February is a wonderful month...

I have been so busy this month that I haven't had a chance to post in quite a while. First, my birthday is February 9th. I had the best birthday this year, thanks to my wonderful friends and family. My sisters and friends had a birthday party for me. Aren't they the sweetest? We played Yahtzee and Phase 10 and ate quesadillas. We had such a great time. They also gave me some wonderful stitching presents. Lisha designed and stitched a biscornu fob for me. It is in the picture above. I absolutely love it. She also gave the scissors to go with it. I also received several skeins of floss and a travel DMC StitchBow bag (thanks, Kim, I am using it for my DMC variations floss). The next day, my husband took me out to eat. We had a wonderful time. And then, we had ice cream cakes at my mother's the next day. I was very spoiled this year. The patterns in the picture above were also presents from my boys. I picked out several new patterns that I really wanted to stitch and the threads needed to finish them. I couldn't resist a couple of the patterns and stitched on them this past week.

My son, Patrick, also had a birthday this month. He is 13!! I can't believe my baby is already a teenager. He is a great kid. We are very lucky.


My first finish was CCN Violets. I was very excited about this kit. The price was great since it included the CC threads. I did substitute a different purple, though. I finished it as a pinkeep and absolutely love it.


Second, I finished the cutest biscornu from Barabara Anna Designs. It is very bright and happy. Makes me ready for spring and Easter.

I plan to get back on my rotation this week, but thought it would be OK to enjoy some birthday stitching for a while. Now, I need to get to work on the fairy. I also need to finish my squares for the Fair and Square exchange, a biscornu for an exchange and something St. Patrick's for a third exchange.

Another Update and February Goals

Well, I haven't been able to stitch as much as I would have liked this week, but I did almost complete another letter in the EM Alphabet Sampler Series. First, I stitched more on the Midsummer's Night Fairy. She is so beautiful. If you compare this photo to the last, you can see that I have added quite a bit to the bottom of her skirt. Just a bit more and I can stitch her face and the rest of her wings. Of course, next will be all of the beading. I can't wait.


Next, I worked on the letter H in the Erica Michaels Alphabet series. I really love this project. Each letter stitches up so quickly and you have the ability to improvise on the color choices to make it unique. I try to follow the suggested color palette, but do try to use several shades of similar colors to give it some interest. I changed the color of the house on this one and changed some of the letters. I think this one is my favorite so far. I still need to stitch the name, but that shouldn't take too long.


Finally, I completed one of the actual pages. Following the finishing directions, I have this one page ready for the book. It is quite easy, but looks so nice. It has given me a really good idea for a future project. I can't wait to finish the entire series and make it into the book. If you haven't started this project, I highly recommend it. I know Petra has decided to do it, and I hope she is enjoying it as much as I am.

Saturday was a very busy day for my family. We got up early and went shopping. Having only boys, it is not very likely that I can do much stitching shopping with the entire family in tow, but I made it a point to stop by Shakespeare's Peddler first. Theresa has such a wonderful shop, with all of her patterns stitched and hanging on the wall. Patrick and Nicholas stayed in the car, but Hobbie (that's my husband) came in and looked around while I picked out fabric for the boys' stockings. I also picked up some Lizzie Kate patterns for a RR I am participating and the buttons for Santa Clothes. After the fun stitching, we headed to Kohl's to buy the boys some clothes and shoes. This was my first trip to Kohl's and boy was I happy. We were able to get everything, except socks and underwear in one stop. Now, I don't need to do laundry every night to keep my very picky children happy. My older son will only wear certain clothes to school, so he wants me to wash the same outfits over and over. Now, he has several similar outfits. It's like living with Monk. Nicholas, on the other hand, just loves to buy cool clothes.

OK, now to get to the other point of this post: February Goals

1. Finish the stitching on Midsummer's Night Fairy
2. Finish Achoo! for Nicholas
3. Complete two sections on HC Colonial Welcome
4. Complete I - L on the Erica Michaels series

I think I am going to stop there though. If I complete more, that's great because March is going to be extremely busy with the two textbooks.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week.

Updates and two finishes

I have a couple of finishes to share first. Last week I completed the "F" in the Erica Michaels Alphabet Series. I also did the outline stitching and Kloster Blocks for the page finishing. I didn't finish the page because I needed fusible interfacing. Picked some up at Wal-Mart, but haven't finished it still.


This weekend I finished the "G" in the same series. Petra had posted a comment thanking me for enabling her. You are going to love working on this series. I will take the blame for enabling you to work on this series. I love that I can choose from my existing stash of fabrics and mix and match the threads to come up with my own take on each block. I think the book will be really pretty once I finish. I can't wait to see how your pages look either Petra.


I have also made some great progress on Midsummer Night's Fairy. I have just a bit more on her skirt and then finish the upper portion. After I finish the stitching, then it is on to the beading. She is so beautiful.


Finally, I have worked some on "Achoo" for my son, Nicholas. You can see the puppy's face, finally. This one is coming along quite well, considering I only stitch on it one day a week. Very easy piece.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments. Everyone is so sweet and encouraging.

Progress pictures...

As I promised, here are a few of the projects I am currently working on and the wonderful Christmas present I received from Lisha.

The fairy is coming along wonderfully. I am more than halfway through the stitching, but I haven't started the beading. I just love this piece though. The fabric is perfect. Can't wait to finish her.


This is the next block in the Erica Michael's alphabet series. These stitch up so quickly. I just need to finish the four-sided stitching around the fox and the stitch name at the bottom. Very cute.


Finally, this is my present from Lisha. Two Mill Hill Santa booklets plus several of the treasures needed to start one of the projects. Thank you, Lisha. I love my present.

Pictureless Update, but I promise I'll do better next time...

A certain person, who will remain nameless, made a comment about the lack of posts from me. I have been somewhat busy with the start of a new semester. But that isn't the main reason for my lack of posts. For some reason I took my camera to work with me and forgot it. So, I don't have any pictures to post. I remembered to bring it home, but the batteries are dead. They will be recharged tomorrow and I promise to have some progress pictures available.

Like many of you out there in stitching blog world, I was so happy to see Becky return to blogging. She is such an amazing stitcher and boy is she fast. She has shared so many beautiful pieces over the past few days I have seriously thought about staying up all night and stitching. But, of course, I am too lazy for that. Thank you, Becky! You are such an inspiration. I say that all the time about Becky, but she does just motivate me to stitch.


This weekend I spent Saturday afternoon stitching with my older sister, Sharon. We watched the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Very cute, especially Johnny Depp. On Sunday, I spent time stitching with my younger sister, Bridget, and our friend, nameless, (oops) I meant Lisha. I forced them to watch Jane Eyre. I was able to make a lot of progress and I will share that with you tomorrow.

Well, I need to call it a night. Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Check back tomorrow for some pictures.

First Finish of 2008

Okay, it was an easy finish, but it is a finish. Today is my last day of my Christmas vacation. Back to school tomorrow. Well, actually, I have to help students with registration tomorrow. Classes actually begin on Monday. So, since today was very cold (at least for a Southerner it was cold) I was very lazy. Stitching and watching TV. I am going to start the next one in the series, but probably will not be able to finish for awhile. I changed up the colors a bit to make the letters a little more interesting. I think it is very cute.

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year!! We had a wonderful day today. We spent most of the day at my parents' home eating and visiting with family. The kids were pretty good, so the day was mostly enjoyable.

One of the things I love to read on others blogs is the list of goals, so I have my goals for 2008.




1. Finish the projects in my rotation.
a. Mirabilia Midsummer Night's Fairy (progress picture above)
b. Achoo!
c. Heart's Content Colonial Welcome (progress picture above)

2. Complete the entire Erica Michael Alphabet Series and finish the sampler book. I have stitched A, B, C, and D already. I have the instructions for finishing the sampler book, now I just need to get stitching.


3. Complete TW "The Guardian" twice. I found these kits at Hobby Lobby this past year and promised them to my boys.

4. Finish the eagle in flight piece I started for my older brother.

5. Finish at least three of the Wee Beasties kits I purchased this year.

I don't think I can hold to the 10 Project challenge, but I do not plan on spending as much money on new projects this year. I have over 60 pieces of beautiful fabric, a complete set of DMC and plenty of other fibers. I also have over 20 kits and loads of patterns. I should be able to stitch from my stash almost exclusively. Almost is the the important word there. I am going to limit myself more this year.

Also, just a reminder that I am looking for two more people to participate in the PIF exchange. Becky K, Sharon C, and Hannah have already signed up. If you are interested in joining, the information is in the December 31st post.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and productive 2008.

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.