The Happy Light

My new light came last night.  DH put it together and dubbed it "the happy light"  that goes with "the happy chair".  It is fantastic.

It lights up half the neighborhood from inside my house.

It gives great light and it is dimmable too.  I have only tried it out for one evening. But at this point I'd say it is worth every penny.  I would have gotten another color but black was the only color in stock when I ordered it.  So being the impatient brat that I am, I got what I could.  It has a 70 watt bulb that looks like it is a fluorescent.  It is almost like getting stronger glasses as I can see the linen much better.  I'm just the luckiest girl.  A new happy chair and a new happy light.  What more could a girl ask for?
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Back to the Future

I finished the Spring Fling Friday night project.  I'm all set for Spring Fling.

I probably shouldn't have cut out the big piece but it's too late now.

I ironed some interfacing on the back, I probably shouldn't have done that either.
I like how it turned out.  I went back and added a little heart to each side of the scissors fob just to be ornery.

So now that Painted Lady and Rhapsody in Blue and Spring Fling is done, what do I work on?  I have many things that have been dropped along the way that I should go back and finish.  I see on the floor of my sewing room the pinball kit I bought off of ebay.  I've got a good start, I just have to locate the chart.  Then there is that cute little purse from With Thy Needle and Thread (Country Stitches).  Actually I am working on two of them.  Of course the other class I am taking needs some attention, the Vintage Strawberry class.

I ordered a chart from France.

It came via email.  Instant satisfaction.  I love it.  So I want to start that.

 I'm hoping my new lamp comes today.  DH has volunteered to put it together.  Thank goodness for DH.
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Getting There

I got the biggest piece of the Spring Fling Friday night project all done.  I like it.  I couldn't help but change it a bit here and there.  I opted to put long arm cross stitch around the edge instead of the nun's stitch.  I happen to hear from Jane and she asked what the edge was on my Button Lover's Brag Book.  It was long armed cross stitch on each edge whipped together.  I like how that looks.  In fact, long armed cross stitch is one of my favorite stitches.  I love how it looks braided.  So that's what I put around the edge.  I can't just cut the material off though, it will have to be folded to the back.

I put panes in the windows.   I changed the thread used for the heart - and forget those stupid smyrnas.  Also, my little bird is blue.  Like the bluebird of happiness.

Now I am working on the last piece for Spring Fling.  I think it goes inside the box and has our initials on it.  I though about putting my first name on it as it has three letters.  But I think I will go with the initials.
Hey, Spring Fling starts one month from today.  It will be lots of fun.

We enjoyed going out to eat last night and I have enough left over for dinner tonight.  I had a rootbeer float for dessert.  Yum.  Here are my flowers.

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Today

I'm wondering if I can finish the pre-stitching today for the Spring Fling Friday night project.  I think I can.  I am over half done.  I have to decide on the nun's stitch around the edge.  Should I do it according to the directions?  Or should I vary it?  Don't have to decide yet.  Where's that crow's legs?  You can't see them very well, maybe I should outline them.

I have been unhappy with my new Ott lite bulb.  It is just not as bright as the old one.  I got the right size, 18 watt.  I even find myself checking to see if it is on!  So with a little encouragement from DH, I ordered a different kind of lamp.  I read about it on Mary Corbett's Needle'n Thread blog.  I hope it all works out.  We'll see.

I go see Dylan today.  We finished reading the third Wimpy Kid book.  I'll ask him what he wants to read next.  I'd love to read him Harry Potter.  He had a crappy lunch last week and would have loved pizza.  I think I'll take him some today.

The number for today is 41.  It is our anniversary.  How clueless I was in 1972!  We are going out to eat tonight to celebrate.  I got flowers and a card too.  I'm lucky.
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This Lady is Painted

Hurrah!  I finished off Painted Lady Sewing Case - finally.  I made the twisted cording and ta dah!  Now to evaluate.  I don't like needlepoint half as much as I like cross stitch.  As I was working on this I was wondering how it could be translated to cross stitch.  If I had tons of time, I might try it.  I don't love the nun's stitch edge.  It doesn't look as nice and neat as something where you don't see the edges.  I don't love the twisted cording tie. I wanted something more clever.  Scissors fall out of the pockets easily.   Maybe adding some ribbon to tie them in would help.  The skirtex inside it gives just the right amount of rigidity to the case.  I put some skirtex in the spine of the case too.  I wasn't crazy about the directions but I managed to make it anyway.  I am proud of myself for getting it done.

I went back to working on the Spring Fling Friday night project. I am trying to follow the directions but I couldn't make those berries pink, I had to make them red.

I threw out the needle that came with the kit.  I hate short needles.  Designers must get them really cheap.  I have stitched enough that I can tell when a needle is too short for me.  The roof of the house is all done in smyrna stitches.  Sometimes specialty stitches are thrown in just for the heck of it, they aren't really needed.  They are kind of a pain.

Sorry,  I sound like I am just complaining about everything.  In reality, I am loving having so many neat things to stitch.
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Trying Out Threads

I stitched the little flower motif from Rhapsody in Blue four times with different threads just to see what I liked.
On Mouse Droppings blog, I loved the little stitched pillow by the mouse and it looked to be stitched with a Valdani overdyed.  I went looking for the closest color I could find in the Valdani threads that I have.  I tried it out but it looks too light.  It doesn't show up as well as I wanted.  Maybe my linen needs to be darker.  The first one is on Sandstone 32 count, the second is on Edinburg 36 count (with the same thread).

Then I tried Sweet Peas from Thread Gatherer Silk'nColors.  Still kind of light.

Then I tried Florimell's Monet's Pond.  Getting there.

Then just for fun I tried Waterlilies' Porcelain Blue.  I love that blue color.

It is fun just to see what threads look like all stitched up.

I went back and took out the lightest color on the stems of the Vintage Strawberry since the teacher said mine were too fat. (story of my life)  I'm still not terribly happy with it.

Now I am working on the lower strawberry trying to get the angle on the stitches to look good and the colors not to look "banded" as the teacher pointed out.

I was tickled pink to find out that a Hobby Lobby is opening very close to my house.  I usually have to drive across town.  Yeah!
My goal today is to finish-finish that Painted Lady Sewing Case and be DONE!

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Little Bits

I worked on the small over-one pieces to Rhapsody in Blue.

 So it doesn't look like I did much.  I am getting tired of the same motif.  I went looking for some new ones and thought some of the motifs from the Vierlande Winders Keeper were nice.  For the multi-color version, I might use different motifs.  I like the heart on the lower right.

I feel a cold coming on so I'm going to take it easy today.  Yeah, right, I take it easy every day!  The vacuum sweeper is making faces at me so I may have to take him walking around the house.
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I wrote this yesterday but couldn't get my photos to load so I gave up.  I finished up all the stitching on Rhapsody in Blue so now I can put it away until the finishing part comes out.
I went digging in my stash and I found a sheet of skirtex so I can finish sewing together the Painted Lady Sewing Case.  One side is done and I am working on the other.  Soon!
Disaster struck yesterday afternoon when my Ottlite bulb burned out.  I use it so much, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did.  I need my light so I went off to JoAnn's to get a new bulb.  I got very lucky as all the Ott stuff was 50% off.  The bulb is very expensive (34.99) so it was great to get it on sale.  I do notice some pulsing in the light.  I have considered getting a Blue Max light since reading about it on Mary Corbett's Needle 'n Thread blog.
I want to get back to working on the Spring Fling Friday night project.  I have had some other ideas for the front of the papier mache box.  I'm going to stitch the design we were given but I want to stitch an alternative as well.
Of course, there is the Vintage Strawberry class that I need to catch up on.  I want to finish my strawberries and fix my stems.  I got some advice from the teacher so I need to go back and work on a couple of things.

I got the new lesson in Cabinet of Curiosities.  I want to read it closely and look at all the pictures.  I thought we were going to get instructions on stitching the mini box but there wasn't anything about it in this lesson.  Rats.  Maybe next month.
It's March!  The Mermaid Treasures class starts at the end of this month.  Cool.
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