Bonnet Ladies Counted Cross Stitch Pattern

I didn't accomplish as much as I had planned on yesterday.  I'm in slow motion these days.  I picked up some groceries, made some apple muffins and did just a bit of stitching.  Here's an update on my Victorian Purse:

I'll work on this some more today.

Nightmare and Lucy are still adjusting to our loss of Simba.  They're both very restless and are very vocal and hanging on me.  They've both always been talkers but now are talking even more.  Nightmare sits by the front door constantly.  I think he thinks that Simba is coming back through the front door.  I don't know why.  My cats are strictly indoor cats.  He must just know that we take things out and bring things in through the front door.

I talked to my vet the other day and he said it takes 2 - 3 weeks for companion animals to adjust to a loss.  They're both eating well so in time, they should be okay.  I'm sure they're picking up on my grief and restlessness as well.

Finally for today, we've re-released my Bonnet Ladies Counted Cross Stitch Pattern:

This pattern is available from Magcloud.

Crazy Quilt Purse

After running a few errands yesterday morning and watering my plants, and pulling a few weeds (no shortage on those), I spent the rest of the day just stitching on a new crazy quilt purse project:

I thought it would be nice to work in more traditional Victorian colors than what I normally work with.  I don't know when I sewed this block up but I pulled it from my basket of ready to stitch on blocks.

I may finish up the stitching today since all I have on my to do list is to run for some groceries.  I may bake some muffins this afternoon too.

Wedding Mystery Revealed

Despite aimlessly wandering around this house, lost without my Simba, I managed to finish my Wedding project yesterday.  Are ya'll ready?  This was a 2 part project.  A dress and a heart:

This is an angel shaped votive holder.  I meant to take a picture of the frame before I assembled it but with my little Simba being sick when I started the assembly process, I just forgot.

Here is the angel without the heart and without the glass candle holder:

The heart is just tied on so it's removable:

Here's the back:

Once I got the dress and the back on, I stuffed it with tissue paper so the dress didn't "crush" or cave in.  It also needed some weight so the tissue paper helped with that too.  I cute a piece of cardboard for the bottom, glued that on and then added felt.

I glued the vintage lace on to wings and halo and trimmed everything out with cream colored braided gimp.  It took quite awhile to assemble this because I could only do a little gluing at a time.  I used E6000 Jewelry glue to assemble the entire project.

This project was quite a challenge but I'm very pleased with out it came out!

In other news, I stopped at the dollar store yesterday for a few things and found these pretty little butterfly beads:

They're just little plastic butterflies but they're pretty.  If you have a Dollar Tree near you, stop in and pick up a pack.

Finally, I finished up on my little pink cat doll:

These never look like much of anything until I get them put together.  I don't feel like sewing at the moment but maybe later this week I can get my last couple of stitched pieces put together.

Bonnet Ladies

For all the cross stitcher's out there, I'll be re-releasing my Bonnet Ladies in the new Magcloud format later this week:

A Little Pink Cat Doll

I can't seem to do much these days other than clean my house and do a little stitching.  I don't feel like sewing but thankfully, I keep a little basket of pre-sewn crazy quilt blocks all ready to work on. 

I pulled out this little pink cat doll and starting stitching on it yesterday:

I'm quite fond of this little border at the top:

This is worked with my Waste Canvas technique.

I think I'll ask Bubba to take me up to Home Depot today for a plant for my front porch.  Other than that, I know I need to take it easy for awhile now.

Purple Crazy Quilt Seascape

I spent a quiet day at home yesterday.  I think I'm past the shock of losing Simba.  Even though I knew it was coming, it's still a shock.  Like having a limb ripped off my body.

I miss Simba and I miss Garfield and I miss having my 4 kitties all here together with me.  But I found comfort in talking with my sweet friend Pat on the phone.  If you read Pat's Gatherings blog, you know that she recently lost her precious little Angell so she's all too familiar with the pain of losing a little furry baby.  Pat is just the sweetest, loveliest lady and I so much enjoyed our conversation.  Thank you so much Pat!

Nightmare and Lucy are still grieving.  Little Nightmare wanders around this house looking for his baby Simba.  And Lucy misses her dear best friend.  She tries to get affection from Nightmare but Nightmare and Lucy never really bonded.  And she's a bit afraid of Nightmare because he's bullied her one too many times.  Nightmare has his name for a reason!

I spent the majority of the day just stitching and doing laundry.  I finished up the stitching on my purple crazy quilt seascape:

I wish the camera would pick up the sparkle of my crazy quilt pieces.  I like to use lots of sequins on them because I like the glittery effect of sequins.  This piece has some vintage jewelry pieces on it and lots of sequins but maybe they'll show up better once I get these sewn together and photograph them again.

I did work on my Wedding piece a little bit as well yesterday.  I'm nearing the end of the assembly process.  Little by little, I'm gluing the braided gimp over the edges of the stitched piece.  It's almost done so I'll post photos of that soon.

Thank You Joan!

My very sweet friend Joan, came to keep me company yesterday.  Joan had taken a couple of Crazy Quilt classes here with me and she was here a 2 weeks ago, a week before I lost Simba.  She emailed me the other day and asked if I would like her to come and keep me company. 

Joan brought lunch and we just sat in my kitchen and stitched, looked at books and magazines and talked.  Joan has been stitching on a beautiful ocean art quilt (wish I had taken pictures) and I started on this little purple seascape crazy quilt piece:

I very much enjoy Joan's company and was a bit sad when it was time for her to leave.  Joan is so enthusiastic about art quilting and embroidery and like me, has an insatiable appetite for craft supplies and learning new techniques.

Joan, I can't even begin to thank you for your kindness and for listening.  I very much look forward to the next time you come to visit me.  Thank you so much and Big Hugs!

Pat Winters Crazy Quilt Gatherings

If you haven't already seen it, Pat Winter's beautiful Crazy Quilt Gatherings magazine is now available:

You can find a little charted butterfly of mine in this issue.  Perfect for your crazy quilt projects!

To read a very special story about the cover design by Terri Lee Takacs please visit her Lavender Between The Cracks blog.

Small Creatures

Sometimes, even on the cloudiest days, a little ray of sunshine will peek through, even if only for a few moments.

While walking yesterday morning, I found an injured Cardinal.  He was sitting in the middle of the street.  His wing broken and his tail gone.  Well, ya'll know me.  I couldn't leave him there.  I picked him up and brought him home:

He hopped around my mudroom, he ate some sunflower seeds and he chirped a little bit.  I made some phone calls and made arrangements to take him to the wildlife rehab center which is not far from where I live.

I pulled out one of my small kitty carriers and fixed it up with a towel for him so I could safely transport him to the rehab center.  Sadly, he didn't make it.  But at least I was able to give him a quiet place to pass in peace and quiet with dignity.  Last night, Scott buried this beautiful little bird in our backyard.

Isn't it amazing what the tiniest of creatures give to us?  For a short time, I was so focused on this precious little bird, that I had momentary relief from my grief for losing Simba.  All creatures great and small.

A Little Stitching

First, I'd like to say Thank You to everyone who left me their hugs for my loss of my Simba kitty.  And a special Thank You to my sweet blog friend who called and left a message on my answering machine.  I can't begin to tell you all how much your kindness has meant to me.

I miss Simba terribly.  I'm still rather lost without him but I have his photos and my memories of him.  It'll take me some time to get used to him not being here physically.  But he'll always be in my heart.

I did do a little bit of stitching yesterday and finished up on that seascape that I was working on:

I pulled a few things for my next little project yesterday.  That was hard because Simba was always my little helper.  He always sat with me while I played with lace and trim.  I could almost feel him sitting there.  Mom said that maybe he was there but it was probably more like wishful thinking.

Anyway, if I can stitch later, I will.  And I'll get back to working on the finishing of my wedding project as soon as I can.  It'll take me some time to get my focus and routine back.  I don't feel well so I'm in slow motion.  But it'll get better.

Saying Hello

Just thought I'd stop in for a minute and say hello.  I'm lost without my Simba so I'm still at the point of keeping busy rather than actually doing anything.

When I took this picture of Simba back at Valentine's Day, I had no idea it would be the last photo I took of him.  I can't believe how much weight he had lost.  He's always had a non-stop appetite.  At his healthiest, he weighed 15 pounds.  He had Colitis which really took a toll on him this past year.  On Wednesday, he was down to 7.02 pounds.  I was afraid to pick him up because I was afraid of hurting him.

Anyway, his appetite was still really good until Wednesday morning.  I always hid his pill in some tuna which he loved but when he wouldn't eat it, I knew it was time.  It's one thing for me to suffer but I won't let these babies suffer.

Nightmare and Lucy are doing okay.  I can see that both of them are grieving but Nightmare is having a harder time with it.  When I adopted Simba, Nightmare was a year old.  Nightmare and Simba bonded right away and Nightmare immediately took to mothering him.  Simba became Nightmare's baby and Nightmare raised him.  Not me.  I just supervised.

Now, Nightmare sits in front of my rocking chair and stares at the sunspot on the floor where Simba used to lay.  And then he looks at me like, "mom, where's my baby?" 

Lucy and Simba were best friends.  When we rescued Lucy and took her in, she immediately took to Simba.  Probably because he was the closest to her in age.  They used to sleep on the bed together. 

Simba was one of the most gentle creatures on the planet.  There was nothing aggressive about him.  He was just quiet and gentle.  And he has left this incredibly huge, empty space in my heart.

Simba

Simba went to meet Garfield at Rainbow Bridge this morning.  Garfield will take care of him now.

I need a few days and then I'll be back.

Bluebird Of Happiness

A quick little post on one of mom's hand embroidered door hangers:

I've added this to our Boutique and our Etsy shop.

My wedding piece is coming along nicely.  Today, I'll be gluing the trim on.  Then I just have to sew up the little heart and it'll be ready. 

Hummingbirds Are Back!

The hummingbirds are back in my garden!  It's really good to see them:

I didn't get to doing any stitching yesterday.  My concern for my little Simba has slowed me down a bit and messed with my time management.  I am happy to say that he seems to be doing better now.  He has 2 serious health problems and it's a matter of balancing them so one doesn't aggravate the other. 

I'm in the process of assembling my wedding project.  It's as little slow going because it requires gluing and I can only glue a little at a time, let it dry and glue a little more.  It's coming along and I should it have it ready for photos in another day or two.

Stitching Seascapes

I hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day.  We took my mom to the Flea Market in Grayslake where we each found 15 vintage hankies for about $1.00 each!  I've already washed mine so now they just need to be ironed.

I finished up on my Green Seascape yesterday:

My next Seascape is blue:

In other news, I'll be starting the assembly process on my Wedding project today.  As soon as I have it ready, I'll share photos and the mystery will be revealed!

I'd like to say thank you to everyone who left kind messages in regards to my Simba.  He seems to be doing a twinge better.

Finally for today, I'd like to say thank you to Nicole for doing a very sweet blogpost on me and my crazy quilting.  You can read Nicole's post at her Beadwright blog.

Hearts and Flowers Biscornus

We've released another of my Counted Cross Stitch patterns.  Hearts And Flowers Biscornus are now available:

I hope everyone has a very Happy Mother's Day!

Green Seashell Crazy Quilt

Just a little update on my green crazy quilt seascape:

I'm going to work on this for a little while and then I want to run to Home Depot for some mulch and a few herbs for my herb garden.  I lost my Rosemary over the Winter.  Rosemary is my favorite!

I also wanted to mention that my little Simba kitty is not doing well.  Please keep him in your thoughts.

Green Seascape

My Orioles have just gone to town on the oranges!  I'll have to put a new one out for them today.  Still no hummingbirds but soon I'm sure!

I started on another crazy quilt seascape, this one in green:

I was asked how I attach the seashells to the block.  I sew them on and glue them on with E6000 jewelry glue.  For anything that I cannot sew on, I use the E6000 which will hold anything to anything!  Even when I sew all of my seashells on, I still glue them all in place to keep them from flopping around.

Seashell Decor

I'm still waiting for the hummingbirds but my Orioles are back!  They found the oranges I put out for them yesterday and they've already been here this morning!  What cheery birds they are! 

Now that the stitching on my Wedding project is done, I've started on some little seashell ornaments.  Crazy Quilt seascapes really.  Here's the first one:

I have a few more to stitch and then I'll have to do some sewing so I have some new things to stitch on.  I'll plan on a sewing day for next week.

Wedding Mystery Stitching Complete

My wedding mystery project is all stitched and ready for assembly:

Since there's a 3rd component that I haven't shared yet, I doubt anyone has guessed what all this will be!  I will give you a little hint, this part is a dress and the other part is a heart.

I assemble this over the weekend and reveal the mystery to you next week!

Victoria White Cat In Hat Counted Cross Stitch Pattern

For all the cat lovers out there, I've republished my Victoria Counted Cross Stitch pattern!  A beautiful white cat in a Victorian Hat:

Victoria is available at Magcloud.

I'm almost done with my Wedding Mystery project.  A few more do- dads on the main piece and then it will be ready to assemble which I'll do over this coming weekend.  I'll post a photo tomorrow.

Don't forget, you can advertise your Etsy shop, blog or other Ecommerce website in my publications!  Debbie at Marionberry Cottage has her ad in Victoria!

Affordable Advertising

I am offering advertising spaces in all of my current and upcoming publications at Magcloud.  These publications include my Crazy Quilt Books, my Counted Cross Stitch patterns (which we are in the process of publishing) and upcoming 2013 calendars.

Each publication will have a one page ad with 10 spaces available.

Each Business Card size ad is $10.00.


If you would like to promote your blog, Etsy shop or other Ecommerce website, this is a nice, affordable way to get traffic to your site.

My Crazy Quilt books and Counted Cross Stitch patterns have always been extremely popular!

We will place your ad in the most appropriate publication for your content. For example, if you sell crazy quilt supplies, we will put your ad in one of my crazy quilt books.

If you sell handmade items at Etsy, we will place your ad in one of my cross stitch publications.

Your ad will be uploaded within 48 hours of payment and it can be viewed online in the Magcloud previews. I will email you and let you know which publication you can find your advertisement in.

These ads are business card size. The graphic image that I will need from you must be:
440 pixals wide X 250 pixals high

Please email your graphic image to me.

I will send a confirmation email letting you know that I received your payment, your graphic image and which publication you can find your ad in.

If you've never ordered from me before, I am PayPal verified and have 100% positive feedback at both Etsy and Ebay.

All sales are final and your ad will be permanent to it's publication.  You are also welcome to purchase multiple ad spaces and we will see to it that your ads go in multiple publications.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me anytime.


Be sure to follow Kitty And Me Designs at Magcloud!

Wedding Mystery Part 2 Complete

I finished up on Part 2 of the Wedding Mystery Project:

Next, I'll focusing on completing Part 1.  Once that's done, I can assemble this.  There's a 3 component that I haven't mentioned yet.  I'll take a "before" photo of that before I put this all together.  Until then, I'm off to work on Part 1.

Wedding Project Update

I've been working on Part 2 of my Wedding Crazy Quilt project:

I'll have this ready for the larger embellishments later today.  Once I finish both pieces, I can assemble everything and you'll get to see what this it!

Wedding Mystery Project Continued

Part 1 of my Wedding Mystery project is now ready for the larger embellishments:

Before I start on the larger embellishments, I'm going to bead the seams on Part 2 of this project.  I'm trying to work on both pieces of this project simultaneously so that they work together.  I don't want them competing with each other.

In other news, I did the finishing on my last 3 crazy quilt hanging pillows over the weekend:

I don't know which one I like best!  What's your vote?

Update On Wedding Mystery

I focused on part 1 of my Wedding project yesterday.  Here's where I'm at with it at the moment:

I'll be doing some more beadwork on it today.

And here are a couple of new projects, handmade by mom: