Exchanges Received X 3

I arrived home from my trip to Texas to find three truly wonderful exchanges…

First, there was the Private Thanksgiving Exchange from Jill F. I was so excited when I saw the amazing cube that Jill so beautifully stitched and finished. She selected “Autumnology” by The Trilogy and stitched the six designs on 32ct Lambswool. Take a look…

I must show you all six sides:

Wow! I was blown away with this one, my first ever cube! In addition, Jill sent a bundle of extras…

• Private Thanksgiving Exchange
• Received From Jill

Did you see the beautiful Marking Pin/Thread Counter that Jill made? It is positioned to the right of the cube. :D

Thank you so very much Jill for making this such a wonderful exchange!

Next, I received a wonderful Floss Tag Exchange (HOE) from Joan S. Although I have made a number of these very popular Floss Tags, I do not have one myself and am delighted to have received this one from Joan.

HOE Floss Tag

Received from Joan S.

I love that she personalized it and that she stitched it in my favorite color.

When I tore open the package, I gazed upon one of Joan’s famous project bags. My eyes popped and my heart jumped! You see I have admired her project bags on numerous blogs and secretly wished for one so thank you Joan. The project bag was jam packed with all of these extras…

Floss Tag Exchange (HOE) from Joan S.

Thanks Joan, I love and appreciate everything that you sent.

Last but certainly not least, I received a beautiful new Christmas Ornament from Cyndi. We were partnered together in the Prairie Schooler Ornament Exchange. I am so partial to all of the PS designs but I especially love the older ones.

PS Ornament Stitched by Cyndi

In addition to a beautiful card, Cyndi also sent along some very pretty bookplates, Crescent Colours floss and some tea that I am anxious to try.

Prairie Schooler Christmas Ornament Exchange

Received from Cyndi

Thanks Cyndi for making this exchange so very special. I look forward to hanging your ornament on my tree!

I have learned that some of the exchanges that I sent out have been received however, I will wait and post pictures of them another day.

As always thanks for taking time to stop by.

Until next time...

Away But Still Stitching and Posting

I am still vacationing in Houston, Texas with only about two weeks left until I must return to the cold weather in the Northeast. I have been keeping very busy stitching quilt blocks, and sewing on Deb's NRR and exchanges. Yesterday I spent the day at the Quilt Festival; it was wonderful. I have posted a picture of one of the many gorgeous quilts hanging at festival.

I participated in the Prairie Schooler Exchange (HOE) and received a beautiful Pinkeep from Karen K. I love all of the PS designs but am truly partial to fall designs, this one is absolutely stunning.

Karen included a great selection of extras including one of the older PS leaflets that I did not have. Thank you so much Karen, I appreciate everything that you sent!

HOE Prairie Schooler Exchange ~ Received from Karen K.

Wendy has received the Floss Tag Exchange (HOE) that I sent to her so I am now able to share pictures:

HOE Floss Tag Exchange ~ Sent to Wendy

I spent Thursday at the Quilt Festival in Houston and will be returning to the show on Saturday as well. I will leave you with a gorgeous quilt that was designed and stitched by Cynthia England of England Design Studio. She is an award winning quilter with an amazing talent; I encourage you to check out her website and take a look at all of her beautiful quilt patterns. Her latest patterns, Hens and Chicks and Barnyard Boss are wonderful. She offers a free pattern on her website if you are interested in trying out her Picture Piecing Technique.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Until next time...

And I'm Off...

Saturday I will be flying off to Texas for a month where I will visit good friends and attend International Quilt Festival. This is a great Quilt Show with 1000+ vendor booths, hundreds of quilts on display, and an extensive class catalog. It is a Quilt Show like no other!

While browsing the Quilt Festival website I came across a great deal on a subscription to Country Living, 12 issues for just $5.00(click here if you are interested). Now if only I could find cross stitch magazine subscriptions for 5.00!

I spent the last two days making a baby quilt for my friend’s grandbaby that is due in early December. I really wanted to complete the top this week so that I could bring it in to have it quilted while I am away. It took me two days to piece this, I was up until 4am this morning but I got it done. I am pleased with how it turned out; even happier that it is now at the quilters. Once it is complete I will take a better picture of it, I quickly snapped this before heading out and it is not the best.



I have completed the stitching on three exchanges and I may even be able to do the finishing before heading to Texas, fingers crossed! I did join Becky's Let's Stitch group and have decided to spend Friday nights stitching on my VOHRH. I am on block #6, have been since the spring, and I look forward to finally removing it from the WIPs Project Basket and completing it.

This is where I left off~

Well, the house is very quiet. Misha and Lily left for PA with my DS yesterday. He eagerly agreed to tend to them while I am away, but I am not quite sure he knows what he is in for with Little Miss Lily! She is nothing like Sweet Misha who, at 11 years, is an angel and SO easy.


Apparently, my DS has plans for Halloween that will include Lily (hopefully no wild college parties). Here is a peek at her costume, cute huh? OINK!

Lily 4 1/2 months ~ 2.5 pounds

I am not sure how much blogging I will do over the next month; I will probably read blogs but will not be updating mine for a while.


Have a great month and I will leave you with this image ~

HAPPY FALL

Until next time...

On The Move

My blog has been neglected but for good reason, we sold our house and have temporarily moved to the next town. Our plan is to purchase a permanent house in Vermont but after this move I need a break from all the packing and unpacking so, I will start my house hunting early next year. Given the depressed housing market I am truly thankful that our house sold and that we can move on.

Since I have had no time for stitching, I shall share a few before and after pictures of what I have been busy with:

Before:

After:

(Notice the three boxes? These were used to "try" to keep Lily out but she managed to squeeze through the railing and leave me a little surprise!)

Although I have lived in seven states and nine homes, I have been fortunate in that I have not had to engage in the daunting task of packing and moving, our moves have been corporate moves…except this one. Having to pack up a 4400 square foot home, taking care to inventory each box, and moving many of them on our own makes me truly appreciate the benefit of a corporate move. We did have the movers come in to handle most of the furniture and heavy boxes. They lifted furniture with easy, toted large boxes with minimal effort but when it came to hauling the commercial treadmill, they truly struggled. I honestly was not sure how they would accomplish this task without dropping it, but they did. Even "the big guy" (actually huge guy) was straining, not to mention sweating.

Somewhat settled I have resumed my stitching and am busy trying to complete some exchanges before I head off for a one month stay in Texas on the 18th. I am going to spend a month in Houston where I will visit my good friends and attend International Quilt Festival. I am also hoping to meet up with an online friend, Anita; this will be the first time that I get to meet an online friend...there are so many of you that I would love to meet!

Well, little Miss Lily is adorable but I am still struggling to housebreak her. Consistency is what I am aiming for and she just does not seem to get it. Therefore, I must live with baby gates and hope that she will “get it” very soon so that we all can roam freely about the house.

Oh, what is that? I hear unopened boxes calling my name…Grrrr!!!

Until next time...

Drum Roll Please...Meet Lily

Fortune truly does come to those that wait! For the past few year I have been looking for another female Yorkshire Terrier and am so happy to say that I found her ~ Meet Lily:

LILY

12 weeks old

We picked her up a few weeks ago when she was 12 weeks old and she has certainly been keeping me busy. The timing of her arrival was perfect, we brought her home on a Sunday and both of my sons left for college on Tuesday. My house is certainly not as quiet or boring with Lily in it! But I must say that I really do miss G & D, and I let them know that almost daily! :)

Yesterday the postman delivered a package from Gaby which contained the HOE Needleroll Exchange. I was thrilled to see her name on the envelope; she had filled a wish for me on the MAW board and stitched up the most gorgeous Biscornu. I quickly tore open the package and gazed upon an equally gorgeous Needleroll. I had to smile because it is the very same design that I stitched for my partner, I do believe that we are not the only ones that selected this popular design. Every detail is simply perfect ~the stitching, the beading, the finishing! I do wish that I could finish the top/bottom edges as nicely as you do Gaby, I just may need a few tips from you on that!

HOE: Needleroll Exchange
Designer: M Designs
Design: Five Roses Needle Roll
Stitched by: Gaby

In addition Gaby included some wonderful extras she stitched the most adorable little Biscornu scissor fob, this little gem measures a mere 1 ¾ across! I have stitched and finished hundreds of items but never have I made a Biscornu and certainly could not imagine making one this small. Thank you Gaby for that little treasure and for the Flower Pot stitching kit, the Heart for finishing, and the large cut of 32 count linen which will be perfect for a Halloween design. My life is a bit hectic these days and I must say that you managed to brighten my day with all of these wonderful treasures, thank you so much!

Tiny Biscornu Fob

I have heard from Margaret that she received my Needleroll exchange so I will share a picture of that:

HOE: Needleroll Exchange
Stitched for: Margaret S.

I participated in a Small Santa Exchange on the Prairie Schooler Fans Yahoo Group and here is what I stitched for CJ:

PS Friends Small Santa Exchange
Designer: Prairie Schooler
Design: St. Nicholas II – Book 36

And for your viewing pleasure (I cannot resist) I will leave you with another picture of the Princess and the Pea (Misha and Lily)...

Misha age 11 years
Lily age 15 week

Until next time...

And They're Off...

The day is fast approaching for both of my sons to head off to college, one will be returning to start his senior year and the other will be starting his freshman year. Have I been dreading this? Yes! Although I am quite happy for both of them I will be deeply saddened to see them leave. As fate would have it, I have finally found a new puppy that I will be bringing home on August 18, just one day before both guys head off to school. As some may know I have been looking for a new puppy for well over a year often frustrated that I could not find one. We often hear that “things happen for a reason” and in this case it is true the timing could not be better. Stay tuned... Cute little Lily, will be featured in an upcoming post!

I received my Fair & Square blocks from AmySC yesterday and am thrilled with the design that she selected. Not too long ago I put a few bird feeders in my backyard and have enjoyed watching, and posting on, the many birds and critters that visit. Take a look, Amy’s design selection is perfect…

Fair & Square round #8

Stitched by: AmySC

Amy also changed the dress color and stitched it in green (my favorite color). She really did make this block perfect in every way. Thank you so much Amy for the beautifully stitched blocks that you sent!!!

Thank you Michele for the Brillante Weblog Award, I am truly honored!!! Again, I must pass this honor on to all those that take the time to maintain a blog and share their talent. There are far too many (as you can see from my ever growing sidebar) inspiring blogs for me to select from so let me pass this on to each of you...Congratulations!

Like so many others I am in awe of Anita’s talent. I was very excited when I learned that she opened an online store and it did not take me long place my order. Her strawberry emery design is wonderful, and the pattern is fantastic; she includes the design, a tutorial for constructing the strawberry emery and a tutorial for making the fancy ribbon bow. Pleased with what I received I jumped at the opportunity to purchase her Patriotic Collection. There is no wait time since she sends the pattern in a PDF file! I did order the Accessory Pack (well worth it, I might add) and she was super fast in send that to me, thanks Anita!

Latest purchase from Designer: Anita's Little Stitches

Like Vonna, I am going to spend less time stitching exchanges and more time stitching from my growing collection of WIP/To Do projects. I am hoping that this will afford me the opportunity to stitch on of Anita’s gorgeous Strawberry Emery designs.


Maybe not the storm of the century but it was a wild ride…We had a strong thunderstorm, with some of that summer ice, pass through which caused us to lose electricity for 17 hours. Thankfully, we have a generator so it did not cut into my stitching time.

August 7, 2008 Hail Storm

Did you know that…

Hail forms when strong currents of rising air, known as updrafts, carry water droplets high enough in a thunderstorm for the water droplets to freeze.

Most hailstones are smaller in diameter than a dime, but stones weighing more than a pound have been recorded.

A strong updraft allows hailstones to grow large enough to reach the ground. In general, the stronger the updraft, the larger the hail.

Once hailstones grow large enough to begin falling despite the updraft that has been holding them up, they hurtle toward the ground as fast as 90 mph.

Small hailstones often melt before reaching the ground, but the larger ones reach the ground and can cause extensive damage to crops and vehicles caught in the storm.

In the USA, hailstorms are most common on the Plains, especially just east of the Rockies. Other parts of the world that have damaging hailstorms include China, Russia, India and northern Italy.

While hailstones are ice, hail is mostly a spring and summer phenomena because the strong thunderstorms needed to produce hail are much more common during warm weather.

I will leave you with another "ugly" picture... This "ugly" critter returned to my backyard feeder with his family! Some have suggested that these are Buzzards, I thought that they were Wild Turkeys but could be wrong ~ I do know that they are ugly.

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend!

Until next time...

Gorgeous Pinkeep

I participated in a Pinkeep Exchange with the Prairie Schooler group and received this beautiful Pinkeep from Anna. I had requested a Fall/Halloween design so this is truly perfect. Anna stitched this on 40 count Lakeside Linen (a real favorite of mine!) using WDW and Gast Threads and she used Gloriana silk ribbon on the finishing. Anna, you did an amazing job on the stitching/finishing of this Pinkeep; it is gorgeous, and I shall treasure it!

Prairie Schooler Pinkeep

Stitched by Anna

Anna also included some fun fiber trim, a bead container and a very tiny pincushion that is adorable. I often make “smalls” so I can appreciate the work that went into this. Thank you for such a wonderful exchange.

PS Pinkeep Exchange

Anna mailed her package from Norway and I am sorry to say that she encountered a problem when mailing. I am very happy that her exchange did not get lost and that it arrived safely at my house.

I have seen this award on a number of blogs and, thanks to Paula,I am able to post it on my blog. I appreciate the nomination Paula, and please know that the feeling is mutual. Blogging has certainly changed the learning landscape. We all seem to have that innate desire to express ourselves in significant ways to create, to learn, and to share. I am thankful for all of the amazing “stitching” blogs and find it impossible to select just five so I must bestow this award on each of you. I would also like to thank you all for inspiring me with your outstanding creativity


I will leave you with pictures of the latest visitors to my backyard feeders.


AND A CLOSE UP...

I hope that your weekend brings endless hours of creative stitching!

Until next time...