So we were at the dollar store yesterday to find more treats to appease the evil demon puppy where I noticed some stuff from the checkout. I'm always on the lookout for beads and such, and these were perfect. Can you say...FOBS???? I could totally restring these as they are or mix and match and they would be DARLING Halloweenie things. Now, what to stitch???? And I have to finish Tiny Flag off first (it's the rule)!! As for the red/white/blue I first thought patriotic fob, then I wondered if I could use them with the TF mattress finish? Food for thought (Fob for thought? Food for mattress?).



I also bought some candlewraps with beads to take apart, these beads will be so cute on xmas ornies, fobs, etc. What fun! I had to restrain myself to not buy a ton of everything. Especially since I still don't have any stitching done, don't think I deserve treats :P

My last ebay package came (from Guam!), it was random Cross Eyed Cricket leaflets, not Prairie Schooler. Sad when you can't even remember! I did place a Sanman order this morning though, and I have an order at Needlearts (so sad the b & m shop is out of business) on hold so I'm really stashed out (budgetwise). Besides this morning I made the dreaded "C" list---Christmas! And our cooler gave out last night so we'll need to work that into the budget (budget, what budget?). It's still almost 90 degrees every day, too hot to wait till spring to fix.

Sorry for the awful pics, I think I have dropped my phone one too many times as the camera is so fuzzy. So sad, it's not even a year old yet and it's a really good phone :(

Thanks to Cindy for coming to read my blog and leaving a comment!

I think it's time to redecorate around here....

Photo of new stash from Homespun Samplar last week, although I just got more from Ebay so I will have to report on that as well. This above was some cute older Prairie Schooler, I just decided I really like them, weren't my cup of tea before this. Also above were some BOAF I had to to get, still to need to add a few more to make my collection as complete as it's going to be. From Ebay I got more PS and various others, from Amazon I got a bunch of BHG Xmas hardcovers used (.42 cents and such), one of which had the Brightneedle "Lo a Rose" which is so pretty I had to have it. I had heard it was hard to get and selling on ebay for a fortune, I got it at Amazon for about $5 including shipping, I'm giddy!

Last week was a rough week, I had cub scout leaders to teach classes to at the big Pow-wow training convention (and I had to write the class lessons), 2 cub scout meetings and a cub parent meeting, responsible petcare class for my dog getting loose, halloween shopping and party at the zoo, etc etc etc. This week is pretty full but it feels less stressful to me so hopefully I will get some stitches in. I am really wanting to do something autumny/halloweeny and do some finishing work. Here's what I did so far on Tiny Flag:

So it's been forever since I wanted to stitch, think about stitching, shop for stitching, read about stitching...you get the picture. However, I the stitching bug never truly goes away (at least, I hope not) and so I am drawn once more. I have limited time still, working several at-home businesses and also part-time as office manager of a church, my time never feels like my own to do as I please anymore. We were working as campmasters at the local boy scout camp on Mt. Lemmon the past few weekends and I was able to start a new project, something that has been on my list since forever, probably my first SB purchase, Tiny Flag. The finished photo from SB is below, I actually have misplaced my stitching so I can't photo it, lol. I only have the top row of stars and the stripes in, seems I don't have much patience for stitching these days :/

I would like to make it into my first mattress finishing, and I think I found the perfect backing fabric the other day at Wal-mart. I was there trying to find fabric to finish off the small ABC bird thing below. It was supposed to be a box lid (and is actually attached TO a box lid right now, lol) but the more I thought about it the more I decided I'd like to make into a needlebook, but while still on the shallow box lid, with the needlebook itself fitting into the lid. Clear as mud right? This one may be headed for disaster!!

I also finished the little tiny round monochrome in a previous post but lost it on the kitchen counter. Rediscovered it in a pile of syrup, then kids cleaned counter and it was gone again. I unearthed my desktop this last week so I could hunt for my Hatty Halloween freebie to re-post on the Stitches'N'Stones website and found a sticky finished tiny round. Luckily only a corner of the fabric is sticky so I cut it off. I plan to finish this into a small pin cushion (my first). Everyone hope for the best! Things have a tendency to look so easy and so much nicer in my head than the finished project.

I spend a little bit indulging over some past magazines and found some "I must do these NOW" projects, we'll see if anything happens! I still have the strict "finish what you started before moving on" policy (although I did relax it enough to start Tiny Flag before finishing off the boxlid small and pincushion small) so I'm not sure if that will motivate me or make me feel trapped.

And finally, I was shocked when BOAF closed their designing doors, I've been trying to add to my stash of their off and on for a long time, they are one of my favorites (well, ahem, who ISN'T?? lol). I am scared I may have lost out on a few designs forever :/ Or until I decide to visit Ebay and spring $30 or more for them...

BUT look what I found that I had never seen and just LOVE...


I am an a non-stash budget right now but had to snatch that up along with a few other things which I may show later, Homespun Samplar mailed it promptly and I got to fondle it yesterday. I showed my daughter the new stash and gave her 5 minutes to figure out which chart was the MUST HAVE MUST STITCH for me, she picked it, no problem.