Another All-in-One Post (sorry)

Yes, I did it again. I got a bit behind on blogging. Apologies! Now I have to update you on everything at once.

Let's first discuss WIPocalypse and Theme-a-licious:

The WIPocalypse theme for this month was:
March 27 – Themes: Designer – Chatelaine, Style – Springtime, Colors – Green and Yellow

and the theme for Theme-a-licious was:
MARCH MADNESS - Work on something different every day...it's madness...of the funnest kind.

 I posted during the mid-month check in that working on something different every day just wouldn't happen this month since I had so many RRs that needed to be done. I did try to put a few stitches into other things each night, to a varying degree of success.

I was not about to start my first Chatelaine, and will not likely do one this year. I did do a wee little bit of Springtime stitching, including some green and yellow.

Here's some pictures -
  

I finished my section on Laura's Celtic-themed band sampler round robin. It came out rather fabulous, if I say so myself. :)

I also finished my section on Angi's band sampler round robin. I used bands from Just Nan and Sweetheart Tree. Angi provided tons of coordinating silks, metallics, and beads. They were amazing.

In honor of Spring (wishfully thinking), I stitched the "Phlox" section of Butterfly Garden from The Drawn Thread. Included was some green and yellow stitching. See, I'm trying to go along with the themes.

I added a couple more bottles to "99." Each time, I ask my hubby if he recognizes the bottles. So far we have Blue Moon, Heineken, and Fat Tire Amber Ale.

Oops, I allowed myself yet another new start. Naughty me. I'm amused by my interesting word combo.

I've been working on Andie's Mirabilia large-stitch round robin, but I don't want to show any pix until it's done. Andie is, after all, an attentive follower of this blog. She follows the hunks, anyway. :P

I also did some more stitching on "Baked Goods," but I forgot to take a picture.


Speaking of being naughty...I've been ordering stash right and left. I got the most wonderful package in the mail yesterday, from Leslie of Under the Sea Fabrics. Included was my custom FOTM, perhaps to be used for the upcoming Joan Elliott RR, a bunch of fabrics I picked up at her latest Jewel sale, the most adorable mermaid tail scissors and mermaid fob, and, best of all, I won a full kit from Leslie. The kit is for the Poppy Pixie, and Leslie created a fabric just for her. It is called Volcano, and it is truly amazing. I'm going to try to stitch her up for the Pick-a-Pixie Facebook SAL. Thanks, Leslie!!!

The WIPocalypse theme for April is:
Themes: Designer – Mirabilia, Style – Samplers, Colors – Blue and Orange

Mirabilia will be easy. I don't have any current plans for samplers, since I finished the RR, but we'll see. Blue and Orange? Umm, maybe.

The Theme-a-licious theme for April is:
AMAZON APRIL - Dip your needle into the vast swath of fabric dedicated to your BIGGEST projects.

That'll take some thinking. I'll get back to you on that.

DON'T FORGET: If you haven't already entered my 100-follower giveaway, your last chance is tomorrow, March 31. I will do the drawing Monday or Tuesday. Leave a comment here.

Last but not least, I owe you a hunk.
I have another reader request. I thought him appropriate, since my hubby and I saw The Hobbit last week. I offer to you, Thorin Oakenshield, King of the Dwarves, aka Richard Armitage.

Another one who is not really my cuppa, and honestly, I couldn't bear to show a pasty white bare-chested pic of him, but he has really pretty eyes.

I hope to not overwhelm you with any more all-in-one posts. Key word=hope.

The Pasty Tour arrives on my blog!

I'm thrilled to be the host of today's stop of The Pasty Tour blog tour, celebrating the release of Marjie Myers new book 12 Days/Young 80.

Marjie (Kate N. of The Suddenly Kate Show) has been touring around blogland all this month. She has done quite a few interviews. I asked her if she wanted to do something a little different during her stop here.

I have read the book and am very happy to be able to offer up a review. Stay tuned until the end when you will be treated to something very special, a Flash Fiction offering inspired by one of my stitched pieces!

I know!! OMG!! How cool is that??

The synopsis of the book:

This ebook consists of two short stories, 
 

12 Days

A romantic comedy; a man, a woman, a dog, a challenge, romance, laughter, memories, love & hope.

Young 80 

A horror; a young woman, a foggy night, a race home, trapped, scared, confused, crazy, an old woman, an empty room, a lost love and hope.

 So here is my humble opinion of the new book:

12 Days

It only took me about four paragraphs to fall head over heels for the earnest, but romantically bumbling Ryan. He tries to exercise his underused charm muscles in preparation for proposing marriage to his girlfriend, by offering a sweet gesture on each of the 12 days before Christmas. But, Ryan manages to court disaster with much more success than courting Sarah.

Chocolate, miscues, and a large boxer all threaten the future of Ryan and Sarah’s happily ever after. Will they even survive the holidays?

Marjie Myers weaves a fabric striped with hilarious gaffes and blunders, hemmed at the end by an unexpected twist and a cheeky pun.

Young 80

 

Marjie Myers

In a rapid change of pace, Marjie Myers tears me out of the embrace of Ryan and Sarah’s story, to douse me with the chill of Halloween, and Anna’s late night at the office.

Like the cold fog that rolls in, the suspense of Anna’s midnight walk builds ever darker. As everything falls apart around her, I don’t know whether to nervously laugh or to cry at her misfortunes, and at her realization of misplaced priorities.

As the anxiety heightens, Ms. Myers adds another signature wicked twist that leaves me stunned.

What an enjoyable and entertaining read!

Please check out the book for yourself, here!


Since Kate is an avid stitcher (among many other things), she asked me to send a picture of a favorite piece of my stitching. I sent her a copy of my Joan Elliott fairy round robin. As it turns out, she is a big fan of Joan Elliott, as well.

She looked at my piece and, lo and behold, she wrote an amazing story about it!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Seven Sisters

There were seven of them, the winged angels, each as beautiful as the other. They differed slightly but there was no mistaking that they were sisters and each with their own story to tell.

Sabrina, Sadie, Samira, Sasha, Scarlett, Serena and Sierra.

They had spent most of their lives living under a mulberry bush just outside The Fairy Ring and it hadn’t been an easy life for them. They could enter the ring but they were unable to attend gala’s and festivals where they might meet the one who they would make fairy dust with, they were bullied and ridiculed by those who lived in The Fairy Ring and were never allowed to visit their mother.

Life outside the fairy ring meant that they could be seen by anyone, they were unprotected against being spotted by humans or wildlife, they were not able to bathe in the morning dew that gave their wings that magical sparkle and they could never perch atop a toadstool combing their flaxen hair.

Life had not always been like this. There was a time when they did live in the fairy ring, when they did all these things that they could no longer do, a time when their worries were few. Their mother was the only daughter of the Fairy King and he doted on her and had once doted on them. But she had chosen to stay in the Fairy Ring the day they had left.

Their father had been the leader of the RFA (Rebel Fairy Army) when the uprising had begun and they had been cast out to fend for themselves along with the others who had dared to stand up against the Fairy King. As children they had resented their father for taking them and plotted against him, blaming him for anything and everything that didn’t go their way. But as ungrateful and ruthless as they were their father never lost faith in them, never loved them any less and always held their trust.

As adults, that they now were, they understood the cause that he had been fighting for. He had wanted justice, equality and freedom for all fairies, he wanted the fairy class system abolished and the atrocities to stop. They stood beside him now looking down at his lifeless body, each vowing to avenge his death whichever way they knew how.
______________________________________________________________________________

Wow!!
Thank you so much, Kate, for giving me the opportunity to play hostess. And thanks for being patient and understanding through my sickness. Feeling much better now.

This was really fun for me, and allowed me to indulge in a few moments of self-importance. Snort!

The Hunk Trek

I'm feeling rather cranky today. No explanation for it. Just grumpy.

I figured I might feel better if I trawl the web for hunky pictures.

Here's Chris Pine. Very yummy. Very hunky. Doesn't seem to do bare chest pictures. Oh well. I'll have to leave it to my imagination.

Enjoy!

A Quickie Theme-a-licious Update? (or not)

This month's Theme-a-licious theme is:

March Madness

Work on something different every day...it's madness...of the funnest possible kind.

Frankly, I didn't think that would work very well for me this month since I have so many obligation stitches to do.

I did, however, finish a monster-sized section on a Band Sampler round robin. I needed to match the section of the stitcher next to me, and hers was HUGE!!! I would say that this section was around triple the size of most of our Band Sampler RR sections. On top of which, I had some difficulties getting that Celtic knot lined up right. So, a lot of frogging happened. The finished piece was beautiful, though.

I have two other round robin pieces I need to be working on, but I hope to sprinkle some stitches onto some other pieces in between.

I want to say a great big THANK YOU, and Welcome Aboard to all my new followers. It was just a couple of weeks ago that I was at 85 followers. At last count, I'm up to 123!! Wow!

Remember that the deadline to enter my giveaway is March 31. Good luck to all of you!

I'm sorry that I've been slacking on the Hunky Friday thing again. I keep getting sick. I feel like this winter will never end....

Until next time,

Hugs and Stitches
~ Karen

100-Follower Giveaway and TUSAL, too

Who is ready for my giveaway?

Well, you have to wait for a moment to check out my ort jar, presented today by the lovely and talented Squish.

 

Now, on to the giveaway.

Rules:

1. You must be a follower. I will mail anywhere.

2. You must leave a comment on this post. If you mention my giveaway on your blog, I will enter your name twice.

3. There are four prizes/packages. You may choose two that you would like to win.

4. Entry deadline is March 31. I will pull names on or about April 1.

5. No pushing, shoving, biting, scratching, or swearing. Oh, nevermind. Have at it. tee hee

 

Prize #1

 Prize #1 is a fat quarter of a Silkweaver solo 16-ct opalescent aida.

Prize #2

Prize #2 is a fat quarter of a Silkweaver solo 28-ct. Cashel linen.

Prize #3

Prize #3 is a fat quarter of Silkweaver Pink Waterfall 32-ct. Lugana.

Prize #4

Prize #4 includes 4 charts, 3 skeins of WDW floss, and 3 miscellaneous metallics.

Good luck!

Patience Please

I was certainly not expecting to reach 100 followers in two days!

Please be patient while I put together a juicy giveway. I'll be hopping over to my LNS tomorrow to see if any goodies fall into my basket.

Hopefully I'll have it all sorted by early next week.


*hugs and stitches*

~ Karen

99!

Holy smokes! I mentioned two days ago that I was at 85 followers, and would have a giveaway at 100. Two days, and now I'm at 99!!!

I guess I'd better get something together, eh?