iStitch Advent SAL Day 2......

Oh I couldn't wait to see what Carol had for us today to stitch!!!  Were we going to keep with a white thread theme or were we going to use another color???    I printed off the chart this morning and we were to use white still today!  I love it though.  I almost changed the word Christmas to a variegated red/white/green holiday type thread but without knowing what the rest of the chart looks like, I stayed with the original suggested color of white for today's portion.

Did you check out Carol's blog at iStitch Designs ?  She has a new free ornament chart out, and she has her other free ones listed on her side bar.  But.....if you haven't stitched one of her charts, I suggest you go look and see if something catches your eye!  I have them all I will admit it.  I love stitching them and giving them as gifts!!!

Until tomorrow's post.....HAPPY STITCHING!

SG Advent Day 2

Ohhhhh which present to choose out of my big box of wrapped presents for the Stitcher's Garden Advent Exchange????  I chose one that I thought had an oversized mug in it, but I was fooled!  It was a wonderful Christmas like tumbler with my B initial monogrammed on a piece of burlap that was encased inside the tumbler.  I did open up the tumbler though to find 2 packets of hot cocoa mix and a small bag of marshmellows!!!  How fun!!!

I had to photograph it in front of my sewing wreath as we still have Christmas decorations left to put up. 

Hope you are having a great day!

iStitch Advent Day 1.......

Yeah!!!  I get to start a new project with the iStitch Designs annual Advent SAL!!!  I think there are a few more slots available so if you want to join in, you can check out Carol's blog at iStitch Designs.  You can click on that link or the one on my sidebar to take you to her blog.  The cost for the SAL is $15 and you get a small chart sent to you each day.  There isn't much to stitch each day.

I had my fabric all cut and ready to go for today's start and threads all pulled to be ready for my start.   But I had to go to the grocery store and do some chores around the house today before I could sit down and enjoy my new Advent SAL start.  It didn't take me long at all once I started!!!  Plus you get the satisfaction of completing something small and beautiful each day.  Then by Christmas, you have a totally completed project.....minus the finishing work for the completed stitched piece.

I have pulled some fabric I bought from Shakespeare's Peddler long ago that was 32ct Pearled Barley.  I am using NPI silks that I have used for my other annual advent samplers from iStitch Designs.  This is NPI 991BB.   I will also be using a red NPI 502, green NPI 405, and brown NPI 973. 

I'm sorry it looks dark at the bottom but the lighting in my sewing room at this time of evening is not the greatest.  I hope to get it stitched a lot earlier in the day from now on to share with you.

Happy Stitching!

Stitcher's Garden Advent gift.....

Today started our annual Stitcher's Garden Advent exchange.  This is a closed message board of a group of stitchers, and we exchange stitched gifts through out the year.  But every December, we have our annual Advent Exchange!  We sign up for this exchange in June or July to prepare for our exchange. I absolutely LOVE this exchange.  The gifts can be simple, silly, fun, stitched, and goofy sometimes.  However, we do make a wish list when we sign up and fill out a questionnaire to be given to someone.  You list who you've exchanged with the past and also who you would like to give to this year.  The December 25 gift must come from your Wish List but the gift has to be around a $25 gift.  However, you can buy some stitching items from their Wish List to give throughout the 25 days of giving.

I opened my box and found the labeled Dec 25 present and set it aside.  I started pulling out the presents looking for Day 1 present and then I realized.....(duh moment here)......that they were not numbered!  LOL  So now a dilemma trying to choose WHICH present to open!!! 

I chose one and pulled out this adorable pair of snowman and snow woman holding a sign between them saying Let It Snow!!

I think it is soooo cute!!!

Happy Stitching!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!  May you find a blessing in today and every day!!!

We have already called some family to with them a Happy Thanksgiving and will be Skyping with some of our family here after we have lunch today.  We will be having a dessert fellowship with friends of ours this afternoon who are also military.  When you are in the military and live far away from family and loved ones, your military family BECOMES your family throughout your career as well as our church family and our friends we've made along the way!!!

So I did want to you leave you with one more fun blog photo for today!

November Smalls.....

Today, we are to share our November Smalls!  Heather of Stitching Lotus is our leader for this SAL, and I have to say how much fun I have each month trying to decide WHAT to stitch to share for this SAL.

Of course, some of the projects I have stitched and couldn't show you at the time.  So now that some of the gifts have been given to their recipients, I can share those pictures with you.

First, I would like to share this project I stitched for one of my best friends when she came to town to visit!!!   I chose from iStitch Designs Sew Stitching Soothes the Soul and finished the stitching into a project bag for Janet.  You can click on the name above and it will take you to Carol's blog if you want to order this design.  I also made one of my T.O.P.s (Thread Organizer Packs) to coordinate with her bag as well as an ORT catcher.  She was so excited to receive her gifts!

Janet had stitched Threadwork Primitives Common Thread Stitcher's Mat as her gift to me.  Was there a reason we exchanged gifts with each other you may wonder?  No.  Just that we wanted to give a present to the other person!  I was THRILLED with receiving such a beautiful gift from her!

I know the date on this picture shows today's date, but I had just realized that I had not taken a picture of her gift to me.  I had made sure to get a picture of her gift before she left though.  I'm just happy and thrilled that she took the time out of her trip to come see me!!!

This is a biscornu for Angelica's Birthday this month!!!  Her birthday was just last Monday!

Front side:

Back side:

I also made the little counting pins that are stuck in the biscornu!  I thought it turned out quite cute!

The last picture I have to share with you today is the Christmas ornament for my daughter's roommate.  Amanda has become like a daughter to me as well, and I thought she might enjoy this little cat ornament from Happiness is Cross Stitching blog.  You can find more cat patterns listed on her blog as well under the Free Calender Mini Cat Cross Stitch patterns on the right hand side.  This cat was stitched using Hand Dyed Fibers in premium silk from my stash!

That's all I have for now to share for my November Smalls!!!  As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

HAPPY STITCHING!

New Stash pictures!!!

I just had to share some new stash pictures!!!  Who understands better what it's like when you get NEW STASH but your best friends, girlfriends and OTHER stitchers!!!!

These goodies have been trickling in over the past few days so I thought I'd just make one post to share them all at once.

The first goodies I have gotten were the new Just Nan Christmas releases!!!!  I got the Gingerbread Reindeer Mouse!!!  He is SOOOOO CUTE and once I get him stitched, he will sit with all my other JN mice!!!  And yes, Kimberly......he is cute no matter how much you and I don't like mice.  These mice are just plain adorable than the real mice we have encountered in the past!!

The other project I received was the new JN Tiny Christmas Biscornu!  I love these small pincushions!!!  Ok....I just LOVE pincushions!!!

I saw the Plum Street Sampler Serial Bowl Series and just FELL IN LOVE with Lesson #4!!!  So yes....I just had to order it and have it for my stash as well.  I thought this would be a great project to work on over Thanksgiving this weekend, and it just came in the mail yesterday!  I got a nice piece of Vintage Sand Dune piece of fabric to stitch it on.

And just today, I received in the mail my JN Bee Rosey shop exclusive kit from ABC Stitch Therapy!!!  I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the pink color of this cube!!!  I was so happy to have gotten in on this wonderful exclusive kit!!!

Now I'm just wondering if I want to have DH wrap up the  JN new projects and give to me as part of my Christmas presents.  Hmmmmmm.......I'll have to think on that one!  LOL   :)

I mentioned in my last blog post that I have been searching for the perfect buttons for mine and my daughter's Christmas vest.  I found the perfect Snowflake buttons at Michael's Craft store on sale last week for 40% off regular price!!!  WOOHOO  I took a scrap piece of our Charlie Brown Christmas fabric with me while shopping for the buttons and decided that the snowflake buttons would be the perfect finish!!!  Here is a quick snapshot of them that I just took.

Tomorrow I will be baking a few desserts to take with us when we go to some friends house Thanksgiving afternoon for a dessert fellowship.  I will be making Hawaiian Angel Food Cake, M&M cookies, amd a pan of brownies!!!  I'll try to remember to take pictures of the goodies to share with you!

That's all I have for now.  I'm off to stitch this evening after I pin down and cut out my daughter's vest.  I hope to sew it up this weekend as well as I just want to have it done by the time I bring her home from college for winter break!!!

HAPPY STITCHING EVERYONE!!!