So Many Celebrations!

I was so pleased to have won this beautiful pillow from Sharon at itsdaffycat.blogspot It now lives in my craft room happily on my wicker rocker. Thanks so much Sharon.

I picked up Zoya and Maxim from the framers today. I love the way it turned out. The colors in this piece are so beautiful. The frame is black with some gray. I think that it makes Zoya a little prettier.

I went to Celebrations in New Hampshire this past week with 3 of my friends from our Wednesday stitching group. Dottie and Phyllis are in the above picture and Diane is in the pic below. The empty chair next to Diane is where I spent a great deal of time. We had the best time. Stitch, shop and eat was our motto. We did it all very well. lol

They had the best booth of antique lace and buttons. This what I purchased. Aren't those little flowers the best?

A few charts I couldn't live with out.

This design is wonderful. When the pincushion is finished it will be added to the top of the wonderful wooden thread holder. On to the winner of my giveaway! I did the random generator thing and BrendaS was the winner. She has a wonderful blog called Brenda's Stitching. You all should check it out. I want to thank every one who entered the giveaway. Wish I could send something to all of you.

This is the piece I am currently working on. The letter B by Jardin Prive. Hope to have it finished soon. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and for leaving great comments. Until next time......Happy Stitching! Deborah

Pretty in Pink and a Giveaway!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last blog post. They mean so much to me. I think Stella is a hit. On the stitching front, I just love the pink frame. I don't usually go this way but for a seasonal piece, I think it works well. My framer has a bunch of different colored frames that I will be using in the future.

Cheryl and I spent some time this week to do some finishing.

We put together May word play (I just love these designs), Sarah Tobias pin pillow. The chenille that it is laying on is what I will be putting on the edge. lastly is The Prim Sisters. Below is the back of the Prim Sisters.

This is my favorite finish! It is A Dutch Sewing Pillow by GPA. I bought the finishing kit. I couldn't be happier with it. All the pictures are clickable for a larger view.

I finished this today. It is Summer Splendor by LHN. I think a little red frame would look nice. I also finished Maxim and Zoya by PPS. I don't have a picture but will show it after I pick it up at the framer. I have just over 600 followers and that deserves a giveaway.

This is what I have so far. Two BBD designs, Bohin scissors, flower frog, ort container, a cute notepad and a little pillow made by me. I will probably add some more little things. The rules are just be a follower! You don't need to put it on your blog. Stella would like to add a treat if you have a dog or cat, so please let us know which you would prefer. I will pick a name on May 1st. Good Luck! Until next time...Happy Stitching! Deborah

A Little Bit of Everything.

I want to thank everyone for the wonderful comments on my last post. I just love them. I have started to put together a giveaway for having 600 followers, which just amazes me. I do know that the giveaway will include a flower frog , scissors and a little something made by me. There will be more, just don't know what yet. On to the stitching...

Finished up this little gem and am having it framed in a pink frame. Something different and very Spring like.

Had this piece stretched and I put it in my in and out frame.Below is a close up of the frame.

Stella is going to daycare 2 days a week for puppy socialization. They say she gets along wonderfully with people but is very shy around the other dogs so I decided to send her another day. She did much better on the second day. She will go 2 days a week for awhile. While she was gone I managed to get in alot of stitching time and some yard work. I finished the Prim Sisters piece. Cheryl will finish it when she comes home from Canada.

I also did this little piece that I can't wait to have finished. I really love this scissor pillow. I got the finishing lit so that the pillow will look just like the picture. So cute. >

Easter week end was quiet. I went out to brunch with friends and had some quality stitching time while watching last years Nurse Jackie series.

This is Blooms for Sarah from BBD. I love the design and it worked up quickly because you use just one floss. I did mine on 36 ct mystery LSL using the suggested SNC called Chocolate Caramel. So yummy. lol. You can click on any of the photos for a larger view. I did take a cooking class last Thursday night. They gave us a lovely dinner before class and then we made cupcakes! There were 10 women in the class and we worked in pairs. Joanne went with me.

We made chocolate cake filled with a peanut butter filling topped with chocolate gnache and crushed peanuts. They were awesome. The others made red velvet, carrot cake, lemonchello filled with homemade lemon curd and a chocolate vegan banana cake. We all took home everyone's cakes. It was a great time.

I will end with a picture of my baby. Isn't she cute? The bone she has in her mouth is one she can eat but she needs to carry it around awhile first. Thanks for visiting. My next post will have the giveaway. Until then....Happy Stitching! Deborah

A RAK and a Finish and a Frame Up.

I received the nicest RAK from Angela of Hooked on Stitches. The box is lovely and I just love the design she stitched. The inside is finished a pin cushion. She finished it perfectly. Thanks so much, Angela, for your kindness.

I picked up my Massachusetts sampler from the framer this week. I am very happy with how it turned out. It will go nicely in the mud room with 13 Colonies and the Mayflower sampler. All of them are by LHN. On the MA sampler I used 32 ct. woodsmoke linen and the suggested fibers.

I finished the LK Spring ABC design. It is being stretched and I will post a picture after it's finished. I am currently working on Spring Fling by BBD. It is a small design and is working up quickly.

This is a very happy little stitch. The colors are cheerful and I love the fabric I chose. The picture doesn't do the fabric the justice it deserves. It is v. Luna by LSL. The color is a soft yellow with a pink undertone. Just beautiful. The weather this week end is going to be cold and rainy with the chance of some snow, so I know that this piece will be finished. I am hoping to find a frame in my stash. You can click on any of the pictures for a larger view.

I will close with a picture of Stella doing something she enjoys so much. Chewing! She is going to doggie daycare one day next week. I tell everyone that she needs to play with other kids but really I need the break. I think that I will spend the day stitching. Hopefully they will like her and she can keep going once a week. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and leaving the nicest comments. They mean a lot to me. I see a giveaway in my future because I am only 6 followers away from 600. Amazing! Until next time....Happy Stitching! Deborah

Spring Fever!

I haven't blogged for over a week. The weather has been very warm for this time of year and I have been taking advantage of it. Stella and I have been taking long walks, working some in the gardens and the dreaded spring cleaning. I just love the throwing away and donating stuff this time of year. Now, on to the stitching.

I finished Spring Band Sampler by LHN and had an in and out frame made. I think it came out nice. I just love the frame. Below is a close up view. I hope the frame will go with the other seasons.

I finished the DT April design and it is getting stretched currently and I will take a picture when it is finished. Things like pictures are getting by me. I know it's Spring fever. I started a LK piece called Spring ABC's. It is a happy stitch and is stitching up quickly. I am doing it on 32 ct. ant. ivory linen and a combination of over-dyed floss and DMC.

I thought that I would close with a few pictures of my craft room. In MA if you do not have a window and a closet the room is not considered a bedroom. This room is upstairs and has no windows. It is oddly shaped with slanted ceilings and nooks.

You will see my new bobbins an spools on my great grandmothers hope chest. I just love this chest. It was hand made in Ireland when she was a young girl. My great grand parents packed everything they brought over in this chest. So cool. On the the green and white table and next to the chest are baskets of smalls. They used to be in the family room until Stella came to stay.

This chest holds a lot of stitching goodness. On the top is on of my frogs and a box that was made last year. The picture of the daffodils is one I stitched over 20 years ago. The picture on the chest is the four generations of my family. Sadly, I am the only one still living. I was very lucky to have know my great grandma. She passed away when I was 10. I spent every summer with her. My Mom died about 11 years ago. Still miss her. You can click on any of the pictures for a larger view. Well, off for another walk with Stella. Thanks for stopping by and leaving the best comments. Until next time.....Happy Stitching! Deborah

Stitching and Thrifting!

I managed to get some stitching time in. Maybe if I was home more, I would get more done. Who knows. I finished April Word Play and love it. You can click on any of the pics for a larger view. I just love the fat rabbit in the cart. Now that I see the picture, I noticed that I forgot the word on the cart. Must get to it.

I started Spring Band sampler by LHN. I am using 32 ct. natural linen and the suggested DMC fibers.

Now on to the thrifting part of this post. Cheryl and I have been very busy hitting different spots. First up are the 2 flower frogs I picked up.

The one on the left has a cut glass bowl and a silver top. It is in great condition and under $10.00. The one on the right is a silver plate one. It is in 3 sections. It was really tarnished but polished up beautifully. It was $14.00 and has become on of my favorites. Below is a picture of it taken apart.

Stella thinks everything with her grasp is hers. This is really bad for my stitching. I used to leave it on the arm of my chair and never gave it a thought. Now that she gets on the furniture, I have lost threads, fabric and she has eaten some patterns. So something had to be done and this is what I found.

A wonderful sewing basket that she can't get into. I believe that is was homemade. I found no markings of any kind on it. I was pretty dirty but cleaned up nicely. I haven't decided if I will re-stain it or paint it. For now, it is staying as is. The inside is perfect.

It sits next to my stitching chair out of the way. The top opens on both sides. I just love it.

I found some bobbins and spools and the cutest potholder that I couldn't leave. It is so pretty.

I will end with a picture of Stella. She graduated yesterday from puppy school and is going on to another level.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving the best comments. They mean so much. Until next time....Happy Stitching! Deborah

Some Wonderful Things in the Mail.

Another week has gone by. It's been busy here. Didn't get much stitching in because of having company over the week end and , of course, Stella. She has cut into my stitching time but happily so.

Sorry about the really bad picture but it's late and the lighting is terrible. This is the April Word play. The fabric is much lighter than the picture shows. It is 36 ct.v. butter cream using the suggested GA fibers. I did finish the MA sampler and off to the framer it went before I took a picture.

This is all framed up and I think that it came out pretty nice. Now on to the great stuff I received in the mail. I won the best giveaway from Jan from Tree of Life Samplings. Her generosity overwhelmed me.

This were the packages in the box. I love the seals.

I received two of her Emma Rose designs and the floss to do Emma Rose freedom. She included a wonderful thread holder by Liberty House. I do collect Liberty House products so this was a treat.

She included 2 pieces of her own dyed fabric in the most wonderful colors and the liberty needleminder by Kelmscott. Again, one I didn't have.

Last but not least is the pillow she stitched and was finished by Faye. The finishing is beautiful. I love the dyed lace and the back is finished with a pocket. So beautiful. Thank you Jan for the wonderful gifts! Blogger won't let post any more pics so I will close. Cheryl and I have been busy thrifting and I post about that next. Thanks for visiting and commenting. They mean the world to me. Until next time....Happy Stitching! Deborah