Happy June :)

Summer time is here!..... which for us Floridians means RAIN:

We are the Sunshine State except during the Summer. LOL!  It has been said that we are in for an active Hurricane season, but really the news says that every year just to motivate everyone to be prepared for the worst. I'm just hoping we don't have a repeat of Hurricane Matthew like last year. That storm was a very close call to Miami, something we haven't had in years.

April and May (since my last post) were busy as usual. My son and I traveled to a few bowling tournaments. He and I also took a day trip to Disney World, something I will never do again in April. The heat was just unbearable in Orlando. Every year Disney becomes more expensive and I've decided if I'm going to pay a high price to go, I better enjoy it to the fullest. 

In Creative news, I've started another model cross-stitch for X's and Oh's Designs. I can't show it as of yet, but I can tell you that it is bigger with more detail than the last one I finished. Speaking of the last one, I've wanted to post a picture of it but the pattern hasn't been released yet. Hopefully soon! The one I stitched is I believe a companion piece to this design that is already available for purchase.

In Knitting News, I finished the sock I was working on. Tada!

It is a little snug, but that's okay. This sock yarn didn't have any stretchy nylon in it. That makes a difference I've learned, but it's not like I intend to wear these with shoes. My socks are for me to wear at home, not out and about. The second one is currently in the works.

I also started to crochet a new little girl beach hat.

I love the colors in this yarn. Of all the crafts store, I think Hobby Lobby has the nicest cotton yarn. It is really soft and they come in a nice variety of colors. 

That is all for me today. Thank you for visiting!

**Hugs**

Jen

Staying True to My Resolutions

Happy Sunday!

One of my creative resolutions this year was to dig into my old projects and give them some love. I have so many UFO's in bags, its just crazy. 

This last week I brought out a lovely forgotten stitching project that I haven't worked on probably since 2015.

Bluebell by Nora Corbett

I've spent a few hours this past week working away at the wings. They are stitched only in Krenick Very Fine Braid. 

This project is very pretty. I think I lost interest along the way because the fabric is Linen. It makes the holes hard to see unfortunately.

I hope you all have a lovely week. Thank you for visiting. :)

*Hugs from Sunny Miami*

Jen

My Finished Scarf and Other Progress

Yes the title did say Finish! My lovely Unforgettable Scarf is finished.

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I am very pleased with how this turned out. So pleased in fact that I bought a few other colors to make more. I actually had two skeins of this same color so I went ahead and listed this one in my Etsy store. The next one I'll keep for me. These colors are just absolutely lovely, and the scarf pattern is perfect if you just want a lightweight accessory scarf. This is definitely not a scarf for warmth. 

I also made some progress on other projects.

I knitted 16 rows on my niece's baby blanket. It is officially 1 foot tall. I need to keep going until it's 39". Still have a ways to go on this project.

I also made some good progress on my new sock project.

I finished the cuff and proceeded onto the leg part. This pattern I am using is called a "Vanilla" pattern. In other words, a very simple sock pattern. The pattern is repetitive with no special pattern changes or anything. I was afraid this one was going to be boring but surprisingly this pattern works up quickly. I am loving the colors. As you can see they are taking on a "pooling" effect not a stripping effect. This would drive some knitters crazy, but not me. 

Finally, I also did some stitching this week on my Lizzie Kate Christmas design I started back in September for the Christmas SAL blog.

It's nearly there! Only a few more presents to finish on the left and then I have to stitch the last word "Tangle". After that, it will be done just in time for Christmas.

Well that's all for my project progress this week. I was able to do quite a bit on my projects last weekend when I was out of town. I had a lot of down time watching TV and movies at my aunt's house. It was the perfect opportunity for some crochet and knitting. My son, my one aunt and myself did go to Epcot at Walt Disney World the Friday before Halloween. It was a beautiful day. The Food and Wine Festival was great. I will tell you all that Disney really makes hand over foot at that event. After going a few times, I have determined that the food is a better value over the alcoholic items for sale in the different countries. You could pay $8.00 for 2 ounces of a drink that you could probably make yourself at home or buy at a liquor store. 

Halloween was okay. It seems that every year it gets less and less exciting. People don't decorate their homes or even stay home to pass out candy to trick or treaters. We came upon homes that were decorated, but the candy was just in a bowl at the door for the taking. The essence of Halloween fun just doesn't seem to be around like it used to. Has anyone noticed this as well?

I hope you all have a great week. It will be a long week for me. My mind is heavy at the moment as I heard news this morning that my grandfather had passed away. He had been in hospice since last Thursday so the untimely news of his passing was expected. I'm just glad he's in a better place. The last few years have been really difficult for him and I am relieved that he went peacefully and lived out the last week of his life resting comfortably. 

Thank you for visiting and listening to me ramble a bit. Till next week.

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**

Jen

P.S. I am running a Christmas sale in my Etsy store from now until December 18th. Use the Coupon Code XMAS2015 for 15% off anything. I will be working on some new items for the store this month also. 

Hello October!

I love October! This is my favorite month of the year. Not only does the weather get more beautiful, but it signals that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are near. We don't get Fall weather per se' in Miami. We don't experience the leaves changing colors and the cooler evenings but I have to admit that this weekend was lovely. It was breezy each day and there was no rain! It was delightful to run errands and be outside.

I worked some more on my Lizzie Kate Christmas stitching this week. I obviously didn't finish before Wednesday for the SAL deadline, but that's okay. I'm going to continue stitching on this in October and jump back in for the new Christmas theme in November. 

Remember my Sock project I was working on...

Well it magically transformed back into this:

I decided that I was not ready to tackle this sock pattern like I thought. I was getting so frustrated with it. I was tired of frogging my mistakes. I've made a decision that if I don't enjoy a project I'm doing, I am not going to continue doing it. I would rather focus my time and energy on projects I enjoy making. I will keep practicing with simpler sock patterns. After all, I have to justify my sock yarn purchases right?

Finally, I would like to introduce you all to our new furbaby. His name is Tux, short for Tuxedo. He is about 10 weeks old.

Here is his story - A friend and her mom that we know from league bowling work for a veterinarian. This little guy along with his mommy, brother and sister were brought to their office back in July. The kittens were only a week old. The person who dropped them off tried to pay their office to have them all euthanized. He even tried to give them $20 for the job. They accepted the cats from the gentlemen and declined his $20. So for the past 9 weeks, they took care of all the cats at their office. We picked Tuxedo up yesterday. The vet gave him all his shots, free of charge. Tux is the sweetest little thing with so much personality. My other girl, Ellie Cat, is still getting used to him. He has no fear of her no matter how much she hisses at him. So my weekend has been full of cat sitting and potty training. Tuxedo is slowly learning the litter box. A totally new experience for me too. I've never had kittens before.

So that's it for this week everyone! Thank you so much for your visits and comments on my posts. I hope you all are enjoying lovely weather wherever you are. Have a fabulous week!

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**

Jen

Don't Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle!

I absolutely love this saying in this Christmas design by Lizzie Kate. It is perfectly whitty and sassy. Just her style!

I recently joined the Christmas Ornie SAL 2015 blog hosted by Kaye. Click on the badge on my sidebar to be taken there. Every month is a different Christmas theme. If you post a finish before that month is over, you are entered for that month's prize so graciously given by Kaye herself. This month is Christmas Tree/Presents. I didn't have to choose a design with both but this LK design just happened to have both.

Here is my progress after this weeks stitching:

I don't think I will be done by Wednesday but I'm glad the SAL gave me the motivation to start.

I have also done some knitting on my niece's baby blanket. It's only 7 1/2" tall so far. I have to knit until its 37" tall! A little at a time right?

Thank you for stopping by. Tonight I will be attending our Bowling Association's annual dinner to celebrate our Bowlers of the Year from last season and to celebrate those who will be inducted into our association's Hall of Fame. It will be a fabulous evening I am sure.

Have a Lovely Weekend.

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**
Jen

Happy Fall!

Farewell to Summer and Hello to Fall! If only I lived a little more north to be able to enjoy this wonderful season. I guess I will have to live vicariously through other's pictures and stories. September for Florida is a a very wet month as is July and August. We have had rain almost every day this month. If only I could wish the rain clouds to go to California. They can have them all!

The kids are back to school down here. My son started 6th grade this year at his new middle school. I'm so glad he is enjoying his school. He likes his classes and his teachers. He even joined the Cross Country team. He had no idea what that was about till the first day. I told him there was a fair bit of running involved! He really likes it though.

I do have a couple project updates to share with you today. 

Last month, I became an auntie! My older sister had a beautiful baby girl. I haven't seen her in person yet as my sister and her family currently live in Hong Kong, but my family and I get daily pics of the sweet baby. Of course, this auntie had to get busy on some handmade presents for her.

I started knitting this sweet blanket:

The pattern is called: Hooded Pipsqueak Blanket by Bernat. It is a free pattern on their website. The yarn is their Pipsqueak Yarn in the color "Baby Baby". It is supersoft. Its looks likes a fluffy towel, but I assure you, it is super cuddly and doesn't shed. 

I have also been knitting a new pair of socks. Last month I signed up for a sock yarn club called YarnBox.  Each month they send their Sock Yarn members a skein of hand dyed sock yarn by an indie yarn dyer and they also include a new sock pattern. I've been pleased with the club so far. It gives you a chance to experience yarns by dyers that you may never have known about. Yarn Box has other clubs also.

The yarn is by Phydeax Designs in the colorway: Vignoble. The pattern was the one included with the yarn for August. Here is my progress on Sock 1.

In case you didn't know, frogging cross stitch is a dream compared to frogging knitting. I've done my fair share of frogging on this sock only because I'm still learning the construction of socks. It is hard for me to visualize what the pattern is telling me to do but I'm getting there!

I have done some stitching too. I was bad and started a new project. In the spirit of September, I decided to stitch the September Cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks.

My Progress:

Let's see if I can finish this one before the month is over. Then I can start October next month.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**

Jen

A Glimpse of Sanibel Island, FL and some Stitching Too.

Happy August! I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far. School will be starting again before we know it!

My boys and I had a little summer beach getaway of our own last weekend. We visited Sanibel Island, FL which is about 2 1/2 hours away from Miami. It is on the west side of Florida. This was a first time visit for us. It was such a peaceful couple days away. We stayed at a resort where the beach was right behind it. We didn't have to go far down the street for good food either. Of course, when you vacation in Florida in the summertime, you always take a risk with the weather. It was storming the first day we arrived. The next day was better for swimming but still cloudy. These gorgeous skies appeared on the day we were leaving.

Beautiful Sanibel Beach, FL

Sea Shells Galore!

Sanibel Island is known for its seashells. Normally you can walk around on the sand and not be bothered by them, but the bad weather changed that. The shells in the water were so exposed from the rough waves that it felt like I was walking on glass. Not pleasant at all. Note to self: bring water shoes next time just in case.

We ate so well last weekend. When we vacation, we go out of our way to find the mom and pop restaurants. We refuse to eat at the big chains.

Glorious Sunset

We will definitely be going back. We decided that our vacations going forward will be at least 3 nights long. Our visit last weekend was just not long enough.

Now for the stitching. I did make some more progress on my "Sunflowers in Summer" by Country Cottage Needleworks. Please excuse the wrinkles from my Q-Snap.

It is slowly coming along. My goal is to finish it by the end of summer. Not sure I will make that goal, but I'm going to try.

 Thank you so much for visiting. I do try to get around to reading everyone's updates on their blogs too. I highly suggest if you haven't done so already, to sign up for Bloglovin. That way I can become a follower and see your blog updates.

(Edit: It seems I had a changed setting for comments on my blog. Its fixed! You should be able to leave a comment if you wish.)

Happy Stitching!

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**

Jen

Some Stitchy/Knitting/Crochet Progress Today

Hello Friends:

June has flown and now its time to say Hello to July. The summer time down here means that our A/C is working overtime. 

Since the bowling season has finished for me until August, I now have much more time to spend on my projects during the week. 

*Stitching Progress* 

 Sunflowers in Summer by Country Cottage Needleworks

Before:

After:

The Cottage is looking more like a cottage.

Olaf is my cheerleader on this project. He cheers me on to keep stitching.

*Knitting Progress*

I am still working on my first sock. I believe the last sock picture I posted was my first attempt on smaller needles that I decided to rip out. I found the sock to feel too tight around the ankle and it worried me that if I kept on going, it would continue to feel too tight. I decided to frog what I had done and start again with the next size needle to be on the safe side. It worked out so much better.

I am a short socks kinda gal. Most sock patterns are designed to be really long up the leg and those don't appeal to me. I decided to just do a 1/4" ribbed cuff to prevent the sock from rolling down at the ankle and jumped to the heel flap part of the pattern. I can't wait to finish this sock so I can start the second sock. I know exactly what mistakes I made on this sock and made note on what to do different on the next one. The second one will turn out much better. I'm also starting to accumulate a sock yarn stash so I better get to knitting!

*Crochet Progress*

I haven't let my hook sit aside for long. I try to rotate my time between my stitching, knitting and crochet so each project gets some work done on it. It's a strategy that's actually working for me. This is a finished set of coasters I crocheted using cotton yarn. The yarn was a self-stripping yarn. The color changes on each coaster are different, but I think this set turned out lovely. These are currently listed in my Etsy store since I'm crazy to think I can possibly keep everything that I make.

I also have a new beanie hat in progress and I've made a couple more cup cozies. I will save those for another post.

Thank you so much for visiting with me today. I am counting down the hours till me and the boys go to the theatre to see Jurassic World this evening. I've loved Jurassic Park since I was a kid. The trilogy has been on TV so much this last month that I've probably watched all 3 movies a dozen more times each. I never get tired of them.

Have a wonderful week and Thank You as always for the lovely comments you leave me.

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**

Jen

Stitching Update: Sunflowers in Summer

Hello Friends:

I have an update to share on one of my bigger stitching projects. This has been a Work in Progress for too long. I will feel so accomplished when this one is done and framed.

"Sunflowers in Summer" by Country Cottage Needleworks

Before Pic:

After 4 Hours of Stitching Time: A House Takes Shape!

I really love this design but for some reason it is hard for me to stay motivated. I think I will rotate this one with another WIP that needs some attention.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

**Hugs from Sunny Miami**

Jen

Ho Ho Ho and a Sampling of Easter

Happy Monday Friends:

I have two fun cross stitching finishes to show today. I am finally focusing on my long WIP/UFO list of stitching projects. They are listed on a separate page on my blog at the top if you want to peek.  

First one up is a sweet Santa ornament that I started back in 2010? or 2011? for a SAL. I never finished it then and I've just been working on it off and on as I felt inspired. I picked it up again a few weeks ago and realized I was right at the end with a little back stitching to do. That was enough motivation to get him finished. I love the little pom pom on his hat. I can't wait to put him on my Christmas tree this year. The background fabric is what I used on the back.

"North Pole Santa"

Design from the book: A Cross Stitch Christmas by Craftways

Stitched on 28 Ct Ivory Monoco using DMC Threads

Finished as a flat ornament using the awesome tutorial by Vonna - The Twisted Stitcher

My second is a 95% finish. I say that because the stitching is done, but the project is not yet finished off. I need to get some items from the store first.

Quick-It "Sampling Easter" by Lizzie Kate.

Stitched on 28Ct Lambswool using DMC, GAST and Weeks Dye Works threads

The fabric in the background is a glimpse of the backing fabric that I plan on using for this one. I'll post another pic when it is finished.

I would love to gift the chart for this one to somebody who would like to stitch it. If you are interested in the chart, let me know. It did include the little gold Bunny charm, but as you can see, I used it on mine. I'm sure a perfect substitute charm could be found.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. I hope you have a lovely week. 

~ Hugs from Sunny Miami ~

Jen

A New Year, A New Finish and New Goals

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful evening last night whether it was staying in at home or spending the evening out with friends and partying it up. I had a lovely evening with friends and family, enjoying good food, company and of course fireworks. The guys always have a blast lighting big crazy fireworks that they get from a fireworks store in the Florida Keys every year. Speaking of the Florida Keys, here are two gorgeous snaps from our afternoon down there last weekend. You could tell the Northerners were visiting and definitely enjoying the warm weather.

I finished up a very special project yesterday. It is a crocheted baby blanket. Did I mention a new Hobby Lobby opened right across the street from my house? That store is dangerous.... for my wallet that is. I want to buy everything! They have a fantastic selection of yarn. Of course I was there for other stuff and casually perused the yarn aisle when I saw this baby yarn. I fell in love. I don't know what it is about blue and brown, but I just love the color combination. I have never crocheted an afghan before so I gave it a go, trying out a new pattern I kept seeing all over my Facebook crochet groups called a Corner to Corner or C2C. It was so much fun. If any of you do crochet and would like the pattern, I highly recommend watching this You Tube Video. It is much easier to learn this pattern by watching it demonstrated than reading written instructions, at least for me it was.

Someone commented on Facebook that this reminded her of water with little brown pebbles. Another lady said the brown areas looked like little monkeys playing. I could see both. The yarn was a stripped yarn so I had no control with how the color pattern was going to play out.

I also did something else new. I lined it with a cozy flannel fabric that looked like clouds. 

Since I don't know of any special baby who needs a blankie right now, I went ahead and listed this in my Etsy shop. Hopefully it will go to a good home.

Now onto the stitching progress! I've decided to go back to working on my rather long WIP list. I'm going to try something different this year. I'm going to have one small stitching project and one large stitching project going at a time. Every month I'm going to rotate the big projects so I don't get bored. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it. 

My big project for the month:

Sunflowers in Summer by Country Cottage Needleworks:

That roof on the cottage is slowly coming along. I'll be happy when this is done. I really do love the design. It is so cheerful but it has so many little stitching details in it. I feel so slow working on it.

One more thing I have to share. I got myself a Christmas present. 

I love Olaf from Disney's Frozen. He is the cutest Disney character they have had in a long time. Karen at Sew Much 2 Love had this as flash sale on Facebook one day. It was the sewing bag made by her with a matching Needle Minder and FOB from Gina's Fobs and Froggers.

He is my new stitching companion.

Thank you for visiting. I'm glad you all enjoyed my vacation pictures on my last post and a big thank you to the readers who helped me remember the name of the church we saw.

My wish to you all this New Year:

**Hugs and Love from Sunny Miami**

Jen

A Stitching Update

It has been a while since I've showcased my stitching projects. They haven't gotten too much love lately, but I have worked on them. I had such high goals this years for my stitching, but that was before I embarked on this adventure with my online store. Building up my inventory has taken much of my free time. It won't be easy juggling everything I want to do especially come September when my son goes back to school and our new bowling season starts again.

Here is Bluebell by Nora Corbett.

Those wings are almost done. I can't wait! I have decided to save my pennies and send this lovely lady off to Rensel Studios for framing when she is done. I found a Fan Page on Facebook for Jill Rensel's work and I am just blown away by their framing work. She does hand painting and embellishments on the mats. The frames she chooses are just perfect. I think her work is worth every penny and many people say her fees are extremely reasonable too.

I also (finally) starting working on the first pattern of the Country Needlework's series called Frosty Forest. Right now I am working on Raccoon Cabin

I'm stitching the whole series together on one piece of fabric, 32 CT Pearl Grey Linen. These designs seem small, but I find that they do take more time than they seem. There are a lot of color changes in the houses. I love the colors though. They look great.

That is all for today. Thank you so much for visiting with me. I hope you are having a fantastic summer where ever you are.

**Hugs and Love from Rainy Miami**

Jen