May stitching and celebrations

Gosh... it's been three weeks since my last post! Where has the time gone? May, as always, is a busy month for us. I'm never happier than when I'm with my dear family and we were fortunate to all be together for both Baby N's first birthday and Mother's Day earlier this month. With two of my sons living in the DC area, it's not often that we are lucky enough to see everyone at once, so this month was extra special, indeed. Before I fill you in on our get-togethers, I'll share my tiny bit of stitching/finishing for this month. 

For my April ornament, I stitched this charming Tralala design called "Pluie d'étoiles." Although I had one year of college French, I had no idea what that translated to. It turns out that it means "shower of stars"--a perfect name for this cute design. It is stitched "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana with a mix of overdyed and DMC threads. I ended up choosing most of my own colors to work better with the black background. For Santa's coat and hat, I used Weeks Dye Works "Blue Jay." That sweet deer is stitched using Gentle Arts "Apple Cider."

My April ornament: Tralala's "Pluie d'étoiles"

To finish this one, I simply added some handmade cording and tied a bow and hanger at the top. The pretty blue wool flannel fabric shown on the left is what I used on the back of the piece. As you can see, I'm still behind on my monthly ornament stitching! Part of the problem lies in the fact that I tend to be drawn toward very "stitch dense" designs... If I ever want to catch up, my next few ornaments will have to be less complicated. I'm bound and determined to catch up by June--bring on the Prairie Schooler Santas!

I also managed to frame Baby N's birth sampler which I shared with you back in this post in 2025. I ordered a dark blue frame from Franken Frames online and am so pleased with how it looks with the finished stitching. I was determined to give it to my grandson for his first birthday and I'm proud to say I got it done! 

The finally framed birth sampler for Baby N! All of those little cars in front were ones I had saved from my sons' childhood years (along with an entire basket full of even more!). Mister B has had a grand time playing with them over the years and I hope Baby N will, too.

This is "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company and is stitched on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle using the suggested DMC colors. The font that I used to personalize the sampler with his name, birth date, weight, and length can be found right here. It's called "Child Memory Sampler Alphabet" and is one of my favorites which I use quite often to personalize baby gifts.

Framed "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company

It's not easy to frame pieces with such distinct straight borders, but I feel like this came out quite well. If you remember from when I first shared this finish with you (in this post), I didn't know what to do about the spaces between the train cars. They weren't connected and there was an engine on each end! After a lot of back and forth, I simply decided to insert a stitched x in the middle of each space between the train cars and I think it works well. We were so busy with Baby N's party and Mother's Day that we neglected to get a photo of him with his new sampler--we'll have to make a point of snapping a few pictures very soon!

Framed just in time for Baby N's first birthday

But, I do have some photos of the new one-year-old to share! Still can't believe how quickly the year has passed. He's a huge boy (almost 28 pounds!) and I can barely lift him. He'll stand up in the middle of the floor on his own, but has shown no interest in walking. That will come... He babbles and laughs constantly, loves music, and adores entertaining all of us. He's just such a happy little boy--and the interesting thing is, I could tell from the day of his birth that he would have that easy-going, laid-back personality.  He's been a joy!

"I'm one!!" Baby N celebrating with some of his stuffed animals!

My daughter-in-law cooked a wonderful Mexican feast for all 70 of the party-goers (yes, 70!). She loves to cook and my son has been just a bit spoiled with all of her delicious meals. For the party, she prepared carnitas, beans, rice, and marinated some chicken for tacos. (Well, my husband did grill the chicken so I need to give him some credit!). For the dessert, she ordered a plain white frosted sheet cake from Costco--what a great idea! It saved some money and I had fun decorating it with Mister B. 

Mister B helping me decorate his brother's birthday cake

Mister B told me where to place the round dollops of frosting on the top and this is the result... What do you think? The cake topper that my daughter-in-law ordered didn't arrive in time, so we just placed a large Number 1 candle in the middle. Simple, but cute!

In addition to this cake, Baby N had a little "smash cake" all of his own on his real birthday on May 6th. We were able to enjoy his glee (and mess) via FaceTime.

Of course, a Mexican themed party had to include a piñata, and all of the kids had such fun whacking away at it trying to get it to open up and shower them with candy. In the end, after the kids took two turns each, my oldest son had to hit it really, really hard to get it to open up. And then came the squeals of delight from the children as they rushed to scoop up the candy treats.

Mister B sure loves piñatas (and especially the candy that pours out of them)!

This photo of my two littlest loves is one of my favorites. My daughter-in-law bought this little ball pit at Aldi (yes, Aldi!) a few months ago and it has turned into Baby N's favorite plaything. He crawls in and out rolling around in the balls, leaning back and falling into them, and throwing them everywhere. Such fun!

My two sweethearts: Mister B who will be 6 in July and our new one-year-old, Baby N

The day after Baby N's first birthday, we celebrated Mother's Day. My sons and husband prepared a wonderful brunch for me and my daughter-in-law complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit, mimosas, and orange juice. I received some beautiful flowers, a cross stitch design for Charleston's "Rainbow Row," gift cards for a local ice cream shop and bakery (which I will not be using until after the wedding so I can manage to still fit into my dress!), and a vintage crock to add to my growing collection (from my middle son).  

Mother's Day flowers from my youngest son

 

Mother's Day flower's from my oldest son and daughter-in-law

It was a very special weekend for all of us and I can't wait 'til we're all together again for my youngest son's wedding next month!

Giveaway winner... Thanks to all who entered the drawing for this cute Lizzie Kate patriotic chart! I enjoyed reading about your favorite patriotic pieces and was happy to hear from readers who are new to my blog. There were quite a few entries and the winner's name picked from the proverbial hat is...

CINDY B! 

 

Congratulations to Cindy B! Please send me your mailing address and I'll get this in the mail to you as soon as I can. I'll be having more giveaways in the future so keep an eye on this space!

Farewell to a wonderful designer and friend... Many of you know that our stitching community recently lost a very special designer. Sadly, Nurdan Kanber of Twin Peak Primitives recently passed away leaving her beloved twin sister, Nursun. Such kind and gentle souls--so very generous in every way. I first got to know Nurdan and Nursun many years ago as Nurdan used to have a blog where she would often share her beautiful work and designs. Not long after, the twins began their own designing business which is now based in The Netherlands. Have any of you stitched a Twin Peak Primitives design? I have to say, I think Nurdan was among the most prolific designers around--simply one beauty after another. Such creativity and talent. My heart goes out to Nursun--I can't imagine losing a sister, let alone a twin and business partner. 

Nurdan will be truly missed by this wonderful stitching community of ours... I thought I'd share some of my favorite Twin Peak Primitive designs that I've stitched over the years in honor of her. (If you would like more information on any of these, just click on the link below each photo). And if you'd like to help support Nursun in her time of grief, please consider making a purchase from her Etsy shop (here) or from many  stitching shops. May you rest in peace dear Nurdan...

Patriotic Olde Truck

 

"Stitcher's Soul Journey"

"Snowman's Joy"

2019 Twin Peak Primitive Santa

When my oldest grandson was born, Nurdan and Nursun sent me this darling knitted monkey to give to him. So very thoughtful and a gesture that meant so much. That's just the sort of person that Nurdan was and that Nursun is...

The sweetest little monkey sent to me by the generous sisters of Twin Peak Primitives, Nurdan and Nursun, to give to my oldest grandson when he was born. 

So, yes... another death. They seem to be coming more and more often as I get older. I know that's to be expected, but it's still difficult to accept.

Ten days left in May... hard to believe. I'm working my hardest to get my Christmas ornaments for May and June all finished up by the end of the month. I know I won't have any stitching time at all in June with my son's upcoming wedding! Yikes... so many little details to still track down: earrings, shawl, etc. It seems never-ending for an event that is over within hours, doesn't it? But, I know the day will be a joyful start to a wonderful life together as husband and wife... We can't wait! Take care now and I hope everyone enjoys the rest of May. Bye for now... 

Stitching the summer away

Hello all! How is your July going so far? Ten days in and it's been a hot month here so far... But, I'm not complaining--after the horrible flooding rains in Texas, New Mexico, and North Carolina and the wildfires burning up parts of California,  I feel very lucky to live in a part of the country that rarely has to deal with natural disasters. It's been heartbreaking reading about the girls' camp and loss of so many lives in Texas hill country, hasn't it? Almost beyond belief that this could happen in the age of modern communications, cell phones, and such. That river rose so very fast (26 feet in 45 minutes), that many stood no chance at all. 

I turn to thoughts of my sweet grandsons to bring me peace during these sad, sad times. Mister B just celebrated his fifth birthday this week and Baby N, now two months old, is growing by leaps and bounds. I so look forward to the daily photos and videos that my son and daughter-in-law send--I'm just itching to see those darling boys again. And it won't be long! We'll soon be gathering for our annual triple birthday celebration for my husband, my youngest son, and my oldest grandson--we all look forward to it every year!

I've been busy finishing up Baby N's birth sampler. My plan was to finish it by Christmas, but I should have it framed and gifted by the end of August. I'm actually ahead of schedule for a change! My daughter-in-law chose this vintage-looking sampler pattern for her youngest son, and although that checkerboard border tried my patience, I really loved stitching the little trucks and train. May I present "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company in England. Luckily, I was able to purchase and download the chart from The Fat Quarter Shop which made it quick and easy to obtain. There was a cross stitch alphabet included for personalization, but Baby N's name is too long to fit, so I chose to do a simpler straight stitched and back-stitched alphabet which is one of my favorites. I did make a couple of minor changes, but if you like the look of this font, you can find it right here. 

Baby N's birth sampler: "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company

It is stitched on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle with all of the suggested colors. Here is a close-up of the border and two of the trucks. I'm thinking about getting a dark blue frame for this one. What do you think?

Such cute little motifs--I hope Baby N likes cars and trucks as much as his big brother does!

I do have a question for you, though... Look at the train--each car is sitting separately. Should I join them with straight stitches or leave as is? As my husband pointed out, there are two engines going in two different directions so which one is pulling it? I keep going back and forth as to what to do! I'd love to know your thoughts! 

I'm planning on framing this in a simple dark blue frame.

I also stitched a couple of cute designs and made them into birthday cards. The one on the left, "Hello Spring," (by Cherry Hill Stitchery) can be found in the Spring 2023 issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine. I used 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle with my choice of threads. For interest, I added little gold beads to the centers of some of the flowers. And the blue bird on the right is from a JBW Designs kit called "Sweet Springtime Songbird. I used most of the suggested colors for this one and stitched it on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle (I seem to be using that fabric a lot lately!). Adding some simple bows and pink gingham ribbon to the card fronts helps make them a bit more special, don't you think?

A couple of sweet stitched birthday cards

And! I have another framed finish to share with you today. I had stitched "Fourth of July Picnic" back in 2023, and, for me, a two year wait is not bad at all. I think this is one of my all-time favorite pieces--it's just so charming with that sweet girl, the little brown pup, and the button flowers. If you'd like to read about my finish from two years ago, you can find it right here. 

My framed finish of "Fourth of July Picnic" by Samplers Not Forgotten

 

I ordered the ridged gray and white frame from one of my favorite online stores, Franken Frames, which I've linked to many times before. This isn't a huge piece so the framing was quite easy and I love how it turned out! I always use the framing tutorial that Brenda Gervais offered on her old blog which you can still find by clicking here. It's really not difficult at all--and what a huge money saver it is to frame things yourself! Give it a try! 

The newly framed piece fit in perfectly with one of my patriotic displays in my kitchen corner cupboard.

Due to our over-abundance of rain earlier in the summer and now our very hot temperatures, our garden is not looking all that great. Some of the plants and flowers that my husband planted didn't even come up  and he's had just one lone ripe tomato so far (with very few on the way). Oh, well, some years are like that... There are some pretty flowers blooming in the fenced in vegetable/flower garden, though, which have made for nice cutting flowers to brighten my kitchen. I'm so appreciative that my husband puts in all the effort for us when it comes to flowers. I am just not a gardener :) 

Some of the pretty daisies, hydrangeas, and bachelor's buttons that we cut and bring inside for our table.

We have milkweed growing in the garden in an attempt to lure  monarch butterflies. I was so excited to see one perched briefly on the milkweed (even if I was too slow to get a photo of it).

And, I'd like to introduce you to our two newest residents... 

We so enjoy seeing the spotted fawn twins romping around our yard. They have the best time leaping and prancing as they chase each other around the pond.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend ahead and can stay cool inside and just s-t-i-t-c-h! Can't imagine my life without this wonderful hobby, can you? Thanks so much for dropping by and taking the time to say "hello!" And thank you for all of the kind comments on my Milan, Italy post last time. I owe several of you emails--hope to get to those soon! I'll be back at the end of the month with my Christmas ornaments for June and July--fingers crossed! Bye for now...