Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Summer stitching!!!

Happy summer August days Everyone! Hello to you. Do my photos look better?
I didn't even have to be concerned with the lighting to take my photos today:) Early this morning I got ready to have a photo session with my stitching progress and the door bell rang. Yep new camera arrived!!! WOOHOO!!! Perfect timing. I was stalling for my post because I was hoping the delivery would arrive when they said it would - and it DID.  Ever since this morning I've been walking around the house saying "Hi! I'm a photographer and blogger and I love to cross stitch" - LOL,  I have been having a ball today:))))) If you don't know what I am talking about -  I have been mimicking "The Pioneer Woman" - Ree Drummond - love her. Our son loves the new camera too, so nice of him to let me play with it most of the day.
First - I get to announce the winner for the Lizzie Kate chart "Life's A Stitch".........

WINNER IS:  SO CAL DEBBIE
CONGRATULATIONS !!! 
Please email me your address Debbie.

Stitching Progress for the last week for Ann Dale:
Completed 1 & 2 motifs on row 2, some pretty cream border and started the over one in the middle. I have decided that tent stitch is way more easier on my eyes and for frogging. I am not doing the full cross stitch over one. I think the tent stitch is working and looking very pretty.

I did iron this lightly...pardon the hoop marks please, I was too excited to take the photos:)

 This last weekend I received a surprise in the mail - A RAK from Patti of "Sew Delightfully Yours" blog. She sent me some beautiful crocheted coasters, a PINK potholder (these will be used as doilies and ornaments, no one better dare set a glass of water on them) and.....

Patti also gave me this beautiful needlebook she made, with red beads stitched all around the book, I love it..Looks like its saying "HI" - lol get it? Thank you Patti:)

And look at what else she gave me, Patti embroidered a Hydrangea centered on a medallion scrollwork charm with tiny seed beads sewn here and there. Thank you so much for your kindness Patti - I love every item you made and I plan to make a necklace with the beautiful Hydrangea piece. I have some mini rings to attach to the medallion and hang it on a chain:)  SO PRETTY!!!

Here is my update for Fairy Hill Bothy threads Cut Thru SAL. I have happily discovered there are only 9 pages of charts not 12....Boy you would think I could count by now -lol. The bottom far right is where I have been working on. Debbie (HERE) and Linda (HERE) are our hostesses for this SAL. You can visit them to get to see everyone's fabulous progress.

 Dames of the needle "Winter Holiday" - JCS Christmas Mag 2012
35ct parchment linen - WDW
I should be done stitching this ornament. But I cannot find the special button package I bought for specifically for this ornament...in such a safe place that I have hunted for over 4 days in a row. It's a snowman button and 4 holly buttons. I need them so I can adjust the nuns stitch that is to be the border all around so that it will fit on this lovely hornbook. Yes I hunted the web for a little hornbook only to learn that I think the border will be a bit large. Just a few obstacles.
The trees are done in long arm cross stitch, the trunks are done in rice stitches. I should of taken a more closer photo but I am learning the camera. Oh yes the pins are my adjustments for the border but I want to make sure the snowman button will fit:) Where is that package??? I will come across it soon I  hope.

 And lastly I treated myself to this excellent book (a while back). I used this to look up those specialty stitches I did on the ornament above and they were in the book. Now I know why the book is so popular. I have seen this advertized on - on line stores and our magazines. I bet you have seen this too. It's a great book and I am pleased with it. I also have been enjoying seeing what all of you have been stitching on your blogs too. Love it when some Autumn and Christmas designs are showing up now:)))
Hope you are enjoying the week. I am going to see what Christmas design I want to start next.
With Love and Appreciation - Annette

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Sunny & Hot August

Hello Everyone - Welcome. It's been very hot and humid here in the Bay Area. So much so that I couldn't even take photos last week for my updates. Today it's hot but not humid so far. Just can't take the humidity. And a warm welcome to some new followers - always a joy to meet new friends.
Lots of stitching has been going on the last 2 weeks.

"Life's A Stitch" by Lizzie Kate
32ct Flax Linen
Threads:
Butter Bean WDW, Raspberry Frost GA, Flax GA, Summer Blossom (SNC 249) TG- Silk, 
Lexington Green GA, Marigold - Chameleon (South Africa), DMC 3771 and Scuppernog WDW.

First up I started and finished Life's a Stitch, given to me by Anne of Dolls Musing. This chart is soo sweet but let me tell you the satin stitching all around was a challenge for me. OH BOY!!! Satin stitching is easy, really it is. But I kept skipping one little hole every now and then. Well I learned to keep checking the chart for alinement for the satin stitches compared to the inner border. Thank goodness I stitched the inside first (like your suppose to do), then came the inner border. That's what saved me lots of frogging - even though I did have to Frog alot. I went with soft tones but I used Summer Blossom silk by the Thread Gather - one of my favorites, for the blossoms.
ALL DONE:))) In to the pile of finishes it goes....I will finish it and many others but for now I want to keep stitching. 

NOW the FUN part!!!
Who would like to stitch this traveling chart next??? Please leave a comment on this post. That's all that's needed. Of course mention that you would like to stitch it next, because if not, I will assume you are not interested. And you know me I always add some extra goodies:) I will draw the winner on Sunday the 25th of August.


My update for last week and this week for Bothy Threads Cut Thru Monday SAL.
I finished all of page 3 of 12 on Fairy Hill and I did all the back stitching too. So many darling items are showing up now. I completed the owl, bees, fairy dress, wings, and I think those are bloomers right below the daisies? More green grass was done and I did stitch on this for several days to get the back stitching all caught up. I so enjoy seeing everyone's progress on their Bothy Thread work.
You can look Here at Debbie's blog and HERE on Linda's blog for the SAL's Updates. There are lots of stitcher's who are participating and incredible charts they have chosen. Have a peek:)

 I know I know - no Tinkerbell. So sorry but I was so tempted not to post yet because I have been
stitching so much so that I keep thinking "Oh I should wait till I get this and that completed". So silly of me. I did find some more Tinkerbell's that were still in boxes after going thru some of my moms things. But they are HUGE! I will have to have a photo session of them and share with you soon.

 Sorry for the out of focus photo - I do need a new camera (hint),
Progress on Ann Dale... finished the motif of the left and completed 2 more plus .....

I am in the process on stitching the 2nd row. I also stitched some of the inner border on the left hand side.

Well good news is that I am shopping for a new camera. Our son has to have a Digital camera for a upcoming class:))))))))))))) I am  soo thrilled  We are being good supporting parents and this qualifies as needed school supplies. Since he lives at home and won't be using it all the time - I'm sure I will get to use it too. Looks like it will be a Canon Rebel T3I SLR. That's what the Pioneer Lady uses...Do you watch her cooking show? She's a photographer and blogger. LOVE HER and her recipes. Also I got the Christmas bug - I'm currently working on a ornament from JCS Christmas 2012 issue - "Winter Holiday" by Dames of the Needle, pg 13. Should be done by my next post.
Wishing you a fun and happy summer. With my Love and Appreciation - Annette

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

It's August!


Greetings Everyone. Here in Northern California we've been having nice and cool weather in the last few days. Even a bit chilly in the evenings and I love it:)

Over 1 week ago I was contacted by one of our stitching sister's, Lisa - The Inspired Stitcher Blog.
She had seen I added "Bee Happy" by Homespun Elegance to my stash and she had just purchased it too. Lisa suggested for her and I to stitch "Bee Happy" together at the same time. I was so excited and thrilled. Of course I said "YES" right away. So we had our own small SAL.
It was FUN to get to stitch it together and a quick design to stitch. Lisa and I have both finished and I am sure she will be posting soon on her blog, her finish, very soon (I think she was waiting for me).

 Bee Happy by Homespun Elegance 
32ct Smokey Pearl Belfast Linen
All required threads

Here's a photo showing more the true color of the linen. I plan to finish this as a pillow.
Thank you Lisa - I truly enjoyed stitching this with you. YOU had a good idea:) 

 Fairy Hill - 16 ct Aida

Here is my progress for Bothy Threads Cut Thru Monday SAL with Debbie and Linda as our hostesses. I stitched the 2 trees, owl, bee, butterfly, a small basket of laundry and a fairy dress (soo cute). It will be more clear of what the items are once I get the backstitching done (sometime in the near future:)

This is the height of the design - I've been so happy to reach this point. Still on page 3 of 12. But its getting there....I love all the items of Fairy Hill so far. It's super cheerful to stitch. Another Tinkerbell from my moms collection. I've been pulling all these Tinkerbell's from my moms cabinet that houses all these and more. I haven't even touched any of her Hallmark Ornaments she had collected yet.

And after finishing "Bee Happy" I pulled a wip that I started last year - Ann Dale. It's about time I give her some of my attention. It has been pure heaven stitching with silk threads again. So easy to get any knots that form out from the silk thread. This motif, when I picked it up and started stitching again, had only the first two very bottom rows on the base of the vase. The rest of stitching upwards is what I have stitched for my progress. 

.
 Ann Dale by Shakespeare's Peddler
40ct Vintage Pear - Lakeside Linen
All silk threads required
Oh yes I have a long ways to go one. This design is HUGE. Over 65,000 stitches when done. But at least I've picked it up again and am working on it. It does feel good to pull out and work on another old wip.

To Angele - from me
For EMS Exchange "Christmas in July", the person I got to send a package to, has been finally received. I mailed off this package on June 14th. It's destination - Switzerland. Long story short (right!!!) The package was in the USA for over 1 month. It took 1 month to travel from California to New York, then back to California -Richmond. At this time I thought for sure it was coming back to me. Because Richmond is here in the Bay Area. NOPE! It went on to LA -California which was LAX yes the airport on July 21st. I was notified on July 26th that sweet Angele's had indeed received it in Switzerland. So now I get to share with you. Angele was very happy what I sent to her.
I had shared what I received in a earlier post, from the same exchange, from Bianca in Germany back in June.  Hope you are stitching and enjoying August so far.
With my Love and Appreciation - Annette