Thursday, December 6, 2007

Wind Storm

We just survived the worst wind storm in our county's history! The wind blew continously starting in the 20-30 mph range (32 - 48 kph) on Sunday evening. Late Sunday/early Monday morning the wind picked up considerably and blew hard for the next 24 hours. We came through it just fine - we only lost our electricity. Thankfully, we have wood heat so even though there was no fan to distribute the warmth, the living/dining room and bedroom were kept in the 70's.

Our house is in the middle of the city, literally one block from our electric company and we were without power for 48 hours. That is an indication of how bad the damage was - after the local hospital, we are always the first ones to get our electricity back. At the worst, 90% of the entire county was without power. Wind gusts at the local airport were registered as high as 81 mph (129 kph). Quite a bit of the county is still currently without electricity.

One of the rural roads had an estimated 500 - 700 trees down. Trees all around the city were snapped or uprooted. A large number of homes had at least a few shingles missing from their roofs. One of the buildings in the industrial area of town lost its entire roof - all that remained were the joists. Signs were missing from Home Depot, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dairy Queen, a local tavern and many others.

Below are some photos of the damage but these are the least damaged areas. Clicking on a photo will show you a larger image.





The sign at Radio Shack leans precariously.






The stop lights are dark and the wreath on the pole should be 90° from where it is.


If you look to the right of the power pole, you can see the alder trees that snapped.

Our next door neighbors' plum tree was uprooted.


Holly anyone? This holly tree was uprooted and managed to fall the only direction that it could without causing any damage.



The tree on the right, snapped and fell between the houses. The one on the left uprooted and seems to be held up by the house (it was impossible to see what damage the house sustained).


Another tree that came partially down.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Play Poppit!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Quilting show

This past Saturday, my sister Amber, our friend Abby and I all went to the Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. The Festival is held in the western U.S., several times. Oh, for those of you not in Washington state, Puyallup is pronounced pew-ALL-up.

Abby is not a quilter - yet. I think the combination of Amber, me and the show has created a new convert! ;-)

We all showed remarkable restraint in our purchases. No credit cards were harmed in the course of the show.

What I did buy was:
  • Romanian Point Lace: Christmas Ornaments, Book #1 by Sylvia Murariu
  • a bundle of 4 1yd cuts of fabric with roses - Victorian style
  • Strip Delight: 10 Fabulous Quilts from "Jelly Roll" 2½" Strips by Suzanne McNeill

Sylvia Murariu was working her booth. All of her items were GORGEOUS! She is a very charming lady and gave us a quick demonstration on making Romanian Point Lace.

All three of us purchased the same bundle of fabric as and we're going to see what each of us comes up with.

After the Festival, we had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's at Hawk's Prairie. Yumm!

Since the Festival didn't take as much time or money as we expected, we also stopped at JoAnn Fabric & Crafts in west Olympia. I purchased:

  • Double Wedding Ring Add-On which is an Omnigrid product - book and acrylic template
  • 6, count 'em, 6 Santa Claus ornaments - my Santa tree should be even better this year!

Well, that's all for now. Happy Stitching!

Stacy C.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Another ornament + Eagle in Moonlight



Well, I've finished another ornament. I don't think I've done this many ornaments in one year since I was in my mid-teens! Back then, they were beaded bells and it only took about 1½ hours to make each one so I made lots. Here's my latest finish.



Charmed Santa Faces - Series II


Joyful Santa


kit from Mill Hill




Thanks to a new digital camera (yeah!!), I've finally gotten a decent picture of my Eagle in Moonlight. The frame and mats are from PictureFrames.com. Click on the picture to see a larger version.


Wednesday, November 14, 2007

More Mail Order S.E.X.

Woo Hoo! Got my order yesterday from ABC Stitch Therapy. Here's what was in the lovely package:

  • Rainbow Gallery Fuzzy Stuff in white
  • Skein of DMC Precious Metal Effects in gold - E3821
  • Mill Hill Glass Treasures - Wreath with bow
  • Mill Hill Glass Treasures - Holly Leaf (2)
  • Mill Hill Glass Treasures - Silver Star
  • Mill Hill Magnifica Glass Beads - Vanilla
  • Mill Hill Magnifica Glass Beads - Antique Cranberry
  • Mill Hill Crystal Treasures - Clear Rondel (2)
  • Mill Hill Crystal Treasures - Siam Rondel
  • Weeks Dye Works - Whitewash
  • WDW - Teal Frost
  • WDW - Kohl
  • WDW - Cypress
  • WDW - Red Pear
  • WDW - Bordeaux
  • Gentle Arts Sampler Threads - Tarnished Gold
  • GAST - Cherry Bark
  • GAST - Adobe
  • GAST - Shaker White

Almost all of these items are going to be used for various ornaments from the 2007 Just Cross Stitch Ornaments Issue.

Happy Stitching!!

Stacy

Monday, November 5, 2007

2 recent finishes




Well, I'm definitely in the Christmas mood early! I just finished a quilted wallhanging that I've been wanting to do for several years. It feels really good to have it done! The overall measurements are approximately 22 inches x 28 inches.
I've also just finished another Santa ornament. I am really enjoying stitching these as they work up quickly and are cute yet elegant at the same time. Now I can hardly wait to start decorating my Christmas trees!! ;-)




Charmed Santa Face
Santa Claus
from kit by Mill Hill

Monday, October 22, 2007

Santa Claus is comin' to town

Actually, I got mail-order S.E.X.* today! The companions to my 2 previous Santa ornaments arrived from ABC Stitch Therapy http://www.abcstitch.com/

Some of them are from the Charmed Santa Face series:
  • St. Nicholas
  • Father Christmas
  • San Nicolo
  • Kris Kringle
  • Saint Nick
  • Santa Claus

The others are from the Charmed Santa Faces - Series II:

  • Joyful Santa
  • Santa Jingles
  • Santa Noel
  • Father Frost

The tree in my home office is always done in Santas so they will definitely have a place this Christmas. I'll have to remember to take photos of all the trees I decorate this year. Hmm, better make a note to myself to do just that.

Happy Stitching!!

*S.E.X. = Stash Enhancement eXperience

Celebrate the Return...

of Victoria magazine!! I just received my first copy (the first issue) on Friday. For previous fans of the magazine, this will not disappoint! Apart from the references to the fact that it is a comeback - there is no difference from the magazine as it was before. Ah, the joy!

Here's a link to the website: http://www.victoriamag.com/

If you've never seen the magazine before, it is worth checking out! If you love anything remotely connected to the Victorian era, it is a must that you get this magazine!!!!

Ok, I'm done gushing now. ;-)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Seeking Designer links

I am in the process of updating the designer links on my website and want to know if I am missing any. Check out the current list and let me know your favorites. You can either post a comment to this message or you can Email Me.

Here is a list of the designers that seem to have gone missing?? If you know anything about these designers, please let me know. Thanks!


  • 2 Busy Stitching
  • African X-Stitch
  • Alisa's Cross Stitch Designs
  • Albany Hill
  • Amken Cross Stitch
  • Arnsby Crafts
  • Brown Dog Stitches
  • Carolina Country House
  • Champagne Collections
  • Columbine Designs
  • Couchman Creations
  • Country and Colonial
  • Craftsmen's Studio
  • Crafty Designs 2000
  • Cross Stitch Out of the Ordinary
  • Cutworks
  • Deb Bergmann
  • Douglas Designs
  • Dreams of Stitches
  • Ellen Maurer Stroh
  • ERA Designs
  • Gerry Buckley Cross Stitch
  • Graphworks
  • Handwork Samplers
  • Harvest Moon
  • Heritage Needlework Designs
  • Holingshausen Needlework Design
  • Hollie Designs
  • Holly House Designs
  • It's a Stitch
  • Jazzbird Designs
  • Julie Oliver's Australian Cross Stitch
  • June Grigg Designs
  • K. Elaine Kramer Designs
  • Karen M. Hankla Designs
  • Lesa Steele Designs
  • Linda Driskell
  • Lisa Overduin Designs
  • Lone Deer-Sonagolese Designs
  • Lorri Birmingham Designs
  • MaJor Presentations
  • Many Flowers Designs
  • Maritime Cross Stitch
  • MI Cottage Craft Industry
  • Morgan Designs
  • Mulberry Folk Art
  • Ned Adams Originals
  • Nessy Lynn's
  • Northern Sky Designs
  • Nostalgia Needlework
  • Of Female Worth
  • Offe's Cross Stitch
  • On the Fantasy Wings...
  • One More Stitch
  • Pitter Patterns
  • Punto X
  • The Sampler House
  • Sarah L. Ricketts Designs
  • Sigrid Designs
  • The Silver Thimble
  • Stars Hearts and Friends
  • Stitch Hiker
  • Stitchy Fingers
  • Sunshine and Smiles
  • Susan Joy Designs
  • Victorian Masterpieces
  • Victorian Stitch
  • Vintage Designs
  • Web Stitch
  • Whiskey Creek Ink
  • Winning Designs

Thanks and Happy Stitching!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Rewards sites

For those of you who shop online, I thought I'd share a few of the "rewards" sites that I use.

In case you are wondering what I'm talking about, a rewards site gives you "points" for using their site to get to the site where you would like to shop. Since the various companies pay to be listed on the reward site, there is no charge to you the consumer! (That's always great!) Different rewards sites use different point values but from what I've seen, it all works out about the same.

If you do sign up for one (or more) of these, I would appreciate it if you give me credit for the referral. I don't get money for it but I do get a few points. My email address for this is: MilkLass at hotmail.com

Thanks!

MyPoints http://www.mypoints.com - I've been with them for years!

Memolink http://www.memolink.com/ - Another one I've used for years.

FreeRide http://www.freeride.com/ - not as good as the others but still worth using

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Another ornament finish

I finished another ornament this evening.

  • Charming Santa
  • Charmed Santa Faces - Series II
  • kit from Mill Hill

Happy Stitching!!

2 Small Finishes

I finished a couple of small items recently. The first is a Santa Claus ornament.













  • Twinkle Claus


  • Charmed Santa Faces - Series II


  • kit from Mill Hill







The second is a hen and chick in needlepoint on plastic canvas (ugh!).







  • Mother Hen

Curly-Q's needlepoint ornament

kit from Needlemagic, Inc.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Made progress on my 1001 list

Well during the long holiday weekend (Labor Day in the US), I made progress on my list.

I managed to cross off item 65 - Organize greeting cards and gift wrap.
I had no clue how many greeting cards I have!! They are all sorted by type (birthday, anniversary, etc.) now.

I also got to cross off #80 - Organize print photos.
They are in envelopes grouped by vacation, people, etc. The negatives are not stored with the prints - they are stored in a fire-proof box. Some of the negatives have also been converted to digital files and the files are stored somewhere other than my p.c.

I've also started on item #41 - Make a scrapbook of our trips to Las Vegas. This was much easier to do now that I have my prints and digital photos organized!! I had to order actual prints of quite a few of my digital photos so that I could complete my Vegas scrapbook. I got them online through Snapfish. If you are interested, they only cost me 10¢ per print + shipping (cause I bought a prepaid package).

Happy Stitching!!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Item #24 - Read 50 Books

Here are the books that I read while working on this goal. As you can probably guess by the books on the list, when I read a book, I read a book!



  1. The Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward.
  2. An Elegant Madness by Venetia Murray.
  3. Journeys into Medieval England by Michael Jenner.
  4. The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Chastain
  5. The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

My 101 in 1001 list.

Well, I finally figured out what my 101 in 1001 list was going to be. I'm starting this on August 7, 2007 so I should finish on May 4, 2010.

Here's the list:

  1. Start personal blog.
  2. Lose 60 pounds [5/60].
  3. Walk on treadmill at least 3x week. [actually doing this every day so far!!]
  4. Get piano tuned.
  5. Bowl a 600 series.
  6. Clean off my hard drive.
  7. Backup all 4 computers.
  8. Convert CDs to MP3 files.
  9. Pay all bills as soon as they arrive. [so far so good]
  10. Keep credit card paid off. [current balance: $0]
  11. Get savings account to $1,000. [Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #1]
  12. Get savings up to $5,000. Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #3]
  13. Open an IRA.
  14. Start filing federal taxes quarterly to avoid late fees.

  • Save up for new television.
  • Sell thimble collection. [a few already sold]
  • Pay an additional $50-$100 per month on mortgage.
  • Finish the clan sections in my Things Scottish shop. [7/67]
  • Finish pages for my tartan cross stitch patterns.
  • Add a Celtic cross design to my Things Scottish shop.
  • Update existing sections of the shop to include newer items.
  • Get items online for all holidays in Shop the Holidays.
  • Read entire Bible.
  • Read 50 books. [5/50]
  • Make list of all books ever read. [this is going to be a MAJOR work in progress]
  • Have laser hair removal.
  • Go to a spa once.
  • Get a manicure.
  • Take vitamins daily.
  • Work on the "Baby Steps" from Dave Ramsey. [on 3 of 7 but I get to skip #5]
  • Finish stitching "La Belle Dame Sans Merci".
  • Organize DMC floss.
  • Design 5 cross stitch patterns.
  • Make a Christmas quilt.
  • Make a scrapbook for wedding photos.
  • Make a scrapbook for the house.
  • Make a scrapbook for paternal family photos.
  • Make a scrapbook for maternal family photos.
  • Make a scrapbook of hubby's photos.
  • Make a scrapbook of my photos.
  • Make a scrapbook of our trips to Las Vegas.
  • Make a scrapbook of our other vacations.
  • Make a St. Nicholas quilt (wallhanging).
  • Finish the St. Nicholas doll from kit.
  • Paint craft room. [got 1/3 primed and painted]
  • Remove ugly carpet in craft room.
  • Create a jewelry roll to store earring collection.
  • Stitch 2 projects to be hung in bedroom.
  • Crochet a sweater that can actually be worn.
  • Knit a sweater that can actually be worn.
  • Frame 2 completed cross stitch pieces. [2/2]
  • Stitch at least 2 Santa ornaments.
  • Stitch an Altoid tin topper.
  • Finish afghan for Warm Up America.
  • Make Roman shades for bedroom windows.
  • Paint the bedroom.
  • Make new curtains for the kitchen.
  • Sew a skirt.
  • Upholster dining room chairs.
  • Make a quilted tote bag.
  • Have 2 baby afghans made before they are needed.
  • Get a custom, personal website.
  • Write a memories book.
  • Take photographs to make a local calendar.
  • Organize greeting cards and gift wraps.
  • Finish the index for the Burke county, ND book.
  • Get passport updated.
  • Take an Alaskan cruise.
  • Rent a houseboat in Canada.
  • Take a trip on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train.
  • Take a trip on the Rogue River Mail Boat.
  • Take a trip through the San Juan Islands.
  • Take a road trip.
  • See a Cirque show in Vegas.
  • Learn Spanish.
  • Attend a Seattle Seahawks game.
  • Learn all the countries of the world with capitals.
  • Learn and find 5 new constellations.
  • Learn 1 new word a week.
  • Organize print photos.
  • Organize digital photos.
  • Release books via BookCrossing. [6 released so far]
  • Clean out sideboard.
  • Organize recipes.
  • Make at least 3 dinners a week.
  • Make homemade strudels (German noodles) at least 2x a year.
  • Learn to make cobbler.
  • Make homemade ice cream.
  • Start using grocery coupons.
  • Make a grocery price journal. [started]
  • Enter 2 stitched items in the 2009 fair.
  • Enter at least 1 photo in the 2009 fair.
  • Eat in 2 new restaurants.
  • Try a new dish at a favorite restaurant.
  • Hold a Christmas-time open house.
  • Hook up surround sound system.
  • Host a ladies' movie night.
  • Install a fireplace mantle.
  • Go to 3 movies in the theater.
  • Keep pickup cleaned out.
  • Start new list when this one is finished.

  • Whew, hope I can make it! - Happy Stitching!

    Welcome!

    Hello,

    Welcome to my brand new blog. As you can probably guess from my blog name, I am a stitcher - cross stitch particularly.

    I had been meaning to start a blog for quite some time and finally got motivated when I ran across this website: http://triplux.com/dayzero/ - it's premise is to set 101 goals to be completed within 1001 days. Guess what one of my goals was! (I'll post my 101 as soon as I get all 101 figured out.)

    Now for a bit about me...
    My name is Stacy. I'm 38, married to a great guy, no kids - just one furbaby, a black cat named Spooky. I am totally addicted to cross stitch!! I do have a website for my addiction where I have a gallery of past projects among other things. My other hobbies include quilting, genealogy, reading, bowling, scrapbooking and crocheting.

    That's all for now - Happy Stitching!