Walking progress

Didn't post anything Wednesday. Mostly today I sat with hubs and watched Doctor Who while he brewed beer. Went out for a walk and it started to drizzle so had to come back before making 2 miles. I know the challenge was a mile per day but since I started late I had to get at least 1.3 and I missed a few days to rain. So far I have 14.6 miles. I've got 24.4 miles to go and there's 18 days to the 4th of July! (arg thought I had caught up and then checked 39 miles so not caught up yet.) I'll need another walking challenge after that or something to keep me motivated. And keep me away from chocolate and Dr Pepper!

I haven't crafted much. I need to do things as gifts so I can clear out my stash. Hubs is looking to move and we'll need to start packing things up and I need to get this room clean if its going to sell.

And yes I still need to work on getting the book marks out! I was trimming one in green and then I don't have the green and one is half done. The other I just need to back and mail off to Emily.

I did get books for my library's Summer Reading program and all signed up. I read a Graphic Novel of Macbeth the other night. It was OK. It was meant for getting kids interested so unlike the Merchant of Venice it didn't keep the original words and translated and had * for some other words. I guess you can understand the plot and what's going on better within the story but it lacks the elegance.

The other one I got was on Sherlock Holmes and forensics. I had gotten the Great Illustrated Works before and didn't really get to look at it. I hadn't realized I hadn't read so many of the Holmes stories. I'm enjoying reading this, it's a good nonfiction on how Doyle created the character of Holmes and it goes into detail about each of the characters. Right now I'm on a section of how fingerprinting, foot prints and there was another method that went out of fashion of taking measurements. I remember reading that bit but I didn't know what it was on about in the stories and I never went looking. The only bad thing about all this is wanting to watch Sherlock or the Jeremy Brett series and no longer having Netflix to watch it on.

My other book that I checked out was another non-fiction from the LGBT Pride Month display. I can't remember the title right off, it's a memoir of a woman who's husband is transgender. Which reminds me there was a good one I read a while back Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality by Hanne Blank. It was very informative on how the term came, the history behind it and some very personal stories of her life.

The book that is still sitting in my room that I got from Target last week is Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend a novel by Matthew Dicks. Haven't started it yet but it's told from the view point of the imaginary friend of a child on the autism spectrum. It sounded like a good read and I love anything with imaginary friends to remind me that I wasn't the only one who had them and had to tell teachers to save seats for them.

Maybe Wednesday I'll have some craftings to post. I hope everyone had a good weekend and a Happy Father's Day.

I need another Wednesday theme

I need to do something else to get me to post on Wednesdays so my blog gets something on it!

Today is my 9th Anniversary. Hubs got the day off and is currently making cookies. I'll get dressed up and we'll drive around for a bit and spend the day together.

I was perusing my blog list and Blissfully Stitching posted about a walking challenge she was doing.

I decided to join though I'll have to catch up on a few miles. As its raining today I may have to wait a bit.

I applied for a new job that will require me to be more active and lift stuff so I went back to the gym to do arm exercises yesterday. Yeah muscles missed that :p Its hard when it's still light when I get out of work to not just go for a walk but lately I've been getting home and not going back out on the bike or walking.

I need to get busy stitching the new Summer Reading Program started at the library and I don't have all my bookmarks done! I did too many bookmark prizes at once and they weren't as quick as I thought. Also, had some love quilt squares that needed turn in.

Well that's enough random thoughts. Everyone have a Wonderful Wednesday.

Birthday Time!

Week 6 May 15th Birthday
Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Birthday to Me! Haappyyyyyy Biiiiiirthday to MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Ok that’s enough. It’s my party and I can cry if I want to. The wonderful challenges are now over though you do have some time to finish them off. Thanks to everyone who commented, participated or tried their hand at a project or photo. Let’s hope I remember to take photos today so I have some pictures to scrap!

Week 5 May 8th It’s almost my Birthday! One more week! Besides my Birthday my favorite holiday is Halloween. I also love bunnies. I found this cute card over at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC called Harvest Festival by Debbie Littledeer. It combines Halloween and Bunnies! People who know me from crafting and some past crafty boards my friend Janelle/Tallulah would do a puzzle swap and one year I requested Mardi Gras Bunnies. I killed them with my requests but they nailed it! I know you will nail this challenge too!

Scrappers – Scrapbook a birthday or any holiday, other than Easter, with a prominent bunny somewhere on your new as of today: LO, Card, mixed media or altered item, Oh look bunny decoupage! Remember the bunny must be going to a non-Easter related holiday!
Also, go to Flying Unicorn to play with the Glitter Challenge and Colorful Creations is having a sketch a thon and they served as a jumping off point for my LO tonight.

Stitchers – Well kinda obvious but stitch a bunny! I suppose you may be limited to whatever bunny you have on hand but if at all possible switch out some colors to make it more Halloween, 4th of July, Christmas. Oh wait I’m not crazy! Plum Street Samplers likes combining things like I do! So they’re hares not bunnies, they’re related!
Hare’s Autumn
Hare's Halloween Ohh on my wish list now!
OH and I checked the freebies! Hare’s flying on a broomstick.
I swear one day my house will just be decorated in Halloween Cross-stitch because I will never want to take them down.

Photos- a bunny if you can get it! Or holiday garb with bunny ears ;)
All items new as of today, you will have a month to post your completed project or stitchy project progress with photos of what the item will be when it’s finished!

National Scrapbook Day and Viva Las Vegas Stamps

Over at Flying Unicorn they had a NSD weekend and I just got this done a half hour before it had to be up.

I received stamps from Viva Las Vegas Stamps today in Doctor Who themed plate 925
My box was a Toffee box from Nashville Toffee company that I've had for about a year since I got it for my birthday. I managed to paint it blue by sanding and first covering with some white Picket Fence Tim Holtz daubers and then Matisse Ultra Marine when that dried. I didn't have a very dark blue card stock but I managed to cover the box and then covered the box with tissue tape. I liked the look of the black lace though so it covered up most of it! The black lace came from a Tally Scrappers kit. One thing I can't get the hang of on layers is the covering up bits! So I stamped the Weeping Liberty and Don't Blink in Colorbox blue (petal set not sure on the color) The PP is Basic Grey Periphery and I inked that in Iced Spruce distress (words and liberty also inked in faded blue jeans) I used some Tim Holts light bulbs that I picked up from Tuesday Morning for $1.99! Some black pop dots stacked up adhered liberty but I'm still waiting on the epoxy to set for the big light bulb so I couldn't put it on edge to take a better photo.

Birthday Bash Week 4

No I didn't forget, not really. I just hadn't made a page! So finally did one today.

Week 4 It’s May 1st and we’re in my Birthday Month.
Scrappers –
Use the sketch


Monochrome is the theme: yellow, purple or green. You can have a bit of neutral color like white, black, kraft/tan but most of the LO, card, altered item should be one of the three color choices.


Have a pocket or hidden journaling or a project that opens and reveals something else.
Stitchers - Over at It’s Geek to Me the Theme-a-lisous is monochrome. So stitchers may have a project they may have been picked out but, stitch a monochrome project in one of my three favorite colors: yellow, purple or green. Just for me to see on your blog :)
Photos – you guessed it something in one of my favorite colors: yellow, purple or green. I’ll take a photo altered in that hue or if you find an Iris to shoot that’ll be a bonus :)
Again projects new as of today and you have a month to post your completed project or project progress if you’re stitching (remember the pic of what it will look like)

Birthday Bash Week 3

3-April 24st http://pinterest.com/melissaziggyeor/kermit-flail/
Kermit Flail is one of my pinterest boards that I post things that make me want to throw my hands up like Kermit and go Wheee!
http://youtu.be/n_w4oSCJIQk
Yeah like that.
I understand we may all not be like me and Heather, from It’s Geek to Me, but there is something that makes you happy, that you obsess a little bit over, that you get people that roll their eyes when you mention it for the millionth time…in the same conversation ;) what is that thing you go all Kermit for?
Scrappers – scrapbook that thing you love or your kids, or pet, or significant other loves and geeks out over and thinks is just awesome! While everyone else smiles and nods. Your challenge though (yeah you though the geek part was the challenge) is to use that paper hoard. You know that paper, that special paper that you’re waiting for the right project, that you just had to have, and now it’s 3 or more CHA’s and you haven’t used it yet. Showcase that paper on your project! Be it LO, canvas, card or altered project.

Ok here's mine I finished it yesterday but I wanted to be sure. I used my Basic Grey Scarlett's letter paper that I just had to have when it first came out then, didn't use it for like a year until it was at HL and I could replace it. I liked this photo because it's all the Doctors and it had Party for my Birthday Theme. The journaling is about finding it and enjoying the episodes after first only ever to catch the Adipose episode. Then I saw it was all on Netflix! Still watching all the Classics from the library.
Stitchers – there’s a ton of geeky cross-stitch projects out there but if you don’t want to stitch it or have anyone to geek stitch for then find that company/designer that you wait patiently every Friday on Hofmandis to see if they’ve posted a new pattern. Lizzie Kate’s get your flip its kitted, Teresa Wentzler’s blend those threads, ohh free pattern!, HAED have fun with the confetti! Hey it is my birthday bash after all! (clicking on the names should take you to free patterns that I found while searching.
Photos- that thing that makes you Kermit Flail!
Again projects new as of today and you have a month to post your completed project or project progress if you’re stitching (remember the pic of what it will look like) It would be nice too to have a little bit about what it is that makes you Kermit Flail too 

I'll edit later with my page. Since Mr. Linky only allows one linky if you do participate just comment :)

Amazon April and Birthday Bash Week 2

First an Amazon April post because I didn’t get around to it last night (plus I realized I’ll be linking it up and maybe someone will check it out!)



Can you tell any difference from the beginning of the month?
Week 2 April 17th
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31
I will be turning 31 this year and will be in my Prime …well prime number! Yeah that’s what that sequence of numbers is up to 31, unique numbers that can only be divided by 1 and itself. So today is a challenge by the numbers!
Paper People – Use the sketch from Page Maps

You must use 2 photos, 3 patterned papers and prime numbers of embellishments ex: 5 flowers 7 brads in your blog post put what and how much you’ve used.
Extra challenge scrap you or a loved one in ‘their prime’ dig out those 2nd birthday pictures of your children that you haven’t scrapped yet. That illusive 23rd birthday where you forgot the camera and there may be one fuzzy cell phone pic.



Sketch, 2 pictures from my 3rd Birthday, 3 PP’s in my background, 7 Cardstock Stickers, 5 colors of sharpie (journaling is in 1 but I traced around some of the stickers you can kinda tell), 3 stamps, one stamp 5 times, 11 fussy cut snacks
Your project must be new as of today April 17th ;) and you have one month to post it.
Stitchers – a number project! Find that 12 days of Christmas you’ve been meaning to do and make an ornament. Have a sampler project with numbers? Haul it out and kit it up. Again if the project is large and/or a WIP and you are unable to post a completed picture in four weeks show an in progress photo with a picture of what it will be when it’s finished.
Photos – prime numbers or things in groups of prime numbers, or people or things of a prime age.

Birthday Bash Week 1

1 – April 10th Inviting –



An invitation to my Birthday Bash. It is 6 Wednesdays before my birthday and each Wednesday I will be posting a different theme for a crafty project. I will be doing a linky, I think I figured it out, and everyone can post their projects so we can all enjoy them. Since I have scrappy crafters and stitchy crafters and other creative peoples I will try to make the challenges work for everyone. I do think the projects should be started today for the scrappy people you have plenty of time to throw something together. You will have a month to include your project in the link. The stitch people I will take a new project or a WIP or a lonely UFO you can give some love to.

As I’ve thrown this idea together on Monday I haven’t decided what prizes there will be. It may be something as small as a stitched bookmark (as that seems to take me a month to stitch and then it sits!) Or I may find a small crafty item to giveaway.

Today’s Birthday Bash Week 1 theme is Invitation.


Paper people – create an invitation/card/scrap an invitation you held or received at an event.

Stitchy people – Stitch a card or some place that looks inviting. If your project is a WIP or UFO please include a photo of what the project will look like when finished.

Photos – an inviting place, event or invitation.

Now This is a use of ORTS!

I love Mr. X Stitch! If you don't follow him on facebook or his blog you should.

I know a lot of us are keeping our orts for the TUSAL. What do you do with them at the end? I'm interested in the making paper bit. Some of these are far more creative than my rectangular rainbow tribbles!

Update You should now be able to click on Mr. X Stitch and be taken to the blog link. I did the link before but there were no words to click on :p

Camping

I've had a great weekend camping out in Asheville NC. It was my husbands birthday on Saturday and he wanted to go camping so I took the time off. It was freaking cold! There was frost on the car Saturday morning and my feet were freezing still so he drove me up to the bath house. An air mattress makes for a comfortable sleep but all that air is cold, I don't think it would have been any better if we had just used our self inflatable mats though.

Do not go to the Biltmore on spur of the moment! We saw the ticket prices and walked right out. My mother later said when she looked online that you can get the tickets $10 or $15 cheaper. That's still not enough it was 59 bux a person! I'm sorry for house and some flowers to walk around? I'll wait till more flowers bloom and the leaves turn green and go hiking. We should have gone to the Arborium, I'm not sure if there was a price but their flowers were probably just as pretty.

If you do go to Asheville go to Tupelo Honey Cafe. Best Biscuits EVER! I know this because my husband likes them and he doesn't like biscuits. Downtown location is hard to get into, go to the southern one. Beer is everywhere and it's pretty much all good. There was a brown ale that I liked that I'll have to look for the coaster.

We pretty much just drove around the area and up the blue ridge parkway. I had him stop by the Folk Art Center. Beautiful exhibit of all local crafts like weaving, doll making, and quilting. Just look at the gift shop and buy a post card, unless you have the money! I looked and saw one price tag on an afghan and had a bit of a shock, but at least I know the time and effort that went into making that look beautiful! People, you severely undersell yourself on etsy and other places. Yes I understand that the Folk Art Center is master crafters but still! I did find a lovely set of cards for $11 that was of a Halloween scene and bunnies! Two of my favorite things.

I'll post pics from camping once I get them loaded up. I need to find a good place to share my 3D photos. I hope my photos came out nice too because of the glare on my screen I was pretty much seeing myself and not the beautiful views!

Forgot all about a Wednesday reads post. I've the same book sitting on my nightstand anyway and keep renewing it :p Hopefully I will get some reading time in.

Happy Easter

Well a bit embarrassed. I was listening to Neverwhere and discovered that Anesthesia is the Rat Speakers name not Anathema like I thought. But still having one rat Cheery and the other Anathema is pretty funny. We just call her Ane now. ;)

I need to get the conglomeration Theme-a-licious, TUSAL and WIPocolypse post together but today I'm finishing a canvas. A geeky themed canvas.


She's meant to be Idris. I found a template from Such A Pretty Mess and cut her out with Basic Grey Periphery papers. The background is various paint and Creme Soda pixi stick from Prima. I stamped the stripes and then used a Jenni Bowling clock face rub-on and managed to get most of it off though it didn't like glittery paint. I did grunge hinges in black soot distress powder for the clock hands.

This was for a challenge over at Flying Unicorn to use architecture. I'm hoping the clock counts :)

I haven't yet watched the new episode of Doctor Who so I'm trying to stay away from Pintrest for all the photos and spoilers. I may need to find it and watch it here in a few.

I hope everyone has had a Happy Easter.

The Rats Won out

For being a cheaper pet that can be easily taken care of we got 2 female rats tonight. The cage we got was a ferret cage on sale (way too small for a ferret you might get 6 months) The ferrets I named Pratchett and Ponder after a favorite author and character. The bottle has a turtle in it to see where the level in it and it makes me think of Disc World so one set of names I'm considering is Cheery & Littlebottom. Since the cage and wheel are blue I'm thinking Doctor Who: Clara & Idris. Or Neverwhere since we are dealing with rats Anathamea and Lady Door. Which names are you thinking? Just not Mickey and Minnie like my mother suggested ;)

Thursday I will stitch!

I went back out on Wednesday and went to the library and to the other 2 craft stores.

At the library I got the 2nd in the True Blood Graphic Novels, read Cat Fancy since they had a kitten issue this month and then got two books on cats. Decided to get Doctor Who on DVD with the 2nd Doctor called The Mind Robber. I've seen it on netflix but this has extras like the audio commentary that I like to watch. Also, since I did read 6 books in the time frame for their Winter Reads I picked up my prize. Lets hope I really do like coming back to Michael Connelly because they had his book The Black Box. They did have a nice mix of books and graphic novels, a few YA novels and some audio. Also in my envelope was a Thank You card with a picture of the original library, a book fine pass for $10 this time instead of $7 if I get any fines before May 31, 2013 and a $10 gift card to B&N. I just need to decide if I'm going to save it for a magazine/book next month or if I'll put it on my nook to get an ebook or apps.

At the craft stores I didn't find a charm but JA's finally had a pack of Baseball buttons and the shoe looks good enough. I'm stitching something for an MS Walk and I didn't want to use the awareness ribbon that came with the chart. I'm hoping I can get off work that Saturday that the walk is scheduled. I'd been able to do the walk for 3 years and now I don't have Saturdays off and I forgot completely!

While driving home I realized another reason not to have a kitten. Today my friends from High School have set out to plan another get together sometime this summer to Chicago. If I get the kitten then that's money that should have gone to Chicago and I wouldn't get to go. Now the cat for adoption might be different since that would be money spent now since it's already declawed. Or I can always wait for a rat. Anyone wondering why I'd get a cat and then go on a trip, the trip will probably be a long weekend and my BiL lives with us so he could check on the pet.

Later on today I will be out with my stitchy friends to eat out and stitch in public. Just because we can and to heck with the people who stare at us ;) I will gather my bookmark supplies and start stitching!

What are you Reading?

Well Winter Reads is over but I'm still doing book reports! I'm reading a book on blogging for creatives. Maybe I can spice up this blog some! Or at least how to make paragraphs! I still haven't figured out why it is I can enter and tab all day and no paragraphs. I've been scrapping this weekend at Colorful Creations Pot of Gold Crop I'm working on Challenge 10 right now. This photo is of my parents wedding for the 1st challenge green and a kiss. It was the first kiss picture I found and I even went through all my wedding pics! I guess I had scrapped mine already. Since my ferrets have gone I so want another pet. I've been thinking about a cat or rats. Two totally different pets! The rats would be easy to keep in an aquarium but I don't know when the Petco aquariums will go on sale and their bedding and food is reasonable. We've had rats before, Steve had one named Buddy when we met and one named Hercules that the pet store gave to him because its owners couldn't care for it but didn't want it to be snake food. The cat however I have two things I'm considering. One is a friend who brought in an outside cat because it was about to have kittens. The kittens would be ready to leave Momma cat around the first of April. So I could buy stuff for the kitten now and then at PetSmart its 38.95 one time membership and 28.95 a month for a year and this covers all vet and the spay and neuter. However, hubs will not agree to a cat unless its declawed and that would be 250 when it gets spayed/neutered so they do it all at once and keep it over for two days. Of course to keep thinking on this I go into the pet stores and the Petco has a beautiful medium haired black cat named Wallace that is already declawed. But instead of buying the things a little at a time until April we'd have to buy it all now. Trust me those cats go fast at Petco! I swear it rare that I go in and see the same cat next week.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

I put all the names into the hat, shook the hat above my head and then reached up and selected a name. With so many comments Topcho had her name in the hat a few times. At least now she gets a nice bookmark too rather than just one with a Crazy Madam Name! I think I still have your sending info just let me know which of the Stoney Creek bookmarks you want me to stitch for you!

Winter Reads Give-Away!

It's the end of Winter Reads! Did you read 6 books? Ah well if you did or didn't post what you read and Tomorrow Night I will see how many people commented and put their names in the hat. I will go back over the Wednesday posts and see who posted on those too for an extra name in the drawing. The person I draw will pick a bookmark pattern from the Stoney Creek book and I will stitch it for them. (Note I have done the one for the Grow Your Blog and it will be to Emily C as soon as I finish it nicely. Same with Ms. Topcho!) I didn't keep a good list of what I read since Jan. When the Reading Program at the Library finally started they have drawings so you put your review on slips of paper. I know my first book was The Glass Menagerie and one for Jaspar Fforde's the Last Dragon Slayer. I also had a graphic novel was the last one I did it was called I Never Really Liked You. I also, downloaded the 8 series Doctor Who/Star Trek cross-over and read those. I tried to listen to Glass Menagerie but didn't get all the way through before it was deleted. I need to put it back in my ereader holds. It would be nice if the Nook Tablet had bluetooth so I could sync it with my car and listen on my drive there. The speakers aren't loud enough for all the road noise. I have to look over my posts to see what else I read! I had downloaded another Doctor Who adventure The Magic of the Angels. It's a Ponds' story and it was nice to read them again. I like the novels, they're geared to kids so it's a quick easy read and fills in some of the lone adventures or other adventures you know they had but don't get filmed. I had some crafty books that I read/looked through for inspiration so I didn't write full up reviews on them but I think I did one for Eco-Books. That one was pretty cool but haven't made a book yet. I did like Art at the Speed of Life, she doesn't do my kind of art and not too into mixed media canvas things yet but it was pretty cool. When you get craft books do you read them cover to cover or just skip around? I had gotten some needlecraft books but didn't actually read it. I looked at the pictures of all the different stitches.

Stitching a Picture a Day

Last Month I was going to do Fat Mum Slim's picture a day but only ended up doing a picture here and there. This month has been a bit better even if the pics aren't all that great. 1. is L is for Late Night Stitching. I worked on my needle point. 2. Is I made this which is more I'm working on making my letter M from Nora Corbett. I bought the fabric Saturday so I got started. 3. is key so it's the Love Quilt Square I just signed up for and it's color key. Also, it's keeping up with the Theme-a-licious March Madness and stitching something different each day. I may keep this up but I've got most of the Love Quilt Square done today thanks to finishing up a Doctor Who DVD before I took it back to the library so I may just finish that off so I can send it in way before time. I may ask to do the other rocket in the series. The World of Cross-stitching has these as small patterns so I'm doing it on 11 count and using 3 and 2 threads instead of 14 count 2 and 1 threads. I have a little bit more of the background to stitch and the back stitching. I'll see what I feel like doing when I come home from work and the gym tomorrow. I need to remember that my hockey game starts right when I get off work so I can turn that on instead of Pandora while I work out. It's been a bit chilly and trying to snow but it was so warm the past few days the snow didn't stick so that made me a bit happy to drive. Hopefully it will warm up and I'll get to wear my cute shoes of doom on Wednesday. I'll have to take care of my toes first though :p Anyone else wanting warmer weather? Oh and if anyone is on instagram my name is melissa_ziggy. I've been uploading there for the photo a day so the pics look a little bit better there with a bit of filter.

Late Wednesday Post again

And no I didn't take pics of the stitched bookmarks again :p I did finish my Press Your Luck LO for a Colorful Creations challenge that's due tomorrow and I will be at stitching. Appropriately It's about stitching. I titled it meta because the pictures are about the making of the background paper. I threw my needlework project materials on the scanner but used Aida cloth background instead of mesh for better coverage and the mesh is rolled up. I stamped around the edges and stitched a little bit of ribbon for embellishment. I didn't want to do too much else because I liked my background so much! My folded paper idea held 6 photos but I'm not so sure about the tabs I cut out. Ah well not going to open it that much I guess. I spelled Benedict wrong so I'll have to fix it. boring pic of the scanner so I put the world Exciting! and Benedict is watching the progress. ;) The other pics are everything on the scan bed, stamps that I tried out for the edging and the book I had from the library to figure out what I wanted to do and get stitching ideas. It was a great book and had good info on stitches and different fabrics and how to transfer the images and paint on the canvas as well. I have read a the graphic novel I got from the library and the other one I know is called Mr. O and it's very childish but darn if I don't laugh, giggle and stifle a snort. We also managed to figure out how to get the nook to recognize the darn gift cards so I dl'd the graphic novels Star Trek/Doctor Who 8 series cross over edition. Love it! I may have a little bit left on the gift card so I'll look into some of the Doctor Who books the library doesn't have. I hope everyone has enjoyed a good book!

Winter Reads Wednesday

Dang it I meant to take a pic of the bookmarks and postponed posting and then forgot the pic and almost about posting! I've finished the stitching on Dream and Topcho's Madam Name. I just need to do the finishing of the ends and some backing fabric and they'll be off. I've been listening to Middlesex on my Nook and I picked up 2 graphic novels from the library. What is everyone else reading this week?