Monday, May 9, 2011

mother's day

I wish I could say that Mother's Day was a wonderful day, but it wasn't. My mom is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean heading to Rome, Italy, but I did receive a call from her. We chatted just a bit while she was cruising across the pond. I received some lovely text from friends and family, and I had a great conversation with Aunt Pam.

Oh, yesterday just didn't turn out the way I wished it would or thought it should. Cameron was with his father for the weekend and that was all right with me. I made the choice not to spend it with Cameron AND Jose so that I could spend more quality time with just Jose. But things didn't go so well between us. A waste of a day, actually. Cameron does come home this evening, as I need the comfort of his upbeat sense of humor right now. A sneak peek of the usual dose I get of Cameron.
Yep! Can't wait until he comes home this evening. He's always full of surprises.
Talk soon...

Friday, May 6, 2011

smitten over


** Jose and Cameron
** Mom
** new blog looks
** Fridays
** moonlight stitchin'
** free weekends
** Sade's music
** laying pool-side
** reading from my Kindle
** summer
** stitching
** orchids
** kittens
** chats with Aunt Pam
** starting a new book
** a good movie
** margaritas
** Orion's belt on a clear night
** being in love
** cheese
** organizing
** close friends
** starting a cross stitch project
** finding lost misplaced items
** morning coffee outside
** samplers
** chocolate
** traveling
** laying in bed
** pasta
** freshly painted nails
** fabric
** primitives
** punchneedle
** a finished piece
** wikipedia
** a clean house
** shopping at my LNS
** Cameron telling me he loves me & smiling
** Jose telling me I'm pretty cool

Talk soon...

Thursday, April 14, 2011

shows open!


Run on over to the Online Needlework Show and check out all the venues. Get your list flowing and head to your LNS so they can pony up...lol. Anyway, you know the drill...Talk soon!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

"good news" post

I said I had "good news" to share in my last post. At least good news to my eyes. On Saturday, my LNS called to say two of my stitched pieces were framed and ready for pick up. I didn't waste any time. Now, please forgive my photography because I'm no photographer, but more importantly, I don't own a good camera anymore so I do my best with what I have.

The Sampler Lady by Little House Needleworks
I must raise my own needle with this one. I love, love, love the framework on this piece. It matches perfectly with the floral-work in the design and that's why I picked it. I could not be happier about the finish. Kathy, at my LNS, did a superb job!



Schoolgirl Lessons by Little House Needleworks

Again, I'm very pleased with how this design turned out all framed. I liked the beaded edging and for a reason I can't quite put my needle on, I thought it went well with the design (shrugging my shoulders). You may not notice, but around the edges of the beading there is slight hints of red which between that and the Country Vintage linen (that has hints of green), the red Belle Soie I used really pops. It's a dainty piece and I like that.

I finished both these LHN design in 2009 but because of my divorce that ensued afterwards, getting them framed took a backseat. A lot took a backseat, but these ladies are framed and home with fresh walls and a new slate of life.


My late-Aunt Lora stitched this for my mother (her sister) when I was born. Don't know who the designer is, but my mother told me it is stamped cross stitch. I'm divulging quite a bit of personal information about my self in this photo (lol), but I thought it was more important to demonstrate that all the women in my family are needle-crafters.

I'm a 4th generation cross stitcher and I take great pride in that. Since I don't have much to show for in the way of hand-me-downs from my dear Aunt Lora, who passed away from brain cancer when I was 17, I wanted to share what she made. Mom gave this to me over the weekend. I often walked around the homes of all my "mothers" and was envious of all their earlier pieces, some childhood handwork and some that they created for others, especially those no longer with us. I'm going to cherish this piece no matter how juvenile it may be. It's vibrant, cheerful, in great condition, and it's something my Aunt Lora stitched for her sister, my mom.

As everyone knows, Aunt Pam and I are extremely close. She has a piece of needlework in her kitchen that she did at a very young age (possibly between 6-10 years of age) that I'd love to have one day. In fact, Aunt Pam has tons of giant samplers worked all throughout her home - amazing stuff! Unfortunately for me, Aunt Pam has a daughter (my cousin Kari) that will, more than likely, inherit these treasured pieces.

This is all my good news for now. We've had several severe thunderstorms over the last couple months and we'll continue to have more. Today was gorgeous and tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. It's been difficult to take good pictures with all this happening...Take care and Talk soon!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

downton abbey

Another finish in my midst. It's really no big deal, but it counts.
It was a freebie by Tanya designed after a PBS production called "Downton Abbey." It was a fantastic series which I'd like to order on DVD at some point and re-watch.

Good news to share in an upcoming post...stay tuned...Talk soon!

Friday, April 8, 2011

i love a good mystery!

Don’t you?! Today I joined a club sponsored by Attic Needlework & Collectibles. And not just any club. A Mystery Sampler Club which will be sent in 3 portions over a 3 month period starting May 10. A photo of the sampler won’t be revealed until the 3rd and final portion is sent (oh the suspense!), but the fabric choices are terrific. I have chosen Lakeside Linen, 40 ct. Choice of threads are WDW or a conversion for silks, and since I don’t want to run out and collect 18 skeins of silk any time soon, I’m going to stick with WDW. This just works for me and it keeps the cost down.

The design is called “Birds of a Feather” by designer Brenda Gervais of Country Stitches / With Thy Needle & Thread. Jean Lea, from Attic Needlework & Collectibles, is extremely helpful and she creates a beautiful newsletter which I have also subscribed to. Jean's newsletter comes in a .pdf format so if you have trouble accessing the newsletter link I've provided, you can find it on her website under Newsletter - Here’s a sample of her recent newsletter – it’s fab-u-lous! But as of today, there's a new newsletter. Please subscribe AND sign up for the Mystery Sampler Club!

I also ordered "Feather Your Nest" cross stitch chart. It's so vibrant. That's it...Talk soon!