ADD: Some of the links no longer work. Please go to J.F. Ingalls for scans of the embroidery patterns that Mr. Governale shared a couple of years ago. Updated: April 29. 2010.

TipNut has started posting another days of the week (DOW) set of embroidery patterns. This time, it's puppies doing chores. The link to the pattern for Monday is near the bottom of this post. Thanks to TipNut for sharing these!

I found another cool link on my old blog: a knitted pie.

Did you know Kellogg's stopped making Hydrox cookies a few years ago? [link via Not Martha] I don't know if I ever even had one (and now I guess it's too late). I always was, and still am, an Oreo girl.

I saw the giant cupcake pan in the King Arthur catalog earlier tonight and now I'm not surprised I see it's on back order until February 18th.

The Panda Dog Link Still Works

How cute is this? You can find the original chart here. I really like Kathy's (the stitcher) version. It was done for this New Year's Day SAL contest. You can see all the entries here. You were supposed to start stitching on January 1st so it's too late to enter now but the blogger has a Yahoo group and will be having more SAL contests in the future.

It's a heart, it's made of felt, and it's a needlecase you can make: a Heart Felt Needlecase. I love it. Update: You can find the pattern and tutorial here.

It's linked in the side bar but in case you haven't clicked the link yet, all of you dog people should check out the photos on Riviera Dogs.

I saw Emily did that four things meme on The Floss Box. I had posted it some time ago on my old blog so I went back to look for my answers and found a link to Keith's Colouring Book instead. Back in June 2003, I thought it was great because of the Nancy Drew coloring pages but now I look at the index of them and all I can think is EMBROIDERY PATTERNS!!

Yay! The instructions and images to make the toppers on the cupcakes on the cover of current issue of Country Living are at the magazine's website.

There are some great vintage Valentine postcard images on SilverCollect Blog and for other holidays too. Garden Fairy also has free vintage graphics to use for scrapbooking or card making (or whatever you want to do with them).

One more thing from my old blog: a dog that looks like a panda.

Don't Put Your Bras in the Dryer

While looking for something else, I came across The Nickname Game on my old blog.

Make a list of your nicknames and who calls you what.

If you call me Patty Ann, you're my mother.
If you call me Pip, you're my sister.
If you call me Miss Patty, you're the kids at work.
If you call me Patricia, you're the IRS.
If you call me Susan, you're my grandmother (she had dementia).
If you call me Ms. Patty, you're Shauna.
If you call me Pat, you're one of my mom's relatives.
If you call me Pa-tree-sha, you're that elderly nurse in the hospital who woke me up at 2am to draw blood.
If you call me Pats, you're Kelly.
If you call me Blue Eyes, you're an ex-boyfriend.
If you call me New Cousin Patty, you're Beth.
If you call me Short Bus, you're Rob.

Also, from my old blog:

Three, count 'em, three things about me
4:06 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 08, 2003

I keep seeing those "100 Things About Me" lists on other sites. I've
considered doing one, but so far, these are all I can come up with:
1. I like to eat Spaghettios out of a can.
2. I once climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
3. I always let my bras air dry after washing them.

Fascinating stuff, I know.

If Superbuzzy Was A Man, I'd Marry Him.

Every night, my plan is to sign on to AOL and answer my email. Right now there are 300 emails in my mail box. Not that I'm really popular. I just let it stack up. I swear some are from as far back as last summer. But instead of answering any of it, I read blogs. And, I Google stuff. And, I click links. And, then I read more blogs. And, I click some more links. And pretty soon, it's 3 am and I am ready for bed.

Thanks to a link at Scrapscene, here's a project from Craft Chi to make your own floss bobbins (or embroidery cards or thread winders) out of paper. (I call them bobbins because I like the word bobbins. I also like the word bonbons. Can you tell I also like putting words in italics?) I love the fabric floss bobbins I've seen before at The Small Object and Casa Mia, (the Casa Mia site is being re-done so don't click the link expecting to see any floss bobbins because they are not there now. I don't think she had instructions on making them though. I think it was just a picture of them.), and of course, I have yet to make any. The ones from Craft Chi are cute and wouldn't involve me cutting fabric. I just worry about putting a manila folder into my printer to print them on. Is that ok to do? Won't it get stuck? What the hell. I'm going to try it anyway.

Craft Chi also shows you how to make an apron from a vintage pillowcase.

That reminds me that I forgot to mention what the winner gets for Handmade Parade's Vintage Pillowcase Challenge: a $50 gift certificate to Superbuzzy, Reprodepot or Sew, Mama, Sew! Here's some more info on the challenge.

And, look. It's 2:40 and I am ready for bed.

Woo hoo!

And, yet another blogger is sharing her vintage embroidery patterns. Here's a cute little chick. Thank you, doe-c-doe (I love that name!) And, check out her fantastic embroidered I Love Lucy! Wow!

Edited to Add: Once I hit the Publish Post button, I really should turn off the computer and get up and walk away. Instead, I keep reading blogs and finding more things to link to.

Not too long ago, I read on someone's blog that if you have a craft blog, you have to make an owl at some point. I guess I missed the memo on that rule but it made me think of several owl charts that I know of. Since I just stumbled across another one, I might as well link to them all so I can get away from this computer and go to bed.
La chouette pour Nannick (I can now add chouette to my ever expanding French vocabulary thanks to this French cross stitch blog)
Owl from Hobby Loco This one is 1" x 2" if done on 14 ct

I'm pretty sure I knew of another x-stitched one but can't remember where it was now. I'll add it when I find the link again. But, Anna Maria Horner has a cute felt owl ornament to make. And, you can watch Floresita's video on making her spooky Halloween owl.

Crafty Saints

This image was posted on the Subversive Cross Stitch blog last year. Thanks to the pop-pom fringe, Julie declared St. Mathilde as the Patron Saint of Crafty Goodness. I don't know why I didn't post her picture before this, given my fascination with both saints and crafts.

You can read more about Saint Mathilde (aka Saint Mathilda and Saint Maud) here and here -- that second page mentions how she learned needlework when she lived at the monastery where her grandmother was the Abbess. FYI: the patron saints of embroiders and needleworkers are Clare of Assisi, Francis of Assisi, Louis IX, Parasceva and Rose of Lima.

Speaking of saints, Happy Zombie posted a pattern for a stuffed Saint Joseph last year. I don't think I ever linked to it.

Some day you may want to make a something for your hen-loving friend so here's a biscornu with chickens for you.

Here's a great tutorial for making a mattress pincushion.

Handmade Parade is having a Vintage Pillowcase Challenge [link via Crafty Carnival]. Make something from a standard size vintage pillowcase and enter it to win a $50 gift certificate from some cool places that I am too lazy to link to now because all I want to do is go to bed since it's 3:34 in the morning. (Why did I spend two hours reading about saints???) The challenge goes from January 15 to February 15th.

Stitch-A-Longs

Emily has posted a list of Stitch-A-Longs at The Floss Box. She linked to a SAL at The Bride's Tree where every month there will be a different theme (like January's theme is houses). You choose the chart to use and then make an ornament for a bride. I've signed up for this SAL. I don't have any new brides in my life right now -- just a bunch of old ones, har har -- so maybe my ornaments will just go to friends who have attended at least one wedding in their lifetime.

I just went to the blog for the Christmas Ornament Stitch-A-Long (Emily linked to that one also but it's been in my side bar for awhile) and got all excited because they're doing themes now and the January theme is animals (and joy and poinsettias). There are links to free charts that you could use so I started clicking them. They're from The Chart Shop and one is the Winter Wonderland Hedgehog that I did before Xmas. And, two of them are dog ones that I happened to print out last night, Snow Days and Puppy's First Christmas. I even started stitching one called Comedy Dog because I couldn't sleep. I had planned to link to all of these cute free charts here today but I honestly forgot all about it. I'm glad they were linked on the SAL blog. And, I'm glad Emily blogged about the SALs in the first place.

My "Comedy Dog" so far:

Going Through My Saved Links

My project this month week is to go through my saved links to free charts and patterns, and post the ones that still work here.

Grilles et diagrammes is a French site with some free cross stitch charts. There are birds, alphabets, "Bienvenue" (that's Welcome, right?), a lighthouse, a windmill, and a couple with reindeer and trees. It's a great collection.

The Caron Collection has a bunch of kid's projects. I like the Sampler Bookmark. The instructions show you how to make fringe on the bottom of the bookmark too. I think this bookmark would be nice stitched all in one color, like red or blue. I might have to do that.

Hope Chest Legacy is an online store that sells books, embroidery patterns, paper dolls, and cookie cutters (and, other stuff as well). They have a page with a few free embroidery patterns (when you open the link, the pattern will be huge so use your arrow keys to see the entire thing), and instructions on making a pillowcase, a quilt block, and the one that got me all excited: how to do a snowflake stitch on gingham fabric. I have a pink gingham pillowcase that I planned to do some chicken scratch on. I really like how the snowflake stitch looks. (Chicken scratch is stitching on gingham. Read more about it at Pegasus Originals. There's a pattern for a chicken scratch heart there.)

Not something I had previously saved but just found via Write, Mama, Write: a knitting pattern for a mini mitten ornament. How cute is that?

I Embroidered Something

I embroidered some hankies for my dad for a Christmas present. It was really tough to find non-girly designs in my stash to use. The patterns I've bought or have found on the internet are either cute animals or pretty flowers.

I considered stitching something like "For your snot" on one of the hankies but I went with "Bless You!" instead. I used a font that looked like real writing for the words, but my embroidery looks just as sloppy as my own handwriting, so I could have just free-handed it.



A site with free Shih Tzu graphics provided this design. When I showed this finished handkerchief to my sister, she didn't know what it was (well, she is more of a cat person). I think the circle thing going around his head might have confused her but the Shih Tzu is supposed to have a top knot like they do in dog shows, and, like this one does.

I put my dad's initials on one hankie (no picture of that one because it's the most boring). I was running out of time and losing interest in the whole project, so I just embroidered a "D" on the last three hankies. I got the "D" from a free alphabet posted on Vintage Transfer Finds. (How funny -- I left comments on that post back in March, saying I wanted to go monogram something after seeing those ABC's. It only took me nine months!)



Shih Tzu graphic from

Another Apronista Giveaway, Woo Hoo

Apronista is giving away a copy of EllynAnne Geisel's "The Apron Book" and also two vintage aprons from Eren and Deanna (the Apronistas). I have this book and love, love, love it. To enter, all you need to do is leave comments on this blog entry.

Last night as I was sewing two pieces of felt (that I made myself) into a cover for Maggie's collar, I realized that if it wasn't for craft blogs, some embroidery floss, a needle, and a bunch of free patterns, I would have gone completely insane over the past year or so. Look at Britney Spears. Who knows where she'd be today if she knew how to knit, was a member of Ravelry, and regularly entered giveways for crafty goodness. Probably not having a psychiatric evaluation at the hospital.


My 300th post just came and went. I know I should have done some sort of giveaway but it's just not possible right now. Hopefully, by the time I post entry #500, I can actually give something away.

Gingham Fruit Embroidery Patterns Link

I know I didn't link to all of Tip Nut's most recent embroidery patterns. I think I stopped on the Friday grapes pattern. Links to all seven days of the week gingham fruit patterns can be found here.

Polly Wants a Home

Sometimes, I get the most depressing emails. Today, one was about a bunch of dogs that were at an animal shelter in Georgia and that needed to get out. Whoever wrote the email mentioned how the shelter was gearing up for the holiday dump -- the period after Christmas through February when new pet owners decide they really don't want that cute little puppy or kitten that was left under their Xmas tree and they take it to the shelter. I wish we had a law that would require pet stores and anyone who breeds a dog to tell new owners just how many animals are put down every year because there aren't anough homes. I would like to believe that people are just ignorant and would think twice about bringing home a dog or cat in the first place if they knew that when they changed their mind later on and took it to a shelter, it could mean that animal would be euthanized. I got another email about a different shelter in Georgia that also has a bunch of dogs in need of homes. What made it worse was most of them only had until January 2 which is today. Since it's after closing time at the shelter now, I wonder how many of them in the pictures I just looked at were adopted or rescued, and which ones did not make it out of there.

I did get one email that was much happier. Well, it was sad in that a woman had been in an abusive relationship but she was leaving the guy and moving to Texas. She didn't have much money and was traveling by bus so a Dachshund rescue group was looking for help with getting her two small dogs down there as well. It was nice to know she would soon be safe in a new home and have her little doggies with her too.

A great place to start looking for a dog or cat or guinea pig or bunny or horse, etc., to adopt is Petfinder. They currently have 251,491 pets on there who need homes. By the way, it's Adopt-a-Rescued-Bird Month. Here's an adoptable bird for you. (To see more birds or other animals, go to Petfinder and use their search function on the left-hand side).

Happy 2008!!!

Take A Kayak

"Skip Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark’s New Year’s special. You’re a dork, not an idiot."

Hah! Read the entire article, Flying solo on New Year's Eve?

So far, my New Year's Eve has consisted of sharing some bad Chinese food with Maggie and listening to k.d. lang singing "Helpless" about 87 times. I found it while looking for some Neil Young songs on iTunes the other night. It could not be a more perfect song. I could listen to this woman sing the telephone book. (You know what I mean.) I'm also doing laundry. What fun!

Let's answer some questions from random MySpace surveys:

1. Do you know anyone named Amanda?
The woman who took my information for an insulin pump was named Amanda.

12. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?
Stuffed

24. Did you dress like Madonna [in the 80's]?
It was because of Madonna that I started wearing Victoria's Secret bras and boxer shorts. I drew the line at rosary beads around my neck though because my mom would have killed me.

8. I've come to realize that, somewhere, someone is thinking:
about pie. That would be me.

2.)Q. What was your dream growing up?
A. To be in a band

Good advice you wish someone would have shared with you?
Use your syringes until they get dull

28. Did you own a Trapper Keeper?
No but I had a Pee-chee (and, more Pee-Chee memories)

What is your weapon of choice?
Abrams tank

Do You Own Any Band T-Shirts?
I still have two REM, one John Mellencamp, at least three Replacements, a Thelonious Monster (thank you, Billy Ruane) and possibly two NIN

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Burnt sienna

17. I've come to realize that, I go on myspace:
because apparently some people I know refuse to use Blogger, Typepad or Wordpress

24. Have you ever kayaked?
Why, yes, I have. At Celine Dion's suggestion, I took a kayak and went into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and rescued a ZILLION people. Obviously, I have a Titanic sized kayak.

Have you ever sat on a rooftop?
And, stared at the moon?

2. What holiday is your birthday closest to?
Labor Day and sometimes Rosh Hashanah

16. I've come to realize that, Babies:
are boring but two year olds rock

98. Whats the closest thing to you that's red?
The cover of NIN's . . . what the hell is the name of this cd? Looks like it's Halo Four. Excuse me while Google it . . . ok, it's a cd maxi single of Sin. Now, I'm thinking about maxi pads. Thanks, Trent.

Happy New Year, y'all!

I Must Learn How To Knit

Sarah at Penguin Knits is doing a craft-along for animal shelters. You can make things like blankets and toys, and then donate them to your favorite animal shelter. (You should contact your local shelter to see what they will accept.) It goes from January 1 through February 1, although Sarah says you can keep on making stuff to donate after that. She linked to a list of knitting patterns for pets and a list of crochet patterns if you need some ideas on what to make.

There aren't any details posted yet but earlier this month, Crafty Daisies asked if anyone would be interested in a learn to knit school. They have 55 comments so far so I hope they decide to do this.


I just found this blog, Crafty Beats, that has some nice tutorials, like this one for a crochet pig and for a puppet bear. I really like the flower pin and the t-shirt bookmark.

One Of My Presents

Look, what I got for Christmas.




No, not the Shih Tzu. The Chinese pincushion.

My mom had one of these when I was a kid. Actually, I think she had two of them because I remember a bigger one that had a lid that you could remove and there was a compartment in the middle where you could keep your sewing supplies. Every time I go to Sublime Stitching to buy one, they're sold out. (They're in stock now though.) So I was excited (it doesn't take much) to see Pier 1 had them. And, when my mom and sister went there for something else, they ended up getting me the pincushion. Yay! Unfortunately, mom doesn't know what happened to hers.

I just found a Chinese pincushion with lid on Cyber Import. It looks like they make them with different amounts of children/men/acrobats (I've seem them referred to as all three on different sites). Interesting.

I should start collecting them.

Finally. Another Pig Picture

I had my camera out Christmas morning to take pictures of us opening presents, and hardly took any, but I got one of this pig ornament that I've had for years. I think it came from a co-worker. I used to collect pigs and for awhile people were always giving them to me. If somebody knows you collect something, they really will think of you every time they see one, and often get it for you. This pig is made of some kind of stiff material -- maybe canvas -- but it's squeezeable too. It's always been one of my favorite ornaments.



I must link to this cute ATC. It was made for a weekly challenge and the theme this time was cross stitch. I just love Kewpies. Well, I don't love the actual dolls. I guess I should say that I love images of Kewpies. You can find a few free ones here. My personal favorite is the Kewpie with the hatchet. (WTF?)

That Kewpie with the axe reminds me how my foot is still swelling every day and I'm about ready to just have Kathy Bates come by and chop it off. This has been going on for over a month now and I am really sick of it. Some days it's just really uncomfortable, and other days, it really hurts. It's annoying and frustrating. And, many times, I can't even get a shoe on. I now completely understand why people go to rehab for an addiction to pain killers. If Percoset didn't make me dizzy and nauseous, I'd be popping them like I do butter mints.*

The orthopedic surgeon said if the swelling in my foot and leg wasn't being caused by a blood clot, he didn't know what else it could be from. Well, I don't have a blood clot, although the woman who performed the ultrasound to rule that out was in still in training and had no idea what she was doing so maybe I do have a blood clot and she was just too inexperienced to catch it. My diabetes doctor thinks the swelling is from the knee surgery, and I find it odd that the orthopedic guy wouldn't feel the same way. I wish I had said no to the surgery and just worn a cast for three months, I would have had really bad B.O. when it was time to remove it but at least I wouldn't have had all of these other issues. There is some good news though. I am able to move much better nowadays. I can use a step stool now and I'm able to sit on the floor with both legs bent at the knee and off to one side -- something I couldn't do two weeks ago. Last week, I went dancing. Ok, it was just me and my iPod, but it was so great to be able to do that without any pain, and to actually move around the room. I haven't been out dancing in a club for like eight years but it's nice to know I could go if I wanted. (Except I couldn't wear a shoe on my swollen foot.) The last time I tried dancing, my knee began to hurt within minutes and the pain lasted for days. I still can't jump and I will always feel the plate in my leg when I kneel on it, which creeps me out, but it's so good to be able to do some of this stuff again.

How did I get on that subject?? Oh yeah, it's that Kewpie with the hatchet's fault.

I added a header (thanks to the Blog Header Generator) and realized there are way too many dog pictures on this blog. Hello, there are four of them in the header alone! No, I'm not obsessed at all. Later, I will make a new collage to use for a header and will not include a single dog. And, then that pig ornament will take flight.

Maryse posted some details about her 2008 Stitch A Long and Frimousse has a free chart for another stuffed little building. It's a boulangerie. Speaking of Maryse's charts, last night I started this heart for a friend. It's going really quickly.


*the best butter mints ever

Hope You Have a Merry Christmas!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I was at Niki's Ventures earlier this afternoon and there was holiday music playing. It was The Waitresses doing "Christmas Wrapping." And, it wasn't a crappy Muzak version. It was the real thing. So, I went to Project Playlist, created an account, and made my own playlist of some Xmas tunes. (Thanks, Niki!)

When I clicked on the entry later in the day, the playlist wasn't working. And, it still wasn't working now. So, I got the code for my lists again and added it to this entry. And, once again, I get a message from Blogger that a tag wasn't closed.

People, if you're going to generate code, and offer it to others for use on their websites or blogs, please make sure you write it correctly. It's really annoying when it's wrong.

I don't know if my playlist will work now. If it's not below this paragraph, it means I removed it because Project Playlist sucks. If it's showing up, that means it's working. I got it to work and I love it. I may not be much of a crafter but I have good taste in music.

P.S. RIP Patty Donahue

Charts From Les chroniques de Frimousse

I love French cross stitch blogs. They have some of the best freebies out there. I love the amazing 3D designs at Frimousse but it can take me forever to track down a specific chart on her blog so I'm making a list fi them in English. I'm doing this for myself but I'm sure someone else will find it helpful as well.

My list of house/pincushion/I'm-not-sure-what-to-call-them charts from Les chroniques de Frimousse (all names are mine):

house with red shutters

house with blue shutters

aquarium

little blue house

bee hive

mushroom

cat in basket

creche

school house

house with Santa

Halloween house

house with snow covered roof

house with snow and people with gifts

garage

cheese wedge with mouse

bed

dog house

bird house

chicken house

baby in basket

cow house

suitcase

bakery

owl

bus

windmill

church wedding

bus

flower shop

post office

cafe

merry-go-round

Printable Images

Ten Two Studios is having a countdown of 46 printable images through December 25th. To download them, you must link to the page with the printables on your website or blog, or to a message board. So far, there are some fantastic images of vintage postcards, ATC backgrounds and faux postage stamps. There's even a cool alphabet that looks like movie tickets.

Ok, I linked. Now I can download.

My Dog House

A couple of weeks ago, I made the dog house from Les chroniques de Frimousse.




I had read on her blog that she puts "canvas thermocollante" on the backs of the stitched pieces before sewing them together. Google translates that to "heatsealer" so I guess it's like a stabilizer. I didn't do that so no wonder mine sags on the side. Look at that roof line. My dog house should be condemned. In this entry (translated version) there's an explanation on how to put these little houses together.

No Elf Clogs Here

Amy over at Angry Chicken has a bunch of gift tags you can print out. My favorite one says "I made this, just so you know. So don't say anything mean about it." I need to print that one out for future use.

There are some very nice free embroidery patterns at Down To Earth. [link via Craft N Cutie] I love the "Monday Is Washing Day" one (scroll down). There's some really interesting stuff at Down To Earth. I had no idea where luffas (or is it loofa?) came from or if they were made or what, and did not know you could eat them, until I read this. I think I finally found a subject Martha Stewart has not tackled yet.

I made an elf clog last week and my blanket stitch around the edges scared me. So I took it apart and last night I just whip stitched it together. I swear my stitching looks like a 2 yr old did it. I'm not sure if I'm going to dismantle it and sew it together one more time or what. Looking at all the pictures in the Flickr Elf Clog pool inspires me to keep at it. Some of them are freaking gorgeous and so cute. Maybe after I make a few dozen more, one will look halfway decent. (Proof I know how to do a blanket stitch.)

Here's a nifty idea for recycling leftover Xmas wrapping paper: weave it into new stuff. I think even I could do this one.

Picasa Collage

I just made a collage with Picasa (link via Bunny Tales).



Picasa is a photo organizing program.

Ok, I have no idea how to explain it better but hey, you can make a collage with it. And, it's free.

All of the images on my computer were put into Picasa and now I have questions.

Whose bedroom is this? I seriously have no idea. I love the windows, the light fixture, and that dresser, but who sleeps in this room? Anyone I know?

And, this one. I have no clue how I got this picture back in May 2006, if it was sent to me by someone or if I downloaded it from somewhere. There's a lot in that kitchen that I like (farmhouse sink, glassfront cabinets, open shelving, the drawer pulls) so I could see saving the picture for when I hit the lottery and need ideas for my dream kitchen in my dream house.

My Gingerbread Man Had a Lobotomy

We have so many ornaments at my house that I glued a bunch of them on a wreath awhile back. (And, trust me, there are still plenty of them on the tree. ) I believe this gingerbread man is about as old as I am (44 yrs). The pin in his head that held the thread to hang him up had come out and been stuck back in so many times, that some of his poor little styrofoam head is missing.

I forget where the guy in the red knitted cap came from but I know he's been around for awhile. The little horse is from a trip to Germany that my mom and I made over 20 yrs ago. I think the red bow on the right is another one that's my age.

And, remember my lop-sided biscornu? I ended up sewing the pieces together to make a square ornament instead. (Except we all know it's not really square, now don't we?) I think I need to add a button in the middle since I left a space for it. A few years ago, I attached beads to a cross stitch and wasn't happy with how they looked, but I gave it another try with this one. The beads could be sewn on tighter but I'm ok with how they turned out. You can find the chart for the Xmas tree biscornu here. By the way, Emily at The Floss Box has a Christmas tree biscornu chart for you too.

Biscornus and a Super Cute Princess Leia

I don't think I've linked to this list of free biscornu charts before. Entwurf 13 is of white daisies with a blue background. And, Entwurf 2 looks like poppies. I like those two the best. Entwurf 23 (on page 2) is a multi-colored caterpillar. Or maybe it's a worm. It has antenna. There are also six free cross stitch charts on this page. I wish there were images of them on the main list so you don't have to click every link to see the charts. EDITED TO ADD: There are pictures here. Thank you so much, Kissy, for that link!

And, here's another list of craft projects links. This is a huge list with links for knitting projects, recipes, bags, costumes, accessories, etc.

So it's not a hedgehog with a broken leg or a baby badger or even a baby Beluga but this picture so needs to get posted on Cute Overload.

I Hope This Isn't Copyright Infringement

Here are a few more vintage greeting card images of dogs for Christmas. (Click the picture to see a larger version.)

More Links For Vintage Embroidery Patterns

I was all set to go to bed and then I saw a link for Sweet Bee's Vintage Finds on Craftster and now I must read the entire blog because Sweet Bee posts vintage embroidery patterns (she also shares some vintage crochet ones too) and I'd never be able to get to sleep if I didn't see was posted there first.

Thanks to Sweet Bee, I've also discovered Mrs Stitchy Britches who led me to a master guide of Vogart patterns at Sewing Palette (there's also a great article about vintage embroidery transfers there and one on Vogart) and the Vogart Wiki.

Yeah, I'll be up for awhile now.

Maggie Barks (pure excitement)

I couldn't get this video to work on YouTube and since Blogger lets you upload them, here's my dog Maggie barking.

Yeah, that's it. She is barking. At nothing.

Time For Some Links

Kissy left some comments and said my biscornu turned out lop-sided because the fabric was not woven evenly. I totally agree with her about that. If every side had the same exact number of stitches, what else could it be? In other words, I didn't screw it up! It makes sense that my last biscornu was also lop-sided since I used the same material for that. By the way, the Aida I used is made by Charles Craft and sold at Michael's. I won't be using it for any future biscornu. (And, check out Kissy's cute snow people freebie. I love the snow lady's hat. I should stitch them on my uneven Aida.)

Thank you all for the recent comments!! It's so great to read them. Most of my visitors end up here after Googling for free charts and they never say anything.

TipNut has posted another DOW embroidery pattern. This one is for Friday Grapes. She also has a post with links to 56 free apron patterns (egads!). I haven't been through them yet but can't wait to start clicking.

Has anyone else printed out the chart for these ornaments? I can't get it dark enough to see the grid lines. Both my sister and I played around with it -- we made it bigger and darker -- and still couldn't get a decent copy. I guess I won't be stitching these now.

Cross Stitch Happy has a chart for a cute gingerbread man scissors fob and also another gingerbread man that you could make into an ornament or gift bag.

I didn't keep track of how I found the website for New Stitches magazine but thanks to whoever it was that had it linked on their blog. They have several free Christmas charts on the site, including Santa and a reindeer, some Xmas stockings, and a little house with "Happy Christmas" above it. There are also flowers and a set of Halloween patterns. They're all really nice.

One of the best tips ever from Martha Stewart was to use a thumbtack to hang a wreath on a door. Tie some ribbon on your wreath and put a tack in the ribbon and stick it into the top of your door. This way, you don't have to put a nail in your door.

Old Xmas Cards

A few years ago, I got a CD on eBay of images from old greeting cards. They were all of dogs. I hope it's ok to share some of the holiday ones here.

Lop-sided Biscornus

I put a biscornu together the other night and it came out lopsided. I knew all the sides were 46 stitches wide and 46 stitches high, both from counting them on the chart and from counting them out after I was done stitching it. I took the thing apart and I lined up the two pieces side by side. As you can see in the picture below, they're even.


But if I turn the tree design to another side, the length is not even. The tree one looks two stitches too short. I don't get it at all.



I've counted and re-counted the top and bottom pieces about 17 times and I keep getting 46 stitches on each side. I can't figure out what I did wrong when I sewed it together. The same thing happened with the last biscornu I made. The top had the exact same stitch size as the bottom yet they didn't look even when I lined them up. It's put me off making any more biscornu.

By lopsided, I mean, one side is longer than the other. See?

Hello Kitty Has No Mouth, But She Always Eats Her Vegetables

Just in time for Christmas: A Christmas Story re-enacted out by bunnies. I haven't been back to Angry Alien Productions since August 2004. (I know that because I had a link to the Jaws bunny movie on my old blog then.) There's a ton of bunny movies there now. I think my favorite is Pulp Fiction but they're all worth watching.

For months, I have been clicking the link on Sis Boom Day Dreams to get to Jennifer Paganelli's video tutorials on Country Living but could never find them on the site until last night. Jennifer shows you how to make a Holiday Pin Tree here (I love these!) and there's a video for making yo-yos here. Well, I officially hate the Country Living website now. It looks like you need to go here and then click the yo-yo tutorial from the list on the left (it's the fifth one down). I absolutely hate when you can't directly link to something.

Be sure to check out the Sis Boom website if you haven't been there yet. There's so much gorgeous stuff there.

Oldie but goodie link: Hello Kitty Has No Mouth