December 2018 update & Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,
It's time to share what I've been up to this month  it was a busy month with very little stitching until after Christmas.

I did get a few small ornies stitched up... early in December.
Merry Christmas Cat © Teresa Wentzler
published in the November-December 1990 Issue of Just Cross Stitch 
Fabric: grab bag linen tan color
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 38 x 34, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, 1/4 stitches. back stitch, straight stitch





Since that went so well, I saw a freebie on CEC website and figured that it would be a quick and easy stitch...It was late when I picked this one up... didn't read the chart symbols for the white being french knots instead of cross stitch... guess I  was so used to the french knots for eyes that I completely ignored that there could be other french knots... so here is my late-night version....

Moose Smooch © 2018 the Cricket Collection freebie
Fabric: 28ct Antique white evenweave
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 39 x 39, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, back stitch, fractional stitches, french knots

I'll probably re-do sometime as I want to try using a wooly white for the beard (knots) and maybe a red velvet for the cap.




Then this week I finally was able to pick up

2013BB SAL QS Mystic Garden (It is a cropped version of Peacock Garden.)
Design by Michele Sayetta Artwork by Ciro Marchetti
28ct Picture this Plus Valor
DMC & Kreinik#4
Stitch Count: 139 x 138, 1 over 1 full cross

November 2018 at 14050 stitches complete, now at 14350 complete. Only a little more to go to get this one finished...hopefully by springtime. (that's usually May around here)


First weekend of December is usually our town's craft fair/bake sale. Mom had a Dr. appointment that day so I made arrangements to bake my pies late the night before so I could get them picked up while I was gone. I had everything laid out on the counters... started the first pie,...and noticed that there was water on the floor by the sink cabinet... Oh no! Drain pipe had a crack in it leaking...and was causing pressure from bathroom sink to back flow and spray water in the kitchen.. had to cleanup using a bucket and dumped the dishwater outside.. felt like we were teens again and camping....called more than one plumber... all too busy with heating issues. So a neighbor nicely helped me out the following week.

 I took part in a birthday floss club this year.. My mailbox was overflowing with such nice cards....we were assigned a floss color to send to each person in the club during their birthday month. Our assigned colors were from the new range of DMC. I was the last one in the group this year. 

This wasn't a milestone year.. although I'm looking forward to next year when I will be old enough (55) to begin collecting my pension.

Look at these lovely new threads...



 




 

And since it was my birthday earlier this month, DH was nice enough to let me pick out a bunch of trims from Lady dot's etsy site... I'm looking forward to using these on my finishing.













 chenilles...

 
 



rikraks...










ribbons and pom-pom trims










So while I was getting these lovely envelopes in the mail, I was getting my packages and cards sent out - Just in time for Christmas.

On the day before Christmas, I was starting to make desserts for family dinner and I noticed that my oven was taking a really long time to heat up (over 1 hour)...Another Oh No!.. moment... Made plans to cook at Mom & Dad's house for the next day... prepped all the food I could ahead of time using the stove top...Christmas day I tried the oven and set the timer to see how long it took so we could inform the repair person.. and ... it worked fine.. best guess is that there was an impurity in the propane that was plugging the line.. Seems to be working okay now. (LOL!)


I really haven't made many plans for next year stitching wise... Probably because DH has cataract surgery coming up in the spring, and after that we are planning to adopt a new furry friend. I know I have a few  HAED, a Kustom Kraft (snowy), and a White Willow (chart that I got as a Christmas present)  that I want to start... and lots of smalls ready for Dr. visit waiting rooms. I guess it will be a surprise what I get done as the best laid plans often go off the rails pretty quickly. I am hoping to at least "finish" one of my smalls each month - my basket is overflowing and it would be nice to get some of them completely finished.

It wouldn't be December without a bit of Christmas stash...I'll share next month. I'm waiting for a few threads that were back-ordered.

December weather was a lot of nuisance storms... dusting of snow and lots of snow/mixes that sometimes changed to rain... we are expecting 2-4" tonight that will change to rain sometime tomorrow afternoon. But despite all the rain, we still have the ground covered in a blanket of snow.


Until next time,
Happy New Year & Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

Merry CHristmas Everyone!

Hi there,
 - I had a birthday earlier this month...I'll be back in a few days with an update..But I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

We had flurries (24th) so it'll be a white Christmas.
More later, Happy Stitching,
Lisa

November 2018 update- Merry Christmas exchange

Hello everyone,
I'm back again.. this time to share the nice exchange I signed up for on the 123 stitch message board.
we received our partner info - and then we went off to choose a Christmas ornament to stitch and send by November 1st. Something happened this time - our emails weren't talking to each other. But we persevered. 

My partner gave me a choice of  religious, snowmen or snowflakes and santas...so I chose to stitch her:

First Noel - Nativity © Foxwood Crossings
Fabric: 32 ct PTP Gothic
Threads: DMC, WDW, GAST, Kreinik#4
Stitch Count: 35x 72, 2 over 1
Cross Stitch, Backstitch

and it wouldn't be right not to include some extras.. so I added a few other items to her package.

She treated me with this lovely joy ornament...

and look at those handmade crocheted dishcloths.. they are too beautiful to use!

The joy ornament brings back some lovely childhood memories of listening to my Mom talking about her time in school orchestra where she played the french horn, and later the youth orchestra where her instrument of choice was the violin.

  




Not much other stitching - it was a busy month - but I added a few stitches to :

2013BB SAL QS Mystic Garden (It is a cropped version of Peacock Garden.)
Design by Michele Sayetta Artwork by Ciro Marchetti
28ct Picture this Plus Valor
DMC & Kreinik#4
Stitch Count: 139 x 138, 1 over 1 full cross
August 2018 it was at 13580 stitches completed, Now at 14050 stitches complete...every little bit is that much closer to the finish, right?

We've been cleaning out our closets...just because.. and making space to store a few things for my parents...I came across my tub of cotton yarn - it has been in storage for awhile.. I managed to pick up my crochet hook and started working with it... but looks like I need to re-learn as my tension was off... so practice makes perfect...just have to keep working at it. Maybe this will be a winter time project.






More snow... Snowfall: November 13th...5 inches
and on the 16th...11more inches
That makes 24" in one week!

We had a very cold turkey day - Luckily For Thanksgiving I did the cooking and brought meals to my parents who live a few miles away, so I was the only one to get chilled.

Temps finally rose this week to above freezing for the first time in awhile. Unfortunately, that brought some freezing rain.. and then rain with fog... and a Monday 26th - Tuesday 27th was a mix of rain/freezing rain and about 9" of snow, which caused another power outage - this time from 4an until 1pm .  Expecting more rain and snow mix tonight / tomorrow.  Hopefully we'll keep have our power this time around.

A few night ago, three deer showed up at dusk eating at our neighbor's garden.
Until next time,
Have a wonderful day.
Lisa M.

October 2018 update...fall was in the air..now it's winter!

Hello everyone,

The air is cooler, the daylight hours are definitely shorter. The sky is changing...not much more of the brilliant blues with no clouds.


Woke up around 5am on the 13th of October to see our driveway coated in the white stuff. Yup! Snow arrived... but then the sun showed up and it was gone. Just a tease of what's to come. The hunters have been busy as we've heard shots most days.


I'm a little late with my monthly update... I was planning to post before Halloween.. but I had a busy week at the end of October. Then I was all set to start this past Friday ..but Mother Nature had different plans. Our 1-3" of snow started around noon, turned into 8" snow with ice coating on top before ending early Saturday am...trees snapped...power and phone lines out. We are lucky though, we had power restored late last night.. and our phone line shortly after that. Parts of out town are still out today.

This was the start of the storm...
It does look pretty but I could do without the biting wind.














While I was waiting for my Jeep to be serviced last month, I took out this quickie kit -

Welcome Coffin #4603 (Halloween Hanger) ©NeedleMagic Inc.
Fabric: 18ct ivory Aida
Threads: floss included in kit
Stitch Count: 34x 44, 2over 1
Cross Stitch, Back stitch, French Knot

I didn't pay close enough attention to the two browns.. dark and light... so I mixed them up... but it still turned out alright.




 



Next up is this Freebie I've had for quite awhile:  I found this cute black pumpkin fabric and went searching for the chart...Just love how it finished up.

Halloween Witch © Annalee Waite Designs
Fabric: 28ct silkweaver solo
Threads: DMC

Stitch Count: 58 x 59, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch


Found these nice jingle bells while I was browsing in a craft store.. now to decide what to do with them....




And since I was in my sewing room finishing, I took out this rosewood manor that was in my finishing pile since (gasp) January 2014 (really?) and now it is finally finished.

Snowflake Trees II © Karen Kluba 2013
Fabric: 28 count Antique White evenweave that was part of a grab bag
Threads: DMC
Mill Hill Beads
Specialty Stitches: Algerian Eyelet
Stitch Count: 60 x 60, 2 over 2 and  1 over 2










Took my Jeep back to the dealer earlier this week for state inspection and a new muffler..so I took along this little kit:

Fall Harvest NMI Kit Item 4312 Turkey Gobble
Fabric: 18 ct Aida
Threads: floss included in kit
Stitch Count: 33x 41, 2 over 1
Cross Stitch, Backstitch

I found this cute maple leaf ribbon at the dollar tree and it was available in red, yellow and brown. Just had to try it with a small design to see how it looked.









Lastly, I finished my Christmas ornament exchange.. more about that later this month.

Stash: I picked up a few DMC threads that I was missing since my brother gave me a Michaels gift card. And a few days ago, my kit from Silver Needle Circle of friends (Plum Street Samplers) came in the mail (no pics- camera batteries need to be charged).

Our Anniversary was in early October... 20years... hard to believe it's that long ago.

We don't have any pear trees..so I can't show you a partridge in a pear tree.. but...How about a turkey  in a crab apple tree? ...Watched their antics - at least 2 or 3 at a time flying up into the tree and shaking out apples for the rest of their flock. They've come to visit almost everyday in October.. multiple times a day and flocks of 14, 16 and 31 at a time. The deer are still around.. just have to look at the right time to see them.Had an 8 point buck the other night but it was too dark for a picture.



Fall was rainy..much more than usual so we'll have to see if it continues now that the cold air has arrived.


Until next time,
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

September 2018 embracing my inner geek

Hello everyone,
Time has gotten away from me this month. The weather has changed and we've seen some lovely sights.I thought I'd get more stitching done and most of this months sharing completely finished but I've been enjoying the good weather (and some pretty bad allergies).

When I saw this chart I had a good laugh and knew that I had to stitch it up

Pumpkin PI ( π ) Design by Jennifer Rodriguez of Always Time to Stitch
published in the Just Cross Stitch Special Halloween Issue 2018
Fabric:28ct queens anne lace
Threads: DMC, GAST
Stitch Count: 33 x 30, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Running Stitch
This is a gift for my housemate from college (also an engineer) as I know she'll get a good laugh from it as well.









A fellow stitcher kindly gifted me with this Bent Creek snappers chart.

September Brings © 2003 Bent Creek
Fabric: 32ct Lambswool evenweave
Threads: GAST & WDW
Stitch Count:50 x 50, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Long Stitch

I couldn't find theWDW Dark Chocolate called for - I did have it in GAST. Maybe a chart error? DMC Colors are listed and my GAST was close enough to be a match.

I forgot that I still had a bit of water in my iron...ugh the red  colorfast bled...so I tried the ice cube method and the red bleeding came out- but the green started to bleed. ugh...But lots of ice later...it's okay! I was rushing and for no real reason...this wasn't going to be a gift...I really should have taken my time.. guess the heat got to me and I didn't think - LOL!

I've been waiting for my subscription- Just cross stitch ornament magazine -before starting my exchange piece in case I decide I like something else for my partner... Mid month and it still isn't here.. The Christmas Ornament Exchange is coming up soon - so I started my partners ornament and the next day it showed up!

So more stitching is done...(almost finished) just can't share yet as it's a surprise.. will share the exchange in November.









Not enough progress on anything else for this month... hopefully next month will be better.

Stash: Silver Needle A Little Help from our friends stitching Circle (Samplers Not Forgotten) and
Then I was surfing on the internet and found a few charts on sale -

Scarlet House Salem Hill Sampler
and
Heartstring Samplery Winter Snow Stocking

 Heartstring Samplery Stars & Strips Forever Stocking
and
Chessie & Me Autumn Blessings

JBW Alphabet Owl














DH & I had to travel south to run some errands for my parents and we finally had a bit of extra time so he stopped at Hobby Lobby. I've only managed to schedule a quick visit one other time so it was a nice treat. I did find a few treasures...mostly some charms and crystals for finishing.. and a package of delightful pumpkin shaped jingle bells...  Now where are my fall patterns? I also found a couple of bookmark kits.


I won a delightful chart from a fellow stitcher's giveaway. Kustom Krafts Snowy Wolf. Thinking of doing over 1 on 28ct. I hope to start it as soon as I finish my exchange.


The bears have been pretty active. Our neighbor has seen a female, large male, and a female with 2 cubs on his trail cameras between our houses. We had some broken branches on our apple trees so it's a pretty good bet the the bears were hungry.

The deer have been busily eating the crab apples. We've seen  a doe several times with her 2 spotted fawns..  we thought one of them got hit as we've only seen the one fawn until the the past few days when we saw 2 again...so it must be 2 separate does that are about the same size.. one with twins and another one with just this one.

The fawns aren't the only deer we've seen.. This buck has been coming by daily... neighbor says there are two eating at our back apple trees... But on this day he was joined by a flock of 22 turkeys.

 more turkeys







Took my 10yr old Jeep in for servicing and found out that about 1/2 the lug nuts were frozen and needed to be replaced.... brakes were worn- need replacing (no surprise)...and the original muffler/tailpipe has seen better days...(What did I expect after 10 years?) So they ordered the brakes and I went back the next week. I will take care of the rest in November when I get the inspection done.

More repairs: this time plumbing repairs - our bath sink trap was leaking and the joint was disintegrating. I don't know why I was looking in that vanity as it is not our primary but so glad I caught it before it made a mess.

Dad's leg edema has flared up so he had some extra appointments to make sure no infection sets in. Still having an issue but it's going to take time to heal.

Mom also had to see the specialist and have x-rays. Her ankle is rolling on her and it's continuing to bother her.. nothing broken- just a ligament/tendon issue and flat feet.

 I'm still getting used to the shorter days. I don't seem to be looking for dusk at the right time.. but every few days I remember to look at the right time and  I was lucky enough to see some beautiful sunsets. 

We're still missing the pitter-patter (okay the loud thump- thump) of Samantha and Bucky - and we've started talking about looking at the shelters for another rescue after DH has his eye surgery.

Until next time,
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa M.

August 2018

Hello everyone,
Today finally brought relieve from the high humidity .. at least for a few days. Spent most of the day catching up on some long overdue chores. DH found some hornet nests at our swimming pool - so no pool for me until they're gone. Looking at the front yard we see that the tent caterpillars have been busy in the black walnut tree - at least 5 cocoons more than 30' up so can't do anything about them - but the lower ones we can cut off  the affected branches.

Our hummingbird feeders haven't needed to be filled as much - perhaps the heat is getting to them as well. We only have them for about another week and a half. Then we won't get to enjoy their antics until until next May.

Last month I started this lovely bookmark pattern...Color Charts Staff  Slice of Life (#10902) © 1991

Artic Seals by Carmen Gosha
Fabric:32ct white evenweave
Threads: DMC, Threadworx 8 metallic

Stitch Count: 120 x 30, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, 1/4 stitch, Backstitch, Long stitch, Four sided stitch
I added the four sided stitch border in the threadworx metallic ice blue









I continued making progress on...

2013BB SAL QS Mystic Garden (It is a cropped version of Peacock Garden.)
Design by Michele Sayetta Artwork by Ciro Marchetti
Fabric: 28ct Picture this Plus Valor
Threads: DMC & Kreinik#4
Stitch Count: 139 x 138, 1 over 1 full cross. July 2018 at 11200stitches...Now I have 13580 stitches completed.





Earlier this month I joined a Christmas ornament exchange so I've been looking through my patterns and ornament magazines looking for the perfect one to stitch for my partner - has to be received by November so it'll be a few months before I can share with you. Hopefully I'll still have some time next month to work on Mystic Garden - it would be nice to see it finished by year end- although fall chores will be starting soon and several medical appointments for DH and Dad.

This month has been exceptionally hot - so I spent some time in our cooler basement putting my patterns and fabrics together. I still have plenty of threads to put away... but at least I won't grab a pattern - know I bought that perfect fabric - spend 2 days looking for it before giving up and using a different fabric or choosing another chart.

This all started because I started to stitch a few Christmas ornaments for my niece who just started college earlier this month. The pattern called for some cranberry colored beads that I know I have at least 2 packets of - but I couldn't find them. (Actually I still can't although I've looked for them for the past week). I'll probably just have to order a new one soon.

Beading:
I finished another bookmark - this one is narrow compared to the other ones I've been doing.

bear totem cuff. ©  Lori Culligan (out of the flames) from her etsy store here
Miyuki delicas
white silimide
98 rows, 21 columns
Square stitch

New Stash: I've been so tempted ...here's what jumped into my cart

Whispered by the Wind Moonrise & Moonset
Handblessings Silhouettes pumpkin cat & Crow
Lizzie Kate Dogs leave paw prints
Foxwood Crossings First Noel
Heartstring Samplery Stocking Ornament Do you hear What I hear

And a couple of threads for some finishing



Earlier this week we were lucky enough to see three adult turkey hens and their 14 offspring at the bottom of our driveway. Next time I'll try to have my camera with me.

This shows the haze we've been seeing as the hot days continue.

Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!
Until next time -
Lisa M.

July 2018 Some stitching progress

Hello everyone,
We've had a lot more hazy hot & humid weather this month.

I originally planned to continue stitching some smalls (patriotic and Christmas ornaments) and work on an older project or 2 that I had set aside - dug out lots of patterns and fabrics...more than I could possibly finish in a month...but I just kept going back to look at my Mystic Garden. I have another 1 (okay at least 3 more HAED's that I want to start right away... but I promised myself not until I got this one just about finished). My pile of smalls is now patiently waiting to be picked up again - or maybe they'll be my take along projects.

2013BB SAL QS Mystic Garden (It is a cropped version of Peacock Garden.)
Design by Michele Sayetta Artwork by Ciro Marchetti
Fabric: 28ct Picture this Plus Valor
Threads: DMC & Kreinik#4
Stitch Count: 139 x 138, 1 over 1 full cross.

When I put it aside May 2017,  I had  9490 stitches... Now I have completed 11200 stitches. I love how this is coming out... Almost getting to the second tiger. Hopefully I'll have more time this month to work on it - depends on my parents appointments as this one doesn't get to travel with me. I now have the full width and height completed of this cropped version.

I also picked up this UFO during our recent heat wave at the beginning of the month...and figured it wouldn't take very long to finish. At first, I wondered why I had set it aside. It didn't take me long to figure out it was because I hated working on 12ct aida - the 4 strands for coverage made it a bit bulkie for my tastes. The pattern called for a 24ct stitchband that I didn't have. When I started it, I  remembered just having moved some 12ct., so I took it out and got started right away. I should have put a little more thought into it as I would have preferred using my 22-28 ct and  then I could have easily  added some sort of border stitching.There are 2 more in the set... so lesson learned...next time, I'll stitch on a higher count. The fabric that it's on is what I chose to use for backing fabric.

Patriotic bookmark...
United We Stand
Published in the October 2002 Issue of the Cross Stitcher (USA)
Designed by Pamela Kellogg
Fabric:12ct Off White Aida
Threads: DMC & Kreinik #4
Stitch Count: 24 x 80, 4 over 1
Cross Stitch, Backstitch



I also finished a small beading project - cuff bracelet pattern to be another one of my charity bookmarks.

Landscape1 © Lisa Strassheim (SmartArtsSupply) from her etsy store here
Miyuki delicas
Natural silimide
36 rows, 99 columns
even peyote

Not much Stash shopping this month - only the JCS Halloween and a few threads. Just realized that one of the threads I got was the wrong color to finish up an earlier project so  I'll probably be placing another order later this week.


 

Until next time,
Have a wonderful day.
Lisa M.

June 2018 a wee bit of stitching

Hello everyone,
Thanks so much for the kind words earlier this month. We are missing Samantha & Bucky - they were our very special rescues. Hopefully one day soon I'll be able to stitch up a memorial piece for both of them.

I finished up the designs in the Handblessing pattern I mentioned last month. I'm waiting for an order of floss (for cording and tassels) so I can actually finish them. Here are:

Holiday Stamps Backyard Bird Three Cent© 2017 Handblessings Eileen Gurak Designs

Cardinal
Fabric: I substituted 28ct Silkweaver Bluebell Cashel Linen for the Lavender Mist perforated paper
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 29 x 31,  1 over 1
Cross Stitch, Straight Stitch

**I had already stitched up the inner border in whole cross stitch like the goldfinches last month. I left this one as is, but the next 2, I stitched with the half crosses.

Holiday Stamps Backyard Bird Three Cent© 2017 Handblessings Eileen Gurak Designs

Chickadee
Fabric: I substituted 28ct Silkweaver Bluebell Cashel Linen for the Lavender Mist perforated paper
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 29 x 31,  1 over 1
Cross Stitch, Half Cross, Straight Stitch





Holiday Stamps Backyard Bird Three Cent© 2017 Handblessings Eileen Gurak Designs

Hummingbird
Fabric: I substituted 28ct Silkweaver Bluebell Cashel Linen for the Lavender Mist perforated paper
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 29 x 31,  1 over 1
Cross Stitch, Half Cross, Straight Stitch
Sorry for the poor photo- we had the blinds closed due to the heat. The fabric color is the same as above.




I was fortunate  to receive a PIF from a lovely stitching friend.

Wee One : Olde Glory ©2002 Heart In Hand Needleart  designer Cecilia Turner
Fabric: 30ct Natural
Threads: WDW (I had just enough red left to finish)
Stitch Count: 53 x 43,  2 over 2
Cross Stitch
I left off the sterling silver charm- probably will attach a button when I finish it.



 

New Stash...









I also have another beading project to share:

Lake 2 © Lisa Strassheim (SmartArtsSupply) from her etsy store here 
Miyuki delicas
White silimide
36 rows, 99 columns
even peyote

The yellow butterflies have been abundant this year.. here is one on our mock orange.


 






DH found out this week that he needs to have cataract surgery on both eyes. He is waiting until fall to schedule it.

It been hazy hot & humid the past few days (and for the next week or so). Today is our town's celebrations... town-wide garage sales, parade and fireworks at the beach. I'm staying put.. have some nice stitching picked out, the fans are running, and I'll be close if Mom & Dad need anything.

This was our sunset a few nights ago.. so lovely!
Until next time,

Have a wonderful day & Happy 4th of July!
Lisa M.