tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25727317392398441722024-03-13T00:22:08.107-07:00Drawing ThreadsRandom Thoughts on needlework design and lifeCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-45040864381622894952012-05-09T11:05:00.000-07:002012-05-09T11:05:11.892-07:00And now ... for some bloggingSpring is here! Mother's day is right around the corner and I have finally gotten the new charts uploaded to the web site. They are available for shipment now and can be seen, as always, at right.<br />
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And yes, the "Memory Garden" can made into a scrapbook album cover OR it can be stitched and framed. Either way, very nice. See the web site for a framed version.<br />
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Along with my linen and silk gardens, everything else around here seems to be growing like weeds. I have my porch geraniums out and have planted a "real" herb garden, in pots for the patio. I am a renter now and don't yet have my own "plot" for veggies and herbs .... soooooo ... I found the cutest little plant stand and some wonderful (and inexpensive) pots at Ikea and voila ... a small herb garden. Now to find recipes to use them all in :-)<br />
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and ... speaking of growing like weeds ... those two rascals that live with me seem to have grown up while I wasn't looking. Turned around the other day and I had a full grown dog and cat living with me. Took Oliver to the vet and he is now 51 pounds of wiggle and wag. This guy has the energy of 10 dogs and thus I spend a good deal of my time walking, riding my bicycle, running around after him at the dog park etc. etc. trying to burn off some of his energy. I'm a reluctant exerciser at best so he is a good influence on me. I've lost 10 pounds just trying to get this little (not so little anymore) guy worn out. I'd love to take him to agility classes since he is fast, fast, fast and can turn on a dime ... if only I could get him to "come" and "sit" when I ask him to (sigh).</div>
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And then, of course there is Beaupierre, beautiful Pierre, who has no energy at all. The most "laid back" cat I've ever encountered. Confident, secure and not afraid of anything, including the giant ball of fur that tries to pick him up and carry him around the house in his mouth. Luckily, Beau has also gotten bigger. Big enough that Ollie can't really carry him around any more (much to his relief I'm sure). He has a little bed beside my desk and this is how he sleeps in it:</div>
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And ... he snores. Geeezzzzeee. I thought when I got divorced I wouldn't have to listen to that anymore :-)</div>
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My Hana got a new job with the Denver Public Library. I am thrilled for her and don't think I've ever seen her so happy. Best thing? It's at my local branch, just a few blocks away. I now have my own personal librarian within walking distance and for those who know me and know how I love to read, this is super. Life is good.</div>
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Just to try to keep up with the pirates sailing the cross stitch seas, I've started a new series of charts "for the cure" and made them all available as digital downloads from our site. For a small donation, you can enjoy some new lingerie while helping breast cancer charities. We are trying to make it easier for those of you, near and far, to get your hands on these charts without having to beg, borrow or (gulp, I'm going to say it!) steal them and no shipping charges. So please, my dear friends, and those who are not so friendly, make a tiny donation, for the cure, stitch up some pretties and you will feel sooooo good about doing so. I promise :-)</div>
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Enjoy the new charts! Enjoy mother's day, hopefully surrounded by family and friends. Enjoy spring. Enjoy everything that grows ... and changes. Enjoy life because it's whizzing past more quickly than you realize. Every moment is precious!</div>
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TTYS,</div>
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Cynthia</div>
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<br />Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-31043469441431218362012-04-18T07:41:00.002-07:002012-04-18T13:19:02.416-07:00Sharing The Bra BandFive special women and I worked together to design and stitch this piece. I was so sad to see it available for free download when that was not our intention.<br />
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For those who have inquired, you can have your local needlework shop order it for you. We donate $5 for every wholesale purchase by a shop. Or you can purchase a digital download (PDF) from our site:<br />
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<a href="http://www.drawnthread.com/digital_downloads.html">The Bra Band Digital Download</a><br />
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It has been downloaded illegally 53 times so far from the "sharing" site. That would have been $265.00 for Breast Cancer Research. Not a fortune, I know, but something. It is a shame that those women were not willing to "share" with other women in a meaningful way.<br />
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CynthiaCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-77912697124053088662012-04-17T12:48:00.000-07:002012-04-17T12:48:52.445-07:00I have just witnessed ...I have just witnessed the most shameful copyright violation! I promised myself that I wouldn't blog on this anymore but this is just horrible, unacceptable, shameful!<br />
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Someone has uploaded (to the site mentioned in my earlier rant) a copy of "The Bra Band". It was done by someone with the screen name "Gladstone". No other information.<br />
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All proceeds from this chart are donated to Breast Cancer Research. How horrible that someone would upload it for free download. How much more horrible that people are downloading it for free. Is that what we have come to in this industry? Stealing from women with breast cancer. Stealing from women who can't afford mammograms?<br />
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For heavens sake if you can't afford to donate the $10 to Breast Cancer Research, just don't stitch it. How could anyone stitch this after downloading it for free is beyond me. And this is beyond discouraging for me.<br />
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I found the Bra Band up for download after reading all the laments about The Gift of Stitching going out of business from folks who were downloading copies of it for free from this site.<br />
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Geeeeeeezzzzzzeee!<br />
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I guess it's just stupidity and ignorance.<br />
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CynthiaCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-32872171557048225332012-02-02T08:58:00.006-07:002012-02-02T09:49:04.305-07:00New releases ... new snow ....Just as I'm getting used to the wonderful spring-like weather we've been having the past two weeks, I hear this morning that 12" of snow is heading our way this evening. The weather here in Denver is so flakey (no pun intended :-) and so different from what we had in the mountains. There we would get our first snow around Halloween and then it was snow, snow, snow from there on out until late May. Never melted off ... and I mean FEET of snow, not inches.<br />
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Here we get four or five days of spring, then two or three days of winter, two or three inches of snow. Then winter passes, the snow melts away and we get a little spring again. I have to admit, I like this a lot better but the little reprieves between the snow storms are tricksters. You think "Ahhh, spring has sprung. I won't have to get those boots out again" and then ... you get zapped by another snow storm. Though the weather report calls for 12" of snow starting tonight, next Thursday is supposed to be sunny and close to 50. A little of this, a little of that. Flakey once in a while ... but nice.<br />
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Meanwhile we got the new designs out and they have, for the most part been packed up and shipped. There is always a little delay, I'm afraid, between releasing the "new releases" and getting them posted here. We are always so busy getting the emails out and printing and packing and shipping that the last thing on my mind is updating my blog. Then it slows down a bit and I can finally get a chance to chatter away here.<br />
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At any rate, I have posted them, as usual at right. Butterfly Garden is a return to "gardening on linen" as is "Year of Flowers" come to think of it. The model for Butterfly Garden was stitched by Nataly Koplovsky in Massachusetts. I have to say that when I opened the package, it took my breath away. Looking at the "real thing" is always so different from trying to visualize it with drawings and computer images. Nataly did an incredible job of bringing those drawings and images to life. Every stitch was absolutely perfect. Thank you Nataly.<br />
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A Year of Flowers portfolio was stitched by my friend Anne-Catherine Seres in Bordeaux, France and the cushion was done by Darlene Dunat in Florida. Again, both incredible stitchers who I am so grateful to for taking my imaginings into reality. I don't think I've ever come across anyone who can stitch so quickly (and so accurately) as Darlene. I am super glad to add her to the roster of model stitchers that I have been so fortunate to work with this past year. I literally can't keep up with Darlene. She is patiently waiting for the next package and has been for a while. Sorry Darlene :-( Even on a computer, I don't work as fast as you :-)<br />
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And ... I stitched "B My Valentine". Yes, I do still stitch some of my own designs :-)<br />
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Got to visit a lovely little cross stitch shop here in Denver. <a href="http://www.fancimats.com/">Fanci Mats and More</a> in the "old town" section of Littleton is hosting a trunk show for us. Bright, cheerful and well-stocked shop with lots and lots of beautiful models to get those stitching juices flowing. We delivered the trunk show and couldn't resist spending some extra time perusing all there was to see and (we admit it) touch. Cindy, the owner of the shop, will have the show through the weekend so if you live anywhere near the Denver area try to get over and see the new things. Yes, she has the Butterfly Garden along with the Year of Flowers cushion and folio and B My Valentine. An extra bonus ... on the left side of the shop is a yarn store, on the right, an antique shop. What more can you ask for folks?<br />
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Oliver was 1 year old on January 29th. How time flies! We spent the morning at the dog park then stopped by the local pet store on the walk home. He got to pick out several treats and a little toy. He doesn't care much about the toys and treats but loves the store because it's always full of people and other dogs. He's turned into a wonderful companion with a sweet temperament and clownish personality. I am sure that Beaupierre is probably around the same age, though we don't know exactly when he was born, so I decided to celebrate his birthday the same day. Though he didn't get to go to the dog park with us :-) he got a few special treats and a new toy.<br />
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</div>He's now about 30 or so pounds ... about 22" tall at the hips ... so that's going to be it I think. Right on target for a Beardie. They tell me his coat can continue to change (drastically) in color until he's about 3 years old and will get much longer as he matures but I sure hope he's going to be a "stay black. You never know with this breed. He has beautiful big brown eyes which you never get to see unless you know him very, very well.<br />
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So enough bragging mom. Back to the drawing board so I can get new things out to those wonderful, patiently still waiting model stitchers. It's a long road from conception to completion.<br />
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And as I glance out the window I can see that Mr. Squirrel is waiting for me to fill the bird feeder so he can knock it down and eat all the seeds before the birds get to it. Better get out there and get it filled before the snow starts to fly :-)<br />
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Have a great day ... Enjoy! Sit and stitch a bit.<br />
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CynthiaCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-52878734109067324772012-01-12T18:40:00.000-07:002012-01-12T18:40:49.155-07:00Happy New Year and a Big Thank You!<div style="color: #d9531e; font-weight: normal; line-height: 25px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: normal;">A big thanks to all of you who purchased "The Menagerie" this year and made our contributions to "Best Friends" possible. I received this "thank you" email from them this morning </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: normal;">but it really belongs to all of you who contributed by buying the chart and enabling me to send the donations to them.</span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9531e; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9531e; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;">Thank you all for helping me help these angels.</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;">Enjoy the photos and video:</div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><div align="center"><a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54350611/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=e02db78a" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Times;"><br />
</a></div></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #d9531e; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;">Dear Cynthia,</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">I just wanted to thank you again for your love and support. Because you made miracles happen for so many animals in 2011.</div></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;">For some – like Rhubarb,who came to Best Friends with a serious condition – your gifts provided the miracle of love. For others – like Snowy, a cat who was adopted from Best Friends after being rescued from sickness in the freezing outdoors – it was the miracle of life<em>and</em> love.</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54718155/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=7cae62f2"><img align="left" alt="Video" border="0" height="132" src="http://editor.ne16.com/bfas-dogtown/011012_ga_video.jpg" style="height: 132px; width: 210px;" width="210" /></a>In fact, you made so many miracles happen over the past year, that we wanted share with you a <a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54718155/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=7cae62f2" style="color: #d75426;"><strong>video tribute</strong></a> to your kindness. So please enjoy this special video, highlighting many of the animals living happily ever after because of you.</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54718156/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=db45ecca"><img align="right" alt="Stories" border="0" height="126" src="http://editor.ne16.com/bfas-dogtown/011012_ga_stories.jpg" style="height: 126px; width: 129px;" width="129" /></a>Plus please take a moment to enjoy the<a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54718156/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=db45ecca" style="color: #d75426;"><strong>2011 Guardian Angel album</strong></a> online, spotlighting some of the most special stories of all.</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;">And remember, these are just some of the animals whose lives you’ve touched this year. All around the country, your support of Best Friends saves lives every single day.</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;">All of these triumphs, all of the stories you enjoy on <a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54113532/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=8d745ccc" style="color: #d75426;"><strong>the Best Friends website</strong></a>, and so many more happened only because of your caring. For that, I am deeply appreciative. Thank you for your continued support … and for helping us all move closer to a time when there are No More Homeless Pets.</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://newsletter.bestfriends.org/t/22494967/724931979/54113532/0/?c4e129f6=VHdvIHRyaWJ1dGVzIGp1c3QgZm9yIHlvdQ%3d%3d&x=8d745ccc"><img alt="Gregory Castle" border="0" height="162" src="http://editor.ne16.com/bfas-dogtown/011012_ga_gregory.jpg" style="height: 162px; width: 365px;" width="365" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 25px; margin-right: 25px; margin-top: 10px;"><br />
</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-45032230502742134112011-12-07T12:17:00.007-07:002011-12-09T10:01:24.540-07:00I've never had a Christmas Tree ....AND a cat before. I've found this requires rehanging all the lower ornaments at least once each day. Usually more often. That is if the ornaments that Beaupierre has removed from the tree and scattered around the house are not found by Oliver ... in which case they can't be rehung because they are pretty much destroyed.<br />
<br />
I'm glad my animals are getting so much "joy" from my holiday decorations :-)<br />
<br />
Tried twisting the wire hangers several times around the branches so Beau couldn't get them off. Doesn't seem to work. When thwarted from batting them off the tree, he has somehow found a way to remove them entirely from the hanging thingies (you know, the little cap that goes on the top).<br />
<br />
I love my animal friends ... so I've decided the only solution is to do a "search, retrieve and replace" mission several times a day to offset Beaupierre's "search and destroy" missions.<br />
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Some new charts added to the side bar ... released mid-November. A little late getting them up here but I am a major procrastinator when it comes to updating the blog. Maybe if I can figure out how to do it on the iPad ... I'll get better at it.<br />
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Book of Days was in response to those of you who told me you couldn\'t stand the thought of putting those little pocket calendars in your purse after you spent so much time and care stitching them. Voila! A desk calendar cover. It is sized to fit Exaclair's Quo Vadis Note 27 Desk Diary refill, which I personally use and love. You can purchase it on our web site along with the chart and stitching supplies or it is available from many good stationary stores. Even with all our iPads and iPhones and other ways of keeping calendars, I still find it comforting and lovely to keep a desk calendar in my own unique handwriting. For those of you who also like to do this, the Book of Days will give you a way to show off your stitching skills on your (literal not virtual) desk top.<br />
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The holidays are fast approaching and .... most of my shopping and ALL of my decorating (except whatever Beaupierre "un-decorates" each day) is finished.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG5MjnO6RYPlM2vciEMQj_idjgaAk6JzuZaUdxyQB5vcDCJjq-_KnSRMOZUhJ4WT_Ots6r60im68cDL9kU0piq0ZnBI8SPbS8F7goB7y7FpSD4jjH9y-9ZGJYlcZouOelVMxgSYHd_oZo/s1600/xmas_decor_blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG5MjnO6RYPlM2vciEMQj_idjgaAk6JzuZaUdxyQB5vcDCJjq-_KnSRMOZUhJ4WT_Ots6r60im68cDL9kU0piq0ZnBI8SPbS8F7goB7y7FpSD4jjH9y-9ZGJYlcZouOelVMxgSYHd_oZo/s320/xmas_decor_blog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Just need to wrap all those packages and put them under the tree. On second thought, maybe not. I think I'll wait till Christmas Eve. I don't have any experience with cats and brightly wrapped packages with ribbons and bows and sparklies all over them but the ornament thing has given me a pretty good idea what could happen. After the trip to Costco for all the dinner "fix ins" I'm set. I get to enjoy the rest of it. (I actually enjoy the cooking Christmas dinner part).<br />
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My new neighborhood goes all out for the decorating thing .... not only for Christmas but for Halloween which was a kick. The guy down the street had an assortment of mummies, ghouls and even a man hung from the gallows (life size mind you) in his front yard along with fog and sound effects. He hasn't gotten his Christmas decorations up but I can hardly wait to see them ... or not? Perhaps he only does Halloween? At any rate Ollie and I are planning a "Twighlight Light Walk" in the next few weeks to get a look at them up close and personal.<br />
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It's nice to be in my new home with my new and old families for the season. Lots going on in Denver. My son and I are thinking of doing the "Zoolights". He didn't want to do the "Blossom Lights" at the Botanic Garden so Zoolights was the compromise (quote ... "the Botanic Gardens are soooooo boring"). Both Ollie and Beaupierre will be having their first Christmas. I can't help but get a little sad thinking that this is my first Christmas without Sami. He was a champion package opener. Too bad they don't give an AKC Pedigree Performance Title for that, cause he would have had one. He could have been "Iamsamiam, CPO (champion package opener :-). Just loved to open packages. My daughter and I were wondering how Ollie will do with them. We will see if he gets to be "Riverwood's Oliver Twist and Shout, CPO.<br />
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My best wishes for the happiest of holidays for all of you and all of your loved ones. Enjoy! Savor the moments! We are allotted so precious few.<br />
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<b><b><b>C</b>ynt</b>hia</b>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-82717486823897896032011-10-12T13:48:00.001-07:002011-10-12T13:51:30.338-07:00Please help if you can ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbo_FGKAu0RtIceTJl-dOamIu9mav19UlxfFOu6tCosypI2EMBu1jjnQ9lUu-WWb_mp-U1HLCT85h8YHz04nRlQq_QH5v8I02TjEB8hsnjQDSAY0TmXZyT-5QFfFi6eySVaijrEJCBdY5f/s1600/Zora3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbo_FGKAu0RtIceTJl-dOamIu9mav19UlxfFOu6tCosypI2EMBu1jjnQ9lUu-WWb_mp-U1HLCT85h8YHz04nRlQq_QH5v8I02TjEB8hsnjQDSAY0TmXZyT-5QFfFi6eySVaijrEJCBdY5f/s1600/Zora3.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">This just in from "Best Friends in Utah:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://content.bestfriends.org/vo/?FileID=1c7b148c-5afa-46cd-a627-211e955a034e&m=4a3a4c1187e4fc45a24613dd27debf2a&MailID=21498285"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Zorah's Story</span></a></div><br />
She is so beautiful. Please help if you can! I wish I could take her but I live in a rental right now with a tiny, tiny yard and don't think she would do well here. Anyone out there with a farm or large yard or ? Please contact:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><strong><br />
</strong></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><strong><span style="color: teal;"><a href="mailto:lindanovitski@gmail.com">lindanovitski@gmail.com</a></span></strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">419-575-3820</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-30953958538860650802011-09-26T09:06:00.001-07:002011-09-26T09:07:06.467-07:00I totally forgot ....... to update this blog with the new charts which were available at the beginning of September.<br />
<br />
My apologies. I have been so busy designing and trying to get new designs to model stitchers that I accidentally left out this important step in the "new release" process.<br />
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Check them out at right.<br />
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Otherwise .... just very, very busy. Having a fun time planning new things, drawing new things, charting new things, enjoying my new neighborhood and the new additions to my family.<br />
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As predicted by many, Ollie and Beaupierre have become best of friends. It's really a joy to see them together. Ollie, such a gentle soul, lets Beaupierre use his tail for a cat toy. Beaupierre courageously puts up with Ollie's attempts to pick him up and carry him around the house. Ollie has decided that Beaupierre gets first shot at any "floor food" and first drink from the fresh water bowl in the morning. I absolutely love this delightful little dog. What a sweet-tempered personality he has! He is now a favorite at the local dog park for his playful spirit and ability to get along with even the most aggressive dogs. Beau is just beautiful, funny and affectionate. I am blessed to have these animals in my life. They bring me smiles and laughter each and every day. My thanks to whoever, up there, arranges these things.<br />
<br />
And my thanks to the many of you who offered your stitching services. Rest assured they will be disbursed as soon as they are off the computer and on to the printer. One is going out today ... four more to go. Anne-Catherine and Evelyne ... your packages WILL arrive but am holding onto them until I have some special things completed for you.<br />
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Life is good. I read something the other day that struck a cord, supposedly a quote from Rodin:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">"The more simple I am, the more complete I become"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Life is short. Enjoy ... everything,</div><div style="text-align: left;">Cynthia</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-68044704224993857392011-08-27T21:44:00.002-07:002011-08-27T21:51:52.517-07:00Sneak PeakOur final Calendar Covers are finished and waiting for photography. We apologize for the delay in getting them out but ....<br />
<br />
The move, the move, the move!<br />
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How aggravating certain aspects of moving are! There are always some things that mistakenly get shipped to the old address and, as Murphy's law would have it, this is exactly what happened. We have two other pieces in addition to the Calendar covers that we want to release at the same time and the frame and mat for one and the finishing fabric for the other are waiting for me on my old doorstep in Steamboat. So I will leave early Monday to make the drive to pick them up. Back on Tuesday so we can finish the final pieces and get the photography done. After photography, thanks to our wonderful new digital world, it is only a few hours of work to insert the photos into the charts and print. It looks like it will probably be after Labor Day when we can start shipping. We will get the photos posted to the web site as soon as they are downloaded from the camera.<br />
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In the meantime, while you wait for me to get back from Steamboat and get our new releases back on track, I have a sneak peak of the Calendar Covers in a special format. I know that many of you are stitching them all together on one piece of linen instead of making them into calendar/check book covers. (One customer mentioned that she was horrified by the idea of putting one in her pocket book after all the time it took to stitch and finish.) I thought it would be fun to take all my original drawings for each month and photoshop them into one piece. The result:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjajiPLtiK9qSamddzUMTPIzPx3svQSL2RV9iYwpciK9BzWMYuva4O2GzJgt4FO-HfKO8NrwtYGQSZ3jb7YB8QNgMIUPkx2o2E1vBGaYC3ypbr2gK_0EJbdv2W7Rygbk6ohYsvthl4CoH-/s1600/CalCovers_Framed_bigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjajiPLtiK9qSamddzUMTPIzPx3svQSL2RV9iYwpciK9BzWMYuva4O2GzJgt4FO-HfKO8NrwtYGQSZ3jb7YB8QNgMIUPkx2o2E1vBGaYC3ypbr2gK_0EJbdv2W7Rygbk6ohYsvthl4CoH-/s320/CalCovers_Framed_bigger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Click for a larger version. If you are stitching them all together or have considered doing so, this is pretty much what they will look like.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Be back soon. Until then .... happy trails,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cynthia</div><br />
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Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-68349785031984633922011-08-22T08:04:00.000-07:002011-08-22T08:04:52.714-07:00On a happier note :-)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGxVQIQdPWzzhObjdmkVqiLbABN12SRW35keL4IYwQKf6C75R7tBeeq1vRzV9tppxrGKLKrnKmOMlQ4B57v_ZgsRj5RiiDW_ZIQc0Z34_KQSOLOwxlImPi-8vpDB-tesf9Hp5jPj0GpU6/s1600/Beaupierre_Oliver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGxVQIQdPWzzhObjdmkVqiLbABN12SRW35keL4IYwQKf6C75R7tBeeq1vRzV9tppxrGKLKrnKmOMlQ4B57v_ZgsRj5RiiDW_ZIQc0Z34_KQSOLOwxlImPi-8vpDB-tesf9Hp5jPj0GpU6/s320/Beaupierre_Oliver.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My little family ... playing in my office while I work. They share toys, a water bowl ... and romps around the house. Ollie is starting to use his paws like a cat though. Funny to see this big-footed fur ball playing like a kitten. I think I know who is going to be the "Alpha" in the house ... and it isn't me and it isn't the big furry guy.<br />
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Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-67802624950512221142011-08-20T09:44:00.009-07:002011-10-06T14:10:19.349-07:00Sad ....commentary ....<br />
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I woke up this morning to find an email informing me of yet another cross stitch "sharing" site. A little "members only" site run by a large Chinese conglomerate. You can join by simply entering a user name and your email address and then .... you can upload cross stitch charts so that everyone else who is a member can download them.<br />
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There I found that just by posting enough comments I could earn "gold coins". And what could I do with these "gold coins"? I could download almost all of my charts for free. I could also earn even more "gold coins" by uploading any chart in my collection.<br />
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Trouble is ... I can't pay my rent or buy groceries with these "gold" coins. And I'm going to have trouble paying my rent and buying groceries if my charts continue to be pirated on these kinds of sites.<br />
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They call it "sharing". On this board people are actually thanking each other for "sharing". They are posting comments like "thank you for sharing this beautiful chart". Sharing? Strange new definition for "sharing". Stealing is what it is actually.<br />
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I don't know about you but I don't think I would enjoy stitching a chart that I know I had stolen. It would nag at me constantly with each stitch I took. Same reason I don't steal movies or music over the internet. Something would just bother me about listening to that music or watching that movie.<br />
<br />
Everyone says ... "Hey, you're just taking from a big multinational corporation.... Sony Pictures, Universal, NBC. They make millions of dollars. You're just taking one song, one movie ... and times are tough. What difference will it make?"<br />
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It will make a big karmic difference! Because then that attitude starts to seep down into everything we do. We justify downloading free cross stitch patterns over the internet to save $8.00. We justify stealing from a fellow stitcher who earns her living designing the charts that give us so many hours of pleasure. Pretty soon we're justifying not returning that extra change that the cashier gave us by mistake. Pretty soon we don't bother to return that wallet we found on the sidewalk. Pretty soon every thing we do is about "us" and what "we" want or feel entitled to. Pretty soon we don't care about what happens to others anymore.<br />
<br />
Karmic quicksand.<br />
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And it's not just me. There were thousands of charts there. Everyone from Lizzie Kate to Miribilia. All your favorite designers .... available for download .... for FREE!! Yahoo!!! They'll never miss that little bit of income you stole from them .... right? Right?<br />
<br />
As I'm getting ready to release new charts, this was particularly discouraging. I began to think "what's the point?" Months and months of work and then people will just upload them to these sites. It really doesn't seem worth it anymore. It's too difficult to try to keep up with these "pirates". A few weeks, sometimes just a few days, after the new designs are released they are available for free download on the internet. I'm a very, very small enterprise. One person. I don't have the strength or endurance or resources to hunt down and fight these "pirates".<br />
<br />
So what to do? Perhaps look for a job where people can't freely and easily steal part of my paycheck each month.<br />
<br />
I am not so much angry as I am discouraged. I have this talent for designing these patterns and I love doing it but it is time consuming and tedious work. There comes a point when you have to decide if working 10 hours a day, 7 days a week is worth it. If I'm not earning enough to pay the rent or buy groceries, then I need to find a job where I will.<br />
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I wish these people would stop and think for just a moment before they hit the "download" button. Do they understand that what they are doing is stealing? Do they realize they are stealing part of someone's monthly paycheck? Do they realize that they are contributing to the demise of their own favorite hobby. This kind of pirating does not hurt just one designer. It hurts hundreds. It hurts the entire industry. Each time someone downloads an illegal copy of a chart a designer loses part of their income, a distributor loses part of their income and a shop owner loses part of their income. It adds up quickly.<br />
<br />
Why are so many shops closing and why are so many good designers quitting the business and moving on to other occupations?<br />
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Because so many thieves are shoplifting from them that they can't afford to stay in business any longer.<br />
<br />
What goes around comes around,<br />
<br />
CynthiaCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-81385700173885820952011-08-10T11:59:00.000-07:002011-08-10T11:59:58.466-07:00Quick UpdateFor those of you who were rooting for Beau, he now has a new home with us here on Quitman Street ... and sort of a new name.<br />
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I decided to keep the name he came with, much as I did with Mister Oliver, but when I got him home my son started calling him "Pierre". Go figure. At any rate I call him Beau. My son calls him Pierre and it just sort of naturally melded into "Beaupierre".<br />
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Been a very, very long time since I've had a cat but I've always wanted to have both a dog and kitty living with me. So far so good with Oliver and Monsieur Beaupierre. Oliver is still learning to restrain himself with the little guy. He likes to lick and clean him but sometimes that big furry mouth opens up just a bit. Luckily he has what is know as a "soft mouth" (or soft bite) and is a very gentle soul with little prey drive. Monsieur Beaupierre, on the other hand, knows no fear and is already running around the house, perching on bookshelves and tables and tauting Mr. Twist. I think he is going to be pretty darn good at taking care of himself and won't need me to watch over him for long. As soon as I can get them both to sit still together ... a few minutes a day Ollie decides to lay down with him and clean him up ... I'll try to get some pix of them together. Meanwhile, may I introduce Monsieur Beaupierre:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnvzkxeAksjzC8ojcyMAEDV_FEe2dx-wZrsnEXavSdBwO4xKHB5eEyIGc6jjf-_ab3WWvpOoofq34Ejh0FvdvuiJakUir2y7Pa3y7WNKmFwuhIYWQCQa_igDGlWd81XZJZLfjKY4r2vbO/s1600/Beaupierre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnvzkxeAksjzC8ojcyMAEDV_FEe2dx-wZrsnEXavSdBwO4xKHB5eEyIGc6jjf-_ab3WWvpOoofq34Ejh0FvdvuiJakUir2y7Pa3y7WNKmFwuhIYWQCQa_igDGlWd81XZJZLfjKY4r2vbO/s320/Beaupierre.jpg" width="157" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic86C6bua5qbflbtpbe7kW5Px6cvcPuQ95zZsolHRQo_dSHZHQYnn_kuNTlfYFYnVTZFnyJMP6nALgF0CfQVUkEbMd_QaQL3-lpu3tEXvRoa9k3Hk-PQWbxl84K0h1UkgPTiEvcZ-imh4H/s1600/Beaupierre2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic86C6bua5qbflbtpbe7kW5Px6cvcPuQ95zZsolHRQo_dSHZHQYnn_kuNTlfYFYnVTZFnyJMP6nALgF0CfQVUkEbMd_QaQL3-lpu3tEXvRoa9k3Hk-PQWbxl84K0h1UkgPTiEvcZ-imh4H/s320/Beaupierre2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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All in all it's quite wonderful to have these two lounging around in my office as I work ... or scampering around the office while I try to work, depending on the time of day and the energy level of one or both. Beaupierre has a love of the desktop and, just as many of you warned me, is frequently draped across the keyboard. Good excuse for not getting much work done this week.<br />
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I can't stop watching them. So cute! So funny!<br />
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Happy little family :-) Now if I can just teach Beaupierre to run along side the bicycle with Ollie ..... :-)<br />
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CynthiaCynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-972997292330305622011-07-26T19:59:00.001-07:002011-07-26T20:03:48.579-07:00Has it been ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">more than two months since I've posted? How time flies when you are NOT having fun!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The move is, for the most part, completed. What an undertaking. I'm having trouble reorienting myself to a normal life right now. No boxes to pack? No boxes to upack? What????</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Almost everything is in it's place and we are functioning quite well given that we only had two weeks to get this thing done. There are a few items we can't find yet but I know from experience that they will turn up eventually, a few weeks or a few years from now ... or not ... but all the little necessities and knicks and knacks are settled. One more trip up to Steamboat in August to have a garage sale and do the final cleaning and then I am ready to leave that part of my life behind and fully concentrate on this part.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And it is sooooo good to have a little free time that isn't taken up by packing or unpacking something.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This weekend I had a few spare hours to get the old Bianchi fired up and ready to go. Two nice sized panniers for the back. Was considering a front basket but someone recommended these and they will be perfect for my errands. They snap on and off the bike rack and open up into nice size shopping bags. Sturdy lock ("I don't think we're in Steamboat any more Oliver" :-) and a pump. I'm ready to roll:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOte07-IOlxSnphuwku1q1kFTyb_Cb3GOAUK083k3yDtHufK7ZSgAWkyxk8lqhdw2UYp3y-KPX5VVcBE6WSsQRnCksLOkSssIUVA5gWo0wuXn94AZHpcaLhV0_FTCCXxo6zZhV_dCimSi6/s1600/content__media_external_images_media_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOte07-IOlxSnphuwku1q1kFTyb_Cb3GOAUK083k3yDtHufK7ZSgAWkyxk8lqhdw2UYp3y-KPX5VVcBE6WSsQRnCksLOkSssIUVA5gWo0wuXn94AZHpcaLhV0_FTCCXxo6zZhV_dCimSi6/s320/content__media_external_images_media_7.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Decided to try to train Mr. Twist (Oliver) to run beside the bike as there is a lovely, large park with a bike path running around a lake just a few blocks from here. A little run every evening could burn up some of that crazy excess energy that seems to pop up around 9 or 10 pm. He took to it like a champ. Beardies are bred for agility and herding and it really came out when I gave him a task to focus on that required quick thinking and concentration. Only six months old and he worked it like a pro! Never once stopped to look up at me (a big problem when you need to keep the momentum going) and never once ran in front of the bike. I was very proud of him ... especially given the lack of attention he shows in all other activities. He is definitely NOT going to be a fetcher :-) But he's going to be a great bike dog.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9TuDvgW5rVdTR0pUZ8vn8v62_f__CA82gk5uMD8LESNIU4wA6veDRj8tCBSjCz7dPLQ6cTUlbzncP3hAes6Y-kDboWNh0l2rrNA8T8X9Ygc_Ck4NGG8QZmnGF4QJt07ZWQ29m02TsNVr/s1600/ollieafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br />
</a> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEa-BWmBMjJaFwg5K-7As62wGiFkVGaN7IPsW5fJ4Gtk75FHTFg0wOmmA1iIsGW4k180g6TVN3zhcE6zcUoXlG3NT0fMpNB94qiFTVwi0Oo5Dbbk5_8aVAfjJdXoV33cd3Gy9n8hwCyTN/s1600/before-and-after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEa-BWmBMjJaFwg5K-7As62wGiFkVGaN7IPsW5fJ4Gtk75FHTFg0wOmmA1iIsGW4k180g6TVN3zhcE6zcUoXlG3NT0fMpNB94qiFTVwi0Oo5Dbbk5_8aVAfjJdXoV33cd3Gy9n8hwCyTN/s320/before-and-after.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Oliver before and after bike training :-)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">So, we are both adapting to this urban life-style quite well. I spent most of my young adult life in Los Angeles and San Francisco so I'm no stranger to this. Will miss the beauty of the mountains but I know it will lessen with time ... especially when the snow starts to fly. Love the close proximity of EVERYTHING. Can walk or bike to food, shopping and entertainment not to mention the dog groomer and a really, really cool pet store :-) In fact we walked up there today to get some new "chewies". They have the sweetest kitten up for adoption (they are working with a homeless pet shelter so NOT a mill cat) named Bo ... and it was great to see that Oliver likes cats. No prey drive whatsoever ... and Bo ... well I've always wanted a puppy and kitten that could grow up together. Bo is thin, petite and long legged. A real cutie pie. Hmmmmm ... you'll have to wait and see what happens. I don't even know yet :-)</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
But, I digress. This blog is supposed to be about Needlework, at least some of the time.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just before the move I received some lovely new charts from Marie Thérèse Saint-Aubin. If you're a fan, check out the designs on our web site.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the same time I received another package from France with some stitched models. Lovely job Anne-Catherine and Evelyne! I finally got my spare bedroom (also known as the "finishing department") set up yesterday so I can finish what my friends have started. October, November and December calendar covers are being stitched now which should give me enough time to get them finished and out by the end of August. Couldn't resist another little Halloween piece which I managed to stitch when not packing or unpacking boxes. New christmas piece is being worked on in Massachusetts. Thank you Nataly for taking that one on! So, between the four of us, we should have some pretty interesting things to release in August and then again in October.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And many more on the horizon. Going back to the garden, both literally and figuratively, with a new series and working slowly and lovingly on a teaching piece as when the dust settles here, I hope to get out there and meet some of you in person. The Denver Airport is now just a 25 minute drive instead of 3.5 hours (or up to 10 when the pass was snowed under) and I have loving siblings close by to look after Oliver when I leave.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are busily preparing for the Rocky Mountain Regional Seminar's Merchandise Night on August 5th. Hope to meet and greet many of you there so please stop by and say hello if you're attending!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rmrega.org/id100.html">RMR Seminar 2011, Denver, Colorado</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lots to look forward to.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are busy. We are content.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Off to the park so Oliver can practice being a bike dog :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then maybe walk to Parisi's for Pizza and gelato????</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">TTYS,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cynthia</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-74479820175307404112011-05-15T15:47:00.001-07:002011-05-15T15:48:27.175-07:00At last ...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Spring time in the Rockies.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am so grateful that the glacier in my back yard has finally melted. Now of course, I have mostly mud instead of ice but there are a few little green strands coming up here and there through the muck. The Iris are just peeking out of the mulch in the flower bed and we've had three or four sunny days in a row. Though I would never discount the possibility of snow in May in Steamboat ... I'm beginning to think Spring has arrived. This has been the roughest, coldest, longest winter I remember in a long time but it gave me the extra push I needed to move without too many regrets. There are many things I will miss about this beautiful, quiet place ... but another winter is not one of them. Maybe this past year was nature's way of telling me it really IS time to move on.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At any rate, it seems petty to vetch and moan about ice and snow when so many of you in other parts of the country are dealing with much bigger issues. My heart goes out to all of you dealing with flooding, tornadoes and of course the other storms life brings. The loss of loved ones, the economy, unemployment. My prayer today is that we all find the strength and purpose to forge ahead. I was listening to the sound track from "Parenthood" recently and the words to one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs struck a chord (no pun intended) so I'm keeping it on instant replay in my head ... and in my heart:</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">May you build a ladder to the stars</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and climb on every rung</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and may you stay</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">forever young</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It has not been all gray and snow and rain here. A very special little light came into my life in April and ... for the most part ... he is a brilliant one. The antidote to a long, cold winter. Makes me laugh. Makes me exercise. Relieves stress. Well maybe causes a little stress too. Okay, a lot of stress. No one told me that having a puppy was sort of like having an infant. Only difference seems to be mopping up instead of changing diapers. And of course babies don't jump on you, chew on your hands and then the legs of the dining room table. Nor do they try to make off with bulk skeins of Waterlilies. He bites. He chews. He barks when I put him in his crate. He drags all the mud from the back yard into the kitchen. He is also the cutest little cuddle monster I've ever seen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCja16ZVRzF9P8sPdwy64OvAK5p4OTgH7NRJg2ofbQXb29hGcW0L4dy-6IvVMS52v-NOxBJzuUWjAki79ZeLGxYxD9p5o7K64ozqPQzBD5WvcnEKN17JA8sU7cIW6XCYnWydS8xm7_R6uJ/s1600/ollie_3_months.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCja16ZVRzF9P8sPdwy64OvAK5p4OTgH7NRJg2ofbQXb29hGcW0L4dy-6IvVMS52v-NOxBJzuUWjAki79ZeLGxYxD9p5o7K64ozqPQzBD5WvcnEKN17JA8sU7cIW6XCYnWydS8xm7_R6uJ/s320/ollie_3_months.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ2qlK2WwrY04an4DotiqHeOrrXRhaf-9dgpQoqSMiF9RaXf5SEVV9CEs1WyD7uQYzJBa9jSJ01DcDPAHaVa-2_I3bVfwWgvhPIPJp6psNLLEiUkAyrF8gcwZ6XUHy1QYYj4T_fsug2TQ/s1600/My_Oliver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ2qlK2WwrY04an4DotiqHeOrrXRhaf-9dgpQoqSMiF9RaXf5SEVV9CEs1WyD7uQYzJBa9jSJ01DcDPAHaVa-2_I3bVfwWgvhPIPJp6psNLLEiUkAyrF8gcwZ6XUHy1QYYj4T_fsug2TQ/s320/My_Oliver.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJ2qlK2WwrY04an4DotiqHeOrrXRhaf-9dgpQoqSMiF9RaXf5SEVV9CEs1WyD7uQYzJBa9jSJ01DcDPAHaVa-2_I3bVfwWgvhPIPJp6psNLLEiUkAyrF8gcwZ6XUHy1QYYj4T_fsug2TQ/s1600/My_Oliver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Oliver Twist - 12 Weeks</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Found a house to rent in Denver. A great place with plenty of room for The Drawn Thread, a fenced yard for Oliver and within walking distance of Sunflower Market and Parisi's (my favorite restaurant, deli, pizzeria, gelatoria). I'm very relieved to know I have a place and have set a moving date. July 1 - 7 will be moving week ... so fair warning. We will probably shut down operations here at the end of June ... start packing up my personal stuff and The Drawn Thread ... and hand it over to the movers on July 7. I figure it's going to take a couple of weeks for us to get everything put away so we will be closed for orders from July 1 through the 15th. I know that seems like a long time ... but to move, personally, and at the same time dismantle an entire business, move it 100 miles and then reassemble it in a new location is going to be a daunting task so please bear with us during this time and get any orders you feel you will need before the end of July in before the end of June.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Speaking of orders, in between selling a house, trying to raise a puppy and spending most of my time in Denver searching for new digs, I've only managed to come up with 3 new designs for this quarter ... and that only because of those wonderful ladies in France. I didn't want to cause anyone working on the Calendar series get behind in their project so we managed to get those out on time. You can view the photos at right. The web site will be updated shortly and we will begin shipping next week.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wanted to also note that we will be at the Rocky Mountain Regional 2011 EGA Seminar Merchandise night - August 5th from 7-9 pm with a table full of goodies. If you are attending or are in the area, please stop by and visit. More information available at:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rmrega.org/id100.html">www.rmga.org</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Many more things on the drawing board, sitting by my stitching chair and in France ... so we hope to start (or finish) August with quite a few new surprises. For those of you who just couldn't bear to put those pocket calendar covers in your purse, we are working on desk calendar covers, a stitching journal, a sampler tribute to "My Little Town" that I will soon be leaving, and many other little surprises. Stay tuned and have patience while we make this move and .....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Stay </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">forever young,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-36707389321032371562011-03-08T10:28:00.003-07:002011-03-08T10:37:03.667-07:00It's all good ...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Good news, that is.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks to the generosity of stitchers, we have begun our sponsorship of some "friends" at "Best Friends". Since it is your dollars that are providing these sponsorships, I wanted to share with you what we have been able to do with the funds from "The Menagerie" so far ... I say so far because we are hoping we will be able to continue these sponsorships with the profits from this chart.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here are our three new "best friends":</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc8u2TvARV4weCQ6Og9UdBPSA9DfX1gWfO-Dib0bJohZGRS8IA38Xdlj3gFBnwvGA5lSjEdj3DdBc-BkqIWq8yQKRlVCQVDny26F217gaUeiBAV-cz8t4P5HVKHnM2uZEApnlTHJPXYfJ/s1600/CandySandy9763_FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZc8u2TvARV4weCQ6Og9UdBPSA9DfX1gWfO-Dib0bJohZGRS8IA38Xdlj3gFBnwvGA5lSjEdj3DdBc-BkqIWq8yQKRlVCQVDny26F217gaUeiBAV-cz8t4P5HVKHnM2uZEApnlTHJPXYfJ/s1600/CandySandy9763_FB.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.bestfriends.org/donate/list.cfm?action=page&page=2">Candy/Sandy</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCjA4iI1Lc6ikfqyRZlCkn5XlWFwQ47U5sj8dd-OE1DCLlVEWuWP_7MnZV5XD9uL36k-5xooEyWa4w84y3H9UmFNou-7NkW7GLKWzMBTHhuaHRNwluMbDN3lIF9z3TlDJrZA5cig2M1M7/s1600/gregorydoggles39294_FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCjA4iI1Lc6ikfqyRZlCkn5XlWFwQ47U5sj8dd-OE1DCLlVEWuWP_7MnZV5XD9uL36k-5xooEyWa4w84y3H9UmFNou-7NkW7GLKWzMBTHhuaHRNwluMbDN3lIF9z3TlDJrZA5cig2M1M7/s1600/gregorydoggles39294_FB.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.bestfriends.org/donate/list.cfm?action=page&page=4">Gregory</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And last but not least ... for all the cat fanciers that bought "The Menagerie" ...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the loveliest kitty we've seen in a long time ... just look at those eyes!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWtZJcmBhy86w1VdLFUptKAelreb4-tvNgfKyrLCKW0t5mKkT8kK8IWd_xJEaXXR2SVrpg2Wo9SS4duUKTt5NdD_MT01RxZ08SE3pTu-_4Oi6_jVnin0JNKUb47aHM5F5ZdLUZDUWrXDi/s1600/bigsnow08100_FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYWtZJcmBhy86w1VdLFUptKAelreb4-tvNgfKyrLCKW0t5mKkT8kK8IWd_xJEaXXR2SVrpg2Wo9SS4duUKTt5NdD_MT01RxZ08SE3pTu-_4Oi6_jVnin0JNKUb47aHM5F5ZdLUZDUWrXDi/s1600/bigsnow08100_FB.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.bestfriends.org/donate/list.cfm?action=search&species=Cat">Big Snow</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can read their stories by clicking on their names ... then scroll down the page to find them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is a litter of these little cuties being born in Loveland, Colorado on March 21 or 22 and I am trying to think of a name for mine. Any suggestions? There will be 5 to 7 puppies in this litter. The mom is a beautiful black and white beardie. The dad is brown and white. I have requested a black and white male ... for obvious reasons. I'll keep you posted.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And last, but not least, I have sold my home. Unfortunately, part of the deal is that I rent it back for six months. Okay. Nice slow move. So I will also keep you all posted as to when the move will occur and if we will have to shut down operations for a few weeks to accomplish this task.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I promised good news. I delivered :-)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My thanks to all of you for your support of "The Menagerie". You are a very generous group of people.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Love and peace,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-78124426542785871302011-02-07T10:42:00.000-07:002011-02-07T10:42:47.454-07:00... but the show must go on<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And so today I am releasing 8 new designs. I hope you enjoy them. You can click on the photos at right which will take you to their respective pages on our web site.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I did want to note this special release:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.drawnthread.com/menagerie.html"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_kD5ATntSTEtvKnoQroO59I_mVJXGDsJ56tOqUAQyBP9hiOvQQxVqfV2ErT6-nf_mjzs2HtK-dHAv8TkQmb239P9M_1cvd0gc-kiNP0IO_IbOZ8tCl1xiv3gXMkKinZtbLj_e9nX4yYrH/s320/menagerie_blog.jpg" width="145" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.drawnthread.com/menagerie.html">The Menagerie</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Sami's memory I am donating profits from the sale of this chart to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. They have a wonderful program where you can sponsor an animal, or many animals, so Sami is going to sponsor as many friends as he can, to make sure they also have a chance for a quality life and a "forever" home.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bestfriends.org/">Best Friends Animal Sanctuary</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I thank you so much for your continued support of our efforts and hope to be back here soon ... with happier chit chat and/or better news.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-77118360122208993792011-02-05T09:12:00.001-07:002011-02-05T13:42:09.711-07:00Thank You<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I want to thank all of you for expressing your sympathy and support. My Sam was a blessing ... and a gift. He never held a grudge, never regretted the past and did not fear the future. He was never mean or spiteful, never felt sorry for himself and forgave quickly. He never passed judgement. He just noted what worked and what didn't and then moved on. His mind was unencumbered by hate, prejudice or stereotype. His heart was open to the potentials and possibilities of each person, place or thing he encountered (a porcupine encounter comes to mind here :-). Each day was a gift to him. He was just as happy to respond to an invitation to play a bit of catch or take a long hike along Fish Creek as he was to sleep beside my chair for hours while I stitched.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Though I miss his physical presence every day, following his example by living life happily in the moment and loving unconditionally will keep his spirit alive and serve to honor his memory more than tears and grieving. That was my promise to him as we parted and I will do my best to keep it. I'm sure I will never be as good at it as he was.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thank you all for your beautiful words. Hug your pet today. If you don't have one, think about going out and rescuing one. You'll be amazed at what they bring into your life ... literally and figuratively :-)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTTRDFrW1D3x_pBRu8v9qssykZfajvZd0GYagNgwQHkulMS5E5hizRtCc-b431icL6a3SJm_A-qGA3vs4ogHc7gb2B3nDyxwaIG4QhgVGFReqSeGvJ-lWApD5ialkHu-GiDQAb1DGpI6Z/s1600/Iamsamiam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTTRDFrW1D3x_pBRu8v9qssykZfajvZd0GYagNgwQHkulMS5E5hizRtCc-b431icL6a3SJm_A-qGA3vs4ogHc7gb2B3nDyxwaIG4QhgVGFReqSeGvJ-lWApD5ialkHu-GiDQAb1DGpI6Z/s1600/Iamsamiam.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia and Sam</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-12486594110477664592011-02-03T14:23:00.000-07:002011-02-03T14:23:40.631-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">Iamsamiam</div><div style="text-align: center;">1996 - 2011</div><div style="text-align: center;">Loyal friend and faithful companion.</div><div style="text-align: center;">You will be missed.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zj5P8l3-NlHdt8tcntJRyQIVaaVhP_72Z1XMOibY6Qqo_rhnum-AUY_Gu4hbMU_51l3hRtNT5TFrSKjbCY6HfoKYIn5CHUbW1Ke3vgy9vVrS-qsnUgd-acMkzwxtHmdgPB-XjAL9J_m2/s1600/iamsamiam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zj5P8l3-NlHdt8tcntJRyQIVaaVhP_72Z1XMOibY6Qqo_rhnum-AUY_Gu4hbMU_51l3hRtNT5TFrSKjbCY6HfoKYIn5CHUbW1Ke3vgy9vVrS-qsnUgd-acMkzwxtHmdgPB-XjAL9J_m2/s320/iamsamiam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-34730936238493069572010-11-29T22:26:00.003-07:002010-12-04T10:25:29.181-07:00Thanks and Giving<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays ... made up of two of my favorite words. This year I witnessed an amazing demonstration of the second word, "giving", as I watched a young chef spend an entire day in the kitchen making a dinner for a group of us that I won't soon forget. Amazing meal that took weeks to plan and prep and then an entire day to prepare and serve. That was the "giving". Since I have been the "giver" of the meal for more than 20 years, I was grateful to be able to sit back, relax and watch someone else prepare it. That was the "thanks". Watching and feeling grateful for the effort made by our chef was my only job. How nice to be given an opportunity to be truly grateful. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks and Giving.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Two things we should probably make an effort to practice more than once a year.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And what a year. Rough year ... for many of us. And yet, I find if I take the time and open my eyes and search my heart, I can always find things to be thankful for, even in the toughest times. So after a bad day, or a stressful week, or a few dark hours, I always try to spend a few moments in the evening doing a little gratitude meditation so I don't get carried away by troubles and tribulations and end up going to bed with them (yuck! Who wants to sleep with those guys :-) It's amazing what a little "gratitude" meditation can do for your mood.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not to mention your sleep :-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Meanwhile, more thanks are in order. I want to thank my friend Evelyne Kaczmarek for the beautiful job she did stitching the model for "Alphabets" which is due to start shipping .... let's see ... tomorrow! A few new projects to help ring in the New Year. You can see the photos at right and of course, please visit the web site for more details. This was not an easy piece to stitch and Evelyne did an amazing job. I was so impressed that I did as many "close-up" photos as I could but they still don't really do it justice. Thank you my friend for a spectacular job ... on a difficult piece. Your help and support are worth more than you'll ever know.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After running out of wall space, I have been giving a lot of thought to designing things that are a bit more useful ... common, day to day items that can be made beautiful with a touch of embroidery. Why not show off our needlework on the little everyday objects in our lives and make them as "personal" and "special" as we can? The little calendar covers are the first of this group. They are made to cover the small, inexpensive promotional calendars given out by many companies this time of year. I've always carried one in my purse, but never liked the plastic covers that came with them and so, voila, something a little more attractive without too much work involved.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Am working on a cover for my large weekly desk calendar, for my journal, for note pads, shopping lists, coupon organizers, etc. etc. We also have another large sampler stitched (thank you Anne-Catherine) and almost ready to go and many other little objects and projects in the works. Some being stitched, some still on the drawing board and some still in my head. So, keep watching to see what turns up.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Meanwhile, it's late. Been a very long day. I need to go do some of that "gratitude" meditation so I can fall into bed and sleep like a grateful baby.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #003333; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">See you soon, ci vediamo a presto, à tout à l'heure, gauw tot ziens,</span></span></div></div><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="color: #002e3f; font-family: Times; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia</span></span></span></div></div></div></span></span></span><br />
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</span>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-218158256335820382010-09-12T10:13:00.000-07:002010-09-12T10:13:30.058-07:00Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">After my last post ... about crossing my fingers and hoping everything kept working ....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">More bad juju. All programs crashed again. Computer wouldn't recognize printers. Talked to Adobe (for hours). Talked to Apple (for hours). I seemed to be spending most of my time making new friends in technical support everywhere in the world ... but getting little or no other work done. I love making new friends but my career was starting to suffer ...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, the decision was made. Return the new computer with the new operating system to Apple. Try to replicate my old computer and system by buying a used one. Wait a week for new computer to arrive. Wait a week for new software to arrive then start over again from scratch. Load all new software, print drivers, etc. etc. and pray that it all works.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Prayers answered. All working. Big sigh.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This week, I re-built the web-site using the new program. Got the web-site uploaded and the email program working. Now, the last on the list "update blog".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It's been a heck of a month ... so far one that I never want to repeat. But I'm grateful to be back up and operating ... grateful to be once again functioning in cyberspace ... and able to update this blog and</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">MOVE ON!!!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You can see photos of the new releases for September on the right side. I am too tired and too brain dead to try to get the "slide show" working and besides, I've lost all my passwords for almost every on-line service I use so it would be just too stressful to attempt that this morning. Please visit the website where you can see large photos and get all the information.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some major "thanks" are in order here. First to my daughter for putting up with a very hysterical and depressed mother for the past 3 weeks. No excuses but it has not been easy to deal with disaster after disaster while trying to keep the house clean and be "out of it" for 2 hours at a time roughly 15 times this month. Without your support through the computer crisis, I think I would have given up.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks to my dear friend Anne-Catherine Seres for stitching our beautiful model of "To Everything A Season". Perfectly executed in an amazingly short time and delivered to into my hands way before deadline. Thanks in advance to Evelyne Kaczmarek .... for the soon to be released "Alphabets". These two friends have given me so much of their time ... time that I didn't foresee that I would desperately need once the computer crashed. They made it possible for me to focus on the computer issues I needed to focus on ... and still get design ideas onto linen and into chart form. Thank you both for your love, generosity, friendship and support. There is no one else quite like you two!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And to all others who lent their ears and sympathy when I thought I really wanted to give up. Thanks for not allowing me to!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Now ... onward ... to the next challenge ... or maybe a reward? I could use a little reward :-)</span><br />
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<div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #003333; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">See you soon, ci vediamo a presto, à tout à l'heure, gauw tot ziens,</span></span></div><div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #002e3f; line-height: 25px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #003333;"><span style="line-height: 25px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-18538185637976484522010-08-20T23:03:00.000-07:002010-08-20T23:03:32.154-07:00What a month ....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">so far :-(</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last Friday my entire hard drive crashed. I couldn't believe it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My daughter raced over to the Apple Store in Denver and brought a new one up on Wednesday. Meanwhile I took the old one in to a place here in Steamboat called "MacRanch" and a very patient, persistent and bright young man named Chris retrieved all my files from the hard drive ... and we thought all was well.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We got the accounting program and all its data back up and running on the new computer... retrieved the software for the mailing list, though I had to rebuild most of the data files ... and we thought all was well. All the data files for the new and archived charts, as well as the web site were rescued and in their proper places and I breathed a big sigh of relief.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Unfortunately, none of my Adobe application files would load on the new computer. So, though I had retrieved all my data, I couldn't access any of it :-(</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Apparently the new computer also has a new operating system that the Adobe programs haven't quite caught up with. After a very, very long, stressful week and many hours on the phone with Adobe Support, it still wasn't working. I had really pretty much given up. Went to bed last night saying to myself, I'll just deal with it tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This morning I got up and gave it one last try. Inserted the Adobe CS4 disk in the new computer's drive and tried loading a few programs. They loaded!!! Then a few more ... and they loaded too! And now, knock on wood, they all seem to be functioning and stable.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Whewwwwwww.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The only glitch ... the old program I used to build and upload my website will not function on the new operating system, so I need to convert the web site into a new program this weekend and I will be back to normal. It will be a long weekend. It was a long week.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, if your orders were a little slower going out than usual, you will know that we were struggling to salvage a whole computer system and all the data that accompanies a small company at the same time we were trying to keep up with orders, keep inventory stocked and keep kit manufacturing on target.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think we did an okay job of getting through this. I have a great big hard drive sitting on my desk and an automatic backup program is doing its thing every hour on the hour. I have learned what is critical to back up and what is not. I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about computer operating systems and programs and how and where data is stored.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I want to thank my daughter for her help and support while all this was going on. She went above and beyond ... traveling to Steamboat from Denver with a new computer, sitting for hours on hold with Adobe Support systems ... filling orders and cutting fabric and making runs to the post office while I struggled with programs that wouldn't load and data I couldn't find. Without her, I would have been inclined to give up the ship ... but she kept it steadily moving forward in very turbulent waters. Thank you Hana. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Wish me luck this weekend getting that website converted! It's the last thing that needs to be done to get us back up to "pre-crash" speed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cynthia</span>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-7310781958429141612010-07-07T16:41:00.001-07:002010-07-07T16:44:49.610-07:00I hope everyone ....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">had a fun and festive fourth! It was cool and rainy here but that didn't stop us from celebrating with our annual Steamboat Springs 4th of July parade and, of course, a giant fireworks display. Was it my imagination or was it just a bit shorter than last year ... the parade and the display?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Still, it was lovely with lots of sparkly explosions and a massive finale. We watched from high up on a hill at the Colorado Mountain College, which was a bit of a change for us. Usually we're down in the park with a picnic and wine, looking up at all the lights. This year it was just too rainy to do the picnic thing, so we had the fried chicken and salad and strawberries at home and then, just as we knew they were about to begin (almost missed the "begin") we made our way up the hill to see the display.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And now, finally, no more snow. I need to replace that dreary May picture with a lovelier view ... of my Siberian Iris blooming in the garden:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzOEsZlJkeAao9slt-1FLSE_k9_QOWsQ38Q7xfGB8pHXcca69m35AuqEWSvhJ6gEYL0nG6b2YhdBBku0cvKssOGTzkoApR-LwxYq_xgbKw4r2ks7IiZhsUbqFCaBIiZcXO2YIxpHB5gGR/s1600/siberians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzOEsZlJkeAao9slt-1FLSE_k9_QOWsQ38Q7xfGB8pHXcca69m35AuqEWSvhJ6gEYL0nG6b2YhdBBku0cvKssOGTzkoApR-LwxYq_xgbKw4r2ks7IiZhsUbqFCaBIiZcXO2YIxpHB5gGR/s320/siberians.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Much nicer than snow, don't you think? I've always planted these beauties in every garden I've owned for the past 30 years and, though I now live in a Townhome and have few formal gardening areas, I still found a space for them. I can't imagine a summer without the pleasure of watching them bloom so I was thinking ... when and if this place ever sells, perhaps I should dig up a few bulbs and carry them with me to the next nesting place.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And, just in case I don't, or can't or for some reason never plant another garden (god forbid) I was happy to find a chart of these same treasured blooms by one of my favorite designers:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVa19fhwT8BHuJ3dO3ebvaFetxGNmdl5fFSqchWMKmV_trmXSsDkWEolAL2FBGj_EL1pQp0-cg5mLZkdz3UZ0nmh2jixG4B2Tj8yY7qOGkHStf3i_Hk2zcfo0D6R2uH5ogFQ7j9LJ4qpjy/s1600/irisdesiberie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVa19fhwT8BHuJ3dO3ebvaFetxGNmdl5fFSqchWMKmV_trmXSsDkWEolAL2FBGj_EL1pQp0-cg5mLZkdz3UZ0nmh2jixG4B2Tj8yY7qOGkHStf3i_Hk2zcfo0D6R2uH5ogFQ7j9LJ4qpjy/s320/irisdesiberie.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Iris de Siberie by Marie Thérèse Saint-Aubin</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and decided I had to add it to my stash ... and so I did, along with a few other designs ... and now I've also added them to the web site so you can enjoy them too. If you love stitching flowers as much as I do, check out the new ones by Marie Thérèse that we've just added to her page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.drawnthread.com/chartsandkitsmtsa.html">http://www.drawnthread.com/chartsandkitsmtsa.html</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We've also added some new designs by Sampler Cove:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi2uQv20cuMDN7gZzQ9cPsWlnPhuAHALKhqdFSkA3nZJnVSwJwbReqZS22RrN4x_gjj1cd5zzn8aJ1v6lglsoSzHSsW8XsAc_lx4uD-5s7igFPgedxlHN07FsKS5yvISqMi9rBnuxmAd0/s1600/SCanniversary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAi2uQv20cuMDN7gZzQ9cPsWlnPhuAHALKhqdFSkA3nZJnVSwJwbReqZS22RrN4x_gjj1cd5zzn8aJ1v6lglsoSzHSsW8XsAc_lx4uD-5s7igFPgedxlHN07FsKS5yvISqMi9rBnuxmAd0/s320/SCanniversary.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">a<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">nd I bet you think I've forgotten all about our "Christmas in July" ornament, but I haven't. It is sitting right here on my desk just waiting for it's final photograph. The kits are almost ready to go, the chart is just waiting for the photograph and then we can print it. Unfortunately, we have been backordered on the beautiful bell pull hardware that we ordered for it and need to put those in the kits before we can begin shipping. No word from Germany yet on their status but we will keep you updated. Hopefully we will still be able to do this "Christmas" thing in July. If not, think Christmas in August. Christmas in September? We've got our fingers crossed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In the meantime I am honored to be the "featured" designer in the "Gift of Stitching" in August and I can't wait to see how they photograph the project we sent. We are also moving along on new releases for September. Two nice samplers and a small calendar cover to go along with one of them ... and who knows what else we might come up with by then. I'm getting some very strong "Halloween" vibes right now so perhaps I should say adieu and get back to the drawing board.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #003333; line-height: 25px;">See you soon, ci vediamo a presto, à tout à l'heure, gauw tot ziens,</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
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</span>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-65460499821103851872010-05-15T08:31:00.000-07:002010-05-15T08:31:44.063-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgANFzs82qqs_iRTfl16Zxj_j1dbg1jESyGqvutJOQPQaIYYt4gfOKDp7mEKDVPoA7GfUxY_YmyGLy2A-KR3geb0VJJLbto3-QS4ftjCGXpHvGVFJL94XiYjTBd1j-82Cd7UTOW816qLu/s1600/ssmay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMgANFzs82qqs_iRTfl16Zxj_j1dbg1jESyGqvutJOQPQaIYYt4gfOKDp7mEKDVPoA7GfUxY_YmyGLy2A-KR3geb0VJJLbto3-QS4ftjCGXpHvGVFJL94XiYjTBd1j-82Cd7UTOW816qLu/s400/ssmay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 9:30 a.m., May 15, 2010</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yikes! Tired of snow. Can you believe this?</span></span></div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-47935085989677353462010-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:002010-05-12T09:18:25.916-07:00It's been a while ...... since I've been here. It's been a very busy couple of months and I have no excuses for not keeping in touch other than that the blog kept being pushed down a very long list of things that needed to be done.<br />
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But now, with a few quiet moments this morning, and new releases to tell you about, I have taken it from the bottom of the list and put it at the top. Other things can wait a few moments while I take some time to get back in touch.<br />
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First of all, new releases are on the slide show at right. "When I Am Sewing" also took a while to get to the top of the list but when it did, I enjoyed every minute of it ... and the little saying on the back of the portfolio seemed so ... appropriate? The days DO pass quickly when I am sewing. And the seasons have changed from cold, windy February to the beginning of May gardens ... at least in most places. Here? Well, here we had snow again last night as we have had 4 or 5 nights out of every week for all of April.<br />
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Snow is so lovely when the first flakes begin to drift down in November (or October if you live in the Colorado mountains), but by May it's lost most of it's charm and is just "not appreciated" any longer. And I can't seem to tamp down the urge to plant something ... vegetables, flowers .... anything. I am having these incredible urges to dig in some dirt ... but when there is still snow to shovel off the back deck ... well ...<br />
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Just one of the many reasons I have been spending a good amount of my time trying to get the house reorganized and "de-cluttered" so I can put it on the market next month. Time to move to a slightly less snowy environment I think. Some place with a growing season of more than two months. You know, somewhere where we're not getting hard freezes the first week in June.<br />
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The real estate industry tells us that in order to make the house ready for sale and to appeal to potential buyers, we need to make it look as if "no one lives there". Good concept but have you ever tried to actually live, day to day, in a house that needs to look like no one lives there ... when you actually do ... live AND work there? Hmmm. It's a struggle, and I do miss the huge collection of framed personal photos that I built a bookshelf around (all packed away in boxes in the garage now) ...<br />
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but I just keep telling myself it's only temporary and, with some good karma and lots of prayers, it will sell quickly and I will be nesting again somewhere else before too long. Somewhere I can grow little lettuces and carrots and a few flowers for the table.<br />
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In the meantime, in between stitching and drawing and packing away all my personal effects, I have attended a very special graduation ceremony ... an especially important event for me and all those involved. My daughter graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, this month with a degree in Political Science. Four years of hard work and dedication on her part made the celebration possible ... and we had a wonderful time. I cried at her high school graduation and I cried at this one too. I suppose I will cry at the wedding whenever that occurs, and have the same kind of happy tears in my eyes when I look at my first grandchild, but then I am a sentimental old fool and take these milestones very seriously. She was lovely. I was proud. I never cease to be amazed at her strength, resilience and drive. She always finishes what she starts. She always keeps her promises. She always does her very best and she always manages to keep a sense of humor about the whole thing. So, she is graduated from college now. Onward and upward. Enough bragging for one blog.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now that "When I am Sewing" and "Button Boxes" are on the press and ready to ship, I am working on our July releases which should come out in July (ideally) unless of course the house sells in the meantime, in which case I will be in the middle of packing and moving. One can only hope, but I am proceeding as if that happy event won't occur for a while, so ..... planning another limited edition Christmas ornament for "Christmas in July" and there are some lovely, skilled fingers both here and abroad, stitching some samplers that I am pretty excited about. Some things have been on the drawing board for a long time and would never have gotten to the "stitching" stage without all of you who offered to become "professional" stitchers. It's working out rather well. I still work on things that need to be "worked out" little by little, but those things that come to me "whole" and can be drawn and charted complete, are slowly but surely going out to stronger, steadier hands. For those of you who wrote, and haven't received a project yet, I ask your patience as it takes time to work out the colors and fabrics and of course the stitch diagrams and charts. But they will arrive eventually (Candace, I promise :-) I have all of you who offered to stitch on a list and as projects become available, I am contacting each of you. I can't tell you how thrilled and appreciative I was by your response to my request. It's just a long road from conception to completion ... as all of you who have children know :-)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am also working on several special "teaching" pieces, as when the dust of my life settles, I hope to be able to travel more and teach and meet as many of you as possible. So far, my experiences with those in the stitching community, have shown me that it is a wonderful little "village" of kind and generous women (and men, let's not forget our male stitchers!) with a shared passion that somehow spreads beyond and overflows just the actual stitching part. I am happy and grateful to be a part of that "village".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I will try not to push this blog to the bottom of the ever growing "to do" list from now on. Perhaps just a little "I'm here and still kicking folks" once in a while instead of a full blog will be all I can manage, but I will try to keep up with it and keep in touch with you all and hope you all keep in touch with me too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cynthia</div>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2572731739239844172.post-50822221225117921862010-02-10T19:35:00.008-07:002010-02-10T20:08:26.702-07:00Interesting Weekend ...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">helping my son rent his first apartment .... and stocking it with food, pots and pans, toaster, microwave, etc. It was bittersweet nudging the last little duckling out of my nest and into his own. Now I'm just hoping that all those vast quantities of bagels and hamburger patties and frozen chicken nuggets don't perish from not being stored in the freezer (as I kept reminding him over and over on the way back to the new apartment ..... puleeezzze remember to put these things in the freezer! Puleeeeezzzzzeeee!). Hopefully it will get him through the next month or at least till he gets his first paycheck. I'm not an advocate of frozen chicken nuggets and burger patties and boxed pancake mix ... but, hey, that's what he wanted and I figured that's what he'd eat. I know if I had bought fresh veggies and fruit and free-range chicken .... those, for sure, would still be sitting on the counter going bad. I know that the huge case of instant mac and cheese, though not particularly healthy, will be zapped in the new microwave and eaten. He won't be hungry.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mother hen .... doing the best she can long distance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sigh.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Missing him today. It seems like just yesterday he was running down the stairs to show me the lego model of the space shuttle he had built Christmas morning. It's an oft-told family story ... about how, excitedly running down the stairs to show us his master piece, he tripped and ....</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yup, you know the rest.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I want to thank all of you for your enthusiastic orders of the new designs. We have had many, many requests and were a little behind in the shipping department for a while (especially with the little break for the apartment move in) but seem to be catching up now. So, if you haven't received yours yet, a whole pile of them went out this afternoon. They should be on your doorsteps by early next week.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since I doubt I'll have the time to get back here before Sunday ... I wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day. May your day be filled with love .... all kinds of love ... brotherly love, romantic love, a mother's love, filial love ... sibling love (does that actually happen sometimes .... maybe later in life?) and, of course, don't forget to love your pets.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I heard the funniest song yesterday. It's from a Norah Jones CD. Obviously she has a dog (cute St. Bernard on the cover .... wonder if that's him?) ... and well, I just laughed and laughed when I heard it because .... I sure know where she's coming from :-)</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZBFd0qV5gA">Man of the Hour</a> - Norah Jones</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #003333; line-height: 25px;">See you soon, ci vediamo a presto, à tout à l'heure, gauw tot ziens,</span></span><br />
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</span>Cynthiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17290102828625920653noreply@blogger.com2