Happy Thursday

Seeing all the different ways to make flowers at Pink Paper Peppermints inspired me to come up with another flower for my dog Maggie's collar cover. I decided to make this fabric flower.

Sorry for the lousy photo. I took three of them and the other two are super blurry. Some day I will actually read the manual for my camera and learn how to take better pictures.

The flower tutorial was very easy to follow. I only had trouble when I was attaching the button. I didn't want to use a shank button because Maggie likes to roll around on her back and I was afraid it would poke her. I had made the collar cover for Maggie after I saw the fancy felt one at Bella Dia back in December. Her regular collar goes inside the felt one and this way she's still wearing her ID tags.

I just realized something as I was looking at that picture: the felt is from a wool sweater I washed, I did a chain stitch on it, and the material for the flower is from a sheet. Before I started reading craft blogs, I would never had done anything like that. Thank you to all the Crafty Bloggers out there for getting me to do more than cross stitch!

Speaking of collars, there'a tutorial on making a recycled collar (using the old buckle) for your dog or cat at Keyka [link via Craft].

Up until now, every pinkeep I've ever seen has been made from a cross stitched piece but take a look at this one. It's from a vintage embroidery pattern and done in redwork. Very nice.

Tip Nut will be sharing a set of Laura Wheeler gingham flowers embroidery patterns starting this week. And, have a look at Tip Nut's list of links to a bunch of crafty, kitchen and household printables.

The June challenge at The Floss Box is "to make something out of stuff that would otherwise be thrown away." Read all about it here. Also, Emily recently posted a tutorial for a stumpwork snail which looks really interesting.

Thank you so much to Jenny at All Sorts for hosting the A Post A Day In May challenge. I didn't post every single day but according to Blogger, I did post 39 times this month so that averages to at least one a day. I still haven't checked out all the participating blogs but I did find a few that I really like and will keep reading. (FYI: Jenny posted a list, if you want to go click some links and find more blogs to read, because I know everyone is seriously lacking in that department).

Saving the best for last: Kellie is having an apron giveaway and Barbara is giving away some vintage fabric. Woo hoo!

Adopt A Shelter Cat Month

June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month. Here's a kitty who needs a home. Click the photo for more information. And, refresh the page to see more adoptable cats.

Nothing At All Like Real Life

I feel so sweet and innocent now.


OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Embroidery Finishes

Andrea Zuill has posted her free embroidery pattern for June. This one is a cute little Dutch girl. Love her clogs.

I recently embroidered two of Andrea's free patterns. Here's the gnome:

Gnome embroidery
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

I really like Andrea's gnome but I think mine is a little too boring. I should have made him more colorful. I didn't stitch the mushrooms in the pattern because I wanted to put the finished design into a hoop and there wasn't enough room for the mushrooms. And, why did I want to put my gnome into a hoop? So I could hang him on the wall.

Remember the Swatch Portraits on The Purl Bee where you put some gorgeous fabric in a wooden embroidery hoop and voila, instant wall art? Well, I never got around to doing that, as much as I wanted to, but I recently found three embroidery hoops while looking for something else and it dawned on me that I could put something I had embroidered in them instead of fabric, and hang them up.

I also did Andrea's unicorn (yes, that unicorn). I really liked how he turned out, especially the flowers. You can't really tell from this photo but he was embroidered on a piece of the pink pillowcase that I scorched when I was ironing a different pattern on it. And, I swear this was not intentional but notice his right front leg is wider than his left one. Just like my feet these days.


Unicorn embroidery
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

You can find the free gnome pattern here and the unicorn here. And, check out Andrea's artwork and embroidery patterns at her Etsy shop, Badbirds (her donkey pattern is on my To-Buy list).

I had the pattern for this puppy for a long time and finally got around to stitching him up. I went a little crazy with the French knots on his hat but I figured I needed the practice. He's embroidered on linen that came from some pants my mom no longer wanted and he's in the hoops that she got me when she taught me how to cross stitch thirty some years ago.


Party puppy embroidery
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

The Party Puppy pattern is here on Needlecrafter.

Embroidery SAL

The Embroidery group on Flickr is having a Mid-Year 2008 Stitch-A-Long. It runs from June through August.

I didn't finish any ornaments for April or May for two cross stitch SAL's I'm doing, and another one ends on May 31 and all I've done for that one so far is get the floss. I am so on the ball.

I Missed Thursday

Well, I missed doing a Thursday post. I was hoping to get it up before midnight but looks like I missed my deadline. Tonight, I was busy sorting through the stack of papers that has been piling up on my desk for the past month. I found a postcard addressed to me about a lawsuit someone filed against Lenscrafters. The card said (yes, it spoke) I could choose to opt out of the settlement and get a $75 voucher for the store or $30. I decided to take the money. It's been awhile since I bought anything on eBay and I am going through serious withdrawal.


I finally finished Part 3 of the chart for the Hungarian Sampler SAL. Part 4 was recently posted so I'm not too far behind. I'm stitching it in red and black because I read on the blog that those are the traditional colors.

Super Cute Refrigerator Magnets

Just like the title says: super cute refrigerator magnets [link via Craft].

Cross Stitch Chart Giveaway at Stitch Pink

You can win a Survivor Tree Ornament from M Designs over at Stitch Pink [via Patternnuts Place]. Enter by leaving some comments on this post (you have until June 7th). And, please mention the giveaway on your blog to help make people aware of Stitch Pink. Thanks!

(Hey, I am doing pretty good with A Post A Day In May. Yeah, now that's it's nearly over.)

Niki's Blog For Quilters

Niki of Niki's Ventures has started a new blog for a list of quilters. Go here to sign up and be listed on Just Us Quilters. I'm not a quilter but I know at some point, I will be going through that list and clicking the links because if there is one thing in my life that I don't have enough of, it is blogs to read.

And, be sure to check out Niki's Ventures if you haven't been there before. She posts all kinds of crafty goodness (lots of free patterns).

Redwork Quilt From Connecting Threads

Connecting Threads has a free pattern for a redwork quilt.

Patterns At My Craft Book

I just found a bunch of animal patterns on My Craft Book that could be used for embroidery and redwork. There are butterflies, ducks, kittens, lambs, bears, an elephant and a pig. I'm not sure where the patterns are from but that have that vintage look to them. And, there are also some flowers and border patterns on the site. And, a bunch of craft projects too (I'm still going through all of them).

Drawstring Bag Tutorial From Lil Birdie

There's a tutorial for a drawstring bag over at Lil Birdie Stitches and included is Birdie's cupcake design that you can transfer on to your bag. So cute!

Cats At Kissy-Cross

I had this link ready to go in a draft post but since Cat #3 has been posted, I figured I'd better get it posted now.

Kissy-Cross is doing a series of cats cross stitch charts. One chart will be posted every week. Make sure you save or print them because the previous one will be taken down once the new one goes up. Cat #3 is here. (I missed #1 and it's too late to access #2 now. Sorry!)

Make Some Flowers

I just found 31 Crafty Flowers in 31 Days at Pink Paper Peppermints (thanks to Mostly Knitting) and now I want to go make some flowers.

Monday the 26th

I haven't done a very good job with keeping up with A Post A Day In May so far but I am determined to post every day for the rest of the week.

Uh, I don't have much to post right now (hey, I've been up all night) (never mind that I slept all day Sunday) (I am trying to enjoy my final days of being a bum) so please enjoy these links to pink Pyrex (I'm drooling), blue Pyrex and softie patterns at Meet Me at Mikes.

Fake Liddle Kiddles

My sister and I played with Liddle Kiddles when we were kids. We also had some Kiddle knock-offs. These are the only two that are still around. They have to be close to 40 years old.



Liddle Kiddles knock-offs
Originally uploaded by PipStitch




Fake Liddle Kiddles
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

More fake Kiddles on Flickr:
liddle kiddle wannabes
mini doll suicides
march of the kiddle klones

Wacky Weather

Ok, y'all. Time to guess where I live based on today's weather. We've had thunderstorms, lightning, floods, snow, and a tornado. And, I am freezing my butt off. And, it's May.

This is completely insane.

Time For Some Links

I love that Cute Overload is being taken over by embroidery patterns. Now up is a Doxie for Baroosday. (If baroo makes no sense to you, read this.)

Some people find my blog by searching for free scottie dog cross stitch charts. I just found one by accident at About.com.

I've neglected to link to Linda's Count Down to Japan before now. She and her family will be taking a trip to Tokyo in August and after Linda returns home, there will be a giveaway. But you can't enter unless you've previously left some comments so go get started on that.

There are two springtime biscornu charts (one with bunnies and one with snails) at Les chroniques de Frimousse (English translation). You can find the instructions to make the flower pincushion shown in the post here (translation) or you can make it into a cover for your tape measure (translation).

Roger Ebert has a blog now. So does King Arthur Flour, Bakers' Banter. I like Bakers' Banter because when someone ask a question in the comments about the recipe, it gets answered.

Another blog I've been reading is Matt, Liz and Madeline [via Pop Culture Junk Mail]. Liz passed away the day after Madeline was born and Matt has been blogging about that. You can also read an article about them, Without Liz, but not alone.

Scattergories Tag

I saw this Scattergories tag on Random Stitches and thought it looked like fun. I found an extended version on some other blogs. Use the first letter of your name and find words that start with that letter. I'm not going to tag anyone so let me know if you do this one.


Your name: Patty

Four letter word: puck

Vehicle: Pinto

TV show: Psych

Movie: Platoon

City: Pacoima

Boy's name: Pablo

Girl's name: Petula

Occupation: pilot

Something you wear: pants

Celebrity: Patti Page

Food: potatoes

Drink: punch

Something found in the kitchen: plate

Something found in the bathroom: powder

Cartoon character: Porky Pig

Reason for being late: pregnant (I just crack myself up)

Something you shout: Play ball!

Animal: pony

Body part: pinky

Word to describe you: pumpwearer

I Made Cookies

A couple of nights ago, I saw a link to a recipe for Jam Dotted Shortbread Cookies on Heartfelt (in this post). I've made shortbread before but was in the mood to do something different so I decided to make them yesterday. The recipe was originally from Coconut & Lime and while reading that blog, I discovered a Blogiversary Contest. All the details are here. You have until June 5th to enter.

The recipe mixes up pretty quickly and the cookies turned out really good and buttery. I've lost track of how many I've eaten already. The jar of strawberry jam that I thought was in the cupboard was nowhere to be found so I used plum jelly instead. And, I left some plain too (I like them better with the jelly).

I have to read more of Coconut & Lime and check out the other recipes there. But first I need to go have one more cookie as a midnight 2 am snack.

Pocket Album

I have relatives who either don't have a computer or choose not to use one. Since I can't email pictures to these family members, sometimes I print stuff out and send it off in a letter, which is fine but I have found a better way to share my pictures: the Pocket Album [link via Craftini] It's pretty nifty. I'm off to make some more!

Wanna See My Dead Peony

My peonies are not dead as in "I killed them" but I should have taken some pictures a few days ago. I waited too long and now they're on their way out. Maybe if you squint a little, you can imagine how pretty they were last week.

Yiotas XStitch

You can find a variety of free cross stitch charts at Yiotas XStitch including a Victorian lady (I like her), flowers, a butterfly, some sea shells and Santa Claus. Go check them out!

I also found a several dog charts I would love to order from Yiota, like the Dandie Dinmont. (I don't think I ever saw a Dandie Dinmont dog in person, just on the dog shows on television. I love their big heads and short legs.) She really has some nice dog charts. (I HAVE got to go back to work soon. There is just too much good stuff out there to buy!)

Donkey News

DMC had a free cross stitch chart of a donkey on one of their websites and I was happy I printed it out when I found it because I couldn't find it again later on. But it's now on the Italian DMC site (or it always was and I was just too lame to figure out how to get to it).

If you click here, you will be taken to the log in page for the Italian version of the DMC Club. If you're a member, your log in and password should work. If you're not a member, go to the USA DMC site and sign up. Then go back here and log in. You should see the donkey chart. Click the picture for a pdf. (This probably seems like way to much trouble for some of you but I like donkeys so I didn't mind.)

I stitched up the donkey last year but didn't do anything with it until the other night.

Donkey cross stitch
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

My original plan was to make a needlecase but I couldn't get it the way I wanted it so I gave up. I did add some brown felt to the back so I can use it to a hold a needle or two. (If I had left on the button, the donkey would not be off-center now.) The chart calls for DMC's Color Variation floss but I just used some of my gray stash, and stitched it on 18ct Fiddler's Cloth.

I also wanted to mention Donkey Dreams: Call for Aprons. (I saw this linked on both tie one on and The Apronista Network.) Artist Katherine Dunn of Apifera Farm (blog: Apifera Farm) is collecting donated aprons to sell for Pino Pie Day on June 28th. (Pino is a cute little donkey.) Katherine is raising funds for her donkey therapy program. How can you resist a donkey wearing an apron and holding a pie?

Farmer Pig

Once again, I missed Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Confessions of an Apron Queen. But had I remembered in time, I would have shared this piggy bank that I found in an antique store back in the days when I was collecting pigs. I thought he was cute, like here's Farmer Pig and his adorable bunny sidekick.

Depending on how you have him tilted, Farmer Pig's eyes appear open . . .

. . . (wow, he looks a little insane, doesn't he?) or shut . . .

I'm not sure when I noticed what Farmer Pig was holding in his other hand. (It's an anthropomorphic pig so I can say hand. And yes, I had to look that word up.)

At first I thought, Oh my God, the pig shot the bunny and now he's going to eat him for supper! But the rabbit is obviously alive so maybe the farmer just caught him stealing carrots or something. He seems to have that expression. "Oh, look. Farmer Pig got me."

I don't know how old the piggy bank is. Even though there's a shotgun involved, this is still one of my favorite pigs.

The Fabulous Non dairy Diary

I have a little calendar page taped to my monitor and knew it came from a blog but I could not find the saved link. It's only taken me a month to realize I should look at the entire calendar and see if there was a link to the blog somewhere on it. On the first page was "del4yo" so I googled it and found the blog, Non dairy Diary. I am pretty sure it was originally linked on Meggiecat, which would have been my next place to search if I hadn't found it by now.

This is one of those blogs you can get lost in for quite awhile. There's all kinds of neat stuff to look at and to download and print.

I know the year is nearly half over already but here's the cute 2008 calendar. And, the 2007 calendar is adorable.

Now I have a new background for my desktop and a little red rabbit on my Google profile.

Blogging Meme

I found this meme last night on Not Quite June Cleaver.

Why did you start your blog?
I started my first blog because I wanted to link to sites I found funny or interesting or goofy. I started this one so I could post links to free cross stitch patterns.

How did you come up with your blog name?
My sister started calling me Pip like the little limey zombie on that Halloween episode of South Park. I have no idea why. When I was trying to come up with a needlework name for a blog on Diaryland, I thought of PipStitchery. I shortened it for Blogger. Oh, and I dislike it immensely.

Do your friends and family know about your blog and if so, what do they think of it?
Yes, they all do and no one ever comes here unless I send them a link to a specific post and say "read this." As a result, I am no longer reading any of their lame MySpace blogs. So there.

How do you write posts?
Usually, I find a link and feel the need to share it so I just start typing away.

Have you ever had a troll or had someone leave unkind comments?
No, I haven't. Everyone who comments on my blog has been soooo nice. I decided to moderate comments after I saw all the spam Eric got on his Katrina dog rescue blog. That was ridiculous. He'd write about how there were not enough volunteers to check out all the addresses of the places owners had reported leaving their pets behind and someone would leave spam about the dog vitamins they were selling. Ugh. So far, I've approved all the comments I've received.

Do you check your stats?
Of course! I like to see which countries people are from.

Do you care how many people read your blog?
I got over that a few years ago. I think if I were a writer, I would want more readers but I'm not so it really doesn't matter.

What kind of blogs/posts interest you?
Blogs about aporns, embroidery, crafty goodness, food and dogs . . . oh look, I typo'ed apron. That's because I love me some apron porn.

What do you like and dislike about blogging?
I really like the feedback (comments) I get. I like putting some of my text into italics because I'm a geek. I dislike that I can't swear as much I would like to. I don't even know why I censor myself when I blog but I do.

Another dislike: this is more about other people rather than my own blogging but some bloggers post really cool stuff, whether it's their writing or their projects, and I always feel bad when I see there are very few or no comments. Then, on another blog, there are 23 people all saying the same exact thing about one post: "that is so cute!" Makes me wanna scream. I encourage everyone to leave comments on blogs where there are none.

My Vintage Charm's Apron Giveaway

My Vintage Charm is having an apron giveaway for National Wear Your Apron Day so go enter and win a pretty apron!

Don't Forget What Today Is

Mother's Day After The Fact

In keeping with my blog tradition of not mentioning holidays, I forgot to post about Mother's Day. So, let's pretend it's still Sunday* and I am wishing all the moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day, especially my mom.

*it will be once I change the date of this post!

Kerri's Chicken Scratch Bookmark

Kerri over at Kerri Made has written a tutorial on making a chicken scratch bookmark [link via Sew Mama Sew]. This is such a terrific idea!

Last month, I started doing some chicken scratch on a pillowcase and I enjoyed it but it's going to take me forever to finish so I've already put it aside.. (I'm not doing the entire pillowcase, just the border.) I'm sure I'll go back to it at some point but Kerri's bookmark is more my style. It won't take a year to do and I won't run out of white floss while stitching chicken scratch-ing it.

Be sure to also check out Kerri's pretty purple chicken scratch star and her crafty tool belt tutorial.

Kimba the White Lion

Time for another episode of Indulge the Old Person.




(I watched that cartoon as a kid and yes, Kimba does look like Speed Racer.)

Meet Sizzly Friddle

In April, Emily at The Floss Box started a monthly challenge. The first one was to make a postcard. I thought I could do that, even though I've made a few postcards in the past and was been disappointed by the end results. I'm not very creative. I can follow someone else's pattern but coming up with something on my own? It's not going to happen.

I remembered this Kewpie ATC and decided to cross stitch a design on a postcard. That way I could use a chart I already had or one I found online. I wanted to do a reminder that May 12th is National Wear Your Apron Day. I won't bore you with the details except to say that my final attempt, postcard #3, is over on the sidebar here.

I feel the need to explain it. The stripey paper is not crooked. I guess I didn't hold the camera straight when I snapped the picture. (Some day I will hook up my scanner.) The text was cross stitched on a piece of Aida and then I stitched it to the postcard. I used a Liddle Kiddle paper doll because she had an apron as part of her wardrobe. Her name is Sizzly Friddle, by the way. On the inside of the back cover of the paper doll book, she's grilling a hot dog. The postcard is kind of blah, and I wish I used a darker colored floss, but it works for now.

Oh yeah, for May, the theme for Emily's challenge is food.

Happy Thursday

I don't know why I didn't mention this yesterday since there isn't much time left to enter but there's a hankie giveaway at Miscellany of me. Go leave some comments right this second.

There's a free embroidery block of the month called Noah's Ark at Lynette Anderson Designs. A new block will be posted every month (there have been three so far) for the next year. I really like the dove pattern (thanks go to Deepa for this link). And, check out Lynette's quilt, punchneedle and stitchery patterns (there are links on the left sidebar of her blog). I really like the Springtime Needlecase.

Bravo, Mom

I saw the most amazing thing yesterday.

My mom and I were having lunch out and there was a little boy with his mother at the table across from us. I saw them get up and go the salad bar, which was behind where I was sitting so I'm not sure what happened but he ended up bursting into tears over something. His mom brought him back to their table and from what I could hear of their conversation, it sounded like he wasn't happy with whatever she had put on his plate. She told him they were going to go outside until he stopped crying. He kept crying so SHE ACTUALLY WALKED HIM OUT OF THE RESTAURANT.

She didn't ask him if he wanted "a time out when we get home" or tell him he couldn't watch "Bob the Builder" after his nap. She didn't give in and walk him over the dessert bar so he could get ice cream. She just told him they were leaving the restaurant and going outside until he was ready to stop the tears. And, then she followed through on that. How often do you see that happen??

I was shocked and appalled.

A few minutes later, they came back in and sat down at their table. The little boy was no longer crying and was once again his happy little self. He climbed into the booth and went back to eating his lunch. And, when they were all finished, he and his mom went to the dessert bar and to get an ice cream cone.

If I was able to, I would have paid for their lunch. Dang, I would have bought her a BMW if I could have. I was so impressed by how she handled the situation.

I hope she gets a super fantastic out of this world Mother's Day gift this weekend. She sure deserves it.

Hey La Hey La

Here's a new meme from Pop Culture Junk Mail: Who was Time Magazine's Man/Woman/Couple/Person/Object of the Year for the calendar year in which you were born? You can find out here.


Mine is Martin Luther King, Jr (1963).


Also, what was the #1 song the day you were born? For me, it's "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels. Look up your song here.

Another Pincushion

Found another cute pincushion to make over at Tara Sweet Tara. I mean, for YOU to make. I'm just the linker.

Looks like you use a plastic bottle cap and two kinds of material. The directions are in French so check the Google translation of the blog post too.

There's a tape measure version at Les chroniques de Frimousse (English translation). I love the cat fabric.

The Donkey and the Dog

I'm not sure I've linked to the latest embroidery patterns from TipNut. They're a set of six designs with kitchen proverbs and a girl and sometimes with a dog and/or cat. Really cute.

I know I linked to the French cross stitch blog Swappons some time ago but it looks like I missed the main page for all the old embroidery booklets. Start here and then either click each cover or the page numbers at the bottom. I got excited the other night when I came across the chart for "L'ane et le chien." It's No 104 on this page. Sometimes I search French blogs for donkeys so finding a cross stitch chart with both a donkey and a dog was a bonus. I started stitching it the other night. I also made another biscornu and guess what? It's lop-sided. So it's not uneven Aida. It's me. I'm going to leave it as is. That will be my thing: lop-sided biscornu. (biscornus? biscorni?)

A Post a Day in May

(First off: Susan and Brian, if you're looking for Missy, scroll down to the next post.)

Jenny at All Sorts is going to do a post a day in May and has invited everybody to join the challenge. I don't know if I will be able to keep that up but I love her cute button so I'm officially beginning now. Get the button here.

Edited to add: I started going through the other blogs that are participating and already found a new favorite, Two Crazy Crafters. Look at the adorable Poodle planter!

Caturday Embroidery

So I went to Cute Overload to make sure I spelled Caturday correctly -- it looked goofy to me -- and found a cat embroidery pattern.

There's some debate in the comments over copyright infringement. But this pattern was produced in the 1940's and came from Monarch (who?) so it should be ok to post it, right?

Alpha Stamps

I just got a newsletter from Alpha Stamps and wanted to link to the web site. They sell the neatest stuff for making ATC's or collage or whatever: rubber stamps, ribbon, felt, oilcloth, stickers, etc etc. (A couple of years ago, I got some scrapbook paper from them so I have been a customer and was very happy with my purchases.)


Happy Caturday!

What Would I Do Without Google

I found some interesting stuff a few nights ago while searching for some apron clip art.

KF Studio is a Japanese site with a page of cute stuff (notepaper, envelopes, business cards, even fax cover sheets and little bags for chopsticks) you can download (they're all pdf's) and print out (Google translation -- after clicking this link, click at the top where it has Paper Goods). [link via Zakka: The Art of the Handmade]

The last set of photos in this post on Et pourquoi pas moi? shows you how to make a cute fabric flower (Google translation).

Burda Style has also has instructions on making a fabric flower.

Edited to add: I just remembered I once made a flower out of felt like the one on Turkey Feathers. I had made a collar cover out of felt for my dog Maggie and I attached the flower to that. Because Maggie likes to play in dirt, the white flower soon turned gray and was recently removed from the coller cover and thrown away. I haven't made another one yet. I should probably use black felt next time.

OMFG

I am in total shock. I cannot think of a single thing to say about this.

Samplers And A Needlework SlideShow

Nancy has a collection of stamped samplers from Vogart on Flickr. I may have linked to this before but it's worth another mention. And, Floresita has an interview with Nancy over at Vintage Transfer Finds.


The reason I was at Vintage Transfer Finds was to find the pattern of the girl with the huge knife because I had just seen a finished version in an online slide show called Threads of Comfort: The Work of our Mothers' Hands from the Lacis Museum of Lace & Textiles. There are photos of embroidered towels, dresser scarves and aprons, crochet potholders, quilts and more examples of vintage needlework.


Look at the pantaloons! I don't even know what this pretty thing is but I'd scoop it up if I found it for sale somewhere. Does anyone know what this was used for? I wish I could go see this exhibit in person.

Survey Or ?

I should be sleeping or answering my email or stitching something but instead I'm doing this whatever it is (survey? fill in the blanks? meme?).

I see: London, I see France
I need: a decent haircut and some highlights
I find: myself worrying that my dog is getting older
I want: some Starbucks iced tea
I have: to get someone to take my picture on May 12 (National Wear Your Apron Day)
I wish: I had a driver's license
I love: Barb's "Battling Stepford" post (go read it now)
I hate: child molesters
I miss: working with kids
I fear: kidney failure
I feel: like making potato salad
I hear: me typing on the keyboard
I smell: nothing right now
I crave: pickles after I eat cookies
I search: no more. Now I Google.
I wonder: who will stop the rain
I regret: I didn't have kids when I was in my late 20's

Peony

Peony bud
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

I found a second bud on the peony bush yesterday.

I've been approving comments and then not responding to them. How rude, I know. I promise I will catch up with them and my email later today.

Shorpy Pictures

I'm fascinated by the pictures on Shorpy. Today, I found a couple of shots showing a lady in an apron. According to the comments from her son on this one, she made the dress she's wearing so I bet she made that apron too. Check out her shoes in this picture.

And, even more pictures of Lynn and her husband are this board (scroll down a little). I especially like the photos of her kitchen.

You can also see a picture of Rose O'Neill, creator of the Kewpie doll, at Shorpy.

iTunes Meme

Let's do an iTunes meme.

How many total songs in your library?
250 (that's kind of sad)


Song By Title
First song: Accidents Will Happen - Elvis Costello
Last song: #9 Dream - John Lennon


Song By Time
Shortest song: Golden Slumbers - Ben Folds (1:41)
Longest song: You And I - Rick James and Bad - U2 (both come in at 8:03)


Sort By Album
First abum: A.M. - Wilco
Last album: 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection: Motown 1970s, Vol 2


Sort By Artist
First artist: Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
Last artist: X


Top Five Played Songs:
All These Things That I've Done - the Killers
Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy
Losering - Whiskeytown
My Bag - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Do You Wanna Touch Me - Joan Jett


First five songs that come up on Party Shuffle
Cherry Bomb - John Mellencamp
Buick City Complex - Old 97's
Confetti - the Lemonheads
I Say Nothing - Voice of the Beehive
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes - Elvis Costello


Find the following words. How many songs show up?
Sex: 0
Death: 1
Love: 10
You: 10
Home: 1 (does "homecoming" count?)
Boy: 0
Girl: 1

Apronista Giveaway

Woo hoo! The Apronista is giving away a Flirty Apron. All the details are on this post.

A Nifty Tool

There's a nifty tool at Stitch Point where you can type in some text and get it charted for cross stitch. There are six different fonts to use.

Here's Monaco:



And, here's Amsterdam:

My New Hobby

My new thing is asking my friends if they have any aprons and then requesting pictures of the aprons. So, here is Michelle's apron, modeled by her dress form, Caroline. It originally belonged to her grandmother and is at least 50 years old.

Thanks for the pictures, Chelle!

Blogger does something to photos to make them less attractive. I've noticed that pictures look clearer and brighter in Windows Gallery (it comes with Vista) than they do on this blog.

Speaking of dressforms, there's an apron giveaway going on at Itching 2 B Stitching. Tracey has a dress form that needs a name and if she chooses your suggestion, she will make you a craft apron. And, she will pick another winner from everyone who posts about the contest on their blog. All the details are at Give The Girl A Name.

At first, I misread that as "give that girl a name" and wanted to suggest Ann Marie.

The Needlework Show

The Needlework Show will be open until midnight on Monday, April 21. It's wholesale only but you can visit each vendor's page to see their new designs. The list of vendors is here (the names are clickable links that will take you to each vendors' show page). And, a list of registered retail shops are here so you can order through them.

Dinky Dyes is giving away a full set of their silk theads -- details are at the bottom of their page. And, Pine Glen Designs is having an interesting giveaway on their page (scroll down).

No, I'm Not

You Are a Comma

You are open minded and extremely optimistic. You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything. You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests. You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time. Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to. (But with so many competing interests, you friends do feel like you hardly have time for them.) You excel in: Inspiring people You get along best with: The Question Mark

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Aprons Are Mentioned A Lot Here

Thanks so much, you guys, for your comments on Monday's post! Sorry for my whining. I'm feeling much better today. Actually, I am pretty excited. Guess what I saw in my backyard this afternoon? A bud on the peony bush. It's the first one ever! A few weeks ago, I thought the peony was a goner because there were no leaves on it at all. It seemed it should have had some growth on it by now. But a week later, there were few leaves on it, then a few more, and now it has lots of them and this one little bud. As soon as I recharge my camera battery, I'll be taking pictures. FYI: I know nothing about growing peonies in Southern California. I just water the thing and cross my fingers that some day it will bloom.

I'm not too fond of the plants in the backyard. The previous homeowners put in a bunch of agapanthus and rhaphiolepis which would be ok if there weren't a gazillion of them out there. I did take some pictures last week. I have no idea what the pink flowers are. That plant was in a pot at my old house and consisted of two stems with flowers on the end. Now, it's in the ground and going nuts.

I wish the entire yard looked like this. Just flowers and flowers and more flowers. This is one of my favorite little areas.

Look what King Arthur has a recipe for: Tasty Toaster Tarts. Yes, you can make your own Pop Tarts at home. I have to try these. There are step-by-step directions on their Baker's Banter blog.

[::] <---- it's a Pop Tart, see?

Deanna over at The Apronista (blog) is looking for guest posters. So let her know if you have something to share over there, like a tutorial or an apron story. I think it would be fabulous if you went and guest blogged and held an apron giveaway. And, picked me to win.

And, speaking of aprons, you must read this loaded with aprons post over at thinking it out and writing it down. I always see aprons I like and I either forget to save the link or I do save a link and then can never find it again. This is a nice linkable list of some really gorgeous aprons.

For the fellow doggie embroidery pattern obsessed among you, Stitchy Britches has posted one of a cute little doggie threading a needle. And, look she is wearing an apron too.

If you take a sip every time I mention the word apron, you'll be drunk in no time.

Unicorns Make Me Happy

Today, April 14th, is Raise Your Voice For Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day, a day designated by Kerri at Six Until Me to increase awareness of Type 1 diabetes since Type 2 gets most of the publicity. Honestly, I'm more excited about May 12 being National Wear Your Apron Day. Not that I don't think raising awareness about Type 1 is a good idea. I think it's a fantastic idea. But I wasn't sure about joining in since I just don't know if there is much I could say about being diabetic for 29 years without letting some pessimism, bitterness, and anger seep in, and really, who wants to read that? I sure don't. But then I realized it could be a chance for me to show my boobs and I signed on.

So, there's my insulin pump clipped inside my bra and working hard to keep my blood sugars under control. Go, Lil Pumpy! (Oh. My. God. I think I just named my pump. Please kill me.)

That was kind of a letdown, wasn't it? Trust me, the original picture showed more but I didn't want anyone to find it offensive or NSFW so I cropped most of the bra out of it. (And, isn't the rolled up shirt at the top a nice touch?)

Some diabetic bloggers used today to write about the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Or to blog about their daily experience with the disease. As I was reading some of them, I realized how tired I was of having diabetes. How sick I was of it. How I can't relate to those who say it's made them stronger or healthier. I wish I felt that way.

Then I was checking some of my favorite craft blogs and was once again reminded how I'm not working and have no idea when I'll be going back, thanks to my foot. No work equals no money to buy craft supplies (excpt DMC floss since it's so cheap). I can't even hold a giveaway because I can't get to the post office to send it to whoever wins since I don't have a car or a license anymore.

I know I'm just having a bad day and whining about it, and I apologize for that. I should be thankful that my "degenerative foot condition" can be treated (if I ever get a referral to a specialist -- tomorrow will make it a week since I saw podiatrist #2 and I still haven't heard anything) and isn't something like the dreaded kidney failure.

I've been embroidering a unicorn from Andrea Zuill's blog, and even though I'm not usually a unicorn person, I can't wait until it's done because I like it so much. I'm going to go work on that now so I can do something fun and stop dwelling on stupid crap. Maybe for a little while I can forget the reason Lil Pumpy (stop it!) is snuggled all cozy in my bra and just focus on stem stitching that unicorn.

Hope your day is going way better than mine.

This post was inspired by Cats 'n' Racks™ at Cute Overload.

Guess Who Won

Guess who won two giveaways recently? Me! I'd do a happy dance if I could.

I won Vogart 192 from Heather at Heather Hales Designs and I won a book, The Uncommon Quilter, from Michelle at Studio 259. Thanks for hosting these giveaways, ladies, and for picking me to win!

So, now I can stop feeling bitter over never winning anything.

Regional Dialect Meme

Let me know if you do this one. I'm curious to know what your answers are.

Regional Dialect Meme

Age: 44
Where did you grow up? So Calif

WHAT DO YOU CALL . . .

A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
Creek

The thing you push around the grocery store?
Shopping cart

A metal container to carry a meal in?
Lunch box

The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in?
Frying pan

The piece of furniture that seats three people?
Couch or sofa

The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof?
Gutter

The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening?
Patio (I'd say porch if I had one)

Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages?
Coke or soda

A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup?
Pancake

A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself?
Sub

The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach?
Bathing suit

Shoes worn for sports?
They were tennis shoes when I was growing up. Now they're sneakers.

Putting a room in order?
Clean up

A flying insect that glows in the dark?
Lightning bug

The little insect that curls up into a ball?
We called them pill bugs when I was kid but now I say roly-poly because I like to say roly-poly

The children’s playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down?
Teeter-totter

How do you eat your pizza?
With my hands

What’s it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
Garage sale

What’s the evening meal?
Dinner

The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
Basement

What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
Drinking fountain

If something is diagonally located, where is it in relation to you?
Kitty corner

What do you call the place where the water comes out of the sink?
Faucet

For more dialect fun, take the Yankee or Dixie quiz.

Oprah And Sophie

I finally watched Oprah's puppy mill show that I recorded last Friday. I admit I rolled my eyes when I first heard she was doing a show on the subject but they truly did an excellent job. Oprah, Lisa Ling, Bill Smith (my new hero), Wayne Pacelle, and the other guests covered everything that people should be aware of: where pet store puppies come from and the alternatives to buying one from a shop, the awful conditions at the mills, euthanasia at animal shelters, and the importance of spaying & neutering. Color me very impressed, Oprah.

The show got me to search for a picture of my dog, Sophie, from when she was at the animal shelter. I tried writing a post about her but I couldn't get it how I wanted it. So I'll just share two photos of her. The before and after shots.

Sophie's picture on the animal shelter's website, August 2001



Sophie at my house, September 2001

More Needlebooks

Lil Birdie Stitches made an adorable needlebook with a cupcake on it. She also linked to a tutorial for Grandma's Needlebook from Vintage Threads, which you can make from items you have on-hand. There's no sewing involved and the appliques are attached with fusible webbing. Thrifty and cute!

The 1930s Paper Flower Garland from Vintage Threads is really pretty. Thanks, Lil Birdie for both links!

Caramel Corn

This caramel corn recipe was posted on Skip To My Lou some time ago. I absolutely love it. I just made a batch of this Tuesday night. On Wednesday night, I made another batch because Tuesday's was all gone.

Di's Caramel Corn:

12 cups popped corn (I no longer have a popcorn maker and I refuse to be all Alton Brown and make it on the stove so I just use two bags of plain microwave popcorn)
One stick of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar (my box says "golden" so that's what I use)
1/4 cup of light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt (I thought this made it too salty the first time so I use 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda

This is how I make it: Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt, and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring and let boil for five minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda. Be careful because it's very hot, which is the only reason I haven't eaten any caramel when it's at this stage, but dang, I sure am tempted. Pour caramel mixture over the popcorn and start mixing -- I use two big spoons -- to coat the popcorn. Don't wait to do this because the caramel will start to harden. Place the popcorn in one layer on a cookie sheet. You may need two baking sheets to do this. I find that if you eat a significant amount of the caramel-coated popcorn after mixing it, you'll only need one baking sheet. Bake popcorn in a 225 degree oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. I use a spatula to turn it over and mix it around. Then I eat another handful before putting it back in the oven. Eat them up, yum!

Emily's Hosting A Challenge

Emily over at The Floss Box is starting a monthly challenge. For April, the challenge is to create a postcard. All the details are here and here.

Motto Samplers

If you love motto samplers, you have to see the vintage ones they have for sale at Wiswall House Antiques (link via Country Home magazine). They were made in the late 1920's and 30's, stitched on linen, and apparently, a hot collectible these days.

One of the samplers looked familiar so I checked Flickr for a photo of one I did about 20 years ago and found it's the same design as one the antique store is selling. Mine was a stamped cross stitch kit complete with floss and needle. I wish I knew where I got the chart. I'd love to see if they produced any more reproductions of these kinds of samplers.

Home Sweet Home
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

This kitchen sampler is one my mom did back in the 1950's. (Can you tell I'm not into ironing things before I snap a picture?)

Kitchen Sampler
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

A couple of years ago, I saw the same sampler on sale on a website and bought it. It had been started already and some day I hope to get around to finshing it.

Another Kitchen Sampler
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

Sheep SAL Ornament

Sheep ornament
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

For March, one of the themes for the Christmas Ornament Stitch-A-Long was sheep. I found a cute chart by Barbara Ana on Cyberstitchers that I really liked. I only stitched part of it to keep it small and I changed it around a little. I even manged to put "08" on it -- I usually forget to add a date.

Barbara has some really fun charts. You can see them on her website.

Bride's Tree SAL Finish

Flower ornament
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

The March theme for the Bride's Tree Stitch-A-Long was Flower so I stitched up a freebie from The Prairie Schooler found on this list. I still have to turn it into an ornament. I really like this design. (I pretty much like all of PS's stuff.) This was done on 18 ct white Aida with the suggested colors, except for the dark green and dark pink. I used something similar.

For April, the SAL theme is Rabbit. I may cheat a little and just make ornaments out of several small designs with rabbits that I finished last year.

"Embroidery Is The New Black"

It's time for the Second Annual Softie Awards. There are new categories this year, including one for Embroidery. You have until Friday, April 18th to add your softie's picture to the group on Flickr. Then voting starts the week after that. Read all about it here.

Stitch N' Pitch

I just checked the Stitch N' Pitch schedule to see which Major League Baseball teams are participating this season and once again, the California Angels (I know that's not their name anymore but old habits die hard) are not part of it. That's too bad because I think it would be totally fun to go to a baseball game and embroider or cross-stitch (or knit, crochet or needlepoint). At a Stitch N' Pitch game, you can sit a special section with other fans and work on a project while cheering on your team. This year, some Minor League Baseball teams are also hosting Stitch N Pitch events. These events are put on by MLB and The National NeedleArts Association to increase awareness and raise funds for the Needle Arts Mentoring Program, a needle arts not-for-profit program.

Oh, this is good: there's a mentoring program at a school in Anaheim yet the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (as they are now known) are not hosting a Stitch N Pitch event.

I'm Drooling Over This

Look at this needlecase. It has gingham, polka dots, rick-rack, a heart, a flower and buttons. It's perfect!

And, she has a blog too.

Today's Oprah Show

I was going to let it go without mentioning it here but I have to say something about Oprah doing a show on puppy mills today.

For years, people have been contacting Oprah the dog lover and asking her to do a story on puppy mills, so itt's terrific that she is finally doing it. But -- and there is always a but -- the first thing I read about this show was that Lisa Ling had some undercover footage of a puppy mill, and that if you couldn't watch the episode, you should tape it because you HAD to see it.


Personally, I would be just fine without ever seeing another video of a puppy mill. But I know that some people don't know what a puppy mill is and watching the Oprah show will make them aware of their existence.

From the ASPCA's web site:

For one, that cute little puppy [at the pet store] most likely came from a large-scale, substandard commercial breeding operation, commonly known as a puppy mill. Puppy mills usually house dogs in overcrowded and often unsanitary conditions, without adequate veterinary care, food, water and socialization. The breeding stocks at puppy mills (possibly your new puppy’s mom and dad) are bred as often as possible in order to increase profits. Unlike your lucky puppy, the mom and dad will probably never make it out of the mill.

I don't doubt this show will do some good. It may make someone think twice about getting a puppy from a pet shop. It might also inspire some people to adopt from their local shelter or rescue group instead of going to the pet store. (And, just for the record, purchasing puppies through classified ads, over the internet, or from some guy at the swap meet are not good ideas. Let's hope Lisa and Oprah touch on all of that as well.)


The second thing I read about the show was an article which contained this quote from Oprah: "I would never, ever adopt another pet now without going to a shelter to do it. I am a changed woman after seeing this show."


There might be more to what she said than that but she makes it sound like going to a shelter is the ONLY way to get a dog. Perhaps Lisa didn't fill Oprah in on what makes a responsible breeder. Puppy millers are not responsible breeders. The guy at the swap meet selling puppies is not responsible breeder. Your Uncle Phil who bred Fido and Fluffy because they are just so dang cute is not a responsible breeder. But there is such a thing as a good breeder and it's perfectly fine to seek them out and purchase one of their puppies or other dogs.

Also from the ASPCA (because they say it so much better than me):

If you’re looking to make a puppy part of your family, check your local shelters first. There are so many amazing dogs who need homes. If your heart is set on a specific breed, keep in mind that one in four shelter dogs is a purebred. Additionally, you can do an Internet search for breed-specific rescue organizations. If those attempts still don’t give you the purebred puppy you’re looking for, you’ll need to learn how to choose a responsible breeder.

Once upon a time, I volunteered for a dog rescue. After the whole thing with Ellen and that dog she adopted and then gave to her hairdresser -- what was his name? Sparky? Skippy? Buehller? -- I read a lot of comments on websites about rescue organizations and many of them were incorrect. I wouldn't want Oprah saying the only way she'll get another dog is to adopt one from a shelter and influence a bunch of her viewers to write off all breeders. Yes, go to an animal shelter, by all means, but don't forget there are responsible breeders out there too.

Ok, I'm jumping off my soap box now.

Vintage Thingies Thursday

I was invited by The Apron Queen to join Vintage Thingies Thursday. There are still four hours left in the day so I'm participating this week. Except I don't have a vintage kitchen towel to show & tell. I mean, I have one but I don't have a picture of it and by the time I go and take one and download it and edit this post, it will be Friday already. (I really need to stop whining.) So, this week, I'm going with an apron.

Apron for Vintage Thingies Thursday
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

This apron was made for me by a blogging friend of mine after I told her how I didn't sew. She used vintage fabric and made it even more sweet by putting an old hankie in the pocket. I really love it.

Next week, I hope to post a Vintage Thingie before the sun sets.

One More Giveaway

How many times have I posted today? This is the last one of the day and it's about another giveaway. Heather over at Heather Hales Designs is giving away an uncut rooster embroidery transfer. (It's Vogart No 646, in case you've been searching high & low for it.) For all the information on entering, go here.) There are some free patterns on that post too. And, be sure to take a look at the adorable tote bag she made, and the cute pattern she created from it and is now sharing with us. Thanks, Heather!

More Cow Bell

I really like that cow. I think I'm going to embroider it on something.

Cow close-up
Originally uploaded by PipStitch

Sharing Sassy Apron Swap Info

I've seen the Sassy Apron Swap button on several blogs but never knew what it was about until now. The sign-ups for the summer swap are open. You have until April 15th to join. Details are here.

Needlebooks and Cases

There is no longer any reason for you not to make yourself, or a friend, a needlecase or needlebook. TipNut has put together a list of free needlebook and needlecase tutorial links on her site. (I love the one made from a cigarette case on Whip Up. I saw that a little while ago and wondered if I could use an old compact instead. I think I could.)

I found a few more in my archives:

Sewing Needle Book from knitting-and.com. (And, remember there are embroidery patterns there too!)

Bonnet Needle Book

Bunny Hill Needle Case

And, my all-time favorite: "Forget-Me-Not" Valentine Needlecase from Pattern Bee.

Didn't you make one of those, Patty? Why, yes, I did. And, then took a blurry picture of it. See?

Doesn't Take Much To Make Me Happy

And smile with glee.

What did it this morning: the 90th anniversary KitchenAid mixer will have a glass bowl [link via Not Martha].