Printing, Packing, Mailing

Well, the Needlework Show is over for another 6 months or so. And somehow I survived it, even with being gone for the weekend. (See previous post about bicycling event from Houston to Austin). Now I've been printing, packing and getting everything ready to mail like a mad woman. Actually, I had almost everything on hand from Nashville leftovers. The new designs needed theire layouts finished, and several of the Nashville releases needed reprinting. I'm very happy with how it went, considering how overwhelmed I was the 2 weeks before the event and I didn't get the publicity out that I wanted to. I will do better next time!

Now to focus on some new stuff for June - oh yes, that is only a month away. What can I get done in a month? Anybody out there want to lend me some fast fingers? I really wish the TNNA show was a little bit later in the summer. The first half of the year is just a little front-loaded with tradeshows - Nashville in February, Online show in April, and TNNA in June. Guess that means I should spend the rest of the year gearing up for next spring! :)

Ok, my dolphins need a little bit of love. They didn't get nearly the orders that the Dragons got during the online show. Maybe the picture doesn't do them justice? Maybe people don't want to stray from pure cross-stitch? Maybe people don't want to use all silks? Maybe the central dolphins are too simplistic? I don't know, but I do know that I will enjoy looking at this one! That's not to say that the dragons aren't pretty too (and my model stitcher did an awesome job on them). I guess I just had a lot of fun experimenting with the textures of the silk threads and the different stitches and I really love the way they came out. Oh, well. Nobody gives any love to "Summer Wind" and "Signs of Spring" either. :)

If he did the bike ride - why do I have the injuries?

DH participated in the BP MS 150 this weekend - that's a bike ride from Houston to Austin over the course of two days that includes some challenging hills for those of us who live in a flat city like Houston. I was doing what we call SAG support (Support And Gear). After seeing DH off from the starting line just after dawn on Saturday, I drove out to the overnight site, found a camping spot and proceeded to set up the tents - one for us, and one for his cousin who was also riding. Another friend joined me a couple of hours later to keep me company, so we set his tent up. Then it was off to the finish line to make sure we saw DH rolling in - which we did. He got washed up, then we all got some food and went back to the tents to chill out for a while (DH had just bicycled over 80 miles and we'd both been up since 4 in the morning!) Then he got a voicemail from his cousin that she was three miles out from the finish line, so we hurried over to try and catch her coming in. 45 minutes later, we hadn't seen her. I managed to raise her on the cell phone and she was already eating dinner! We went over to the dinner area and we saw that we'd seen her whole team come in, we just hadn't recognized her with the different jersey and helmet on! D'oh! Oh well, we grabbed dinner, and then the sun was starting to set so we went back to the tents to try and get some sleep because we knew we'd be up before dawn again. And we were - we got to sleep in until 5 am this time, but DH had to get to the starting line by 6am (when there are 13,000 riders, the starting line gets long early). After packing up the tents, I headed out to Austin and finally made it there by 11. There is something very mesmorizing about watching huge groups of bikers on the side of the road while you're driving by. All those bright jerseys, with the black shorts and the little legs flashing up and down - ok and I was running on very little sleep to begin with. The finish line in Austin was also mesmorizing! I think I saw a Discovery Channel Team member cross the line at 11:30! I finally found a shady spot to stand/sit and wait. DH had an awesome time and came in at 1:30 - even with doing the really hilly park. I saw him cross the finish line, then had to try and dash around to the end of the biker's funnel to where I could meet him - that's where I tripped and skinned up both knees and ripped a hole in my capris! So I'm the one who got the injury - plus the sunburn from standing at the finish lines (and yes, I did put on sun screen). After we met up and I got proper sympathy for my injuries and he got congratulations for doing such a good job, there was the usual routine of cleanup, bike stowage, waiting for cousin, her cleanup, bag retrieval, then getting home! Whew! We surived the bicycle experience one more year (well, mostly survived it!)

There's a Spirit Can Ne'er Be Told

Ok, time to break into song:

Some may boast of prowess bold

Of the schools they think so grand

But there's a spirit can ne'er be told

Its the Spirit of Aggieland!

We are the Aggies, the Aggies are We

True to each other as Aggies can be

We've got to fight, boys, we've got to fight

We've got to fight for maroon and white

After they've boosted all the rest

They will come and join the best

For we are the Aggies, the Aggies are we

We're from Texas A M C

For those that don't know, today is Aggie Muster Day (and incidentally San Jacinto Day here in Texas), and any two Aggies who are within 100 miles of each other are supposed to get together and remember their times at Texas A&M. On campus, a memorial is held for those Aggies who have died in the past year. The Muster is the roll call for the absent, and as each name is called a candle is lit and someone answers "here" for that person because they are with us in spirit. Aggie Muster is an amazing experience - the campus ceremony is quite moving. The one spring I was co-oping in Minnesota, I found an A&M group in the Twin Cities and attended their Muster gathering (and a few other outings). Today it is much easier to get together with other Aggies as my husband also went to A&M and I work with several other Aggies. Still, it is nice to take a little time to remember the traditions that drew me to Texas and make the the Spirit of Aggieland so very special.

Just in time

I got all of my stitching and finishing work done just in time for the Online show! Yay!

Here is the project which would never end, "Dolphins of Delos"

I started it in the fall, and just had to intersperse it with too many other projects. It is actually a very simple design to stitch. The dolphins took no time at all. The bright part of the background is stitched in a scotch stitch, with cross stitch filled in between (blue silk alternating with sparkling blending filament). The border was also simple - just a repeating pattern done in straight satin stitch. I did have a hard time deciding on the colors for it, though. Finally the corners are filled with a Rhodes square and some cross-stitching and the space between the central design and the outer border is filled with smyrna crosses alternating in blue and white. This model was done all in silk, so it was really fun to do, and I used some different weights for texture. It is so vibrant - I love how it turned out. Some people may not immediately understand why two dolphins are pictured on a bright yellow and red background - that is because this design is inspired by mosaics from the Greek island of Delos, so the background is meant to look like a mosaic (also it makes the whole thing brighter than doing it all in blues and greys). Anyway, I'm really happy with the way it came out, and I'm really happy that it is finally done!

Also done and finished are the iFobs:

Each one has the scissor picture on the front and the word "iFob" in the matching color in the back. I stitched the blue and green ones and had a model stitcher do the pink one. I did the finishing on all three - and they are my first ever scissor fobs to do! I'm so proud that they came out! I had to hunt down the right kind of cording because it just had to be white like an iPod! (Finally found it at Hobby Lobby).

I also finally got around to the finishing work on "Dragons Welcome":

My poor model stitcher - she worked to get this done for Nashville, but it couldn't get finished in time. Then of course, I waited until the last minute to do the finishing for the online show. But now it is done. It is so bright and sparkly in person. Do you know how hard it is to make five different looking dragons in one design? And not have it be too big? This is actually the second incarnation of this design idea - the first one never made it past the graph paper stage.

Tonight is the first night of the Online Needlework show. This was the first time I really had to decide what designs to put in the show - we only get twenty slots and I now at close to thirty designs. Crossing my fingers that it goes well.

Now back to the designing with me!

Spoke too soon...

Apparently I spoke too sooon, or didn't knock on wood or something, when I posted about not being sick previously. Shortly after that a nasty bug decided to hit me in the stomach. Said stomach decided to kick nasty bug out. A fight ensued and I was the miserable host. After a morning of being miserably sick, but deciding that it wasn't food poisoning, and that I was approaching a state of dehydration and needing to know if I was carrying a contagious something in light of my impending trip to Memphis, I took myself off to the doctor's office. They were kind enough to see me that afternoon and pronounced that I had a stomach infection, which they had seen many people with lately; prescribed antibiotics and said that I would be fit to travel and non-contagious by the weekend (this all happening on a Tuesday). I spent the next two days recovering - first from lack of food, then from all the bug-fighting that my body did. However, by Friday, I was definitely feeling better, which was good, since that was the day I was travelling to Memphis.

Technically, I was only travelling to Southaven, Mississippi, but my Grandmother lived for so many years in Memphis, that I still refer to visiting her as, "Going to Memphis." This was kindof an impromptly-planned trip for her 95th birthday, so to save on airfare, I had booked a flight to Jackson, MS, where my Dad would pick me up on his way to Southaven. Normally, this would be a very good plan - except when there was a mechanical issue with the plane that made our departure 3 hours delayed! Luckily, there was a golf course close to the airport for Dad to have some fun. I was stuck at the airport - although I did find a power outlet to juice up my iPod. Finally make it to Jackson (luckily the luggage makes it as well) and we head up the road to Southaven. I drive through some really major storms - no tornados, though.

The weekend was rough. Granny is much weaker than she was at New Year's when I was last there (except for a brief visit coming through for the Nashville Market). 95 years is catching up to her at last. It is hard to see, partly because I identify with her so much. I my height from her side of the family (I'm smaller than both my parents), she did a lot of art work in her later years, and she's very considerate and giving, but she also has a stibborn streak in her. My Dad got sick while we were there, so my Aunt and I ended up taking care of her through most of the weekend and I can see a little bit of what full time caregivers have to do. Monday it was back to the Jackson Airport with me and by then I was exhausted!

Stitching news: The online show is coming up soon and I think I'm going to go crazy! Dragons Welcome still has to have its finishing work done (although I bought the prettiest fabric for it two weeks ago). That will probably happen tomorrow night. Dolphins of Delos has turned into the never-ending project. Just one more border element to do, then it needs to be stretched and matted. One other release will be ready (I hope): The iFob available in three colors! Green and Pink need to be made into fobs, but Blue is done.

I'm also frantically working to get new things ready for TNNA in June. This is the "Big Show" or what needs to be the industry's big show. Unforturnately, the first have of this year has not been personally condusive to getting designs done. Well, I can hope that there will be shops that attend who haven't been to the smaller cash and carry markets and so most of my stuff will be new to them.

On a positive note, I got my taxes done two days earlier this year than last year. And since the deadline is two days later, that should count as four days earlier!