School Days, Rule Days

The real last stop on my way home from my August Traipse about the country was at an antique shop Zanesville, Ohio.   Just a quick stop, 30 minutes, to stretch our legs.   Oh, I should have known, that 30 minutes turned into 3 hours.  We needed to empty out the car so we could unbox our purchases and shoe horn them into the car.   

This view actually doesn’t look so bad and it looks like we could have added more!

Patrons and store owners alike were laughing at us.  No hard braking lest we be concussed by a purchase.  We need another trip to Missouri to see all the things along the way we didn’t have time to see.

So back home and enjoying the days as the temps have started to cool and the humidity has high tailed it out of here.   I have enjoyed being in the garden.    In late August we had our shed - actually my shed -  torn down and rebuilt. I have been having a grand time sorting and filling the new shelves and the peg board with my garden tools and such.   It is not a she-shed, it is a working garden shed where I keep my gardening tools, power washer, decking furniture out of season, yard stuff.    Mr. W has his own ‘barn’ where he has control over its domain.  I even managed to get some of the things out of my laundry room like my tub of birdseed.  

There is still a wall behind me with 3 sets of 36 by 72 high shelves yet to fill but all I have left to sort is the stuff in the yellow wagon.  I am sure the open space with on be filled with something else.   Isn’t that some law of nature?  

My husband also had the contractor put up a new fence around my vegetable garden .   Hopefully this will keep the rabbits AND the groundhogs out.   No hope for the tomato thieving squirrels.   The best part is the GATE!  With the old fence, there was no gate and I had to ever-so gracefully “NOT” swing one leg, then the other over it; definitely not a pretty site!

Well I broke the rules and started not one, not two, but three new projects!   I meet once a month with a group that works on class projects only.   First we eat dinner, then stitch and break for dessert and then stitch some more.  I had been working on a Betsy Morgan piece, the Christmas Etui.  It is all blackwork and I found out not the easiest piece to work on in a group setting.   So, justification out of the way  I picked up Dance of the Wildflowers, from 2022 Jamboree at Salty Yarns.  This is from Summer House Stitch Workes.

Since I was itching to start a sampler, I started And Heaven and Earth Sing from Kathy Barrick.   I had two others in the pile looking at me but I couldn’t make a decision.   Unfortunately I had to go to services for a fellow stitcher.  Her family had some of her needlework displayed at the viewing.   Heaven and Earth from Kathy Barrick was one of them and I took it as a sign.   It has been in my pile of possibilities for a while so it was easy to move it front and center.  I started it but wasn’t liking the fabric.   There was not enough variation in color between the fabric and some of the floss.   Fortunately my stash is not just charts and floss.  Oh no, I seem to have a bit of fabric as well.   Shopping my craft room I found a large piece of 40 ct Milk and Honey from Shakespeare’s Peddler.  Restarted but I don’t know if I am terribly happy with this fabric choice either.  So and start and stop.

And my third new start, Red Bird Sampler from WTNT.   All kitted up and waiting on the bench for me to call it into play.  Did I hear the coach call SUBSTITUTION?    Two weeks in and really enjoying it.   I absolutely love the colors.

  

So I did a fun thing.   I have been wanting a retreat mat but just couldn’t find one that I liked.   So I bought an apron and tea towel set from Hands Across the Sea/HATS.   I took the tea towel and folded up the bottom to create pockets.    I sewed channels to create pockets for pencils and scissors.

Perfect timing that I stitched up the mat today and today I got Happy Mail.  I am participating in a Secret Stitcher Pal and I got this lovely HATS bag from my Secret Stitchy Pal today.  Included was the nail file to put in my bag.  Great idea!   Between the mat and the bag I think I may need to change the  colors I choose for my jewelry box make over so I have a matching ensemble.   LOL

And before I forget……maybe everyone else knows about this but it is ‘new’ to me.   I have starting “replying” to your comments with my comments!   So much easier than going down the rabbit hole of looking at profiles, getting email addresses, going outside of blogger, logging into outlook - otherwise comments come from iCloud which I never use.  Anyway, so much easier for me.   I am far from the most technically proficient person.   You know you kind of loose that when you don’t work any more.  Now, if you leave a comment, I am sure to comment back now since it seems to be so much easier. For all I know this has been an option all along and I just found it.   

Something else I forgot to share.    The hair.   Ugh!  Why did I think I wanted long hair?    IDK.   In July, I got 3 inches cut off.   I was super happy when I left the salon.  Such a lift, a neat chin length bob.   About two weeks into it, it was the same thought when I looked in the mirror.   No style to it.  Next appointment, 2 more inches off and layers cut in.   Now I must pause here to say the hairdresser is giving me EXACTLY what I am asking for.   My ideal haircut would be a cut like Jamie Lee Curtis.   Let’s face it, I don’t have her body or bone structure so it is a no.  With this week’s cut, I think we got it this time.   Maybe it is time for a new profile pix.   The only thing I dislike more finding the right hair style is having my picture taken so it is unlikely.

On to WIPGO.  This month my task was to complete a motif on Land That I Love and to stitch and finish a patriotic ornament.   I wasn’t even able to pick Land That I Love up until mid-September.  I didn’t complete a  motif but I put a good amount in two different ones.   I’ve got a few more days til the end of the month so here’s hoping.   I want really would like to get this finished.  I hope to put in two or three lengths of thread two or three days a week.  Once I get closer to the finish line, I will make this a monogamous stitch.

Since I had 30 hours in the car to and from  Kansas City, MO, I decided to try my hand at stitching on perforated paper.   I pre-cut the paper, lined my stitch bag with two pieces of cardboard to keep the paper flat and stitch on I did!    I stitched up three patriotic ornaments from the Just Sew Emma Pattern Star Spangled Ornaments.

Got home and did a quick finish with felt and ribbon.  Another WIPGO assignment completed!  I have already make a list on the bag of this year’s WIPGO board for ideas for next year.   WIPGO has really helped me accomplish a lot this year.  

That brings me up to date with September.  Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.  

Next to the last, but not the least stop of our trip

I think I can wrap up the trip with this last post but buckle your seat belts everyone.   It is a visit to none other than Keepsakes in Cincinnati Ohio.   

I honestly stepped inside and froze in my footsteps with mouth hanging open.    I told Susan and Barbara this is what I think it must feel like to be 12 and get tickets to Taylor Swift!   

Was this a  warning or what?    Stop at Keepsakes or else!

The cuteness started even before we got inside.

Black cat paying tribute to 310.

Open the door and this is what we see!  Now you know why my feet were planted solidly.

It wasn’t long before we met 310 in person.

This shop is so adorable.   Some may say why not move to a larger location but I say NO!   It would certainly loose so much of the charm.   The house was a kit from Sears.    There are so many similar in my own town.

When entering a new cross stitch store I have to make the once around tour and then start all over more slowly.   I started by going upstairs.

One of the things that caught my attention was all the cute, innovative finishes that were done.

This place is wall to wall and up the wall!  If they have the sample on the wall, they have the chart located nearby.

There are four rooms upstairs, each with a theme - but before the rooms, there is the hallway.

Another couple of  views  of the upstairs hallway.

Cute finish.  Perforated paper on a block with plaid fabric wrapped around the sides.

In the center of the picture above, here is a close up of another cute finish. 

Another cute finish.

And again, a cutey patudy

“Love” this finish….lol

Just stitch it on paper and tie some jute around it.  Ta da!

Cloche’s 

Beautiful tea cup!

There was a 4th room that I somehow didn’t photograph.   It was the threads and needles and gadgets room.

Back downstairs

This is the famous work table.

Look how cool this way to display item finishes is…

I’m not necessarily a Nutcracker fan but none the less, I thought this adorable.

And there was a fabric room, aka, the kitchen.     Not to be outdone by the other rooms, check out the baseboard in the bathroom.   Scraps from various frames put to use for a unique baseboard.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include how wonderful, sweet and talented Barb and Susan were.   Real gems!  

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on my trip to Kansas City and back.  I’m a fortunate gal to be able to do all the fun things.   Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching……I know I have a lot to do to keep up with all the inspirations I’ve had the last 12 days!