Now that I have you totally confused! You say United Parcel Service…well I might say

United Purr Service!

As much as I love the latter, UPS are our best friends at this time of the year…just like Santa dressed in brown shorts. Well living in Southern California we never ever, well almost never see the drivers in anything but shorts!

UPS delivers Christmas and Hanukkah gifts and ships our presents to loved ones. They deliver our holiday finishing, our orders placed and who doesn’t just love getting a package left at the door?

Lately I have been getting allot of extra packages as you can see. No, these are not for me, but rather are the threads for my TNNA classes.

Thank you to the generosity of our thread companies… Kreinik, Rainbow Gallery, Sundance Designs and Colonial Needle with needles and Prescencia floss. And allot of new companies sponsored our classes this year with their amazing donations! Amy Bunger’s Burmilana, Fleur de Paris with Anchor floss, DMC, Weeks Dye Works Overdyed Floss, Crescent Colors Belle Soie, Gloriana Duchess Silk and Silk Floss, Gentle Arts Sampler Threads, The Collection with Wonder Ribbon, The Needlepointer with Silken Straw and of course the canvas designers who sponsor these classes by donating their goods. I will share all the luscious threads with you soon as I am waiting for them all to arrive. And of course the stitched pieces as soon as I take some pictures of them.

or a silk snob? or just have to touch, feel, see and try every new thread that comes out on the market? Well all of the above…that’s me! There are so many new threads, that it is hard to keep track of them all. Market is just around the corner, and I am sure that there will be many more new just have to have, can’t live without threads.

In this picture you might notice 2 new threads…Silken Straw by Alchemy Yarns on the left hand side and Wonder Ribbon by The Collection in the right hand corner. The latter is not quite as new as the Silken Straw.

This is kinda my thread collection when I start stitching on a new piece for designing and teaching. I select many, many possibilities both from the inventory of threads that I have at home and ones that I purchase new in pursuit of the best colors.

I sit down to stitch and start narrowing down the selections. When the colors are not just purr~fect, they are tossed onto the coffee table which is just an arm’s reach away. Later they will be collected into a basket of threads to be put away at a later time.

This spread of threads is usually an instant if not sooner cat magnet. Not to play with them, but just to lay on them and take a little cat nap. The selection of threads that Sylvester had to nap on had been thinned out quite a bit by the time that he decided to settle in.

Silken Straw by Alchemy Yarns. There are 19 colors so far and the line will be expanded as time goes on. I would liken it to Sea Grass by Thread Gatherer, but with a much softer texture and in the most amazing colors.

I was anxious to try this thread and was searching for a very special teal-blue-green color to finish up The Stilt Houses by BB Designs that I will be teaching on Friday morning at the TNNA Winter Market in San Diego. It was just the right thread, color and texture! What could be better than that? And I loved working with it!

Silken Straw is carried by the The Needlepointer in Everett, WA and give the shop a call if you would like to try some. She also sells it wholesale for shops that would like to carry it too! Thank you to Jill, the owner of The Needlepointer who generously donated this thread for our class. I discovered more than one way to stitch with it too and that I will save that for our class. Stay tuned later this week for pictures of the finished piece.

The next new thread that I used was Wonder Ribbon by The Collection, but this was in the Daisy Blue Cup by Melissa Shirley. Again I thank Kim, the owner of The Collection for her generosity too, for donating a spool of Wonder Ribbon for every student. I was looking for something to give dimension, rather than needle weaving or creating picots and this was it! Look for this thread in your favorite needlepoint shop.

I had a great day Saturday starting with the most delicous breakfast at The Cottage and then spending the day in La Jolla while my car was getting a little TLC. I didn’t partake into too much retail therapy as I wasn’t sure how much the bill from the car was going to be. We had glorious, beautiful much needed rain and the bill for my car was way less, that’s right I said less than I expected!

When I got home it seems that some certain person got locked out on the balcony. I’m sorry AlleyCat! I am sure that the wind blew the door open, she went out and then the wind blew the door closed. She was NOT pleased with me and sure gave me a mouth full of meows when I let her in.

and until next time…keep on stitching

We all do so much stitching…well some of us more than others and often we run out of finishing ideas for our treasures. How about an acrylic piece to finish it off?

The candy box as this is called is modeling a 5″ x 5″ canvas by Strictly Christmas and could be changed out to suit the seasons or whatever else you are celebrating. This canvas was just a little too big, but it was all I had at hand. Work with me here!

I met this company, Kreative Acrylics, at the summer market as he was displaying these beautiful pieces to show off your stitched treasures.  Very nice weight, high quality and just a nice change from the ornament, stand up, framed piece, pillow or whatever.

This is called a valet box and is 9″ x 4″. I was at the Poodle Plantation at Needlepoint Now studios when I put these together, so that’s why the poodle canvas. It really is a purr~fect fit! Poodle canvas by Pajamas and Chocolate.

the Danji canvas fits into the desk organizer which also has a 5″ x 5″ opening. Yes there is a dog theme going on here!

or how about a paperweight? this too has a 5″ x 5″ opening. I love these acrylics and they have many more piece than what we see…check out Kreative Acrylics and see if there is one that is just right for you. They will be showing at the Winter Market in San Diego and I think that they are in the same aisle as Needlepoint Now… I am sure that you FNS (favorite needlepoint shop) can get these ordered for you!

I see lots of snow falling all over the place… well not here in San Diego! I hope everyone is safe and sound and is inside keeping toasty warm and stitching away. I have a breakfast date with a dear friend to help start her birthday week celebration off on the right foot. My car then has an appoitment with my mechanic in La Jolla and I will have 4-5 hours to kill while I wait for it. Maybe I should leave my credit card home? well I do need some threads for a new project for moi that Susan Portra and I are starting next week.

Somebody is doing her own decorating! or should I say redecorating?

and until next time…keep on stitching

Well he really does want to know! So what has it been…have you been Naughty or Nice? I think I have mentioned a time or two that I have just been stitching my fingers to the bone lately and you are thinking…sure you are just saying that. Well here’s some proof and these are just a few of the things that have come off the stretcher bars lately.

or maybe you have been Nice? these are canvases by Pepperberry, a new designer that I met at the Columbus market and instantly if not sooner fell in love with her canvases.

I did notice that she has since changed the design on the sugar stick that is in that cuppa to red and white, which is easily done by adding in some size 14 Sundance red beads in color 11 which just happens to be Christmas Red. And gosh I just finished stitching this a few days ago. I would have changed mine, but now it is already on the way to the finishers.

If you just gotta have one of these, I noticed that Pocket Full of Stitches is featuring them. They were such a fun stitch! They will be models at the Winter TNNA Market in San Diego. Of course how can you decide which one? Except for the background threads, one of anything that I used is plenty for all 3 of them!

Did any of you watch the Sound of Music Live tonight? or if you are on the West Coast…you are still watching, well maybe. It took me all of about 7 minutes before I changed the channel for something else. You know some things are so very special, that they should have just left it be.

Sylvester is that for me? or is it for you?

and until next time…keep on stitching

Do you know that today is national cookie day! I love, love, love a good cookie. Not too crisp…well unless it’s a biscotti made for dunking… a little chewy and loaded with stuff, good stuff!

The English word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch work “koekje” meaning little cake. Dutch bakers used to test oven temperatures on small amounts of batter, so that they wouldn’t waste it all if the temperature was not just right. Soon they learned that these little morsels were pretty delicious!

Hopefully these ingredients and some inspiration…

will turn into this!

This absolutely hands down, one of the highlights of being with my sister at Christmas…is all the baking that we will do! Are you getting the recipes in order my sister dear? With Christmas falling in the middle of the week, we should get some extra baking time in!

AlleyCat has been very mischevious lately! I keep telling her that Santa Kitty will not be leaving her anything in her stocking…but I don’t think that she believes me!

and until next time…keep on stitching

That is according to the Christmas Clock…wasn’t it Thanksgiving just yesterday? For those of you that are not lucky enough to be owned by a cat, this is how you wrap holiday gifts.

Speaking of Thanksgiving…how was yours? The cats and I had a wonderful weekend spending lots of time together as I literally stitched my fingers to the bone. The Welcome Door by Annie Lane is almost finished, the 3 ornaments by Pepperberry Designs are close to coming off the bars and the last class piece for TNNA is finished! well so very close as the Turkey Work needs just a little more sculpting. I promise I will have pictures coming very, very soon. I just need to order a few more threads and finish writing my stitch guides.

Now my plans are to make some time to work on Bastet, canvas by Tapestry Fair. I have allot more of this stitched than what shows here…I just need to finish the background, her beaded necklace and a little more around the jeweled lotuses.

But I can only hope to finish this, since this is such a busy time of the year. Something I learned from Meredith many classes ago, if you can set aside just an hour a day for stitching, you will be surprised at how much you can get. An hour really doesn’t sound like much at all and you think, why bother? Try it, it really works.

Yes it’s only 22 days ’till Santa arrives too! I love Christmas time, always did and always will. It is such a wonderful time of the year and I take it all in. The decorating, the Christmas Carols, baking cookies, planning Christmas Eve & Christmas dinner with my sister & her husband, the shopping, the parties, wrapping gifts, sending cards, putting up my Christmas trees…yes did I say trees? well I will have 4 of them this year!

so why does she run outside only to want to come right back in? cats, go figure!

and until next time…keep on stitching

Thanksgiving to Black Friday to Small Business Saturday followed up by Cyber Monday. What a great reason to shop! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Mine was quiet and I got allot of stitching done with the cats about me and one on my lap.

If you have registered your card with American Express, any purchase of more than $10 using your AMX card at your favorite needlepoint shop will give you a $10 credit on your next statement! Now how cool is that? It is like shopping for free.

A few cards of thread and a package of needles and you’ve spent $10! easily and at the same time you are supporting the small businesses that are so important to us. I will be supporting all my favorite small businesses in La Jolla this morning….threads, Warwick’s, Adelaide’s and The Cottage.

I am thankful for our small business where we can enjoy some serious retail therapy!

AlleyCat is doing better and has been pretty good with her pills. Last night was a little challenging, but finally! Today she went for a little blood test. Appetite is great and she was very mischevious tonight. The kids and I are going to take a few more days off, you know shopping and decorating and all that stuff takes up allot of time!

and until next time…keep on stitching

A day to give thanks for all the things in life that I am most thankful for! But why do we need to wait for “that day” why can’t we just be thankful all the time?

If you are a faithful reader of Mutts, as I am…. Millie has been threatening this year to cook vegetarian Thanksgiving! It has been quite entertaining the last few days and I will be anxious to see what she sets on the table tomorrow! This is a strip from years past.

Since I was staying in town instead of going to Missy’s…well lets say that AlleyCat decided for me, I thought I would treat myself to some flowers from Adelaide’s. This is my favorite seasonal rose called Leonidas; named after a king of the same name.

So much to be thankful for, whether it just be on Thanksgiving or any day…First and foremost on my list is my family and especially my sister.

I am thankful to be able to give thanks for my friends, my tried and true friends that are always there for you through thick and thin and through all the ups and downs in your life. I give thanks to Elizabeth for believing in me that I could do it. I especially give thanks for my visits there to escape from it all and for the love of the poodles and of course my BFF, the cat.

I give thanks that I love my work, whether it be on the computer drawing stitches or actually sitting on the couch stitching my heart out.

I give thanks to the wonderful people that I have met through the magic of the Internet. To each and everyone of you who read my blog and leave encouraging notes and well wishes to AlleyCat. I am thankful for each and everytime I get AlleyCat’s pill’s into her. To all of you that I have met and tell me that “I read your blog everyday!”…well that I am very thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

and until next time…keep on stitching

Thanksgivukkah when Chanukkah and Thanksgiving share the same day! or how about Thanks-a-latkah. How clever is that one? Now if there weren’t enough different spellings for Hanukkah already, now we have a few more to add to the mix.

It just so happens that this has never happened before and will never happen again in our life time. How ever you spell it, the Festival of Lights, is a beautiful celebration of the miracle of the little bit of oil that lasted 8 days in the Holy Temple. Presents for 8 nights…what could better than that?

Because of the nuances in the Hebrew calendar, the first night of Hanukkah shares the night before, while you are baking pies and getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Now is this not a wonderful piece of needlepoint?! I would love, love to stitch this! I just need more time in my stitching day. How about you? do you have enough stitching time in your day? Canvas is by Melissa Shirley Designs.

My patient is always so entertaining! She is doing great with taking her pills…but shhhh, don’t tell her!

My countdown to Thanksgiving gives thanks for all that I enjoy…time with family and friends, time with my cats and time with my needle and thread.

Happy Hanukkah and Happy Thanksgiving!

and until next time…keep on stitching

Have you seen this thread? a new thread…well new to me anyway, called Cosmo Sparkle Embroidery Threads and they are made in Japan. At the moment I only know of one shop that carries this thread. If anyone else has it, I would be happy to add a link to your shop too!

We discovered this thread after reading about it on Mary Corbet’s  Blog; Needle ‘N Thread. Elizabeth ordered some of it for a look see for the magazine. It only comes in 7 colors at this time and as you can see I just had to try stitching with the black and silver combination. Well after all it was Halloween when I stitched this sample, and was at the Needlepoint Now studios working on my charting for the January/February issue. I wasn’t seeing one of the stitches, so sometimes I will actually stitch it to understand the flow of the stitch in order to better chart it.

So why not try this new thread while I was doing that? well I fell in love with the thread immediately if not sooner and just as quickly ordered the colors for myself. They were waiting for me in my pile of mail by the time that I got back to San Diego.

This would be great on a painted canvas where you would create a magnificient stitch with this thread. Stitches up beautifully and does not unravel at the end. It is not a pull skein as you would think by looking at it. I love, love, love this thread!

Cosmo also make a line of embroidery floss too, of which I have never stitched with.

If you are looking for a holiday present, how about one of these fabulous hand forged laying tools? After all Hanukkah is this week! Found at The NeedleWorks …and I already have mine ready for gift giving.

AlleyCat is doing great and the pill taking secret is cut the pills up just a bit smaller! She spends allot of time washing that naked belly of hers. Thanks again for all of the well wishes and healing thoughts and today that is what I am thankful for.

This is so AlleyCat! but now that I need her to eat her canned food, I make sure to buy all of her favorites. Does she have me well trained or what?

Sylvester stopped by to keep me company while I was stitching. Of course he likes to nap on the threads!

and until next time…keep on stitching