Have you used any of the Painters Threads by Tentakulum? Well you should!

A company out of Germany that really does paint their threads, so the color repeat is very random and possibly never the same! This thread line is created for the adventurous stitcher. Do you think outside the box?

They are named after the great masters and the colors are most close to the palette that they were famous for. This one YLI Ribbon Floss Shimmer branddyed is named for Rousseau.

I stitched with this on a canvas that I recently finished for Needlepoint Now, that you will see in the July/August issue. See I really do stitch!

Actually the newest issue of May/June Needlepoint Now coming out now has a project in the magazine using a few of these threads. More and more shops are carrying them, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find!

They have so many thread possibilities! Left to right is Twill Tape, Silk Hanky, Ric-Rac and  Single Loop Rayon Trim. I also used the Ric-Rac to recreate the wake of the ocean… couch it into place and you are good to go!

Just some of their threads are Gimp, branddyed Kreinik, Buttons, Silk Ribbons, Cocoons, with masters name such as Boucher, Kirchner, Picasso, Macke, Gauguin, Marianne just to name a few!

I enjoyed working with the thread so much, that I added almost every one of their threads to my stash…so that I can experiment with them when I have the chance. Time is all I need!

AlleyCat is watching her favorite channel of kitty tv.

and until next time…keep on stitching

Tuesday is Cinco de Mayo~or the 5th Of May. It commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory in 1862 over France at the Battle of Pueblo during the Franco~Mexican War. A relatively minor holiday in Mexico, but in the US it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage… especially in the areas with large Mexican American populations, such as here in San Diego.

So today I will crave Mexican food…The food! don’t forget the food! Now for me, I love, love, love…did I say LOVE? Mexican food and I could probably eat it almost every day. That came from working so many years in the restaurant business with all of these wonderful cooks when there was always “something” special cooking on the back stove. The use of chilis and the cilantro and all of the flavors that I have grown to know and love. Of course you need a margarita to go with it all!

Or you could stitch a margarita! This canvas is by Amanda Lawford and the first one is a canvas by Maggie…

It was quite a busy weekend with Derby Day, the fight of the century, baseball watching and stitching. I am now in market countdown as I ready the stitch guides and threads for my classes at TNNA. I always need to thank the generousity of our vendors that donate threads that make these classes possible…and there will be some work on my part as if the canvas just needs a few white beads or 18″ of a thread, I prepare it that way. I never want to take it for granted… so a shoutout to Rainbow Gallery, Kreinik, Sundance, Planet Earth, Gloriana, DMC, the collection and to my BFF for proof reading my stitch guides!

a favorite napping spot. That box has been there for years and of course would never have the heart to get rid of THAT box!

and until next time…keep on stitching

The calendar has turned to May 1rst and a true sign that summer is not far away. But for us here in Southern California, summer has been rolling in for a few days off and on lately. I am not complaining! but of course tonight when I am at the baseball game, it will probably be freezing.

May Day makes me think of flowers, all kinds of flowers that were nutured from the April showers.

like my Spring Cactus! These are different from Christmas Cactus, a different shape to the leaf and the bloom is not the same…actually these close at night as if they are going to sleep and then reopen in the daylight.

I just finished working on the stitch guide for the July/August of Needlepoint Now that has some beautiful silk flowers created on a hat. Makes me want to stitch that canvas!

I love it when she sits like this!

Okay same routine as last weekend… baseball game tonight and then Saturday morning I am off bright and early to see my sistah in black cats, Meredith! I will spend the weekend with her and Alison at A Stitch in Time…and I thank Meredith so very much for giving up her derby weekend to come and stitch with us. So see you next week as the laptop is staying home with the cats.

and until next time…keep on stitching

This time of the year, I sorta kinda eat, sleep and breathe baseball! Thanks to MLB TV, streaming and Sirius radio, it really feeds my passion.

I took one of those tests on Facebook the other day to see how much I paid attention to what was going on in baseball last week…and I got all the questions right. Maybe I do watch too much baseball after all.

I have this magnet from my sistah, Meredith Willett and she said that she added this to her line just for me. I love, love, love it! I need to find a baseball canvas to go with the magnet, what do you think?

I really have been stitching up a storm these days, believe it or not. but what I am working on these days are either class pieces or soon to be in the magazine, so they’re not quite ready for prime time publication.

and while we’re speaking of baseball, or maybe I should say… while I am speaking of baseball… the greatest player ever in baseball! and he definately deserves his own day.

I have tickets for a few games this weekend…and rain delays are something that we don’t usually have to worry about here in San Diego.

and until next time…keep on stitching

What would’ve thunk this without Google? I spend a fair amount of time on the internet, either for work or relaxation… and especially when I can’t get back to sleep in the wee hours of the morning and there is not much on tv.

I came across this and didn’t realize that it was Save the Frogs Day! nor did I know that the population of frogs and other amphibians are disappearing. So why not make people aware of it and have a save the frogs day?

I love, love, love this canvas of Vicki Sawyer for Melissa Shirley Designs…and if I were to have any spare time, I would want to stitch this!

My kids surprised me yesterday when I found them curled up together. Sylvester was sleeping in his favorite spot first and then you know who added to the cat pile! Miracles can and do happen…

and until next time…keep on stitching

This is World Penguin Day! (well actually yesterday?!) Did you know? I didn’t, but I found that fascinating that there is a day dedicated to these great animals. I absolutely love watching penguins as they can be so very entertaining!

“Our flightless, flippered friends of the Southern Hemisphere have just one request today. They ask simply that we express our admiration for them, maybe “ooh and ahh” a bit—oh, yeah, and while we’re at it, just for today, they would like us to not imitate their goofy ever-so-graceful manner of waddling. Also, you know, belly sliding is perfectly normal. Thank you. (Statement made on behalf of the Concerned Penguin Waddlers and Belly Sliders Society of the Southern Hemisphere.)

To that, we here at Britannica can only say that we’ll do our best, and in honor of World Penguin Day, we’ve gathered a selection of photos that may (or may not) support the cause of the Concerned Penguin Waddlers and Belly Sliders Society of the Southern Hemisphere. (For effect, we recommend imagining Morgan Freeman’s voice for narration.)” Thank you to Britannica for this eloquence about penguins.

Pick up a penguin today and stitch one! Now not a real one, but a beautifully painted one… on a canvas such as this from one of my new favorite artists, Scott Church!

Or pick one up and eat one from Burdick Chocolates – “World Penguin Day is a great opportunity to learn about and appreciate one of the few natives of Antarctica. This day coincides with the annual northward migration as theses flightless friends waddle their way to and fro on their journey home.” Well not eating a real one, but a chocolate one from my favorite place to order chocolates from!

So what is the appropriate attire for celebrating? perhaps wearing black and white… and tuxedos would always be nice.

 

Speaking of tuxedos! and until next time…keep on stitching

 

Take a few blank canvases from the Elizabeth Turner Collection and the appropriate magnet…

Lots of Kreinik, beads, Gloriana silks and Rainbow Gallery threads…

and mix in some creative ideas and you get this!

I always take pictures as I stitch to check for colors, stitches… which consist of raised knots, twisted cording, variations on diagonal beatty created for the count of the canvas, making your own glow-in-the-dark beads and creating 3 colors of beads while still using just 1 bead! Twisted cording…oh yes I did say that already. Create an applique by stitching your “witch is in” sign on a piece of interlock canvas, and why use interlock? Deconstructed Flair and so much more!

Step into these spooky houses at the TNNA Show in Columbus where we will have lots of fun while learning new and exciting techniques! plus all my tips and tricks for the beading that is the envy of most.

and you’ve already seen this guy! Canvas by Pepperberry. Sign up before they are sold out!

AlleyCat loves, loves, loves these cardoard carriers! She shreds them apart, sits on ’em, sleeps in ’em and just about everything else that you can think of…making my rug looks like it needs vacuuming most of the time.

Tonight’s a baseball game and tomorrow morning, well it’s Saturday and you know what that means… so I’ll see Sunday morning.

and until next time…keep on stitching

Mooch and Earl wanted to stop by to wish you a Happy Earth Day!

and what better way to celebrate than with Planet Earth silk ribbons! This is the new “Freckles” colorations. Note the F in the numbering sequence. It really looks like it has freckles and this is just another wonderful thread to use in our stitching!

Do something today to help our Planet Earth. Recycle a little more, save a bit more water (especially here in Southern California) recycle those batteries, electronics and more.

Sylvester is wondering why she is sitting on the bag instead of in it?

and until next time…keep on stitching

Do you recognize this? It is the finish line of the Boston Marathon where it will never be just another race again. I was told when I was there last year that they never wash the paint off, that is untill they get ready to repaint for the next race. Be strong Boston and all those marathoners who are bound and determined to finish their unfinished race from 2 years ago.

It is Patriots’ Day today and according to Wikipedia, it is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775.

It is a day off for those Bostonians and the day that the marathon is run and an early morning baseball game is played at Fenway. I am lucky enough to be home most times now to watch the game.

These are 2 exclusive ornaments from Wellesley Needlepoint and all proceeds are donated to the One Fund Boston. I am sure that Cindy would love to hear from you if you would like to order one! or even two 781 235-2477.

My kids who have to sit in the windowsill and wait for my return, even if it is just to run out to my car or something …and then they meow at the top of their lungs until I get back. Gotta love ’em!

and until next time…keep on stitching

Everything’s better with Blue Bonnet on it! Do you remember those commercials? Maybe I am dating myself now and am not sure if that was an East Coast thing or not. But it’s true… everything is better with Blue Bonnet

An intimate stitching retreat held in the outer areas of Austin Texas held mid February.

These were our names tags which Mary Alice (or Maryellvis as she is known on Facebook) had these beautiful Shibori flowers made for the faculty.

In between classes you could ride a longhorn steer…

or kiss an alpaca!

These were just some of the classes that were going on…like theJapanese embroidery that was a full house!

Sandy Arthur’s Wizard of Paws was just as full!

Was this a stitching class…or Ironing 101?

More pictures to share yet of our fun, fun, fun weekend.

We celebrated Debbie Steihler’s 60th birthday all weekend long as Mary Alice made a big deal that she was now officially old! With Debbie’s amazing humor about it all, laughter was plentiful.

My old man is in his usuall su~purrvisor role as I am stitching. I am really starting to see his age take a toll on him as he is going on 19. Every day with him is still a blessing…

and until next time…keep on stitching