My First Retreat as a Designer

This past weekend I had the huge honor of attending my first retreat as a designer instead of a "regular person" (as my son put it).  I was invited by Jackie and Sharon, the owners of Stitches From The Heart in San Antonio, TX to join them and a few dozen of their customers at their Spring Stitching Camp.  I have to say, it was an absolute blast!!!

And since this was my first visit to TX (I don't count stopping at a hotel late in the night just to get some sleep and then heading back out first thing in the morning during my cross country move as "visiting" Texas), I just had to have my picture taken with this sweet elderly guy at the airport information center.  

 
The event was held at John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, TX.   Friday night we were treated to a good ole soaking down pour for quite awhile.  It really reminded me of being back in Ohio with a good drenching rain, green grass and green trees.  I've gotten used to little rain, desert-scaping and palm trees in Las Vegas, but still love a good rain.  The grounds were beautiful and the scenery outside our conference room was lovely.

When the attendees arrived at the event, everyone had a spacious area at their table with a name badge for them.  They were made by one of the local stitchers that frequents the shop.  I thought they were really cute.  



Since I was going as the "surprise guest designer" I wanted to do something for all the attendees and the shop owners/employees for supporting me and the Stitchnmomma brand.  Anita at Stitches From the Heart loves my silhouettes and promotes every new one on their Facebook page, so I thought it only appropriate I design a silhouette that was exclusively for the attendees at this event.

Each person that went to the stitching camp received a mini-kit that had the chart, fabric and floss to stitch this little piece.  One lady stitched it the first night and a few others were working on it over the weekend.  I can't wait to see pictures of the various ways they finish them!  :)


 








As I previously mentioned, there were a few dozen people...somewhere in the neighborhood of 40.  I personally think one of the best parts of any stitching retreat is being able to walk around and see what other people are working on, accessories they're using, etc.  Take this picture for example.  In a million years, I would have never thought about using a thread spool rack to hold floss bobbins.  Genius!

Not only was there tons of stitching & chatting going on, but we there were a couple of silent auctions, some basket exchanges and food...tons of great food!


I was told I'm welcome back anytime and certainly plan on going again next Spring!  I have it penciled into my calendar and am already thinking about what the next exclusive piece I can design for them will be.


With any luck, as Stitchnmomma continues to grow, I'll be asked to attend other stitching events around the country and will be able to meet even more wonderful stitchers *hint, hint all you other shop owners and retreat coordinators*.

Me and my table-mate, Pat :)

Until the next time...Happy Stitching! 



Editor's Note 4/5/2016:  I've joined the Stitching the Night Away Blog Hop.  Can't wait to read some more fun & exciting stitching posts this way.  :)

Visit all the blogs in this round of the Stitching the Night Away Stitching Blogger Blog Hop:
Find the instructions on how to participate in this round by clicking here.  

A Weekend Stitch-In and "Wings and Things" Update #2

This past weekend I attended a weekend stitch-in with some of the ladies from the local EGA chapter I joined when I moved to Las Vegas.  It's held in the "middle of nowhere" on the edge of Death Valley, in a town I had not only never been to before, but had never heard of (Amargosa, NV).  I figured why not go and have a good time.  Lots of stitching was done, and it was a nice place with great views.  I thought I'd share a few of the pics I took with everyone.

This is the view I had from my seat.  The seat was nowhere near as comfortable as my recliner at home, but the view was 10x better, LOL!

 A neat cloud formation over the mountains

This is the pond out back that we could see from the veranda.  They call it a "lake".  Lots of ducks around the pond area all the time, including a really cool black & white one that I really should have taken a picture of.

The other portion of the pond.  The owner of the casino likes to collect antiques from the earlier days when it was a big mining town and was being settled, so you'll see those scattered throughout the property.  There are quite a few interesting ones around the pond area.

I've never been to California, so on Sunday morning when I was walking with one of the other ladies before breakfast, we decided to walk to CA so I could have my picture taken.  And we did walk past the sign just to make sure I was officially in CA.  And you're probably thinking "she WALKED to California?!".  Well, let me share a little secret with you...the casino we were at is less than one block from the CA border.  In fact, you can see the sign I'm standing at from the room we were stitching in.

A couple of pics of the view we had on our morning walk.  It was soooooo much better than the views of gym equipment and 2 flat screen TVs I get on the treadmill at my apartment complex!!  And surprisingly it was a "cool" morning, so the fresh air was a nice change of pace.


And yes, stitching was done.  I'm actually running behind on my stitching.  I've been extremely busy with life the last few weeks (including a trip back to OH over Labor Day weekend to see my son and his girls), and my hand and wrist have been giving me some problems.  My Labor Day trip was a great time to give my body a rest and let some healing occur so stitching can happen without pain.

While I was at the stitch-in, I finished the September/October Patchwork Pincushion models (they're already in transit to SnowBerry NeedleArts for finishing), started my next silhouette model and got some stitching done on my "Wings and Things" piece.

As you know, "Wings and Things" is supposed to be my thread a day piece.  Unfortunately that hasn't been happening.  I have been keeping track of my days though, and was able to do some catch up while I was there.  As of this morning, I'm officially 3 weeks behind, so it will now become two threads a day until I catch up.  I'll post another update for you in about 2 weeks.

So that's all my pictures I have to share with you for now.  In the next 2 weeks I'm expecting to have both the new silhouette and the next in the Patchwork Pincushion patterns released, so be sure to keep an eye out for those.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

My "Top Secret" Project Revealed

If you follow my Facebook page, you've probably seen me posting for a little while now about a "top secret" project I've been working on.  Well, the time has come for me to finally reveal what the project is...

What does that photo mean you may ask?  Let me tell you.  

For the past 43 years I've been "visiting" the state of Ohio, as I've always known I'm meant to live in a warmer climate.  Today I officially start my cross country drive to what will be a new life in Las Vegas, NV.

I recently had a fantastic opportunity present itself for me to resume a career with a wonderful employer that I had worked with for a few years in Ohio.  I will be taking on the position as Office Manager in a restaurant franchise he co-owns.  This is great news for Stitchnmomma, as I will no longer be working 2 jobs 7 days a week and will have a lot more stitching time.  Yay!!!  My stitching time has been rather limited over the past several weeks as I've spent a TON of time dealing with the logistics of moving almost 2,200 miles and packing all my possessions for the move.  Anyone that has ever done a long distance move will understand what I've been dealing with.  Even though I haven't done much stitching, my creative juices have still been flowing and I have several new designs already sketched out waiting for me to chart on the computer and stitch the models.

Unfortunately, there is a negative side to this move.  My "baby" will be staying in Ohio with his girlfriend and her daughter.  I'll really miss our family time as well as the weekly dinners and game nights!  However, lots of families make it work, so we will too.  I'll just have to add a new line item to my budget for travel for us to see each other. :)

On Valentine's Day I shared this picture on Facebook, but didn't say where I was.  I took this picture from the lakeview overlook close to Hoover Dam with Lake Mead behind me.  Part of my trip involved looking at apartments while I was there.  That was the "business" aspect of my trip.  The pleasure side gave me an opportunity to do some sight seeing, including Hoover Dam, which I briefly saw on a visit in February 2010, when it was cold & rainy the entire weekend. 

While I was in town, I also sought out the ONLY cross stitch and needlepoint store that is in Las Vegas.  It's called Stitchers Paradise and it's a fantastic store!  I was thrilled with the selection of fabric, fibers and embellishments they have and know I'll be able to purchase great supplies for my models.  Sooooo....if you're ever in town, let me know and we can meet up at the store.  They've got a table where stitchers are welcome to gather and stitch any time they want.

With all of that being said, I hope you'll be patient with me while I make the drive and get my home set up again.  I'll do my best to access my Facebook page from my phone until I get internet connected in my new apartment.  I can't guarantee emails, as when I was traveling in February MicroSoft locked me out of my account for security purposes when I tried accessing it from a different IP address thousands of miles away.   The fun times we have with today's modern technology, LOL!

Until we meet again...Happy Stitching!

 

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!!!
 



 

Wordless Wednesday - October 17, 2012

Photo courtesy of Conde Nast Traveler

Wordless Wednesday - October 10, 2012

Photo courtesy of Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and Paul d Berjeois

Wordless Wednesday - September 19, 2012

A human statue / street performer on The Strip in Las Vegas, NV

Sin City

Today I thought I'd share some of the pics I took in my recent weekend trip for my birthday (thanks to some awesome friends) to Las Vegas.  And you know how the saying goes...What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, so you can't see all of them, lol!

The Blue Man Group on Steroids, lol!

La Reve (Cirque du Soleil) at The Wynn

 Italy & Chocolate - 2 of my favorite things in life

 The Parasol Bar at The Wynn

This isn't really my style of bike, but I was in awe of the artistic talent it took to do this amazing metalwork!

Yeah, you can see we were big winners...NOT!

My last fabulous meal before leaving Sin City.  Damn it was good! 

Tips & Techniques - Needlework & Airport Security

Just this past weekend I took a girls trip that required airplane travel.  Unfortunately my friends banned me from bringing my cross stitch with me (and if you guessed they're NOT stitchers then you would be correct), but it made me think about what you can and cannot take through airport security when it comes to your needlework.

This picture is a screen shot of the TSA regulations as of 9/5/12 which shows you CAN take your needlework with you.  

The last time I flew was in Feb. 2010 and I took my cross stitch with me to do on the 4-hour flight.  I took a small pair of embroidery scissors with me, but chose my least expensive pair just in case they were confiscated at the security checkpoint.  I also printed the TSA regulations that morning and had in my purse w/the date showing in case I had a TSA agent that wasn't familiar with my items being allowed.

If you're worried about taking scissors with you, there are other options available. You can easily take nail clippers through security and there are a range of thread cutters that are approved for travel.  This is an example of just one of them:

And as I'm typing this I've realized it's scheduled to post on September 11th.  A day that brought upon us most of the airport security measures currently in place.   Being the proud Army mom that I am, I'd like to take a moment to thank all of the brave men & women that defend us on a daily basis as well as remembering the innocents that lost their lives on that terrible day.

Wordless Wednesday - August 22, 2012

Acoma Sky City - one of the coolest places I've ever visited

Vegas Trip - Day 1

As many of you may know I took a trip last weekend to Las Vegas. Not only was it my first time in Vegas, it was my first ever "Girls Trip"!!! No kids & no husbands...and we had a blast!!!

We decided if we were going to have a wild weekend we should start it out right...drinks on the plane starting at 9:30am as soon as the first beverage cart came around. I must say, I think it has been about 20 years since I had a drink that early in the morning. Thankfully the sensible mom in me made sure I had breakfast at the airport. I'm not too keen on flying, but it was a great flight and the smoothest landing I've ever experienced. Thanks to the great pilots, whoever you are!

We had scheduled shuttle transportation, but didn't end up needing it as our old boss (who recently purchased his own restaurant franchise in Las Vegas) picked us up from the airport.

First stop...Firefly* Tapas Kitchen and Bar. That was another first for me. The food was awesome and the 2 pitchers of Sangria weren't too shabby either. Found out I rather like the Sparkling Peach Sangria...I think I know what I'll be making this summer.

After spending a couple of hours at the restaurant it was time to check in at the hotel. We got great rates at The Flamingo. Even though it's one of the older hotels, it's centrally located on The Strip and when you're only there to shower and 3-4 hours of sleep a night, who needs a fancy hotel room?!

Unfortunately it rained the entire weekend, so I don't have near as many pictures as I'd like and some of them are a little dreary. And no, I'm sure some of you will be asking...we did NOT go see the Donny & Marie show!

Even though it was raining, we're in Vegas and there was lots to do. We took advantage of some girl time to stroll The Strip and see some of the great casinos/resorts along with doing some window shopping at places we could never dream of being able to afford!



One of the items on our "must see" list was The Venetian. Since Italy is not only my dream spot on where to vacation, but where I want to live, we figured it would be as close as we were going to get for awhile. It amazes me how several of the resorts are designed to look like you are outdoors of whatever city they are representing (Venice, Paris, Rome, etc.). And what is a trip to Venice without a gondola ride on the canal??? (thought I'd have a little fun with this photo since I really HATE having my picture taken and use the cartoon feature on my camera).


After a quick trip back to the hotel room for dry clothes (it was down pouring by the time we came out of The Venetian) and a quick power nap it was out on the town for the night. We were able to catch the tail end of the fountain show at The Bellagio, went to Paris for dinner (at an Italian restaurant...wtf?) and then spent quite a bit of time in the piano bar. Let me tell you the guys playing those dueling pianos were awesome!!! They perform there every Friday night. I just wish it were local, as I would go see them often!My first attempt at adding video to my blog has failed. I'll try again and hopefully I'll be able to share the video of the fountain show at the Bellagio.

That is all I'm willing to share of Day 1 in Vegas, because we all know the saying..."What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!".

Stay tuned for Vegas Trip - Day 2.

VEGAS, BABY!!!!

Need spending $ for girls trip to Vegas in 11 days!!!!

25% refund via PayPal on all purchases (excludes Clearance items)

Use promo code "VEGAS"

Help a girl out =D

stitchnmomma.etsy.com