Favorite Embroidery Floss

Hi all. I feel like I fell off the face of the earth for a few days. I have been rolling, baking, and painting salt dough like a crazy lady, lol. I have them for sale on a Facebook group, Primitives for Sale. I am so thankful for the orders, but I have salt dough coming out of my ears. : )

I have a question regarding embroidery floss.  I've been using DMC for ever, but want to get a more variegated look when doing punch needle. I started researching and it seems Valdani and Weeks Dye Works are the most popular outside of DMC. They are both beautiful, but neither is sold at a shop near me so I would have to order online. Also, the price is higher. While those are both cons, they are completely understandable. Hand-dyed floss is worth the price I'm sure. I also like to use 6 strands when punching and they both offer 6-ply so that's a plus.



Valdani Embroidery Floss



Weeks Dye Works Embroidery Floss

So what is your favorite floss to use? Do you know of an online shop that has good prices? Feel free to email me at info (at) sugarhousecreations (dot) com if you don't want to post here.



~Michelle

Housework?

This was hung on the porch of a hooker who was demonstrating in Zoar, Ohio, during their Harvest Festival. It fits me quite well. :-)

~Michelle

Punching!

I got some wire from Joann's the other day to try and make a threader for my Cameo. For just $2 it was worth it to try and get some punching done since I had the urge. Isn't that always the way? Its not perfect, but it will work. I sat on the couch with hubs and the animals, and did some punching while watching Grimm.

I'm trying a different punching technique. I ran out of one of the orange colors so moved on to the background. I have to pick out colors for the tongues yet. I would have done more, but holding the Cameo really hurts my hand. I think I need to get one of those rubber grip things for pencils. That might help.

Oops, sending pics from my phone is always dangerous. Yes, it's a pumpkin. : )


~Michelle

Garage Sale Find

I got this old metal baby buggy for $5 at a garage sale. The old man having the sale said he took off all the material and padding, and put on a wooden box to use around the yard as a trolley of sorts. I plan to put it on my porch and decorate it for the seasons. Any other ideas? I'm also wondering how old it is. He was so excited to show me the brake, lol. He also thought I was nuts for wanting it, lol. One man's trash.....

Cameo Punch Needle

I had just gotten started punching this pumpkin when my threader broke. I don't know where to find one locally. The craft stores only seem to carry Clover brand which isn't long enough. Bummer. Has anyone made their own threader? I was looking forward to an evening of punching. *sigh*

Swap Gifts

I was so excited to participate in a ditty bag swap with Amy ~ Bumble Bee Lane. I've done swaps with other bloggers, but never a surprise swap where you don't know what you are getting. Unfortunately the box came while I was at my sister's, but my husband knew how excited I was to get the box so he opened it and took pictures to text me, lol. I couldn't wait to get home and actually take a look at them for myself.

Here is what Amy spoiled me with:

 

The start quilt runner is the perfect size on the room divider in my front room. That huge thing is a work in progress and I need a lot of things to fill it up. I'm thinking of covering some thrift store books with fabric as that will take up room for one shelf at least. The ditty bag is just the cutest thing! I have the hearts in there now with her sweet card. In the cello bag is a wax bunny.

And here is my favorite:

A bee skep pinkeep with a rusty bell and safety pin. : )

Amy is hosting another swap, this time harvest gatherings, so hop on over if you want to participate. Maybe you will be lucky enough to have Amy as your partner. : )

~Michelle

My Trip To A Horse Farm

          

Out the kitchen door. You can see how close the horses are. Her dog loves to roam around and visit the horses.

My trip to a horse farm......also known as my sister's new home!  She doesn't own the horse farm, but is renting a cottage on the farm that is just steps away from the horses. The owners, Jim and Carol, had renovated half of a barn into a cottage for her mother when she got ill and now they rent it out. Yes, I said half of a barn. You wouldn't even know it was there, but it's so cute inside! They installed plenty of windows and sliding doors on the sides that overlook the horses so there is a great view all day long. The horses can even get right next to her back deck if they wanted to, and at night they do tend to graze in the weeds that are close. So neat!




My 6-year-old niece off on her riding lesson.

As part of their lease, my 6-year-old niece gets free riding lessons. She is in heaven! She has always been an animal lover and I think she feels quite at home on the farm. She also gets up at 7am to help Carol with her chores. She gets herself dressed and off she goes! Her job is to help clean out the poop from the miniature horses pen. She rides on the four-wheeler with Carol and they go around and feed the animals together. It's really quite cute. Carol has a heart of gold to put up with a 6-year-old tagging along wherever she goes. : )


The view for my morning coffee. Audrey is off to help Carol with her chores. Girls on the right, males on the left. I'm sure there is a proper term for the horses, but I don't know them, lol. Mares are girls, right?

My niece doing chores.

                               

I had a few days off last week so I drove down to see them. My sister and her daughter moved in a few weeks ago as my sister is going through a divorce. It happens and quite frankly she is better for it. I'm not going into details, but it was not a healthy relationship. Needless to say my visit with them was less stressful than in the past, lol.


Of course there are a few cats roaming the farm.

                                

 

My niece spent part of one day at the Ohio State Fair with her dad and then spent the night at his house, so I get to spend some 'girl time' with my sister. We ate bad things, drank too much wine, and stayed up way too late, but it was great getting time with her all to myself. She has been living with stage 4 breast cancer and is doing very well on a research trial through The James Cancer Center at OSU. I'm so happy she is now in a healthier place mentally too.

Horses waiting for breakfast. In the back is the barn for the mini horses, ducks, and chickens. I learned that miniature horses protect the chickens from coyotes and that is why they are together in the same pen.

Back to the horse farm. Jim and Carol used to breed and break horses, but they are now retired and have a few boarders and their own animals to tend to. They have about 12 horses, 3 miniature horses, 4 roosters, 4 hens, a handful of ducks, four dogs, and now a coonhound out in the barn that just had puppies. Anyone want a puppy? : )



Lucy the coonhound and her puppies. They are staying in the horse barn.

I can't wait to get back and visit as my trip this time was too short. I drove down Wednesday morning and had to come back Friday afternoon. It was my 10th wedding anniversary so I had to come home. : )  We celebrated by going to Zoar, Ohio, for their Harvest Festival. I'll share those pics another day.

And of course I did some hooking while I was there. So neat to sit there with the horses.

~Michelle

A Different View

The view for my morning cuppa. More details to follow. :-)