Bluebirds and Shamrocks

Bluebird Cabin stitched...

I love the two toned door and the house in this one... and of course the Bluebirds.


I wasn't going to use the buttons but the owl button for this block is so cute that I am going to have to use him. (not pictured)
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I finished stitching 'Shamrock Bunny' also.
Pattern by Homespun Elegance
Stitched on 30ct Weeks linen which I tea dyed a bit.


I may stitch these buttons at the bottom but haven't decided yet. I'll be making it into a little pillow with my Heather Ross shamrock fabric on the back.

Most of my 'smalls' are Halloween or Christmas themed so I decided I needed another Spring one. This will make only my second Spring themed one.  I do love it. The bunny's tail is a bunch of colonial knots so it sticks up a bit.
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A little peek of what I've been working on lately...



I'm loving the colors in it so much! I can't give the details as of yet. It's going to be a gift and I don't want to give too much away.
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In my backyard

Can't Stop

My house needs to be cleaned.

There are piles of laundry to be done.

The yard is a mess.

There is food to be bought and people to be fed.
So many errands to run, I don't know where to start.
I have one hundred other things that NEED to be done,
but I can't stop stitching ...

It's a sickness.
It's my addiction.
It's my therapy.

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Pattern : "Bluebird Cabin" , Frosty Forest #5
By Country Cottage Needleworks

Stitching, Adventure and Amphibians

So much has been going on that I've had little time to stitch.

I did have a chance to stitch a 'staff challenge' piece... twice.

First off, let me tell you just in case you're  near Richmond, Va this coming weekend...

Quilting Adventures is having 2 Virginia cross stitch designers coming for an Open House!

It's March 8th, 10am to 3pm 

Here's the link: Open House

We are having a cross stitch 'staff challenge' for the Open House...

I decided to stitch one of Sandra Sullivan (Homespun Elegance)'s designs.

I ended up stitching it twice because I love stitching with just one strand of floss (right) but you really can't see the variegation in the thread because the linen count is so low (30 ct).  I stitched it again (left) using two strands of floss and can see the variegation much better.

I am going to try to make a floss tag using Vonna ~ The Twisted Stitcher's tutorial.
Fingers crossed!  I love stitching but the finishing part always scares me. 

A new start... 'She Feeds them Well',  designed by Scarlett House



I can't wait to stitch all those birds.
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Last week we took the kids on an adventure.
We went to the Falls in DuPont State Park, NC , we went to the Georgia Aquarium  and then went to Stone Mountain  which is right outside of Atlanta , Ga.


It was all so wonderful! ~  Spending time with the family was wonderful too! I just can't get enough of them.
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Last week I also took a  FrogWatch class.  Talk about fun!!  We got to listen to and learn the 19 frog and toad calls in and around my area... Virginia.
The calls are amazing. Frogs and toads are declining in some areas and these cute little critters are very important. Plus they're adorable and I don't want them to disappear.
Once I learn my croaks, I can register and start logging in the frogs and toads I hear.



This is a photo of  'Puff the magic Toad'. She is at Maymont where I took my FrogWatch class.
I'm in love!

Stitching Nature

And loving that the sun came out...

George Lassos the Moon

I finished 'George Lassos the Moon' and I LOVE how it turned out.It was super fun to stitch.  The pattern is by "The Sampler Girl".  She has some really cute patterns on her web site... here.

Remember I had started the pattern awhile ago stitching over 2, but it was just looking too big for me.

So I decided to start over stitching over just one. (on 28 ct)

I just can't even tell you how much I love the whole Christmas season. And 'It's a Wonderful Life' is one of my favorite Christmas movies. 

I found the perfect frame for it at the thrift store!! The frame reminds me of 'Downton Abby'.

I do believe I am going to put it up on the mantel now even though it's pumpkin/Halloween season. I just love it too much to hide it until Christmas Holiday!

A Pirate and a Bird

The stitching on my pirate is finished. Pattern from Sue Hillis Designs, Post Stitches. The pattern is called "Pirates Love Christmas"..... of course. I'm not sure if I am going to frame it or boarder it with fabric and make it a little wall hanging. It is a Christmas (2012) gift for our neighbors who do so much for us. The wife loves pirates and has the whole living room decorated in them.

Here is the new pattern I've started. The one where I've been showing the floss in my posts but not the pattern. We have a friend who is getting married in September. One of those friends who your child calls them Uncle even though they aren't and they are the 'emergency pickup person' on your children's school list. Well, he moved to Missouri to be with his girlfriend last year and now they are getting married! I am so happy for him! He is one of those great guys that deserves the best.

And the reason I'm not making him a quilt is because someone in his family has already set out to make them a "double wedding ring" quilt. He has a quilter in his family.

So here is the start. I love the little birds. The only problem with this pattern is.....it is so cute I might want to just put my husband and I's name on it and hang it on my wall. :o)

I Am Missing Christmas.

PrOgress on my Pirates Love Christmas. And a new pattern I bought from 'The Sampler Girl'. She had an awesome Super-Bowl sale going on. The pattern is called "George Lassos the Moon". I am a huge fan of Christmas time and the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".

I can't wait to start this pattern, but it will have to be awhile..... there are others that need to come first.

What I've been up to.....

I have been stitching a bit while watching movies with the hubs ( see last picture below). Made a little prOgress on my skull pirate.

I've been reading and answering lab questions for my Mirco class.

I've been cooking dinner a lot. One of my New Year's resolutions was to have the family eat at the dinner table more often. :o) I got this recipe off of Pinterest and it is yummy, I've made it twice now...... Cheese & Bacon Potato Rounds

4 baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 Cup melted butter

8 slices bacon ~cooked and crumbled

8 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Cup chopped green onion

Preheat 400 degrees, Brush both sides of potato slices with butter and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 30-40 mins or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. When done ~ top with bacon, cheese, green onion.....then cont' to bake till the cheese if melted. So easy and so yummy, they are like mini baked potatoes.

I've been watching "The Tuskegee Airmen". What a wonderful movie, it will make you cry. The hubs and I are excited to see the new movie coming out by George Lucas, "Red Tails". Both movies are based on the true story of the 332nd fighter squadron from WWII. Both have Cuba Gooding, Jr. in them also. I love his acting. Anyway, it is an amazing story and I highly recommend it. And I am quite sure that George Lucas' movie will be just as good.

Organizing Floss

Or trying to. I decided to wind my floss on little floss cards to get more organized. So I could see which colors I have or how many of a color I have. Or just to be more organized. Well, I didn't know what I was getting into. I have way more floss then I thought I had.

I really thought I was down to one bag of floss and one box of already wound floss before I started this organizational task. I've been winding for 3 days now. Not the whole 3 days. :o) Just here and there for 3 days.

I've now filled one more box. So I have the box that was full to begin with and a newly filled box.... but wait there's more....

I opened a drawer in my bedroom and found another bag full of floss today! I haven't even finished winding the first bag of floss. I thought I was getting close to being done with winding floss, the bag on the right in the one I've been working on. The one on the left is the bag I found today. Oh holy moly, what have I started?! I will need to go buy another container or 2 to hold all this.

PS~ I haven't even started to put these cute little floss wound cards in order yet.

PSS~ I think I'll just go stitch some. :o)

Threads Running Wild

We had such a Merry Christmas, I hope you did too. Still a lot of things going on while school is out for Holiday. Here is prOgress on my 'Mad Scientist'.

Here is one of the gifts my husband gave me. This book has the cutest patterns in it.

Here is one pattern that caught my son's eye. He loves Ammonites. (The little pink guy with the yellow shell in the bottom left corner)

So he decided he wanted me to teach him how to cross-stitch. He didn't last long, he got very frustrated and only got 3 lines done. He asked if he could go play and work on it later. :o) I'm hoping he'll do more little by little. I'd love to frame it one day and hang it in his room.

In other news. LOL I am taking the 'Totally Useless Stitch-a-long' over at "It's Daffycat". Here is a picture of my jar (which may change later when I find a cuter one) empty. No ORT= Old Ratty Threads yet. I like saving up my old ratty threads for the birds anyway, they use them to make their nest in the Spring. So by next Spring (2013), I'll have all kinds of thread for them.

Another big change in the subject~ My daughter and her boyfriend's gift exchange..... they have been dating for 1 3/4 years. And they are both big gamers. She gave him this cute magnet.

You know she had knee surgery a few months ago and just recently got off of her crushes. He gave her this cute shirt. LOL

She also made him this cute X-Box game controller. Her and her girlfriend made up a pattern and stitched it up. What a creative and great idea. I am so proud of her.

Hopefully I can post prOgress pictures of the Ammonites soon. Everyone have a wonderful New Year and be safe on New Year's Eve.

eye candy

I've been eye balling this girls work for awhile now.... and look what I found today. She has stitched the sweetest bus with Alice characters. You know the very cute movie 'Little Miss Sunshine'? It's based on that. And if you own or have owned a bus...you'll get it. LOL

Here is her flickr pictures so you can see more cuteness. And here is her blog/website.

Hedgehog

What I stitched up today... what could it be....


this sweet hedgehog. It was a pattern , I didn't make this up on my own.

Here is how he turned out in the end.

Favorite things

This weekend I got to do two of my favorite things. Camp and stitch. We went to T.R.O.M. this weekend. ( The Rides Of March) You can read about it here on my camping blog.

January

My son drew the cutest picture of outer space. I am stitching it up...here is the moon and the sun.

The baby quilt I was working on is finished and was delivered to the mommy.

Here is the mommy, my sister-in-law opening it up. She will be having a boy the end of January.