Catch up again.....

Before I start my catch-up post, it it really April 15th? This is what we woke up to this morning. REALLY!!!!! Have to love Minnesota.

Now that I have the weather out of the way I will try to catch-up with what I have been doing. I really hate having to play catch-up but that seems to be how I roll:)

Last weekend was the Stitchville retreat. Stitchville is our LNS here in Minnesota. The teacher for the weekend was Jeannette Douglas. Here she is last Saturday starting our class. As you can see the name of the Sampler she designed for us is "Three Pines Sampler". Jeannette was so down to earth.

Here is the sampler itself. It really is a cute sampler with a lot of specialty stitches. We learned a new and better way to do Queen stitches.

Along with the sampler Jeannette also designed these smalls to go with the sampler. How cute are these smalls!!!

Here is our table of girls. From left to right are: Joyce, Cathy B, LaVonne, myself and Chris.
I knew all the girls before the retreat except Joyce. Now I have another new stitching friend. Be sure to check out Cathy's blog for more of the retreat.

This is the project we stitched on Friday night. It is called Sweet Tulip. Everyone at our table finished this project and here they all are.

This is a picture of some of the designs stitched by some of the retreat girls.


I stitched up Jeannette's new design "Quaker Stitches" I stitched it on 32 count fabric with Belle Soie--Babbling Brook.
We had a very good time at retreat and I really enjoyed listening and talking to Jeannette. If you ever get the chance to take a class with Jeannette you won't be disappointed.

Yesterday one of my stitching buds Jackie and I got together and did a little finishing. We both stitched this Lizzie Kate "Peep" and finished them as stand up boxes. The background fabric is what we used on the sides and back of the box. I think these turned out quite cute.


Then I framed my "Sweet Land of Liberty". I stitched this at the beginning of the year and had to order a frame at Joann's. I am also happy with this finish. With a 50% plus $20 off coupon I managed to get this frame for $18. I just couldn't find the right frame at any of my thrift shops. So I had to order one.


I had these two LK Halloween stitches done for a month or so and finished them off as pinkeeps. I want to stitch and finish them all this way and put them in a basket. Only 10 more to go!!!!

This was a 2010 stitched piece by LHN that I finally totally finished. I think I am all caught up with finishing for now:) After all of that finishing then Jackie, Chris and I got together and stitched. We had a really great time. Thanks for the fun Girls:)

And lastly here is a model stitch for a shop called Country Sampler in Spring Green, WI. It is a design by With My Needle and Thread called " Proverbs 31:13. It was a fun stitch.

Now you can never have enough stitching lights---just ask my stitching buddies! So a couple of weeks ago I bought these two Ott lights. I couldn't pass up a deal. They were on sale for $99 and then I had a coupon for another 25% off, so that made them $75 for both!!! Now they have a new home and I have some new lights.

Sorry for such a long post, thanks for hanging on to the end, but I think I am all caught up now. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Happy Stitching!!!!

Another Birthday....

I had another birthday this past week and I received some nice gifts from my stitching buds. It's been kind of nice because my birthday was last Monday and I started receiving gifts about a week before that and a few days after. Now my family and friends say my birthday goes on for at least a month---I guess that's true!!

Wendy Jo sent me this card and scissor sock. I even have a new scissor to put in it.
Thank you Wendy Jo for remembering my birthday.

Then Jackie--one of my Friday night stitching buds gave me this. I had gotten one of these coasters for our retreat last August and I whined enough and she stitched up the other three:) Plus she gave me a new scissors and a magnet minder.
Thank you Jackie.

This wonderful shrug came from Jill. I just LOVE it. Jill knitted it for me in my favorite color--green. I really like shrugs for whatever reason and this one is very cute. So I went out and bought a new shirt for it!!!!
Thanks so much Jill.

This little beauty came from Cathy B. She is so good to me. She buys me the new Shepherds Bush scissor fob every year. At least for the last three:) Now I just need to get it stitched. I probably have last years to do to.
Thanks Cathy.

I spent my birthday afternoon with Lori another stitching bud and we had lunch at Chili's--one of my favorite places to eat, then we went clothes shopping. She also gave me some Sampler Threads and a gift card for a massage, can't wait to do that another favorite.

Two of my daughter's gave me a great digital frame. Which I have been wanting. That thing does everything. It has a clock, alarm, video, plays music and even has recipes on it!!! Got to love modern technology.

Plus my DIL and son had a family dinner for me last Sunday night. It was a very nice evening with my family.

So as you can see I had a great birthday week. I am a very lucky girl!!!!

I have a few more things I need to blog about but I will do that in a couple of days. I need to catch up with the stitching I have been doing for the last few weeks.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week.
Happy Stitching:)

The Inspired Needle

This last week I had the opportunity to go to Chicago with my DH. When we travel my DH always humors me and takes me to stitching shops along the way.
On the advice of Cathy B we made a trip to The Inspired Needle in Lemont, Ill.
Here is a picture of Cathy (the owner) and myself. I had such a great visit with Cathy and sure wish that I could visit her shop more often. I feel like I have made a great friend in the short time I talked with her. She has a wonderful shop and she is just so friendly. I will make it a point to stop there again next time I am in the area.

Here is a pic of my DH and me at the shop. If you get a chance check out Cathy's blog and shop website. She wrote some very nice things about my visit with her.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stitching.

Wild Roses and a couple more finishes

First off I am so excited about this piece. I just love it. It was a very fun stitch. I seem to like long skinny pieces and when I saw this as a shop model I knew I would have to stitch it.

This piece is from Carriage House Samplings. It is called Wild Roses. I Stitched it on 36 count cream with DMC. I did personalize is with my hubby's initials across the top and mine on the bottom. Then going down the left side I put our childrens initials and across on the right hand side I put their spouses initials. Our youngest is not married so I only put the last name initial in. For this piece I went to Joann's with a 50% off plus another $20 off coupon and ordered this frame. I did the framing myself. I am so happy with how it turned out.

Here is just a close up of the top of the piece. I put my own name and dated it 2011.

I stitched and finished my second LHN ornament for 2011. This one was stitched on home dyed 28 count and I used the threads called for in the pattern.

I posted this piece earlier but it was not finished. This is from the 11-08 Gift of Stitching magazine.

These are the last of my 2010 stitches. I just finished them off. The Christmas ornaments came out of JCS magazines and the bottom finish is a BBD freebie.

I just stitched up a couple of pieces in the last few days and I am hoping to get them finished and posted later this week.

Now I am getting ready for an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy!!!! What fun.
Did I mention that I hate having to do those over 50 things!!!
But better safe than sorry, I will be glad when it's over though:)

It never hurts to ask.....

Earlier this week I was at a Quilt shop that at one time also had a needlework shop in the same building. While the needlework shop has been gone for at least 4 years or so there was some linen left and it was marked 50% off. So yesterday Cathy B and another stitching friend Chris
(no blog) and I went to the shop and I came home with this:

The colors are from left to right: 32 count Smokey Pearl, 32 count Clay, 32 count Olive Green, 32 count Willow Green, 32 count Miracle Mint, 32 count Quaker Pearl Grey, 32 count Lavender Mist and 32 count Baby Lotion. Now with that being said I wish I would have asked if they would have sold it for less because---today my friend Chris called me and we went back because she wanted to buy a piece for a project she wants to do and needed at least a yard.

Well today I asked the shop if they would sell it for less if we bought what was left. We got what was left for 75% off!!!! Between myself and Chris we bought what was left and this is my take. These pieces are from left to right: 28 count Little Boy Blue, 28 count Blue Spruce, 28 count Amsterdam Blue, 28 count Smokey Pearl, 32 count Cameo Rose, 28 count Miracle Mint, 28 count Apricot, and 32 count Tobacco.
Since between all three of us we bought all they had left the last two days we could have probably gotten it all for 75% off but we didn't ask yesterday because we, or at least myself didn't have the nerve to ask if they would take less. Today I did and they said yes because the shop has been wanting to just get rid of it for the last two years.
Moral of the story is: It never hurts to ask. The worst that could have happened is they would have said no but they didn't and we got even a better deal.
Did I NEED all this linen--NO, but I couldn't pass up such a good deal.

In between all my linen buys I have been doing some finishing. So here is my Prairie Schooler Folk Art Egg all finished. Now I need to stitch up the rest so I can have a basket of eggs.

I have some finishing touches to do on my other pieces and will be posting them in the next day or so.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend, and thanks for reading all my ramblings:)

As promised.....

here are my framed pieces.

This one is Mary Garry's---"When I was Young".

LHN's--"Sarah Street-Faithfulness.

La D Da's--"Lauren's Voice".

Country Cottage Needleworks--"G is for Girl".

These pieces were in the previous post but I hadn't gotten to framing them. All my framing was done last weekend. I found all my frames at either a thrift shop or antique shop. Not only did I get the frames for a good price--nothing over $5 butI am also recycling:)

After seeing Diane's post about her stitching project book. I ran out to Michael's and here is what I found:

Here is the front of my project book.

A view from the side.

And the inside view.

Now I am not sure if I am going to line the inside bottom yet because I think it looks pretty without lining it. But I do plan on putting a magnet board on the inside lid and maybe a strong magnet to hold down my scissors. I will let you know what I do.

Bonus--these project books were on sale for 40% off, so with tax this book cost $7.70. Plus they also coming in different sizes.

Thanks for the idea Diane!!

I was hoping to

have all these stitched pieces finished before I posted, but it has been almost a month since my last post and I have done quite a few so here we go:

Mary Garry--When I was young and in my prime. Stitched on 32 count coffee/tea dyed fabric.
I used Belle Soie Poison Apple and Herb Garden. I started this one on 1-24-11 and finished on 1-29-11.


Then while I was down in TN and GA to visit with our grandchildren I stitched this LHN.
Sarah Street--Faithfulness. I stitched this on 32 cream with the fibers it called for.
Started on 1-30-11 and Finished on 2-7-11.


I had gone to my LNS with a friend on the 9th and February and had to pick up this Prairie Schooler book--Folk Eggs. I wasn't real excited to stitch this on 18 count black aida but I couldn't find 36 count black. So I went with the 18 count and used DMC threads.
Started on 2-10-11 and finished on 2-11-11. Can't wait to get this one finished.

In trying to keep with stitching a Christmas ornament between other projects I stitched up this Red Noel from the November 2008 Gift of Stitching Magazine. It was stitched on an unknown 32 count with DMC 115.

I started this La D Da piece last fall and decided to get it finished. The design is called Lauren's Voice. I stitched it on 36 count R & R Lt. Expresso with DMC. I made color changes to this design.

I am not a Halloween person but these Lizzie Kate--Halloween Rules intrigued me. I did not want to stitch them all on one piece so I am going to stitched them and then make pin keeps out of them and put them in a basket. I stitched these on a 28 count dyed fabric with DMC threads.

I received my Just Cross Stitch Magazine last Monday and decided I just had to stitch this Country Cottage Needleworks design called G is for Girl. I stitched it on 32 count Lambswool with DMC and changed out Crescent Colors Poblano Pepper for DMC 92. I can't wait to stitch up the "B is for Boy" design.

Well as you can see I have some serious finishing to get to. I was hoping to do that today with a couple of my stitching friends but the weather did not cooperate. We ended up with 14 inches of snow and traveling was not very good today.

WHERE IS SPRING????