All conversations can't be intelligent

Started the morning with my dear husband finishing my sentences for me - incorrectly!! I tried to explain that it should not be made into a guessing game when I am trying to talk. I know I amuse him, but sometimes I'm not amused.

While on vacation last year, I was having a manicure and pedicure the very nice manicurist and I were talking. She was telling me where she was from in Africa. Somehow, when discussing dangers, etc., she told me that women with small children were cautioned, in her home area, to keep them nearby because sometimes the monkeys will snatch babies and small children. She then told a story about a child who was found several years after having been taken by the monkeys and the difficulty in trying to rehabilitate after living as a monkey. She then made the statement that, if her baby was taken by a monkey, she wouldn't want it back. I explained to her that she would want her baby back no matter what. Ok, when relating this conversation to Michael, I realized it was a mistake. I do know how silly it sounds to admit that, first of all, you are having the conversation at all, and secondly, that you are trying to convince someone they WILL want their baby back from the monkeys. Yes, dear, I understand that it was not an intellectual discussion!

There was a salamander in the garage last evening. When I walked out, something scurried, so of course I called Michael out to "get it". I told him it was huge, but he did not seem concerned. His solution was to open the garage door and I found myself herding it across the driveway into the bushes. At least it was out of the garage.

As to relevant news, I will be taking over The Stitchers' Village http://stitchersvillage.com/ on June 1. This will be quite a project and I am excited, yet nervous. I am working on plans to make things interesting and fun! Several popular designers have submitted ornaments for an ornament insert to The Stitchers' Voice, the site's newsletter. I am working on a plan for those! Plan, organize, etc. Better get back to work!!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Some days I need to stop and prioritize my to do list. I tend to try and do them all at the same time. Then, I tend to get sidetracked. I took my daughter's camera to Wolfe's Friday and they were having a sale. I tried not to look, but they had scanners on sale (which I really did need to get) and I was amazed to see that you can scan photo 35mm film negatives on a relatively inexpensive scanner. So, this morning while working on the "organize storage room" item on my to do list, I could not resist opening up the old boxes of photos and finding a few of the packets that contain negatives. I grabbed the nearest negative when I set up the scanner on Saturday and was amazed. My daughters will probably come and take it away from me when I begin scanning and uploading their childhood memories! From a designing aspect, however, I am excited to see if I have any photos that I can use.

I finished "Friendship" (pictured) - a design based on Chinese indigo designs. I am posting a preliminary picture - this is pre-framing shot straight out of the q-snap. I had a frame that I intended to use for it, but find that I am not quite happy with the way it looks, so will take it to the frame shop tomorrow to pick out something better. If you noticed 'blank slate' on a previous post, this may be the way to go with designing because I sometimes end up with a piece for which it is difficult to find a satisfactory frame. Which reminds me. Perhaps I should consider doing something different with the finishing of this! Add that to my to do list!

Would you find it a little creepy if someone randomly sent a text message to your phone saying "U out there? U ok?" followed by "Wondering when!"? I replied to inquire the identity of the sender only to have the reply "Guess this not jill?". Then they explained how they typed the wrong number without their glasses. That was last November, then in April "U alone nw?" To which I replied "no". And now, this morning, "Gm bg" which I have no idea what that means and I suggested they add Jill to their contacts so that they don't keep sending me random texts. Sounds shady, right? Particularly when they claimed not to know anyone named Jill.



My husband and I attended church services in Wakefield yesterday to see my grandson's pre-school program. Unbelievably cute, particularly, when being given their materials, each were asked what they want to be when they grow up. The first boy said "a superhero" and then most of the boys after said the same thing. One little girl said "a mermaid". Too cute. I really have to give the teacher credit because they went through the abc's with a little bible verse after each letter and the class knew a lot of it from memory! Good job!

After leaving Wakefield, we headed for the May Day cemetery to take some pictures of some markers. That's to go along with my ancestry project. I multi-tasked since that was as close as I was going to be to May Day with a free afternoon for a while. If it hadn't been misting rain, I would have been more thorough, but I only got the shots I wanted most before taking my wet feet out of there. I haven't had a chance to view them yet. I did have a chance to look at the pictures from Saturday night. We got a private tour of the Matrot Castle here in Topeka. I took some pictures of the design on the door and other things that I had no idea if they would turn out or not - but they did!! It was very interesting to see the size of the building and to go up the tiny winding stairways to the upper floors. I thought about it afterward - how would I like to have a full length dress on going up and down those things! Wouldn't be easy. Especially if you were carrying an infant (or anything else for that matter).

It's back to the list for me now! At least I can cross - blog - off!!! Have a great day!!!!

Blank Canvas

I got the flower backstitching done on the second new design "Stitch Sisters" for the online wholesale show. I had to post the picture of the framed piece to my website http://www.moonflowerxs.com/ rather than on the booth page. Now I need to decide which design I have "on the drawing board" that I want to finalize and start stitching! I have 7 lovely pieces of fabric lined across the back of the sofa here in my work room. It inspires me while I am working on several things at once. The last time I was in the fabric dealer's den she told me that I should have some of every color by now. Not if she keeps making new colors!! I also (like the packrat I tend to be) brought home a couple of frames from Frame Warehouse because I found that this particular one seemed so right with crystal earthen color fabric. Christmas design here you go!! So, yes, I also have a frame on the earthen on the sofa. Fortunately, both my husband and the fabric dealer find me endearing. Endearing, we decided, encompasses all the adjectives you might use to describe someone you are stuck with! Politically correct and socially acceptable.

So, now that I am nearly human after my first cup of coffee, I should get back to the design programs and finish a design because I have the urge to get some fabric in my q-snaps and get to work. Not that I don't have several q-snapped things to work on, just none of them are my designs. That isn't true - I am re-stitching one or two for models, but what fun is that?

I dreamed I was in a hotel and someone was helping me with my suitcase. They turned the corner and I knew they had gotten on the elevator, but I got on the wrong elevator - the one that only went to the 15th and 17th floor. While I was waiting to get on the correct elevator, a girl and her father were whispering, he got on the 15-17 elevator, and she came over and tried to take my purse from me. I called security, talked with them, they had the girl, and then I couldn't find the elevator. I wandered around, went into a room with a bunch of telephone operators (who all knew my name) and they told me what floor to go to, but not where the elevator was. Then some lady tried to tell me to get on this elevator that had a chair in it, no buttons for floors to push, and when I looked, it did not have floors above it, so it could only be going down, and I did not get on it. Then, another lady helped me find the information desk and the guy would not tell me where the elevators were! I woke up then. Strangely, I have dreamed of this same hotel before, but don't think it is any place I have actually been.

BTW - the picture is the crystal earthen fabric and the pretty little frame I found. A nice little blank canvas. Now I need the color palette - I received the full line of floss from Sullivans - which I used on "Stitch Sisters", and will begin using in addition to DMC when I am not using overdyed threads. I am intrigued with the Valdani spools. I have not actually stitched anything with them, but may give them a try also if I have the right color at the right time. Too many ideas and options!

Today, Tomorrow . . . whatever!

Ok, so I admit to sometimes not knowing the actual date. Yes, I am referring to confusing the 14th for the 15th. But, I had shopping on my mind. I need a dress for a wedding and can not seem to find anything that is even remotely something that I want to wear. I went to KC with Karen yesterday. We meandered through Lawrence and stopped at a little gallery, bookstore, coffee shop. An artist from Topeka I spoke to recently said she had some pieces there. I mentioned to Karen on the highway that I could not remember the name of the place - the right stuff, something like that, so we detoured to Mass street to figure it out. Signs of Life. The very nice lady who was installing a new exhibit stopped and took the time to show us the things that had already been taken down. Disappeared into her magic elevator and returned with the three paintings. So, then we noticed the Pink Box Bakery on our way back to the car. No cinnamon rolls left. I got a cupcake, but it had a muffin top. No to the mt on cupcakes they are strictly for muffins. They just taste scorched on cupcakes and they ruin the frosting layout. Frosting must touch the edges of the cupcake paper. Moved on to KC and wandered through a few stores. Note to sales ladies - if there is a line and you have a special (10% off with purchase of $100 or more or whatever) please don't start ringing up the customer until you know for certain they are not going to go back and look for more merchandise to increase their purchase to the minimum!! It was ridiculous! We managed to find a few things and wandered through several stores. Had lunch at The Bristol. Still a great place. I hadn't been there in a long time. Karen had not been there before. I was talked in to trying on one dress. I knew I wouldn't want it, but that's what I was there for. It was a one-shoulder number with sort of a pleated thing going on. It fit, but felt cock-eyed on and I didn't want to spend the whole time trying to twist it back into place. Perhaps I should evaluate my requirements. I may not find a comfortable formal dress. That is an oxymoron, right?

FRANTIC!

I am working to get my online booth ready for the online wholesale needlework show that begins the 15th (needleshow.com). I have not finalized all the designs as intended and will get those posted to my site ASAP (http://www.moonflowerxs.com/). My deadline for the booth is Monday at midnight. Having had a major computer issue last fall and pulling my pictures, etc. from a backup, I find that I need to go back to the backup and search for one of my folders that I seem to be missing. I have reached the state in which I was just looking at a file folder in front of me on my desk and it now seems to have vanished. Must be gremlins or something impeding my progress!! No more coffee for me!



Sneak Peek: "My Stars" new release can be personalized with your natal astrology chart info.

Online needlework show

After a "slow" start due to server problems, the online needlework show is under way and there is quite a bit of traffic. I have a contest on my page for a drawing at the end of the show. The entries are coming in and I would like to share what one of the two winners from the April show emailed me this morning:

"I was not going to enter this year because I won last year and I wanted someone else to experience your amazing generosity and the fun that I had going through that box.
But after seeing your new designs, I hope I win AGAIN! "

Thanks, Helen, and good luck! I did enjoy putting together the prize boxes in April. Along with stitching goodies, I included a Moonflower Designs logo tote bag and coffee mug. I'm glad Helen and Heather both enjoyed them. I received a personal note from Heather, also, in appreciation.

So, I am off to dry my hair and run errands. I need to mail a box to my daughter with some mail I am forwarding and a the Phenome'eyes (?) mascara that she wanted me to get her when I ordered my coconut body wash from Sephora. It is "the hottest thing" in mascara and has a little ball of brush that gives wonderful coverage to your eyelashes. Not waterproof, though, and I seem to get racoon eyes when I don't use waterproof mascara. It just comes off underneath my eyebrows. I have really dry skin, though, so it is related to my moisturizer application. But got to have waterproof!!

Start of Online Show

This afternoon, the Online Needlework Show begins at 2:00. I have participated in this show for a number of years and find it to be a better venue for me than a physical show. I do not like to travel by myself and life doesn't allow for those close to me to attend.

I have three new designs debuting for this show, Caritas, which is a piece I designed for a fund raiser silent auction at the St. Francis Health Center Foundation Caritas Ball; Morning Pallette, which is a design inspired by a beautiful sunrise I witnesses while at sea; and Mirage, which is a sampler style design using three thread colors - a light, medium, and dark.