MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Some stitching

Today I actually found some time to sit with my needle and thread and DO something!  Altho', what I did does leave some element of doubt as to what it might end up actually being when it grows up.  Hmmmm.....






Tis a wonderment isn't it?


Monday, July 30, 2012

Friday, July 27, 2012

More sights - some questionable, some incredible!

Today I finally got back to working in my embroiderer's ledger.  Yay!  I was beginning to feel extreme withdrawal symptoms.

Here you go...



AND,
finally...
this is what I live with!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Ledger work and birds of the blue variety

Yesterday we were lucky enough to be able to attend a Blue Jays baseball game - had a great time, but unfortunately our team lost.....boo!!  We had excellent seats just above the Blue Jays dugout and a great view of the game.  It was fun to see it up close.

Today I finally found a few spare minutes to finish working on a little insertion for my Embroiderer's Ledger and here it is.  This is embroidered on a piece of handmade paper...


Monday, July 23, 2012

Still hot and celebration

Yep, it's still hot here.  Just a few minutes ago a small thunderstorm rolled through and we got some very much needed rain.  It didn't last long enough to do any good though, so we will just have to hope for more. 

Sorry there are no photos for your viewing pleasure today, but you'll have to just envision two pieces of birthday cake (not that we HAD cake, mind you).  Birthdays are rarely a big deal in our lives, but it seems that other people get a kick out of doing our celebrating for us.  At least DH and I are fortunate in that his birthday is the 21st and mine is the next day, so we can get it all over with at once!

Tomorrow we have tickets to see the Blue Jays (baseball for those of you who don't know) play so I doubt there will be any mumbling from this quarter.

Enjoy your day!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

TUSAL and bobbins

Sorry to be a bit late in posting my ORTS for the TUSAL this month!  I've been a little preoccupied with mundane things like colonoscopies this week (yeew).  So, without further delay, here is my ORT pile for the month...


and here they are,
added to my jar...

TUSAL?  Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long
ORTS?  Old Recycled Threads



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Nada



Sorry, no pictures today.  It's been (and will continue to be) a busy week.  Lots of medical appointments and running around so absolutely nothing fun and creative happening.  I guess it's been too hot to be creative anyway, so I shouldn't be upset. 

Monday, July 16, 2012

Hot, hot, hot

Yes, it`s hot  cool.  Perhaps if I *think* cool it will happen!


This was the activity going on in our kitchen this afternoon....


This is the first stage of a new backsplash and is currently drying for a few days before putting the grout in to finish it off.  Jack (DH) and our friend John spent the afternoon in our hot little kitchen doing this.

I, on the other hand, spent the afternoon in my studio working on my ledger classwork.  This picture shows what I did the end of last week (today`s effort isn`t ready to show yet)....


Who knew you could stitch on tissue paper!!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Thursday, July 12, 2012

I'll bet you didn't know THIS....and classwork

This falls under the 'who knew' category!  Vicki Welsh has posted on her site about the fact that an inch isn't always an inch.  I wouldn't have believed it, but because I have faith in Vicki I checked.  She's right!! 



Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Thrifting find

Today we took one of our 'sanity' days and skipped town in quest of a birthday present for a friend of mine.  Unfortunately what I hoped to get didn't pan out.  The day wasn't a complete loss though because we hit a couple of thrift stores and I scored these...


$3.99 each - how's that for a bargoon?!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Stitch videos, and some more class work


- - - - - -  - - - - - - - - - -
And,
here's an update on my Embroiderer's Ledger classwork..


Monday, July 09, 2012

more classwork and beauty

Here's the next bit I've done for the Embroiderer's Ledger class with Karen...


AND....

(for the beauty part of this post)

you have to go and see the wonderful
Heart Strings
that Suzy is creating!

Be sure to check out the rest of her blog
when you're there because
you're in for a treat.
Go HERE!

Suzy has a link on her blog post
where you can read more
information about
the creation of
Heart Strings.

Friday, July 06, 2012

Yummy......

?

I just finished eating some wonderful pasta for lunch 
and thought I'd share the recipe with you.
 It comes from Kraft Kitchens.

NO-COOK FRESH TOMATO SAUCE WITH PASTA

l lb. spaghetti noodles
8 plum tomatoes, chopped (we used plain ol' tomatoes)
1/2 c. Zesty Italian dressing
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 T. chopped red onions

Cook pasta as directed, omitting salt. 
Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Drain pasta, add to tomato mixture & toss.

Now, doesn't this look good?
Note:  It can be served hot or cold!

- - - - - - - - - - -




Thursday, July 05, 2012

More class work


This is my completed first page from the Embroidered Ledger class with Karen.  I'm actually pretty pleased with it, but I know I have a long way to go!

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

small things

I'm working, just not in my studio room because it's too hot in here.  Stitching in the living room where we have a/c is by far the best place to be.  The past few days have been hot but the humidity hasn't been overwhelming.  We had rain last night so today the humidity level climbed.

Anyhoo...  I have been doing a wee bit of embroidery (which I hope to be able to show you tomorrow) and I've made these:


Wee crocheted coasters
for wee gifties.  


Tuesday, July 03, 2012