WIPocalypse Check-in – April 6, 2012

And the WIPocalypse continues! Here is my April update with my current WIPocalypse WIP list, including status updates:

    My current WIP pile:

  1. Northern Pine Designs – Geometric II
  2. Mill Hill – Spring Weathervanes – Floral Vase
  3. Jenna Magee – Purin
  4. Just Nan – Over the Top – Grow! (Tin Topper) – FINISHED!
  5. Lody Steward – Pagoda Pincushion
  6. Chatelaine Designs – Micro #1
  7. Lizzie*Kate – Dog Lessons For People
  8. Nora Corbett – The Sunflower Fairy – FINISHED!
  9. Older WIPs:

  10. The Victoria Sampler – Heirloom Memories Sampler
  11. Chatelaine Designs – Tiny Rose Mandala Garden – FINISHED!
  12. Leisure Arts – Pooh Sweet Dreams Afghan
  13. UFOs:

  14. Dimensions – Bonsai and Buddha
  15. Roz Watnemo – Flower Garden
  16. Mirabilia – Fairy Moon
  17. Mill Hill Treasured Spring Sampler Kit – Flower Basket Fantasy
  18. Jeanette Crews Designs – Computer Wizard – Current Focus Piece
  19. Giraffe Pillow

Yes, that’s another month with absolutely NO progress. I’ve barely put any stitches into anything. At most, I’ve put a couple dozen backstitches into one PIF piece and that’s it. I’ve had no time, energy or health to stitch. It’s been really, really bad lately. But I’m hoping to turn things around for myself SOON. Maybe next month I’ll be able to report some progress? Maybe. ๐Ÿ˜‰

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WIPocalypse Check-in – March 8, 2012

And the WIPocalypse continues! Here is my March update with my current WIPocalypse WIP list, including status updates:

    My current WIP pile:

  1. Northern Pine Designs – Geometric II
  2. Mill Hill – Spring Weathervanes – Floral Vase
  3. Jenna Magee – Purin
  4. Just Nan – Over the Top – Grow! (Tin Topper) – FINISHED!
  5. Lody Steward – Pagoda Pincushion
  6. Chatelaine Designs – Micro #1
  7. Lizzie*Kate – Dog Lessons For People
  8. Nora Corbett – The Sunflower Fairy – FINISHED!
  9. Older WIPs:

  10. The Victoria Sampler – Heirloom Memories Sampler
  11. Chatelaine Designs – Tiny Rose Mandala Garden – FINISHED!
  12. Leisure Arts – Pooh Sweet Dreams Afghan
  13. UFOs:

  14. Dimensions – Bonsai and Buddha
  15. Roz Watnemo – Flower Garden
  16. Mirabilia – Fairy Moon
  17. Mill Hill Treasured Spring Sampler Kit – Flower Basket Fantasy
  18. Jeanette Crews Designs – Computer Wizard – Current Focus Piece
  19. Giraffe Pillow

Yes, that’s right. Have nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. Zip. Sorry. Too much stress, not enough time. I’ve been going a little crazy right now and haven’t made time for stitching. I need to work on that. I’ll try to have something to show for the next WIPocalypse update!

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Some Old Framing

I figured I needed to post something at some point, since I’ve accomplished absolutely no stitching in a while and what I did get done before that, I can’t share yet. So, I took photos of two pieces that I framed/had framed recently. Okay, one was recently, one was last year.

First I’ll show the more recent one. I went ahead and had my Chatelaine Tiny Rose Mandala Garden framed at Michaels:

I just love the gold glitter inner mat. ๐Ÿ™‚

Second is one that I framed up myself a few months ago. This is Just Nan’s Filagree Fancies – Magic Wings:

That’s it for now. I’m working again this weekend, just like I did last weekend, so I’ll report more… later???

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What Am I Doing?!?

Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately, except for WIPocalypse updates. I guess I’ve just been busy. I can’t tell you exactly what all I’ve been spending my time on, because, frankly, my brain has been quite scattered. 2 of the 5 PIF gifts are completely done, photographed and ready to go out. PIF #3 is half finished. PIF #4 has been started. PIF #5 was just kitted up this morning.

Other than that, it feels like I haven’t done much. I pretty much lost this week. After several weeks of no headaches (that I can remember, so any that may have had were minor), I had a 5-day run of pretty significant ones through the week. That definitely slowed me down. The most I was able to do was some PIF stitching when I felt up to it and some f-bomb felt piece cutting. The bulk of the focus was on trying to get my day job done, which took longer than usual because I was having trouble focusing. And I slept. A lot.

I have so much to do and so little time. I need to finish reconciling the OSL accounting so that we can file our taxes. I missed some personal financial things this year, so we’ll be getting less money back than normal, which flusters and annoys me. I’m behind in getting out bill payments because I lost an entire week. I need to go grocery shopping. I need to make f-bombs. I wanted to do a drawing before I see the person for whom it is intended at the beginning of March, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen since I am such a slow artist and won’t have a lot of free time between now and then. And I have a major software upgrade next Saturday morning, for which I haven’t had time to plan or do the prep work because everyone else’s projects took priority over mine. I am seriously hoping that I don’t pay for that, but I intend to devote this entire work week to my project, so hopefully I will be as prepared as I had intended and the upgrade will go as smoothly as I have envisioned.

That said, I have no pictures to share because all of the stitching has been secret and I should keep this short because I need to get off of my behind and get moving on some of these things that are stacking up (kind of like the dishes are stacking up in my sink – ugh).

Have a great week!

Posted in Life in General, Stitching | 3 Comments

WIPocalypse Check-in – February 7, 2012

And the WIPocalypse continues! Here is my February update with my current WIPocalypse WIP list, including status updates:

    My current WIP pile:

  1. Northern Pine Designs – Geometric II
  2. Mill Hill – Spring Weathervanes – Floral Vase
  3. Jenna Magee – Purin
  4. Just Nan – Over the Top – Grow! (Tin Topper) – FINISHED!
  5. Lody Steward – Pagoda Pincushion
  6. Chatelaine Designs – Micro #1
  7. Lizzie*Kate – Dog Lessons For People
  8. Nora Corbett – The Sunflower Fairy – FINISHED!
  9. Older WIPs:

  10. The Victoria Sampler – Heirloom Memories Sampler
  11. Chatelaine Designs – Tiny Rose Mandala Garden – FINISHED!
  12. Leisure Arts – Pooh Sweet Dreams Afghan
  13. UFOs:

  14. Dimensions – Bonsai and Buddha
  15. Roz Watnemo – Flower Garden
  16. Mirabilia – Fairy Moon
  17. Mill Hill Treasured Spring Sampler Kit – Flower Basket Fantasy
  18. Jeanette Crews Designs – Computer Wizard – Current Focus Piece
  19. Giraffe Pillow

I’ve added another current WIP photo, for Mill Hill’s Flower Basket Fantasy. There is now only one piece left for which I do have have a photo of its current status: Lody Steward’s Pagoda Pincushion. I have finished the top piece of it, but not started the bottom yet, so I have nothing to show.

As I stated in my previous update, I needed to switch to a small piece that I could stitch in hand, so I picked up and completed Just Nan’s Grow! tin topper, from her Over the Top series.

Here are the before and after pics:

Just Nan รขโ‚ฌโ€œ Over the Top รขโ‚ฌโ€œ Grow! (Tin Topper), as of January 13, 2012:

Completed January 16, 2012:

Since that finish, I have been working on Computer Wizard from Jeanette Crews Designs. And a couple of other things, which have kept me from making really good progress on Computer Wizard. I am doing another PIF event this year and I decided to stitch everything (of course), so I have been working on those gifts. I only have to do 5 total and I’ve already started and completed two projects and started two more, so I’m making good and quick progress.

Here is where Computer Wizard was when I last worked on her (February 18, 2007!):

And here is where she is now:

Hopefully, I will have more to report next month!

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Goodbye, Joe Paterno

This post may meet with some serious disapproval, but I feel the need to express my sorrow around the loss of former head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, Joe Paterno.

Growing up in a small town in central Pennsylvania, our athletic world revolved around professionals in Pittsburgh, local high school teams and Pennsylvania State University sports. Most notably, the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, led by Joe Paterno during my entire 2 decades in central PA. So much pride was generated amongst the fans by the amazing performances of the football program year after year. And that team relied on the leadership of Joe Paterno.

I still remember attending my first live game at Beaver Stadium (yeah, yeah, hold the snarkiness, please). The energy of a packed stadium was an incredible, visceral experience and I was swept up in all of the excitement of a great game and being part of my first “wave.” My heart swelled with pride as I watched what was considered to be our home university team (my hometown was home to a local campus) win game after game and fight valiantly in bowl games.

I am filled with sorrow knowing that such a seemingly great and honorable man was fired from his post because he failed to pursue to the fullest extent of what was surely his immense power the appropriate, severe punishment of Jerry Sandusky and the condemnation of his actions. I hurt for the many, many innocents whose lives were irreparably damaged by Sandusky. And I lament the role that JoePa played, or did not play, in this case.

However, what I remember of Joe Paterno, and what I choose to continue to remember of him, is the amazing legacy that defined most of his life. The ending to his story is terrible and tragic for so many and in so many ways, but I will remember him as the larger-than-life figure that he was so many years ago, not the fallible man that he turned out to be. If choosing to carry within my heart a positive image of this man and not a negative one (without downplaying the negative impact) is wrong, then I am happy to be wrong.

Posted in Life in General | 1 Comment

Grow!

I have officially killed another WIP for WIPocalypse – woohoo! It isn’t a big finish, but any finish is a big deal for me. ๐Ÿ™‚

This design is Grow! from Just Nan’s Over the Top collection.

Here’s where it was when I started:

(This picture was actually taken after I had put some more stitches in. The brown and tweeded lighter green stitches didn’t exist when I picked it up.)

And here it is completed:

No, the fabric did not change colors, my stitching photography just leaves a lot to be desired and I didn’t have the time or patience to fiddle with the colors enough to make two pictures taken at different times of the day under different lighting conditions match up.

And so now I have pulled out another WIP and put in a few more stitches. But you’ll have to wait for my next WIPocalypse update or a happy dance post to see what it is. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Onward and upward!

Posted in Stitching | 6 Comments

WIPocalypse Check-in – January 9, 2012

Yes, the WIPocalypse is officially upon us! Here is my January update with my current WIPocalypse WIP list, including status updates:

    My current WIP pile:

  1. Northern Pine Designs – Geometric II
  2. Mill Hill – Spring Weathervanes – Floral Vase
  3. Jenna Magee – Purin – mounted onto scroll bars and ready to go
  4. Just Nan – Over the Top – Grow! (Tin Topper) – current focus piece
  5. Lody Steward – Pagoda Pincushion
  6. Chatelaine Designs – Micro #1
  7. Lizzie*Kate – Dog Lessons For People
  8. Nora Corbett – The Sunflower Fairy – FINISHED!
  9. Older WIPs:

  10. The Victoria Sampler – Heirloom Memories Sampler
  11. Chatelaine Designs – Tiny Rose Mandala Garden – FINISHED!
  12. Leisure Arts – Pooh Sweet Dreams Afghan
  13. UFOs:

  14. Dimensions – Bonsai and Buddha
  15. Roz Watnemo – Flower Garden
  16. Mirabilia – Fairy Moon
  17. Mill Hill Treasured Spring Sampler Kit – Flower Basket Fantasy
  18. Jeanette Crews Designs – Computer Wizard – Started February 14, 2007
  19. Giraffe Pillow

As you can see, I have added links to current progress photos for the ones I have available. I’m taking pictures as I pull them out.

I have two finishes to report already! Nora Corbett’s The Sunflower Fairy and Chatelaine Designs’ A Tiny Rose Mandala Garden. To be fair, The Sunflower Fairy was nearly complete.

Here are the before and after pics:

The Sunflower Fairy, as of December 28, 2011:

Completed January 2, 2012:

She will be dropped off tomorrow night for framing.

A Tiny Rose Mandala Garden, as of January 3, 2012:

Completed January 7, 2012:

This one will also be dropped off tomorrow night for framing.

Now I have moved on to a very small piece – Just Nan’s Over the Top Grow! tin topper. I needed something that I could work in hand, as working on a stand for several hours every night for a week hurt my shoulders. I suspect my momentum will slow down a bit, as I really have some other hobbies and personal work that I have completely ignored since the beginning of the holidays! ๐Ÿ˜†

So, there you have it! I need to remember to take a picture of the current WIP today, before I get too far along, so that I can show my progress next month. I suspect I may have this one finished by then and have moved on to a bigger piece. Those I will have to rotate between so that I don’t get too bored and stop making progress on the WIPocalypse in general.

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WIP Killa

I’m starting the 2012 WIPocalypse off with a bang! Last night, I completed a UFO that’s been languishing, unseen in one of my several stitching bags for years. Say hello (and goodbye) to a freebie from Chatelaine Designs – Tiny Rose Mandala Garden:

I probably won’t have more finishes for a little while. I do actually have other things I’d like to focus on other than stitching. ๐Ÿ˜‰ I need to switch to stitching in hand for a while anyway because stitching on a stand for several hours at a time over the past couple of days has been sending me to bed with a headache every night. Enough with that!

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My Little Art Space

At the end of November, beginning of December, or somewhere around that time, I ordered another Ott-Lite lamp so that I could use it to illuminate my easel, allowing me to do some drawing and other artwork after the sun sets. Since that happens quite disturbingly early in the winter and Joann.com was kind enough to run one of their 50% off of Ott-Lite products sales, I was happy to oblige by making a purchase. I ended up with a really beautiful lamp – the Lexington floor lamp in Mocha Pearl. It suits the other lighting in our little reading nook quite nicely and that is where I decided to set up a little artistic space for myself, since the craft/music/everything else room is too crowded for me to set up my easel in right now. Add in the gorgeous bamboo easel that I bought from Dick Blick a while back (probably when I was still taking classes at The Art Institute), a folding chair, a bunch of pencils (and erasers), a nice thick pad of high quality paper and the two amazing artist’s models that Terry bought for me for Christmas and voila:

A little doodling space pour moi. You’ll have to ignore all of the mess on the floor and in the background, but it is hopefully only a temporary space for now until I can find a more appropriate and permanent space after we finish the basement this winter. It works, though, and lets me keep all of my drawing supplies spread out all over the floor and reading chairs so that I can pick back up on the drawing that I’m hiding in the photo whenever the spirit moves me. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Posted in Art | 2 Comments