Picture of my Contractor

I met with my contractor again today and made lots of headway with my neighborhood. She is so sweet! We got to talking and all of a sudden we remembered that tomorrow is Halloween!! I must confess that Halloween has grown on me through the years. As we spoke, she expressed that she wished to send all of you the best of Halloween wishes. Here she is:

For all who are wondering how my Disney Neighborhood RR is going, it is coming along very well. These days we are choosing neighborhood elements. Lots of my contractor's friends are passing by and expressing an interest in renting apartments and homes. What a cast of characters they are!

My favorite so far is Jack. What a charmer! He was very interested in my endeavor and found out that I share my hobby with you through my blog. He was quite impressed and wanted to greet you all. So, I took a picture of him and his pet, Zero. Jack doesn't know if he will be able to come live in my development, bummer. He did wish me luck and I appreciate it very much.

Along with my friends, I would like to wish everyone.....

Halloween stitches.....

Stitching, Planning & Meeting the Neighborhood Council

I have been a good stitcher this weekend. Stitched a few stitches on my Breast Cancer Awareness piece and continued planning my Disney Neighborhood RR.

Today I went to the Me Myself and I RR blog and found out that a few people have not been able to secure their neighborhood plans and have left the group. That is sad for me because I would have loved to see everyone's efforts and neighborhoods, but I understand that there are only so many hours to the day.

As for me, I have been diligently planning my neighborhood and found the best contractor around. She loved my idea journal and has adores castles. Her pet, Diablo, is a beautiful black bird that perches on her shoulder while she helps me fantasize about what I really want to create.

I am very lucky that I found her because as fate would have it, she knows the Council very well and is very confident that she won't have to use the tricks up her sleeves. Her best tip for me was to review my vacation pictures and watch lots of the Disney Channel. She mentioned that I may possibly see her in a movie and not to believe everything I see.... hmmmmm..... don't know what that means. Anyway, I am just happy that she is on my side.

Little by little I am sectioning out places in my neighborhood and thinking of how it pan out. Of course it will be a surprise for everyone!! My plans are to update everyone and post in the RR blog and here on a day to day basis. Start date is December 31, 2008 and I am very excited.

Planning to stitch......

My Stash is Out-of-Control ....

.... but I like it. LOL.

Time to confess, that I have been searching for my complete collection of Brazilian Disney Magazines. It seems that in my infinite wisdom, after taking a picture of them for my blog, I placed them in a safe place. Now, if your safe places are like mine, they are not only safe but so super-secret that no one will ever find them. Well, after three weeks of looking I found them gently placed within a plastic envelope inside a wide shoebox underneath a few cross stitch magazines. Why on earth, I did not label the box is beyond me. I guess I thought I would remember where I put them.

So, now I am able to think of what else I would like to stitch on my Disney neighborhood. A few people have asked me where I get my designs from. It started out very innocently enough more than a decade ago as I started noticing cross stitch designs of famous logos and cartoons were being published. Little by little I purchased a book here and a chart there, then one day, my Mom brought me a Disney cross stitch magazine as a souvenir from her vacation and from then on every two months my family would send me one. Later on, I became an eBay member and purchased a few Brazilian mags there. Many UK mags had Disney designs in them and I made sure to pick those up, lucky for me my local bookstore started carrying them and I was able to purchase them here. Afterward, Leisure Arts published a few Disney books and I picked up the ones I was interested in. Of course, at Disneyworld I make sure to pick up one or two Art of Disney cross stitch kits when I am there. I do not purchase what I call "fake" Disney designs (those that are not bonafide Disney designs). It is a personal choice which I can live with.

All of the collecting happened, I was not actively persuing or keeping track of my collections. Once I started collecting wonderful things happened. I met great internet friends and that spurred me on to collecting more. It was a bit after that when I began to actively search for items I wished to add to my collection. Now, my Disney cross stitch magazine collection is most treasured amongst my Disney memoribilia. It has really fostered my love for all Disney related items, pins especially, and my Disney trips. My main reason for a Disney Neighborhood RR is to finally stitch many of these gorgeous designs. I know that not everyone loves Disney, but I really enjoy Disney and its many forms of artistry.

These days, I am a fan of Jack Skellington of Nightmare Before Christmas fame. Happy 15th Anniversary Jack! Thanks for 15 frightening years!

On the topic of cross-stitching, I haven't done much these weeks due to the "search". I will get back into the stitching groove soon....

Stitch happy... stitch well.......

What was I thinking??!!! Needlework Vent......

My brain must have been suffering from severe delusions of stitching grandeur to think that I could even do justice to a Disney Neighborhood RR. Pulling out my Disney stash just served to verify that I was certifiably bananas.

To start, I have a yard of blue Lugana, which I am starting to think is a 25 ct instead of a 28ct. I started basting the lines for placement of the castle and I am begining to dislike the fabric already. The castle is HUGE, only because it is the real Cinderella Castle from a Stoney Creek kit. There alone we are looking at 1/2 of the fabric being taken up by the castle. (Think vertical). So my brain and I get into a heated conversation which went like this:

Brain: " I have done some storming and I think stitching the castle over one is the best solution."

Me: "Are you KIDDING???? Do you have any idea how long that is going to take?????

B: "Well, it is going to look great once it is done. Also maybe to make it interesting you can half stitch a bit of it so that it looks dreamy. If you tweed the stitches, it will look great!!!!!!!"

M: "Now I know you are delusional! It is going to take me FOREVER to stitch just the castle. How do you expect to get to the neighborhood homes???? It's going to become another UFO."

B: "Hey, don't call me names! I can only storm once a day. Plus, I am sure that we can come up with something once we figure out how to situate the castle. We can do this!"

M: "You think? "

B. " Yup, I think, that is what I do best."

And so there you have it...... this is why I have not been able to stitch as much as I have wanted to. My brain imagines things that my hands and eyes are not able to execute in one lifetime. Thus, I lose motivation.

This time, I am going to be as delusional as my brain and think positive thoughts and LOVE what I am creating. Staying motivated to see the next step and bring the idea to life. In order to do this, I have started a Disney RR journal. So far I believe I have filled 8 pages. Some of the pages are:

1. Designs I have available in my stash.
2. Possible RR Names
3. Neighborhood Ideas (includes my drawings and internet pics)
4. Border Ideas
5. List of Disney homes I have available

Writing these items down gives me a perspective of my thought patterns and ... allows my psychiatrist to up the dosage of my meds :) which I hope go to massive doses so I don't experience the twitching... (just kidding.... I am stone sober, I don't have the money to pay a psychiatrist to listen to me, let alone read of my psychotic behavior lol) .

Other than this, I am extremely sane and feeling overwhelmed that I may have to stitch the castle over one. The only good thing about the pattern is that there are lots of large one color blocks. The backstitching required will be the fodder for another heated discussion with my brain.

Well, there you have my stitching life in October so far. Halloween is fast approaching and I have nothing stitched for it. Little progress is being made on my Breast Awareness pieces, even less progress on my Christmas piece and my WIP has been deprived of my attention. So far, the only progress I have made is on listing my ideas for my RR.

See you soon!

Stitchin' and listin'......

Good News, Good News!!!!!!

Feels so good to finally say.... "Great News!!" Seems like there are still honest people in NYC!!! Imagine that? The mailman brought really terrific news yesterday in the shape of a wallet. Must send a huge thank you note to the person who mailed it back.

I celebrated by searching through my cross stitch fabric stash and selecting a piece for my Neighborhood RR. As unlikely as it may seem, my cross stitch fabric stash is not as abundant as my quilting fabric stash. Did I just type that?? There are only two fairly short rectangular boxes and a medium sized bag of evenweaves in all sorts of colors which never seem to be appropriate enough for the project I look foward to stitch. Thus, back to purchasing more.... but, not this time.

Many years ago, I purchased a yard of what I believe to be 28ct. Wedgwood Lugana. Like a good little stitcher, mumbling under my breath, I managed to baste the edges by hand. ( Yes, I do have a sewing machine which I have never used. Did I just own up to that?) Basting is not my favorite pastime to say the least, but I would rather that than see my fabric unravel bit by bit.

My Neighborhood RR is really exciting me. I was able to find my focal building and count out the stitches that I am going to extrapolate from it. Next, I will baste the location area on my piece and figure out if it is a good fit, if not, the frog will come and I will unbaste to rebaste. Lovely :(
So, I will definitely try to do it right the first time.

Tomorrow I will go and purchase DMC floss for the project. Although I have enough DMC stash, I want to purchase the same dye lot that way, things look even and not have a mottled aspect. I really dislike when the floss intensity does not match. I am very peculiar that way.

On the crochet front, I was able to complete my turquoise blue scarf. I call it my "Donald Duck" blue scarf. It is really pretty. People have commented positively on it and I am a happy crocheter looking for my next fix...er.... project.

Still on the hunt for a new camera. Half of me wants to purchase one right away and the other half wants to wait for Black Friday when the sales start. (For non-USA readers, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It is called Black Friday because that is the day that retailers finally show a profit and are in "the black" vs. "the red". Most of us just know that it is the day the great sales are on for electronics and maybe clothing).

My October goals are not coming along well. Although I have found the Christmas piece I want to stitch, I highly doubt I will find time to stitch it, so I will have to replace it with another.
Very little stitching on my Breast Cancer Awareness piece has been done and "The Salute" stitching this week has been non-existent. Of course I am not proud of it, so I am hoping to stitch a lot this weekend. The RR basting was a start.

That is it for now kids. Off to count those stitches.........

Is less more?

This afternoon I went to my LNS and picked up a few threads and Mill Hill beads. Nothing project related, just "like" related. I must be in my green/yellow period because I picked up 3 Weeks Dye Works, # 2146, Eucalyptus which reminded me of Needle Necessities Island Butterfly. Two other WDW's that I picked up were #4123 Celebration and 4139 Bethlehem. Now I have three of each which is my usual amount of overdyed floss purchases. The reason for this is that because they are not for a specific project, I want to have enough when the need arises. There have been many times when I don't have enough and when I go back to purchase another, the color has either been discontinued or does not look the same..... so three it is.

Sticking to my green mood today, I also picked up 2 of the DMC Variations #4045 which is a really pretty jungle green variation hue. It is pretty because it is not too yellow and not too dark green. It is just right.

Adding to the haul were 3 packets of Mill Hill beads in purple, pink and bluish-green along with 4 pink heart glass treasures. These I will use whenever I need a pick-me-up on a biscornu. I really like the beaded edges that lots of stitchers are doing these days and I am looking forward to that challenge on one of my upcoming biscorni.

As you know, I have signed up for the Me Myself and I Neighborhood RR. Today I went through lots of my Disney magazines looking for neighborhood items to stitch. Thinking about the layout is making my head spin. Half of me wants one thing and the other half wants to be different .... but how different and still look plausible is my dilemna. Of course none of the items are perfect for the neighborhood, I have to cut and paste and switch and look and hopefully come up with a realistic proportionate neighborhood. Most of all I want to be creative and put as many Disney characters on it along with their homes. I want it to make sense, be symetrical, pretty, unique and special. Maybe it will be a focal point to a future Disney corner.

For now, I wonder if less is more where this RR may become a focal point for other neighborhood offshoots or should this piece be a WOOOOOW piece filled with a plethora of Disney character trivia. Most of me is looking to stitch that WOOOOOOW piece.

Stitching thoughts together.......

Peace, Love and a Cure

So far, so good. Today I have made a bit of progress on this project. Every stitch is filled with love and wonderful memories of my grandaunt who is living with breast cancer. I am working every possible moment on this piece because unfortunately, we do not know how much longer she will be with us. More unfortunate is that she lives half a world away and I am not able to see her anytime soon.

Here is a scan. I am trying to learn the program better. This was the best I could do today.

Today I was guilty of reading a few blogs. Surfing the net for new cross stitch items and reading blogs definitely cuts into my stitching time. How is it possible that there are SO many cross stitch enablers blogging? Every blog that I read adds to my project and stash wish lists.

These days I wonder if I am over-committed with stitching projects. I don't know if there are enough hours in my day to do all of the things I want to do. The 5 lifetimes of stash I own is screaming "STITCH ME!!!!!!" and let's face it girls, I would have to grow 3 extra hands just to begin preparing the fabrics alone.

Now that we are on the subject of fabric..... my favorite fabric is Jobelan. I love the drapey feel of it and the bit of sheen it has. I am stitching PEACE, LOVE and a CURE on 28 count Jobelan in Ivory. Little by little it is coming out great! For the backing of the piece I have purchased 4 different pink fabrics which I will narrow down to one for it.

The next project on my list is my second PEACE, LOVE and a CURE piece for my 2nd cousin (daughter of my grandaunt) who is also battling breast cancer. Once I finish the first piece, I will start on the second. I am considering adding beading and buttons to the pattern because I want to make each special for them.

Feels good to go forward on my stitching goals. I feel a sense of great accomplishment as I see each letter completed. My true hope is that the recipients of these pieces feel the love that went into each stitch and may it provide support in the difficult times that lie ahead.

Still stitching .......

I am a statistic

Today real life things did not go well. Let's just say that like the song says......"It's just like starting over". In my view, man proposes and God disposes..... well, I guess God had different plans for me tomorrow. C'est la vie.

Other than that I have been crocheting and stitching. Trying to always crochet a couple of more inches so that soon the scarf will be ready to wear. Once it is finished I will show a pic. Then I will start another as a gift. A long-awaited gift for someone who has always admired mine.

I am also stitching on my UFO/WIP, "The Salute". Don't get your hopes too high, I have only been able to put in about 20 stitches. My WIP, "Peace, Love and a Cure", is coming along nicely. Little by little words have formed and I am thrilled. I will work on it lots more tomorrow since I expect to have more time.

No camera yet, researching which one to buy that will stand the test of maybe 700 pictures without breaking. Right now it looks like a Canon is in my future. Until then scanning is how I get the pics that I will post.

Taking life a stitch at a time

October Already?

Well, that is the reality. October is here and the Winter holidays are 2 months away. I think that this is the time that I must set goals.

My October goals:

1. Stitch 2 Breast Cancer smalls for 2 of my family members who live with breast cancer.
2. Stitch a Christmas piece for my family.
3. Continue working on my UFO now WIP: "The Salute".
4. Continue working on my 2nd WIP: Christmas Mickey Mouse Ornament.

Today I went to my LNS and helped the economy along. Here is a list of what I purchased:

• 2 Just Cross Stitch 2008 Ornaments Magazine
• Peace Love and a Cure - Lizzie Kate
• Pinwheel - Just Nan - In the Tin Limited Additions 2008
• Folding Cross Needlebook - Indigo Rose
• Silken Roses Fob - The Sweetheart Tree Teenie Weenie #87
• One 9"x6" piece of Jobelan Lambswool 28ct
• 3 packs of Mill Hill beads

Where's the picture? My camera is not working. I purchased batteries, tried to make it work and nothing, nada, zilch, zippo, goose egg, zero, naaaaaa...... I am so upset because it is not an old camera. It is possibly 2 years old, max. That means that we will have to buy another one and Kodak is not in the picture. I will probably purchase a Canon.

Well, I have to go stitch if I am going to meet some of my October goals.

October is Breast Awareness month in the United States. Please remember that Breast Cancer is a non-discriminatory disease...... everyone has breasts....... take care of them!

Stitching the night away........