I finished my Sunflower Fairy a few days ago and I love how she turned out!  Here’s a pic of my finish followed by a close-up view of the glitter and bling.  As always, click to biggify.

This is a design by Nora Corbett (of Mirabilia) that appeared in the September 2009 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine.  I stitched her on 32-count Copper Penny linen from Wichelt using the recommended Valdani cotton floss.  The only change I made was substituting Creamy Peach from Crescent Colors for the skin because the recommended Valdani seemed a bit too fair to me.

I was on a business trip last and got in a bit of stitching time on another Nora Corbett magazine design.  This time is was her Halloween Fairy (a.k.a. Trick or Treat Fairy).  It’s also from Cross-Stitch & Needlework magazine in their September 2008 issue.  Here’s my progress thus far on it:

Given I’m on such a Mirabilia/Nora Corbett kick lately, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that I’ve signed up for a Mirabilia Round Robin that’s starting up in February.  It’s being coordinated through TWRRB (The Worldwide Round Robin Board).   It seems like a really great group of stitchers and Kathy is moderating our group which should be fun, too. Now I just have to figure out my theme and layout.

I’m currently work on the Pear Tree ornament from last year’s ornament of the month series by Little House Needleworks.  I don’t really have enough done yet to show a progress pic.  Since it’s an ornament, you may not see a pic until it’s actually finished. LOL

Well, that’s it from me for now.  Until next time …

Write a quick comment | View 5 more comment(s).

Wow, today was a GREAT stashy mail day! Two orders I placed last week both arrived today. The first was an order from Drema at Needlecraft Corner (my favorite ONS):

The first part of the order was my auto-ship of the latest Ornament of the Month collection from Little House Needleworks.  This is an on-going series that I’ve been collecting since it began last year.  We won’t talk about the fact that I’ve only stitched one of them so far.

Next up, I was very excited to get my hands on the new Halloween Collection book hot off the presses from Just Cross Stitch!  It has over 50 Halloween designs, everything from ornaments to full-size designs.  There are 36 brand new designs, 15 “favorite” designs from previous Just Cross Stitch magazine Halloween issues, plus a Tombstone Angel (Susanna Goose) from Carriage House Samplings.  I’ve already spied a couple of designs I definitely want to stitch!  Looks like I’ll need to invest in some Prank or Voodoo from Picture This Plus the next time I’m at my LNS.

“A Spirited Mandala” by Ink Circles

“Knock Knock” by Blackberry Lane Designs

The last thing you might notice in the pic above is actually some freebie designs.  Drema is awesome and always includes a nice little bundle of freebies with every order.  I was thrilledwhen I saw this latest bundle included the oldie but goodie “Sew & Sew” freebie from Mary Garry’s Sewing Cabin!  I love Mary Garry designs.

The second package I got today was from Inspired Needle. I recently saw a pic Valerie posted on her blog of her finished Boo Club bell pull from Lizzie Kate. As soon as I saw the hardware she bought at Inspired Needle to use for it, I immediately went online to their website and bought it because it. is. perfect. for Boo Club! Be sure to click and biggify the pics to really check out the tombstones. They’re so fun!!

Tombstone Bell Pull Hardware

Close-Up of the Tombstones

My Planned Bell Pull (when I finish the stitching)

Lastly, I stumbled across a design today when looking at some stitching stuff that may end up finding its way into my stash. Even though we don’t really have winter here in SoCal, I still love this design!

It’s called “6 Fat Men” which is a new Flip-It series from Lizzie Kate. It comes as 6 separate charts which can either be stitched individually or put together as shown in the photo above. The chart for putting it all together in a single piece can be downloaded for free from the Lizzie Kate site.  I may have to contact Drema again to buy her fabric/fiber kit and get on the auto-ship for the charts on this one!

Well, that’s it from me for now. Until next time …

Write a quick comment | View 3 more comment(s).

I am! I’ve actually changed things up a bit this year from my normal pattern. In the past, I’ve always purchased candy that I didn’t like to hand out which usually means Twizzlers and Milk Duds. By doing that, I wasn’t tempted to dip into the supply and when the night was over, I would just toss whatever didn’t get handed out because I didn’t like it anyway.

This year I decided that not only did I not want to hand out a bunch of sugary junk, I also didn’t want to just be wasteful throwing out the leftovers. So, I opted from some healthier treats that I actually do like so I can use the leftovers. Here is what I got (pardon the pic quality, they were taken with my phone):

The Goldfish bag has 30 1/2 oz. packages. There are also 30 mini granola bars in that box as well. Given that I usually don’t have that big of a turnout of kids, that should be more than enough to see me through the night. The best part? They are only 50-60 calories each! I can easily work any leftovers into my eating plan as an occasional treat.

So, I’m all ready for the greedy little monsters Trick or Treaters! Are you?

In other news, it’s Wednesday which means it’s Shrinkvivor check-in day. Those of us still in the challenge were merged into Tribe Outlast over the weekend. After today’s check-in, the field will be narrowed to the Top 7. Here are my results for the week:

Loss This Week: 2.6 pounds
Total Challenge Loss: 10.6 pounds
Physical Challenge: Logged 18 miles this week!
Non-Physical Challenge: Consumed ZERO trans-fat this week!

Now I have to wait until tomorrow to find out if I made the Top 7 final cut. Wish me luck!

Until next time …

Write a quick comment | View 6 more comment(s).

w00t! I’m the winner of the Day 3 daily drawing for the 31 Days of Halloween extravaganza being hosted by Annette and Missy Ann. Since these gifts are a surprise, I’ve no idea yet what I won. Here’s the teaser pic Annette posted yesterday:

Isn’t that little bat totally adorable?!! I can’t wait to see what I’ve won. Luckily for me, since I’m seeing Annette this weekend at a class over at The Attic in Mesa, my prize will be hand-delivered.

Now that I’ve won a daily prize drawing, that means I’m out until the grand prize drawing on Halloween. It’s not too late for you though! Since today is October 4 (an even day), head on over to Missy Ann’s blog for a chance to win.

Until next time …

Write a quick comment | View 1 more comment(s).

Wow, what a busy few weeks I’ve had! I moved over the Labor Day weekend, so the couple of weeks prior to that were spent preparing & packing. Unfortunately, I also hurt my back in the process of the move, so I’ve been out of commission most of the time since the move. I’m just now finally starting to feel semi-normal again.

I actually got my first “real” mail at my new address today. It was my Autumn exchange package from Joan for our Friends Stitching Through the Seasons exchange group. Thus far, every other piece of mail I’ve gotten has been a bill or junk mail, so I was happy to see something fun for a change. :lol

Joan spoiled me rotten the round! She stitched a beautiful little Halloween sampler which she then finished into a box top. Inside the box, she tucked in an adorable pair of witch scissors. She also sent me an adorable little Halloween tin and a plastic handle tote filled with lots of Halloween goodies, including an adorable needle minder from Kelmscott Designs. I’ve been eyeing this little guy since it first came out a couple of years ago, so I was thrilled to see it in there.

Here are some photos (click to biggify):

Thank you so much for such a wonderful exchange Joan!!

Write a quick comment