Changed Plans

Ahh......I've finally got my weekends back and boy am I thankful!

Today was supposed to be a "Mother/Daughter Day".  Unfortunately, a dear friend of my Step-Father passed away and so my parents had to travel to another state for the funeral.  So, instead of spending time with my mom I'm taking care of her pup.  That means that I will spend the day at home as a hermit since their pup is used to going outside on a whim.  We don't need any accidents here!

Staying home is giving me time to catch up on lots of things.  This morning I got my Google Reader down to a manageable 72 posts.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will be back down to zero.  I also managed to get a few pictures that I wanted to share with you.

First I would like to share my Friends Stitching Through the Seasons Exchange.  I was blessed to receive my exchange from Natasha of A Stitchers Ramblings.  Look at all the goodies she sent!

 

And the pillow she stitched is just amazing!  I stitched this as a giveaway awhile ago and I've always wanted to do it again for myself.  Natasha.....you've read my mind!  You know how much I love the Blackbird gals.

My love of Blackbird spilled over into my exchange for Karen.....

Hope you enjoy your package Karen!

That's it for now, but I promise that there is more to come!

Happy Stitches!

Finished!

I did it! Not only did I finish my exchange for Faye, but I also finished four other exchanges for my retreat that begins on Thursday.  I'm so proud of myself!  And the pieces don't look half bad either.  Wanna see?
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Well........you are just going to have to wait until after the retreat.  I want it to be a surprise for everyone.

Now I'm off to get a little shut eye.  I'm going to be very busy the next two days and then I will be off with my stitching sisters while I leave Hubby to tend to the house and the pup.

Happy Stitches!

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Yes, it is another beautiful morning here in the Serial Starter home! I'm on Day 2 of English Bulldog Freedom and I'm enjoying every minute of it. This morning I spent time with my puppy without the slobbering and snorting from our unwanted house guest. I even had a cup of coffee while catching up on the final season of Desperate Housewives. What bliss!!


Anyway, here's a little bit of what I had intended on posting on Sunday evening:


I have been on the receiving end of three beautiful packages.  The first package came from Mouse.  I'm sure you remember, I talked about it here.  This is a quick snap of what she sent.

I also received my Fall "Friends Stitching Through the Seasons" exchange from Nan.  She really spoiled me this round with lots of lovelies.

I just love my new pincushion!  It's so fall!

My last package was a huge surprise. Some time ago I participate in a Blackbird Designs exchange where I was on the losing end. The person who had my name never fulfilled her side of the exchange and I was left empty handed. Well, Judy (the person I sent my exchange to) found out and she sent me the loveliest package to make up for my loss.

You should see Judy's finishing in person.  Her rouching is wonderful and I will be using what she did as a model for trying it myself.  I just hope that I can make mine half as beautiful as hers!

While it has been nice visiting with everyone this morning, I really have to get motivated.  I hope to have another wonderful morning to share with you tomorrow along with the rest of what I had intended to post.

Happy Stitching!

Faye's Exchange

It seems that my exchange arrived at Faye's house.  I'm just so thankful that the glass items made it through.  You never know what happens to those packages once they leave the nest!

So, here's what I stitched for Faye......

American Strawberry by Prairie Schooler

If you want to see the rest of her goodies, check out this post. (Her pictures are so much better than the craptastic one that I took!)  The wreath was made by a co-worker and I found the sheep at an estate sale back in January. 

I was so excited to put this box together for Faye.  Now, how am I going to top that for Fall?????

Happy Stitches!

Sharing Exchanges

After much aggravation and agitation, I found out that my Blackbird Exchange was picked up from the post office.  Here's what I made for my partner.  It was from a piece that Barb & Alma taught at the 2008 Shepherd's Bush Retreat.

As for the piece that came for me, well.......um.......I guess that person is MIA and that means no exchange for me.  So, instead of getting upset, I'm going to stick to the motto "It is better to give than to receive" and I will leave it at that.  Now I just know to be more careful about whom I exchange with and which exchanges I participate in.

But, on a bright note, my "Friends Stitching Through the Seasons" summer exchange arrived on Friday evening.  Diane spoiled me again!

Isn't this bee the cutest thing you ever did see???

And Diane's stitching.........well, I'll just let the picture do the talking!  (I LOVE IT!)

I sent my summer package to Faye today, so she should have it by the weekend.  Once it arrives, I'll show you the cute little thing I stitched for her.

In the meantime,

Happy Stitches!

Variation on a Theme

I never thought I would say this, but I'm quite upset about my latest exhange and I'm just about ready to jump on Ma Teakettle's bandwagon regarding said exchanges. 

It is so very fustrating to put so much love and dedication into a piece only to find out that it hasn't been picked up from the post office.  Yes, I know, I was a bit of a bad girl and sent my package two days late, but I sent it via priority mail with delivery confirmation so that I would know it arrived quickly and safely.  I've been checking the USPS site regularly and found that my package reached its intended destination. However, it remains in the dismal back room of the post office (accoring to the USPS site).  All my hard work is wasting away in the dark back corner of a dingy mail room!  And, if for some reason the USPS is wrong and the package was picked up by the reciepent, I haven't heard a peep from said receipient. 

I have been in several exchanges and I've never had any problems until this exchange.  I think from now on I'm going to stick to RAK's and private exchanges!

Sheesh!


Sorry for the rant.........

Exchange Stitching and a Thank You

Well, it's another gloomy rainy Saturday filled with tax returns........YUCK!  My only saving grace is that I will get to spend tomorrow with a couple of my stitching buddies instead of being stuck at work.  Boy, April 18th can't get here soon enough!

In other good news, my exchange from Friends Stitching Through the Seasons arrived.  I was so anxious to find out who my partner would be for the year.  I was so excited to get this wonderful package from Diane over at Nan's Needlework Notions.  She blessed me with a wonderful assortment of goodies.....and this is just the first one of the year.  I can't wait for the summer exchange!

Isn't this just the cutest little chic that you have ever seen?

You've got to love the bunny too.....

For my part of the Friends Exchange, I sent a little something over to Faye at Carolina Stitcher.  She was so sweet to say that it was finished perfectly.  Compared to her finishing, I've got a long way to go.  But, a girl has to start somewhere!  Anyway, here's a picture of what I sent her.....(you can also check out her post as well.)

Needles & Pins by Raise the Roof

Lastly, I would like to extend the biggest, most heartfelt thank you to a fellow blogger and wonderful lady........Ma Teakettle.  Remember a few posts ago when I was whining about not having any WDW Collards for my L*K Flip It and that I would have to wait until after April 18th to go to the Needlework Shop?  Well, Ma, being the generous person that she is, emailed me to let me know that she had not one, but all three skeins of Collards in the same dye lot and that they had my name on them!  They arrived the day before yesterday accompanied by three cute little gummy bunnies.  Boy, am I a lucky girl.  This means that I can continue sooner rather than later.  Now I won't have to try to come up with something else to work on tomorrow.  Thanks again Ma!  You are the best!

Happy Stitching!

Mid February Update

 Just a short note to let you know how I'm doing.

Things are pretty rough at work.  The IRS just released many of the forms that we have been waiting on, but there are still a few more that we need.  So, that just adds to the pressures of the season.  I've been working 60 hour weeks and I don't see things letting up anytime soon.  So, that means that my stitching is practically on hold except for the little bit of time I manage to squeeze in on Sundays.

Even with my lack of stitching, I've managed to finish stitching my exchange piece for Friends Stitching Through the Seasons.  I've got to get on the ball and "finish" my piece since it is due to be mailed out on March 15th.  That is less than one month from now!  (Can you hear the panic start to set in???)

Many of you have asked how my Crazy January Challenge is going.  I've managed to put two more needles into Mouline Rouge since you saw her last.  It wasn't much, but I can tell the difference.  I'll post another picture of her once I manage a few more needles.  I've also managed to work on #11 in my challenge, the L*K flip-its.  I've gotten further on the border and I've finished the first flip-it "Dream".  Pictures soon......I hope!

Speaking of pictures, take a look at these! I arrived home one day (after a long and craptastic work day) to find this.......

 

Such a lovely RAK from Terri at Dixie Samplar Designs!  It was full of wonderful goodies and a stitched gift as well.  Thank you so much Terri!  You really made my day.  I can't wait until the end of tax season so that I can dig into the new patterns that you sent.

Here are a few close ups of my new goodies:

Many thanks to Terri once again......she was more than generous!

That's all for now.  I'm going to try and get a needle in before I fall asleep while sitting up on the couch!

Happy Stitching!

Another Sucessful Exchange

After signing up for Round 6 of the Blackbird Designs Exchange I began to have second thoughts.  I was so overwhelmed with the "goings on" in my personal life at that time and I thought that I would have to bow out of the exchange.  Thankfully I was able to work things out and I was able to not only complete my exchange, but I was also able to send it out on time.

I sent my piece to Jenny at The Stitcher's Hideaway.  I decided to keep it short and sweet this time.  Once I was finished I thought it went well beyond sweet and I've decided to stitch it for myself as well using purple for the flowers instead of blue.  Here's the one I sent to Jenny:



Rosemary Pinkeep (My Heart is True)
by Blackbird Designs
Letter "J" came from the Joyex Noel Book
Stitched on 40ct French Vanilla by R&R Reproductions
using Crescent Colours Cottons: Milady's Teal & Poblano Pepper



Don't you just love the Ball Jar lid finish?

As for me, I was so lucky to have received my exchange from Carol over at Carol's Crafty Creations.  Not only did she send me the most beautiful pin cushion, but she also sent me a wonderfully crafted needle case made out of Blackbird Design's Garden Party fabric line.  I just love it!  The case went instantly into my never ending tote 'o starts and found its way into the project bag that houses my current Blackbird work in process.  I can attest.....Carol IS crafty!!  Thanks again Carol!

I borrowed the link to Carol's picture.  Hope you don't mind Carol!

As you can see, it was another successful exchange!  I'm looking forward to Round 7!

Happy Stitching!

One Step Closer

After this weekend I'm more than just one step closer to my goals for November and December.  Woo-Hoo!

I finally made a finish of LHN's December and it should be on its way (along with September, October and November) to my dear friend Sharon.  Now her set of models for the Monthlies will be complete.  Whew!



"December" on 30ct WDW Mocha

 This finish gave me ample opportunity to work on some other stitchy projects around the house.  I was able to frame my memory/memorial sampler and I'm so very pleased with how it turned out.  I took a picture of it last night under the Ott light, but it didn't turn out.  I guess I'll just have to wait for the light of day instead. 

I also took some time to stitch on one of my Blackbird Designs works in progress.  Remember the Keepsake Box from the 2008 Shepherd's Bush Retreat?  Well, with just a little stitch time during the late Sunday night Giants/Eagles football game I managed to turn my work into this:

Now all I have left is a little bit of fill in on a couple of the flowers, the flower pot and my initials.  I figured that I deserved to reward myself with a little bit of "off goal" stitching since I've been good at keeping my goals so far.  Plus, not only did I finish December, but I finished stitching my Blackbird Designs Exchange piece!  I think that deserved a reward, don't you?

So, here's my piece for the exchange:
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HA, HA!  FOOLED YA!  You don't think I was going to show it before my recipient got to see it, did you?  I couldn't do that!  I'm pretty sure that this person reads my blog.  Plus, her initial is on it and that would have given it away.  So, instead, I'm just going to show you a few of my supplies for the piece instead.  I plan on "finishing" it up this week so that it will be in the mail for our November 30th deadline.

I guess that means that I will have to start stitching on all of those ornaments this week.  Wish me luck!

Happy Stitching!

Exchanging is Awesome!

I know that many of you have been disappointed in the past with some exchanges that you have been involved in.  So, here's the perfect way to combat a bad exchange.........do a private "one on one" exchange with someone that you know.  I did!

Back in May of this year I went to visit my dear friend Sharon.  We had such a good time together like we always do.  I also got to do a few things that I don't get to do while I'm at home, such as go to a Diamondbacks MLB game and (most importantly) visit The Attic Needlwork Shop.  One of the days that I was there, The Attic had a stitch-in that I got to be a part of.  I met many wonderful people including Karen.  Upon my return home, Karen and I befriended each other on Facebook and started email communications.  She suggested that we do a private exchange.

Now, I saw all of Karen's wonderful stitching and finishing while I was out in Arizona.  So, of course it was a no brainer that I would do an exchange with her.  We set a theme and we set a date to mail off our exchanges to each other.  Knowing that sometimes life gets in the way, we were in constant contact about our exchange.  Life happens and our original mail date came and went.  However, we both buckled down and got our exchanges out to each other.

Here's what came in the mail over the weekend:



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Such beautiful presentation!





This was from Blackbird Designs, but I don't know the title of the piece.  However, it was stitched on 35ct Straw using Crescent Colous Capuccino and DMC.



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Isn't this just the cutest little pincushion?  I love the lace!

The background on the front cover is also the backing to my pincushion.

Check out the inside!  And Karen even included a pair of scissors.....afterall, a girl can't have enough scissors!

The back cover even has a pocket.

Karen, I love it!  Thank you so much!

Oh, and just incase you think......"I could never do that!", Karen has her own finishing service.  Check out the blog at Finely Finished for all the details.  I can honestly say that Karen's work is amazing!

Thanks again Karen!

Happy Stitching!





Picture Proof Positive

I have more proof that I have been hard at working stitching and finishing.  A few posts ago I mentioned that I took pictures of a personal exchange that I had stitched for Karen.  I got a lovely email confirmation that she received her package.  Here's the big reveal for those of you that don't read her blog.

"Seaside Retreat"
by Blackbird Designs

I thought that this was an appropriate piece for our exchange since she lives in Arizona and I live on the shores of the Mid-Atlantic.  I had a very hard time trying to decide how to finish this piece.  Nothing I wanted to do seemed right for it.  Then I dug into my small (but ever-growing) stash of frames and this one was the perfect match.  This was my second attempt at framing and I think that it turned out nice.  I decided to pin my work on acid free core board and I even "puffed" the piece out from the inside of the frame using quilt batting.  I backed the frame with the scrapbook paper that it is sitting on in this photo.

Here's the details on "Seaside Retreat".......Many of you may remember that I stitched this pattern for myself earlier this year. (See the June 4th and June 7th posts for pictures.)  I had tons of inquiries last time I posted this pattern and I can still honestly say that I am not ready to give up this pattern, especially since I have a feeling that I may be stitching it again someday soon.  The pattern was from a retreat that I attended in 2009 and has not been released to the general public as of yet.  I have heard rumors that Barb & Alma are going to release a book of their class pieces, so maybe this one will be in there.  I stitched this on 40ct Vintage Tundra by Lakeside Linen.  I also used a Limited Edition Color of Belle Soie.  This piece took about two weeks to stitch, but I was also working on other stitching projects during those two weeks.

I'm so glad to hear that Karen is enjoying our exchange!  I hope you like it too!  I'm always open to private exchanges as long as I have the time.

Happy Stitching.

If You Dream It...

.....you can achieve it!

Ok, ok, I'm blowing a little bit of smoke here, but I can honestly say that I have now achieved one of my goals for November.  I "finished" up my personal exchange and it is ready to go into tomorrow morning's mail.  Yipee! 

Luckily, I did remember to take some pictures. I just can't share them with everyone yet. SORRY!!! (I bet you are beginning to think that I'm kidding about all the stitching I've done since you haven't seen a lick!)  However, my exchange partner Karen also reads my blog (Hi Karen!), so I want to be sure that she sees it first.  I'm sure you understand........

I'm also about 10 - 15 stitches away from another goal.  Tonight I am going to attempt to finish up my memory/memorial sampler.  I figured that I was so close to the end that I needed to start my frame finding mission.  I stopped by Michael's on the way home last night and I did find a frame that would work.  And, since I had a 55% off coupon, the cost for the frame and the acid free core board only came to $16.  Not too shabby!  I got all the information on it, but I decide that it wasn't "the" frame.  So, I guess I'll be going on a frame quest either Friday evening or Sunday morning.  That means you will have to stay tuned if you want to see this sampler because I won't be showing it off until it gets framed.  Of course, if I can't find the right frame in the next week I promise that I will show it anyway.  That way you will be able to see that I really have been stitching!

I guess that means that I need to get moving on the rest of my goals, so first up will be the monthlies.  Then I will tackle the BBD Exchange.  I'm also going to dig out my JCS Ornament issues this weekend and let Hubby pick out four ornaments for the members of his family.  Of course, he knows that I've got the ultimate veto power.  I know my husband and he will probably pick out the more intricate pieces.  I know my limits (time limits that is), so I will be looking for some easier ones to stitch for his family and some of my work friends.

Happy Stitching!

What Was I Thinking?

Thanks for the wonderful comments yesterday.  It seems that the hot water heater is currently holding its own.  Good thing too.....I don't think that I could deal with anymore water.  Especially since it is above the closet that currently holds most of my stitchy stuff.  I would be devastated if something happened to it, so I think that my stash may have to be moved sooner rather than later!

After reading your comments I also took a second look at my goals for the next two months.  WHAT WAS I THINKING???  I sure do hope that I can get through everything!  At least I'm halfway through my first goal of "finishing" the personal exchange that I am doing with Karen.  I went home last night with those lofty goals embedded in my brain and I got to work.  Unfortunately, I didn't have everything that I needed to finish up my project, so I'll be making a pit stop in Michael's on the way home from work today so that I can get the two things that I need.  I should have that bad boy completed tonight and in the mail tomorrow.  (Ohhh.....I can't forget to take a few pictures.  After all, it has been way too long since I've had any pictures on this dang blog!  **Jots down another thing to put on the "to do" list.**)

Goal #2 almost finished!!!!  Hopefully I can work on finishing goal #1 tonight too!

Happy Stitching!

Is It Better To Give......

......or to receive?  I've always been of the opinion that it is much better to give.  That is the main reason that I decided to RAK, PIF and join exchanges.  I love to see/hear the joy that my stitching brings to others.  It is even more fun when I can combine my love of stitching with one of my favorite designers........Blackbird Designs!

A few months ago, I was so excited to see that there was a Round 5 to the Blackbird Designs Exchange.  I jumped at the opportunity to sign up and I eagerly awaited the name of my exchange partner.  In this round, I was honored to stitch for Ma Teakettle.   I received a beautiful email from her last night thanking me for her exchange.  Ma, you are so very welcome.  I really enjoyed stitching this for you!

Pin Box, Floss Tag and Double Sided Scissor Fob

from Honeysuckle Manor

stitched on 30ct Creek Bed Brown by R&R

GA Threads: Uniform Blue and Parchment

Also included were a set of handmade pins similar to those pictured above

(thanks to Faye for the pin making instructions!)

Yes, giving is a wonderful thing!  But when you receive something so beautiful, it sure does make you wonder if it really is better to give......

You see, I came home yesterday to an unexpected package in my mailbox.  It was my turn in the Blackbird Exchange!  I was honored to have Mare stitch for me.  She made me this beautiful bag from Souvenirs of Summer using a piece of 28ct fabric from her stash and DMC 4210 (Radiant Ruby).

See what I mean?  Isn't it beautiful?  I have some great ideas on how to make it part of a patriotic/summer display in my house next year.  In the meantime, I have it hanging on the door knobs of the DVD cabinet.  This way I'll be able to see it from my Happy Chair!

So, now that you have seen both sides, which do you think is better..........giving or receiving?  Tough choice, huh?

Happy Stitching!