Happy Memorial Day Weekend! (LOTS of PICTURES)

I hope everyone is enjoying this long Memorial Day weekend!  I took off Thursday and Friday to make it an extra long weekend and I've been getting a lot of stitching accomplished!

Here is what I've completed since my last post:

 Blackbird Designs

Loose Feathers #24 - Their Song

w/recommended fabric and threads

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also completed the June cottage.  This is my favorite one so far.  I love the red and white together.

It looks like I'm going to have to get a bigger bowl:)))

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just finished this off this morning.  It's from Blackbird's new book and it's the Sewing Box.  Again I just LOVE the red color in this.  I stitched it with the recommended thread and fabrics.  The only thing I changed was the box.  It wouldn't fit on the box they recommended so I found a different one at Hobby Lobby and I like it better because of the rounded corners.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last but certainly not least, a few weeks ago I won Deborah's giveaway!!!  She truly spoiled me with everything she sent.  Here is how the box arrived with everything all nicely wrapped.

 And here is everything after I opened it.  There were even treats for my dogs and cats!!! 

She made this darling pillow too:)  It's just perfect to be displayed with my summer things.  Thanks again so very much Deborah!

Today it's going to be very HOT in Chicagoland -- almost 100.  That heat is just not for me so I plan on being indoors in my stitching nest and working away on my next project.  It's a super-cute summer design that Karin had framed and we got to see it yesterday.  I fell in love with it immediately and had to get the fabric and threads so I could start it today.  Wait until you see it -- I just know you will like it too:))  How's that for a tease???:))))

Have a great rest of your weekend.  Remember the reason why we have a Memorial Day.  Thanks you to all our servicemen and women for everything you do every day for our country.

BrendaS

Blackbird Theme continues on

Hello --
I can't believe it's already May!  Time is just flying by.  I'm continuing on with Blackbird Designs and here is my latest finish:

 Wild Garden

Blackbird Designs Exclusive Nashville Kit

Mounted on a Paper Mache Box top that was painted and waxed

I personalized this in memory of my Mom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also started Their Song last week and this is my progress.  I just love the simple colors in this one.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past Wednesday some of my stitching friends and I took a road-trip to House of Stitches.  We had an absolutely FABULOUS time.  We had the whole shop to ourselves and Joy and Nancy took care of our every whim -- cutting fabric, gathering threads and fueling our "frenzy" shopping.  One of the things we all "kitted up" was this Blackbird Designs piece -- Summer Jubilee.  Some of us our stitching this on 40ct Ink Spot and others are doing it on 32ct (can't remember the name of the fabric).  I'm enjoying stitching on this and remembering what a great day I had with friends who totally "get it":))

Here are my stash purchases -lots of fabric, thread and a variety of charts.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment.  I appreciate each and every one of you!

Have a great week.

BrendaS

A Pillow and a Box

This week I finished the stitching on May Cottage and made it into a pillow yesterday. I was a little skeptical about finding rick-rack at Joanne's to coordinate but I was pleasantly surprised:)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning I finished BBD's Spring Song.  My stitching buddy, Linda, very graciously got the jewelry boxes and paint for us at Hobby Lobby.  Thanks again Linda:)!!!  I decided to add R&R's chenille trim around the permiter to "finish it off" rather than just leave it plain.  This was such a fun stitch and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Wednesday a few of us from the stitching group are taking a mini road-trip to House of Stitches.  I'll let you know what wonderful things we find to add to our stash collections! 

Have a great week and as always thanks for stopping by.  I so appreciate all the comments you take the time to leave:)

BrendaS

Spring Box and Wild Garden

Hello Stitching Buddies --
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and finding time to stitch.  Yesterday our new couch was delivered, finally -- after almost 3 months!  We are all done redoing our tv/family room and I LOVE it!  We also put in a new floor in the dining room and changed a couple pieces of furniture in our livng room.  Usually I don't like change and there was a lot of compromise between my DH and I but everything came out very nice and we're both HAPPY:)  Ok on to the good stuff -- STITCHING! 

I finished Blackbird Designs Spring Box top and now I just need to finish it in the box. Hopefully that will be next weekend's project.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I decided to stitck with Blackbird Designs and pulled out Wild Garden.  Here is my small start

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But then I realized that May is only about 10 days away and I better get going on the May Cottage.  Hopefully I can finish this in the upcoming week.

I've been doing some more organizing in my stitching room and I can't find the 2009 JCS Ornament issue.  I know I have it because I have them all.  I'm sure I will find it eventually but in the meantime, it's driving me CRAZY:)  How do you keep your charts organized?  By designer, by category?  Do you use a spreadsheet?  I'm always interested in tips to keeping the stash under control (besides not buying more, because for me that is NOT an option LOL)

Thanks for visiting with me this week.  Have a great week and keep stitching:)

BrendaS

Rosey Framing and Progress

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  Yesterday I worked my last Saturday for 2012!  I'm so excited to have a whole weekend off next week:))) 

Yesterday after work I went to Welcome Stitchery to pick up Rosey.  She'd been there a long time and I was anxious to have her home -- just in time for Spring and Summer.

 Rosey

Little House Needleworks

32 ct w/recommend threads

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week I've been stitching on the new BBD Spring Box and enjoying it so much!  Something about this piece with it's house, birds and tulips just says "home" to me.   

This afternoon I'm going looking through my stash for some Patriotic designs.  Faye has recently shown some of her patriotic finishes along with her tree and it has provided so much inspiration for me (THANK YOU FAYE).   I'll let you know what I find to work on:)

Thanks for visiting with me and for taking the time to leave a comment:))

Have a great week.

BrendaS

Happy Easter

I hope everyone is enjoying this Easter holiday weekend.  Both of our daughters are out of town so it's been a very quiet day for my husband and I.  He is doing lots of work in his gardens and I've been stitching away:)

I put the final stitches in Melicent Turner this week and here she is:

 Melicent Turner

Little House Needleworks

36ct Picture This Plus (Ale) w/Belle Soie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also started the May Cottage.  Don't you just love the bright summer-time colors in this one?

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Marty at Stitch and Frog (a new to me online needlework shop)because she wanted to feature my finishing of these cottages on her website.  I was very flattered and of course said YES.  You can go here to see.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My real LOVE this weekend has been this:

I got the chart, fiber and threads on Friday and couldn't wait to start the box.  I just LOVE the colors and and the little motifs.  I'm stitching it on 30ct Espresso with the recommended over-dyed threads.

Just over a week of Tax Season left and then let the VACATION DAYS begin:))  I can't tell you how much I'm craving some time at home.

Thanks as always for visiting with me and your wonderful comments.  They always make my day.

Until next time....

BrendaS

Melicent Turner and Stash

Hello Stitchy Friends --
This past week I was able to find more time to stitch and I'm almost done with Melicent Turner by LHN.  This little sampler is such an enjoyable easy stitch.

 Melicent Turner

Little House Needleworks

36 ct Picture This Plus (Ale)  w/Belle Soie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I went to Inspired Needle for Stitching Sunday and Cathy has a Stacy Nash Trunk Show going on. What fun it was to see everything up close and personal:) The pictures on the charts just do not do the pieces justice. Needless to say I enhanced my stash with these beauties:

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week I also got the May Cottage.  This will be my new start after I finish Melicent Turner.  Aren't these colors just so springy and summery?  Can't wait to get started.

I hope you all have a great week and a very Happy Easter.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me.  Until next time...

BrendaS