Framed and hung

Super quick - a look at my attempt to crackle paint. It isn't the best and I may someday sand it down and re-do it.

A little diversion from stitching

Just call me Side-track Robin today.   I have flitted from project to project leaving some - like cleaning the two bedrooms upstairs, half completed.    Now for a totally useless diversion.   I am just in from raking leaves, etc. outside.   Here on the east coast of the US of A it is an unseasonally warm day and we are taking advantage of it with by cleaning flower beds, hanging clothes on the line and getting all the leaves raked.  In typical fashion, when I am ready for a rest (really a time-out), I surf through the blogs I follow.   Here's a neat thing that I have copied from the Stitch Bitch.

So just for fun, another book meme -

The book that’s been on your shelves the longest - Has to be Latin II from 8th grade Latin class.   Still with my neatly folded, tissue paper, typed list of the different tenses and diclensions.

A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time). - I have a book on Upper Penns Neck history (now called Pennsville Township).   This book was written by my elementary school principal.   She had such a passion to local history and lore.   I remember our 6th grade class trip (the entire 6th grade of the school fit on one bus)  We rode all around the county with stops here and there,  the principal pointing out different historical facts.   To this day, I still can ride by some of these points of interest and see her standing facing all our eager faces and tellings us the local trivia.

A book you acquired in some interesting way:  A Girl Scout Handbook - I was at a yard sale two towns away and was flipping through books and opened the book and saw my mother's name as the leader.  At the time I didn't even know she had ever been a Girl Scout leader but her name was unusual and I recognized the scout's name as a friend of my older sister's.   I bought the book and later confirmed with my sister that yes, indeed, my mother was her troop leader.

The book that’s been with you to the most places: hmmmm, I'd have to say my Kindle or more recently my Kindle Ap on my iPad.   I know that is a stretch but it is all I got!

The most recent addition to your shelves: See above - I rarely buy paperbacks anymore.   I will buy a good craft book because there is no replacement to a good instruction book in your hands.   Most recently I purchased "Put em up"  A book on canning!

Your current read: A Time In Between - hard to get into

Your last read: 1,000 White Women - awesome!   Hope it is a movie one day.

The book you’ll read next:  Probably will be the next in the series for me of the Janet Evanovich/Stephanie Plum series - #9.  With the holiday season approaching, reading time will be limited and light, entertaining reading will be in order.  Who knows what Stephanie and Joe Morelli are up to!!

What a difference a day makes

 How we went from this
........... to this in a quick turnaround.
 

I needed my dining room table to lay out my son's quilt. This will be the biggest thing I have ever tried to machine quilt. I don't know how well I will fare. Once it was all pinned together I rolled it from opposite sides towards the middle so I can start machine quilting.

   It got as far as looking like a giant anaconda on the steps.  I hope to steal a half hour each evening to run a few passes with the machine on the quilting.  

I spent some stitching time finishing some finishes. These are two of from Bent Creek’s Americana Collection trio. The leaflet had the info about the frames used so a quick email a couple of months back resulting in a quicker yet deliver of the frames.

I am also working on framing up JBW's French Country Alphabet. I took a Walmart frame, I am painitng it green then then plan to add a top coat of white paint after using a crackle medium.

It has been  fun to craft and sew and do non-stitching but still stitch related crafting. My to-be-finished basket is not quite as full as my WIP basket and it is now three projects smaller.

Tiny bits of progress on my oldest UFO project.  First, I have the entire left side now completed.  There is not too much left on the right side. However, all the back stitching can be time consuming.

Still in Love...

In the spirit if the WIPocylapse challenge next year, I got to digging through my WIP basket. I came across this goodie. We all know that we sometimes start something or even buy something and never start it and then our tastes change.

Well, I am still in love with the overall project as well as all the individual motifs. With the holidays upon I know I will have limited stitching time but I did mount this on my stretcher bars in anticipation of putting in my rotation. It is kind of looming in front of me say "for shame.....you left me in a zip lock bag in the closet".

  The pattern is from Dimensions, the cloth is 14 count aida and will take some getting used to once I start to work on it again.   The copyright date on the cover page is 1993.  I can tell that when I went on a cruise for my 20th wedding anniversary in 1995, I worked on it on the plane to and from Florida.  I think this is the oldest one that I will include in my rotation and I doubt I know the time frame of the others like I do with this one.....but first things first.   I need to update my photos on my 2011 Completed tab.

Finally I finished it

Short and sweet post to share a couple of things....

My finish.......ABCD by La-D-Da and it isn't even a difficult or large stitching piece. This is a Traveling Pattern started by Peggy at Kentucky Sampler. My slow turn around has to do with time, or lack there of. I made a decision to get more physically fit and that meant a committment of going to the gym. Unfortunately, the only time that works for me is before work. This has greatly hindered my usually 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. stitching hour for I am now at the gym by 6 a.m. I know....I must be crazy. Even worse is dragging the hair dryer and work clothes, etc., etc.  It helps if I pack my bag the night before and I did fix up a hair and makeup kit and bought a hair dryer to leave in the locker room.   Those little tricks has made it easier to get me there.  My evenings are so hectic with volunteer work, guild meetings, Board meetings, that I usually pull in the drive at an ungodly hour, plod into the house, collapse on the sofa like a brain dead ummpa loompa. I am sorry I caused Jennifer to be concerned with my slow turn around. So here is it ladies, it is a pretty stitch and a fun stitch.

I used 28 Cashel linen in Antique Ivory with Threadworx #1039 floss.  I am not sure how I am going to finish it.  

   Reading the journal that accompanies the pattern and now writing in it is all part of the fun.   So cool to see where it has been and then to follow it through  the link on Confessions of a Serial Stitcher.  Even cooler to see everyone else's floss and fabric selections.   I hope to get this in the mail on Monday to the next lucky stitcher on the list.  As soon as Jennifer provides the address I will be whisking it away to Nataly.  I will be sure to drop you (Nataly) a note when I do.

I also received a lovely surprise in the mail.....I was selected as a recipeint of a Christmas RAK by Andrea  at  The Craft Room.   It is really darling!  I loved the little beaded trim and turned it over to find the sweetest little charm.   This little ornie will have a place of honor on my tree. 

A bit of progress

I may not have been posting on my own site but have been managing quick 'drive-bys' on all your blogs.   I love all the creativity I am seeing and catching up on everyone's progress.   Hopefully soon I will be able to post more often as well as comment instead of just quick reads.  So anyway.............

This morning I had a special breakfast with my BF Debbie and her grand-daughter Kayla. I've have know Kayla since she was born and I can't believe how quickly she has grown. She has been wanting to go out with her grandmom and me for quite sometime and it has just been a crazy time juggling calendars - mainly mine. We talked about school and Girl Scouts and little sisters and little brothers and boys and dances.  I think the most important thing one can do with their life is to touch the life of a child. I am so very glad we finally got our big girl morning out together. It was a fun breakfast at iHop!

Riding home from breakfast, I pulled over and pulled out my camera. I thought the autumn leaf color had peaked but received a sensory surprise after rounding a bend. The camera and web don't do the array of colors justice. Just love Mother Nature and what she does.....

On the stitching front, I have managed to eek out a few stitches on La-D-Da's ABCD. This is the traveling pattern that I am part of and I certainly am not going to finish as quickly as some others did. I am enjoying it and it is a fast stitch, it is just taking that time to sit and stitch. Since I now go to the gym before work it eliminated my before work stitching hour but 6 lbs lighter and jeans a little more comforable, I guess the trade off is worth it.

This week was a friend from WW (Weight Watchers) is having a birthday and I constructed her a diet friendly cake. Rice cake layers, with a layer of peanut butter cups for the non-dieters, WW candies, Extra gum in Apple Pie and Strawberry Shortcake flavor (really yummy), and sugar-free cookies. Most important, she liked it and we all stayed within our points.

Looking at it just now, I could really go for 1 serving/3 lemon cookies/4 pt. treat.