Wednesday, January 18, 2017

posty post

The weather here is .... ridiculous! I'm sure I've said this before but every new place we move, the first winter is terrible. It's a lot of responsibility but I think it's us. The first winter in Alaska was the warmest they'd seen. When we moved back to Colorado I told Scott I was looking forward to a Colorado winter - it snows like the dickens but the next day the roads are clear - nope - we had 3 blizzards in a row and the roads weren't clear for weeks!! Indiana - we bought that house with the long steep driveway and they said - it never snows here plus if it does it's only an inch or two and the driveway is black and faces the rising sun - so no problem. They had the most snow they'd EVER had that year. Washington -EVERYBODY said it doesn't snow here - well last week we got over a foot - historic snow they say. You can tell people are not used to snow because so many people were out walking in it. They also cancelled everything from school to trash before the first flake fell. Scott made it to work despite the snow - but had to wait until later in the day after they plowed the highway - it took him an hour to go a mile on his first attempt! It wasn't because of the snow, it was because the ice had rutted the highway and he couldn't keep in on the road. He waited until the store opened and bought two shovels. Even though the snow was wet and heavy it was easier shoveling here  - no long steep driveway!! Neighbors don't have snow shovels so you saw them out there with plastic toboggans scooping snow. Ryder helped one neighbor shovel and we loaned our shovels to another neighbor. The roads in our neighborhood still had 5 inches of ice and then it started raining. The people here don't drive very well in this because they are not used to it! It has to be us - or global warming - you decide.



Scott framed three pictures for me.
One Starry Christmas Eve by With Thy Needle and Thread

The Drawn Thread - Simply autumn
Ghoul Tidings Plum Street Sampler
I love them - he always picks perfect frames. He has some others he is working on - exciting!! My rotation is going well. The first week was Fantasy Sampler by Teresa Wentzler
before
after
 I finished the floral border - back stitch and all!!I am back stitching as I go, so it is completely done up to the center!
It's neat to see the how much difference back stitching makes!! Second week is Red Velvet Cake by Glendon Place. Finished page 1 and started on page 2.
before
after
Now I am on week three - smalls - started a new one but the called for color - that I ordered - is way to orange for Santa so I switched to Mulberry
Christmas at Winterberry Cabin by With thy Needle

Last night I realized when I kitted this I left out 4 colors - weird - so I had to go pull those colors. geez.
I even got some quilting done. I cut 752 six inch flannel squares and 512 four and a half inch batting squares for two rag quilts!! I already had 272 six inch jean squares I cut out back in December.
That is only half of them. That took two days - now to sew them together!! I finished 3 squares on the quilt I am hand quilting - only 60 to go - ahhh that sounds terrible!
I did two of these
 I used brown thread for all the tan spots and eggshell for the squares

You've seen this one but I did the tan corner squares in brown. Once you know what design you are quilting it goes quickly. I also did the brown corners on two more of these squares - just need the flower in there! Micheals  is selling Frixon erasable highlighters!! Not on their website though?? I already have this pack but I almost bought another just because they had them!! I ordered mine from Amazon and they came from China - I can't read what is written on the pens! If you go  - don't forget your coupon!!
Last weekend we went to Portland. Scott needed work boots so we went to Dr. Martens. I've wanted a pair for years so Scott bought me a pair too - so I wouldn't be jealous of his!! Mine are kind of purple - I put one next to his so you can see - they are very comfortable!!
 We walked by a Lush store, my friend Katie told me I had to try the sugar scrub, so we went in. I bought a scrub and I also bought  a lip balm (buttered brazil) I love them!! love love love them!! They had a few other flavors but the DRAWBACK is those two little tiny containers .9 and .4 were $20. whew. They sell fantastic looking bath bombs - should have bought one for the BIG tub in Vegas but I didn't think of it until it was too late.   
My friend Kristen in Virginia - one of the girls we went to letterbox in New York with - sent us a fun gift!! She sent a chicken from New Mexico (my kitchen is full of chickens) and Rest in Bees honey. It is honey from beehives in the Congressional Cemetery - how cool is that!! Here is an article about it.
Scott and I are always looking for neat places to visit - not just the run of the mill type places. Scott found a book called Atlas Obscura - turns out they have a website too. There is also one called Roadside America They have list and lists of amazing places in the world you wouldn't know to look for. There are some in every state - some are beautiful or odd , like this 31 foot statue of Paul Bunyan in Portland
I don't even know where this is it was so long ago - 2011!!
or the biggest ball of yarn - or a huge garlic statue. Fun stuff - so take a look at them and see what is in your neck of the woods - you might be surprised!!
Well, I am off to conquer the world - or at least quilt some squares. I know the weather all across of great nation has been crazy - stay safe and warm!! Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Stitchy Plans

Happy New Year!! I am going to start with stitchy news - that way if that is all you came here for you can click out before my Oregon coast story. So when I went back and counted my 2016 finishes - there are 43. Not bad! I did have duplicates - not all pictured but they still count!! I made 6 Tricky Tweets, 2 Acorn Shaker Box lids, one whole Gardner Goode Witch and two of just the witch (made into bags) 5 of the small Santas and 4 of the Juggling Snowflakes. There were 23 single pieces and I even managed to finish a Teresa Wentzler! All of these are under the Finishes 2016 - 2017 tab above. I have two finishes to show
Tis the Season by Blackbird Designs
 I used Picture this Plus 36 ct Pewter Edinburgh. I changed the threads - no Belle Soie for me! I am willing to share which colors I used if you want - just leave a comment!  The white shows up better in person - there are snowflakes and writing on it.
Pomegranate Santa by Plum Street Sampler
This one was fun to stitch until I got to the snow - ugh. When I bought the threads the shop was out of Shabby Sheep (snow on bottom) so I thought I would substitute another white. I couldn't pick one though and ended up ordering 2 skeins of the Shabby Sheep. I posted on Instagram that I was waiting and Craftycoleyoley suggested WDW Grits- good suggestion. I did the top in that but waited for my order to do the bottom - took 3 damn days to do all that snow. I actually finished it on Jan 1 but I had already put 16 on it and I would have finished in time but..... I lost my needle - then I opened a new pack of gold DMC needles - the first one must have had a rough edge because it kept shredding the thread. I changed and the stubby end made it difficult to get the needle through the back to anchor it and I bent the hell out of it - next needle the eye broke  - BROKE - wth! If I hadn't fussed with that forever it would have been done in time. Ohh stitchy problems HAHA. So let's talk about 2017. I picked up my rotation again -
Teresa Wentzler Fantast Sampler

Glendon Place Red Velvet Cake

spot 3 is smaller pieces so I actually finish a few and these are kitted

Bothy Threads Mad Hatter's Tea Party
When the big ones are done I am putting in Teresa Wentzler Storyteller (WIP), Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow
and I would like to do Prairie Schooler Alphabet - the one that starts with A is for Anchor - is anyone willing to let me borrow some of those charts? *gasp* yes, I asked to borrow. I only need a few of them - not all. So the best news is that I finally whittled away at my WIPS I think I started 2014 with 11 and now I only have one left! Well, if you count the ones in my rotation I actually have 5 but 4 are active so - no county!! These projects and the quilt from my last post are my 2017 goals and that is the stitchy news!
The last week in December there is a gray whale migration - from Alaska to Mexico. We drove to Depoe Bay OR to see what we could see. We had a wonderful day!! Our first stop was Toasted in Depoe Bay - they have the best breads - YUM
 I had Cardemom (SIC) Bread spread with cranberry jelly Scott had blue berry - delicious!! 
 This guy works there
I love these tattoos - he makes a great Santa!! He was very nice and talked to us about whale sightings.
 Depoe Bay
 Cobble Beach in Newport Bay - the sound of the cobbles in the waves is a wonderful sound. I have a video but I couldn't post it
Yaquina Head lighthouse

Otter Rock Oregon

Devils' Punchbowl

beach balls
We stopped at several places along the coast from Depoe Bay to Newport Oregon. We saw whales but it was through binoculars and they were about 20 miles off shore. It was still neat and I hope to get out on a boat in the Spring to see them up close!! I couldn't see them at first and started to throw a tantrum - like that would help. Scott could see them - I couldn't get the binoculars to work. I finally saw them - and every time I did, I gasped (silly) but it moved the binoculars so I'm lucky I saw anything. So cool!!  We even did some letterboxing. We didn't do much because it got cold and started spitting sleet. I am still getting over being sick and the hike up from Cobble Beach made me cough! We got home a little after dark and stayed in for the night. If I had a list of my top ten favorite days it would be in the list.
I am feeling better every day. I think I am over it - still cough a little but no big deal. We unchristmased the house, finished up our Vegas hotel and car plans. Everything is back to normal. I hope you had a safe and fun New Year's Eve! Thanks for stopping by!!