One Year Ago ...

on January 12th the cutest puppy adopted me. More on that at the end of the post. First up in the stitching part of the blog is J. M. Gardner in all her glory.

I really love how this piece turned out. The frame is the perfect match for the rust colors. I had a standy thing put on the back and it will reside on the table next to the couch. Next up is a Valentine piece by CYC. I had a frame in my stash that will fit really well.The design is called crazy love because she charted the L backwards. For people like me who aren't that crazy, she also charted the L going the right way. I used 32 ct. mystery fabric and the suggested DMC and SNC fibers.

I started Old Nantucket by LNH using 35 ct cocoa linen and the suggested wdw, cc and ga fibers. This is fairly large piece and I have a long way to go. It will work well in my Massachusetts mudroom. I love Nantucket and try to go over at least once a year.

Before I bagged my orts from 2012, I wanted to show all the pretty colors. In the Spring I leave them on the patio and the birds take them for their nests. In the fall you can find the nests with the floss in them. They are really very pretty. This is something I have done for many years. Now on to the reason for this post. One year ago on January 12, 2012, Jo and I took a long ride in terrible weather to meet Stella. She and her 5 siblings are Sato (street) dogs from Puerto Rico. 700 hundred Sato's were adopted last year.

Stella then on the day we brought her home and Stella now.

She is the sweetest dog. Until next time .... Happy Stitching! Deborah

JANUARY

January is my first finish of the new year. It is a PS design stitched on 32 ct lambswool jobelan fabric and DMC floss. It turned pretty well. I changed one of the dogs to look more like Stella.

I have started a little Valentine piece but haven't done enough for a picture yet. I wanted to share some stitchy items that I received for Christmas. First up is a flower frog.

It is so much prettier than the picture. I have never seen an oval frog. It's about 7" long and the bottom is a beautiful purple glass. This was a total surprise because Joanne doesn't understand my obsession love for frogs and scissors. Speaking of scissors, I bought 2 wonderful pairs of Dovo's with gift certificates.

Love both pairs but the black ones are the best. My friend, Nataly, had this pair and I knew someday I would own them. They are called Tattoo because of the etching on outside and the inside of the blades. So beautiful!

I will end of with a picture of Stella in her new coat. She is such a girly dog. She actually likes wearing it. Thanks to my new followers! Glad to have you along for the ride. I want to thank everyone for the great comments. They mean so much to me. Until next time ..... Happy Stitching! Deborah

I Have Missed You All!

This has been the busiest holiday season. Something had to give and I am afraid it was my blog. Things are slowing down and I will pay more attention. I do love reading all of your blogs and writing mine and I have missed doing both. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Mine was perfect. I did receive some stitchy items which I will share next time. I did some stitching this past month. I stitched Bear Tree Forest by LHN.

I used 32 ct V examplar by LSL and the suggested fibers. Below is a close up of the frame. I love this molding and have used it a couple of times. It's very woodsy.

Up next is my last finish of 2012! It's JM Gardner 1888 by WTNandT. I loved this piece. The colors are perfect for my family room. It worked up quickly and every stitch made me happy.

She will look much better the next time you see her. I plan on taking her to my framer this week. I used 32 ct v. light examplar linen by LSL and the suggested fibers. I started January by PS today. I still have 3 more months left to do in this series. Hopefully they can be finished in 2013.

I will end with a picture of Stella. How cute is she? Digging in the dirt with her nose. She needs to learn to use her paws.

I received this picture as a mouse pad from Santa. Yes, I need a mouse pad. My computer is on a wicker desk that has glass on the top and the mouse doesn't work on glass. So, I get to look at Stella whenever I am on the computer. I want to wish everyone A Happy New Year. Be safe. I will be home with Joanne and Stella eating Chinese food. Chinese food is a tradition that my husband and I started 39 years ago. It continues on. Until next time ...... Happy Stitching! Deborah

A Win, A RAK and Some Ornaments.

It's been weeks since I last did a post. The time has been jam packed. Thanksgiving was wonderful with family, friends and great food. The house is finally decorated. It took longer because I had to see what Stella would tolerate. I finally got into this century. I bought an Iphone and fell in love with it. Since I took that step, I thought that I would dive into Facebook. I know you are all ahead of me but I am slow with change. I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful comments. They mean the world to me. I received the nicest RAK from Angela at the craft room blog. She has a wonderful blog and you all should check her out.

Isn't this the prettiest ornie!? The back is just lovely, as well. It is hung high on the cross stitch tree out of Stella's reach. The card was made by her and is stunning! Thanks again, Andrea. I just love it.

Catherine and the Strawberry Sampler had a Pink giveaway for breast cancer awareness. I won this beautiful design and the floss to do it. I said if I won the any part of the giveaway I would give it to my friend, Kathy. She is coming up to her 5 year anniversary. She was thrilled to have the design and is currently working on it. Thanks Catherine and the Strawberry Sampler for having a wonderful giveaway.

The first 2 will be pillows and the rest will be ornaments. Hopefully, Cheryl and I will find some time next week to finish all of these and start making Christmas cookies. We have the best time baking and doing crafts for the holiday. Before I close, I want to wish my friends, Ellen and Nataly a great Chanukah. Until next time ..... Happy Stitching! Deborah

Feast of Friendship.

I just don't know where the time goes. It's been busy here. I have the Christmas shopping done, not wrapped but bought. The yard is finally cleaned up for the fall. Cleaned some closets. I really hate to do them. The thing is that I finished is the Feast of Friendship by BBD and had it framed. Yeah!

I am in love with this finish. The only thing that I might have changed is the color of the house. They used 3 different colors for it. I probably would have used just one. The frame is gorgeous. I think it is perfect for the piece. The pictures really don't do the piece justice. It's dark here and I had to take the pictures inside. Nine of us from my Wednesday stitching group went on a road trip last Saturday. We went to Bush Mountain Stitchery in N. Brookfield, MA. It's about a 2hr ride each way. We had a wonderful time. I didn't need anything but managed to pick up some designs I have wanted to do.

I love Carriage House designs and was glad to see that she back and designing again. After our lunch in Sturbrige, MA we did some shopping. Went to a quilt store and a primitive style gift store called The Handmaiden's Mercantile. What a great store. Everyone bought something there.

I love Pilgrims and Indians and have a rather large collection. I got a pair of both and a great wool mat. I not sure why I didn't get the Indians in the picture.

I just love the Pilgrim riding the turkey. These were a few of my favorites. I want to wish everyone in the U.S. a Blessed Thanksgiving. I hope your holiday is filled with family and wonderful food. Until next time .... Happy Stitching! Deborah

We made it through Sandy. The house is standing,as well, as the trees. Many branches down and lost power for less than a day. My friends and relatives on Staten Island and long Island fared okay. They don't live on the coast of the islands. They had some wind damage and lost power for afew days. Compared to folks they know on the coast, they were very lucky. My thoughts and prayers go out to all everyone that lost so much. The east coast is due for another big storm Wednesday and Thursday. Those folks really don't need anymore.

I picked up Baby It's Cold Outside from the framer. It came out pretty good.

The frame isn't as orange as the picture suggests. It's a warm brown. I have been working on Feast of Friendship by BBD. I am using 32ct. v buttercream LSL and the suggested GA fibers. I am loving this piece.

You can click on any of the pictures for a larger view. I took the picture in the house at night, so the colors are not showing as nice as they really are. Hopefully, I will be able to finish it this week. I would like to have it hanging up by Thanksgiving. I was reading blogs and saw that Joanne Fabrics had a new Gingher pattern. Off I went Sunday morning to find a pair and I was lucky to find Jennifer. Isn't she pretty?

Before I close I want to thank everyone for stopping by and leaving the greatest comments. Thank so much. Until next time ..... Happy Stitching. Deborah

The wind is starting to howl and the rain is heavy. Just the beginning of Sandy. We spent the day getting ready for the storm. Took in the patio furniture, potted plants and anything else that could go flying. Did some cooking ahead, in case we can't use the stove. Just hoping that trees don't come crashing down on the house. As for the stitching, I started something new. Day after my last post this wonderful design arrived in the mail.

I couldn't wait to start it. It's a great stitch.

I pick it up every spare moment I have. I thought I would show my Halloween tree with all the ornaments. I couldn't get a good picture inside so I took it outside yesterday for some shots. You can click on any picture for a larger view.

It's starting to fill up in nicely. I will add more next year.

This is the pillow that Vonna finished for me. I love it. It's Hilda's Alphabet Brew by With Thy Needle and Thread.

I love Japanese Lanterns. I have a friend who grew them and surprised me with a bouquet. They are so bright and fallish. I will end with a picture of Stella. She is a year old and quite the big girl.

I hope everyone on the east coast stays safe and sound. I have family on Long Island and Staten Island and my prayers are with them. They are going to be hit very hard. I know that we will lose power, so I don't know when I will be back. Until then, thanks for visiting my blog. I love the comments. They mean so much. Until next time ..... Happy Stitching! Deborah