I can't let this day pass without saying something. A year ago we were anticipating this day with great joy. This would have been Ben and Katie's wedding day. There were so many happy, exciting moments along the way, and those are the memories I'm hanging on to today. We are better for knowing and loving Katie. She was a strong, caring, loving, kind, generous soul...and the world was better for having had her here, even if it was way too short. She was the perfect person I had been praying for in a helpmate for Ben. The two of them were wonderful together.
Katie was just like a daughter to us. She included us in her life like we were family. She even took me with her when she went shopping for her wedding dress. She would have been a beautiful bride.
I don't ever want to forget Katie, and all the lessons she taught me on how to be strong, to fight the good fight, and how to be kind to others no matter what I may be feeling inside. So with tears in my eyes, I post this in loving memory of her. We love you and miss you, Katie.
Well....it's been a wild and wacky spring so far! I've been a busy lady, but in a good way I suppose. Let's get started with Gifted Gorgeousness. I've you've followed me for a while then you know on the 15th of the month we showcase what we have been stitching ... things we have been given as gifts (patterns, fabric, floss or even completed stitched items) or things we have stitched that we are giving away. Jo, over at Serendipitous Stitching, is our fearless leader and has the sign up page over here. She explains the rules there...but if you are interested in what others are stitching, you can see the link up page here where we all link our pages. It's never to late to sign up if you are interested!
I was given a pretty big bag of left over linen. They are the perfect size for ornaments and they came in a range of colors and counts. I dug into them right away and started stitching some of the ornaments I'm going to be giving away. So let's start there, shall we? I have even completed a couple already. These have all been stitched with linen I've been given.
First up is this little guy....a Brittercup design I found in a JCS magazine. It was a preview to an ornament issue. I have been looking for this pattern called "Mine" for a while and was shocked to find it when I was looking for something else (isn't it always the way?). I'll be stitching him a few times...haha. Here he is all finished up! He is a gift for a Facebook friend.
This is a design I found on the Victoria Sampler freebie page. I have stitched a few of her ornaments here, I just love the different stitches she finds to give her patterns a little zing! This was stitched for a Facebook friend who had a new baby last year, so his name is on the back with the date.
This is a JBW design I've had in my stash for quite a while. I thought she was pretty but never had the chance to stitch her. This will be a gift too when I finish it into an ornament.
This is a little penquin I found in the most recent JCS ornament issue. They said to stitch him on mint green, and so I have, but I'm not excited about the way he turned on on this color. I think I might stitch him again on light blue. What do you think? He was supposed to be a gift as well, but I'm going to tweak him a bit first.
My husband gifted me these three SALs, and I fell behind a bit trying to get some other gifts stitched. First is Wildflower Woodland Quaker by Tempting Tangles. There is only one more installment, I have really enjoyed stitching this one!
Another is this Blue Poppy Learning Sampler. I'm being challenged with some of the stitches on this one! Especially the Satin stitch, I really struggle with that one. I am still a month behind, but hoping to catch up soon! This is also a Tempting Tangles design.
The third is this called Through the Window by Ship's Manor. Each little window is another month, and there will be 12. When I get a chance I hope to get the border done because the windows don't take much time. I'll keep you posted.
The last one I'm going to show here is Sweet Nectar. I'm please to say I'm finally finished with this one. It is a gift for my Mom's birthday is in June. My next quest will be to get it framed. Wish me luck!!
That's all I'm prepared to show right now. I have some stitched that are going to be gifts so I'll have to wait a little while to show those to you. Once the SALs are caught up I'm hoping to work on some gifts for a wedding later this year. Stay tuned!
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!
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!
Do you ever feel like you're on a treadmill? No matter how hard you work, it seems you occupy the same space. I never seem to whittle down that stack of WIPs or Wannas (Those patterns languishing in a the to do pile). Well, I've been working hard, and today I actually feel like I got somewhere! haha
I have a list of WIPs in my head that I want to try and finish this year. I've been working hard on Sweet Nectar and I feel like I'm finally seeing the finish line in the distance (though I know I still have a lot of work ahead of me!). The middle is finished except for some outlining....only the outside ring to finish...yay!! This is a Dimensions kit, but I swapped the fabric from Aida to 36 ct cream linen. It's stitched over two threads.
As I was looking for something in my closet a few weeks ago I ran across a WIP that I had started in January 2012. I finally finished this 15 sided biscornu I found in the Gift of Stitching magazine. I'm going to take a day soon and finish off some of these ornaments I have been stitching. I offered to make a few ornaments for some folks and I want to get them finished off before too long. I have other WIPs I'm trying to get done!! This is stitched on 32 ct linen over two threads using Gloriana and petite treasure braid.
I also finished up this Christmas ornament by Blackberry Lane that I found in a JCS ornament magazine. This is stitched over one on 32 ct. Blue Spruce linen.
I was behind in a couple of SALs I have going at the moment. I pulled two out yesterday and got them caught up....only to find Tempting Tangles had released the next installment in both of them the same day. So....today I stitched and got them both caught up!! Here are Wildflower Woodland Quaker Mystery SAL...this is stitched on 40 ct over two natural linen...
and Springtime Easter Delight Mystery SAL. This is stitched on 40 ct white linen over two.
I have one more SAL I need to catch up on...so hopefully I'll be back in a couple of days with an update on that one. Wish me luck! Happy Stitching!
It's been a while since I posted any updates on my stitching. It's been a while since I had a really good all day stitch fest. I'm working on it folks, honest!! But we are here today to update our Gifted Gorgeousness challenge. If you don't know what that is then you should bop over to Jo's blog, Serendipitous Stitching, and see what all the buzz is about. You can learn about it and sign up if you want to here. If you want to see what everyone is doing for their Gifted Gorgeousness, you can link to their pages here. Briefly, we showcase on the 15th of the month, the projects that were gifted to us...the patterns, fabric and/or floss...OR...the projects we are making as gifts to someone else! It keeps me stitching, that's for sure!!
I know I haven't updated in a while....it's been a bit on the crazy side here at DJ's Domicile. When I'm not running in circles, I've been snuggled in my bed nursing some crazy headaches that I think I figured they came from some boxes falling on my noggin in my closet. They have finally gone, hopefully for good! And I'm a lot more careful how I stack those boxes now!! haha
First up is my biggest UFO for the moment. This is Sweet Nectar, and I've been working on this for a few years. It's a Dimensions kit and this is a gift for my Mom. It's big, and cumbersome, has metallic threads and blended needles and hard to work on so it's slow going.
I've made some exchange pieces, I'm going to show a little corner of each, changing the color and after the recipient gets hers, I'll show the whole thing...
I offered, on Facebook, to make Christmas ornaments for 5 folks, but more than 5 signed up (either they can't read, or I can't count...haha) so I'm going to be busy making ornaments. Here are a couple I've finished so far. I'll show them again when I have made them into ornaments. First up is "Mine" I found in a JCS magazine, designed by Brittercup Designs.
Second is by Blackberry Lane and was found in a JCS Christmas Ornament magazine.
I'm a bit behind in a couple of Tempting Tangles SALs that DH bought me for my birthday but still have stitched more than I have shown before. Here are Wildflower Woodland Quaker Mystery SAL
and Springtime Easter Delight Mystery SAL.
I have finished the February installment of the Ship's Manor SAL Through the Window so I'm caught up on that one! This was a Christmas gift from DH.
I finished Gaspar from the Mill Hills series and now all my Nativity pieces are complete!! These were a Christmas gift a few years ago from DH. Once they are all finally finished I'll show them again, but this is one of the goals I had set for myself this year! So excited to have them finished!!
I also finished the Serenity Sampler Katie had given me for my birthday. While I enjoyed stitching it, it was heartbreaking to work on. I miss that kid like crazy! Not a day goes by I don't think of her. I think I'm going to wait a bit to get it framed. I just need a little time before I have it where I can see it daily.
Last, I'm going to show you a picture of a gift I received from some truly lovely ladies in a yahoo group I belong to, Friendly Stitchers. It's been one thing after another for months now, and they knew I needed a little sweet surprise to lift my spirits. This was the perfect thing to send me!! Four of the ladies stitched on it, two from England and two from the states and framed it in an antique frame. I have it sitting in my dining area where I see it daily to remind me I'm not in this crazy mess called life alone. Where would I be without my stitching buds? Thank you, ladies, you mean the world to me!!
I'm off to get more stitching done before the rest of my week goes off the rails. Just a side note here...we made a late night run to the emergency room with DH a few weeks back. Since then we have been inundated with medical tests, Dr. appointments and a few procedures. While the tests have come back with fairly livable news, he's still working through some other issues. I'm counting my blessings as everything seems to be fixable or things he can live with with a few minor changes in his daily life. It's hard not to have a knee jerk reaction considering what our life was like last year. We've grown closer as a family and rely on one another pretty heavily at the moment. It's painfully clear to us now that life is so fragile. Hold your loved ones close, tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
Happy Stitching everyone!
Happy Valentine's Day!! It's a great day to celebrate love. Whether it be between people or something we really enjoy doing. Jo over at Serendipitous Stitching is having a blog hop today, in honor of one of the things I really LOVE to do! So...if this is the first time you've heard about it, head on over to Serendipitous Stitching and read all about it, and take some time to hop around and see what others are celebrating about this day!
There is a list of people participating over at Serendipitous Stitching. Click here and head on over to Jo's blog and follow the blog hop! I have posted the picture of my secret stitching partner. Now I will go over to Serendipitous Stitching and hop through the blogs to find the person who has my picture! Should be a fun way to see what other folks have been stitching!
Over the years I have shared this day with others who would otherwise be alone. I don't consider it a day just for "lovers", so just go out and share the love you have and make someone's day brighter! Life is what you choose to make it, so make it a good one!
Happy Stitching!!
