Saturday, November 29, 2014

Taking a breather...

Whew!!  Seems like I've been on fast forward for months now, and I'm just a wee bit tired!  So much going on and I do feel a bit overwhelmed.  But now that Thanksgiving has passed, I will have a bit of a breather, I hope.  I have a lot of stitching I want to finish in a short period of time.

I've been a busy person, but now that my Christmas exchange piece has been sent and mine received, I can show you what I stitched for my partner.  I struggled to get this finished up in time, seems the day I was working on finishing it, my hands were all thumbs.  Thankfully, she was gracious about it and seemed to like it.  I hope you enjoy it for many years to come, Joyce!





And here is what she sent to me.  I can't wait to hang it on my tree...which should be going up sometime today or at least this weekend!




A lot of my SALs are finishing up, and I was able to finally finish the one I've been working on since last January.  I loved working on the heart portions, but I will say the background got monotonous after a while!!  It was stitched over one on 28 count and I love how it came out....now to finish it in a bell pull/wall hanging type thingy.  I wish I knew how to sew, or at least live near someone who could help!!



Last month was Pastor Appreciation month, but we were crazy busy, so when we had a chance, we offered to babysit the youth pastor's baby daughter so he and his wife could have a night out to themselves.  We threw in movie tickets and money for a nice dinner out.  Their baby is so sweet!!  And they brought us flowers as a thank you (silly kids!!)  They work so hard, and I remember when our son was little, a night like this would have been like heaven!!  I challenge you to find someone to bless over the holidays!  I can tell you it did more to get me in the mood for the holidays than anything else we could have done!




We did take a day out last week and went to New York City to see the Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City Music Hall.  And what a show!!  It was over waaaayyy too quickly!!  It was quite a trip, with lots of "issues" but that's what makes it memorable, right?  The ladies we were with thought we were funny because nothing seemed to ruffle our feathers....LOL!!  Here are some of the sights we saw...
 


















I searched high and low for this pattern!  It is in the current issue of Needlepoint Now and is by Weinenberg designs.  Once I found the pattern I then had trouble finding the materials I needed to stitch it.  Whew!!  I am still waiting on something I had to order, but when I have a second, I plan to get this on stretcher bars and get started...can't wait!!



As seems to be the case with  most of the SALs I work on, I finished up the first two pars, just in time to receive the next FOUR!!  The designer sent out the next four parts so we could work on them at our own pace over the holidays.  Thankfully there isn't a lot of stitching in the next four parts, but here is what I've done so far.  The beads on this project are slightly driving me batty (no comments from the peanut gallery about how close I am to batty already...LOL) and I've already used a whole box of beads (five boxes were required!!).  I imagine I won't be working on this much for a week or so...




Here are a couple of finishes I did ...




And one of the centerpieces I created for our Thanksgiving dinner.  We were invited to someone's house this year and she asked for centerpieces, along with pie and ice cream.  This was made of cheese and pepperoni and crackers.  I thought the guys would like some snacks while watching the football game, and an hour after we got there, all that was left was the body of the turkey...all the feathers were gone!!  LOL  I'm surprised they had room for turkey!!

 

Last, but not least, is the "surprise" I'm working on for someone....there is a lot of stitching left to do, but I'm working on it as much as I can...



And THAT, as they say, is THAT!!  Off to make a space for our Christmas tree, as soon as the guys are back to help set it up!

Thursday, November 27, 2014

So much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I can't believe how long it's been since I updated my blog.  Waaaayyyyy too much going on and I will say I'm exhausted...and the holiday season has just begun!!  I will be back later to update the news...stay tuned...but in the meanwhile, I hope you are among friends and family during this season.  Off to have some turkey with friends, the first Thanksgiving in a very long time we are spending with people other than my small immediate family here.  I'm feeling very blessed!! 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

SAL Fever

You would think I'd have enough SAL's going at the moment...but then this advertisement pops up in my e-mail...and I just can't say no.  Yes...I am a glutton for punishment!!

Two of my SAL's will be wrapping up soon so I decided I would join Passione Ricamo for her 4th Mystery SAL.  When I saw the color of the fabric, and that there was a full moon (or so it seemed) I couldn't resist, and the next thing I knew my hand had hit the "buy" button and I was roaming the internet for fabric.  The awesome thing is that I found a fantastic place to buy hand dyed fabric!! She tells you up front that you will be waiting at least 3 weeks for the fabric (longer if you choose a different type of fabric or if there is a sale) but I must say, it was worth the wait.  Not only is the fabric a beautiful color, it's soft to the touch, and has been stitched around the edges to prevent  fraying.  I really love the fabric from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

So...here is my progress with ...Under the Moonlight...Don't faint, I'm stitching it on 28 ct over two!!


I also started a project for ...  ooops I almost gave it away.  I'll just show this little bit, and let you guess what I'm stitching.  No other details will be given at this time...and you'll have to check back to see what I'm planning with this...Seriously, don't faint...this is being stitched on 32 ct over two!



I've been feverishly working on Christmas ornaments....and have finished a couple, but since I'm getting close to sending these out to folks, you'll have to use your imagination here until the arrive where they are supposed to go.  I have finished stitching, I just need to finish them into ornaments.  I need a clear headed day....and they are few and far between at this point, but I really  need to get my act together as they are due to be sent out soon!!  I'll show you one that is going to be for me...



This was a Barbara Ann pattern that was a freebie on the Candy Cane Stitchers Facebook group.  I changed the colors a wee bit and stitched it on black fabric, 28 count over one.  It's less than 2 inches square, so very tiny, and I haven't decided how to finish it off yet...any ideas?

I've also been working here and there on the Weathervane by LHN.  I was originally going to start this as a round robin, but since it's stitched on 40 ct over two, I thought it might be too hard for some people to see....so here we go on my own...I'm loving this stitch!!



It's been a beautiful fall here in Maryland.  I got a few shots of the trees in the neighborhood before the leaves all fell to the ground.  The weather has turned quite chilly so I'm sure the leaves won't be with us much longer.  





And so begins the winter.  I hear it's going to be a rough one this year.  I don't know how they know, but they have already had lots of snow around the country and so I have to believe it's true.  I'm gathering supplies and getting ready to settle in and watch the world turn white...with a little help from my crocheted snowflakes...



I'll leave you with a little sachet I crocheted for a friend who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  I don't know how she feels about pink ribbons, so I crocheted her a pink rose instead.  I used Mulberry pot puree inside, which really smelled quite nice I thought.  My heart sinks each time I hear of someone else I know being diagnosed...and they are all in my prayers.  Thinking of you, Ms. P, and hoping it all turns out okay.



Time to turn in....I really need to get some ornaments made tomorrow...wish me luck!!