December Swirls

Holy crows! I nearly forgot to post this!!! I did finish the main part of Bent Creek's Snapper Year. I've been contemplating starting the border soon. This was a really fun project to stitch...except for frogging that May block when I had that disaster of a miscount! Every block was very easy and I will miss this one after the border is done!

I never did decide what to stitch in 2011. Unless I come up with something quick I suppose I will just stitch whatever comes to hand. It's not like I don't have three large WIPs and that border on Snapper Year to do! The past two years of having a set monthly stitch have been very enjoyable. I really like the 12 month blocks but one can only have so many calender-type stitches hanging around, right? Maybe 2011 should be my "finish stuff" year?

Best wishes in the new year!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

TUSAL Prizes

As I mentioned yesterday, prizes for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long have started to arrive! I thought I'd post pictures as things come in to motivate everyone to keep posting their Totally Useless Updates...

From CJ, of Tea and Stitches came this lovely packet of goodies! It's LHN Gardening with the overdyed threads (Crescent Colors) to stitch the design, another set of Sampler Threads overdyes in Spring colors and a yummy piece of Bubblegum pink fabric from Enchanted Fabrics.

Another prize was pledged by Lynn, of Minding My Own Stitches...a $25 gift certificate for The Loopy Ewe! Try as I might I could not get my computer to bring up their website. Maybe their server is offline?

Thanks for the prizes, ladies!

If you are interested in joining the TUSAL please click here.

If you would like to donate an item for the giveaway email me at daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT COM and I will send you my mailing address. Prizes such as fabrics, threads, patterns, needles, scissors, fobs, finishing materials and stitched & finished items would be treasured by the winner of the giveaway. Please, don't send me extremely heavy items...I must be able to afford the mailing costs!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Christmas Package

In November, Michele, of Just Another Stitching Blog celebrated her 4th blogoversary with a giveaway. Guess who won??? Yup, it was me! Since it was coming up Christmas Michele decided to make the giveaway a darling basket of Christmas goodies. There was chocolate, fun pencils, two lovely fat quarters of finishing fabrics and a beautiful seasonal scissor fob. I love the cute little box the fob came nestled in ~ snowman! Thank you for a wonderful prize, Michele!

Just a reminder...it's less than a week until the first New Moon of 2011! There is still time to join us in the Totally Useless Stitch A Long! Click the link for details. I've already received stuff for the giveaway and believe me ~ you don't wanna miss out!

Blog Stuff You Should Do: Add a photo to your account! Especially if you actually have a blog and are following other blogs. If you don't have a photo your "no picture" gets shuffled to the back of the list and you don't get seen. You want people to see the picture and wonder, "Who is that?" and come visit your blog. Choose an unusual photo! You know who it is when you see my dancing cow, right? It doesn't have to be an actual photo of you. Find something that screams, "It's me!" and keep it forever. You wouldn't know what to think if I changed that dancing cow, would you? Brand recognition!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Waiting for Santa

The presents are wrapped. The dinner is planned. The excitement is building. It's almost Christmas! I'm SO FAR behind in my blog reader...I'm hoping to get caught up soon ~ I miss you!

Wishing everyone the merriest Christmas you've ever had.

*********

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

2010 Congratulations

Super-huge congratulations to my daughter, Jessica and to her boyfriend, Matt, who have graduated from Oklahoma State University today. Their commencement ceremonies were lovely. Jessica earned a BFA in Theatre and Matt earned a BS in Management Information Systems.

We are so proud of both of you.

Way to go kids!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

*faints*

Look what happened over the weekend:

100,000 visitors? Are you freakin' serious? And I've reached 500 followers as well? This is a joke, right? OMG Don't you people know how completely boring and ordinary I am? I truly don't deserve such kind and faithful readers...you all make me feel wonderfully special. Thank you.

This also happened over the weekend:

One Christmas tree ~ up and decorated! Rick came home with a new artificial tree for us as our old one was pretty ratty. Maybe I'm finding my Christmas Spirit after all? I've been admiring all the cross stitched ornaments I have and I realized I don't have any stitched by me. Every single one came as a gift or an exchange! I should stitch myself a few, don't you think? But I so love stitching for others...

Here is where I'm at on my Bent Creek Snapper Year. Slow going. I've been working on a couple of other things (remember my blogoversary giveaways?) I don't think I will have any trouble finishing up in time. Then, THEN! I still have to work that horrifying border. You forgot about that, didn't you? It still scares the living daylights outta me. *sigh* one stitch at a time, right?

***

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Mistletoe Reindeer

This one is for Barbie who bitches incessantly asks sweetly about a new reindeer every time I turn around! Just kidding there, Barbi! Inspiration finally arrived, if leaving it a little late ~ since Christmas is just around the corner! But he will be quick to stitch and will match my other reindeer, if you have already stitched them. I didn't wait to post this freebie until I stitched it myself or you'd be waiting too long...I am not the Queen of Slow Stitching for nothing, you know!

Introducing:

Mistletoe Reindeer

I think perhaps this little guy didn't duck far enough when he passed under the mistletoe or maybe he's only waiting for a pretty doe to notice him?

Please email me to receive a copy of the pattern at: daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com. Put "freebie request" in the subject line and tell me the title(s) of the pattern(s) you are requesting.

You must have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view/print the pattern, or a similar PDF viewer.

If you'd like to see my other free cross stitch designs, including the matching reindeer, click the kitty cat in my sidebar!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long

Notice: The 2012 Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long is now open for sign-ups, click here to go!

I received so many comments & emails about the Totally Useless Stitch-a-long that I decided to "revive" it for next year. I will change the link in my sidebar to link to this post since it now links to a blog which no longer exists.

If you would like to join the SAL for 2011, leave a comment on this post. The rules are simple...

1. Get a glass container and save your thread clippings or ORTs (Old Ratty Threads!) Some stitchers include fabric trimmings, thread bands or any other stitching cast-offs they gather.

2. On (or about) each New Moon take a picture of the ORTs in your jar and post it to your blog. Yes, you MUST have a blog to be included. Reasonably "late" posts will be accepted...posting several updates at once is cheating!

3. Yes, you can use your current ORT jar. This is no contest...the stitcher with the most ORTs doesn't automatically win!

4. You must post a picture each New Moon, even if there has been no "progress" to show.

5. Label your Totally Useless posts with "TUSAL" to make it easier for me to find your posts at the end. If you don't know how to "label" your posts email me.

Why numbers 4 & 5? Because...those that have commented here AND made their 13 New Moon 2011 updates will be included in a giveaway! That's right...every stitcher commenting here will be added to the drawing. If your name is drawn, I will check your blog for your New Moon updates, if they have been made ~ then you win...if not, another name will be drawn!

Wait! This is a giveaway, you ask? What is the prize? To be totally honest, I have no clue!!! I will start collecting stash...adding it to a box. Would it be fun to have participants & fellow bloggers add stash? I think so! If you'd like to add an item to the giveaway you can email me at daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com & I will give you my mailing address. Please, don't send me an 8 pound bag of crushed walnut shells...or I'll not afford to mail the package to the winner! I'm thinking handmade items, charts (respect copyrights, no photocopies!) fat quarters, fabric and finishing materials. Sound good?

Please DON'T comment on this post if you are not joining the stitch-a-long! Since some of you have multiple blogs, please tell me the name of the blog you will be posting your updates to. I will add your name & blog link to a list in this post. If you have commented and you have not been added to the list within a few days...I may have overlooked you...email me! Questions? Feel free to email me! International bloggers are welcome!

2011 New Moon Dates:
January 4
February 3
March 4
April 3
May 3
June 1
July 1
July 30
August 29
September 27
October 26
November 25
December 24

The Totally Useless Guest List:
1. It's Daffycat
2. Fog City Dweller
3. Purple Peacock
4. Tea and Stitches
5. Something For Me
6. Kathy's Sit and Stitch
7. Before The Dawn
8. My Wee Stitchy Blog
9. The Auld Grey Mare
10. Needles Pins and Dragonflies
11. Threads, thoughts and other notions
12. Bonnie's World
13. Therapy by Thread
14. Colorado Stitcher
15. An Expat Kiwi Crafter
16. Are you In Stitches?
17. Sharlene's Stitching Site
18. Erica's Places
19. Simply Stitching In The Garden
20. Tangled Up In Sticks and String
21. Kttycat Cross Stitch Blog
22. Hanging On By A Thread
23. Just A Virginia Gir
l24. Chriz' Stitching Spot
25. Blissfully Stitching
26. B0nn13's Place
27. My Art, My So Called Life
28. Fireflies & Cats in the garden
29. Heartland Stitching
30. Hooked On Stitching
31. Faery Grandmother
32. Old Ragged Threads
33. Orts and Ends
34. Cathis Stitching Blog
35. Annette's Pieces
36. Pixelknit's Ponderings
37. Bits of My Own
38. Stitching Daze
39. It's Geek to Me
40. Cross Stitch Crazy
41. Sheila's Stitches & Stuff
42. Raised by Poodles
43. My Stitching Corner
44. A Cosy Little Place For Stitching
45. Just Alex
46. Debbie's Corner
47. Gr8dame's Place
48. Stitching Life in the Fast Lane
49. Me, My Bubble and My Stitching
50. Poppy Patchwork
51. Babs Stitching & Stuff
52. Cindi's Stitching & Stuff
53. Cheerfully Crossing
54. Lisa's Stitching Life
55. Jodie's Crafty Blog
56. Knitting Kitties
57. Caring Stitcher
58. Fairy Tales & French Knots
59. Grandma's Musings
60. The Last Remaining Brain Cell
61. Stitchen' My Life Away
62. Dominant Hands
63. Hello Operator
64. Never A Dull Moment
65. TeaTime Ramblings
66. Alyoops!
67. All I want...is everything
68. Minding My Own Stitches
69. Cha Cha's World
70. Revelations of a Delusional Knitter
71. A Bit of This and a Bit of That
72. quiltcat
73. Stitching Again
74. AuryTM
75. Days of a Sampler Lover
76. Little Knitables
77. Sense and Stitchability
78. Craftie
79. Stitching, Crafting and Life ~ OH MY!
80. Sarah ~ With an 'H'
81. Knitterofhats speaks
82. Random Ramblings
83. Cross Stitching
84. Helen's Hobbies
85. Midnight Stitching
86. Rikes (Kreuz)sticheleien
87. Taking One Stitch At A Time
88. Debbie's Cross-Stitch
89. Foxy's Toys
90. The Teakettle Corner
91. Eat Stitch Love
92. Cranberry Samplings
93. Reflections in the Pond
94. Life and Yarn or Yarn and Life
95. Blu Stitcher
96. Bec's cross stitch creations
97. BAP Attack
98. Én és a keresztszemezés
99. A Stitch in Time
100. Contented Stitcher
101. Bramblewood Stitches
102. Measi's Musings
103. Come Stitch With Me
104. Seasons Of My Mind
105. Kathy's Stitching and other comments
106. A Needle and some Thread
107. Mind Wanderings
108. Random Stitching Ramblings
109. Fabric and Thread and Needles and Patterns, OH MY!
110. Carol's Stitching and Stuff
111. Kearnel's Korner
112. Lesleyanne's Life of Stitches
113. Stitch Days
114. Kilijo's Musings
115. Nan's Needlework Notions
116. My Favourite Things
117. Stitched in Wales
118. Stitching Cats
119. Between Crosses with Nina
120. The Ramblings of a Knitting Goddess
121. Stitching and Stuff
122. Susan's Stash of Stitching and Books
123. Mark's Quilts
124. Keeping It Homemade
125. Loretta's Stitching Blog
126. Words of a Wikkid Woman
127. Stitching the Night Away in Illinois
128. Az élet naposabb oldala
129. Borduurmeisje
130. Aimetu's Stitching
131. Bunny Stuff
132. Emmie's Ramblings
133. Tűbarkács
134. needles-and-quilter-me
135. The Stitching Frog
136. More than just Cross Stichin'
137. Flossy Lady
138. Mi Pequeño Tesoro
139. Villa Loedana
140. Cseverke
141. Stitching is cheaper than Therapy
142. Yellow Flower Meadow
143. Home of a Floss Junkie
144. ziggyeor's loopyness
145. EEF's Needle
146. Flossy Bobbin
147. Kozi keresztszemes munkái
148. Sitches and Cats, Oh My!
149. Bronny's Bits
150. Pip Stitch
151. Creativity Has No Limits!
152. Sublime Pastimes
153. Maison de Montsaunes
154. Needle In Hand
155. Char's Crafty Days
156. Hesztia Liberty
157. Old Ragged Threads
158. Peace, Love and Stitching
159. BirchBee
160. Witch Stitches
161. x és más
162. Austin's Allandale in Stitches
163. A Stitch in Time
164. This is who I am
165. cenefas de flores
166. Anime Stitching
167. Stitch! Read! Write!
168. Lit and Laundry
169. Rebel In Ontario
170. A Stitch in Time
171. Gumbo And Grits
172. xszemekbe zárva
173. Annette's Acre
174. A Riot Patch of Pixels
175. Gennyysusamigas
176. Sherri's Sundries
177. Paco's Place CrossStitch
178. Just Sew' n' Sew
179. Wendy's Wips
180. Knitting before Knitting was Cool
181. sticken und sonst fast nix
182. Bizzi Hands
183. Time Travel Stitching
184. One Stitch Closer to Nirvana
185. Cross Stitching Nut
186. The Hera Chronicles
187. My New Perspective
188. A Stitch in Time*
189. Nutmegger Stitcher's Works
190. Midge's Crafty Corner
191. Life's a stitch...
192. Stitching My Life Away
193. Peaceful Threads by Fiona
194. Kay's Random World
195. Beth's Blog
196. The Sparklie Things Blog
197. Rhythm of Goals
198. Kate + Ice Cream
199. Home of Miracle
200. Stitching Through Life
201. Creative Carrie
202. Gathering Place
203. Tangled Threads
204. Dani: Black Belt Stitching Wizard
205. just a scrappin and stitchin chick
206. Trinabelle's
207. Phoenix Needlepoint News
208. By The Bay NeedleArt
209. Just Another Flamigo On The Lawn

Entries for the SAL are now closed!

A shout-out on your blog to let other stitchers know about the new Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Last Totally Useless Post

I can't believe it's the last TU SAL of the year! This year went by way too fast. Our host for the SAL has disappeared. Yoyo, who blogged at Dragon My Needle, has removed her blog entirely. I wish she would have at least told one of us what was up...so we wouldn't worry about her.

However, the Totally Useless Stitch A Long continues. My offering for the New Moon is meager at best. It was a crazy busy month for me. I count myself lucky to have stitched what I did! My Totally Useless jar was photographed in front of all the stuff at the corner of my desk. You can see in the background the big jar of ORTs. Holy cow ~ that's a lot of ORTs!

Join us for the SAL? Grab an empty jar and save your ORTs (Old Ratty Threads) and post a picture on the New Moon each month. It is Totally Useless but a fun way to measure your progress! Plus, it gives you something to blog about when you are stuck for ideas. We have a date, right? The next New Moon is on January 4, 2011...

You don't want to miss the LOVELY Christmas freebie that Robin of Stitches and Cats, Oh MY! has created. I simply adore the design! Be sure to save her blog to your blogroll as well, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Snowmen Rock!

Angela let me know my Ornament Swap arrived yesterday. Angela said she likes snowmen and Little House Needleworks designs so when I saw this sweet snowman I knew I had to stitch him for her. I did change a few things: the design is charted with a white bird at the top of the tree and I made him into a Cardinal instead; the checkerboard pattern was charted in the same gold as the star and I stitched it in red Smyrna crosses. I backed the ornament with the red check fabric, sewed it into a pillow and stuffed it very lightly. The ribbon hanger was tea-dyed briefly to take off the brilliant white of it and was secured with two red & cream vintage buttons from my button box. If I hadn't been pushing close to the mail-out deadline I would have kept this one for myself! *grin*

Design ~ Frosty Flakes

Designer ~ Little House Needleworks

Fabric ~ 32 count tea-dyed Lugana
Fiber ~ DMC

Just a note about this exchange: We are a small group of friends swapping Christmas ornaments every other month. This exchange is not currently open to new swappers, sorry! But why not start your own swap? Choose five stitchers to exchange with...six including you...and every other month is someones turn to receive and everyone in the group stitches an ornament for them. This has been the best exchange. In fact, we have all enjoyed it so much we all agreed to go again next year. My turn to receive again is in March 2011!

Did you see the update on my last RAK post? Scroll down or click here to see who received that Raven Lunatic pin pillow...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox