4th of July Finishes

 Good Morning!

In my last post I promised to show my 4th of July finishes for the year.  Well...I didn't make it back on the 4th.  An impromptu cookout stole my attention that day.  We had a very relaxing day with friends and I hope that everyone had a safe, enjoyable weekend also.   God Bless America!

So.....
Better late than never.  Here are the 4th of July finishes for 2011.

4th of July Bird

Heart in Hand



My dear friend Karen and I did a private exchange.  Look at the beautiful box I received from her. 

She included lots of patriotic stuff in her package. 

Before I could get a picture it seemed to disappear into my working stash.

This is what I stitched for her...

 Old Glory

Chessie & Me

Happy Flag Flag Day

the Trilogy

Patriotic Melons

Stitchy Kitty

This piece gave me fits to finish.  My original plan was to turn it into a wall hanging.  I don't seem to have any bell pull hardware laying around so I tried a few things that didn't work out.  After a few hours of ripping seams and a few naughty words I ended up turning it into a pillow.  Said pillow does not make me happy.  I'm not sure what it is that I don't like about it but I'm pretty sure I will once again start the seam ripping and therefore, the naughty words will probably follow.  Maybe today while I'm out and about I'll pick up some dowel rods to serve as bell pull hardware. 

Last week I was meandering through Hobby Lobby, lost in my world of crafty "what ifs"

when I stumbled upon this shelf.  I have looked for a very long time for a shelf to sit on a bare wall in my kitchen.  When I saw this shelf I knew it had to come home with me.  It will now be my centerpiece for my holiday stitching.  It still has plenty of room for more 4th of July pieces so I'll have to get busy and fill it for next year.

I received a call yesterday that my Lizzie Kate 100 Years is framed and ready for pick up. 

I am anxiously awaiting 9:00 a.m. so I can pick it up.

Thank you for stopping by to share a part of your day.  I love hearing from you and find I renew my enthusiasm for stitching every time I have something to share with you. 

Thanks for keeping me motivated. 

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

A Random Thought, A Request....And Some Good News!

The plural of sheep is sheep....right?  Is there any other word in the English language where the plural is the same as the singular or am I just wrong and its actually sheeps?  LOL! 

The plural of goose is geese and foot is feet.

Oh wait.....the plural of deer is deer.  Are there others you can think of?

Ok enough of the random thoughts.....

I'm so sorry that I have been more or less absent from blog land.  I've tried to stop by and see what you are up to and leave a few comments but the last couple of weeks have been a busy whirlwind.

A couple of weeks ago I got a call for an interview for a Principal's position.  To make a long story short....(a two week long story)  I GOT THE JOB!  Next school year I will be principal at a great school in my current school district.  The school is a rural school close to my house.  I couldn't be more excited.  I have a feeling I'm in for a busy Summer.  First off I have to figure out what to do with all the stuff in my classroom. :-) Get settled into my new school.  Find time to golf and play tennis and of course stitch.  I'm not asking for much, am I?

Now for the important stuff....The reason my mind is stuck on sheep. 

I stitched Sophie's Sheep for a dear friend who works with students in my classroom.  She has been an absolute life saver the past couple of years and I won't know what to do without her next year.  Her birthday is coming up in May and she recently remodeled her kitchen and her accents are sheep. 

Sophie's Sheep

Plum Street Samplers

32 ct. Zweigart Lugana

Recommended Threads

Here is a quick little stitch I whipped up in the hustle and bustle of the past couple of weeks. 

A Spring Day

Heart in Hand

32 ct. Zweigart Lugana ~Choc. Vanilla Swirl

Now for the request.....

I've got the cutest little wooded box that needs a design. 

It is made from beautiful cherry wood (I think).

Anyway, I was thinking about a nice quaker-ish design but I can't find what I'm looking for.  Since my stitching friends have always come through for me I'm asking for recommendations for a design.  It needs to be no bigger than 90X90.   If you've got an idea you can leave it in the comments section or email.

Thanks for your help!

Thank you for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments.

I hope to be back soon with more stitching soon.

Have a great week and always....

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Easter Sampler

Hippity Hop!

This is just a quick drive-by post to say hi and record my Easter Sampler in blogland.  I had to do a quick stitch to keep me motivated.  I am working on a larger design and started losing my stitching mojo.  So, I thought a finish would help me back on the stitching wagon.  Does that ever happen to you?
I envy the stitchers I see working on huge projects.....I have finished a few but my attention span seems to be getting shorter as I get older. 

Heart in Hand

 Easter Sampler

I decided to frame this one. 

My craft room runneth over so my motto right now is to use what I already have. 

In the words of my husband (who is very tolerant of my stitching habit and its expenses)

"How much of this S#*T will you ever really use?"

The mat was a cream color which wasn't working for this pattern so I covered it with scrapbooking paper.  Which in the end gave it a nice finish.....I think.

Thanks for stopping by.  I love hearing from you and reading your comments.  You have no idea how much they mean to me.

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Just a Little Stitching Update

Hello Stitching Friends,
It seems like I've had so little to post about stitching lately. 
Two of my exchange pieces have reached their new homes so I'm excited to share them with you.

But first......

Let me share with you the lovely pieces I received for the Lizzie Kate & Seasonal Exchange.

Pirjo received my name for both exchanges.  How crazy is that? 

These pieces came all the way from Finland and they are just adorable.

Thanks for sending such great exchanges.

And...

Here are the two pieces I stitched and finished for exchanges.

Brrr..... ~Winter Crazy

Lizzie Kate

XOXO

Heart in Hand

The day of LOVE is quickly approaching.  I hope everyone has a happy Valentine's Day!

Thank you for stopping by.  I love hearing from you!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan