Laughing Jack Crunch Bar

I am back to stitching projects again. I am starting off working on small canvases and Laughing Jack was my first choice. This canvas is the first in a series of eight Halloween Candies. The canvases are by Kelly Clark and the stitch guides are by Ruth Schmuff. What a quick and fun stitch this was!! After stitching belts all summer this was a great project to start on. Ruth did a great stitch guide for Laughing Jack and her threads and embellishments are just fabulous.

My current project is a canvas by Barbara Elmore called Summer Flowers. BeStitched had this as a class and also offered it long distance. Denise and I signed up and are currently working on the background. Once the background is complete we will meet and do the ribbon flowers. It will be our BeStitched class at Denise's house with a wonderful catered lunch. It might not be the box lunch BeStitched caters but it will be delicious and wonderful.

Yesterday was our class with Sharon G at The Nimble Needle. A BIG THANK YOU to Sharon G for a wonderful class, Missy Gray for the most delicious cinnamon buns and Karen for bring in such a talented teacher. Sharon worked her magic on every one's canvas and we all left very happy with our choice of stitches and threads. Missy baked the most wonderful cinnamon buns for us to enjoy. Denise had given me a heads up about the Missy baking so I did not eat breakfast so I could enjoy my cinnamon bun. We all were licking our fingers. We all had a wonderful time learning, eating, laughing and making new friends. After all isn't that what needlepoint is all about.

Linda

A Few More Finished Ornaments

As I mentioned, my Christmas ornaments have been trickling in from our LNS's finisher. Here are a few of the Raymond Crawford series.

I recently reviewed my stash and realized that I still have four more of this series. Yesterday I received the next installment of my flower calendar series from A Stitch in Time. It has been quite busy at work, but worse, I have been very busy at night as well, and I am generally out at least 2 nights a week for work or business related activities. These seriously restrict my stitching time.

I am currently working on a large canvas for which Tony Minieri wrote a marvelous guide; this was a class I took at Stitch by Stitch last fall; I can't believe almost a year went by! It is the Euro flower stand. It will take me some time to finish this one, so I am glad I have finishing coming in to share with you.

Denise

No Denise, It's Halloween

Yes, I am decorated for Halloween. I always decorate Labor Day Weekend. It just puts me into the mood for Fall. I was so happy to take out my three Halloweenies and amazed at what an amazing job Amy did on the stitch guides for them and also at my stitching of them. I have to finish up the rest of the Halloweenies.

I have a few new items for the mantel this year. The center Haunted House is from Pottery Barn and is just a perfect accent piece for the Hallowenies, the Halloween Apples are new this year along with the Halloween boy and girl candle holders . I have more needlepoint decorations placed around the family room and sewing room but I felt the mantel was the focal point.

Today I received the three Walker Halloween mesh bags from Ruth. I will be using them for all my current projects. I also ordered the Halloween snap tray. After all a girl has to have a complete outfit. Cannot wait to see what Ruth does for the Christmas bags and tray.

Today was a big day in our house - it was Jake's first day of nursery school. He just loved it and was so happy he did not want to leave. He goes three mornings a week from 9 to 11:30, just enough time to give Nana time for her errands, physical therapy, hair and now a new doctor for her neck.

I had my second post-op visit this morning and was told that I am doing very well and am just where I should be after two months since surgery. I told the doctor about me using my neck muscle when I lift my arm and just cannot break this habit - he told me I had to go and see a neck specialits who would work with me to stop using my neck muscle. I can now work on my stand when I stitch but only small projects. I still cannot blow dry my hair (a really major problem for me) and probably will not be able to for at least six weeks. The hair salon loves me. I go twice a week to get my hair done. If I could afford it, I would go everyday. I really cannot complain. I feel good and see improvement in my arm. Hopefully, I will be almost perfect when I go to Amy's in November. I will have to get a name of hair salon just in case I need it.

Linda

Christmas--already?!

The Christmas ornaments I finished earlier this year are starting to trickle in from the finisher. These four little ornaments were the last of the "teeny ornaments" from Fireside Stitchery's club a few years ago.

I definitely have a lot of Christmas ornaments now, so I am going to try to refrain from adding any more to my stash. I probably have about another half dozen or so to think about. Oops. I just went to check my inventory. There are at least 20 more Christmas items. Ashley thinks we should put up the needlepoint tree next week. Still a bit early for me; haven't given up my flip flops yet.

I think I understand now, the fascination with Halloween needlepoint. It's the next holiday to obsess over once you've made too many Christmas items.

Off to work.

Denise

Quick Little Finish

In between our scissor fob adventures last week, I finished up the next in the "Calendar Club" series from A Stitch in Time. This one is so pretty, and the background was quite different. Having completed this, I have passed the halfway point in this series of Raymond Crawford canvases. I have been enjoying these quick little stitches; instant gratification!

Linda gave me the missing snowflakes for my "Twas the Night" canvas & you can see the truly completed project here. Thanks, Linda! So pleased that this will make the Christmas finishing deadline.

The post-Labor day workweek started off with quite ferociously for me at the office and it's going to be a long, long short week for me. The highlight for me will be the African Teapot class tonight with Tony Minieri; I am hopeful that it won't be cancelled, but we have had heavy rains for the past 24 hours here & some roadways are already closed. Tony comes from northern NJ, which was severely impacted by Irene & I'm sure this latest deluge isn't helping.

Jake had his first day back in Nana day care, & I'm sure Linda will update you on their day.

Off to work.

Denise

Denise & Linda Take On a New Craft, & A Challenge for You

Denise: I am on vacation this week. I didn't go anywhere. After two days of tanning in my back yard, I'm bored.

Linda: Let's go to lunch.

Denise: Let's go to your favorite restaurant, Cheesecake Factory.

Linda: Ok.

So, off we went to lunch. We had a lovely meal.

Linda: I wish our LNS was open. We could have found something to buy.

Denise looks at her Blackberry, wondering if there's a message from her daughter, who is 45 minutes late for lunch. Instead, she sees a Facebook post from Bestitched. About bling scissor fobs.

Denise: You know, there's a bead store near here.

Linda: Let's go. You know how to bead. We can make scissor fobs.

We went. We purchased. Linda went home to make dinner for Don. Frank was directed to purchase his own Chinese food for dinner.

Linda returned to Denise's house. The photos above are the results of our efforts.

We have no idea where we are going to fit beading in between all our other projects. But talk about instant gratification!

Challenge to our followers: Can you guess which fobs are Linda's, and which are Denise's?

Denise & Linda