My workspace.....welcome to my craft closet

A quick post to show you what I'm looking at (and working on) even as we speak.....

I've been working on Thanksgiving and Christmas cards!  Tis the season!!

A complete finish.......in less than two weeks!

 Earlier this month I went to St. Charles, MO with two friends to attend the Celebration of Needlework show.  While there, I bought a pattern for a scissor sheath to stitch as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine.  

It only took me a week of sporadic stitching to complete the cross-stitch and I finished assembling the sheath this afternoon.  Assembling the sheath called for a blanket stitch which I don't do very often.  It took me a little while to get the hang of the blanket stitch but I was finally able to move at a more rapid pace.  

  The sheath is approximately 

3 3/4" high and 1 1/2" wide.  In the world of needlework, these tiny projects are called "smalls".

Halloween Scissors Sheath pattern

designer:  J. Designs by Julie

I also purchased a cute pair of swordfish scissors to include as part of the gift.

I am so pleased with how the sheath turned out......I may have to stitch one for me one of these days!

Handmade Halloween Exchange

I participated in a Halloween swap that Kim over at Wisdom With Needle and Thread organized.  

My swap package came from Cheryll who lives in Australia!  Here is the handmade item that Cheryll sent me. How adorable is this!

The quilted wallhanging is approximately 8x10" and I have it hanging on the mantle in my living room.  Of course I love that it has a cat on it!  ;o)

Cheryll included some "extras" in the package that I received.  Halloween fabric (more cats!) and some DMC in Halloweeny (is that a word????) colors.

Cheryll also included some Australian souvenirs.....a keychain, zippered pouch, and postcard.

My handmade Halloween swap item was sent to Justine who lives in Cheshire (United Kingdom).  Here is a photo of the Halloween ornament that I made for Justine.  It is a Pine Mountain Designs pattern.

I did include some extras (cross-stitch patterns and Halloween fabrics) but forgot to take a photo of them.  Justine has posted photos of the "extras" that I sent her so take a look at her blog here.  

Swap participants are taking part in a blog "linky party" that Kim has set up so if you want to read more about the swap and see what each participant received, take a look at the linky party posts here.  Who knows.....you may decide to join the next Handmade Halloween swap!

Christmas in July!

I recently participated in a Christmas in July ornament swap that my blogger friend, Cath, organized. My swap partner was Sharon who lives in Manchester, United Kingdom.  Last week I received this from Sharon.......

Wow!  Let's see what's inside those wrapped packages.  

 

Lovely green, red, and gold fabric, pearlised-head pins (they are almost too pretty to use!), a spool of Christmas ribbon, size 28 gold plated cross-stitch needles (nothing like starting a new project with a brand new needle), and a cute Christmas stocking card with a thoughtful handwritten message inside.

Also.....a very gererous sized piece (13x18) of hand-dyed 28 count Lugana fabric, a skein of GA sampler thread (the color is Christmas Tree), a 20 yard (!) skein of ThreadworX hand dyed floss (the color is Christmas Time), and a box of Lindt milk chocolate truffles!  Lindt is one of my favorite brands of truffles.....they are incredibly smooth!

 

And look at this pattern that Sharon sent me!  I *love* Plum Street Samplers patterns.  If you remember (I'm sure you do), I finished a PSS pattern earlier this year.  I have already decided to make this my next project and have assembled the threads that will be needed.  I just need to look thru my stash to choose the perfect linen fabric for this design.

And, finally.........here are the adorable pillow ornaments that Sharon stitched for me.  

  

 

Aren't these festive!  Sharon did a beautiful job!  She even hand dyed the fabric using coffee!  These are also Plum Street Samplers designs.  The pattern is titled Christmas Is Coming.  Thanks Sharon!!

Sharon is also a participant in the 2014 birthday thread exchange.  A few months ago I received some pretty threads from Sharon for my birthday.  Well.....included with my Christmas surprises was an additional birthday surprise that she forgot to mail with my birthday threads!  Take a lookie at this cute needle book that Sharon stitched for me!  My cross-stitch needles now have a pretty place to reside!

Front cover

Inside

Back cover

So......what did I stitch for Sharon???  I stitched a Glory Bee Design ornament from the 2008 Just Cross-Stitch annual ornament issue.  Here is a photo of the finished ornament.

Want to see the other goodies I included with Sharon's ornament?  Check out her recent blog post here.

Birthday Threads......the final installment

As I've mentioned before, I am participating in a birthday thread swap this year with nine other stitchers.  Today I received these from Bernadett who lives in Serbia.

I am working on quite a few Christmas ornaments so I know the green DMC will be put to use soon!  

Thanks Bernadette!  

Birthday Threads (Part 2)

Last month I posted about a birthday thread exchange that I am participating in this year.  One of the participants, Lonneke, lives in the Netherlands.  Lonneke sent me a handmade birthday card and thread two months ago......but the package never arrived.   

Last week I received an envelope from the Netherlands.....Lonneke had mailed me a replacement handmade card and threads.  How sweet!  Take a look.....isn't that a cute card?  

The thread on the left is a DMC Pearlescent (Lilac), the middle thread is a DMC variegated thread  (Tropical Waters), and the remaining on right is a DMC satin thread (Aurora Blue).  I have never used Pearlescent or Satin DMC threads before so I am looking forward to trying them out on a future project.  

Thanks Lonneke!

Frozen!

My little friend, Olivia, just celebrated her 6th birthday.  Her Frozen-themed birthday party was last weekend but I missed it because I was out of town.  I hope she liked her card........

It was fun using snowman paper to make a JUNE birthday card.

Supplies used:

Cardstock - Bazzill Basics

Snowflake punch - Martha Stewart Crafts

Pearl and ribbon - stash

Snowman paper - DCWV

Happy Birthday Olivia!!!!!

My Latest Ornament Finish

Designer:  Little House Needleworks

Recent Projects

My cardmaking blog posts have been few and far between lately. Actually, all of my blog posts have been few and far between.  So to catch you up on what I've been doing.....here are some of the cards I've made over the past two months.  

Stamps & designer paper - Stampin' Up

Can you tell I like this style of card?

All stamps - Stampin' Up

A birthday card made for a sweet girl turning 4 using Graphic 45 paper.

A birthday card for a train-loving 4 year old friend using Webster's Pages paper.

For a friend at church who graduated.

A vintage birthday card for a very dear friend.

I'll try to keep current on blogging, but......no promises!

Birthday Threads!

Cath at The Stitchin' Chicken organized a 2014 birthday thread exchange that I am participating in.  What is a birthday thread exchange??  I send a card and three skeins of stitching thread to the other participants as their birthday approaches.  In exchange, I receive three skeins of stitching thread and a birthday card from each of them.  This exchange has been fun and I've enjoyed keeping up with these ladies through their blogs.

My fiftieth (50!) birthday was last month.  Let's take a look at the sweet cards and pretty threads that I received from the other thread exchange participants........

Mary Jane lives in Peoria.  Look at the stash I received from her.  Two skeins of variegated DMC and a skein of Weeks Dye Works hand dyed floss.  Can you see the name of the hand dyed floss......Peoria Purple.  How clever is that??  Weeks Dye Works needs to come up with a Lewisburg Lime (or something similar) so I can send clever gifts like Mary Jane!  Thanks Mary Jane!

Next up is my treat from Vicky (Waterbury, CT).  Can you EVEN take your eyes off of that birthday card? Ice cream is a favorite of mine, Vicky.  How did you know?  Look at the pretty DMC that Vicky enclosed.  One of my all time fave DMC colors is 931 (that is the blue at bottom right for all my non-stitching friends).  I find myself using 931 a lot!!  Thanks Vicky.

Valerie from California also sent three gorgeous DMC colors.  Don't these colors just SCREAM summertime?  I need to look through my stash of patterns for a little summer sampler which will be just perfect for these threads.

And if Valerie's threads scream summertime, then these DMC threads from Nicole absolutely SCREAM springtime!  What pretty pastels!!  Thank you Nicole.  Oh, you will notice from the photo that Nicole is from Canada.  Don't you love how the threads match the colors of the birthday card?

Gaynor lives in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland!  The coordinating DMC colors that she sent is so pretty.  Thank you Gaynor!!

Sharon from Manchester (United Kingdom) sent a skein of blue cotton thread which was made in Denmark.  I think I would like to use this particular thread to stitch a small one-color sampler.  The other two skeins that I received from Sharon are hand-dyed floss.  I love stitching with hand-dyed floss.  The color variations add a unique look to stitched pieces.  Thanks Sharon!

And last....but certainly not least......Another summery color selection was sent to me by Cath who lives in England.  I immediately think of watermelon when I see this color combination.  Thanks Cath......not only for the sweet card and pretty threads but also for organizing this exchange!

Does anyone else see the common color scheme of purples, blues, and bluish purples that many of these ladies sent?  I think it is quite incredible seeing how the only suggestion that we make to one another is the TYPE of thread (DMC, overdyed, metallic, etc) we prefer, not the color.  The thread colors sent to each recipient are strictly chosen by each sender.  

Thanks again, ladies, for your birthday sentiments and the pretty threads!  Looks like it's time for me to stop blogging and start stitching!

Elliot turns 1 today!!!

My great-nephew, Elliot, turned one today.  I got to spend a few days with Eliot and 9 other great nieces and nephews last month.....that was fun.  Here is a picture of Elliot.  Isn't he adorable?

I made Eliot this card for his birthday.

I think he likes the card better than the book I sent him.  

Happy Birthday, Elliot!!

Let It Snow!

I thought that title might get your attention.  

I finally finished this project that I had started late last year.  Isn't he cute??

"Let It Snow" by Hob-Nobb Designs.  

Stitched on linen with DMC thread.

Snail Mail Surprise

In the past I have blogged about model stitching for my friend Beth.  (If you missed those posts or would like to know exactly what model stitching is, you can read them here and here.)

The last project that I stitched for Beth was a pattern called Snow Zone.  The inspiration for the design came from a hooked mat that Beth found at an antique mall.  You can read Beth's blog post and see the antique hooked mat here.

Recently I received an envelope from Beth in the mail.  Hmmmmmm.....what's this?  Beth didn't tell me that she was sending me a package.  Let's see what is inside...

Since Beth has the original antique hooked mat of the Snow Zone design, she sent me the piece that I had model stitched for her.  Also enclosed was a "needle minder" with the cutest little pine cone design on it and the latest issue of Sampler and Needlework Quarterly magazine (which has a couple of patterns that I must put on my "to stitch" list).

What is a "needle minder"?  The round disk is magnetized so you can place your needle on it.  No more "where's my needle" panic attacks.  Needle minders are one of those "why didn't *I* think of that" inventions!

Another Finish!

At the beginning of the year I set a goal to stitch two Christmas ornaments each month.  I started out right on track but fell behind last month.  Last night I finished my sixth ornament.  If I can stitch two more before the end of April, I'll be up-to-date on my goal once more......not sure if that will happen or not!

Without further ado, here is the design I just finished.

This is a Glory Bee Designs pattern from the 2010 Just Cross-Stitch annual ornament issue.  I stitched the design on 32 count platinum linen.  I love the simpleness of the design.

Harvest Delivery

I finally finished this piece on Thursday night!  I dropped it off at the frame shop yesterday.

Harvest Delivery by Plum Street Samplers; stitched on linen.  

Crafting With Friends

This week I had the opportunity to spend time with some friends who were interested in cardmaking.  The ages of my friends ranged from 2 to 13.

I gave instruction on making four different styles of cards and then the children were given the opportunity to create their own masterpieces.  A fun time was had by all!

Everyone made an A+ in paper crafts!