Red, white, and Blue

In honor of tomorrow being US Independence Day, I thought I'd post a few of my patriotic stitching projects. 

Little House Needleworks Liberty and Justice

Country Cottage Needleworks Liberty Lane.  Some friends and I collaborated to change the colors on this one.

Crescent Colours Liberty for Ewe.

Hester's Needle Liberty Sampler.  I love the saying on this one.  I also remember working on this both at my DD's in San Fran and also at my brother's in Hawaii.  (Does looking at certain projects remind you of what was happening in your life while you were stitching them?)

4 My Boys Liberty Manor

AuryTM Quaker Heart

Hinzeit Americana

From an old JCS issue

From another old JCS issue:

Prairie Schooler Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam

Happy birthday, USA!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

I'm singing an Easter cantata tonight with our church choir which will sure put me in the mood for this holy weekend.

I started another model this week but before I started, I stitched a couple of small spring themed pieces:

Bunny Wabbit by Val's Stuff (love this little guy!)

Spring ABC's by Lizzie Kate

Last night I took a break from model stitching and worked a bit on a (please don't ask me how) old wip that I dug out while watching OSU play in the final 4 of March Madness:

My "baby" celebrated his 17th birthday yesterday by going to the beach with some friends and then having them join us for dinner.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Friday check-in

I finished a cute model for Country Cottage Needleworks.  Of course I can't show it but you CCN fans will love it.  Next I'll start a model for Little House Needleworks and it looks to be another "winner".   I really enjoy stitching for both these ladies;  I'm a big fan of their designs.

I finished a little freebie from, I believe tantes zolder.  I saw it stitched up and made into a little pillow finish on someone's blog.  I really wish I'd written down the blog addy to link you to it.  If anyone knows, feel free to send me the url.

I acquired the last of the needed Belle Soie for LHN's Elizabeth Hancock.  I'm hoping to start it soon.  What a beautiful design and beautiful silks!

There are some other wips that deserve some attention;  hopefully I'll get to them soon.

I took in one of my samplers to the framer this morning.  (LHN Virtue Sampler)  I even have a place picked out where it will hang.

This was my first week without my walking buddy...although she was in town Wednesday so we "did" lunch.  As much as I enjoy walking and how it makes me feel, I have an inner battle with myself just getting started every morning.  I managed to walk 4 days (3 -4 1/2 milers and 1- 3 miler).  I have to get accustomed to my "new normal".  Finding another walking buddy would be nice too;  I have my feelers out.  In addition to the motivation, my buddy and I joke that we manage to talk out and solve the world's problems while walking together.  If ONLY someone would take our advice! ;-)

Happy stitching!

A little Friday show n tell

I finished the LHN model I was working on the other day so I picked up a couple of personal wips to stitch since then.

Coincidentally, Diane "revealed" a previous design that I model stitched for her, Spring Band Sampler.  You can see it on her blog here:

http://littlehouseneedleworks.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-update.html

I put a few more stitches in LHN Family Sampler:

...and a few more stitches in one of the PS Summer Samplers:

I may have mentioned that one of my DS's was hired as a model once for a drawing class at the community college here.  (It was a very interesting experience for him....a lot harder for him than he'd expected.)  I recently found out that one of the students painted a portrait of one of her sketches from that day and that she decided to give it to us after it was featured in an art exhibit.  I went to pick it up yesterday.  Now we have to figure out where the best place would be to hang it.  Right now "he" sits on my couch and I've startled a few times walking into the room and seeing "him" there.  (The real "he" is away at college.)  I think the artist did a pretty good job except she got his eye color wrong.  It will be a very nice keepsake for him.  (He LOVES playing his bass so he'll really like this.)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Friday Show n Tell

Thanks for all the nice comments about my stitching picture on the "header".  I'm a sucker for projects with personalization and this is one of my favorites that I've stitched.  It took a while for me to frame it and after I finally did, I wondered what took me so long. 

I have 2 finishes to show this week, the PS Woodland Santa (I want to stitch at least one more from that leaflet...someday) and a little cupcake freebie from The Floss Box.  I'm in a yahoo group in which we stitch and exchange themed blocks throughout the year.  That's what inspired the cupcake stitching.

Without further ado:

The colors in the PS one are pretty typical for me to stitch.  The cupcake one is "out of my box" but I love how bright and colorful this project is.  As small and easy as this one was, there sure was a lot of color changes...a few stitches of this, a few stitches of that, etc.

I just started a new model for LHN so can't show that until it's released but I also started another themed block.  I chose an old PS freebie for the garden flower theme:

I also just barely started Quaker Gone Tropic (another sal I'm in) by Michelle Ink only I'm using colors from Ink Circles' Hawaiian Mandal Sampler.  I'd like to stitch both and liked the brighter colors better.  Reminds me of all the bright flowers we saw in HI.  (I'm SO ready to go back but who knows when we ever will get to go.)

In the "patting myself on the back" file, my walking buddy and I completed our whole 5 days' walking by doing 4 1/2 miles all 5 days this week.  (We'd increased our distance from 3 miles to 4 1/2 but b/c of either weather or scheduling reasons this is the first week we've gotten to do all 5 days with the increased distance.)  Don't be too impressed.  It's flat as a pancake here so not a big physical challenge.  lol!

Busy but fun week coming up.  Today's baking day for me to prepare for tomorrow's band activities.  I'm working in the Judges' Hospitality Room setting up this afternoon and then being there all day tomorrow.  We'll be dining on chili at the chili supper tomorrow evening followed by a band concert.  After that's over, I'll get DS and me prepared for the band trip to Disneyworld. 

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope everyone has a fantaastic weekend!

Finally Friday!

I love Monday holidays!  I seem to "pay" for them though b/c I spend the rest of the week "discombobulated" and SO ready for the weekend.  lol!

One of the reasons I'm feeling tired is I had to be out 3 evenings this week, 2 meetings and a (longer than usual for some reason) choir practice...or maybe it's b/c of the cloudy skies we've had this week.

 I'm (figure)heading a team that is busy planning a hospitality room (breakfast, gallons of coffee, lunch, drinks, and snacks) for the judges of the upcoming (next week) band solo/ensemble contest that our band hosts.  It's a good team and I anticipate that our part will go smoothly.

My walking buddy and I took 4 4 1/2 mile walks and 1 3-miler this week.  We're becoming addicted;  I really miss it when we can't walk for whatever reason.  We'd been doing 3 milers for quite some time and decided that after the holidays we'd increase our mileage.  We both agree that aside from the extra time it takes, we're glad to be walking more.  It's so flat here, it's not much of a challenge.  lol!  This week's weather fluctuated a bit.  We had a couple of mornings where we bundled up in layers and then a few more mornings where we worked up a sweat and swatted skeeters.



It's going to be a busy few weeks!  In addition to the contest next Sat., the band also holds it's chili supper fundraiser (including a silent auction).  During the supper, serveral of the jazz bands play and we wrap up the evening with a band concert.  Shortly after that is the Disney trip, and the weekend after that is the Belled Dance.  (DS was invited last Sat. via a cake-gram.)

I've been stitching mostly on LHN's Family Sampler and PS Woodland Santa this week.  I put a few stitches in Quaker Gone Tropic but not enough for a picture yet.  I seem to be on the home stretch of the PS so maybe I'll have a finish pic next time.  (or maybe not.....I will probably have another model to work on next week too.)

Thank you all for reading my posts and for the nice comments.

An unwelcome visitor at our house, ornaments, and model

The stomach flu has made its rounds at our house.  YUK!  Our son attending college is glad he wasn't around for all the "fun".  We're all on the mend but nobody feels much like eating anything more substantial than soup and jello.  On the plus side, it should be good for avoiding eating too many Christmas treats.

I participated in a small ornament exchange and all the ornaments have been recieved so I can show them now.  First is the one I stitched, a Country Cottage Needleworks design from an older JCS ornament issue:

Here's the ornament I received, a SamSarah design from an older JCS ornament issue.  My friend, Renee, and I are both avid Ohio State fans and she changed some of the colors to scarlet and grey.  Perfect!  She also sent a little purchased OSU snowman ornament (not pictured).

Here's an ornament I stitched for another dear friend.  It's a Prairie Schooler from another older JCS ornament issue (see a theme here?):

Finally, it's such a pleasure to be a model stitcher for both Diane Williams (Little House Needleworks) and her daughter, Nikki Leeman (Country Cottage Needleworks).  Nikki just revealed a recent design for which I stitched the model.  I'm sure it will appeal to many of you.  You can see it on Nikki's blog here:

http://countrycottageneedleworks.blogspot.com/2011/12/in-meadow.html

That's it for this time.  I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season!

Don't faint!

I'm actually updating my blog in a short time from my last entry.

I'm still working on the LHN model.  Hope to finish this weekend. 

I also "finished" 2 ornaments but can't show them until after the recipients recieve them...which will only happen after I take them to the PO to be mailed.  (I'm leaving to do that in a few minutes.)

I CAN show you something, though.  I took a little time off model stitching to start Shakespeare's Peddler "A Weary World", which I'm stitching over 2 with overdyed cottons on Wichelt 32 count lambswool linen.   Not much to show but at least a start.  I'm already enjoying stitching this one.  A sampler....go figure!  :-)

DS was recovering nicely from his minor surgery when he came down with a horrid stomach virus.  He missed 2 days of school, one more than he missed because of his surgery.  He felt well enough to trek to the surgeon's office yesterday afternoon for a wound check.  lol!  2 hours in the car for a 10 minute appointment.  It turned out to be a good thing, though.  He had cabin fever so bad that I think he enjoyed the outing.

A Finish

I finished LK's Harvest Blessings last night.  Sorry the picture quality isn't that great.  Just in time because I have a new model to  start now.

I'm also working on an ornament for an exchange.

Diane Williams (Little House Needleworks) revealed a model I stitched for her called Autumn Band Sampler.  It was a joy to stitch and I love it so much, I'll have to stitch another for me to keep.  I love how she framed it too.  She previously designed one called Winter Band Sampler that her fans (including me!) love so much that she decided to do a whole series.  I'm anxious to see what she comes up with for Spring and Summer.  Please visit her website at www.littlwhouseneedleworks to see all her beautiful designs.

No football game this week.  I'm very tired so it will nice to have a break.

Catch up

Things have been pretty busy around here lately.  I volunteer a lot with DS's HS marching band.  We've finished our second week of band camp.  I work with some other wonderful women who support the band by trying to keep the kids hydrated, dispensing bandaids, etc., and generally helping out where needed.  We've been under a heat advisory since the beginning of camp and the kids so far are doing pretty well tolerating the heat.  We moms have been "working out" a lot by lugging cooler after cooler of ice water out to their practice field so they can refill their camelbacks.  This week they started putting some music to their drill, always exciting to see it begin.  Go, Buc Band!!

Yesterday we drove to Austin to move DS into his college apartment.  It's almost a 4 hour drive from here so, as you can imagine, it was a long day.  We discovered in Austin that we'd left part of his futon here at home so we'll be making another trip soon.  At least he can sleep on the mattress on the floor until we can make it back.

On the stitching front, a model I stitched for Nikki at http://www.countrycottageneedleworks.blogspot.com/ and http://www.countrycottageneedleworks.com/  has just been released on her blog so I can finally share it.  I loved this one!  My kitchen has an apple theme and I suspect I'll be stitching this one again for me.  Nikki seems to really be "on a roll" lately with lots of beautiful designs.

My birthday gift from DH this year was a StitchMate needlework stand and it just arrived Friday afternoon.  I think I'm going to love this...and wonder what took me so long to ask for it.  You can read about the stand here:  http://www.cozycottage.com/

I also finished and sent another model out to Nikki this week so I'm back to personal stitching (when I have any time or energy left from band.  I'm working on LHN's (Dianne Williams, Nikki's mother) designed this piece, Virtue Sampler:

I finished the Moonwalking with Einstein book (very interesting) and started another Erik Larson book,  IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: LOVE, TERROR, AND AN AMERICAN FAMILY IN HITLER'S BERLIN and am finding it very interesting.

Until next time, happy stitching!