Nothing stays the same

Hello people.  The charts are mailed and Vanessa, please contact me soon so I can take care of this before the weekend.  If not, I will draw another number tomorrow (Thursday) night for book 58.   I was so surprised at the number of no-reply.  I tried to answer a few comments and all except one went no where! 

I found the jingle bells all neatly stored in a divided container so I finished the gift, but then decided to add some color with frayed homespun instead of the hemp wrap.  Then I changed my mind and put back the hemp, and decided that jute would look better.  I spent more time fiddling with changes than actually stitching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Random Thoughts (an appropriate name for my projects),

I stitched the bird with the 407 and 950 as called for and then removed all of it and used 434 and 436.  I like rusts and browns with blue, but now I may go back to the lighter shades.  Drives me nuts.  I'd like the motifs a little brighter but this bird looks too tropical.  Again, I waste more time with changes and decisions than stitching.

 

Then I took a tree stitched on 19 count linen that I decorated with buttons years ago (now removed), dipped it into a walnut dye and glued the rusty star to the top.  I never thought of decorating a fridge before, but I like it.  Today.  I just used shipping tape and then folded it over.  This was a nice old design that could be easily adapted to a theme or individual.  With the large weave you could tie ribbons, tiny ornaments, charms, anything lightweight. 

Kind of fun to stitch for a young girl and see how she changes it as she gets older.  My nephew's son told me the other day that the best gift he ever received was from me one Christmas.  I don't like buying toys because I've seen excitement followed months later by boredom and it is discarded.  So I got him a small metal lock box with his name engraved (found at an engraving studio) along with two keys.  He had two siblings that always "took his stuff" so this was private, only for him, and no one could get inside.  He still has it!  This year I bought his girlfriend's little boy a pair of miniature (but real) binoculars to check out the woods behind his grandpa's.  And a bank that keeps a running total of the change so you don't have to count all your nickels.  He'll probably frown as if they were underwear.  Found them both at Kohl's.  Love that store. 

 

Two cats and a tree.                                       Three cats and a tree.

 

What dirty little brats they are. That pad is so filthy after just one session. I had a heck of a time trying to put them outside. Would be easier if they would let me near!

Now I have to think about dinner. By the time I decide, it will be too late to eat.

Enjoy your day ~ thanks for visiting!

 

Here comes Santa Claus!

Wow.  Lots of entries!  Sheri was the last one and made it under the wire.  After the shake up and the draw, here are the winners....

Book 43 Father Christmas  -  Catherine

Book 53 Santa Moon  -  Dede

Book 58 Old St. Nick  -  Vanessa

Book 62 Kris Kringle  -  Nicole May

Thanks to Connie for making stitchers happy now, and in the future as her charts are passed on to others.  And thanks to you for participating in the great Santa chart giveaway.  Winners, please email me with your address and Santa will arrive before Christmas.

 

  Hope you enjoy stitching these designs as much as I did.

Thank you all!

Shirlee made me do it

Greetings to all.  Just realized that I didn't specify a date for the charts drawing.  How about tonight (Monday 12/16) at 9 pm EST?  It may take a while because I have to enter all the names for each drawing separately but I should have it posted around 9:30.

 

Shirlee's gift is just my style and I thought it looked like a design my friend would like too. 

 She's a little more primitive than I am, and I decided to pay it forward Shirlee style.  So I stitched this last night and finished it this morning.  Now where the hell are the 2000 jingle bells that I have?  Or maybe a rusty star?

 

I decided to wimp out and finish the easy and more primitive way. Cut to size and fringed the edges.  Fusible interfacing on the osnaburg up to the fringe to hold the sawdust,  folded the fabric over to close the back with double sided fusible, and machine sewed the sides. Using Nancy's idea of touching the ink pad directly to the fabric for aging, and I'm done.  I enjoyed my first attempt at stitching on osnaburg, love the more primitive look.  A few stitch removals over the piece because it is smaller than my usual 30 count fabric and I had a little trouble seeing the finer weave, used one strand of floss and really liked it.

When I was changing the colors on my current project, I pulled the 730's.  As always, I can't tell the difference between 731 and 732.  Just noticed this.  No wonder they look the same!  Why is 732 the same and marked as such?  I obviously missed something and don't understand. 

That's all. 

I'll be back tonight with the winners unless the note to remind me falls off the fridge.

Have a great day - thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A gift~ A start~ A brat!

How are you?  Feeling good or stressed out?  Basking in warm sunshine or covered in white crap?  We were hit with snow the entire day.  The roads are terrible which is why I didn't leave the house and won't for a few days.

I received a gift Saturday from Shirlee.  Stitched on osnaburg, aged to perfection, and just my style.  Thank you thank you Miss Shirlee. 

 Right now it's at the bottom of a small tree keeping my chenille snowman company, but tomorrow I will try several spots and choose the one that I will see most often.  I love it love it Shirlee ~ thank you again.

You can see the gloomy day of snow falling outside. 

I also discarded the five samplers I was contemplating for a new project.  The Attic's newsletter arrived and I saw the 2014 stitch-a-long (An Unidentified Essamplaire), and it triggered a memory of a similar chart.  Random Thoughts by Sheepish Designs.

 

I made a mess in the parlor that I just organized to locate it.  Did I?  No.  I think I burned it years ago, but did find the scribble copy.  I obviously planned on starting it long ago and even then, I was changing the charted colors.  Well, my taste has changed and I changed them again.

 I like these muted colors and will use some brights on the motifs. Should be a fairly quick project. But then I got distracted with small Christmas projects and when I posted the chart offer photos, I spotted the red Santa in book 53. I did the green and like the size so should I save the red one for next year, or stitch it now? Carriage House's Sampler Stocking is drawing me in and that may be next year's Christmas project along with another Mary Beale wreath that Connie gifted me.   The stocking comes up on Ebay fairly often so I should be able to snag it or locate it in an online shop.  The two smaller wreaths are still available as downloads from Mary Beale's site here, click on Christmas Ornaments. Her angel and sampler stockings are amazing but I like the shape of Kathy's better. 

I have to show you what Bad Bud did.  All the brats have their houses together in another area and I made Squeaky an open box with wool pad, and a house box with sherpa over wool.  Well.  Bud didn't want Squeak having a house so he pulled the sherpa out and away, and took up residence in the open shelter.  See the big brat in the box?  Squeak is so funny.  He brrrrrrt's constantly.  It's not a purr, it's not a cry, it's not a meow.  It's a brrrrrrt.  I touched him the other day and he bolted, but he came back.

The few boxes I had left sold, thank you very much!  I hope you continue to like them because this tall oval isn't made anymore, so I bought out what they had left.  Cases.  I guess covering them with aged paper and fabric can be done when you tire of the labels.

Have a wonderful Sunday and start to the new week.  Middle of December already.  All I can say is - spring is coming fast!

If you had an inquiry for me and I didn't reply, it's because I can't.  Your setting is no-reply and going to the Google page still doesn't show an email.  You can click the EMAIL button in the right column for contact - I think that setting applies to comments only and I may be able to respond. 

Thanks for visiting!

Stay safe, hug hard, stitch happy, eat chocolate.

 

Affluenza?

 

Are you kidding me?   Are we going to make up words to fit upbringing and allow young people to have absolutely no consequence to their actions?  I wonder if Judge Jean Boyd (Texas) would have let him off if it was her daughter or three other family members that were killed by a 16 year old who was taught that money means you are not accountable. It's not even a condition recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.  I'm sorry.  I just get more and more livid over the lack of responsibility in this country. 

 

Just wanted to tell you that there are four boxes shown on the box page, and they will be for sale Saturday morning at 10 am.   I probably will not post at that time so if you are interested, Saturday morning at 10 o'clock.  OK?  I don't want to upset anyone again.

The giveaway is going very well by using separate pages!  I'll have to keep this in mind for future offers. 

That's all.  On fire from flash and anger.  A good time to go outside in 20 degrees and burn papers.  I don't have to worry about my hair getting singed this time.  It's like menopause threw another switch and my wild hair is all of a sudden, flat, straight, soft, and yucky.  What's next?

Some of you liked the brown jugs that were in the last post. Many of them have chips but several of my favorites are perfect.  It's time to make some changes and I want them in rooms where I can see them often.  Here's the collection.

My favorites are the two in the middle of the middle shelf, and the 3 gallon to the left of the basket.

 

 

  We saw Ed a few days ago and he is too busy to come back anytime soon, so I'll just pick up the crown moulding and registers from the floor and move them elsewhere until after the holidays.

 

I'm finally starting a sampler tonight and have three four five in mind.  Decisions, decisions.  They range from very large to small.  Small would be the better choice, but they are all kitted and ready.

Have a wonderful weekend and a safe Friday the 13th!

Thanks for taking time to visit.

 

 

 

Who wants a Schooler chart?

Greetings from once again covered with white crap PA.  Before I forget - to Kathy who requested info on the large Postman Santa - you are no-reply so I couldn't send a close-up.  But a larger photo and the source is on the Stitcher's Christmas page under my header.  Now.  Here's the confusing stuff.  I told you that Connie generously offered some of our favorite Schooler Santa charts to me and said to offer them to others if I had duplicates.  Well, I do, so I will.  Here's the catch - with that same spirit, you must pass the charts on to other stitchers when you're done. These are books 43, 53, 58, and 62.

I would like to have 4 separate drawings because many of you already have one or more.  Having you specify the book you would like won't help because Random may draw 4 names that want the same.  So I'm listing one book on one page.  Under the header photo, click on the BOOK # tab to see each one and leave your comment on the page of the book you would like.  Geez I hope this works.  If it doesn't, I'll start over with individual offers.  Don't forget your initials if you're anonymous or no-reply!!

 

In others news, I have an A&E and a lamb box left, and I think I will make two more and offer them this weekend.  I will do a post when they are ready if anyone is interested.

I got an email from Maureen in Canada, who used one of my pear designs to stitch (in silk) eleven different colors for her assistants' gifts.  Beautiful!  Thank you Maureen!

  I loved this design many years ago from Barbara Bourgeau Richards and had it custom framed, but am tired of it.  Still love the big hipped family though.  Pierogis and pasta?  Or Mounds bars?

 

And this is Niky's little free chart that I mentioned.  So quick.  I'm not sure how I will finish it.  And that's about it.  I have some other Santa cards to offer but it's too much right now so I'll wait.  I want to thank Connie again for offering these charts.  You will make several stitchers very happy Connie!!!  And remember - pay it forward.

That's all folks. 

 I got my little parlor cleaned out and found some of my smalls stuck in a basket.  Floss is all back in the floss box and linen (that was thrown everywhere) is ready to be sorted and returned to the drawers.  The only thing I never misplace is my Dove with almonds.  And my yellow car.

Thank you for visiting!

Enjoy the coming weekend.