Finished Four Christmas Ornaments

Last month I received a surprise from Julianne, my long time blogging friend.  She sent me Halloween ornament from one of my favorite designers: Prairie Schooler.  I wanted to surprise her with a little something so I stitched up this PS ornament...

2013 Gift 

Designer: Prairie Schooler

Design: O Christmas Tree ~ Book 183

Stitched for: Julianne P

I love the designs in PS Book #183 so much that I used the leaflet once again to stitch up this HOE Ornament Exchange for Becky K...

2013 HOE Ornament
Designer: Prairie Schooler
Design: O Christmas Tree ~ Book 183
Stitched for: Becky K

Such wonderful designs and what a great finish!

A few months ago Shirlee and I decided to do a Personal Ornament Exchange. We scanned through our many JCS Ornament magazines, came up with a list of about a dozen ornaments, and exchanged our list.  We were to select one ornament however, I wanted to stitch two for Shirlee and here they are...

2013 Personal Exchange
Designer: Little House Needlework
Design: Blue House in Winter
From JCS 2012
Stitched for: Shirlee H.

2013 Personal Exchange
Designer: Cathy Jean for Victoria Sampler
Design: Christmas Robin
Just Cross Stitch 2010 Ornament Issue
Stitched for: Shirlee H

The past three days I have been busy trying to construct a Christmas Wallhanging for a friend in Austria.  He works with my husband and I had the pleasure of meeting him when he came to our home last summer.  He often jokes with my husband about sending him a Christmas tree so when I saw this....

Pattern: Christmas Glitter

Designer: Susan Probst

Size: 19 x 28

I decided that it would be the perfect gift. This afternoon I completed the top, I just need to machine quilt and then embellish it ~ I will be busy this weekend!

Thanks for stopping by and...

Until Next time ~ remember:

The key to a happier and positive life is only surrounding yourself with those who appreciate you, talk kindly to you, love you, and make you feel better.

I surround myself with:

Tis The Season

The December rush is upon us and like so many others I have been busy preparing for the holiday season. At our house part of the holiday season includes my birthday, which is celebrated just days after Christmas.  Last week a package arrived from my dear friend Vonna and when I opened it I found a beautiful Birthday surprise...

A wonderful Yankee Candle Tart Warmer.  This is so pretty and the Holiday Pine scented tart serves to put Christmas in the air; the scent is perfect and oh so nice.  

I also found a very special item tucked inside, this handmade birds nest...

I saw Vonna's post on these cleverly crafted little birds nest ornaments and loved them.  I especially loved the German Legend behind the nest:

An Old German Legend tells of the magic of all the world's birds bursting into song, as if with one voice, the night the Christ child was born. If a family's Christmas tree contained a birds nest, they would be granted the gift of health, wealth and happiness throughout the year. It is our hope that this little nest adorns your tree and the legend may come true for you.

Vonna's gift arrived the very day that I was planning to decorate the tree so it became the 1st one placed onto our tree. My hope is that the German Legend holds true and we are granted the gift of health, wealth, and happiness in 2012; I am a believer.

Thank you dear Vonna for the birthday gifts and for always being such a shining light in my world! 

Have you seen the fabulous pincushions on Cathy's Blog? Oh my word, I just love these and I let her know it.  I immediately emailed to order one and was lucky enough to receive this beauty...

Cathy's Mom does the gorgeous tatting and Cathy constructs the pincushion, what a talented team! I am such a huge fan of "Mom's" tatting and am so excited to have yet another piece of her handwork. Thanks Cathy/Mom for filling my order and selecting a beautiful Pincushion for me, I love it.

The HOE blog had a Christmas Box Exchange that I signed up for.  I was a bit reluctant to sign up given the mail date was December 1st, oh such a busy time of the year!  Well, I bit the bullet and committed (not too difficult to talk myself into an exchange on the HOE blog, I love them) then I set out to complete this exchange in a timely fashion.  Here is what I sent to Lucy:

HOE Christmas Box Exchange

Designer: Plum Street Sampler

Design: Yuletide

Design From: 2011 JCS Ornament Issue

Stitched For: Lucy H.

Here is a picture of the inside:

I received my Christmas Box Exchange from Jayne P...

HOE Christmas Box Exchange

From: Jayne P.

Thank you Jayne, I appreciate it.

Head over to Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe and sign up for her fabulous Floss Give-Away.  Nancy's floss is truly eye candy!

The day has passed all to quickly as I spent much of it uploading pictures and updating my blog so I shall end now and get some "gift" stitching done.  Why do I always manage to spend December rushing to complete these stitching gifts??? Yes, yes I shall try harder next year to get a jump start on my holiday stitching.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday.

Until next time...

They Are My Sunshine...

My only sunshine.

They make me happy

When skies are grey.

They'll never know, dear,

How much I love them.

Please don't take my sunshine away.

Every day I am thankful for these guys…

Jan 2011

Okemo Mountain

Ludlow, VT

 

And every day I miss them both.  Once again, they surprised me on Valentine’s Day with this beautiful gift that arrived at my door early on February 14^th…

2011 Valentine's Gift from G/D

Sooooo BEAUTIFUL! Their never ending thoughtfulness and generosity touched my heart. Thank you G&D for making my heart smile and for making Valentine’s Day extra special. Know that IL&IMY every single day.

Later in the day my husband arrived home and surprised me with these beautiful flowers...

2011 Valentine's Gift from DH

 
Such a welcome surprise that was truly appreciated. Thanks to all three of you for the GORGEOUS flowers!!!

Do you remember this?

I was preparing my sewing room for the arrival of my new Koala Sewing Center, which arrived in late December. 

Koala Studio

Quiltmate Plus IV

Truly awesome!  The sewing machine drops down into the cabinet with a push of a button leaving me with a large flat surface, which is perfect for basting a small quilt.

Anxious to put my new sewing table to good use I headed to Bonnie Blue Quilts and purchased this pattern, along with all of the fabric needed to complete it...

Bonnie Blue Quilts

I managed to get all of the 9 patch blocks done before I realized that I needed to make 2 baby quilts by April, 1 graduation quilt by May, and another baby quilt by July. For now the Bonnie Blue Quilt must wait as I tackle those “must do” quilts first.

I have completed one baby quilt and have started on the second. Here is a picture of the completed top…

"Just Ducky"

45" x 45"

American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine

December 2009

This is such a cute pattern that is relatively quick to stitch. I did decide to hand appliqué the 12 duck blocks which slowed me down a bit but I like the way they turned out.


As for stitching projects….well, I keep starting (but fail to finish) SO many small projects. It is getting ridiculous, I need to gather them all up, dedicate a few days to “catch up” stitching, and complete these projects once and for all.

I know, I know, I have been very delinquent with my blogging ~ I will try to be better about that (no promises though).

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...

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...

Off To See the Wizard

I am happy to report that I have finally put needle to thread on my Primitive Wizard of Oz. I saw this design on Michele's blog many months ago and rushed to purchase it. Sadly, I did not rush to start it! I have watched as Michele made progress, each time telling myself that I should get started. When she posted a picture of the completed design I decided that the time had come! It is a relatively quick stitch (nothing like my HAED WIP) so I knew that all I needed to do was pull it out and take that first stitch. After not so many hours of stitching here is my progress...

• Design: Primitive Wizard of Oz
  Designer: Midsummer Night Designs

I am using all of the colors called for except for the green, which I changed to NN Creme d menthe. It will not be long before I complete this one and get it framed to hang on my sampler wall.

This past weekend I got started on some finishing work. I have three of the LHN Monthly Ornaments stitched and was able to finish "He's A Flake"

• Designer: Little House Needleworks
• Design: He's A Flake
• Monthly Ornament

I happened to have some little icicles that I added to the bottom. You really can't tell from the picture but I found some trim that glitters; it looks great with this design.

I am just about done with the finishing of the first two ornaments but I will save these for another post.

After waiting many weeks for my Victoria Sampler order to arrive, I spent two days stitching the Ireland and France International Hearts. This is a gift for my aunt, a gift that I needed to get it mailed this week (which I did, phew!). I was in a rush to get to the post office and snapped a quick photo ~ a quick "not so good" photo!

Designer: Victoria Sampler

Design: International Heart: Ireland and France

Finish: Flat Fold

I have been good about not signing up for every exchange that I see posted! I am still participating in a few but I am trying to leave substantial time for a little "me" stitching...as Martha would say, "That's a good thing!"

I shall leave you with this "Wishing Custom"...

BOOK

If you accidentally drop a book, step on it with one

foot and make a wish. Be sure to pick it up with the

hand that's opposite the foot you used; otherwise, your

wish won't come true.

Until next time...

So Very SWEET!

I received a surprise package containing some very sweet See’s Chocolates from my very SWEET friend Paula C. She sent me a box of my favorite See’s Lemon Truffles (delicious) and she also sent me an extra special gift, a beautiful bookmark that she made. I do not know a thing about “tatting” but it certainly does not look like it would be an easy craft. Paula did a wonderful job~this is truly gorgeous. I cannot bring myself to use the bookmark; instead, I am displaying it in with my small Limoges boxes. She also included the cutest little fabric bag, take a look…

Thank you dear friend for your thoughtfulness, it certainly brought a smile to my face.

I participated in a Pin Pillow Exchange and received this beautiful piece stitched by Karen.

Pin Pillow Exchange
Designer: BBD
Design: Bluebird
Stitched by: Karen

I love this little pillow and I must say it is finished perfectly just look at how nicely stitched the edge is…

PERFECT in every way ~ Thank you so much Karen, I truly love my new Pin Pillow!

I stitched for Staci and decided on a Strawberry Pincushion design by Nicoletta Farrauto of Niky’s Creations…

Designer: Nicoletta Farrauto
Design: Primitive Strawberry
Gift of Stitching ~ February 2010
Stitched for: Staci

I must thank Cindy and Deb for awarding me with Blog Awards ~ what an honor, thank you both (so very SWEET).

The first award is from Cindy:

As a recipient of this award, I must share ten things about myself that others do not know:

1) Graduated from college in 1982 with a degree in Business Management.
2) Am on Maternity leave…have been for 22 years!
3) Adore and miss my two sons (but everyone knows this).
4) Will be married 25 years this May.
5) I am a fan of the artist P. Buckley Moss.
6) Love Lancaster, PA ~ maybe as much as I love Vermont.
7) I was named after a Nun: Sister Marie Bernadette
8) Growing up I spent my summers on Cape Cod.
9) Dislike the beach (see #8) but love the mountains (see #6).
10) I am left handed.

The second award is from my dear friend Deb:

I am suppose to pass these award on to 10 people but I have such an extensive list of fabulous blogs that I enjoy reading, as is evident in my side bar, that I can’t select just 10 so I will not. My hope is that you all post 10 things about yourself, it is fun to read and can be so enlightening.


Hopefully my next post will highlight all of the fun I had at my very first Stitching Retreat in San Antonio! No time to do that right now but I will leave you with a picture of Lily, who will be two next month...she is just so CUTE!

Click HERE for a really cute Freebie design from Niky's Creations blog.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Until next time...