This is from the October 1998 issue of Just Cross Stitch. Perfect for me due to my worrywart nature.

Making Resin

For a while last fall I was busy making resin pieces. Here is one I did for Halloween using a JABC button. I need to start up again because it is a very satisfying and fairly easy process. I just put everything away at the holidays because it is rather messy and haven't resumed it yet. Here is a link I found quickly that explains a bit more if anyone is interested: http://www.how-to-make-jewelry.com/resin-jewelry-making-2.html

An assortment today

I know "The Secret Life of Bees" was published at least 10 years ago but I was able to read it this weekend and highly recommend it. Because of this book, I decided to finally finish my "English Cottage Sampler" (from Chessie N Me) that I started a few years ago and make some changes to it.

My name means Queen Bee and since there is a queen prominently pictured on this piece I decided to stitch a huge bee over her head. I also added a few things to her empty hands as I didn't like her standing there with elbows bent holding nothing so I added a bird and a flower. Instead of "E" for "Elizabeth" underneath the crown I put the initials of my husband and children. And if you look closely, you will noticed I made a big mistake and stitched 3 r's in the second Merrily of the verse. It makes me laugh to look at it so it is staying. To be honest, the main reason it is staying is I HATE frogging over one!



This next piece is from The Floss Box
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Her designs remind me somewhat of the old Birds of a Feather designs which I have always loved. She also sells them on Etsy.

Thrift Stores

Anyone else here love thrift stores? I have been finding tracing wheels at my favorite thrift store lately, 50 cents each. They remind me of my mother who was a good seamstress. I never like to write "sewer" as it doesn't look correct! I found the little red sewing basket at a thrift store a few years back and it matches the powder blue one I had as a child.

The pincushions came from Etsy. Have a look at her pincushion dolls!



http://www.etsy.com/people/PiccalilliPatchwork

UFO's

I saw this antique unfinished piece of needlework a while back. It is gorgeous but I find it sad it was never finished as then it could have been spectacular.


Seeing this piece got me thinking about the number of UFO's I have and the guilt made me pull one out last month and finish it up. It only required backstitching, which I find tedious and which is why it was set aside. It has been waiting around for me to finish it since 1997!



So here she is, from Shepherd's Bush!. 15 years is a long time to sit around and it is not the first piece I would pull out of my "want to do" folder today. But she is done and I am much happier because of it. How many UFO's do you have waiting patiently for you to finish them?

!

Gift for a Friend

Recently a friend was going through a tough time and I decided to make her a "Jar of Encouragement". In the jar are inspirational quotes printed on folded paper, the idea being to take one out and read it when needing a boost. This led to making a whole box of different things to go along with the jar, a scented candle, mints, drawer sachets, a small journal, anything I thought would be a pick-me-up. I found the wooden container at a thrift shop and decoupaged the antique bird postcard I had printed onto the front of the container. Here are a few photos and a couple postcards in case you would like to try something similar.

Coffin Buzz

As many of you know, I haven't stitched or designed a thing for almost 2 years. About 2 months ago it was nagging me how many unfinished projects I have, so I pulled one out and finished it. That spurred me on to start something new and when a friend bought a new house I knew just the project to stitch for her housewarming present, Coffin Buzz, a freebie from Paulette Stewart

Choose your own fabric and thread and this stitches up really fast, I enjoyed it so much. Thanks Paulette!

Antique Samplers

I came across quite a few beautiful samplers this weekend that I'd like to share with you. Enjoy! The Solomon's Temple sampler is especially beautiful and you don't see many reproductions of it. I have images of several antique Solomon's Temple samplers and will share soon.

Lady Baa-Baa

I've been so neglectful...

I am still here, but it's been a busy time since mid August due to traveling and once again a computer breakdown that has lasted about a month. I promise to update very soon. Gotta get my email back to working but in the meantime I am really here to ask for prayers for Peggy, my friend with ALS. Her time is near and she and her family could use as many prayers as possible. Thank you so much and I will be back with more when I can.

Some antique samplers

It's a lazy day and I thought I'd upload some unrelated photos of antique samplers. I think they are fun to look at.

Day One--Antique Samplers

If you know me or have been reading here any length of time, even five minutes,this is a pretty obvious and easy to guess love of mine, antique samplers. I don't know what first attracted me to them, probably many things, the history, the handmade crafting of them, the colors, the verses. I never tire of seeing a sampler whether antique or newly designed but the antique ones fulfill something within me. So I thought it was appropriate to start Day One of my 100 things I like in 100 days project with something obvious and a subject most here can identify with. I think they speak for themselves.

Mail!!

Today I received this wonderful piece in honor of my mother from my good friend, Janet. Janet and I have known each other at least 10 years and have been through quite a few trials and tribulations together and I appreciate her gift and thoughtfulness more than she realizes. Thanks again gf, I'm always here for you just like I know you are for me.

July/August 2010 Just Cross Stitch

I was happy to see I had two designs in the recent Just Cross Stitch issue.
It's hard to see but the ornament I designed is the one in the upper right corner with the small reindeer and the second piece is called "Summer Song" and is stitched on 28 ct black linen. I love the way JCS framed the piece. I wouldn't have thought of using a brown frame but after seeing it I can't imagine what other color would have looked as nice. Hope you enjoy them!

And finally, where have I been the last two months?

The answer to that is mainly West Coast... Oregon, Washington, California and Nevada again. Oh and Phoenix too, not that being there is unusual for me but I may as well add it to the list.

I've been a bum, thinking only of myself and no one else, running around playing with friends and ignoring everything at home. It's been a way to relax, distract and give myself a chance to think. I've loved it and I've felt guilty but overall it was wonderful. And thank you dear, devoted David for being so understanding, smooch. I am blessed and I know it.

I started out with a trip to Oregon to visit my friend Laurel. I've known her since my son and her daughter were in first grade together. They are now 23 so it's been a while. One thing about Tucson, no one seems to stay for long. In the 20 years we've lived here, I've had seven good friends move away and Laurel was one. But like any good friend, the minute you reconnect, the time and distance disappear and it's like you never parted.

Laurel has a home in Oregon and one in Nevada. I also visited her in January, once again thinking only of myself and having a fabulous time. She mothers me, listens to me, pampers me and comforts me. She's like my husband but a better cook and doesn't work like he does so we can run around and do whatever we like.

This trip it was thrift stores! Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, Deseret Industries, and many little private charity thrift stores. I shipped home 6 boxes of stuff, good stuff I might add. Everyone is getting thrift store for Christmas this year.There's your warning, no complaints, no whining! My sister got a thrift store, specially-chosen-for-her item as a housewarming present. It's so her, so retro, so Brady Bunch, so...mushroomy? OK, you decide:

These came from Carson City, Nevada and are now on her stove for all to admire ;-) As I said, they are so HER.

I've never been to the Oregon coast so we hopped up to Seaside Oregon for a day and since the ocean is my favorite atmosphere I was in heaven. Big, broad, windy, chilly beaches...

After a bit of time in Oregon we drove to Nevada,


and did our usual rearranging furniture, decorating projects and I painted mirrors and all kinds of things black. I was picking black paint off my hands for days. Here's a before photo of one thrift store mirror, wish I had the "after" photo:


The idea here was to paint different shapes and sizes of mirrors black to hang on her dining room wall.

We hung out for 10 days and drove back to Oregon, spent 3 days in Portland and I then flew to Seattle and met up with my husband so we could visit our daughter pictured below with hubby at the Japanese Gardens in Seattle:


It was wonderful to see Maggie and her boyfriend and meet his parents. We happened to be there during mid-terms but still had fun seeing her life, friends and college life in Seattle. One of the highlights of the trip was looking outside our hotel window exactly a month to the day my mother died and seeing a rainbow:

If you have followed some of my recent posts you'll realize that for me it was an important sign that my mother made it "home".

We were back in Arizona for a week and then went to Catalina Island for our 25th anniversary.

Another two weeks and Nick arrived home, tired and dirty after spending the night in the Atlanta airport but it is wonderful to have him home. We've missed both our kids this past year.

And in a week, Maggie will be home for a week.
And that's the update from here, in a house with air conditioning kaput and an over 100 degree day. If I don't move around too suddenly I can stay cool. The a/c man can't get here soon enough tomorrow...

What lurks behind the refrigerator?

I have no shame so I will show you:

Yes, I will stand and be counted among the nameless many who are sneaky housekeepers. If you can't see the dirt, it doesn't get cleaned until absolutely necessary. Along those same lines, the clutter may be picked up, but don't open a closet door or you could receive a severe head injury.

So the necessity to clean under the refrigerator was due to painting our kitchen and family room 2 months ago. I love it now that it's done and am thankful hubby and I had an easy time doing it. Sometimes divorce threats hang heavily unspoken when we do these kinds of projects. Here are the finished family room walls, that color is called "Sagey":



And now for no reason at all other than to show why we live in Arizona and love it: