And It's Over.......

 I am tired but content. It was a good Christmas and everyone is now home safe and sound. We had brought my parents down from Baltimore for four days and my younger daughter's family drove up from NC. We had a full house for three days with my local daughter's family joining in. We ate, we laughed, we played games and got lots of cuddle time with the baby. My older daughter created some fun games based on the show "A Minute to Win It". Here are Rich and I trying to build a tree shape from solo cups with one hand......I won!!!  LOL

 Now I am trying to put my house back in order, catch up on laundry and hopefully...put a needle to fabric.

I wanted to post some special gifts I received. First up is from my blogging pal, Carol.....a lovely redwork ornament and sweet fob kit. Thanks so much Carol...a treasure to be sure!

 

Next was from my younger daughter....A PhotoShare frame....they can send us photos over the internet that are automatically downloaded and create a slideshow. How cool is that!!!
 

My older daughter, who has the knack for finding the perfect gift, gave me this 'stone art' piece from a local artist. It is called "This is Us"...one of my favorite TV shows...and represents my five grandchildren!!!

 

 This is one I had bought for myself called Festive Trees. She had a moment of panic when she heard I had bought one for myself, but luckily it was the same one she got. Whew!!!!

I didn't get much stitching in over the last week, but managed to finish the embroidery Advent calendar piece form Pick and Stitch last evening. This was fun to do though I wasn't able to keep up on a daily basis. I stitched this on a vintage green napkin with Sulky #12 thread. Now to find a nice 7" round frame or hoop.

I will close with a photo of my grands...they are growing so!!! I hope to be back soon!

 

 Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship! I am off to chill!!!

Stasi

 

Counting Down....

 A quick post today to share some more of the cute items I'm receiving in my Advent Calendar from my friend, Lisa......only 4 more to go! This has been so much fun! Clockwise from upper left....emery board,notebook and pen,Anchor floss, colorful buttons, stork needle threader, shower fizzies, seam ripper and glue spreaders. All will come in handy at some point!

We're off to get my parents early tomorrow morning and bring them down for Christmas. Lots of rain forecast for tomorrow, so travel on I-95, especially around DC will probably be hellish...wish us luck!!! My younger daughter's family will arrive Friday and then we'll all be together. Not sure I'll post again for a bit, so a very Merry Christmas to all!!! I hope you enjoy some special times with your family and friends.

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

Stasi

Christmas Rush is slowing down a bit......

 ......but will be kicking into full gear again soon. I'm enjoying this couple of days of peace while I can. I have been doing some stitching in the evening, but can't share as it's a gift. But I will share the baking I've been doing. I'm trying not to make too much, as we don't need to be indulging, but hey..it's Christmas!

On the left are some oatmeal raisin cookies right off the Quaker box. Esther helped with these and made them huge, so we didn't get too many from the batch. (Truth be told, we've been enjoying them the past few days). :) On the right are Citrus Glazed Oatmeal cookies. These have become Rich's favorites!

The one on the left here is a new to me recipe, Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. They are very rich so I cut them into small bite size squares. On the right is some Biscoff Cookie Fudge, made with Biscoff cookies and topped with a caramel sauce.

Today I'm going to make the pretzel rigs with the Hershey Kisses and M&Ms. They are one of my favorites! And that will probably be it. Hopefully our family will eat the bulk of it....the grands can afford the extra calories!

Last, but not least, I wanted to share  my birthday gift from Cora. It's perfect as a scissor fob on the scissors I use daily, though she said it was a key ring. I love the little card she included.

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

Stasi
 

A Little Hint......

 I participated in a Hands on Design event this fall and one of the projects was on 18 ct perforated paper. Since it is only available in white, Cathy shared a method to add some color using ink pads. I wanted the Lila's Studio sweaters  I stitched recently to be on something other than white. So I found some Tim Holtz distressed ink pads ----I didn't want bright colors---and they did the trick. I used an old stencil brush and rubbed it on in circles, but you could use a soft cloth, toothbrush, etc. to rub it on. Here is a photo showing the before and after.

You can make it as distressed as you like by adding more in certain areas. This idea just opened up a whole new world of choices for the perforated paper. Let me know if you give it a try!

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

Stasi
 

A Finish and Some Gifts......

 

 

I received some lovely birthday and Christmas gifts from a few of my blog followers, who have become friends over the years. The first up are from Robin..some darling "bee" note cards (look close to see the embossed bees), a floss holder with some tags and a pair of beautiful stitched treasures.

 

 

Next, from Vickie, is a sweet scissor holder. And I had the perfect pair of scissors to tuck safely inside.

Last, but not least, are my gifts from Marilyn....some useful 'necessities' and a beautiful stitched ornament with the words "joy and peace", which I wish for all of us.
 

 

Thanks so much ladies, I truly appreciate you taking the time to remember me at this busy time of year and will cherish your gifts.

Now my finish.....this is what I chose to work on for the #samplercamp2022 SAL hosted by Sherri, The Colorado Stitcher. If I remember correctly, you were to either start or revisit a sampler and stitch on it from September to December, with the hope of a finish. You also had to change something up-- a color, a motif, wording etc.. I chose to work on We Live in Hope by Blackbird designs, which I had started in May, 2021. I stitched it on 36 ct. BOAF Sandpiper linen, over two with one strand (converted the called for colors to Victorian Motto Shoppe floss). I personalized this piece with info from my family history and will show the original version, then mine.

 

So, here's the poop scoop. My family tree on my paternal grandmother's side can be traced back to one of the first settlers of Maryland. My ancestor, Richard Duke, came over from England on the Ark and landed in Maryland in 1634; I knew they would have sailed up the Chesapeake Bay. Legend has it he was the assistant to Father Andrew White, who supposedly said the first Catholic Mass in the colonies. The Ark was the larger of two ships and carried the passengers. The Dove was a smaller ship and carried supplies. They named the place where they settled St. Mary's City. And there you have it!!!

A week until Christmas...busy, busy, busy!!! I hope you all don't get too caught up in the frenzy and can enjoy the beauty of the season. My fingers are crossed for snow...just a little Christmas morning and after everyone has safely arrived!!! Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi

Some random Christmas Stitches......

 I'm winding down the decoration 'stroll' with a few more stitched pieces. 

 

These last two pieces are very special as my older daughter made them for me when she was a 'tween'. The heart piece she made when she was 11 and the Santa when she was 12. 

 

She has not kept up her interest in needlework, but is a very creative/crafty person. She used to stitch models for us at Twisted Threads when she was in college, and here is one I was able to retrieve for me. 

Red Reindeer Sampler by Birds of a Feather

Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship! Have a great weekend!

Stasi

I Do Love Christmas Decorations......

 Today I have a little more time to spend on my blog; our granddaughter spent the previous three nights with us and she had to be to school by 7:00AM, which meant getting up at 6:00AM. This threw me off schedule for some reason, but we are back to "normal" today.

I have some more of my holiday stitching to share with you. I find I'm decorating more and more with my needlework and less with store bought items.  But then, I don't have the space I used to have for all the 'Stuff". Again, any questions/interest in a particular item, just ask!

I did not make the Santa!!!!

 When my friend came over the other day, I was the recipient of some lovely birthday and Christmas presents. Oh what fun it was to open them!!!

Birthday gifts

These were gifts from her recent trip to Germany. The bag is a reusable shopping bag.

Christmas Gifts

 

Lisa hand knit the socks...aren't they fabulous?

She may have gone a bit overboard, but I so appreciate each and every thoughtful gift. Thanks so much, Lisa!

I think that's it for now....I have some other gifts to share, but will save for another day. Thanks for stopping by and your "twisted threads" of friendship!

Stasi