Friday, March 30, 2018

Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop 2018

Hi!  And welcome to the Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop 2018, hosted by Jo, over on Serendipitous Stitching.  As you can see from the first picture, I have been assigned the letter S.  If this is the first post you've seen about the treasure hunt, then you need to go over to Jo's blog and start from the beginning.  If you want to participate, start there and hop through the blogs collecting the letters that will form a  mystery phrase.  Head back to Jo's and let her know you found the answer!  While you are hopping around, check out the blogs you'll visit and see the wonderful stitching folks have from around the blogosphere.  At the end of this post, you'll see the next blog in the hop!

We have been asked to post a few cross stitch pieces that pertain to spring or Easter...here are a few of mine.

I just finished this piece that was a SAL offered by Tempting Tangles.  I haven't had time to finish it properly as it just finished up about a week ago.  I just love Deborah's designs.

This was a gift from a friend of mine, the lovely Ms. S.   It is my favorite Easter ornament and is always hanging in my dining room.  

I just finished stitching this freebie from The Snowflower Diaries blog.  These bunnies have no calories!!  LOL  I haven't had time to finally finish this either, hopefully by next Easter!!  You can find the pattern here.  Just scroll down and look on the left hand side, you will see the picture.

This was the very first Easter design I stitched and finished myself.  As you can see I didn't do a very good job centering the design, but I had a lot of fun stitching it!

Our Easter traditions start with a trip to church to celebrate the Risen Savior.  I think it's one of my favorite holidays because there is so much to celebrate!  Redemption, reconciliation, and the promise of a life in heaven after we leave this realm.  I love that it falls in the spring, when the earth seems to come alive with all the flowering plants, the new buds on the trees, and the warmer temperatures.  We used to have an Easter Egg hunt when our son was younger.  He's too old for that now...but we still enjoy our baskets with lots of goodies.  When I was a young girl we would travel to see my Grandmother, wear pretty dresses which were always new for Easter, and all attended church together with brand new bonnets.  I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying the changing of the seasons and the promise of new beginnings.  

And now....hop on over to http://sewingafterseven.blogspot.co and see what she has to offer!  Happy Hopping and Happy Easter!

Thursday, March 15, 2018

March on Gifted Gorgeousness

Can you believe it's March already?  Where has the time gone?  It's been a busy month and I have a lot to show for it...so let's get stared.

First, if you don't know what Gifted Gorgeousness is, you can find out everything you need to know over on Jo's blog, Serendipitous Stitching.  You can sign up and join in the fun here.  Or you can see what everyone else is stitching here.  It's pretty simple....anything that you have received for a gift (a pattern, fabric, maybe some floss) that you are stitching on now, or anything you have given as a gift can be considered a gifted gorgeousness.  I enjoy this challenge because I have been stitching up those lovely projects I've been given and they are no longer languishing in my closet.  It's time they see the light of day!!

In January, I offered on Facebook to make Christmas ornaments for 5 people.  More than 5 signed up, but that's ok, I'm keeping a schedule so I get everything done.  My goal was to stitch 3 a month and finish them in that month.  While I've been able to keep to stitching 3 a month, I haven't finished any.  I need a day (or two...or more) when I can just concentrate on finishing.  I hope that happens soon!!  LOL  I've thrown in a few exchanges along the way I needed to stitch...anyway I'll just show you what I've been up to.

First off are a few Christmas ornaments I've stitched.  The first came from a Stoney Creek Magazine

This came from the World of Cross Stitch and was a freebie I found on their website.

This was a freebie from the Sullivan's thread website that I downloaded a while back.  It's not offered anymore because one of the threads has been discontinued.  I substituted a Kreinik blending filament for the thread used in the flames.

This was a Mill Hills kit that I stitched on fabric instead of the perforated paper.  It's half finished, I just have to stitch the trim and the back on.  I love this, I may have to stitch one for myself now!!

I took part in an exchange for Stitcher's Day and just learned that my partner received her package today.  I couldn't decide between the Stitcher's Apron by Sue Hillis and the Friendly Stitcher's by Brittercup designs.  So....in typical DJ fashion, I stitched them both....





And then...I found this Furry Tales pattern of the stitching mouse in a magazine (while looking for Christmas Ornaments).  Since the mouse was wearing purple, and my partner is nicknamed Mouse and that is her favorite color...I just HAD to stitch this one for her too.  I hope she enjoys all her goodies!


I'm headed to a stitch retreat in May...and we are having a gift exchange.  We are supposed to stitch something patriotic and in typical DJ fashion, I can't decide what to stitch...so....I stitched these three.  And then I found another one that I think will be perfect.  While I can't show pictures of the one I'm going to take, I'll show the other three that I will eventually finish into ornaments...haha.  I'm showing these because a friend gifted me a huge bag of small pieces of fabric.  She knows I stitch a lot of over one things, and gave me her scraps instead of throwing them away.  All three of these were stitched on the fabric that was given to me.



My husband gifted me two SALs by Tempting Tangles that I have been working on.  Here is Wildflower Woodland Quaker

And Springtime Easter Delight.

And last, but not least, is Sweet Nectar, a Dimensions kit that I am stitching for my Mom.  Her birthday is in June, so in the back of my mind, I'm hoping to finish it and give it to her for her birthday this year.  She has been in and out of the hospital lately, and had surgery last Friday to remove a toe.  I wasn't able to be with her this time as the weather has just been too bad.  Since she lives 500 miles away it's not always easy to get there.

And I guess that's enough for now.  I have a few other things stitched but can't show them just yet.  Join me back here for the Easter blog hop!  Happy Stitching!