Snow Day Finishes

Greetings Friends,

I've spent my snow days in a productive manner.  6 ornament finishes.

If you are experiencing this thing called winter, please be safe in your travels.

It has been quite treacherous here the past week.  Lots of stitching time.  I started Quaker Christmas II Songs of the Seasons.  I'm almost done with the first page. :)  I also have my Santa's Village at the framer.  Can't wait to see the finished product. 

Thank you for stopping by.

It is so nice to hear from you.

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

Valentine's Day

Happy Long Weekend to Me.....and hopefully you! 

I think this is the first time in years that I've actually had the opportunity to celebrate President's Day at home instead of school.  We've had a very mild winter and so far no snow days.  My plan for the long weekend includes many hours of stitching. 

I have been a busy girl since my last post and have lots to share with you so,

on to Valentine's Day!

My friend Karen and I decided we would do an "unfinished" Valentine's Day exchange. 

Karen knows how to spoil a girl when it comes to exchanges. 

Here is the exchange Karen sent.  Harley had to check out what his Aunt Karen sent.

Fabric, Candy, Scissors, Pincushion, Ribbon, Needle minder and much more!

Here are the Valentine's Day pieces Karen stitched for me.

Cutie, cute, cute!

Here is how I finished them.

Look at this super cute Valentine pincushion.

Love It!

 

Here is the exchange I sent Karen.

Here is the stitched piece I made for her.

 Love Always

Homespun Elegance

And here is how she finished it.

Thanks for a great exchange! 

I loved stitching for you and I love everything you sent. 

I haven't done much seasonal stitching this winter but I

did manage to finish one Valentine's Day piece. 

February Word Play
With Thy Needle and Thread

Stitched on Zweigart 40 ct. Autumn Blush

Recommended Fibers

 

LK Flora McSample 2011 Ornament

Wilchelt 28 ct. Milk Chocolate Linen

Recommended Fibers

And 3 little ornaments.  I fell in love with these ornaments the first time I saw them. 

I made a boo boo when trimming the fabric and thought I'd ruined all of them. 

I managed to salvage them, I think.  Considering my boo boo I think they turned out ok.

Time is flying and February will be over before we know it.  I think it is time to turn my attention to St. Patrick's Day now.  I don't have many stitched things for St. Patrick's Day so I hope to add a few this year.

Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comments. 

I love hearing from my stitching friends.  Have a great weekend!

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

The Last Day of 2010...........Really?

Happy End of 2010 my Dear Friends,

It seems so hard to believe that tomorrow will bring a new year.  My, how time flies. 

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2011.

To wrap up 2010 I have a few things to share with you. 

Christmas at our house was very quiet and enjoyable.  We went to my sister's house on Christmas day.  I was showered with lots of stitchy goodness.  My sisters and niece gave me all the patterns you see pictured below.  How spoiled am I?

 

My sister also gave this great Ott Lite. 

I've wanted one for a while and am tickled pink to have it. 

(My sisters are in the picture next to the Ott Lite...I'm in the middle)

 

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Next up is this great package that arrived in the mail.  Tricia at The Stamper's Stitches had a giveaway to celebrate the beginning of her stitching blog.  I was so delighted to win this awesome giveaway.  It included LHN "Tree of Life", Threads and Linen.  I think I know exactly who I'm going to stitch this for.  Thank you so much Tricia!

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Am I Crazy?..............Well.....Yes!

Here are the patterns I've picked for the Crazy 2011 Challenge

 

I have decided that I'm going to have to modify the Challenge a bit.  The challenge was to pick 15 patterns.  On the 1st day of January start one of the patterns and continue to start a new pattern every day for the first 15 days of January.  On January 16th you will have 15 WIPs. 

I can't do it.....I really think that having that many WIPs would drive me crazy.  I generally try to finish one before moving on to another.  Does that sound OCD to you?  ;-) 

So, my plan is to put them in my stitching basket beside my chair and pull them when I'm ready to start a new project. 

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And last but not least.....

My last finish of 2010.  One more ornament for my tree. 

"Happy Skater"

Little House Needleworks

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue 2010

Thank you for stopping by my blog.  It has been a great year and I've enjoyed getting to know you all.  I appreciate the time you take to read and comment on my ramblings.  Cross stitch is so enjoyable for me and I love sharing it with you.

We are off to a friend's house later this evening to ring in the new year.  I hope that however you spend your evening that it is enjoyable and safe.

Happy New Year,

Nan

How To Waste a Sunday

...Mess up your blog. 

And boy did I ever.  I spent yesterday afternoon getting in the Christmas spirit. 

I put up Christmas trees, went through boxes of decorations and in general started the holiday "house" stuff.  This morning I sat down with my computer to browse the blogs I follow.  I decided my blog needed a little Christmas spirit.  Well one thing led to another and before I knew it my blog was totally messed up.  But I persevered (about 5 hours total) and finally got it back to the way I wanted it, Christmas spirit and all.

So now that my blog is back to normal I wanted to share my cross stitched Christmas trees.  Last year I finally had enough ornaments to hang on these small trees.  This year the trees are bursting with ornaments.  Hopefully next year I will have enough to graduate to a big tree.  Many of the ornaments are from my cross stitch pals, or ones that I have gotten from exchanges.  The rest are ornaments that I have stitched.  If you've been my partner in an exchange I hope you can see your ornament on the tree :0)

My Christmas Tree in the Living Room

My Christmas Tree in the Basement

The Christmas tree in the basement is my Snowman themed tree.

Every ornament on the tree is some sort of snowman. 

I've collected snowman ornaments for several years.

I switched trees this year and put my smaller one upstairs because it was getting too full.

I guess that means now that I have the bigger tree for my snowman I can buy more.....right?

Christmas Stitchin'

I took some motivation from my friend Faye at the Carolina Stitcher and became a weekend warrior.  (Thanks for the motivation Faye)  I have been busy stitching and finishing and will hopefully be able to share some with you very soon.  Lots of exchanges going on right now so I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone. 

And last but not least.........
Another head for the basement.  My husband is an avid hunter and was overjoyed with this buck.  We always try to send 1 or 2 deer to the local food pantry each year so this one will be going there before he starts filling our freezer for the year.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I appreciate you spending a part of your day with me. 

Here's hoping that you find your Christmas joy!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan

Retro Christmas Ornaments.........Finally!

Wow! I didn't think that a little set of ornaments would take so long to finish. In reality it only took 2 weeks but I had envisioned them taking a few days. I found the patterns in a Cross Stitch Christmas book I checked out from the library. They caught my eye immediately and I couldn't wait to stitch them. I'm not sure exactly what it is about them, but I adore the design. I think they remind me of a set of pink ornaments my mom had. My sister now cares for them and they are a favorite of ours.

I faced a hard decision when starting to stitch.....aida, perforated paper, plastic canvas. I had plenty in my stash to choose from but I pondered it heavily. I had started referring to myself as a linen snob after discovering linen several years ago. I love to stitch on linen and most of my current or just finished projects are stitched on linen.

So....back to my decision. 14 mesh plastic canvas it is. I had never used plastic canvas to cross stitch. But can you think of a better medium to use for "retro" work. I'm pretty sure that no other fabric would convey the feeling these ornaments bring about.

And the verdict is.................
I love stitching on plastic canvas. I've use perforated paper many times and have enjoyed the results but I think there is a noticeable difference in how the stitches lay on canvas.
I love trying new things in my needlework and I'm so pleased with the way the ornaments turned out. I will definitely use plastic canvas again for ornaments or that special project.

Now I have another difficult decision to make..........What to stitch next?

~Happily Ever After~

Before I end I want to wish my two good friends Marcus & Katie congratulations on their recent wedding. They married a couple of weeks ago on a beach in Hawaii and their mainland reception was last night. A good time was had by all. I know they will have a happy life together!

Keep on stitchin' on,

Nan