Wow! It’s September 5 and I don’t even know where Summer went.  It’s been exactly 2 months since I last posted and I am sorry about that.  Obviously life took over, LOL.  But I have been stitching and doing I don’t even know what else.  I took a little vacation, but other than that, I can’t remember everything else I did the last couple of months.  Good thing I have a planner 😉  So, what have I been up to? Well, grab your favorite beverage and pull up a chair.  I have a feeling this will be a long post.

I have been stitching mostly on the Mystery Sampler by Linen and Threads.  I have been trying my best to get caught up and last night I started the second row of the August section.  I am quite pleased with myself for actually having started the August section in the month of August.  I am still loving this piece so much.  Here is a picture of my entire piece so far:

For those of you seeing this for the first time, it is a FREE SAL from Linen and Threads.  They release a section the first of each month.  It started in January 2017 and runs through December 2017.  If you are interested in doing this sampler, you can go to their website and print off the sections, pick your own fabric and threads and get started.  They also have a facebook page you can join and see all the different ways people are stitching this one.  I am stitching mine on 16ct Aida Castleview from Silkweaver. I am using Sullivan thread London Fog and DMC 3888.  I am hoping to be caught up with this piece sometime this month.

I also took a little vacation with my husband, to Wisconsin.  He took me there so I could visit the Paine Art Center and Gardens.  A couple of years ago, I fell in love with photos from a wonderful photographer, Kirsty Mitchell.  She is from the UK and created a wonderful series of photos for her Wonderland series that are just amazing.  When I found out that she was having a showing in Wisconsin, I knew that I had to go.  So I mentioned it to my husband and he set the plan in motion.  But first, he surprised me with a wonderful gift in July.  Her beautiful Wonderland book.

He bought me flowers and gave me the invoice showing he ordered the book for me.  I balled my eyes out!  I couldn’t believe he ordered the book for me.  A week later, it arrived in the mail and it is as amazing as I knew it would be.

One of my favorite photos.  And seeing the photos, life-sized, at the Paine Art Center, did not disappoint either.

I was so, so happy to be there, at the Paine, standing in front of this amazing banner that I had only seen on facebook up to this point.  We arrived before the Center opened, so we were able to walk around the mansion a little before the doors opened.  The Art Center is actually a Mansion that was built by Mr. & Mrs. Paine in 1927.  The history about the mansion is interesting and the mansion itself is gorgeous.   The different gardens are so lovely, too.  I am so glad we visited in the summer while most of the flowers were still in bloom.  When we walked into the first room where Kirsty’s exhibit is, it literally took my breath away.  It was so emotional.  The photos, the video, the music, the lighting, everything was so perfect!  Yes, I cried.  Her photos do that to me.  If you love photography, and Kirsty’s work, you have to see her show.  It will be at the Paine until October 15, 2017.  I am Not sure where it will go next, but I could not risk it being too far away to drive, and Wisconsin was a day drive for us and one that I would do again in a heartbeat.  So we visited the 2 rooms where Kirsty’s photos were on display. We sat and watched the video’s and  then we walked around and looked at the entire mansion.  I  then went back to see Kirsty’s photos.  I couldn’t resist a second look.  And then we visited the gardens.  It was a wonderful day.  One that I will remember always.  I can’t wait to scrapbook my photos. Here is a layout I did when I received my beautiful book.

We also visited some lighthouses on this trip.  Here is the St. Joseph Lighthouse.

And, we visited the Hackley and Hume houses in Muskegon.

I first heard about these houses when I saw cross stitch patterns of them.  When I found out that they were real houses in Muskegon, Michigan, I decided if I ever got near Muskegon, I would have to stop and visit them.  And so we did and they were amazing.  And now of course I want to cross stitch them 😉

Since the drive was a long one, I decided to do some knitting while in the car.  On the trip to Wisconsin, I knitted this scarf:

One more ball of scarf yarn out of my stash 🙂  Love the beautiful fall colors.  For the trip home, I visited a craft store and purchased a ball of Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball and started this pretty:

At 1/2 off, I couldn’t resist.  I even used the hotel computer center to print off a pattern from Lion Brand.  I thought it was a shawl pattern, but when it actually came up and I printed it, it is a cowl.  It is straight stockinette stitch, so it was perfect for the car ride.  I didn’t have much done when we arrived back home.  I have been adding a few rows here and there.  My needles are 10″ long so I maybe have about 20″ done now.  I am looking forward to seeing all the color changes in this yarn. I have a couple of skeins of this yarn in my stash that I hope to knit a shawl with someday.  So far I like knitting with it.  The yarn is an uneven yarn and has some white fibers throughout.  I like the look of it and hopefully I can get it done so that I can wear it this winter.

So, that is what I have been up to.  I told you it was going to be a long post. If you are still here, I thank you for reading all about my vacation and what I have been up to.   I have also collected more things to cross stitch in the last couple of months and I have to admit that I am anxious to start something new, but I have been a good girl…so far, sticking mainly with the sampler 😉   So, what are you stitching at the moment and because it is September, do you feel like starting a new project?