And Christmas is barrelling down.....

Oh my, Christmas is less than a week away. I'm actually in pretty good shape (no pun intended) except for baking cookies.......and I'm cutting way down on those this year...trying to keep the lb's down so I can keep up in Disney!!!

I don't have any stitching to share today as I've been concentrating on gifts and will have to wait until after I know they have been received to post. But I do have some birthday/Christmas gifts I received to share and a couple are stitched. 

First up is the fabulous gift from my friend, Sally. It's done over one (so very tiny) and I absolutely love the way she finished it. The design is by Blackberry Designs and is called Christmas Memories.    She mounted the stitched piece on a wooden dowel and inserted it in a wooden spool on a wood base.  She painted the wooden pieces and mod podged some cute Christmas paper on them....how clever!!! Thanks Sally!

My sweet friend, Tracie, gifted me these adorable tiny oil cans. We had seen some at the Prim Stitcher's retreat and I had been on the hunt since. Ideas are ruminating......thanks Tracie. I asked Tracie where she found that cute ribbon and she said TJ MAxx of all places!!!!

My dear friend, Karen, made me this beautiful bracelet. She has been taking a jewelry making class and this was her first completed project! I love it and since I'm a "jeans" girl, it goes well with just about anything!!!  She also gave me the Beatles book and I plan to start January 1st and read the story behind a song a a day. Thanks again Karen!

I received a lovely ornament from my blog friend Robin that happened to arrive on my birthday. It immediately found a special place on our tree and will be treasured for years to come. Thanks so much Robin!

 I am three weeks behind on my Black Sampler Band SAL and hope to get back to it soon after the holidays. I did just remember that I started a new project last night ( I just had to!!!!) , Christmas Eve Ride by Needle Bling Designs. It's on an R&R Reproductions 22 count wool fabric (don't know color), over one. I've changed the colors to use what I have on hand, a mix of WDW and Victorian Motto. I'm using the PVC pipe frame Rich made me for the first time and liking it. The downside is it's a pain when you have to turn it over to start and end a thread but, otherwise, it's lightweight and sits nicely on my lap.

 I hope your holiday prep is winding down and you can relax, put your feet up and stitch a bit while enjoying a classic Christmas movie....maybe with cuppa something warm. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi
 
 

Some Christmas Stroll Additions (486-487)

The holiday season is definitely underway. We made a trip to Baltimore this past weekend for a couple family events. Saturday was the annual Christmas luncheon for my paternal Aunts and cousins.There were 42 of us in attendance including 4 generations..... and that wasn't everyone!!!! Here is a group photo of the lovely ladies....I'm in the second row, third from the right! 




On Sunday we had a baby shower to attend for a maternal cousin......this is what I made for her to hold four books and then swaddle the little one.....

 
 ...... and in between we visited Rich's Aunt and Uncle, my brother and sister-in-law and had breakfast on our way home with dear friends. Whew--it was a whirlwind weekend but such fun!!! Then we came home to this.....about 12 "of heavy, wet snow!!!! I love snow, but I missed the beautiful, peacefulness when it is falling and had to deal with the not-so-fun aftermath of shoveling.

I do have some stitching to share. We had our holiday luncheon last Thursday at VGN and I undertook the favors. I had bought a bunch of those cute red frames (some round and some square) at Michael's last year and found two freebie charts that would work in them. Each lady received a small kit to make one of the designs and the chart and fibers for the second. Here are mine....on the left, Christmas Alphabet by the Prairie Schooler, and on the right, Santa Scissor Keeper by the Drawn Thread. These are being added to my Stroll.

The PS chart was on one of the little cards they'd give out to promote a new chart, but here is a link to the DT santa:  Santa Scissor Keeper

I had driven over to Williamsburg to check out the vendors that were at Annie's Christmas in Williamsburg. It was a little disappointing as they only had 6 vendors, but there was still a lot to see and I, of course, did a little stash enhancement! Sadly, they announced this would be the last year for the seminar; I know there are a lot of sad stitchers out there! Here is what I bought:

Bookmark from Rovaris (I think I'l make this for Cora)

For me!!!

Puntini-Puntini pins and buttons (you know I couldn't resist!!!)

This looked interesting and I love gadgets!!!

Cool buttons and an adorable, little notebook

I think that covers everything I've been up to; I'll hopefully be doing another post before Christmas. I hope you're easing through the holiday prep and not stressing too much!!! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi


 

Jolly Olde St. Nicholas (485)

A quick visit to share my latest finish....I am so tickled how this turned out. I started this Black Sheep Night kit back in 1998, finished the stitching this year and FFO'd this weekend. The piece is called Olde St. Nicholas by Ewe and Eye and Friends. They finished as a large hanging ornament, but I felt it was too large (approx. 6X8), so I set out on a hunt to find the perfect showcase for it. I stumbled across this wooden "sign" in Hobby Lobby when they first put Christmas stuff out...months ago! I traced the "O" onto mat board and mounted the finished stitching on it. I added the green pom-pom trim and glued to the wooden piece. The buttons came in the kit but I changed out the fiber for his "stache"; I can't recall what fiber came with the kit, but I had "issues" with it (now I can't remember what I DID use)....ugh!!!!  I need to get a large pom-pom for the top of his hat, but couldn't wait to show him off. He will become #485 in the Stitch Stroll. 

To close up today, here is a photo of Esther sewing....doesn't she look the professional? She put the tape around her neck on her own!!!

 


Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

Christmas Ornaments and Stroll Stitchin' (481-484)

Greetings! I hope all my US friends have recovered from your Thanksgiving food induced comas and that everyone is getting into the holiday spirit. I feel we have an extra week to prepare since Thanksgiving was so early, but know that tends to create a false sense of security. Christmas is barrelling down on us with all the decorating, gift buying and stress related preparations. I am  a bit ahead of the game this year as I completed the annual ornaments for the grand kids. Now that I have four, I felt pressured to be sure I got them done in plenty of time; they have already put up their family tree and the small individual ones in their respective rooms. So here are Plum Street Samplers Noah's Christmas Ark I, II and III.  I stitched them on 28 count gingham fabric over two with the DMC conversion. I added the tiny white vintage rick-rack inside the checkerboard border and think that helped brighten them up a bit. I added the red bells (spread out more than the original chart showed) at the bottom and  a JABCO button on each. I'll be presenting them tomorrow when we're scheduled to babysit.

These four are now officially added to my Stroll.

I got week 19 done on the Black Sampler Band SAL. I'm debating whether I want to do the next one, but have time to decide. I think I'll miss receiving the much anticipated bands every Friday, so I'll probably break down and order it. :)

I have some good news I'd like to share. Many of you know that my older daughter and her husband adopted two children form Sierra Leone, Africa last year. It's hard to believe the one year anniversary of their arrival is December 9th ......and what a whirlwind year it has been!!! There have been major life adjustments for all involved, and I won't go into details, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A few months ago my daughter applied to an organization called Adventure is Out There that gives three families of adopted children, who have experienced trauma in their lives,  a free vacation where they can relax and bond as a new family unit.  I am thrilled that my daughter's family was one of the three chosen and they will be winging their way to  Disney World in the near future. And guess what.....we're going too!!!! Of course we have to pay our own way, but the organization said we could "tag" along and thought it a good opportunity for us to bond too! I am so excited and can't wait to see the grands experience and share the wonder of Disney while creating a lasting family memory. Woo-hoo!!!! This is a photo of when they found out the news. My daughter had gotten them each a duffle bag for traveling with puzzle pieces in them that spelled out "we're going to Disney World".

 

........now back to working on some Christmas gifts. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

 

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm swinging by today, before all the turkey day prep begins, to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. There are many things to be thankful for this year and I want to focus on those, not the craziness in the world.  I am thankful for a devoted husband, loving family and dear friends far and near. I am thankful for my many needlework opportunities and the compadres I have met along the way. I am thankful for my health and that I can enjoy retirement. Those are the BIG things, but there are also many smaller things that I am thankful for like a mug of hot tea with a side of biscotti, a warm fleece jacket, a good book, a hike on a chilly day under a bright blue sky, a warm shower, etc.. I'll stop here but you get the point...lots to be grateful for!!! I am also thankful for those who take time out of their own busy lives to read my blog and those who blog themselves and have become friends through our mutual comments. Happy Thanksgiving one and all!!!

Now to some stitching.... I finished up another Christmas ornament, the crocodiles from Noah's Christmas Ark I, by Plum Street Samplers. This one is for my grandson, Asher, who has had a stuffed crocodile since he was a baby.

Here is one of my favorite photos of Asher reading to Croc..he was about 2.

 I am up to date on my Black Band SAL from iStitch Designs...week 18!

We had the pleasure of Betsy Morgan teaching for the VGN this past weekend and I had the honor of playing hostess for her. The class, Cissy's Pin Cushions, was fabulous and most ladies got their sweet, little project done. We did the pre-stitch for one, but there are five others included. Here is my finished one, done with double running stitch:

 Betsy is a wonderful teacher and very interesting lady. If you ever get the chance to take a class, hop on it, as she is retiring in a couple years.

Well that's it..we're off to babysit for the grands and it's a sleepover since my daughter and her hubby have a business dinner out of town to attend. We'll be getting them off to school tomorrow and hoping we can manage it with 4!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship and again.....Happy Thanksgiving!

Stasi

Some Small Stitchin' and Strollin' (477-480)

This post may be a bit long as I have been a busy bee and finished quite a few smalls, some stitched and some FFO'd . FFO is a newly learned term for 'finally finished object', though I dislike the word "object" used to describe our lovely handwork and think I'll use the acronym FFP for 'finally finished project' or 'finally finished piece'. Oops, my sentences may be running a bit long too! :)

Before I start on my stitching, I wanted to let you know that Rich's hand is healing well and he doesn't appear to have lost any movement; it is still swollen but he can bend his finger--thank goodness!!!

When I last posted I was getting ready to head back up to Salty Yarns for a quiet weekend of stitching with friends. Upon arrival I found our "place" all decorated for Halloween by my roomie, Deb. She outdoes herself for this holiday as her birthday is close to Halloween. Here are photos of the decorations (the stitched pieces in the last two photos are mine).

Of course Sara also 'spookifies' the lobby and here are some photos of her work:

Sara and Sally make yummy soups for lunch and the rest of us bring side dishes. We also exchange goodie bags with each other (mine are laying in the orange bags on the table). The gifts ranged from a bag of two apples with peanut butter and caramel, to a Halloween towel, a handmade witches boot, Halloween stick pins and bags, jars and coffins of candy. I made the ladies a Halloween themed ort catcher! Someone had come to a stitch group with one and I took photos and reproduced it. The corduroy rectangle on the inside is supposed to "catch" your orts; it's nice because it lays flat and is easy to transport. I slipped a full size Hershey bar inside!

We usually celebrate Deb's birthday while there and I made her this as part of her presents, 'Til Death by Satsuma Street. It's a Day of the Dead bride stitched on white perforated paper. 

Are you still with me??? Now for some stitching........

Over the last few months, I've been working on a set of placemats. I stumbled across these at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section and immediately recognized that I could do cross stitch on them. I pulled out an old Prairie Schooler chart, Kitchen Table,  that worked perfectly. I positioned the designs in the lower left hand corner and voila.....a beautiful set of 10 placemats (I counted these as one stroll piece)!

For election Day I did this freebie from Ink Circles, I Voted.  This can be found on her FB page or blog and she said to share it freely. I did it on white perforated paper and glued a pinback on.

I also got the model for the January project for my Guild stitched and finished. It is Be Mine Sweet Valentine by Janie Hubble Designs. Sweet, don't ya think??? It's a humbug but not the Bah kind!

We have Betsy Morgan coming to teach at our Guild next Saturday so we had a small pre-stitch to do. This is one of 5 little pincushions that we'll be working on, each a different technique. Hopefully, I'll be sharing  a FFP after class!

  
Next are two pieces in process. First is Thyme to Gather by Hands on Design, which I still have to put together. I did it on some 30 count mystery fabric from the stash and added the JABCO leaf button to the upper wreath. The photo doesn't show the true fabric colors...much more orange on the top one and golden on the bottom.

Then,  I'm caught up on my Black Sampler Band SAL..week 16.

Last but not least, I've started my annual Christmas ornaments for the grands. I've chosen Plum Streets Noah's Christmas Ark  series to do. I'm working on the giraffe (pictured), then the crocodiles, doves and whale. Of course I'm going to do the beehive for me!!! :)  I'm stitching them on 28 count gingham fabric with DMC. Again, the colors are rather faded looking in the photo.

 Whew, I'm pooped!!! I need to post more often so I don't have these epic 'tomes' to write, but time keeps getting away from me. I hope you enjoyed this recap of the past couple weeks. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi