Finish: Scissor Fob

This poor little scissor fob. I don't know why I haven't gotten to this sooner. I completed the stitching in July 2005. And according to that post I took the class with Lauren Sauer of Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches in 1995 or 1996. So this has taken 20 years. (I need to let that sink in!) You can see that it has a companion pincushion which has been finished since at least 2004, perhaps even earlier. The scissor rest and the needlebook still need to be finished, but we may or may not see them this month.

This finish uses an overcast backstitch. (If you click through, you will see how to make a piece of stitching into a bookmark. Jen is very clever.) I like this method because all the finishing is on the outside and is decorative. (I plan to show you a couple of even more decorative ways to do this.) Even better, I don't have to do any blind stitching. I'm so bad at it, it usually distorts my finished object.

If you'd like to see more action shots of this finishing technique, check out these blogs:

• Annette's Acre
• Focus on Finishing

This type of finish is often coupled (as I have here) with twisted cord. There are loads of tutorials for this.

• Vonna can show you how, using the Krienik Cording Drill.
• DMC shows you how to do it with just a pen.
• Head here if you want a video.

I do intend to add to the knowledge here, but not just yet.

Craft Month Reveal

Ooh, what can it be?

I'm stitching away (a little unhappily) on my February small. I hope to have something to show you tomorrow. 

In the meantime, I've been thinking about Craft Month. It starts Sunday. I had a plan. I've had it for most of the last year, but I wasn't feeling it. So I posted on Facebook, "Nine days left in February which means it's almost Craft Month. I have NO plan." 

I got a handful of responses, but nothing approaching an answer. Then someone responded, "Why would we need a craft month? Don't we all have the ongoing projects we never quite finish?" (She's a potter, but we're all the same, right?)

Anyway, she said a magic word. Can you guess?

Some of the 32 ornaments and smalls that need finishing.

It was finish! Did you get it?

I dug out all my completed but unfinished projects and there are 85, give or take. Removing the 20 or so that I definitely want to have professionally framed, that leaves me plenty of options for the 31 days of Craft Month. I'm going to try to do 31 different finishes. Now, I'm no Vonna Pfeiffer, so don't look for loads of creative and unique ideas here...although I am not above using some of her tutorials (with proper links of course!). 

I'm pretty psyched about this new idea, and I hope you'll join me for the ride!

Happy Birthday to (Lots of) You

Thank you for your kindness toward my grandmother. I'm not sure we're going to be able to do much in the face of her stubbornness. We'll see.

I don't know what has been taking up all my time. Oddly, last week's calendar looks pretty clear compared to this week's (poetry event at Bryn Mawr College, hair appointment tonight, Neil deGrasse Tyson tomorrow night) and yet, I've still found time to blog today and not last week...

But the cards I am sharing were made last week, so there is that.

This is a little hard to see. It's a Post-It Note holder made with an acrylic frame. The stand on the back allows the holder to stand at an angle to make it easy to write on. (You can see me in the reflection doing the pinky wave I do when I take a photo.) I should make another with colors to match our living room so we can put one by the phone! Of course it will get buried under the mail just like the notepad we have now...

This is the banner card I started last month at stamping night and finished this month after I bought the framelits. I like this card a lot, though I am not quite sure why. It's a gate fold, and the inside is stamped with the grasses. Nice little touch.

Since I had spent so much time making all these masculine cards, I had to whip up a card for my niece who had a birthday two Sundays ago. (Sissy's birthday was last Sunday, but I forgot to take a picture of the card I made for her.) I guess this one could have gone both ways. I love this paper from Stampin' Up, and I borrowed the stamp set from my sister. I guess I should make a few more and then return that to her.

Another set of fun cards for boys of all ages! I was very pleased to get all the boy cards made for the year. This is "In the Wild" (retired) with the hats and balloons from "Owl Together Now." Inside, there's a crocodile wearing a party hat. 

Phew! This month, I'll spend some time making some more feminine cards because I have four coming up in the next two months (and I've already had to wing it on two). Why did so many people in my family have birthdays in the beginning of the year?

Maggie Monday: Be On the Lookout

My aunt wrote to tell me that Maggie has taken to listening to the radio since her vision is so bad. The other day, she called my aunt, who lives in Merrimack, N.H., to tell her police there were on the look out for a guy with pointy teeth. "Lock your door and lay low," she said. Apparently, she only caught the end of the story...

This is the guy they're after.

You've probably seen that in light of the seven feet of snow they are buried under, the Merrimack police have put out an arrest warrant for Punxsutawney Phil. (You can read about it here.)

I know so many of you enjoy stories about my grandmother, but she is having a terribly difficult winter. She's not able to get out as much, and she's starting to feel lonely (plus two of her regular '"rides" are in the hospital). I sort of wish she'd consent to assisted living because then she'd be stuck inside with a bunch of other people and occasional entertainment. I wish there were something we could do, like all drop by. Sending cards--and you know how she likes to open cards--doesn't seem like it will work because her vision has deteriorated to the point my aunt has to read things to her. She describes herself as "not much of a phone person" (it's genetic), or I'd start giving out her phone number, I swear. If you have any bright ideas, let me know!

Happy New Year...Yeah the Card was Late Too

A million years ago, there was some interest in seeing my recent card crafting. This was my New Year's card. It may not look like much, but the swirls are heat embossed onto the blue stock and the snowflakes were diecut from glitter paper. I know it looks like I just used fancy ribbon and stickers...At any rate, if the number of these cards that showed up in New England presaged the snow, I apologize to all my friends and neighbors up there.

I have about a dozen man/boy cards to make each year for family members, and all but two of my guys have a birthday before June. Kinda sucks, but that's the luck of the draw. I wanted to make at least nine cards so I could be ready, but I only made six (plus two that were nearly complete). I want to do another four male cards at our next session, but I have to do cards for Yay-o and Sissy. And a valentine for my valentine. I guess I have a plan for this Friday!

I made these for the two younger boys. Fingers crossed that I am not a day late on these...they grow up so fast and their tastes are so mercurial.

One Dog, Two Dog, Yellow Dog, Blue Dog

I guess that Crazy January knocked me out!

I have gathered up my stitches and photos and words and returned. Happily, I did keep stitching, and on the promised project, Love Me Love My Dog, a Mill Hill kit. I finished (except for beads) the yellow dog and started the grey dog. Below you can see the photo of the last time I worked on this in September of 2013.

I have been working on my birth samplers. Sissy sent a photo of Sugar Rea sitting up on her own. If I don't get these stitched and framed these kids are going to be off to college! Back to the coal mines...

Days 27 through 31

This last week of January flew by! Although I haven't had a chance to show you what I worked on Tuesday (or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday!), I did manage to stitch five more patterns.

This is Christian's Stocking by Shepherd's Bush. I'm stitching it for Jersey. But I will say right now that if I cannot finish all four of this family's stockings, I will finish the stockings for the girls (even though I've stitched less on theirs at this point).

The last of the scheduled Mill Hill Santa starts, Lapland Santa. This one had six different browns in it. I think they do this on purpose so you can have a nervous breakdown when you are sorting the floss. Seriously. I worked on this while watching the last episode of Hinterlands. I hope when the second series airs in the UK this fall, we won't have to wait long to see it on this side of the Atlantic.

I am restitching Mary's Stocking for Sissy. It has to be done so her sock matches the rest of the family's. Honestly I stitched this so long ago the first time, that I don't think it will feel repetitive. 

These were stitched on Friday and Saturday for two special little twins. I think these will show up in my February rotation in the "new start" slot. Gotta get these done and in frames before the babies have their first birthday! I am stitching this on a 28-ct white Monaco with Belle Soie silks in Carnation.

My goals for this month were to start a new project every day (check), stitch every day (check), and finish a small (check). Not a bad outing.

February:

Week One: Love Me, Love My Dog (started CJC 2011)

Week Two: Oh, Baby

Week Three: Smalls project

Week Four: free stitch/craft

I hope to continue to work on my annual goals of stitching every day and finishing 12 projects for the year.

Okay, I'm way behind on commenting on your blogs and checking out the Grow Your Blog Party. Don't give up on me!