Small Finishes and a Big Harvest

Good morning, my stitching friends! I sure hope the worst of our heat wave is behind us and those of you who suffered the widespread power outages last week are recovering and returning to normal. What a week! We "only" reached 99° here in the Pittsburgh area and I feel very lucky when I hear of the 100°+ temperatures so many of you in the mid-west had to deal with. And my poor blogging friends in the United Kingdom seem to be faced with day after day of nothing but rain. Is there no happy medium? At least those high temperatures gave me a very good excuse to sit inside and stitch and read...

I managed to finish the first of my small pieces for my July "bowl" and I had the best time stitching it! This is "Love Liberty" by Chessie & Me and I stitched it on 32 ct. Confederate gray Belfast linen with the recommended threads. The only change I made was to use two threads for the cross stitching rather than the one suggested on the chart. One of the main reasons I enjoyed stitching this (outside of that adorable black cat--I love black cats in case you didn't know!) was the fact that it incorporated so much "over one" stitching and lots of Smyrna stitches. The entire roof, stars, leaves, and border are all made up of Smyrna stitches. Sure, they each took more time than a plain old cross stitch would have, but they give such nice dimension to the finished piece.

"Love Liberty" by Chessie & Me

And here it is all finished up! The crows, flag, cat, and heart are all stitched "over one"--don't you love how detailed they look? For the finish, I chose a burgundy fabric dotted with gold stars and applied some handmade gold cording (DMC 3045) and a burgundy colored star. I seem to have managed to get this one quite straight (compared to my poor crooked Lizzie Kate finish in the last post) so thanks to all of you who suggested pinning and lacing the finish and making sure my mat boards were perfectly square--what a help! I took your advice and I think this one is much less "wonky!"

"Love Liberty" by Chessie & Me

My dear friend, June, had a birthday last month and I wanted to stitch her something special. For those of you who are familiar with June's blog, Butterfly Wings, you'll know that in addition to her being an amazing stitcher, she is also an avid gardener. Her flower photos are an instant pick-me-up on a gloomy day. So, what better piece to stitch her than "Earth Laughs In Flowers" by Prairie Schooler? This tiny pillow is stitched with DMC threads on 40 ct. antique white Newcastle linen and surrounded by handmade cording in a yellow-gold color. I did add in more pinks to the mix to coordinate with the fabric backing. June seems to love it and I hope she'll think of me each time she looks at it--I so enjoyed every stitch!

"Earth Laughs In Flowers" by Prairie Schooler

Another stitched creation was made for my dear friend, Cathey's (also known to many of you as "Pumpkin") sweet new baby boy. I thought this marching teddy bear proudly carrying the Canadian flag would be just perfect for his very first Christmas. The chart is a freebie which can be found here. I did change the maple leaf on the flag a bit--made it larger and a bit more detailed. It is stitched on a mossy green evenweave using DMC threads and finished into a small hanging pillow with red ric-rak and a coordinating green flannel. (Cathey's son's name is stitched under the bear, but I've covered it up for privacy). I hope this happy bear makes her little guy smile for years to come!

Canadiana Teddy freebie


2012 Garden

Even though we've been faced with extreme temperatures, "our" garden (well, honestly, my husband deserves 99% of the credit--all I do is enjoy the fruits of his labor) has flourished with all the sunshine. Just look at this crop of goodies that he picked on Saturday! Now, all of my long-time blog readers know I'm not an eater of green vegetables (remember this post?), but I will eat lettuce, peas, and uncooked spinach. If the zucchini is disguised in breads, cookies, cakes, or muffins, it will also make its way into my mouth, too! My husband can't possibly eat every green vegetable that he grows, so much of it is given to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Are any of the rest of you green-vegetable haters? I sometimes feel like a little girl who never grew up when it comes to eating my vegetables!

A bumper crop of vegetables from this year's garden

To use up some of the zucchini, (well, exactly one of the ten zucchini on hand!), I made this yummy Blueberry Zucchini Bread. To make it even healthier, I substituted 1/2 cup of the vegetable oil with 1/2 cup applesauce. Look closely--can you see the little bits of green? At least I consumed a teeny portion of green vegetables this weekend! Does anyone else have any tried and true zucchini recipes that I might like?

Blueberry-Zucchini Bread

And here's a little bit of garden trivia... Do any of you know what the mystery plant below is? Hint: it's something my husband uses in another of his hobbies!

Can anyone guess what plant this is?
(Answer is at the bottom of this post!)

July is a month filled with celebrations in our family. My youngest son turned 24 yesterday (yes, he's bemoaning the fact that he is "getting old!"), my husband catches up with me on Saturday and turns 57 (yes, I married a younger man--six months younger!), and my dear parents celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary tomorrow. 59 years together--quite a feat in today's world!! I'm heading up to New York tomorrow to see them for my monthly visit so I'll be able to help them celebrate.

♫♪♫ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ♫♪♫

to my parents, dear husband, and youngest son. I love you all so very much...

Thank you for taking time to visit me today--I know it is especially hard in the summer months to read blogs, let alone comment, so I truly appreciate hearing from so many of you! I plan to be back next time with some Christmas stitching--fingers crossed! I hope the remainder of your July is filled with things for you to celebrate as well. Bye for now...


(ANSWER to the mystery plant question: it is "hops". My husband brews his own beer and uses this in the process. I'm not a beer drinker so I can't tell you how it tastes, but he certainly seems to enjoy it! Cheers!)

Stitching Strawberries

Good morning, good morning! I'm sure some of you wondered if I would ever post my June bowl of smalls, didn't you? Well, I'm happy to tell you that I just finished them up yesterday and I'm eager to share them with you. Although I didn't get as much stitching time as I would have liked (do we ever??) due to dealing with the estate sale at my childhood home, I did manage to stitch and finish four new strawberry themed pieces along with three adorable fabric strawberries. Is there anyone out there who doesn't like strawberries? I just wish the season lasted longer, but at least these little creations will stick around a while!

First up is a freebie from Cosmic Homemade called "Sweet Strawberry" which you can find by clicking here. I really love the combination of the black crows with the burgundy strawberries in this one. It is stitched on 32 ct. raw natural linen using the suggested DMC colors (although I did switch the two reds here and there). To finish it off, I made a small pillow with the black and tan gingham fabric and a bit of ivory colored trim. Simple and sweet, just like the berries!

"Sweet Strawberry" Freebie

Another freebie finish (available here) comes from the "Le Chalet des Perelles" blog. The chart can be obtained by emailing a request to Cathy, who designs so many pretty things for us (look in the right sidebar under "Contactez l'auteur" to send an email to her.) "La Maisonnette aux Fraises" (The Strawberry Cottage) is stitched over one on 28 ct. natural brown linen using the suggested DMC colors. I omitted the heart and butterflies and added an additional bird. I've used this pink dotted fabric in many of my finishes and, unfortunately, am just about out of it! I think you can tell it is among my favorites--there is just something so happy about polka dots, isn't there?

"La Maisonnette aux Fraises" freebie

Trying to find a piece that included the name of the month with some strawberries was a bit difficult so I ended up combining several Lizzie Kate charts to serve that purpose. I had this charming red and green print fabric which I wanted to use in my finish so I pulled the thread colors from that and I love the final result. I used the strawberries from Lizzie Kate's July Flip-It, the birdhouse from her June Flip-It, and the beehive from the LK chart "Plant a Little Sunshine." What do you think? Outside of the piece being a little wonky (I always have trouble getting those lines straight on flat finishes like this--does anyone have any hints on getting them straight?), I'm very pleased with the final product. It turned out a bit larger than I would have liked and if I ever stitch it again, I'll try doing it over one rather than over two on 32 ct. Jobelan.

Lizzie Kate June Flip-It
(using bits of "July's Flip-It" and "Plant a Little Sunshine" charts)

Finally, I stitched this little pin pillow by Hillside Samplings which can be found in the chart called "A Berry Nice Sampler." It is stiched on 32 ct. gray touchstone linen using the suggested DMC colors. I rather like the salmon colored berries and the variety of stitches really give this finish a different look. The strawberry is made up of Diamond Stitches with Satin Stitched flowers and grass. Throw in a few Smyrna Stitches and it makes quite a lovely, little piece. (I did leave off the words "Berry Nice" that were charted--just liked it better without them). I used the darkest salmon color to make my cording and topped it with a little bow to finish it off (and hide the corner where the cording meets!).

Hillside Samplings "A Berry Nice Pillow"

I had been wanting to try making some fabric strawberries for a while, so what better time than now? Oh, I just loved making these little things and would have made dozens if the end of the month wasn't closing in on me. I followed Martha Stewart's template for the berry itself, but rather than using her template for the top of the strawberry, I simply cut one free-hand out of some olive colored felt. They are filled with fiberfill rather than the sand that Martha suggests. (Do you think she disapproves?) After gathering the top, I just glued on the "leaves" and added a pretty pin. Can you see how making these would be addicting?!

Fabric Strawberries

Below are the fabric strawberries, my four latest June finishes, and "Summer Splendor" which I showed you in my last post:

June 2012--Strawberry Stitching

And here are all five displayed in my bowl of June finishes. Wow! Half the year is over--do you think I can keep this monthly goal up for six more months? I'm afraid my Christmas ornament stitching has fallen by the wayside--sure hope I can catch up at some point!

June bowl of strawberry stitching

I want to thank all of you who emailed me asking how I was faring after the estate sale at my childhood home two weeks ago--your concern meant so much to me. An amazing amount of time and energy goes into a sale of that magnitude--from the hauling, to the sign making, to the pricing, to the organizing, to dealing with the buyers, to the cleaning up afterward. It may have been one of the most physically draining things I've ever dealt with, but even harder was the emotional toll it took. Having moved into that house when I was only five years old meant I had a 52 year relationship with it and it was ever so hard to see it emptied and all of its belongings carted away by complete strangers. Luckily, a few old neighbors and relatives bought larger pieces of furniture, so it's nice to think of some beloved things going to good homes.

In the end, very little was left so I would judge it an extremely successful sale which helped make all of our hard work worthwhile. I do plan on writing a tribute to my old home at some point, but, right now, it is just too hard to do without tears welling up in my eyes. I truly can't believe I'll never spend another moment of my life in that special house...

Thanks so much to all of you who entered the drawing for the newest traveling pattern: "Summer Splendor." The chart will be traveling far, far away--to Australia!! Yes, the winner is:

LISA from Lisa V's Lounge

Congratulations, Lisa--I know you'll enjoy stitching it as much as I did! Please send me your address and I'll get this in the mail to you next week. And for those of you who didn't win, you may want to go check out Lisa's blog--when she is done stitching this, it will be up for grabs again...

I do have a couple of stitched gifts (a birthday gift and a baby gift) that I've finished recently, but I think this post is long enough already and I'll save them for another time. I leave you with these gorgeous flowers that appeared earlier this month. Foxgloves, snapdragons, and wild roses (complete with a "Daddy Long Legs Spider"!)... their blooms have faded now, but they sure were pretty at their peak!

June flowers ~ 2012

Thank you all for your very thoughtful comments and emails--each one is so special to me, I hope you know that! Welcome to my new followers, too--it's so nice to "meet" you... I still shake my head when you tell me my finishes inspire you! My finishes have come a long way over the past three years since I began blogging, but I still find it amusing that some of you find my little creations inspirational. However, I thank you so very much--your compliments truly warm my heart... Enjoy your weekend and take some time to stitch! Bye for now...

Summer Splendor and Attic Treasure

Hello, my blogging buddies! How is June treating you so far? With the cool weather we've been having here in western Pennsylvania the past week, you would never know that summer is only two weeks away! I don't remember a June ever starting off this way... But, I've been attempting to hurry summer along--with some summery stitching, at least!

A while back, my generous friend Kathy, over at "Kathy's Sit and Stitch" blog offered to send me the adorable LHN Summer Splendor chart after she had finished it. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed stitching a piece this much. Every little motif is just so summery--the chirping birds, the tiny cottage with its white picket fence, the luscious-looking strawberry patch. And how about the weeping willow tree--doesn't it looks like the perfect place under which to sit and delve into an intriguing new book? This will be my very first addition to my June bowl of smalls with the theme of...drum-roll please--strawberries!!



"Summer Splendor" is stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen with the suggested overdyed threads. I kept the finish quite simple due to all the little motifs and just applied thin strips of white lace and attached some square shell buttons in each corner. The little pillow is backed with the floral fabric shown in the background.


In keeping with the spirit of giving and generosity that is so common in our stitching community, I want to offer this "Summer Splendor" design to a fellow blogger. Please leave a note specifically stating that you are interested in the drawing for this chart in your comments. The only requirements are:

1. Please have an active blog
2. Please agree to stitch it promptly
3. Please pass it along to a fellow
stitcher via a drawing on your blog
4. Please post your finish and the history of
where the chart has traveled (with a link to the post of each stitcher's finish) like this:

1. Kathy at "Kathy's Sit and Stitch"
2. Carol at "Stitching Dreams"

My other finish is a little pillow sent as a RAK to my friend, Brenda. This freebie from 123 Citrouille is available by clicking here. I stitched this one over one on 28 ct. cream evenweave with overdyed threads so it is quite small. Instead of ric-rac, I stitched a little zig-zag between the fabric and the design with a bit of the brown thread used in the basket. I've never tried that before, but like the look of it. I included a Chessie & Me chart and a pretty skein of patriotic floss along with the pillow and Brenda seems very happy with her surprise...


Kindness begets kindness and my sweet friend, Elia, sent me this beautiful heart all the way from Spain. Elia won one of my giveaways last month and we have become friends despite the ocean that separates us! I just love the design (from Blackbird Designs "For My Friend" booklet) and she also included a sweet scissor fob with the word "Amor" on it. And look at the miniature scissor charm she tied on to the ribbon--adorable! ¡Me encantan tus regalos, Elia, mi amiga! Muchisimas gracias por ellos y por tu amistad preciosa! (I love your gifts, Elia, my friend. Many thanks for them and for your precious friendship). If you aren't familiar with Elia's blog--please stop by and say "hola"...


Most of my regular readers know that my childhood home has been sold and my siblings, husband, middle son, and I headed up to New York a few weeks ago to clean out the attic and basement (most of the living space had been tackled over previous months)...It was probably the hottest weekend of the year so far--closing in on 90 degrees! And, yes, I ended up on attic duty. Now this is a huge attic on top of a five-bedroom 1906 era house. They sure don't build them like that anymore! What a workout; I must have made 100 trips up and down two flights of stairs throughout the day. I have never felt sweat pouring down my face like that in my life. But, the attic is now emptied, as is the basement, and things are set up in my parents' barn for an estate sale next weekend.

I wanted to share some of the goodies that came home with me from that cleaning weekend. I chose the sentimental things--nothing of much value except for the memories they invoke. I asked my mom if I could take Grandma's vintage Singer sewing machine--and she said yes! I just love the pretty Bentwood dome case it came in, complete with its own little key to open it up. The cord is pretty frayed so I'm afraid to try it out...perhaps I should get a new cord made. Does anyone have any experience with cleaning and refurbishing these old machines?

Grandma's old Singer

Vintage Singer "Model 99" sewing machine from 1929!

Look at the engraving on the silver endpiece!
They sure don't make them like that any longer.

We aren't sure where this old print came from--it may have belonged to my great-uncle. Anyway, I thought the chubby babies crying for world peace were so charming. I did a bit of research on this old drawing and found it was from the talented hands of Charles H. Twelvetrees (1888-1948). He was famous in the early 20th century for his drawings and postcards of chubby cheeked children. This particular work is dated 1915...

Charles Twelvetrees print circa 1915
Unfortunately, the peace that these babies
cried for almost a century ago still eludes us...

These four glass bottles were found in a cupboard in the basement so I brought them home to add to my collection. The smaller two on the left were filled with alcohol--a long-forgotten Christmas gift from days gone by. They are shaped like a pear and a strawberry--so cute! (No, I didn't drink the questionable looking alcohol--down the sink it went!). They'll be perfect for displaying summer blooms in the coming months...

Pretty glass bottles

OK--this poor Santa is "slightly" ragged looking--even a bit scary. He definitely looks like he's seen better days, but, oh, does he bring back memories. As grown-ups, my brother and I would always get into playful arguments about who he actually belonged to. When I discovered Santa in an box of old Christmas decorations, I gleefully announced to my brother: "Ha ha--he's mine now!!" He laughed good-naturedly and Santa was carefully placed in my car to travel to his new home in Pennsylvania.

A much-loved Santa

Earlier this year, my mom had passed on some of my grandmother's sewing things to me since I am the only stitcher in the family. When I first told her what us stitchers use flower frogs for (displaying our collection of scissors for you non-stitching readers!), she was a bit horrified, but after realizing that it would actually be used and not just end up sitting in a cupboard collecting dust, she relented and gave me the most beautiful amber-colored glass flower frog. I think it is one of the prettiest I've seen!

Grandma's amber flower frog

...and filled with scissors.
I'm not a scissor collector like many
of you, but I've received a few fobs and
pretty scissors from stitching friends.

When mom asked if I would like Grandma's sewing basket and thimble, I was especially touched. I can still remember the basket sitting in Grandma's home. She was an expert seamstress who could whip up a dress in no time. But, her expertise was in smocking. What I wouldn't give to have one of those precious smocked dresses she made for me when I was a child...When I was a little girl, I always thought this was a Native American basket, but it turns out to be Chinese-made. The little brass decorations on the top have Chinese characters on them along with some pretty glass beads. I'll bet some of you own similar sewing baskets, don't you?

Grandma's double-decker sewing basket

...filled with a rainbow of threads!

My dear grandmother's gold thimble etched with grapevines.
Isn't it beautiful? On the back are her initials.

So, that's it for my "treasures." Oh, but wait just a second--hold on! I do have one final thing to show you... Tucked over in a corner of the nearly emptied attic, way back under the eaves, I spotted a nondescript-looking cardboard box. Scribbled in black marker on the side of the box, I saw the word "BONE." I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be nice if some pretty bone china was inside?"

"But, look, Carol," said my cousin who was there helping, "on the other side of the masking tape is an "S." B-O-N-E-S? Bones? What on earth could be in this box???? Holding my breath, I very carefully removed the tape, pulled back the lid, and lifted a layer of newspaper. What should be staring back at me but...

this

friendly

looking

fellow.

Are you ready?

(Don't peak if you are easily scared...)

BOO!

A skeleton in the attic!

Yes, a grinning skull with an entire box full of bones. It was a full skeleton! Now, you've all heard of the expression "Skeletons in your closet," haven't you? How about skeletons in your attic? Yikes!! In all the time I had played in that attic on rainy days and the hours my sons had spent there while visiting their grandparents, not one of us had ever come across this box. Why was it there, you ask? Well, my dad was a doctor--a surgeon, in fact, and the skeleton was something he had used in medical school when studying anatomy. The yellowed 1950s-era newspaper it was wrapped in was from Buffalo, NY where he was studying to be a doctor. So, what do you do with a full skeleton? Why, you send it home with your little brother who is also a doctor! I wonder if he'll put it together and display it in his office? He was delighted with the find and he so enjoyed tormenting me by waving the skeleton's foot in my face. Some things never change... It was certainly "the find" of the weekend!

I want to welcome my new followers--so glad to have you here! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments--I truly look forward to hearing from each of you. If you ask me a question and want a response, though, please make sure you include your email address. If you post anonymously I have no way to answer you--and I really do try to get back to each of you when at all possible. There are still so many of you who have "no-reply comment" issues. Please, please check your profile and make sure you don't fall in this category. You can learn how to change your settings in this previous post which you can read by clicking here.

I hope you enjoyed your visit today--may your day brings many smiles and laughs along the way. Don't forget to let me know in your comments if you would like to be included in the drawing for "Summer Splendor!" Bye for now...

May Blooms

Good morning, my stitching friends! I hope all of you here in the U.S. enjoyed a relaxing and fun-filled Memorial Day weekend. I was so happy to have my youngest son home from Washington, DC. for four days--I hadn't seen him since early February, so it was the first time all five of us had been together in nearly four months. How I enjoy watching my three now grown "boys" together--they always have me in stitches with their antics, teasing, funny songs, and family jokes. In between visiting with them and cooking and cooking and cooking (I'd forgotten how much food four males can put away!!), I did manage to put the finishing touches on my bowl of May smalls...

May Blooms

First up, is Bent Creek's "May Blooms" which looks nothing like the original which you can see here. Do you ever work backward and pick your colors based on how you want to finish a piece? Well, that's exactly what I did with this one. I had this gorgeous piece of blue and yellow fabric which I wanted to use for the finish so I chose my thread colors based on that... It is stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen using a variety of blue and yellow overdyed threads from my stash. I finished it into a flat-mounted ornament and tied some pretty yellow cording around it to finish it off. You all know blue and yellow is my favorite color combination, so you can imagine how happy I am with this finish!

Nest Under the Flowers freebie

My next finish, is a freebie called "Nid Sour les Fleurs" (Nest Under the Flowers) from the wonderful blog Le Chalet des Perelles which can be seen right here. The chart can be obtained by emailing a request to its talented designer, Cathy. (Look in the right sidebar under "Contactez l'auteur" to send an email to her.) This one is stitched with DMC on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen. I seem to be stitching a lot on 40 ct. lately--it seems so much easier because you just have to use one thread and there are no worries about the threads getting twisted. This one is finished up as a small pillow and accented with a ruched ribbon made of dusty blue satin...so sweet.

Buttercup Sampler

The flowery finish which was my next choice to be included in my May bowl, is "Buttercup Alphabet" by The Victoria Sampler. Don't you love buttercups--so sunny and bright! When you were a child, did you used to do hold them under your chin? If you saw their reflection that meant that you "liked butter"--remember? Come on--who doesn't like butter!! I only had one of the overdyed threads suggested for this finish so I substituted similar colors from my collection of Nina's Hand Dyed and Sampler Threads and I'm very pleased with the result. To me, this almost looks like a watercolor painting--do any of you see that effect in the flowers? Buttercup Alphabet is stitched over one on 28 ct. cream cashel linen and finished off with a soft yellow and white flower print and rope trim.

"Lavanda" freebie

Finally, another freebie finish called "Lavanda" by Luli which can be found right here. For this finish (stitched with the suggested DMC colors on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen), I did something a bit different. I sewed a small loop of pink ribbon in the middle, added a trio of pastel bows, and placed a bouquet of tiny flowers inside the ribbon. Ideally, these would be dried lavender, but not having any right now, I simply inserted a few sprigs of pink coral bells for the photo. What do you think?

Below are my four latest May finishes along with the two I showed you in my last post:

And here are all six--displayed in the bowl along with some of the prettiest clematis blooms which are growing in our yard... I'm so pleased that I've been able to keep this bowl filled with new finishes each month so far this year. I already have a theme in mind for June--can anyone guess what I'll be stitching?

I received a surprise gift from dear Brenda at Brenda's Stitching last week. I mentioned, in a comment on her blog, that I had never used chenille trim and she kindly sent some to me to try it out on some of my little pillows! I just love the colors you chose, Brenda, and think they will be great accents--especially for some of my to-be-stitched fall pieces! Thank you so much, my friend--you really made me smile. If you haven't visited Brenda's blog--please check it out. Her work is not only beautifully stitched, but perfectly finished as well!


So did you do anything especially fun over the long Memorial Day weekend? I did something I hadn't done in 30 years--yes 30 long years!! I rode a bike! The last time I was on a bike was when I was pregnant with my oldest son three decades ago. We took a trip to Cape Cod and spent many relaxing afternoons just biking around the island. My husband is an avid cyclist who often rides 50 or even 100 miles at a time. He's been after me to give it a try, so this weekend all the guys convinced me that now was the time. It was a bit scary and I was slightly wobbly at first, but I so enjoyed it! We ended up riding over 17 miles (which in Pittsburgh, with it's hilly terrain is not the easiest riding!) and although I may not be sitting comfortably on hard wooden chairs for a few days, I think this may be the start of a new interest. When we returned from our ride we all indulged in these goodies...probably the best brownie recipe I've ever tried. If you love fudgy, ooey-gooey brownies like we do, check out this recipe for "Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies." Oh, my!! Believe me, I'll have to add more miles onto my daily treadmill workouts to get rid of the calories from those chocolatey treats, but, they were so worth it!

Thank you for all of your kind comments on my last post... You were so very supportive and understanding about my sadness at having to clean out my childhood home. It was a long, tiring, and emotional weekend, but we got the job done and I'll post soon about some of the treasures I found in the old attic--I think you'll enjoy them! Have a joyful week, my friends, and I hope you find some time each day to stitch and create--even if just for a few minutes. It is so good for the soul. Bye for now...

Two Finishes on a Special Day

Wow! Isn't it hard to believe we are almost half-way through the merry, merry month of May? I hope your month is going well and you're managing to fit some stitching time in on top of all the gardening and outside chores that seem to demand so much of our attention this time of year. I only have two small finishes to share with you, both of which will become part of my bowl of May smalls which I've been slowly working on...




First up, is this darling spring scene from Prairie Schooler's Book No. 69: "A Prairie Village I." When I saw this, I knew it was the perfect thing for me because of the pond and the swimming swans. As most of my long time readers know, our backyard pond is a constant attraction for birds--especially herons and ducks (no, we've never had a swan!!). I just loved everything about this one--even that crazy looking creature racing up the tree. Is it a mutant squirrel or a crazy fox? My middle son thought it resembled a tiny horse!


I've always loved small yellow houses, so the only change I made to this chart's suggested DMC colors was to make the house a bit more yellow by substituting DMC 676. It is stitched "over one" on cream Monaco fabric (can't say enough how easy it is to stitch over one on Monaco--I love that stuff!). I had originally thought of a gingham fabric to pair with the toffee colored ric rak, but when I held the yellow and brown polka dot material up to my stitching, I knew I had found the perfect accent. Thanks to my dear friend, Lois, who sent this fun fabric to me last year--I'm so happy I finally found a lovely use for it.

I think the little squirrels that visit my yard are much cuter than the one in my stitching, don't you? They've had the best time all spring sitting under the bird feeder and hungrily chowing down on all the seed spilled by their feathered friends! Sometimes, the ducks even waddle the 50 yards from the pond to the bird feeder and join in on the fun. Partners in crime, I'd say! Just look at that sneaky cardinal (in the photo on the right) tilting the bird feeder so the food drops down to his pals the ducks...Mr. Duck is always so protective and watchful while Mrs. Duck eats first--a perfect gentleman!

May 14, 2012...a very special event happened 85 years ago today. My dear mother came into this world and quickly became the apple of her father's eye! In honor of mom and her birthday month, I stitched this little Lily of the Valley pillow. You see, when I was growing up and learning to bake, one of my favorite things to make was cakes. Mom's birthday cake, since it fell in mid-May, always included Lily of the Valley and tiny purple violets sprinkled over the top. Lily of the Valley will forever remind me of my sweet mom. I'll be thinking of you today, mom, and hoping you have a most ♫♪♫ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ♫♪♫ !!



This is a freebie from Les Chroniques de Frimousse which you can find by clicking here. As you can see (if you look at the original chart), I substituted the lady bugs that were charted for some pale pink Algerian Eye stitches with pink beads sewn in the middle. I just wanted a more feminine, spring look...I've always loved gray and pink as a color combination, so I stitched this on 32 ct. gray touchstone linen with the DMC colors white, 225, and 367. I tufted it in the center with a square shell button, turned it on the diagonal, added some handmade cording and a soft pink ribbon and...voilà! A beautiful ornament in honor of my beautiful mom...

Best Laid Plans...Do you ever have days when all your plans go out the window all because of a single event? Well, we had one of those this past Saturday. It all started with what was supposed to be a quick trip to a plant sale that a local garden club was having. After we purchased some geraniums, snapdragons, and petunias, we made our way to Lowe's to buy some ferns to hang on our front porch. Once there, our plans for the entire day suddenly changed when we both fell in love with this wispy Japanese Maple tree. Once we got the tree home, we realized, that in order to showcase it, we would have to dig up our entire patio garden and move and divide, all of the plants and rocks (except the ferns growing against the fence and the hydrangea which remained in their old locations). Whew! What a job... But, we are so pleased with the result! We still have a few "bare spots" to fill in, but it makes us smile every time we look out at it... Below you can see a collage of all of our hard work after it was freshly mulched and watered.. The Japanese Maple tree is now a lovely focal point in our garden and I can even enjoy it from my kitchen window while washing the dishes.

Purples and pink blooms seem to be popping up all over our yard this month...Below are two varieties of Clematis, Korean lilacs, chive blossoms, and a bright fuchsia rhododendron (complete with a buzzing bumble bee). What a glorious time of year!

I hope all of you moms out there had a lovely Mother's Day yesterday.. Only my middle son was able to visit (the oldest was enroute to Canada where he spends half of each month working on a wind energy project for the province of New Brunswick and the youngest was hard at work in Washington, DC.), but one is better than none, right? I received some very sweet gifts (oldest son's gift is a new eggplant colored iPad case which hasn't arrived yet and my middle son gifted me with a 123 Stitch gift certificate-yippee!!) and lovely flowers (the yellow blooms are from my oldest son and the fuchsia and white arrangement came from my youngest). I'm so proud to be your mom, guys--thanks for all the smiles you've brought me through the years.


I thought all of you would really enjoy seeing a close-up of the cute card that my middle son picked out for Mother's Day. Perfect for us stitchers wouldn't you say? I just love it and think it is so thoughtful of him to choose a card that reflected my love of stitching!






I also want to thank a new blogging friend, Barb, who sent me a gift representative of her beautiful state of Washington. Isn't this the prettiest coffee mug ever? I just love the pretty umbrella covered figures, Barb, and plan on taking it to work with me to use in my office. If you haven't visited Barb's "Wicked Stitcher" blog yet, head on over--she has some lovely stitching as well as the prettiest nature pictures of her beautiful state. Thank you again, my friend--your gift is almost too pretty to use (almost!).

Looks like a busy week ahead for me with more work hours than normal, a mandatory In-Service Day, and then a trip up to New York to clean out my childhood home which was recently sold (in less than a week!). I'm sure that will be a very bittersweet time for me and my siblings...I get pretty misty-eyed just thinking about saying goodbye to it and the small town where I spent so many happy years. Wish me luck...

I want to thank each of you for stopping by to visit me today; I wish you a week filled with smiles and time for stitching! Bye for now...