Back...

Back to blogging, wow. Things have changed! Still needling away, projects galore, and a new passion---art journaling!

Validation-wonderful very short film...

That barn in Winter

This street leads to my house, and I love this barn scene..here we are, after a light snowfall. Last week was the biggie! Happy New Year to all!

Explorations: great website! Danita Art

When I have extra time and I don't feel like stitching, I wander the web sometimes aimlessly and sometimes not so aimlessly. Today, I came upon Danita Art, by clicking link after link after link after link, etc.This is an outstanding blog! Her work is so unique and beautiful. I love the colors she uses and her dolls, art prints, even ornaments are sweet as ever.

She is even doing a giveaway, (quick, drawing is Jan, 1...) so visit her blog and have a look for yourself. I really, really enjoy her work. You know when something strikes a cord deep within you, well Danita's art has this effect on me. Maybe because alot of her dolls have black hair like me? lol !

It's been a week and...

(picture used from Little House Needleworks site)

I haven't heard from Linda (winner of the Gingerbread Trio chart). I checked her profile to see if there is an email for her and there isn't, so the Gingerbread Trio chart goes to the first runner up:

Louisiana Momma!!!! Congrats again Courtney!! I'll be sending your gift out to you. (too fun, eh?)

I also haven't heard from Lindsay (winner of the Peppermint Lane chart), she also didn't provide an email in her profile, so it will go to the first runner up :

(picture used from Country Cottage Needleworks site)

Sadie!!! Congrats to you, and I'll email you since you provided an email on your profile. :-)

? another try at larger pictures ?

Our pretty Christmas tree :-)

Click here to see bigger pictures of the giveaway winners. I am having an awful time of posting large pictures of them. If any readers have any suggestions as to how I can post larger pictures, or how I can link to a large picture, please email me abeautifullife786@yahoo.com

Thanks so much and Happy Holidays!

Winners random.org piccies

The best I can do...lol.

Winners!!!

Thanks to all who visit my blog and left comments for the giveaways, here are the winners! I have tried desperately to upload the random.org pictures all in one post to no avail, so here are the list of winners and each random.org picture in its own post will follow.

Gingerbread Trio chart-Linda

JCS December 2008 issue & 32 linen-Louisiana Momma

Peppermint Lane chart-Lindsay

"The Ultimate Gift" DVD-Meari

Congratulations to the winners! Please email me with your mailing information and I will get your gift out to you. Again, thanks so much and enjoy! abeautifullife786@yahoo.com

Last of 4 Giveaways!!!

Last up for the great giveaway (this is much more fun than I thought it would be...ha!) is Just Cross Stitch December 2008 issue with a beautiful piece of 32 count Belgium linen in 'Oyster' measuring 20"x27" (51 cm x 69 cm), great for a big project for many small ornaments, or a few medium sized projects. Those of you who dye your own fabrics, if you win this and decide to dye it, I'd love to see what you come up with.

If you'd like to win this giveaway, please leave a comment with your desire to win and an email where I can reach you. All winners will be chosen on Friday 12/19/08. If when I have picked winners and posted them here on my blog, and they don't respond within a week, the runner up will be selected the winner. Best wishes and good luck!

Third of 4 Giveaways!!!

Third up for a giveaway is LHN's 'Gingerbread Trio' (chart only). I bought several of these as gifts for stitchers who are great bakers as well, and here is one for you if you are the lucky one! If you would like to win this chart, please leave a comment with your desire to win and an email where I can reach you. The winner will be announced on 12/19/08, Friday, using Random.org list randomizer. Good luck!

Second of 4 Giveaways!!!

Here is the second of my 4 giveaways: a truely beautiful DVD. If you have not seen this, then you need to, and if you've seen it, you know what I mean. Why not enter to win it and give it as a gift you someone you love?

If you would like to win this giveaway, please respond by leaving a comment with your desire to win it and an email where I can reach you. I will use random.org list randomizer for obtaining a winner who will be announced on Friday 12/19/08. Best Wishes!

First of 4 Giveaways!!!

Greetings stitchers! As promised, I will have several giveaways, this being the first. Better late than never, lol! I'm soooo behind on everything, LOL!

There will be 4 different posts, each containing a gift, so please if you want to enter your name in all 4, please respond to each of the 4 by leaving a comment with your desire to win and email where I may reach you. All names will be picked and announced on 12/19/08 (Friday).

First up is CCN's Peppermint Lane (chart only), an adorable design perfect for this time of year:

Yes, it's real snow, so pretty. So if you are interested in winning this chart in this giveaway, please post a comment alluding to this and leave an email where you can be reached. Names will be taken until 12/19/08 Friday. Then I'll use the wonderful random.org list randomizer to get us a winner!

I won! (again) and...

Way back when...(!-I'm so bad with dates...) I entered yet another giveaway sponsored by Mercy, and guess what? I won!!! And this is what I received:

Something Wicked by one of my favorite designing companies: La-D-Da. Mercy has had several giveaways and I was one of her lucky winners! She even kitted it up for me with the recommended fabric and DMC threads. I just love this design, thanks so much Mercy!

Because I have been the recipient of two of the most lovely giveaways, I too, shall enter the giveaway extravaganza. Not in honor of anything or anyone in particular, but rather for the sake of doing something 'nice' and to show my appreciation for the generosity of the stitchers who have given of themselves so selflessly and abundantly.

So, I will organize several giveaways, look for details in future posts. Love to you all :-)

Another Fair & Square Exchange received!

I received these adorable squares for the Autumn Round from my Fair & Square Friendship Exchange partner, Melita. I love the little pumpkins, thank you, Melita!

I won, I won!!!!

Carolyn, of Taking one stitch at a time, ran a contest not too long ago, and guess what?! I won!!!! Simply by leaving a comment on her contest post. I am so thrilled and honored, and guess what I won?

I won this beautiful 2007 Full of Hope Pinkeep Kit by MaryKathryn of eHandcrafts Stitching Room.

I've admired this design for the longest time and now I have one of my very own to stitch. Thank you Mary Kathryn for designing and making this kit available to us all, and a special thanks to Carolyn for running the contest! I'm so happy :-)

Join an Army of Women!

Check this out, Army of Women. Dr. Susan Love has a new foundation which is recruiting ALL women, both healthy and those who have had breast cancer to take our fight to the next level. Finding out why some get breast cancer and some don't. It's all about research now. We are all aware of breast cancer, and Dr. Love explains on her site, what the next step is all about: The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation:




I have registered as a volunteer and proudly display the Army of Women logo on my blog!

More squares, more contests on Stitch Pink!

SueW received the squares I stitched for her for Round #9 of the Fair & Square Friendship Exchange. I choose 32 count antique white linen and stitched with Anchor thread # 148 --2/2. It is a motif from an AMAP design with an added phrase dreamed up by yours truly and a little pair off scissors dangling off the 'S' stitched 1/1. A little heart on both the signature square and main square and waalaa!

Sue says "Round #9 -- from Lisa S., a beautiful silhouette of a stitcher done in a gorgeous blue." So glad you liked what I stitched for you, Sue. :-)

Here is a nifty little necklace and wallet offered in one contest on the Stitch Pink Blog <-----please click the link and visit this great site and readwhat Stitch Pink is all about.

And in another contest is this adorable little pinpillow. Click on the Stitch Pink Blog <----link

and leave a comment if you would like to win either of these wonderful gifts in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

New and notable :-)

I recently joined the Stitch Pink Blog and proudly display the logo on my own blog. It's a wonderful feeling being a part of this special online stitching community. Thanks to Meari for her helping me get in touch with Kim and thanks to Kim for making me a member of the Stitch Pink blog. Gentle reminder, don't forget your mammograms and self breast exams.

Not too long ago (back in August, lol), I was awarded the 'I Love Your Blog' Award by my friend, Dawn. Thank you, Dawn. I also love your blog and quite a few (lol) others. Every single blogger from the Fair & Square Friendship Exchange is awarded this as well because I have enjoyed and spent many an hour viewing their stitching and reading.

I treated myself to...

...a few new books. From left to right:

Crafting Cloth Dolls by Gourley, a wonderful author and dollmaker: the patterns in the book do not require enlarging, and the instructions are quite easy, even for the beginner.

Sew Pretty Christmas HomeStyle, a Tilda book: I love pink and red, and she has over 35 crafts to make and the patterns in this book also do not need enlarging. There are pigs, geese, pixie dolls, angels, hearts, birds, etc...all things I love and I especially like that she doesn't rely on the traditional red and green for Christmas.

The Sampler Motif Book by Brenda Keyes: this book is chock full of motifs and samplers and ideas for finishing techniques. The best thing aside from the designs in this book is that I got it from PaperbackSwap.com basically for FREE! Cost me 1 credit, ha!

Lacy Crochet by Shufu-To-Seikatsu Sha: I was raised sewing and crocheting at my grandmother's knee, and although cross-stitching is my favorite type of needlework, crochet is right up there. The very best thing about this book is that instead of written crochet instructions the author uses diagrammatic instructions.

Fair & Square Exchange from Sue W!

Today in the mail I received another set of squares from my partner Sue W as part of our Fair and Square Friendship Exchange. I absolutely love what Sue stitched for me: on her postcard to me she said it's a Brittercup design. I had seen this stitched and wanted to stitch it for myself 'someday', but now I don't have to! She embellished the design square with a tiny pair of scissors, so cute...thanks so much, Sue! (Did I mention that I love these exchanges? :-P)

Short thread trouble?

I think many of you already do this, but I just discovered a way to end the dilemma (a dilemma for me, trivial to some, lol) of the short thread trouble at the end of a color. Ok, here's the scenario: you have, say, a stitch or two left in this particular color and you hate the idea of starting a new thread only to have to cut it after that last stitch or two...so I though if I slid the needle under the neighboring completed stitches, *then* thread the needle with the last bit of short thread hanging off, *then* pull it under those neighboring completed stitches, I'd save myself rethreading the needle with a brand new thread of the same color. Ok, I admit, probably my thriftiness .... :-P

What do you think, trivial, or a neat little trick?

Prowler!

The other day as I was doing dishes, yes, by hand, lol , I spied this little prowler at our back slider door! Marshmallow was napping, and as soon as he (Marsh) spotted this kitty he jumped off his chair and ran the intruder down the back stairs and all the way out the the edge of the property near the stream, and the two of them had a mewling and posturing match for about 1/2 an hour, lol.

This is a smallish neighborhood and we all know each other and each others pets, but even though this little one had a collar, no one seems to know who s/he is.

Pillow finish and some sweet finds!

Meet 'Ellie', rescued from a local thrift shop. She is an adolescent bunny who looks like she was either made in hurry, or perhaps by a child. She isn't stuffed tightly and her clothing is sort of haphazard. But, because she is who she is ( a bunny), she was rescued and added to the ever growing bunny colony in my home, which I *will* take pictures of at some point. Oh, Ellie was .50 cents, lol. Imagine?

Below are a few sweet finds which I added to my crafting/stitching stash of goodies. The stitching (La D Da's-A Rose is a Rose- a freebie design) on the pillow in the picture with Ellie was done by CathyB, my first Fair and Square Exchange partner. Since I am in a finishing technique mode, and being the pillow enthusiast that I am---I made it into a little pillow-- the fabric is a cotton calico with little roses on it and the trim is some that Lillie sent me as a PIF. It works perfectly!

And the back: I sewed a little pocket out of the signature square CathyB stitched, trimmed it, added a pearly button, laminated the note she sent, and added one of my own dried roses. The chicken on the left is something I sewed a few months back from a pattern I found in a 1980's craft mag that was free from the library.

A cute little design rescued from a local thrift shop for .50 cents! Appears that it was stitched on muslin free hand in cross stitch. Unfortunately no date or location, but precious just the same.

Another find for my bunnies and/or dolls (now that I think of it, even some stitching), for a whopping .50 cents!

Hanging pillow finish!

This is a piece I stitched about a year ago, and could never decide on a finishing technique. It's called 'With the Heart' a Whimsey & Wit design. Being in a finishing technique mode, I made it into a pillow, but a hanging pillow using a heart shaped wire the I removed from something else, so I suppose it's partly recycled.

The fabric on the back is a checkered homespun exactly like the fabric trim in the picture below.

I used off white cotton lace, fabric homespun trim, antique buttons, and a silver dangling heart on the right side of it for fun. I'm very happy with the way it came out. (click on picture to make image larger).

Stitched on 28 or 32 count linen, not sure of color using DMC cotton threads. My favorite part of this design aside from the saying is the oddly shaped hearts. :-)

Happy Mail Day!

Yesterday I received my Halloween Round 2008 squares from my Fair & Square Exchange from my partner Paula C: imagine my surprise when I opened the envelope to find that we stitched the exact same design for each other using basically the same fabric and threads! I absolutely love them, Paula, thank you! The leaf is from our front yard.

Here's what I stitched for Paula: with, of course, a signature square.

Seems we both were crazy about the design perhaps another type of exchange like 'stitch the same thing for another stitcher' is in order, lol.

I am really loving these exchanges, they allow us to work on our own projects as well as exchange smalls with a special partner :-)

Alanis!

I just love this, Alanis looks fantastic with a little more weight on her. Great music, live performance, involved audience, wow! ;-)

Fun!

Our breakfast this morning, farina with butter and black pepper. Kind of a family tradition, I can remember my parents & grandparents making it for my brother & me, and now I make it for my family :-)

No one tagged me for this, but in my blog sojourns I came across it on Michele B's blog and thought it would be fun to do the one-word answer questionnaire ( I also altered the rule a bit by adding that you answer with whatever comes into your mind first), then I'm off to stitch and watch movies "Mothman Prophecies" and "Vampires".

Try this it's quite fun.

1. Where is your cell phone? pocketbook
2. Your significant other? M
3. Your hair? black
4. Your mother? M
5. Your father? A
6. Your favorite thing? kids
7. Your dream last night? forgot
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? accomplishment
10. The room you’re in? den
11. Your hobby? stitching
12. Your fear? nothing
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? alive (lol)
14. What you’re not? confrontational
15. Muffins? Chocolate
16. One of your wish list items? samplers
17. Where you grew up? Ct
18. The last thing you did? chocolate
19. What are you wearing? combination
20. Favorite gadget? needle
21. Your pets? cat
22. Your computer? HP
23. Your mood? great
24. Missing someone? C
25. Your car? cadi
26. Something you’re not wearing? bra
27. Favorite store? thrift
28. Like someone? yep
29. Your favorite color? pink
30. When is the last time you laughed? morning
31. Last time you cried? morning

Autumn Squares Received...

by my Fair and Square Exchange partner, Melita. I'm so glad to know she loves them. They were a fun and easy stitch. A small design by Brightneedle, stitched on 32 count antique white linen using cotton DMC threads. I especially like the little leaves on the tree, and the little girl, oh so cute! Melita said she will finish the squares into a cube.

I am really loving these exchanges :-)

A Wee Finish and WIP!

From Country Cross Stitch Magazine, October 2008 issue. I stitched a motif from a larger design on 32 count linen using cotton DMC threads 2/2. Below is the picture from the mag next to my stitched piece.

Here is the other sewing machine I've started stitching from the same chart:

Oh, note to Meari, these are the 6 x 6 q-snaps, the design size is 40 or so stitches by 50 or so stitches. I doubled up on the felt because the linen is thin. I love using the 6 x 6 q-snaps for this size project, the only drawback is when you get to the ends of the design when ending or starting a new thread, you may have to slide the clamp off the q-snap to allow the needle to pass straight under the existing stitches so as not to disturb them and loosen them too much. I left about 2 inches around the design size for finishing and to lay over the q-snap so the clamp can hug it properly and securely.

ZZZZZZZZZZ........

Shhhhh, snap! then.....

Look how puffy he is, lol.

Fair & Square Halloween round...

...squares that I stitched for my partner, Paula C were received, and she loves them! The design is from the JCS Halloween issue. I just loved stitching that weird cat. Stitched on 32 count raw linen using silk, GAST and DMC threads. I'm not a big satin stitch fan, but these didn't come out so bad afterall, lol.

The Fair and Square Friendship Exchange blog can be found here.

RAK Rampage, lol!

My sweet friend, Dawn, received the lil kitty and beaded fob I made for her. It is such a joy for me to make sentimental little things for my special friends.

I also made her a card which can be seen here. I scanned the finished gift onto cardstock paper using the magazine page as background, ripped the edges added "pawprints", and a few remnants of materials used.

I used a cute pattern from a 1998 Leisure Arts magazine to sew the kitty (gingham and denim) and stitched a little kitty playing with yarn on it's body (32 count linen). The buttons are from my grandmother's collection. Ribbon and a couple of beads as embellishment, and kitty was complete. I love the effect.

She did a great job of photographing what I sent. It earned a seat in Dawn's place of honor. LOL, I was longing to see it there. :-P

More thoughtfulness!

(click photo for larger view)

My sweet friend, Meari, known to most of us in our online stitching community sent me these adorable miniature quilt supplies. What a thoughtful thing to do. Thank you , Meari!

Thoughtfulness...

MelissaB has kindly awarded me the Brilliante Weblog Award. Just the thought of another stitcher thinking of me and visiting my blog is thoughtful enough, and I appreciate it. I have decided to use this award in a new way--to those who are new to me and/or have taken out the time to leave a comment/email, sort of a 'hi, Lisa!' --so I pass it along to:

Andrea- (prounounced Ondrea, not ANDrea) Deep Fried Cupcake- who is new to me and we share so many interests: she stitched Fishes and Bait, BitterFlower Sampler, likes bunnies and is an avid reader with a great wishlist of books. Her pugs are incredibly cute! "Hi, Andrea!"

Donnasews- who is also new to me. She loves samplers and has done some gorgeous stitching. I am not sure how I came across her blog called Simpler Times. I feel so at home there with pictures of her kitty, baking, and quilts. "Hi Donna!"

A Stitch In Time-Tammie-stitcher who is new to me. Her blog has lots of pictures of her children and stitching. Her post regarding PIF's and RAK's made me think about how we as an online stitching community can make newer members feel more a part of things, I'm still thinking (this may take awhile, lol), but I wanted to recognize her on my blog because her post touched me and made me think. "Hi Tammie!"

Anne S-not new to me, but as busy as she is continues to provide us with the Focus on Finishing blog with tons of contributions from stitchers from all over the world chock full of complimentary tutorials. "Hi Anne!"

Ladies, thank you all for your blogs & sharing.

Oh, lastly, should you choose to share, (and yes, I think this should be a choice) this award, there are a few guidelines: and they are only guidelines...

1. Put the logo on your blog

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs (I did 5)

4. Add links to those blogs on yours

5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

WIP update! (& disaster )

I am always admonishing my family and visitors to not drink or eat near my needlework...and who is the one that spilled diet pepsi on my BOF Bitterflower Sampler WIP? Umm, yea...me! So, immediately after it happened, I took the piece(s), (yes more than one was affected, grrr) off their q-snaps and immediately ran cold water over the areas that were already becoming stained....above is the BOF Bitterflower Sampler...and the GAST have bled.

So here are my choices: restitch the entire thing, continue stitching, and when finished, just immerse the whole thing in cold water to get the same 'bled' effect overall. (You know, when you get lemons, make lemonade instead of cursing the whole thing, lol).

You know, I am not really all that upset over this, just that it's an inconvenience that made me stop the whole stitching process.

For those of you wondering, no I don't pre-rinse my overdyed threads before using...I might consider it after this episode.Below is Plum Street Samplers 'Fishes and Bait' which also succumbed to the soda spilling episode...but alas there is a merciful stitching angel watching over me because I was able to get all the staining out, and I'm using DMC cotton threads which are colorfast. :-)

I love this design, the mermaid is my favorite part!