Several finishes and some progress photos to share...

So, I am just lame at updating my blog. Sorry, but I do have some great updates. First, I finished a couple of Halloween/Fall patterns that I got from Shakespeare's Peddler this summer. She was running a clearance sale and I picked up the following two patterns. I really like the moon pattern. The Fall Fling piece will be finished as a pinkeep. (Sorry, I didn't rotate the picture before I uploaded it.)


This past weekend we had a girls' day of sorts. This is a picture of me and my youngest nephew Leif (he came to visit for a while at the end of the day). My younger sister wanted to organize a scrapbooking day for several of our friends and in the process raise money for the church. Though we only had 6 people attend the event, it was a lot of fun. We started with scrapbooking. I'm not as excited as scrapbooking as I was in the past, so it didn't take me long to change gears. We all eventually switched to stitching.



Now, I am so excited about these next two projects. I started L'automne d'Anna a while ago, but have made quite a bit of progress this week. The piece reminds me of a child's coloring book page. It is also a lot bigger than I thought it would be, but I really like the colors.


Have you seen Theresa's new Jenny Bean samplers? She released the Halloween sampler at market and just finished the Christmas samplers. I love these. I started the Halloween sampler yesterday. I am stitching on it while I watch Ghost Whisperer each night. Hopefully I can finish it by Halloween. This one is a lot of fun to stitch because of the variety. The letters are not all the same style, so it doesn't get boring. You check out the Christmas sampler at Theresa's blog. I can't wait to get it next month.

Wow! Is it October already?

These past few weeks have been crazy. First, though, I have a lot of finished projects to share. Theresa from Shakespeare's Peddler was on her way to market and I wanted to finish some of my stash so I would feel guilty buying some of the new wonderful things she would bring home. So, I went through my basket and pulled out all of the small Halloween and fall projects and started stitching. I even had a stitching day for the girls so we could all sit around and gossip and stitch all day. So, here are some of those projects...


This is a Trail Creek pattern that has been sitting around for awhile. I didn't buy the buttons, so I just went through my scrapbooking stash to find something appropriate. (Aren't you impress, Lisha?)


I got this pattern at a stitching retreat a year or two ago. It was very easy to stitch and quite cute. I think I will finish this as a no-sew cube.


Don't you just love biscornus? I found this pattern online and don't know why it has taken me so long to do this. I just think the spiders are perfect for the little witches. Cute, cute, cute.


And this is another Barbara-Anna biscornu. I think I purchased this pattern last year. I changed some of the threads because I don't have access to Anchor here in Hattiesburg. But it is still very cute.


And finally, Trilogy's Halloween Line-up. I bought this one quite a while ago and kept putting it at the back of the stack. It was a very fun stitch. I love the spiders on this one too.

I have restocked my stash a bit. I now have Shakespeare's Peddler Jenny Bean Halloween Sampler (love this one), including the fabric and limited edition threads. I just might start this on later this week. I also picked up Lizzie Kate ABC Christmas, Blackbird Designs Midnight Watch, and The Primitive Needle Witches Hallow. All three of these are very pretty. I don't know if I will stitch them this year or wait until later. We will just have to wait and see.

On a different note, this has been a very dramatic month. It seems like every week something was happening. Fortunately, mostly good things. Patrick's band performed at their first contests last weekend and made all superior at both. I also attended my 20 yr. HS reunion. It was nice to see everyone.

The boys are very excited about their Fall Break. They will be out of school Friday and next Monday and Tuesday. Fortunately, I don't have to be at work Thursday or Friday, so I have a bit of break myself. I need to catch up with some research and textbook writing though.

Have a great week...

Another finish!!!

I finished Blackbird Designs Moonlit Garden. It is so pretty. I really want to frame this for October. This was a fairly quick stitch. Once the house and moon were completed, everything else came together pretty quickly. A friend told me that the pattern would sell on eBay for a nice price. I checked out current auctions and was surprised at some of the prices. Of course, since Tucker (my 4 year old nephew) sat on the pattern, I can't advertise it as mint condition.



I am also working on Halloween Line Up. This is a lot of fun. I really like the spiders. I have two more lines (pumpkins and owls) at the top and then the row of trick-or-treaters at the bottom. This should be finished soon.

Well, I don't have any other photos to share, but I am working on a few other projects. I have Nicholas's stocking. The stitching is slow, but I am oh so close to finishing the leaves. I really believe that once I finish the leaves, the rest will move at a much quicker pace.

I also started a Tournicoton pattern. It is a Halloween pattern that is really cute. It is all DMC floss, so I am making great progress with it. I will try to post a picture later this week.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Happy Labor Day!!

I know, I know, I have been very bad about updating my blog. But, I have been very busy, really. Of course, the boys went back to school at the beginning of August and my classes started in the middle of August. Even though I am only teaching 3 classes I have over 300 students to deal with. To top that off, I had to fly to Dubuque last week for a meeting about the textbook. AND I have been sick most of the last two weeks. So, there are my excuses.


But, I do have some stitching to share. I finished the LK Boo Club. Isn't is adorable? This was a very quick and fun stitch. Can't wait to get it framed.


After finishing this, I have been bitten by the Halloween/Autumn bug and have picked several appropriate projects. I am so very close to finishing the Moonlit Garden piece from Blackbird Design. I have just a few more stars, leaves, and a pumpkin to stitch and then the verse. This is my project for the rest of the night.

I have several other fall themed patterns kitted and will show some pictures of those when I have enough stitched to be recognizable.


One last picture to leave you with. This is Josey, our wild cat. She is almost a year old. It is amazing how big she has gotten. When I first brought her home she could fit under a ball cap.

Have a great week.

I really did try to update my blog...

but for some reason, I couldn't upload pictures earlier this week. That's OK though because I have a finish to share and some new projects. First, the scarecrow is finished. He is really cute. I have to admit that I did not enjoy stitching him though. These older patterns just have too many color changes.


I have made some good progress on Nicholas's stocking. Can you see Santa's legs? Again, this is an older pattern from Leisure Arts, so there are constant color changes. Once I finish the last branch of holly leaves I think it will be a lot easier to stitch. I love the pattern on this fabric though.


My new projects include the LK Boo Club. I love this series of pattern!!! Each pattern stitches up very quickly and it is so easy to stitch. Can't wait to finish this one.


And my last project is the Blackbird Designs Moonlit Garden. Again, this is a pattern that I think is just really cute. I love the checkerboard pattern house. This is a lot of fun to stitch and seems to be moving along pretty quickly.

I got up early this morning, got the boys off to school, did a quick grocery shopping trip to a local store, and headed to the office this morning (all before 9 a.m.). The textbook is moving right along and I had two chapters on my desk to review and send back to the publishers. One was due next week and the other at the end of the month, BUT I decided to work really hard and get both ready to mail today. Mission accomplished. I dropped them off at FedEx on the way home. And finally, I had to prep some for a project that we are starting next week. We were able to get everything ready and before noon. SO, since I was so productive at work, I can spend the entire weekend stitching and stitching and stitching...

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday Update...

Since I have kind of let my blog slip this summer, I have decided to be a bit more active and post progress pictures of my stitching more often. I may not post every day, but I will try to be better. Yesterday was a big day stitching-wise since I finished the Shakespeare's Peddler sampler (see last post for picture) I had been working on for some time. I also stitched on an old pattern I have had lying around since 1995 (the same year my now 9th grader was born). This little scarecrow is quite cute. I know, it is a bit old-fashioned since I am stitching it on aida, but I really like it. I only need to finish dressing the poor guy (shoes and hat) and he will be done. I watched "Becoming Jane" while I stitched on this one yesterday. I love that movie.


Today I will stitch on Nicholas's stocking. I bought the fabric for this project in Feb. 2008. Last year I finished one of the stockings for Patrick, just in time for Christmas. This Christmas, Nicholas's stocking will be completed. I haven't made much progress, but the leaves are the hardest part for me (lots of color changes). I have just a few more branches and then I can stitch Santa (my favorite part). My rotation includes two days of stitching on the stocking, so I will post an update photo on Friday.

Hope everyone has a great day.

July was a very busy month, stitchingwise...

At the beginning of the summer break I decided to limit my new stash purchases until I had finished some of the UFOs in my craft basket. I had several projects that have been hanging around for some time. I have a bad habit of thinking I have to do things even if I don't like them anymore. So, my original list including 17 projects. Sharon was visiting me last week and we were looking at all of my projects and she asked me if I really liked all of them. When I admitted that I didn't like a couple of them she convinced me that I didn't have to stitch them. What a relief!


So, I did finish several projects this past month. I am most happy about finishing SP A Weary World Rejoices. It was a slow start, but once I got accustomed to the smaller thread count of the fabric, I was able to finish it. I actually finished the date this morning.


I also completed the three Summer Bungalows from CCN. These are really cute and were very easy to stitch. I have big plans for finishing these.


LHN Winter Wonderland had been forgotten in my stitching basket for quite a while. I pulled it out and was able to finish this one in about a week. I love it. I think the fabric is perfect.


I also finished this JBW Christmas tree. I only had the border to complete, but had run out of floss and couldn't remember what I had used. Marie sent me a skein of Victorian Sampler thread that was a perfect match. Thanks, Marie. This will be finished as an ornament for my tree.

The boys go back to school at the end of the week. Next week is a free week for me. Classes do not resume until the 17th at USM, so I have a bit of free time to enjoy. Of course, I need to prep for the fall semester (I am teaching a new course and using a different textbook in my other classes this semester). But I planned to enjoy my time off.

I have several projects kitted up and ready to go. Hopefully, this month will be another productive stitching month for me.

Not a lot of stitching to share...

Well, I haven't stitched as much as I wanted this week. I have one finish to share though. This is another silk gauze piece from my stash. I really, really like these projects. They are so cute and quite easy to do. Theresa has almost convinced me to stitch one of my stash patterns on silk gauze (she sells the gauze at her store). Maybe after I have finished my stash purge I will try a small project.

Speaking of my stash purge. I mentioned in my last post that I have sworn off buying any more stitching stash until I complete the 17 current projects I have in my "to do" basket. Well, at present, I have 6 projects underway (CCN Summer Bungalows, A Weary World Rejoices, Nicholas's stocking, LHN Winter Wonderland, JBW Christmas Tree, Scarecrow from an old magazine). The CCN project and JBW project are almost complete. I should have those done this week. I have also completed two other projects from the list and given them to my sister, Sharon as a PIF gift and an ornament exchange. I don't have pictures to share though. That leaves just 9 projects to go.


By the way, we went to the beach this past Monday and had a great time. If you are ever on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, consider catching the ferry to Ship Island. It was a fun trip and a beautiful beach.

I have been very busy...

The summer is just flying by. I am teaching two classes this summer, so that is taking up some of my time. The textbook is also eating up a lot of my free time. BUT, I have found time to work on some of my existing stash. Last weekend I went through all of my patterns and kits and discovered I had 17 projects that were either started or kitted. What an eye opener. I need to avoid the stitching store for a while. Since our budget is tighter in the summer I made a Summer resolution to not purchase any new patterns until I have completed these 17. (I still have lots of other patterns in addition to these, but they aren't kitted, so I don't feel as guilty about those.) Fortunately, most are pretty simple. I have actually completed several.


The first photo is of a silk gauze Christmas tree. I purchase the kit at Hobby Lobby when they were clearing out all of the stitching kits. Talk about tedious work. That is quarter next to the stitched piece! Glad I got this one out of the way before the eyes get any worse.


This is another CCN pattern (Summer Bungalows). I love here patterns. I'm not sure if I like it on this fabric as much as I thought I would, but it is still cute. Plan to finish this as a needlework case.

I forgot to take pictures of my other two finishes. I completed LK January Flip It last night. This will be finished as an ornament for my sister, Sharon. Also, I stitched the Silver Needle Witch Way kit for Sharon also. I am very late completing some PIFs and this is one of them.

As I finish these projects, I am posting the patterns on my wishlist page. If you see something you like, check out that page. The link is in the sidebar.

Have a great week.

Lots to share...

I haven't cross stitched much this week. I have been very tired, especially today. I don't know if it is the weather or if I have some type of bug, but I have been very lazy today. Anyway, instead of cross stitching, I have been sewing. I made a pair of pajama pants for my dad for Father's Day. He was very happy. Apparently, his old pajamas are beyond repair. That got me started on a sewing frenzy.





I finished my summer and fall stitching bags also. This is a project that Lisha and I signed up for at our local quilt shop. We learned to make these really nice charm totes. Well, if you know how to make one, why not make lots. I made two last year, a winter tote and a spring tote. I then made one for my mother for Christmas and my sister for her birthday. Well, I pulled out the supplies and finished my summer and winter totes.


Now, I can change with the seasons. Nicholas thinks I should have one for each day of the week. (Careful, boy. You shouldn't make those types of suggestions to a person with my type of personality.)



Finally, I finished Nicholas's rag quilt. Isn't it adorable? It was very easy. I have the material to make one for Patrick, so maybe I will work on that next month.

Hopefully, I will get more cross stitching done over the weekend. We are getting together at my younger sister's house this weekend to stitch and talk. I'll let you know how that goes...

Have a great weekend!

Two finishes this week...

I finished LK ABC Lessons this weekend. I think it is so pretty on this fabric and can't wait to have it framed. This was a very nice piece to stitch. It was easy enough to stitch while watching TV.



My other finish is O'Starry Night from Little by Little. Very easy pattern and very cute. It is stitched on Smoky Blue Lugana (28 ct) from Silkweaver. Isn't it perfect? This would make a very pretty ornament.

The past few days have been so busy that stitching time has been limited. Hopefully, once the next few tasks on the textbook are completed I can relax a little bit. Also, I have declared a ban on buying any new patterns or fabric during July. The stash is getting a bit outrageous. There are at least 3 kitted patterns in my "to do" pile that I can work on, not to mention all of those UFOs and WIPs. If I focus on some of these projects, maybe my savings balance will increase over the next month. Who wants to be my accountability partner? Lisha?

Shopping Spree Saturday!!!

Shakespeare's Peddler is having a Cyber Sidewalk Sale and she has some really amazing prices. Earlier in the week, I purchased two patterns that were on my wishlist: Holly and a pattern for Tournicoton. Well, today, I decided to drive into Hattiesburg and shop the patterns to see if there were any that I just had to have. What a great idea! I picked up lots of great patterns at really great prices. Everything that I bought was 50% off the original price. I love the Just Nan Christmas Biscornus and was excited to see that there was one in the sale box. Even the embellishment packs were on sale! If you are interested you can check out the specials at Shakespeare's Peddler website.


I did purchase one item that was not in the sidewalk sale: Just Nan Bunny Charm Garden Pin. Isn't this just adorable? There are several in the series including bugs and a hedgehog. I really want to collect several of these because they are so pretty and detailed.



Though I have been very busy with work and gardening (spent all day yesterday at my parents' farm picking and snapping beans), I did get some stitching done this week. I have made some progress on LK ABC Lessons. I am certain that I can finish this piece in the next week or so. A Weary World Rejoices is taking a bit longer than I expected. I love stitching on it, but I made a mistake on one of the windows. Instead of putting it down and starting something else, I forced myself to make the correction and stitch on it the rest of the evening. I am glad that I did because I was able to finish all of the motifs on the bottom half of the pattern. I still need to finish the side borders. I really think the top half will be faster stitching. Hope to finish it by the end of the month.

Thanks for stopping by and all the nice comments. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

The Eagle is finished!!!!!

FINALLY!!! I finished it Friday night. It is really pretty. Pete was very happy with it. I still need to frame it.


I also finished Love Birds by Miss Crescent's Crowne. This was really easy and stitched up very quickly. This was the first time I have stitched with Belle Soie silk. Very nice.


I have also made a bit of progress on LK ABC Lessons. Only three rows left.

Baltimore was great. I had a very good time. The conference was very helpful.

The Quaker Turtles are finished....

Aren't these the cutest things? I love them. They are so tiny. It was a bit tedious to put them together, but it was worth it.



I also finished CCN Bumblebee. I absolutely love this one. I stitched it on a piece of Silkweaver Precious Metals 28 ct Opalescent Lugana. It is really pretty and it only took me 2 days to complete it.

The boys are almost finished with school. After next week I will be the parent of a high school student. I can't believe he is old enough to be in high school. Time flies...

It's finally May!!!

I am so happy that it is finally May. That means the semester is almost over. Now, don't get me wrong. I love my job at USM, but I also love the end of the semester. I will have a few days to just relax. Oh, who am I kidding, I can't relax. We have a lot of work to do on the textbook, so I have a few days to work on the book. I didn't have as much stitching time this month, but I did finish all the parts of Quaker Turtles. I just need to assembly the little guys. My son really, really wants one. I don't think he realizes these are sewing goodies. He just loves the idea of the turtle.


I have also worked very hard on this Bald Eagle. Pete's birthday was the 19th. Yes, I missed his birthday. So, maybe he will get it by the end of May.

I have also worked on the A Weary World Rejoices and ABC Lessons a bit this month. I love both of these. I usually pull one of these two out when I have had a frustrating day. Helps improve my mood.

By the way, this is one of our textbooks. I just love the cover. And there's my name in the lower right corner. I am still amazed to see that.

My goals were less that accomplished this month, but hopefully May will be better for stitching. I just really want to finish that Eagle!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.