Finishing Frenzy

Whew....now don't faint.  I know it must seem odd for me to post TWO posts in a month haha but I have something to show you!!

Quite some time ago, I took part in a Round Robin where we sent off small projects to members of the group, they stitched them, and returned them to us to finish them off!  I have quite a few of these strawberries, and I've been working on the 12 days of Christmas by Erica Michaels too!  I had asked a friend to teach me how to finish them, and so I finally got to her house yesterday and I learned how.  They are a little fussy, but actually not as hard as I had imagined.  I came home to finish putting the tops on them.  This is what I came up with...

So...the lesson I learned today....don't be afraid to try something new!  I'm thankful for my friend who taught me how to finish these, I really didn't want to mess them up after all the hard work my friends had put in.  Now I just need to find a way to display them.....

August Gifted Gorgeousness and more!

Hi!  Thanks for stopping by!  I know I say this every month but, whew....it's been so crazy here at DJ's digs!!  Thankfully, I'm beginning to catch up on a few things!

It's the 15th so that means I'll be sharing all things gifted.  If you haven't heard of Gifted Gorgeousness, please head on over to Jo's blog, Serendipitous Stitching, and see what all the hub bub is about!  It's never to late to join in the fun.  You can read the rules and sign up here, or head on over to her homepage and see what everyone else is up to!

You'll probably think I'm a little on the crazy side...ok maybe a lot on the crazy side...but in November of last year I posted on Facebook that I was going to make and give Christmas ornaments to the first 5 people that signed up.  Well, that turned into many, many more...haha.  I just can't say no!  Anyway, I've been busy stitching and finishing, and sending things in the mail....and now I can show you some of the stuff I've been up to.  So...here goes!  And if you haven't received your gift from me yet, be patient, I'm nearly done!

These ornaments are for folks who signed up, folks I'll be attending a retreat with in September, and some are going to Pat Carson who collects them throughout the year and sends them to folks who have been through a tragedy, flood, fire or other.  It's been fun pouring over patterns I had on hand, searching for ribbon and finishing touches, and trying to suit people's characters.  My brain is pretty much fried though...haha.  

Once I finished up all these, I started working on catching up on some SAL's my husband bought for me.  First off is Through the Window by Ship's Manor.

This is the Blue Poppy Learning Sampler by Tempting Tangles.  It's such a challenge with all these new stitches, but I love how it's turning out.

This is one offered on Atelier Soed Idea blog, and I am waaaay behind!  haha  I'm stitching it on 32 ct black over one, so I have to rest my eyes sometimes.  I think I'm on part 4 but part 7 has already been released.  Since I had all the materials, and the pattern was free on this blog, I consider it a gifted gorgeousness item.

I've been working slowly on Winter's Majesty.  It's slow going because I only work on her on Wednesdays.  Fortunately I've had a couple of free Wednesdays as the folks I tutor have been cancelling due to certain circumstances, and I will get to work on her today too!  There is so much left to do, but hopefully I'll have a little more time now that those ornaments are finished! 

A friend of mine found this pattern and brought it back to me after a retreat she had attended.  It's a nativity, though you can't see it just yet.  I couldn't resist and had to start it....it was a kit but I exchanged the fabric.  It's called Holy Nativity.

And last is a gift I made for my friend, Ms. D.  She and I have been friends since we were 7.  She and I were looking through a craft store while I was back in NY and she happened upon these beads.  I told her I would make her a bracelet and I finally got around to it.  The smaller items at the top are going to be earrings to match, as soon as I find the findings for them.

So....I guess that's all the news that's fit to print.  I hope you are enjoying your summer.  Happy Stitching!