How many Tobias are there?

One of my absolute favorite linen colors, Tobias.  Beautiful, deep, rich, warm bronze.  Notified stock was replenished, ordered, and can't believe what I saw upon opening the envelope.

This is slightly more green than my Affogato, and the farthest from Tobias.  Returning for sure.  Anyone have any thoughts?  Was the color changed but name stayed the same?

This is my 36 and also 40.  BTW, Jane Southward is spectacular on it.

I give up.

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Finish

I avoid hearts in samplers and most designs.  Love the shape in a finish, but years ago the country style of hearts everywhere wore out their welcome.  Previous Cat finishes were done with the large heart along the neck as charted. 

 I removed it and decided on a scarf.  Other possibles are a bow tie, bolo, or dress shirt collar with tie.  The girls will have jeweled chokers or a string of small pearls tacked on, no stitching.

The first piebald cardinal here had white feathers, and he visited today.  What are the odds after all these years to have TWO!!  They do not feed at the same time but wouldn't that be great to get both in the same photo?

That green santa book is by Teresa Kogut and has many other santa charts included.  Great offer.

The carpal tunnel surgery is minimally invasive with a tiny incision in palm and wrist.  And yes Edie my friend's surgeon was Dr Kann in Seven Fields!

 My least favorite "holiday" is in a few days, the weather turns very cold, and the appointments/tests begin.  But where?

Be safe.

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Wishing everyone a healthy 2025

Probability of minor surgery for me this year. 

Carpal tunnel for sure, cubital tunnel is looming.  It's that feeling of hitting your "crazy bone" that radiates to the finger tips but it takes hours to subside.  My friend had the carpal done in Pittsburgh, local numbing, no surgical ward, fifteen minutes and you go back home.  No therapy, no sling, boom.  I have no intention to proceed with knee replacement and am looking for another doctor.  With the hospital closing next week, appointments for patients transferring to other local doctors will really cause a bottleneck.

Stitching interest is slowly returning, floss tube is helping with that.  Not much work on the cat, 40 count.  A second will be done on 46 count cream linen, reversed position.  This one is 4"wide and outline is black,  not brown.

Happy mail ...  this booklet and I am sorry I didn't Jingle to get her blue santa.  Quality of chart and paper is unmatched. Next year, blue.

The only time I drink tea is when ill with a cold.  Honey and sweetener need to be loaded in.  Davidson's Chai is my favorite, this is Christmas blend.  I thought I had enough health issues to complain about, but ....

Thank goodness Christmas is over. 

Hope yours was what you hoped for.

Happy New Year folks.

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2013

 That's the year I offered my cardinal finish. 

Loved this guy and he left in a giveaway.  But the chart?  Really?  I planned to stitch this oldie but cannot find it anywhere.  Doesn't mean it's gone, but for now it is.  Enlarging my photo allows me to count the outline stitches which is fine, quite small. Online search for replacement was useless, but I can figure it out since I'll only stitch it once more.  Year in place of Merry, Carole's initials by the star.

The other project will be C is for Cat.  One of my all time favorites, another very old chart.  Trying to find a small piece of 40 is not working out (I won't cut a larger piece) so 36 will do but it won't be as small as I want (3.6" x 4").  I wonder if different sizes and colors could be a fundraiser at shelters.

Glow bird is here.

Enjoy your weekend.

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With or without a bubble

this is quite confusing.

The plan was to do a little online shopping, haven't had happy mail in many months. 

Nothing has changed regarding color confusion.

I like darker linen and Bramble looked nice, have none, thought I would try it.  I found it is a color by Seraphim, and also Picture this Plus.  Looking at the mfg website photo and shop sites, decided to not take a chance.  

Blue? Gray? Brown?  Once I get frustrated I lose interest.

  

Regardless, it snowed, I'm crabby.  Glow bird is even more stunning against the white.  I did order the new Kogut Santa book and two linen pieces.  I really wanted her blue Santa from the Jingle Ball, but couldn't find stitch count/size anywhere.  Did not purchase admission ticket since there were no other projects of interest to me.  I'll look for it when released next year.  Didn't purchase the BBD book for the drum.

Going through recipes for sweets, also meals, almost all are Carole's handwriting.  No sense sharing any with Chris and his family since they were never taught to read cursive.  Script fonts either.  She loved entertaining and cooking, planned all the holidays and menus, I feel quite lost.  Nutrolls were not on her list, I made them every Christmas along with bobalki.  I lost twenty pounds (????) after years of trying with no results.  Hoping I can be reasonable with treats, but with a very limited amount this year, it may not be that difficult.  

Looking at others' recipes, I don't understand how mom's single yeast cake with six cups of flour works.  Most all others are half+ that amount with one cake.  I changed the two tablespoons of honey in the nut filling to two tablespoons of pure maple syrup (2# nuts).

Have a good weekend.

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Reverse painting

 Is that what painting one side of glass is called?

I'm assuming these were my Polish grandmother's from the writing on the backs.  

The cloth tape holding them closed had deteriorated in a section which allowed me to open the glass. 

 But how did the florals appear through the black paint background on the reverse side?  Impossible to fill around the details, and the brush strokes don't show that.  Things that make me want to go ... hmmmmm.

Do I want them?  Not really.  The black paint is lifting from the glass in spots, could be touched up I'm sure.  Store in the attic where they were found at Carole's?

My eye bubble is not really an issue now that it is smaller, just a nuisance and should be gone in a few more weeks.  When I explained to a friend how they inject this gas bubble into your eyeball, she got quite weak in the knees.  I may be able to stitch depending on where I hold the work.  I saw a drum finish on a floss tube from BBD's book And Blossom as the Rose and plan to order.  Nothing else in the book I want.  

Today I mailed a small photo we had printed of Carole last Christmas to a few of her very close friends.  I hope that isn't inappropriate, but with phones, having such mementos are not common as years ago.  It seems as if she has been gone for a long time, yet thinking I will see her in a few days.

Roads are high traffic, stores are chaotic, and unlike many years ago, I want to get away from it all.  I much prefer home and watching the video of Lauren's home and unmatched Christmas collections over and over.  

Click here to watch

And of course, floss tube.

Have a peaceful day.

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