Haul!

To start my next anniversary present, I needed a few flosses. I headed to Strawberry Sampler to pick them up. And of course a few non-floss things jumped into my basket. Those included Heart in Hand Today Forever (a future anniversary sampler) and a few of the flosses I will need to start that one; Plum Street Samplers A Hundred Ways (the Jane Austen quote) (another future anniversary sampler!); and Plum Street Samplers Woolemina (you know how I love sheep); and two olive buttons for Amy Bruecken patterns because they were a quarter each. I couldn't resist that price! I don't even know if I need them!

They didn't have one of the flosses I needed so I headed to the internet where I found more things I absolutely needed. That little Mill Hill polar bear was on sale as was Merry Two, so I picked those up. And then I saw Heart in Hand's Always You (you can't really see it in the photo), and I had to buy everything for that one! And I have a third future anniversary sampler to add to the pile.

Y'all, I might be back in this thing!

A Small Haul

On Saturday, I headed out to procure the last of the perle cotton threads that I need for the stocking. Of course, while I was at Strawberry Sampler, some other nonessential items jumped into the proverbial cart. As you can see from the photo, I found my new Cozzolino Santas--Pirates of the Caribbean Santas. Although I do choose to stitch on these from time to time, I have about 30 Santas waiting for me. This is one of the projects that is on my list for retirement. The good news is that I am buying the kits while I have income!

I saw the Teresa Kogut sheep, For Ewe, in a shop newsletter, and I liked it enough in person to purchase it. But I do have a fondness for sheep that belies my semi-suburban upbringing. Sometimes I don't buy primitive patterns because I think they are too simple, but there is something about the way this sheep is peeking out from the side of the pattern that slays me.

I have been looking for the Prairie Schooler New World Sampler since I stitched on it as part of a round robin back in 2006. Okay, I'll admit I wasn't thrilled with it when I first saw it, but I fell in love with that crazy whale! I'm glad that some of these PS patterns are being re-released.

My last purchase isn't shown in this photo, but will feature in an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned!

Shopping with the Dude

Sissy's birthday is in two days but we're celebrating tonight at Sunday dinner. The dude and I went off to the mall to find her something cute, or failing that, buy her a Tory Burch gift certificate. (We found something cute.) The dude is not known for his shopping prowess nor his patience with capitalist culture nor for "just looking." It was a pretty remarkable day. After we had been in Banana Republic, Free People, and J Crew, he turned to me and said, "All this clothes is made for a race of little people I've never met...all for a hundred and fifty bucks a pop." In Lilly Pulitzer, he threatened to have an epileptic seizure if we didn't leave right away. He had a field day when we walked by the sign that said, "Coming Soon: True Religion."

When I walked by the Tiffany store--which was loaded with teenagers, wtf? I was 24 before I set foot in a Tiffany store--I saw that they had an interesting embroidery display. Not sure if this means cross-stitchers are cool--especially since they've mixed embroidery tools with sewing thread, but there you have it. (I didn't photograph the other display with "T is for Tiffany." We were in a crush of people.)

When I was downloading the photo from my phone, I found this picture I took of my aunt's birthday gift. I bought the premade felt purse and pieces, and sewed them together. But, and this is what I am most proud of, the zipper pull was missing from the purse. We bought an earring at Target, well we bought the pair but just used one, and turned it into a pull. Since the balls in the flower centers are beaded, it was perfect.

The house still isn't cleaning itself. Why hasn't the Jetsons become our reality? I think scientists just want to keep women down.

SEX in My Pajamas (Please Don't be a Dirty Person Looking for That)

On Saturday I got up at 6 am--that's before dawn--to get to the Strawberry Sampler for their sale. The earlier you arrived (beginning at 7 am) the bigger your discount. And if you wore jammies to the party, an extra percentage off. I was there in my hot pink plaid flannel pajama pants for the 25% off. I got just a little new stash--I still had part of my Christmas gift certificate:

Cat's Whiskers "What a Hoot"

Hands to Work "Love, Me" (and the Crescent Colours to stitch it)

Primitive Needle, Moon Sicke

CHS, A Mind Independent and Free

CHS, Curse of the Raven (on the $1 table!)

CHS, Sarah Spurr (also $1)

Mill Hill, Arctic Circle Santas*

Lizzie*Kate, Dog Lessons for People

JBW, Bunny Collection (love that Liberty-style bunny!)

Three large pieces of fabric: Lakeside Meadow Rue 40ct, Picture this Plus Heritage 40 ct, Lakeside Autumn Gold 32 ct

a gift for a friend (not pictured)

I still have $6 on the gift certificate, and this is the second spending spree I've had with it! I'm going to have to tell my mother it was too big! ;)

Of course, it's not like I didn't buy anything at camp. I just haven't shown it to you yet:

Ten (!) Belle Soie silks for the Bermuda pattern I bought to stitch for the dude

CHS, Friendship sampler

Shepherd's Bush, Blue Snowman kit

Tournicoton, Chicken Love

Yes, not as much as usual, even though I had a gift certificate. Mostly because I knew about the pajama sale but also because it's hard to justify spending with the current job situation.

*This is the second time I've bought those Mill Hill kits. Free shipping if you'll pay full price for them...

Good Customer Service Surprise

I was so surprised today when I was shopping at Stein Mart, I just had to share with you.

I had to procure a navy blue sweater for the dude today. (Why didn't he know he needed one yesterday when I was at the mall?) I decided to have lunch at Wegman's and then hit Stein Mart. I buy in bulk for the dude because he never gains an ounce and wears clothes to death. (Seriously, he has turtlenecks {rollnecks} he has had since I met him 18 years ago...) So I bought a couple of merino sweaters and a couple of cashmere. As I was checking out the youngish male clerk and I had this conversation:

Him: That was an expensive sweater.
Me: Cashmere. {While he folds it} Feels good doesn't it?
Him: Yeah. But it was expensive.
Me: It's the same price that Macy's had them for on sale.
Him: Well, thank you for giving us your business.

I know the end of that story and I still almost fell of my chair at the retelling. You know how airlines rotely and robotically tell you they know you have choices when you fly? Well, I never expected that from a young (!) retail clerk. This kid has management potential. Tell the Bobs.

3/50 Continued

Really people? I have to read the FAQ for you?

We've got no place to shop. If you really took a look at the 3/50 concept, you would see that the point is to avoid the big box stores where possible and throw a little money to the independents. I took the idea a step further, perhaps, to suggest that these small stores should be local. When the dude and I sat down to think about where our money went, our thoughts really turned to places within walking distance, but that's just us. My LNS is 40 minutes away. (You'll notice that I did talk about the bead shop, not the needlework store.)

We have a place, but I don't like the stock or the people who work there. Frankly, my blog isn't the place to write about this. A letter to the shop owner is. If you'd like help, I'd be happy to look over what you write. I would let the owner know how much you used to spend there and how much you spend on the internet. I'd also take into consideration the story of one shop owner who wrote her initial business plan based on her own spending, only to find out that people spend way more than she did--like 10 times as much! (Good problem to have.) When I met the woman who spent $900 at camp (and several hundred more per month) I thought I had seen the pinnacle of stitchy spending. Then last year I sat at a table with a woman who spent over $2000 in the store and then had a three page bill when we went to check out on the last day. And she went to camps every month!

More importantly, the 3/50 project says that you should look around at the independents and see which ones you want to survive the economic downturn. It sounds to me like you don't care if they do. So you're fine not spending there. Find three different stores (or restaurants) you would be sad to see go.

I have to get some stuff from the box stores. Here's what the 3/50 FAQ has to say about that. Jennifer wrote about this recently too.

Why should I feel guilty about shopping online? You shouldn't. Unless you like the look of a shuttered downtown.

"I want to try the little shop's camp too" DD, you are going to have to take that up with bestpal. You know how she hates change.

3 50 68 1

I'm just back from the dog park where the "damn dog" has given me agita. There's something wrong with either the hook on her leash or her owner but as we left the gated area, I realized I was holding a leash not attached to a dog. Trouble is, so did the dog. She was off like a shot--running along the creek, running into the creek, running away away away. So much for all that obedience training. When I was trying to find a way around the bunker near the creek so I could reach her, she raced back to the park. One of the men there tried to get her back into the park. When I saw she was hanging around the fence, I went over to the little dog side (now empty) and called her. Then she came to me. I was so mad at her. She's lying here all smug with herself, but man, she stinks like a frickin' sewer. Fortunately, she's going off to the day care center for a long weekend. (She'll have her own room with a tv, so don't feel bad for her.)

The other day I said I'd tell you more about spending money locally, the 3/50 project. The dude and I decided we should do it. We're not spendy-spendersons, so our goal is to spend more of the money that we do spend locally. I think that what really struck me about this project was the idea that for every $100 you spend locally, $68 returns to the community in payroll, taxes, and expenditures. Compared to $43 shopping at a national chain and $0 if you shop online.

The other day, I was at my local bead store and I asked the proprietor, "did you have a chance to order those silk ribbons we were talking about?" We had discussed about a month ago getting neutral silk ribbons to use on the golden bead for my sister. I guess she figured I'd go off and order some off the internet--a practice I bet a lot of small shop owners have to contend with. Especially when you're a small shop, you have to weigh ordering for a customer--especially an occasional customer--with the minimums you are often required to purchase. (This can really drain a store's resources.)

So I told her, the dude and I have decided to stop ordering online. "It's probably safer," she says. "That too," I replied. "But we're trying to make a commitment to support small businesses in the community. The money we spend here stays in the community." You should have seen her face brighten! "Thank you!" she said, "I really appreciate that." Before I left, she was ordering the silk ribbons I was looking for.

It looks like we all win! So think about it, how can you better support the small shops in your area?

One from the Archive

As we were getting the dude ready for work today, I suddenly realized he hadn't come down at 8:00, the time he usually leaves. We decided I'd drive him in since we are dealing with the SEPTA strike anyway. He quickly ate and grabbed his coat. Just before we walked out the door, he turned and asked, "do I feel hot?" (We still use the sophisticated "feel" technique.) (Which is why that ad where the kid complains woodenly, "Mommy, I feel hot." cracks us up.) He was burning up. This necessitated actually finding the thermometer. He had a fever. Home he stayed. (It's the new H1N1 rule.)

This made me feel less guilty about leaving the dog and running errands. Unfortunately I got all the way to the local needlepoint store and realized I didn't know what color I needed to finish that Shepherd's Bush stocking. (I had a name of unusual length to stitch, and ran out of overdyed perle cotton.) Well, it turned out okay because they didn't have the color in Week's perle and they didn't carry Crescent Colors at all. Sigh. Sometimes they make it hard for me to spend my money locally (more on that later).

So tonight for your delectation, one from the archives. I hope I haven't shown you this before. Back in 1996, the dude looked around our apartment and asked why we didn't have any of my stitching on the walls. (Oh, I knew he was a keeper before then, but that sealed it.) I told him I could stitch something for him, and that he should choose it. He flipped through all of my patterns, including the three inch binders (plural) that held patterns torn from magazines. He chose this:

Starry Night
Catherine Theron
Just Cross Stitch Magazine

He told me he liked it because of the disproportion. Man, I bet if Stella ran into that squirrel she'd stop chasing them for sure.

More Shopping

Thanks to all of you brave souls that emptied your stitching bags and baskets! It's been enlightening.

I've been out finding the crazy in the world. Not the craft store this time. At B&N I was flipping through the British magazine Cross Stitch Card Shop. I came across this pattern.

You may not be able to make it out because you won't be able to wrap your head around it. It's a merpoodle. What I like best is it says "Especially for you." Who is the person that you think of when you see a merpoodle? "You know what? She is such a merpoodle person!" The mind boggles. Truly. And we wonder why cross stitch has such a bad rep.

So then I was in the Rite Aid, and I found this:

Just what every dog needs. You know, because they aren't walking around in their own damn fur coats! I like that it keeps the paws free--you know when they need to use the remote or telelphone or read a book. (You have to kind of be familiar with the Snuggie ads for that to make sense.) It's true: Americans are so dumb they'll buy anything.

i can't believe i'm CROSS STITCHING and other finds

Yesterday I was in AC Moore seeing if I could find an interesting present for myself. (No.) But as I was wandering aimlessly through the aisles, I came across some things that cracked me up. So I whipped out my phone and started taking photos.

My first small moment of hilarity came when I found "i can't believe i'm CROSS STITCHING" Oh, where to begin? The booklet is 40 pages long. If there are 40 pages of directions, I can totally believe you are cross-stitching. If I am not going to believe I am doing something after 40 pages of instruction, I'm going with "I Can't Believe I'm Performing an Appendectomy!" Forty pages to learn cross-stitch actually sounds like too many to me. I also like how "i can't believe i'm" is in lower case letters. That makes it hip for the kids. Ever since e-mail, those lazy teens can't manage to hit the shift key. But then, there's the tone of the thing. There is no exclamation point, so it might not be excitement; maybe the tone is more like what you would expect from a teenager--"OMG! I CAN'T be-lieeeeeeeeeeeeve I'm cross-stitching." Like she's being tortured at grandma's country house over the summer. In fact, when I told the dude the title of the book he asked, "Is there a grumpy old man on the cover? I can't BELIEVE I'm cross-stitching." Oh, we crack ourselves up.





The next book I came across was "Between Friends in Cross Stitch." I checked it out because it seemed to have a different sensibility from some of the other books in the rack. And then I read the saying on the front. "Friendship is shopping." Whaaaaaaaaa? The dude and I tried to define friendship. I was coming up with all this saccharine bull crap, "sharing secrets," and he said it was about loyalty and companionship, which, I noted, really described dog ownership. The one thing we could agree on was that friendship was not shopping. Capitalism is shopping maybe.

I decided I had to look up this "Smirk." From the website:
"Smirk is a quirky sassy collection of characters that combine the simplicity of child drawn stick figures with adult tongue in cheek wit and intelligence."

So "friendship is shopping" is that wit or intelligence?






Finally, "The Dancer's Book of Ballet Crafts." Ballet crafts? I have done a lot of crafts in my time--I have good awareness of what is going on out there--and I was stumped. Ballet crafts? I started thinking upcycling; perhaps ballet crafts were things you make out of ballet slippers? No, it turns out that it is knitting, beading, scrapbooking, embroidery, and costuming--making things for ballerinas. Think legwarmers, warm up sweaters, hair decorations, bags for carrying the shoes you don't upcycle, scrapbooks.

I guess at this point in the journey I was just really punchy.

I wonder what I can find on a trip to JoAnns or Michaels?

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. The dude and I tried out a new-to-us Korean BBQ in the city. And he gave me the doggy DNA test so we can find out more about Stella.

Stitching is My Bag

Or something like that... This is the bag I made for myself. Unlike the other two, I finally figured out the proper size for the pieced section. But I was patting myself on the back so hard I forgot to put pockets inside. And I didn't really do a great job of cutting the piece to size. But I love love love that fabric.

I loaded it up with stuff, dumped it out at the register and piled it all back in after I dropped a pretty penny. Good thing I had that gift certificate from my favorite aunt!

And since Monique gave her full shopping report, and someone did ask for details, here's the full shopping list:

Some WDW floss
WDW fabric, 35 ct fabric cappuccino and havana
28 ct Days Gone By fabric
Mill Hill Buttons and Beads Martini (for you know who)
Erica Michaels, To Thee My Heart (silk gauze) and the called-for GAST and Crescent Colors
Giulia Punti Antichi D2 Biscornu
Shepherd's Bush charms for Anna's stocking and Reed's (crossing my fingers I didn't buy the latter twice)
Lizzie Kate, Cinderella is Proof
Just Nan, Scream House
Threads that Bind, Sunday Social (another sheep punchneedle)
JABC clay--three bats for the monsterbubbles Halloween ornament from JCS

When I arrived on Thursday night, I took out Anna's bird and put a little more floss on that bad-ass black fabric. Here's how it looked last time I worked on it, which I think was last year at camp. And I know why: it's the white table cloths. They're so conducive to stitching on dark fabric. I guess I should buy one!

Oh, and I don't know how I forgot to tell you about this, but there was a small festival going on in the state park the same weekend we were there. The National Fry Bread Champ was there selling "Indian tacos," which for those of you who don't know is basically taco ingredients slathered on a piece of fry bread. Oh mama, that was good stuff.

Winner, Winner

Aussie Stitcher wrote to tell me that she's received her prize from last month's blogiversary drawing. That thing really flew to Australia is all I have to say because I just mailed it a week ago.

I love how Tanya finishes her pieces a bit off-center, and I thought that would be perfect for this piece. I did decide to go with a pillow instead of a wall hanging, mostly because I have become so awesome at making pillows. It's my go-to finish. As I was photographing this delightful pillow, I was thinking everyone needs one for Christmas. But then I exhaled and realized, a woman's got to know her limitations, with apologies to Clint.

I found the wooden star buttons as I was wondering around Joann's in a daze--am I the only one who does that? You go to the craft store to buy something specific and once you find it, it's like you're in a Vegas casino, where you can't head straight for the door. Instead you find yourself wandering through the button section or the scrapbooking section or the frames...and you realize you are feeling lightheaded, like you are out of your mind. My sister used to call it my "Ben Franklin orgasm" back in the day when Ben Franklin was a craft store, and not an old man wandering around Philadelphia.

Anyway, I forgot to buy lining fabric for my tote, and I really want to finish this today. Let's hope I can get out of Joann's with my head screwed on straight...as it were.

Cute Shoes

Today in the grocery store a woman told me I had cute shoes. I tend to agree with her. These were an early Christmas gift. (Early! My mother is nuts. If we get out of this economic crisis, it's going to be my mother and Cindy McCain shopping our way out.)

I started stitching for the fair and square Christmas round, so I've got nothing to show. Well, I would if it would stop raining here so I could take some decent photos. If it's sunny tomorrow, I'll take enough photos for weeks of posts. Just in case.

Monday Night Football

I've got nothing. The dude and I are watching MNF and he asked why the NFL hasn't licensed cross-stitch patterns, given how they market the shit out of the brand.

Fortunately, a little problem like licensing doesn't stop people:

• On ecrater, you can find 2 Rams, 2 Packers, a Steelers, Oregon Ducks and 5 USC patterns
• Stitched By Design also offers NFL and NCAAF logo patterns
• There's also an old AFC Helmets chart. (This was probably licensed as it is professionally printed. If you have qualms about that kind of thing.) Oilers! Denver without the bronco! The Mean Patriot in a three point stance!
• The worst of the 80s: cutesified NFL teams
• ebay seems to be the place to get a lot of these things
• For the Raiders fans, be careful--Al Davis is rather litigious
• And the big Why? A Browns pattern. Wrong on so many levels.

So there you have it. The NFL is losing out, but the fans win.

Special thanks to the dude who came up with the concept and helped execute this play. I'd say he matriculated all the way down the field.

Updates

I really didn't mean to imply my readers were lemmings or stalkers with that last post. But it's like I open my mouth and insert my foot. It comes across as charming in real life. I just think Blogger should have thought out the name a bit better.

Just to update you on a few stories we've been following:
The crazy cab ride from hell to the airport, ended in the dismissal of the driver--the straw that broke the camel's back I was told--and we got $50 in funny money from the cab company. Good thing because we are going away in October. Not to Thailand. Have you seen this? (Be sure to look at the photos on the right, and don't stop clicking until you see the giant machete.) We were going to go to Montana instead, but they close the state from September until ski season. Hawaii is too far and Europe too expensive. Anyway, at some point in the near future, Bermuda. And we'll be able to use the funny money to ride to the airport.

There is no word on the robbery.

You read here and here about the second surprise, the one I forgot to photograph. DD sent me these a while back. This is the second bag, the one you would have thought would have been easier to put together, but c'mon this is me. DD loves her some rich reds. I love that black lining too.

I guess I'm going to have to make myself one before the spring. But what colors?

By the Sea

The dude was on the computer all day yesterday catching up on his lectures before he writes his final today. He took only a few short breaks, and I fell asleep on the couch waiting for him to be done. The dog--we're watching Sissy's while she's at the beach--and I crawled off to bed where she got a much better night's rest than I did. (And she's sleeping next to me right now.) A giant moth was caught in our drapes and I was too tired to do anything about it. Every time Mothra beat her wings, I woke up. Then at 6:00 the dog wanted out. At 7:00 I relented. So now I know how early you have to get up around here to blog. It's not going to get better next weekend, because the dude has to write a paper.

I took a little trip to Strawberry Sampler yesterday to get some floss for my Fair and Square project. I had received a newsletter from them saying if you bought $25 worth of stuff and said,"It's sizzling at the Strawberry Sampler," you got 20% off. So I bought By the Sea by the Yankee Stitcher and all the stuff to stitch it (way over $25). Do you know how embarrassing it is to say something like that, even if you do get a financial break? I said, "I think I'm supposed to tell you that it's sizzling here." The two women working the counter shouted, "we got one!" Fortunately there was only one other customer in the store. Which is probably why they were "giving" stuff away.

I spent the rest of the day working on Edgar's RR, and I'm pretty sure that stitching white houses must be the most time consuming thing a person can stitch. I'm hoping that today I will also get to stitch on my knot garden so I can show you some stitching pictures already!

Poll: 32 Shopping Days...

Now I feel like I have set some sort of precedent. You come here on Fridays and think, "ooh, I hope there is a poll for me to take." As my boss once said, "People like clicking!" (She said this to justify hiding information on our website under some crazy titles like "Get informed" "Get connected" and "Get something else that makes no sense and you will never find what you are looking for because someone wants to stick with this silly 'Get something' format!" We objected. She responded, "people like clicking; they like interactivity!" Yes, but they don't like searching for information that should be plain. D'oh.)

You like clicking, so let's get to it.

How are you doing on the preparation for Christmas or other end of year holiday you may celebrate?

The Weekend

I know I said I was going to try to relax from all those stressors. But I forgot that I agreed to watch the kids overnight so that my cousin could go to a wedding in Philadelphia. Here are some tips: don’t forget to give hyperactive children a single dose of their medicine. In fact, you should set an alarm because it’s just that important. And don’t wait too long to eat when you’ve got kids in tow. In fact, it’s probably best to carry food and water at all times, even if you’re only going for a little stroll at the local college. It took the dude and me a looooooong time to get going on Sunday.

I was able to get the last of the pearl cottons this weekend. I only had to go to two more stores. The cross-stitch section of the Joann’s in Springfield doesn’t have a great selection, but it is extremely well cared for. I ended up going out to Frazer, and they had everything I needed and more. (I love needlepoint stores; if you ignore the costly canvases, it’s like a candy store of fiber!) I also got two new pairs of shoes and a pair of boots, because when you find boots that fit your fat calves, you have got to buy them. And inevitably a couple of pairs of shoes will jump in your basket. (I really needed the new brown shoes.) Anyway, that helped with the work thing. And my boss is taking a little off my plate. Whew!

I’m not sure what we’re going to be able to do about the club, but one board member did just write to me and suggested we form a cabal. Intrigue! How can that not help?

When I got back to stitching on Sunday, I was able to finish several sections of the stocking. I do think I will have it completed this week. Of course, that doesn’t bode well for the other monthly goals…

Pennsylvania Dutch

The Pennsylvania Dutch have a saying whatever the weather is on the fifth day of the month so it will be for the rest of the month. I learned this yesterday after our visit to the Kutztown Folk Festival where we saw a tractor parade, watched glass blowers, and ate like I had never heard of Weight Watchers. (Unfortunate, that last bit.) So it's going to be gloomy and soggy? Let's see how they do.

While my nieces and the dude sat rapt watching the glass blower (how many times do I have to see this?) I grew bored and wandered off. I found a delightful dyer and bought 200 yards of wool that had been hand-dyed with natural dyes. This particular wool was dyed with elderberries, but the dyer used lots of other fabulous plants to make wonderful colors. And I love her idea for coasters. Too bad we don't need any coasters...

We also bought a hex sign from one of the last "original" painters. (A lot of them are screened these days.) When my mother was here in May, she helped us hang some of our art in the living room. We have a pretty nice collection of textiles from visits we've made abroad and that our friends have brought back from exotic locales. When she hung the things over the couch, she said we needed something round and about 12" to put in the collage. As we were walking around, I saw the hex signs and it occurred to me that it would fit in with the world market/folk art theme. Funnily enough, the one we both liked turned out to have perfect colors for the room.

I've been stitching a couple of gifts for friends who have birthdays next month and they read the blog, so I can't show any pictures. And there are no pictures of my purchases because the lighting around here is terrible. Come back on the next sunny day!

Sparkle Plenty

I have been so horrible about opalescent fabric. I may not have told you I wasn't crazy about the project you did on it, but I thought it. Oh, I thought it.

And when I was at Stitcher's Paradise... I bought some. For the two Vegas patterns. It seemed completely natural. And now we learn why we never say never--and never make fun of people to their faces. Oh sure, you think you'll never wear the latest trend or stitch on opalescent fabric, and the next thing you know, you look like Britney Spears (only with covered lady parts) or are holding a piece of Picture This Plus Crystal Fog.

I realize I didn't tell you very much about the store. For a smallish shop, they have a ton of stitched models. And they really love monsterbubbles because I've never seen so many of her patterns stitched up in one place. They're so great. They also had a couple of really unique finishing techniques which I asked permission to photograph. But I didn't say, "I'd like to photograph them so I can pop 'em up on my blog," so you'll have to settle for my descriptions. Unless someone from the store writes to me and gives me permission to post them. Both were smallish pieces (4x4 or 5x5) finished as wall hangings. On one, a fringe of ribbon was hanging from the bottom all the way across (all different color ribbons, probably 5 inches in length). The other one had a similar fringe, but it was made from whole skeins of floss. Twenty two of them--I counted just for you. It looked like bullion fringe. So beautiful. And not cheap. That floss was overdyed. Wowza, what an effect.

Last, but not least, hanging in a corner near the front of the store was Tall Flowers. People, I am just going to have to sit myself down and backstitch because we were wrong. I've seen it in person and it needs the backstitch.

Aren't you glad I went? If you ever find yourself in Vegas, go. It's worth the trip. But try to carpool; the round trip taxi fare from Caesars was $45. (I do have the number of a cab driver who knows where it is, if you need that...)