Smalls SAL 2014.......

Heather of Stitching Lotus planned our 2014 Smalls SAL this year!!  I joined in and got lots done each month in preparation to post something each month during her SAL.  I completed the task each month, and here is what I have to share for this month.  I stitched for my best friend Kimberly the Milady's Needle ornament in the 2014 JCS ornament magazine.

This was my mom's ornament that I had stitched earlier this year but did the finishing work on it last month.  This is BRD from the new 2014 JCS ornament magazine.

 

But you probably already knew that I would make it into a hanging pillow which is my favorite way to finish.  Here is the ornament for my dad that I had stitched and shared earlier this year but now it is finished too.  I've been on a PS "deer theme" for my dad's ornaments over the past few years!!!

I had stitched Prairie Schooler Santa for my girlfriends back in AZ.  When they loved the first one I did and finished earlier this year, I just knew it would be their Christmas ornament for this year.  So yes.  I have stitched this PS ornament 4 TIMES this year and I still didn't do one for myself.  Maybe in 2015 since I already have all the DMC pulled for this particular Santa!  LOL
Here is all 3 of them photographed together for Angelica, Janet and Debra back in AZ.

Now.....for the rest of the day, I am going to spend it with my kids, stitch a little and relax!!!   I will  make my list of ornaments for this coming year as I have already signed up for Heather's Smalls SAL again for 2015, make a list of what I want to stitch or hope to stitch on this coming year as well. 

I hope you have a very peaceful day today and ring in the New Year tonight content stitching the night away!!!

Happy Stitching!

Merry Christmas and SG Advent Day 25.....

Today is the final day of our SG Advent Exchange! I opened up my last package and it contained 3 charts from my Wish List!!  I received JN Snowflower, The Drawn Thread Christmas Quartet, and With Thy Needle and Thread Needleworker's Sampler!  YEAHHH!!!!!  Lynne has blessed me with many wonderful gifts each day of this Advent Season.  I'm very easy going as I love each and every gift because someone took the time to pick it out to send/give to me.

I am having a WONDERFUL day spending it with my family all together.  Being a military family, we went home at Thanksgiving and celebrated that holiday with family.  We weren't able to go home for Christmas though.  That's the tough and sad part.....being away from family but they are always close in my heart.  We did call each other and talk this morning!

However, we brought our gifts from family back at Thanksgiving and ever since then, I've been stalking the mailbox receiving gifts from my stitching friends!!!  I hope to show those gifts here over the next few days as I took pictures of all my wonderful gifts!!! 

We had our big dinner at lunch today and have been spending the day watching Christmas movies with the kids!!!  I did stitch a little while but had to lay down to rest some as I had to get up early this morning.  Friends of ours were flying out and dear hubby drove them to the airport!  Me....I had to find the battery charger for the camera as I couldn't remember last night!  But....I found it. 

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas.  Jesus is the Reason for the Season and every day of the year!

Blessings to you and your family!

SG Advent Day 24.....

Oh today's package really had me stumped.  It was not a cushy one where you could squeeze it.  hehe  Yes....I'm still like a little kid who likes to guess what's inside and yes....I'm that annoying person who really likes to open the paper carefully and neatly.  DRIVES my family nuts!!!!  LOL  But I think that goes back to my childhood where we were so poor that we would save the wrapping paper to use again the next year and we needed to open the paper as carefully as possible.

Today, Lynne gifted me with a couple hot cocoa packets which I will drink during a movie marathon with my kids, a Debbie Mumm mug with a tea infuser ball and spoon rest.  On the back of the mug was a small packet of tea with a red note inside.  The note said, " I wish we could sit down together and drink a cup of tea, but since we can't, when you drink this one, I hope you will think of me."  AWWEEEE  I love it!!!  I have loved each and every one of my presents that Lynne has given me.  I always love this exchange every year.  I am NOT hard to please at all.

I just love the Christmas season!!!  Not only do I like the Mary Engelbrit decorations but also the Debbie Mumm like the mug I got today!!!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas mugs!!!  I drink hot tea in the fall and winter time.  I'm not a coffee drinker at all but I wished I were as I could use my mugs more!!!

Today I will be baking our Happy Birthday Jesus cake.  It will be in our tree cake pan and the kids are making the Buttercream icing.  Yes.....I still have the hairbow to make this morning and sew on the frog closures on Grace and my jackets.  I didn't get around to it yesterday but I did get the presents wrapped and some other chores done so I don't feel stressed out.  I'm going to go finish up some of that this morning so I can get some stitching in today.

Happy Christmas Eve and Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 23.....

Oh our time on our SG Advent Exchange is drawing so near to the end!  I always have such a fun time giving and receiving during this exchange.  Today I got 2 pieces of celebration finishing fabric, some much needed 40ct linen, a small notepad which I never seem to have enough of, and an adorable snowman ornament!!!!  I just love it all!!! 

Are you all ready for Christmas?  I almost am. I just have to wrap my family's gifts today which hopefully won't take too long......that is if I remember where I hid them all!  haha  No really.  I know where they are.

I hope to have some serious stitching time today as well! 
Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 22 and TUSAL time post.....

Today's SG Advent gift was packed FULL of goodies!!!  OMS!  Talk about feeling very spoiled......Lynne has really spoiled me.  I got some Mary Engelbrit finishing fabric, some Halloween finishing fabric which I never seem to have on hand, Bohin size 28 needles, Mill Hill Charmed Mittens kit, a stocking Christmas fob that is just soooo cute, and some adorable Christmas socks that I could have worn today had I opened my present first thing this morning.  Oh well.  I will wear them tomorrow!  Not to worry as I LOVE just wearing my Christmas socks all month long!!!

The Christmas outfits were finished.  YEAH!!  Now I just need to make my DD a hairbow as she likes them to match her outfits that I make her!!!  That won't take that long.  DH and I went shopping this morning and had a "Day Date" out!   Shopping is not his kind of date but we had some errands to run and went to lunch at Cracker Barrel which the kids don't really like eating there.  It was fun and we found a shirt for him for our Christmas pictures tomorrow night.  I always have a family picture made each fall time but with DD off to college, it now has to be when she's home from college.  So we are going tomorrow night to have our annual family pictures made!!!  The only thing left for me to do is to wrap the Christmas presents which shouldn't take me too long.

Here is my ORT tin that I keep on my lap board while stitching.  Hard to believe that this is the last posting for the year for the SAL.  You can find more about this on Daffycat's blog.

And my ORT jar with the tin added into it.

I am going to stitch a while before making the hairbow.  I need some downtime before working some more this evening.

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 21.....

Oh today's gift was at the bottom of the box.  It felt sooo cushy that I thought it was towels but I was wrong....again!  It was a new pink stitching bag and when I don't want to use it as a stitching bag, I can use it as a purse!!!

I look forward to an entire evening of xstitching, resting and relaxing.  Have you gotten your list organized for what you want to stitch this next year yet?  I am still trying to decide what BOP I want to stitch for this coming year. 

Also.....do you start a new project on January 1?  I have before and I think I will again this year!  Hmmmm what will it be?  A new ornament, a JN Ornamental Advent 2 days for my monthly commitment, or my new B.O.P.? 

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 20.....

Ahhhhh......the weekend is finally here!!!  Thus my reasoning for posting late.  With it being Saturday, it means that I could get to sleep in and rest from this past week and the hubby and kids are all home too.  But I LOVE having my family all home!!!

Now....on to my daily Advent gift.  I can't believe how quickly this month has gone by.  We all say that on our Stitcher's Garden board when opening our Advent gifts.  We look so forward to Dec 1 for the start of our Advent Exchange but then realize how quickly the days are going by.

Today I got the BBD Wild Lilies chart and all the Sampler Threads to stitch it.  Now to go find some fabric in my stash so I can stitch it!!  I'm sure I've got something in there that will work. 

While out shopping with my daughter yesterday, I picked up 2 "Frog Closures" to add to our Christmas jackets.  Now on the pattern, it called the "jackets" a "kimono".  So I thought this white frog closure would be a nice added touch to the front of the jacket/kimono.  It is made of  white braid but still looks very nice on the royal blue fabric.  Here is what it looks like from what I could find on the web.

After enjoying a nice lunch out and going to see Big Hero 6 movie, I'm ready to spend the remaining evening stitching on my iStitch Advent SAL!!!!  WOOHOO 

Have you already started thinking of what project or projects you want to stitch this coming year?  I have.  I am making a list of everyone that I plan on stitching an ornament for, and I will cross each person off that list AFTER the ornament is stitched and completely finished with a backing.  I hope to stitch 2 each month along with 2 days of the JN Ornamental Advent.  And I'm sure there will be at least SOME BIG OLE PROJECT that gets stitched.  I don't like saying the other way so I just say BOP!  So get your thinking caps on and start making a plan for things that you want to complete this next year.  There is no stitching police out there but I do like to have a plan laid out ahead of time.  Must be the military wife in me for the planning!  hehe 

Happy Stitching!!!

SG Advent Day 19, JN SAL picture and a birthday wish....

Today, Lynne gave me some Kelmscott Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer scissors that was from my Wish List.  I also received a red pillow tuck that I will want to stitch something Christmasy or Valentine to display in it, a fat pen with candy canes on it, snowflake nail files and a Sewing paper magnetic bookmark!!!  Such fun goodies I have gotten each and every day. 

Today is also the posting day for the Just Nan 2014 SAL!!!  Zeb of Keep Calm and Cross Stitch had started this SAL at the beginning of the year.  However, due to unforeseen circumstances in her life, Zeb has not been able to keep up with this SAL and those of us who are dedicated in wanting to continue posting our JN SAL do so each month. 

I did meet my goal this month which was to stitch 2 more days of the Ornamental Advent.  I did Day 3 and Day 4.   I am going to be continuing this JN SAL in 2015 for myself and if you would like to join me, please leave me a comment.  I will see about forming our little group again and hopefully there will still be enough participation and excitement for us all to get our JN stitched and hanging on our walls or decorating our houses.

And last, I would like to wish Carol of iStitch a very..............

 

I hope you had a wonderful birthday today and I look forward to seeing more of your designs this coming year!!!

 

Happy Stitching everyone!

SG Advent Day 18 and I WON A PRIZE!!!

Today I opened a package at the BOTTOM of my Advent box!!  I really had to go in search of finding today's present. hehe  Lynne gave me another themed day.  She gave me Alma Lynne's Patriotic Sampler Teenies chart, Americana notepad and matching Americana magnet, some anchor fabric and beach scene fabric.  YEAH!!!  Another great day of advent presents!!

I was able to get our skirts sewn yesterday for our Christmas outfits, and then I xstitched on the iStitch Advent SAL last night to give me a break from everything.  I will try to take a picture later today if the sun comes out to show you where I am at on the SAL.

I went to checking Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe this morning very quickly, I saw where I won today's giveaway from Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe!  WOOHOOO!!!!  I won a $25 gift certificate from Nancy to shop in her Ebay store for charts, trims, floss......OR I could choose to have fabric.  I had such a hard time deciding WHAT to get for charts, trims or floss so I went with fabric.  I gave Nancy my color choices and asked her to pick to send to me so it would still be a Christmas surprise!!!  HOW EXCITING IS THAT???!!!!  I tell you what.....IT'S EXCITING!!! 

I need to get back to sewing our jackets for our Christmas outfits!  Just needed a quick break from sewing!

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 17 and Christmas outfits update....

Today, Lynne gave me a gift that I was trying to guess what was in it.  It was soft and cushy feeling and I was thinking it might be more finishing fabric.    I was wrong.  It was 2 Americana coasters and LHN Old Glory chart!!!  Yeah....a new project for me to stitch up for my Americana room and I can use the coasters in there as well.

Grace and I did manage to cut out our Christmas outfits yesterday.  I wanted to start sewing on them but in between cooking dinner and doing the 5 loads of laundry, I didn't get around to start them.  I wanted to get started first thing this morning but as you can see, I'm here on the computer and not in my sewing room.  That's ok.  I need to still change the serger threads anyway to a color that will match so I will get that done first thing before starting.  I pray before changing them as if one color slips off in the threading, it can become a nightmare of a mess.  :-)

On the iStitch Advent SAL news, I am coming along but still not quite where I want to be which is .... CAUGHT UP with the daily posting from Carol.  I did get to stitch on it last night since I was not sewing on the dresses.  I figured I could do that and it most definitely did relax me.  It's all those other household chores that get in the way of me stitching and getting into the sewing room this morning. 

Happy Stitching everyone!!!

SG Advent Day 16

Oh today's gift was wrapped in a small cute stocking!!  And boy was it filled to the brim!!  I received 4 spools of ribbon in pink, lavender, purple and a plaid and a Kelmscott MOP Heart Threadkeep!!!  I have wanted this heart threadkeep for the longest time.  Now....I need to stitch up a new needlebook to keep my new threadkeep safe inside!!!  I'm afraid it might get lost in the sewing room so for now I will put it in a special place until the needlebook is stitched.  I have a couple that are already kitted up just waiting to be stitched.

 

Well I don't know what happened with the computer and I apologize right now if you got duplicate postings from me today. I'm so sorry.  One can never tell what computers have in mind when we use them sometimes. 

 

Yesterday was a productive day.  My daughter and I found our fabric for our Christmast dresses this year.  It will be a royal blue skirt with matching jacket.  I did buy the white dressy lacy tank to wear with it to help in completing the outfit.  So....my work today will be cutting out the outfits and start sewing on them.  I will post a picture when the are all finished.

 

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 15...

Today's gift was wrapped with an adorable Chocolate Keychain on the front of it.  Little did I know it was a hint to what might be inside.  Lynne gave me MBT Death By Chocolate chart with the buttons to sew on it.  This was on my Wish List too!!!  I also got inside the package a Hallmartk Keepsake Queen of Chocolate ornament!!!  It's tooo cute!!  It's so right though!  Also in the box, I found another Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix!!!  So today's theme was CHOCOLATE!!!

Today my daughter and I are off to JoAnn Fabrics this morning to see if we can find some new fabric for me to make matching Christmas dresses.  I am SO BEHIND this year as last year I had hers made by the time she came home from college so that all I had to do was the "fitting/tailoring" to her size.  Now wish me luck on getting both mine and hers cut out and sewn up this week for us to wear to church next Sunday!  If not, then we'll wear them to the Christmas Eve service if I'm running behind and not finished them.  I hope not.  I want them made and finished by next Sunday.  Looks like it might be a Fountain Pepsi for me all this week to get them done but she did say she would help cut them out with me.  Whew!  That's a big help!

Happy Stitching everyone!

SG Advent Day 14.....

Today's package may have been small in size but boy did Lynne REALLY PACK it full of goodies!  I got 2 packages of Dress It Up Christmas buttons, some Gingerbread buttons which I always seem to use each year, some MOP little buttons and an Eiffel Tower charm!!!

I did manage to get my sewing finishing work done yesterday, but I can't show you those goodies til later on as they are all gifts for Christmas.  But one gift I'm going to have to sew again because of the colors I used in this present and I really wanted to keep it.  I knew I could make myself one later though.  :-)

I hope you are having a great day today.  We are very late this year in decorating our house for Christmas so we made the kids start on doing that while we went grocery shopping.  Of course....come November 1, I did pull out my Winterberry Christmas dishes and started using them as I like to use them from November through Jan 31 the following year.  I just LOVE them and try to use them as long as possible. 

I'm off to stitch some and rest for the evening.
Happy Stitching!

SG Day 13.....

Today I opened up some much needed high count linen.  I received a beautiful piece of Picture This Plus 40ct Doubloon linen and a P. Buckley Moss Inspirations book to read!!!  I will be reading this while drinking some hot chocolate today.

Still no photo to show of my iStitch Advent SAL.  Sorry.  I had left it downstairs when I came upstairs to open my Advent gift for today.  Maybe tomorrow......

However, if you still need to stitch up a quick Christmas ornament, I suggest you go over to iStitch's blog and have a look at Carol's new freebie ornament for 2014.   You an find it at the link I just posted and go to her "CHARTS" link.  You will see it there finished.  Just use whatever stash you have on hand or make a special trip to your LNS and buy a special fabric and special thread to stitch it up for someone special.  I think this is a perfect ornament to stitch for someone special as you can customize the ornament to their favorite color.

I also follow another blog called It's Daffycat.  Sharon has an adorable new ornament that she has designed up for her reindeer series of ornaments.  You can find her at the link that I posted and email her to request the chart.  I emailed her last night after I saw it on her blog as I just HAD to have it!  He is such a cute reindeer.

That's all I have to share for today.  I hope you have a wonderful stitching day today!!!

HAPPY STITCHING!

SG Advent Days 5-12 and iStitch Advent SAL update

Ok.  I'm playing catch up with posting my Stitcher's Garden Advent Days 5-12.  I went out of town to visit with my family a few days before picking our daughter up from college after she finished her finals.  I'm not going into a lot of detail for all these pictures but you can tell that Lynne, my Advent giver, has really spoiled me each and every day!

I'm going in order of the days the gifts were given.

As I had said in the beginning for the iStitch Advent SAL, I was having problems getting the charts to download.  I signed up for a Dropbox to put them into and I can now save and print the charts from there.  I got way behind on my iStitch Advent SAL as I did not take the computer with me nor did I have internet connection visiting family.  And I did not want to go to the library just to save them each day and print them off.  I said I would do that when I got back.   I just stitched on some other things.  I've now saved them all and have printed them off.  I am stitching on the iStitch Advent today trying to play catch up.  Tomorrow I have some sewing to do so I will not be able to xstitch until I get those projects finished.

I hope to show some progress on my iStitch SAL here soon.

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 4...and iStitch Advent SAL update.....

On the 4th day for our Stitcher's Garden Advent Exchange, Lynne gifted me with a Homespun Elegance Still Stitching....Still Friends chart and a small Mary Engelbrit tin!!!  I love those tins as I can store beads or pins in them.  The chart is one from my Advent Wish List!!!  YIPPEEE!!!

As for my iStitch Advent SAL, I think I told you I was able to get the charts downloaded into a Dropbox and printed that way.  I did start it last night and managed to get Days 1-3 of the border done!!  Then I had to go back to work wrapping presents to be mailed out today!!! 

Now I'm off to start on my Christmas cards as I'm WAY LATE this year.  I should have stared them on Oct 1 like I always do but where my time went I don't know.  Out the window this year I think!!! LOL

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 3

Ooooohhhhh next to cross stitching ornaments for Christmas, I just absolutely LOVE receiving them!!!  Today's Advent present from Lynne was a Jim Shore 2014 Santa Clause ornament!!!  Isn't he just cute!!!???!!!

And on the iStitch Advent SAL news......I had to download Dropbox to be able to save Carol's charts and print them from there.  Hey.....whatever works for me to get them printed at the moment.  Sad to say though, I've not been able to start it as I have had some other pressing things that have needed my attention first.  I'm HOPING today will be the day to at least get a few stitches started in on it!!!  I will post my progress though.

Happy Stitching!

SG Advent Day 2....

Today I got this adorable Snowman bag that had a Needlework Press small notebook in it along with a Kelmscott Designs MOP ruler!!!  I also found in my Advent box some Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix and this adorable Winter Blessings hanging pillow that will hang on my sewing room door!  The hot cocoa will be great during my lunch today as it is really cold here today. 

Now about the iStitch Designs Advent Day 1.  I was able to get it printed off.  Yeah!!  Now....to get to stitching on it as it was late last night when I finally managed to get it printed.  I still think I need to take my computer into Best Buy and have the Geek Squad help me fix whatever problem it is that lets me just print off the chart when Carol sends it.  But.....I'm off to get caught up on Advent Day 1's homework!!! 

Happy Stitching

SG Advent Day 1 and iStitch Advent SAL...

Today was our Day 1 of our Stitcher's Garden (SG for short) Advent Exchange.  This is a small group of stitchers who belong to our little message board and some of us participate in the Annual SG Advent Exchange.  It's just little gifts that you wrap up for your partner for Days 1-24 and then on Day 25, you give that person something from their Wish List or from their Advent Exchange Questionnaire.  So check back each day to see what wonderful little goodies my partner sent me.

My friend Lynne gifted me with a Mill Hill Stitching kit, some Christmas cloth coasters, a notepad with a pen, and 2 types of Christmas ribbon!! 

Also starting today was iStitch Designs Advent SAL.  Carols says there are a few spaces left to join in on this SAL.  I stitched hers last year and had so much fun with it.  I am still trying to get my chart to print it off but you know how computers can be.....stubborn.  I know it can't be operator error (LOL) because I know how to click and print but for some reason it's just not letting me do that.  When in doubt according to my huband.....shut down the computer and restart it.  So that's what I'm going to go do as I want to get started on this and not get behind. 

Happy Stitching!