PIF Exchange

In my last post I included a picture of a nice gift I received as part of the PIF Exchange from Marie. The best part of this exchange is the honor of sending 5 other individuals similar types of gifts. The first 5 individuals that leave a comment stating that she/he would like to join will receive a handmade item from me. Similar to Marie's guidelines, I can't promise an exact item or time, but promise that the gift will be top quality hand-made and that you will receive it in the next year. The other stipulation is that you post a similar exchange on your blog promising to send 5 individuals a gift. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? This will keep me in the Christmas spirit for even longer since I will have gifts to make and send to different people. Just leave a comment and I will contact you via e-mail to get your mailing information. Happy New Year!!!

A finish and a wonderful gift received...

Merry Christmas! I am really enjoying this Christmas season. I spent yesterday taking care of my two nephews so that my mother and sister could do their Christmas shopping. The two boys are a handful, but they can be so cute. Anyway, I finished the Mill Hill piece I have been working on. It is really cute. I have a frame for it and plan to finish it later today.



Also, I received the most wonderful gift today from Marie. Earlier this year I signed up for her PIF exchange. My next post will have more information about that. She sent me the most lovely pincushion with scissors and angel ornament. She is very talented and very thoughtful. I enjoy visiting her blog. Thank you so much, Marie. I truly love my gift.

Happy Birthday Lisha!!

My very good friend, Lisha, celebrated her birthday on December 3rd. We got together the day before for some crafting and I was so excited to give Lisha her present. She loves puppies (she has three very cute, big "puppies"), so I was excited to find the LHN Dog Sampler at Shakespeare's Peddler earlier this year. I stitched it up and finished it as a project box.

I used the tutorial on Vonna's page to complete the box. Isn't it just great? I love the idea of the pinkeep in the top of the box. After completing the box, I had to add some goodies, so I picked up some Mary Arden needles (which Lisha loves) and fabric at Shakespeare's Peddler (Thanks, Theresa for the help). I also found a cute pair of blue scissors that matched the box perfectly. I was so happy to see that Lisha enjoyed the present.


Of course, I need to get to work on other projects now. I have been in sort of a slump. I stitched like a crazy woman over the Thanksgiving holidays, but I haven't had the time to do much since then. I finished the semester yesterday, so I should have more time, especially since the textbook work is pretty much caught up for the holidays. I have one meeting next week about a potential research project collaboration, but otherwise I have the next three weeks for rest and relaxation. I hope to stitch a lot in these next few weeks.

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments on my last post. I appreciate everyone taking the time to visit my blog. Merry Christmas!!

A week of finishes....

I was so excited to have the entire week off for Thanksgiving. I had completed all of my textbook work and school responsibilities before the end of last week, so I would have an entire week of guilt-free stitching. And boy did I take advantage of it. I decided to try and complete one project a day this week. So, I did it. I completed five pieces, one for each of the week days. So, here are most of them:



Monday: I completed JBW Designs Christmas Motif Sampler II. I love these little patterns. This was stitched on a piece of 32 ct Sparkling Forest from Silkweaver. I finished it as an ornament and think it is so cute. My mother really loved it, so I gave it to her. I will stitch it again for myself.

Tuesday: I can't show you the picture of this one yet because it is a gift. I can't wait to share it though. It is really, really cute.

Wednesday: I finished my Raise the Roof Santa Clothes. This was so much fun to stitch. I think it will make a great addition to my already large Santa collection. I am not sure how I will finish it. I am thinking about one of the no-sew cubes so I can put it under my tree. We'll see.

Thursday: The Workbasket Quaker Reinder from the 2006 JCS Ornament issue. I used a piece of Silkweaver fabric and Celebrate New Orleans thread from GAST. I think it is so pretty. I want to finish it as a pillow ornament, but I am having some difficulty in deciding exactly how. I love to do the pillows using the cross stitch to piece the front and back together, but I don't have enough thread left to do it and I can't seem to match it to any of the DMC colors. I am hoping one of my sisters has the same floss that I can bum off of them. Anyway, it is a cute little piece.
Friday and Saturday: These are also from the 2006 JCS Ornament issue. JBW Designs Peace on Earth. I couldn't decide which fabric I liked better, so I stitched it on both. I think I like the lighter green best, but both are really pretty. I just love these fast little projects. Now I need to start on one of my Santa patterns for the holidays. Happy stitching everyone.

A finish and one that is almost there....

I know that it has been a while since I posted. Things have been very busy, but it looks like I have finally earned some free time. I have all of next week off. I plan to stitch a lot. But, in the meantime, I do have a couple of things to share. I finished the Hallow Game Board by The Primitive Needle. I just love this one. It is really cute and was very easy to stitch. It's hard to believe that I only used two colors. I can't wait until next year to display this one at Halloween.
The second picture is of Santa Clothes by Raise the Roof. What an easy stitch. I am so close to finishing. I should be able to complete it by Christmas. Tomorrow is our monthly "Stitching and a Movie" at my younger sister's house. Maybe I can finish it then.
I went by Shakespeare's Peddler today and picked up three patterns: Country Cottage Needleworks' "Gingerbread Cottage", JBW Designs' "Christmas Motif Sampler" and The Workbasket's "Quaker Cow and Sheep". I can't wait to stitch these. I also want to get some of the other animals in the Quaker series. I particularly like the frog and the turtle.

Happy Thanksgiving.

A few things to share...

I have been so busy for the past few days that I haven't had a chance to post. I have tried to keep up with my blog reading, but feel like I haven't done my best with that either. Anyway, I do have a few things to share with everyone. First, the stitching retreat hosted by Shakespeare's Peddler was wonderful. The picture above is of all the wonderful goodies that I received, either as door prizes, gift exchanges, or from the $75 gift certificate we each received with our registration. I met some really nice ladies and enjoyed spending the time stitching and chatting with all of them. I can't wait to go to another stitching retreat. It was so much fun.

Now, this photo is of the flower pot haunted house I made this weekend with my crafting group. We each made our own and decorated them. It was really neat how each one had a completely different look. I was very happy with mine. My boys love it. Of course, it has the place of honor as our Halloween centerpiece this year. It was really easy and a lot of fun to do. In our group, we try to do lots of different projects, but lately, we have only stitched or scrapbooked. It has been very hard to find a really new and fun craft project to try. We were so excited when we saw this project at our local Michaels.

I am working on several really cute projects right now. I hope to have a picture of one really soon.

LHN Ornament from the Ornament Issue

I finished another ornament from the new Just Cross stitch Christmas Ornament Issue. It is the LHN one "Snow Bunnies". I stitched it on a piece of Silkweaver Solo that was perfect. It has a very snowy look to it. I am really happy with this one.

The stitching retreat is a lot of fun. We have one more day. I have started several new projects, but have also worked on some old projects a little. My sisters and I are really enjoying hanging out with the ladies. I will have pictures and more information later.

Thanks for all of the really sweet comments on my box. I am so proud of that piece. It was a big hit at the retreat when we were doing the "Show and Tell". Marie, you had asked if I stained the box or was it already stained. I stained the box. It was one of the unfinished boxes from Michael's. It was a fairly easy project.

Couple of finishes...

I finished the PV Violets piece as a box. Thanks to Becky for the tutorial. I bought the box at Michaels, stained it and mounted the stitched piece on top. I love it. I plan to display it in my craft room. I think it is lovely.


Also, I finished a quick ornament from the new JCS 2007 Ornament edition. I needed to send an ornament as an exchange and thought this one would be cute. It was really easy and fast to stitch.

I am going to be quite busy for the next couple of days on the book, but I should be caught up by Wednesday. Then I can prepare for the stitching retreat this weekend. I am really excited about that. I need to organize several projects and also put together a gift exchange. I have a couple of really cute ideas in mind.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Tucker's Dinosaur Pillow

I finished the pillow I was making for my nephew, Tucker. I used a really cute green fabric that matches the stitched dinosaur perfectly. I think it is really cute. He likes it also. I had taken it out to my Mom and Dad's house on Sunday to give to him, but he didn't come over that day. So, I left it anyway to give to him later in the week. (My boys ride the bus to their grandparents house everyday and I pick them up after work. Both of my nephews spend the day with the grandparents while their parents work.) Anyway, he found the pillow yesterday and was very happy with it. He loves pillows, no matter how small.

Prairie Schooler Autumn Pinkeep

Well, I finished a small project this weekend. I have been down in the dumps all weekend. Work was pretty hectic this past week and I just wanted to be alone and work on my projects. My husband was really understanding and spent most of the weekend entertaining the boys. I did hang out with one of my sisters and a friend on Saturday, but most of the week was spent stitching. I finished the pinkeep today. I am really proud of this piece. I even made the trim. It is very cute and very easy to do. The pattern is in the current issue of The Gift of Stitching.

Also, I picked up the JCS Ornament issue this weekend from Shakespeare's Peddler. I signed up for the stitching retreat that Shakespeare's Peddler is holding this October. I am very excited about that. Theresa is such a nice person and friendly. I can't wait to meet some fellow stitchers and learn some new things.

I completed another project this weekend also. I have been working on a cute little dinosaur piece for my younger nephew. I finished it as a pillow. It is really cute, but I want to take a picture of my nephew with the pillow. Hopefully, I will post that picture tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting my blog and all the really sweet comments. I hope to stitch a lot more in the next few weeks, so I should have some really cute pictures to post.

Violets to Greet You

I finished it!!! And isn't it beautiful. I love the fabric. I received this fabric as part of my Surprise Me package from the Silkweaver Fabric of the Month Club. The fabric looks like it was custom for this Paula Vaughan piece. I love the very impressionist look that the piece has on the fabric.

I have several other projects to finish, but I am hoping to start a couple of new projects this month. Last week, Sharon and I stopped by Shakespeare's Peddler after work. I picked up the Raise the Roof Design Santa Clothes and the specialty thread for it. I have a perfect piece from a different Silkweaver FOTM club package for that one. Also, I got the Sleepy Hollow piece by The Cross-Eyed Cricket. And, yes, I have the perfect piece of fabric from Silkweaver. Can't wait to start on those.

Some completed projects...

I haven't been as busy as I would like, but I did finish a couple of projects. First, I finished my second piece for Cole's Quilts. I believe Marie had asked about this project on my last post. This is a wonderful project for children with SMA. These children are very special. The project is to make each of the children on the site a quilt using stitched pieces. Check out the web page for more information, but be prepared. It will touch your heart very deeply.


The second project is for an ornament exchange that I am involved. I should have mailed this earlier, but I just haven't been motivated. It turned out really cute and I hope that Kathy enjoys it.

I am continuing to work on a few other projects, but I am also starting on a new Round Robin with my local stitching group. We are going to do the Bent Creek Red Thread series. We assembled our project supplies yesterday. I will post the first square and the border soon.

I am so sorry that I haven't updated my blog like I normally do. I have to get things organized again now that the new semester has started. Hopefully, by the end of this next week I will have my "schedule" set and I can get back into the swing of things. I have been visiting everyone's blogs, but haven't made comments like I should. I will do better.

Cole's Quilt Square completed!!

Pooh is complete. I finished him this evening. This will be part of a quilt for a special little boy. I stitched it for one of the little ones on the Cole's Quilts page. I hope the little boy enjoys it and I am happy to have the chance to do something for these children.

Busy, busy, busy...

This month has been very hectic. I am teaching two five week Human Anatomy and Physiology classes. The students are unbelievable though. Super smart and hard workers. It has been a lot of work, but very rewarding. This group will make very good nurses, radiology techs, etc. Also, I had to finish revising three chapters for our book. Got that finished Friday. So, I finally had a chance to do some stitching this weekend. I worked on the Pooh piece for one of the Cole's quilts. I am very close to finishing, hopefully will be done at the end of the week. I can't wait to start some new projects. Plus, I have a gift certificate to Shakespeare's Peddler, so I can't wait to spend that at her wonderful shop. Sorry for the long delay in posting. I hope to read all of the blogs and comment soon. This summer has just flown by and I still have two weeks of class.

We are home!!!

Patrick, Nicholas and Jennifer in the Box Canyon, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah

Nicholas, Patrick and Hobbie at the top of Capulin, New Mexico

Hobbie in the pool at the Amarillo, TX campsite. Isn't he a hottie!

What a trip! We drove over 3000 miles, passed through 13 different states and took over 400 photos of the beauty of America. I love this country, but have a much better appreciation of how lucky I am to live here after seeing what a lovely country we have and the freedom to just drive, and drive, and drive some more. The boys had a great time and were very good the whole trip. Hobbie (my husband) and I are very lucky to have such well-behaved young men. We camped 6 of the eight nights and stayed in hotels the last two. Overall, it was such a wonderful vacation.


I did do some stitching. I completed a new project I purchased at Shakespeare's Peddler just before we left. It is HIH's Study Hard. Since I am an instructor at JCJC, I thought this would be great to hang in my office.


I also completed C and D in the Erica Michael's freebie series. I selected DMC colors to substitute for the RG threads and think they look really nice. I can't wait to complete the entire alphabet and make the sampler book.


Finally, I worked on a piece by Paula Vaughan. I love violets and the color purple. This piece is coming along slowly, but I think it will be so beautiful when I finish. The fabric is a solo piece from Silkweaver. The colors are perfect for the piece. I can't wait to finish it and hang it in my craft room. Speaking of which, I have to share some photos of my room soon.

It seems that I have missed quite a bit in the past week. I hope to catch up with reading all of my favorite blogs and making comments. I also need to check in with RR and exchange groups on yahoo. I have two notices in my mailbox for packages, so I assume these are from the yahoo groups. Of course, I have to wait until tomorrow to see.

Family Vacation

The guys and I are leaving this morning for our family road trip. We have loaded our little Scion xA down with camping equipment and we are off for a week's trip west. We are camping in Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, and Utah. Very exciting. I am taking lots of little projects to work on, so I should have some finished projects to show off when I get back.

A quick finish...

Isn't this a cute little project? I decided I wanted to do something that I could complete very quickly and use some of my new fabric while doing it. I had downloaded a bunch of Erica Michael's freebies off Rainbow Gallery web page last summer. I wanted to stitch the month charts and use them to make magnets for my refrigerator to hold a custom calendar with our families activities. So, I decided to start in the middle of the year and stitch July, since I can use it in a few weeks. The charts use Rainbow Gallery threads, which I do not have, so I changed it using the colors I had on hand. I stitched it on a piece of Silkweaver Dusty Blue linen (32 ct). I just received this piece last week in my Surprise Me! Fabric of the Month package. I love the fabric. It was very easy to stitch on and very soft.



I finished the piece as a magnet, backing it with some of the fabric I bought last week. It was really easy, but you can see that I need a little more practice to make it look perfect. This was a really fun project and I am really excited about completing the whole set.

The Beginning of a Fabric Stash

After looking at so many beautiful finished projects, particularly Becky's, I decided I needed to start collecting different fabrics that I thought would look good with some of the projects I hope to stitch soon. So, today, my mother and I went fabric shopping. We went to Hancock Fabrics, Hobby Lobby and Walmart. I picked out lots of different fabrics I thought were pretty and purchased a 1/4 yard of each. I also picked out a few from the remnants baskets. Luckily Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby had calico prints on sale this week. I ended the day with 40 pieces of fabric and a few packs of buttons. I am so excited and can't wait to use these beautiful fabrics to finish some of the many stitching projects I have also collected.

I'm home... and received my May SS...

Well, I am home from a week's stay in San Diego, California. It was a wonderful trip, but it is so good to be home with my boys. I also was so happy to receive my wonderful package for the May SS exchange from Judy. She sent me some really nice items. I can't wait to stitch the LK Christmas pattern. I also am excited about using the different threads that she sent. Thank you, Judy.

Also, I was happy to get home to read everyone's blogs. I didn't take any stitching with me because I knew there wasn't any time. I was going through major withdrawals. I really needed some inspiration to get me going again. Becky always has the ability to awe and inspire me with her creativity. Other blogs that frequently visited (list to the right) also had many wonderful projects to show and inspire. Thanks ladies. Hopefully, I will have some stitching pictures to show later in the week.

California-bound

Hi everyone! I am going to be out of pocket for the next week. I am going to a conference in San Diego. I was really excited about it earlier this year, but now I just want to stay home with my boys. They completed the school year today and I am leaving tomorrow. Of course, since they are spending the week at the grandparents, they are really excited. I will miss reading everyone's post. Enjoy the week.

O, Starry Night is completed at last!!!

Finally!! I finished this project. I started this at the beginning of the year and have slowly completed it. I think it looks beautiful. The fabric is Forest Haven from Silkweaver. I really like the sparkle in the fabric and the sparkle in the pattern. One more Santa completed, so many more to go.

French Country Cat

I purchased the chart for the French Country Cat Thursday at Shakespeare's Peddler. I love the look of these pieces and was excited to find the cat. So, Friday, I stitched it up really quickly on an piece of Silkweaver fabric using GAST Purple Iris. Becky has been such an inspiration to me for trying different finishing techniques, so I decided to finish it as needlebook. I picked out several different fabrics, but finally decided on a very simple pattern similar to the color of the linen. I am keeping this one for myself. It matches my craft room.

As for my WIPs, I am almost finished with OSN, should have that one done Monday. The Mill Hill Gingerbread Village is going to have to wait a bit. I ran out of some beads and had to ask Theresa at Shakespeare's Peddler to order some for me. I should have those next week.

Well, off to work on some stitching...

So close to finishing...

I have worked very hard on two of my oldest WIPs this week. I have all but the backstitching on O, Starry Night. Santa looks so nice! I will be very happy to finish this one soon.




Now, the Mill Hill Gingerbread Village is not quite finished. I was really struggling with this one for a while. It seemed I would stitch for an hour and accomplish nothing. I decided to just work on the snow for one evening and get as much done as possible. What a difference. Once I finished the majority of the snow, the next house (Toy Store) stitched up pretty quickly. I still have a bit more to work on to complete the Toy Store, but it is so close. I hope to have these two completed by the end of next week.

I have the next 6 weeks off!! This is the first time I have had summer vacation since I was in high school. My new teaching position allows me to take off during the summer if I want. I will be teaching in July, two classes, but that is 6 weeks away. I am so excited. I plan to accomplish a lot. I do have 4 chapters to revise for our textbook, but I can still spend some free time stitching and scrapbooking.

Thanks to all of you wonderful stitchers out there sharing your ideas on blogs. I have so many more projects I want to do now.

What Happens at Grandma's...

I have finished a piece finally. I feel like I haven't been very productive in my crafting lately. My textbook writing has been taking alot of my time. But I was able to complete a really cute piece for my mother for Mother's Day. This is so appropriate for her. My boys love to visit Grandma's because they can eat anything they want.


I have also worked a bit on the projects in my rotation. I am so very close to finishing O Starry Night. Just a bit more work and he is done.



I have also worked on Gingerbread Village. This one seems to be taking so long. The beading is what is slowing me down. I have just a little bit left on the middle house and then one more house to go. It is going to be so pretty when I am finished though. I can't wait to display at Christmas this year.

And finally, I have started a square for Cole's Quilts. I am stitching for a very young little boy. I decided on this really cute Pooh pattern. Instead of using it as a clock face, I will just omit the numbers and complete it as a square for the quilt. I am really excited about this one.

My prize package came in...

My package from Silkweaver came in yesterday. I am so happy!! Lots of beautiful fabrics. Each one is 13 X 18 piece of 28 ct. Cashel Linen. I have to decide what to do with each one, but I have plenty of time for that. I also received my FOTM club fabric from Silkweaver (not pictured) the same day. I really enjoy this club. Each month I receive a beautiful selection of fabrics. I have always selected the Surprise me package and have never been disappointed.

I had planned to post my WIPs earlier this week but haven't had the chance. Here is the progress on the only one I have been able to stitch on. This is Leisure Arts O, Starry Night. I am more than half way with this one. I hope to have him finished in the next week or two. I have also decided to skip the Cat Welcome for a couple of weeks. I really do not enjoy working on it, so I'm going to ignore it on purpose.

Finally, I have decided to volunteer to stitch a square for a Cole's quilt. I read about this on the 123 stitch message board and spent one evening reading about the project and crying alot. I am so blessed with two healthy boys and two healthy nephews. It breaks my heart that these families have to suffer such a heartbreak. I have taught genetics at the university for years and one of the things I stress to my students is the heartbreak of knowing why someone is ill but not having the ability to fix it. I want to do something for these families and would love to help, so I sent a message to the moderator of the project asking for the chance to stitch a square for one of the children. It's such a little thing, but I hope it will make someone feel happy.

Goals for April

I am having a bit of trouble clearing out my rotation, so I have decided to try Leslie's approach and set goals for the month. Hopefully, this will help me work a little harder. Of course, we have just ramped up the work on the textbook, so that is taking away some of my stitching time. Here are my goals for April:

1. Finish O, Starry Night
2. Finish Cat Welcome (I am really struggling with this one.)
3. Stitch on MH Gingerbread Village
4. Stitch on PV Sweet Violets
5. Stitch two of the Erica Michaels Letters
6. Complete my section of the RR pieces
7. Start Tucker's pillow
8. Start TW pieces for Patrick and Nicholas (my boys).

That is not an extremely long list, but it is quite ambitious for me. Let's see how well I do on this first month.

Thanks for the comments on my nephew and his pillow. He is a cutie! I am starting a new piece for my other nephew. I found one of the dinosaurs from the same designer and will make it into a pillow for Tucker.

Also, while shopping at Hobby Lobby I found two TW kits of a dragon and castle. These are perfect for my two boys. I am going to start these this month. Both Patrick and Nicholas are excited about these projects.

I'll try to post update pictures of my current WIPs tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

He loved his Boris Bat pillow!

Well, I finished the pillow today and delivered it to my 3 year old nephew. He really liked it. "Thank you Aunt Jen. I needed a pillow." What a sweet little boy! I was very happy with the fabric and how it turned out. Thanks to all of you for inspiring me to try new techniques for finishing my stitching projects.

Boris Bat is complete!

Just finished this project. I stitched this cute little piece for my three year old nephew. I am going to finish it as a pillow. I bought the fabric today and think it is perfect. When I return from my vacation at the end of the week I will complete the pillow. We are going away for a few days so I won't have a chance to stitch much.

Shepherd's Bush Red Snowman

Another finish for 2007. This was a pretty quick stitch. I usually don't like the Shepherd's Bush projects that much, but I just loved this one when I saw it at Shakespeare's Peddler. The photo actually looks very good. I'm not sure what I am going to do with this one, probably frame it. Now to decide on the next project. I decided to do the 10 project challenge, so I need to finish about 8 more projects before I can do any shopping for myself. I need to choose some really quick projects.

My First Try at the No Sew Cube

I found the instructions to the No Sew Cube online and decided to try it out. I finished this Bent Creek pattern yesterday and thought it would be great for this particular type of finish. I went to Hobby Lobby this afternoon and bought some jelly bean fabric and pretty ribbon. I was very, very easy. I think it is going to be a great addition to my Easter decorations this year.

Bent Creek Hip Hop

Okay, I have finished my first piece for the 10 project challenge. Just 9 more to go. This was a really easy piece and it was so much fun to stitch. I used a piece of really pretty fabric from Silkweaver (28 ct. Solo Lugana). I also used the GAST threads called for in the pattern. Very nice. I plan to finish this piece as one of the decorative blocks I have seen on several other stitchers' blogs.

10 Project Challenge

Okay! I am joining the insanity of the Stash Reduction Challenge. Of course, I'm a lightweight and am only commiting to the 10 Project Challenge. Even though I have completed 3 projects this year, I am starting fresh with this challenge. I will not purchase new projects, fabric, floss until I have completed 10 projects that I already have.

I won First Prize with the Halloween Fairy!!!!

I entered my completed Mirabilia Halloween Fairy in the Silkweaver Showcase competition and won 1st place!! I am so excited. There were lots of entries, including one from my sister Sharon. I can't believe I actually won. The prize is wonderful, 20 pieces of hand-dyed fabric. I am having such a hard time choosing, Silkweaver fabric is so wonderful and she has so many beautiful colors from which to choose.

EduCATed from Bent Creek

My first finish for 2007 and isn't it cute. I love cats, most of the time, so I really think this one is nice. It was a very fast stitch, bought it last weekend. I plan to stitch it two more time, once for my Ph.D. advisor and once again for a friend of my sister. The first will be framed and hung in my office.