Crossroads of My Mind

Friday, January 18, 2013

Welcome to Crossroads! Thanks for Growing My Blog!

Hello and Welcome. My name is Pam and I have been cross-stitching for about 25 years. I am totaling hooked on stitching and collecting cross-stitch patterns. I love to stitch in my recliner in front of the TV, with a movie popped in, listening to NPR, or watching good, quality television.

I live in Mason, Ohio, which is a northeast suburb of Cincinnati, and have lived in Ohio since 1985. I am a single mom of two wonderful young people, a son looking to attend film school this year, and a daughter who has two cats and works at the Bangor Olive Garden.

In about 5 years I look forward to retiring to Maine, my home state. Naturally you will notice a predominantly nautical theme to my stitching, although my tastes are all over the place.

My other obsession is genealogy, and I have a link to my geneablog, Digging Down East, in the sidebar.

2013 marks the 20th Anniversary of my diagnosis of Breast Cancer. Additionally, as an American History buff, I am commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. So, if you decide to follow my blog, you'll see lots of Breast Cancer and Civil War stitching this year.

I am thrilled to participate in this Grow Your Blog party, and would love to offer the follow pattern to a lucky visitor as a door prize. Anyone can enter, anyone can win, you don't have to have a blog. Leave a comment or send me an email. I'll put all the names in a hat and have a neutral person make the drawing. The winner will be announced in this space on February 1st.

Again, thanks for stopping by and of course,

HAPPY STITCHING AND BLOGGING ABOUT IT

For a list of all the participating blogs and giveaways ... just click the button in the sidebar.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Wednesday's WIP Report ~ Where There Is Hope

This doesn't look very exciting, but it really is a fun stitch.

2013 marks the 20th anniversary of my diagnosis of breast cancer, so this year I have decided to stitch up all my cross-stitch patterns celebrating my survival from this terrible disease. When I was diagnosed in 1993, 1 in 9 women got this dreaded diagnosis. Twenty years later, it is now 1 in 8. Here's to all the beautiful women fighting the good fight.

Where There is Hope by Dragonfly Stitches

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Crazy Cat Love ~ Christmas Gifts for Stephanie

My daughter is Mama to two cats, Moe (short for Mozart, although she is female) and Muffin. The three of them live in Bangor, Maine, where Stephanie works, having graduated a couple of years ago from the University of Maine. She really is a "crazy cat lady," so, of course, I just had to stitch up a couple of my favorite cat designs for her apartment. They were under the tree for her this Christmas. Apologies for the glare, but I needed to photograph them quickly, so they could be shipped asap.

Crazy Cat Lady, by Raise the Roof

If Cats Could Talk, by Designs by Lisa

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Wednesday's WIP Report - Angel of the Sea

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

I've been awarded the Liebster Award !!!

I am really delighted to have received the 'Liebster Award'

Thank you so very much to Linda Lee at Cross 'N My Stitches for my award.

What is the Liebster Award?

Liebster is German for 'dearest', and the award is given to an up-and-coming blogger with less than 200 followers who deserves recognition and support to keep them blogging.

Many, many thanks Linda for the award. I am so delighted that you chose me :-)

I have awarded the Liebster Award to:

Peg at Lightning Fingers............Not!

Cathryn at Cathryn's Place

Rita at Stitch Days

Kelly at Sweet Needle of Mine

Molly at The Patch

Here are the rules, if you choose to accept.

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who awarded you.

3. Copy and paste the award to your blog.

4. Nominate 5 blogs that you enjoy to receive the award, and who have less than 200 followers.

5. Inform them of their nomination by leaving a comment on their blog.

Let's keep on supporting the needle arts and blogging about it!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Wednesday's WIP Report

Lately, I have been airing out my stash, and came across an adorable mitten design and its matching frame. It seemed like the season to tackle it, and I have found it to be a really easy stitch, once you do the math for the proper layout. I'm not always good at that, but I checked myself more than twice. Barb Hils at Keepsakes found me sound yummy 28 ct fabric which has a wintery feel to it, and I'm off!

The other piece in progress is L & L's Angel of the Sea. Having grown up on the ocean, in Maine, the sea has always had a special place in my heart, and I kitted this one up over ten years ago. The key to efficiently stitching this piece is sorting out your colors and keeping them close at hand. The blending of the waves' hues is mesmerizing, so I was glad to get in that adorable little conch shell for contrast.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

"Over the River" and Not a Minute Too Soon

This afternoon I devoted my entire time to finishing this Christmas piece. It was a Limited Edition Kit, designed by Pat Thode, for HeartStrings in 2004. As you can see, I finished the cross-stitching last year, then put it away before tackling the specialty stitches and the adorable embellishments. What makes us abandon a project when we are so close to the finish ?!!

Anyway, here is "Over the River," in all her finished glory, stitched on 32 ct. Polished Brass Reflections by Silkweavers, to which these pictures do not do justice.

I love the way the beard is accentuated by the long stitches in white. And, yes, there were a lot of metallics in this design!

The embellishments were adorable, especially Santa's candy cane

ice skates!

And then this magnificent sleigh!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Take-Offs and Landings, Witches !!

from
Lizzie Kate

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Happy Pumpkin Hunting !!

Pumpkin Hunt
Part of Autumn Snapperland
Bent Creek

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Happy Fall!

One of the four free seasonal samplers available from

The Stitcherhood

of Athens, Ohio

You can see the other two seasonal samplers that I have stitched up from The Stitcherhood at the following posts: Summer and Spring.

Winter is next!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Political Toys ~ Part 2

American Primitive
Prairie Schooler #8

Presidential candidate Andrew Jackson was the first Democrat ever to be associated with the donkey symbol. His opponents during the election of 1828 tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist beliefs and slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson was entertained by the notion and ended up using it to his advantage on his campaign posters.

But cartoonist Thomas Nast is credited with making the donkey the recognized symbol of the Democratic Party. It first appeared in a cartoon in Harper's Weekly in 1870, and was supposed to represent an anti-Civil War faction. But the public was immediately taken by it and by 1880 it had already become the unofficial symbol of the party.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Political Toys ~ Part 1

American Primitive
Prairie Schooler #8

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast invented this famous symbol—the Republican elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled “The Republican Vote.” That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Jameson's Birth Sampler - Here Comes the Giraffe!

Here is my progress on my great nephew's birth sampler. He was born in Portland, Maine, on February 10th, so he's 6 months old already. I'd better get moving!!