An Offering to Venus

I haven't actually added this project to my blog yet and really should. I'm stitching a model for Fine Art Cross Stitch called An Offering to Venus. The original artwork is by John Godward. It's stitching in half cross stitch, over one strand of 28 count fabric.

Internet Trolls -

- I thought I knew what that was. Obviously I didn't. I've been called one, as it turns out by someone that A) didn't know what it meant either. B) is troll-ish herself.

I wondered onto a fan forum today and started reading. The admin of this forum had suspended adding new members because of trolls. I thought, hey, wait a minute, there are over 250 guests on this forum. You see, I thought a much hated troll was someone who visited a forum or discussion group and didn't participate. If that was the case, why would this forum allow people to read posts who couldn't in turn post?

Obviously I was wrong, so I looked the term up. Turns out an internet troll is someone who joins a group for the express purpose of causing trouble. They either target the topic specific group as a whole, or single out one member they feel they can rile up, and basically harass them. Often these people are networking with other trolls, comparing how much damage they are doing, and generally having a laugh at said destruction.

It turns out I'm NOT a troll. I do visit a number of forums, and many of them I've never posted to. Partly because these groups don't seem to me to be particularly welcoming to newcomers and partly because I don't really have anything to say. These forums are almost all geared to cross stitching and I'm just interested in new techniques and ideas since I've never had anyone in my real life to talk to about cross stitch, except for one, and I taught her to stitch, so there's really little she can add to my knowledge.

I've been feeling bad about myself since I was called a troll. I've even been working to the conclusion that I should stop visiting all forums rather than be something loathed by others. Now, I'm angry at the person who called me that. I'm angry at myself for letter her get by with it and not making sure I knew what the term meant. I'm also feeling a lot better about myself in general now.

Playing blog catchup

A lot has happened since my last post.

First - My daughter's wedding. She looked so beautiful and was so happy. We did pictures before the wedding, and I was told I could NOT cry, or all my pics would be of me with red eyes and nose. Mom said I could cry at the wedding, not before. Then, down the aisle she comes, and daughter looks right at me, and says, do NOT start crying or I will! First time I ever went to a wedding where I didn't cry, and it was my baby's. It was a wonderful day, but we were all so tired when we got back to the hotel room.

My best friend/adopted sister came from the U.K. for the wedding and stayed the next week for some vacation. To us, that's watching movies, a bit of shopping, cross stitching, taking turns cooking goodies and lots of giggling. We managed it all.

The last day, we thought for a treat, we'd get some breakfast at MacDonalds. Bad idea. We both got food poisoning. I was sick enough, but in the comfort of my own bathroom. Sis was sick at 40,000 feet over the Atlantic! I missed the better part of the next week at work and have sort of been playing catch up ever since. Not to mention, my tummy still isn't back to totally normal. We both survived though, but have taken MacDonalds off our list in the future!

The newlyweds headed out to Colorado to visit a friend of the grooms who couldn't make the wedding. They got back home to Houston a week before Hurricane Ike. I was such a wreck that Friday night, as they decided to ride out the storm as the mayor advised. I'm relieved to say they came through with no more than being without power for a week. They were lucky, as they are quite close to the downtown area. My son-in-law, who thought that a hurricane would be the coolest thing, says never again. Next time they leave. Thank God.






Lastly, is what I just found in my email inbox. This is Naomi, my newest granddaugter, who won't be born for another 3 months! My son tells me this is a 3-D ultrasound. I never knew there was such a thing. It was what my daughter-in-law wanted for her birthday.

Miscalculations

I suppose it's inevitable at a certain point is life to look back and wonder what-if. I have a few. I choose to have children when I was in my early 20's. I had plans for my life, and set them aside with the reasoning that my youngest child would be grown when I was in my early 40's. Plenty of time to realize my dreams.

Then when the time came, what I realized was, I didn't want to do those things any more. What-if.

The second thing I didn't plan on was once my kids were grown and gone, I'd just have myself to take care of. I sort of forgot about my parents. It's different, but in many ways the same. I'm now starting to take care of them more and more. It's not really a what-if, I realize, but I didn't plan for it just the same.

Banishment

Yesterday morning I got up at 6:30, like always. I turn on my computer and log onto the internet. Like every morning for the last 4 years, I read LS's morning email to me. I email her before I go to bed, she emails me in her morning. Like every morning, I peruse my fave cross stitch forums. The first one has a post, PLEASE READ, URGENT, or some such nonsense. I read it......apparently it's a trap. I go to a few more threads, and move to the next forum. A message pops into my inbox. YOU'VE BEEN BANNED: REASON, HARASSMENT. WTF?! I'm still not sure what it was all about. I've been a loyal member of this forum for 4 years, although at times they didn't deserve it. I've watched, with predicable regularity various dramas unfold. I know the drill. True to form, there's been another one for a few days and it was decided because of when I was on the forum, and who was listed on my friends list of the social networking site this forum resides on, I was a threat. Thus, I was banned.

I get this lame-assed excuse about the action from the forum owner and reply, politely, that this is bull-shit. I never asked to be un-banned, but a bit later, another message, I've been 'forgiven'. I'm not playing this game. Actually, the message went something like here's an apology, take it or not.

I wait till I come home, but in the mean while decide what to do. I carry out my decision, compose an email to the person who owns this forum, delete my membership and hit the send button. I can't believe myself and a whole raft of good people were just dismissed in the manner we were.

It just goes to prove, some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed.

Quick update

Oh wow-my poor, neglected blog. I knew I would have a hard time keeping up here. There are so many times I wanted to sit down and do a post, but then something drew me in a different direction. I also need to add some of the 'pretties' to it. Hmm...I have some time off Friday, I'll add it to my list.

This will be quicker than I'd like, but something none the less.

Summer is half over and I have no idea where the time has gone. Its just three weeks till my baby's wedding! Its sort of bitter sweet I have to say. She has a wonderful guy, no doubt there. She's happy (what I always said I wanted for my kids) But still - my baby getting married!!! (I know I've freaked out about that already, and may a bit more, sorry to say)

Stitching - I bought the stitch frame I was coveting. OMG! Was warned not to put any projects that were started on it, due to tension differences. I did anyway and my only regret is I didn't buy this frame sooner. I can sit in total comfort in my recliner and stitch to my hearts content.

I finally finished Heart of the World. (I owe pics, but its in my photo album.) Linkey

I'm ready for a new start of one of my charts, but am waiting.....and waiting....and still waiting on my thread order. Herrschner's service is not what it used to be.

I've been forced to work on my Pompeji Garden from Chatelaine. It's a beautiful design, but I'm having a very hard time with it. I keep making errors I have to rip out. The chart is clumsy at best and the whole project is such a chore. But - I paid a small fortune for the silk threads, I'm going to finish it!

Sis and I are working hard on our novel. Yes, novel. We've written one already and have it for sale at Lulu.com. Now, the sequel is being done. We had a good idea of the plot, but at the same time some really huge holes that I'm glad to say (thanks to Sis) have now been filled in. We might finish this by the end of the year!

Fine Art Cross Stitch is starting to really sell some charts too. I haven't had a lot of resources available, time being the most limited, but its making good progress now.

I said this would be short, but I've sort of rambled on. I guess I'll go and clean up the kitchen now, take a shower and tackle my stitching.

End of May - already

Where did this month go? I've been trying to get to the blog all month, but never seem to have time. I've decided to try to work on it at the office, while reports are printing. That seems to be the only time I have right now.

I've had company staying with me most of the last two weeks. The first was my bestest friend/sister. That was vacation and even though all we did was a bit of shopping, a lot of stitching and eating, it was wonderfully restorative. I really needed that. Now, I have my daughter Jen coming on Saturday for maybe the whole next week. She's getting married in August and this Sat. is her wedding shower. Next week is her batchlerette party, and since this all happens in Michigan and she's living in Texas, she has a week to just hang out. Of course, I have to work. Also - my computer is in the guest room and I have cross stitch charts to make, so we'll have to work this out some way.

Wedding in August - my babies wedding, it's made me feel like I need to change some things. The first thing I did was cut my hair yesterday. All my adult life its been at least 12 inches long. I had 9 of those cut off yesterday. It sure feels strange, but I like the result. The stylist almost fainted. It was worse on her than me I think. I'm not sure I'm done with making changes to my life, maybe a few more little ones, we'll see.

My cross stitch design company is growing slowly. Its not a good time to start a business I know, but I hope in a year or so the economy will be better. I have a superior product and just need people to realize it. I've learned a lot from a competitor over the last few years. I bit of what TO do, mostly what not to do. I've seen them make what I consider some major mistakes in how they handle customers and the quality of their product. It makes me angry when people fall all over them on their forum, believing they are getting something that is laboriously created, taking hours and hours. They don't realize how can that be when a dozen or more charts every few days are added to the website on a consistent basis. They also believe what the website says that the charts aren't computer generated. They are, and I'd challenge them to prove otherwise.

I'm still on the lookout for a forum to join where I really feel at home. I joined the HAED board a few years ago, before it got big. I enjoyed it for a time, but, as these things do, it became cliquey. Then, things started to go wrong with disgruntled customers (rightly so, too) posting on the forum their complaints that were being ignored by the company. Said company really stomped on everyone, limiting what can and can not be said. Basically, you can gush and goo all over. If you're unhappy with anything, you can leave. To that end, a bunch of what I consider the more dynamic members did just that and started a new forum. The new board is a lot of very diverse, interesting people. The owner of the board asked me at one point to join. After some thought, I accepted. It was a private forum, so I had no idea who all the members were (I knew a few), but when I logged on, I realized why the HAED board had become so boring - all the people that had made it fun were on the new forum. So far, so good I thought.

It just hasn't worked that way for me though. There is a basic clique on that board too, and its closed to me. It hasn't helped that I've let my frustration show a few times. I hate it when I do that, but I guess I'm only human (damn). Anyway, I feel even though I haven't been banned, I've also not ingratiate myself at all. In short, I don't fit in. I also haven't found any other cross stitch forum that isn't already a group of close friends, where newcomers aren't always outsiders. No sense in starting my own - if I had cross stitch friends, I wouldn't need to make them on a forum.

So - I just stitch by myself, like I always have.

My First eBay win

I almost forgot that I won this on eBay a few days ago! It is Teresa Wentzler's Fruit Bell pull. Its been discontinued for years and I've always regretted not buying it back in the 90's. It was listed on eBayUK. I don't live in the UK, but my little Sis does and I asked her to put in a bid. It was the only bid as luck would have it, so I won! I just have to wait till J. comes over in a few weeks to visit and pay her back for it now. I don't want to stitch it as a bell pull, but as separate little pictures to make a grouping on my kitchen wall.

I want this. I want it bad. Here's the link to the site.

Hearthside

I seldom find something I really, really want. I shouldn't spend the money, but then there's that $600 rebate check from the government due in a short while.

This frame isn't cheap, but doesn't it look beautifully made? There's even a little tray for my needle organizer.

I wonder, is it un-American to spend the stimulus payment on a Canadian product? Oh - who cares! I have to decide now if I can part with part of that money. This will keep me up nights if I'm not careful.

The beginning

OK - I have the blog account. I found a skin and made it pretty. I found the place to post. Then I couldn't decide how to start.
Sooo - after a bit of anxiety, I decided to start with a finish. Since this blog will be mostly about my passion for cross stitch, here is my first finish of the year.

Here is Penelope and the Suitors by John Waterhouse. The artwork was charted by Fine Art Cross Stitch.