Christmas Time Is Here!

Once again many months have passed and I have been a no show here in blogland!  Well, I had good intentions, but, well...life got in the way.  However, I do have some great stuff to show!!!  No stitching, but, some fabulous framing!

First up...drumroll please....ta da!!!!!

Holiday Express by Stardust

Framed by:  Rensel Studios

Here is a close up of the corner detail.  

I can't tell you how pleased I am with this and how fabulous it looks on the wall!  I absolutely love it!

Also, got this back as well:

Letter "A" by Passione Ricamo

I wish I had more to show, but, am still working on a few ornaments.  Hope to post them before Christmas.  

Until then...enjoy the season!

A Little Late...

It looks like we are well into 2014 and I have been very late in welcoming in the new year.  2013 was a year full of stress and change and new beginnings.  2014, while off to a somewhat rough start, seems to hold the hope of good things ahead and new adventures.

I am also late in posting 3 ornaments that I finally "finished" just in time for Christmas.  I finished stitching all of them around 2008, but, they have long sat in my box of "finishing" and I had just never gotten around to the task of making them complete.  Finished just in time for Christmas!

Santa Claus

By:  Sekas & Co. (free design on back of an old needlework shop newsletter)

Used called for fabric & threads, ceramic train button and small blue beads for eyes

 Snow Bunny

By:  Hobb Nobb (no longer in business - loved their buttons & cute designs)

Stitched on Blue Heatherfield - cannot remember threads used

2004 Christmas Ornament

By:  Blackbird Designs

2004 Just Cross-stitch Christmas Ornament Issue

Stitched over 1 on scrap hand-dyed linen w/called for threads

Projects to work on/finish up this year (we'll see what gets finished):

• Birth Announcement for niece's 2nd daughter (born in Aug 2013, still not finished)
• SAL piece w/Sharon - Prairie Moon's Thine is the Trick and the Treat (very slow on progress here)
• RR piece w/Clare & Lynda - Blackbird's Beneath the Sunlit Sky (got it back, need to finish tiny bit of my stitching)
• Start new RR piece w/Clare & Lynda - Blackbird's Pumpkin Farm
• Alphabet Blocks by Carriage House Samplings - started by a friend and "gifted" to me
• Some random ornaments
• My Winter Olympic Project - Winter Snapperland by Bent Creek
• Nautical Fence by Raise the Roof

Year End Movie Thoughts:

Favorites of 2013:

• Hunger Games:  Catching Fire
• Iron Man 3
• Thor:  The Dark World
• The Hobbit:  The Desolation of Smaug (what great computer animation on the dragon!!!)
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• Now You See Me 
• Saving Mr Banks
• Frozen
• Monsters University
• Planes

Honorable Mentions:

• Safe Haven
• Warm Bodies
• Despicable Me 2
• The Wolverine

Worth Noting:

• The Host - was really surprised I liked this

Disappointments:

• Oz The Great and Powerful - while I somewhat enjoyed this movie, I left the theater with mixed feelings on it and felt ultimately disappointed
• The Lone Ranger - same comments as Oz
• The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - this was beyond a disaster, it was downright awful!

 Movies I am looking forward to in 2014:

• Divergent 
• Captain America:  The Winter Soldier
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2
• X-Men:  Days of Future Past
• The Fault in Our Stars (I'm packing tissues already!)
• How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• The Maze Runner
• Hunger Games:  Mockingjay, Part 1
• The Hobbit:  There and Back Again

A HUGE Christmas finish!

Dear Stitching Friends, please excuse my very long absence.  I have been very busy trying to finish my massive train project.  As some of you know, this is a project that has been 10 years in the making and I swore it would not go past the 10 year mark!  It was set aside many times due to things of life getting in the way and sometimes out of pure frustration. But, alas, it is finally finished!

May I present...drumroll, please...

Holiday Express

by

Stardust

Stitched on 28 ct Pewter Jobelyn 

Used called for threads, beads & blending filament

Stitched from June 2003 - December 24, 2013

Please, ignore all the wrinkles!  I was trying to get it finished, in a box and wrapped before my husband got home from work on Christmas Eve.  He came home while I was putting it in the box.  ;-)

Start of Summer Finish

Well, everyone, it is summer!  And here in Florida it means a lot of sun & fun.  But, it also means one other thing...it is HOT!!!  I have lived in Florida most of my life and cannot imagine not living near the water, seeing pine trees, having all the greenery, but, I just don't know if one can get used to the heat.  Where the humidity stays in the 80-100% range,  where you break a sweat walking to the store from the car, where you can forget about your hair looking decent.  But, I guess compared to having a horrible, bitterly cold and icy winters of the north...I'll take the hot summers.


Life here has been super busy.  My son graduated from high school last month and is all in preparation to start college.  He goes to orientation next week and starts classes in late August.  But, boy was May a whirlwind!

I did manage, since my last posting, to complete a piece.  Here it is....

Design:  Promise Me

Designer:  Lizzie Kate

Fabric:  a scrap piece of 28ct ivory linen

Color Changes:  

Called for                    My color choice                 Location

GAST Wood Trail        CC Portabella          Lines 1 & 3

WDW Cocoa      GAST Mountain Mist    Lines 2 & 4

WDW Whiskey         GAST Gold Leaf         all gold/yellow

GAST Antique Rose       WDW Red Pear           all pink

GAST Endive        WDW Scuppernong        all green

WDW Cocoa           GAST Nutmeg       owl & bird branch

GAST Wood Trail    GAST Toasted Barley    owl branch

WDW Blue Heron        GAST Blue Jay                bird

WDW Pecan          WDW Pelican Gray         basket

Other Changes:

• Used my initials & small hearts in place of large heart - upper right corner
• Did not stitch the called for blue stitches on the green clovers - lower right 
• Stitched some small hearts to "fill in"  - lower right
• Added date - lower right

This was a great, fun piece to stitch.  It might be a while before I get it framed, but, I love it!  It is one of my favorite quotes from Winnie the Pooh.

I started stitching on Raise the Roof's Nautical Fence during our "Graduation Trip".  I didn't get much accomplished, so I will not bore you with a shot of that.  We were much too busy and when I did sit down, I was much too tired to pick up a needle.

I am still stitching away on my train project.  I am hoping to have it done this year.  One stitch at a time, right?!!!

Here are my latest movie thoughts:

• Iron Man 3 - The first time I saw this movie, I wasn't sure what to think.  It went in such a different direction than I thought it would, that I just really needed to sit back and process it for a while.  Upon second viewing, I must say that I really, really enjoyed it tremendously.  Let me just say...the trailers misled me completely.
• Star Trek Into Darkness - I thoroughly enjoyed it.  A great sequel to the first movie.  

Well, off to do some stitching or enjoy the summer or catch a movie.  So, grab a glass of sweet tea, or a margarita or whatever tickles your fancy and enjoy your summer!!!