Where does the time go?

Soooooooooooo, a short 6 months later and here I am again. What?! How does that even happen. Time passes so quickly. Sheesh!!!

Instead of a New Year's resolution, I went with a focus word for this year once again. For 2019 I've decided that my focus is going to be 'DONE'. I have so many things in progress (crafting and everyday life) that I just want to get some of them done. Wish me luck!!

What even got me moving in that direction (craft wise) is a piece I had stitched years ago. It was a Christmas piece and over time had gotten loose in the hoop I had used to finish it. For years I had been telling myself that I needed to fix it. For years! I finally decided that enough was enough and I needed to just get that done.


So I did.

Here's the piece from before....

It was getting all loose and stretched out in the frame. Not to mention that over the years it had also gotten dirty.

I had glued that baby in place and, to be honest, I did one heck of a job doing it. I had a devil of a time getting that piece out. I didn't want to just cut it because I didn't have all that much room around it. In the end, I had to break that hoop into pieces to get the stitching out of there.

After all of that, it deserved a little time at the spa.

After a good soaking, drying, and pressing, I put it back together in a new finish.

I bought a package of cloth napkins and used them to make a pillow cover. I stitched the cross stitch piece near the edge and then covered my stitch line with some gold trim that I hand stitched on so that I could hide the stitching.

The napkins are sewn together on three sides. The white you can see is some ribbon used to tie the bottom closed after I put the pillow form inside. This is a great way to be able to store the pillow cover instead of having to store a hole bunch of fat pillows.

So, that's one thing done. Now on to many others...........or at least that's the plan.

French Bread

I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but life keeps demanding my attention.

Anyway, I've made this recipe a couple of times now, and it was delicious both times. I found it on pinterest, but you can get the recipe here.

This is how mine turned out:

It was really easy. The instructions are well written. And it's totally worth the effort.

Stitch Maynia......

Hey all!

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my Stitch Maynia posts. I know they came to a sudden halt, but I have experienced some technical difficulties.

My phone and computer have not been on speaking terms as of late.

They are currently in counseling and I think they're about to have things worked out.

Stay tuned..........

Stitch Maynia Day 3

So, we have here another project that I started last year but have not completed.

I'm starting to sense a pattern here ................ and I don't like it.

I have at least worked on this one between then and now, so that's a plus.

 

I have made some adjustments on the words to suit myself, which also meant I had to tweak the colors on the heart a little. But, it's all good now. I'm not thrilled with the fact that the 'd' doesn't show up so great, but it doesn't bother me enough to pull anything out and re-do it.

I made noticeable progress on it, so that makes me happy. I could have worked on it more when we got home last night, but I just wasn't feeling it. I really just wanted to go to sleep. lol

This is one of the pieces that is on my Year of WIPs list, which means my goal is to get it completed before the end of the year. That means that once Maynia has passed, this one will be coming out again......and it's got a LOT of white on white to be done. *sigh*

Stitch Maynia Day 2

I was pretty pleased with the amount of stitching I got done on day 1.

Day 2...........not so much.

This was also a piece started last year. It is actually a birth announcement. However, I'm just going to leave the 'birth announcement' part off because I love the bunny and that fat, white bird.

But, as you can see, I didn't get a whole lot done last year, I only managed a little spot on the bunny's chin.

 

 This go round I managed to at least get the nose stitched. Half of it I got to stitch twice, since I used the wrong shade of brown the first time. Hooray....... 

I did decide that since she's got kind of a big pumpkin head that I need to outline it and then carry this with me in the car where all I'd be doing is filling it in. Then maybe I can get a lot accomplished on my ride back and forth to work (especially since we get to leave the office these days while the sun is still out.) Of course, I haven't DONE any of that yet, just decided to. Ha!

Stitch Maynia Day 1

So Stitch Maynia started yesterday. If you don't know what it is, there is a Facebook group by the same name. On the first of May starts Stitch Maynia. There really are no rules. Everyone just focuses on their stitching in a way that suits them.

I will be participating for 18 days to coincide with the year. If I have not finished a project that was started on the same date from previous Maynia's I will work on it. If I have finished the previous one, I will start a new project.

So, for day 1, I worked on a little witch that I had started in 2017.

Here is a picture of the finished pattern. I'm not doing mine on a sweater........just some off white aida.

 

This is where I'm starting for this round of Maynia.

I actually had more time than usual to stitch yesterday, so I made some pretty decent progress.

All that green hair is exactly how I feel about my hair on humid days. Can anyone else relate?

Making pretty good progress (for me, anyway) makes me want to keep going on her. But there are so many other projects in front of her. Guess I'd better keep going on them.

OK, see you tomorrow for the next update.

Easter has come and gone

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter........and April Fool's Day.

My Mom got in on the April Fool's spirit. She used doughnut holes dipped in chocolate to make cake pops. Then she dipped some raw brussel sprouts in chocolate to look like cake pops. She put them all mixed together on one plate so it was luck of the draw when someone grabbed one to eat.

I'm not gonna lie.....it was pretty funny watching people's reactions when they got a brussel sprout.

It was a good Easter, too.

Here's some of our Easter-ness (That's a word, right?):

I made this cheese ball.

It's supposed to look like a chick.

If you close one eye, squint the other a lot, and concentrate, you can make out the chick.

The Easter Bunny still delivered baskets.

If you can see the llama in the llama basket, she is awesome. She's super soft and is wearing pink llama pajamas. If you'd like to order one of your own, I got mine from Polka Dot Pig Folk Art. She's got a lot of fantastic stuff.


I made these individual size apple pies using cupcake tins. I asked Abigail to use the left over crust to put decorations on each. She made Play Boy bunnies. Really?!

This is a final finish on a cross stitch piece I think I had shown previously. The pattern is from Bent Creek. It's the Easter Cracker. I stitched it up on a tan aida. I glued magnets to the back after I mounted it on a square board. The background is a piece of scrapbooking paper. The magnets on the back of the cross stitch piece are holding it in place. Then I made a simple bow from some burlap ribbon, which has a magnet glued to the back of it.  They are all sticking onto a black metal chalk board that I got at the dollar spot in Target.

I can change this out as often as I like...............if I can manage to get more pieces finished.

Anyway, it's an idea.

A quick crochet project

My sister-in-law is expecting her first baby in April. We're all pretty excited about it.

She had her baby shower last Saturday (March 3rd) and I decided to make something for the baby.

I got on Pinterest and looked at all my pins for crochet, but didn't see anything I liked for a baby boy. So then I decided to look on Ravelry.

Bingo!

I looked at several things and finally decided to go with the Hudson Baby Blanket. It's an easy pattern and was a pretty quick stitch.........especially for me since I seem to always have too much to do and not enough time. Oh, and add to that that I decided to do this in the middle of February, completely ignoring that March was just a couple of weeks away.

Regardless, I got it done.

 

The pattern calls for Bernat Baby Blanket yarn, but my closest store didn't have that in the colors I needed. Instead, I opted for Bernat Maker Home Decor yarn in Pebble Beach and Aqua and crocheted with the two yarns together.

To package it for gift giving, I used a cake box with the clear opening in the lid.

I think she liked it.

Making coffee mixes

Sometimes, especially in the evening, I like to have a cup of coffee but I don't want to make a whole pot. That's why I love the General Foods International Coffees. (I think they're now Maxwell House coffees.)

Anyway...........

While I was online one day looking for a way to purchase the GFIC for a lower price, I came across this site with recipes to make a few of their flavors myself. So of course I had to give it a try. Since the Cafe Vienna is my favorite, that's the one I tried.

Here's the recipe from Top Secret Recipes

Cafe Vienna

• 1/4 cup instant coffee
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Coffee-mate creamer
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Grind the instant coffee into powder using a coffee grinder.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in a sealed container.
3. To make the coffee drink, measure 2 tablespoons of the powdered mix into a coffee cup. Add 8 ounces (1 cup) of boiling water and stir.
Makes 9 servings.


Now, with me being me and all, I didn't make it quite like the recipe says. It wasn't on purpose or anything like that. I wasn't paying attention and measured my first two ingredients incorrectly, then tried to figure out what I actually had done, then tried to adjust the remaining ingredients based on zero knowledge of what I did with the first two. Perfectly clear, right?!

Regardless, it still tastes pretty good. The next time I make it, I'll add more cinnamon, though. Oh, and I'll actually follow what the measurements are supposed to be. *sigh* One thing I changed (on purpose) was that I used Splenda instead of sugar. Even if I wasn't using the zero calorie sweetener, I would probably opt for powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar, just to keep my mix more consistent. 

If you try any of the recipes, let me know what you think. And if you change them up, let me know that too.

A finish

This year, for the second year, I am participating in a group effort of Year of WIPs. (If you don't know, a WIP is a Work In Progress. It is often confusing keeping up with what these acronyms mean in different areas of our lives.)

Anyway, at the beginning of the year, I chose 18 WIPs - because it's 2018 - in hopes of getting them all completed this year. I chose some that I knew would be no problem, some that will challenge me, and some in between.

Well, over the weekend, I got one of my pieces finished.

I started this in February of last year as part of a Facebook group, Freebie February. I made some mistakes that only served to frustrate me, so I sat it aside...........and mostly ignored it. I decided to finally push through and get it done as part of this year's challenge.

I'm thrilled!

This is my third piece from my YOW list to have completed. I guess I could take pictures and show the other two that I've finished. Duh! But what finishing three already means is that I'm going to run out of the easy-to-finish pieces soon. Eek! Then I'll just be left with my challenge pieces.

If you would like to stitch this, the pattern is free at here.

Wait just a minute...................

How can I be out of yarn when I'm not done yet?

Isn't this supposed to work like not being out of money if I still have checks?

It's a new year....

Okay, it's mid February. We are well into a new year, but still........

Each year, instead of resolutions, I like to choose a focus word. This year I've chosen 'DO'.

I spend so much time with ideas running around in my head and buying things to make those ideas a reality, and then they sit there.

Waiting.

Getting buried under the supplies of other new ideas.

And nothing.

I hope to change that this year.

So here I am............doing.........posting again.

I have been cleaning out my dungeon and have managed to DO a few things because I've come across the supplies again.

Huh!

Imagine that!

But it does cut into my cleaning time.

I made these earrings out of Bratz doll shoes:

I have no idea why this popped into my head as a must-do thing, but it did. So I finally got around to DOing it.

Honestly, it feels good.

It also feels good to be cleaning up my craft room. There is stuff in there that I question why I ever hung onto it. Am I the only one that does that?

I also finally hung a shelf in there. I've been contemplating it for ages and I finally just did it.

It thrills me.

Is this why people are known to say adulting is stupid?

Because a shelf being hung on the wall rocks my world?

I suspect it is.

I did have a huge accomplishment at the end of last year.

I finished my oldest cross stitch piece. It's a Norman Rockwell and it was 25 - 30 years in the process.

No lie!

Some of the detail:

Now that leaves the oldest unfinished piece in my collection somewhere around 24 years old. I guess I'd better get to it too.

Oh, and if you're so inclined, check out my videos on YouTube..... you can find my channel at Taryn Verleye

I can see a finish in my future

Y'all.......

This is my oldest yet-to-be-finished project. (As far as I can remember.)

I started this project (I almost typed problem.....Ha!) somewhere between 25 and 30 years ago.

YES! It has really been that long.

And the worst part is, I had about 3/4 of the stitching done when I stopped working on it. Why do we do that?

It shames me that I put it away so long that I had completely forgotten ever working on it. BUT, I have been working on it almost every day, and I have every hope that it will be completed before the end of the year. Especially since I'm so close I can almost taste it.

Wish me luck!

Don't think I've told you....

Well, with me being me, I don't think I ever thought to put it on my blog, but I do have a youtube channel. It's mostly about the things I cross stitch, but there are other things I talk about too.

Check it out if you are so inclined.

Here's the most recent:

I have been busy

I know it's been some time since I've updated, but I have been getting some things accomplished.

I have finished off a few more small cross stitch pieces.


The Alamo

A little country kitchen

Easter bunnies

Grumpy Cat

The Alamo and the bunnies are both from kits. The country kitchen piece is from an old cross stitch pattern book of towels. And the Grumpy Cat is a free pattern from Brookes Books. If you have not seen her stuff, go check her out. There are some lovely patterns there to be sure.

I use these little pillows as fillers in a bowl on my sofa table. It's fun to stitch on something small and quick that I can change out for the different seasons.

I have done things other than cross stitch too, so I'll try to get back a little more quickly and show you those.

Quick Easter Decoration

This was so quick, easy and inexpensive. I'm pretty sure that's the crafting trifecta!!

All I used as a tray from the dollar spot at Target, some cheap candles, and jelly beans from the dollar store.

I love it when a plan comes together.

The Bluebonnets are in Bloom

I think this will be our last cold spell of the year. Spring is definitely in the air. I took one of my daughters to spend spring break with her grandparents and the bluebonnets are starting to bloom, and they are gorgeous, as always.

Some time ago, I made some of my own. I just never posted them here. 

 

I used a stamp from a scrap booking store as my pattern. The flowers are simply french knots that are left loose around the needle instead of pulled snugly to it. The leaves are just a satin stitch.

I used a variegated floss and fussy stitched (you know, like fussy cutting) based on how I wanted the color to flow. I used two different colors for more variegation.

I also dyed my own fabric. I laid my hoop on a piece of white cotton. Then, I took a blue Sharpie and drew a mark along the top of my hoop on my fabric. I took it to the sink and poured alcohol on it, which makes the Sharpie run. When it was like I wanted it, I ran it under water to stop the process. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and hope to do some more experimenting with it.

A Few Finishes

These are some of the cross stitch pieces that I finished last year.

As you can see, the Merry Christmas is the only piece that has been fully finished. I guess that needs to go on the list of things to be better about, too.

Better this year

Happy New Year!!!

I'm so sorry that I was mostly absent last year. I did stuff.....I just didn't put it here.

Soooooo, this year, once again, I have chosen a focus word for the year rather than setting resolutions that will be broken and forgotten by the end of January. My focus word for 2017 is 'Better'. Keeping up with this blog and my other one are both part of my goal of being better. And there are only a million other things that I need to be better at also, but anything I do better is an improvement.

Awhile back, I had seen a picture in a catalog of a sweatshirt with a lace heart on it. The price on it was outrageous, and especially so since I knew I could make one. There wasn't anything special to it.

I took a sweatshirt from my son (he never wore it) and got a lace curtain panel off of ebay for a couple of bucks.

 

 I cut the shape out of my lace. Used iron on bonding to attach it to the shirt, and wallah.......

 

If you decide to make one, a word of caution though.  Because lace is, well......lace, make sure that you have some wax paper, or freezer paper, covering what would be the exposed part of the lace so that the bonding stuff doesn't melt to your iron.

If you try it, let me see some pictures. I'd love to see yours and see what other shapes people might choose to go with.

Thanks for stopping by. I'm going to try to be BETTER about posting this year. And I hope that everyone has a year that is better than last year..........even if you had a great year last year, I hope that this one is even better.

See ya soon!

I'm still here

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. Life just seems to have it's own plans regardless of mine sometimes. 

In my absence I've somehow managed to become the 'crazy cat lady.' We already had two cats that are house cats. We live out in the country and wanted a cat for outside. A stray that hangs around my Mom's house had kittens so we decided to take two of them. In the meantime a cat and her kittens started showing up at the office. I decided to try to catch her and the kittens in order to get everyone fixed. Well, we caught her and one of her kittens.

It turns out that the Mama cat was pregnant again and repaid my kindness by having three more kittens!! We've now got 9 cats and one of those outside cats is also pregnant. I don't even know when she went into heat. I've managed to have two of the cats fixed, but how did I even get into this?

Anyway, in my world if crafting, I've fallen in love with cross stitch all over again. I've even started a channel on YouTube for my flosstube videos. You can check it out if your interested. My channel is Taryn Verleye.

One of the projects I've been working on is a set of free patterns from Brooke's Books. It's her Animal Advent Calendar.

How cute is that? There's a set of 25 animals and they're adorable. And, they're free! 

I've also made a few needle minders to go with what I'm doing. 

They're listed in my etsy shop if you think you would like one. 

I'll be back sooner with more updates.