Arizona 2012

 Greetings Friends,

I officialy arrived home from Arizona last Sunday late in the evening.  I have been trying to post pics on blogger all week and finally gave up.  I thought I'd try again tonight.  I've had better luck but can't seem to get all of them to upload. 

So, here is a snapshot of my Arizona Trip 2012.

I arrived in Phoenix Arizona on Tuesday morning. 

Karen met me at the airport, we picked up Yvonne and away we went. 

We spent Tuesday bumming around and stitching at the hotel.

On Wednesday we took a trip to The Attic in Mesa Arizona.  The Attic is the "Taj Mahal" of stitching shops.  If you if ever get the chance to visit plan on hours and hours.  As you can see in the pictures, this shop has everything.  The shear pleasure of looking at the models can take hours and hours.  I also spent a great deal of time with the linen and fibers.  I know I'll be visiting again one day and will plan on spending more than one day at The Attic.  The ladies who work in the shop were great.  I think they got a little tickled at a first timer like me.  I just walked around repeating the phrases, "Holy Crap!", "Wow!" and "This is unbelievable!"

 The Attic

Mesa Arizona

 Karen

 Yvonne with her "goodie" bag.

The three of us after making our purchases.  We are worn out but happy!

On Thursday we made the trek up into the mountains to the cabin.

The scenery was amazing.

As we drove the scenery changed from cactus and rock to pine trees and snow. 

 I loved seeing all the cacti.  ;-)

The mountains were breathtaking.

 The cabin was a treat.  It was a beautiful, rustic cabin. 

Perfect for 3 stitchers to hide away. 

On Friday we headed to the Grand Canyon.

 Beautiful scenery along the way.

 Me at the Grand Canyon

On Saturday we spent the day stitching away. 

The week went by very fast.

Thank you Karen for being such a great host. 

I had a blast and can't wait to get back to your "neck of the woods."

Thanks for sharing my Arizona trip. 

Thank you for stopping by.  I so appreciate your visits and sweet comments.

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

The Final Verdict on the Letter "A"...

Happy Sunday Morning Friends,

Thank you to all my friends who called, sent texts or emails to check on me last week.  Stitching friends are the best and the ones who know where I live know that I was very close to the tornadoes that ripped through the midwest last Friday. 

My town did not get hit but towns as close as 20 miles south were devastated.

The clean up will be long but times like this reaffirm your faith in the human race.

So many people have pitched in to help and donations are plentiful to help those affected.

Again, thank you for thinking of me and continue to pray for those affected.





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I decided to try a new local framer with the two pieces I had finished.  

  When I walked in I ran through the normal lists of question a

stitcher wants to know about their framer.  He seemed to have all the right answers.

But one question I asked seemed to make him terribly uncomfortable.  I asked him if he could tell what the picture was?  He turned a few shade of red and after a few ummms and coughs he said "Well, I wasn't going to say anything but, no."

At least he was honest....another good quality in a framer, right?

I reassured him not to feel bad as my husband couldn't tell what it was either.

So after explaining it was the letter A we spent quite a while trying to decided

on a frame for this busy piece.

I left my pieces in the hands of my new framer and was delighted when he told me

I'd only have to wait a week for him to frame my pieces. 

True to his word I got a call one week later and rushed right in to pick up my pieces.

Upon viewing my letter A...

I knew the framer had done a great job with the framing but I'm still no closer

to the love I'd hoped to have for this piece. 

And to reinforce my thoughts.....

The letter A was sideways...he had to move the hanger on the back so it was actually at the top of the frame.  *framerturnsredagain*

"A"

M Designs

So the final verdict on my letter A....

It didn't turn out the way I'd envisioned but I have a new framer

who appears to know how to frame linen.

Check out the other piece he framed.

Home is Where you Hang Your Needlework

Homespun Elegance

I love how this one turned out.

I hope that everyone is enjoying mild weather.  We've had such a mild winter here.  Daffodils are popping out of the ground, birds are singing every morning and the sun is shining.  Feels like Spring is here.  Although it has been mild I am still ready for some bone warming sunshine.  You know the kind of warmth that sinks into your skin all the way to your bones.

In a little over a week I'll be on a plane to Arizona to visit my friends Karen and Yvonne. 

Can't wait to see the Grand Canyon, visit The Attic and spend some time stitching with friends.

Thank you for stopping by and following the saga of my letter "A".

I love hearing from you and appreciate your sweet comments.

Until next time...

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

A is for Altemeyer

Greetings Friends,

Yesterday was a glorious day...14 hours of peaceful stitching. 

I took my dog to the groomer at 8:00 a.m. was home by 9:30 and parked

my caboose on the couch until about 11:30 last night. 

During my marathon stitching session I finished the "A" from M Designs.

I was inspired to stitch this piece after seeing Yvonne's "S". 

This piece was one of my many starts in 2011.  Deciding to dedicate some of my time to finishing those "starts" I decided to tackle this one first.  I really love this design and have a perfect place in my living ready to display the finished product. 

The problem is...............Now that it is finished I'm not so sure I like the colors. 

Has this ever happened to you? 

I think my problem is the fibers I chose.  All the color variation makes an already busy design TOO busy.  The picture tones it down a bit but the gray variations run rampant.  When I finished I held it up for my husband to see and asked him if he could tell what it was.  He looked intently begging for an imagine to appear before his eyes so he wouldn't have to say he couldn't tell what it was.  Bahahaha!  Poor man.  I finally cracked up laughing and let him off the hook. 

Now my dilemma is whether to frame this piece.  I'm hoping it will grow on me....

M Designs "A"

I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2012. 

It is hard to believe that January is almost over.

Thank you for stopping by and your sweet comments.  Hearing from you makes my day :-)

I did want to let you know that I try very hard to respond, thank or just say hi to anyone who comments on my blog posts.  If you don't hear from me that means your reply is set to "no reply blogger" and if I don't already have your email address I can't reply back. 

Regardless, please know that I appreciate the time you take to stop by. 

Keep on stitchin,

Nan

Look Out.....I'm on a ROLL!

Happy Sunday Friends!

I finished stitching this cutie patootie JBW design last night. 

It was a quick stitch and turned out super cute (I think ;-)

I'm on a stitching and finishing roll this weekend.  If only I could stay this motivated. 

JBW Winter Collection

Snow Hats

28 ct. White Jobelen

Suggested Fibers

I added the pom poms on the top because these hats

remind me of one a had when I was little. 

My hat had a sparkly ball on the top. 

I hated wearing that hat when I was little but it brings back fond memories now.

Thank you so much for stopping by and your sweet comments. 

I love hearing from you and appreciate you allowing me to share my stitched pieces with you.  Have a great week and I'll be back soon, assuming the stitching mojo continues.

Keep on stitchin'

Nan

January Finish

Greetings Fellow Stitchers,

I have my first finish for the new year! I've noticed this design on many blogs and I'm delighted to share my version of it with you.  I've decided to stitch the series separately and can't wait for each new month.  I've already kitted February and can't wait to see March. 

I'm sitting here in a quiet, peaceful house this evening so I decided it was a perfect time to work on finishing this piece.  I cut fabric, ironed, adhered batting to the cube and sat down to start pinning.  Wouldn't you know it.....I had about 10 pins, it usually takes about 25 for a cube this size.  So, I called my neighbor who sews and has a craft room to die for.  Surely, she would have some pins I could borrow, nope.  So she called her mom, nope.  Her sister, nope.  I couldn't stop now so I hopped in the car and trekked the 15 miles to the nearest wal-mart.  I went directly to the pins and picked up all 5 containers of satin pins on the shelf.  No way I'm running out of pins for a very long time.  As I turn to go, low and behold......the fabric got me.  Of course you can't go into the fabric dept. and not look.  So in the process of picking up pins I also found some finishing fabric I liked even better.  (I also picked up some Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day fabric while I was at it. ;-)

While I was on a roll I decided to cruise the ribbon selection.  I found the cutest sparkly snowflake ribbon to finish off the design.  I guess my trip to wal-mart was worth it after all. 

I like this finished product better than what I had planned on using. 

 

Now, I need a good camera.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I appreciate your sweet comments.  I hope the new year is off to a great start for you.  Next weekend I am off to a stitching retreat in Ohio. 

I can't wait to see the girls and spend some time stitching and stashing.  Until next time......

Keep on stitching,

Nan

A Final Finish for 2011 (The Year of Good Intentions)

Happy New Year's Eve!
It is hard to believe that another year has come to an end.  I've been incredibly blessed this year.  I hope that 2012 brings you many blessings and of course, lots of time to stitch.

I have been busy finishing the first of the Prairie Schooler Limited Edition Kits. 

I have long hoped to stitch the entire series. 

This is my final finish for 2012 and a great way to end the year.

The year 2011 was apparently the year of good intentions.  For years I have only stitched small pieces.  I have several larger pieces I have framed and hanging on my walls but I haven't started a large project for a long, long time. 

I think I like to stitch small things because I like to do my own finishing. 

This year I have broken my dry spell and started several large projects.

Take a look at what I've gotten myself into.....

This is the retreat piece from Jan at Tree of Life Samplings. 

It is absolutely beautiful and has a place reserved in my stitching room. 

Hopefully 2012 will bring a finish to this piece.

How well I remember my good intentions with this piece.  I ordered this early in 2012.  I fell in love with Rose Quaker and had my friend Karen go to the attic and pick out fabric and silk fibers.  This piece was my first attempt at over 2 on 40 ct. 

I fell in love and stitch mostly on 40 ct. now.

I made good progress on this piece but haven't worked on it in a while. 

This is another of my delusions of grandeur.

One Nation is absolutely beautiful.

I am stitching it over 2 on 40 ct. 

I started Gem Show 3 this Summer.

I didn't make very much progress but still have high hopes.

Here is my Lizzie Kate Halloween piece.  I've finished 3 blocks. 

I'm stitching it on 27 ct. stitch band with hopes of finishing it as a bell pull.

And.....my last big project of 2011.  Christmas Quaker Bellpull.

I started this piece late in November.  I haven't made a lot of progress on this one either.

The good thing is as I pulled these pieces out to take pictures I realize that I still love each one as much as the day I started it.  I see big accomplishments for 2012........

Here's to a productive, healthy new year,

Nan