Easter Blessings

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Popping in quickly to wish everyone a very Happy Easter.  
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Porcelain Egg
freebie from Rainbow Gallery


May your hearts (and baskets) runneth over...

Snowmageddon 2015

I feel like a cry baby when it comes to nasty weather since I see folks who have it so much worse on the evening news every night, but... today makes Day 5 that hubby and I have been snowed in.  Thank goodness I bought extra supplies at the grocery before it hit.  I normally think the warnings are excessive and consequently tend not to stock up like it's the end of the world.  Glad I did this time.  Thankfully, we have several more days worth of real food before I have to make shoelace soup.

With record low temps and snow deeper than the top of my boots, I'm staying put for yet another day...

And, even though I thought I had updated everything yesterday, I found a few things I forgot to share:

Fresh finish from last night.. seasonal freebie (so hard to resist, aren't they?) 

My new favorite scissors sheath, on the right:

The tin topper and scissors fob were completed by me eleven years ago (much to my dismay).  It is hard to believe it has been that long.  I always thought they needed a third piece to complete the set.  Two things hardly constitute a set, right?  But, the chart was only for the tin topper and fob.  So, a few weeks ago while browsing at the Stitch Niche in Lexington, I saw the ultrasuede scissors sheath (with plain white 18 ct. monocanvas insert).  The color of the suede immediately reminded me of my little bargello set.  I adapted the pattern to fit the sheath, and I'm totally pleased with the outcome.   Now it looks like a "set", yes? 

Speaking of sets... once upon a time, I bought this Fern Ridge "shear hospitality" felt pineapple kit.  Nearing the end of the blanket stitching around the fronds, I ran out of thread.  So with a good amount of mumbling, it was tucked away, out of sight... for years... Truthfully, I'm making an effort to finish a few UFOs from "way back", and this little guy was so close to being finished, it was one of my first UFO finishes of the year.

File this under "Just for Fun":

Pumpkin pinkeep

tiny felt ball mounted on oversized wooden button

And lastly, I'm just remembering to share the final finished pics of the Blackwork Band 
Sampler class I facilitated for my EGA chapter last fall.  Because I love color so much, it is hard for me to stick to black thread only for blackwork.  The design itself inspired the colors I selected.   Because I'm running out of wall space, I finished mine as a combination teabag/marking pin wallet.  This band sampler is part of the Petite Projects series from the Embroiderers' Guild of America which provides members with free small educational projects in varied techniques.  The cutwork nametag I shared yesterday is also an EGA Petite Project.  If memory serves me, I've completed four of the petite projects and am always glad I did.  You can learn a lot about a new-to-you technique in even a small project.

Blackwork Band Sampler

by Julie Fera

for The Embroiderers' Guild of America

And that's a wrap for this frigid Thursday friends.  Until next time, Stitch Happy!

A Rose...

La-D-Da freebie

Sampler Threads: Old Red Paint, Antique Rose, Dried Thyme, Dark Chocolate, Old Hickory

on 18ct. sage green Aida

a Flurry of Finishing and the Santa Saga

I've had the glue gun out again kids!  Got by with just 2nd degree burns this year.....Yay me! 

First up, my only new ornament for the tree this year:

Christmas House

freebie from Giulia Punti Antichi

I love that my EGA chapter strongly believes in offering educational yet manageable monthly programs.  This ornament was our December program.  I was very glad to be able to hang it on the tree this year.  My goal, every year, is to make a new Christmas ornament for the tree.  Sometimes it happens, sometimes it don't.  No biggie, but, I really was happy to get this one 'finish-finished' before the sands run out on 2009.

Next:

Last year, a dear friend gifted me this very cute stocking.  She left it unfinished so I could talk to it and find out what it wanted to be (she knows me so well).  You see, she wasn't born with the crazy gene that allows people, like myself, to talk to inanimate objects.  Anyway....as I was saying.....in late 2008, this cutie came to live with me.  It told me straight away that it didn't want to be an ornament, but it wasn't sure what it wanted to be.  So, respecting it's wishes, I just laced it onto some cardboard, for safe-keeping and propped it up against a small vase so it could be enjoyed in the stitching room. That was over a year ago.  

THEN, the other day, out of the blue, while I was sitting in my stitching room waiting for the laundry to do itself, the little stocking said, "Hey, you remember that awesome easel tutorial you saw over here?  That's what I want to be!"  So, with that information, I found just the right backing fabric (IMHO) and let the glue fly!

The only adaption I made was using stiff felt in place of cardboard for the back portion.  I simply applied glue to a strip of stiff felt, bent the felt in two places, covered with the strip with fabric, glued the seam in place, and tucked the excess on both ends in between the front layers. 

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  

I love it very much and think of my stitching friend everytime I look at it.

Lastly, here is where we left off with the Santa "drawing board":

And, where he stands now (by the way, it takes 8 BIG Hos, ~ahem~  to do Santa):

I still need to chart something for the backside and attach the back panel to the Ho band.  It may be a bit too much for such a small ornament, but I have made a red and white "peppermint twist" tassel to attach to the bottom of this cutie.  I really can't wait to put the last stitch in this one!  It's been a challenge.

Finally, I want to share with you the "pre-oven" glamour shot of the best darn pumpkin dessert ev-vah:

OMG.  That's all I'm sayin'.  If you plan on having any more pumpkin anything between now and next October, I highly recommend giving this recipe a spin.  (click on "pumpkin dessert" above for recipe). 

Better hurry and make this one before Jan 1st, while

the calories are still "half off"!  ;-)

The Reason...

freebie design found here

by Giulia Manfredini of Giulia Punti Antichi

"Chicca's Christmas House"

Snow Day 1 results

Just Another Button Company

Jingle All the Way

freebie pattern, JABC buttons and GASampler threads

I took the snow/sleet/ice storm that kept me home from work today as a sign from higher up that I should finish up that Christmas SAL I started Sunday. So, I did. Not sure what this little cutie wants to be when it grows up, but maybe a flat fold (easel)? Saw a great tutorial over on Vonna's blog that might just play up perfectly. If the photo had turned out better, you'd be able to see the liberal sparkles in the fabric. It suits the pattern to a T.

I would say "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow", but seriously, I don't think it would be prudent at this juncture.

It is looking most likely that I will be spending another snow day home tomorrow, so until tomorrow, dear friends, stay warm, safe and busy!

another cube finish

Call it wishful thinking...





Isn't the ribbon a lovely match?

In the interest of giving credit where credit is due, thanks go to Hannah again for her simple yet perfect cube tutorial. Love it Hannah!

gift

What a surprise!!!!!

This was found on my bedside table this morning with a little note:

Dear Lady,

Please accept this small token of our appreciation for rescuing us

from the PIG place. We thought it was the least we could do.

Carrot, Periwinkle, Butternut Squash, and Spring Grass


Wasn't that thoughtful of them? Bless their hearts.

Chapter gifts

Urgent - send up a prayer for this sorry stitcher, I'm using the "electrified" sewing machine and we all know what that means; someone's going to lose an eye or finger. Because of the physical deformity that prevents me from making the noise "no", I am sewing these little beauties up for chapter gifts. Credit goes to our VP of Membership for the hand stitching. I think everyone will really love these little needlebooks! Visit Sharon over at http://www.xstitchhappy.com/ for more terrific and totally free charts. Thanks Sharon!