Cross-Stitch Design

Just returned from the Shepherd's Bush Cross-Stitch Retreat in Utah.  If you're not familiar with Shepherd's Bush, they are cross-stitch designers extraordinare!  They have a shop in Ogden, UT to die for!  The retreat is held every other year in Park City and is just heaven for stitchers!!!

This retreat the "Fun Girls", as my friends Jenny, Barbie and I are called (we were dubbed by Ann from R&R at a previous retreat), were in the track with the teachers:  Shepherd's Bush, R&R, and The Thread Gatherer.  Our projects are fabulous and I can't wait to finish them (will post those pictures when I'm finished).

I was able to show the gals from Blackbird Designs some of my "enhanced" work.  Two pieces I "tweaked" of their's.  They were impressed and told me I was ready to do some designing of my own!  It was like receiving permission to go ahead and do it!!!!  What have I been waiting for?

Here is a picture of a design of my own that I made up as gifts for my Fun Girl stitching sisters (didn't show Blackbird these...don't know why?):



Spent yesterday charting out another design idea.  I'm on my way!!!!!!

Fig Success!

I found more figs!  I bought 10 figs...again, at 79 cents each. (I've got to buy a fig tree!)  The next morning I used the Fig Pickle recipe from the Ball Canning Book and...delicious!!!  This is the amazing taste I remember from last summer.  Nothing like Fig Newtons...which is what I think of as the taste of figs.  You can Google "Fig Pickles" and get pretty much the same recipe I used.  You gotta try it!