Rain, Glorious Rain!

Happy Monday everyone!  It is a great beginning of the week here - it is finally raining!  The KY clay really needs a good soaking.  What is even better about the rain is that the ground, which hardens into brick during the dry spells, will get soft enough to dig in.  This is truly great, since DH and I picked up some assorted perennials this weekend.  The timing could not be better!

I am still totally in love with the new hobby; napping!  In other words, the needles are not exactly racing here.  I did stitch this adorable design by Barbara-Ana (Quoth the Raven: Nevermore)) and I like the raven so much that I had to stitch up a mini-version too.  As you can see, he is itty-bitty.  I was thinking about finishing the tiny one into a pin, but he may be too small.  The design is intended to be used as a scissors-fob, but I think that it is way too large!  I'll have to come up with something else to do with it.  I am also contemplating making a third version for an exchange coming up this fall - he is just too cute not to share.

You can buy this pattern either from Creative Poppy (they'll send you the pdf and a pass-word pretty much instantly) or printed out on paper (I got my hard-copy from ABC Stitch Therapy). 

Barbara Ana has a couple of additional - equally adorable - Halloween designs; Owl-o-ween Scissor Fob and Trick or Treat Scissor Fob:

I have also fallen back into the dangerous habit of browsing e-bay every now and then....  Sometimes, I really do manage to get a great deal that I am really pleased with, such as this silk-gauze kit (frame included!) from The Heart's Content for less than $25.  Three of the letters had been stitched by the previous owner, but I ripped them back out and started from zero.  Here are a few progress pics:

As you can see, I am working on filling in the background right now.  It takes time, but I enjoy it - since everything else is already stitched there is no need for counting.  Very relaxing...

I would love to find the companion piece Love Thyself one of these days...  ;-)

The new sampler is coming along slowly too, but it is all right since I really enjoy working on it.  The problem is that I try to tell myself to switch between the projects every other hour or so, but then I get so engulfed with what I have in my hands that I forget everything else....  Oh well, there is just too much fun to have!

Did I show you the sweet little scissors keep from Rovaris?  I am becoming a big fan.  I was really impressed with the "Stitched Initial Necklace" that she came out with a few months back (here is the back of mine).  This is the latest sweetie from Rovaris: Scissors Fob Kit.  All the parts spread on top of the sofa:

After a very quick and easy assembly:

While browsing the net to find the link to the necklace, I happened to run across another of Rovaris' beauties: Wreath  What a gorgeous design!

Speaking of beautiful cross-stitch, check all the photos of Forget-Me-Nots in Stitches at Barberry Row. Many of these designs are older and not posted on any US stores or on Lauren's web-site, so some of them were new to me.

Well, other than that, not a whole lot going on at the stitch front.  The garden has finally gotten some TLC, so I can post some photos without weeds!  :-)  Here is an oak-leaf hydrangea, planted last year, and she seems to be doing well.

The other day I saw a robin take a drink form the sunflower bird-bath.  That made my day!  :-)

The hardy hibiscus are doing really well this year too.  I discovered that one of them already started blooming this morning.  (Please ignore the clover.... LOL)

Another hydrangea, also planted last year.  I love the shape of the flower clusters on this one!

Lavender - what is not to love!?  They really take care of themselves, smell wonderfully, and are a bee and butterfly favorite!

Our new flowerbed is starting to look a bit "bushy"...

More lavender.

And the older hydrangea is sporting both pinks and blues this year.

The bunnies don't want me to log off before they say hi.  Princess has some tummy problems right now, but I think that he'll get better soon.

Well, time to get going!

As always, thanks so much for all your wonderful comments and have a great week full with fun stitching time!  I hope to pop over and see you all soon!

Happy Stitching,

An Early Spring in 2012!

I don't know about you, but I am cautiously optimistic - it seems that spring is here!  We enjoyed a fabulous weekend in the upper 70s with a wonderful summer thunderstorm late Saturday night.  I fell asleep with the window open enjoying the fresh, cool air, the scent of moist earth, and the soothing sounds of rain falling softly on grass and leaves.  The birds are singing, the neighborhood kids are out biking and I feel like I have the energy of ten right now - I love this time!

Earlier in the week, I got the Blue Ribbon Box pulled together after my fun and well-needed break with some smaller stitches.  This box is such a beautiful and delicate project and I must admit that I am astonished at the short time it took both to stitch and to assemble!  If you ever get the chance to take this class, please do!  You do not have to be intimidated in the least, I promise!  

Here it is, in the bright spring sun, perched among the grape hyacinths.

 

A beautiful scrim piece by Marcy Pumphret adorns the front of the box.

 

In the last photo you can see the pretty little mattress pin-cushion better.  This little cushion is probably my favorite part of the entire box!  I splurged and bought the ruler and the accompanying thread winder scrims too.  Right now, this piece is my treasure!  I am already pondering how to make sure that it is kept away from beaks, claws and elbows...  LOL

We spent a good deal of time weeding the garden during Saturday;  Note the beer below.  Wherever the beer goes, DH will follow...  LOL  After 2-3 hrs straight weeding, I have to admit that there is still not much of a difference.  The weeds really got a good jump-start this year.

Our tiny magnolia bush planted last year seems to be doing well, which is nice since we lost two magnolia trees during last years terrible yoyo-spring.

It may feel a tad intimidated right next to the neighbors fantastic magnolia tree.  It almost looks like pink snow on the ground where all the petals have fallen.  I am so glad that the old neighbors moved out - they were nice enough and all that jazz, but they insisted on treating their poor magnolia like a topiary and cut the crown into a ball each year.  You can tell that it is happy to be set free and to finally be allowed to look like a tree and not a gigantic pink lolly pop.  (I am pretty sure that all the other trees around here were smirking at it...)

  

Do you find it hard to pass up on all the colorful pansies and violas in the store this time of the year?  I do, which means that I ended up getting a good deal more than I know where to dig down.  The orange pansies are my favorite, but they seem to be tricky to get hold of.  I have only found space for about two thirds so far - I am hoping that inspiration will hit tomorrow after work!

After digging in the garden (and impressing DH with the largest worm ever!) I had to do some spring decorating at home.  DH did one of his gigantic bi-yearly furniture move-around.  The bird cages are now situated next to the living-room windows and on a safe(r) distance from the spool cabinet, so I am taking a chance here.  I realized after setting this up this little display and working in the yard that spring in Kentucky is incredibly colorful, so this display looks a bit bland...  Oh well.  Guess that means that I have to stitch up something more colorful for next spring.

Speaking of spring and bulbs and so on - I am a big fan of Thistle Threads, so I am not real sure how I missed Tricia's very pretty tulip freebie on the Thistle Threads site (see the two "pages" on the top right?).  It is one of those cool historical needlework applique pieces and the instructions look very good, as always for TT projects.   I may even dare to try this one out one day!

I do promise to give all of you a full account of last weekends trip later this week.  Until then, here are some pictures of kittens that my MIL is taking care of for the animal-shelter she volunteers at.  Aren't they adorable!?  More about them in my next post!

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful week.  I hope that you get a chance to enjoy spring as much as I do and if not yet, I hope that spring will come to you soon!

Happy Spring Stitching,

Bees, Bugs, and Bunnies (and other critters...)

Happy Monday everyone!
It has been a while since I posted - I have been pretty busy with my new job-position. I have wanted to do something new and more challenging at work for a long time now, but I have a feeling that it will take a few weeks to get back up to 110 mph. I am most happy at work when I am really busy, so I am sure that even happier days lie ahead. Since the weeks will be a lot more packed (did I tell you that your truly was voted in as president of the local Scandinavian Heritage society? Yup, I am big time now... LOL), I am hoping that I won't be neglecting all your blogs or my own.
As always, thanks so much for all your comments. It is great to hear from all my cyber-peeps! I have not been as good about commenting on all your blogs lately, but I have been reading them and enjoyed every minute!

This weekend was interesting. We went hashing on Saturday and had a nice time. Before the running and beer drinking, DH and I had time to go and check out a hous with the realtor. This is the time to buy - 3.5% interest! I mean, can it get better than that!? On the other hand - it may be a bit harder to sell, so it all evens out at the end of the day, right? LOL
We saw another house on Sunday. Both of them were "interesting"... say no more. The Saturday house was definitely the better one and it is apparent that DH is in love with that particular house. The Sunday-house must have been built by very short folks. Nothing wrong with that, but I did tell DH that if we buy that house, he will have to sit down during #1 because the WC is so incredibly far away (as in very, very low)... On the other hand, the garden was fantastic! I am hoping that we eventually will find a house that has it all...

Well, on to the more exciting stuff.

Bees and Bugs!
With a special *hello* to my buddy Bzz*Bzz*Bee! After about 1 whole week of solid rain, we got some wonderful Saturday sun. The bees were very excited about being dry and fed. I love this first pic. If you click on it, you can see that a bee was caught mid-air in the lower right corner. I am amazed at the capacity of my camera!

I also like that these two share the same sunflower. The little yellow bug has the exact same color as the flower has.

Bunnies!!!
Here is the progress on Hare Pyns. Two out of the three panels on the main part are now done. The first photo shows the "invisible stitching" on the part that will be the inside of the purse. Thank goodness that I am done with that part! I did decide to add an additional bunny in the second zero. That bunny is facing the first bunny and I like how it turned out.
The photo below that shows the progress on the last panel. It is actually working up much more quickly than I thought (tent-stitch). I ran out of floss while stitching the outlines, but found a good substitute among my Sailors Huswif leftover silks (plus - of course - I used the wrong color... I would have run out of the other color too though). This panel has a completely filled in background too, which I must admit that I am dreading a bit... The upper left corner has already been filled in, but as you can see, it is another page taken from the book of "invisible stitching".

Here is DH and Bubba saying hi!

Is that a bunny under your jacket, or are you just happy to see me? (Sorry, it's past 10 PM and I guess that I am slap-happy over here...)
I have been meaning to share a couple of interesting videos with you. If you are under the impression that bunnies are shy and very timid animals, these movies are for you (no bunnies got harmed during the making of these films...)


(I love birds, so I do feel bad about the poor crow in the second movie. If you have a heart that bleeds for feathery friends, you should probably not click on the second link. It is not a funny movie, just showing that bunnies can be super-dangerous!)

Speaking of Bubba, he is even more world famous now! Check out the post on Beth Twist's blog (Heartstring Samplery)! Bubba got us a wonderful freebie for posing for this pic; the wonderful I Sew'd My Heart design.

All right, Henny is seriously starting to get jealous, so I have to pay more attention to her for a while. It is always an adjustment to get a new sibling. LOL

Other Critters
Speaking about feathery friends, check out what we had hanging out in out tiny hanging Japanese cherry tree:

Doesn't this put you in the Halloween mood? I love it!

And finally, a bunch of gifts from all over the world! Check out this super-cute strainer from Little Sis back in Stockholm. Littlest Sis showed Little Sis what she was sending me fro my birthday and Little Sis decided to send a matching piece. Love it! And I got more tea - yay!!!! But, best of all, the Godparent Certificate for the baby-boy. DH and I have 4 God-children now, which we are thrilled about - what an honor. (Brag, brag, I know that I am pitiful... LOL)

During the retreat the weekend before last, my best stitching buddy L-Bug gave me these wonderful gifts. L-Bug is a very talented seamstress and made these wonderful stitching pockets for a bunch of her friends. She made sure that the one she made for me matches with the tote-bags that we made a couple of years ago. It is simply gorgeous!

The contents; a wonderful sampler book, a sweet book-mark, a beautiful (really gorgeous!) slide-lid magnetic needle box, and...

...this fantastic pin-cushion. Both L-Bug and I are die-hard Prairies Schooler fans and as many of you probably know, this design is taken from the "Forget Me Nots" chart. Isn't is just the prettiest thing you ever saw!?

L-Bug and I were especially thrilled about the photo below, Berthe Dupont. The book does only contain charts for some of the samples presented, but I found a Berthe Dupont SAL on this French blog: BD Sampler. Isn't she a beauty!? This blog has a lot of free vintage/antique charts; a real gold-mine.

L-Bug and I have decided to start a SAL sometime after our Patricks Woods class/es are over with. This link (same blog) shows a few other samplers that are also displayed in the book.

I am also super excited about another upcoming SAL. Valerie of A Shenandoah Sampler and I are planning on stitching Shores of Hawk Run Hollow together. She is already ahead; everything is kitted up and ready to go. I have some serious shopping ahead of me... ;-) My sweet MIL sent me a gift-card for $50, so I know exactly what I will invest all those dollars in. I am planning on stitching it on silk-gauze, which I think will be a lot of fun!

Finally, here is a photo showing a very tired stitcher wearing some very cool earrings. Froggie gave me these peacock inspired earrings during the retreat. Don't they look glam!?

Well, if I want to avoid looking that rough tomorrow, I'd better get to bed!
Take care, Happy Stitching , and talk with you in a bit!