Three LK finishes

When I started these three pieces last Sat. (Christmas Day), my intent was to just do 'part' of each of them, & then use them in my 15 projects for the 15 WIP challenge. But...as my son saw me working on them, he said "Mom, just finish them, you know you can." Well, that was all it took! I just kept working on them this week. So, from Sat. until today, I stitched all three of these pieces. These patterns were a RAK from my friend Sue V. She also included the fabric with the patterns, so that made it easy to kit them up. I finally got around to stitching them!
I am pretty sure I know how I am going to finish them. I think the 2 about grandkids are going to be on a tote bag.... I am not certain about the stitching one yet....
Now, I have to see how many WIP pieces I actually have for the challenge!!
Be sure to read the post about my PIF. Not many people have asked to be included.
Happy New Year to each & every one of you!!!

PIF time!

Early in 2010, I signed up for a PIF on Carol's blog. I had totally forgotten about this, until just before Christmas. She told me she was working on my PIF gift....I had to ask her when I signed up! I had forgotten!! Anyway, now it is my turn to host a PIF. I am copying her description of it, because it is so easy to understand!
Pay It Forward (PIF)~ verb: "1. to repay the good deeds one has received by doing good things for other unrelated people."
And now it is my turn! Would any of you like to participate in a PIF from me? The rules are very simple. I will send a stitched gift to three people who leave a comment (on this post only) requesting to join my PIF challenge. Knowing my love of ornament making, it will most likely be an ornament, but who knows--I'll surprise you! I have 365 days to fulfill my end of the bargain. If you are chosen as one of my PIF recipients, then you must offer the same on your blog to keep the kindness going... Please specifically mention in your comment if you wish to be considered for this...If more than three people sign up, I will have a drawing for three names. I will leave the drawing open until Jan. 9th.....
I have attached a picture of the PIF that Carol sent me, along with the Christmas gift she sent me!!! I love BOTH of these & they are on my craft room Christmas Tree.....sure hate to put it away for another year, but will this weekend.

for those who have been in suspense!

We went to my parents house today. I knew Dad had my finished product, but I sure didn't ASK for it......it drove him nuts!!!!! He said I am too patient...he was going to go get it!!!
Oh my! It turned out so much more beautiful than I thought it would/could!
He has been trying to come up with a way to do Cross Stitch pens for several years. He has finally found a way to do it & I think he has a keeper!!!!!
I am attaching three pictures. One is of my pen alone, one of my mom's alone & one of the two together.
Dad will be selling these at craft shows & also by special order for those who are interested. He said they will sell for $35.00 and then 4.95 for priority shipping. He will allow the person to stitch their own insert or he will have my mom stitch it for him.
We had a great day today, even thou none of us was totally in the Christmas mood! It just doesn't seem like Christmas with a family member missing....

Timely Finish

woohoo! I finished the SAL piece I was working on last night.
This was a freebie from last Christmas. I had probably 3/4 of it done & it got put away.......
well, I KNEW I wanted to finish it. Those of you who know me well, know I finish every piece that I start......it may take time, but I DO finish each & every one.
Well, I got this out a while back to work on finishing it......I couldn 't believe it......I was missing part 12 of 12. I emailed the designer, but it said right on her blog that she does not email parts out......I was lost! So...I posted on the 123 board my dilemma. Some kind person, who shall remain nameless, sent me part 12, so that I could finish it! Thank you so much!!!!!!!
I stitched this piece on 25 ct. opal. lugana, over 1, with 1 strand of floss. I used all different brands of floss on this! I have some GAST, some dmc, some Carries, some Polstitches.....
I love how it turned out!
My dad has informed me that the MYSTERY OBJECT is finished, but he will not show me a picture....he said I will see it in person tomorrow!!!!
I will share on here, as soon as I am able!
Merry Christmas to all of my faithful blog followers & commentors.....I appreciate each & everyone of you!!!!!!

Next Mystery Picture(s)

Well, the last picture didn't get many comments!
Will see if this makes it any easier for you or if it is more confusing!!!
I will also be updating my blog later today or tomorrow with a finish & an announcement about a PIF.........
stay tuned!!!

Ornament Finishes!!

I was involved in a RR ornament exchange with one of my groups. There were 6 of us stitching, so we each were to get 5 ornaments at the end. Mine arrived last week, but I was so busy, I didn't have time to 'finish' them.
Yesterday, I felt like stitching a quick ornament, so I did just that !!!! It was a freebie called Holiday Spirit (samplerbird stitchery) It is the ornament with the 5 Christmas words on it. My husband drew the shape for me, to make the finish. I liked the finish so well, I decided to use it for 2 of the ornaments.
The other 3 were stitched by girls in the group. Sandy stitched the other one that is shaped like Holiday Spirit. Karin stitched the little cabin scene & Vicky stitched the PS reindeer. I still have 2 more to do, but need to decide how to do them. I don't want to over do in one day!
I took these pictures on my basement landing trees. They are now upstairs....on my stitching tree1 I just thought this was a good spot to get a good picture!
I am working on a SAL from last year....hoping to finish it this week!!!!!!
If I don't post again before the weekend, I want to wish each & everyone of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Thank you for stopping by this year & for your encouraging words to me!!!

15 New Projects Challenge, another clue & giveaway winner!

If you follow this link, you can learn about one of the challenges that I am doing for the New Year.
It is called Crazy January Challenge 2011.

http://minnanharrastukset.blogspot.com/
I took the following from the blog:


We have so many charts in our stashes, so let's start stitching them!
The rules are simple:

1. Start stitching a new design every day, from January 1st to January 15th. So by January 15th you have 15 new WIPs to stitch!

2. Try and finish everything you started stitching during the year 2011 :)

3. Show photos in your blog if you have one, in January and during the whole year while you stitch, as we all love to see photos!

4. If you wish to join, leave a comment with your blog address into this post and I will add your name to the list.

5. Have fun stitching!

I finished picking my 15 projects tonight. I have them all kitted up & ready to go on January 1st.
They are:
1. Raise the Roof Designs--- Nichodemus, found in the 2010 JCS ornament issue
2. LK Friendship Begins
3. JBW French Country Star---found in the 2010 JCS ornament issue
4-15. LHN Sampler Months (Jan. thru Dec)

I am attaching another picture of the piece I sent to my dad......this is your next clue...
I have another picture as well, but I will give everyone a few days with this picture!!!

Lastly, I used a random number generator to pick the winner of my Winter Welcome piece.
It drew #1.....this is Wayne. I will get your chart to you as soon as I can Wayne! Congrats on the win!!!!!

Part Two of Two

well, I have not had much stitching time over the past couple weeks. I have been very busy with my candy making & also a few batches of cookies, along with everything else a person does this time of year.
I can't tell you yet, at this time, what this SHOULD be when done, but I wanted to share a picture to spark interest!!!!!!
I have stitched two pieces, exactly the same like this. I am sending them off to my dad. If he is able to do what he plans with them, you will see the end results at a later date......
I am working on gathering projects for the two challenges for the new year, that are so popular on blogs right now!!!!! I haven't made my final choices yet, but I am getting close.
I am hoping to finish the 5 ornaments that I got back from my RR this weekend. I babysit tomorrow & we are going to make sugar cookies together.
Have a great rest of the week & take time to remember the Reason for the Season!!!

Winter Welcome Finish

When I updated this am, I KNEW I would probably finish this one today, but I was too anxious to show the boys ornaments to wait.....plus, I knew I had people wanting to see them!!!
I started this piece last night, after finishing the 3rd ornament. I have had it kitted up since the pattern came out...I believe my receipt said 2007. I used a Needle Necessities floss for the blue & WDW snowflake for the white. The buttons came with the chart. I joked with my husband that my framer probably can't make me a frame like the pattern shows. He looked at it & said he thinks my framer can!!!! So, we shall see!!!!
I have decided to do a give away. If you would like this chart, leave a comment & an email address for me to contact you. You will not receive the buttons, but chart only.
Thanks for stopping by, for commenting & keep on stitching!

THREE MORE FINISHES!!!!!!!

It seems that everything I do, is done in threes. I wonder why that is?!?!?!
Anyway, I put the finishing touches on THREE ornaments this am.....I am sure most of you can figure out WHY I did three all at once.
Yes, they are for my grandsons. Once I saw these patterns, I knew they were the ones I wanted to stitch. It was just a matter of figuring out how to finish them. I showed my husband some that I had finished for my stitching tree that looked like this finish. He thought it was appropriate...he said start simple & get more detailed as the boys get older. (I did an ornament last year too, but I am sure he has no clue how they were finished!!!)
This is a very simple finish, but looks great for ornaments.
I hope to have another finish or two this week.
I am pretty much over the 'crude' the boys shared with me over Thanksgiving, so I am making up for lost time.
Thank you all for visiting & have a wonderful Christmas season!!!!

Little Heart SAL finish

It feels great to have a WIP finished!!!!!! I started the Little Heart SAL as soon as it came out in January. I got Dec.'s block the other night & started it right away. I would have had it finished last night, but the frog paid me a visit & I had to rip. I will blame it on my mucas filled head.
We had our boys last week. They were are 3 very kind & shared well with grandma. Yes, they gave me their wonderful colds. Mine turned very sinusy this week.
I also am working on another WIP Christmas project from last year, but do not have a picture right now. I hope to work hard on it this coming week.
I am also working on ornaments for the 3 little angels. I have one done, but I will not show pictures until all 3 are done. I have started the second one. I need to decide how I will finish them.
I am going to keep this short. My time is very limited this time of year & I know everyone else's is as well.
I thank each & every one of you, from the bottom of my heart for reading & commenting on my blog. You don't know how much it means to me!
Have a super duper weekend!

Three Days & Three Finishes!

I have three new finishes.....granted, they aren't real big, but they are finishes & 2 of them are actually FULLY finished!
The first one is an ornament for a RR I was involved in. This was the last one I had to stitch, so my obligations for them are done. I just have to wait patiently for mine to return to me!
I finished the CCN ornament on Monday evening. I got it, along with the others, mailed to their owner on Tues. morning.
Tues. evening, I stitched a little freebie I found on Daffycat's blog.
http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/
I put this little one together this afternoon. I just found it too cute to not stitch...Funny thing is....we never did Santa with our children! But, this was an 'instant gratification' stitch for me.
Yesterday, I worked on another ornament. This was a freebie from the Sampler Girls blog a few years ago I believe....I am not certain on that fact.
I finished it into the ornament this afternoon.
Now, I will go back to a few WIP pieces, until we get invaded by little people again!! Yes, the boys are coming back!
I have attached a picture of the new paint in our living room. We did this last weekend & I tell you what!!! I love the new color! It makes the room so warm & cozy! And some of my stitched pieces POP on the walls. If you read back in my blog, you can see the wall with the old color & then compare it with the new color!
Thanks for reading & for commenting. It always brings a smile to my face to see the comments!

Christmas Came Early

Last Sat., I learned that I had won a giveaway on Mary's blog.
http://sentimentsandstitches.blogspot.com/
I have been following Mary's blog for a short time....found her thru another blogging friend.
Mary & I hit it off right away. We have so many things in common, besides the obvious....stitching.
Mary has been a wonderful friend to me.
So..........to see I had won her birthday giveaway, I was thrilled. I honestly felt like it was Christmas when I opened her package yesterday. I do not know how to add pictures with the words underneath, so please bear with me as I describe things.
There was a card & 4 packages. I opened the card & read Mary's sweet words to me. I then started with the package on top. In it, I found a piece of 28 ct antique white lugana...perfect for many projects...also in this package was 2 pieces of material for finishing projects. One is a blue which I think is going to be perfect for a SAL piece I am working on now. The other is Gingerbread boys, which are one of my favorites at Christmas time!
Next, I opened the package that had 4 patterns in it. I love each & everyone of them. The LHN "Snow White" has the fabric to stitch it on & also finishing fabric included in it!!! The LHN "All is Calm" has finishing fabric in it! I really want to stitch the Sunflower Seed pattern right away! Perfect for the upcoming holidays!!
The next package had a pack of photo greeting cards, a magnetic list minder & a skein of Christmas-y floss from Threadworx. I haven't used their floss, so I am anxious to try it!
The last package was an 'added' bonus I believe....Mary knows some of my favorite designers & she included some old freebies & some older charts she thought I would like...and of course, I do!!! One of them has 3 little elfs on it...she said it reminded her of my grandsons...so perfect...I had to agree with her!!
I haven't taken pictures of what I am working on this week..I finished the Nov. part of my SAL piece. I worked on a SAL piece from last Christmas, and now I am working on an ornament for a RR I am involved in. I hope to finish it this weekend, so I can get busy on Christmas gifts!
Thanks for stopping by & reading my blog. I appreciate each & every visitor & I appreciate your kind comments. If I don't see comments, I wonder if anyone is reading, so it is great to see the comments. I hope to have pictures of my stitching updates sometime next week.
Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

Amish Rules

I have finished Amish Rules & I love how it turned out!!! The words on it are so perfect for me.
We live a very modest lifestyle. I try to be courteous in all I say & do. If I make a promise, I keep it. I share with others the things that I have been blessed with.
This pattern is by Heart in Hand. Someone on the 123 message board showed their finish a while back & I fell in love with it. I asked about the pattern & she sold it to me. Before I even had a chance to start it, someone emailed me, asking if they could buy it when I was finished. I said sure! She even sent the money long ago!!!!!
The pattern had a border around it, but personally, I like it without the border. We will be able to 'enhance the picture' with the frame we make for it.
The other pictures I am posting have been taken from my front window one morning & my back window another morning. If you notice the birds....there is a downy woodpecker on the post of the birdhouse & a bluebird on top of the post....I love these two types of birds, so to capture both of them together just made my day!
I now need to decide if I am going to work on another WIP or if I am going to start something new. I have something laid out, so I MAY start it!!!!! What's one more WIP?!?!?!?!
Have a great rest of the week & weekend!!!

A pumpkin finish & two WIP pictures

after our wonderful time at the pumpkin patch last week (see previous 2 posts), I knew I had to do more pumpkin related stitching.
I saw this adorable pumpkin finished on Beth's blog. Sorry, I don't know how to do the link thing!!! Her blog is in my list thou....check it out!
It is an older SanMan pattern called Did someone say pie?? Just adorable. I love making different foods with pumpkin, so I have LOTS of pumpkin recipes. I am going to try a pumpkin chili tomorrow.
I used the finish piece to make another of my albums. This one will hold ALL of my pumpkin recipes in one place.......easy to find them this way!
The two WIP pieces have been neglected since before the boys visit last week, but they will be front & center now for the weekend for sure.
One is Amish Rules by Heart in Hand. The other is out of an OLD magazine. I was sorting magazines & saw this on the cover & knew I had to stitch it!!! (see post a few weeks ago for the details)
It finally cooled off enough that we had to break down & turn the heat on. I try to wait as long as possible.....love that time between air conditioner & heater....how much $$$$ it saves!!
Have a wonderful weekend.....it will be Nov. real soon......

pumpkin patch photo album

I don't know about you, but when I go to bed, I don't go to sleep. I go to work......well, at least my brain does. Last night, when we headed back, as soon as my head hit the pillow, my brain started working. It decided that I needed to make a photo album for all of the adorable pictures we took at the pumpkin patch. You see, between my DIL & I, we took between 200 & 300 pictures. I thought to myself that I would stitch up the little SanMan chart....did someone say pumpkin. Then, I thought I would go thru fabric that I already have & use it for an album. I knew I had spare albums stocked up. See, no cost involved thus far.
I told my husband I couldn't go to sleep because my brain was working & I told him about it. He said as long as I didn't have to buy anything. So........I told him, I thought I had everything except the printed pictures & MAYBE pages...I haven't decided yet if I will buy pages or if I will make them out of card stock paper, which I have already too!!!!
So, when I got up this morning, I searched & found the Sanman pattern. I pulled all of the supplies & even stitched one row. At that point, I thought to myself...why not see what I had in my ALREADY STITCHED BIN. Well, I found several pieces that would have worked, but the one I chose was perfect!!!! So, the sanman one is laying there, waiting to be done. I am going to stitch it & use it for a pumpkin only recipe book!!!! I love cooking/baking with pumpkin, so this will be perfect!
I am also working on a few WIP pieces & will update with them at a later date. Have a great week!!!
Thanks for all of the kind comments!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

well, my blog has been neglected!
Last weekend, my husband & I and another couple, went to a state park for the day. The weather was absolutely perfect that day. We walked over 10 miles on the trails. It was gorgeous & I took a ton of pictures.
Then, on Sunday, our DIL & the boys arrived. They needed a break from every day life. On Weds., she & I took the boys to the mall, so she could do some much needed shopping.
On Thurs., grandpa took the day off. The 6 of us headed to a pumpkin patch about an hour from us. They had TONS of pumpkins, gourds, mums, etc.... They also had a petting zoo. The boys loved feeding the animals the corn. It was such a precious day for us.
I did very little stitching over the course of the past week, so I am not showing any progress at this time. Maybe next week!!!
For now, enjoy some pictures of my precious grandsons!

amazing autumn adventures!

This morning, I decided to take a ride to a favorite Amish store. We like to go to shops in Shipshewana for many things, but we also have a small shop we like that is a little closer to home.
I saw in their little ad last night, that they had apples for 10.75 a bushel. Now, any of you who know anything about apple prices, this was an amazing deal. Who cares that I have already canned enough applesauce to feed a small army! I had to get more apples. Besides that, I think I do feed a small army!!!! Literally!!! My three grandsons are an army of their own!
I took a few pictures along the way...don't mind 'car parts' in the pictures! When you are the only human in the car, you slow way down & take the picture yourself. I haven't taught my dog how to take pictures yet.
When I went out to get the mail, I found a wonderful surprise!!! I won a blog giveaway last week & the prize arrived today. Louise, over at Raggedy Stitches had a giveaway & I was the blessed winner. You can see that she sent out a wonderful assortment of goodies! There are several items in the package....I can't wait to sit & thoroughly take in the magazine. I haven't purchased one of these in a LONG TIME!!!
We are having a carry in & bonfire at our home tonight. The weather is ALMOST warm enough, we might eat outside.....time will tell.
Have a wonderful autumn afternoon!!! Thanks for stopping by!!!
Thank you Louise for the wonderful giveaway win!!!

Autumn Amazement

Good Monday morning,
I don't know about you, but to me there is just something special about Monday mornings. They are always a fresh start for me.
Fresh starts...oh my! That makes me think I need to make a fresh start on a new stitching project. I have found so many adorable freebies lately that I can't decide where to begin. I want to stitch them all!!!
I HAVE started two new projects since my last post. I started Amish Rules by Heart in Hand. It is an older design, but I saw it finished on the 123 board a few weeks ago & fell in love. I was able to get the pattern for a good price from the lady who finished it, so I did! This will be added to my Amish wall.
Next, I was sorting/organizing all of my magazines. Big mistake!!!!! I see more & more that I want to stitch. Most of them, I was able to tell myself....later. BUT....one autumn piece just SCREAMED at me to stitch it NOW!!!!!!!! So, I gathered supplies & did just that!!! I started it immediately. It is in the Leisure Arts Cross Stitch magazine...volume 6 issue, 19. It is called Signs of Fall.
I had just barely started this & the next ornament RR package came in the mail. Being an organized stitcher & a stitcher who puts obligations ahead of her own stitching, I put those 2 projects aside & started the ornament. It took a lot longer than I anticipated it would, but I am happy to report that I finished it on Sat. Afternoon.
I then pulled the flosses for Sylvia's Oct. SAL piece. I started & finished this in one setting Sat. night. I love this project...each month it seems Sylvia comes up with an even cuter design!
Let's see...some of Autumn's Amazement......
Last Monday evening, my husband & I decided to take a walk. As we walked, it sprinkled just a tiny tiny bit.....we looked behind us & a beautiful rainbow graced the skies. I took a picture with my phone, so it isn't the best, but you get the idea.
Then, mid week, the farmer started harvesting our field. The next morning, I looked out & how beautiful......I will let you look at the picture to see the beauty I saw that morning.
Lastly, I have talked about my Ghost Chili pepper plants. They have ripened!!!!! I need to pick them & make a pot of chili for my son!! He will be so happy!!!
Ok, I think that is all for now. I HOPE I can figure out how to put captions under each picture. So many of you do, I want to figure out how!!!
have a wonderful, fall week!!!!