Stitch from Stash - August 2015

Well, we all knew it was going to happen sooner or later.  I fell off the wagon - and not off the wagon onto a gorgeous, soft bed pillow.  I fell off the wagon onto a big 'ole pile of bricks.  I finally caved and bought a chatelaine kit.  I've had the pattern for a couple of years. (I also already have the fabric in my stash, so I "just" bought the kit.  I have been wanting to do one for a long time and since we graduated our youngest from homeschool, I decided that this was as good a time as any.  I have a gut-feeling that this is WAY above my stitching ability but the instructions look fairly clear.  I also have an on-line friend that has promised to hold my hand during the entire stitching process. She's completed many chatelaines, but I don't think she has any idea what she's signed on for....lol.  I won't be starting it until November, so here's hoping that my rad stitching skills will improve by leaps and bounds by then.  I figure at worst, I just won't stitch it at all;  I'll just fondle the beautiful silks and ogle the lovely beads and crystals that come with the kit.  In case you're interested, this is the kit I've chosen....

http://europeanxs.com/cgi-bin/chat_detail.pl?CD022-
So, with all that said, here's my break-down for this month's budget-busting....

Kit                                  
SFS allowance
Money remaining gifted to me for XS (for birthday,Christmas, Anniversary, etc.

$71.75

-25.00

-32.00

So, my grand "out of pocket, over-budget expense" is --------------------------------  $14.75 

(as a side note, I am also supposed to have some extra SFS $ credit for finishing my wolf project but I am totally confused as to how to figure that out, so I'll happily settle for my $14.75 over-spending shame)  lol

So, moving right along,  my #3 son, Matthew, is a biker (as in bicycle, not motorcycle).  He loves it.  It's nothing for him to ride well past 100 miles/week.  On Wednesday, I got this text.....  "I'm okay, but..."

I know that I could have received a much worse text but still, my heart dropped. He wasn't really completely "okay" but he was very blessed that it wasn't as awful as it could have been.   Matt was riding his bike to work and was hit by a "distracted driver".  I thank God that he wasn't more seriously injured but ...   PLEASE DON'T text and drive!!!!!!  I'm climbing off my soapbox, but this is a hot-button issue for me, so no promises that I won't be climbing back up again.  

Little tidbit of "bonus" info: when Matt was little. he was always the ring-leader of trouble.  (every family has one!)

He was the one that repeatedly said "I wonder what would happen if..." or the family favorite...

"Hey,  y'all, watch this!"  His nickname was and still is "Haz-Matt".  Ladies, he's single and minus the bruises, is pretty easy on the eyes. Someone please marry him so that he can be someone else's "problem child"!)  LOL

Here's a picture of my latest progress on the wedding sampler for #5 son and his fiance:

As a reminder, here's the top part:

And here's what it will (hopefully) look like when it's finished:

I appreciate all your responses in regards to rotating projects.  I've decided that I'm going to loosen my reins as far as working on more than one project at a time.  I am going to work on this wedding gift until it's finished but then, I'm going to have an adventure in choosing a few different pieces to work on.  I know that I'll definitely be including some holiday designs in my rotation and some small quick-finish pieces too.  I'm going to wade through my rubbermaid "tote of stash" and see what I come out with!    :)

My non-stitchy give-a-way will start over the Labor-Day weekend.  I'll put up a post that you can comment on and enter.

Hugs and Grace,
*Sharon

Stitch from Stash - June

I'm really happy to report that I have successfully been able to avoid all temptation of the stitchy type for the month.  I have been hard at work (or hardly working, on some days, lol)  on the wedding sampler for son #5 and his beautiful bride-to-be.  I really would like to get that finished over the next couple of months because I'd LOVE to start some Christmas stitching.  (From my stash, of course!).
😜

I haven't forgotten about my give-away. I'm thinking of another give-away of "my favorites" which is just an odd assortment of non-stitchy type things that I love.  I LOVE Florida, so a lot of my "favorites" are tied to the "Sunshine State".    Hopefully, I'll be ready to get my give-away up and running in August!  I'll keep you posted.

I hope each of you are well and are enjoying a blessed summer!

Hugs and Grace,
*Sharon

Stitch from Stash - May

Hi there, friends!

Sorry I have sort of "abandoned" my blog for a bit of time.  The family and I took an extended trip to see our entire family and I just didn't think it was a good idea to let it be known that we were going to be abandoning the homestead for a while.

All that to say, I have some pretty nifty stash to share this month.  The good news is that I received some  nice gift cards and a generous amount of money for mother's day, so I didn't spend any of "my" money on my goodies!  ZERO spent form Stitch from Stash money!!

We all decided to meet up in Utah because it's centrally located between where everyone lives (except us!).  Anywho, while I was there, we made a trip to the WONDERFUL shop  - Shepherds Bush!!!
(I'll share MUCH more about my trip in later posts!)
So, here are my treasures from SB...

 Seriously, how cute is this little pin and how gorgeous are the bows that they tied the bag with?

I bought "Count Your Blessings" by La-D-Da

 My Daughter-In-Love picked this one for me to stitch; she said it described me perfectly.

"Silly" by Lizzie Kate

  Mill Hill beads for an Alexandra Adelaide Christmas Tree Pattern

 A scissor sitter.  My scissors are constantly trying to hide from me.

 A pretty Silk 'n Colors Thread.  I love the colors and have a certain freebie in mind to stitch with this floss.

 My sons picked this out for me.  I can't decide whether to wear it or frame it!

I spent $65+ during my wonderful visit.  (I also bought my daughter in love a beginners kit from Shepherds Bush.  I think we just might have a new stitcher in training!!)

As I've said, I had a blast wandering around the Shepherds Bush store.  Saying that Shepherds Bush is a stitcher's paradise seems almost like an under-statement!  Terri was awesome to meet in person!  She even offered brownies to my boys and gently suggested that they might have more fun looking at the train depot down the street than hanging around watching me fondle fabrics, charts and floss.  (God bless her!!  lol)  The guys loved the train depot and I actually finished before they were ready to leave!

So, since I had saved up all the money that I have received from holidays that was specifically earmarked for "stitching money", "techically", I didn't dig into my stitch from stash money.
I could have bought MUCH MUCH more from Shepherds Bush but honestly, Stitch from Stash has really helped me focus in on what I really LOVE (not on what I just "like") and realistically think that I can stitch in my lifetime. 

Here's hoping that you're all well!

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon

Stitch from Stash - May

Another month with no money spent on anything cross-stitch related.  5 Months with not a penny spent!!!   :)   I've been so focused on stitching the Wolf and my on-the-go project, I just haven't felt the "need" (lol) or desire to buy anything......yet.  I know my time is coming.  It will be fun to see what finally tempts me to go 'off the wagon'.     :)

Hugs and Grace,

*Sharon

I should have tried this years ago!

So, whoo-hoo, it's almost the end of April and I still haven't spent a single cent on anything needlework related.  I'm participating in the "Stitch from Stash"challenge this year and so far, so good!
For heaven's sake, I haven't even been spending any of the monthly allowed allotment! 
I have been really focused on finishing my wolf wip and on my "Sheep Virtue" as my take-along.
I can honestly say that I have immensely enjoyed seeing all the goodies that ya'all are stitching on and that I love being "enabled", but this challenge has shown me that I don't "need" to own/or stitch every wonderful project that I see.  It's okay that I can just love your projects from afar!
 I will say that I have some pretty groovy "wanna buys" on my list for my "reward" of finishing the wolf, so stay tuned.  I figure I'll have the wolf done in about 77 years or somewhere thereabouts, so the new stash will be coming...eventually.!   :)

Hugs and Grace,
*Sharon

The confused people who work at Visa.

Yup, two months and the poor folks who work at Visa are probably beginning to think they might need to send a nice fruit basket to my house because my "charging" habits have slowed dramatically.

I've safely made it through another month w/o spending a Penney on anything stitching-related.
This challenge has encouraged me to get real with what I have on hand vs what I still love.
I've done a lot of sorting and labeling...It's a joy to finally be so organized.

I have to admit to being tempted by some of the goodies that I've seen from the latest market...we'll see how long the resolve can hold.  In the meantime, I'm still plugging away on ye olde BAP wolf design for our son.  I'll try to post an up-date pic this weekend.   :)

Hugs and Grace,
Sharon