As with most crafters, there are times I find my stash has started getting out of control. I like to limit the amount of space my stash and/or inventory can take up in my house.
I have a craft fair coming up Nov. 8, 9 and 10. I've decided anything that doesn't sell at that fair, along with a portion of my crafting supplies that I don't have a use for, will be sold in an online "yard sale". The only way I've come up with that I can do that is here on my blog. The date will be Saturday November 16th. Time is still to be determined.
I've also decided, in the spirit of good karma, all proceeds (less shipping costs) from my sale will be donated to a local food bank. I may work my butt off with a full-time job, a part-time job and Stitchnmomma, but always try to remember there are those out there that are in a worse position financially than I am.
So, if you're looking for a bargain on stocking stuffers, xmas gifts for people like your kids' teachers, etc. or just want to increase your own stash at bargain pricing, be sure to put the 16th on your calendar and keep an eye out here for more details to come.
Happy Stitching!
Friday, November 1, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Pinterest...I'm there
I've had a love-hate relationship with Pinterest since it first arrived. I had an account for awhile and then deleted it. I decided to reopen it a couple of months ago. Today on my lunch break I added a widget that will give a link to my Pinterest boards at the right side of the page, closer to the bottom.
My pins mostly focus on cross stitch (shocking, huh?), but there are, of course, other boards like food, places I've been, places I'd like to go, and the requisite "eye candy" that every woman needs.
One thing I can say you WON'T see on any of my boards is pins that are copyright infringements. It kills me every time I get on there and see where people have blatantly scanned copyrighted patterns to share with others. Anyway, enough of that, as I'm sure you've heard it all before and don't want to see me get up on my soapbox.
So, in closing, if you'd like to follow along, please feel free to click the link at the bottom of the page and get to know a little more about me and what I like.
Happy Pinning!
My pins mostly focus on cross stitch (shocking, huh?), but there are, of course, other boards like food, places I've been, places I'd like to go, and the requisite "eye candy" that every woman needs.
One thing I can say you WON'T see on any of my boards is pins that are copyright infringements. It kills me every time I get on there and see where people have blatantly scanned copyrighted patterns to share with others. Anyway, enough of that, as I'm sure you've heard it all before and don't want to see me get up on my soapbox.
So, in closing, if you'd like to follow along, please feel free to click the link at the bottom of the page and get to know a little more about me and what I like.
Happy Pinning!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Stan Hywet Ohio Mart 2013
If you've been following my blog for awhile, you might remember in the past I've talked about the Stitchery Showcase at Stan Hywet. It's an annual event I've been attending with my mom for the past 25 years. Last year I got together a group of ladies I've met through various in-person & Facebook stitching groups and we all went together.
This past weekend was time for the Ohio Mart once again that the Stitchery Showcase is normally part of. I'm very sad to say, this year they did not hold the Showcase portion. It's the first time since I've been in high school that I didn't attend. However, I still had a stitchy friend come stay with me for the weekend and we attended the Ohio Mart and had a fantastic time!
We started the day off with a trip to the Stitchers Fair Tent. It's basically like a yard sale of nothing but needlework & quilting items. I picked up some great bargains on fabric for my personal stash and had a nice look through a ton of patterns. As I limit my stash to a specific amount/area, I didn't see any of those that were just screaming at me to buy.
When we left the SFT, we decided to take a walk through the rose garden before the rain set in. They still have a bunch of roses in bloom, and they all smelled wonderful!
They have 100+ artisans booths to look through. I found tons of places I picked up business cards for some possible future online shopping (gotta watch that budget). The only items I purchased were this gorgeous Italian wine bottle cheese platter and a couple of small xmas gifts. (Remember...support handmade & local!)
After a bit of shopping it was definitely lunch time. The Ohio Mart not only features your normal "fair food" like Italian sausage sandwiches & pizza, but they have several other local caterers, etc. that are there. We decided to get lunch from Totally Cooked Catering. They happen to be within walking distance of my house, which smells wonderful when I drive by on my way home from work at night, but also have fantastic food. We both decided to skip the normal fair food and buy a lunch at their tent that consisted of an Ale Braised Beef sandwich on a pretzel roll (it included some sort of awesome horseradish sauce) and Smashed Potato Salad. Definitely worth the $7.00!
Lunch was followed by more browsing through artisan booths, plenty of rain, and some time in the conservatory. Unfortunately it was too late in the season for the butterflies to still be on exhibit, but there was still plenty of beautiful plants to look at. We found all these little mini landscape scenes mixed in also. They're unbelievably cute with the tiny benches, lamps, gazing balls, etc.
And of course, if you know anything about me, what is my favorite thing to do on a Saturday in the Fall? Yep...stitching & football. Good thing my stitchy friend is as much a football fanatic as I am!
It was a great weekend and I'm looking forward to it again next year. Hopefully the Stitchery Showcase will be back in place as I'm already accumulating a stash of items I want to enter. :)
This past weekend was time for the Ohio Mart once again that the Stitchery Showcase is normally part of. I'm very sad to say, this year they did not hold the Showcase portion. It's the first time since I've been in high school that I didn't attend. However, I still had a stitchy friend come stay with me for the weekend and we attended the Ohio Mart and had a fantastic time!
We started the day off with a trip to the Stitchers Fair Tent. It's basically like a yard sale of nothing but needlework & quilting items. I picked up some great bargains on fabric for my personal stash and had a nice look through a ton of patterns. As I limit my stash to a specific amount/area, I didn't see any of those that were just screaming at me to buy.
When we left the SFT, we decided to take a walk through the rose garden before the rain set in. They still have a bunch of roses in bloom, and they all smelled wonderful!
They have 100+ artisans booths to look through. I found tons of places I picked up business cards for some possible future online shopping (gotta watch that budget). The only items I purchased were this gorgeous Italian wine bottle cheese platter and a couple of small xmas gifts. (Remember...support handmade & local!)
After a bit of shopping it was definitely lunch time. The Ohio Mart not only features your normal "fair food" like Italian sausage sandwiches & pizza, but they have several other local caterers, etc. that are there. We decided to get lunch from Totally Cooked Catering. They happen to be within walking distance of my house, which smells wonderful when I drive by on my way home from work at night, but also have fantastic food. We both decided to skip the normal fair food and buy a lunch at their tent that consisted of an Ale Braised Beef sandwich on a pretzel roll (it included some sort of awesome horseradish sauce) and Smashed Potato Salad. Definitely worth the $7.00!
Lunch was followed by more browsing through artisan booths, plenty of rain, and some time in the conservatory. Unfortunately it was too late in the season for the butterflies to still be on exhibit, but there was still plenty of beautiful plants to look at. We found all these little mini landscape scenes mixed in also. They're unbelievably cute with the tiny benches, lamps, gazing balls, etc.
And of course, if you know anything about me, what is my favorite thing to do on a Saturday in the Fall? Yep...stitching & football. Good thing my stitchy friend is as much a football fanatic as I am!
It was a great weekend and I'm looking forward to it again next year. Hopefully the Stitchery Showcase will be back in place as I'm already accumulating a stash of items I want to enter. :)
Friday, October 4, 2013
Where in the World?
I had commented on another stitcher's Facebook biz page yesterday with a statement about being in the U.S. She replied that she didn't know she had any followers/fans in the U.S. I told her where she could go on her fan page to look at the insights and see the countries that all of her "likers" are from.
I've known it was there for quite a while now, but don't look at it on a regular basis. Just for the heck of it, I decided to check mine out and make a list of all the countries that I have followers/fans of my Facebook page. This is what I found:
Just for the fun of it, following is an alphabetical listing of the 45 countries that someone living there has virtually spent time with Stitchnmomma:
I've known it was there for quite a while now, but don't look at it on a regular basis. Just for the heck of it, I decided to check mine out and make a list of all the countries that I have followers/fans of my Facebook page. This is what I found:
- As of yesterday there were 503 people from 45 different countries in the world that have liked my Facebook page.
- People from the United States and United Kingdom make up 78% of my fan base.
Just for the fun of it, following is an alphabetical listing of the 45 countries that someone living there has virtually spent time with Stitchnmomma:
Australia
Bahrain
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Dominican Republic
Egypt
France
Germany
Greece
Guam
Guatemala
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Isle of Man
Italy
Jordan
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Pakistan
Palestine
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
Vietnam
Is your country on the list? If not, head on over & join the fun. :)
I have to say, I find it really flattering that such a diverse group of people like what I design, create and share on my page.
Thanks to all of you....YOU ROCK!!!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Birthday with The Buckeyes
The older I get, the less I like crowds. It isn't because I have a phobia or anything. It's just that people have become more rude over time and don't have respect for others around them. So what does someone that doesn't like crowds do to celebrate their birthday? Well, she goes and spends it with 104,982 of her closest "friends"!
Yes, that's right, I celebrated my birthday over the weekend with more than 100 THOUSAND people at Ohio Stadium watching the Ohio State Buckeyes play the San Diego State Aztecs. Talk about a thrilling day!!!
Zach, my son, and I are H-U-G-E Bucks fans!!! I mean to the point that if you don't like football, don't even think about coming around our house on Saturdays during college football season because you won't be welcomed. We promised each other last year, that this would be the year we forked over the money (those tix are NOT cheap) and make the drive to a game. With as many hours as I work between job #1, job 2 and Stitchnmomma I decided it was well worth the money as a birthday present to myself!
We figured if we were going to make the drive, we would make an adventure out of it. Some of the people at my job #1 told me where to park to tailgate. We didn't tailgate, but it was an experience watching the other fans while we were walking around.
Once we arrived in Columbus and parked, the day started with a walk down Lane Ave. to check out the sights. As we drove straight down there after Zach got home from his 3rd shift job, breakfast was in order. And what do you do for breakfast? Well you have beer & burgers at The Varsity Club.
After "breakfast" we walked around some more, including past St. John's Arena down to Ohio Stadium and all the way around the stadium so we could check it out. If you're a fan, it's a magical place to be!
We still had 3+ hours before game time and were trying to decide what to do. After speaking with a very friendly usher, we agreed to quickly make the trek back to St. John's Arena to watch the "Skull Session" that the marching band does before each game. I took video on my digital camera (for the first time ever) and evidently I can't convert it to a file type that can be shared. So, I found one from the prior week's game on YouTube. You can check it out here.
Still time left before the game, so we headed back to the stadium to watch the team warm up & practice. Oh yeah, and to get some pics before it got really crowded.
And crowded is exactly what it was!! It's all bleacher style seating, and you're packed in there like sardines. I spent about 1/2 the game actually standing on my seat and leaning on the concrete wall behind me so I could see over the big guys in front of me.
Not only was it a home game that happened to fall on my birthday, but it was also weekend for the band alumni to come in. More than 700 past members of TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band In The Land) came in for the game. They performed at the skull session, at the half-time show and throughout the game. The oldest member to perform was 95-years-young!!!
Since there were HUNDREDS of marching band members (see pic above), during the half-time show they did the famed Script Ohio as a quadruple script. You can see it in my pic below, and if you actually want to watch them perform it, check out this YouTube video here.
The Bucks won with a score of 42-17, so we were all happy. And I'm pleasantly surprised I didn't encounter one rude person the entire day! Needless to say it was a really LONG day. In fact about 17 hours from the time we left the house to drive there until we got back home. I'm so glad I had the experience of seeing a game in person at "The Shoe", but will also be happy to watch the game next Saturday from the comfort of my recliner. :)
As a side note, I unfortunately found out while I was there the memory card for my digital camera is only 512mb. I'm sure you can tell I don't take a lot of pics except for my xstitch stuff, which immediately get downloaded and saved, so it wasn't something I really thought about. I had to delete some misc. pics I took of some of the tailgating vehicles, signs, etc. so I'd have room for the pics I shared here and the video during the skull session. I'll make sure before my next trip somewhere I get a card with more memory!!
GO BUCKS!!!
Yes, that's right, I celebrated my birthday over the weekend with more than 100 THOUSAND people at Ohio Stadium watching the Ohio State Buckeyes play the San Diego State Aztecs. Talk about a thrilling day!!!
Zach, my son, and I are H-U-G-E Bucks fans!!! I mean to the point that if you don't like football, don't even think about coming around our house on Saturdays during college football season because you won't be welcomed. We promised each other last year, that this would be the year we forked over the money (those tix are NOT cheap) and make the drive to a game. With as many hours as I work between job #1, job 2 and Stitchnmomma I decided it was well worth the money as a birthday present to myself!
We figured if we were going to make the drive, we would make an adventure out of it. Some of the people at my job #1 told me where to park to tailgate. We didn't tailgate, but it was an experience watching the other fans while we were walking around.
Once we arrived in Columbus and parked, the day started with a walk down Lane Ave. to check out the sights. As we drove straight down there after Zach got home from his 3rd shift job, breakfast was in order. And what do you do for breakfast? Well you have beer & burgers at The Varsity Club.
After "breakfast" we walked around some more, including past St. John's Arena down to Ohio Stadium and all the way around the stadium so we could check it out. If you're a fan, it's a magical place to be!
We still had 3+ hours before game time and were trying to decide what to do. After speaking with a very friendly usher, we agreed to quickly make the trek back to St. John's Arena to watch the "Skull Session" that the marching band does before each game. I took video on my digital camera (for the first time ever) and evidently I can't convert it to a file type that can be shared. So, I found one from the prior week's game on YouTube. You can check it out here.
Still time left before the game, so we headed back to the stadium to watch the team warm up & practice. Oh yeah, and to get some pics before it got really crowded.
And crowded is exactly what it was!! It's all bleacher style seating, and you're packed in there like sardines. I spent about 1/2 the game actually standing on my seat and leaning on the concrete wall behind me so I could see over the big guys in front of me.
Not only was it a home game that happened to fall on my birthday, but it was also weekend for the band alumni to come in. More than 700 past members of TBDBITL (The Best Damn Band In The Land) came in for the game. They performed at the skull session, at the half-time show and throughout the game. The oldest member to perform was 95-years-young!!!
Since there were HUNDREDS of marching band members (see pic above), during the half-time show they did the famed Script Ohio as a quadruple script. You can see it in my pic below, and if you actually want to watch them perform it, check out this YouTube video here.
The Bucks won with a score of 42-17, so we were all happy. And I'm pleasantly surprised I didn't encounter one rude person the entire day! Needless to say it was a really LONG day. In fact about 17 hours from the time we left the house to drive there until we got back home. I'm so glad I had the experience of seeing a game in person at "The Shoe", but will also be happy to watch the game next Saturday from the comfort of my recliner. :)
As a side note, I unfortunately found out while I was there the memory card for my digital camera is only 512mb. I'm sure you can tell I don't take a lot of pics except for my xstitch stuff, which immediately get downloaded and saved, so it wasn't something I really thought about. I had to delete some misc. pics I took of some of the tailgating vehicles, signs, etc. so I'd have room for the pics I shared here and the video during the skull session. I'll make sure before my next trip somewhere I get a card with more memory!!
GO BUCKS!!!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
It Stunk Like a Skunk!
So the "Friday Fun" I posted about yesterday went over like a ton of bricks. Out of 482+ Facebook fans, 1,660+ Twitter followers and 240+ blog followers, It had only 16 views and not one person even made a guess at the question for the 40% off coupon. At least now I know not to try a stupid promotion like that again. I'll definitely be sure to keep my blog content more interesting for you.
P.S. That means there were no winners and I've disabled the Super Secret coupon code.
P.S. That means there were no winners and I've disabled the Super Secret coupon code.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Friday Fun, Trivia & a "Giveaway"
Since it's Friday I thought I'd have a little trivia fun and tie it in with a coupon code giveaway. I was going to do it on my Facebook page, but they have all kinds of stupid rules about giveaways, so I thought I'd do it here. If you're interested in possibly "winning" a SUPER SECRET code for 40% OFF your next purchase from my Etsy shop, keep reading.
OK, here's the details for this little trivia contest...
What was the very first item I sold in my Etsy shop and on what date?
Ready, set, go!
OK, here's the details for this little trivia contest...
- The first 3 people that provide the correct answer will receive a coupon code for the above mentioned discount.
- Your answer will need to be emailed to stitchnmomma@hotmail.com so that I have a way to contact you back with the code (if you are a winner).
- If you're not going to use the coupon code, I kindly ask that you don't enter this particular giveaway so that someone else that wants it has a chance to win. Thank you! :)
- I'll email the winners later in the day (please be patient as I will be at work while this little "contest" is going on) and they will be announced publicly on another post Saturday morning.
What was the very first item I sold in my Etsy shop and on what date?
Ready, set, go!
Saturday, August 3, 2013
My First Fashion Show
Anyone that really *knows* me, knows that I'm not one to be into fashion. I tend to stay with more classic looks than worry about what the latest trends are. I rarely ever wear makeup and don't worry too much about what people think. When I leave the house I'm neat, clean & presentable. So with that said, where is the last place you'd expect me to go? Yep...a fashion show.
One of the few advantages of living in N.E. Ohio is the number of hall of fame museums that are within a 30-45 minute drive of my house. One of those is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. I've made one trip there over the years and that was probably close to 10 years ago now when I took my son & nephew for a day trip on Spring Break from school.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities is a HUGE event for Canton each year. This year they are celebrating their Golden Anniversary and there are 19 different events over a 2-1/2 week period of time. The owner of the company at my job number 1 is from the Canton area and for years has bought tickets to the events. This is where the fashion show comes in. The ladies in the office get to take off 2/3 of the day to attend the luncheon and fashion show while the men get to attend the evening cocktail hour and Enshrinee's Gold Jacket Dinner. Personally, being a football fan and not a fan of fashion, I'd much rather attend that!
I digress, back to the fashion show. I attended with the other lady from my office and two of her friends. It was nice to get in some "girl time" where I could actually spend some time just chatting (one of the downsides of 80 hour work weeks is not much social time). There food served at the luncheon was yummy (pork tenderloin with a steamed veggie mix and a to-die-for HUGE red velvet cupcake). The fashion show was also pretty neat. I was more into the performances than the fashion. Shocking, huh?
For me, the pest part of the entire day was seeing the University of Akron Brazilian Percussion Ensemble perform during the show. If you start watching the video that I linked to at about the 3-minute mark, you'll get a taste of what I saw. The group that performed was smaller and dancing about all over the stage. It was fantastic!!
Once the event was over we were allowed to go home and not have to go back to the office. The ladies went out and I chose to go home with the intention of taking a nap as I was scheduled to work until 12:30am at job #2. Driving home I changed my mind. I ended up changing clothes and doing one of my walking routes I have. I chose my 3.22 mile route that has a 75.46 ft. elevation change and got a new personal best time of 49 minutes! I'll share more of that in a future post. :)
In closing, event though it's something I've never really wanted to do, I can now say I've attended a "real" fashion show.
One of the few advantages of living in N.E. Ohio is the number of hall of fame museums that are within a 30-45 minute drive of my house. One of those is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH. I've made one trip there over the years and that was probably close to 10 years ago now when I took my son & nephew for a day trip on Spring Break from school.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities is a HUGE event for Canton each year. This year they are celebrating their Golden Anniversary and there are 19 different events over a 2-1/2 week period of time. The owner of the company at my job number 1 is from the Canton area and for years has bought tickets to the events. This is where the fashion show comes in. The ladies in the office get to take off 2/3 of the day to attend the luncheon and fashion show while the men get to attend the evening cocktail hour and Enshrinee's Gold Jacket Dinner. Personally, being a football fan and not a fan of fashion, I'd much rather attend that!
I digress, back to the fashion show. I attended with the other lady from my office and two of her friends. It was nice to get in some "girl time" where I could actually spend some time just chatting (one of the downsides of 80 hour work weeks is not much social time). There food served at the luncheon was yummy (pork tenderloin with a steamed veggie mix and a to-die-for HUGE red velvet cupcake). The fashion show was also pretty neat. I was more into the performances than the fashion. Shocking, huh?
For me, the pest part of the entire day was seeing the University of Akron Brazilian Percussion Ensemble perform during the show. If you start watching the video that I linked to at about the 3-minute mark, you'll get a taste of what I saw. The group that performed was smaller and dancing about all over the stage. It was fantastic!!
Once the event was over we were allowed to go home and not have to go back to the office. The ladies went out and I chose to go home with the intention of taking a nap as I was scheduled to work until 12:30am at job #2. Driving home I changed my mind. I ended up changing clothes and doing one of my walking routes I have. I chose my 3.22 mile route that has a 75.46 ft. elevation change and got a new personal best time of 49 minutes! I'll share more of that in a future post. :)
In closing, event though it's something I've never really wanted to do, I can now say I've attended a "real" fashion show.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Summer Giveaway Winner
There were a total of 35 entries in the Summer giveaway I was running.
The lucky winner was #21 - Shaunterria O. I'll be sending out her prize as soon as I receive her mailing address.
Keep an eye out as you never know when I might do another giveaway. :)
Saturday, July 20, 2013
July 2013 Summer Giveaway
It's been quite a long time since I've done a giveaway. I decided it was well past time and it needed to be a good one.
Here's what the winner will receive...
The package, worth $30 will include:
The winner will be drawn and announced the afternoon of July 28th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here's what the winner will receive...
The package, worth $30 will include:
- A hand-painted tote bag perfect for carrying a smaller cross stitch/craft project in
- A printed copy of my Sunsational Sunflowers pattern
- A piece of 14 count hand-dyed aida in #727 Light Topaz, perfect for stitching the sunflower piece on
- A hand-stitched sunflower key chain/fob
The winner will be drawn and announced the afternoon of July 28th.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, July 8, 2013
A gorgeous finish!
I think one of the most important things in life, and especially in business, is to know your strengths and weaknesses.
When it comes to stitching, I love to create my own designs and stitch them. However, if you want to sell your patterns & pieces, it has to look nice when you're done. When it comes to "finishing" an item into something other than a hoop is where I fail. I don't have the expertise or the time to practice the beautiful finished pieces I'd like to present. So what does any good business owner do....find someone that has that talent.
The only model I currently had that was waiting to be "finished" was my "Singles Awareness" pattern. This is a picture of what it looked like before. Just the plain, stitched piece.
Certainly nothing very exciting about this photo. It's a clean picture of the stitched pattern so people will know what their finished stitching should look like. But, I wasn't happy with it being a "professional" looking piece that someone would want to buy.
In steps Rita from Snowberry Needlearts. I've been a fan of her work for sometime and have seen listings in her Etsy shop where she does custom finishing. I contacted her, we worked out the details and I sent my stitched piece off to her giving her full creative freedom. This is what she created...
This is like 1,000 times better than anything I could have ever done!!!! If you can't tell, I'm absolutely thrilled with it! Here's a pic of the backside...
Gorgeous also!!!
Normally I sell all the models for my patterns, but I'm starting to think I just may need to keep them. Heck, if I become a famous designer some day (chokes on coffee) I can use them as displays during trunk shows at various needlework shops around the country.
I'm just about finished with the last of my custom stitching orders, and I think it may be time to stop doing those and concentrate on all the patterns I've designed that need stitching just so I can have Rita do more beautiful finishes for them. I may just even go back and restitch some of my other patterns just so I have a nicer piece to present.
And with that final thought, I have stitching I must get to....
When it comes to stitching, I love to create my own designs and stitch them. However, if you want to sell your patterns & pieces, it has to look nice when you're done. When it comes to "finishing" an item into something other than a hoop is where I fail. I don't have the expertise or the time to practice the beautiful finished pieces I'd like to present. So what does any good business owner do....find someone that has that talent.
The only model I currently had that was waiting to be "finished" was my "Singles Awareness" pattern. This is a picture of what it looked like before. Just the plain, stitched piece.
Certainly nothing very exciting about this photo. It's a clean picture of the stitched pattern so people will know what their finished stitching should look like. But, I wasn't happy with it being a "professional" looking piece that someone would want to buy.
In steps Rita from Snowberry Needlearts. I've been a fan of her work for sometime and have seen listings in her Etsy shop where she does custom finishing. I contacted her, we worked out the details and I sent my stitched piece off to her giving her full creative freedom. This is what she created...
Gorgeous also!!!
Normally I sell all the models for my patterns, but I'm starting to think I just may need to keep them. Heck, if I become a famous designer some day (chokes on coffee) I can use them as displays during trunk shows at various needlework shops around the country.
I'm just about finished with the last of my custom stitching orders, and I think it may be time to stop doing those and concentrate on all the patterns I've designed that need stitching just so I can have Rita do more beautiful finishes for them. I may just even go back and restitch some of my other patterns just so I have a nicer piece to present.
And with that final thought, I have stitching I must get to....
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Ahoy thar mateys!
First, let me apologize (once again) for being absent from my blog so much. Between jobs #1 and #2 I'm working almost 80 hrs/wk. When I'm not working I'm trying to stay away from the computer to keep up with stitching custom pieces and dyeing fabric for the shop. It seems I have no time for even the basics like doing laundry, washing dishes, dusting the house, etc. However, with it being a long holiday weekend here in the U.S. and me being lucky enough to have Thursday & Friday off from job #1 (too bad I had to work long shifts at job #2!!!), I decided to actually go have some fun!!! I know, shocking, right?
One of the things that has been on my unwritten bucket list is to attend the Tall Ships Festival they have nearby in Cleveland, OH once every few years. The last time they held one was in 2010. Since it doesn't come around very often, Zach and I decided it was a must do, as who knows when we could do it again. I took lots of pics while I was there, and promised my fans that follow my Facebook page that I'd put them all in a blog post for everyone to see.
Last summer we were dealing with severe drought in N.E. Ohio, this year it's the never-ending rains. So we donned our ball caps & sunglasses (a girl can hope, right?) and off we went. Hope you enjoy our little trip....
We were both slightly disappointed as we were expecting more "Pirates of the Caribbean" type ships. Some of them were wood ships w/fiberglass decks. Very few of them actually had wooden decks. They were also much smaller than we expected. Either way, it was still a good time, and a nice break from the crazy work weeks I've had for the past 9 months. Glad we took the time to go. :)
One of the things that has been on my unwritten bucket list is to attend the Tall Ships Festival they have nearby in Cleveland, OH once every few years. The last time they held one was in 2010. Since it doesn't come around very often, Zach and I decided it was a must do, as who knows when we could do it again. I took lots of pics while I was there, and promised my fans that follow my Facebook page that I'd put them all in a blog post for everyone to see.
Last summer we were dealing with severe drought in N.E. Ohio, this year it's the never-ending rains. So we donned our ball caps & sunglasses (a girl can hope, right?) and off we went. Hope you enjoy our little trip....
 |
| Proud Momma w/her son. That's Lake Erie about 4 feet behind us. |
 |
| Hmmm...what do I want to blow up???? Do you think it still works?? |
 |
| One of the small lighthouses along the break wall at Port of Cleveland |
 |
| A couple of the tall ships sailing on Lake Erie |
 |
| I guess if you don't have a rain poncho/coat for your kids you can always make one out of an old bag. LOL! |
 |
| Absolutely LOVED this stateroom!! |
 |
| The only thing resembling a life boat I could find. Do you think all the crew members can fit on there? |
 |
| Found these plants tucked away beneath some stairs. I guess when you're on the water for weeks/months at a time, you still want to see some greenery. :) |
 |
| Am fascinated w/all the ships bells |
 |
| Neat storage for all the flags |
 |
| The wheel house. Loving all the wood and the skylights! |
 |
| They had some beautiful stained glass panels on the lower level of the ship. This is the one I liked best. You know me and my bright, vibrant colors. :) |
 |
| You can see it really was raining. We both went home with soggy shoes. But as Zach said the minute we got out of the car and started walking in the rain....."If it ain't rainin', we ain't trainin'!" Gotta love those Army sayings! |
 |
| I have no clue what these directional thingys are called, but I thought they were fascinating, along with all the wooden wheels and beautiful brass bells. I took several pics of them. And yes, I know, I could Google it, but that's OK. |
 |
| The closest we came to seeing a pirate flag on a ship, lol! |
 |
| I found it rather ironic to see a jar of cigarette butts hanging below the emergency fuel shutoff! |
 | |
An informational poster about the ship that most of these pictures are from. We toured a total of 3 ships and I took almost all the pictures on just the Peacemaker.      |
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Old Ragged Threads
As many years as I've been stitching and I've NEVER had an ORT (old ragged threads) Jar. I always have a coaster with an edge to it that I put my threads in and then empty it into the trash each night. A couple of weeks ago I thought it would be fun to do one and see how quickly I can fill it up and all the different colors that will be in it.
The search was on! I was scouring my house looking for a jar that would be just right. It was then I realized I had NO empty jars sitting around anywhere that could be used. Since I tend to be an impatient person once I have an idea in my head, I decided I needed to just go buy one. Off to the dollar store I went. Gotta love a store that EVERYTHING in it is only $1.00. And oh darn, it just happens to be right next to Hobby Lobby, which is in the plaza right next to my job #2, so there was really no excuse for me not being able to get to both stores for some shopping. *giggles*.
Here is the jar I bought. It is about 4"x4"x4".
I started collecting threads in it on May 25th. I have no idea how long it will take to fill, but I'll keep you posted with occasional pictures along the way.
Do you have an ORT Jar? If so, how long does it take you to fill yours? What do you do with your threads once it's filled? Feel free to share, as I'd love to hear your stories. :)
Editor's Note: I had people start sending me pics of their jars after I published this post, so I started an album on Facebook. You can see them here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.583558388332645.1073741827.130090270346128&type=3 You can also send me your picture if you want to have it included. It's sort of neat to see the different jars people use and what's in them. :)
The search was on! I was scouring my house looking for a jar that would be just right. It was then I realized I had NO empty jars sitting around anywhere that could be used. Since I tend to be an impatient person once I have an idea in my head, I decided I needed to just go buy one. Off to the dollar store I went. Gotta love a store that EVERYTHING in it is only $1.00. And oh darn, it just happens to be right next to Hobby Lobby, which is in the plaza right next to my job #2, so there was really no excuse for me not being able to get to both stores for some shopping. *giggles*.
Here is the jar I bought. It is about 4"x4"x4".
I started collecting threads in it on May 25th. I have no idea how long it will take to fill, but I'll keep you posted with occasional pictures along the way.
Do you have an ORT Jar? If so, how long does it take you to fill yours? What do you do with your threads once it's filled? Feel free to share, as I'd love to hear your stories. :)
Editor's Note: I had people start sending me pics of their jars after I published this post, so I started an album on Facebook. You can see them here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.583558388332645.1073741827.130090270346128&type=3 You can also send me your picture if you want to have it included. It's sort of neat to see the different jars people use and what's in them. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)