Grace Learns Her ABCs

Yay!  I finished the alphabet on Grace Bridges!  Now onto more fun motifs like that awesome red peacock!  I'm loving the colors in this sampler although I'm thinking of playing around with the gold used for the house.  I'd like to keep it bright and the conversion I'm using has a bit more muted gold.  Still pretty but I might make change it to make mine a bit more vibrant. 

I had a helper when I was trying to take this picture.  He's always got to help me if I'm not paying attention to him.  :)

I'm sure you've now heard about all the devastation from the wildfires in Colorado and this week there was a new one visible from my place.  Not to worry, we're not in any danger here from this one and of this writing it's nearly contained.  Here's a photo of how it looked not long after it started.  Actually, when it first started the smoke came directly toward my neighborhood and then the winds shifted and blew it more north which is when I took this picture.  So, we've been smelling a bit like a campfire but that's a small inconvenience compared to the devastation others have experienced this fire season.  Hopefully we'll get some rain soon! 

And, last weekend Sage and I attended Paws In the Park, an event that benefitted the Longmont Humane Society.  It was Hot.  102 or right around there.  But we had fun!  We performed our Flash Mob demo with our ACES class and then lounged in the shade and then did two demos with the Zoom Room team.  Zoom Room is where Sage and I learned agility and really caught the bug.  If you're interested in trying agility this is the place to have fun doing it!  I didn't get a picture of our flash mob demo but here are a few pics of us doing agility, courtesy of Marnie at Zoom Room.  :)  First, here's the team, Sage and I are second from the left and she's wearing something called a cool coat that really helps keep her comfortable in the heat! 

Next up, my favorite action shot of the day!  She really ran fast on that grass!

And lastly, Sage and I have a lot of fun together, can you tell?

 

Grace Bridges Start and June TUSAL

This past weekend I decided on a new start.  There are so many beautiful samplers in my stash waiting to be stitched so it was a hard choice but I finally picked Grace Bridges by Stacy Nash as my next start.  It was nice to have a weekend that wasn't chock full of plans for once so I was able to get the vine in and the alphabet started before the work week began.  The alphabet hs gone fairly quickly and last night I stayed up past my bedtime to get the dividing line in.  I knew that I'd dread picking it back up if I didn't!  I have one more alphabet and Grace's name and then I get to the fun part of this sampler with the peacocks, flowers and that cool gold house!  I am using the conversion to silk threads put together by Attic Needlework and am stitching this on 36 ct. Lakeside Vintage Examplar.  I don't think I realized how big this was going to be but I love the sampler and it's going to look great in my bedroom when it's finished! 

I'm also a couple days late on the June TUSAL so here's my jar snuggled in with the dog and cat treats (I love these treat jars)!  Sorry for the poor snap of the TUSAL jar itself but you get the idea.  Each month after I take the picture I push the threads down farther in the jar.  I figured I'd need to do this to get a full year in one jar but it's not really a great way to show progress because I suspect that it looks the same each month.  Oh well. 

We're six months into the TUSAL challenge but it's not too late to join in, go to Daffycat's blog to get the scoop and join in! 

Mary Ann Blackburn Finish

Well, I took the above picture a little over a week ago.  I had planned to do a progress post of Mary Ann Blackburn by Blackbird designs and then life just got in the way and I've been busy.  So, I'm posting it today even though on Tuesday I finished Mary Ann! 

I love both of the above pictures!  I stitched Mary Ann Blackburn on a beautiful cut of 40 count Sheep's Straw Linen with the called for GAST/WDW/CC Cotton overdyed threads.  I love how the piece is nice with lots of warm browns in the first photo and then how it just pops with the reds in the finished version.  I wasn't sure if I was going to like the CC Used Brick which is what was called for as the red in the piece and had thought about switching to WDW Brick.  But, I do love how it turned out so now all I have to do is pick a frame and get her up on my wall! 

While she waits for me to pick a frame, she's sitting on my craft room table which is literally covered with projects needing finishing or framing.  I had cleaned out the closet in this room over the past couple weekends to make better use of the space for stash organizing and that included cleaning off the table.  I love the look of all these pieces piled up but would really rather see them all up on my walls or finished as smalls.  So, I'd better get busy!  At least I was able to get the box painted for Spring Song! 

I had a helper while pressing Mary Ann for photography today too, miss Kitty loves sleeping in my craft room, who can blame her??   

I have seen several Dutch Beauty finishes of late and most recently Paulette's gorgeous finish!  I am in LOVE with this piece but I have no idea how Paulette had the patience to stitch this with 2 strands on 32 count linen.  LOL!  I added this to my stash a couple months ago and have been trying to pick a linen so I could start it, I'd love for it to be huge but I really prefer stitching with 1 strand now so I have a dilemma.  I've been thinking a nice 35 or 36 count linen would preserve some of the size while allowing me to stitch with one strand and my friend Katrina and I did a floss toss and loved R&R Sheep's straw.  I was all set to commit to 35 count Sheep's straw when I found these...

Two WIP's!!!  Yikes!  I thought I had just one, a drawn thread sampler that just needs the cross stitch portion done.  This is "A Very Fine Sampler" by Birds of a Feather (top) and "Betsy" by Sheepish Designs (bottom).  I started both of these in the last year or two on different colors of 35 cout R&R and set both aside because the linen was crunchy.  Now, don't get me wrong, R&R makes a beautiful linen, I think I just prefer the 40 count.  I stitched on the top piece a bit last night to see how it felt and it wasn't bad and both pieces went into my dryer with a dryer sheet to try to soften them up.  It seems to have helped a bit.  So, maybe I'll go with a 40 count Sheep's Straw?  I'd consider another manufacturer of linen, like Lakeside or Weeks but in 35 or 36 count I need larger than a half yard cut. 

So, now I find myself with Mary Ann Blackburn done, two WIP's to work on and no clear answer to Dutch Beauty.  Sigh.  Maybe I'll just go start something new...  :) 

Mary Ann Blackburn Start and a Peacock Finish!

This week I have a teeny little start on Mary Ann Blackburn by Blackbird Designs to show you.  I have the most lovely piece of 40 count R&R Sheep's Straw linen that I'm stitching it on.  It's nicely aged and overdyed and to make it a bit more splotchy I spritzed it with water.  OK, that was an accident but I like the way it turned out and am loving these colors on it!  I'm stitching it with the called for Gentle Arts Sampler Threads by the way and even though I haven't gotten very far yet I think this one will go quickly!  I initially wasn't sure about the rooster/peacock that is in the center of the sampler (on top in my photo) but in the end I'm very glad that I stitched it as charted.  I did think about swapping it out for one of the peacocks in Grace Bridges or the one in the Peacock Pinkeep but decided to leave it as is and am happy I did.  Of course, now I am jonesing to start Grace Bridges.  Good thing I have that all kitted and ready to go as she may be next!  :)

I must be on a peacock kick because I also started and finished the Blackbird Designs Peacock Pinkeep in the last week.  I also did the bonus needlebook chart while I was at it.  If you're not familiar with this piece, the peacock pictured in the upper right of this picture is the top and the band at the bottom wraps around to form the sides of the pinkeep.  When it's all done it will look like a drum.  Normally I would crop this photo but as I was taking these pictures I had the pieces laid out on the couch to get a decent snap and the kitty was looking for attention, that's her foot peeking in the very bottom of the photo so I had to leave it in.  :)

I purchased this chart, the pattern and the Belle Soie when I was at Attic Needlework back in January and it's been in my bag to stitch every since.  Now she's stitched and will go off in the mail to my finisher this week.  I can't wait to get her back and display her! 

This week I dog-sat for my second favorite dog in the world and I happened to pick up a new piece of training equipment over the holiday weekend.  I was working "off contacts" with both dogs and had them each on an end.  Maverick sat down as I took this but I thought it was a cute photo and thought I'd share a bit of what I do in my free time when I'm not stitching.  You can see more about my adventures with Sage over at my dog blog.  Enjoy!

All About Agility

Recently Maverick came to visit and over Memorial Day I had gone to pick up the new agility training equipment that I had ordered.  This is a contact trainer which is half dog walk and half mini a-frame and the idea is to use a home sized piece of equipment to train your dog on their contacts.  Well, I had been working Sage on this for a couple days and with Maverick over I decided to play.  After just a few attempts he was getting the idea.  Such a smartie pants!  He sat down as I took this picture but I thought it was fun for both dogs to show how awesome they are!  And, they really are!  :) 

Of course, once we went inside both dogs totally passed out.  This is just one of the things I love about doing agility with Sage, it wears her out both mentally and physically!

Sage and I are going to attend an agility clinic to work on our skills and thoroughly wear both of us out.  It's mandatory to have a crate so the dogs get some down time during the breaks and at lunch.  Well, all I have at home is a wire crate that isn't even mine and that's heavy to bring to something like this.  So, my instructor recommended that I go pick up this lightweight, portable crate at Walmart for use at the clinic.  I got her the X-Large size for the low price of $26.88 and even better it's pink!!  Here's a picture of the cat getting crate trained... he is always the first to try any sort of crate!

Mary Roe Finish!

Here's my completed Mary Roe!  Yay, she was such a fun sampler to stitch and went so quickly once I finished that dreaded over one stitching.  I stitched her on 36 count Meadow Rue with the called for Belle Soie silks.

I pressed Miss Mary before this picture and then laid her on the bed and she looked slightly wrinkled again.  I've heard that Belle Soie can sometime run a bit so I decided to settle for this and will give her a good pressing once I've got a frame all picked out for her.  Enjoy!

Sampler Guild Pincushion Exchange

A few weeks back, over Mother's day weekend my parents came into town to visit.  It just so happened that it was Mother's day on Sunday but on Saturday we had a Sampler Guild of the Rockies meeting that included a pincuchsion exchange.  I honestly don't know which I was more excited to share with my Mom!  In a previous post I showed you the wrapped packages that I had all ready to go.  Well, one of them held the pincushion that I gave away at the exchange.  It was Mary Little, her finish photo is above.  I actually stitched her twice because I knew I'd want one for myself.  Now I'm stitching her a third time.  :)

The exchange was so much fun!  We got in a circle and passed the pincushion to the person to our right each time we heard the word Pin or Pincushion during the reading of a brief history of the pincushion.  It was really fun!  After the reading was finished we opened our gifts.  This is what I received and I am absolutely gaga for it!  It is so awesome to have a pincushion stitched on a colored fabric for my small but growing collection!  Thank you Tina for this treasure!  I simply adore it!   

When we got home I put my new treasure with the rest of my collection of smalls which I'm housing in a cute star shaped basket.  Right now since I only have a few the basket is sitting up but my hope is to continue adding to it to where I have to set it down or even get another basket.  :)

Here's a photo of the basket with what I have so far.  My Lady's Trimkeep from Plum Street Samplers doesn't quite fit in the basket without cramming it in so I've got that sitting out in front.  There are also the two pincushions from the SGR exchange, a BBD Designs pincushion that my friend Theresa stitched for me and the SGR Fundraising pincushion designed by The Scarlett House.  I just love this little collection and have plans to start adding to it.  I would love to start Wild Garden for this basket too! 

The other gift that I showed in that previous post is a gift that I put together for my Mom.  She opened it at the meeting and I really enjoyed her reaction!  The little Vera Bradley bag contained some EOS lip balm, a humangear bottle with udderly smooth hand lotion, some needles, a sampler cloth and one more of the Scarlett House pincushions!  It was really fun and I think she really enjoyed it!  I forgot to get a picture of us at the meeting but here's a picture of her gift.  Happy Stitching!