Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Pirate Valentine

Here I am at work, checking out the 1-2-3 Stitch message board and Sue Hillis has the above Valentine design. I stop everything, put myself into break and immediately grab my cell phone and go call C.C. & Company. "Ar-r-r-rgh Matie, I need this design!"

Friday, January 16, 2009

Work inspired rant and the Thrift Shop


And so it is, the last day of my 3 days off! I accomplished close to nothing. Why, you may ask and the only answer I can give you is that I want to sleep. When that happens I know there has been a lot of stress in my very small and unimportant life. I know it has to do with issues at work and so therefore really unimportant in the grander scheme of life. I know that working allows me earthly comforts such as needlework, heat, water, a place to sleep where rain won't fall on my head! Working allows me to watch my Ghost Hunters on Direct TV, drink Diet Pepsi, eat foods that are clearly not "figure friendly". Work allows me to have a vehicle and gasoline to cart my fat self about. Work is also a place of great stress, as if listening to sick people vent because they cannot get their Viagra in the quantities they desire is not stressful enough, each January the company decides it's employees must work overtime, mandatory overtime or the politically correct term I was told by a manager whose office I was yanked into "my fair share". I determined a long time ago that God is the only one I must listen to! He tells me what is right and wrong and a good part of the time I choose to do so! I do not choose to listen to little demi-God's who believe they have the right to tell me what I can and can't do outside my 40 hours of work time. And so my punishment is to have my non-compliance to their arbitrary annual bullshit go against my attendance. Yes, I have my butt in my chair on time every day, I don't call in sick, I don't have FMLA to use to call in against but I am punished. I do not need the "extra" money, I want my time, my free time away from that hamster habi-trail! I hate the place I work, my personal time is not their time and therefore I will not be whipped into doing what suits their business needs! Their business needs do not trump my personal needs, PERIOD!!! If I die tomorrow, or get fired, they will find some other victim to fill my chair and pay them considerably less! I follow what I know is right and this is my hill to die on! Yes, small and trivial to many but it is huge to me!
I did something I haven't done in a long time. I went to the Thrift Shop. Every thing was 50% off. The picture of the handbag is one of the things I got, it is brand new, the paper stuffing was still in it and it was $1.50!!! The shorts, I am thinking a cute spring handbag with Lucite handles! The shorts were $1.50! They have pockets on the back too! I bought some new, unused hair clips for 25¢ and a fund raising cookbook for 25¢. I really like the straw handbag and think I got a steal.
I went by Hobby Lobby and picked up my DMC floss for the Maryse monthly pin-keep! Home I came, laid down and napped. I have paid all my bills and I am thinking PIZZA!! I have a coupon!
I am going to pick out the fabric for the pin keep now and go beat the girlz. Thanks for listening to the rant from the Lilac Thicket.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Stashing, Secreting, Stockpiling, Scraping together


I have been contemplating starting on another project for my spiritual sister Marilyn. Her beautiful home is decorated with an African flair and I found a picture of the fabric I want to use for it. It is the hand dyed linen pictured above and it is from Enchanted Fabrics (http://www.enchantedfabrics.com/index.htm ). The design is stylized African women with jars on their heads. Won't this be fabulous for it?
I did order 2 charts from a lady on the 1-2-3 Stitch message board. I am purchasing Cherub Needleroll from M Designs and Hot Cocoa Sampler from Casey Buonaugurio Designs. I haven't ordered from her sale folder but I have seen her moniker on the board for some time. I am looking forward to adding to my stash.
The ladies at C.C. & Company laughed at me when I walked in yesterday as I had been there the day before. Well I got home and pulled out my Gentle Arts Sampler Threads and the Weeks Dyed Works Threads and I only had 3 of the 16 or so colors that the Lizzie Kate Boo Club called for. I was really surprised I was missing so many. So another trip was needed to Blue Springs. I did use one of my full punch cards so I was able to get all my floss that i need for the Boo!!
So here is a thought....I was thinking about labeling a box with all my stash I buy this year and not putting it up or away. That way it will be easier for me to find all the new goodies I get. I really need to reorganize my stash anyway. That room is a MESS!!!! Then there would be pictures, lovely pictures of the way it is.
Can you believe that the synonym for stashing is hoarding???? That is very appalling!!! Collecting would be good! So from the ever expanding Lilac Thicket, due to collecting of all that is cross stitch....have a blessed day!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Boo Club, Stashing and Framing

A trip to C.C. & Company yielded stash. I picked up the first 3 Lizzie Kate "Boo Club" designs and the fabric which is 30 count Mocha. The fabric was 30% off! I purchased another Lizzie Kate design which is below. I was thinking the designs would make cute presents.
Spring Violets was a shop model and Cathy and Crew had stitched it on a lighter colored fabric Picture It Plus "Moonglow" in 28 ct. The leaflet calls for Needlepoint Silk but the Crew changed it to WDW colors Palomino, Kudzo, Concord, Oak, Havana & Schneckly and GAST Cornhusk. I really like that version. I had a $5.00 off birthday coupon that I received in the mail and I used it.

Carolyn at C. C. helped me pick a frame for Beverly's Inital Fairy. No matting, just frame and glass. I had a devil of a time getting that piece clean. I don't know exactly what was on my hands to soil the fabric so badly but, a little Dawn dishwashing liquid and a couple of applications got it pretty clean. There was one reddish spot which really didn't come all the way out but it will not show. I had a 40% off coupon for the framing and it brought it down to about $75.00.
Today is the first day in about 4 days which I have been headache free. I am just worn slick though. I am going to go in and take a nap. Actually I have to haul in the girlz food from the car. They are out of food and may consume me while I sleep if I don't.
It is sunny here in the Lilac Thicket. Tomorrow it may reach 60°! Wow that would be wonderful. This old girl will retire for now. Keep those needles flowing and don't get your floss in a knot!


Sunday, January 4, 2009

Nothing Too Special

Isn't that the cutest New Year greeting card. I love the vintage style postcards.

I watched "Ballet Shoes" last evening. It came in the mail from Netflix yesterday. It starred the young lady who played Hermoine Granger and the man who played Mr. Dursley, both from the Harry Potter series. I enjoyed the story. It was sent back this morning so I should have 3 movies coming back to me.
I printed off the pin keep free design that I spoke about in yesterday's post. I also printed off the EMS advent calendar, part 1 & 2. I looked at her website and they have some neat ideas for finishing. They have them as ornaments on a tree, treat bags staggered over a curtain rod, a long banner, stockings, heart ornaments on a wreath, wall banner pockets, and treat bags in a big basket. Now I am not sure how I want to finish them. The pin keep uses 7 DMC colors and I will pull them when I get home. The Advent calendar looks to use about 16 or so DMC colors and they can vary from number to number.
My little sister has one of her bathrooms decorated with the rubber duckie theme. EMS has a duckie free design. I am thinking a door knob pillow for her bathroom. I was also thinking about a finger tip towel with a duckie border. I believe I have little duckies in a baby pattern book. I will have to look for it. Don't you think that would be nice Christmas presents?
Well that about does it from the Lilac Thicket. Stay warm and stay stitchin'!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Stitch Alongs, stitchin' a bit and so many projects

The above picture is from the Lizzie Kate Monthly. As of now I have 5 months stitched. It might be a good goal for this year to finish the rest. What do ya think?



Well, Miss Meri is back on-line with her scissors series freebie. It is nice to see her back. She has cameo scissors as her current offering.
http://meriwanderer.blogspot.com/search/label/Cameo%20Scissors



Ellen Maurer Stroh has begun her 2009 project, the Advent Calendar. Parts 1 & 2 are available now for download. http://www.maurer-stroh.com/project2009_introduction.html I was thinking of making each it's own little draw string bag and a little treat can be put into each bag.



I was looking at Vermillion Stitchery's web site to see what the theme for her freebies would be this year, if she was offering them this year. Nothing is on the web site at this time. However her monthly snowmen for 2008 are all there and some are rather cute, so download them now. http://www.vsccs.com/Sample%20Designs/SampleDesigns.html



Here is another SAL that I will definately enjoy: http://grillesdemaryse.canalblog.com/archives/sal_collection_de_pinkeeps/index.html
I love all of Maryse's designs, one of her's is on my Wish List. I really like this month's pin Keep! I think these would make nice ornaments also. Of course, the ideas are endless as to how one could use them! How about a big piece of fabric with each month's design as a pocket for stitchy stuff!
I did stitch on my When Witches Ride a little on my days off. I received the small order I placed with 1-2-3 Stitch. It is a small Mickey and a small Minnie Mouse head. I want to stitch a name pillow for my supervisor Jennifer in her favorite color with M&M on it. She is a nut for all Mickey stuff. It will be for her birthday which is May 13th.
Lots of things to do and I am so very slow! I suppose it means I shall never be bored. So for now I will sign off from the Lilac Thicket, dreaming big!!!