That's A Wrap!

Finally! This one took long enough. Admittedly, I dawdled. I blame the holidays. Work. Nice weather. Bad weather. Home. Boredom. Too much excitement. Laziness. 

Actually...I have no excuse. I just felt like dawdling.

But, it's done:

Design ~ Secret Pumpkin Patch
Designer ~ The Trilogy
Fabric ~ 28 count tea-dyed Lugana
Fiber ~ DMC

When I finally finished that one I pulled out a UFO from last summer and went back to work on it. This one was fun but I had trouble with the white. I used 712 in the hat...it was fine, banded with red it showed up great but when I started the sparkles they blended in with the fabric! Whoops! So I frogged the bit of fireworks I had done and went with bright-white B5200. This still needs buttons added. It comes with a teeny Liberty Bell charm but I think I will use some star-shaped buttons instead.

Design ~ 4th of July
Designer ~ Lizzie*Kate
Fabric ~ 28 count tea-dyed Lugana
Fiber ~ DMC

Both of these are destined to become holiday decorations, either pillows or ornaments. What am I'm starting next? Perhaps a Blackbird Designs pinpillow. I have it kitted up but I feel like dawdling. *sigh*

=^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=

Naked Bananas or stuff you really wanted to know about me:

I have a "thing" about banana peels. Yes, banana peels. 

They creep me out.

I'm not talking about peels in the trash or prank-left-on-the-floor-to-slip-on peels but touching the peel while I'm eating a banana. Peel it down a few inches and munch away? Not me. 

I. Can. Not. 

I have to peel the entire banana, being careful not to touch the inside, set the edible part down on a napkin, toss the peel, wash my hands, then I can eat the banana. I eat only naked bananas.

I am unaware of when this phobia started but since it doesn't really affect any part of my life (except needing a sink when I eat long yellow fruit) it's just become one of those things I find rather funny about myself.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Totally Useless New Year

Well...not really! But it is our first Totally Useless Stitch A Long of 2014. How awesome the New Moon  falls on the first day of the year!

Welcome! Welcome 2014 and a new year of stitchy fun! Have you signed up for 2014 yet?  See the link at the end of this post if you want to join in the fun.

My ORTs are mostly browns, oranges and greens since I'm still plugging away on Trilogy's Secret Pumpkin Patch. Yes, still...that's four months now, folks.

I cannot decide if I want to dump my ORTs each month or stuff the jar and see how much I can accumulate during the year. I have been dumping each month into my ginormous ORT jar for a couple of years and one year I tried to save each month in a separate jar with intentions to label each jar with the month's name. Which is a really cool idea but the months don't line up with the freakin' lunar cycle at all...hence our 2 gatherings in January & March while completely skipping February this year.

We want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your January 1st TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Ho Ho Ho

*

Dash,

Daffycat

and

Miss Molly

wish you all a

Merry Christmas!

[]

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

The Totally Useless Stitch A Long 2014

The 2014 TUSAL is launched! 

Save those ORTs!

What is an ORT? ORT or ort ~ Capitalized, it stands for Old Ratty Threads. These are the cast-off thread ends a needleworker cuts away. These ends are often saved in clear jars as a decorative object. The word, "ort" does appear in the dictionary, meaning: a bit of something left over; usually concerning food. 

Why would you save ORTs and why on earth post a picture on your blog? Not everyone saves them. Some stitchers just toss them in the trash or let them decorate the sofa and floor. Sometimes this inadvertent decorating draws ire from those living with us. Saving these clippings in one place creates a random tangle of lovely colored thread. Posting a photo of this pile is "progress" of a sort and thus, the Totally Useless Stitch A Long was born. 

If you would like to join the Stitch-A-Long:

1. Comment on this post.

2. Get a glass jar or other container and save your thread clippings. Some stitchers include fabric trimmings, thread bands or any other stitching cast-offs they gather. You may continue filling this jar throughout the year OR you may empty the jar and start over each month ~ no firm rules here!

3. On (or about) each New Moon take a picture of the ORTs in your jar and post it to your blog. This is a blog game so YES, you MUST have a blog to be included.

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

5. You should post a picture each New Moon, even if there has been no "progress" to show. We are aiming for "once a month" here...no whippings for being late, early or absent!

6. When you have posted the picture of your ORTs visit my blog and comment on my ORT report for that month's TUSAL. If I have a Totally Useless Giveaway these comments give you an extra entry. Make sure you comment on the right post, a few comments seem to sneak onto other posts!

The New Moon dates for 2014 are:

January 1
January 30
March 1
March 30
April 29
May 28
June 27
July 26
August 25
September 24
October 23
November 22
December 22

In years past, I have made up a "guest list" by adding a blog link list for everyone that joined ~however~ this year I probably will not do that. It takes hours and hours and hours of visiting blogs, editing the post, checking links, editing the post, correcting mistakes, editing the post. I'd much rather be stitching or visiting your blog on a recreational basis. Therefore, consider your comment to be your entry. Make sure either your profile is set to "open" so people can visit your blog or leave a link to your blog in your comment.

A request: I notice there are a lot of bloggers completely in the dark about your Totally Useless posts. They see lots of people posting pictures of ORT jars but they have NO IDEA why. They might want to join in the fun too! Please put a LINK to THIS sign-up page when you make your TUSAL posts. A link in your sidebar is great but ONLY if your readers SEE it and realize what it is.  

If you want to add the TUSAL link gadget to your sidebar (in Blogger): right click on it and save the photo to your computer, go to your blog's layout and choose "add a photo" and put the address to this 2014 TUSAL post in the link option. Upload the photo and save.

A shout-out on your blog to let other stitchers know about the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long would be greatly appreciated! Plus, please change the links in your sidebar to this new post!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

December ORT Report

Yesterday, I was catching up on my blog reader when I saw a post titled something like "Last TUSAL of the year" or some-such. What? I thought. It's not time for that! Whoops, yes it sure was and I'm days & days late! I should be canned as your TUSAL leader. I tell you what!

Sorry about that! It was a crazy, crazy week at work. A severe winter storm was expected and everyone was getting prepared. For those that don't know, I manage a gas station connected to a large grocery store. One hint of the "S" word and we have an instant Black Friday type rush. It makes your work hours go by fast but it does leave you too tired to remember it is the New Moon!

I'm still plodding along on Trilogy's Secret Pumpkin Patch. Yes, since mid September. How's that for a slow stitch? But it does make pretty ORTs for my jar:

This is our last ORT report of 2013. It has been fun. I want to thank my fellow TUSALers for their participation this year! I really love seeing your Old Ratty Threads each month. For those that would like to continue next year I will be posting a 2014 sign up soon.

Since my ORT report has a Halloween/Autumn theme, here's a snappy of my Christmas tree all lit up. Keep things in the proper season and all. That and I'm just pleased I actually got the tree up this year. Monster Molly has pretty much ignored it, if you can believe that!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Oh Molly!

Miss Molly is a terror with toys. She is an outstanding dog toy demolish-er. I think she has finally outgrown actually eating them but famous last words ~ right? She loves stuffed toys. Petco sells small, inexpensive ones...relatively. They are still $5 for 2 of them. We bought her a couple last week and it wasn't but an hour or two before one had to be taken away. Did I tell you my daughter calls her the "Monster Dog" lol?

Molly especially likes stuffed toys that crinkle. I decided to try sewing some toys. Toys without too many seams. Or ears. Feet. Tails. Stuffing. Anything that can be ripped off. Or out. You know what I mean!

I bought some fleece throw blankets for $3 and some interfacing. Heaven knows I have plenty of salvaged squeakers. Then I saw these fun, brightly colored terry bath cloths. Wouldn't those be easy to toss into the washer when they get all dog-spitty? I bought two, just to try. 

I cut a piece of high-loft batting to fit. Washed the (crunchy sounding) inner plastic bag of a cracker sleeve and cut a piece to fit and sewed it all up with a squeaker inside. 

Presto! A fun, crinkly, squeaky dog toy!

Molly LOVED it! It squeaks! It crinkles! Whee!

Her newest, most favorite-ist toy ever! 

She also demolished it in about 6 minutes flat, pulling out strings of the terry-cloth.

*sigh* 

Back to the drawing board. Maybe the fleece will hold up better? Fabric ideas, anyone?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

I swear, pets are as worrisome as small children.

So...I get home from work today after stopping for some groceries. A serious cold front is coming in tomorrow with a chance of wet weather so I sure won't want to go then. I let Molly out to pee and put the groceries away. Then I have go out to scold her for watching-herding-chasing cars along the fence instead of peeing. So she dashes over to run the fence with the neighbor dogs. She's been 9 hours without a bathroom break. I go over, tap her on top of the head as she runs by and tell her, "Go pee!" She does so we head back into the house.

"Hey! What is this all over your front legs?

Blood? 

Stop, Molly! Hold still!"

I grab a gauze pad and some bandage out of the cabinet and wrap up her front paw. I can tell she is bleeding from near her dew claw but there is so much blood I can't tell how bad it is. Off we go to the vet, which is just a minute down the street from our house. Our vet is so nice! I walked in and after the receptionist took our names to pull up Molly's records she took her right in. No call, no appointment. Not ten minutes later they brought her back out...bandaged up with a supply of pain  medicine and antibiotics. There wasn't a ridiculous "emergency visit" bill either. 

Somehow Molly broke off a claw in the five minutes she was outside alone. Sigh. Some day she will be an old, lazy dog!

Uhhh...I'm a Border Collie. Were you expecting easy? 

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Tree Reindeer

I cannot believe it's THAT time of year already! How can it be mid-November already? Wasn't it just Valentine's Day? This year has gone by in the blink of an eye.

Many thanks to Mary T. for the inspiration of this design. I hope everyone enjoys our little deer topping the tree with a star this year!

To receive a copy of the design email me at daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com. Tell me the name of the design you are requesting. This one is "Tree Reindeer." Don't freak out if a couple of days pass before I respond. I work full time and don't always have time to play on the computer. If you don't receive an email from me within a few days, check your spam folder ~ it's probably there.

By the way...I appreciate comments left here for encouragement!

Please respect my copyright and do not upload my designs to any website or share with other people. Yes, they are free but I still retain copyright.

My designs are published as PDF. You must have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view/print my patterns ~ or a similar PDF viewer.

As always, you can click the cat in my sidebar to see my other free cross stitch designs. They are all still available for the asking.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

When All Else Fails...Show Some Boobies

For lack of a better title. Or photo. Just try Googling "boobies" to find a photo. Or maybe not!

Every October I tell myself I need to get a mammogram done. I'm 45 and I should have had four of them by now but for some reason I keep putting it off. Fail. Busy with this and that. Forget to call for an appointment, only thinking of it when it's late in the evening. Excuses. Excuses!

When Cathey's breast cancer returned I thought about it more often. Busy, busy, forget, forget. More fail. Then Cathey died. I promised myself I would get my mammogram done. I stopped being busy and I stopped forgetting to call and make an appointment. I owed it to Cathey and to myself.

Yesterday I went and showed my boobies to a stranger who mashed them flat and took photos. But she was a nice stranger! It was nothing like everyone said. It wasn't painful or even uncomfortable. That said, I have an extreme pain tolerance but it didn't hurt at all. (I still feel pain but it takes rather a lot to bother me.) Plus, it took all of 20 minutes and that included filling out all the forms.

They called today with my results...and everything looks great. Which is awesome but I've already got a reminder set on my phone to make my appointment for next year.

You! Are you over 40? Have you had your mammogram? Tell us!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

November ORT Report

Last month was so depressing I have no words to express. Losing Cathey was heartbreaking. I want to thank those of you that participated in my Pumpkins for Cathey event. I am sure all the blog posts gave our dear Pumpkin a bit of cheer.

My ORT jar greatly suffered my lack of stitching mojo. How sad:

Let's see your ORTs! TUSALers leave a comment on this post with the address to your November update. If I decide to host a giveaway at the end of the year you will receive an extra entry! Are you wondering what on Earth a TUSAL is? Click here for info!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox