A Kooky Project And A Stitched Finish

I completely forgot to show you what I finished while I was on our group's stitch retreat!  This is one of the old (1997?) ornament projects that I found while doing some actual cleaning in the craft room.  Some of you may be familiar with that story as I've posted about it in the past.  The items I found are turning into some lovely ornament finishes, and here's another one.

I put the final stitches into it during the retreat only to figure out that I didn't have any beads.  You know how we stitchers like to finish things.  So Laurie came to the rescue with just enough tiny red beads that turned out to be perfect for this little project.  It's not a traditional cross stitch project, more of a long stitch done on what looks like needlepoint canvas.  Now it just has to be completed into an ornament. 

Another project I've been working on is a little different.  I saw this idea all over the internet last year and decided to make my own.  First I had to get a clear wine bottle.  So after drinking a bottle of mediocre wine (bought just for the clear bottle), I sprayed it with a frost finish.  Looked good and went on easier than I thought it would.  Then I painted on a trio of ghosts and some other spooky stuff, tied on some black ribbon and then stuffed some clear lights into it.  I'm pretty sure that the light cord is supposed to go through a hole that should be drilled through the bottle.  Gulp.  I'm not brave enough for that yet.  I have visions of glass shards flying everywhere.  And the bottle should have a cork to finish it.  But it's kind of a fun finish, isn't it?

Bottle Of Boos.  Get it?

Today I started a painting project that I will be sharing right here on the blog.  So far so good.  And I am photographing the process as I go.  So stay tuned.

I'm Back After My Blogger Blip

I'm not even going to make excuses for why I haven't contributed to my blog in so long, but I do apologize for my lengthy absence.  Let's just dive into what I HAVE been doing. 

My stitch group, the Sisters In Stitches, enjoyed our fall retreat at the beautiful James H. (Sloppy) Floyd State Park in Summerville, GA.  Yeah, it sounds funny, but it's a very pretty setting and we chose a good time of the year to go.  We stayed in two cabins, convening in one to stitch and eat.  The meals and desserts were delicious as usual.  We all agreed that our retreat was a success and a good time was had by all.

The Sisters In Stitches.  We asked a stranger to take this picture.  We're a friendly group.

The table of busy stitchers.

Each stitcher received a scissor fob/keychain.

For a retreat remembrance, Sheila and I made Ice Resin charms with the group's name and then I put together some fall-themed scissor fobs/keyrings for each stitcher.  I'm glad that everyone liked this little surprise.

I have been stitching!  You can see my progress on Song Of The Seasons in the lower left hand corner of the top (messy table) photo.  I've also been working on a freebie snowflake using Garibaldi rayon overdyed floss.  The color I'm using is a purply-pink color.

I have to say that I love using this floss!  It's great for one-color designs like this snowflake.  This is going to make a cute Christmas ornament.

Also in the works is "Cardinal Winter" by Little House Needleworks.  Such a cute little chart.

I've also been doing some miscellaneous crafting, which I'll talk about in future posts.  And I'm about to embark on a painting project that I'm very excited about. I'll be sure to post about that.  Unless it turns out really bad.  No, no.  Either way, you'll see the results coming up soon.  Thanks for sticking with me during my blogging lull!