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O-M-G! Have you seen the latest patterns by Blackbird Designs and Country Cottage Needleworks???? I'm in HEA-VEN! Be prepared to drool...
First off is Pumpkin Farm by Blackbird Designs -
How gorgeous is this???? Love the colors! Does this have Pumpkin written all over it or what? ;o) LOL!
Next up is Bunny Hop by CCN -
Cute, cute, CUTE! Gotta have, gotta have, GOTTA HAVE! Mine, mine, MINE!
Sigh, my stitching goals may be blown out of the water already ;o)
On a sad note, DH and I are leaving for NB tomorrow as a very dear friend of the family passed away :o( This gentleman was so kind and talented. He will surely be missed by all who knew him.
Because of this, I will be away from Blog reading. Have I mentioned how behind I am???? Eep! I will be bringing my computer with me but I'm not sure how much time I'll have. I may just be checking emails. Anyway, I apologize now for not getting around to everyone but I will eventually, I promise :o) 
A gingerbread cube finish that is ;o)
On Tuesday I went to the Little City and bought my cube and then on Wednesday it was the trip from H*@% to the Big City and I was able to pick up the remainder of the supplies that I needed. I didn't have a lot of choice for gingerbread fabric and this isn't what I really had in mind but I think it works :o)
Working with a fabric that has straight lines in it is tricky but I really surprised myself with this finish and how happy I am with it. Btw, this is a no-sew cube.
I wasn't sure about the white ribbon but I like how it makes the white in the design pop. If I had gone with a green or burgundy it probably would have been too hard to match everything up. As it was, I had a hard enough time finding the white wired ribbon!
Since I spend part of last night and this morning finishing my cube, I haven't started my new stitchy project yet. It's still hot and humid here and my energy level is nil! Tonight I hope to sit back, watch a movie and hopefully stitch :o)
Some of you have been asking for pictures of Popcorn and lately it's been hard getting a good one of her. She's got her 'moods' now and I just hope that I did the right thing in adopting her. I've never had a pet rabbit that was this hard to bond with. Don't get me wrong, she is excellent at times and always loves to be petted but I haven't gotten the 'bunny greeting' yet :o(
The good news is Popcorn has learned to use her new glass water bottle! I was using a stainless steel dish that I used with Pickles but Popcorn is a much messier rabbit. It must be a girl thing. LOL! Now she has more room and she can 'pop' all over her cage and I don't have to worry that she'll dump water everywhere.
Here is Popcorn's parting shot for you -
This is the 'invisible bunny' pose ;o)
I'm done, I'm done, I'm done! I LOVED stitching this piece :o) Here is Season Of Love by CCN -
Aren't they such a cute couple?
After much debate, I have decided against making this one into an ornament. As I was finishing this piece, it was shouting cube to me and I think it's right :o) I'm on the lookout for some gingerbread fabric and then some perfect ribbon to top it off. I love making cubes! I have to go to the Big City on Wednesday and will hit a few places to see what I can find.
Now it's on to Gingerbread Tree by LHN...
Hmmm...I wonder if the two really go together. It might be quite tasty :o)
After my last finish, I decided to put off going back to Sabrina due to the HEAT! Ugh! It has been HOT and MUGGY :o( Two things that do not agree with me. Since I still have four more ornament sized pieces to do, I picked one of those. Here is my progress so far on Season Of Love by Country Cottage Needleworks -
This is such a 'sweet' design. I didn't have the recommended fabric so I went with 32 count Light Mocha linen. Again, how many different shades of beige can you have?
I can't wait to see what she has for an ornament in the actual JCS Ornament Issue :o) I do plan on stitching The Gingerbread Tree by LHN. Am I starting to show a pattern here already? LOL!
This heat has been affecting the animals as well. Popcorn ends up doing her popping all night (much to our dislike) and then during the day she plays dead bunny -
Unfortunately this is the best picture I could get of her. Usually she does a huge flop on her side and then curls up in the fetal position :o) She tries her hardest to stay awake but if you watch her long enough, her eyes start to close and her head keeps falling down.
The only upside is that if the heat gets too unbearable, we can go down into the basement! Yes, I've never been so happy to have one ;o)
That's right! Beach Cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks is complete -
So pack your bags girls because the sand and ocean await you :o)
This was such a fun design to stitch. I'm going to have to dig in my stash to see if I have a frame to fit. That would be the most economical way. I know I have a few frames but what are the chances? LOL!
Since DH and I have moved here, the beach and the ocean have become a big part of our lives. The dogs love going to the beach and acting like complete idiots ;o) Duncan will venture out into the water only so far but little Brie still has her great swimming skills although she doesn't use her back legs while doing so. After she gets out of the water, she runs up and down the beach like a lunatic. LOL! I'm not sure if she's trying to warm up or if the water was that invigorating. You should see her belly though! It went from pink to almost black. Yup, our little girl LOVES to lie in the sun.
The other night I noticed that we are consuming a lot more seafood in our diet. And how could we not when we can eat this whenever we want -
That is one huge bowl of soft shell clams :o) Yum! Shelling and cleaning them is not so fun but boy they taste good. DH has also brought home fresh scallops and fish. We still eat red meat from time to time but not as often as we used to. Chicken still remains high on the list but I'd say it's second to seafood now. I guess that's a good thing.
Well...SHE DID IT! SHE DID IT! Stargazer brought home a first from the Exhibition!!!! On the back of my entry tag the judge wrote "Excellent work". I feel like a proud momma :o) I'm not sure if they have a Grand Champion for cross stitch here and since we didn't go to the Exhibition during the week, I wasn't able to see. That's okay though because I'm happy with the results :o) Unfortunately my photography didn't do well but like DH said, you don't know what the judges were looking for and I went out on a limb with my entries.
It's going to be another scorcher of a day :oP Yuck! The dogs and I just might be hitting the beach again. What a hard life. LOL!
Progress on the Beach Cottage really accelerated this past week -
The landscaping was completed after a trip to the local nursery. I found some lovely pink Cosmos to put along the front. I love the way they sway in the breeze :o)
Since we didn't want to ruin the precious sand dunes, a board walk was constructed and then extended into the water. On hot days, it's nice to be able to sit at the end of the dock and dangle your feet in the cool ocean. Plus we needed something for the giant seagulls to sit on. LOL!
Well, I took the plunge and I'm anxiously awaiting the results. It's nail biting actually. I found information on a local Exhibition (fair) and was able to meet the deadline two weeks ago. Two of my pictures we're entered into the photography class and in the cross stitch class...Stargazer made her debut :o) I have no idea what the competition is like down here but I'll know by tomorrow night when I go and pick up my items!
Wish me luck :o)
Progress on the Beach Cottage continues, although it was almost at a snail's pace until just a couple of days ago. Due to inclement weather, the landscaping had to be put on hold for almost a week. Rain seems to be the flavour of the summer around here, with only a handful of really warm days thrown in.
The trees now have their leaves and the lawn has been put in -
I can sit on the front steps and the beach is just within reach :o) I'll have to start planting the flowers soon if I'm going to enjoy them at all this season. I guess I'll have to see what the garden centers have left. LOL!
Thank you for all the lovely comments on the house pictures. I truly do appreciate them and I'm happy that you've taken the time to stop by. If you have a minute, click on my fish pond and feed the fish :o)
I've really been holding out on you all because I haven't told you about the latest construction project that has been going on ;o) Over the past few days, the workers finally finished up our new beach cottage -
What do you think? I love the blue door. Very fitting for the decor. Speaking of decor, the inside is being done as we speak. We've gone with whitewash boards throughout the back part of the cottage that looks onto the ocean. It will be accented with blues and reds. The floors are all done in stone, with in-floor heating, that will give some warmth to the place. There will be plenty of comfy chairs and sofas to sit and stitch on ;o)
As you can see, the landscaping is being worked on now. I didn't realize that a tree trunk could be planted and the leaves added later on. LOL!
Some of you asked what color I was using to stitch The Bramble & The Bush. I chose Shortcake by Threadworx. If you look on their site, the sample picture does not show enough green. Don't worry; I will keep trudging on with that piece. I just needed a bit of a break.
Guess what I'm doing on Saturday???? I'm taking a needle felting class :o) I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it advertised in the paper! And we'll be making animals too. I'm so excited! Maybe this is my chance to meet other stitchers. Maybe.
One last thing before I go, I've been going through my stash and will have quite a bit of stuff going up on my Market Blog in the next day or so. There will be a lot of fabric, mostly Aida (14-22 count), some magazines, patterns and a beautiful black trinket box. So keep your eyes peeled :o)
Hear ye! Hear ye! Come and join me for the Grand Opening because The Needlework Shop is officially open for business -
Didn't the landscapers do a fantastic job? I was really lucky because just as they were finishing, I was able to locate someone to put the sign up as well ;o)
Things must have really been in my favour because the interior decorator had a last minute cancellation and she was able to fit me in sooner than expected. The shop has honey oak flooring throughout, with beautiful coloured area rugs. When you walk in the door, your eyes might spot the seating area in the middle of the room. I made sure I had one there so anyone can come in and stitch anytime they want to :o) There are two comfortable sofas and two chairs with ottomans so you can put your feet up and rest awhile. This is a NRA shop (no rushing allowed) so leave your husbands at home. LOL!
The fibers, embellishments and accessories are all on the first floor. You're surrounded by loads of color and bling -
As you sit and stitch, or even if you're just browsing around, your eyes will see plenty of eye candy because the walls are adorned with stitched models. After coming here, you'll never have another moment when you ask yourself, "What am I going to stitch next?" LOL!
The second floor is dedicated solely to fabric, and lots of it -
I put in a huge cutting table in the middle of the room. The fabrics line the walls and are arranged by count AND by color so there appears to be a rainbow all around you :o) The selection is easy to see and you can't help but touch the linens. In amongst all the stitching fabric you're going to spot something new. I've added special fabric for finishing those flat folds, pin keeps and stand ups. They coordinate perfectly with the stitching fabric so there's no need to drive around town with little color samples in your purse ;o)
Before you leave, make sure that you've tried out our selection of teas and don't forget to grab a few business cards to give out to friends and family!
It took years but we finally got one!!!! I know it isn't a LNS but at least it's a craft store and somewhere that I can buy DMC at a reasonable price. Yesterday they opened their doors for the first time. I didn't think I was going to be anywhere near the store so I hadn't planned on being there. Someone must have been smiling down on me because I was dropped off right in front of the store :o)
As soon as I got to the floss section, lo and behold there was Carolyn! She wasn't kidding when she said she was going to be there the first day they opened. We had a quick chat and then I picked up some floss. Out of all the floss that I have, I couldn't believe it when I only had one 451 in my stash! That's always the way though isn't it? LOL!
Well, the contractors are finished! The building for The Needlework Shop is complete -
There were times when I didn't think they were going to finish their job but they came through and worked steadily all week ;o) Now I have some time off while I hunt down a landscaper so it's back to stitching Tot. I wonder how hard it is to get a landscaper at this time of year. Anyone know?
DH and I had some company this weekend :o) Mom and Dad arrived Friday evening and work started on the bathroom right away. Because we'll be putting the house up for sale as soon as possible, we're trying to get some of the remaining renovation projects completed. One of those projects was the main bathroom. It was really dated with the grey fixtures so it just needed a makeover ;o) This was the progress by Saturday morning -
No more grey fixtures (okay, except the sink) and no more gross flooring :o) GONE! Woohoo! This is the status as of today -
Have you ever seen a redneck's shower before? Well it probably looks something like this ;o) LOL! Toilet and tub are in as well as my new floor. We ended up falling behind but not because of something we did. DH and I had picked up the roll of flooring a few years ago and on the label it stated - "6 ft x 9 ft, approximate size (minimum size 6' x 8'9")" but when we rolled it out, it was only 6' x 6'. Hmmm...where did the other 3' go???? Grrrr! Sooooo, DH had to run back into town to get new flooring.
I'm really pleased with the work that got done this weekend though and I've got to thank Dad and DH for their hard work. Mom did her share of the work though and ended up babysitting Brie the majority of the time. LOL! I'm sure if you asked her though, she'd say she doesn't consider it work when it comes to her grand-dog ;o)
No, that's not me ;o) LOL! DH and I are just packing up now, on our way to St. Andrews. His sister is getting married this weekend so it's going to be a busy three days. Thankfully, this is the last SIL to marry so hopefully no more weddings in my near future. I think I'm all wedded out :oS I'm not your girly type girl but I am anxious to wear my new dress that I bought this past summer. DH even bought me a set of earrings with matching necklace just for this occasion. We're calling it my anniversary, Christmas, next year's birthday gift :o)
I'm actually going to leave my computer at home and will only have my PDA with me but that will only work if there is WIFI at the hotel. I imagine when I get back there will be tons of Blogs to catch up with so I'm going to warn you now that I might not leave any comments next week so that I can read up on everyone's news in a timely fashion.
While I'm gone, the contractors have agreed to work on The Needlework Shop so come the first of next week, I should have another progress picture for you ;o) They're now working on the second story walls and it's looking really good. Even my dad would be impressed with their workmanship. LOL!
I want to thank everyone for all the nice comments on Tot. It really means a lot to me that you stop by and take the time to say such nice things :o)
I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll see you again on Monday! Bye!
You're probably thinking that I went stash shopping or had the satisfaction of eating something that involved chocolate but if that's the case, you'd be wrong! Yesterday afternoon, I hung out the clothes, put my stitching in place, refused to answer the phone, planted my butt down on the couch and...watched the two hour season premiere of PRISON BREAK!!!! Ever since I saw the preview in August, I've been just jazzed about the show starting up again :o) And I have to say, they did not disappoint. Only five more days until the next episode...
DH doesn't like the show and says it's too 'unrealistic'. But what show that's on television these days is???? The reason I love this show so much is that they keep you on your toes. Characters can be eliminated from the show at any time. The writers make you love some characters while making you absolutely hate others. Even the ones you hate, you end up loving. It's been a long time since there's been a television show that has kept my interest for three years running.
It was a super busy weekend and my body is NOT happy. Even though it was, and still is, screaming at me, I'm still managing to get some stitching in :o) As I stated before, the contractors for The Needlework Shop completed the brick work on the foundation -
I've spoken to them since and we've come to an agreement that they will work on the shop a few days a week so you should see some progress in the near future ;o) Contractors! But what can you do? LOL!
Don't like working on linen? If that's you, you should try this Natural Pearl Linen by Zweigart. This is one beautiful material that I guarantee you'll love. It's linen but it has the feel and thickness of Jobelan. There are flecks of color throughout, giving a sort of tweed look to it. Nice, nice stuff. I love it :o)
I know you've all been dying to see Tot...or maybe not ;o) Since the day the fabric arrived, I've been working on her and I'm quite excited with the look that is emerging -
What do you think? Lori at Enchanted Fabrics did a one-of-a-kind piece for me and she captured the image I had in my head to a tee. I'm not sure if you can see the full effect quite yet but there are clouds in the sky, which I'm hoping will make the moon pop, and the ground gives lots of room for the pumpkins to trail their vines. The colors blend so well and have the same hues as her dress -
I've started using the Kreinik but I think I'll leave all the beading until the end, again. LOL! I know Katie has been working on her (and we're STILL waiting for a picture!) and has quite a bit done. Is there anyone else? I'd love to see how others are coming along with their own Halloween Fairy :o)
Needlework Shop -
As you can see, it's still under construction but it's going at a pretty good pace. How they have the upstairs windows hung in mid air like that, I'll never know ;o) The brickwork on the foundation should be done in another day and then the upstairs walls will go in. The architect, CCN, did a lovely job designing this place don't you think? LOL!
LOOK -
When I saw this there was a HUGE smile on my face :o) That means that fall is just around the corner AND it's my favourite time of year. The nights have been cool and I've been enjoying that but the mosquitoes are still out >:o( DH is talking about going camping in Maine sometime during the month of September. Brie and I are all for it!
Today I went and had FOUR vials of blood taken out of me. It started hitting me on the way home even though I had some apple juice and a donut ;o) You didn't hear the donut part. Shhhh! The girl that took my blood was really good but then again, I have 'wonderful' veins. I almost associate those nurses with vampires because they mention this every time I go in. LOL!
On my way home, I took a quick peek to see if I could find myself a strapless bra for my dress. Wouldn't you know it...I did! Not only is it black, my size and seamless, it's got straps so you can convert it to a regular bra AND it comes with those 'invisible' straps :o) When I got in the dressing room, I stuffed the girls in and put my t-shirt back over top to see the effect. Not only does it hide 'the' nipple but it makes the girls look like twins again. My only problem, trying to stay in that thing!
I'm almost embarrassed to say but I've been nominated for another award {blush}. Jennifer awarded me this -
Here are the rules:
1) Only five people allowed.
2) Four of them have to be dedicated followers of your Blog and one has to be new and live in another part of the world.
3) You have to link back to who gave you the award.
Here are my nominees and again, they are in NO particular order -
Mumsy - as you know, this is my mother and she has been an avid reader and fan of my Blog.
Karen - I know you're not Blogging at the moment girl but we've got a lot of history together.
Lori-Ann - a retreat buddy that Katie and I converted into a Blogger buddy.
Nancy - the queen of scrapbooking and an artist.
Joanne - an Aussie with a flair for stitching and cake decorating.
To round off my day, I just got THE most awesome, life changing news!!!! My mind is racing with uncertainties, my face is flushed with happiness and my heart is relieved :o) I hate to be a tease but I cannot say a word for the time being. I know, I know! But there are some things that have to be taken care of first before 'the cat can be let out of the bag'. Stay tuned.
