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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Summer and June Stitch From Stash

Summer has started with a vengeance!  We had the warmest day since last July on Wednesday.  It was in the mid-90s with a heat index in the low 100s - YUCK!!! Days like that are just miserable, you feel like you have a warm, damp washcloth wrapped around you all the time and standing on the train platform in the sun with 100s of your closet friends is an experience not to be missed - nobody has passed out but it is just a matter of time.  In addition to the miserable heat and humidity, a sure sign of summer is that the mimosa trees are blooming.  We don't have any in our yard so I had to go search for a photo online and found this one: 

If Dr. Seuss had been asked to design a tree, this would have been the result!
And this one with a close up of the flowers and leaves:


We had one of these in our front yard in Oklahoma and while it's a very pretty tree, it is also a messy one.  It is a legume and as such each of those flowers produces a seed pod which falls to the ground and has to be raked up.

But I'm sure you didn't visit to read about trees or the heat, so I'll get on to the 2014 Stitch from Stash update.  Mel at Epic Stitching is hosting this challenge and it's rather simple (at least on paper).  We are given a budget of $25 (I'm using USD but others are converting to an equal value in their currency) for each month for all those must haves.  If you have funds left over at the end of the month, they roll over to the next month, so you can save up for a Chatelaine, kit up that Mirabilia or buy that Just Nan limited edition.  You also get a free month if you really need it all NOW.  This month we were given an extra $50 with the caveat that we had to spend our $25 monthly budget first so with $75 for this month plus my carry over of $125, I spent.... nothing.  Instead of buying, I stitched on Elegant Doily, Secret Victorian Garden, Strawberry Summer, and Santa's Magic. I think I have posted updates of all of them recently except for Santa, so here's where he was when he finished his time in the rotation last week:


From my stash, I started Little House Needleworks' Winter Sheep.


So, for next month, I have available:

Carry-over:             $125.
June Budget:               25.
June Purchases:            0.
Carry over to July:  $150

Lizzie*Kate's Holly and Hearts is on the frame for the rest of today  Just Nan's Strawberry Summer goes on it tomorrow for its week in the rotation.

8 comments:

Catherine said...

Congrats ~ you are doing well with that challenge!! Again, beautiful stitches!

Linda said...

Congrats on the challenge susan. Nice progress on Santa and cute new start.

Linda

Lumiruusu said...

The Mimosa tree loks so beautifull -I have seen it only at the Helsinki Universitys plant collection in the special warm room.

If you have had it too hot there we have had the coldest Midsummer since ten years.. It has even SNOWED at many places.I have seen lots of (not) so funny pictures of little snowmens builded in gardens where everything is at full bloom. Yu have done great job with your challenge.. !!

Giovanna said...

Santa looks spectacular - great going

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Laughing at your Dr Seuss trees!

You are doing amazingly well at Stitch from Stash. I didn't use the extra US$50 because I haven't got US$50 (or the £ equivalent!)

Santa is looking great too.

Shebafudge said...

Wow!! Go girl! You are doing brilliant. xx

Pull the other thread said...

Beautiful tree. Well done on stitcking to the budget. Your stitching is lovely.

EvalinaMaria said...

Love your stitching and pics of the tree. Mimosa is my favorite drink, I bet I would love the tree too!