LHN Mystery Sampler Part 1 Finished

Anyone else stitching Little House Needleworks Mystery Sampler??  I got part one in the mail last week and jumped right in!!  I love the thread colors and they are stitching up nicely on the 35ct WDW Straw linen.  I definitely think that LHN is my go-to when I want some easy and relaxing stitching.  Can't wait for part 2.

 

I want to thank all of you for the lovely comments and well wishes for my son's graduation party.  When I woke up at 6am it was downpouring and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  At 7am it stopped raining and was just what I would call "soupy"  The caterer showed up about 11am and asked me what plan B was if it started raining and I just pointed to the tent.  He said it was my call if we wanted to condense the seating to fit the buffet under the tent and we both decided to risk it.  At 12:30 the sun started to poke out from the clouds and we ended up with a sunny although humid day.  NO RAIN!  I couldn't have been happier. I think you all sent the sunshine my way just in time for the party.  Thanks!!  Happy Stitching!

Birthday Stitching Exchange

Welcome friends and followers.  I hope you are all enjoying some stitching time.  Here in New England we are in a heat wave. It has been hazy, hot and humid and I am LOVING it!!

What better reason do we have to take a needed break than weather that is too hot to do anything in.

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to participate in an exchange with my dear friend Pat.  My birthday is in June and hers is in July so we planned and exchange in the middle.  Belwo you will see pictures of the stunning package that she sent me.  I beautifully knit ruffle scarf in pink, some wonderful lotions, a blackbird chart a Vera Bradley coin purse and not one but TWO stitched pillows. 

 

 

Our theme was friendship and these pillows are darling!  Thank you, Pat!  You are such a kind and generous friend.

Below  is the stitched piece I made for her.  It is a chart from The Primitive Hare stitched on 28ct Clay linen with DMC threads.  I did change the color of the dresses to match our personalities.  Pat loves purple and I am a blue girl.  I trimmed it out in a purple chenille.  What do you think??

Pictured below is the package of goodies I sent in her birthday package.

I am gearing up for First Born's  graduation party this Saturday.  Lots of preparations are underway and I am hoping the thundershowers will hold off until late afternoon.  Why is it that every weekend has been picture perfect and the one weekend we plan a party they predict rain.  What gives??  We will have a great time anyways regardless of the weather.  I will post a pic of my new grad in the near future along with other family happenings. 

Currently in my stitching nest I am working on a model.  It is sooooo cute!  Although I can't share it until it's published I know you will all love it!!  Until next time Happy Stitching Everyone!!

A Different Kind of Gardening

Here is the kind of gardening I did this spring.  Unfortunately it took a long time for it to warm up and when it did it started to rain LOTS!  We have had nearly 9" or rain in the month of June and we are only mid way through.  So what do you do when it rains??  You stitch of course.  I stitched these for my dear friend Carol as part of an exchange.  It is a design that was published in The World of Cross Stitching Magazine January 2013.  It is designed by Belinda of Blue Ribbon Designs.  I stitched it on 30ct Parchment and used the recommended threads.  It is featured as a sampler but I chose bits and pieces and created a pincushion and scissor fob.

 

Near the stitching nest sit many WIPs.  I am tying to get some stitching time in but work and life are getting in the way.  I spent the weekend priming the deck for painting.  It is a long and tedious task but needs to be tended to.  The best thing was that the weather was perfect for it.  Sunny, dry and warm.  I hope you are all enjoy some time outdoors with a bit a stitching thrown in.  Thank you for stopping by and Happy Stitching!

Spring Photo tour of our Cranberry Bog

I always love the spring time because of the renewal of color.  Although our season was slow to come it has now past.  Here are some pictures I thought you might enjoy.  No stitching this time but beauty just the same.

Mr Bee pollinating our Peach Trees.

Ferns just opening up to the warmth of sunshine.  Such a wonderful green.

Had to include Daisy since she helped point our photo ops.  My Great Dane pup will be 3 next month!

Canadian Geese guiding us with an urgent Honk Honk away from the nesting area.

Small fish at the shore of the reservoir soaking up the rays

 

Lily of the Valley fresh picked by my son Best Boy #3

Some of our many lilacs.  I have 6 variety and the all have different colors and scents.  These are the most fragrant.

These lilacs have the most beautiful color variation.

Picture of the bog from my stitching nest.  It truly was a glorious day!

I hope you enjoyed the tour.  Stay tuned for some stitching finishes that I hope to share with you in the next couple of days.  Until then, Happy Stitching!!  I would love to hear what you are currently working on.  Are you a seasonal stitcher, or working on gifts for family and friends??  I finished a few things for friends and now I am back to Shores of HRH and once again Loving it.

Classes and Stash from Celebrations of Needlework

Last month I attended Celebrations of Needlework in NH and promised to share pics of my classes and my stash enhancements.  I have just gotten through a very busy month so sorry for the delay.

The first class I signed up for was Woodland Forest box and accessories.  Since I signed up for this on site I didn't get the prework done but it didn't matter.  The class focused on finishing the inside of the box.  We lined the base with a beautiful plaid fabric and make the top pillowed portion.  I cannot get over how easy it is to make things look so polished.  Thank you to Pam Reed for her excellent instruction and preparedness.  She was wonderful!

Next I took this Barbara Jackson class titled Sylvan Scenes basket.  If any of you know Barbara, we spent a good deal of class time basting and I did manage to get part of the house stitched.  The bands go around the inside of the basket and are all tent stitch and cross stitch over one.  This project will be a doozy but the silks are luscious and I look forward to continuing this piece.  Look at that lovely basket. 

Here's my stash.  First from Rosewood Manor this lovely chart is a must stitch.  I saw the chart when it was first released on the internet but once I saw the fabric the model was stitched on I had to have it.  The fabric is from Fabric flair and is printed with honeycomb. Too Cute!!

Next, Scandinavian Stitches.  One of my favorite booths.  I bought two chart books for the Alphabet Samplers one is Spring Themed and the other is Summer.  I also got the flower threads to stitch them and check out the felted heart pin cushion.  Just darling!

Gloriana silk ribbons.  I have an idea for some silk ribbon embroidery and thought these colors would work perfectly.  Time will tell!!

Keslyn's had this limited edition Ort kit.  Who doesn't need an ort jar??

Celebrations Exclusive Kit from Rosewood Manor.  This one was neatly packed in a tea cup.  Too Clever.  Couldn't leave without that cute little birdy tea cup!

Fabric, Scissors, Wool Applique Oh My!  So many choices so little funds.

Needlebook kit by Julie Norton and a sampler I have been eyeing as a SAL for quite some time.   It's A Maryland Sampler by Heart's Ease. 

 

There were a couple of other things that I got from Inspired Needle (LOVE those girls) and Olde Colonial Designs.  I am stitching up the one's from Olde Colonial and thought I would show them in another post.

 

I hope you enjoyed the eye candy.  I am heading to my stitching nest to cross some x's and grab some peace of mind.  Have a wonderful evening and Happy Stitching!

Shores of HRH Blocks 4 & 5

I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend.  After a crazy busy work week I am back in my cozy nest.  I am working on a couple of WIPs and hope to have some finishes soon.  Here are progress shots of Shores.  I finished block 4 quite some time ago and Block 5 was finished a couple of weeks ago.  Do any of you find it difficult to fit blogging time in.  I sure do!  I think it's because my computer time is so limited.

 

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day! I know my thoughts will be on all of those who fought for our freedom!

In my absence...

I can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post.  Although I haven't had time to blog due to computer and camera issues I have been stitching.  Since my last post we took a family vacation to the Caribbean on Allure of the Seas pictured below.  My camera is not playing tricks on you the water was that blue.  I went to Celebrations of Needlework the following week.  It was fabulous and I will share my stash haul in a later post as well as review the classes that I took.  I enjoyed stitching with friends, old and new and loved catching up with some of the designers that were teaching. 

I always bring a ton of things that I want to work on and end up not getting that much accomplished.  By the way, the shopping is a HUGE distraction.

 

 

I did get to work on this La D Da piece which is part of the Prim Sisters Club sponsored by Country Sampler.  It is stitched on WDW linen and uses WDW threads.  It's called Pocketful of Posies and will eventually be made into a pocket.  I love how the colors played out even though I had a huge problem using just one strand of thread.  I like to stitch with 2 strands but followed the directions and love how soft it looks.

The next piece is a new start.  It is Winter Sampler SAL by Sara Guermani titled Sorpresa 3 SAL.  It is a year long project in below is part 1.  I still have a little bit to do and part 2 was already released.  I hope to catch up before part 3 comes out in June.  You can check out her website http://www.saraguermani.it  She has some very sweet projects.  I am using 40ct R&R Espresso linen and DMC threads. 

 

I am off to play in the gardens and maybe tackle some stitching this evening.  I am enjoying the spring days although it still is cooler than I would like I will take it.  After seeing some of the record breaking temperatures and crazy storms happening across the US I am content with what I have got.

Happy Stitching!