LivnLaf

New Start, Home Buying, Needlework Exhibit

2010-03-13T05:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a start of Ink Circle's Anatolia. The colors in this piece are incredibly vibrant and true to looking like a hand knotted Turkish rug. In the gallery at Ink Circle's site (under Everything Else), you can see one stitched on a red fabric which I just love. Although my picture doesn't show it, the fabric I chose is a pinkish hand dye so I'm forging ahead on that rather than spend money on yet another piece of fabric. Flosses are Carrie's Creation (Yummy looking colors with fun names...Moose Drool and Elk Snout). The other day, I needed something fresh and vibrant for Spring to get my fingers into and also to take a break from packing and all else that goes along with a move to a new home, so I started this. Now it's my escape for an hour here or an hour there. Gone are the days of "stitchy butt" and stitching marathons, but not totally ruled out. Work is huge time suck right now. [I'm supposed to be putting in some time right now which I kind of resent because it's Saturday-but the price of putting off is far bigger-sigh] My "Moving" vacation is a mere week away though so after this coming hell week with work, I'm looking forward to saying hello from my newly designated "Tiny Town Home" in the lovely Shenandoah Valley. I'm going from 22-hundred square feet to 16-hundred with little to no storage. But it's mine and I will be able to afford to replace some things the builders put in like my little person's vanity in the Master Bath. I'm nearly 5'9 and used to a vanity that comes to my hip...this one is about 6 inches shorter. I asked in my walk through if they thought maybe they should disclose such things. [Next Blog post: Lessons on Home Buying and Crappy Realtors(I fired mine the day after the initial offer-and yes...I know he still gets a commission).

We have a lovely Needlework Exhibit going on at Woodlawn Plantation here in NoVA. They have posted a slideshow of the exhibit winners and entries here, so you can virtually visit if you are not so fortunate to be there physically.

Time to forge ahead with work stuff, then pack a room, barn and then maybe an hour to stitch. No wonder why the weekends fly by.

Cheers.

The Big Dig

2010-02-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yes...I have been digging out from under 50-some odd inches of snow that was dumped on NoVA in a 10 day period. What fun! I have also been digging out from under inside the house too...packing has begun. I packed up the Craft room today. Surprisingly it was relatively quick and I left out one knitting project and one cross stitch project for quick accessibility over the course of the next 5 weeks or so. I have been subscribing to all kinds of home design blogs including the guy who works for Martha Stewart who just exudes storage ideas. I have visions of implementing many of them in my new craft room. Kevin Sharkey is his name...and in spite of the crazy prices these people pay for things...they really do have some good and practical ideas. You can catch him here.
And here's another one full of cheeriness and practicality: Design Sponge. Of course I have great plans for all my rooms and picture in my mind's eye having the clutter-free, a place for every little thing type home. Snort.
Hopefully you are seeing the first signs of Spring where you live...crocus or Daffodils in spite of the snow. We are so ready for a Spring thaw.
Off to pack up one more box to feel like I'm accomplishing something today. In spite of my lack of solid focus on stitching, I'm looking forward to see what comes out of Nashville. So...next Saturday, I'll be in my jammies with coffee in hand and surfing.
Til then...enjoy your weekend and in honor of Valentine's Day I have posted one of my all time favorite stitches in my banner above. The piece far outlasted the object of my motivation for wanting to stitch such a lovely verse, but hope springs eternal too.

Blizzard 2010

2010-02-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

Another major snow storm. I thought I left Massachusetts 21 years ago. This picture was taken at 6:30 this morning...before I dropped my camera. There's 24 inches out there now and another 6 hours to go before this one goes down in the history books. Sigh.

WHD

2010-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Well Howdy friends! The WHD continues...Weekly House Drama. But who wants to hear all that hooey? Same story, different house. I broke out in hives this week...I'm totally blaming it on stress...grrrr. So I gave everyone the smack down as far as annoying me and pushing me for things that just don't need to be done right this second. On to more important things. Color. I love color...the concept of flow either in fabrics or homes from room to room is inspirational. But left to dreaming for now because thank goodness the local Hardware Store guy told me if I paint the builder won't do their one year nail check. So I picked up a bunch of paint chips anyway...one can dream can't she?
On to other things like shopping for washer and dryers, vacuums and curtains...and blinds and fencing and garage door openers. You get the picture. Overwhelming and quite a learning experience. Here's to getting to April...because by that time all of this will be behind me...except for fun with color.

Let the Fun Begin

2010-01-10T07:35:00.001-08:00

Well Hi there! If you've wandered over here to see what I'm up to...Thank you for stopping by. I'm really discouraged with Wordpress and find Blogger to be so much more adaptable for my somewhat limited computer savvy ability.
So remember my "Big changes" coming in 2010? Well here's the first...a new home.

This home buying has been about 6 years of peaks and valleys with collateral fall-out from 09/11 and my career as well as moving to one of the highest cost of living areas in the country. So landing a contract on a house I can afford and not sacrifice my practical, yet high quality, standard of living is a big achievement and it may not be exactly what I want, but it's a step in the right direction.
The view from my home office is somewhat inspiring even though the other side of the house looks out on a sea of Town Homes. I picked this one because of the proximity to the small parcel of woods and hopes or visions of bird feeders in my yard once again would be nice.

I think it's going to be fun...right now I'm in the place of dollar signs $$$$$ flying from every which way. And the thought of how much weeding out I need to do before moving day...ugh! But the end result will be so worth it.
I'm off to go explore paint chips and color options...and maybe the Yarn Shop that is not too far from the new digs. I'v been stitching a bit but the yarn calls and I'm finishing up a dish cloth I started on New Year's Day. [A small accomplishment for a beginner!]
Thanks for hanging in there with me. I'll post some stitchy pictures shortly.