PLUM STREET SAMPLERS

A Fresh Look

A couple of weeks ago I decided that I was tired of the green walls in my bedroom. So after trying out several swatches of different colors (everything from mustard to colonial blue), I decided to visit the Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer, and finally found a color that I couldn't live without: Crystal Clear. Also known as NPI 511.

Here's a picture of Tilly, perched on a favorite spot in front of my window, with one of the old green walls behind her:

And here's a picture of the new paint over my headboard, silently waiting for Dutch Beauty to return home from the framer:

Btw, I purchased a new bedspread as well.. it's called the Martha Washington's Choice, and I absolutely love it! It looks like it has sampler motifs on it...

I didn't want any shams or throw pillows or neck rolls this time. I'm converting to utter simplicity, so I wanted just a bedspread, and nothing else. So far, I'm very happy with it, although I've threatened Mike with complete despair for the rest of his days if he dares to lay his sweaty, fresh-from-the-gym self on top of it for an afternoon snooze.

Before I painted, I was planning on having Adam & Eve samplers hung over the bed. But I've since changed my mind, and have moved the A&E's to the bathroom. It's not like I have many; I only have Frances Eden and Paradise Lost there so far, but since my mother would need smelling salts if she saw that I wasn't working in odd numbers, I decided to add a third A&E to the mix...

This is A&E by The Primitive Needle. I kept most of the primitive color palette, but did change out a few of the colors to keep it as bright as Frances and Paradise. Of course, one of the colors added was NPI 511. ;)

I also changed the color NPI 775 to NPI 223, and stitched the deer and squirrel in colors from the chart's original NPI list, but not in dark brown, as the chart symbol indicated.

It's stitched on 35-ct. Weeks Dye Works Parchment, and I left off the straight-edge border, as I'd like to have the mats or frame come right up on the edge, where the border would have been.

That's about all I've been up to this past week! I suppose I've had enough fun lollygagging, so it's time to get back to model stitching. Although, the living room could sure use a fresh coat of paint...

Siobhan is Pining for My Plums.

I'm sorry, this post has absolutely nothing to do with that title, but after reading Siobhan's blog, I was kind of bummed that she didn't go with the original title she came up with for her post, so I decided that someone had to use it. So there it is.

Kind of looks bad up there, now that I think about it.

Anyway, if you haven't read Siobhan's blog before, you should head on over with a cup of coffee and look around. And keep a credit card next to your mouse, bc you're going to need it after seeing all of her stitching posts.

But before you go over there, I'd love to share with you some pictures of Sophie's bathroom! (I know, who cares about stitching when you can look at bathroom photos!)

When Sabrina left for college this year, Sophie decided it was time for her to move in to Sabrina's bathroom and claim it as her own. She carefully cleaned out drawers and cabinets, and then placed all of her own cosmetics and cotton balls lovingly inside the newly-emptied spaces. Then she asked to be taken to Wal-Mart to choose a new color scheme, and since she's the baby, I dropped everything I was doing and took her there.

Since I wasn't going to be painting the bathroom, she chose bright colors to go with the aqua color that was already in there. I love how it turned out!

I stitched this little Bent Creek design for her when she was a toddler...

She insisted that the handsoap match the decor...

...and I surprised her with a little iHome iPod dock that plays all the Selena Gomez tracks a girl could want... and trust me when I say that Sophie takes singing in the shower to a new level..

This is my favorite part of her bathroom... she used to love taking baths in the kitchen sink.

And that's it!

Okay, you can go look at Siobhan's stitching now. And before I forget - you'll not only need your credit card handy, but you may need a bottle of Clearasil too. Just sayin'...

Despite the Weather

Last week I started pulling out a few fall things, and I'll probably put a bit more out this weekend.

This was the ornament I submitted to Just Cross Stitch for their Halloween bookazine...

I love all the crazy gourds at this time of year, and their warm colors...

I even found this little pumpkin man, and placed him on the nightstand in Bre's room...

His skinny little legs make me smile...

The temperatures are supposed to start climbing into the 80's again after the weekend, but that's okay. I'll just turn on the air conditioner and bake apple pie and light all my spiced candles and watch Disney's Halloween Town with Sophie and Sabrina and just wait patiently for the cooler weather to finally settle in for good.

Have a lovely weekend!

Martha (Washington) Would Be Proud.

When Bre left home to start a life of independence in her new apartment, she took with her all the fun personality that she'd put into her room. The white iron headboard that Mike and I bought for her when she was little was gone, the bobby pins that had usually littered every surface had vanished, and the soft scents of her favorite perfumes had finally faded. (She was, however, kind enough to leave behind the makeup stains on the carpeting.)

I decided that I'd redecorate the empty space, turning it into a quiet room that she could come home to if she needed to, and I'd set up office in there as well. I didn't know how I'd do it, but I knew I needed to start with a small bed and dresser. That eventually turned into a desk and table and nightstand and upright chest and bookshelf, which means all that's left to acquire are the samplers. :) (Feel free to stitch them and send them along to me.)

I decided to go with a "Colonial Couples" theme, and with the help of some dear stitching friends of mine (hi, girls!), I've come up with several samplers I want to stitch that have colonial figures on them. I haven't felt this much excitement over stitching in ages! (As a matter of fact, I found myself so inspired, I even designed a Colonial-themed piece that is at the model stitchers' house right now.)

The sun was shining in the room yesterday so prettily, so I took a few photos to share with you.

Nevermind those blank walls. Like I said, they're waiting for samplers. :) I love that rug... it reminded me of sampler motifs when I first saw it a year ago, so I was very happy that I finally had a reason to purchase it (at Lowe's, btw).

And I couldn't leave Weathered and Worn (my favorite little shop!) without this hurricane lamp shade...

This tin horse reminds me of Sabrina bc she loves all things equine...

My rug again. I adore it. :)

Sophie has taken to sleeping in this bed, btw. It's a pillow-top mattress, and I purchased the softest sheets and blankets I could find for it. I was lucky enough to get a much-coveted pillow case (the red French General one) from my mother as well! She makes them so beautifully!

And what would a Colonial Couples room be without the Quintessential Colonial Couple themselves, George and Martha?

I saw this painting somewhere online, but since I didn't want to pay what they were asking for it, I decided to paint it myself.. sort of. I liked the original much better, but this will do. I haven't decided if I'm going to keep it or not though.

I've never bee one for window treatments. Mostly bc I never knew how to make them actually look good. So now I'm just a sheers-and-black-rod sort of gal, and I'm very happy with that.

Here's the dresser. It has really cool dividers in the drawers...

Whenever I open the top drawer, I hear angels singing. It's the weirdest thing.

And my favorite part of the room? A Sgraffito Redware plate!

Oh, wait a second. I lied.

This, looking ever so dreamy - and on loan from Mom - is the best part of the room:

I hope you like the room so far! And I really hope Bre likes it. I know Sophie does. ;)

French Fried.

For the past year Sophie has been lamenting that she has a "child's room." She's been wanting something more grown up, and something a little less pink. She wanted a French theme, and everything that goes along with it - the Eiffel Tower, French poodles, and anything that says "Paris" on it.

When you peruse the aisles of your local stores, you may notice that many American retailers' idea of a French theme generally means black-and-white, with a little pink thrown in. I doubt real French women decorate everything in black and white, but it seems to be a very popular idea around these parts. Just check your local Hobby Lobby store - there's a whole aisle dedicated to everything French/black-and-white/a little pink thrown in. And don't forget all the "Ooh-la-la!" signs.

As far as Sophie's new room idea went, I wasn't sure the Americanized French theme would work, bc she chose a bedspread full of colorful medallions, insisting it was the one bedspread in the world meant just for her. I told her I'd do what I could with it... (in the meantime, Mike was planning a super fun trip to Kansas City for spring break, and invited all of us to go. Sophie's request to me was this: "Mom, do you think you could stay behind and re-do my room and surprise me with it when we get back?" Sweet child.)(I actually granted her request, bc I thought the quiet time would be excellent for a project like this.)

You may remember that Sophie's room used to look like this:

I wasn't sure she was going to get more of a grown-up look, considering that very colorful new bedspread - full of bright medallions -  I was telling you about.. I kept thinking I'd need to decorate her room with lime green or orange accents and force her to completely abandon her ideas of a more Parisian-like theme. But the more I scoured the aisles, searching for ideas, the more I started realizing that I was getting tired of limiting myself to the colors of that crazy bedspread.

I had a cart full of things that certainly did NOT go together... everything from bright green feathers to dog cartoon posters. Then I spotted the most gorgeous black-and-white prints of 2 French models. (They had to be French, bc it said so on the back sticker. So there.) And then I decided what her theme would be (I knew she'd approve, of course):  Hodgepodge Couture! I'd ignore all the bright colors in that bedspread and go with her original idea of some black-and-white French-y accessories, and then add a little fashion in the mix!

This was her room halfway through the project... I was pretty hyped up on paint fumes and gensing tea, which made me able to move large furniture pieces in a single bound...

The one thing I did have going for me was that Sophie chose WHITE as her paint color. White? What ten-year-old chooses white? (And may I say that I was more than thrilled, as I'm one of those who loves white walls?)

Here is one angle of her finished room, taken at night:

Here's a little bit to the right of the bed...

Don't all French women have black bejewelled candelabras stuck to their walls? (Lili, please say it's so! LOL)

I don't know what's supposed to be French about this hook, but it was in the French aisle, so I bought it for her to hang her scarves on...

And look at these awesome prints! I really did love these. They're from the March and April 1956 issues of Couture...

I was going to take a close-up of the French model prints, but the glare from the glass was awful, no matter what time of day I tried. Trust me though, they're gorgeous! As all French women are. :)

There you have it: Sophie's new almost-Parisian, hodgepodge-couture, mixed-up but less-pink room.

And she loved it.

Lookin' Like a Fool

Happy April 1st!

A few nights ago I was blogging, and Sabrina snapped my photo. Let me explain the ridiculousness of it, if I may...

1. The reason I have no neck is bc Sabrina had just given me a new loop scarf as a love present, and I didn't want to take it off bc it was comfy.

2. I see nothing else unusual about this photo.

Enjoy your day!

I Resolve To...

I have really looked forward to 2011, bc I've been feeling completely overwhelmed with inspiration and lots of creative energy. One wouldn't know this, judging from the state of my house, but 'tis true: I am feeling fabulous!

Earlier today I tweeted that I want to experience the feeling of actually finishing something I started. So I gathered together all the lists I made (don't you just love lists?) on New Year's Eve and decided that if I read them enough throughout the year, surely everything on them will happen. :)

1. I will learn to knit dishrags.

Yes, dishrags. I love them. And after that, I shall knit baby hats. I want a whole collection of baby hats, and no one can talk me out of it.

2. I want to be nicer to the Yorkie.

I've been working on that lately, but no one around here seems to appreciate it. I heard Mike recently tell Sophie, "Don't tell Mom that there's pee on the carpet. It's better for everyone that way." So I got to thinking that maybe I shouldn't behave like Genghis Khan on crack every time it happens. Instead, I decided to sweet-talk her throughout the day, which prompted Sabrina to tell me that it's ridiculous when I talk to her like a baby. Go figure.

3. I will finish 3 of my cross stitch projects.

I came to the number 3 bc I have 6 total unfinished projects. I cut that number in half, bc if you could see the size of the things I have to finish... well, let's just say they're not ornaments.

Here's one of them... Frances Eden. It was started by my dear friend Kim before she passed it on to me, and I worked on it only a little. I'm very excited to see this finished!

The second one is Ruth Bacheler. I started this with  Samplermaker-Extraordinaire-Margaret, but we both grew sidetracked with other projects, and it never got finished. I find these colors to be extremely relaxing, and it's one of my favorite projects I have going.

Finally, there is Dutch Beauty. I've completed 13 of 21 pages so far, and desperately want this hanging over the back of the couch in my family room!

Did you know that the Yorkie and the Chen are stitched on it?

Oh, and look. The Yorkie is doing what she does best...

I still can't quite figure out why the original stitcher included that naughty dog in her masterpiece, unless she wanted to give her mother fits.

I do have a few other things on my list of resolutions, but none with accompanying pictures. For example, I'd love to live a healthier lifestyle; this is not defined by one thing like "I'd like to lose weight" or "I will go to the gym every day," but rather just learning to do what I can and be happy with that for the day. I learned some time last year to stop picking fights with myself over what I did or didn't get accomplished, bc it would leave me feeling very dissatisfied at the end of the day. And who wants to wake up the next morning with leftover dissatisfactions? It leads to an awful lot of negative thinking, and that's something that definitely prohibits creative energy!

One last thing I'm doing this year.. a 365-day blog. In case you've never heard of one, it's a way for people to document a year, one photo per day for each of the 365 days. If you enjoy taking photos, join in! Here's where my pictures will be posted:  focus on today.

Thank you for always taking the time to visit me. I hope this new year brings you all the joys that you deserve!

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BEFORE YOU LEAVE...

1. Heike, I've been trying to email you, but my emails keep getting bounced back to me! I'm not sure why this is happenening, so do you have an alternate email address I can send to?

2. Constantina, I still have your Christmas issue of Just Cross Stitch to send to you! I've tried emailing you, but the address doesn't appear to be valid. Can you email me your mailing address? I'd love for you to have your magazine - at least by next Christmas! :)

3. I want a huge collection of baby hats despite the fact that I am not pregnant, nor plan to be. Just in case you were wondering.

 

 

Thanksgiving Day

Now that I'm coming out of my tryptophan-induced stupor, I can let you all know that our Thanksgiving was wonderful! My mother cooked a fabulous turkey, along with everything that usually goes along with it, and all I had to bring this year were a couple of side dishes and dessert. Sophie wanted cupcakes, so after hesitating a bit, I thought, "Well, why not?"  So we brought cupcakes (which Sophie made all by herself), chocolate cream pies, mint kiss cookies, and I think that's it. Mom had the pound cake and maple pumpkin pie.

But she didn't have her famous orange punch, which we shall never forgive her for.

And as usual, her centerpiece was to die for! Can you believe she made those candle holders? (Mike actually asked her, "Oh, so you've taken up glass-blowing?" Oh good grief. Men.)

Breanna became drowsy first, so up the stairs she went and crawled under my parents' heated blanket...

She was snuggled in and ready to dream about studly Pilgrim men when suddenly, who should appear but...

Needless to say, the Studly-Pilgrim-rescues-the-beautiful-young-lady-Pilgrim-from-the-clutches-of-the-Wampanoag-witch-doctor fantasy didn't last long.

Or maybe that was my fantasy... moving on.

Sabrina headed back downstairs to mind her own business, and along came her father, tired of the peace and quiet...

The picture below strikes me as odd, bc apparently Mike whipped Sabrina up out of that seat so fast, her left foot disappeared...

Sophie, who was sitting on a nearby couch, disapproved of the racket they were making. She was trying to play on my mother's iPad, and they were distracting her...

I really didn't take that many pictures on Thanksgiving. I was too busy eating and trying to keep the conversation going so fast that Mike couldn't get six words in edge-wise. These words in particular:

"Who wants to play a game?"

Happy Leftovers!

Shadow

Despite my angry outbursts at spoiled doggy behavior, threats to send anything with fur to the glue factory, and refusing to share my ice cream, this creature insists that I am hers. I have tried for a year now to convince her to go love somebody else, but she is steadfast in her mission to make me love her.

She's a patient soul.

Maybe I'll keep her around.

W.W.M.D.?

Last week I had the task of dog-sitting my parents' hound, Major, while my parents were visiting the rest of our family out of state. Before leaving town, my mother had made sure to pull out all the autumnal stops, and when I turned the key and walked through my parents' door, I was immediately greeted by the familiar smell of home - warm vanilla and caramel and apples. My parents' home always smells the same (delicious!), and the way my mother decorates for the season is so cozy, no one ever wants to leave!

So I got it in my head that I, too, wanted to decorate for autumn, and promptly headed to Hobby Lobby. I mostly wanted a new centerpiece for my dinette table, but since I am very much centerpiece-challenged, this endeavor proved most difficult for me. "I wish I could just put things somewhere, and make them work like my mom does!" I thought. Seriously, my mom could scrape a dead racoon off the street and turn it into the most astounding, beautiful floral arrangement you've ever seen.

Not that she'd go anywhere near a dead racoon. Or the street, for that matter, since she's always home quilting or stitching or working or texting my dad to say that she's pretty sure he wants Arby's for dinner.

Anyway, when I was perusing the aisles in Hobby Lobby, I finally decided to stop over-thinking everything, and just BUY something already. I have a tendency to walk around the store with something I love, and then by the time I'm finished walking the store, I've thought up 35 different reasons why I shouldn't buy it, and I end up leaving empty-handed. I was determined this was not going to be the case this time, and I ended up purchasing a 3-tiered stand that I honestly had no clue what to do with. "But it looks like something my mom would buy," I thought. So I bought it.

As I drove home, I began thinking about what my mom would put on it, and then my buyer's remorse started turning into something a little happier... Here's what I ended up with, and I really like it!

As a matter of fact, I liked it so well, I took pictures from every angle!

After I was finished with the table, I moved on to the rest of the house. I decided I would decorate with all the Halloween models that were collecting dust in my dungeon basement. I had to do some rummaging bc they're all stuffed away in boxes, but I managed to find quite a few and got them upstairs.

Grim Gourds in the entryway...

Dead Man's Chess over the fireplace, next to Halloween Hornbook and Salem Sisters...

Here's mean old Emma Nettles...

And here's the next tombie sampler subject, watching me decorate...

Here's Ghoul, right behind one of The Boney Bunch figures from Yankee Candle...

Btw, this is the newest addition to my Boney Bunch figures (truth be told, I only have 3 of them), standing in front of Garden of Eerie...

Amos Figg... (his wife, Tillie, is hanging just above)...

(Btw, Mom got me hooked on these holiday candles by Bath and Body Works. This is one of my favorites! I also purchased a few more in Christmas scents, but I'll wait for the weather to turn brittle before I light them.)

I even placed a couple samplers in the bathroom. I thought Mehitable's epitaph was fitting for the back of the toilet...

(There's my first Boney Bunch figure, above, gifted to me by my mom as a fall present a few years ago!)

And here is Salem Sisters II on the wall nearest the sink...

Sophie loves the seasonal towels in my parents' bathrooms, so I decided to surprise her with one...

However, she decided to hang it on top of the crown towel my friend Chris got for me, which almost got the little Halloween towel returned to the store. ;) Just kidding, Sophie!

Finally, here's one of the Blackbird Designs ornaments I stitched a few years ago to hang on my wire tree in the entryway. I have a few of them, and I love them all! (Who doesn't love Blackbird Designs?)

I had so much fun decorating this year! The pumpkins are on the front porch, the mums are blooming their burgundy best, and I even hung my Thimbleberries quilted pumpkin doorhanger on the front door. I can't wait for Sophie to start bringing home her artwork from school... the days of fingerpainting projects are gone, sadly, but I'm sure she'll have a new school masterpiece for the refrigerator this year. :)

I'm sure Mom would be proud of my fall decorating this year. I had fun with it, just like she always seems to. As a matter of fact, the only time I didn't see her having fun with decorating was when I was very little, and I'd bring home my school masterpieces.

But that's what my therapist is for.

Happy Decorating!

P.S. My sister got into the season, too!