What A Treat...

To open a box from Paula C. and find all of this….

I could not get over her generosity. How lucky I was to win her Blogiversary! Would you believe that I remember reading Paula’s very first post? I have enjoyed it ever since! Thank you so much Paula for this amazing Give-A-Way, I especially love the stacked pincushion that you made and shall treasure forever.

Can you believe that I also won one of the 2nd place prizes on the Blackbird Design Blog?

Yup, I was one of the 133 people that entered a picture of my stitched Petites Lettres Rouges sampler and my name was drawn. Seriously, I can’t win a cake in a cakewalk maybe my luck has changed. Can you believe that 133 people stitched up this sampler? 132 of them probably linked to it from Vonna’s blog! Thanks for sharing Vonna; you are always so good about that. I shall post a picture of the card from Paris that I won when it arrives.

I am very happy to say that four of the stitched pieces that were almost accidentally discarded by my DH are now at the frame shop being framed. I decided that, for their protection, they needed to be framed and mounted on the wall. I still have about five more that need some form of finishing; they have been safely tucked away in my sewing room where no “man” dare enter!

There’s a new blog in town: Cross Stitch in the Garden by Beth…you may know her from Fanci That Designs. Actually, Beth is not new to blogging; she is returning to the blog world so stop on over and take a look... Welcome back Beth! :D

I was reading Heather’s blog and she mentioned that she has been doing far more quilting these days than cross-stitch…I remember those days, I had put down my tapestry needle in exchange for the tiny quilting needle and gave up on cross stitch for a number of years (so very hard to believe). In 2007 I switched back and have done very little quilt making, however, I am seriously considering starting this quilt:

Spinning Wheels Quilt

What is holding me back? Could it be the many unfinished quilt tops and bags of quilt blocks that I already have? Why YES! I don’t know, this quilt is calling my name and I am not sure how much longer I can ignore it~ time will tell.

Have you visited the All People Quilt website? There are some great quilting/crafting freebie projects, video instructions, tips, and much more. I have found instructions for projects that I can modify and use in my cross stitch finishing. I printed out the instructions for this Sewing Roll so that I could use it to finish one of my cross stitch pieces:

Instructions for Sewing Roll

Thanks to those that shared with me their “dog” stories, I found them helpful and encouraging. Lily now has her crate and does not seem to mind going inside when I leave but then again who knows if she is howling while I am gone…let’s hope not. As for the messed up wall ~ well, it is being fix thanks to my DH and his million gadgets and tools.

Have a great day!

Until next time...

Fair & Square from Jen

My "collection" of Fair & Square blocks continues to grow, with the newest addition arriving from Jen R. What a wonderful block, I adore this sweet birdhouse design and love those tiny buttons. I wish that I could share with you what I plan to do with these beautiful blocks but for now, I have no idea so I shall merely share this picture:

Fair & Square ~ round #12 from Jen R

Now, how cute is that? Thank you so much Jen for the amazing blocks I love them.

My "cute" little dog is driving me NUTS! Unlike any other dog that I have owned, this one chews and does not like being left alone. I was out and about for a mere 2 hours and when I returned and opened the laundry room door this is what I came home to:

She must have scratched at it!!! I use to leave her in the master bath until she chewed on the corner of the vanity! Now when I leave I put both dogs in the laundry room (Misha is a good girl and does not need to be in there but I am fearful of what Lily would do without her) this is the 1st time that she has done any damage and it shall be the last. I am going to end this post so that I can read about "crating" and check for some type of a corral to keep her in. I have plans to attend a quilt show on Friday and had planned on leaving her in the laundry room, now I am afraid....very afraid~

Thanks for stopping by~

Until next time...

24 Hours And It Is Done!

I am certain that Vonna did not realize when she wrote her April 16th post that she would be setting me up for a challenge. When I read these words:

"I printed the chart off, picked my colors and fabric and here it is 24 hours later"

I thought, "How did she do that?" I was determined to see if I could stitch this in 24 hours!

Well, I loved the chart and knew in an instant exactly what I would do with my version of the Blackbird Designs Petites Lettres Rouge sampler...

When I first saw the sampler, it brought to mind the Schoolgirl Samplers of earlier days when young girls under the age of 10, as a way to learn letters and numbers, executed these simple style samplers. These samplers enabled the girls to learn various stitches but more importantly, they served as an educational tool setting the foundation for reading and mathematics. For this reason, I immediately thought of stitching Petites Lettres Rouge as a way to commemorate my oldest son’s upcoming college graduation from Villanova University. With the school colors in hand I headed to my LNS to find the appropriate threads, selecting WDW Americana, Sampler Threads Blue Jay and Morning Glory I then rushed home to stitch this design on a piece of 32 ct Belfast linen. And to quote Vonna:

"I printed the chart off, picked my colors and fabric and here it is 24 hours later:"

Petites Lettres Blue, I Am So Proud Of You!

Designer: Blackbird Designs

Design: Petites Lettres Rouges

Fabric: 32ct Belfast Linen

Threads: WDW, Sampler Threads

Here is my version of Petites Lettres Rouge Sampler, now titled: Petites Lettres Bleu, I Am So Proud Of You!

Once framed it shall hang on my sampler wall where 3 years from now I shall hang the second one, stitched in browns, to commemorate my youngest son’s graduation from Lehigh University.

Thanks Vonna for sharing the information and link to this design. I must also thank Alma and Barb at Blackbird Designs for offering this free pattern for without it I surely would not have thought to stitch such a beautiful remembrance of my son’s accomplishment.

I had a number of new visitors to my blog and would like to say thank you for finding me and for your nice comments! It is always exciting to see that new bloggers have stopped by, but as always I value the returning bloggers more than you know!

Have a wonderful week. I encourage you all to jump at every opportunity to challenge yourself it is so very rewarding!


Until next time...

“Is This Trash?” He Asks

As he stands in front of me holding this opened, and almost emptied, book box...

My eyes bulged, my heart skipped a beat, and my blood boiled as I spat these words, “OMG NO, that is not trash, that’s my completed cross stitch pieces!” And this my friends is what could have easily been discarded…

He, my husband that is, meant no harm ~ he was trying to be helpful. You see as I open boxes I tend to leave a small one for trash or items I no longer want and he thought he would be helpful and bring the box outside to pile with all of the others. Can you imagine sending these off for rubbish collection? I am not sure my marriage would have survived that. :D

All is well these lovelies are safe in my sewing room, a place that he does not enter. I did not realize that I had so many completed projects that needed finishing!

Yesterday was a very nice mail day. I received this beautiful exchange from Nic who stitched for me in the FTT Drawn Thread Exchange. She stitched a gorgeous scissor fob and a floss tag:

Friends Through Threads

Drawn Thread Exchange

Scissor Fob and Floss Tag

From Nic

In addition, she sent some wonderful extras: a fat quarter, some ribbon, folding scissors, a note pad and some seed beads. Nic also sent a very nice card wishing me well in my new home and when I opened it I found the leaf buttons and flower bud; so very thoughtful.

Thank you so much Nic for the wonderful exchange, you certainly brightened my day!


I recently complete a Sheepish Design titled: Pray For Me. I stitched this one for my cousin but I have not decided how I will finish it. I would like to find a nice wooden box and mounted it on the top but if I cannot find one then I will frame it.

My friend had her first grand daughter so I made her this quilt and I also made this little door hanger but I forgot to post a picture of it.

Recently I sent pictures of Little Lily to my son who sent me a text to say that she looks so much older, she has grown fast as you will see but she is still cute as ever.

Lily at 8 weeks ~ too cute!

Lily at 10 months ~ still too cute!

With that lovely picture, I will end this post! Thank you for taking the time to stop by for a visit and for your comments I do enjoy reading them.

Until next time...

Completion of the Neighborhood

My new Texas neighborhood is under construction with houses being built all around me and I have no idea when all this construction will be complete. The completed neighborhood that I am referring to is my Halloween Neighborhood.

Back in January 2008, Carol asked me if I would be interested in being a replacement stitcher in the Hello Neighbor Round Robin and I jumped at the opportunity to join in. I rushed to the LNS to select a large piece of 32 ct R & R linen, rushed home to baste the grid, and finally rushed to stitch in the first three gridded blocks (I had missed the first three stitching rotations). On February 1, 2008, I happily sent my Halloween theme neighborhood off looking like this:

However, I was even happier when it returned looking like this:

Hello Neighbor Round Robin

Fabric: 32ct R&R Linen

Who would have guessed it would look this awesome??? I am so very pleased with my newly constructed neighborhood and must thank the builders:

Bine, Carol, Deb, Glenna, Karen, Leslie, Nicole, and Wendy

You all selected such great designs and stitched them so beautifully; you are the reason that my neighborhood looks amazing. I have not yet decided how I will stitch your names into the neighborhood but they will be added! I also would like to include a Halloween verse at the very top, but I have yet to find the right one.

Carol I cannot thank you enough for inviting me to step in and join this talented group of stitchers. It was truly a rewarding experience and I have such a wonderfully stitched neighborhood that I will forever treasure.

Now that I am somewhat settled, I had the opportunity to do a bit of online shopping. I used the Down Sunshine Lane (great online shop!) gift certificate that sweet Vonna gave to me for my birthday and I purchased two patterns that I wanted SO much: LHN - Traveling Stitcher with thread chart pack, and Plum Street - My Pretties.

The "Traveling Stitcher" was newly released at the Nashville Needlework Market. What a great project keeper and needlebook design. I have wanted the “My Pretties” leaflet for quite some time and will almost certainly use this for a Halloween exchange ~ I just love the tin topper!

I am anxious to put needle to fabric on both of these…let me see, which one shall I start first? Knowing how I operate I will almost certainly have both of these on my WIP list very soon.

Thank you so much Vonna for the birthday gift and for your valued friendship.

I learned that Nic received the Drawn Thread Exchange that I sent her so I am free to share pictures with you. I stitched a section from the pattern titled: Brown Ranch Sampler and mounted it onto a photo book.

Friends Through Threads

Drawn Thread Exchange

Finish: Photo Book

Stitched for: Nic

It is late and I have spent much of the day organizing and opening a few picture boxes so I did not get any stitching done today…or yesterday for that matter. I believe I hear the couch beckoning me to come sit and stitch for a while ~ music to my ears.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by it is always fun to hear from you. I hope you have a wonderful week, and that you find time to sit, stitch, and relax.

Until next time...

Oh Happy Day!!!

And that it was…Yesterday I opened my mailbox and found two packages tucked inside. The first is a beautiful gift from my very dear friend Vonna. Before I share a picture there is a bit of a story behind this:

While trying, like so many others, to sell our home during such a depressed housing market I had mentioned to Vonna our difficult struggle. She shared with me information on St. Joseph, the patron saint of home and family, and told me that some people who are in need of a faithful helper purchase St. Joseph statues. I was surprised at what I read online and it convinced me to purchase a small statue, not long after this we sold our house. Since he is a patron saint of homes and family, it was nice to have the St. Joseph statue in my house but recently I handed him over to an individual that I knew could truly use him. I shared this with Vonna but was quick to tell her that I would most certainly be purchasing a new one. To my surprise, Vonna sent me this beautiful St. Joseph statue along with a prayer card:

St. Joseph
Patron Saint of Home and Family

I am so happy to have this in my new home, even happier that it was given to me by such a wonderful friend! I shall treasure it for so many reasons, thank you dear Vonna!

My first exchange while in my new house came from Gabi, and what an amazing exchange piece it is. I participated in a Winter Quaker Exchange with the HOE group and this is what I received, feast your eyes on this gorgeous scissor pocket:

HOE: Winter Quaker
Scissor Pocket
Beautifully stitched by: Gabi

Fabric: Belfast Linen ~ Country Cream
Threads: Threadwork ~ Blue Navy

Are you drooling? :D I am speechless; this is beautifully stitched and finished! It just astounds me and I am so very grateful to Gabi for all the time she spent creating this. The pattern is by Barbara Bernard who designed it to honor the 10th anniversary of the Loudoun Sampler Guild; Gabi did however make a few minor changes. She also treated me to some very nice extras: A wonderful pair of stork scissor, a bag of decorative buttons, and some great braided trim. Thank you again Gabi for such a wonderful exchange!

HOE: Winter Quaker
Received from Gabi

Yes, I am still unpacking boxes. Some days I spend hours unpacking and arranging and then the next few days I will not even look at a box. Thankfully, all unpacked boxes are now upstairs so it is easy to avoid them. I will leave you with an updated picture of my sewing room. I wish that I could say that it was all done, but it is not. I decided that I must concentrate on putting away everything that was in there before I would haul in another box…yes, there are more boxes!

Thank you for all of your well wishes and for taking the time to stop by ~ Come back again soon!

Until next time...

I Have Arrived…

Well, my move has ended (for that, I am grateful!) and I am setting up home in the wonderful state of:

Thanks to all that participated in my “guess the state” contest. A number of you did guess correctly, so I put these names in a hat and pulled the winning name out:

CONGRATULATIONS TO: Annemiek

You are the winner of the TEXAS Needleroll ~ Please email me with your address and I will send this out to you.

All 30,000 pounds of our personal belongings arrived at my doorstep on Feb. 26th. I am drowning in boxes and dreading opening each one. Here in Texas, there are no basements and storage space is limited. With each open box, I struggle with where to put all of this “STUFF” ~ my sewing room is maxed out and I still have oodles of boxes to unpack:

Given all of the unopened boxes in the media room, I am not certain when we will be able to properly set up this room:

I have walked this path before and can take comfort in knowing that with time this chaos shall turn into an organized home!

Okay, on to some wonderful stitching pictures….

I received two wonderful exchanges; the first is from Brigitte who was my partner in the Friends through Threads Seasonal Exchange. I was overjoyed when I laid eyes on this gorgeous Stitcher’s Bag:

Stitcher's Pocket from Brigitte

Beautifully stitched and finished! I just love the design it makes me smile. :D

Brigitte spoiled me with so many wonderful extras:

Friends Through Threads

Seasonal Stitcher's Exchange - Winter

Received from Brigitte

Many thanks Brigitte for making this a truly wonderful exchange!

I received the second exchange from Stephanie who stitched for me in the Prairie Schooler Exchange:

Prairie Schooler All Year Long

Received from Stephanie

What a real treat, I got not one but two exchange pieces a beautiful Pinkeep and an adorable Scissor FOB. Stephanie you did an amazing job on these treasures and I cannot thank you enough for your time and generosity!

I can no longer sit at this computer so I will share pics of the Fair & Square blocks that I received in my next post. Must run...I hear boxes calling my name. Grrr!

Thanks for stopping by and I do look forward to your return.

Until next time...