Sydney's Cross Stitch

Sydney's Cross Stitch
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

A friend of mine's stepdaughter comes to stay with them every summer (I think she is 11 or 12) and a few weeks ago asked if she could try what I was doing. Well at the time I was working on my June Flip it and so I gave her an 11 ct piece of aida and she picked the colors and I enlarged the draonfly square of the pattern...and tryed to teach her what to do. So she heads home with it (I tell her I'll teach her backstitching next week) and then I see her 1 week later and this is what she has done. She taught herself how to do the backstitch (using a example that i had done in her house) And did the hearts and lettering freehand...she even added her initials and date (like I do )! I gave her another small piece (a flower on 14 ct aida) and a more complicated kitted piece by Janlynn (confetti stitches). I had sent for the DMC mentor kit but I think she will be way beyond that stage by the time it arrives. She will be reading this blog so I am sure she would love to see what you think of this cross stitch whiz kid.

As for me I started my August Flip it yesterday and am still working on Santa. Ian and I played hooky yesterday and spent the day cleaning up an old metal cabinet (with about 30 drawers) that used to be a garage piece. the drawers he is taking to work and bead blasting 2 at a time. but the cabinet itself had to be cleaned, sanded, and washed. We were able to prime and paint it....after MUCH deliberation I finally settled on the hammered brown metal from Rustoleum...although the cabinet doesn't look very "hammered" the color is good and makes the cabinet look useable in ( drum roll) the craft room! The drawers will be so clean and lined that Ill be able to store cross stitch and beading supplies in them all. I will post pics of it when it is done (the drawers will take a while there are 30 of them).

Santa beard finished

Santa beard finished
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Whoo hoo!

A Good Weekend

Are you officially old and boring if a good weekend is one in which you spend it at home and clean? I mean sure I have no $$ to go out shopping or to the movies or a bar, but even if I did I would probably just spend it on something for the house.
We are having a 4th of July party and my mom and stepdad are coming for a visit on their way to the beach on the 18th so I thought now would be a good time to start cleaning (I mean really cleaning) the house.
Sat I raked the whole backyard of twigs and burned them. Mowed the high parts, watered the garden well, and weeded and deadheaded alot of stuff...so the yard won't look like total crap next week. Then Sunday I cleaned up and dusted the Master bedroom, the Drunken Library (see below), and the Craft /Guest bedroom. These rooms are not as often used as the others so those get next weekend. Ian and I discussed the scrapbooking/photo sorting plan for July...and are putting it off til August, since July is rapidly filling up and Santa is coming along fast...I mean cruzin, I got the rabbit done and the beard will be completely done this week.

What is the Drunken Library? well it is this dark panelled room that seemed to have no purpose when we moved in. Besides a fireplace and a built in cupboard...it is not a dining room (maybe if it was opened to the kitchen more...but that requires removing walls and redoing the kitchen $$$). and it is not a "family room" (fireplace and very dark). It's just sort of an extension off of the hall from the kitchen to the bed rooms...So we put in bookshelves and a bar in that builtin cupboard complete with fridge and maybe someday a sink. and called it ...the Drunken Library...I can see I will have to post pictures now...edit:added photos.

PS. Does any one out there watch the Dead Zone on USA? last nights episode was great I loved the character of Alex! Give her a permanent spot!

As advertised

Santa as of 6/24
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here he is...you can see the rabbit outline where he goes next (to the right of the dove) then it is back to the top to work down the right side. It doesn't look that bad from here but the green on the bottom (934) is taking forever. I feel like I have been stitching green for the past 4 days.

June Flip it
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

What was your first 45?

We were talking firsts the other day and here are some Questions for you....if you are old enough!

Your first 45: She-Bop by Cindi Lauper, I didn't realize till much later (like last week) that this song is about masturbation...you didn't either mom?
Your first 33: Break out by The Pointer Sisters I did a solo dance to Neutron Dance at my 5th grade talent show...don't ask me where I got the guts to do that.
First Cassette: Dr. Hook. I can't remeber which album but it did have my favorite song on it... "You make my Pants want to get up and Dance". What can I say it -was in the 99c bin at the local kmart or somewhere.
First CD....god help me I can't remember?..maybe the Robin Hood soundtrack.


As for stitching I finished th June Flip it but don't have appropriate fabric for the back, and sinc we are still broke I can't go shopping till July...Well at least Julys Flip it was done last year maybe I can get August done before the month starts. I am currently working on Santa...I took him with me to the Tarheel get together last Sat and have been on him ever since....I just have the rabbit to do and I'll be close to 50% done. (I'll post the pic tomorrow). I am getting ready to pull all my photos and scrapbook memoriabilia out of the attic to organize them. I'll be putting most of my stitching aside for July (we shall se how long that lasts).

Curly Girls!!

Hair 2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

So I was at the library the other day looking for some books and I just happen to glance down and pick up a book called Curly Girls by Lorraine Massey. This book is like an epiphany...she talks about growing up hating curly hair (me) trying every method of straightening it (me again) and walking around with a shirt halfway on your head hanging down your back pretending it was long straight hair (this woman was spying on me when I was 7!). The only thing she doesn't talk about is how everyone tell you how fabulous your hair is (grown-ups what do they know) but of course you don't believe them cause all the popular girls in school and all the pretty girls on tv have stick straight blonde hair. I wish the book was written in 1985...but better late than never. I have come to terms with my hair (as has my sister) but I know and knew alot of people who don't and spend hours straightening it out. Lorraine's book on how to care for curly hair includes 2 TWO products that you already have, a conditioner and a gel....thats it! no moouse, frizz ease, special shampoos and conditioners, no combs, brushes, or hair dryers, no chenicals and no pills. she even has a whole chapter on how to care for childrens curly hair. It's like finding a weight loss diet that worked in 10 minutes. The picture is me after 2 days of starting her method (and at the end of a day of high humidity!). (I am trying find a before pic....)

I highly recommend her book to anyone with curly or wavy hair. This is the type of book you want to buy for all your curly haired friends....or just find it in your library!

Tuesdays Labor

Walkway-1
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

This past tuesday Ian and I finished the walkway from the driveway to the back patio. We had dug it out and installed the rain barrel about 3 weeks ago, then it started to rain...and didn't stop for 2 weeks (ok maybe for a day or 2), point is that the rain barrel is full and we had to re dig the walk.
We also poured a concrete slab for under the garden hose, and put the parking stops to good use (we found 5 in our yard under the leaf pile when we moved in, one borders the new herb bed, one borders azaleas in the back and now 2 run by the walkway- just one left!)

I am planning on putting stepping stones in the gravel eventually. I will be looking into kits and how to make my own as well as perhaps purchasing some.

concrete slab
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

walkway-3
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

WIP- View to a Spring Garden

WIP- View to a Spring Garden
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

here it is so far... but I think I will be taking a break before returning to this since the directions from here on out are confusing and the picture of the finished sampler is not very clear so that is no assistance.
Any one out there seen a finished picture of this sampler?

As for the QOTW: Do you feel the need to stitch a design from a specific designer just to say that you've experienced stitching one of their designs?

Heck no...I only do what I like, regardless of designer. I do not collect all the designs from 1 designer, nor do the ones that are a challenge to show how "good" I am. I only do the designs I can see up on a wall (someday haha).

Next!

Goldies Ornament
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

this next ornament in the round robin is done...only took 2 days.

View to a Spring Garden WIP

View to a Spring Garden WIP
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Yep I started this last night and got the first band (all backstitching) done.

So the plan is to work on this till I get bored or its done....then I am contimplating taking a break (Gasp) don't panic, I would still continue the ornaments and Flip its...But my photos are calling me. Ian and I have one of those big 3o something gallon rubbermaid full of loose photos, and I dont want to just album them...its too big of a job. My neighbor is a Creative Memories consultant and I have enough stuff to start. I have just been putting it off for so long, saying I do it when I graduate, that our photos are extremely disorganized.

Part of my frustration is based on a scrapbook album that I started after college...which Iwas very proud of.....that has disappeared, and I keep hoping it will show up and I will be able to continue from there. But I think I amready to let go of that grief and organize Both mine (AND IANS!!) photos...he has also indicated intrest in helping me.

But I'll detail out plans if and when that project begins.

In other news...yesterday was a depressing day due to the fact that we had a fence estimator tell us that the only way we could have a fence put in to finish fencing off the back yard (2 sides are done but the third borders a road) would be to lose about 15 feet of our back yard. Our property line is much further in than either of us had suspected. So we either have to re think the entire back yard or install a big hedge and invisible fence for the dog. So our plans for a fence went from when to if ...I hate that.

Seaside Garden Done

Seaside Garden Done
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Woo Hoo I love this...I think Ill finish it as a bell pull instead of framing.
It was so easy (too bad it was so expensive or I would do more).This was my first time working with silk floss and it has nice coverage but I don't feel that it is worth the expense.

I again apologize for the crappy photo...lately all the photos are too light or too dark...but can you see? It is the first overdyed fabric I have ever tried blue and white...it looks like a sky.

Cross stitch Crazy

Seaside Garden Wip
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here is what I have been doing the last 5 days

I looked at Santa when I got home and figured I had made so much progress he could wait since I have an itch to start something new....Started on the Victorias Sampler's Seaside Garden friday and almost done too...it was easy, I am sorry for the dark pic. I will post a lighter finished one...(should be done this week) Then I will start the Black swan sampler (since I am not samplered out yet) but it is not as easy and I will probably switch it and santa out in a mini rotation with the round robin and flip it filling in the gaps ( see progress below)
And here are some other small finishes I never posted, I am in a christmas round robin group...here is mine (all from the JCS 04 ornament issue)

Round robin ornament #1
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

And here is Eva's.... this one was over 1 with over dyed threads and a pain in the ass. I am now just waiting on the third to arrive in the mail (there are 6 total)

Round Robin Ornament #2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

And of course here is the May Flip it, done just in time for june (figures) I did finish it as a pillow ornament yesterday. Since I've already did the july flip it last year, I have a month to catch up and get a head start on august.

I am looking forward to tonight, We are going out to eat to celebrate a friends 30th birthday (I am glad I am not the only one getting old)

May Flip it
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Welcome Back!

More Jellys
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Why thank you, I know you all missed me. So here is the New Orleans synopsis:
The conference had over 2000 people (NABS- North American Benthological Society togehter in a joint conference with AGU- American Geophysical Union) and the conference hall in NO was HUGE...they handled 2 other conferences/meetings at the same time.

My talk on tuesday went just fine, not too many others in the room...there were at least 10 other talks at the same time. There were presentations every 15 min from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Mon thru Friday and as many as 20 at once in different rooms. Needless to say you got burned out pretty quick. They announced next years meeting in Alaska, and we had our final banquet at the Aquarium of the Americas (see jellyfish- click on him to see all 27 pics in Flickr).

The city itself was unique, keep in mind that I only saw a small part of it, But from the Conference center to Bourbon St. and back it was filthy and smelly and beautiful. If you look up the city has cool architecture, beautiful gardens, and wonderful resturants. But look down and every form of nasty liquid you can think of is running down the sidewalks and into the gutters. No recycling, and no street cleaning in sight. Music every where, and panhandlers and hustlers everywhere too. Everyhthing is expensive (food, drink, art, souvoniers) but the deals are there if you care to search them out.

I wish I had time to go do some more exploring, I didn't get to the Garden district nor see the plantations or swamps or cemetaries. but with no car and so many others who have diferent ideas of a good time...I was limited. I may go back someday.

Stitching updates tomorrow