Olympic Stitching

SAL Sopresa 2

Part 2 completed

Every other year I swear I will not get sucked into watching the Olympics--but despite my good intentions something will capture my attention and I give in!

Part 2 is completed on this beautiful SAL and even though Pt 3 is already here I am starting to work on L'Atelier Perdu's 2012 Mystery Sampler.  An update on that one later this week!

Go USA!

More Finishing!

I am happy to say that there is a light at the end of this tunnel!

BBD Autumn Song Pincushion

Trimmed with chenille

Stuffed with part fiberfill and crushed walnut shells

Christmas Eve

Stitched in 2011

Sampler Girl freebie

Beaded edge finish

A new finish!

Longaberger basket top

L'Atelier Perdu bonus pattern for 2011 Mystery

I modified it a little to add the date.

Prairie Schooler Santa

Finished as a large tag--this form was sent to me by Carolyn when she cleaned out her finishing supplies-thanks, Carolyn!

Another new finish!

Blackbird Designs Summer Stars Pincushion

From A Stitcher's Journey

R & R Reproductions Olde Towne Blend

Called for threads

Trimmed with chenille and stuffed with fiberfill & crushed walnut shells

Quaker Christmas Holly

The Workbasket

I put 3 red jingle bells in the center

Mystery linen and substituted DMC threads for called for Gloriana

Last one for today, and I need some help as I can't find the name of the design or designer. I got the wooden candlestick holder at my LQS.  DH stained it for me and added a small dowel in the middle. Hopefully it looks like a tree!

There is only Gentle Stitches (Shakespeares Peddler), Autumn Song (box), and a set of smalls by Praiseworthy Stitches left to finish!  Woo Hoo!  I am not going to count the 3 items that my local finisher has--out of sight, out of mind :)

Latest on the Stitching & Finishing Front

I have been working on cleaning up my stitching room.  After all my efforts, there was a pile of finishing that was looking pretty daunting.  So the past few days have been working on making a dent into my finishing pile.  The problem is that every time one is finished, I find another one!

Well, here is what has happened--

Thank you DD#1 for finishing Prairie Schoolers Country Wise-your finishing rocks :)

Here is the backing fabric-love it!

This is the only new project finish to share. It is my second attempt at a drawstring bag.  You can see the blue backing fabric and the sampler lining fabric. It really helped to pick out the fabric THEN match the floss to the fabric.

I had this tote bag for a different project and finally admitted I would never stitch the other project.  But I still loved the tote!  So what to do? I Sew'd My Heart from Heartstring Samplery looks a little uneven, might have to revisit this one.

Yes, finally the Istitch mystery is complete. Woo Hoo! Hey, it was only 1 year. :)  DH stained the box with the darkest brown stain we had on hand.  Really like the results.

LHN Liberty Belles is finished to match LHN Liberty & Justice (see below).  Love this look!

Finally a Christmas ornie finish this year. Once again the button looks off center, but it looked fine when I attached it.  (This is part of my typical finishing angst.)

This one I just love-the Prim Sisters wall pocket.

This one is a little embarrassing-it is from 2010.  The LHN Traveling Stitcher stitching bag was finished last year.  The needlebook just got done.  Here are the two together--

Here is the needlebook alone-

And the inside of the needlebook--

Off for more finishing!

Emergency Preparedness

I have been thinking about this post for several days now and decided to go ahead and share what is on my heart! I wish I knew this stuff years ago!

All the recent news (and blog posts) about the power outages in the East/Midwest due to the windstorm has reminded me about the power outage we went thru here in the Pacific NW in January.  We had a terrible ice storm that caused us to lose our power for 3+ days. 

Not only was it off at my house, but it was also off at all 3 of my daughters homes too!  Since our home is the only one with heat (from our wood-burning fireplace insert) and a generator-suddenly our 2-person empty nest ballooned to 9 people, including a 9 month pregnant mom-to be!

What really stands out in my mind was the challenge to feed 9 mouths 3 times everyday.  I was either planning a meal, preparing a meal, eating, or cleaning up a meal all day!  So, I vowed to become better prepared for emergencies and unexpected company.  One of the ways I am becoming better prepared is by stocking up on freeze-dried and dehydrated foods.  Foods that  only need hot water to reconstitute and ready for meals!

Shelf Reliance has been my go-to company. DD#1 has become a consultant and I am hosting a cyber-party this month.  She shared some thoughts about this subject below.

 Are you interested in finding out more about non-perishable food that can help you become more prepared for unexpected emergencies, or job loss? Then check out www.shelfreliance.com for a great selection!

All the food products in our THRIVE line of food is made from the best quality ingredients and is made to last 8-25 years on the shelf! All you need to re-hydrate these dehydrated and freeze dried foods is water - that's it! They all taste great and some are perfect to eat without re-hydrating like the strawberry chips, pineapple chips, banana chips, apple chips and yogurt bites.

Have you ever heard of TVP? There is Beef TVP, Chicken TVP, Sausage TVP, etc.  TVP stands for textured vegetable protein. Its a lean protein that is made out of soy and tastes just like the meat it represents. Its a healthier fat than animal fat, has more protein and is also cheaper than the Chicken or Beef dices. This is an excellent option for recipes that call for diced meat like casseroles or spagetti. Nobody will ever know the difference!

The other thing to make note of is the dehydrated vs. freeze dried foods. Dehydrated means they have applied heat to remove the moisture from the food.  Freeze dried foods are flash frozen to remove the moisture. This process allows the food to retain most of their nutritional value and also allows them to be stored longer on the shelf. Freeze dried foods cost more than their dehydrated counterparts but you get a more nutritious product that will store longer on the shelf (up to 25 years!)

If you are on a budget you need the know about the monthly Q program. This is how we became customers!  Q is a program that will allows you to choose to have food shipped to you in smaller orders each month. You  select the day you would like it shipped, the amount of money to spend (i.e. $50 per month, $75 per month, etc) and which product you want sent every month.  This is a great way to start building your food storage slowly month by month without busting your budget.

Here is a link to the July specials-http://www.shelfreliance.com/july-specials.html?___store=default&___from_store=es&limit=all&order=po

To order for Teresa's party, if you have any questions or would like to host a cyber-party of your own (and earn lots of free and half-off product), please look at the website and then email me at lesley.salmonson@yahoo.com or call 206-853-6221. 

I am happy to take your order and answer any questions for you! Orders will be shipped directly to your house. I am offering a surprise free gift to the first 9 orders over $50!

Crabapple Hill Saturday & Garage Sale Friday

I attended a class with Meg of Crabapple Hill Studios on Saturday.

Here are the two designs we were given. We could stitch on either one.  I haven't seen these designs before and am not sure if they are a future release.

This is the one I chose-

Here is how mine looked at the end of class-

Below is the other choice.  Both were finished as small wallhangings. These designs use a coloring technique with crayons.  Am I the only one who has not heard of it before? 

Did I mention that I won a door prize?  (Yes, that makes 3 door prizes in the last month! Why do I go for years and never win one?? Then, bada boom, 3 in a row)

Here are the towels all stitched up from Meg's show and tell-

Since I am not a big Halloween fan, I came home and dug thru my stash and look what I found. Guess which design will go on the towels :)

Check out the new Crabapple Hill design that Meg passed out to all attendees-Harvest Hopscotch! (sorry for the crappy pics)

Here is some show and tell-

This one was my favorite-

This one was an amalgam of two of Meg's Christmas/winter designs-really cute!

A wonderful time was had by all.  It was my first class thru my LQS and I found out that they have an "eat every 2 hours" rule.  Oh, my!

Do you remember this framed duck picture that I got at a garage sale last summer? (yes, the ducks are cross-stitched)  I was planning to put Le Printemps in it. But, once I got it home, it looked too old-fashioned.

On Friday I went to a garage sale and bought a wonderful, large teal frame for $4. Look what fit in it perfectly!  Now where to hang it? It's a good problem to have :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog!  I appreciate each and every one of you. Your comments make my day.

$100 Visa Card Spending Spree & SAL Update

Do you remember that I won a $100 Visa gift card opportunity basket at the closing banquet of the regional EGA seminar about 2 weeks ago?  It has been burning a hole in my pocket ever since then! 

Here are the results of my stash enhancement moment at my LNS.  (It only takes a moment to spend $100) Doesn't look like much, does it?  But I was able to indulge myself for the first time with some Belle Soie silks for kitting up Mary Roe.

Also, I was able to kit up the new L'Atelier Perdu Mystery SAL. It is a large sampler and I didn't have a big enough piece of light sandstone linen.  Good thing because I received Part 1 in the mail today!

There was also 5 pair of stretcher bars (one pair was already in use on Merry Cox's So Dear to Thy Heart before I took the picture :)  And there was a handful of DMC threads not shown.

Here is my progress on SAL Sopresa 2. Part one is finished!!  I love the tree design on this part. Now onto Part 2.

I am off to an all day stitching class tomorrow hosted by my LQS.  It is being taught by designer Meg of Crabapple Hill.  Don't know much at this time but she is bringing a special design for us to do.  Not sure if it's an existing pattern or something exclusive for us???  I'll update you on Monday.  Looks like the rest of my weekend will be picking and canning green beans :)

Have a great and stitchy weekend!

A Finish, Mystery SAL, and CJC Progress!

Here is how it looked last time I updated you--

Here is how it looks now--

Le Nouveau Palais Royal

Merry Cox

Fabric from kit

Gloriana thread from kit

Finished and ready for Merry's class!  Please click on the pic for a closeup.  This is tinier work than I am used to.  Now I am going to start Merry's So Dear to Thy Heart.

Crazy January Challenge #9-Smell the Flowers

L'Atelier Perdu

28ct evenweave-ivory

Called for DMC threads

This is tiny work too!  I just put the first few stitches into the little girl on the left flap.

After much thought, I have decided not to participate in future CJC's.  There is so much I would like to do each year-surprise SAL's, new designs, etc.  But I feel obligated to keep working on the CJC's I picked in January.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the designs I chose, but I'd like to be able to change my mind!!  lol

I do love Natalie's work (L'Atelier Perdu) and I signed up for her mystery SAL that is starting this coming week.  It will be 4 months long with one installment each month.  I participated in the Stitch Me Club in 2011 and absolutely loved the result. See below-

OK, admit it-who else has signed up?  I know Chiara did.

I haven't posted for awhile about Bountiful Baskets.  I picked one up yesterday and this is my haul.  It cost $15 plus $1.50 for handling.  I am consistently pleased with the quantity, quality, and variety of the fruits and vegetables I get. You can click on the pic to get a better view. Here is a link to see if it is in your area. Then, click on Locations at the top, then use the states drop-down menu.