The Good, The Bad and The UGLY

Only have a moment - busy busy busy. But I wanted to share a few pictures of the things I've been working on. The good, the bad AND the ugly.

First, an update on what I've been doing. I created a bunch of teensy embroidery designs for miniature pillows. I made the pillows with fringe around the edge, because it's easier to make them that way and I think they look more elegant with fringe. I've done way-doggies more designs than are pictured below. I'll be putting them in the shop real soon.

I've also been making sheet sets, bedpillows and quilts ... basically it's a mini bed-in-a-bag. I created embroidery designs based on traditional quilts and then embroidered the design onto the little quilt "blanks". Originally I planned to stitch the design in white thread on a patterned fabric ... gingham or a tiny print ... but after I did my test stitch-out using colored thread on white cotton, I decided I like that also. I think it looks fresh. So, I'll be offering it both ways - white with a colored quilting and patterns with white quilting.

Now for the good, bad and really, really ugly.

Recently I've been experimenting with making miniature lace tablecloths. Last year I crocheted 2 tablecloths (making up the pattern as I went) and it took me several hours for each. I certainly couldn't list these in my shop for a reasonable price, so I started looking for a way to produce something similar using my embroidery machine. Ah, a QUEST!

Anyway, I took a "free-standing lace (FSL)" online class in the hopes I could modify it for my miniatures. The short version of the class is this: you start with water-soluble-stabilizer, build a grid of stitches and then apply the design to that grid. Here's my result. Looks a lot like cheesecloth, huh? The scallop stitches around the edge fell out as soon as I rinsed the stabilizer out and the grid separated into just a bunch of loose stitches. On top of that, the design is completely lost in this mess. UGLY!

My next attempt was a quickie test. I used standard embroidery stitches on tulle. Although this looks better, the tulle is so fragile that just rinsing the stabilizer out makes it feel like it's going to tear. BAD!

This is my first semi-successful attempt and I'm pretty pleased with it as a starting point. It's the same design as ugly (above) but the stitches are modified slightly and they're applied to organza (plus stabilizer). After stitching it out, I clipped the organza very close to the scalloped edging, applied fray check (because organza frays easily), let it dry and then rinsed the stabilizer out. All in all, I'm pleased! I think it's pretty GOOD!

My next creative effort will be table runners and doilies. Then I think I'll move on to lacy hats and corsets. Another QUEST!

Wintry Mix

Texas has been hit pretty hard with winter weather. Last week we were in the 70's (we had a lovely Saturday at the lake).

The last few days we haven't been able to get out of the teens. And since I live way out in the country, I can't even depend on the traffic to make the roads better. I haven't been out of the house for several days and DH has been working from the house (his estimated commute during this bad weather was 2+ hours each way).

And what have I been doing? I'm working on miniature stuff again. I'm hoping to re-open my shops soon, so I'm working on inventory.

I only have a couple of pictures for you, but I'm pretty pleased with my results so far. (Please ignore the peach rug -- I was just checking out the whole effect and didn't have the correct color on hand). I used tiny gingham ribbons (50 cents a roll on close-out at JoAnn's fabric) to decorate the sheets & pillow cases and then I digitized a design for my embroidery machine for the stitching on the pink gingham quilt (made from an upcycled shirt).

In this picture you can see the quilting stitches a little better. Boyz howdie do I need to spend some time with my camera instructions so I can get close-up shots.

I don't think I'll get cabin fever anytime soon since I have so many projects to keep me busy. On the other hand, I'm running low on flavored coffee creamer. This could be a problem!

Checking in

I've been silent for almost a month, so I thought I'd check in. I was soooo busy during the Christmas season that I didn't post any of my December projects, so I thought I'd post a couple of them now. I know you're probably ready ... ready ... READY for Christmas to be long gone, but please bear with me.


This is a bracelet I made for a niece who lives in New York. I bought a silver "blank" bracelet from Michaels and added crystals in 3 colors and real pearls. I like it so much I may make something similar for myself. And for those who are familiar with the Walk to Emmaus, this would lend itself very well to a De Colores bracelet. The long links make the crystals move a lot. It's kind of flirty and fun.


I also made some "crystal" ornaments. I bought a box of big plastic crystals from Target and then used small real crystals and beads from my stash to finish it off. These really sparkle on the tree.



I used different colors, shapes and varied the lengths.




This last picture shows how eclectic my tree is. I made the snowman about 12 years ago. He looks really happy to be sitting next to a pretty crystal ornament.



Ginger, aka Number 6, wanted a picture of the appliances after installation. Although I still haven't done that, I did take a picture of Mark & Andy making buckeyes (recipe from Aunt Ginger many years ago) and rum cake in my new-ish kitchen. We still have several projects to go including (but not limited to) new counters and new flooring. Those projects are next on the list. My new appliances are like jewelry for my kitchen. HA!


I ran across these cookies here and just had to share them. I am SO on a diet right now, therefore I won't be making and/or eating any of these lovelies, but I really enjoy looking at them in all their melted snowman glory.


Now for the final update. I've been looking for MONTHS for new bedding for the master bedroom. DH and I have different tastes ... I tend toward slightly girly and he tends toward very masculine and tailored. Trying to find a compromise has been difficult, but we finally did it. Last weekend we checked out Tuesday Morning and found a Ralph Lauren set in the right colors and we both loved it. These pictures show my olive sheets folded back onto the comforter, but you get the idea.



Although it's floral, it's paired with a glen plaid in corresponding colors, which makes it please both of us.



Love, love, love having new bedding.

Update again

Can you tell I'm excited!!! Two posts in one day?!? New kitchen!! HA!

While I was busy wrapping presents (and drinking wine) in front of the fire ....

DH was installing the double oven. WOW!! No doors on it yet, but ... WOW!!

Re: the presents, I'm re-using the monogram tags I made last year. While the kids were opening presents, I asked them to return all the tags. I like the way they look and will probably continue using them for awhile. Below is the info from last Christmas (since I don't know how to do that "HERE" thing and I don't have time to learn it right now ... did I say I'm BUSY?!).

"Since our kids come here for Christmas, any gift we put under the tree is obviously from us, so there's no need to say To: (child's name) From: Mom & Dad over and over again. Just the To information is important. As a result, I decided to do a real simple design. I cut some circles from red cardstock and used white paint (the kind that comes in a bottle with a teensy tip) and I put white dots all around the outer edge of the circle. Then I printed a monogram that I got from Martha here http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/click-print-monogram-labels?backto=true and printed them on white cardstock. I cut out the white circles and glued them to the red circles. You can see how imperfect the circle and dots are."

But .... I think they look classy on the packages. Last year ....

This year ...

Christmas blessings to you all.

Kitchen Update

Just a really quick update on the changes in our kitchen. DH and I have been busting our behinds to get everything ready for our new appliances. Poor DH worked late last night to get the cabinets ready. We're about to leave for our second trip (today) to the hardware store. That's a bigger deal than it might seem. The closest hardware store (because we choose to live in the quiet, unpopulated countryside) is almost 45 minutes away. So a trip to town takes awhile.

Anywhoo, here's the project update. My just-delivered appliances currently reside in the dining room. HA! I'm sure it will only take a little while to get them all in place. RIGHT! HA!

Quick note. Check out the eat sign in the upper right corner of the picture. My sister, Nancy (aka TexNan aka Sump'n Sassy) made that for me. It's made of white buttons on a checked background that matches my curtains PERFECTLY.

I am sooooo blessed!

Workday

Well … we’ve started work on the cabinets. Our plan was to get the oven space prepared by noon and then start on the cabinet changes (for the refrigerator) after lunch. Then tomorrow afternoon we can concentrate on the space for the microwave.

First there was the oven removal.



Then the microwave removal.


Cutting the new space to size. I really should have removed those platters and bowls before DH started cutting!! Hello-o-o-o!! Sawdust!!

DH is doing all this work with me just handing him tools, shop vac, etc. I’m in the supporting role during this part of it. But when he doesn't need me so much, I've been preparing for the changes in the cabinets. I remove everything from the kitchen cabinets. EVERYTHING.




And I numbered the doors just in case we have to remove them.

We moved the dining table next to the wall, stored the chairs out of the way, I loaded the table with dishes. I couldn’t help but notice some things about which I had forgotten.

Some are keepers. Good coffee cup ... cheerful.

This little silver creamer needs a good polish, but it has really good lines.

This little mid-centuty cup is perfect for tea.

And some things I found are definitely not keepers. A frog on the rim of my cup is not my taste. Totally. Not. My. Taste. I promise I didn't buy this. We received two of them as a gift. This is a really good time to PURGE.

Well, it’s after 2PM and … having worked straight thru lunch … we’ve almost finished with the oven part of the day. I’m still hopeful we won’t be up at midnight finishing the second part of our day.

Wish me luck!

Meanderings

I’ve been out-of-pocket for quite a while! And what have I been doing??

Well … I’ve been volunteering as a secretary at church. I’ve had to brush up on a program I used about 17 years ago (Gee, I wonder if there’ve been any changes?? HA!) and learning a totally new “presenter” program. I think I’m getting the hang of it. I’ve certainly been having fun with the graphics for the bulletins. I’m especially proud of this one I made for Christ the King Sunday. I prepared it in Photoshop and used some tools I’d never used before. I took two different photos, modified them and then combined them. Not easy when you’ve never done it before and you’re using the Help index to figure it out. BUT! I mastered a new skill and that’s a really good thing, cause now I OWN that skill. Woohoo!

Another thing I've been busy with is organizing my "studio". I've been turning the office into a studio and organizing the fabric. I'm beginning to feel like I'm walking into JoAnne's fabric when I walk into the room, but at least I can locate all my fabric now. I've even made room on one shelf for my felted wool stash. I used foam core from the Dollar Tree. I cut them into four strips and then wound the fabric around the strip, securing it with a straight pin.

And I cut the strips into smaller sizes for my fat quarters and large-ish remnants.

Then, of course we celebrated Thanksgiving with 4 of our kids. It’s been years since they’ve all been here, so I was especially THANKFUL.

This was our morning-after breakfast… poached eggs over turkey on English muffins with reheated hollandaise, a little cranberry sauce, and (of course) cranberry juice. Tasty!

On Saturday after Thanksgiving, DH and I went to Home Depot to get a gallon of paint and some nails and we walked out the proud owners of … TA-DAH!

A new LG double oven (convection).

It's cobalt blue inside!! GORGEOUS!!

And a new LG refrigerator.

Some things I love about this frig are (1) the freezer is more efficient (and has more room in it) than the side by side we currently have (2) the filter for the water line is easily accessible (3) an adjustable shelf allows you to store short stuff OR (switch-o-chang-o) tall stuff (4) a long flat drawer that's perfect for trays (5) the space behind the ice/water access is not useless space ... it has some shallow shelves and (6) last, but not least, this particular stainless steel doesn't show fingerprints.

Then we did some serious measuring for our new appliances after we got home and found we’ll have to remove the microwave in order to make room for the new double oven! Sooooo, we ordered (from Home Depot online) an over-the-stove LG microwave/ventihood which will be delivered and installed the same day as the other appliances.

A couple of things I like about this model (1) it has a warming feature which is great if you need to keep a plate warm for your sweet husband when he's late and (2) it has a rising feature for us bread-bakers. (I must make an admission here. I use a recipe for pizza dough that allows a quick 15 minutes of rise time. What I currently do is wrap the dough in a piece of plastic wrap and put it on top of my ventihood with the stove light turned on. That makes it warm enough to have the dough rising at just the right rate. True story ... a couple of times I've been busy with other stuff in the kitchen and the dough has burst the wrap open and jumped right off the ventihood. HA!)

LATER THAT SAME SATURDAY, DH ordered an LG dishwasher.

Pretty, isn't it? And it has a steam feature.

Something I love about this model is the silverware tray. Look at that! Instead of standing the flatware up with them all leaning on each other, this has a slot for each fork, spoon, etc. WAY DOGGIES COOL!

And the controls are on the skinny topside of the door. HA!

As a result of all this (pre-Christmas) spending, we’ll have to do some work this next weekend to remove existing stuff and prepare for the new things. We’ll even have to reconfigure a couple of cabinets, but surely that will be an easy thing to do … surely it won't take long!.?!

Anyway, when it’s all done, we’ll have a new kitchen for Christmas.

Yippee!! Yahoo!!! Whoop, whoop, whoop!!!