V is for Valentine!

How can it be (almost) the middle of February already? I always look forward to February because it is such a short month and it leads into March which means... spring! I also love February because of the beautiful Valentine's Day designs that are out there. It means stitching with pinks and fuchsias and reds--not colors I use very often. I managed to stitch two Valentine's Day pieces this month (I try to add a couple new ones to my collection each year) and I'm so happy with how they both turned out. 

First up, is a finish for me to keep--and there was a lot more stitching in it than I originally thought there would be. That basket! Anyway--isn't it pretty? This is "V is for Valentine" by Heartstring Samplery and I adore those colors together. The red thread is a gorgeous Gloriana silk called "Poinsettia." Other than changing the red and that pale pink color (I substituted Gentle Arts Cameo Pink), I used the suggested colors and stitched it on a beautiful 40 ct. linen called "Alabaster" (which is the palest of grays). I ordered the linen from this Etsy shop in Hungary: xjudesigns. Her linen is lovely and she offers free shipping when you spend over $50.00 (be sure to use the code mentioned on her Etsy page).

"V is For Valentine" finish

I added a bow made of a sheer black ribbon and then topped it with a smaller bow made of black and white gingham check. A sweet silver heart charm was then sewn to hand down from the bows. I thought the background fabric really picked up the colors of the stitching perfectly. Surrounding the circle is black pompom trim. The frame is one I've used before for a previous finish; will just pop in this piece each February and then replace it with what normally lives there. This was a thrifted frame that I chalk painted and distressed. 

Love the pretty filigree heart

 

Did you notice that wonderful old key in the photo? That was given to me years ago by my mother-in-law and I so wish I knew the history behind it. I will  have my husband check with her, but at almost 94 years of age, I doubt she'll remember. Anyway, it is old and crusty and huge--almost 9 inches long (which gives you a better idea of the size of the finish). I love it so much and usually have it as part of a seasonal vignette on the table in my entryway.

The special antique key was given to me by my mother-in-law

My second finish may look familiar to you long time readers because it is one I've stitched before--in fact this is the third time! This Lizzie Kate design (called "Be Mine Valentine") was sent to a friend for her February birthday. I thought it would be perfect for someone with a birthday so close to Valentine's Day. I used 16 ct. natural Heatherfield (which has been discontinued) with most of the suggested overdyed threads. The pink gingham shown is the backing fabric and I used my handmade cording to surround it.

"Be Mine Valentine" for a friend

Here is a closeup of the double bow and the sweet silver-toned key charm. I'm happy to say my friend loves her birthday gift!

Love the effect of the double ribbon, pearl topped pin, and key charm!

 

Behind the scenes, I'm working on a very special Christmas themed piece. Remember I told you I planned on working on some larger Christmas pieces this year? Well, I spent my Christmas gift certificate at 123 Stitch last week and these goodies just arrived! I'm thinking about stitching the "Christmas Rules" in the upper left for my little grandson at some point in the next year or two. But, I wonder which one I should start for myself? Which would you pick?

I foresee lots of Christmas stitching in my future!

 

Giveaway winner... Oh, how I loved reading about your early jobs in my last post in the "Getting To Know You" section! Thank you so much for joining in--it's fun to learn a bit more about our fellow stitchers, don't you think? I had quite a few entries for the pretty "Thistles and Flowers" chart and the winner's name pulled from the hat was...

CLARE (in England)

Congratulations, Clare! I hope you love stitching this sweet design. Please email me with your mailing address and I will get it off to you as soon as possible. Thank you to all who entered--and please keep an eye on this space for future giveaways.

Blog book... As many of you know, I have my blog put into book form using blog2print.com. I wait until I have two years worth of posts to send in for each book and my latest one covers the years 2019 and 2020. It's a big one--the biggest one yet at 437 pages! Can you imagine?! The good thing is that blog2print offers discount codes fairly regularly and I got this book for 45% off the normal price. I'm very pleased with the quality of the book--my only complaint (as usual) is that the captions don't end up centered under the photos. But, I can live with that!

 

I chose "Winter's Wisdom" for the cover of my latest blog book

 

And the back of the book my finish of the "Birds of a Feather" sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread

I love having an actual book that I wrote filled with photos of my stitching, travels, holidays, family memories, and baking. This 2019-2020 book is especially meaningful because it contains photos from...

... our special anniversary river boat cruise down the Danube in 2019

...photos of every single piece I stitched in 2019 and 2020

...recollections of some of my life's biggest milestones including the birth of my first grandchild in July 2020 and the death of my dear mother just 16 days later. The Covid pandemic also haunts nearly every post of 2020.

Here is the stack of all six books! I can hardly believe I wrote every single word in each book and took most of the photos. My 2019/2020 book is dedicated to my mother and my little grandson. 

 

That's a heavy stack of "Stitching Dreams" from 2009-2020!

 

It's still very wintry here... haven't seen the grass since early January. I took this photo the other morning as the sun was peeking up over the hill. Everything looked so very calm and tranquil. The ice storm we got left everything shimmering--like a fairyland! Of course, the ice caused some branches to fall, including a large one in our pond. But, we were lucky--we didn't lose power at all. How did you all fare in that latest winter cross-country storm?

A sparkly February morning view from my bathroom window

 

I'll leave you with this little vignette of a few of my Valentine's finishes. I actually didn't put all of my Valentine's stitching out on display this year for some reason. The snowmen in the Pottery Barn cubby refused to yield their spaces so I simply left them there for the month of February. I may need to get tough with them in March, though--ha ha! I did put together this little display shown below  containing my newest Valentine's finish along with three little gingham hearts that I made last week.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

I hope each of you has a lovely Valentine's Day... Nothing special is planned here although I will probably make a tasty dessert. How about your plans? Thank you so much for stopping by today--it's always wonderful to hear from you and see some new stitchers' names among the comments. Welcome to all of my new followers--I'm so glad you are here! Take care, my friends! Bye for now...