Farewell to Spring...

And a hearty "Good Morning" to you my stitching friends! Can you believe we have reached the very last week of Spring? And a chilly spring it's been--I'm a bit tired of wearing sweaters or my fuzzy bathrobe each morning when I get up. Why, we even had to turn our heat on again last week for a couple of mornings--I don't ever remember having to do that in June. But, with summer arriving on Saturday, June 21st at precisely 6:51 A.M, I'm confident that we'll have many more of those warm, lazy sunshine filled days that we all look forward to. Today it's supposed to reach 91° here in western Pennsylvania with an equally high humidity. I can take the heat, it's the humidity which really wears me out.

With this still being spring, though, I do have a few final spring finishes to share with you. But, first of all I want to thank you all so very much for the kind comments on my last post and your heartfelt congratulations on the magazine article. You are all such wonderful and supportive friends! I want to send a special thank you to Sherri from Maryland who bought not one, but two copies of the magazine and sent me one so I could have my very own copy... Sherri, that was so thoughtful of you and I know I'll enjoy sharing it with my family and friends. Thank you so much!

Well, enough of my babbling--you're here to see a few finishes, right? I actually stitched all three of these spring designs back in April, but am just now getting around to finishing them. First up is the Spring portion of the "Four Seasons Band Sampler" featured in the March/April 2011 issue of "Just Cross Stitch Magazine." When I saw the main colors were blue and golden yellow I just knew I had to stitch it. (And the fact that it had two bunnies didn't hurt either!)

Of course, I had to change a couple of the colors to work better with the 40 ct. flax Newcastle fabric that I chose. I used DMC 3790 on the bunnies and 3052 on the leaves. I also added the word "SPRING" (from this free alphabet) to the top of the design since my goal is to create a bowl of Spring finishes in the future. This one is finished off with the solid blue fabric (from a cloth napkin) and a pretty blue ruched satin ribbon. I love the dimension the eyelet stitches in the butterflies wings and the satin stitched flowers add to this design.

Next up is a little freebie from Cosmic Handmade called "Carrot Patch" which you can find right here. I've had this chart in my stash forever it seems and thought it was high time I stitched it. This one is done over one on 28 ct. cream Cashel Linen using the following DMC threads:  3776, 3052, 3053, 712, 676, and 3790. I gave the bunny a tail full of colonial knots and accented the pale green polka-dot finish with a little fabric yo-yo. What do you think?

Carrot Patch freebie

And finally, a finish you've seen on my blog many times, but since I've given them all away--I'm finally keeping this one for myself--hooray!! You'll all recognize this old spring freebie from Prairie Schooler. It is stitched on 32 ct. antique white Lugana with the suggested DMC threads. After having stitched this one at least five times, I do believe I could do it my sleep, but I love it so much, I never get tired of stitching it...  That pretty sage green fabric in the background is used on the reverse side along with the handmade cording to finish it off... I imagine I'll be making this one again and using it in another giveaway some day!

Prairie Schooler "S Is For Spring"

Here are all three together--a nice start to a bowl full of spring finishes, wouldn't you say?

A trio of Spring finishes

My dear friend, June, in England, had a birthday last week so I wanted to make her a gift in honor of her special day. As many of you know, June loves to garden so I thought this charming umbrella-toting bunny admiring his beautiful spring posies would be perfect for her. This is just the bottom third of "Spring Sampler" (Prairie Schooler's Book No. 60) and is stitched on 40 ct. antique white Newcastle with the suggested DMC threads (although I changed the bunny to DMC 611). June seemed to love her gift and I hope she thinks of me each time she sees it!

Prairie Schooler gift for June

And, just look at what I received all the way from The Netherlands... Sweet Annette sent me some darling crocheted pieces to add to my monthly bowl display. For my bowl of April's rabbit finishes, she created a tiny white bunny with a little blue nose, and for my bowl of sunflower finishes (which I decorate with each August), she made a trio of beautifully crocheted sunflowers. Included in her package were six bars of genuine Dutch chocolate--yum!! Only three are left, Annette--it was delicious! Thank you so much, my friend--your RAK gifts were such a treat and I have so enjoyed getting to know you through your happy, up-beat posts!

RAK from Annette!

And, because it's June--you know what that means?! It's BLUEBERRY TIME!!! I love all summer fruits, but especially blueberries. I put them on my multi-grain Cheerios each morning, make desserts, breads and muffins with them, and even freeze them to use throughout the year. They make me smile :) 

As a little treat I found this tasty recipe for Blueberry Buckle which I made last week. It sure didn't last long even with just two of us in the house. I found myself eating it for breakfast, as a mid-afternoon snack, and as a semi-healthy dessert! Very easy to make and it was one of those dishes that tasted even better on the second day.

Dessert anyone?

Unfortunately, desserts like this are the last thing I should be eating because my normal 3-mile a day walking routine has been interrupted. Yes, I have developed Plantar Fasciitis in my left heel. It was my own fault--I wore some old worn-out sneakers when I took a long walk last month and the next morning I could barely hobble out of bed. It is slowly getting better and I've been good about doing my at-home exercises, but, boy, is it bothersome. Have any of you every had it? Mine isn't bad enough to have to wear a night-splint on the foot--yet, anyway--and I'm trying to keep it that way! Moral of the story--wear good-quality sneakers (tennis shoes, whatever you call them!) and change them after every three to six months depending on how often you walk or run. I should probably have been buying new ones after four or five months, but I think I've had this old pair for two years! Bad, bad Carol!! Needless to say, I have now bought a new pair of walking shoes and plan on replacing them at least by year's end...

Although it's been a cool spring here, our lavender and white  clematis bush was the best it's ever been. My middle son gave it to me for Mother's Day a few years back and it's grown and bloomed so beautifully ever since. We lost both of our other clematis bushes to the frigid winter so I'm thrilled that this beauty survived.

Thank you all for stopping by today--I know what a busy time of year this is so I appreciate your visit and your kind comments all the more! Hope you have a delightful start to your summer on Saturday and I'll be back with some patriotic stitching soon... Bye for now...

Ah...Tis Spring!

Happy (almost) Spring, my friends! Yes, I know Spring doesn't officially start until tomorrow (March 20th, 2014 at 12:57 PM to be exact!), but I won't be home to post tomorrow so I'm rushing it a bit. I think all of us are anxious for spring to make an appearance after the winter we've suffered through, but I do see signs of life popping up everywhere. Last week, not only did all of our snow finally melt, but we also saw the first robin of spring and some tiny green daffodil shoots poking through the earth. The birds are joyfully singing again and the pale green leaf buds will soon appear on trees and shrubs to brighten this dull post-winter landscape. Ah, 'tis Spring!! I don't think it's ever been as warmly anticipated or welcome as it is this year, do you? 

In honor of the season, I've stitched one big blue bunny! Isn't she the cutest? I just love her giant body balancing on those petite black-heeled feet with her lacy pantaloons peaking out from beneath her dress.  This design ("Ah... Tis Spring" by Notforgotten Farm) is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen, but I changed almost every one of the suggested colors.

"Ah...Tis Spring" finish

This is one of those designs where the photo on the front of the chart didn't resemble the suggested colors at all. In the photo below is the actual chart and the suggested color of the dress. To my eye, they look nothing alike. I preferred the pale blue of the photo on the front of the chart so I had to do some experimenting to find a close substitute. I wanted to use mostly overdyed threads in this piece, so I finally settled on GAST "Banker's Grey." It's a thread that contains both slate blue and grey in the skein so I leaned toward using only the blueish part and I think it turned out very well. There were times when I thought I would never finish that big dress, but you all know what a lover of all things blue I am, so that made it a bit easier.

For the bunny's fur, I used Crescent Colours "Stepping Stones" and am very pleased with how it looks. I wanted it to resemble the soft brown of our local bunnies. The inner ears and whiskers were stitched in Crescent Colours "Rosy Glow." For the flowers, I used both the darker and lighter parts of CC "Clay Pot" (the darker on the outside, the lighter on the inner portion).

Obviously, I changed the color of her pocket to DMC ecru to match the cuff, collar, and buttons. I wanted her to look a bit less primitive and even though I stitched the pocket in several different colors, the ecru is what finally won me over. I also added the design to the pocket to mimic the design on her pantaloons and that in the basket that she's carrying. Rather than having three colors for the grass, I used GAST "Dried Thyme" with carrots in GAST "Burnt Orange" and stems of DMC 3051.

The basket is stitched with GAST "Picnic Basket" with accents in CC "Stepping Stones." Don't you love the striped socks? They are stitched with the lighter part of CC "Clay Pot" and DMC 612. And what is a proper bunny without black heels?

Thank you, Lori, for such a delightful design! I will probably frame this one at some point... I am really bad at getting my few larger pieces framed, but she is too cute to leave stowed away in a drawer for too long. Below is a collage of my finish that you can click on if you want to see it in more detail.

"Ah...Tis Spring!"

My other finish is a pinkeep from With Thy Needle and Thread's "Valentine Sampler" leaflet. I just love this chart so much--it contains so many lovely designs! For this finish, I used 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen with the suggested threads. Since this one was being sent off as a RAK to my sweet friend in Canada, Anne, I wanted to personalize it a bit so I did make some changes.

As you can see, I added her initial in the upper left corner instead of the ABCs that were charted. I also added the button and changed the kitty in the lower right to resemble her darling brown and white cat, Titus. I neglected to take a photo of the back, but it is a pale green leafy material--very soft and pretty. The little wooden spools are wound with the same green thread that is in the design--aren't they adorable? I'm very pleased with how this one turned out and Anne seems to love it, too--you can see more photos on her beautiful blog if you want to take a peak...

"Valentine Sampler" pinkeep finish

I can't help think of Spring without being reminded of my oldest son's birth. He was born on March 21st, 32 years ago (now that makes me feel very old!) on a sunny warm day in the mid-60s. A perfect spring day in every way and I hope his birthday on Friday will be the same for him. So ♫♪♫ Happy Birthday ♫♪♫ to my oldest--I wish you every happiness in the year ahead...

I've done more stitching, but since it is for gifts, I can't show you quite yet. I'm leaving later today to go to New York to visit with my parents for a few days so I may be a bit out of touch, but I'll be sure to catch up with all of you when I return next week.  I wish for each of you sunshine and warmer days and the hope that our long, cold winter may soon be nothing but a distant memory. Bye for now...

 HAPPY SPRING TO ALL!

Small Finishes and Big Thanks

Hello! Hello! And how are my blogging buddies doing on this fine morning? I hope this last week in April finds your part of the world greening up and beginning to bloom with those lovely pastel colors that can only mean spring has arrived. Spring has definitely "sprung" here in western Pennsylvania even though the temperatures have been quite temperamental. Last week  it was 71° on Friday morning and then a mere 24 hours later it was almost 40° cooler! Crazy...

I've only managed a bit of new stitching lately because my husband and I spent some time in southern Florida earlier this month (more on that in a bit). But, I was so relieved to get the April Word Play finally finished up. Yes, "relieved" is the correct word...as much as I love the finish and as adorable as this design is, I just didn't enjoy stitching it any more than I enjoyed stitching the January Word Play. I don't know what my problem is because as an avid reader and librarian, I love words. I persevered, however, and ended up with, what I think, is a very cute finish.

April Word Play

I stitched the April Word Play "over one" on a very pretty 25 ct. sage green evenweave of some sort. I thought it was a 28 ct., but it turned out larger than my January Word Play finish so it must be a 25 ct. Most of the suggested overdyeds were used, but I had to change the colors of the leaves and the birds' feet and beaks because they just weren't showing up well on the green. To finish it off, I used the same tiny white ric rac that I used for the January Word Play and backed it with the darker green cotton fabric (from a cloth napkin I bought at Kohl's). I wish the color difference showed up better--the backing fabric is quite a bit darker than the evenweave. I do love this finish!

Finished April Word Play

I also had to change the way the word "Seeds" was stitched on the little wagon since this was stitched over one.  Stitching it the way the design was charted made it too crowded looking so I simplified the letters a bit. And, taking the advice from several of you who already stitched this, I gave the bunny a cute and fluffy white tail made entirely of French knots (or my version of them--I am NOT the best French knot maker in the world)!

 April Word Play

So, will I stitch more of these Word Play designs? Probably--I did buy all twelve charts after all!! (And don't we all always stitch each and every chart we purchase--ha ha!) But, I will have to stitch them sparingly--just now and then, not one month after another. I'll be skipping May and June, but might pick up July during the summer. Here is a photo that will give you a better idea of the size of the little pillow next to some freshly picked daffodils from our back yard...

April Word Play

Now, on the flip side--a design I loved stitching was this Little House Needleworks piece. It will eventually be a scissor fob--just didn't have time to finish it for this post. It is from the chart "Wool Needlebook & Fob." And yes, I also hope to stitch the needlebook, too, at some point. Don't you love the sheep? And the colors--the purple just makes this design! This is stitched over one on 28 ct. dirty linen with the suggested DMC threads. I'll show you the finished fob next time--it will be my first fob finish, believe it or not!

 LHN Scissors 

(From "Wool Needlebook & Fob")

FLORIDA VISIT: As I mentioned earlier, I was in sunny southern Florida (Naples to be exact) recently. As much as I complained about our endless winter and longed for warmer weather, I wasn't quite ready for the extremely hot (85°+) and humid days we had our entire visit. I'm not sure what happened, but my hot flashes were out of control the entire time I was in Florida... Having dealt with them for 15 years (yes, you're reading correctly), I'm no stranger to them, but, oh--I felt like I was absolutely melting the whole visit. I'm assuming it was the heat that triggered them to be so outrageous because now that I've come back to cooler weather I'm back to "normal."

Despite the uncomfortable temperatures it was so nice to see the tropical plants and trees that we don't have up north. Thought you might enjoy seeing a few of the prettiest botanical beauties. Many of these photos were taken at the Naples Botanical Garden which, if you ever find yourself in that southwest corner of Florida, I strongly urge you to visit.

Shaving Brush Tree

 Common Screwpine

Silk Floss Tree

(No, that's not where stitching floss comes from!)

Banana Plant

A tiny skink 

(notice how well he blends in with the wood)

Asian Garden at Naples Botanical Garden

Spanish moss draped tree

Naples is a wonderful city to take long walks in--so many beautiful houses and interesting things to see. Here are some of the sights we saw on our long walks...

A boy reading a book mailbox--how sweet!!

Flowers blooming in every color

Tropical trees in all shapes and sizes

So many lovely houses and estates... 

I'll take that pink one!!

Our last night was spent strolling the beach

 near the Naples Pier.

THANKS TO... It's always good to get away, but, for me, there is nothing like returning home! I love my house and yard and being surrounded by my stitching and books and other simple things that make me the happiest. When I got home I found a lovely surprise waiting for me from Manka. Just look at all of these beautiful goodies that arrived in a recent giveaway win all the way from Hungary. I wish I could show you just how perfectly stitched the heart shaped bookmark and the biscornu are. The ribbon roses are lovely and the delicate specialty stitches add so much to these pieces. The talented Manka offers some lovely free designs on her her blog, so if you haven't visited, please stop by. Thank you again, my sweet friend from Hungary--I love each and every thing you sent my way!

Giveaway beauties from Manka!

And arriving like a burst of Carolina sunshine came what Faye called a "belated, belated birthday gift!" I was so surprised and thrilled to open her package and find one of her beautifully stitched project pouches. She chose the colors especially for me in the prettiest shades of yellow and blue...And look at the tiny scissors charm attached to the zipper--adorable! Why, she even monogrammed it for me... I know most you are familiar with Faye's Carolina Stitcher blog, but if you aren't, please pay her a visit. You'll be inspired by her beautiful stitching as well as her finishing of many of our fellow stitchers' projects. Thank you again, Faye, so very much, for your special birthday surprise and for your friendship. I know I'll think of you each time I use your lovely gift...

Blue and yellow stitching pouch from Faye!

I think I'll wind up this way-too-long post now, even though I have more to share with you. It will just have to wait until next time! I'll leave you with two photos of what makes spring time in the north so special...

April in Pennsylvania

Is there anything prettier than a bouquet 

of freshly picked spring flowers?

Enjoy this last week of April, my friends, and thank you all for dropping by today! It's always so nice to visit with you and I sincerely appreciate each and every comment and email. I'll be in New York visiting with my mom and dad for the rest of the week so I may be a bit quiet on the "commenting front," but will definitely catch up with your blogs when I return.  Bye for now...

Yiota's Cross Stitch Kit Review

Happy Spring everyone--or should I say "summer," since that's what it feels like here in western Pennsylvania. Yesterday, we had a record-breaking 80 degrees--amazing for mid-March! But, I'm loving every minute of this unprecedented stretch of warm weather.

A few weeks ago, I had a lovely email from Yiota, owner of Yiota's Cross Stitch asking me if I would do a review of one of her kits on my blog. I had read reviews of her kits on other stitching blogs so I was most eager to see one for myself. Her website was very easy to explore and she seems to offer something for everyone... beginning to advanced stitching and everything in between on a host of subjects and themes ranging from animals to fairies to landscapes and more!

So would you like to know what kit I chose to review? It was a hard decision, but I ended up choosing this wonderful William Morris design called "Strawberry Thief." It has both birds and blue, so, of course I love it!

I was so pleased with the packaging itself--it arrived in a very sturdy cardboard envelope which suffered no damage in the journey "across the pond." Yiota's business is located in England and she and her husband design and manufacture their own kits. I love the fact that it is a small business because I feel like you get more personalized attention should a problem ever arise.

My favorite part of the kit was the way the threads were packaged... Aren't they beautiful?! All wound up so neatly on their own little card bobbins, clearly numbered, and a hole already punched into the card should you want to place them on a ring to keep them all together. Yiota's cross stitch kits use Madeira threads, but also offer DMC numbers in case you want to substitute. I've never stitched with Madeira before and am really looking forward to it. You also have the option to purchase the chart only.

The chart was printed in large, easy-to-read symbols on quality paper... The kit included a choice of aida or 28 ct. evenweave along with a nice needle. I chose the evenweave and was pleased with the nice Zweigart piece that arrived in the kit. I'll have to say I was a bit surprised that it wasn't black, though, as I was expecting that given the black background of the design. It would be helpful if the description included the color of fabric and offered it in 32 ct. size, too. Just a couple of suggestions to make an already fine product even better!

Here is a look at the whole kit--isn't it pretty? Please hop over and take a look at Yiota's site--I think you'll be very pleased with both the shopping experience and her wonderful products. Thank you, Yiota, for the chance to review your delightful kit--I'm sure I'll enjoy stitching "Strawberry Thief!"

I haven't done much stitching since my post last week, but I am almost done with the "Nature's Alphabet" that I began back in January (in this post). The stitching itself is complete, just have to add the beads; I can't wait to show it to you next week (hopefully!). In the mean time, I'll share a couple of older spring finishes with you:

"It's Spring!" by Sue Hillis Designs.
Stitched back in 2005--I still love it!

"Summer Scene" by The Drawn Thread.
Stitched back in 2009, but just framed in January.

"Daffodil Run" by Just Nan

stitched and framed in 2009.

The little daffodil charm is so sweet
and I love the ribbon hanger!
(Found the frame at Michael's...)

Here's just a sneak preview of one thing I'm working on for my bowl of April finishes... Any guess as to what it is? Here are two hints: it's stitched over one and uses 28 ct. babbling brook Jobelan!

March 21, 1982--a most special day... It's hard to believe that 30 years ago today, I became a mother. Yes, today is my oldest son's 30th birthday and I still remember the day he was born like it was yesterday... There is nothing like the feeling a young mother experiences when she holds her newborn in her arms for the first time. To my dear, oldest son, I wish you a most ♫♪♫ Happy Birthday ♫♪♫ and I hope all of your wishes come true... After all, you made one of our wishes come true the day you were born, and we are so proud to be your parents (even if we do feel awfully old right about now!!).

Your comments on my "March bowl" were all so wonderful! I sure am enjoying coming up with new finishes for it each month and I truly appreciate your compliments on both my stitching and finishing. I'd like to offer a big welcome to all my new followers, too. I've just noticed that my number of followers has topped 700 this week and I'm just astounded that so many of you find my blog interesting enough to follow... I'd say a celebration giveaway is in order, wouldn't you? Let me put on my thinking cap and try to come up with some cheery spring gifts to offer as a giveaway very soon, okay? I hope your week is filled with everything that brings you smiles! Bye for now...