My Aunts Anniversary is coming up

My most favorite aunt's (second mother) anniversary of her death due to lung cancer is this Friday November 6, 2009. She passed away at the age of 64 and she was my moms youngest sister. A late in life baby born to my grandmother in the 40's was only 9 years older than me. I loved her so much and I miss her more. I have been searching for a lung cancer cross stitch pattern for a year now with no luck. Everyone is into breast cancer as they should be but what about the rest.

I just lived through my sons death anniversary. He's been gone for 12 years now and this week in November is very rough for me. Everyone that I have loved, my son, my aunt, my dad are gone now and I am missing them all very much. A tribute piece to my Aunt Carolyn would be a wonderful thing for me to work on and give to my mom.

Another dye job.

I am a bit proud of this dyeing job. I was trying for orange and red with some white highlights. I got orange tint, with red and white and a completely different color I believe its like a salmon you tell me. See what you think. I also think it looks like autumn colors as well.

Playing with Dye Again

Today I messed with the dyes for a little while. I wanted to make something in a combination of red (tulip red to be exact) and orange for autumn. I came up with this.

Not to shabby. I was trying for an orange splotch in the center with red around but I'll take this one. Later I will be posting the floss that I dyed with these colors as well.

Monday's Results.

I am posting my results from Mondays dyeing spree. I kept going and going and going. I have some good results as well.

This is called light green marble. If you look closely enough you can see the lighter and darker spots. I used the tye dyeing effect with rubber bands and let if soak for about 6 mintues. Then I rinsed it too the rubber bands off and dunked it quickly in the dye and held it up and dunked it again so the white spots were covered with very light green. Looking pretty good and I am doing my Christmas Sal on this.

This is what I am calling my champaign tan. It was a combination of tan and yellow dyes and was suppose to make an all over champaign color. I got dark tan in some places and lighter in others. So again I used the rubber bands to bind the fabric and I did the same thing as with the green. The white spots did take on the champaign color that I was after when I dunked a few times and wrung it out, rinsed it and then dunked it again. I really like the color now and I am going to use it for a fall piece or thanksgiving.

Now this is my favorite I am calling ti amythest marble. I comebine two colors to make the dark amyethest color and then used the rubber bands and then dunked as before in the dye bath to obtain the lighter colors versus the dark.

Now this one is dark amythest and I did this first before I did the other. No rubber bands just wadded it up and threw it in the bath to soak. I love the color.

More Crafty Moments

I just love fall.  The gorgeous colors of reds, golds etc.  This is the longerberger basked that I have in my bathroom.  I finally felt like getting the spring/summer flowers out and get the fall stuff in.  I try to change it seasonaly but the way I have felt the past 4 months I didn't do spring/summer.  Hubby did it.  You wouldn't really want to see the mess he made.  His idea of arranging is to grab a bunch and plop it into the basket.  Or throw it into the baset one or the other not sure which he chose but it was aweful.  And, even though it was terrible I didn't have a energy or interest to fix it so it stayed that way until today.

I have two metal baskets in my bathroom on either side of the medicine cabinet.  The other wouldn't photo well so I only have a picture of one.  They are using the same colors as the basket is which is in the bathroom as well.  My bathroom is very light with paneling that looks like faded wallpaper ( I hate to paint) so the colors really pop in there.  Next trick is to get pointsettas for the christmas season.  But January is to early to put tulips back in the bathroom so I think I will find things like bare twigs etc to replace the poinsetta.s after new years.

I am still working on salvaging some linen material from the free cycle gifts I got I have two done now and one more to go.  Then I can use the material for something but I think I will dye it first.  Yeah I know but I will get to dyeing something today for sure.  I did say that yesterday but never got around to it since I kept working on taking the stitches out of the linen.  The lady that did that stitches.  Stitched over one on the linen.  It is a pain to take out, I have to go very slow as not to ruin any of the threads in the fabric.

Something new I made today

I got feeling a bit on the crafty side today and came up with a new autumn/fall decoration. A wreath!!!! Michaels had their fall flowers 50% off so I bought a few bunches. I need to replace the summer spring flowers in the bathroom with some too. More pictures when thats done I promise. More fall arrangements to come. I haven't stitched much today at all been busy saving some fabic that I got in the free cycle cross stitch find that I got. The person who had this stuff prior to me started several projects and didn't leave behind the directions or any floss so I am taking her stitching out so I can reuse the fabric to stitch something else. I have a Christmas Sampler that I want to do and one of these fabrics will be perfect.
Tomorrow its the Nascar race, stitching, and dyeing some fabric not necessarily in that order. I have heard from quite a few of the ladies that I have sent things too and they have been pleased and excited about what they picked out sight unseen as it were. I am gald they are happy that makes me very happy. I have some old cross stitch magazines to send to a friend and I'm going to spike her package with a few unexpected goodies LOL.

Some Good News and a Wonderful week

I have had some good news for a change this week.  I have satisfied my hours for the temp agency and as of next friday the 18th I am able to be hired as an HR sub for the local school district.  Right now I will only be working 24 hours a week but in about a month I may go to 32 hours a week and my pay is being increased by 2.50 an hour.  The HR director wants to hire me permentaly but we have union issues with the position so it has not been posted as of yet.  I hope to eventually work my way in full time or at the very least get more HR experience under my belt as a sub so that I can use the Masters in HR and Business Administration to get a good permanent job.  At last we needed the good news and a break.  Hubby just got his last unemployment check last week and I don't think he will get another extension.  So I need to work as much as I can right now.  A regular job with benefits would be great as well.


Now I have been having a blast giving away the Freecycle cross stitch items in two of my groups.  I got so much stash that I couldn't store it all so I decided to give what I can't do or store away to others.  I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff but I still have plenty more to go through.  I have kept all that I can and now the rest is up for grabs.  I only have a path to my computer in the room do to tubs of stuff here and there.  Oh, but its so much fun making people happy it really is.  It was the boost that I needed to push back that darkness some more.


I had to much stuff to photograph and put on the blog so I have tried to list and describe it as well as I could.  I also have some linen to give away.  I cannot stitch on linen.  I can only stitch on evenweave and aida.  I prefer a very high count of aida like 18 or 22 count.  I got a bit of this out of the Freecycle but the lady that had all this stash liked linen as there is a lot of that.


So for now that is all  Hope you all are having a terrific weekend.  I know I am.

Sal "Mon rêve dans le jardin" - "My dream in the garden" - "My dream in the garden" (I) 'AlarTTex

A new Sal that I found is available at this link

Sal "Mon rêve dans le jardin" - "My dream in the garden" - "My dream in the garden" (I) 'AlarTTex

What to do.

I just found out that the 16th is my last day. The head of the HR department told me today. The finance committee will not be allowing anymore money for a temp in the position any longer. It was approved before because of the back log and mess that I walked into when I started this temp job.

I am a bit down I was hoping to stay on in this position as a permanent worker. The best they can do for me is to hire me as an HR temp and hope that I can work into a job sooner or later.

Also today I found out today that I am showing all the signs and symptoms of having Rheumatoid Arthritis. I knew I had arthritis but not that kind. I also have the beginnings of Ostroprosis (SP?) and I am currently taking calcium. It just hasn't been a good day all the way around.

Wish List updated

Here on Multiply I have finally updated my wish list for stitching patterns. As stitchers do we ever get to the point where we say no to patterns? I think not.

I am curently working on a new project and afgan for Alex with different breeds of dogs stitched on it. Right now I am working on the Golden Retriever (first block) and it has a ton of blends and a couple stitches then you change colors.

I have updated my site for Halloween as you can see as well. I have tried to find a theme that I like for my blogger blog but so far nothing has peaked my interest. At least I am working on things again and taking an interest in blogging again. So that is a step in the right direction.

I have been downsized to 3 days per week starting this week at the temp job. I am done sometime the week of the 14th as it stands right now. Hubby's unemployment is up and his last check will be issued next week. Still he cannot find a job and what now. We will be down about 800 per month now. It will be tight but it is doable unless I quit working altogether with this temp job and then it will be even tighter and I think still doable. I hope.

Weather here is deffinately on the fall side this weekend but next week it is suppose to warm up a bit. I don't mind fall but I do mind winter and that is right behind. These past few cool days my body has been really reacting to the changes and am having some issues with walking ( painful) and my body is aching in joints where the arthritis is sitting. My right elbow is now crooked and I cannot straighten it out anymore. Well it was bound to happen one day the arthritis is beginning to rear its ugly head. I hope it doesn't become more crooked and less flexible. Hard to use my right arm anymore for cleaning and wiping things up. Since it is extremely painful to try and straigten it.