The choice will be made by

 

Susan Cox.  She was one of 36 email entries added to the comment entries - 

I love reading your blog and hearing about your many "adventures"   it makes my day.  I used to cross stitch in my 20's but now my 60 year old eyes won't allow it.

Please enter me in your drawing.  Thank you!

Susan Cox
Troutville,VA

Thanks to everyone who entered the 65 year old's giveaway.  65 year old.  I am STILL going to check the age box 55-64 in those damn surveys.  They'll never know.  Depending on which color is chosen, the second Fox may be another giveaway and I would use the same entries.  We'll see.  I enjoyed this design, even though I haven't crawled out of the slump, but once completed I just don't know what to do/where to put these smalls.

 

If you look closely at the photo of the brown Fox, you'll see one top left leaf has an open space of two stitches and the right one has three spaces.  Saw it too late.  It should be three but since I can't remove, I decided to add.  The John James petite (size 26) needles are short enough to slip beneath and come back up, cannot do it with my regulars and the curved are too heavy. I use one strand and do the cross twice rather than use two threads.  This way, it locks the stitch better.  I leave a long tail beginning and ending and then run it beneath when finished.  So now they match.  It's not the first time I added one or more stitches after the piece was mounted and it won't be the last.

 

Susan, take a look and let me know which you would like, I will email you soon.

 

 

That's it folks.  My sister just called and told me that the new dentures we paid for three months ago, have cracked and split.  Is there anything made today by people who care about doing their job correctly?  Or has mediocre become the norm and striving to do better is not a goal?  Yes I am PO'd.

 

Thanks again everyone, will let you know what I decide.

 

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Your decision

Here are both hornbooks.  I must say that the second one, on the brown linen, is much nicer.  The mounting went better than the first, the floss was new and not fuzzy, it just looks better.  But the decision is yours.  I used 935/3052 for the leaves instead of the charted 500/501.  There are errors in both and it ticks me off.  After this morning's post, I had to remove the bottom half of one side and stitch it all over again because the edge was off two and it was obvious once mounted.  There is still one other error.   Be back late this evening with the winner.

 

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Looks like I will make it!

And that means it will be decision time for the winner.  I kept saying I would like this on dark brown and this 18th Century Brown was the darkest I had.  Birds of a Feather's Sparrow was the color I preferred but I don't like stitching on it so I set it aside. I am ASSUMING this will be finished for the drawing.  Not sure if it will be a hornbook or pillow.  I started Saturday and finished it this morning.

 

One last area to stitch and I wanted to show you how I sometimes work an image to help picture a finish.  I mentioned before about using the Paint program and all its little tweaks, here it is for color.  In one photo, I used the color of the grapes for the door, the other I manipulated the stitching and moved it for the brown.  Need to decide which I like better.

 

 

Yes I am a crazy crab.

 

Be back tomorrow!

 

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Summer

Finally here.  For those of you lucky enough to have your Dad, enjoy the day with him.  The rest of us will be remembering and wishing for just one more day.

 

I love my crow.  Perched from the kitchen window.....

 

 or next to my swing.  Added bonus here, his bucket is a great hideaway for Dove wrappers.  My husband can spot those bright red foils a mile away.  He doesn't care if I consume more than I should, it's just embarrassing when you keep screaming "I have to lose this weight!"

The brats are still terrorizing and killing chipmunks.  My cousin saw a munk climb into her bush outside her office window, and snatch baby cardinals from their nest.  Mother Nature is one sick cookie.

You know how I hate decision making, mainly because it incapacitates me.  So I may be forcing one on you.  If things work out and I can focus (another elusive trait), well, we'll see.

 

Enjoy your day.

 

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Out fox!

Get out of my house!!!  I have had enough of this project!

 

So here's the deal.... leave a comment on this post if you would like to enter the giveaway for this upside down hornbook.  If you are unable to do so, enter by email link at right.  This will be my birthday offer to you, my stitching buds.  The drawing will be Tuesday night the 21th at 9pm EST.  As always, the majority are no-reply so make sure you leave your initials or name, especially if you are anonymous.  If you receive posts through email, you cannot reply to them and must email me directly through the blog page.  If I cannot contact the winner and there is no response to me by the 24th (Friday morning), another entry will be drawn.

The stitches are uneven, some loose, some tight, some in the wrong hole, and they could all be yours.  Enter now!

 

Thanks for all your help with the pain in the ass fox. 

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My crow is on its way

Hello folks.  I'm sure many of you follow Misi of Gable House Goods.  Love her style of decorating and her home photos. 

In one of the outdoor shots, I saw a metal crow with a bucket.  Since then, I have searched high and low to no avail.  Recently, Pine Cone Gift Shop's post featured their arrival.  Since my neck condition has me paranoid about long car rides, I didn't want to take the 100 minute drive.  But then, I found a source!  P Allen Smith has them and I used a coupon code for 25% off and my bird is on its way!  If any of you have been searching for this yard stake, go here and use code thanks25 for your discount.  The site has two crow fountains that are also very nice, but I do not need the sound of trickling water while having a cup of coffee on my swing.  I can barely make it inside fast enough as it is.

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