Ornaments Galore!

Well who knows what each day will bring?  I've been working on finishing up all the ornaments from this year's challenge.  It's been...well...a challenge!  LOL!!  But I decided that this year, if I stitched an ornament, I would finish it within the year!  Yay!!  Only two more to go and they will take some brain power to fully finish...lol!!  Yesterday I finished up the last ornament for the challenges this year...whew!  It was this one...Holly 'N Hardanger by The Sweetheart Tree from the 2005 JCS Ornament issue.  

It's stitched on 32 count natural opalescent over two.  I've had this in my to do pile for ages, but with all the recent hardanger I've been working on this year, I finally decided to give it a go.  I finished stitching it yesterday and fully finished it right after.  I've had a lot of ornament finishes this year, this may be close to my favorite!  

I then pulled out the others I finished stitching this year and fully finished these...  Little Reindeer by Suzanna Lima Cross Stitch (2022 JCS Ornament Issue)  stitched on 40 count white over two.  

Snow In Love by  Alice Okon Needleart (2016 JCS Ornament issue) stitched on 28 count cream over one.  

Deck the Haul by Saving Grace Needlearts (2022 JCS Ornament issue)  Stitched on 14 count white perforated plastic  

Love & Joy by From The Heart Needlearts (2022 JCS Ornament Issue) Stitched on 32 count Pearl Grey over one  

and Polar Night Sighting by StitchSprout (2023 JCS Ornament Issue)  Stitched on 40 count white over two.  

As I was looking for something (isn't that the way we always find those forgotten treasures?) I stumbled across a this one, that I dearly love (except for his face, for some reason I just didn't like how it looked when done) and thought it needed to be hung on a tree this year.  This is Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by Vermillion Stitchery (1999 JCS Ornament Issue) which has been languishing in a box since 2019..yes it's been sitting around for over 4 years!!! It's stitched over one but I have no idea what fabric it's stitch on.

I found a whole bunch more that I finished stitching years ago!  I really need to get some finishing done!  Stay Tuned!!  LOL  I see a lot more finishing coming up!  

I must have been super excited about finishing, I really don't remember my fingers working as I was watching the Baltimore Orioles clinch the American League East Championship which will put them in the playoffs without the wild card runoff.  It was their 100th game and there was a lot of celebration going on!  My family was at the game (minus me...I wasn't feeling too well, but I'll be at the game tonight!)  I'm super excited for my son as he has followed the Orioles since he was 6 years old and this was a dream come true for him!  Ok, I'm off to find out what mischief I can get into today and get myself ready for the game tonight!  I hope you all are having a fabulous day...Happy Stitching!

IHSW September 2023

Hi Folks!  Last weekend was International Hermit and Stitch Weekend.  I was a little disappointed as I knew it would be a busy weekend.  Not to mention, I was extremely tired.  Mr. Sandman hasn't visited in ages so I haven't been sleeping too well, which makes it really difficult to stitch.  I babysat on Friday until late in the evening.  I love our Granddaughter and never miss a chance to spend time with her.  But she does keep me hopping!  LOL!!  Top that off with potty training, and I was running up and down stairs with her until I put her to bed.  Still I did get some time to stitch on Beatrix Potter by StitchyBox.  I love how this is turning out, though at first I wasn't sure if I would like the color my husband chose.  He used the recommended thread, and looking at it at first I wasn't sure.  I thought about substituting some silk floss, but in the end decided to go ahead with the floss he chose.  I LOVE it now!  I'm stitching on 28 count Vellum over one.  I love this fabric too!  Here is my progress.  

On a non-stitch related topic, our Baltimore Orioles have clinched a spot in the playoffs!  I can't express how excited our family is.  We love the Orioles and have stuck by them through thick and thin, but this team has us so excited and inspired.  They just never give up!  The last two games were so exciting until the very last walk off win!  We will be watching them well into October now and hoping for them to participate in the World Series.  Fingers, toes and even eyes crossed!  

Ok, I'm off to see what I'll be stitching on today.  While I love Beatrix Potter Quaker, it's a large project and my hands are tired from holding the frame.  I think I'll work on something a little smaller to give them a break.  Happy Stitching!

September 2023 Gifted Gorgeousness

 

Another month passes...what a year this has been!  I've had a busy Gifted Gorgeousness month!  If you don't know what Gifted Gorgeousness is all about please visit Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching (click here) and see what all the news is about!  Basically we stitch things from items that have been gifted to us (fabric, floss, patterns, etc) or gifts we stitched for others.  I tried to condense things for this month as there are a lot of show.  

To start off, my husband gifted me this pattern and the floss for Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler which I finally started on September 1st for Sampler September.  It's stitched over 1 on 28 count Vellum.  So far I've completed two pages!

I finished off several ornaments this month, and all of these (except one) are gifts for others.  If you want the specifics they are listed on the 2023 goals page.  

I was able to finish off this pattern by Riolis called Violets.  This was a gift from Marina which was included in an exchange this summer.  I've never really stitched with a wool/polyester blend before, but I do love how it turned out!  

I was caught up on Peppermint Purple SAL 2023 until this week!  LOL!!  It's been sitting on the back burner for quite a while now.  I do love how this is turning out, though the border has me  pulling out my hair.  It's not hard, but it is very meticulous.  I'll get there eventually.  Since this is a free SAL I consider it part of GG. 

I'm working on the next to last part of the Sarah Elliot's Sewing Chest pieces.  I saved the last two pieces because I don't have a hoop that will work for this...and it's mostly lettering which I don't particularly like to stitch letters...lol.  Anyway, once the last two are stitched, then the REAL work begins, assembling everything.  Ugh...LOL!!  This was a gift from a friend, including the chest.  It will be wonderful when it's finally finished.  

I also finished this part of Sarah Elliot's Sewing Chest since the last GG post.  This is the needle and pin keep from the set!  Each part is stitched on 40 count Morning Dove over two.  I love the color even though it doesn't really photograph well.  

Next is the most recent gift from my husband.  This is Santa by Stitch By Thina.  This is a REAL challenge, not only am I stitching it over 1 on 28 count black, but the pattern itself is full of confetti.  I think it's going to be so pretty when it's done though!  

I also finished this ornament called Sea Ornament by Durene Jones which will eventually become a Christmas ornament for someone.  I really enjoyed stitching this so I'll be looking for more interesting hardanger patterns to try out!   Watch this space!  LOL!!  

Life continues to be super busy so sometimes stitching time is limited.  I'll have a super busy day today as I'll have little Miss A until her bedtime and beyond while her parents and her Granddad go to a baseball game and concert afterwards.  Should be fun, but exhausting too!

Making Scents

I'll warn you ahead of time, this has nothing to do with stitching...LOL  I just had a walk down memory lane in my mind.  They say that scents can trigger memories, and boy did it today!

It's my Granddaughter's birthday today.  I was making a family favorite recipe of spaghetti and meatballs and it calls for Oregano.  Ahh...it brought back some memories!

When I was a kid (about 10 years old) my Mom went back to school to become a nurse.  They sat us down and said she would need a lot of time to study, and they knew they were asking a lot of us (my sister, who is a year older, and me) so we were going to have to do more chores than making our beds, doing the dishes and cleaning our room.  We were now responsible for cleaning the whole house, laundry and cooking.  We got a pretty good allowance (a dollar a week!) and we could do as we pleased on weekends as long as the housework was done.  Mom gave me an old Oregano tin that smelled of Oregano to stash my money in.  I would hang on to my allowance stored in that can and from time to time I would take it to the bank. 

As they years rolled by, and Mom eventually became a nurse, we never lost our responsibilities and over time our allowance increased.   When I turned 16 I applied for a Social Security card and a work permit and began cleaning houses, babysitting kids in the nursery during church, and other odd jobs.  I also volunteered as a Candy Striper, continued on as a  Girl Scout receiving my First Class Badge (the equivalent to Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts), and helped with a Junior Girl Scout troop.  You guessed it...all the money I dropped in my Oregano can until I had time to take it to the bank.  As the money sat in that old tin, it began to smell like Oregano!  I would get odd looks when I took it to the bank...LOL!!  

When I turned 17 and graduated from High School, I applied to a college in Northern NY.  What a surprise when I learned I had enough saved for my first full year of college!!  I worked two jobs during college and with the savings I still had left over I was able to pay for TWO more years!  I had to take a loan for the rest of the time at school....but it wasn't a big a loan as it would have been if I hadn't been saving all that time!  

A few years ago I was cleaning out my Mom's house, and guess what I found?  That old Oregano tin.  It still had some old coins in it (a silver dollar with the date I was born on it, and a few other things).  Guess what??  It STILL smells like Oregano.  I brought it home and as silly as it sounds, it's one of my favorite things I found while cleaning out the house.  Memories...this one gave me a huge smile on my face.  I wonder if my Granddaughter will have memories like that?  Maybe I should give her my old Oregano can?

Finishing Frenzy

I was in a stitching slump last week...but as I was looking for something I came across a stack of unfinished ornaments.  I thought I would work on finishing them as another way of satisfying my creative side while I gave my stitching mojo some space.  I thought I would make a list and just finish those that I have stitched this year.  But as I was digging I came across some ornaments that I had set aside because they just needed some thought to finish.  (I just ran across another one today so I'll have to put my thinking cap on for that too!).  I started with those I've stitched this year, and it just spilled over into some that I finished last year.  I worked for three days, and finished 18 items.  Whew!  I have a couple more that I need to finish before Christmas, but those will have to wait, it's about to get busy here again!  So much to do....so little time!  LOL!!  I'm just going to show pictures here.  If you want particular information, please click on the 2023 goals page tab and scroll down until you find the list of fully finished items.  My list has 51 items!  That's how many fully finished items I've done this year!!!  They are at the bottom of the list as I list them in date order.  Here are pictures of just the 18 I've finished in the past 3 days.  

And now my stitching mojo has returned!  I'm back to working on Beatrix Potter, there will be pictures of that sampler in a few days.    I'm also caught up in Peppermint Purple 2023 SAL!!  I hope you all are staying cool in this unseasonably hot weather.  I'm staying close to home these days...and may have to cancel my trip to the fair with Ms. M as it's hard for us in the hot weather.  Happy Stitching (and finishing!!). 

Fairly Exciting!

Well, that was exciting!  I purposely didn't post any pictures of what I was taking to the State Fair.  I will admit (even though there were those who have said, "I told you so."), I was a little apprehensive.  I took 7 things to the fair this year.  6 of them won blue ribbons, and one didn't win anything.  I'm not sure why I took the Grinch ornament, I just thought he was cute.  He didn't win anything and honestly, I'm not surprised.  I didn't expect all of the others to win blue, honestly!!  I know I'm often too critical of my own work.  I suspect the ones I submitted in a few of the categories (blackwork, and over one) were the only ones in those categories.  BUT...the blackwork piece, and the flowers received special awards in addition to the blue ribbons.  Gloria received a special burgundy ribbon...and I'm not exactly sure what that was for.  I do know it's a step up from the special yellow ribbons (special award) and a step down from the Fair President's award.  I'll have to check with someone when I pick up my entries and will post again when I know.  I'm literally blown away!  If you could see some of the beautiful pieces that were there, you would understand my surprise.  

Going to the fair with family is always fun.  There are special booths set up for a number of different things in addition to the rides and games.  We got to see some piglets that were only 3 days old!  We saw some chicks that were only a few hours old.  And we saw lots of cows, and sheep, and goats, and alpacas, and horses, and ducks.  I think seeing those little piglets were my favorite.  And Little Miss A loved talking to each of them in their own language... oink, moo, baa, quack, and neigh!  She definitely knows her animal languages!  I'll be going to the fair again next week with Lady M.  It's tradition that we go each year when it's open.  We have waaaaay too much fun and get lots of chuck muscle exercising in!  

I have started a few new projects, and finished a few things since the last time I posted.  The finished items are Christmas ornaments.  These are from JCS Ornament Issues and both are stitched on 36 count Twilight, the first is Christmas Sheeping by Nikyscreations from the 2022 issue stitched over one.  

The second is Lantern Santa by Sue Hillis Designs stitched over two from the 2011 issue.  

For Sampler September I started The Beatrix Potter Quaker Sampler.  I'm stitching this on 28 count Legacy over one using DMC 356.  The pattern and floss was a gift from my husband for Christmas.  He wanted me to choose my own fabric because he wasn't sure of the count or color.  It calls for Ivory, but I like the look of the Legacy with the floss color he chose.  It was a busy day yesterday so I didn't get far.   

I'm also catching up on the Peppermint Purple 2023 SAL.  I've decided I'll stitch (maybe) an hour a day on it until I'm caught up.  I'm only a couple of weeks behind now, but I also want to work on the border so when I finish the last part it will be complete.  We will see how that goes...lol!!  

I hope I haven't overwhelmed you!  I hope wherever you are you are safe and healthy!  Thanks for stopping by, and as always I do appreciate your comments!  Happy Stitching!