Showing posts with label birthday exchange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday exchange. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me

Have you seen that movie? It was one of my very first dates in high school. Of Mike, the guy who took me to the Bedford Mall (well, his father drove) to see it, my mother would always say, "I wish I could put him on ice!" Meaning, of course, that I should marry him even though we were much(!) too young to consider any such thing. Though technically, in NH, I was legal to marry when I was dating him...with parental permission and judicial waivers...At any rate, my mother picked us up at the end of the date and when she heard I had eaten chocolate ice cream (we had strolled around the mall for a while) she said, "Annnnnnnnnnna! You can't eat chocolate ice cream without getting it all over your face." While true, you can imagine how hard I was wishing for a hole in the floorboards to spit me out onto the road below. When I think back on him, he's probably most like the dude of any of my boyfriends: intellectual, physically large head, quiet, dark, and handsome. But, being from NH, he could ski and the dude, not so much. Of course, I haven't skied since I went away to college lo those many years ago making the dude's lack of shushing skills a moot point.

Wow...what I meant to tell you about was the fabulous gift I got from Paula D. (We were once F&S exchange partners. If you can imagine my exact opposite in the stitchy world, I'm pretty sure it is Paula: seven kids and a husband who is a pastor? preacher? how you say in English? I don't know, I'm still hung up on the seven kids--I can't even handle the one dog. Really, just today the dog got so mad at me because I wouldn't let her out to chase rabbits that she spilled my beads for "Martini" all over the floor. "Look, Mama,* I made the floor sparkly!")

Paula stitched me Lizzie*Kate's "Autumn ABCs" and finished it as a pinkeep with sage green beads around the edge. PUMPKIN! How perfect is that? She also sent quite a package including Just Nan's "Frightful," (more pumpkins) LHN's "Moon and Stars," and Sheepish Designs "That Dern Parrot," which turns out to be one of those patterns I didn't even know I wanted that I am in love with. The envelope also held two skeins of silk mori that match a skein of Northern Lights, two skeins of Crescent Colours, two of Six Strand Sweets, (which are my first. I know! Did you even think I had any stitching virginity left?), some gold very fine braid, and a postcard from the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

Thanks so much, Paula. You've outdone yourself!

Paula also did a really good job for the tourism bureau. When the dude saw the postcard, he asked, "Is that what Alabama looks like?" I told him it did along the Gulf Coast, and he decided we should visit Alabama some day.

*I actually hate when people say I am a dog mother. First, she is--or I am--the wrong species. Also, dogs are easier than children since you are allowed to crate a dog and leave it home alone. Social services frown on you doing that to children. We're teaching Stella to learn our names: "go upstairs with Anna," the dude will say--we are certainly not mommy and daddy. Though, like our heroes Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis, we sometimes call each other mommy and daddy. No we don't. Why would you even believe any part of that sentence?

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Dani's BIrthday Gift

Dani's birthday exchange gift has arrived. I love how the post office tells you 3-4 days, which is what you pay extra for, and then the package arrives whenever it arrives. Of course, foreign post offices haven't contracted for it to take 3-4 days, and custom's offices don't give a crap how much you paid for on-time delivery. Ah, the vagaries of "overseas" shipping.

Here's the secret stitching I was up to.


Oh, blogger, you're like an ornery 87 year old who won't do the things people ask you nicely to do. We just have to roll with it. Two bags of WW candy for the WW goddess--she's done a pretty good job on that program, so I didn't want to derail her. I have enjoyed these candies on occasion, and I am really sensitive to "fake sugar" flavors. I especially like the toffee...but I digress. A set of variegated DMC floss, Dani mentioned that she liked that. The purple scissors were supposed to go with the fob but that fob did not stitch up 2x2". You've seen it before, but this time I used a lime green. Dani did mention once on her blog that her favorite color was green. You gotta be careful what you say out here.



I chose to stitch the Ink Circles stuff because Dani has completely different stitching taste from me, but I think this is something we could both agree on! You may remember this from last month's giveaway. I love how this came out. And I found that backing fabric in the Joann's fat quarters. How awesome is it? I love how the tassel looks like fat sausage curls. That's what happens when you use all the green to make the cording (after you buy two skeins of the wrong color). Anyway, I repurposed the extra cording, and I love how it looks.


Here's the pin keep--my first ever. Just a tip: when they say it is easier to do the ladder stitching with a curved needle, get one. I was going out of my mind until I switched to the curved needle. This is also an Ink Circles freebie from June 2007. I used the recommended colors except for the large square. The colors called for were too minty, so I brightened it up. And since I couldn't get enough of that fabric--and clearly, it's all about me--I used it to back this piece also.

Happy Belated Birthday, Dani!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

We have a Winner

The good news is that I've actually shipped the last anniversary prize! I'm still working on getting other things in the mail. Why do I have to go to an office eight hours a day? I have things I want to do!

Without further ado, our winner is:
16 Sadie

Congratulations, Sadie! Please send me your snail mail address. My e-mail address is in my profile.

In other news, I bought camera batteries! Now I have lots of photos to show you. But I'm going to spread it out.

I'm starting, however, with the fabulous birthday treats Edgar sent to me. Edgar wasn't my SBBC partner, but my partner was unable to send anything. It was so kind of him to put together this awesome treat for me! Lookit:


I don't know what is up with blogger. It keeps turning that photo around. Crazy. Anyway, there's By the Bay Needleart's Summer Hill, Casey Buonauguirio's Pink Plaid Pear, Cricket Collection's Ghosties and Ghoulies, and Imaginating's Seashell Silhouette. Five luscious skeins of Crescent Colors silk floss. And la piece de resistance, a Prairie Schooler ornament from "Santa Rides" finished in Pyn Keepe style. Edgar chose the horse because that is my Chinese zodiac symbol. How thoughtful! Here's a close-up.



When the dude saw it he said, "That will look so nice on your Santa tree*." Edgar also sent some adorable chocolates, but the dude's been helping me with those so no picture. Thanks Edgar, you're a mensch! And a fabulous present-giver.

* All handmade Santa ornaments. I like how it is "my tree"--yeah, and I get to put it up myself too--but when it comes to anything else in the house, he gets bent out of shape when I say it is mine. None of us is consistent; we're living the contradictions, baby.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Birthday, Stephanie

Stephanie of In Stitches was my birthday exchange partner, and even though the Royal Mail hates me (Christmas presents arrive in March; empty boxes delivered to my inlaws), it arrived a mere three days late. She liked it a little (see comment below). Here's what I sent to the birthday girl.



The fob is Ewe and Eye and Friends Heart Fob. I saw she liked EEF and was interested in more fobs for her scissors (and more scissors!) so I made two fobs, one that I stitched and one that I beaded. I made her an Amy Butler Stash and Dash bag as well. Then I added some variegated DMC, a pair of scissors, a couple of fat quarters for finishing, and some linen (not pictured).

Happy Birthday, dear Stephanie. I'm not going to comment on being upset over turning 34. Really now.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Nothing to Show

I've been working on my birthday exchange piece, so I have nothing to show. But I do need some advice: I think I made the thing I am making too big. So now I have to think about what to do about that. Okay, that's not just vague, it's unintelligible. It's just that my partner reads my blog. Oh, okay. I made a scissor fob but used 28 count fabric instead of 35 count. The original design was kind of big for a fob--but definitely meant for a fob--so now it's huge. Okay, not huge but...well...you'd never lose your scissors with this thing on it! I could just send a huge fob or I could make it into a very small pinkeep. And I'm growing later (not overdue, just...you know..TIME) and I think I should put a lot more in the package. I keep thinking of all these great things I could make but...you know...TIME. I just don't want the poor woman (I don't think I'm giving anything away there!) to feel cheated. Sigh. I have about a week before I have to have to send (and with my luck the mail will take forever because, is it bad to give a really big hint? I always have trouble when I send things to this place.) (Are you starting to feel like Encyclopedia Brown while you read this?)

I should finish up the Family Matters piece for my aunt tonight on the bus ride home. Though the new floss I got is quite a bit darker than the old floss. Fortunately, I am capricious when I stitch, so there's some of the new floss in several spots on the pattern. I'm hoping it blends. I'm so excited to do the finishing on this. It looks fabulous in my mind! I just wish I had about eight more hours in the day.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Craft Corner

Last night I went to the public library's "craft corner." The woman in charge called me the wrong name almost the whole night. I kept repeating my name, but she wasn't getting it. I really have to come up with a polite way of correcting people. Anyway, she finally asked me for my e-mail address, and when she saw it written, she started using the right one. Two librarians, two friends, and I were the only ones in attendance. The two friends were the kind of people that go to a public stitch in and then just talk to each other. Nice. Good thing you left the comfort of your own home. They only stayed for an hour. The librarians were super friendly, so I think I'll go back next week.

We got on the topic of this local yarn store that closed, and one woman said she didn't carry things that were that different from AC Moore. I cannot confirm since I never went to the store, though I meant to. Then they were talking about the bead store and saying they hoped she survived. The woman who said the Technicolor Sheep was like AC Moore said she had been in to the bead store but hadn't bought anything. I told them about the classes I took, and said they had a lot of stuff that you can't get at the craft stores. Which is totally true. It's just more expensive, and I suspect that that is really the underlying reason that these people think that the big box craft stores are good enough. But I am here to shed light not to condemn! Next week, I think I'll bring my beading projects to see if I can get them interested in actually shopping there. I also turned the younger facebooking librarian on to ravelry. It's just one good deed after another.

I ran out of Harvest Basket for my aunt's gift, but I do have some on the way from Jenna so I should finish up soon. I found some fabulous flannel for a pillow finish, but I was thinking I wanted to make a ruffle on the pillow. Then I thought I might use five fabrics (four different ones around the pattern and a fifth for the ruffle) so I've got to get more fabric for finishing it. This may be put off until June (my parents arrive for ten days 4/30 and my MIL for 14 days on 5/16).

I've substituted Curly Q Ewe for my travel project. But people I have just realized that my birthday exchange is rapidly approaching. Yikes! Gotta get on that! (Well, I've been buying things for it, now I've got to get to making things for it.)



Challenge
It looks like we have critical mass for the challenge. I'll start looking around for freebie patterns--if you have any ideas, just point me toward them. And I'm thinking about the prize thing. I'm a little wary of collecting money from people, and I thought it might be nice to have prizes for the top three...but maybe I'm getting ahead of myself.