Holy Crap, I'm an Idiot

Another non-stitchy update - sorry guys, I'm working on it!

This post is for two things: the first being that I'm an idiot. A while ago I setup an email account for blogging and set it up so that all emails that went to it were forwarded to my personal account. OR SO I THOUGHT. Turns out that since APRIL I've been getting emails to that account, including YOUR responses to my comments on your blog, but they haven't been getting forwarded. Only just now when the fabulous Lesli from Fabulous Frogger RAKed me a chart for my birthday and sent me a facebook message telling me to check that email address did I realize it. Now I feel like an idiot. So, if you responded to one of my comments and I never got back to you, it's because I'm an idiot. Now you know.

And on that note - Lesli RAKed me Thomas Cole's "Course of the Empire: Destruction" which has been on my wish list for FOREVER! Isn't she just the sweetest?

Now if only I could start it RIGHT NOW :)

Thanks Lesli! It came at the perfect time because literally seconds before I got your message I stabbed myself in the center of my palm when my knife fell after cutting open an avocado. Awesome.

All Moved In

Here I am! All moved in, just trying to clean up the giant mess. No stitchy update this time around (sorry!) but I wanted to thank EVERYONE who commented on my last post and weighed in on the fabric options. The lovely Crafty Princess and lesli from Fabulous Frogger have both been gracious enough to send me samples of 22- and 20-count fabric for me to test my little heart out and see which one I like better. Thank you, ladies! I'll let you all know what my choice is once I have made it.

As I'm writing this, a storm is brewing outside. It went from a fabulously sunny day to windy, dark, and stormy in a matter of minutes. At least it's not cold! Boyfriend and I moved into our place on Saturday. I have to tell you all, I am SO GLAD we got professional movers. We're on the second floor of the complex and I would not have wanted to carry all our furniture up those stairs, even if we didn't have much. As it stands, though, I literally did not have to lift a finger. They separated the boxes by room and even put our bed together. Worth every penny, which per our calculations actually cost us less than getting a U-Haul. Go figure.

The apartment is still in disarray and we just bought a bunch of new furniture which has yet to arrive, so I'll share a photo of the only room that is done so far - the dining room. I'll share more as I finish them (here comes the lightning and thunder!).

And Boyfriend's addition to the dining room, which I discovered hiding in our newly acquired Ponytail Palm:

The tablecloth needs ironing, but I put it on the table before we purchased an ironing board... so there.

In other news I worked all of last week - 39 hours. I couldn't do 40 because I'm officially part time. I love it. I'm a floater so I work in all different parts of the library, wherever I'm needed and last week I was in circulation all week. It was great! (I think the storm just ripped one of our hanging plants out.... sad face). I have all of this week off due to the move and then I start back up again next week.

So all in all things are going great! I hope all of you are doing well - we just got Internet today so I've started perusing blogs again. I'll be back with a (hopefully) page finish soon so until then - happy stitching!

More College and STUFF

I really think there is going to be too much in this post to just have a title... so "stuff" is all-encompassing. I'll start with College, though, for those who are here only for stitching.

1. Before:

After:

College of Magical Knowledge by James Christensen from Heaven and Earth Designs

Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave

1 thread over 1 with DMC

Now here's the thing - I'm changing my rotation. Most of you know that I really want to finish College by Christmas. Of this year. Stop laughing. I even made myself a little schedule. By this Saturday, I should be finished with page 14. Hey, guess what, I'm on page 9. Hmmm... So what does that mean? A new rotation, of course! It will be such: one page of College, 10 hours of the next project on my list, one more page of college, 10 hours of another project, and so on. It is entirely possible that I will want to chuck College into a fiery pit with this rotation, and I'm totally willing to accept that.

2. Next item on the agenda, I have a problem and need your help! We all know I'm a little bit nutty when it comes to my stitching. Lately I've been inexplicably super fired up about it - probably because I've been ridiculously stressed out the last two months and stitching is kind of my safe place. Anyway, I have this tradition where I always buy myself something with my first paycheck. I don't blow the whole thing, but whenever I start a job I ALWAYS go out and treat myself. I've decided to treat myself to a chart and some fabric this time around. The chart has already been picked out: "The Present" by Thomas Cole from Golden Kite but I'm having a problem with the fabric. I usually stitch on 25 count and would LOVE to do that in this case. BUT they have blended threads, which means I would have to stitch with 2 threads and I just can't do that on 25 count because I know, from experience, that although the coverage of it is FANTASTIC it's very difficult for me to stitch and I just don't enjoy it. So I wanted to stitch it on 22 count Hardanger because I was thoroughly convinced that Mario was stitched on 22 count. Well, today I checked and I'm counting 17 stitches per inch on Mario. HUH?! I bought the fabric 6 years ago for that and I very well could be wrong but whoa. Personal shock. That means I've never stitched on 22 count and I don't know what the coverage will be like. I have to order the fabric online (probably from Cross Stitch Heaven) and I wanted to order for the accompanying piece ("The Past" by Thomas Cole from Golden Kite) at the same time since I plan to acquire that one soon, too and want to save on shipping costs. I'm really nervous that I'm going to order it and then HATE stitching 2 over 1 on 22 count and have to order 20 count and waste a ton of money. Anyone have any sort of solution to this? It's long and convoluted and if you're still here, you're a trooper.

3. A rant. My birthday is coming up. It's next month. My parents asked me what I wanted. I want a color laser printer with wireless networking capabilities. My inkjet printer was basically on its last legs, I start school soon, laser printing works better for highlighting cross stitching charts, and wireless because handsome helpful Boyfriend and I are now living together, so it'll be easier if we can both print to one printer from multiple devices. My parents had no problem with this, they picked out a printer, purchased it online, and are having it shipped to me. FedEx was the shipper. On their tracking page they said "out for delivery" on Saturday. Saturday, I stayed home. And waited. And waited. And waited. Most of the day went by, I checked tracking, and it said that FedEx knocked on the door and there was no answer. Rage ensued. NOBODY KNOCKED. No notes were left (as FedEx usually does when there is no answer). No notes were left on the landlord's house either (since she's on the same property). I call FedEx. They said they would send a message to the distribution center and someone would call me back. Nobody did. The tracking now says that delivery will be on the 10th. If I don't get my package on the 10th, I'm hands down filing a complaint. The landlord was home all day and she said that nobody knocked on her door either. So, basically, they lied.

4. I start work tomorrow. Yay! AND we move into our place on Saturday. The moving company already picked our stuff up from California and they should be here Saturday or Sunday with our things. I cannot express to you how excited I am. On the one hand, I'm glad we found a temporary living situation. On the other hand, this house is not my home. The things in it are not my own. The cat is an evil biting bastard. The dryer doesn't work. And it's 20 miles out of town. One way. Whine whine whine. This is such a whiny post.

5. Last, but not least, Anne tagged me in 11 questions! I won't pass it on because I'm certain practically everyone has already done this. BUT feel free to answer Anne's questions, too, and post your answers in the comments! I'm curious to see :)


1. What is your favourite season and why?
Spring, because everything seems like it's going to be alright. You just can't beat a beautiful day.


2. Do you like to stitch seasonal pieces?
No. It has never been my thing, and I haven't really found one I want to completely devote myself to. Christmas is great but I would only want to stitch something Christmas-y at Christmas. I'd start to resent it if I stitched it in the summer.


3. Favourite kind of music or musician?
I like all kinds but my favorite groups are Muse and The Strokes. I like a lot of classical, too, and movie scores are probably my favorite things to listen to when I'm driving.


4. Favourite folktale or fairytale?
Norse mythology - hands down. Especially now that I've been to Iceland.


5. How many languages do you speak and what are they?
Fluently - 2: Polish and English (Polish being my first language). Not so fluently (aka not so well at all) - 2: French and Japanese. I took four years of French in high school and 5 levels of Japanese in College.


6. Who would you rather have: Aragorn or Legolas?
Aragorn. I like them rugged. That's why I'm dating a geologist.


7. Dream vacation?
Iceland. FOREVER.


8. A favourite saying and why?
Not really a saying, but something I say a lot, "I know, right?"


9. Your most prized possession?
Hmmm... probably my stitching stuff. Just because I can't claim Boyfriend as a possession, strictly speaking.


10. Who you look up to and why?
Liz Sterling because she's GORGEOUS and SUPER sweet. But seriously, I don't know. I just strive to be the best person I can be. 


11. What is the hardest thing you have ever done in your life?
Moved to Texas, because I've never lived this far away from my family, on my own. Also, I'm a pansy.


There you go, folks. If you're still here, congratulations! Until next time! Not sure when that will be, of course, as the Internet here goes out quite often.

WIPocalypse, the Seventh Coming (and lots of news!)

I'll start with the WIPocalypse and share the news at the bottom of the post for those who are only looking for the WIPocalypse.

"College of Magical Knowledge" before WIPocalypse:

Last WIPocalypse:

Now:

College of Magical Knowledge by James Christensen from Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave
1 thread over 1 with DMC


"Mario" before WIPocalypse:

Last WIPocalypse and Now:

Mario - darklilac.com self-made chart
Stitching on 22 count white Aida
2 threads over 1 with DMC


"Riding the Wave" before WIPocalypse:

Last WIPocalypse and Now:

"Tiny Rose Garden Mandala" before WIPocalypse:

Last WIPocalypse:

Now (FINISHED!):

A Tiny Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine Designs (freebie)
Stitching on 32 count hardanger
2 threads over 2
DMC, Thread Gatherer Silk n' Colors, and Mill Hill Seed Beads


"Middle Earth" before WIPocalypse:

Last WIPocalypse:

Now:

Middle Earth from Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave
1 over 1 with DMC


"Greek Mandala" was not started before WIPocalypse.

Last WIPocalypse and now:

Greek Mandala by Chatelaine Designs
Stitching on 32-count antique white Belfast
2 over 2 with DMC, various silks, petite treasure braid, delica beads, and Swarovski crystals


The moral of the story is that moving across the country is not conducive to getting stitching done. I can't wait to get the rest of my projects here. I've been itching to stitch like crazy. I think I finally realized why I love stitching so much - it gets my imagination going. I get put in whatever landscape or project I'm stitching. It's wonderful and magical.

I've got two pieces of news. The first is that the bathroom is finished! I'll show you guys the before and afters. I'm pretty proud of myself since I designed most of it, and I think it looks good!

Before:

Yeah, I know, I have a lot of stuff on the vanity... oh well.

Now:

I think it looks pretty nice! We went with a beige tile on the wall and a gray tile on the floor (which you can sort of see in the last picture - it's also the same tile we used for the baseboard). Anyway, mission accomplished. Too bad I'm not there to see it.

The other piece of news is that I got a job! I sent an email to the Midland County Public Library a week or two ago and they said they were interested in having me volunteer. Yay! So I went over there last week to meet everyone I would be working with, the director of the library walked by, we got to talking and he hired me. Right there. It was actually kind of bizarre. I then had to apply for the position that  I was just hired for. And I start Monday. Crazy. It's kind of perfect, though, since I'll be getting experience in that for which I'm going to school (what a convoluted sentence that I probably messed up).

In other news, Handsome Helpful Boyfriend has been working 12 hour shifts and I've been missing him. The Internet went down about a week ago and only got fixed today (and we don't know for how long, either) so it's been kind of boring around here without a Boyfriend to bother and with a cat who bites at every opportunity.

I added a "Wish List" tab at the top of the page because I'm an evil enabler and like to share pretty things. So, if it strikes your fancy, feel free to drool over what I've been drooling over. The Thomas Cole pieces from Golden Kite are going to be my next acquisitions. Sometime....

Also, because the Internet has been down I haven't been able to read blogs. So here I go again, catching up with all your beautiful work.

Stalk stalk stalk...

Back to the Rotation

Things are starting to settle down here. In two and a half weeks we move into our apartment and the movers should bring our things by July 20. Until then, I'm working my rotation again with the three pieces I have: College, Middle Earf, and Medieval Shelf, with College getting the most attention. I've never worked it in 10 hour rotations before and I'm playing catch-up with my "deadline" schedule (as seen on my left sidebar) so I can finish by Christmas. I'm liking it so far.

Before:

After:

College of Magical Knowledge by James Christensen from Heaven and Earth Designs
Stitching on 25 count antique white evenweave
1 thread over 1 with DMC


I read Theresa's blog at OctoberLace's Stitching and Knitting Notes and discovered something I never knew existed: knit lace. It's beautiful and I want to be able to do it. So I bought some yarn, found some patterns online, and have started practicing. Right now I'm on simple patterns, and I think it's going well. Keep in mind that I'm learning everything from the very beginning. I've been bookmarking youtube videos and reading websites and trying to expand my very minuscule knowledge. Once I feel confident enough in what I'm producing, I'll show you guys but for now, I'm focusing on getting better, and stitching of course!

How nerdy is it that I'm totally excited to be able to stitch my own doilies?

On to Middle Earf!

EDIT: Handsome helpful Boyfriend. Crisis averted.

A Finish, TUSAL, and more!

I think it's only fitting that post 100 for me would be a finish. I didn't plan it, I actually just logged into blogger and noticed that I have 99 posts. So for my 100th, I have a finish.

Tiny Rose Garden Mandala Before:

Finished!

A Tiny Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine Designs (freebie)
Stitching on 32 count hardanger
2 threads over 2
DMC, Thread Gatherer Silk n' Colors, and Mill Hill Seed Beads


I have already mailed it off to California for my mom to use her magical sewing skills and turn it into a pillow since I've broken every sewing machine I've ever touched. Ever. I'll be sure to post pictures of that once it's finished, but my work here is done. It feels good to remove one of the projects off my sidebar!

Next up is the TUSAL. My TUSAL and threads stayed in California (the threads are getting shipped out with the movers but I'm going to have to get a new jar). So until then I have a temporary slot in my stitching box where I've been putting them and here it is:

Exclusively Rose Garden Mandala threads in there.

Next up, I bought my first pair of fancy sunglasses ever today! By fancy I mean actually good for your eyes. The Texas sun is a lot stronger than the California sun I'm used to and it hurts my eyes. So I've been doing a lot of squinting. Now, because I wear contacts (for severe astigmatism) the squinting causes my contacts to move, which causes me to not be able to see very well, which makes driving really difficult (and terrifying, did I mention terrifying?). I have some cheap sunglasses, but they weren't really solving the problem. So I dragged handsome helpful Boyfriend out today on a mission to buy good sunglasses. I ended up spending a bit more than I hoped (but way less than I expected) and got a pair of Ralph Lauren aviators. Now, honestly, I'm the kind of person who looks absolutely ridiculous in sunglasses, but I feel like a total badass in these. So here they are:

That's my best badass face. I need an FBI badge.

And last, but certainly not least, I have the creepiest Boyfriend in the existence of time. And to prove it, I have this photo:

I think that explains just about everything.

Happy stitching everyone!

June IHSW

It was handsome helpful Boyfriend's order that I hermit this weekend, so what's a girl to do? I dug out my stitching, cat-proofed it, and went to work!

Before:

After:

A Tiny Rose Garden Mandala by Chatelaine Designs (freebie)
Stitching on 32 count hardanger
2 threads over 2
DMC, Thread Gatherer Silk n' Colors, and Mill Hill Seed Beads


I'm thinking I'll most likely finish by the end of the week! Beads and all.

Texas so far has been not bad, apart from the whole sick cat fiasco. Boyfriend is at his first day of work right now and I'm at home, job hunting. Might have a potential lead, granted it's for an unpaid position but in this economy, experience is sometimes more valuable than an actual paycheck, so cross your fingers for me! In a little while I have to go to the store to get things for dinner and then I have to clean up a little bit.

This may sound kind of pathetic but I've forgotten what it's like to be on my own. For the past year I've lived at my parent's house and although it wasn't a free ride, so to speak, I didn't have nearly the responsibility I should have had. Living with Boyfriend is great, too, since he's actually super helpful around the house. He washes dishes, vacuums, and does basically anything I ask him to do if I'm feeling overwhelmed, which lately I've been feeling quite a bit. Understandable, I think. I've come to realize that Texas is kind of like another country where everyone speaks English, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It was like that when I went to Iceland, too. The land is completely different than in California. People drive differently, the cars are different, customs and culture, people, stores, everything. The common denominator is that everyone speaks English. It's an interesting experience, without a doubt, and not a bad one, just will take some time getting used to.

Until then I will stitch, clean, cook, and look for a job until I find one. I'm excited to go back to work, even if it would be in a volunteer or part-time position, especially considering I start school soon! Signed up for classes last week.

Hopefully I'll be back soon with a finish! Catching up on blogs, too, by the way - I haven't abandoned you all!

Thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!