Four Weeks?

Has it really been four weeks since my last post? I hope April has been a good month for each of you. It's been a busy one for me with a trip to Florida and then having my entire family here for Easter weekend.  And, oh yes, there were those couple of weeks in between where I just lost my blogging mojo for a bit. But, I'm back with a few things to share with you. First of all, I want to welcome my new followers--I'm always amazed when I glance at my sidebar and see that there are close to 1300 friends reading "Stitching Dreams" from all around the world. Who would ever have thought this little blog would have grown the way it has over the past five years? And you know what... without all of your kind comments, supportive emails, and the inspiration that you share on your own blogs, it never would have. Thank you all!

I'd fully intended to share this first finish with you before Easter, but I got so very busy cooking and baking for the weekend, that I just couldn't seem to sit still long enough to finish it off into a little pillow. This sweet piece is a Homespun Elegance Design called "Delivering Spring Blossoms" and is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen with most of the suggested overdyed threads. I did have to change the colors of the pink flowers to GAST Antique Rose and the color of the cart to GAST Harvest Basket since I didn't have the suggested threads in my stash. I also changed the color of the bunnies' tails to ecru rather than leaving them brown as was charted.

Like many of you, I struggle with stitching French knots, so I used Colonial knots to make the little posies that each bunny is holding and for the flower in the basket. I found a very helpful video tutorial right here and I'm quite happy with the result. You'll notice the little satin stitched mounds of "grass," too--I think that really gives a nice texture to the design. The pillow is finished with the green fabric shown in the background and I simply used two old shirt buttons to act as wheels for the cart. I wonder who the bunnies are delivering their spring blossoms to? Maybe a loving, old grandmother bunny? Or perhaps a sick neighbor? They just look so cute and intent on their mission, don't they?

My other two finishes were both sent off as gifts. The first went to my sweet friend, Nia, in Portugal who just had a beautiful, bouncing, baby boy in March. I wanted to make him his very first Christmas ornament so I stitched this JBW gingerbread man from the "Baby's First Christmas" booklet. This one is stitched on 32 ct. black Belfast linen and is backed with the cheery, red gingerbread boy fabric shown in the photo. On the chart, there is just an outline of the gingerbread boy, but I filled him in with brown, added beads to the holly in his hat, a white pompom to his hat, and changed the face a bit. I also added the baby's name rather than the charted words "Baby's First Christmas." I struggled with how to stitch the little "tail" under the "c" in Lourenço, as we don't have anything like that in English, but Nia said it looks just fine... I hope my small remembrance brings little Lourenço smiles each Christmas for years to come!

And another RAK was stitched and sent to my blogging friend, Vickie in Wisconsin. This time, "Hope" by Little House Needleworks was my choice. I do love stitching these little sheep and so far have sent both Peace and Love off to stitching friends. I chose "Hope" for Vickie as I truly hope the day comes when she can live a pain free life. I just love the snowflake in this one and thought it had a very wintry feel to it, so I also included a bit of cording that Vickie can pin onto the back to make a loop so she can use it as a Christmas ornament rather than a pillow if she chooses. Like my other two LHN Little Sheep Virtues, this one is stitched on 40 ct. pearl gray (even though it looks blue in the photo!) Newcastle linen and backed with that soft, leafy green fabric shown in the background.

Would you like to see some of my Florida photos? Honestly, we couldn't have asked for nicer weather! Sunny and warm with bright blue skies and temperatures in the low 80s each and every day... can you say paradise? After that brutal winter of ours, it was more welcome than ever. My husband's parents, whom we visited, live in Naples and for any of you who have ever visited, you know what a fabulous part of Florida that is...

Relaxing, quiet, sandy beaches...

especially after the "snowbirds" have gone back north!

 

Fabulous flowers...

Stunning houses...

And more lovely mansions...

imagine driving under that floral arch each day!

Comical wildlife...

I don't think these birds can read the sign!

Ready for his close-up

Delicate birds

And a close-up...

a kind fisherman offered to lure

this pretty bird closer with a bit of his bait

Peaceful scenes...

morning at the Naples City Dock

And stunning sunsets...

evening at Naples beach

As lovely as those sunny days were, I was happy to get home again--I am such a homebody and just feel this immediate sense of peace when I walk through my own door again. How about you? After about five days away, I just get this sense that I want to be home again...

I was so excited when my youngest son told us he and his girlfriend would be joining us for Easter weekend! Since he lives in Washington, DC, he is never around for our weekly Sunday dinners like our other two sons are so I tend to "over-do" it a bit when he does come home with an abundance of cooking and baking. In addition to Key Lime Pie, Banana Carrot Muffins, and Chocolate Raspberry Brownies, I baked a new cookie that the guys went crazy for. You can find the recipe for these White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies right here. You know what the secret ingredient is? Brandy!! 

Now, we aren't big drinkers in my house (although my husband does love to both brew and drink his own beer), so I wasn't at all sure if we even had any brandy in the house. I stepped up on a chair to peruse our "liquor cabinet" (in other words, the cabinet above the refrigerator!) and started pawing through an assortment of old bottles--many untouched for decades. And yes--way back in the deepest, darkest corner was a dusty bottle of brandy with the price tag still on it--$6.19!! It had to be from back in the 70s when we were young newlyweds. I was a bit hesitant about using something so old, but threw caution to the wind and went for it. The boys all said this recipe needs to be added to my annual Thanksgiving/Christmas baking line-up. The only change I made was to leave out 1/4 cup of the sugar--they were still very, very sweet. And if you don't like the idea of adding brandy (it only calls for one Tablespoon), substituting vanilla would be just fine...

It is so rare to have all three of my  boys young men home at the same time that I treasure the times when that actually occurs. We all pitched in to create a memorable Easter dinner. My youngest son's girlfriend prepared her grandmother's delicious kugel for us (oh, my--what a treat) and our middle son saved the day when he found not one, but two recipes for grilling trout. Yes, trout! My husband mistakenly picked up trout  for our Easter dinner (which was supposed to consist of grilled beef tenderloin and salmon) and I didn't discover it until an hour or so before we were supposed to eat! Cooking is so much more fun when everyone pitches in, don't you agree?

I want to thank my friend, Gabi in Germany, who surprised me with not one, but two adorable Easter pillows. Gabi doesn't have a blog, but we've become email friends, and she's been so generous to me. The larger pillow is a Tra La La design called "Duo Printemps" and the small one is a little freebie by My Happy Memories available right here. Thank you so much, dear Gabi--I love them both and will think of you each time I decorate for spring and Easter!

Easter surprise from Gabi

I actually do have more to show you, but I'll save that for another day... I hope each of you has a merry, merry month of May! It certainly will be a month of celebrations for us with my in-law's 60th anniversary on Thursday and several family birthdays spread throughout the month. Oh, and let's not forget Mother's Day coming up on May 11th! Is anyone else hoping for some new stitching goodies? I've got my wish list ready! What's on yours? Bye for now...