I don't know about you, but the cold, grey winter days are starting to wear me down! So, I decided that this week I would finish a piece that would cheer me up and make me smile. I couldn't resist this little design from Country Cottage Needleworks, which can be found in the 2007 JCS Christmas Ornament issue. Yes, it was designed as a Christmas ornament, but I changed the word "Peace" to "Welcome" and am very pleased with the result. I love the softness of the DMC colors against the rough texture of the 16 ct. natural Heatherfield.
Now let me tell you, having lived with only males (my husband and our three sons) over the past 33 years, pink is not a color I've seen much of in my house. I am thrilled to see a touch of it in this little stitching--watch out guys there may be more pink to come! I backed the tiny pillow with the green fabric shown in the background and trimmed it with a bright, white cording. It now sits on a wooden shelf next to my kitchen door ready to welcome friends and family...
I worked at the library more days than usual this week, so only made a bit of progress on my January Sampler... The lettering is all done and I think the various shades of blue are so pretty. Although there is a lot of white looming ahead, I am loving stitching the cute, red house and all of the snow-covered trees. Can't wait until I get to the deer and the sled rider...Will I have it finished by next weekend? Stay tuned!I'm getting more and more overdyed threads in my collection and I'm wondering how you all store yours? I have just been putting them in ziploc bags, but it takes forever to find the color I'm looking for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated...
It snowed all night and is still snowing here in western Pennsylvania! I'll have to say that I can't remember having this much snow in many, many years. The views from each window are just spectacular--the way the wind has created peaks and valleys and sculptures of snow in our yard that aren't normally there. All I can say is wow! I was scheduled to work today, but just found out the library is closed...Yippee! I feel like a little girl who just found out she got a "snow day." Hmmm...wonder what I'll do with my unexpected "free" time today? Hope all of you who are snowbound stay safe and warm and enjoy your extra stitching time...
Edited at 1:22 PM--just wanted to add some pictures of our 22" snowfall! It is so beautiful outside, well, until you attempt to shovel! We finally cleared the driveway, but I don't know if my back will ever be the same...
Thank you all so much for your great comments each week--you really make my day!
Good morning from bright, sunny, but very cold Nova Scotia! Great stitching!!
ReplyDeleteI store my overdyed threads on metal rings, in alphabetical order, and then place them in a plastic container. I'm sure other stitchers will have better ideas though!!
Take care
marion
Love your welcome cushion , well done .
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoyed your Snow Day . xxx
I love the changes you made to the ornament. It's not too pink or too girly so it should fit in just fine with your manly household!
ReplyDeleteStay warm and cozy! I'm hoping the weatherman is right and we'll have sun tomorrow. I'm sick of the rain and gray skys.
Hi Carol !
ReplyDeleteNo ! No ! I haven't better ideas about you overdyed threads because I place them in ziploc container too !!!!!
Your touch of spring is beautiful but I fell in love for your January Sampler !!!!.... I would like to stitch it one day !!!!! if I find to buy the chart...
Thanks to the snow !!!!! You can stay quietly in the warmth to you !!!
I would like that you take us photos of your garden under the snow!!!!!
It must be so attractive!
Here, near Paris, it is raining!!!!!! I would prefer to have some snow!
Have a good week-end, Carol !
Bisous.
I think that your cushion is just perfect. I don't think that the pink is going to offend the men in your house, and us women need a little bit of pink occasionally.
ReplyDeleteI need a touch of spring too Carol! We got hit with another winter storm, mostly sleet and rain but still...
ReplyDeleteLove the little ornament. Like you, with two boys I haven't seen much pink in my life either. :o) It does remind you of the promise of spring.
Your January piece is coming along quickly, I really like the colors in it too. I have started a small collection of the overdyed threads and I used the floss bag storage system Sharon (Daffycat) wrote about on her blog. If you can't find the post, email me and I'll send you a link. It works great for me.
Wonderful change to the CCN design, I love it! The colors in the WM sampler are lovely, I agree :) No snow still for us up here! Very unusual.
ReplyDeleteCarol, I just love the way it tunred out :) Congratulations :)
ReplyDelete((hugs))
Carol,
ReplyDeleteI sooo know what you mean about pink in the house!!!! I have recently, in the past 6 months or so, begun treating myself to more pink. A pink baseball hat from the boy's little league, a pink jacket, a pink shirt.....
I have pretty much decided that I will plant lots and lots of pink annuals in my garden this year too.
And, I am contemplating doing a quaker sampler in various shades of pink. Not sure where it would go in the house, but I'd find a spot!
Good morning from rainy but yet still warm northern Califronia. I love your little finish, I think you should stitch more pink to balance out the testosterone in the house LOL
ReplyDeleteI do not have a system as of yet for storing my overdyes...But I think I need one since it takes me ages to find what I am looking for LOL
I am sure this finished design will be a great sight for friends and family to see when they come to visit.
Take Care and enjoy your school day :)
Carol, I love your CCN finish, the change of word is perfect and given the overwhelmingly male household that you live in I definitely think a touch of pink here and there is a good thing! Great progress on your January sampler. I have no great system for storing my overdyeds. I've a large box for each brand, some of the threads are in little baggies, some aren't. I do have a printed list of colours with ticks beside the ones I have and I keep that in the box so I don't have to scramble through everything trying to find out if I have the colour or not.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've got a lot of snow, but how nice to have an unexpected day at home - enjoy!
Lovely finish on the cushion.
ReplyDeleteBut how did you get the cording to "meet" up neatly? I just can't seem to and most tutorials aren't very enlightening.
That's a beautiful ornament. I so love the changed you made.
ReplyDeleteCan't help with the overdyed as i don't have much so i only store what i have in a small plastic container.
Have a wonderful weekend.
The "pink" ornie is so sweet! and your January sampler is looking just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much done with all the greyness too. ACK! I must find something springy to stitch.
Omgosh, look at all that snow!! Take it easy on your back...can't imagine having to shovel all of it!
ReplyDeleteI organize my overdyeds in the same way as Marion. I put them in floss away bags, label each bag and then put them in alpha order on big metal rings and store them in the top drawer of my stitching storage cabinet. It takes some time but now they are pretty easy to find. When I need Gast...I pull the big ring with all the Gast and since they are in alpha order, I'm set.
Love your wips. The cushion is cute and a great idea changing the word to Welcome.
Love the CCN finish and your WIP. As many people, my overdyed threads are either stored on rings or ziplock bags and then in a plastic container.
ReplyDeleteI love your little "Spring" welcome ornament. I'm sure it will make spring come faster!
ReplyDeleteGreat progress on the January Sampler! It will be done before you know it.
Wow -- you got a lot of snow. Chicago missed getting this batch of snow, and I'm sure happy about that. I am SO ready for SPRING.
Have a great week!
BrendaS
Very beautiful stitching! I just love your finishing on the little pillow!
ReplyDeleteI love that pillow, I hope you're staying warm in all that snow, but it is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteHey Buddie:) Great stitch/finish, have always loved this one. A few flakes here, no accumulation. Keep warm, hope you enjoyed your snow day, what a treat to find you had the day off!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Wow - look at that snow!! Love the finishes and stitching!
ReplyDeleteNow that's what I call some amazing snowfall! Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteI love your Welcome cushion, the colours are very pretty and soft looking.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful winter wonderland the snow has created at your house! I have NEVER seen snow like you have at the moment.
It's been very hot here this weekend. Do you get very hot temperatures in the summertime?
Enjoy the rest of your weekend Carol.
I love the ornament and the change you made! What a clever idea...it is so springy too. Will definitely borrow/steal this idea
ReplyDeletehappy stitches....
You did an excellent job on this cute little pillow. Love the colors. I like the progress on the other piece. Your pictures of the snow are so nice. We didn't get but a couple of flurries and I was upset when I HAD to go to work today. I was hoping it would be a snow day also.
ReplyDeleteThat is some serious snow fall that you have happening. It is hot and muggy here in Aust. Love the touch of pink and your January Sampler is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWaouhhhh !!! You indeed have a beautiful coat of snow !
ReplyDeleteThanks for these photos !
Have a good sunday !
Hugs.
Carol, I love your little ornament, maybe is will make spring come faster? :)
ReplyDeleteAnd the other picture you are working on... it will be so so beautiful.
It seems this year there is a lot of snow everywhere. In Hungary it is also snowing and snowing, and even in Spain we had many snow days. I like very much when everything is so white and silent but I hope spring will come soon now :)
I miss the snow. Not the bundling up and putting on boot and going out to snowblow the driveway or driving in it. I just miss the crunch of it under your feet and catching the snowflakes on your tongue...
ReplyDeleteNot that I can complain too much as Dallas had a white Christmas and Wisconsin didn't...but it wasn't much in the way of volume :(
Love the samplers
Your welcome piece looks so delicate and feminine....it's great!
ReplyDeleteRe: overdyed threads, I put them in Floss-a-Way baggies with the color name written on them, then file them alphabetically in plastic shoeboxes.
I hope you have a snow blower! Yikes!
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteI love the beautiful snow pictures of your yard! Are things getting back tonormal there?
Love your new Welcome ornament!
Ann from Kalamazoo
I love your January piece. The blues are so pretty and so it the curling smoke rising from the chimney. Your "welcome" finish is pretty as well! Time for putting the feet up and more stitching to rest that back from the shoveling. That's my plan after a hot shower.
ReplyDeleteRobin
http://stitchingwitch.blogspot.com/
Two lovely projects. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I started following your Christmas ornaments last year but only recently left a comment as I never had a google a/c till I started my own blog.
ReplyDeletekind regards, Shirley
LOVE your finish Carol! I stitched this one but used the word Peace. I like how you changed yours :o)
ReplyDeleteYour WM piece is really coming along nicely. I guess having a snow day definitely helps ;o) That's A LOT of snow too! It's just cold here and that's okay with me.
I store my threads in plastic trays inside drawers. Two trays per drawer. Just recently I went through and alphabetized them. I imagine at some point I'll have to go back and do it again but for now it works! LOL!
Wow, Carol!! Talk about a lot of snow. It looks so pretty but I know it's not so fun to drive in it. Beautiful stitching, both on your smalls finish and your WIP!
ReplyDeleteAs for storing my threads, I keep my overdyed threads stored in floss away bags, in alphabetical order on their own (each company) metal ring. I buy the jumbo rings. I do the same with DMC--each hundred (ie, 700 - 799) has its own ring, and my NPIs are on their own ring, too. I then have all of that stuffed into a large drawer in the living room side table next to where I sit. I'm running out of space but it's what works best for me at the moment.
Je découvre votre blog ! Et j'adore !
ReplyDeleteJ'aime ce petit modèle sur le printemps ! Ca fait du bien ... avec cet hiver bien froid !!!
Je reviendrais ,-)
J'aime beaucoup ce que jy ai vu ;-)
Bonne journée !
Sophos
I do the same thing as some of the other stitchers like Marion and Valerie - threads in alphabetical order on a ring, and stored by brand in ziploc bags.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have seen some great ideas. I can't remember which blog I saw it on, but they used a hanging thread keeper like this one: http://www.annieskeepers.com/howitworks.php
And Cathey is super organized: http://pumpkinpatchandco.blogspot.com/2007/11/enter-if-you-dare.html
Oh, my gosh what a beautiful, beautiful blog you have here! I'll have to go back though to see your ornaments from last year's challenge!
ReplyDeleteWhen Witches is a really fun design for me; I started purposely at the densest area so that everything would be "downhill" once I got to the words. I'm using a conversion to Crescent Colours which I didn't publish because it isn't mine, but if you are interested just let me know and I'll send it to you. I really like PS, but many times want to see the floss choices jazzed up a bit. ;)
I also LOVE your Holly and Ivy; someday I really want to have one in my curio! :D
That is a LOT of snow! We're expected to get 6-12" over the next couple days. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteYour Welcome pillow looks so precious! I'm really enjoying your progress on January.
Here i am moaning about a few flakes of snow that we had today when i had to go out in it, but it was nothing like the beautiful view of your garden.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful finish, stitch more pink!
Hi Carol,
ReplyDeleteThe snow is so pretty! We have a little bit here today, but not nearly as much as you. Hope you enjoyed your snow day. Those words bring much joy in this house of educators here. LOL! Your CCN ornament is very pretty and I like the change you made. I know what you mean about pink. It is one of my favorite colors and I bring it into my home as much as I can. No daughters here either, and even the dog is male! :) The January sampler is looking so fabulous! I can't wait to see the sledder pop onto the scene. :)
As for storing overdyeds, I use floss away bags and rings. I have a ring for each brand of overdyed thread... Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Arts, Crescent Colors, etc. Then I put the threads/floss away bags in alphabetical order on those rings. The rings are in a big plastic file box until I can find something better. This works for me and usually it is not too difficult to find something if I am good about putting them back where they belong when I finish a project. :)
A touch of spring, I think we all need that now. I'm so tired of seeing all the white stuff outside since December, sigh. So your little pink ornament is just perfect. I love pink.
ReplyDeleteNice progress on your January piece.
I also keep my overdyed threads in little plastic bags that are on those large metal rings to keep them together. Works for me.
Wow, that's a lot of snow! Your January Sampler looks great - I can't wait to see the rest of it!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous stitching Carol! And the snow pics are amazing. I'm too much of a baby to go out in the cold. But I love to look at it!
ReplyDeletePretty stitching. A nice touch of spring!
ReplyDeleteI'm about to go out and shovel some of our snowfall. I'm so ready for spring.
Excellent way to change the CCN piece! It is so springy looking! January Sampler looks great too! We've been getting a lot of snow here and it has been so so cold. We don't have as much snow as you though! Hope it ends soon!
ReplyDeleteWhen you feel like quitting think about why you started. (y)
ReplyDeleteimarksweb.net