Stitchy day Tuesday!

I got a bunch of stitching done today! woohoo. Blossom Collector now has her other arm, face, and her hair done! I'm hoping once the back stitching goes in she won't look so washed out.

I found a home for a bunch of my Stash this past week. All my Qsnaps, some fabric, scissors, hand dyed threads and even a silk thread and other odds and ends were gifted to a fellow stitcher on Reddit. I was so happy to find someone who wanted to take that off my hands, rather than the thrift store! I know I could have posted on something like Stash Unload, but I can't be bothered with all that nonsense! She was very appreciative!

I can't believe the year is coming to an end so fast. Where did it all go?! If anyone has any ideas where it went, I'm all eyes.

Pretty soon my no stash for a year begins! I'm kind of nervous haha. I just have to stay off the sites that sell it. :P

The last of my stash

I've spent a lot of money over the years on entertainment. Like most of you, I have more stash than I can possibly handle. I also spend too much money on video games, movies/TV, Audible books, and tea.

I'm overwhelmed with *stuff*. So much *stuff* that when I have a few moments to myself, I don't know what to do with myself so I end up laying in bed with the pets and watching conspiracy shows n Netflix. When I go to make tea, I have at least 40 kinds to choose from, and it takes forever to pick one. It's time to work and drink through what I have!

So I'm having a moratorium on buying Stash, video games, tea, audio books, movie/tv shows on dvd for 2017! This is also including things from Etsy!!!!! Money is going to be spent on just the basics of living.

With that said, I received the last of my stash for the year. I actually ordered this sometime in November but had to wait for out of stock fibers, so when I ordered this I wasn't thinking I'd stop buying *stuff*.

It's Glendon Place - Dance of the Tulips. It's done in all silks, with some beads.

Forgive the potato quality. I always think it looks fine on the phone screen, but then after I've uploaded it, it's like BLECH, but I can't be bothered taking more shots. What inspired me to buy this one was working with silks on Blossom. I've also been on a Glendon Place kick lately, so when I saw that this one was all in silks, I decided to go for it. I also like that it's many shades of pink! Can never go wrong with pink!


In preparation of my no buying *stuff*, I've already unsubscribed from all the promotional emails I get, and removed my favourite buying websites from my view. GONE WITH YE!

I have a feeling this is going to be harder than I anticipate. For now, I'm strong!

Some stitching and a baby Emma

Ahoy mateys, I come with an update of Blossom Collector. I've been kinda slow as fook with her because I'm also trying to get a mill hill ornament done too, and if you've ever done one, you know they're fiddly and beady.

I can't post the ornament but I can post Blossom!

She's getting there. Working on her hair at the moment. Once I get that done I'll finish her arm and get cracking on that face. hoping I haven't miscounted anywhere. :D

I bought myself a Christmas present this year, a CD player! HAH. I still have CDs, and like CDs, and didn't have one.

It got delivered today and I love it. The pets and I found a classical station to listen to, so we all feel more dignified than we really are.

Speaking of the pets, I found Emma's baby picture! She was about 5 weeks old is this picture.

That picture shows so much about her. The breeder let me take her home at 7 weeks (when she would normally wait until almost 12) because she wanted nothing to do with her littermates, like, wasn't even playing with them. She's already posing like a Jack Russell, too. 13 years later and she has never really liked interacting with other dogs, is super independent, and never fails to show off her proper stance. 


Anyway, that's about it for my update. hope everyone is stitching more than I am!

woo updates

I got some stitching done! Hurray for me! Look at Bloom Collector now, she has an ARM!

Last week I took Emma to the vet to get her teeth cleaned and she ended up getting 4 teeth pulled. This is her after the ordeal

She was still looped up on anesthetic in this picture and none too happy. She tried barking the very next day and whimpered right after because it hurt! my poor baby! She went to the vet this morning to have her post dental checkup and he said she was fine to eat hard kibble again, which she really appreciated. She was getting sick of softened food haha.

Next up is the stash I bought, which arrived today all packed up nice and separate so I didn't have to go figuring out what DMC went with what pattern!

Much pretty. Very shine! These were ordered from Traditional Stitches here in Canada.

And last but not least, I had a VERY BAD Thanksgiving Weekend. We are talking brought to literal tears and my poor Nursing Supervisor and Scheduler had to hear me blubbering in my car as I told them what went on. I was treated like crap for doing my job, and caring for my client. The family had other ideas and basically made me cry lol.

So I bought myself this to cheer myself up

It's from my favourite Etsy shop for jewelry, Grace Anchor.

It's a moonstone and it's gorgeous.

Anyway that is all for now! Hope everyone is getting a lot of craftiness done! :)

 

Thursday!

Happy Thursday! I only work 4 days and then I have a 3 day weekend for Thanksgiving here in Canada! Woo! I've been playing too much World Of Warcraft and not stitching as much as I'd like, but I do have an update!

As you can see, Weezi is helping me out by keeping my lap warm and adding exotic fibers to my work.

Happy with the chunk I got done today. :) Hopefully I can keep up the pace! I was bad and ordered the other fairy she released last month because I don't have enough to do already. Plus Traditional Stitches was having a 20% store wide sale.. so yeah. That was what did it for me. :)

What a day!

I got so much done today on Blossom Collector! Might I see another finish in my future? who knows!

What is it about working with silks that make it feel so luxurious? I don't use it very often, but when I do, it makes me feel all fancy pants, and also how I'd like to win the lotto so I could stitch in nothing but silks!

I'm happy I was able to finally have a real stitch day. Hopefully there will be more :)

Blossom Collector

Wooo she has boots! now it's moving on UP time.

Wat

Hello! I dropped off the face of the earth again because I caught ANOTHER plague/disease or maybe it was just a really bad sinus infection that turned bronchitis. WHO KNOWS! That's 2 sicknesses back2back as a double feature. How crappy. I'm finally feeling alive again and able to sit up long enough to stitch for a bit each day.

Yesterday I finished 2 projects. They're small, and they are finished.

Blue Owl, woo! or I mean Hoo! I left out the stars, because the other owl I did does not have things surrounding it.

Mill Hill beaded Cat in a Box kit! I still need to trim it up a bit more, but for now it is DONE. For such a small stitch, it sure was fiddly to work on! I have one more beaded kit to do for my Australian friend. I can't post it til later, since I want it to be a surprise.

After complaining about price of things, I ordered more. Glendon Place seems to have my attention lately and I ordered Royal Poinsettias and most the stuff to make it, and Fudgy Mint Mousse with all the stuff to make it.

And damnit, Nora Corbett! She came out with two new pixies and I ended up ordering one of them. I really liked them both, but I do have to pace myself as my backlog of pixies is getting out of hand and frankly, embarrassing.

LOOK AT IT. LOOK. How could I resist?

I did something today that has me feeling better than I have in ages. I'm going to be a bit cryptic because well, I just am. I had to get advice, had to think about it, and then had to do it. I closed a chapter on my life and will always remember the good. :)

Anyway, now that I'm done blue owl, I have a couple choices to make as my to-go project. I can either continue on with The Last Unicorn, orrr I can start some of the Christmas ornaments I have kicking around. I have a few to do.. they're basically for my own tree, so not THAT important, but still would like to deck the halls a bit with some stitching on the tree!

Well that's about it for now. I hope everyone is doing okay and getting a lot of stitching done!

Update

The slowest Stitcher is back today with an update!

I don't have a lot to show for Blossom Collector. I finished her skirt and am working down her legs and to the boots, then I'll move upwards and onwards!

Blue owl is slowly getting get there as well.

My client that I work on the owl with was excited when I got the eyes in. At least now it's starting to look like something and not just a blob.

Of course, the World Of Warcraft expansion drops tonight at midnight. I'll be playing that with friends for who knows how long! I'll try to keep stitching as well, but we all know how bad I am at doing two things at once. :D

TEH PLAGUE!

So I caught a plague that's been going around. Now I'm off work for like 5 days :( I like time off, but not when I'm sick!!!! And because it's super contagious, the doctor doesn't want me near my elderly clients until I'm sure I'm better!

Gives me time to stitch between naps and ginger ale infusions, so I come to you with a WIP picture of my Blossom Collector!

 Look at all the sparkles! I love it.

Also, that pattern and stuff I bought the other day arrived. Only took 6 days from 123 Stitch, which is a world record since it has to get through Customs! It's called Christmas Flower by Whispered by the Wind and that's all the stuff to make it. PtP 28 Cashel Valor is the material.

Still waiting on the order from Stitching Bits and Bobs for Glendon Place's Plum Pudding, but I am not in a rush for that (nor is my credit card!)

I duno if it's just me, but this hobby is getting kind of expensive when you use the hand dyed everything. The two projects I bought this year have cost me 200 Canadian dollars.

Speaking of expensive. WHATS UP WITH PETS. I took Emma to the vet the other day for her yearly vaccinations and flea treatment for 4 cats and her for 3 months, AND she ended up getting blood work done so she can be cleared for teeth cleaning. She's considered elderly now (68 in human years!) and my vet is cautious about putting pets under at her age. all that? almost 600 dollars! I still need another four to five hundred for the teeth cleaning! It's a good thing I love her so much!

It's a tough life, you see. Air conditioned room, food a plenty. I don't know how she stands it!

Anyway I have to go for another nap. Then some more stitching!

Yeah, I did it.

Since I finished something, I went ahead and bought yet another pattern and the stuff to kit is because I'm totally a fast stitcher and I've earned new stash, because I finished something, right? That's how that works?

Even after I told myself I wouldn't spend any more money on Stash and work with what I have. At least I resisted the PtP sale this year! I almost did put in an order but when I went through the site, all the colours I chose were colours I had previously bought. So yay for me? Also I swear they get compromised every year with their credit card orders because the two years I put in an order, my card details were stolen. Other people mentioned that happening as well.

Oh, that last post with the floss toss was for some help I was getting with picking the fabric. I went with the second picture after having some help with the ladies on the 123stitch board. And when I say ladies I mean 2 people gave their opinion when I listed what fabric I had on hand, and one of them had a look at the floss toss and gave me her opinion. We decided on Crystal Heroic. It's a very nice choice and I'm waiting until she's not a blob of pink to start taking progress pictures.

I was lamenting the other day on Facebook that I can't for the life of me, juggle my two hobbies at the same time. I'm a stitcher, and I'm a gamer. What I need is 4 arms. So while I'm stitching, no gaming is getting done. Thankfully I can watch people stream their games, so it feels like I'm still gaming!

Anyway it's time to make some tea and get with the stitching for today. :) Hopefully some progress pictures soon!

Floss Toss for the next project.

Finish

about damn time. :)

Gardenia WIP

Finally am getting to the beading part, and can I tell you how much I love the Tacky Bob? So much love. No more beads flying all over the place! Except when I am opening the bead package to put said beads on to the Tacky bob. But once they get there and off my clothes, they stay there!

I am going to try and get her done today. That's why I'm updating my blog and drinking tea right now at the computer and not working on her. I never claimed to make any sense!

My work made me incredibly angry the other night, and I came home fuming and ordered Glendon Place's Plum Pudding chart and all the fixins to make myself feel better. Probably not the smartest move, it's going to cost me over 100 for the chart, fiber pack, beads, and fabric.

Thankfully I'm not having buyers remorse because the pattern is so damn pretty. I can't wait to get my grubby hands all over it.

Anyway my tea cup is now empty and I should get back to beading!

"I think I'm going to update without pictures"

That's what I said to my friend as I was musing about updating my blog. Then I realized I needed to take pictures, and that felt like too much work.

But I have been stitching! I stitch a couple days a week with one of my clients. We sit outside his house and I stitch while he enjoys the nice weather we've been having lately. I keep the outside stitching to smalls as they're easier to carry around and don't take a lot of thinking. At least the patterns I do! Anyway, I'm doing a pattern by Cherry Hill Stitchery which is The Blue Owl on a Branch. I did the Pink Owl on a Branch ages ago.

At home I am still working on Gardenia Fairy, and I finally finished all her skin, now on to the hair, a bit more on her dress, and then all the beading and backstitching! Finish line is close!

Wooo!

Anyway, that is all for now. I will hopefully get some pictures soon!

Hot off the hoop

The one thing I love about stitching is that there is usually a pattern for how you're feeling. I released my frustrations with the cat by stitching up this pattern

turns out the pheromones weren't as effective as I had hoped. So now I am trying a few other things, like buying things to enrich the environment more and weird feeding things that you put food and treats in that make the cat work for it. I love that stupid cat face but he's slowly going to end up on Prozac or something if I can't get his mental health fixed.

it does feel good to be stitching again! :)

It's one of those kind of days

After lunch, I might pick up the needle and thread. A project I started is calling my name to be finished as it applies so much to my life right now. :)

No stitching and my cat needs anti anxiety meds.

I have lost my stitching bug. The table incentive didn't work, and I can't seem to find time to do my craft, and that's okay. It's okay.

I keep telling myself that.

I ended up purchasing a PS4 and a myriad of games, and I like it, when I have a chance to play it. Working full time sucks and I have like 30 more years of it. FML. :)

My cat Weezi did not take well to the move. During the house selling part, he developed what we thought were crystals in his urine, which is pretty scary because it can kill him. Anyway, he was put on some special diet that he hated and lost like 6 or 7 pounds, so I took my cat who was 18~ pounds and now down to 12 to the vet and said he was losing weight and hated the food. They looked at me like I was an idiot, but I mean, he was a HEALTHY 18 pounds, because he's super long and it was never "fat" on him lol. 12 you could feel his bones and he wasn't as cuddly. Anyway, after some blood work and urinalysis (no crystals) and switching him back to a normal food and having me promise to watch him pee and come back if he becomes blocked, we came back home.

Well, a few weeks later, it happens again. This time the vet asked what was going on in the home, and I said we were selling it and packing and it's stressful. Well, now we have the culprit. he is treated for FIC, or feline idiopathic cystitis. woo bold. So yeah, I had no idea what this was, but apparently when cats are under a lot of stress, it can manifest itself as inflammation of the bladder, giving him all the symptoms of a bladder infection. armed with some pills to help relax his urethra, and told to keep him calm (?!) we are again sent home.

We managed the move without any casualties (well, Emma went and sprained her ankle during one of the showings and it took 3 weeks and like 8 visits to the vet to fix...) and about 2 months ago, Weezi started the bladder thing again. I called the vet and explained that he's doing the same thing and the vet asked if there was any blood, etc.. no sir. I'm at a loss as to what caused it this time because we have been settled for almost a year now. Well he let me get the pills without having to bring the cat in and causing MORE stress.

I also asked if he could maybe prescribe some Valium, but he just laughed like I was joking.

Weezi was all fixed up and about a week after, it happened again. I'm at my wit's end with this cat. things I've done:

-Fans for white noise so he can't hear what's going on outside the room.
-he has a damn therapy cat. I adopted Neko about a year after I got Weezi and ever since Neko has been the therapy cat. He's the calm one who plays with Weezi when Weezi wants to play, and they sleep and eat together.
-He has places to hide
-I stopped using the vacuum in here (thank goodness for swiffers)
-I stuffed a towel on the other side of the door so he can't see what's going on on the other side of the door. (livingroom is there where my parents and guests hang out. can get noisy)

and then I bought Feliway. It's this pheromone diffuser that's supposed to mimic the scent cats put on things when they rub their cheeks on it. It's 40 bucks on Amazon and I thought I'd give it a try.

Well. I think it's witchcraft, but IT IS WORKING. Weezi is so freaking calm now, like he's suddenly stoned 24/7. STONED! he sleeps! he doesn't freak out when I come home! He is peeing properly! I can use the vacuum again! (yay I can breathe without cat hairs flying up my nose). he's back wanting cuddles and being his old not so stressed self!

I don't get it. it's like I have a new and improved and not stressed out cat.  I still don't trust that this is working as intended. I feel like one of those people that think Essential Oils can cure everything from cancer to flat tires and hawk my waves at the swapmeet on sundays trying to get other people on board.

So I'll just say this, I'll take what I can get with my poor stressed out Cat. if it works, I'm not going to question why.


Now if only they had a diffuser for lost stitching mojo. :)

who can think of titles all the damn time?!

I stitched! How wonderful is that.

Since my last barely visable picture, I have finished miss Gardenia's dress, the lower portion anyway, and have started on her arms!

All the empty spots are where the beads are going to go. That dress was kind of sort of tedious to work on. Especially that last colour in the middle, the off white or whatever it's supposed to be. I am trying to get this one knocked out soon becaaaauuse I may or may not have ordered Nora Corbett's Black Forest Pixie Blossom Collector. I couldn't resist.. she's pink. very PINK. Hopefully I have a fabric that'll be nice with her. I'll do a floss toss or two. I might even have a PtP fabric that'll work. We'll see!

In other news, my bed is better dressed than I am these days!

And there is a reason for that! I finally started taking my health way super srs and have lost 35 pounds! I have a lot more to go, but that's a great accomplishment. I don't want to buy new clothes so mine are a little loose at the moment haha. My mom is losing weight as well but she is a lot more caring about not looking like a total slob so we are going out today to get her some new pants.

She is doing better, too. She's on dialysis now and we are jumping through all the hoops to get her on the kidney transplant list. Today is to get her booster shots (wait, isn't that for pets? I guess she's kinda like my pet!) and I think she needs a couple more random doctor visits, and a dentist visit, and then she'll be on it. plus, since her blood type is really common, the docs figure she'll be getting a kidney within a year or two. :)

Anyway, I better stop rambling and wrap this up!

*wave*

I am trying everything to get back into stitching. My newest idea is to have it out where I have to look at it. thus, after a trip to IKEA and putting the table together twice because apparently you can put the legs on backwards, I have my stitching out where I can see it.

I'm all about that pink. Hopefully this works, otherwise I just bought an expensive tv tray haha.

I went through all my stash recently and donated a bunch to the thrift store that I knew I wasn't going to work on. Last year I also gave the cross stitch group on reddit a bunch of patterns I wasn't going to do/already had done (but man, that was expensive in postage!)

I found patterns and fibers I don't even remember buying! One of the funny things was that I've been eyeing up Nora Corbetts Wisteria fairy for ages, and after going through my things, found the pattern, all the beads, and all the DMC/specialty threads for it. Oops. For about a year I was randomly buying patterns and whatnot that caught my fancy and then stuffing it in the ALEX drawers thinking I'll get around to sorting it out sooner or later.

Oh yeah, and since the last post, We moved! I really like the new place, though the area is a little more unsavory than I'd like but it was the only place that would allow all our pets! I went out with the old unmatched furniture and in with the new! I also went bold with the walls in a pink that is very in your FACE! Not all the walls, just one and a half. The other walls are painting in a very light gray. the curtains are gray and my bedding is gray, while all the new furniture is white to try and offset the boldness of the pink haha.

The bums

And I added some new artwork (Thanks to Etsy!)

Overall, I am very happy with the move! it feels so fresh to be out of that house and into something a lot smaller and easier to care for.

So from here on out I am going to try and keep up with stitching and updating. I really do miss my craft and I need to make time for it. I have three days off after work today, hurray!