Another finish

Rene let me know that she received her Birthday fob that I sent. I love how this one turned out and am pretty proud of it. I stitched this on 22ct fabric that I dyed. The pattern is the frog from the Frog Prince Sampler by Casey Buonaugurio Designs.

For the back of the fob I used the R from Lizzie Kate's ABCrazy.

With luck I'll have more finishes to share with you all tomorrow.

Until next time..............

Love and stitches

Kathy

Another finish and another award

Dear Beth awarded me my second blog award, the "Fabulous Blog" Award. As part of the award I am supposed to list five of my addictions and then name five bloggers who I think are "Fabby". So here are five of my addictions in no particular order:

1. Reading. I've been hooked on books and have been reading since my first trip to the library when I was five. I can close my eyes and still see my Mom and my aunt handing me that book that started it all.

2. Cross stitch and stash collecting. Even though I haven't been addicted to cross stitch as long as my books my collection grows every year. :)

3. Photography. Just ask any of my nieces and nephews. When the aunt has more photos of the little ones than their parents you know she's a shutter addict. :)

4. My pets. At this moment I don't have a dog but have my Mom's kitty. I am getting closer to getting another dog. It's just a matter of time. Again, ask my brothers and sisters how I am about my animals. :) They will tell you that I am certifiable. LOL

5. Clothes and shoes. Long story but my closets, dressers, many storage bins, the attic all bear witness on my addiction and obsession to clothes. Though I will say I have been really good this last two years and am so overdue for a shopping binge. Hmmmmmmmmmm. No, I'll be good there are too many sales this weekend on cross stitch supplies. :)

And here are the five that I pass this award on too:
1. My dear, dear friend Deborah, and MiPrezious too. :)
2. Debra, love you girlfriend even if I am pea green with envy over your organizational abilities. :)
3. Donna, a "Fabulous Award" for a fabulous lady. And may your birthday (coming up soon) be a Fabulous day.
4. My dear friend Mare. Her finishes are fabulous and deserving of the "Fabulous award."
5. Carla, I enjoy reading your blog. And your stitching is "fabulous."

I also have another finish that I can show you. Heidi, another member of the ILCS Birthday exchange group, finally received her stitched gift from me. I am so pleased that she liked it. This one was stitched on 18 ct aida with gold flecks. They don't really show very well in the photo but do make the fabric sparkle. I used the H from the Lizzie Kate ABCrazy pattern and the other side is my adaptation of a Forever in My Heart design.














I have a couple more finishes but will post them tomorrow. I still have to take photos and download them to my computer.

Until next time...........
Love and stitches
Kathy

My very first blog award

Thank you Carolyn. She named me as one of her five to receive the Spreader of Love award. Isn't that the neatest award? I love the name of it. Now I need to nominate and spread the love to five more blogs that I think are deserving of this award. And that won't be easy since I read so many and feel they deserve this award too. (And I actually should be working instead of reading blogs. LOL)

Carolyn already passed the award on to some of my favorite people. :) So to spread the love I send this to you:

Mare, my dear friend. I miss our lunches and sharing our stitching stories. I love checking out your unique and gorgeous finishes.

Debra, since being my first Secret Sister you have remained one of my dearest online friends.
Nancy, Your stitching is gorgeous and so is your spirit.

Cindy F, whose loving Texas size hugs, support and comments have been so appreciated.

Viv, who may be too busy to stitch but always been caring and generous.

Now it's your turn ladies. Spread the love.

Not much in the way of stitching news for me. I'm still waiting for the last two stitched birthday gifts to arrive at their new homes before I post photos. I've been working on a couple of WIPs. Someday I'll admit to how many I have. Heck, even I don't know since they are all over the house. LOL

So until next time.............. Spread the love.

Love and stitches

Kathy

Two finishes and a new beginning

Two of the pieces I finished earlier this month have been received so I can show them to you. The first one is a Lizzie Kate pattern minus the satin stitch on the edge. I used DMC floss on a 22 ct piece of fabric that I had dyed.

On the right is the front of Cynthia's Birthday fob and the left photo is the back. I try to use some part of the design on both sides. Now that doesn't always work out but it did here really nicely.

The second finish is part of an older pattern that I found on Leisure ArtsLlibrary. This one was a birrthday gift for Rhonda. Stitched on 18 ct aida that I dyed with DMC floss. Again I tried using some part of the design on both sides.

On the left is the back of the fob. The photo on the right is the front.

I have two more finishes that I did this weekend but I can't show them until they reach their new homes. They are also birthday gifts.

Now for the new beginning. No not a new stitching project. I have way too many WIPs as it is. :) Please say Hello to the newest family member, my great nephew. (Geez that makes me feel old. LOL) Here he is being held by his big brother. :)

Matthew Ryan

born January 23rd

9 lbs. 4 oz.

Isn't he adorable?

Now to pick out one of those WIPs to work on. Who knows maybe I'll even finish something else this month. :)

Thank you all for your comments. I treasure each and every one.

Until next time...................

Love and stitches

Kathy

Isn't it too cute?

I just had to show you all the gorgeous card I received from Wanda in Canada. She made the card from fabric. It took a while to get to me but, hey, better late than never. AND it is just too adorable to put it away and will stay up all year. The back of the card has a white felt that she wrote on and used to address the card. It arrived in a clear cellophane envelope so it was in perfect condition. Isn't it fabulous? My Mom, the cat person in the family, would have loved it too.

Thank you so much Wanda. (She doesn't have a blog but does have an album on webshots. You can see more of her talented work here.)

No more stitching photos. Two more birthday gifts are in the mail and another will be shortly. I should be able to show those later this week.

Until next time.

Love and stitches

Kathy

Snow, stitching and snow

The backyard sure looked pretty this morning. But enough snow now. Okay? While we have been pretty lucky and the accumulations aren't much it's been a couple to four inches everyday since Thursday and a little more expected tonight. I've had enough for a while now. :)

Well, it's been over a week since I've updated. Been busy.

I did go to both the book signing on Tuesday and my very first sit and stitch. Loved both but especially the sit and stitch. I have already signed up for February's meeting. Of course I didn't get as much stitching done as I had hope. Meeting the others and sharing what each was working on kind took some of the time. :) As well as browsing the shops patterns and trying my best to avoid temptation. :) Oh, okay I did pick up some more of that lovely fabric that I have fallen in love with, a 25 count laguna, and the new Lizzie Kate, It's a Girl Thing. I couldn't resist. Isn't it adorable? I have also been stitching like crazy. I belong to a birthday exchange group and the month of January is a very busy one. Five birthdays!!! Almost half the group has their birthday this month! Hmmmmmmmmm kind of makes you wonder what was going on in April. :) I have been trying to stitch something small for most of the birthday girls. So this month my stitching has all been for for these. I can show one since her birthday was last week.

I have two more stitched pieces finished for this weeks birthdays and two more to go. I had hoped to have them all done and in the mail this past Saturday but you know those best laid plans? Well, mine were kind of like that. :)

For example. I had one piece almost finished and just needed some ribbon in a color to match. Of course I didn't have any in my stash so that meant a quick run Friday night after work to Joann's Fabrics with the piece to match the ribbon color. I get home at 7:30, make dinner, clean up and at 8:30 I am ready to get stitching. I go to the bags to get my stitching and can't find the piece. I go through everything three times and then call the store. Whew! Relief. They have it. I must have dropped it but it's almost closing time so now I have to wait until Saturday morning to get it. Sigh. Okay, instead of finishing up that one I'll move on to the next one. It should stitch up quickly and I'm hoping I can get it finished in hours. (yeah, right.) Well, after two hours of stitching I notice that I am off by one. In the second row! A mistake that can't be fudged. So now I spend another hour and a half frogging. By now I realize I'm not going to finish either by Saturday morning. Best laid plans. Remember? :)

It's now Monday evening and January birthday gifts two and three are completed, wrapped and ready for the mail tomorrow morning. Number four? Not quite finished. Those couple of hours? I definitly misjudged that one. But with luck it will be tomorrow. Then one more to go.

So I better get stitching.

Until next time.........

Love and stitches

Kathy

PS. Just looked outside and guess what? It's snowing. :(

This and that

TGIF.
The past week has been a rough one. I have been missing Mom a lot. Especially the nighttime. I am still finding it hard to come home at night and no one is home. I guess since this is the first full week back to work things just hit me. :( Oh, I know this will happen for a while and I know it will get better.

I try to keep busy and keep the emotions at bay. But I'm not always successful.

I've been stitching. I have one completed finish and two more half finished. But no photos since these are Birthday gifts. Once they have been received I can post photos.

As I said I try to keep busy since it helps. So when I saw a posting about a book signing at a NYC bookstore, The Mysterious Bookshop, I decided to go. I hadn't been to a signing in ages and ages. The book:In the Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe and Essays by Jeffery Deaver, Nelson DeMille, Tess Gerritsen, Sue Grafton, Stephen King, ... Lisa Scottoline, and Thirteen Others by Michael Connelly. A number of the books contributors as well as Michael Connelly, the editor, were at the shop to sign copies. It was really nice seeing many of the authors I have come to know as well as old acquaintances from the mystery community. In some ways I am lucky to work in the City so I can attend some of these events. And now I have the time. Next week is another signing. This time for Carol O'Connell's new book, Bone By Bone.

We are expecting a snow storm tomorrow so I should get some quality stitching time in this weekend. I hope so since I would like to finish up at least three more gifts. Too many January birthdays. LOL I also want to try and make a small dent in organizing my stash. HA! It would be so nice to find that pattern I think I have. Especially before I buy it a second time. LOL

Another thing I am thinking of is joining the sit and stitch at the LNS near (about a 40 minute drive) me. I've never been to one. Another thing to keep me out of trouble. LOL Of course if I go I MUST keep my checkbook and credit card at home! Well, maybe just a few dollars to get some more of that lovely 25 ct fabric that I used for my Mom's box piece. Would that be okay?

I want to thank all of you who have left me such lovely comments. I appreciate them and they go a long way to lifting my spirits. Thank you so very, very much. Maybe one day I'll find the right words to tell you all how much your support has meant and still means to me.

Until next time..................
Love and stitches
Kathy

A special project finished

I have been working hard on a very special project. I know I have posted a recent finish but this one is the one that has been on my mind since my Mom passed. I loved stitching it and have been working on it since the day after Christmas. Now that this one is finished I feel like I can move on. Does that sounds strange?

The special project? A box with a very special stitched piece.

The box is to hold the letters we found that my Mom had written to each of us. She wrote three addressed to all of us as well as ones to each of us. The first was written in 1990 and the most recent wasn't dated but from the content it had to be around 2001/2002.

One of my Mom's favorite singers was Michael Crawford and she had all his cd's. One cd that she played over and over is titled On Eagle's Wings. This is also a song that is often sung at funerals. And was one of the songs we had sung at hers. Before she passed away I had seen a pattern of the lyrics of On Eagle's Wings. The Designer: The Sampler Girl. I emailed Tanya at The Sampler Girl for some info on this pattern and another one of hers. That was a Friday, December 5th. The next day was when my Mom passed. I remembered the pattern and knew that I HAD to stitch it. When I next contacted Tanya she sent out the pattern right away.

I also wanted something special to keep the letters in so I won't loose them. On Eagle's Wings would be perfect for the top of a box! Well, when the pattern arrived I saw that the finished dimensions were rather large for a box unless I stitched it on a small count. My trip to the LNS had a second purpose besides just some Christmas S.E.X. It was to find some small count fabrics for the pattern. A 25 count evenweave was perfect. And easy to stitch on too. I will be getting more of that soon.

At 10:30 PM last evening I finished the stitching.

Today I spent 4 hours putting the box together. I had stained the box Tuesday and Wednesday and this morning it was dry. It took me a while to get eveything measured and the box lined but I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Thank goodness I have tomorrow off so I can do the rest of the things I had planned on doing today but didn't.

Like deciding what to stitch next.

Until next time..........
Love and stitches
Kathy