I've been tagged 3 times!

I have seen this tagging on other blogs, where you answer 11 questions about yourself, then send 11 new questions to 11 other bloggers.  I've been tagged by Kaye, Beth, and Rhonda!

Kaye wants to know:

What is your earliest memory?  Sitting in my crib and eating raisins!

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you like to visit and why?  I have always wanted to go to China to walk on the Great Wall of China and see the terra cotta soldiers (I was lucky enough to see some of them at a museum).

List your top five designers and give at least one reason why each one is your favourite.  This is a better question for my daughter than me!  But I'll say anything from Fashion Bug or Lane Bryant or Catherine's that comes in plus sizes.  LOL

If a movie was being made of your life, who would play you and what would the theme song be?  Sandra Bullock, because she divorced her cheatin' husband and is raising her child alone!  Theme song Hell Wit Ya by Pink.

What is your favourite movie? Why?  The Wizard of Oz!

List five of the most influential historical figures and explain why you picked them for your list.  Jesus Christ, Michelangelo, Vincent Van Gogh, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr.

What do you love doing most in the world?  Cross stitch!

Cats or dogs or both?  Why?  Both!  I have 2 big dogs and 3 cats.  Dogs are loyal friends and will protect you, and cats let you pet them and keep your seat warm.

What is the one thing about your life that you would change if you could?  Should have stayed in the first college I attended until I graduated.

Why do you blog?  So other stitchers will cheer me on and encourage me to finish my projects, and so I can do the same for them!

If there is one luxury item you could acquire, what would it be?  A giant deluxe motorhome with free unlimited gas so I could go on vacation anywhere I want.

Beth wants to know:

1) Ice Cream, cake or cookies - which do you like best and why?  Cookies, because I like to bake many different kinds and give as gifts for Christmas.

2) When you stitch, do you sit at a table or on a recliner, or just where?  My first choice is sitting on the couch with my feet on a footstool, and my second choice is sitting at my desk as I'm waiting for work to type.

3) Do you like to travel and if so by car, bus, train or plane?  Yes and all of the above, cruise ship, too!

4) Where would you like to visit the most?  China

5) If you have children, do they do any crafts and which ones?  My son is 28, and his only "craft" is playing video games.  My daughter is 24, and she learned to sew and crochet in high school but hasn't touched it since.

6) What is your most favorite memory from childhood?  My mom always brought lunch to me at school  because she was too rushed to make a sack lunch in the morning, so I ended up getting tacos and burritos, chili dogs and corn dogs, and other fast food that made the other kids jealous!

7) Do you have a dream goal?  Either in stitching or in life?  My dream goal is paying off all my credit card debt, and the end is in sight!

8) Do you have a group of friends that you stitch with and if so, how often?  I am in the SoCalCrossStitchers Yahoo group and we meet at a restaurant to stitch a few times a year.   In fact, I am meeting them this Saturday!

9) Do you like music, and if so what is your favorite kind /musician?  I like listening to 70's and 80's music, pop and disco, especially Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees (no country music!).

10) What is your favorite color, and do you wear it often?  Red.  Yes, I have many red shirts that I wear to Angels baseball games, and lots of red purses.  I love a red purse!

11) What is your favorite season and why?  Summer.  When I was a kid, we were out of school and could play outside all day.  As an adult, I'm glad the sun is still shining later in the day so I can do things after work.  I just hate the winter when I go to work before the sun is up and get home and it's already dark.

Rhonda wants to know:

1) Where in the world are U?  Sunny Southern California, USA!
2) How do you like your steak cooked?  Well done.
3) Charcoal or gas grill?  Either one.  I don't do the BBQ cooking, just the eating!
4) What is your favorite vehicle?  Anything with 4 doors and a trunk, I'm not picky.
5) Whose your favorite actor & actress?  Matt Damon and Meryl Streep
6) Favorite movie?  The Wizard of Oz!
7) What is your guilty pleasure?  Fast food drive-thrus! 
8) Favorite quote?  "There's no place like home."
9) What is your favorite flower?  Jasmine, because it smells so good at night.  I always plant it in front of my house wherever I live.
10) Who is your favorite SUPER HERO?  Batman, because he has the cool car and all the gadgets!
11) If u could do anything for a day, (no worries about kids, monies, etc) what would it be?  Go to Alaska or Canada and see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) in person!


I am going to be a party-pooper and not send 11 new questions to 11 other bloggers, so I hope nobody minds if I break the chain!

More holiday stitching!

Cackle update #3

I finished the witch and the moon.  The chart has the moon in lavender, but since my fabric is that color, I chose a light variegated yellow instead.  I have decided to give this one to my friend for her birthday in two weeks, since Halloween is her favorite holiday!  You can see what the finished picture will look like on my UCJC page.

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day #2) update #4

The wings of the birds are done and I stitched some more red of Santa's coat.  Linda has already finished Day #2.  I wonder how far Kaye has come on this design.

Harley-Davidson logo (small) finished!

I glued the Harley-Davidson logo to a magnet sheet and then cut it out.  My dad loved it!  Here is a picture of it on their black refrigerator.

Some of you might remember that I started a Harley-Davidson puzzle for my boyfriend last year.  I didn't finish it in time for Christmas, so I decided to wait until his birthday in June.  Well, he got tired of waiting and asked me to take it apart so his sister-in-law could put it together for him instead.  She finished it but I had my friend Beth frame it with orange and black mats in a large black frame.  The puzzle size was 20"x28" and the frame size was 24"x32".

Harley-Davidson puzzle finished and framed!

Reminder about two Mystery SALs!

As I mentioned in a previous post HERE, I signed up for two Mystery SALs that are starting in just a few more days!

Passione Ricamo Fairy Mystery SAL preview of part #1

The deadline for joining the Passione Ricamo Fairy Mystery SAL is June 30.  The chart will never be published and will only be emailed to the SAL participants, one part each month for 12 months. I ordered the Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid and Mill Hill seed beads from Stitching Bits and Bobs.  I made a Passione Ricamo Fairy Mystery SAL page on my blog to keep track of my progress.  There is also a Facebook Passione Ricamo Fairy Mystery SAL page. 


I have also joined the Lizzie*Kate Mystery Sampler Club!

Lizzie*Kate Very Scary

Lizzie*Kate Mystery SAL preview

I ordered my charts, fabric, and floss from Stitch and Frog for the Lizzie*Kate Mystery SAL.  This will come in three parts with part #1, Very Scary, being shipped on June 27.

Now I just need to finish all my WIPs so I can keep up with these two new starts!  Hahahaha!

Two more SAL updates!

Spring & Fall - April update #4

After missing five Saturdays on my Prairie Schooler SAL with Linda and Rosemary, I finally made some progress on the April bunnies!  We are stitching these monthly designs from the Spring & Fall, Summer & Winter booklets from The Prairie Schooler.  Rosemary has already finished March, April, May, and June!

Halloween House update #16

I finished the green bushes below the windows, which was my goal for Friday.  Next week I'll stitch the other two pumpkins on the left side, and maybe the ghost coming out of the window!

I bought these two photo storage boxes from JoAnn's to store my floss.  Instead of winding it on bobbins like most of you, I like to use little ziploc baggies with the DMC name and number written on a file folder label.  Now I need a nice big box to store my fabric.  Right now it is spread around several boxes and bags and not organized at all!

A flamingo, a witch, and a finish!

BBQ Queen update #12

On my Wednesday SAL of Diane Arthurs designs with Linda, the flamingo has appeared, but now he needs legs!

Cackle update #2

On my Monday SAL with Linda, I have almost finished the black witch.  She needs legs, too!

Harley-Davidson logo (small) finished!

Hurray!  I finished the Harley-Davidson logo for my dad.  I have the right size magnet to attach it to, but I'm still trying to decide whether I should use spray adhesive, regular glue, or double-sided tape!

"Harley-Davidson logo"
battybat
Started 2/17/2012, Finished 6/22/2012

TUSAL #6 and another finish!

French Country~Lark finished!

Hurray!  I finished the French Country~Lark to donate to World of Charity Stitching.  It will be made into a quilt with several other French Country designs and donated to a nursing home resident.

"French Country~Lark"
Designed by Judy Whitman
JBW Designs
Started 6/9/2012, Finished 6/21/2012

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 2) update #3

Santa has a face and a hat!  I went to Michael's and bought one skein of floss that I needed for the turtle doves' wings.  I'm so lucky to live so close to Michael's, JoAnn's, and Hobby Lobby if I ever need anything. It looks like I'll be doing lots of stitching in red, as Santa's coat reaches from neck to boots!

TUSAL #6

My jar full of ORTs is growing all year long!  Don't forget to check in on DaffyCat's blog and leave a link to your TUSAL posting, too!

Halloween House update and basket finish!

Halloween House update #15

 

Oops! I missed 4 weeks of the Halloween House SAL!  The plan is to stitch on this every Friday, and I hope I don't miss any more SAL days until it's done.  I finished two more pumpkins on the right side of the fence.  My next goal will be the green bushes under the windows.

Harley-Davidson logo (small) update #2

The small Harley-Davidson logo on perforated paper is quick and easy to stitch!  When the bottom part is done with the word CYCLES, I will glue it to a magnet and take it to my dad, who lives just a few miles away.

I finished my first Pine Needle Basket and love how it came out!  It sure was fun and easy to do.  The base is a circular piece of wood with a hummingbird and flower stamped onto it, which I filled in with colored pencils.  I used a wood-burner to etch my name and date on the bottom.  The basket is made with pine needles that fall off the pine trees and it is woven together with artificial sinew, which is waxy and strong.  Then it is covered in shellac to keep it shiny and firm.  I think I will sign up for the next 3-class session after all, so I can make another basket in a different style this time.

Pine Needle Basket finished!

 

 

 

Just stitching away!

BBQ Queen update #11

My poor BBQ Queen has been neglected! I haven't stitched on her in 7 weeks!  This is my Wednesday SAL with Linda.  We are both stitching Diane Arthurs designs.  This week I stitched the red trim of her apron, but I still have to fill it all in with white.  The pink flamingo is waiting patiently for a body and legs, too!

Harley-Davidson logo (small) update #1

Now I'm stitching a smaller Harley-Davidson logo for my dad.  It is on perforated paper.  I plan to make it into a magnet for him.  The goal was to have it done by Father's Day, but I don't think I'll make it!

French Country~Lark update #1

I'm also having fun stitching this Lark for World of Charity Stitching.  They will make a gorgeous quilt out of all the designs!

Congratulations to Carrie, who won the giveaway of the Mr. Mittens chart!  I wrote everyone's names on slips of paper, folded them up, and picked her name!  She has been in love with Mr. Mittens all along, and I'm so glad to pass the chart on to her.

I'm going to work on my Pine Needle Basket tonight, so I can finish it during my last class on Saturday.  It was nice to learn something new, but I'm sticking with cross stitching until all my WIPs are done! Haha!

New SAL start for Monday!

Cackle update #1

Since Linda and I finished our Monday snowman SAL, we chose another chart from the Ultimate Crazy January Challenge to stitch on Mondays.  Our new SAL is Cackle by Raise the Roof Designs.  This is the start of a witch, even though my daughter said it looks like an octopus!  LOL!  I am stitching on a hand-dyed lavender 14 ct Aida from Stitchnmomma.

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 2) update #2

I missed four Sundays of my Sunday SAL of Santa's 12 Days of Christmas! Since last time, I have added Santa's hands and a sleeve.  Let's hope he has a face next week!

French Country~Lark

I started French Country~Lark last week for a quilt for World of Charity Stitching.  Each square will be a French Country design from JBW Designs and they will all be stitched in dark green.  Today I clicked on the Random Number Generator and it chose #60 out of the 60 starts on my WIPocalypse page, which is the newest one!  I hope to finish it pretty soon and mail it to WOCS.

Happy Stitching, everyone!

Two Mystery Stitch-A-Longs!

As if I don't have enough stitchy starts already (see my WIPocalypse page for the full list), I have just signed up for two Mystery SALs!  I didn't want to feel left behind when I start seeing everyone's update photos on their blogs, so I jumped right on in to the Lizzie*Kate Mystery Sampler Club.  There will be three charts, sent in June, July, and August, to make a Halloween themed mystery sampler.  I ordered my supplies online from Stitch & Frog.

I also signed up for Passione Ricamo's Fairy Mystery SAL.  A page of the chart will be sent each month for a whole year (12 parts).  The cost is 12 Euros, which is $15.37.

Who knows if I will be able to keep up with these SALs, but at least I'll have the charts and can go at my own pace.  Does anyone want to join me?

Happy Stitching, everyone!

WIPocalypse update #6 and two finishes!

Only six more months until the WIPocalypse! Will I get all my WIPs finished in time?  The entire list on my WIPocalypse page is slowly shrinking.  I have moved two more WIPs to the Finishes 2012 page!

Linda and I had a Monday snowman SAL.  She finished Snow Pals and I finished Mr. Mittens.  Next Monday we'll start a new SAL.

Mr. Mittens - finished!

"Mr. Mittens"
Designed by Alma Lynne
Janlynn
Started 1/2/2012, Finished 6/8/2012

I am having a giveaway of the original chart for this design.  The finished size is 7" x 9" and the chart has the DMC color numbers listed.  There are lots of quarter stitches, so I would recommend 28 ct fabric and stitch over 2, or use a sharp needle if stitching on Aida 14 ct, which is what came with the kit I used.  Just leave a comment on this post to let me know if you're interested in this chart, and I will choose a winner on Thursday, June 14.

My next finish is the Harley-Davidson logo which I didn't finish in time for Christmas, so I waited until my boyfriend's birthday in June instead.  The orange hand-dyed fabric is from Stitchnmomma.

Harley-Davidson logo - finished!

 "Harley-Davidson logo"
battybat
Started 11/26/2011, Finished 6/3/2012

My friend Beth works at a framing shop and framed this for me.  I love the custom mat that she made!  The frame is actually silver and reminds me of a motorcycle engine.

Harley-Davidson logo - framed!

I signed up for a Pine Needle Basket Weaving class at the local community center for three Saturdays.  This is my progress on my very first basket after two classes.  It will be finished next Saturday!

Pine Needle Basket top

Pine Needle Basket bottom

TUSAL #5 and vacation photos!

TUSAL #5

Yes, my TUSAL posting is almost two weeks late!  I was on vacation at Yosemite National Park and barely stitched at all, only finishing the orange X's on the word MOTOR (they were only half-stitches before).  Today I did the black border, and now all that is left is the black between the letters.

Harley-Davidson logo update #11

The month of May wasn't very productive in the cross stitch department!  I didn't keep up with any of my SALs and didn't have any finishes at all.  My goal for June is to finish at least five of my many starts that are close to being done anyway.

Here are some lovely vacation photos to enjoy!  You can click on each one to make it full screen size.

This is the first view of Yosemite valley after driving through a mile-long tunnel in the mountain.  El Capitan is on the left, Half Dome in the distance in the center, and Bridal Veil Falls on the right.

 This is Vernal Falls from a distance as we were hiking uphill.

 This is Vernal Falls as we got closer.  I didn't make it to the very top though.  This was close enough!

 We floated down the river on a raft and got this great photo of Half Dome.

This is upper and lower Yosemite Falls.  Notice the RV and cars at the bottom, so you can realize how massive this is!  There were many other waterfalls to see also.

We drove through the snow at higher elevations and saw this little guy who looked like he wanted a ride!