Friday, May 10, 2013

Too tired to stitch?!

As previously mentioned, I have been spending a few hours each day trying to get our landscaping back into shape after a couple of years of neglect. It's funny, because for the first few years after we moved in, all of the plants were so little that I could get all the work done in a day; not so after 10+ years of growth!

A few days ago, I finally finished trimming back most of the plants, except for several on the west side of the house. Here is the reason I have to wait to trim those:


I don't want to scare mommy (to-be?) away!

So, I then spent two days scraping moss from between the bricks on our patio, and then filling in the cracks with paver joint sand; between the scraping and the sweeping I ended up with some blisters, so now I am taking a few days off before I tackle the weeding that needs to be done all around the landscaping beds.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I haven't picked up the model for over a week, now. I'm just so tired by the end of the day, I can't concentrate on such a big piece. I have spent a little time on a Mill Hill ornament, which I'll take a picture of once it's finished.

However, I do have a bit of stitchy news: yesterday I went to a garage sale held by the daughters of a stitcher, and it was like a true treasure hunt! I won't list everything I found, but I did want to share a picture of a very pretty Santa kit that I bought:


But my most prized acquisition was this wooden DMC floss cabinet, fairly filled with Anchor floss, all for $25:


I am currently trying to stop myself from going back over there today, as I did enough damage to my wallet yesterday! ;D

I'll leave you with a sweet picture of my little Callie O'Malley, catching a bit of morning sun:


Hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend!

11 comments:

  1. Awww, such a sweet little post Melanie!!! I must admit, you are brave to tackle the garden. I let my husband deal with this :P I'm a real scaredy cat and really don't like any type of bugs!!! Although, I must admit, my peonies are finally coming out and it's always a joy to admit them :) Hope your blister go away soon so you can stitch again. Great finds!! I wish I was in the area! xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. the DMC cabinet was an awesome buy - i am also currently wrestling with an overgrown garden, i think i might start buying minature sized plants, i'm getting too old to manage these big ones!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Please let me know who the designer of that Santa is!! I love stitching Santas, and that one looks like a Mirabilia that I might be interested in trying (they all look so huge and complex and intimidating!!)!! I hope it's a chart I can find! :o)

    Courtney

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Courtney, the kit was published by Chapelle Designers in 1998, and is called "VA-35 Kit Santa". At the bottom it says "Kitted by Imaginating, Inc., 404 N. Cleveland Ave., Mogadore, OH 44260, Phone: 800-356-0020" (though, keep in mind, it's from 1998).

      I, too, thought of Mirabilia's "Santa's Magic" when I saw it! I'll probably do this one first, as the stitch count is a nice, manageable 110x120. ;)

      Delete
    2. I sent an email to Imaginating with a picture of the kit; I'll let you know if they come up with any information.

      Delete
    3. Okay, it looks like the design is in a book called "Heavenly Cross Stitch", by Marie Barber. HTH!

      Delete
    4. I'm ordering the book right now!! We should do a SAL! What fabric are you using?!

      Delete
  4. Yardwork is exhausting, isn't it?
    Always so much to do out there.
    You found some great treasures at that sale.
    The DMC cabinet was a steal! Enjoy it!
    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete
  5. so lucky to find that DMC cabinet! and that Santa looks great, well done!
    don't worry about taking a break from stitching, it happens. and it usually comes back as a stronger weave, so get ready! ;)
    give O'Malley a cuddle from me, he's such a sweetie pie!
    chiara

    ReplyDelete
  6. Enjoy the cabinet!
    I hope all the best to the momma bird and the little ones.
    And stroke that pretty fur of O'Malley! What a sweet cat!

    ReplyDelete