Christmas in August.....

 

The mood to stitch Christmas struck me

this week and I thought ornaments would

be the perfect quick fix.  Lizzie Kate is

always a fun and quick stitch and

these little cuties were just that.

 

LK "Flora McSample 2012 Ornaments"

stitched on 32ct LL Toasted Almond

w/Victorian Motto threads

 

I decided on a simple finish for these ornaments

which didn't require my sewing machine.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

Once I got in the "finishing" frame of mind

I decided to finish two other Christmas

finishes that have been hanging

out for a few months.

 

I stitched this in December while

vacationing in Arizona.  I usually take

a LK design on vacation since they are

easy to pick up and put down while

traveling. I also love that I can look at

these designs and it brings back

great memories of our trips.

 

LK "Be Naughty"

stitched on 14ct mocha Aida with DMC

 

One of the things I love about LK

is the simplicity of her designs and

I really like stitching them on a

simpler fabric like 14ct using

DMC.  This is definitely one of my

favorites and I can't wait to quietly

display it in a side chair this

holiday season.

 

Since I had the sewing machine out I

finished this into a cute little ornament.

 

CHS "1999 Christmas Sampling"

stitched on Black 28ct evenweave over one

 

I wasn't too fond of the over one stitching

on black but I just love this ornament.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

Well...I am off to find some more

ornaments to stitch! All of WIPs are

pretty large right now so the quick

gratification from an ornament

finish is feeling good!

 

Thanks for visiting and happy stitching...



Happy Saturday.....

 

and Happy Mother's Day

to all of you enjoying the weekend.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

Lizzie Kate is one of my favorite designers

and I just love her fun, simple style.

This design caught my eye and I couldn't

resist stitching it any longer.

 

LK "Think Deeply"

stitched on 40ct linen with Victorian Motto

 

I love the message in this one.

 

I did change the colors to suit me trading in

the bright pastels for reds and browns.

 

 

I also eliminated the fill for the "T"

for a simpler finish.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

I have another project underway and

this sweet BBD is perfect.

 

BBD "Hannah's Small Basket"

from Schoolgirl's Work

stitched on 40ct linen with Victorian Motto

 

 How have I not stitched this before now? 

I just love it and have a special

finish planned for this one.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

I am off to visit my Mom.....

if I can tear myself away

from the NFL draft.   I don't know why

I am so interested in it....other than

seeing my favorite players being drafted.....

but it has made the best stitching t.v.

 

Hope you have a great weekend and

enjoy some stitching time!



Where has time gone...

 

I can't believe it has been 2 months since

my last post.    Work has been consuming

my life but I think the worst may be

over so I can make more time to stitch. 

I do have two small finishes to share.

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~    *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I joined the Spring Seasonal Exchange

and stitched this for Laura.

HE "Bird N Blossoms" Pin Cushion

Stitched on 32ct. w/ DMC

 

Such a cute design and think I need

to stitch again for me!

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

Another co-worker retired ...the fourth in a year....

so I wanted to make a little momento

to celebrate the occasion

 

LK "When We Do"

Stitched on 32 ct. w/Victorian Motto

 

This sweet design was suited her perfectly.  

Another one I need to stitch from myself!

 

~  *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

I have been able to sneak a few stitches here

and there on some small designs.  Since

I have a free day on Sunday, finishing

will be on the to do list!

 

As far as stitching, June was sweet enough

to share this darling design after she

finished it.  Isn't it cute? I hope to put the

beginning stitches in to it tonight.

 

Hope you have a nice quiet stitchy weekend!



Southern Belles.....

 

I hope everyone had a great holiday season.  It
seems harder each year to get back in the swing
of things after such a nice holiday break.  I think
 how crafty I could be if I didn't have to work.

As usual, our Christmas wasn't very cold and
no snow in sight.   To compensate, I spent
my time stitching these wonderful snowy
belles while wishing we had a little
snow in my part of the south.
 



Stitched on 28ct khaki evenweave w/ DMC

Like the "Fat Men", I fell in love with
these ladies.   Once I got the first one done, I

just kept on going and finished the

rest up during Christmas.

Hopefully they will be properly dressed
before too long!
 

 ~  *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~ 

I have been busy planning my stitching for

this year.  I won't be doing the Crazy Challenge

since I still have five projects lingering.

I can't wait to share what I will be doing once

I get everything kitted up.

 

We were travelling New Year's Eve so I

packed this little sweet design to stitch.

Something about that redbird just caught my eye.



 Trilogy "Happy Chirp Chirp Day"

stitched on 28ct natural linen w/ Gentle Arts & Victorian Motto

 

 I didn't realize I had picked up 28ct so this design
turned out a lot larger than I had hoped.  
I am also not very happy with the coverage
of the red but I can live with it.

~   *   ~   *   ~    *   ~   *   ~    *   ~    *    ~    *    ~

Well it looks like everyone is off to a good start to the new year and I love seeing all of the new projects stitchers have going.   I hope you have a great stitchy weekend!

happy stitches....



Seeing the Elephant....

Or

How I spent my summer vacation.

First......the stitching:

Like many on a "road trip", I packed my

stitching bag with a new project that I knew

would be easy to stitch and finish

during our lengthy car rides.

My vacation progress.....

Not much!

Just too much great scenery to see.

LK "Snowman "10"

stitched on 28ct. khaki evenweave

w/DMC

No fear....he was stitched after I got home. 

Next....the sights:

Hubby planned a great trip that followed some

of the trails of Lewis & Clark as well as the

Santa Fe, Mormon, Oregon, & California trails. 

Hence the title of this post....

you can read more about that here. 

I became fascinated with the pioneer history and

specifically the pioneer women.  I thought I

was suffering if I had to go without my A/C

for more than 30 minutes.  I can't even imagine

what they endured as they left their families and

belongings behind for a new life out west.

I'll share a few of my favorites pics as we travelled

across Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado.

St. Louis Arch

Capturing the perfect picture of the Arch

My travel companion

Sunday dinner family style at J. Huston Tavern

Arrow Rock

On the trail of Lewis and Clark

Bend of the Missouri River

Scenic Nebraska

Making our way west

Scott's Bluff

 

South of the Border Pedro's twin in the west

Ogallala, Nebraska

Had a great time in Ft. Collins, Colorado but

this is the only picture I took that day!

Just beautiful on Trail Road

Rocky Mountain National Park

On our way up to the Alpine Visitor's Center

Rocky Mountain National Park

Lastly....Goodies:

Like most pioneer girls, I had to have my

doll to keep me company.

 

My pioneer doll

Although she is a 21st century doll, it was

love at first sight and will be a nice

memory of our trip west!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

If you made it this far, thanks for

taking the time to visit.

Have a great stitchy week!



And then there were none....

Feels like forever since I have been here.

I had the pleasure of spending last week with my
mom after she had surgery.  Unfortunately, it
wasn't a picnic for her and her time with
me wasn't as pleasant.

Although I packed my stitch bag as if I would be
stitching 24/7, it was not to be.

I did have one finish.....my last fat man!

LK "Snow Day"

stitched on 28ct khaki evenweave

w/DMC

My basket of snow beaus....

I think I will enjoy them for just a little longer.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I'm a few days away from celebrating my birthday and Miss Faye (becoming better known as the Carolina Sewer)

sent me one of her fabulous pouches.

She even personalized it just for me....

I forgot to take a pic of the pretty red floral fabric used inside. Faye is such a sweetie and this was a nice surprise.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I do have another little finish to share.   A co-worker retired last month and I decided to stitch up a little goodie.

BBD "Friends with You"

Chart 2 from My Heart Is True

stitched on 40ct khaki linen

w/Victorian Motto

This is becoming one of my favorite BBD books.  There is a companion piece to this one that is so pretty but time didn't allow me to stitch it.  Hopefully soon....

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

As always, thanks for giving me a little
bit of your time.   Happy stitching....

Exchange stitching.....

I recently participated in two of my favorite

exchangesand thought I would share.

Lisa was my partner in the Seasonal Exchange

 and here is my piece for her....

Hollis Designs "Snowy Littles"

stitched on 32ct linen

w/recommended thread

My procrastination resulted in the package going

out just in time.  In my haste, I forgot to take a

pic and thank Lisa for letting my borrow hers.

I really like how this one turned out and

hope to stitch/finish all four of the

seasonal designs in this series.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Laura was my partner in the LK Exchange...

LK "Summer Basket"

Stitched on 25ct cream evenweave over 1

with DMC

Since we haven't had much of a winter I thought

I would move right along to summer.  This

design is perfect for  a cute pincushion don't

you think?  I am glad Laura is happy with it.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Thanks as always for visiting.
Now....back to stitching!

My favorite snowman....

LK "Let It Snow"

stitched on 28ct khaki evenweave

w/DMC

Well....I made him my own. 

I goofed when I started the scarf which

resulted in changing the color scheme. 

Too lazy to rip out the wrong color, I carried

on and used a little pink, which I really liked.  

I figured I would carry on and change the

hat color to light blue with a little more pink. 

I just love him. 

I still think he needs a little pompom at

the end of his hat.  Hmmm...will need to

do something about that.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I saw this card on Pinterest a few weeks

ago and I just couldn't get it out of my mind.  

I just had to try and make one...

I had to do a little figuring on this one to get

the mechanics correct and I'm pretty happy

with my first attempt.   I really like the

flowers/leaves layout in the original card

better so I  will make it like that next time.

This was my Friday night project.

The idea of weaving a paper basket came to

me Friday night after I had gone to bed. 

I was up Saturday by 5:30 am

(thanks to a tornado warning)

and so I decided to give it a try.

Summertime is calling me....

I was amazed how easily these came to together.

So I made some more....

{Love} the yellow flower basket...

  I am just pleased at punch with these.

Now that the creative juices were flowing,

I thought I would make a clay pot. 

  

Not to shabby if I say so myself....

  I have a tendency to overindulge when I

 find something I like so I wouldn't be

surprised if I have a hundred of these

by the end of the month!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *  ~   *   ~

I haven't stitched in 4 days.... so I'm off to remedy

that and put a few stitches in something!

As always...thanks for visiting.

happy stitching....

Crazy Challenge diversion....

Here are the remaining starts for

the Crazy Challenge.

Day 9

Plum Street Samplers "Halloween Hornbook Sampler"

Day10

Primitive Needle "Kindred Spirit"

 Day 11

BOAF "Kindness Sampler"

Day 12 

BOAF "Bloom Where You Are Planted"

Day 13

LHN "Thirteen Colonies"

Day 14 

Goode Huswife "The Flowers of Lebanon"

Day 15 

CHS "Worthy Brown"

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

With some very busy work days, I wasn't

capable of focusing too long on

some of these Challenge projects.  

I really needed something a little "easier" 

and just couldn't resist these cute,

fat snowmen anymore! 

I hope to finish them as little pillows

to display in a basket so I can enjoy

them throughout the winter.

LK "Snowed In"

stitched on 28ct khaki evenweave

w/DMC

 

This roly-poly one is just so cute so I

couldn't wait to start the next one.

LK "Snow House"

stitched on 28ct evenweave

w/DMC



They do stitch up very quickly so 

hopefully I will get them all done to enjoy

at least a day or two this winter!  

 

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

 

Well....I have some exchange stitching calling me.

Then it will be the difficult decision of 

what to stitch next???

Thanks for looking...happy stitching. 

First stitching in 2012....

Unfortunately, I began my new year under

the weather but was able to do some

stitching for my Crazy Challenge.

Day 1.....

 La D Da "In the Sweet"

stitched on 40ct Lakeside Linen

w/ DMC

This is the sweetest design and I should be

able to finish this one up pretty quickly.

Day 2.....

CHS "Matter's Choice"

stitched on 35ct. straw

w/DMC

I have loved this one from the first time I saw it. 

I really struggled with whether to stitch in

blue or red.  I decided to go with DMC 3750

but still envision this one in red. 

There is a smaller sampler included and

think I will do that one in red.

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

I picked up one of the LK Inspirational Boxer kits

last week at my LNS sale and decided

I just had to stitch it. 

LK "We Can Do"

stitched w/DMC

I didn't have the suggested thread so decided to

use the DMC conversion.  I actually finished

the stitching on New Year's Eve and was

able to do the finishing on New Year's Day. 

I really like how it turned out and will

have this on displayed in my office at work.  

This is a message I need to read

frequently each day!

~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~   *   ~

Looks like many stitchers are already off to a

good stitchy start in this new year! 

I do hope you are one of them....

happy stitching.