November 2017 - Giving Thanks & A Lovely Exchange

Hi everyone,
Last month I mentioned taking part in a Christmas exchange. This was an exchange offered on the 123 stitch message board. Mail out date was for it to arrive by the 1st of November.

I can now share with you this lovely exchange.For my partner, A.D. ,I chose to stitch:

 A Merry Little House © Thea Dueck of the Victoria Sampler published in the 2008 Special Christmas Issue of Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments (Front views)
Fabric:32ct Lemon Zest by silkweaver and 32 ct Black
Threads:Kreinik Silk Mori, Gloriana Silk, Caron Collection Waterlilies, NPI Silk, DMC 12 for cord
Stitch Count: 46 x 18 for sides 1 & 3, 41 x 18 sides 2 & 4, 18 x 18 Base, 13 x 18 Roof (2 pieces)
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Straight stitch, French Knot, over 1 stitching
We had unexpected company as I was gluing the foam core to the roof pieces, so it was a bit more fiddly to work with while assembling... but all in all it didn't turn out to bad. In hindsight, I would have used a much lighter thread for the backstitch in the roof area,  instead of the charted color. I also forgot how small it would be on 32ct instead of the 28ct.

Back view














 

Bottom...

I also beaded my partner this lovely purple colorway Soldier © Jill Oxton Cross Stitch and Beading Issue 67
Miyuki Delicas
Blue Nymo thread
Stitch Count:27 x 43
Square stitch

When I found out my partner liked the color  purple, I dug though my stash and found I had some purple fabrics to make her some fabric trays.

And a matching ort catcher...I filled the trays with skeins of thread, a package of needles, a beaded scissor fob, a button turned into a needleminder, and a sweet treat from our area -maple syrup candy. I'm so happy that my partner liked her Christmas surprise.

She made me this beautiful ornament.

Here's a closer look...

And here is the back...

So lovely! She included some wonderful extras that will be put to good use...A holiday towel, some DMC threads, a notepad & purple pen...and a flat magnifier which will come in very handy for my HAED projects....Thanks so much A.D. It was a lovely exchange!







This little treasure was in my freebies binder that I got with an online order. Such a fun quick little stitch  -
So Thankful © 2011 by Cathy Habermann & Theresa Curry Cherrywood Design Studios
Fabric: 28 ct flax evenweave
Threads:WDW
Stitch Count:42 x 42, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch

New Stash: Just Nan Christmas Mouse in a House










Samantha is doing fine. She's happy that the colder weather has come.. and overjoyed on the mornings that we've woken up to a fresh dusting of snow.

Earlier this week, left home to take Mom shopping..but only made it about 15 miles before I had car problems- overheated. Turns out the water pump needed to be replaced. Luckily it was fixed the next day. 

Yesterday (Friday) was a busy day... While DH was away at a Dr. appointment, I was making pies for our historical society to sell at the annual Christmas Bazaar. I baked three pies for the sale: a peppermint cheesecake brownie, fudge- topped pecan- cream cheese -brownie pie, and a pumpkin cheesecake pecan crust. Also made a traditional pumpkin pie for my parents house as they are expecting company this weekend.

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

This week's small finish

Hello everyone,
It's been hazy, hot and humid here this past week. We've been lucky - we had very little damage from the rains and wind. Hopefully the rain will hold off this evening as our town has fireworks tonight.

This week's project is for our dear friend JM who loves bunnies. We are getting together in August and I wanted to have a little gift for her.

Honey Bunny Limited Edition Ornament Pinkeep by Nan Caldera © 2013 Just Nan, Inc.
Fabric 32ct Country Mocha Belfast
DMC Threads
Stitch Count 46 x 27, 2 over 2










 
 And I finished another little beaded fish.
 This one is from Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch & Beading, Issue Sixty Four © October 2005
Long Nosed Butterfly Fish by Jill Oxton
Square Stitched
Miyuki Delica Beads
Gold Silamide Thread
Stitch Count: 39 x 29

That's it for this week - I have received my supplies for an upcoming exchange so I'll work on that this week.Hopefully I'll also find some time to finish another project that has been in my basket so I'll have something to share again next week.
Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

A few small finishes

Hello everyone,
This week I wanted to share another small finish that had been sitting in my finishing basket for too long.

French Country Ornaments Reindeer Collection, Reindeer 2 designed by Judy Whitman © 2011 JBW Designs
Fabric: 28 ct R&R French Vanilla
Threads: Crescent Colors
Stitch Count 21 x 23, 2 over 2
Embellished with cherry cola Miyuki Delicas







 



And... this week's beaded fish

Batwing by Jill Oxton from Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch & Beading, Issue Sixty Four © October 2005

Natural Silamide
Miyuki Delica Beads
Stitch Count 43 x 24 , Square Stitch






 

Another one of our summer visitors is back - enjoying the mock orange blossoms.

Thanks so much for all your comments. They really brighten my day!

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Summer and under the sea

Hello everyone,
What a difference a week makes! It's hard to believe that last weekend we were seeing frost and snow mixing in with rain and now we are seeing temps that are summer - mid 80's ° F. I haven't gotten much stitching done this week - our living room fan is too close to my stitching area - but it will cool down in a few days and things will be back to normal. Since it feels so much like summer, here is:

Summer Ornament by Pamela Byrd Smith of The Prairie Schooler, Inc.
Just Cross Stitch Magazine June 2007 Issue
Fabric: 32ct Lambswool
DMC Threads
Stitch count 36 x 51, 2 over 2







As the temps climb I find myself spending more time on the ground floor our our home where I have a little area set up to work on some beading projects.  I was looking through my magazines came across a few patterns that I thought would make a nice mobile for my brother when I get them all finished. My brother worked part time in a pet store when we were young. As a result, we had lots of pets - birds, fish, snakes... you name it. We also had several aquariums in our house - salt and fresh water. Here are the first two that I finished. 

Regal Angelfish by Jill Oxton
Jill Oxton Cross Stitch & Beading, Issue 62 © April 2005
Light Gray Silamide
Miyuki Delica Beads
Stitch Count: 54 x 29







Small Gold Seahorse by Jill Oxton
Jill Oxton Cross Stitch & Beading, Issue 65 © January 2006
Natural Silamide
Miyuki Delica Beads
Stitch Count: 26 x 53

 I found a few more fish patterns  in an older (1983) Dover Booklet that I had forgotten about, now I just have to wait for some beads to arrive in the mail so I can get started on these.

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Checking in after Sandy

Hello Everyone,
What a week. We had the wind gusts from Sandy...not much rain. Had some broken tree limbs, a broken clothesline, and possibly some damage to our chimney - but not much else. We didn't even lose power this time. Our birds have had to adjust as we kept our feeders on the clothesline about 20' off the ground (well away from the bears), and for now we are using a post attached to the deck.

We are saddened when we watch the news showing the areas so badly hit. Most of DH's family live on Staten Island, New Jersey, or Connecticut area. We have been patiently waiting to hear from them. Some have called ... just waiting to hear from the rest of them.



I did want to share a  beading finish with you. I couldn't decide which owl to do for Beth's exchange, but after choosing the horned owl and seeing how lovely it looked, I knew I needed to make the other 3. I still have to do the snowy owl... Hope to find time for that one soon.

Oriental Bay- Owl © October 2007 Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch & Beading Issue Seventy Two

Silamide thread,
Miyuki delica beads (7 colors almost 900 beads)
square stitched

Stitch Count 26 x 42

I started stitching my Christmas exchange earlier this week, but I think I have to start it again on a different fabric- I think the milk chocolate fabric is to dark for the colors I'm using. I 'll probably continue later today adding in some snow... maybe that will make the difference.

We've had flurries in the air a few days this week, so we have a few more outdoor chores to finish. Plastic on the lower windows, planters need to be put away, and the tractor needs to be converted to blow snow.  And we need to find the cause of the leak at our wood stove / chimney connection.

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh my.....

Hello Everyone,
How about Birds and bears and sea life instead? Last month I took part in another Stitched With Love Exchange. This time the theme was animals. We listed out three favorite animals. I received my package from Lisa V. 
I opened up the beautifully wrapped parcels to find this Carriage House Designs wall hanging. Such beautiful stitching - I just love the creative finish she chose for me.














These are the extras she included. So thoughtful of her to include something from each of my choices. Thank you Lisa for such a lovely exchange.










My partner was Beth. One of her favorite animals was owls.

I chose to make her a needle case from the pattern
Frolic In The Foliage © 2010 Blue Ribbon Designs LLC
32ct Beige (Weeks)
WDW Threads








 I love the brilliant reds of our sugar maples, so I substituted aztec red for the pumpkin leaves. I left the tree as charted for the back.
Stitch count 45H x 43W, 2 over 2

I also wanted to included a small beaded project. Horned Owl © October 2007 Jill Oxton from  Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch  & Beading Issue Seventy Two Miyuki Delica Beads (6 colors)- almost 1200 beads. I substituted Natural Silamide for the blue Nymo thread 

Stitch Count: 34W x 42H

Square Stitch.

Here is the complete package with the extras I included.Beth was very pleased with her package.

You can see all the other lovely exchanges at the gallery here.










I'll leave you with a rare visitor to our field. 
















One last look.


I'm off to finish my stitching for my fall exchange. Somehow, my cold last week messed me up. I started to assemble earlier this week, and noticed that I managed to stitch the front piece twice instead of the front and back. LOL!

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Fall is in the air

Hello Everyone,

Fall is my favorite season - even though it is the busiest time for us.We've had a few frosts, which means that I get a bit of a break from these pesky allergies. It also means that I can be outdoors without getting numerous insect bites. The burning bushes are turning brilliant red, the black walnut tree is turning golden yellow, and the sugar maples have begun to display some oranges.





Amid the falling leaves, we had a kestrel show up.













I  haven't had much time for stitching - I spent some time picking out a fall exchange piece -and spent even more time pouring through my Just Cross Stitch Halloween and Christmas ornament issues.

Another reason I love fall is because early next month is our anniversary. With that in mind,  I thought I'd have a giveaway for a few threads and the September /October 2012 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine. This is the Annual Halloween Issue - not the special edition issue. Just leave a comment. I'll pick a name on October 1st.

Last entry I mentioned a beading project.
Barn owl. from Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch and Beading Issue 72 © October 2007
7 colors of Miyuki Delicas (911 beads)
Cream Nymo Thread
Stitch Count 28w x 43H
Square stitch

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Soldier Cameo

Here's my first beaded ornament / suncatcher for the year. It's hard to get a good picture as the light reflects off the beads.

Christmas Cameos: Soldier (green version - I hope to do the red, blue & purple versions later this year)

From Jill Oxton's Cross Stitch & Beading Issue No 67

Square Stitch

Thread: Light Grey Silamide

Miyuki Delica Beads (13 colors)

Stitch count 27w x 43H

Dipped in acrylic wax to stiffen

Lisa