Halloween approaches ....

August is ghost month over at the Halloween SAL blog.  I picked the pattern called Halloween Manor from Fanci That.  Do not be deceived by the title.  It's more than just a creepy old house.  This old house has (at least) 2 spooky ghosts haunting it and a few other creepy critters lurking about.

Since October will be here before you know it, I spent the long weekend turning unfinished Halloween stitchings into finished ornaments.

I still have a few more to do but this was a good start.

IHSW for August

It's that time of the month again.  And I made the most of IHSW this past weekend.  Unfortunately, I can't show you most of my stitching because it's for exchanges.  However, I can show you one finish from the weekend.  El Muro is complete.  This was a fun little village to stitch.  I'm not sure what I will do with it now.  Maybe make a little pillow out of it??

Another project started and completed (though before the weekend) is a cute little freebie called Let It Snow by designer Helga Mandl.   I added a little glitter to the snowflakes and large, loopy french knots as the tassel.  This guy cracks me up with his big nose and skinny neck.  I may have to restitch him for myself since he's slated to go to my nephew for Christmas. 

It's so hard to get the glitter to show up ....

I'm way behind with my Christmas ornament stitching this year but at least I got the 2 done for my nephews.  That should make them happy.  At least I hope so.  The boys are getting into those teenage years now, so we shall see what happens this year.  I'll know in a couple months when I give them their Halloween ornies.

Wish me luck ;)

WIPocalypse August

Is it WIPocalypse time already??  Where did the month go.

I have nothing new to show for Mary Wigham or the Tulip Sampler.  I've been working on exchanges and ornaments.  However, the topic for the month (which I usually forget about) is:
Tell us about your oldest and newest WIPs.

So here goes.  I have 2 projects from 2008 that are lying cold and untouched.  The first one is a hardanger Christmas tree.  It's nearly finished.  All the eyelets are done, the blanket stitching around the outside is complete, I think all the little tulips are stitched.  I can't remember what else besides the cutting and wrapping needs done but I don't think it would take me long to finish it.  It's gorgeous .... if I would just get back to it. 

The other old project is a Celtic Sampler.  I love this one but I've reached the part in the pattern where the quotation is and I *hate* the quotation.  I've tried finding one I like to replace it but haven't been successful.  I saw this sampler finished at a local fair the year I started it and that stitcher replaced the quote also ... didn't like that one either.  So it sits .... unfinished.

For some reason, I don't want to work on large projects right now so I've been doing ornaments and smaller projects.  I've been enjoying my Halloween stitching this year and just started a Christmas ornament for my nephew.  When it's done, I'll get a picture posted.  Another project that's been keeping me busy is a Friendship Sampler the ladies in my EGA group are doing.  I get a new sampler each month to add to.  This has been loads of fun.  Unfortunately I can't post any pictures until they're all done. 

Hot off the hoop

I finished my July ornament for the Halloween SAL a little late.  Since I started it on July 30th, I think I did okay.  The subject for the month was pumpkins.  This is one of my most favoritest patterns.  I've stitched it for 2 other people but this one is MINE!!  WooHoo!  These goofy guys make me giggle every time I see them.

The subject for August is ghosts.  I'll be stitching another favorite of mine and I will be keeping it also .... double woohoo!

Have a good stitchy day everyone! 

July's Small

I originally decided to take part in this Smalls SAL hosted at the Stitching Lotus this year so I could keep up with my Christmas ornament stitching.  Unfortunately, I'm not getting much Christmas stitching done.  But I am doing other smalls.  Which is good but I need to get going on Christmas.  After all, July is gone.

This month I worked on  (among others) a pretty little pattern from Blackbird Designs.  I love this pattern and one of these days I'm going to stitch it for myself.   I finished it as a card .... my first attempt at this.  Check my last post for the finished card.  No sense me re-posting it here.

Well, it's the dog days of summer now.  Here's Spider doing one of his favorite things ... snoozing the afternoon away.

Happy August everyone ... my least favorite month (too hot and humid).  And I promise next update will have a Christmas theme.

A stitchy card

Well, I did it.  My first card finish.  Nothing elaborate but not too bad.

Now to find an envelope that fits.

I'm late for July's WIPocalypse ....

 but here's the full moon as seen from my back yard .... and then the batteries in my camera died.

This means it's time for a WIPocalypse update.  Unfortunately, there isn't much to show.  Mary Wigham laid untouched and unloved this month while Autumn Log House received a tiny peck on the cheek only (as seen in the upper left corner).

I've been busy with exchange stitching.

Hey.  What can I say??

I'm fickle.

Summer Postcard Blog Hop

 I received a lovely postcard from Christine:

She writes:
The biscornu is one I made a few years ago from a Victoria Sampler design. The colours really remind me of summer flowers. The other photo is of my Apothecary's Rose, which has a very short flowering season but smells divine. My garden reminds me of the way Lady Katherine described Elizabeth's - "Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness on one side of your lawn." Only my lawn is gradually being annexed by the wilderness!

Sounds like my kind of garden -- a little wild.  Thank you Christine.

If you want to see more pretty garden pictures in stitches, visit Jo.  She's hosting a summer postcard blog hop.  This is my first time participating in a blog hop and I'm happy to say it's fun.  If you've never tried it, give it a go.  I'm sure you'll have a good time.

Yikes! It's mid-July already -- where does the time go?

I participated in a Patriotic Exchange at Fair and Square recently. Kathy stitched these lovely squares from Notforgotten Farms.  Not only do they cover the patriotic theme but they're stitchy related also.  Very cool!
 

Thank you Kathy!

For my part of the exchange, I couldn't find a pattern amongst my stash that fit the theme and size requirements.  So I improvised.  I took one of the 'snowflakes' from Rosewood Manor's pattern Winter Quakers and made it 'patriotic'.

And hooray!  Kathy likes it.

I'm so glad.  I was nervous about this one because of the improvisation.

Have a good end of July!

Summertime!

I have been shirking my blog duties .... mainly because I've been playing around on Facebook lately.  I participated in a Summer exchange which finished up a couple weeks ago. 

From wonderful Sylvia, I received this pile of goodies.  I love the crab biscornu she made for me.  The colors are so bright and cheerful.  And the pattern she included, Joyful Summer, is perfect.  It just oozes summer and makes me smile.  I love it!

Thank you Silvia!

For my part, when I think of summer, I think sunshine and flowers.  And so for my partner, Christina, I stitched Summer Rainbow from Country Garden Stitchery.  It was a fun stitch .... bright, cheerful colors, lots of fun swirls and a rainbow, what more could you ask.

This was a fun exchange which seemed to do it's job because summer has finally arrived in Pennsylvania. 

Enjoy!

Two updates for the price of one

For June's Smalls SAL I finished a little bookmark for a friend.  It's part of a BBD sampler called My Quaker House.  I just love this subject .... a little house with a big flower towering over it .... and this one is pink to boot.   Makes me smile every time.

Unfortunately, I didn't get much stitching time in for IHSW. I only managed to make the little house from above into a bookmark.  And all that involved was ironing a piece of fabric to the back of the stitched piece and cutting it out with pinking shears.  Not a good stitchy weekend.  No, it was a weekend for the dogs.

And speaking of dogs ..... here's River and Willow napping on the back of my couch.  Check out the tongue.  I guess he doesn't want his pic taken  :o)

Have a good day!

A quick update

I finished a little witch over the weekend for the Halloween Ornament SAL.  This is a freebie from The Little Stitcher called Vintage Witch.

Love that nose!

I stitched some more of El Muro II.  My little village is almost finished, just a few more houses to go.

And I finished The Way to Happiness sampler.

Love it!

Have a good one!

WIPocalypse update for June

I actually spent some more time on Mary Wigwam for WIPocalypse this month. The flower pot on the left is finished and on the upper right, I started the light blue plant under the rose wreath (see the little arrows).  While in this area I noticed that the yellow flower next to it wasn't complete.  So I completed it. Yay!

And then I decided to pick up Autumn Log Cabin which has been languishing for months now.  I stitched the top 2 oak leaves and their accompanying acorns.  I'm getting ready to round the corner now, making this last border half finished.  Double yay!

 

That's about it for this month's old WIPs.  Hopefully next month will go as well.

May's Small

My small for May is Run Run Rudolph by Raise the Roof.  I think he's cute but hopefully not too cute for my 13 year old nephew.  I did remove the big pink cheeks from the pattern -- pink is so girlish, my nephews have informed me in the past. 

You can find it in the Just Cross Stitch 2009 Christmas issue.  And if you want to see other lovely smalls go here.

Have a good day, stitch something.

A Hermit weekend

I did it.   I hunted down the threads for Mary Wigham and spent a little time on her for IHSW.  I finished the center medallion with the flower and started the flower pot above it.  Woo Hoo!!

And that's about it for the weekend ... stitching-wise that is.

May WIPocalypse update

Ack!  I'm doing a terrible job with WIPocalypse projects this year.  My intentions were to work on Mary Wigham and The Tulip Sample but I haven't touched them -- not even once.  Here is a picture of these 2 projects.  Maybe if I look at them here, I'll get motivated to stitch on them.  They are both about half done.

What I have been working on is an exchange piece that I can't show to you but here's the fabric I plan backing it with:

And here's El Muro II, a SAL I've been working on.  It's coming along nicely and I'm happy with my color changes.  This is such a cute little village.

And lastly, I've finished my monster for the Halloween SAL.  It's Wicked Night from The Primitive Hare and, yes, it is a bit large for a small but I LOVE(!!!) it.  It needs to be 'aged' in coffee yet before I finish it into something.  It's stitched on 22 ct ivory hardanger fabric with dmc 3371.

It's hard to believe May is half over and considering the yucky spring we've been having, even harder still.  We are supposed to get another inch of rain today.  My back yard is a mushy mess and the grass is growing higher every minute.  ..... sigh .....

Enjoy your day!

April Smalls SAL

I finished a couple more Hardanger angels for the Smalls SAL.  This little pattern is a fun, easy stitch.  Go to the Stitching Lotus site for more info about this SAL.

Happy stitching!

Progress on Two SALs

I finished another section to The Way to Happiness sampler (I love this piece):

And started a new little project El muro II:

I also stitched my band on Becky's Friendship Sampler but because it's a mystery, I can't show it to anyone ..... sorry.

Enjoy what's left of April.

A Hermit Weekend

I got a bit of stitching in for April's IHSW.  I worked on The Way to Happiness sampler -- the words under the sheep.

April WIPocalypse

It's been awhile since I posted anything wipocalypse related this year.  I've been too busy fighting the new computer to do much posting.  But now that things seem to be settling down on that front, I plan to have more fun with this 'pita' technology.

My plan for 2014 WIPocalypse was to work on Mary Wigham and the Tulip Sampler.   Wellll, neither of which has been touched to date.  So for this report I've got a picture of The Way to Happiness sampler that I'm doing for myself.

 

At first I wasn't too sure I liked these colors, mainly because I really liked the colors of the green one for my friend.  However, the more I stitch it, the more I like it.