CANVASING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Before we commence with today's festivities, let's get some housekeeping out of the way.

(By now y'all know that I'm not talking about real housekeeping, because I live in a house that looks as though it had recently been invaded by a large contingent of frat boys. Or squirrels. But, nevertheless, we've got housekeeping to do of the blog variety, so we'll just overlook the eighty-eight pairs of underpants strewn about the closet floor and get on with it.)

Firstly, may I just say a big fat THANK YOU to BlogVille from dear Aunt Chrissy for all of the lovely birthday wishes? Touching and wonderful and very much appreciated, folks. I know that she read each and every one of them with a teary eye and a warm heart.

(We took a little road trip over to New Buffalo, Michigan and found a restaurant called "The Stray Dog". This would have made for a perfect evening had I not got lost on the way home and almost drove us to Maryland, but alas, we made it home safe and sound.)

Secondly, we are, in fact, accepting any and all applications for new sista's. Seeing how our little family consists of just the two of us, we are ALWAYS on the lookout for new victims. (Did I say that out loud? I meant to say recruits.) Membership comes with unlimited access to the Spinster Sisters Stitching Studio and a full bottle of extra strength Tylenol. Just bring snacks and nobody will get hurt.

And finally....the corporate gypsy-like meanderings of the Family a' la Rich (when it consisted of more than just yours truly and Aunt Chrissy:

1. Lima, Ohio - where it all began
2. Bellefontaine, Ohio - where Aunt Chrissy came into being
3. Athens, Tennessee - the early school years
4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - where we cheered for the Steelers from the North Hills
5. Lima, Ohio - home again
6. El Paso, Texas - a bit of a detour on the way to Dad's retirement
7. Phoenix, Arizona - well...nothing to say here except I'm happy to live in Hoosierville *

*Please don't take offense if you actually live in Phoenix. It's just that nothing good ever happened to me there.

My own personal history diverted to Notre Dame, Indiana and then South Bend, and then Margate, New Jersey for a few years, but I can safely say that Mishawaka, Indiana is now the official home of Major League SpinsterNutBall.

So on to the stitching...

I seem to be in a very canvas state of mind, so that's what I've been playing with recently. First up is a painted canvas from Cooper Oaks:

This one is presenting me with a bit of a challenge, since the frequent color changes and small areas of color are telling me to do this all in tent stitch. I'm trying to throw in a few long stitches for the leaves, and I'll do the red flower centers in padded velvet, but for now I'm happy to let the design and colors speak for itself on this one.

Next is a canvas and stitch guide by the same folks who brought us Lily Frog. This is supposed to be a purse insert (I think), but I'm going to do this all in silk and frame it for my bedroom. I like the size of this one, since everything else I've worked on lately has been rather large, Marge:

Finally, is a painted canvas by Debbie Rowley. I've picked out a bunch of different silks and linens, and metallics for this one and am starting to see some funky stitches dancing in my head, so I'll keep you posted as it starts to come to life:

If you're more interested in cross stitch, never fear. I will probably poke around upstairs later today for something that I can do to give my poor fingers a break. They always get a little sore when I switch to canvas. I know, I know...I'm not using a large enough needle to open the canvas hole a little. But I've got a head like a rock and would rather complain about sore fingers than I would actually solve the problem.

So that's the report today. Stewey has asked me to send a fond hello to his fans and loved ones. He's feeling rather poorly due to allergies, but meds are on board and he will be back to his spunky little self very soon!