My Stash Challenge Is Over

If you're a stitcher that peruses a number of the online BB's on EZboard or Yuku you might of heard of the Stash Project Challenge. Essentially what it was that stitchers decided they needed to use their stash, instead of buy stash. Each stitcher would set a number (10, 25 and up to 50 projects) of how many projects they had to finish (any size) before they could buy new stash. Of course some people set up exceptions of special cases where they could buy stash.

I decided to join in on this challenge, but in a different way... I wanted to see how many projects I could finish before I bought any stash (I finished 14 projects). Well I've been having that clicky finger urge lately despite buying some stash when I went to San Diego in March (but that was my one exception). Today I finally broke down, actually I've been planning for the last month to break down over Easter as Stitching Bits & Bobs pretty much always has a sale during a holiday. At the moment SB&B has 20-25% off on everything so I decided it was time to buy the chart and fabric for the SAL my friend Kathy (who I visited in Arizona in March) and I are planning to do this fall when she goes back to Arizona for the winter.

So this morning I bought Paragdim Lost from Long Dog, a full yard of 32ct Queen Anne's Lace Joblean, 5 packs of Piecemaker needles and JBW Designs French Country Cat.

The next step for this SAL will be to decide what thread I'm going to stitch it with. This morning I printed out a freebie that I'm going to stitch... twice I have two potential fibres in mind. They're both in the new DMC overdyed line. I'm tempted to start these freebies today, but its Saturday I should be working on the Castle and cleaning my house!

Photo : Bird of Paradise - San Diego California, Jill's House

April's Ornament... HD #14

For the last few days I've been plugging away at this month's ornament, one row a day... until today where I decided just to finish it!

Your eyes aren't deceiving you... you've seen this ornament before. Yes, I stitched this for a second time. The first time I stitched this ornament was in February when it came as part of an ornament RR this time I stitched it up from a kit I bought from Jeannette Douglas last April.

Hope Needleroll

c2005 Jeannette Douglas Designs
Stitched on 28ct Metallic Lugana Gold/Cream using : NN, Kreinik Metallics, Rainbow Gallery Very Velvet, DMC floss, Mill Hill Beads

I've had my Nephew over since Thursday night, so I'm not stitching as much as if I were just lounging around the house by my lonesome. Tomorrow morning we're going to meet my folks for breakfast out. My nephew will go home tomorrow evening as we're having a UFC party with some of Todd's friends.

Its All About The Chair

Before March Break I got a lovely surprise when one day one of the V.P.'s popped his head into my library and said : "Danielle, you're getting a new chair." Then he left. A new chair? Really? When the school first opened, I really didn't get a great chair for someone who sits at a computer a fair part of the day, no lumbar support, also after the first year the fabric on the arms started to split.

So now its five years later, my chair doesn't look too great, and the arm's loose.

Yesterday... I was out of the library helping with a TV in a classroom and to my shock and surprise... there was my new chair! I'm in luuuuvvv. This chair adjusts in every which way (the old one only went up and down) and has lumbar support!!!

How can such a silly thing make me so happy. I think its also the aspect that someone downstairs (administration, I'm on the 2nd floor), noticed that my chair was not appropriate for my work.

I was plugging away at Noah's Sub again tonight, more yellow.

I'm looking forward to the 4-Day weekend coming up.

SBQ

Here's last week's SBQ ...

Q : Do you have a system for organizing freebie charts in your stash? If so, what is it? Do you print out copies of all of the freebies that you find on the web (that you think you might actually stitch) or do you maintain electronic copies of them until you are ready to stitch them?

A : At first... and it sounds like many of us did this in the beginning, I printed every one of them off and put them in a huge binder... two binders actually. Which reminds me I should take a trip down memory lane and look through them. Nowadays if its an online freebie its saved on my hard drive, with folders set up by topic/type/theme and a few of them by designer. When I'm ready to stitch a freebie then I'll print it out. If sometimes I see something I really like I'll print it out to remind myself I want to stitch it sooner rather than later.

I try to stitch one freebie each month.

Tonight, I've been working on Noah's Sub... yellow, yellow and more yellow.

Photo : Peacock tail closeup at San Diego Zoo

April Goals & March Recap

March Recap
Stitch 2 Sweetheart Tree RR's - I did three!
Stitch a Freebie - Yup
Stitch an Ornament - Yup
Work on Noah's Sub - Yup
Start Mini Cottages 8 - Stared and Finished!

April Goals
Work on Noah's Sub
Work on The Castle
Stitch one ornament
Stitch one freebie

Thank You Canadian Tire - Gardiner's Rd., Kingston

I thought this deserves its own entry...

I was driving home from Ann & Dan's today and was just hitting Kingston when my driver's side windshield wiper (it was raining) went' wayyy to the left... off the glass and actually past the frame of the car. Arrrgh! I had just had the linkage in my wipers replaced at my dealer so I was not happy. There was no way I could drive home on the 401 without a windshield wiper! Luckily I was about to hit the Gardiner's Road exit, and I knew there was a Canadian Tire on that road.

So I took the exit... with poor visibility of course! I carefully made my way to the Service area, parked my car and went in. I wasn't happy... and worried that it would be hours before they could even look at my car. I was expected at my Mum's for about 5pm for a b-day dinner. The gentleman at the counter took my car in right away... about 10 minutes later he came back and gave me the thumbs up. Apparently the bolt on my wiper arm had loosened (or had not been tightened properly???) and all it needed was tightening which he did for me. I was shocked when he presented me with the invoice... a total of $0.00 Wow! He didn't have to do that... but I don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I thanked him several times and I was back on the road again.

So... I give Canadian Tire on Gardiner's Rd. in Kingston two thumbs up!

Lovely Weekend!

On Saturday morning I hopped into my car (yes folks, on the road again... didn't I just get back home? Yes.) first I drove down to Kingston and met Vicki, one of the stitchers from my bulletin board Needle and Thread. I got to meet her new granddaughter, beautiful wee thing with lots of hair! We had a nice visit and a cup of coffee before it was time for me to hit the road again. I was on my way to visit Ann, owner of Knowledge and Needles. I love going to visit Ann and her husband Dan I always have a great time... and I get fed well.

I got a lovely gift from Ann and Dan after helping them sort out their audio-visual equipment... One of the charts I had been eyeing in Ann's shop the day before! Thank you Ann and Dan!

I finally got to work on The Castle this weekend and a little bit on Noah's Sub!

All just backstitching on The Castle!

Finally finished the sky on my current page of Noah's Sub.