New Bookmarks

Hi!

Wow - raising a 3 year old is tougher than a 2 year old.  At least when she was 2 she couldn't yell back at me - but as a 3 year old - she can scream with the best of them :-)  Today was temper tantrum day.  Everything I said to her generated a huge fit.  Sigh.  I know she will outgrow this - but I wish it was sooner rather than later.

I have managed to make some bookmarks - yeah!  They are all from a very great stitching book by Sandy Orton called "Hold that Thought".  They are $20 each - the sock  monkey and the haiku are already sold - but I can totally make new ones.  Enjoy!

I apologize for the blurry images - I'm still learning my phone camera :-)

I'm also working on a project I started 2 years ago when my friend Tracy's daughter, Sierra, was born.  I think I might get it finished before her 2nd birthday!  I also have been going through a stash of stitching items that I inherited - our pastor's wife's aunt has developed macular degeneration and can no longer stitch.  I would hate to learn I could no longer stitch - it's one of the few ways I have to relax and unwind.  Of course, Jeff would argue that the cursing that comes from my mouth when I have to unpick a piece isn't so relaxing - LOL!

Well, I'm off to work on Sierra's present - I did one for LiLi just like it - I'm so happy I'm on the backstitching portion.  I then hope to finish a piece called "Celtic Christmas" that I began about 2 years ago, too.  I'll try & take pictures tomorrow.  It should be gorgeous - my favorite color, burgundy - and it has beading - a new skill for me.

Trials & Tribulations of Potty Training

Lianne has been really testing me lately.  We started potty training her family day weekend.  She has the pee in the potty thing down - but she decided on Wednesday that she didn't want to pee in the potty anymore.  Sigh.  Back to square one.  And forget about poo in the potty - she comes to me & says "Mama, need diaper to poo".  Karma really kicks you in the butt sometimes - I was a late trainer & I think LiLi will be, too.  Too bad I have to go all "bad" cop on her - she starts JK in September & I need her trained by then.

My stitching is slowly progressing.  I'm currently working on a sock monkey bookmark - it's turning out to be pretty cute.

Off to stitch

Stephanie

Hi

After a long absence - I am back.  I am working on a series of bookmarks for sale - for children and for adults.  I hope to have them finished this weekend so that I can post the pictures.

I found a great new site - it's for Chinese embroidery.  Now that I'm home again full-time, I hope to use some of the techniques in my own stitching.  Here is the link - http://www.marlamallett.com/forbidden_stitch.htm.

I hope to update my blog on a regular basis from now on.  LiLi is keeping me busy - but she still naps for a couple of hours every day :-)

Stephanie

Stitching Techniques I don't particularly like :-)

Hi!

My last post was about new techniques I like, so I thought I'd make this one about ones I don't like - or don't like to do.  I'm not a huge fan of the lazy daisy stitch - I've become decent at it - thanks to you tube - but I'm not a fan.  Here is a link that helped me.

http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aalazydaisy.htm

My other least favorite is the French knot.  It took me so long to learn to do it correctly - but what really did it was the gazillion I did on a stitching for my sister.  It was truly beautiful when completed - but putting French knots on top of cross stitches was hard to do.  I now see that putting beads on is far easier than doing the French knot - I'm so lazy!  Here is a link on how to do a French knot.

http://crossstitch.about.com/od/frenchknot/ss/fakefrknot_2.htm

Here is the picture of the stitching that I did for my sister with the French Knots:  The dress detail has French knots all along the bottom - from the roses down. 

Beading is a newer technique that I learned for a stitch I did for Lianne.  I enjoy it.  Here are some quick & easy instructions for beading:

http://crossstitch.about.com/od/tipsforbetterstitching/qt/seedbeadtips.htm

Here is the cross stitch I did for Lianne with beading:  the beads are on the saddle of the horse.

Well, I'm off.  I need to see if Lianne is awake.  She's been teething and keeping her Mama & Dada awake at night :-)

Stephanie

New Stitching Techniques I've learned

Hi!

Well, they say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks - but it's so not true!  I've learned a new way to keep my stitches nice & neat - it's called "Railroading".  I've copied the link for you to follow - About.com has a great cross-stitching site and they have detailed instructions on how to do it.  Basically, the way I do it is this - I bring my thread up at 1 and then I insert my needle between the 2 threads before I bring it down at 2.  It makes the thread lay neatly - so you don't get your individual stitches all twisted.
http://crossstitch.about.com/od/learnhowtocrossstitch/ss/railroadingtech.htm

I really do like this new technique - but sometimes I forget and yes, I can notice when I don't do it!

There are 2 methods of cross stitching - the stab and the sew.  I am firmly in the stab camp - sadly, I've tried & tried, but I can't use the sew method.  Here is a link to the about.com site with how to do both methods:
http://crossstitch.about.com/od/learnhowtocrossstitch/a/stabsew.htm

Have fun taking at look at the about.com site - she really does have some great material!

Stephanie

Funny Lianne Stories

So, Lianne is growing like a weed.  Still not talking much, but man, can she make connections.  Sunday we were at church & everyone got palm crosses for Palm Sunday.  Lianne was playing with hers, Daddy's & mine & she would point to the palm cross, then point to the palm of her hand and back again.  Pretty smart!  I tried to coax her into saying "palm" but no such luck.

She's also pretty sneaky - she's discovered how to open peanut shells.  So she pretends like she wants to feed the squirrels - she'll have me open the container and get some out to feed Mr. Black & Mrs. Grey and then she'll break the shells open & eat them.  She even fakes me out - she pretends like she's going to feed me and then swoops it into her mouth!

I've finished one of 12 bookmarks for my mother-in-law - I'm 90% done the 2nd design and then I'm going to show them to her & ask how she wants them finished.  Then I'm going to start on my sister's butterfly breadcloth.

Well, off to see where Lianne is!

Stephanie

First Job Completed!

Hi!

I'm so sorry I haven't been posting lately - I've been busy @ work with my first job.  Here are the completed bookmarks!

What a busy March - Lianne took up most of my time.  Temper Tantrum central!  She's certainly testing our resolve as parents.  She'll be sooo good & then bam - she turns into a typical 2 year old tantrum thrower.  I think most of the problem is communication.  She understands everything we say - but she's still lagging behind in verbal skills.  So she tries to tell us what she wants/needs but it comes out as grunts & pointing.  I'm still not that great at sign language :-)  We're working through it - encouraging her words.  She's added some new words - "uppy", "open", "yes".  So we're making progress.

I've started my 2nd job - 12 bookmarks for my mother-in-law.  I'm going to make the 2 designs she picked & then see how she wants them finished.  After the 2 "samples", I'll start my sisters breadcloth - butterflies!

Well, I'm off to the post office to mail my first completed job to Judy!

Stephanie