Books

Deep Breath

March 30, 2010 by Michelle 19 Comments

So, I realize things have been a little quiet around here. I’ll get to why in a minute. But, first let me say how much I appreciate everyone who stops by to read my blog, even if you don’t comment. I must be doing something right, since I’ve just topped 100 followers. That just rocks my world, seriously. Especially since over the last two years, the stitching and blogging have become seriously hampered by the whole working full time and going to school thing. But, you guys have stuck with me. That means a lot. So…on with the show.

I didn’t get to stitch as much as I would’ve liked this weekend, but I did stitch a little. I made some good progress on WMHB. I got the front of the house filled in and I’ve moved on to the side. It’s really coming along. I love this piece, and I can’t wait to see more of it emerge.

I also worked on ATS a tiny little bit on Sunday. I finished up that star I was almost done with and got started on the pikes on either side of the angel. The left-hand pike is almost done. Not really worth a progress pic, but hopefully this weekend will bring some more stitching time on it.

I realize I’ve been remiss in sharing my latest reads with you. A couple of weeks ago I went to my book club for March. The selection for March was No Tomorrow by Vivant Denon. It’s a tiny little book, the text is only about thirty pages, sixty if you count the introduction. The book is worth a read though. If you haven’t read Les Liaisons Dangereuses, you should, but this book is like a single scene from that book. Similar timeframe, similar feel. A single rendezvous rather than a series of them.

But, what’s been occupying my time lately is school. I finished up my class in Microsoft Project 2007, and then had to take my certification exam last week. I spent a good amount of time the weekend before studying…with my study buddy, Othello.

Excuse the poor photos from my phone. But, Othello must have helped my retention because I took my exam on Wednesday and passed. What a huge weight off my shoulders that was. And to celebrate, I took myself to the book store.

I immediately set Fiery Cross aside and picked up Catching Fire. I’ve been wanting to read that one for awhile now. And I finally broke down and bought Water for Elephants, people have been telling me to read that one forever. I could have easily come home with a lot more, but I restrained myself. And I was really happy with this little reward.

So, I have begun my very last class at school. I feel like I’ve been focused on nothing but school for the past few weeks (actually even before that, since I pushed so hard to get where I needed to be before leaving for Nashville). It’s going to be a little while longer before I can even raise my head up from all this, but at least I’m in the home stretch. And as part of being able to take a deep breath again, I treated myself to a movie this weekend. I went to see Remember Me. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a movie in the theatre, a really long while since I went by myself. But, I really enjoyed my whole movie experience – getting to see the previews, staying through the credits, the whole shabang. And the movie was excellent. I highly recommend seeing it, if you have the chance. The photo at the top of this post is in honor of the film. I took it when we went to visit NYC back in 2007. The sculpture of Alice is in Central Park.

So, that’s what’s been going on around these parts. Until next time…

I am grateful for books and Twizzlers and RP.

Impressions

February 7, 2010 by Michelle 9 Comments

I’ve been meaning to post up my review of my most recent book club book, but just haven’t gotten around to it. The book club I am a member of is takes place at a local art museum, and the books often tie in with the current exhibit. Some books, like this one, are more directly related than others. So, for January, we read The Ultimate Trophy.

Not an overly lengthy book, but it took me a little while to read it. The book begins with sort of a history of the beginnings of Impressionist painting. Nothing new there that I didn’t get in my Art History classes. But, from there the author tracks the paintings and how they were bought and sold, collected and turned into evidence of wealth and social class forward in time. He speaks about the paintings being taken by the Germans, being bought by the nouveau riche in America, and eventually becoming pieces purchased by Japanese business owners. It’s an interesting look at how the pieces became less about the art, and more about possessing something of value.

I did really enjoy the discussion on this book (plus there was wine and cheese, so, I was a captive participant). When I was initially reading this book, I did find it rather dry and dull. But, as I went on, I became more and more engaged in the anecdotes. And, as sometimes happens with a book…once you’ve finished it, pieces of it still stay with you. So, I’ve had to go back and change my rating of it on Goodreads, from my initial rating.

Although, this has already become a crazy long art thesis, I wanted to touch on a couple of things that have struck me after reading this book. Of course, my start on Camille seemed rather timely, with this book selection. I hope to get back to Camille soon, since I’ve wanted to stitch her for so long. Also, at the Golden Globes, Scorsese was given a lifetime achievement award, and when they showed the montage of his work (I love a good montage), one of the movies included was The Age of Innocence, one of my absolute favorite movies. It’s also an excellent book, and one I would highly recommend. Anywho…the book deals a lot with the rise of the nouveau riche Americans at the turn of the century. And one specific scene I remember, was the society party where the host had purchased a rather risque new painting and had it hung in plain sight. Shocking. But, in many cases, as the author of my book club book surmises, the paintings were a show of wealth and were treated as such. If you haven’t seen the movie, or read the book, do so.

The third thing that came about after reading this book was a conversation with some stitching friends in which I was advocating museums and visiting them regularly. You can look at all the photos you want of a painting, but there is nothing at all like standing in its presence. Some, leave you flat. Some, are exciting and wondrous. But, there’s still nothing like seeing them up close and personal. Even (and especially) those whose images are so well-known (ie the Impressionists). So, I’ll leave you with an image of one of my favorite paintings ever – one that when I turned a corner in the Met and was greeted by it hanging at the end of a series of doorways, left me speechless.

This is John Singer Sargent’s Madame X.

So, that’s all that I have for you today. I’ll be back soon with some stitching to show. Thanks for checking in.

I am grateful for art.

Holiday Crafting

January 7, 2010 by Michelle 20 Comments

Raise your hand if you thought I could do two posts in one week. Anyone? Anyone? Pleasant surprise, no? Do you see those lovelies at the top of this post? Those are my Twilight mini-skeins from Sunshine Yarns I told you about (she also does some gorgeous Harry Potter colorways, I might add). I’m perfectly ok just leaving them as is and petting them, but methinks they really need to be made into a super awesome scarf for myself. From left to right I believe they are Edward, Bella, The Meadow, Esme Island, Vampire Baseball and Blood Red. Love them. So. Much.

Anyway, back to what I wanted to show you…I mentioned I did some crafting prior to Christmas. I decided to make these Christmas Tree earrings last year, but I just didn’t get my ass in gear to do it. So, I had all the stuff that I ordered, well…last year, and I decided to make them. My sister doesn’t wear gold, so hers were silver.

I love how they turned out. And they were so easy to make.

I worked on these after finishing Jenny Bean. I was having a hard time wanting to stitch on something else, so beading seemed like an excellent way to pass the time.

For many years, a friend and I have passed a friendship ornament back and forth. Each time I have it, it is a challenge to come up with a gift that will fit within the ornament, and yet be a gift from the heart. While working on my little Christmas trees, I came up with the idea to make a bracelet for her.

I found these little photo charms at Michael’s. Every year she sends me photos of her family and their traditional trips to the beach. I took one of the recent photos she sent of her three daughters, a photo of her husband, and a photo of the ocean and sized them down to fit inside the charms. (I’ve blurred out the photos of her family for privacy). I made some little drops with blue crystals in between each of the photo charms too for a little sparkle. I love how this turned out. It was fun to make and I thought she would really like it. You can see the friendship ornament in the background of the photo, it’s about the size of a good-sized orange.

It always makes me happy when I can make gifts, although stressing out about trying to do that does not make me happy. This year though, I was surprised at how calm and stress-free the holidays were for me. And I did more things like making these little crafty things just because I wanted to, not because I felt I had to. And I loved that feeling.

So, what else have I been up to (other than you know, work, school, gym, sleep)? I finished a book yesterday – my first of 2010. Of course, you knew I couldn’t stay away from the Black Dagger Brotherhood for long.

This book had me right up until the last few chapters. Then, eh. It’s too bad too, I’d been looking forward to this one. It won’t stop me from reading the next two that I have on loan. I have to take a break though and read the book for my next book club that’s in a couple of weeks. I’m not looking forward to that one either. Sigh. There may be lots of stitching going on rather than reading. But, anyway, I’m one closer to having read 30 books for 2010!

And since you know we’re “all vampires, all the time” here at the cozyegg blog…I had to share the envelope my Christmas card came in from my friend, Kim. She knows me well…

That’s all I’ve got to share today. I have a Secret Stitcher gift I need to get started stitching on, and I have a Valentine’s gift I need to get started on too (remember?). So, that’s a little of what I have on the horizon. I’m going to try to be better about blogging more often, but hey, no promises…you know where I am when I’m not here.

And I want to give a little shout out to you guys who have recently told me you’re reading. I love hearing that from people I know in person (although it is often quickly followed by an “oh crap, what crazy stuff have I been talking about?!”). Thanks to everyone who stops by and lets me know one way or another that you appreciate me for me…vampires and all.

I am grateful for letting things go.

Before the Ball Drops – Year in Review

December 31, 2009 by Michelle 20 Comments

Somehow it is December 31st. I am not sure where the year went, but I’m sure most of it was spent at school and work. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though and 2010 promises some wonderful things. I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on 2009 and all the amazing things it brought.

In 2009, I joined a walking team and completed five 5Ks, decreasing my time with each one. I completed my certifications in Microsoft Office at school, and am now certified in all five applications. Eric and I celebrated our three year anniversary with a trip to Turner Falls, OK. I joined my stitching friends on Thursdays at Barnes & Noble when I was able to get away from school, which allowed us all to become closer throughout the year. I attended my first two stitching workshops this year through my guild, Catherine Theron and Jane Timmers. There are many many other things that I have to be grateful for and new experiences I had this year.

I feel like I definitely got a lot of reading in this year, which was remarkable, and very nice. I have missed reading as much as I used to. Here’s what I read in 2009…

The God of Small Things*
Two for the Dough
Giovanni and Lusanna*
Dead Until Dark
Pillars of the Earth
Three to Get Deadly
Old Masters: A Comedy*
Dark Lover
Bitter is the New Black
The Man Who Loved China*
Lover Eternal
The Elegance of the Hedgehog*
Vampire Diaries: The Awakening
Vampire Diaries: The Struggle
The Lovely Bones
The Host
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Drums of Autumn
The Hunger Games

*Read for Artful Readings Book Club.

And although I didn’t have as many finishes this year as I would have liked, I’m lucky and grateful to have gotten any in at all. I’ve linked all these to the finished photos, if you’d like a peek.

The Red Thread
Twilight Floss Tag
At Home with Jane Austen
My Everything
Petites Lettres Rouge
Peacock Pinkeep
Earth Sampler
Monogram Pincushion
Happy Birthday Stocking
February’s Violet Stocking
Angel of Tulips

Madeira Tin & Sewing Set (mostly finished)
Sylvia’s Sampler
At Plimoth
Jenny Bean’s Halloween Sampler

I also did some crafting, which I still need to show you. And two quilts are on the horizon to be finished – they are just lacking their binding. So, I’m sure I’ll be adding to my 2010 finishes list pretty quickly once the New Year begins. Thanks to all of you who visit me here and touched my life in such an amazing way. Have a safe and wonderful end to 2009 and I’ll see you on the other side.

Happy New Year!

I am grateful for another great one!

Afterglow

December 28, 2009 by Michelle 17 Comments

I hope you have all had very happy holidays! We have been enjoying ourselves and our families over the past week too. If you’d like to take a peek at our annual Eggnog & Dessert Party, you can see that here. On Christmas Eve we had snow again, which seems like some sort of record to me – twice in one year. It snowed off an on for a good portion of the afternoon and evening.

I appreciate all of your sweet comments on my stitching pieces that I’ve decorated with this year. I missed showing you a few, but probably you’ve seen them before. I did need to share this though. Remember my little sheep? Well, he was of course all decked out for the holidays as well. And that sweet little hand-painted wooden spool? That was a gift from my friend, Ava.

There hasn’t been a whole lot of stitching going on over here, but I thought I’d show you what little progress I’ve made.

I’ve stitched on Sweet Treats a little bit. Working on those side borders.

I also made a start finally on my Marbek Nativity. You may remember I was supposed to start this at Thanksgiving. But, I did start it on Christmas Day. I am stitching this with DMC on 36 count Sapphire linen from HeavenLee Creations. I love the fabric, it is gorgeous in person. My little white blob there will eventually be a sheep. I’m starting on the center panel first.

And, in case you couldn’t tell, I’m having a hard time settling down to any one piece. So, I’ve also been stitching on an ornament I started a long time ago. In fact, here’s what it looked like the last time I worked on it – January of 2009.

And here’s what it looks like as of this morning. This is Mele Kalikimaka by Monsterbubbles from the 2004 JCS Ornament Issue. It’s stitched over one on 32ct with Silk n Colors. But being over one, with solid fill in, is slow going. Which is why, apparently, I keep picking it up and putting it back down. I’d like to finish it sooner rather than later, because it is really pretty. I’m working on the ocean currently, and still have the sky to fill in plus the little bit of backstitching.

And, in the hopes that I really will get some quilting done this coming year (oh I want to be like Laurie!!), one of my Christmas gifts was this quilt kit from The Country Sampler. Here are a couple of photos of the quilt from their blog (the one on the bed). Isn’t it pretty?!?

I can’t wait to get started. But, first I need to finish that little baby quilt. Yesterday I got the quilting done. Today, I should be able to get the binding done, and then voila, on to other things!

Oh, I’ve also been reading. On Christmas morning I finished this…

This book came highly recommended, so I thought I’d give it a shot. And no, there are no vampires in this, Gloria. Although I was hesitant to start anything else after finishing Drums of Autumn, this was the perfect choice. It was so good and immediately had me hooked. It was a very quick read, I think it took me a week or so. I am definitely going to be keeping this one in my library, and buying book 2, Catching Fire. This one was not on my Book Challenge list, but boy it was well worth deviating from the plan for it. After finishing this, I attempted to pick up the book for my next book club, but I quickly came to the decision that while I’m on vacation, I should be reading something fun, rather than reading about Impressionist painting, which can be a little dry. So, you can see what I picked up on my sidebar. It will be another quick read, then I can get back to the Impressionists.

Hope you’re all enjoying your last bit of stitching before the end of the year. I have some other crafting to share with you, as well as a New Year’s start that I’m really looking forward to. Until next time, stay warm and stitch on!

I am grateful for family and a man who spoils me.

Jenny and Jamie

December 13, 2009 by Michelle 34 Comments

So, I know you’ve been wondering what the heck happened to Jenny Bean and her little Halloween house, right? The last time I posted about her, was back in mid-November, when I was so restless.

Well, I finally got over my restlessness, and was anxious to get back to Miss Bean. But, stuff happened.

You know the kind of stuff I’m talking about, suddenly you have deadlines, holidays, places to go, tea to drink. I did finally get all those things done, and after Thanksgiving, I picked my new favorite piece back up.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this piece. It has been rare that a piece so completely captures my attention, so much so that I completely let go of all of my perfectionistic tendencies and just go with whatever flow Jenny saw fit to throw at me.

And, I think the reward is well worth every stitch.

Jenny Bean’s Halloween Sampler
Shakepeare’s Peddler
Limited Edition GAST Threads on 40 ct Pearled Barley
Begun 10/4/09 and Finished 12/12/09

Ignore the wonkiness of my border, etc. I still had this in my q-snaps when I took the photo, but I was too excited to share to even take her out and iron her. Jenny will be sorely missed. I had way too much fun stitching on her. I definitely think I’ll have to get the Christmas Sampler as well, because Halloween Jenny definitely needs Christmas Jenny as a companion.

Also this weekend, I had another finish.

I finally finished re-reading Drums of Autumn. I may have mentioned previously that I decided to re-read this series, and Drums of Autumn is the last book in the series that I have previously read. Everything from this point forward will be all new territory for me. I picked this book up and set it down several times over the past few months. But, after finishing my last read, I picked this one back up. I was attempting to read ahead of my mom, before lending these to her, but she informed me recently she’s about to finish Voyager, which is the book before this one. I figured I’d better get my butt in gear. So, I picked this back up and somehow read the last 300+ pages in a week or so. Not sure how that happened, but it did. After finishing this book this morning, I realized why it is that this series is one of my absolute favorites. I own all of these in hardback, as they are most definitely staying in my library. The story of Jamie and Claire is not something you can easily forget, and their story stays with you long after the cover is closed. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, and the next, and the one after that. If you haven’t read these books, drop everything you are doing and go directly to the bookstore to buy Outlander, the first in the series. Do nothing until you read that book. Then we’ll talk. Och, Jamie, you are one fine man.

Oh, and P.S. – the gorgeous red and white tree in my last post is not mine, but that of our hostess for the party, Ava. Don’t you love that tree?

I am grateful for a decorated home.

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