Because I Need A Little Hope

Windy is still in the hospital and the doctors have started throwing out the prognosis' no one really wants to hear.

After finishing Hell and realizing I did not have the tools, nor the funds for the tools, to move on the the next project I anticipated doing I went back to the .img (that's image file for those not nerdy enough). I knew my next project was going to be closer to 25 colors and images of people, castles, aliens and cars. I also am REALLY digging the idea of stitching a portrait of a buddy of mine. I saw a pic of min a while back and the idea has been in my head for a while.

So some common ground was needed. I found an .img in my .img which was more portrait-ish then anything I have previously done. At 10,000+ stitches in 13 colors it seemed like it might be right up my style . So on 2/15/11 I started "A New Hope" and this is where I am at now:


The detail in the eye area is killing me with single stitches of a single color. But I am bring a good boy and following direction...for now.

The other markings are pencil. Because there is so much blocking in the same color I have found it helps me breaze through if I just mark it off. Then all I need is the project, thread and needle. No space for color charts and lists or what-have-you. So the face is generally at home and the rest is while out...or home and tired of looking at the details. Here's an earlier pick of just the four main colors.

Finishing a Finished Piece, or Punk Is "Framed"

So the "Hell" piece, along with The Joker, are going to London for the Stitch and Craft Show! Nice, right? Well that led to some questions about how I plan to finish it. When last we posted, "Hell" was done, but not finished.

It's still not. But only because I am being completely anal about it and just have not finished the finishing! But I did finish the finishing on the previously finished "Punks Not Dead" piece.

I plan on all the pieces in the series, at least initially, to be finished with a duct tape "frame". For this piece it is red. For "Hell" I just got back from the store and got black duct tape. But why? For "Hell" alone I have some great ideas on a frame from making one out of chain-link fence to Windy's brilliant idea of spray-painting a fence onto a traditional frame.

It's all about the time and place these pieces represent. Before I found the amazing Julie Jackson and her life-changing book, I was a broken and beaten shell of a man. Completely destroyed and physically handicapped from a failed relationship, I was broke, unemployed and sleeping on my nephew's floor in my sister's house. I was a alcohol, drug and depression-ridden mess. The more things change the more they stay the same, right? Of course, I am far from depressed these days.

Anyway, these were the days I was so broke I would recycle cans to pay for thread. I would pay for the thread to hide the fact I was stealing aida cloth to work on. Or hoops. Or whatever else I needed that cost more then thirty-five cents. It is important for me to say that I am in no way glorifying my actions, nor am I in any way trying to justify them. It's simply a statement of fact of where I was at that time. Please do not steal from your local craft store...unless you absolutely have to. And don't do drugs...unless they're good.

These pieces are supposed to remind me of those times. Of making things I thought only I would get and hanging them up with duct tape because I didn't know what else to do with them. I will most likely get the mounting boards for them and I hope to add chains or chains of safety pins for the hanging hardware. I really think that this throwback to my roots truly represents what I wanted to catch with these pieces. Of course if you think it is just lazy posturing: FUCK YOU!.

See, punk's not dead at all!!!

Technical Difficulties...

Yes, "Hell" is done. I have become completely obsessed with a new project which has required a LOT of research and it is not easy to find. I'm sure it would be but I am still working in Safe Mode due to a virus that somehow will not kick rocks.

In the meantime go stitch. I will post a link to something or other that is cool in the meantime. I'd hate for you to think I forgot about you!

Check out this interview with Giggly Mama over at suchcoolstuff.

12 Days of Hell: Day Five: How Could Hell Be Any Work?

Wholly S-H-I-T! It was a busy day. I got almost no sleep and stitched the entire time I was not soothing a congested toddler who can't sleep.

The best news is that I finished page 9 of 9! The bad news is I was reading ahead. I still have a few more pages to do. I think that when I finished the usual column I was working on on page 9 the remainder of it looked like it could go by pretty fast and it did. 13 hours fast.

I think this is where things are going to start getting interesting! Actually things may have already reached maximum interest. This is where things will continue to be mediocre!

12 Days of Hell: Day Four

After blocking out that little section I would say I have made some pretty good headway!

I have been listening to the album this morning (as well as the latest, Dissent of Man) and I am pumped to stitch today.

I have also come up with an idea for a smaller version of this for folks who may not want to spend all year stitching it. Of course I will have to stitch it again to show you so you still may not see it for another year anyway (I keep ALL the good shit behind the counter)!

I would love to sit and keep telling you about it but this thing is not going to stitch itself. I tried. I left it in a drawer for, like, three months and I think it actually took a block of stitches out as it counted the days! It also shanked my pincushion.

12 Days of Hell: Day Three

...and we're back. Yes, I know it's Sunday but I already lost two days this week (it's not like it was MY birthday).

So with the holiday schedule there has not been a lot of time to stitch but I wanted to start getting a sense that I am getting closer to the end then I am currently feeling. Instead of the usual 10x10 grid I usually work in, the first section is 16 stitches across. This is just because of where the chart ended on the page.

With the little time I have had I went ahead and did the shorter 4-stitch-across section from the next page (completing the 10 started by the 6 stitches on the last page). I also took it all the way down to the project bottom (yet another new page) and I think I will complete the entire boxed portion before going back and doing the bottom to the previous pages!

Anyway I gotta get going. I have a tea party to be at!

But Can You Stitch To It?: Jonathan Coulton - Live in 2006

Due to a mixture of Red Bull and Vodka, I'm here growing up in a musical home and being a fan of Punk music I have always had a preference for live albums. I know they are not as great as going out to see a live band but unless you are offering to babysit and convince Windy that it would be better then dinner and a movie, shut your face! There have been a lot of great ones released by the record companies such as 7 Seconds and most of the Live In A Dive series. But my favorites are the bootlegs. No longer purchased from someone's trunk, there are a surprising number of good quality recordings available for free and some are even, at least sorta, semi-legal (my attorneys remind me to remind you to research the laws for music download and file sharing in your area...then disregard them Boo-Ya)!

I love a good singer-songwriter, too. Clever, simple songs are my favorite. And if they include zombies, robots, monkeys and even ninjas when things get personal, well all the better. So I don't know if this is some kind of time travel back to the Temple Bar in Santa Monica, 2006 or an incredible artifact from a simpler time. Either way, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Jonathan Colton!

 I found a series of videos on YouTube of this performance and as I was getting ready to start ripping the audio it dawned on me that someone else probably already has and not surprisingly, I was right! The video was originally by Gle3nn and mp3 versions worked by spiffworld. The video and the audio are both very good and the set list is like a Greatest Hits record. Yeah, the kind that still somehow misses your favorite song you knew was gonna be there.

1. The Future Soon
2. Skullcrusher Mountain
3. First of May
4. Shop Vac
5. I Feel Fantastic
6. Baby Got Back
7. Creepy Doll
8. Big Bad World One
9. I Crush Everything
10. Code Monkey
11. You Ruined Everything
12. Tom Cruise Crazy
13. Re: Your Brains

It's a pretty awesome set with just enough banter and just the right pace. I have been stitching to it almost religiously since I got it and I have to say it really is a great listen. There are a couple other complete shows of JoCo available but this one is just the right length. Just like me. You didn't think I would just let that go, did you?

My personal favorites are "Big Bad World One" which has inspired a new sampler and "You Ruined Everything". Despite what the guy in the crowd would have you believe, it's a touching song NOT about ninjas. I honestly pictured Kadie and I dancing at her wedding to this song. If she grows up "getting" me enough that we would actually dance to Jonathan Coulton at her wedding, I can assure you, I will die a happy man. Now go download it and stitch something awesome before it's too late. After all, it's gonna be the future soon.

Drugs Are Good: Vicodin

So back in January I turned 30 and while I was pretty proud that I didn't have some kind of meltdown, I realized that it was about time for me to put up or shut up. All year it's been a bit of a struggle to find out what that actually meant, though. A couple jobs, half a year of being unemployed and so many internal struggles later, I realize I have got some serious problems. One of which is that I like drugs. Not all drugs, I can't put anything in my nose or mess with needles. Ha ha. I cross stitch but I'm still afraid of needles. I'm a bigger sissy then those kids at the playground thought said I was last night.


In all honesty (ok, in kinda honesty) I have been thinking of doing a set of motivational poster-type samplers where I put one of my favorite drug names in bigger letters and something describing it underneath. What do I mean? You can't visualize it? Visualize this:

I thought it was funny that I use song lyrics and titles as my blog posts or inspiration a lot, but it wasn't until all around good person doaflip mentioned over on flickr that "The Kids Are Alright" is, in fact, the name of a very good song by The Offspring. I knew I was familiar with the term already, it's just not where I was going with it in my head...it just worked out that way. 


I am giving some thought to doing a second "Valium" piece, the new one redesigned to fit into the plans I have for this series, but for now I hope to post a new piece every week or so. What are you so excited about, only the first one is free...

Furlough Friday: daisymae_cs

I know posting a picture of a recently completed or work-in-progress is not mandatory (I skipped my senior year at blogging school so what do I know). I also know you don’t come here for the instant coffee and penny candies I leave out. So rather then post another picture of “Hell” or busting my hump on yet another sampler or small piece, I thought, being in California, I would take a furlough (see how I did that) from stitching and tell you about someone else’s work. Without further adieu (about something), let me introduce daisymae_cs:

How Could A Little Inspiration Be Any Worse?

Oh christ, he's doing that again.

I mentioned in my last post some of the more personal stuff I have been dealing with lately and I have to admit I was feeling a bit disconnected from stitching as a whole. Partly as a joke, and partly trying to find, well, anything, I posted a request to the Facebook Fan Page. I just wanted to see what anyone else is working on and I don't know anyone local, I don't communicate with many people directly by email, so that left Facebook. Since I was not working on anything at the time it seemed like I could live through somebody's hard work, just not mine.

While the rest of you were busy counting stitches there was one response from facebook like-er(?) Carrie. She showed off her current piece which she is working on as a gift. But she said I could post a picture of it. Soooo...whoever is getting this likes Lady GaGa but doesn't read this blog? Really, Carrie, who are you associating with? Honestly though, I looked it up online and your piece is looking bad-ass! So everyone who likes Lady GaGa, has a friend named Carrie and is hoping this is for you, close your eyes.


Now, everything I know about Lady GaGa comes from the above picture and the songs my five-year-old sings me. But it seems to be exactly what I needed because I have since resumed work on my album cover project I started so long ago and kind of fell to the wayside.

So what was it? Someone working on something that reminded me of my work in progress? The neat blog/free charts/free char generator she turned me onto? Her overwhelming awesome? Probably a little of everything. What matters is the skyline is almost done and I can move down!


Now anyone who has been reading this blog since Monday when they got in line for the new Harry Potter flick can tell you I have been hitting the samplers pretty hard. And there is more to come! In the meantime go over to the Facebook Fan Page and talk or post pics of your big project, finished or in progress. As far as what I mean when I say big is I am hung like a tuna can whatever is big to you. Time, stitch count or final size (it matters, they're telling me). I'll be here all week, folks.

I'm Going To Hell For This One!

It’s been a long couple of months. I lost a really great job for a really lame reason and I got really depressed. I’m working again (temp style), a major pay cut, and not really cutting it all the way around. I tried to rally around some great stuff: the contest here, the facebook fan page, etc. but overall I kind of found some disconnect from stitching for almost two months. I missed three podcasts, tons of amazing projects by other folks and a lot of down time on my own every night.

What happened? I’ll get into that in another post. What matters is that I decided to revisit an unfinished project, plus realize flaws and all, I am who I am. Sometimes I wish I weren’t. So where do I start? At the top. According to a predominant religion up is where the home is. So in sampler form, here is my take on the title of one of the songs from the most recent NOFX album:

I am still slightly debating more kissing same-sex fish but I think this is pretty much done. I thought the upside down crosses would be a bit much in all four corners and thought that it came off a bit more…playful that they were up and down. This was kind of fun to do as a public piece over about two and a half hours at the coffee house nearest the largest church in our city. This was the first time no one talked to me about stitching. Co-inkie-dink?

Moving on. I’m having a lot of fun. Getting a lot of stitches done and can’t wait to share more with you. Also I have met some really awesome people and I want to tell you about them. But that’s later. Until then…

I've Got My Mind On My Stitching and My Stitching On My Mind

Like that itchy little rash that you swear is just a cold sore, I'm back!

Usually when there is a long break between posts I have been stitching like crazy but could not find the time to post. Well, lately I have all the time in the world but I have been so unable to focus on anything long enough to allow me to put my mind on my stitching that I really have not been working on anything until about a week ago.

The story so far: I started the month by losing my job for the (verbatim) following reason: "...the stars just didn't seem to align". My unemployment department has suddenly become concerned with the math skills of those writing benefit checks and has halted my claim until corrected to their satisfaction. Finally my half-decade long fight with chronic back-pain took a turn that was positive in that it meant an immediate upswing in attempting to find a definitive diagnosis. The downside is a definitive diagnosis scares the shit out of me.

Maybe it's all that crap and more going on. Perhaps it's "just" the day-long Dora the Explorer marathons that my darling two-year-old is demanding. But about a week ago I started a new project and I finished it last night:



The cloth is a light blue 14-count aida. The thread is my default red; D.M.C. Bright Red (#666). I entertained the idea of a simple border in white, and by that I mean I ended up ripping out thirty or so stitches. In the end I realized that sometimes it's okay to want to say/stitch something as direct as possible. So this is my no-frills statement. My father raised me to know that honesty gets you everywhere in this life.


I have used the font before. I like it and I like some of the symbols that are charted (hearts and broken hearts, son)! I am trying to make a few tweaks to it but I think it will actually get it's own post soon and I can strut it around here like the sexy piece of trophy-font it is! As for the words, it's a sentiment I have used "jokingly" in the past. It's also the title of a NOFX album released in 2000. It's currently hanging in the living room, still in the hoop, awaiting a bad-ass frame.

Each letter in this font takes me about half an hour to do and I probably could have finished it a couple days sooner. However, I was in the emergency room Monday night and with all the pain meds and other stuff they were pumping into me, it was probably best not to let the doc see what this said. For the comments: Have you ever had to stop or hide your stitching because of where you were or who was around? For example: your stitching the words "This craft is not a bomb" and you realize everyone in the airport is staring at you. Let's hear about it. You can also post your story at the Facebook Fan Page...yeah, I went ahead and did that. So come lick me if you have not already. What? Oh, yeah. Come like me at the Facebook Fan Page. Or lick me.

Only God Can Judge Me - The Results Show!

First off, my apologies to everyone who entered and everyone who has been waiting to find out what happened. A little "real life" got in the way and, well, we know how that goes (Northwest?). So before something else stops working, the kids start whining about wanting to eat for a second time today or I get carted off to the hospital we better start talking results. By the by, I was just kidding - I only get an ambulance to the hospital when I am at work.

In full disclosure I put all the pictures I received in a slideshow and my two-year-old Kadie picked one at random...or whatever random is to a two-year-old. A big congratulations to our winner, Quilterina! I think the spools of thread spelling words is pretty neat, but what do I know. Here's what she says about it:

"those spools spell peace grace love and faith. they twist into a black spool on my front shoulder that unravels to spell compassion with a sewing needle piercing my heart"

She sent a link to pics of her getting some cover-up work done with a patch-work heart and some other stuff going on and it was pretty awesome. In no particular order here is another entry I received. Becky sent a couple of pics of her embroidery and button tattoo done by Frank McManus at the Brass Monkey Studio in Harrisburg, Pa. You know how you have your links that are in every email you send and for a lot of us that's a link to our etsy store?! Becky is one of those and who doesn't love a nickle's worth of free advertising. Check out her store.


Up next (on the D.L.?) is rainbowsweetstitch. This was "done by Tom Kenney from Classic Electric Tattoo in Frederick, Maryland". So if you are there, go see Tom. And for what it's worth: I have always had a thing for the idea of a woman with a couple T.I.E. fighters and Yavin IV for her tramp stamp. Embroidery scissors on your shoulder...not bad, either!

Last but not least. Though further then most...somewhere in the upper-middle range is the always-fucking-awesome Giggly Mama. I don't know but I am seriously thinking that this may be the most...simple? Not in design or execution, it's amazing. But it seems sparce in such a beautiful way. It makes me wish I had a hoop on my arm too. Here is what Mama says:

My life long pal and tattoo artist, is Scott Osburn (Facebook | Scott Osburn). He tattooed this embroidery themed tattoo on my left arm. He freehand tattooed it, no pattern before hand. :)

Awesome job, Scott! If there were a runner up prize it would probably suck so don't feel bad. Remember the piece I did for MY tattoo artist? Well, I promised the winner of this gig a matching piece. I decided to do it in a different color scheme and it's a funny story. I was gonna do blue and red on the border. I couldn't find the blue I wanted and the baby was sleeping so I could not run to the store. I found the orange and purple sitting next to each other in the first drawer I opened and figured: What the fuck!?! It's coming to you, Quilterina, deal with it!

Thank you, ladies. In all honesty, this has been a blast. Getting in touch with people, getting touched by in people. All of it!

There's a Real Cool Club on the Other Side of Town: My Adventures in the E.G.A.

The Embroidery Guild of America. Immediately your mind is filled with old women sewing the same fabric for the last two decades, sitting with their backs to the door not interested in getting out or letting anyone (or anything) new in. Not so.

The Camellia chapter of the EGA meets at my local power utility offices and quite honestly could probably be mistaken for a woman's 12-step meeting except for the lack of coffee. Naturally, I was a little nervous. I am male, young(er, 30,) then anyone else I saw walking in and there is the fact that these ladies know their stuff...more then I do for sure.

So I was completely taken back when it was all "hello's" and handshakes. Everyone was very welcoming. Charlie is in charge of new memberships and a perfect welcoming committee. She explained the groups policy on visitors and how the meetings kind of go.

I was sat next to Marge and Carol and I didn't catch to much of what happened in the meeting after that. We talked about stitching, little known floss makers they like to use, and they even taught me the quick-cheat version of railroading (this is where you put your needle back through the two threads of floss, or between the tracks, so they generally lay side by side). This has been worth the trip already as I did not have, nor did I have any interest in buying, a laying tool.

One thing I noticed was that everyone had something out that they were working on. I was so surprised and thought they would get in trouble...but that is sort of the purpose of the whole thing isn't it. I really was upset that I didn't bring anything to work on.

There was a group project that you had to have signed up for. They supplied the cloth and project, you were to bring floss and everything else. It was very cool. A finished one made it's way around the room and my camera stayed at home (sorry folks). It blew my mind the way stitching was being done here. So many techniques. So many new ways to play.

At the end I stayed and talked. I am going back and I am going to take part in the next project (I am a sucker for group things), and I think I am really going to like the whole experience. If there are any naysayers, try looking up your local chapter at www.egausa.org and give it a go. If you are in the Sacramento area, give me a shout in the comments or email at whateverjamesinstitches@gmail.com. And if anyone else has been to a meeting of the EGA or you are a member, leave your experience in the comments too.

But Can You Stitch To It?: Weezer - Hurley

Weezer has a lot to answer for. Their self-titled debut, lovingly referred to as the Blue Album saw non-stop play in my Discman in my freshman year in high school. The follow-up was everything I could have wanted at the time. I was moving past Nirvana but had only just started to find Bad Religion and NOFX. They both also established that ten seemed to be the perfect number of songs on a Weezer album.

Since then I have listened to every Weezer record and have my likes and dislikes with each one (mostly dislikes). But now comes the strangely titles, and even strangely-er covered, Hurley

Musically speaking it honestly sounds like it should have been the third album. The weird pop of the blue album is back and with it the out-of-nowhere screams and more obviously heartfelt lyrics that became the downfall and eventual rise of Pinkerton.

But Can You Stitch To It?

I believe you can. I can and have and will. So neener-neener! The first three songs are my favorite and they follow a musical slide. The rest of the album doesn't feel like a progression through songs so much as a Weezer radio show: "Here have some songs in no particular order". Sometimes this can kill a stitch session for me. Sometimes you just want to sink into the music regardless of if it's a symphony, Metallica's Black Album or a jungle sounds relaxation disc. Think I sound like a artsy jackass? Well, I do but I am still right. Go stitch to your favorite album on shuffle. I'll wait. Really, you like that? ... ... See what I mean. Your brain was caught off guard when the order was changed. For Hurley I think this isn't really a problem. Maybe due to the eclectic mix of material they have released, I don't know, but everything does sound like a Weezer song, so it all kind of mixes well even if it doesn't necessarily flow. The deluxe edition adds four more songs. Two I really like are the way-out-of-left-field "All My Friends Are Insects" and the live and acoustic "Viva La Vida"

All in all its a good album and an enjoyable listen. It touches a little on most types of "rock" music and when I was at Starbucks stitching and the album ended I put it on again while I finished the letter I was working on. That should say enough I guess.

Comments people! Have you heard Hurley? What did you think? What else are you listening to while you stitch? Post here or go have a go at a discussion on the new Facebook fan page!

Getting Ink and Giving Stitches

Okay, babies and gentlemen. We have a winner and they are...going to have to wait just a little longer! FACE!!!

In the meantime though, some of you may remember my cross stitch tattoo. For those of you who do not, here is a trip down memory lane. When I left I asked my artist, Nick, what he was into. First he mentioned G.G. Alin and finally just said the more out there the better. He had a lot of art in his little tattoo cave that he had done that was more traditional but inspired by modern times as well. The old-timey female boxer with the Stormtrooper helmet was a personal favorite.

Long story short I grabbed some old fabric I had around and using just black, gray and white I came up with this:

Also, I have been so taken by my tattoo and the response that I think it has become my little "signature" for smaller pieces. So whenever I think "Whatever James" is too much stitching for a signature I will just do this:

Does this symbolic representation of my name make me the "Prince" of cross stitch? I hope so because I want to Batdance!

9/03/10: National Stitch In Public Day

I think it's only half about that and half that I just like being "seen"! Now turn of the interwebs, get out there and stitch where they can see you!!!

Fortunately, I Live In A Constant State Of Emergency

My friend Rooster and I go back...crap it's closer to ten years then I think we realize. We started out on the Sunday morning shift at RadioShack and since everyone was at church I would bring my electric guitar and he would play one of the display keyboards. I was gonna be a rock god and he was going to be a hip hop star and audio engineer in his own studio.

Today he is a member of the only hip hop group I like, Coldcokt, and he just graduated audio engineering school. Now he knows how to work all the stuff in the studio in his second bedroom. As for me I adjust claims by day and fight criminals with my cross stitch and witty online banter by night! Okay, okay...so it's early evening.

Anyway I have wanted to do this piece for a while now. It's been done elsewhere, and probably better. But I wanted to make him something to celebrate and grease the wheels on some studio time! The one thing I am taking from this piece is "matting" with scrapbook paper. I LOVE IT! Here's how it came out:



And here is Rooster doing what he does best. I am told it's called "Rocking The Mic".


I guess so.

A Contest? But Only God Can Judge Me!

Things don't exist simply because you believe in them, thus sayeth the almighty creature in the sky - Dr. Banjo

So I have decided to do a contest. Why not. I really have wanted to turn this into a "real blog" but with my style or lack thereof. I even have a domain somewhere else where I am practicing being more personable. But let's try here.

I am making my tattoo artist a piece to say thank you. Actually it's going to say "Fuck Your Shit". If you want one too, send in your craft tattoos and I will pick a winner. Well, I won't but I will find some random ass way to pick a winner. Send entries to whateverjamesinstitches@gmail.com

Here are the rules:
1. I can't enter.
2. You should. Since I doubt many people actually read this your chances are pretty good. And on that note:
3. Naked pics won't help you win, but they also couldn't hurt. Remember I have a wife in real life so it's all for fun but let's not get nasty. Respect yourself and her...or at least her.
4. If I get a naked pick of Jamie because of this - he automatically wins!
5. A winner will be picked at random from all entries.
6. Craft tattoos only but any craft is ok. If you do pottery maybe show off your "ghost
tattoo - what you don't have one too? If you are a tattoo artist don't send in pictures of your work unless you have done a craft piece...or maybe you have a tattoo of a tattoo gun or something.
7. If possible, include info on your artist. We like seeing our names by our work so let's give them the same respect!

That's it for the rules, I think. Send entries to whateverjamesinstitches@gmail.com before (looks for random date on the calendar) August 31, 2010.

Cool And Unusual Punishment

I finally got my cross stitch tattoo! It came at great personal sacrifice but here it is:

Big thanks to Nick M. over at Fat Cat Tattoo on and in Fair Oaks, CA!

Pic is less then an hour after taking the plastic off (I love how we get to "unwrap" new tattoos - it's like a fucked-up Christmas). That was Thursday night and as of Saturday morning it is setting so damn pretty. Hey, it has purple in it so it can be as pretty as I want it to be! By the by, the purple is a mix of the single light and single dark purples he had.

I know what your thinking: "Where's the personal sacrifice? It's not a heroic story unless our star suffers some tragedy!" Well here you go, you hateful sons of bitches: I managed to lose 7 projects spanning my ENTIRE cross stitch career and representing over 100 hours of work.

I almost always have my craft bag with me. Its like my god-damn purse, really. I placed it on top of the car when I was getting our youngest out of her seat. Can you see it coming from a mile away? Yes, Windy went to the store later that night and since it is not her job to listen for stray craft bags falling of the roof, she did not hear it do so. It's been really hard to get her to realize it was not her fault and I am not mad at her. I don't think she actually reads my blog but if so: I love you!

The bag was, itself, awesome. It was a DMC branded bag from the craft store and I loved it so much I have been meaning to "review" it here at some point. But inside were projects I carry to show off my work (rest assured you can see pictures on my iPod instead from now on). I will post about them separately.

So who has crafty tattoos? Send a pic to whateverjamesinstitches@gmail.com and I'll post it here with some words about how awesome it is (spoiler). Here is me with mine (my tattoo gutter-brain):