Red, White, and Blue "Geeky" Moment

Ok. I'm going to be a geek here for a moment.  A "Big Trouble in Little China" movie geek to be exact.

A few months ago, I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased several things to make a 4th of July wreath for 2013.  I don't ever actually recall owning or making a wreath for Independence Day so this year I wanted to change that and put out something festive.  I finally got around to putting it together this weekend and I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out.  I think that it will be great for Memorial Day and/or Veteran's Day as well.

So how does this relate to my geeky movie moment, you ask?  Well, I had spread my items on my kitchen table and was looking everything I bought when I started thinking about all the red, white, and blue that was going to go on my wreath.  For some strange reason, a quote from "Big Trouble in Little China", a favorite movie of mine from years ago that I still watch periodically even today, popped into my head.  (It's a guilty pleasure.)  The line is, "Here's to America's colors, the colors that never run."  My geeky brain thought that this was very appropriate for the upcoming holiday and fueled my efforts to get this wreath completed as soon as possible.  I finished it up this morning, gluing it into place and proudly displaying it on my front door.

It's a silly reference but it got me motivated to complete my wreath.  Now, I think I'm going to go watch the movie with my hubby.

WIPocalypse 2013 - June Update

I'm back in school.  That's my excuse for this month.  *wink*  I haven't been cross-stitching a lot lately or doing anything crafty for that matter.  I started back to school about 3 weeks ago, summer classes that last for about 9 weeks.  I'm a Horticulture student and identifying plants and creating a project notebook of 100 plants, as well as taking care of my husband after surgery has been taking a lot of my free time.

I did manage to work on one project, however.  I finished the cat face for World of Charity Stitching and I am just starting on the "Hug Me" tag that will go on the finished cat pillow.  I even picked out some pretty cool fabric to go with the colors I chose for the face and tag.  I've posted the cat face and I'll add a photo of the fabric once I've completed the tag that goes with it.


Last stopping point

Just an in-progress photo

The finished kitty face

Happy stitching until the July update on the 22nd!

TUSAL Progress - June 2013

This past Saturday (6/8/13) was the date for sharing the monthly ORTs for the TUSAL challenge.  As seems to be the case here lately, I'm a bit late with my progress posting.  I didn't have a lot of time this month to dedicate to cross-stitching or my other crafts.  My husband has been recovering from major surgery and I've had to do a lot more for him around the house.  I never really realized just how many little things he does until he couldn't do them anymore.  I've also started back to school again so my free time is a bit more limited.  Anyway, here's my updated photos for this month.  Not quite as many colors as last months but still pretty.

 

 The next posting is due July 8th.  Be sure to check out the link to the TUSAL challenge by clicking on the list on the main blog page.

 

Happy Stitching!

Charity Stitching - Cat Pillow

So today I signed up for a really cute cat pillow through the World of Charity Stitching (WOCS) Yahoo group.  You cross-stitch the face and a small message that says "Hug Me" and it gets sewn into a cat-shaped pillow body.  I started on it right away as I'm excited to see how it turns out!

Previous pillows made by WOCS' members in 2012

My Starting Point

The pattern was created by one of the group members and we're currently working on several to hand out at a retirement facility.  I am not normally one that enjoys stitching on Aida cloth as I find it way too stiff but it is a requirement for this particular project.  I chose a 14 count fabric from Charles Craft called "Platinum".  I went back and forth on what color to make the eyes but I chose a seafoam green/blue.  I chose a pretty pink for the ears and I have another, lighter pink picked out for the nose.  The design includes two flowers just outside of the design that almost look like cheeks.  I'm still trying to decide on what color to make the flowers but I'm leaning toward a peachy/coral.  The matching message will be in the same colors and I'll have to find a coordinating fabric for the body.  Unfortunately, I cannot sew at all (one talent I never acquired) so my cat will be put together by one of the ladies in the group.  I'm even thinking about doing a second one!  I can't wait to see what they look like when finished!  I'll keep you posted.

A Late Spring Afternoon at Gibbs Gardens

The Main Entrance

Earlier today I decided to head over to Gibbs Gardens, north of Atlanta, GA, to see how the garden has progressed since I last visited in March 2013.  When I was there before, it was to see the daffodils (they were gorgeous) so there were not a lot of trees with leaves or any other type of flowers.  Spring had just really started.  I had been getting photo updates on facebook from their page and it looked beautiful.  So beautiful I just had to go visit again. 

I was not disappointed.  Gibbs Gardens is a spectacular garden set in the North Georgia Mountains.  It's only been open to the public for a couple of years.  I thoroughly enjoy visiting them when I can and I'm so glad that it's only about 45 minutes from my house.  The gardens always have something different in bloom and it definitely changes every time I visit.  Currently, the hydrangeas are just starting to really to bloom and the knock-out rose bushes were covered in pink and red flowers.

I've included just a few of my photos and trust me, it was hard to pick just a few.  I took a TON of pictures in those couple of hours that I was there.


Be sure to check out their website by clicking here.

The Japanese Garden

The Rose Garden

The Monet Bridge

A New Addiction? Hmmm...Maybe

For the first week after my husband's surgery, my mother-in-law came to stay with us and help out any way she could.  Now, unlike some unfortunate wives, I have a great mother-in-law and enjoy her company.  We actually have a lot in common but the most obvious is our love of crafts.  So of course, since she was going to be staying with us for a week, she brought along a couple of projects that she has been working on, one of which is a latch-hook rug.

Now I've seen the standard latch-hook rug kits in Hobby Lobby in the past but I've never actually tried one.  Most of the time, the available kits are more simplistic patterns like smiley faces, tie die spirals, ladybugs, etc.  I was looking for something a little less cartoon-ish or child centric.  Before ordering online, however, I decided to go ahead and see what kits were available at Hobby Lobby since it had been quite some time since I last checked.  Much to my surprise, I found a really pretty kit of Daisies and Poppies.  I snatched it off the shelf (it was the last one) and headed home with it and my brand new straight latch hook.

 

I started separating the threads of yarn as soon as I got home and realized just how big my new project is going to be.  There's a LOT of small pre-cut yarn pieces in the box!  My Daisies and Poppies rug is going to be approximately 36 inches by 30 inches.  Pretty good size for my very first latch hook project!  Apparently, in this case, I didn't believe in starting out small!

 My mother-in-law was nice enough to help me get started and showed me how to use the latch hook.  I'm still trying to figure out how I want to proceed with completing the design.  My mother-in-law prefers to work one column at a time while the directions state to move horizonally, row by row.  I actually think I am going to try doing small blocks at a time but that may change as I move along.  If anyone has ever tried this craft, I'd love to hear how you prefer to proceed through the pattern.

My Handsome Pip...

...And sweet Casey

Oh, and I would be a terrible fur-mommy if I didn't mention that my sweet Casey and handsome Pip also helped with my new project.  Pip especially loved the yarn and had to make sure that I was separating the colors correctly!

I'm not sure just yet if this will be my newest craft obsession/addiction but I definitely am looking forward to seeing how my rug progresses!

Pots, Plants, and Pillows, Oh My!

Today I finished purchasing my plants and accessories for my backyard patio.  I added new pillows and a tabletop fountain to my set-up this year.  I spent the afternoon outside, listening to music, potting my plants, and trying not to get sunburned.  It was only about 84 degrees but humidity was up and, well, they don't call this place "Hotlanta" for nothing!  In the sun it got quite warm.  Luckily, there was a nice breeze blowing and I was mostly in the shade.

Tomorrow I think I will focus on my crafts again.  Rain is in the forecast for the afternoon and evening and as we all know, that makes for great crafting weather!  I hope you are having a great weekend and find some time to work on your projects.