Theme-a-licious Fangirl February Wrap-Up

Sorry I'm a little later than I wanted to be with this post...we just got back from my birthday weekend away. =)

This month wasn't as productive as I'd have liked, but it's a short month, so let's give it a pass. ;) My plans for my favorite designers were

• Teresa Wentzler: Peacock Tapestry
• Moss Creek Designs: Blackwork Band Sampler...or maybe Ye Shall Prosper.
• Mirabilia: I should be good and work on Autumn Queen (in progress AND on the WIPocalypse list). But what I really want to do is start Dancer, since Dasher needs company. And since it's my birthday this month, that's probably what I'm going to do. =)
• Cookie A: Bex

I didn't get anything more done on Peacock Tapestry since IHSW, except for a little backstitching, but here's a reminder:

 

For Moss Creek, I decided to work on Blackwork Band Sampler. I was able to finish the bottom most motif and start on the double satin stitch border that surrounds the WHOLE THING.

I was hoping to put in some of the vine and flowers that twine around it, but that didn't happen.

As anyone who's been paying attention at all should have been able to predict, for Mirabilia, I did not act like a responsible person and work on Autumn Queen...I started Dancer.

(Pardon the terrible picture.) Careful viewers may note that this blob is approximately the same size, though a different shape, than it was last time. That's because, unfortunately, I was not a very careful stitcher and had to frog an entire deer leg. =(

I did get a whopping two rounds done on Bex in the car on the way to my birthday getaway. I didn't take a new picture, because the socks still look pretty much like they did last year:

 

Next up is...
March Madness

Stitch or knit on something different every day...it's madness...of the funnest possible kind.

Now a quick word about March Madness...I realize that not everyone can do what I do, which is utter madness. If you don't want to try that (AND I DON'T BLAME YOU), think about what might shake up your stitching routine a little. If you've got a lot of WIPs, why not pick a random one each weekend day? If you're a committed one-at-a-timer, why not start an ornament each week? Or let a friend pick your next project? Whatever seems like "madness" to you, that's what you should do. =)

Here's the vessel of my Madness:

Behold, the Sparkly Compote of Decree!

I have a slip of paper with each of my WIPs on it (and a few blanks, which are "wildcards" and let me stitch whatever I'd like during the day...which usually translates into starting something I've been wanting to start ;). In the morning I draw a slip from the SCOD. If for some reason I don't want to stitch what's on the slip (for example, I pull my most complicated project on a night I'm going to stitch group) I can pick another slip, but I HAVE to stitch that project, and I have to work on the first one I drew the next night. I am allowed to work on something I've already worked on during the month as long as I ALSO work on a project from the SCOD. Even when I'm being random, I gotta have SOME rules. ;)

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So how did your Fangirl February go? Please add your link below (to your wrap-up post). We're going to use the links WITH the thumbnails again, but if we want to keep those, I need to get a silver membership. I think they're cool, but if you guys are ambivalent, I'll probably go back to the plain old links. So let me know in the comments what you prefer!

Our next post will be on the 15th, when we'll see how the Madness is going! And don't worry if you haven't posted before...just jump in whenever.

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1. Julie

2. Ruth

3. Lucie

4. Karoline

5. Its Daffycat

6. Blu

7. Jo from Serendipitous Stitchin

8. Jackie

9. Measis Musingds

10. thread garden

11. Sherry

12. Sherrie@ Food for Thought

13. March Madness

14. Chic Crafting

15. Shebafudges update

16. Topcho Feb check in

17. Teresa B

18. Already Forgotten

19. Loretta

Orchid Daze

Click now for JiffNotes

Orchid Daze is happening right now at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. The "theme" this year, besides OMIGOSH LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY ORCHIDS, is "Hanging Gardens".

 

Just inside the Conservatory door, the gorgeousness begins!

 

 

Just off to the side of the entrance are some terrariums with colorful frogs. You have to stop for a second and see how many you can spot. But this time they had some new varieties and these Glass Frogs were so cute, I couldn't resist taking their picture.

 

Also: new camera with its movable focus spot is awesome! I never would have been able to get this shot without it.

Back to the flowers!

 

For Orchid Daze, they always do a big display in this foyer. And often, it's something they've constructed...a craft project that houses lots of gorgeous flowers. I loved the hanging display they made here, with metal pots sunk into the wooden slats and the whole affair painted copper.

 

Stunning.

And it houses lots of beauties like this one.

 

And these...

 

These guys showed up again in the main orchid house as a backdrop to these amazing pale yellow orchids. They somehow remind me of birds in flight.

 

The lattice normally holds orchids; during Orchid Daze, it just holds...

 

MORE.

Another great hanging display is behind the reflecting pool in the main orchid house.

 

These orchids almost form the perfect ikebana arrangement naturally with the points of heaven, man and earth.

 

Hey, how about if I just let the flowers do the talking from here on out??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one's my desktop background now. =)

JiffNotes
And I was able to get these without inconveniencing all my fellow Orchid Daze goers by plopping my tripod down at every point on the path or climbing on the benches. I'm looking at you, lady with the giant purse and dude in the hat.

February TUSAL

(What's a TUSAL?)

I got tired of trying to overcome the glare on my monthly ort jar, so I just dumped the fuzzy little blob out.

 

Since he's bottom-up now, the sparklies on top are from Les Rubans, the yarn is from Helena, and the bottom sparklies are from the temari. There are some other orts in there, but they are much less voluminous so you can't really see them.

Tomorrow: Orchids! Or camellias...not sure which...I've got lots of gorgeous pictures of both!

Craptcha

This is a public service announcement for those of you with Blogger (blogspot) blogs that have "word verification" turned on for your comments. You may not even know you HAVE "word verification" turned on if you're on the new interface! As it stands now, I can barely prove I'm not a robot when I try to comment at a lot of blogs! I've seen a lot of complaints out there, so here's how to turn off those wretched Captcha codes if you'd like.

The trick is...if you're using the "new" Blogger interface, you'll need to switch back to using the old interface to change this option. To do this:

• From your blog's main administrator page (where you start a new post, or check on your stats, or edit your pages), look in the upper right-hand corner, and you should see a button with a gear on it.
• Click that and it will drop down a menu.
• Select "Old Blogger interface" (don't worry; you can switch back).

From the old Blogger interface...

• Find the "Settings" link (or tab) and click it.
• Look for "Comments"...now don't click the "Comments" tab that sits between "Posting" and "Settings" at the top. Look for the one underneath "Settings" and click that.
• Scrolllll down and look for "Show word verification for comments?".
• Click NO!
• Now click the "Save Settings" button at the bottom of the page.

Finally, to switch back to Blogger's new interface by going back to the top of the page and looking for the "Try the updated Blogger interface" link.

(Hint: for most of these, you can "search" for the text to find where to go...Ctrl-F in most browsers.)

Hope this helps someone...if you need pictures, I can try and put them up later!

The Geekend That Was, 2/19

Click now for JiffNotes

Saturday morning we headed to the Botanical Gardens again because Orchid Daze has started! I want to do a separate post because I took a LOT of pictures. But here's a taste:

 

The day turned misty and rainy, so we headed home, making a perfect evening for hermitting. =)

The hermitting was aided greatly by the hubby's acquisition earlier in the week...

 

Oh yeah. Even the Christmas episode.

I managed to finish the second lesson on my temari ball. I'm still a week behind, but at least I'm catching up. I had a tough time finishing the marking and doing the first round of stitching on the ball. I learned a lot, though. I really should write it down so I actually remember it. =P

 

It doesn't look too bad, although there is a technical term for the way my shapes (pentagons and hexagons...see 'em?) came out, and that term is "wonky." =)

Then I pulled out Peacock Tapestry and decided that instead of continuing to wallow in pear leaves, I might be better motivated to finish it if I had a pretty peacock to look at while I stitched. So I started on him...see his little birdy feet?

 

There was no stitching on Sunday...after church we went to Michael's parents' house and played two games of Settlers of Catan (BOTH of which Michael won, ONE of them by UTTERLY BETRAYING ME) and then saw War Horse. I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, but that could have been because of the interference on the digital projector (the lighter scenes of the movie looked like they were shot through a continual drizzle), or because of the couple eating Doritos out of a VERY CRINKLY bag the ENTIRE MOVIE.

JiffNotes
I'll take two days of hermitting next month, please.