Advent Exchange & Stitching Update

Here is Day 3, 4 and 5 of my Advent exchange with Lorrie at A Stitcher's Snippets.  This is so much fun!

Day 3 was four pink mug rugs-love the fabric you chose, Lorrie.  And it is perfect for me and my girls.

Day 4 was an antique spool with pink lace for finishing projects.  I don't have one like this and will love to display it. 

Day 5 is a beautiful, coordinating drawstring bag.  The pink fabric really shines!

 

Here is what I have been up to.  Finally I found a frame for City Stitcher's Adam & Eve!!

 

And a wonderful primitive-style oak frame for Autumn Calls by Crabapple Hill.

Hopefully I'll have a photo of a new sampler wall soon.

Here is an update on my latest stitching.  Just over 2/3 of the Sheepish Designs Alpha Series is done! Loving all the birds in this design. The letters are a mix of cross stitch and rice stitch.  The contrast is wonderful.  I put 2012 on the bottom, so I'll feel the pressure to get this finished this month :)

And here is the latest on the 2012 Grills de Maryse SAL.  I finaly came up with something for the center besides Welcome to the Country.  I like this much better.  Did anyone else sign up for her new 2013 SAL? Click HERE if interested in checking it out.

 

I'm having trouble accessing Google Reader on my computer, but no problem reaching the blogger dashboard.  Go figure. I'll keep trying.

Family Ornament Exchange & Advent Exchange Days 1 &2

 

Here is the result of our 1st (I hope annual) Christmas ornament exchange.  Four beautifully done ornaments and I think everyone was happy with the ornament they received. 

I know I was.

Top left is the BBD Crowning the Tree ornament I made for DD#1

Top right is the freebie ornament DD#1 made for me

Bottom left is the Lizzie Kate ornament DD#2 made for DD#3

Bottom right is the freebie you might recognize from Primitive Hare that DD#3 made for DD #2.

 

 

Here we all are holding our ornaments.  DD#3 is recovering from strep throat and was asleep on the couch.  So we let Amber show her mom's new ornament :) DD #1 is on the left.  DD#2 is in the middle.

Here is Day 1 and Day 2 of my Advent exchange with Lorrie from A Stitcher's Snippets.  Lorrie sent me 2 magazines I have been looking for with a beautiful Merry Cox design in them.  (I am on a little Merry Cox kick right now :)  And, as usual, she is a step ahead of me with a container to store beads.  I need one!

Thank you, Lorrie! 

I didn't take a photo of everything I sent to you.  But I do have part of Day 1 and am anxiously watching for your post to see what you think!

 Blackbird Designs

Waiting for the Harvest

                                      

Finish-Finishing & Updated For Sale Page

The boxes have arrived for the Advent exchange between Lorrie at A Stitcher's Snippets and me!  Beginning Dec 1st and going thru Dec 24th we will each have a gift to open.  Thanks in advance, Lorrie, for doing this exchange with me!

This past weekend DD#2 asked me to help her finish her ornament for our family ornament exchange.  While she was working on her ornament, I got busy with some finishing of my own.  Finally, Autumn Song box is finished!! 

I will be honest and tell you that I finished the pin cushion last year but no matter how many times I read the finishing instructions in the booklet for the box, it just wasn't clicking in my head. 

But, after the Merry Cox classes, I realized that the instructions for finishing the inside of the box was virtually the same as finishing one of Merry's boxes and ta, da!  Here it is.  The box was painted a rather bright orange but after applying the dark brown Briwax it antiqued quite nicely.

I hand stitched the Fresh from the Garden piece into the inside of the needle book, leaving the top open so it can be used as a pocket.

This paper mache box is not quite finished!   I put one of Laura Perin's Monday mystery ornaments on the top of this painted box (Barn Red paint and Briwax again). But I think it needs some trim and I don't have anything that will do. So, for grins, I just tied this cording with tassels on the end around it.  It's on my list for the next trip to JoAnns.

 

And last, but definitely not least, is the finished Northwest Sampler Guild nametag!

My to-be-finish-finished pile is getting smaller, but not gone.

 

One last item-I just updated my For Sale page with many, many more de-stashed items.  Some are new and bought with the best of intentions.  Some are gently used.  Check it out!

Nicola's 2013 Scarlet Letter Challenge

I have joined my first 2013 Challenge!

It is Nicola's 2013 Scarlet Letter Challenge.

I saw Edgar over at Blacksheep 's Bit of the Web working on Mary Ann Hutton this year and pulled mine out.

As you can see from the pictures below, it is all ready to go but I have not put in a single stitch!

Now, I'll wait until Jan 1, 2013.

 

Is anyone else making lists for next year already??

2012 Goldbar Retreat

The 2012 Goldbar Retreat is finished.

This was my third time to attend.

There was opportunity baskets, door prizes, Trash to Treasures, and a bookmark project.

Didn't get pictures of any of that.

What was I doing?

Stitching!!

 

Here is some of what others were stitching on---

 

 

 

 

Yes, this is the Susan Kerndt Holiday Patches that I have NOT finished.

Lots and lots of needlepoint!

 

Here are a couple of finished items---

 

 

This is Miss Hannah's House by Carolyn Standing Webb. 

It was stitched by one of my guild members.  And I managed to miss the pattern in the Trash to Treasure room.

 I am looking for this pattern (or kit).  It was a class in 2006.  Please email if you can help me out.

 

Here is what I was working on-

Brightneedle

Pretty in Pink

fabric and threads from kit

 

The nameplate and scissor fob are done!  The pinkeep has the border and outline finished but nothing more.

Regal Red Christmas

Milady's Needle

2010 JCS Ornament Issue

36 ct LL Sand Dune

Threadworx #1089

 

Almost ready for an ornament exchange in a few weeks.

 

Crabapple Hill

Embroiderer's Blessing

Overdyed Fabric

Called for Week Dye Works threads

 

About 50% finished.

 

 

  At the beginning of the retreat, we were asked to introduce ourselves and say one thing we are thankful for.  One of my guild members has had a re-occurence of breast cancer and had a double mastectomy this summer. 

 

I am thankful for my health and my family, especially little Amber, my new granddaughter.  She is standing up and walking around holding onto furniture.  She will be letting go soon and she will be only 10 months old next week.  What a blessing she is!
 

 

Happy Thanksgiving to all my followers and readers!

Merry Cox Weekend Part 2

Part 2 of my weekend in Arizona with Merry Cox

 

Blackbird Designs

Gathering Basket

scrap of 30 ct R & R Old Towne Blend

Called for threads

I know this seems bizarre, but I actually have a new finish from stitching on the plane rides.

 

Here is some stash that I brought home-

Bottom left-2 WTNT Thimble purses from the Attic

Bottom center and right-Two kits from Merry

Top left-another Thimble purse

Top center-a new ornament kit from Merry-it is featured in the current issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly

Top right-Scarlett House Maddie Button from the Attic

 

This is some older stash that I got from the Prim Sisters and Maggie club this year thru Country Stitches.

 

Above is Merry's Sweet Blossoms completed.

 

Above is my Sweet Blossoms obviously not completed :)

 

Above is Merry's completed Nouveau Palais

 

Above is my Nouveau Palais still needing plenty of work

 

Above is Merry's So Dear to My Heart complete and beautiful!

Above is my So Dear to My Heart-I did get the workbox lid started, but not completed.

You know I have to be in the mood to finish-finish my projects, but it looks like that's how I could spend the rest of this year. 

 

My pile of other projects that need to be finish-finished has grown large again!

 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Merry Cox Weekend Part 1

I'm back!

It was a fantastic, fun and learning-filled weekend in AZ!  Not to mention the mild weather-a little sunshine, a little rain, and altogether much warmer than home :) 

 

DD #1 went with me and we had a wonderful mini-vacation.  She didn't attend Merry's classes but slept late and shopped and took naps and just generally relaxed.  We ate lunch one day at Cracker Barrel.  Love that place!  And since the closest one to us is in Idaho, we don't get to eat there very often.

 

There is much to share, but I'll make two separate posts.

This was the first time I have ever been to one of Merry's classes and I actually got to attend 3 classes!

 

 

 Here is Merry- a dear woman and very talented needleworker/designer.

 

 I did manage to lose my finishing kit on the first morning soon after it was handed out.  I was searching everywhere!  I had to call over Jean, the owner of Attic Needlework, to ask her if anyone had found a lost finishing kit.  Well, my neighbor heard me and started to help me look and found that she had 2 kits in her tote bag!!  Well, it WAS rather a crowded mess on our table :)  Good news is that it was found.

 

Here we are hard at work. There were ladies there from Australia, Belgium, and England.  Not to mention Texas, Florida, California, Michigan-- well, you get the idea.  I thought I had come a long way, but definitely not that far :)

This is the picture my daughter took of me.  Over my left shoulder, the lady in green is Pat Evans, owner of Lakeside Linens. Gloria, from Milady's Needle and Linda, from Samplers Remembered were also attending. 

The shuttle van from our hotel took us to the Attic Needlework shop whenever we wanted to go. The shop literally made my jaw drop when I walked in the door.  There is nothing remotely similar to this anywhere in the Seattle area.   I have to go to Acorns & Threads in Portland (3 hr drive) to get anything near to this.

Jean hosted a private party for us on Friday evening and kept the store open late that night. She even had a light supper in the back work room.  Thanks, Jean, for all your hard work!

This is one of the current co-samplers of the month from the Attic.  It is a Heart's Ease design (Theresa Baird). It is her Maryland sampler-absolutely gorgeous and you can see it is an award winner.  Yes, it came home with me along with fabric and threads. I borrowed this photo from the Attic's website as my photo came out blurred.

 

Devon over at Devon's Quiet Corner has more photos from the Attic on her recent post.

 

Merry Cox Weekend Part 2 will come tomorrow!

Getting Ready for Merry Cox Classes!

 

Blackbird Designs

Pumpkin Blossom Sewing Box

Loose Feathers Autumn Booklet

30 ct R & R Olde Towne Blend scrap

Called for CC and GAST threads

 

I have only the Pumpkin Blossom needle case still to stitch and the whole set will be done! That is in my bag for the EGA retreat later this month.

Merry Cox

Nouveau Palais

Complete and ready to go for class this weekend!

 

This is another Merry Cox class coming up this weekend.

This is what the pre-work looked like-

Here is what the entire kit looks like EXCEPT the pretty girl box top which will be my stitching project for the weekend.  (Luckily it is not part of the required pre-work.)

This is my third Merry Cox class- Sweet Blossoms. The pre-work looked like-

 

This is the entire Sweet Blossoms ready to go-

I used over 20 teeny-tiny dusty rose buttons on this project alone-not counting the buttonhole stitch flowers for which I used CC Rose of Sharon.

 

I leave Wed morning for Arizona!  DD #1 is going with me and I'm looking forward to everything that Attic Needlework has planned.  Photos when I return!