November 2019

Hi everyone,
It's time to share what I've been up to this month.
The month started out with a bang.
Lots of rain on Halloween (~2.00inches). Got windy overnight. Snow flurries mixed in early Friday am. Power cut out 9am. Phone lines also out. Local roads closed due to flooding.

And then this happened.
50' tall tree fell on top of another tree (about 40' high) and our driveway was blocked. Waited till the next day for the wind to let up before cleaning up the mess.

Power was restored late  Sunday afternoon. Phone and internet restored  a few hours later Sunday evening. House dropped to 54 ° F.  Just as well because Sunday night was another dusting of snow.









Veterans Day we saw about another 8" of snow and temps remained cool for the rest of the month. The few days above freezing didn't completely melt all the snow. we have some bare spots, but not for long. The latest weather reports show us getting anywhere from 6" to 24" snow tomorrow afternoon through Tuesday. (Some forecasts only have us in the 3-6" range).. so we'll have to see.

Stitching:
I finished last month's challenge piece.

Moonrise Ornament 1 (3rd from the left on the cover)©  2017 by Whispered by the Wind
Fabric: 28ct PTP Mirage Lugana
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 47 x 56, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, 2 fractional stitches, backstitch







Then I moved on to this freebie

Angela K. blog My Happy Memories (Make Stuff Be Happy)
Pumpkin Guarding Scissor Fob Freebie (here)
Fabric: 28ct Mystery evenweave
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 20x31, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch


 







While picking out projects for last month's challenge, I came across a few that just needed a little time to finish up...  This one I just had to finish the border

Monthly Mania - October ©2000  Heart in Hand Needleart
Fabric: 32ct Khaki
Threads: GAST, WDW

Stitch Count: 43 x 43, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Rhodes, back stitch







and this one I had a bit left of the colorful tail feathers

Thankful Kiss © 2009 the Cricket Collection freebie
Fabric: 28ct Cashel Linen Antique white
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 39 x 40, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, back stitch, fractional stitches, french knots








Next I returned to this lovely...
Handblessings Winter Memories Silhouette Snowman Makes A Friend ©2019 by Eileen Gurak
Fabric: 40ct white Newcastle (instead of 14ct white)
Threads: DMC ** Substituted some shades of gray for the dog's shadow(413), snowman's shadow (3799 and 413)and the close pine tree(3799) as I couldn't use 2 strands on the 40ct fabric.
Stitch Count: 88 x 87, 1 over 1.
Left off the snowflake charm as it will be too big for this size fabric.
Cross Stitch, 1/2 cross stitch


Finally, this is where I'm at...  I started this lovely that I bought from ETSY.

Dear Santa It Was the Dog © Cross Stitch Wonders
Created from original art by Black Cats Media
Fabric: 28ct white evenweave
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 120 x 120, 2 over 1
Cross Stitch

 




Lots of finishing work to be done this winter for all these lovely smalls.

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

February 2019 - Let it snow...

Hi everyone,
It's been a colder than normal month with lots of snow - and several storms of icy mix ...but not as much snowfall as my brother has seen in his new traveling nurse posting. He is in Prescott Arizona since the end of January and he has been re-introduced to winter with record snowfall amounts. Much different than his last 30+ years in sunny Florida.


Stitching:
Since we've had a lot of snowy days, I thought that it was time for a snowman or 3...shoveling and power outages have kept me out of my sewing room.. but looking forward to getting in there this coming week to get these finished up.

I started out with this cute ornie...

Snowman Stocking© Sigrid Designs/Thumb-Elena published in the Christmas Ornaments 1997 Issue of Just Cross Stitch
Fabric: 28ct Black Jobelan
Threads: DMC
Beads: Mill Hill
Stitch Count: 70 x 35, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, back stitch










Then I moved onto this little freebie... (thinking about finishing this as a flat fold )

Yahoo Snow Day ©Sisters & Best Friends
Fabric: 28ct opalescent Luguna Silkweaver Snow Storm
Threads: GAST
Beads: Mill Hill
Stitch count: 44 x 75, 2over 2
Cross Stitch










And yet another freebie..

Snowman's Surprise Complimentary Design ©2007 Sharon Crescent for Crescent Colors
Fabric: 18ct Zweigart Stone Grey Aida instead of the called for Abecedarian
Threads: Crescent Colors / Classic Colorworks

Stitch count: 50 x 74, 2 over 1
Cross Stitch

Another freebie, this was was fun although I has the frog visit more than once on this one.

Cardinal Mitten © November 2018  The Cross-Eyed Cricket
Fabric: 32ct Belfast Silkweaver Spanish Moss
Threads: DMC
Stitch count:42 x 43, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, French Knots

 








And then getting tired of the white threads, I returned 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
January 30, 2019: 15140 completed now at 15910 stitches completed

New Stash:

Rosewood Manor:Christmas Blues





 

Midnight stitching Heartstruck, Heartstruck Holidays, Heartstruck Seasons I, a few rainbow gallery threads, kreinik blending threads,  and some beads so I could finish a few things from last month

Waxing Moon Designs Winter grows on you, and The stitching bear's snowflake kisses

 

I also received my February installment of the Silver Needle Stitching with friends circle kit







What I've read: 
I started Murder Most Howl by Krista Davis I'm enjoying it - but have been too tired at night to do much reading. Hopefully, things will get better in the next few weeks as daylight increases and temps start to climb.


Updates:

We've seen a parade of deer on the property... these were taken just a few days ago.. after nibbling on the thorn apple...

this one turned and looked at me  as if to say... "where are the apples"?

They've been eating everything in sight... I'm sure my azaleas have been a tasty treat for them... Hopefully they left enough to recover... although I doubt I'll see many flowers from them this year.





So looking forward to the next month or so ... or at least spring when it gets here....it looks like we will finally be getting rid of our dial-up internet... FIOS is coming to our road sometime in the next 4-6 weeks - we need Mother Nature to cooperate - our existing phone line runs underground...not sure if this will be underground once spring gets here (MAY?)- said they'll lay on the ground and come back to bury... or if they'll run an overhead line...just waiting for the snow to melt so they can get to a pole on the property to determine best option.

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

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.

March 2017 (Spring is in the Air) + April 2017 ( Easter treats)

Hello everyone,

It's been awhile since I posted...Life has kept me busy.

March came in like a lamb... and then turned into a lion all in the first day! Mid-month (Pi Day) brought snow (almost 2 feet) with blizzard conditions that came with the coastal storm. March ended like a lion with winds, rain, and snow flurries.





The weather has been bouncing.. some warm days then a cool patch... then slowly warming up again... We have green grass and our trees are starting to shoot. The crocuses, hyacinths, and daffodils have been opening up in the past week. Last night we had another frost, so it's much too early to begin planting anything other than the snow peas.


I took part in another ornament exchange - this one was Easter themed.

My partner CC (Australia) stitched me this beautiful waxing moon design - bunny egg mini.
So beautifully stitched and finished....I just adore it!

The backing fabric is just as lovely.

We mailed our parcels on the same day March 20th... Her parcel to me arrived before Easter...Around April 8th. The package I mailed her took the long route to it's destination - and only arrived a few days ago.

The design I stitched for  CC was from Book #107 Just Hatched © 2003 The Prairie Schooler
Fabric: 32ct Ivory Evenweave
Threads:DMC
Stitch Count:64 x 54, 2over 2
Cross Stitch
I also made her a little pincushion with the same design..

I found a cute bunny bead so that meant making a scissors bling, and I attached a magnet to this cute little wooden chick to make a needle minder.

Then I found this cute fabric with easter eggs, and dug out some white bunny buttons, and... voila...finished this cute ort container.








Since my package was apparently lost, I started in on another Easter design to mail out as a replacement and was just finishing it up this week when I got the word that she received my package.

Parade Bunny Egg © March 2017 Complimentary chart from the Cricket Collection
Fabric: 32ct Antique Ivory Evenweave
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 35 x 43, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, French Knots

Other stitching for March & April was this lovely design that will either be a small bookmark or an ornament.
Alphabet Dogs #295: Puppy © 2014 JBW Designs
Fabric: 32ct Antique White
Threads: WDW
Stitch Count: 33 x 43, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch

And, I finished up another bookmark...an older freebie...
Penguins © Charles Craft
Fabric: 18ct antique white
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 34 x 114, 2 over 1
Cross Stitch

As I mentioned in my last post, I started a spring stitch...I still haven't finished it yet...I have to dig out my other skein of oatmeal and just haven't had the time to go through my kitted up patterns.
Wee Spring © 1996 Heart in Hand (Cecilia Turner Needle Artist) part of the wee one series
Fabric: 32ct Desert Sand
Threads: GAST, Wisper
Stitch Count: 68 x68, 2 over 2
Cross Stitch, Back Stitch, Eyelet Stitch

New Stash: I caved... I saw the cute new Spring in a Mouse House design and ordered the series... and while I was at it,  the Rosebud Tweet flew into my shopping cart along with Frony Ritter He Arose.

Then I got an email - I won this chart during the online needlework show.This will be a lovely tribute piece. I have the fabric ordered and hope it gets here soon.

And lastly, I received my final kit in the Silver Needle stitching circle of friends round 2. 










My brother's contract job has ended and he stopped in for a short visit before heading southwest. We celebrated his May birthday before he left.

My niece went to France & Italy - and was in Paris during the recent events. So glad she is safely home.

Dad continues to heal and sees a quite a few of his specialists this month, And his birthday celebration was at the end of last month.

Tomorrow I'm cooking a special meal as this week is my Mom's birthday and she asked for her favorite dessert... I decided a whole meal delivered would give her a nice treat.

Samantha is doing fine.. although she continues to have flare ups of the colitis... still treating each episode until they become so close that we need to keep her on the medication permanently.

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

May Stitching from Stash check in

Hello everyone,
It's time for my monthly check in for the Stitch from stash 2015-A hosted by Mel at Epic Stitching.

Month: May 2015
Budget Amount: $25.00
Spent: $13.49 (Just Nan Bluebird Tweet)
Earned: $4.00 (nutkin Mitten) + $ 2.00 (Star card) + $4.00 (baseball bookmark) = $10.00
Carry Forward: $25.00 - $13.49 spent +$10.00 earned + $126.00 carried from last month =$147.51

This was another busy month. Dad is healing - but slowly so that meant weekly trips to the surgeon's office as well as his other medical appointments.  His sutures and staples were removed this past week.

I've been trying to spend as much time as possible outside at our house as well as at Mom & Dad's doing necessary yard work. It was a long winter - and we even had another frost a few days ago. It hit our blooming azaleas and peonies but luckily the apple trees and crabapples seem to have escaped the damage.

My brother came up from Florida for a surprise visit. (Well - actually it was a surprise for Mom (and Dad) as he wanted to see her for her birthday and Mother's Day). We knew he was coming for a few months.

We had a visitor to our bird feeders a few weeks ago. It was so nice to see the splash of color from this indigo bunting. (we normally only see blue jays and the occasional eastern bluebird).

That inspired my purchase for the month. This lovely Just Nan Bluebird design.















So with this busy month, I still managed to get some stitching done.

First up is  this freebie that I got in the mail.
Nutkin Mitten © 2014 The Cricket Collection
Fabric: 28ct Spruce Green Pastel Cashel Linen
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 42 x 43, 2 over 2
Cross stitch * contains fractional stitches, backstitch, French knot

Next I picked up my Just Cross Stitch Magazine that arrived in the mail and chose to bring along a project to several of Dad's appointments.
Hardanger Card Duo- Star Card by Roz Watnemo published in the June 2015 Issue of Just Cross Stitch
Fabric: 28ct antique white lugana
Thread: Caron Wildflowers (I didn't have any black iris on hand... but I did have some Appalachia)
Stitch Count: 82 x 18, 1 over varies
Horizontal and vertical Satin stitch, lazy daisy, backstitch, woven bars
It will be finished as a bookmark when I get the chance to cut and fold some card stock.

Another project I worked on in various waiting rooms was this lovely bookmark pattern that I found in 501 Cross Stitch Designs by Sam Hawkins for American School of Needlework, Inc. © 1993
Fabric: 18ct ivory Aida
Threads: DMC
Stitch Count: 61 x 21, 2 over 1
Cross stitch, backstitch
Somewhere I have some home plate eyelets and baseball brads that I will use to embellish this when finishing it.

Lastly, I filled my quiet days with a little of this Heaven and Earth Design.
HAED 2012 BB SAL SK Forbidden Doorway Chart Design by Michele Sayetta Artwork by Meredith Dillman
Fabric: 28ct Picture this Plus Opal Moonglow
Threads: DMC & Kreinik #4
Stitch Count: 75 x 291, 1 over 1, full cross

At last count I had finished 14535 stitches, now she is at 15750! So close - I really hope to finish this one up soon as I have at least three more that have been calling for me to start them.

That's it for now.
Until next time - Have many wonderful days!
Lisa