Over The Top Gift From A Special Friend

I was in total shock when I opened a very large box from Vonna and pulled out this GORGEOUS Stitching basket:

2010 Birthday gift from Vonna

Designer: Little House Needleworks

Design: Traveling Stitcher

Finish: Stitcher’s Basket

I really do believe that my heart skipped a beat as my brain screamed, “Vonna, you are an amazingly generous, talented, creative, wonderful friend who has touched my life in countless ways!”  

Look at the stitching accessories tucked inside this basket:

Basket Accessories

A beautifully stitched pincushion, a ring of floss tags, a pair of scissors, and a gorgeous Mother of Pearl 3” ruler (complete with a handy tassel)!

Vonna, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this wonderful birthday gift and for your friendship. I will enjoy carrying my stitching projects in what will forever be a cherished heirloom. For now my new basket will remain by my sewing chair for ALL to enjoy.

I will leave you with a quote that always brings Vonna to the forefront of my mind:

Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things in life.



Until next time...

3 FRENCH HENS…

3 French Hens... cute, cute cute! I just received a RAK from one of the dearest stitchers that I know, sweet Carol S.  What a surprise it was to open Carol’s package and gaze upon this whimsical  ornament:

Designer: Sisters And Best Friends

Design: 3 French Hens

Stitched by: Carol S.

Finish: Ornament

How cute are these little hens all decked out in French Maid’s costumes?  I shall smile and think as I place this ornament on my tree every year. Thank you my dear friend for this thoughtful RAK, you touched my heart in a very special way.

Until next time...

A Sweet Reason To Post

Quiet? Yes, I have been very quiet and this is probably because I have done very little stitching.

Yesterday Edgar gave me a truly SWEET reason to blog.  I received an unexpected package in the mail that I anxiously opened.  I am not signed up for any exchanges and I had not made any recent online purchases so I could not imagine what this package held.  When I opened it and read the card I immediately said to my DH, "Edgar is so sweet!"  He sent me the most delicious chocolate covered cherries, a jar of Peach Jam that I am sure is delicious, and white chocolate candy filled with dried cranberries and nuts...SWEET.  With every bite, my brain screamed FABULOUS!

Thank you Edgar for being so thoughtful.  You made my day that much sweeter and put a much needed smile on my face! :D

So, what has kept me busy these days? A little bit of this and a little bit of that.  I have decorated my house for the holiday starting with this new wreath for the door.

The mantel is decorated with my small collection of Byers Choice Carolers...

Here is a closer look:

I will save the other pictures for another post.

Lastly, I have been busy rearranging my sewing room in preparation for the arrival of my newly purchased Koala Sewing center.  I purchased this at the International Quilt Festival in October and can hardly wait until it is delivered this month.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will be able to maneuver the 400-pound table up my curved stairway.

For now my sewing room is a MESS and I must get up there and work on organizing all of my "stuff"

Until next time...

It Doesn't Feel Much Like Fall Around Here

Oh how I love the fall, especially Halloween but I must say I am missing "Fall in New England".  It just doesn't feel much like fall around here so I decided that I had to get busy and drag out the Fall/Halloween box to decorate the house.  Now that so many of the stores have all of the Halloween decoration out on the shelves I need to try to stay out of them; I always seem to find something new that I must have.

A new wreath for the door…

A new centerpiece for the table…

A newly decorated vintage tree…

And yesterday I received a wonderful Halloween package from Erin W. that contained some great new decorations:

HOE Halloween Exchange

Stitched by: Erin W.

Take a closer look at the fabulous pillow:

Designer: The MonkeyWorks

Design: In The Graveyard

Can you see the beaded skeleton? Erin, clever stitcher that she is, decided to forgo the white floss and use white beads instead (the picture on Erin's blog is better so be sure to pop on over and take a look). I shall prop this pillow up on the mantel in my family room for all to see. The cute ghost bell and Halloween plaque are displayed on the vintage tree. Thank you so much Erin for all that you sent, you made this an extra special exchange!

My exchange has quite a distance to travel so I do not expect that it will arrive until next week. I will wait to hear from my partner before posting pictures.

Your comments make me smile and knowing that you visited makes my day so thank you all.

Until next time...

A Few Exchanges

Where in the world is sweet Heather??? Since the quilting bug bit her, I hardly ever see any of her beautiful cross-stitch work. Well, she did complete this beauty not too long ago but much of her blog these days highlights her gorgeous quilts!  I was so happy to be able to participate in a personal Fall exchange with her and was excited when her package arrived.  Knowing Heather I knew that it would be amazing.

Fall Personal Exchange from Heather

Heather selected a design from My Aunt's Attic website and stitched it on 32ct linen using a pretty fall variegated floss. She selected the most wonderful fabric, one that truly compliments the design and matches the floss perfectly, and she stitched up the gorgeous Project Bag.  How could I not love this one??? I tore through my unfinished projects and selected a Scarlett Letter project to tuck away inside the bag.  Many thanks Heather, you are a dear friend!

I was a bit undecided on what to stitch for Heather; should I stitch a Halloween Design or should I stitch a Thanksgiving design.....Hmm??? Sort of like Heather's Blog title "Quilt or Stitch? how about both.  Okay, Halloween or Thanksgiving? How about both.

I love using Anna Lee dolls to display a cross stitched piece so when I came across this handsome Pilgrim I snatched him up and took him home.  And what do Pilgrims bring to the table to feast on? A Turkey.

Since receiving this really nice glass mason jar from CathyB I have been anxious to make one. Luckily I took her advice and rushed out to locate these cute little canning jars before the stores ran out or packed them away until next season.  It did not take long for me to select a Halloween design: A pumpkin.  

JBW French Country IV Pumpkin

It is hard to believe that it is October 3rd and I only participated in one, yes one Fair and Square exchange this year. I certainly picked a good one....HALLOWEEN!  My partner for this round was Nancy K. who sent me these wonderful blocks:

Fair &Square Halloween

Designer: BBD

Stitched by: Nancy K.

She stitched the design using Tentakulum variegated thread called "Halloween" and WDW "Twilight" floss for the cat.

Thanks Nancy, you did a great job selecting and stitching the perfect design; I just love it!

Here are the blocks that I stitched for her:

Fair & Square Halloween

Designer: Prairie Schooler

Design:

Stitched for: Nancy K.

I was recently pulling floss for a project and I realized that I was running low on one of my very favorites: Victorian Motto Sampler Floss. I immediately ordered some and VERY quickly received these:

Nancy offers some of the most beautiful colors. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous! I can't wait to thread my needle with them. 

Hop on over to Edgar's blog where he is having his annual Hobbit Birthday Drawing! Better get over there quick, he will be drawing at 7am Monday!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Enjoy your week.

Until next time...

Back To Quilting

I have been quiet because I have been busy… QUILTING.  Yes, I have been spending more time behind the Bernina these days.  I recently completed a baby quilt for my neighbor, who will be having her 1^st baby at the end of this month.  I participated in a shop hop with some friends when I came across a pattern by Bunny Hill Designs titled, Binkies on Broadway.  Having recently seen the new baby room I knew that this was the perfect design. Fortunately, I was able to complete the quilt before the arrival of the new baby; that’s a first. 

Designer: Bunny Hill Designs

Design: Binkies On Broadway

Size: 52"x52"

Baby Gift



I am working on two other designs by Bunny Hill the first is Yoyoville. 

Designer: Bunny Hill Designs

Design: Yoyoville

Size: 69"x87"

I just love this quilt. I decided to stitch mine using a fall color palette and am busy making yoyo’s….lots and lots of yoyos!



The second design that I will be starting soon is called Little Friends. 

Designer: Bunny Hill Designs

Design: Little Friends

Size: 44"x52"

I am going to stitch mine in shades of blue, green and yellow and have put together this collection of fabrics…

I still want to “audition” a few more fabrics but I must get started soon.  My son’s friend will be having a baby in early November and I offered to stitch a baby quilt; what was I thinking???



A few weeks ago, our Quilt Guild held their first ever quilt show, and what a fabulous show it was!  Seriously, they had 200+ quilts on display and about 40 vendors, not bad for a local quilt guild.  I decided to enter my miniature quilt for judging and was very excited when I saw it on display looking like this:

Garden In Bloom

Miniature Quilt

Yes, I won two ribbons! I won 1st place in the miniature category and I was awarded a ribbon for Best Precision Piecing. The quilt measures 15"x18" and consists of 331 hexagons, all hand pieced.

I just mailed two exchanges so I should have some cross stitch pictures to share in my next post….whenever that might be.

As always thank you for taking the time to stop by.  I know that I have not been very diligent with my blogging but it always takes me SO long to create a post, sometimes it feels like a 9-5 job. :)

Until next time...

Where Is The Good In Goodbye?

92 DAYS…He was here for 92 days but now he’s gone. On August 21st he boarded a flight to the Northeast to return to college. Today he officially begins his junior year; let the fun (stress) begin! (GL,GL,GL).

Was I sad to see him leave? His room is no longer a mess, the media room is no longer littered with big red plastic cups, I have barely any laundry to do, multiple pairs of shoes no longer carpet the kitchen floor, a body is missing from the couch, and dinner is not worth making. So yes, I miss him! He makes me laugh, always.

They leave you with the pain of an empty bedroom, an empty clothes closet, a pantry with no “junk” food, an all too quiet house, and this song playing on the radio:

May the good Lord be with you

Down every road you roam

And may sunshine and happiness

Surround you when you're far from home

And may you grow to be proud, dignified and true

And do unto others as you'd have done to you

Be courageous and be brave

And in my heart you’ll always stay

Forever young, forever young

Forever young, forever young

May good fortune be with you

May your guiding light be strong

Build a stairway to Heaven

With a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love in vain

And in my heart you will remain

Forever young, forever young

Forever young, forever young

And when you finally fly away

I’ll be hoping that I served you well

For all the wisdom of a lifetime

No one can ever tell

But whatever road you choose

I’ll be right behind you, win or lose

Forever young, forever young

Forever young, forever young

Forever young, forever young

Rod Stewart: Forever Young

I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day you find it is the day I will stop missing you. ~Author Unknown

Until next time...

Fabulous Exchange

I must give myself a pat on the back for maintaining self control when it comes to signing up for stitching exchanges. This does not mean that I have gone “cold turkey” but rather that I have been very good about picking and choosing which to participate in. How happy am I that I did not pass on the FFT LHN Exchange, let me show you:

FTT LHN Exchange

Design: Liberty and Justice

Stitched by: CathyB

Yahoo, I am one lucky stitcher. CathyB stitched for me (that in itself is a bonus!) and she managed to put a huge smile on my face with the beautiful pillow ornament and glass mason jar. Yes, Cathy stitched both designs in the LHN Liberty and Justice pattern and she stitched them on teeny tiny count (40?) over two. I love the tiny count and can truly appreciate the work that goes into stitching on it. Both are so beautifully stitched and finished.

Thank you so much Cathy for these beautiful exchange pieces. You are a dear friend who never ceases to amaze me with your stitching talent.

I was glad to hear that my partner for this exchange was Suzanne. She stitched a gorgeous Ornament for me in an Ornament Exchange last year so this gave me the opportunity to stitch for her. I decided that I would stitch an ornament for her tree and selected a design from the LHN Monthly Ornament series titled, The Merry Skater. Given she has two adorable little girls I thought that this would be perfect. For the trim, I tried my hand at ruching; I like how it turned out but it is rather labor intense.

FTT LHN Exchange

Design: Merry Skater

Stitched for Suzanne

Just a few days ago, Carol S. celebrated her birthday. She does so much, through her HOE exchanges, to keep me happily stitching that I wanted to send her a little something. This is what I shipped her way:

Designer: Drawn Thread

Design: Caron Keeper

Finish: Floss Fob

I am so glad that you liked it Carol and I do hope that your birthday was extra special!

Did you see the new Cross Stitcher T-Shirt posted on Amy's blog? Cute! She also just added a bunch of items to her Down Sunshine Lane sale page...gotta go shopping!

As always thank you for taking the time to stop by for a visit, do come again!

Until next time...

Home From The Big Apple

It seems like just yesterday that I was climbing into my car, Lily in tow, heading out for my “one man/one dog” 1600+ mile road trip to NYC. I am home now, life is getting back to normal, and I have finally found time to update my blog.

Ride with me on a journey to NYC...

Somewhere in either Louisiana or Mississippi I stopped for gas and was very surprised to see this:

It made me a bit leery about driving through this state. How many people do you think pull up and get “one for the road” ~ CRAZY, don’t ya think?

Fortunately, Lily and I made it safely out of this state. We drove through LA, MS, AL, TN, VA, WV, PA, NJ into NY. We were very happy to see this:

NYC Skyline

I was riding with my son into the city thinking how very excited and happy HE must be to see me and to know that I was going to hang out with him for 3+ weeks.

That was until we passed this lovely billboard:

That small dose of “reality” served to interrupt my delusional thinking long enough for this “helicopter Mom” to comment, “That’s terrible” ~ and my son, well he just laughed and slowed down long enough for me to snap the picture.

We arrived at his high-rise apartment in Manhattan (doorman included) where I was given a tour. The apartment is on the 19th floor but my favorite place was up on the rooftop where they have lounge chairs, tables, and an unbelievable view of the city (especially at night).

Rooftop View

AFTER:
Helping him pack…okay, so I packed most of the boxes ~

Helping him move…okay, he carried all the heavy stuff ~

Cleaning his old apartment…no comment ~

We had a chance to spend time in the city doing the “touristy stuff”

TIMES SQUARE

FASHION DISTRICT

Can you believe all of this trim?

Rows and Rows and Rows!

NY Stock Exchange

Ground Zero

(Lily's hot and wants some of that Starbucks)

911 Memorial

My son gave up his bedroom so I could comfortably rest my weary bones.  As I lay in bed I gaze out the window at this beauty:

Woolworth Building

And I think to myself, “Did I REALLY see this in Times Square today?”

NYC Naked Cowboy

Unlike so many others I was not willing (not in a million years) to pose with this cowboy ~ but yes, I would snap a picture!

After many weeks of fun filled bliss it was time to say good-bye.  Time to leave my son in NYC without me. Really now, why would a 22 year old guy want to live here? And to live without ME? CRAZY, don't ya think?

"G" it was a blast and IL&IMY !!!

As for Lily the highlight of her trip:

A Ride On Bob The Builder's Truck!

Thanks, you were so good to come along for the ride! Next post I will get back to the “stitchy stuff”.

Until next time...