Life With Jules, and other stuff

To all of my friends in the path of Sandy, (no, not this Sandy although she has been a bit of a “hurricane” lately) please seek shelter and stay safe! A lot has been happening in my life over the past couple weeks. I have accepted a new job and start on Nov 5th! I am still with the State and keep my benefits, however I will be receiving about $7,000 more in salary per year. I am beyond excited and a little sad. I am sad to leave all of my new friends at DOC. Although we will keep in touch and a few of us plan to still get together for card night. I am excited because it is a position working with veteran’s. This is something I have been wanting to do for quite some time now. And now for the WIPocalypse update! I worked on Coming Home for the Holidays in my SAL with Lana. I am sooo close on this one. I need to do the detail work and contact Dimensions for replacement floss.   I worked on Medallions :   I am not too happy about the new skein of floss (Aqua Clouds by Si...

Yes, I have another Crazy finish! I made myself sit and finish stitching that blasted border today. It took me about 5 hours on and off. Here is a picture of the final product: If I never have to stitch another border like this one again it wouldn’t be soon enough! LOL Guess this means I have to be more careful of the charts I choose. Yeah, right! I also promised an update on The Gardeners , et voila:   Not sure what I will work on the rest of this week. Maybe I will try to finish the second vase in Vibrant Vases . Until next time…

Here are some snaps I took after filling in the eyes, nose and mouth of the pumpkin and cat with Kreinik Glow-in-the-Dark Lemon:

and an update! First, there are a bunch of giveaways happening this month. Just check out my left-side bar for all of the action. I would like to take an opportunity to thank all of you who commented on my last post. It was a lot of work, sweat, and tears, but I am very proud of the work I accomplished in earning my degree. THANK YOU so much for your words of congratulations and your encouragement along the way. I would also like to take an overdue opportunity to say WELCOME to my followers. I will try to be more consistent in my welcoming committee duties now that my scholarly duties are behind me, for just a little while anyway. And the update! Here is where I am at on Boo :     As you can see, the outline of one eye and part of the mouth is starting to form. They are filled in with one of the Kreinik Braid colors I still need to pick up.

…this: “ Boo” – JCS Freebie Design by Sharon Pope Stitched on 28-ct Sand (instead of Salt) Carolina Linen Recommended DMC and Kreinik Fine Braid colors I just have to make a trip to one of my not-so-LNS’s (Kissimmee or St. Pete) to pick up the recommended Kreinik braid. I think I may spend Sunday working on the Coming Home for the Holidays. I haven’t touched it in a couple of weeks and really need to get the lead out to have it finished for Christmas for my dad! I am starting a new work schedule this week, so that will definitely help me accomplish the finish. I also wanted to share this with you: Yup! I received my diploma in the mail today!!! I am so happy. Now I just need to get a frame and matte board for it and hang it next to my BA diploma. Woo Hoo I picked up a few items to include in the PIF, Swap Party, and Biscornu exchange tonight. I should finally be mailing out the PIF Monday!

…went up the water spout! Thank you so much, Gen , for sharing your great designs this week! I really enjoyed stitching up Itsy Bitsy Spider: 16-ct Dk Yellow Aida fabric using recommended DMC Floss. Instead of using 2-ply floss on all stitching, I used 3-ply of DMC #310 (black) and 4-ply of DMC #498 (red). I also added a tip to the candy corn. I am not sure yet how I will finish this piece, but am leaning towards a pin pillow or ornament. I only wish I would have thought about picking up some glow-in-the-dark green floss today and restitched that area around the eyes. It would have been cool! Maybe I will stitch it again with some glow-in-the-dark colors!! Thanks, again, Gen!! I did make a little change to my previous post to include the link to the design so those who may want it can get to it. Also, I am marking my stitched pieces counting towards the Great Pumpkin Challenge (2010 Finishes in right-side bar) in Orange.

Here is my 2nd finish on the Great Pumpkin Challenge 2010 : I used the pumpkins from the Cricket Collection design The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy but changed them up a wee bit. Instead of using the recommended floss, I used some random DMC that I have in my stash. I stitched these two pumpkins on 14-ct Antique White Aida (Charles Craft). I am thinking about giving a try at a pinkeep using this piece so stay tuned…. Off to do more stitchy stuff!

**update 4/18/10: I did receive word that Sandra finally received her package. Here is a snap of what was sent: Well, I managed to finish the HalloSAL design. There are supposed to be eyes on the ghosts at the bottom, but I like them without. I did add a little bit of a border around the bottom as well. I got a little “trigger happy” and stitched one too many of the little grass areas at the bottom, so I extended them around. I like the way it turned out and the design was fun to stitch. I did learn a couple of new stitches along the way, but still haven’t overcome my fear of french knots! lol…Anyhoo, here are a couple of pictures of the final piece: I am planning on framing it or creating a bell pull. I need to learn a different finishing technique, so the actual finish may not happen until later in the summer. Now on to some PIFs and the 3 larger pieces I am working on (Christmas Design SAL Comin' Home for the Holidays , Butterflies and Shamrocks Wreath , and ...

Do you remember that show? Well maybe this will help you... Happy Happy Joy Joy !!! Presenting.... The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy Stitched on 28 ct Mushroom Evenweave (MCG Textiles) Recommended Floss: DMC and SILK'N Date Started: 30 Jan 2010 Date Finished: 11 Apr 2010 That's all for now! Until next time...

I decided to post an updated picture of my progress on The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy . I will have it finished this weekend for sure! Here is the latest picture: I woke up this morning to find a wonderful surprise on my kitchen table: that huge giveaway that I won over at Cindy Mae's blog at the end of 2009! Yay!!! I am a bit overwhelmed with all of the goodies inside the package and so thankful to be the recipient of such a wonderful prize! Thank you so very much Cindy Mae!  :D Here are some pictures of my winnings:  Group 1  (you will notice that Cindy Mae included a small stitched piece and a couple of her cording)  Group 2  Group 3  Front of stitched piece by Cindy Mae. I just love it!!!  Back of stitched piece Even Sandy had to take a look at all of the stash I received! I am not sure what I want to do first, but there are a couple of front-runners for sure.  I will post another update on the finished Great Pumpkins tomorrow along...

I have to thank Parsley for sharing this video on her blog. It is really an interesting little video and fits well with today's government: In stitchy news: I have not completed The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy yet. I was called in to work yesterday and today and will be working the rest of the week. Yay!!! It may not be full time, but it's nice to get out of the house and do something fun and useful once in a while. Needless to say, here are some progress pictures I took last night: I've just the lower left corner to go! What you don't see is that I have finished the border along the top of the design. I left this piece in the qSnaps while taking the pictures. If I don't post before then, HAPPY EASTER CHARLIE BROWN !

Thank you so very much, Cole, for this lovely award! It has certainly brought a bit of sunshine to this rainy (stormy) Sunday in Central Florida. The rules of this award are: Put the logo on your blog or within your post. Pass the award to 12 bloggers. Link the nominees within your post. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award. So, for the 12 to whom I will pass this on! I am finding new blogs all of the time that are interesting to me and may be interesting to others. For this, I will pass along to as many of those newer ones as possible. Confessions of a New/Old Homeowner Joanie's World Kate's Crafty Blog HeartFelt Originals Decor to Adore Loretta's Stitching Blog Olenka's Stitches Seasons of My Mind Sprinkles When Good People Get Together X Stitchin' Away Sylvia's Several of my choices are not necessarily stitchy related, bu...

Well, I have spent the last couple of days putting a ton of stitches into The Great Pumpkin Conspiracy . My goal is to finish it over the weekend. Here are a couple of pics of my progress: I also noticed that there was a flower on one of the orange trees outside my bedroom window this morning, so I went outside and took some pictures of the trees. Here are a few of them: I had never really seen an orange blossom up close until this morning. While working my way around one of the trees, I began to notice the fragrance. What a wonderfully spring-like aroma! I also noticed some bees busily pollinating the flowers. If you look closely, you may catch a glimpse of one. Don't forget to check out the giveaway corner for giveaway opportunities on other blogs! Well, that's all for today! Thanks for stopping by!!!

(Warning: Picture Heavy) I will start with an update. I have (almost) completed part 5 of the HalloSAL, although I am counting it as complete. I just need to fill in the eyes on the pumpkins and for that I need to buy some petite seed beads. I tried without success to do the french knots. I just don't have the patience for them. Here is an updated picture: Yesterday morning I awoke thinking that I would spend the day working on the Butterfly and Shamrock Wreath . Well, my wee little mind started spinning and I remembered another design that I picked up last year at The Black Sheep Shop in Orlando by DebBee's Designs . It's her Holiday Highlights St. Patrick's Day . So, around 10am I began stitching the design. I worked on it on and off all day and by 9pm here is where I was at: There was a new stitch in this design for me: the herringbone stitch. I think I am fairly comfortable with that one now, lol! This afternoon, I picked it up and finished it. I even finish-finish...