Craft Wench's Craft Corner

Okay, You Caught Me.

2010-10-02T07:01:00.000-04:00

...Hi, my name is CW and I am a procrastinator. But no more... at least for now. 5 of my friends and one family member are pregnant! Yay! I'm going to be doing 7 birth samplers between now and however long it takes. Why 7 when there's only 6 pregnancies? One of my friends has an older son who I'm also making one for so he doesn't feel left out.

There is the possibility of doing 4 more since my friend R has two boys from a previous relationship and her fiance W has two boys from his previous marriage. I've yet to ask if they want any for the boys because, well, I'm swamped. Also, this is a surprise gift for her. It's also a surprise for my Aunt S. and Uncle S. H,K, and B all know and are loving the idea.

Up first, starting tomorrow is the sampler for B's baby girl. It's called Brier Rose and is designed by Janlynn. I think her and her husband W will love it!

One last announcement. If you like to read creative writings, please check out my other blog The Cryptic Scribe Scribbles at http://crypticscribe.blogspot.com. I'm doing a 31 posts in 31 days challenge, so I have no excuse for not updating. Seriously, you can threaten me if I forget.

Well, I'm getting forgetful in my old age.

2010-04-19T03:57:00.002-04:00

I forgot all about the Totally Useless Stitch A Long that I signed up for on Yo-yo's blog and dumped out my jar for the robins to use for nesting material. Oops.

So when I actually remember to post it next month *tattoos it on her forehead* it'll be very... um... empty.

In the Paraphrashed words of Garfield the Cat...

2010-04-11T18:17:00.005-04:00

Whomever created confetti stitches should be drug out in the street and shot.

I put a couple of hours into Eagle today and his belly is coming along nicely, though I'm still surprised how light some of the colors are.

That is 201 stitches. Eesh. A close up shows how many different colors make that up.

Confetti is blah, but he'll look great in the end.

Oh, and have I mentioned I am insane? I bought my first chart from Heaven and Earth Designs.

Behold, Lust:

She is one of a set of the 7 deadly sins. I hope to do five of them. Avarice and Gluttony are nice, in their own right, but yellow and pink aren't my thing.

I figure she should take me, oh, about 20 years to complete. Yay, insanity!

There was a Girl who had a Horse...

2010-04-08T14:47:00.003-04:00

...and Eagle was his name-o.

So, Marv turned Eagle into a pattern for me. From this:

to this:

Amazing work, right? Seriously, if you want a custom pattern done without buying the software, try Marv over at http://www.crosstitch.com. He's done two patterns for me so far, and I'm happy.

Seem like I'm stalling? I am. I only have 50-some stitches into Eagle so far.

Progress:

Not a blazing start, but it's getting there. The one thing I was worried about was putting a big dark bay gelding on a stormy looking background off of a picture that was taken on a bright spring day. The Aida, however, is nice and light in its variation of color:

I think I can leave him mostly as is without worrying about it clashing. To me, it's more like the sky right before a storm when the sun is showing through the clouds rather than a dark and stormy afternoon.

Wish me luck!

Night of the Living Craft Wench.

2010-03-26T20:59:00.008-04:00

So, I'm sure you noticed I took another huge sabbatical. It happens, but I've been working on stuff, promise.

Without further adieu, Fantastic Creatures:

I filled in much of the vegetation and added Marty the Meerkat. Under Leo's chin is the beginning of Bert the Big-Horned Sheep. Still got a long way to go.

Murphy the Green Winged Macaw is going much better.

My newest work gave Murph a nose, err, beak.

Altogether, he's starting to look quite lovely.

I believe I could have him done in a couple of serious sit downs.

At the moment, I am working on cross stitching Easter eggs for my family members. They'll be posted as soon and I get them sewed together.

Also, I'd like to introduce two projects that I will be working on very shortly. They are both being designed by Marv from http://www.crosstitch.com and he is doing wonderful work.

Flying Eagle is a portrait of one of my best friend's horses made from her favorite photograph. I will post the picture when I start Eagle.

A Princely Nap is a custom of my 15-year-old Lhasa Apso.

Both of these projects are being done on hand dyed fabric.

Holy Bunnies, Batman!

2009-08-10T17:59:00.002-04:00

So for lack of time, my poor Squishy's bunnies only got two days work out of seven possible for the UFO-athon.

I put about 5 hours into it on Saturday, however, before our power went kaput. His announcement now has a name and a birth weight.

I'm just about half done. Another day, day and a half and I should be 50% done.

Your Heaven's [not] a Lie.

2009-08-02T17:53:00.003-04:00

As promised, here are updated Squishy announcement pictures!

The moon under the bunny is full of half stitches. I thought it might be too light, but it's actually coming out nicely.

The star wasn't cooperating with my flash, so I'm also posting one without the flash, since it seems to show truer color.

Flash:

No Flash:

As I mentioned, I picked this up again for one of my forums. The first week of every month, we stitch on a UFO, hoping to either finish it, or at least pick up our interest in it.

Since it was about a year since I last stitched on Squishy's bunnies, I think that would qualify. *sigh* I'm such a bad big sister.

Happy stitching all!

Care Bear... Stare!

2009-08-02T01:53:00.004-04:00

*Ahem* Now that I've thoroughly shown off how I misspent my youth, I have a couple of finishes.

Share Bear

and Love-a-Lot Bear

have joined Funshine Bear in my collection of Care Bears stitched for Squishy. Three down...and I've lost count of how many to go.

I started working on Heaven Sent again, and stitched a ton. I have updated pictures, but I'm waiting for them to show up in my e-mail, because, you know, I just had to start using my cell phone for pictures. It's easier and all that.

So... tomorrow, new baby announcement pictures.

Wild Horses...

2009-07-27T01:51:00.002-04:00

...or at least an equine. Squishy's Leo has been joined by the outline of a zebra, Zoe the Zebra!

So... she's not fully finished, but you can at least tell she's a quadruped and possibly horsey, right? If you look closely, there's two big splotches that will be vegetation, so Zoe's actually more finished than she looks.

Hopefully, tomorrow I can get more work done on my own horsey project.

Craftily yours,

CW

Ain't no Rest for the Wicked

2009-07-21T17:47:00.006-04:00

So, readers from last year will remember that I was waiting on my cousin's baby to be born so I could finish her birth sampler. Savannah the Very Brady baby made her appearance soon afterward.

Her parents absolutely loved this. I'm glad I could give them a gift they can enjoy for a lifetime.

My brother, the Ninja Baby, now known simply as Squishy is already 16 months old... and I have yet to finish his birth announcement, but will be breaking it out on the first week of August to work on it for one of my forums.

I also started a smaller pattern for Squishy. It's a Dimension Gold Petite kit called Fantastic Creatures. It should come out looking something like this.

But at the moment, all that exists is Leo Lion.

For once, I've started something for myself. *Gasp* I know, so unlike me and my blog, but even a wench's fancy gets tickled once in a while. The pattern is called Horse Companions and should look like this.

However, only part of the shoulder from the horse on the right is stitched. This is roughly 350 stitches in.

So this catches things up. I have other projects in the wings, including Murphy the Green-Winged Macaw. True, he was meant as a gift for someone who is no longer a part of my life, I'd feel almost guilty if I didn't finish him.

Undead!

2009-07-20T04:05:00.002-04:00

Yes, that's right. CW's back. Where did I go you ask?

My life basically disintegrated around my ears. Mr. CW and I are no more. I wish him all the best and hope he knows nothing but good in life. It took me a while to become a functioning member of society (interwebs and real) but I think I have a pretty good grasp.

While this was happening, I switched schools. The world load became prohibitive of any outside activity. I've been stitching pretty steadily since the Winter '09 semester ended in May, but, well, I still lacked the motivation to write my blog in an entertaining way. No one wants an "Oh, Woe is me" post.

So... in the next few days, I'll be posting a bunch of updated work, work from new projects, the works.

Photo Finish

2008-08-10T21:16:00.001-04:00

Sweet Treat is officially framed.

I also made an envelope out of an old picture for the thank you note.

I really hope this is a good item for Ann's rescue.

Go-o-o-o-o-oal!

2008-07-03T13:32:00.003-04:00

So it's a new month, so it's time for new goals. Last months were:

Finish the last 6 of Ninja Baby's Care Bears. One more was finished
Finish the parrot for Mr. CW's Mom. Page 1 is finished
Start and get at least 25-50% of birth sampler done for cousin's baby girl. Done and waiting on a name and date.
Get at least 400 more stitches into Ninja Baby's birth announcement. I started over and probably have about 150?
Frame and send out Sweet Treat to Ann. Framed.

July's goals are:

Do three hankies for Sandye.
Send Sweet Treat to Ann.
Finish the last 5 Carebears.
Finish at least 50% of page 2 of Murphy the Parrot.
At least 200 stitches into Heaven Sent.

Heaven isn't too Far Away.

2008-06-30T01:52:00.002-04:00

I got started on Ninja Baby's birth announcement...finally. Okay, so I might have procrastinated a little. I mean heck, he's only 4 months old, right? Heh. The Very-Brady-Baby has one and she's not even here yet. *blush*

Anyhow, here's the start of a long process.

Birth of A Star is Born.

2008-06-20T05:04:00.002-04:00

I promised a happy surprise-- I finished Very-Brady-Baby's birth announcement yesterday morning. Without further adieu, here's pictures.

Teddy and Moon-

Lettering-

The whole shebang-

Details-

This was done of 14 ct. white aida with "cotton embroidery thread" of unknown origin. It was a Dimension design. I'll post about this one more time when I have a name and birthdate added.

Subscriptions

2008-06-19T02:11:00.004-04:00

Do you currently subscribe to any stitching publications or have you in the past? (Either in print or online) If so, which ones?

I currently subscribe to Crosstitch.com and Artecy.com. Both sites have beautiful designs, and I cannot say enough about them. I've recently been looking for a print magazine with cute patterns, but haven't found any. Far and few between are the good LNS around here. If any reader has a good suggestion, please let me know.

Tomorrow: a happy surprise.

Star Light, Star Bright

2008-06-18T02:53:00.002-04:00

A Star is Born is almost complete. The Very-Brady-Baby's birth announcement should be able to be given to her mom, sans name and date of course, on Sunday.

I'll also have to take pictures of V-B-B's presents from me and my wrapping job (quite creative, I think).

Any who, without further adieu, I present my progress.

Here are some close-ups of Mr. Teddy.

And these odd colored lines? That's the start of the words "a star is born."

I love this design. Feminine without the frou-frou. Perfect for this particular little family.

WIP it good!

2008-06-13T17:03:00.003-04:00

I'm adding pictures of two of my WIPs today. The first is my green winged Amazon.

So far I've only got his tail done.

You may also notice part of the branch he's perched on. GW, as he is now known, is a pain but is definitely one of my favorites.

My other WIP is called A Star is Born. This is a birth sampler done for the very Brady baby-to-be. My cousin's wife is due in August.

I hope to have this done for the June 22nd baby shower.

What the...

2008-06-09T15:25:00.003-04:00

Yep, I'm still here. Life suddenly exploded... again.

Doctor's appointment for my migraines- no change.
Uncle Boo graduated- Congratulations, dude!
Estranged grandparents of CW wanted to get together- That... was interesting.
Storms up the whoohah.- I chose to protect the computer.

But... I am here. Promise. First, I missed my own blogiversary. Yep, that's right. 5 days ago, my craft corner was in cyberspace for exactly 1 year.

Secondlyly, here are my goals for June.

Finish the last 6 of Ninja Baby's Care Bears.
Finish the parrot for Mr. CW's Mom.
Start and get at least 25-50% of birth sampler done for cousin's baby girl.
Get at least 400 more stitches into Ninja Baby's birth announcement.
Frame and send out Sweet Treat to Ann.

And something I found on Stitch Bitch's blog. She's linked over on the left.

What is in the back of your car? Um, some cinder blocks and a bag of softener salt the last time I looked. (It's a pick-up)
What color is your toothbrush? blue
Name one person that made you smile today? Mr. CW
What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Sleeping
What were you doing 45 minutes ago? I hardly remember 5 minutes ago today.
What is your favorite candy bar? frozen Snickers
Have you ever been to a strip club? Yeah.
What is the last thing you said aloud? Why?
What is the best ice cream flavor? mint chocolate chip
What was the last thing you had to drink? water
What are you wearing right now? a black t-shirt and blue jeans
What was the last thing you ate? a bagel
Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No, but I did last week.
When was the last time you ran? The last time I was chased.
The last sporting event you watched? The last game of the Stanley Cup Finals. Go Redwings!
What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? ranch
Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on Myspace? No, no myspace...ever.
Ever go camping? Yeah.
Do you take vitamins daily? yes
Do you go to church every Sunday? No.
Do you have a tan? Sure...if being almost see-through pale is a tan.
Do you like Chinese food over pizza? Sometimes.
Do you drink your soda with a straw? Sometimes.
What did your last text message say? "Mkay so what's up?"
What are you doing tomorrow? I haven't decided yet.
Look to your left, what do you see? my dragon lamp, my alarm clock, and my dragon incense burner
What color is your watch? blue and silver
What do you think of when you think of Australia? wallabies
Do you use chap stick? in the winter
What is your birthstone? sapphire
What is your favorite number? 7
Do you have a dog? 4 of them
Last person you talked to on the phone? Mr. CW
Have you met anyone famous? some motocross riders, a radio dj that was on "WifeSwap" and an 80s singer
Any plans today? not particularly
How many states have you lived in? 2
Ever go to college? Yep.
Do you dye your hair? Sometimes
Biggest annoyance in your life right now? friends
Last song listened to? Linkin Park- Leave out all the Rest
Can you say the alphabet backwards? yes
Do you have a maid service clean your house? no
Are you jealous of anyone? no
Is anyone jealous of you? Maybe.
Do you love anyone? Yep.
Do any of your friends have children? Most of them.
Do you eat healthy? Sometimes
What do you usually do during the day? Live.
Do you hate anyone that you know right now? Hate is a wasted emotion.
Do you use the word 'hello' daily? probably
What color is your car? mocha brown
Do you like cats? yes
Have you ever been to Six Flags? no
How did you get your worst scar? I fell on a spiked gardening utensil when I was 6.

Why benevolent being, why?!

2008-05-31T01:13:00.002-04:00

Do you ever get to a point working on a project that you've had for so long, you start to wonder what possessed you to start it in the first place?

Good googly moogly, yes! Who doesn't? My current PITA project is my parrot. I worked on him for 5 hours today and still am not where I want to be.

Great question, Jan. She can be found here: http://www.alpineme adow.com/ stitchery/ weblog/

Two for the price of one.

2008-05-25T02:07:00.003-04:00

First, Sweet Treat is complete! Finally. I washed it tonight and it's currently drying so it can be framed. Lookie! The background is a beautiful fabric I received from Mary over at Confessions of a Craft Addict (Thanks!).

A close up of the flowers...

...and the three birds.

I think it came out pretty well.

Secondly, remember my first HD of the year, Funshine Bear? I finally took pictures. Fabric in background also from Mary.

Yay me!

A, B, C, D, E...

2008-05-24T21:02:00.002-04:00

I saw this on Confessions of a Craft Addict (look left for the link) and figured, 'Hey, I have a huge update later, so why not do two today?' This is the ABC's of me.

Accent: Midwest meets Southern. It's really odd.
Book that I like: Wow, there are a lot. World War Z by Max Brooks was darn good.
Chore I don’t care for: Any of them. They're Chores!
Dog or Cat: Dogs. I have 4.
Essential Electronics: Cellphone!
Favorite Cologne: Anything that Mr. CW wears.
Gold or Silver: Silver
Handbag I carry most often: A small black leather clutch that I adore.
Job Title: Poor college student
Kids: Not yet.
Most Admirable Trait: Mr. CW said it's my kindness. Sure, dear.
Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Sneaking out at night to play with the horses.
Overnight hospital stays: Many. Migraines suck.
Phobias: Spiders!
Quote: There is madness in love. But there is always some reason to madness.
Religion: pagan
Siblings: Ninja-baby
Time I wake up: Whenever it's convenient.
Unusual Talent or Skill: picking things up with my toes.
Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Brussel sprouts.
Worst Habit: swearing like a sailor
X-rays: Tons.
Yummy Stuff: I'm addicted to hummus. Truly.
Zoo Animal I Like Most: Tigers!

Back later with my announcement.

In Stitches for Charity

2008-05-21T03:16:00.003-04:00

I mentioned in my last post that I was donating a couple of projects to a friend's rescue to be auctioned. I decided to post pictures of the one that is closest to complete. Click the thumbnails for full size pictures.

This is Sweet Treats, designed by Dimensions. Please excuse the shaky photography. I never claimed to be the best photographer, even after photography classes.

I haven't done any of the back stitching yet, and there is still a lot of flora to add, but it's coming together nicely.

The pink you see between the two hummingbirds is the start of another blossom.

What say you? From what you see here, would you bid on it for charity? It will, of course, be cleaned and framed before I hand it over to Ann.

Y'all can't get rid of me that easy!

2008-05-15T03:27:00.005-04:00

I'm ba-a-ack! Miss me? Thought I fell off the face of the planet? Well wonder no longer, dear readers. CraftWench is back.

My life has been, to put it bluntly, circling the drain. Mr. CW's grandmother passed away (may she rest in peace), D-san (the ninja baby) decided giving the entire family a heart attack by not breathing was a good idea, my migraines are packing a huge punch, my computer is still dead, and finals happened. D-san is now being treated for apnea and finals are over. Two out of five ain't bad, I suppose.

So what does this mean for the craft-corner? No progress was made... at all. I dropped everything to deal with what life threw at me, until two nights ago. I picked up my hummingbird cross stitch, took my frustration and turned it into something positive.

I've decided to donate my hummingbirds (that one was bittersweet as it was meant for my grandmother) to a friend's rescue to auction off at a fundraiser. (http://www.arfchicago.org/) Check them out, they're a great organization.

So to get back into the swing of things, I'm answering the newest SBQ:

For seasoned stitchers: Define a stitching term or acronym for new stitchers.

Well, my favorite term has always been SABLE. SABLE means Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. I... am so there. Between what I have acquired on my own or through my pusher (Mr. CW), and what I inherited, there is no way I will ever finish.

No. More. Wires and Computers!

2008-03-30T00:42:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's done. The ultimate implosion that was imminent has now happened. My two year old laptop decided to bite the dust today. Pictures that I was going to post today- gone. Saved patterns- gone. Can't we all just go back to the old fashioned way? You know, paper and pen?

So... in lieu of my planned post, this is more of a to-be-continued. Sorry.

Ayo, I'm tired of this technology.

2008-03-27T00:38:00.004-04:00

So... I'm back after a slight crash of the computer, I'm back. Nothing has changed on the crafting front, but I did get one of my research papers done. So... on to new things!

When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?

I actually save them on a disc and print out copies as needed. I always have a working copy so I don't mess up the original. This makes things so much easier. That way, I have it stored neatly, and I don't have to go back to the site/search my hard drive for it or deal with trying to count on the screen.

Something Old, Something New... You Know the Rest.

2008-03-21T14:53:00.003-04:00

For my old:

I'm recycling an SBQ question that I never answered. This one was suggested by Ternezia and is:

If you were a cross stitch designer, what would your design style be?

I think if I were a cross stitch designer, my style would be realistic wildlife. As much as I love dragons and unicorns, a beautiful tiger or deer is what will catch my eye every time.

Now for the new:

Baby D is home! He came home on Monday and things have been kind of whirl wind since then. Welcome home, little guy.

Also, I got a wonderful package from Mary at Confessions of a Craft Addict (link on the left) after winning a drawing for her blogiversary. Thank you so much! I can't wait to pull out my sewing machine and start on that bag while listening to my cd.

And something borrowed:

I found this meme on Incoherent Scribblings (also linked on the left) and decided to do it.

In a Word. One word answers for every question.

1. Where is your cellphone? - Desk
2. Relationship? - Wonderful
3. Your hair? - Red
4. Work? - School
5. Your sister? - No.
6. Your favorite thing? - Crafting
7. Your dream last night? - Weird
8. Your favorite drink? - Cappuccino
9. Your dream car? - Spyder
10. The room you’re in? - Computer
11. Your shoes? - Nike
12. Your fears? - Tarantulas
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? - Loved.
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? - Matt
15. What are you not good at? - Math
16. Muffin? - Lemon
17. One of your wish list items? - Dragons
18. Where you grew up? - Midwest
19. Last thing you did? - Type
20. What are you wearing? - Pajamas
21. What aren’t you wearing? - Socks
22. Your pet? - Numerous
23. Your computer? - Gateway
24. Your life? - Happy
25. Your mood? - Fair
26. Missing? - Matt
27. What are you thinking about right now? - Food!
28. Your car? - Huge
29. Your kitchen? - Yellow
30. Your summer? - Far
31. Your favorite color? - Crimson
32. Last time you laughed? - Today
33. Last time you cried? - Weekend
34. School? - Gah!
35. Love? - Matt

And finally, the something blue:

My next project is the Carebear- Grumpy Bear. He's blue.

What do I do now?

2008-03-05T22:17:00.002-05:00

SBQ time:

After you stitch a pattern or kit, what do you do with it?

Once I'm done, I usually frame them and either give them to someone or keep them for myself. Either way, I feel better when they are somewhere the Corgi known as Cheyenne can't chew them when she gets mad at me. (Trust me... it happened more than once. I've had to rebuy a few kits and a Mobile speed pass.)

On a different note, little D finally ate for the first time today! Yay! So things are looking good. Mom O' CW was released from the nut house-- I mean hospital today, and the doctor said if we cross our fingers, believe in magick, and clap our hands to show our support for fairies, he'll be able to come home Sunday. Until then, we'll be driving up and spending the day with him.

Thank you to anyone who has been praying for the little guy. It seems to be helping him a lot.

Update Time.

2008-03-04T22:39:00.002-05:00

That's Daniel. He's doing a lot better so far. He's off the oxygen and now we're just waiting for his respiration to hold under 60 so he can eat on his own. Then, he can come home. Send him good thoughts, please.

Welcome to the world Danny!

2008-03-02T00:23:00.002-05:00

Daniel Richard was born March 1st at 11:41 AM. He weighs 7 pounds 5 ounces and is 21 inches long. My parents are really happy.

So as a welcome gift, baby bro, I, CW, hereby swear that I will not harrass you until you are at least 1. So be ready in 2009, Bud.

No-o-o-o, my weakness!

2008-02-26T17:45:00.002-05:00

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Rachel and is:

What is your cross stitch weakness? (i.e., What do you have to have when you see it, even if you are supposed to be on the Wagon?)

If it has dragons, horses, or tigers on it, I have to have it. The Wagon does not exist in that case. I can never have too much of any of those.

Wow...

2008-02-24T18:08:00.000-05:00

So, I've come to the conclusion that I have more stash than I will ever, ever stitch in my life. Along with my own, which was getting very large, my mother just gave me all of her stash and the stash my grandmother left her. Sweet baby jeepers, what am I going to do with it all?

On another note, I've been procrastinating when it comes to getting my pictures taken. No, procrastination isn't the right word. I've been running around so much I've had no time! I did finally start my birth announcement project. Gah. So little time and even more to do!

How do others budget their time?

Food!

2008-02-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

Swiped, with love, from View from an Alternate Dementia.

01. CHEESE or CHOCOLATE? Chocolate is preferable to most things.
02. BLUEBERRIES or STRAWBERRIES? Blueberries!
03. COFFEE or TEA? Coffee if I have to have either, with cream and sugar.
04. CORN MUFFIN or ENGLISH MUFFIN? English
05. PANCAKES or FRENCH TOAST? French toast is the love of my life.
06. YOGURT or CREAM CHEESE? Yogurt. I will eat cream cheese on a bagel though.
07. RICE or PASTA? Both, but more often rice.
08. CAKE or PIE? Cake.
09. GROUND BEEF or GROUND TURKEY? Turkey please. I don't eat red meat.
10. HOT DOGS or HAMBURGERS? Um, a turkeyburger? Hot dogs are too close to mystery meat for me.
11. JELLY or MARMALADE? Jelly
12. AMERICAN CHEESE or SWISS CHEESE? Ew. Swiss I guess.
13. DIET SODA or NO SODA? No soda.
14. LEMONADE or ICED TEA? Lemonade
15. CHERRIES or GRAPES? cherries
16. CHOCOLATE QUIK or STRAWBERRY QUIK? Neither!
17. WAFFLES or PANCAKES? Both.
18. WHITE BREAD or WHOLE-GRAIN/WHEAT BREAD? white
19. PEAS or CARROTS? Uncooked carrots
20. PUDDING or FRUIT-FLAVORED GELATIN? pudding
21. COLD CEREAL or HOT CEREAL? cold cereal
22. KETCHUP or MUSTARD? ketchup
23. MUSTARD or MAYONNAISE? mustard
24. MAYONNAISE or KETCHUP? ketchup
25. BLACK OLIVES or GREEN OLIVES? Neither! Ew!
26. ONION or GARLIC? I'm allergic to both.
27. PLAIN BARBECUE or BARBECUE WITH SAUCE? Dry rubbed
28. SCRAMBLED EGGS or FRIED EGGS? scrambled
29. EGGS or EGG REPLACEMENTS? eggs
30. MEAT or VEGETABLES? meat
31. CHINESE TAKE-OUT or PIZZA? chinese take out
32. SUSHI or DELI SANDWICH? deli sandwich
33. WHITE CLAM CHOWDER or RED CLAM CHOWDER? White because I've never had the red.
34. KEY LIME PIE or LEMON MERANGUE PIE? Lemon Merangue
35. PIE & ICE CREAM or CAKE & ICE CREAM? Cake and ice cream, though apple pie with vanilla ice cream is a close second
36. WHIPPED CREAM or CAKE FROSTING? whipped cream
37. HONEY or MAPLE SYRUP? honey

First Official Happy Dance of 2008!

2008-02-16T17:46:00.002-05:00

I finished Funshine Bear! No, I haven't taken a picture yet (probably will tomorrow) but I am so happy. Yay me! Pictures will be added as soon as they are taken.

Starting Over... and Over...

2008-02-13T17:40:00.002-05:00

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Loretta and is:

Do you have any projects that you have scrapped and started over? What made you start over from scratch?

Oh my goodness, yes! The parrot I am doing for Mr. CW's grandmother has been started over twice now. The first time I started it, I didn't like the aida I chose. I originally chose a light blue aida that had clouds stamped on it. It just didn't look right so I switched to plain light blue.

The second time I started it over, I realized that the change I had made to my colors didn't work as well as I had hoped. I went back to the colors it was designed in, and it looks much better.

Great question, Loretta.

Happy Birthday to a Princely Boy.

2008-02-10T04:26:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, puppy-man! My Lhasa Apso, Prince, turns 13 today. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing home from the shelter at 8 weeks old.

2008-02-06T18:57:00.000-05:00

This week’s SBQ was suggested by Kathryn (thank you!) and is:
Are there other crafts that you have tried and abandoned? Why do you like stitching better?

I've tried quite a few different crafts and I've stuck with them all: drawing, painting, latch hook. The only one I have abandoned is knitting. I just can't do it. I love the look of stitching and the looks I get from people when I give them something is worth it!

That Quite Contrary, February.

2008-02-02T18:47:00.000-05:00

Another month has gone (where, I ask) and so begins one anew. I have too much to do. Fah. So... here are my goals for February. I so know most of this will go unfinished.

Finish all eight Care Bears for my brother's room. Sunshine Bear is almost completed.
Finish Lil' Yet-to-be-named's Heaven Sent birth announcement. By the time I finish it, I should have all of the relevant info. An example can be seen here. http://www.janlynn.com/detail.cfm?ID=2176
Start and finish Bedtime Bears Trio (Janlynn)- also for my brother.
Start A Friend Knows, created by Dimension.
Start and finish baby quilt.
Start Try to Relax (Dimension).
Finish Love by Artecy for Mr. CW.
Finish Parrot by crosstitch.com for Mr. CW's grandmother.
Finish Deer latch hook kit (Caron) for my father.

Houston, We Have Progress.

2008-01-26T01:54:00.000-05:00

So in the spirit of Guilt Free January, I put aside everything I have been so diligently working on to start something new, something that holds a certain nostalgia for me.

I am stitching 8 of the Care bears! I started working on Funshine bear (the yellow one for the uninitiated) last night and so far, he has a muzzle, half his head, and one arm. ...Okay, put like that, I suppose it sounds morbid, but really, he's-- at least I think its a he-- already starting to look cute.

I googled the kit number trying to find some sort of reference picture to post so someone at least knows what I'm talking about. I cannot for the life of me figure out who made this little guy. So, this will have to do. I present to you, Funshine bear:

Cute, isn't he (she/it)? Funshine was always my least favorite, but that was 20 years ago. I hope to be done with him over this weekend. Wish me luck!

Happy Dances?

2008-01-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

Here's another SBQ:

Have you had a happy dance yet this year? If so, tell us about it! (Or just point to the entry that mentions it.) If not, when do you predict it will be?

I have not, unfortunately, had a happy dance yet this year. I should have one very soon however. Sweet Treat is almost completed and I also picked up some quick stitch things for my baby brother today. What nursery is complete without Carebears, I ask you? I've got 8 and can probably knock one out in a couple of ideas.

Passing the Time

2008-01-19T08:31:00.000-05:00

This SBQ was suggested by Outi (http://snowprincipe ssa.livejournal. com/). Thanks for the great question.

What is your favorite past time while stitching? Do you just enjoy silence, listen to music/audio books or do you "watch" TV/movies? Do you have specific favorites you listen to/watch while stitching?

Usually when I am stitching, I'm watching a movie or a favorite TV show. They are almost always something I've seen 5,000 times. That way I can "watch" without focusing on the details. I do have favorites. For TV, it's House. For a movie, it's a comedy, one I don't have to think too hard about.

On another, slightly unrelated note, I now know that the CW house is expanding in a masculine way. I officially have a baby brother. Sweet! Now, if only I can keep my parents from giving the poor boy a cringe-worthy name, it'll be all good.

A cute meme I found on View from an Alternate Dementia

2008-01-13T02:09:00.000-05:00

I thought this was adorable and wanted to play along. I hope she doesn't mind. Besides, we all need an off-topic day now and then.

How to name your band...

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:RandomThe first article title on the page is the name of your band.

Mine turned out to be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona_School_of_Film

2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3: The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.

My quote was "Never be haughty to the humble; never be humble to the haughty." Jefferson Davis

3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7daysThe third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use your graphics program of choice to throw them together, then post the result.And the result is:

That has to be the most random band I have ever seen. They would probably be Emo. What do you think?

My blog will be back on topic tomorrow. I plan to update the baby drama and also post pictures of my current WIPS.

Favorite Finish

2008-01-10T00:08:00.000-05:00

Today's SBQ was:

What was your favorite finish of 2007?

Well, this is hard for me to answer. Sadly, I did not have even 1 stitching finish in all of 2007. Yes, that's right. I should go hang my head in shame.

I did however finish two latch hooks. My favorite of which was one entitled "Cat Nap" by Caron International. So, there you have it.

I now must go work on my WIPs so I can have at least 1 finish for 2008. Eep.

How the heck do you decide...

2008-01-08T01:26:00.000-05:00

...what to cross stitch for a sibling when you don't know its sex? My mother confirmed today that she is due March 1st. The problem? The baby is breech and will not show what the heck it has going on below. That makes things tough for me.

I want to stitch something for the baby. Though she's an adult and doesn't need my permission (obviously) to have another child, I think she's worried that I won't be accepting of a sibling at 22. I think something as small as this would help ease her mind.

Does anyone have any clue?

Guilt Free January!

2008-01-06T05:40:00.000-05:00

So I decided to post an answer to the SBQ:

Are you starting something new to celebrate the New Year or participating in “Guilt Free January?” If so, what are you planning on starting?

I haven't the foggiest to be perfectly honest. I want to start a couple of bookmarks for my mom (an avid reader) and Mr. CW's mom, but I haven't committed to anything for either one of them. I might just for the heck of it. The parrot for Mr. CW's grandmother is taunting me with its unfinishedness (okay, so that isn't a word. Feh.) and I'm getting a little tired of my hummingbird pattern.

I'm beginning to think that I'm one of those stitchers that have way more stash than I will ever be able to use. I even inherited my grandmother's stash. Eep!

Progress!

2008-01-03T01:15:00.000-05:00

So have you ever had a time where you felt like it didn't matter what you did, you never made any progress on whatever you were working on? Yeah, that was the last few months for me.

So with 12 days left before winter semester starts, I finally made progress! Sweet Treats now has most of a hummingbird, part of the border, and two flowers. It's starting to look like something!

Also, back in October, I said I was going to do an angel for Mr. CW's grandmother. We talked about it and since she had birds most of her life, I decided to stitch a parrot for her (found on crosstitch.com). It still doesn't look like anything, but a big chunk of its tail is done.

So hopefully, I can keep up the pace and at least get Sweet Treats knocked out before school starts.

Happy New Year! And New Goals.

2008-01-01T05:29:00.000-05:00

It's officially 2008. What does this mean? A brand new year, a clean slate, and a whole lot of possibilities. I hope the new year brings you much joy and plenty of time to craft.

As for me, this past semester in school kicked my butt, so I didn't get any crafting time in. Not my idea of fun, but hey, my GPA went up significantly.

My goals for January are much the same as at last update. I was given a subscription to artecy.com for Christmas so I think I'll have even more to keep me busy! Yay for permanent memberships!

October's Here!

2007-09-30T19:24:00.000-04:00

We know what that means. Progress report!

WIP:

Sweet Treats *kit*- I've not had a lot of time to work on this. Life has been getting in the way, but at least you can almost tell that there is a hummingbird and a few flowers, plus part of the border (See previous post for photo of what the kit looks like finished.)

New Goals for October:

Evening Milking *from Crosstitch.com*- I'm planning on stitching this for my mother. Her birthday was September 28th (Happy b-day Mom!) and I think she would love this.
Birth Announcement *from Crosstitch.com*- My friend, Shannon, just had a baby. I made her first son a birth announcement, so I plan on doing one for this one too.
Decorative cross with a B *still searching*- This was a suggestion from my boyfriend for his aunt.
Butterfly on Lilac *Crosstitch.com*- Christmas present for my boyfriend's mother. She's had a rough year.
Happiness Kanji Symbol *Crosstitch.com*- Christmas present for my boyfriend. He's into Japanese culture.
Angel *Crosstitch.com*- My boyfriend's grandmother has cancer, so I've decided to do this for her. Hopefully it might raise her spirits a little.

As you can see, my newest obsession is crosstitch.com. I got a two-year subscription for my twenty-second birthday (Thank you Pa!) and now I'm in love.

I will be posting updates as work is completed.

I'm a bad, bad blogger!

2007-09-01T16:43:00.000-04:00

Shame on me! I just realized that I hadn't updated this since I created it.

Here's what I've been working on:

Sweet Treats Counted Cross Stitch by Creative Accents. This is a picture of the kit, but not of my work so far. I need to take and upload some.

I've also since the last time I updated finished my Cat Nap latch hook by Natura.

Now that school has started, my progress on anything will definitely be slow, but I'm promising myself at least an hour or two on weekends to work on things.

Wish me luck!

Welcome to my blog!

2007-06-04T02:33:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog! Allow me to tell you about myself.

I started crafting when I was about 9 or 10, but fell out of it when I started high school. College came and things weren't much brighter on the crafty front. That was until about a year ago.

I suffer from migraines and as part of my treatment, I'm supposed to find a relaxing activity to distract myself with, so my old friend crafting came back into my life. I couldn't be happier.

This blog will follow my trials, tribulations, and triumphs as I craft. I'll be posting when I finish something, or maybe just when I get frustrated. Hope you'll be around to enjoy it.

Craft Wench