A valentine for you

A Valentine for You
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Here it is my second finish of 2007. Well it has to be FINISHED into a fob in the next couple of days. ( if I can dodge the snow/sleet that is due tomorrow)..It is a freebie, the Heart Fob by Jeannette Douglas Designs. I am very happy with it. I was working with a black and white photocopy and did not have any of the fibers called for so I just picked a couple of GAST and Dye is Cast threads that looked good. I found the actual model on line here, and am surprised that is it so similar, (maybe just a bit more pink).

No Gnus is Good Gnus, with Gary Gnu

I have been working on a valentine exchange to be mailed by friday, just a bit if back stitching left. Maybe I will post a picture for you all tomorrow if it is done.

how about an SBQ? I haven't done one in a while:
What company produces your favorite hand-dyed fabric? Are there any companies whose hand-dyed fabric you do not like? If so, why?
It took me a while to get into hand dyed fibers, but i just am not that into hand dyed fabric. I will use it if I see it in a model and i feel it enhances the final project. I like subtle variations. In that case I will use exactly what it calls for. I am comfortable substituting various fibers, and color/counts of fabric. But not yet using hand dyed fabric. Most I feel are overdone, and overwhelm instead of enhance the picture. But back to the question. I use the hand dyed that is called for, Crossed Wings fabric for Mitten Games, R&R for the Dragonfly last year.


Baby room: Ian and I primed the walls yesterday, now it is bright white and ready for experimentation. My amateur drawing husband sketched out what he wants to put on the walls, and it looks great on paper, I am hoping that it will look as good on the wall and it does in our heads. We are going to attempt an outdoor mural on the wall. Like this. Sky, grass, and a pond. maybe a tree or two. In this big picture wil be all the various animal characters that Ian has created over the years. As they appear I will introduce them to you, but it is not the little stuff I am worried about. It is the grass/sky/clouds that worry me. I don't want it to look to flat, and I am no good at translating a picture onto paper. I think Ian can do it, it just might take him a couple of attempts, since he has never done anything on so grand a scale.
We also pulled up some of the carpet to take a look at the hardwood under it. (right now it will be the drop cloth for our painting) . It looks pretty good, there are some weird black marks like tire tracks but it looks like a bit of sanding will take care of those.

The Baby's Room....before

before2
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

the main focus of my creative mind these days is the decor for the room of my baby....GIRL. Yep we found out on Monday the ultrasound went great and everything looks good. Part of me was pulling for a boy just because I wanted to get this crib set. Now it seems to boyish for a girl. and I have yet to see any "theme" for a girl that appeals to me. but regardless we have started to prepare the room.

before1
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

orange shag
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

this fabulous room has Orange shag carpet (which is going!) and was the home of the office stuff and weightlifting equipment. We bought a computer armoire and moved all the office stuff to the library. It was cheap at Wally World...which I hate (the store not the armoire) but we couldn't spend too much with baby furniture in our near future. Pretty good I guess. Here it is :


computer armoire closed
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

the weight lifting stuff will head out to storage, and the desk to my sister.
The walls are spackled and ready to be primed.

ready to paint
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

the next step.... will be as soon as I decide what I want to do. Ian wants to do a mural in the whole room. grass, sky, beach, garden... the ideas are flying around like drunken pilots. so stay tuned for more.
Now I have to go start my valentine exchange piece

First Happy Dance of 2007

the big picture
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

Check it out. Shoot if I had known I was only 4 nights (and a morning) away from finishing this thing I would of done so long ago. It ended up that the bottom bands were not as totally random as the top (see close up of the bottom of the sampler below). This ends up pretty big, and would love to have this professionally framed. now to see how long it will take for me to save up that money.

Finished Bottom of Sampler

Finished Bottom of Sampler
Originally uploaded by Stitching scientist.

I take it back

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

Figures, after all my whining yesterday, I got home pulled out View to a Spring Garden and started stitching on it. I would say I am 90% done with the center panel, which is 50% of the whole thing. The only fiber I am missing is 015HL Krenick for the gazing ball and the pond. I could of sworn I had bought it, but can't find it anywhere, so I may have to order that and move on down while I await its arrival. For a picture of what it will look like done...look here, anout half way down the page.

Halfway to Parenthood

Ian had to leave monday for 2 weeks in Orlando for school (his job makes him take updates on the airplanes he works on and sometimes they get to go to cool places). Unfortunately this leaves me alone and depressed with only the dog and cat for company. I have been trying to stay busy (read: clean the house). I have found a creative outlet that is working for me though. I have been working on my scrapbooks ...right now the one with all the pictures from Alaska. I think I can see the end of this one, with only about 6-8 pages left (I have done about 20 pages since Christmas). after that I am going to try to finish scrapbooking at least all of the 2006 pics. The only problem is that to use the only decent workspace I have (the coffeetable) I have to sit on the floor, and my butt is not approving of this after about an hour or 2.

If I had to analyze this (which I will) I would say that maybe (just maybe) my body is trying to get me to catch up on the photos that I been meaning to get to but have avoided, to get as much done as possible in the next 20 weeks. Even if this is true I am still a bit bummed about my stitching slump...so to cheer me up I looked at what I accomplished over the past years since I started this blog:

2006= 32 cross stitch projects completed and 25 finished off (framed, ornament ,etc)
2005= 33 cross stitch projects completed and 30 finished
2004 =12 cross stitch projects completed and 10 finished

Not too shabby, since I bet that those 3 years surpassed the sum total of my stitching up till that point. I think I will set a low goal for the year of 8-10 projects completed. Currently I have 5 WIPS. One of these View to a Spring Garden absolutely has to be finished so I can put that scroll frame away..it takes up too much space when I am not using it. I actually have more of it done than what is pictured there...maybe I'll take an updated photo for you all this evening... it will give me something to do.

New Year...Resolutions? nah...

....I have too much to do to make resolutions this year. Unfortunately Cross stitch is still elusive. I am going to sign up for valentines exchange though, even if it is just to force me to pick up a needle this month. Don't think I haven't tried, All i need is a new project right? Well the other day I started Four Trees by Bent Creek. three hours and one tree later I realized I was off center by a whole inch! this means ripping it all out and starting again. Like I said before, other pregnant ladies forget their keys,etc...I feel like I have lost my ability to stitch.

On the up side, (if it is an up side) I have entered the fat stage that all the books talk about happening during the third month. (where you don't look pregnant yet just fat) So even though I am entering my fifth month, my jeans only have another week or two of fitting.
In preparation of Babyhood, I started to clean out my Mary Kay stuff, which is currently housed in the baby's room. Being a consultant for 5 years can certianly build up a lot of trash, and I maintain a full inventory. Even though I am not fully active (I rarely hold classes) I still want to maintain my customers, so I reduced it down to the basics; inventory, samples, paperwork. and it is getting moved to a convenient location in the attic. This of course meant the attic needed a bit of sprucing...the result: 2 bags of trash, a giant pile for Goodwill, and a (almost) empty closet for Baby.