3 more finishes......

Yeah!!!  I have been on a roll this month!!!  I hope the rest of the year lasts like my year has started out.  That would be AWESOME!!!

I have my LHN Bringing Home the Tree ornament finished......TOTALLY!!!  I had pulled it out of my LHN basket of charts and saw that it was half started so I wanted to get it finished for this year.  It was stitched on 36ct Summer Khaki but with 2 strands over 2.  WHAT WAS I THINKING when I started that little ornament using 2 strands over 2??????  I don't know but I had to finish it that way since I was NOT about to restart it over again.

Another finish for the month of January was WTN&T January Word Play on 35ct natural linen that I had bought from Tissage Gander when we were stationed in Germany.  I LOVED that fabric store over in France!!!  I'm stitching these with a friend of mine through out this year!!!

And my last finish for this month was SB My Garden kit.  I needed another small kit to finish and frame to hang in my main living room with all my other SB framed pieces.  I have them displayed on one wall and the way they are hanging, the far left side needed one more little project to finish the pictures hanging together.  Not to mention that this will definitely CHANGE as I still have TONS.....T-O-N-S.......of SB kits left to stitch up, frame and then hang together.  I will try to get the piece stretched and find a shop that has a small frame for it.  No I did not paint the mat if you were wondering.  That is not my talent so I leave that to others.

That's all I have for today.  Next month will be bringing JN Day 7 and 8 from the Ornamental Advent chart, February Word Play and I've started MBT Amazing Grace so I hope to bring an update on it as well.

Happy Stitching!

January Smalls post......

Heather of Stitching Lotus is once again hosting our 2015 Smalls SAL!!!  YEAH!!!  I love this SAL and I hope you decide to join in on the fun.  To see what it is all about, click on the link above or Heather's blog highlighted above as well to find out more about this SAL.

To begin with, I have been stitching A LOT as I didn't want to get behind this year.  I've already made my TO STITCH LIST for this year and yes....I have added a few more things to it throughout the month.

First off, I have a couple birthday gift pictures that be my projects for our Smalls SAL.  The first gift was to Kimberly, and I stitched her a BBD Bluebird pincushion on 40ct linen with 1 strand of Au Ver A Soie silk.  Please don't ask me the name of the silk as it came with some 45/52 linen kitted up.  I'm sorry for the dark picture but that was when we had a very dreary day and no sun out.  But I had to take a picture of it before mailing it off to her in her package.

The other gift I stitched for Kimberly was from Carol of iStitch Designs.  It was called Sew A Quaker Pinwheel, but I didn't make it into a pinwheel.  I stitched it and mounted it on top of a paper mache box that I painted to match her colors of her design.  You can find the chart HERE.

I did make a twisted cording to go around the top of the box and she loved both presents.

For the other birthday present I stitched this month was for Janet.  I made her a needlebook from With Thy Needle and Thread Valentine Messages chart and she loved it as well.  I loved it so much I kept the threads kitted up with the chart in HOPES of stitching me one this year for myself.  I even have the same finishing fabric that I used for Janet's but sadly.....I did not take a picture of the inside.  Yes....shame on me.  :(    I will take a picture of it when I go back to AZ in February.

This was also stitched on 40ct Old Mill Java I think was the name of the fabric.  I also attached those cute mother of pearl heart and star buttons at the bottom of it and used a brown grograin ribbon for the closure ribbon.

I've been doing LOTS of stitching on many different things that I will still want to share but 2 aren't quite finished and I'm HOPING to have them completed by Sat which is the end of the month. 
I did get my 2 JN Ornamental Advent days stitched up for this month.  I should have went ahead and done a 3rd day like I had hoped and planned especially since my son had another snow day this past Monday.  I had stitched these 2 days on his other snow days.  They do not take long to stitch and you can start and COMPLETE a single design in one day.  That is I mean I stitched Day 5 all in one day complete with the beads attached.

That's all I have to share for today. 
Happy Stitching everyone!

January TUSAL .....

Wow!  It's been a while since I have blogged.  I thought about it especially after the first of the new year when we were hit with a quite a bit of snow again......like 4"!!!  Then came a snow day for my hubby and several snow days for  our son.  I should have shared pictures with you as we even tried to make a snowman this time but he ended up being more like a snow mound than anything.  Maybe next time when it snows.

But today is the first day for our TUSAL!!!

Sharon over at It's Daffycat is our host once again!!!   You can click on the picture above or the link on my sidebar or on Sharon's blog name highlighted here.  It gives all the details of what it is all about. 

I have been stitching quite a bit from the start of this year.  I would show you what my New Year's start was, but I can't share that yet as it was a birthday gift to someone.  I will share that picture after she receives it.

I'm making good progress this year thus far and have completed 9 projects so far.  Now granted 6 of that 9 were small gifts for some friends that I will be going to a stitching retreat next month so I can't share those yet either with you.  But I will be happy to share once I've given it to them next month.

Did you make your TO DO LIST for this year???  It's not too late!!!  I seem to keep adding to mine but I have made a priority of doing at least 3 UFOs this year and I may just donate the rest of my UFOs to someone who would be willing to take them and finish them to keep for themselves.  I'm thinking that is a good plan so keep watching my blog as I'm wanting to downsize a lot from my sewing room.

Until another post......HAPPY STITCHING!

Happy New Year and a New Year Start!!!

Happy New Year to everyone!!!  I spent ringing in the New Year with my daughter last night while my DS and DH were at a Youth Lock In at our church!!!  So DD and I got Domino's pizza and settled in for the evening watching Castle Season 6 which was part of her Christmas present this year.  OF COURSE I stitched while watching it.  I know....you were wondering!!  I couldn't let all that time watching/listening to the TV go to waste!

Now.....on to the stitching business.  WHAT am I going to start today???  I will start a new ornament for my son's Christmas present this year.  I did not get around to getting the kids' ornaments stitched for this past year so I am making it a priority for this year.  I had started DD but will finish it up today and start DS.  Then.....I am going to start a With Thy Needle and Thread January Word Play project.  I want to have these this year too.  So many projects......so little time.  I will definitely have to use my time more wisely in hopes of completing MORE projects than I did this past year.  I have 2 or 3 more finishes to add to my "Finished Projects List" and report back to you on that in another post......that will hopefully have some pictures to share!!

I have joined the Smalls SAL again this year from Heather at Stitching Lotus.  She had the sign up here recently and you can click on her link to see more about it.  Just scroll down. 

Did you get around to making your Stitching To Do List for this coming year???  I have.  I have my Ornament List and Stitching List all ready to go.  Now whether the Stitching List gets all completed is another matter but isn't all about the JOY of stitching and the JOURNEY  along the way!!!?????   I will continue on stitching a Just Nan up each month is one of my goals and if it takes a couple of months for a sampler of hers.....well that will be just fine too. 

Time for me to get off this computer and get to stitching for this New Year!!

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!