Michelle Bendy: quotes to live by

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Flosstube #75 Show Notes

Happy Flosstubesday!!! It's September 18, 2018 and I'm BACK on the Blog!! YAY!! It feels good.

Best New Thing:

I bought my first Alex & Ani bracelet!!! It's the Snape bracelet, or "Turn to Page 394" It HAD to be mine because whenever I'm asked to guess a number, my AUTOMATIC guess is 394. "Michelle, how many days left in September?" "394" (Click on the pic to go to Alex & Ani to check it out--I'm not affiliated with them; I just love it)

FFOs, SO MANY!! All by JoLynn at Acorns & Threads

First up is Starry, Starry Night from Bent Creek. I bought this half stitched on eBay and finished it up for the SFS credit, then gave it to JoLynn to finish off for me:

Next up is B's Houses from B's under the bed box, which I showed on a special Estate Sale Haul video. Again, I gave JoLynn free reign on finishing and she knocked it out of the park:

Last but CERTAINLY not least is Stacy Nash's Martha Agnes Sampler Roll. JoLynn followed Stacy Nash's finishing directions and KILLED IT:

Finishes:

I finished the top left corner block and filigree on Quotes to Live By (aka the MIND SAL) from Stitchrovia:

Here is my finish for this week:

I finished that block and the swirlies in three days. I have three more similar boxes left, could I have this DONE by next video? MAYBE!!

WIPs (Works in Progress):

First I worked on Black Cat Hollow for the #BlackCatHollowSAL by Barbara Ana Designs:(click on the picture to purchase from Gulf Coast Stitches)

I had made progress before put picked it all out, so here is where I am:

It's charted in DMC but I went through my stash and pulled similar fancy flosses (becuase I have LOT of fancy flosses!!). The only change that I made was to stitch the witch's skin in GA Green Apple instead of the called for peachy color. I love her.

The Needleminder is from @HouseOfMeng on Instagram. BE CAREFUL! They're adorable and addictive!!

Next the wheel spun Halloween Quaker from Lila's Studio: (click on the pic to purchase from Lila's Studio on Etsy)

Here is where is was before I started stitching:

And here is where it is now:

That is NOT bad progress!! This is stitched in none of the called for flosses (but a lot of VERY similar Fancy flosses and DMCs that were already in my stash) on a fabric that I duo dyed (like solo dyed but there are two of them!) for Imperfectly Perfect Heather and I.

For the #StarWarsSundaySAL that Angie from the Hybernation Stitcher and I started this week, I pulled out Leia & Han from Tilton Crafts:

Here is what it looked like last time:

I made good progress for just working on it during the stitch with me:

This project comes with a real danger of "project too close to the face syndrome", but once I figured that out I love it and I can't wait to stitch on it on Sundays!!

I also love the fact that this project has EXACTLY 40 colors and that makes it PERFECT for my BagzPlus floss buddy!

And for today, I'm going to ship TONS of Live Sale goodies, stitch more on Quotes to Live By, and my travel project is going to be PART of Scary One from Plum Street Samplers:

I haven't started it yet, but I do have it all packed up to carry around, in my LoveYouMoreStudios sleeve!! they're PERFECT for on the go/small WIPS!! NOW I HAVE A REASON TO BUY ALL THE SLEVES!!!

Thrifting:

Purchases: So. Many.

This Month's Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe flosses are gorgeous AGAIN! And now they're on my Donut Drops! <3

Another Dyeing 2 Stitch club kit came in, I think it's from the Ladies' Prim Society. It's Heartstring Samplery, A Thankful Life Chairarm Pinkeep:

Click on the picture above to go directly to the Dyeing 2 Stitch site to order.

By the Bay needlearts, Harbor Haven SAL, parts 9 and 10:

Hands on Design, Put on the Hat (Cathy Habermann killed me): (click on the pic to purchase from Down Sunshine Lane)
Hannah Sanderson 1849 Sampler from Sassy Jack's Stitcher: (click on the pic to purchase from Sassy Jack's). She. Is. STUNNING:

She was first printed in a few magazines from the 1990s (I believe!) and now Dutch Treat Designs has chosen to reprint her. THANK YOU DUTCH TREAT DESIGNS!!!

Happy Mail/Gifts:

I was lucky to receive some BEAUTIFUL stitched pieces this week, Thank you SO MUCH to Erin and Autumn:

My #CountryStitchersRR piece came back to me!!

Thank you SO MUCH to Deb, Tina, Ash, and Wendy for stitching on my piece! I can't wait to get it framed and up on the wall! <3 <3

My DixieSamplar Haunted Harvest Exchange package from Tammy R came!! ALL the goodies and the stitched piece is Trick or Treat from Cherished Stitches:

And how ME is this Donut hanger from Donna and Shawna?!?! Mahalo for thinking of me ladies. <3 <3

I put my donut needleminders on it. I only have TWO?!?! 0_0

Flosstube Shoutouts:

Angi, The Hybernation Stitcher

Books:

I finished the audiobook version of When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi: (click on the picture to go to the Goodreads page)

This has been on my TBR list for SO long. It's the memoir of a 36 year old neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with lung cancer and proceeds to fail first, second, and third line treatments. It made me laugh and cry and screen shot things for future reference. 4/5 Stars

And I finished Scarlet by Marissa Meyer: (click on the pic to go to the Goodreads page)

I'm DEFINITELY #TeamJacob, so I loved this book. I loved Cinder as well, but I loved Scarlet MORE. She and Wolf made my life; I couldn't stop listening; I finished the audiobook in THREE DAYS. And you KNOW I've already reserved Cress from Overdrive. 4.5/5 stars

Instagram Auction Items!!

Auction will take place today through Tuesday, July 24 at 0600 PST on @michellebendy on Instagram. Here's an amazing diagram describing how to bid:

Under the picture of the item that you'd like to purchase, you put your bid in $1 increments AND you tag the person who bid above you. Only the person who bid DIRECTLY above you!

Here are the winners of last week's auctions, with all of the donations going to Wade's Alzheimer's Walk so he could earn a t-shirt. And BOY did he earn a t-shirt.

First up is the SUPER cool FFO of Raise the Roof Designs June Angel, now out of print, won by Peggy:

Next is a copy (not MY copy!) of Hands Across the Sea Sarah Braizear 1829, won by Marybeth: (Traditional Stitches still has it, so click on the pic to purchase)

Third we auctioned off a FULL SILK KIT of Stars by the Drawn Thread. and Jessica B won it, which is AMAZING because it's on her #stitchywishlist!! :

And the new auctions: These will end on Tuesday, September 25 at 0600 PST. This week's theme is Boxes and there are only two because they're so CRAZY GOOD!

First up, I asked Angela at Colour & Cotton if it would be possible for her to put together just one more of her SOLD OUT Halloween Mystery box. AND SHE DID!!!
This box is TOTALLY sold out and it includes:
10 skeins of hand dyed cotton floss
2 skeins of hand dyed silk
one 1/4 yard piece of hand dyed fabric for stitching
one 1/8 yard piece of hand dyed fabric for stitching
one 1/4 yard piece of hand dyed finishing fabric
assorted notions, trims, and ghoulish treats

This box is a $100 ticket price!!! The winner's box will ship on October 1 just like the rest of us. ;-)

The second box is the NEW Hocus Pocus box from Love You More Stuido Co!!!

This box is coming in the standard size, which is what I ordered for myself, and it's PERFECT for carrying small projects around (is this my excuse to buy all the LYMS sleeves? Yes, yes it is) and it will include:

1 exclusive LYMS Standard Sized book sleeve
1 exclusive 8 oz Novel Heartbeat Creations candle
1 exclusive Bookmark'd Tattoos woodmark
1 LYMS mug and drink
5-7 more magical items
A scratch-off ticket with a chance to WIN all three Sanderson Sisters Funko Pops!

The winner's box will ship on October 8, just like everyone else's. Remember, this is for the standard sized sleeve.

Outside Links:

Flosstubers Mentioned

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Flosstube #71 Show Notes

Happy Flosstubesday!!! It's August 21, 2018 (I need to stop being shocked.....)

Best New Thing:

It's not new, but I get a lot of questions about this, so it's the Tiny Decisions app (for iPhone only) click on the picture to get the app:

I use this app every day to choose my #ArbitraryAugust project and it's SO much fun!!! I *HIGHLY* recommend it. There are also Android versions. =)

FFOs: (none this week)

Finishes: TWO this week!!

First up is Here Lie My Needles from Shakespeare's Peddler:

I'm SUPER stoked with the way this came out. I stitched it on a 14/16 count Aida-ish unevenweave that I found at an estate sale. 0-0 And here is my floss conversion:

WDW Havana = WDW Oak
GA Avocado = WDW Oscar
WDW Loden = WDW Moss
GA Grasshopper = same
WDW Confederate Grey = Mo's Sale Hagrid
GA Old Hickory = WDW Pecan
WDW Olive = WDW Sage
WDW Dirt Road = WDW Chestnut
GA Linen = SM Between the Shadows
WDW Schneckley = C&C Golden Ale
WDW Charcoal = GA Black Coffee
WDW Baked Apple = C&C Gingerbread
GA Shaker White = WDW Fawn
GA Raspberry Frost = C&C Fig
WDW Red Pear = same
GA Old Red Paint = WDW Aztec Red

WDW = Weeks Dye Works; GA = Gentle Arts; SM = Ship's Manor; C&C = Colour & Cotton

I also finished my part of Tina's (@emilyannskloset on Instagram) #CountryStitchersRR. Here is a pic of the whole thing so far:

And here is my part:

I took my motifs from Quaker Garden by Blackbird Designs. Everyone in my round robin will have a slightly different motif from me but they will all be from that chart. I'm obsessed with this Round Robin and I can't wait for another round!!

WIPs (Works in Progress) SO MANY this week!! Thanks #ArbitraryAugust!

August 14: I spun my Statue of Liberty conversion of Lady of the Flag, Moe. And I didn't touch her. So here is where she remained:

August 15: The wheel chose Pretty Little Hawaii from Satsuma Street:

This was a new start last time and a repeat for the month. Here is what it looked like after one day:

And here it is now:

I put in a lot of DMC 3865 on this Auld Lang Sine opalescent fabric from Joydiri Designs. That was a challenge but it's looking SO good!!

August 16: Quotes to Live By by Stitchrovia on Etsy! My oldest WIP! I started this in February of 2017:

I haven't worked on this since StitchCon, so here is what it looked like last time:

I managed to finish block 5 AND start block 6 today! Woohoo to being DONE with those full coverag blocks!!

Here is a close up of that block. I dig it and the quote:

August 17: because it was a Friday and I had to go to work, the TinyDecisions app pulled my HAED. (Of course). So I worked on Alice Under the Dreaming Tree from Heaven and Earth Designs:

Here is what it looked like last time:

And here it is now:

That is two days' worth of work, because I stitched on it on Friday and of COURSE I had to get it back out on Saturday for #BAPSaturday! I'm *REALLY* closing in on a page finish and on a monthly finish for the By the Numbers event in Full Coverage Fanatics on Facebook.

I'm stitching 2/1 tent stitch on 28 count Lugana in Lambswool from Wichelt.

August 18: I spun a new start for First Winds of Autumn from Blackbird designs:

I didn't actually start it. I needed a working copy and didn't have one. I also didn't think that 9pm was a great time to start a new start on 36 count linen. Meh.

August 19: I spun Skeleton Crew from the Cricket Collection and put in one X... because I finished Here Lie My Needles today!! So... on to...

August 20: I actually worked on Skeleton Crew!!

Here is what it looked like last time:

And I barely worked on it, so here it is now:

Like I said, that's not a lot of progress at all. But I love it. And that's what's important, right?

And for today, August 21, the wheel says..... October 31 from Kathy Barrick, a WIP gift from Darlene Baumgardner:

Here is my starting point for today. I'm getting it out NOW:

My bonus travel WIP this week was Here Lie My Needles which I finished. So my SECOND travel WIP was a cute little Prairie Schooler Bee:

I'm stitching this twice, once on 30 ct onyx and once on 30 ct Old Mill Java. And I'm stitching them both 1/1 in my own fancy floss choices. 0_0 -_-

They're crazy adorable and I'm pretty sure I can finish them today. Fingers crossed.

Thrifting: (none this week!) 0_0

Purchases:

Again ONE purchase!! What is going ON!??! It's great for the budget... but geez!!!

I'm OBSESSED. 1) It's Star Wars. 2) LOOK AT THAT LITTLE ZIPPER PULL. 3) Vikki is my HOMIE.

Happy Mail/Gifts:

Another best new thing in the world today is going halfsies on floss clubs! The Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe floss club really lends itself to this, because if you go halfs, you STILL have 10 yards of each!! So here is my half of EJ's (@ej_creates on Instagram):

Flosstube Shoutouts:

Books: (none this week)

Instagram Auction Items!!

Auction will take place today through Tuesday, July 24 at 0600 PST on @michellebendy on Instagram. Here's an amazing diagram describing how to bid:

Under the picture of the item that you'd like to purchase, you put your bid in $1 increments AND you tag the person who bid above you. Only the person who bid DIRECTLY above you!

Here are the winners of last week's auctions, with all of the donations going to Rose's Alzheimer's Walk so she could earn a t-shirt .

First up is an FFO pillow of a grumpy cat. This was stitched and donated by Theresa Vennett, Kitten Stitcher, and it's filled with Walnuts, SO cool! This was won by Kim!

Next is a Twisted Stitcher finish from Vonna, it's a flat of one of the LHN/CCN Frosty Forest patterns, won by Marysa.

Another Twisted Stitcher finish from Vonna, this time it's the one that broke the internet, her Snow Globe finish!!! Also won by Marysa.

FINALLY! It's Vonna's featured piece from this Fall's Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher Magazine: HOW AMAZING!!!! What else is amazing is that Marysa won this too!! Thank you Marysa!

And the new auctions: These will end on Tuesday, August 28 at 0600 PST. This week's theme is FFOs and bags and all of the donations go to Wade's Walk!!

First up is a gorgeous bag from Lesley Hurley, PERFECT for the #TisTheSeasonSAL that's starting in September:

Next is a BEAUTIFUL project bag from Faye, the Carolina Stitcher, absolutely begging to have autumn and Halloween pieces held inside:

Third we have a great project bag and floss buddy bundle from Corina at BagzPlus; it's Alice in Wonderland and it's an exact replica of my set! (minus my HAED supplies of course!)

Finally, it's not a bag, but it's a FANTASTIC needleminder from Clay by Kim!!

Outside Links:

Flosstubers Mentioned

And don't forget about the Alzheimer's Live Sale on my YouTube!! Mark your Calendars!!! And please, please, click on the picture to fill out a Google form to pre-register for the sale; this will help me a BUNCH!

Pages

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Flosstube #75 Show Notes

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Flosstube #71 Show Notes