OMG! I never published this morning… my apologies!

So many canvases! so little time! if we could just add more hours in our stitching day as we add new canvases, threads and beads…wouldn’t life be even more grand?

This was a new favorite of mine introduced by Sundance Designs. Isn’t this wonderful? and no I didn’t order this one.

While I am in the Halloween spirit, how about this great stack of pumpkins from JP Needlepoint? I love canvases like this as each pumpkin is like a new canvas on it’s own as they are all so different! If you are not a fan of black canvas, you can get it on white. This is one time that I would work the background as I finish a pumpkin as then you are not overwhelmed with background at the end.

I love these ornament from the collection. Very, very elegant and could be enhanced with lots of Kreinik or crystals and beads to make them even more beautiful!

New additions to the Sew Much Fun line. These girls are so clever with what they design and then stitch! Gotta love ’em.

New bags from Lee. I really like the green one…now to just find a canvas that fits!

I have really been doing a whole lotta stitching these days and I am sure you are wondering a few things? like why haven’t I shared any of it with you? well some of them are  not shareable at the moment…and let me just give you a little rundown of what’s in the stitching queue at the moment. Three somewhat small canvases for a future class to be-the canvas for my class at Destination Dallas-a project for Raymond for the ANG Seminar in Chicago-and speaking of Raymond, 4 more pieces for the Halloween Train-a fun Halloween canvas for Point of It All Designs-Mrs. Cat for Pepperberry Designs-a canvas for Maggie which I am sorry that I haven’t touched yet! sorry Maggie- and I am waiting for an Annie Lane canvas to arrive any day now….whew I have lost count? how about you?

and then you wonder why I haven’t worked on the Leigh Holly Hills Santa? well I have somewhat and have changed my mind 100 and 1 times…well not really, but close. And this is why I like to stitch the piece as I write the guide as what you envision in your mind as the perfect stitch, it always just doesn’t work out! I will have an update for you this weekend and will share the chart for the dotted swiss. And in all the books out there, I have never found it… except for Google! go figure.

I have to laugh at Sylvester! this is the half-way hiding…so if I can’t see you, does that mean that I am really hiding?

and until next time…keep on stitching

After a long day at work or at the baseball game…now what is better than an ice cold brew? Not much! With the traveling that I do, I always enjoy trying a local craft beer from the area that I am visiting. This is a new canvas from Point of It All Designs showcasing some of these beers… it is also painted on a belt and would be a great gift for the man in your life. I commented to Hyla, the designer of this canvas that I have most definately tried more than one beer that is on this!

When I grow up, I want to be able to do this type of basketweave beading that Don Lynch of Associated Talents has perfected…OMG! I bow to you Don. I am sorry that this is not the best picture that I have taken. Plus I need to find out this bead color…

Three new canvases from Associated Talents. Which would you like to stitch? I’ll take them all!

Two new canvases from Laurel Burch and Danji Designs. The fish are on 13 mesh…what fun you could have with all of these different fish!

I am trying to work on stitch guides, but it looks like Sylvester has something else in mind!

and until next time…keep on stitching

yes please do! Join the San Diego American Needlepoint Group as we sit out on our patio and stitch this beautiful piece. A lesson in silk ribbon embroidery in 4 different techniques using Gloriana and River Silks Ribbons.

Beautiful stitches finish off this piece to make it truly a show stopper. Please come and join us and even if you can’t make it, you can order the piece to be sent to you. Don’t miss out on this very special piece. I’ve signed up…now how about you?

I wish everybody a great Memorial Day weekend, which is really the unofficial kickoff to summer. Baseball is full swing, the beaches here will be packed along with the bbq grill!

But really Memorial Day is all about a special day for those who died in active military service are remembered, traditionally observed on May 30 but now officially observed on the last Monday in May.

Have a great weekend and I’m looking forward to a whole lotta baseball and stitching!

Now how can I get any work done Sylvester?

see you next week! and until next time…keep on stitching

and I am sure with that lead in that you’re just waiting for me to break into song! These canavses would really have been my #1 favorites if there was just a cat or two or three in the mix. I understand the cats are on their way. Do you know that a cat person will stitch anything with a cat on it? regardless of color that the cat is painted…but a dog person wants their specific breed in their color!

These canvases are wonderful though and I absolutely love, love, love the patterned backgrounds. I will look forward to stitching one of the first cats that you design and paint…Mark and JP? Okay?

After the black poodle, which was designed in honor of Amy’s poodle Baxter that recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge…I think that the boxer is my favorite! look at the expression on that face.

This is another canvas from Labors of Love, which would be a fun stitch!

Is this not so true? I think that any of us that are feline or canine moms and dads… well we should stitch this!

Atenti is always a must stop destination for me. They are always busy in their booth! Just love those bags and I like to check out the new fabrics, which they search for ’round the world.

The black top center bag was one of the new fabrics and it was tough for me not to order a bag…tough, did I say tough? as we used to say in the shop, “step away from the canvas” well in this case, I stepped away from the bag. I did, I was a good girl!

Miss Busybody was at it again! this was going down in the recycle bin till I picked it up and wondered why a few boxes became so heavy? needless to say the boxes are still in the house for her sitting pleasure.

and until next time…keep on stitching

To market, to market I went! to buy a canvas, a magnet or two…how about some threads? a bag? or what else can I find?

Elizabeth Turner Collection introduced lots of new magnets and of course I have some on order… what is it about these magnets?

These geisha’s are wonderful! by the Elizabeth Turner Collection. The first one is my favorite…and rumor has it that Tony Minieri is going to stitch one too. I didn’t order one YET! note that the operative word is yet.

Which one do you like best?

Well these aren’t canvases, but we were in the land of the Indy 500…and the big race is next weekend. I am not a fan of car racing, so I won’t be watching, but I admire what they do.

The center of the showroom floor was the showcase for these beautiful cars.

The weather is back to beautiful San Diego weather. Cool overcast mornings from the marine layer for which we normally call “May Gray.” May has been a little bit behind of schedule as we haven’t had any gray mornings. The fires are under control and my heart goes out to all those who lost their homes.

A big thank you to the first responders and the Red Cross who have been working so hard for our fair city. A dear friend who has now moved to Oregon showed up here with the Red Cross as they work tirelessly…to make sure everyone is fed and they have somewhere to sleep. Thank you!

AlleyCat was working on her suntan.

and until next time…keep on stitching

Buddha…how old are you? yes I know that it is very impolite to ask your age….

Lotus lanterns have been hung in preparation for Buddha’s birthday in Seoul, Korea.

A man prays under lotus lanterns that have been tagged with prayer petitions in a Buddhist temple in South Korea.

This canvas is a Sandra Gilmore design. The words have been beaded and last you saw it, I was beading the lotus and working on the bakcground..

The background and the lotus are finished and now to stitch Buddha. As much as I really want to finish this, I will not get back to it for awhile. I think too for about the 12th time… but who’s counting? I have changed my mind on the thread for Buddha. For today anyway I am going to try Kreinik #4 086C or is 088C? Well it’s one of those discontinued cord numbers and I have 5 spools, but of more than 1 dyelot, so I need to see if I can match them up first.

For everyone who is aking well what about Leigh’s Holly Hills Russian Santa? well I’m getting there….I really have 4 of about 12 or so models, but again who’s counting? That I aboslutely have to make some more headway with. I have done absolutely no, nada, zip, zilch, none, not a lick of stitching this week, between the heat and the fires and finishing up my magazine work…

That’s my excuse and I sticking with it!

Even Mooch is in the Buddha state of mind…

Happy Birthday Buddha!

and here is my Buddha kitty sitting in a box that is way too small for her! but she does look cute.

and until next time…keep on stitching

How about a ride on this Old Fashioned Bicycle by Alice Peterson? a small canvas and a quick stitch. Lots of River Silk in both 4mm and 7mm and a few Swarovski butterflies to finish it off! I had originally stitched the background through the tire, but you know what? I didn’t like it. I had taken a picture of it and when I looked at it on my phone, the spokes looked crooked, so out it came. You know you see things in a picture of your stitching that you don’t see just looking at your canvas.

Really a quick stitch since I am thinking that I need to stitch the blue version too! I enjoyed the brown one so much, so why not?

These were painted a special size for me for class and it is always great to have a smaller canvas in the works! I have ordered some of the new silk ribbon by Planet Earth for the blue one.

Yes today is ride your bicycle to work day…but with the lousy air quality and the heat in San Diego, I don’t think that I am doing that anytime soon.

This is the skyline that greeted me in the morning. The San Marcos fire is about 10 miles from me. The winds were non existent till about noon and then they started and the mercury hit 103. This is May…it’s not supposed to be this hot, and not supposed to have wildfires this time of year either. My heart breaks for all the homes and properties lost, but thank God no lives have been lost. I am tired of this incessant heat and winds…please go away!

Thanks to everyone who has been checking in on us. I am sorry to say that there has been no stitching, none at all going on here.

Even AlleyCat was trying to keep cool! her tummy is sure taking a long time to grow back in since it was probably early December when she was shaved for her ultrasound. Well maybe less fur is keeping her cooler…who knows?

Headed up north on Saturday to see my sistah Meredith Willett…so see you in a couple of days! and until next time…keep on stitching

There’s a new artist that has taken the market by storm… and allot of you probably haven’t even seen or heard of his designs yet! I love, love, love his stuff… did I say love?

This is Scott Church and brought to life on canvas by CBK Designs.

See I am thinking cold and snow right now since an extreme heat wave has yet again hit southern California.

This one is called “Your Mummy’s a Bunny!”

Gimme Your Candy!

Candy Monster and Gotta Rock! each one is cuter than the last and I could easily stitch each and every one of these! How about you? Don’t these canvases just make you smile? You know that’s what needlepoint is all about…having fun!

These canvases are not very big, so they are not a huge undertaking. They are in the process of working some of these designs into ornament sized canavses too. Why don’t you give your favorite shop a call and order one of these wonderful Scott Church canvases for you!

The highlights of the show for me is always getting to see everybody, taking in all the new must see canvases, threads, bags, books and of course discovering new restaurants…and not necessarily in that order.

My dining companions! Raymond Crawford surrounded by the Voila Girls!

and this is definately a spot not to be missed! St. Elmo’s Restaurant…and trust me, that shrimp cocktail is all that they say and more.

Today we are going to hang low and try to keep cool.

and until next time…keep on stitching

I promised you Prince Charming and here he is! a wonderful beaded piece that is done in the style of Japanese beading.

Now I’ve never done Japanese beading and that is why I am taking this class on July 12th and 13th. You should join us! The weather is usually absolutely beautiful then and being in San Diego…what could be better than that?

Okay so you ask what is Japanese beading? Your start with your foundation which instead of a canvas is a beautiful piece of designed fabric. Beads are added to the fabric using silk embroidery techniques…sounds like Greek to you? Now remember I haven’t done any of this Japanese beading either, but I can’t wait to learn all about it!

I am selecting the green colorway…how about you? Now the box comes along with your kit for easy finishing. This is a special class as it is the pilot for when MaryAlice teaches this at the EGA Seminar in Phoenix later this year. What is a pilot class? The teacher works out her timing of the class and well… you just need to be there in person. Continue to stitch on the piece, offer comments if there is a mistake in the directions, or if you don’t understand the way something is written and so much more!

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day! My kids were good and snoozed close by me as I pretty much spent the day working between editing a couple of stitch guides, charting for the magazine and stitching. But with a baseball game on in the background most of the day, it didn’t really seem like working!

The weather here is supposed to be very hot again this week and the mercury will yet again touch the century mark…and Denver and Utah had snow yesterday? I think Mother Nature is soooooo confused!

AlleyCat was supurrvising my thread pursuit the other day. Such a good girl as she doesn’t touch…she just is curious!

and until next time…keep on stitching

Wishing everybody a Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day, gets waited on and is spoiled. For me I will stay home and stitch all day…even though my house needs some TLC. But remember the only place housework comes before needlepoint is in the dictionary!

Sylvester and AlleyCat wish you happy Mother’s Day too and we’ll see in you in a few days with Prince Charming! Peaked your interest? well guess I will see you Monday!

and until next time…keep on stitching