Merry Christmas

A little sampler as my gift.   I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

Wishing you a joyous Christmas.

I hope you like it!

Stitched on 30 count linen over two threads, aged and stained.

 



 

Two things

Hi everyone.  The last weekend before Christmas.  I just came back from shopping.  Again.  I am a coupon addict and if someone is giving me $10 off, I can't pass it up.  Even if I don't need anything, which is defeating the purpose of saving $10 because it really cost me $20. 

The first thing I want to show you is this little sampler I am working on. I had planned on doing a free chart as a Christmas gift for you. I appreciate your friendship and wanted to do something for everyone instead of a giveaway with one recipient.

Why didn't someone tell me how the holiday was sneaking up? I thought Christmas was Friday ever since the calendar fell off the wall and October ended up as the current page. I think I will have it done for you as long as I don't remove the stitches over and over because I change my mind on color.

 

The second thing (I've posted about them before), is my favorite tree light string.  My others have been burning out and I was pleasantly surprised when I searched online to find them at Home Depot! 

 

 

 

 

 

They are bigger bulbs, bright, faceted, iridescent, not LED, and sparkly as heck.   Not good for small feather trees, but I have them on the others.  I learned over my 62 years that most items will not be available in the future, so buy what you like when you see it.  Put it away and one day you will be happy you have them.  On sale for $6.30 including online.  GE crystal lights.  Probably of no interest to you but I'm happy to have found them again.  The 40 and 60 watt incandescent bulbs are no longer being made so I stocked up with what was left. I may have the sockets changed on outdoor lighting to the candelabra base.  Just don't like the big white bulbs or the light they throw. Several of my lamps have clip on shades which I can't use on the curly CFL and I'm very afraid of breakage if the shade should be bumped.  I'm sure everyone knows this but just in case, here's the protocol for a broken fluorescent because of the mercury gas....

If you drop and break a CFL, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises that you should get the children and pets out of the room immediately. Then you should open a window, close the door to that room if there is one, and leave for 15 minutes. The agency also recommends that you use a broom and wet paper towel to clean up rather than a vacuum -- unless you intend to throw away the vacuum.

 

I'm really sad today.  One of our young does was hit by a car recently and walking on three legs.  She was doing well and eating, I called her Molly.  She was a little shorter than the others with a wider sweet face.   I was very concerned because she hadn't been with the others for over a week.  We didn't know her body was right up our road off the highway in a yard, covered by all the snow.  The rains have washed away the snow and we saw her yesterday, obviously hit again.  And my MN cousin has been moved 130 miles from her relatives to another facility.  Still very upset and not understanding why they will not allow her to go home, lashing out at her sister.   I just can't imagine why they feel she is bad enough to warrant this.  Assisted living will not take her because she would not be voluntarily moving there, and would be a flight risk.

 

This afternoon I will get a heat pack on my low back (have no idea what happened there) and sit and stitch until this new design is completed.  Until then, stay safe, take a few minutes for YOU today, make sure your calendar is on the right month, and enjoy the season - not the snow - the season.

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

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.