Stitch Or No Stitch

What a fun day with Kathy A.

2012-01-20T13:44:00.001-08:00

Several years ago Kathy A. and I met through our blogs. We knew immediately that we had a lot in common since we are both from Canada & both love to cross stitch. Then one day we discovered that we had something else in common - NUTCRACKERS. Kathy and my DH are both fervent nutcracker collectors. She and I became blogging/email friends and hoped that one day we would meet in person.

Yesterday that day finally dawned. Now you may think that anyone who comes to Las Vegas comes to gamble. I'll let you in on a secret. Las Vegas has one of the most wonderful stitching communities in the US and when Kathy planned her trip here it was to stitch and meet stitching friends.

At noon Kathy, Juls, Michelle, Brenda (a non-blogger but fabulous stitcher) and I met for lunch at Sammy's. Well you would think we had all known one another for ever. Lunch was delicious and the conversation relaxed and full of fun and laughter.

Kathy gave me this beautiful gift. I received a pouch for a stitching project with matching needle book, scissors & fob and a sweet bag to store the scissors in. Kathy, you are one talented lady. I love it all and my 'Bethlehem' project has a new home.

After lunch we went to Stitchers Paradise where met up with more of our local stitchers and talked and stitched to our hearts content.

It was such a fun day with wonderful friends.

First Finish 2012

2012-01-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

All week long as I was trying to get this piece finished I was very excited as for once I was going to frame it immediately. The perfect frame was already in my possession so I was all set.

Art is the Flower
from Art Nouveau Cross Stitch by Barbara Hammet
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct Bow Peep Pink Lugana with DMC
started 02/22/2011 - finished 01/08/2012
Note to self - do not stitch 1/1 on 25 ct if back-stitching is required

This morning after placing the final back-stitch I rushed to the cupboard which I knew contained the perfect frame - lots of frames but not the one I thought I had. WHAT????

My first instinct was to rush off to the store and buy a frame. Then I stopped and had a good talk with myself. I have so many stitched pieces waiting to be framed and for at least nine of them I have frames. Do I need to buy another frame which may just be put away like the others? You see, I love to stitch and I love to buy frames but I really don't love framing.

Conclusion : this piece will have to wait to be framed until at least two frames I already own have been used. NO, I MAY NOT DONATE THE FRAMES OR DISPOSE OF THEM IN ANOTHER WAY!

I would ask you to keep your fingers crossed that I will actually do this but that wouldn't be fair as you all have your own stitching & finishing to do.

Will be back soon as I want to show you a few projects planned for 2012.

Make sure you drop by to visit Heather's lovely blog. She is having an amazing give-away that you won't want to miss.

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T10:55:00.000-08:00

As 2011 draws to a close I just want to stop by to show you some finishes which I had planned to mount and frame before presenting them to you.

Those were the plans. The truth is that they are still waiting in my finish drawer. Hopefully 2012 will be the year I get my act together and actually frame each piece as it is completed. Oh yes - I'll have to empty that finish drawer too. :)

First up is the sampler I made for DH's family.

'Mildred's Garden House' by Blackbird Designs stitched
1/1 on 25 ct ivory lugana with a variety of flosses
started 1/1/2011 and completed 3/1/2011

For the exchange at our second annual Parowan Stitch-in I stitched a floss holder.

'Heart Stitcher' a free design by 'a mon ami Pierre'

DH's Christmas present for 2011 was finished prior to the holidays but I was not able to get it mounted and framed. I'll have to show it to you again once that is done.

'The Nutcracker Factory 2' by Jeremiah Junction
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct waterlily lugana with DMC floss
started 9/4/2011 - completed 12/2011

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all
and a very happy and prosperous 2012

On the day before Christmas I want to share some pictures of DH's nutcracker collection with which we decorate our home every year. Through the years the collection has grown and the joy has increased.

Soldiers on the piano in the library

Snowmen on a cabinet in hallway

Sparkles in dining room

various collections in family room
including musicians, sports & games, land of origin, occupations, jesters

Santas in the dining room

on 'Opa's kast' in the dining room

Kings in the dining room

the fireplace

The Nutcracker Suite and other story figures in the family room

See you next year.

Authors A - Z

2011-10-27T10:44:00.001-07:00

As I was completing my last book challenge I mentioned that I would be starting a new one soon and that it would be super simple and loads of fun.

With a new month quickly approaching today seemed like the perfect time to tell you about it. Hopefully some of you will join me on the A - Z journey.

The challenge is to read 26 books by authors who's last name all start with a different letter of the alphabet. The alphabet does not have to be read in any particular order.

Here is Betsy Ross showing you some books I will be reading during this challenge. Now there is something about the picture which is not quite right - what is it?

Super simple rules. Any genre of books is allowed. I can own them, borrow from friends or from the library. I don't plan to buy anything new for this challenge but it is certainly allowed. Old favorites can also be added into the mix.

All books I read will be listed in the sidebar of this blog. I'm setting up the alphabet now so that I can fill it in as I go along.

I plan to complete my challenge by November 2012. That gives me plenty of time, although you may feel that another time frame is better for you. Challenge yourself to whatever you are comfortable with and remember it is the journey that counts.

Join me in this fun reading journey through the alphabet. Who knows what we may discover in our travels.

'12 Days' - two ways

2011-10-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Way 1

'Twelve Days of Christmas'
Book 200 Collector's Edition of the Stoney Creek Collection
stitched 1/2 with DMC and Petite Treasure Braid
on 32 ct opalescent lugana
started 07/28/2010 - completed 09/04/2011

At the end of 2009 (just prior to our return to the US) I asked both our children if they would like me to stitch them a Christmas piece. YES!! was the answer. The next question was 'what would you like me to stitch?' Would you believe it - they both chose the same design - 'Twelve Days of Christmas' from the Stoney Creek Collection.

This is a gorgeous design but an intense stitch so I told them it would take me a few years to complete them both and that they would receive them when both were completed.

As of September 4 one is done. I hope to have it framed before Christmas and have it decorating our own home this year.

With a bit of luck and a lot of stitching both will be completed by Christmas 2012 and be decorating M & E's homes.

Way 2

'12 Days of Christmas Whimzi' by Just Nan
stitched 2/2 with DMC & Petite Treasure Braid
on 28 ct 'unknown' evenweave
started 02/01/2011 - completed 10/08/2011

In January of this year my friend Lili and I started our LiMi SAL stitching '12 Days of Christmas Whimzi'. What fun this SAL was and I am thrilled to show you my rendition stitched and framed, ready to decorate the Christmas tree in my office/hobby room.

What do you think of the cute little frames? I bought them at Michael's for $1 each as part of little cross stitch packets by PLAID. What a deal!

So there you have it: '12 Days' done two ways.

In the mail to Jane & Natalie

2011-10-08T13:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I finally framed the lighthouse which I stitched for my SIL's cottage in 2010. There is only so long you can put these things off and with Jane's birthday coming up next Sunday it was time to get it done. The image is a bit pale, which is a shame, but at least you know that it is truly completed.

'Eagle Bluff Lighthouse' Brigitte Kozma
from January-February 1988 Just CrossStitch

Jane's DIL Natalie loves Halloween and always decorates her home beautifully. On a Saturday just prior to Halloween she & her husband invite a bunch of kinds over and spoil them with Halloween crafting and treats.

'The Red Witch' is just the type of picture she is sure to enjoy so I made a combined package for Jane & Natalie and dropped it off at the post office this morning.

'The Red Witch' Mosey 'n Me

Stitching is such a joy and stitching pieces for favorite people is extra special.

One to go

2011-10-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

On January 1 I started on my 'Off the Shelf' challenge. I was to read 30 books, which I already owned but had not read, by the end of 2011.

I am pleased to let you know that as of today I have one book left to read for the challenge. That book is already on the table beside my stitching/reading chair and should be completed within the next day or so.

As with many projects and challenges, once the end is in sight you just want it to be completed. I must admit that I'm happy it is almost done and am actually looking forward starting a new challenge.

Personally I am always very interested in what others are reading. In case you feel the same way, here is a list of the books.

30 'Mistress of the Monarchy' A. Weir
29 'Howl's Moving Castle' D.W. Jones
28 'Habitat' S.K. Moody
27 'Jesus Video' Andreas Eschbach
26 'The Raphael Affair' Iain Pears
25 'Opus Dei' M. Whitehouse
24 'The Relic' Preston & Child
23 'A Long Way From Home' T. Brokaw
22 'S is for Silence' S. Grafton
21 'What I Learned Under The Sun' K.L. Coon
20 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union' M. Chabo
19 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society' Shaffer & Barrows
18 'Into the Wild' J. Krakauer
17 'Letter from Home' C. Hart
16 'Gate of Ivrel' C.J. Cherryh
15 'The Rising' T. LaHaye & J.B. Jenkins
14 'The Mummy Case' E. Peters
13 'Well of Shiuan' C.J. Cherry
12 'Fires of Azeroth' C.J. Cherryh
11 'Love Walked In' M. De Los Santos
10 'The Painted Veil' W. Somerset Maugham
09 'My Life in France' Julia Child
08 'Julie & Julia' Julie Powell
07 'Home' Julie Andrews
06 'Slumdog Millionaire' V. Swarup
05 'T is for Trespass' S. Grafton
04 'The Mermaid Chair' S. Monk Kidd
03 'Map of Bones' J. Rollins
02 'The Flight of the Falcon' D. Du Maurier
01 'Oeroeg' H.S. Haasse

As soon as book 01 is read I will add it to this list and let you know about my next reading challenge. It is going to be easy and fun so stay tuned as you may want to participate.

PS: Barbara asked which my favorites were. The top five would be:
- 'Mistress of the Monarchy' Alison Weir
- 'Jesus Video' Andreas Eschbach
- 'Into the Wild' Jon Krakauer
- 'The Flight of the Falcon' Daphne Du Maurier
- 'Oeroeg' Hella S. Haasse

Quaker Faith Hope Love

2011-06-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

Although I don't have much time to write lengthy posts I do want to make sure I get pictures of my finish-finished projects posted.

Faith Love Hope is one of these projects which has been ready to show to the world for some time. This was such a quick and sweet stitch - I loved every minute of it. The frame is one I purchased at Marshalls when they were getting rid of their Christmas stock for 90% off. What a deal!

Quaker Faith Hope Love by Midnight Stitching
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct Bo Peep Pink Lugana
with The Gentle Art Pink Azalea floss
started and completed February 11 through 20, 2011

Alive and kicking

2011-06-14T14:57:00.001-07:00

It seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get around to all the things I would like to do. Just so you know that I'm still alive and kicking I'd like to show you a few recent finish-finishes.

The first is a Mirabelia Angel which I stitched for my SIL Colleen for her birthday. I am quite sure I posted a picture of her after I had completed the stitching but here she is again, finally framed. Colleen loves her and I'm so glad as I truly felt this piece suited her perfectly.

Here is a close-up so that you can get a better look at some of the beading.

I've been bitten by the HAED bug! Yes, the girl who said she would NEEEEEEVER stitch a HAED finally bit the bullet. What caused the change of mind? I was surfing the HAED website - who says you can't look at things you will never stitch? Isn't that what they say about Dutch tourists abroad "kijken, kijken, niet kopen" (looking, looking, not buying)? Anyway I was looking and what did I spy with my little eye? The most gorgeous HAED I had ever seen. I wanted it soooo badly but figured I would try my hand at a freebie first to see how I like stitching a solid piece.

Here is the result - stitched by me and today, framed by me. I'm a happy HAEDer.

"Bunny on Path"
stitched 1/1 on 18 ct Aida with DMC floss
started April 1, 2011 - completed May 20, 2011

I absolutely loved stitching this little sweetie.

For my birthday DH bought me everything I need for the gorgeous "Bygone Summer". Of course you'd like to take a peak at this beauty so here she is. Take a good look at her hat - isn't it amazing? I am stitching this piece 1/1 on 25 ct antique white lugana.

To date I have stitched 1800 of the required 202,800 crosses. Only another three years or so and she may be finished. :) Don't forget "it's the journey that counts".

Until next time - happy summer, happy stitching, happy reading and happy whatever else strikes your fancy.

Oh my goodness!! An RCMP!!

2011-04-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last week the mailman came to the door with a gigantic box. It was from dear Kathy who sent my DH this wonderful Mountie nutcracker. He is two feet tall and looks absolutely wonderful guarding our fireplace.

Kathy and my DH share the hobby of collecting nutcrackers and she just knew he needed a Royal Canadian Mounted Police to add to his collection. What an absolutely wonderful gift for him Kathy. He loves it and so do I.

A huge thank you and many hugs from Las Vegas.

Of Snowmen, a LiMa and a Family Sampler

2011-02-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that Snowman month has come and gone. Since snowmen are always such a joy to stitch most of my January stitching was centered around them.

The snowman couple is a pattern called 'Snowbuds' by Bent Creek. I received this pattern from my buddy Lili a few years ago and loved stitching it. The fabric is a 28 ct evenweave which I dyed with all kinds of yummy things. All stitching was done 2/2 with DMC. The colors are so much better in real life but I just didn't feel like taking additional pictures. Behind it you will see the frame I bought for this piece ($4.99 at Michaels - with a 40% off coupon only $2.99. Good deal or what?)

The second piece is a winter sampler freebie by Marika Belfiori. It is stitched 1/1 on 25 ct evenweave with DMC and I will be making it into an ornament for DD. Since I named all the other ornaments I've decided he needs a name too. S t r e t c h seems appropriate.

Now what is a LiMa I hear you thinking. A LiMa is a SAL done by Lili and Margaret. How's that for a cool SAL name?

Lili and I both love Just Nan's '12 Days of Christmas Whimzi' and felt that now was the time to stitch it. I will be making mine into ornaments for my office/hobby room Christmas tree. You will have to check with Lili to see what her plans are. We hope to stitch two designs per month so that we will have plenty of time for finishing before Christmas 2011.

Several years ago I received a gigantic piece of 28 ct evenweave from my SIL - color ?? Anyway it seemed perfect for these ornaments and it was good to know that I wouldn't run out of fabric. At least I hope I don't run out of fabric. You would think that any fool can cut out a 5" x 5" piece of fabric. Well this fool seems to have trouble doing that. Finally did get one cut and actually stitched in the past two days. Again - bad colors.

Last but not least - another family sampler. I hemmed and hawed about my 01/01/2011 start and finally settled on the sampler for DH's family. Like the sampler for my family this piece is being stitched 1/1 on 25 ct lugana with DMC floss and specialty threads.

I hope everyone's stitching year got off to a good start. Hope to drop by all your blogs soon.

Meet the Boys

2011-01-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to each and everyone of you. May 2011 bring you and yours good health and much happiness.

I hope you have all been enjoying the start of the new stitching year. Mine has been fun since I've been making snowman ornaments to decorate my office/hobby room tree for Snowman month.

All four ornaments are 2.75 inches square. They were stitched on 32 ct scraps of linen or lugana with DMC floss and some specialty threads.

Meet the boys:

'Ace'
freebie from Prairie Schooler

'Sparky'
Snowman Zippie

'Uncle Joe'
Snowman with Pipe by Lorraine Niesyto
freebie from Cyberstitchers

'Happy'
Snowman with Black Hat by Helga Mandl
freebie from Cyberstitchers

Have you been stitching for Snowman month?

Finished - what a relief!!!

2010-12-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

Yes friends, it is a real relief to have this project finished.

I fell in love with 'Matter's Choice the moment I saw it and just had to have it. Of course I never checked the symmetry of the pattern as I never doubted it. Little did I know how many adjustments I would have to make along the way.

Now I know that many of you are saying - "Oh Margaret get a life!!" However, those of you who know me, know I won't be happy unless a symmetrical piece truly is exactly that. That is what this hobby is all about isn't it - making us happy?

Well folks, it's done and I am HAPPY and very relieved that my changes worked. I just wish that the colors of the picture were more true to life as they give this piece such a lovely old fashioned look.

'Matter's Choice by Carriage House Samplings
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct New Khaki Lugana
with DMC 3750
started 05/12/2010 - completed 12/27/2010

Christmas Eve

2010-12-22T10:27:00.001-08:00

There are so many ways to start preparing for a wonderful Christmas Eve. Here are a few of them.

Receive a lovely Christmas ornament especially made for you by a dear friend. Thank you Harmien - I love it!

Make your very first speculaas pop. I made the dough and DH did the rest. Yes friends I'm a very lucky girl to be married to a talented guy who enjoys preparing for Christmas just as much as I do. We will be making several more poppen to give to neighbors as Christmas gifts.

Complete a piece entitled - you guessed it - 'Christmas Eve'. I dyed the fabric with coffee, tea and every suitable spice I could find in the pantry to give it the perfect color. It smells fantastic! I will not be able to finish finish it before Christmas Eve because the tray I made it for needs a little more work.

'Christmas Eve' by Prairie Schooler
stitched 1/1 on 18 ct hand-dyed Aida

with the required DMC floss
started 11/17/2010 - completed 12/21/2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT

A Cherub for Colleen

2010-12-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

About half an hour ago I finished "Cherub with Tree" for my SIL Colleen's birthday. Her birthday isn't until June but since we will probably be traveling to see them earlier in the year I wanted to have it finished very early. Just after the holidays I will have it mounted and framed so that it is ready to travel when we are.

The pattern is a freebie from Mirabilia. The finished piece is 6 x 6 inches. It was a joy to stitch this sweet angel but a lot more work than the size would lead you to believe.

"Cherub with Tree" by Nora Corbett
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct waterlily lugana
with the required DMC floss, Kreinik Metallic Threads & Mill Hill Beads
started 11/03/2010 - completed 12/15/ 2010

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

HOW TO OBSERVE THANKSGIVING

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes;
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean;
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth;
Count on God instead of yourself.

~~Author Unknown.~~

Off The Shelf!

2010-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I came across a site A Novel Challenge with great reading challenges. Although many of them sounded interesting "Off The Shelf!" is perfect for me. Our own library is filled with so many wonderful books I just had to have. Shame on me - there are many which I have not read.

My aim is to read 30 books (challenge level 3 -Making A Dint) in 2011 which I presently own but have never read. Since I have read 50+ books so far this year I should still have time to reread some old favorites as well as read some new books.

I will start listing the books in my sidebar (in no particular reading order). There will be more than 30 books listed so that I will have lots of reading choices. Even then my list will certainly not cover all my unread books.

If you enjoy reading check out the site. There are so many wonderful reading challenges to participate in that here is bound to be something there just right for you.

Finished and framed

2010-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

On one of our visits to Las Vegas in 2009 (while we were still in The Netherlands) I fell in love with and bought this Thanksgiving pattern. What a fun project and what a quick stitch!

The pattern calls for a 19 ct fabric using wool etc. for stitching. The coarser fabric just isn't my cup of tea (or in my case coffee) so I used a piece of 28 ct evenweave my SIL had given me last year. The name of the color of the fabric is unknown (looks like mocha) and it was perfect for this fall piece. The colors are much richer IRL.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner it was high time to get it framed so we can display it. Mission accomplished this past Tuesday. Framing is always such a daunting task for me but I am pretty pleased with the result.

'Happy Thanksgiving' by Shepherd's Bush
stitched 2/2 on 28 ct evenweave with DMC floss
started 08/21/2010 - completed 09/04/2010

Nutcrackers in Blue

2010-11-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

This morning I put the final back-stitching into the 2010 nutcracker piece for DH. This afternoon we will be bringing it to Adele's to pick out a perfect frame and have her mount it.

'Nutcrackers in Blue' by Linda Bird (Imaginating, Inc)
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct white opalescent lugana
with the suggested DMC floss
Started 07/29/2010 - Completed 11/09/2010

Halloween Happiness

2010-10-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Halloween Happiness is having a wonderful Halloween gift delivered to your door.

'Halloween Greetings' Blackbird Designs
'Halloween Garden' The Primitive Needle
Gingher Designer Series Scissors 'Sonia'

Can you imagine having these Halloween goodies delivered to you? Well friends, that is exactly what happened to me yesterday. The mailman delivered an envelope full of Halloween Happiness from the talented and very generous Sharon .

Just feast your eyes on the wonderful gift I won in Sharon's recent draw celebrating her twenty years of nursing. The Halloween patterns are so adorable and my first every Gingher scissors are an absolute treasure.

Thank you so much Sharon.
hugs, Margaret

PS: The Halloween nutcrackers are a part of DH's collection

"Who is John Galt?"

2010-10-22T09:36:00.001-07:00

Won't you join me in reading the second most influential book in America? A book whose influence is rated second only to the Bible.

For years I have been hearing about this book which was written in 1957 and is considered to be Ayn Rand's magnum opus.

Atlas Shrugged received largely negative reviews after its 1957 publication but achieved enduring popularity and consistent sales in the following decades.

In the late 2000s it once again caught everyone's attention and I recently bought this tome to discover its significance for myself.

Won't you join me in the quest to find out "Who is John Galt?"

Note to self - added October 29, 2010

Till the end of the year concentrate on RYOB (reading your own books). It worked several years ago when I planned five books in advance and stuck to my list. It is time to do this again, especially since I have promised to write four reviews.

The five books are:
~~'Pieta' - William Zink~~
~~'Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket' - Mary Cunningham~~
'Atlas Shrugged' Ayn Rand
~~'Anne's House of Dreams' - L.M. Montgomery~~
~~'The Secret of the Wooden Lady' - Carolyn Keene~~

Ain't she sweet?

2010-10-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Oh ain't she sweet, well see her walking down that street.
Yes I ask you very confidentially: Ain't she sweet?
Oh ain't she nice, well look her over once or twice.
Yes I ask you very confidentially: Ain't she nice?

'Wynter Sampler' by Witchy Stitches
stitched 2/2 on Natural Belgian Linen with DMC floss

Just cast an eye in her direction.
Oh me oh my, ain't that perfection?
Oh I repeat, well don't you think that's kind of neat?
Yes I ask you very confidentially: Ain't she sweet?

Jack Yellen (lyrics) - 1927 - Milton Ager (music)

Ghoulfriends and Spider Web Birdie

2010-10-05T14:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year Harmien and I decided to do a Halloween exchange. I love to pick patterns that I think will fit the people they are for and having gotten to know Harmien while we were living in The Netherlands was certainly an advantage when picking not only the Halloween pattern but also a few Halloween extras.

My part of the exchange consisted of a pinkeep, some Halloween floss and purple Halloween socks with black cats on them. For me this was all so Harmien and I'm pleased that she liked it.

Ghoulfriends for Eternity
from the 2010 Cross-Stitch Pattern-A-Day Calendar
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct New Khaki Lugana with DMC floss

From Harmien I received this great gift. First of all take a look at the fab Spider Web Birdie she made for me. Isn't it tooo cute!!

Along with that she also sent me a matching spider web kleenex holder, Halloween gift tags and a fabulous pattern by Witchy Stitches called 'Wynter Sampler'. Even though I have my hands full with the stitching projects I want finished by the end of the year I just couldn't resist starting it immediately. I have the perfect weathered little wooden tray I bought last year in which I hope to display it.

What a fun exchange Harmien. Thank you!!

Just as sweet as she is

2010-09-07T09:18:00.001-07:00

As short while ago I entered a fob draw that Mylene was having. Lo and behold I was one of the lucky winners.

The fob is just as sweet as Mylene herself is and I love it. The stitching is so lovely and the finishing absolute perfection.

Thank you so much Mylene. As I wrote you, it has received a very special place in my display of lovely stitching gifts.

Oh my goodness Berta

2010-08-08T09:20:00.001-07:00

Oh my goodness Berta – is there a THANK YOU big enough for your lovely gifts? I LOVE it all. This isn’t only winning a draw - this is winning the grand prize. I just can’t believe how you have spoiled me with the beautiful pattern I have been admiring for ages, your gorgeous handmade cards and coaster, yummy tea and my first ever gold needles. I am thrilled to pieces!!!

Alan Maley's 'Gracious Era'
The Gold Collection by Dimensions

Thank you so much dear friend.

Love and a big thank you hug from Margaret

A Family Sampler

2010-07-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

What a special journey it has been to make a memory piece commemorating my wonderful, loving parents and siblings. Each one of us was created so uniquely and together we form a beautiful tapestry full of vibrant personalities and individual talents.

For the three of us still remaining it is hard to fathom that not only our parents but a brother and sister have passed. They are always in our hearts and thoughts until we meet again.

'I Thee Wed' by Blackbird Designs (adapted for my family)
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct Ivory Lugana with a variety of different flosses
started July 1, 2010 - completed July 27, 2010

With love to six very special people,
from your youngest daughter and baby sister Margaret

'Matters Choice' and choices matter

2010-07-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends. Wherever you find yourself today I wish you a wonderful day with family and friends.

Before you read about my 'choices' please drop by to see my dear friend Alberta who is having the most wonderful giveaway. Berta has been through a lot of heartache this past while, but being the positive person she is, is closing this period off by, as always, thinking of others. Once you have visited her I hope you make the 'choice' of coming back here to see what I've been up to.

When I heard that Carriage House Samplings was going out of business I was shocked and disappointed and decided I'd better buy a design of theirs immediately. 'Matter's Choice' appealed to me on first sight as I love both houses and samplers.

This is my progress to date.

Once again I'm stitching 1/1 on 25 ct and loving it. The first part of the pattern stitched like a breeze. Then I started the portion below the top dividing line and suddenly found the sides did not jive.It was time to make 'choices' about the 'Choice' Now many of you are going to think I'm absolutely crazy, and maybe I am, but to me a symmetrical pattern must be truly symmetrical and this one isn't. The rooftop is 40 stitches wide with the result that the insides vary from one side to the other. This also makes the right and left sides of the pattern unsymmetrical. Have I bored you enough? To make it the way I like it I made the following 'choice'. I have added an additional column of stitches in the center of the house and row by row am adjusting the pattern. It will take a little longer to stitch but well worth my effort as this way I hope to be satisfied with the result.

In my last post I wondered how long it would take me to start something new. You were right - not long.

On July 1 I made another 'choice' and I started 'I Thee Wed' - a little sampler which I am stitching with all kinds of wonderful over-dyes as well as DMC.

Rather than stitch the pattern exactly as designed I am hoping to transform it into a family sampler. Another 'choice'. My plan is to stitch my parents' wedding date under 'I Thee Wed' with their names and dates of birth on either side. Underneath that I want to stitch the names of my siblings and myself along with our dates of birth. Just how it will all work out I have absolutely no idea but I know that the journey will be a meaningful one.

That's it for the moment. Enjoy the rest of your weekend or long weekend, whatever the case may be.

Would Scarlet Dance The Quadrille?

2010-06-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Red Lady Sampler by Kirsten Edwards
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct platinum Lugana with DMC floss

If Scarlet O'Hara wanted to do a happy dance would she be dancing the Quadrille?

This morning's finish certainly belongs to her era and 'Red Lady' looks as if she is all set to go the ball.

What a fun piece this was to stitch and often a relief to pick up during the trials and tribulations of stitching the lighthouse. Scarlet deserves a happy dance.

This means I'm down to two WIPs. Wonder how long it will take me to start a new piece?

Finished - I'm sooo happy!!!

2010-06-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Wisconsin

designed by Brigitte Kozma
from the January-February 1988 Just CrossStitch magazine
stitched on 28 ct antique white Aida with DMC floss

I can hardly believe it!! This afternoon I put the final backstitches on the lighthouse for my SIL Jane. Had I known how difficult it is to read some of these old patterns I would have never offered to stitch it for her. However - I did offer and as you can see I did stitch it. The result (nicer IRL than on the picture) is a piece that will look very nice in their lighthouse decorated cottage. This project took me just over a year to complete as it was started on July 15, 2009.

Although the magazine has several other lovely designs there is no way I am considering starting any of them for the moment. The magazine is going back to the archives. :-)

Hope to be back soon to show you some of the other projects I have been working on. For today this is enough. Finished - I'm so happy!!!

WIPs and new stash

2010-04-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

A quick update before April 2010 is history.

This past week DH's brother and SIL visited us from Michigan. We so enjoyed their stay even though my poor BIL came down with a double ear infection which was no fun for him at all. Although we didn't take all the outings we had planned we did manage to do things he felt up to.

We had a great day trip to Death Valley where the spring flowers were in bloom. There weren't as many flowers blooming as there were in 2005 when we had very wet winter, but it was still very pretty. We also drove up to Scotty's Castle which is a special place to visit in Death Valley.

Another day we drove up Mt. Charleston (a twenty minute drive from Las Vegas) which this year boasted the longest ski season of the entire nation. They will be closing tomorrow. It was fun to take J & C up there to see the skiers and snowboarders doing their thing in shorts and tank-tops.

We also went to the strip where we visited The Venetian, The Palazzo, Wynn & Encore, City Center (which I find disappointing) and our old favorite The Bellagio. It is always fun to bring visitors to these beautiful hotel/casinos.

Of course we spent hours and hours just resting, relaxing, catching up, laughing, eating and drinking wine. All in all a great visit. Just hope J feels better very soon.

Now for my WIPs.

First up is the lighthouse I am stitching for my SIL Jane. Jane and her DH have a sweet cottage on a lake in Michigan and she has decorated it in a lighthouse theme. When we visited them last year and were looking through some old cross stitch magazines we came across several lighthouse patterns and I said she could pick out one which I would stitch for her. This is the pattern she chose. I figured I would have it stitched up in no time but let me tell you - the patterns in a 1988 Just CrossStitch magazine with hand-written symbols are much harder to read than today's patterns. There certainly has been a lot of progress in our stitching world.

Usually I'm all lyrical about the wonderful journey of the stitching process but all I want now is for this journey to end. I'd say another week of stitching and back stitching should do it.

Just so I could get away from the lighthouse now and again I started a new project on March 4. This is 'The Red Lady Sampler' by Kirsten Edwards from the April 2008 issue of 'The Gift of Stitching'. Thank you so much Juls for giving me this pattern when I fell in love with it in 2008. Unlike the lighthouse this pattern is a dream to stitch. If you would like to see the painting it is based on check it out here: Mary Wright at the Metropolitan Museum.

Since I have several projects planned as soon as these are finished I probably shouldn't have bought new stash. However, I just couldn't resist. Of course (1) I really do need a new sampler to start as soon as 'Red Lady' is finished. (2) Since I love to decorate for any and every special day of the year and JoAnn Fabric gave a 50% discount on Sunset's 'America' it would have been a shame not to buy the kit. Oh yes (3) - the Marjolein Bastin pattern. Well I don't have a pattern she has designed and as a good Dutch girl I certainly need her in my stash.

Made another sweet purchase this past week but I will keep you in suspense a little longer. I am planning to make a cute little something to go along with it so stay tuned.

Wishing each and everyone of you a wonderful weekend with plenty of sunshine and fun things to do.

A Big Thank You

2010-04-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you dear Lili for letting me know that comments weren't appearing on this blog and thank you friends for your lovely comments which did not appear until now.

Now for the reason. Just prior to leaving The Netherlands I received about ten comments on various posts which were all in Chinese?/Korean? characters, interspersed with links to sex sites. I didn't have the time or energy right then to do anything about it so just set the blog on 'no comments'. Once we were settled here I allowed comments again but felt it might be a good idea to have the opportunity to approve them. Don't know why - but I figured I would get an email each time a comment was left. NOT!!! When nothing appeared I thought everyone must have felt I'd been away too long and had forgotten about me. How could I have even let that thought cross my mind? This morning after Lili wrote me about the absence of comments I investigated and found the problem. And here they are - all your wonderful comments.

A new post will be up within the next few days to show you the progress on Jane's lighthouse and the 'Red Lady Sampler'. Also, I will be paying visits very soon.

In the meantime Happy Stitching and thank you for your wonderful friendship.

hugs, Margaret

Gift from a Honey Bun!!

2010-04-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Yes you Harmien - you are a real Honey Bun to send me this wonderful Easter gift.

When we came home last Saturday there was a lovely surprise package awaiting me in our mailbox. Look at the adorable Easter pillow Harmien made me. It is so perfectly stitched and finished with tiny beads all around the edges. And look what else the package contained - a sweet card, a writing pad with a bunny who's heart is just as huge as Harmien's and Bunny Honey floss.

Harmien I LOVE it all. Thank you so very much.

To Harmien & Erik and everyone else out there

HAPPY EASTER

From L to LV

2010-03-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

'A Quaker Christmas' ByGone Stitches
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct ivory lugana
with Blue Spruce & Buckeye Scarlet Sampler Threads
and Whatley Woodlands by Crescent Colors

Yes we've moved back to Las Vegas after spending a wonderful 1 1/2 years in The Netherlands. More about that in a minute. First a stitching update.

'A Quaker Christmas' has been a very special project as it has kept me occupied through our entire move from Leidschendam back to Las Vegas. I worked on it:
- as we were making the last decisions about our move
- while the movers were packing our things in Leidschendam
- during our Christmas visit with DS in Hamburg, Germany
- during our New Years in Den Haag with DD and her DBF
- while the painters were in to repaint our home
- while waiting for our container to arrive
- after everything had been unpacked and put back in place

Every stitch placed was a joy and all the above things make this a 2009/2010 project to remember. On February 25 I stitched my initials on the piece - DONE!!!

And now our move. When we left the US in 2008 we couldn't have dreamed that we would be living here again so soon. But life sometimes takes strange turns and you have to rethink what is best for you. With the housing market in LV being what it is we didn't want to sell our home so when our tenants started having problems paying we felt is was best for us to move back into our own home here in Nevada.

The time spent in The Netherlands was wonderful. We loved being there and cherish every moment we were able to spend close to our children. We had such fun with them - this is certainly what memories are made of. It was also great to be able to see relatives and old friends again on a regular basis, as well as make new friends. Can you imagine how special it was to finally meet in person Annemarie, Barbara, Harmien and Heidi? They are great women and wonderful stitchers and what a joy it was to get to know them better.

I hope to be back soon with progress pictures of my newest project. Love it!! Stay tuned.

On its way

2009-12-10T08:00:00.001-08:00

A Christmas pinkeep is on its way to a dear friend. Hope she likes it.

'All Hearts Come Home' Hillside Samplings

stitched 1/2 & 1/1 on 32 ct teadyed evenweave with DMC floss

Harmien's Stocking

2009-12-04T05:22:00.000-08:00

Although my 'last 2009 post' was written at the end of November I can not close this year off without showing you the beautiful Christmas stocking which Harmien made for me. I love it and will always cherish it. Thank you also for the great Dutch tile cards. They will make me think of the Netherlands when we are once again far away.

Annemarie and Harmien were over yesterday for our final get-together. We had a fun time with loads of talking and yes even stitching. Harmien finished her 'Poinsettia House' which she's not quite pleased with just yet but is actually lovely. Annemarie was diligently working on a marriage sampler which she hopes to have finished by tomorrow as it is a Sinter Klaas gift. That will be a long night of stitching An - better get that coffee pot going. (LOL)

Thank you both for welcoming me in your stitching midst when we arrived here in 2008. I will miss you but know we will keep in touch and hopefully see one another again at some time in the future.

Last Post 2009

2009-11-21T06:59:00.001-08:00

Although this year still has more than a month to go, this will be my last post for 2009. The coming months will be very busy with little blogging time. When I have a chance I will certainly drop by to visit your blogs and if at all possible comment as well.

Before I leave you for 2009 I do want to share a few pictures.

At the beginning of November we flew to Las Vegas for a short visit. Thankfully we were there on a Wednesday and I was able to spend time with my stitching friends at SP. Juls had baked the most scrumptious cookies and boy how I enjoyed them and my time with all you great people.

Just before leaving home Janome & I managed to mount and frame the pieces I had stitched for the little P's. Happy to say they liked them and so did their mom and dad.

Although I only had the bottom row of the alphabet left to stitch during my Wednesday at SP I only managed 5 crosses. Yes, yes I know - I shouldn't talk so much!!

'My Lady's Quaker' by Jardin Prive
stitched 1/1 on 25 ct white lugana with DMC 315 & 223

I did manage to finish it the week we got home. What fun it is to stitch these Quakers.

Not only did I do a lot of visiting and talking, I also managed to buy some new stash.

'Happy Thanksgiving' by Shepherd's Bush

'A Quaker Christmas' by ByGone Stitches'

Brenda had recently finished hers - gorgeous and Juls is stitching her's now. I bought 25 ct ivory lugana and the colors Julie is using on hers - Sampler Threads 'Blue Spruce' and 'Buckeye Scarlet' and Crescent Colors 'Whatley Woodlands'. Of course I couldn't resist just putting a few stitches on this pretty piece last week - another 2009 start.

The third pattern will be stitched for DH to add to his wonderful nutcracker collection which we display all around our home every Christmas.

'Nutcrackers in Blue' by Imaginating.

From our home to your's:

Merry Christmas
and a
Happy and Healthy 2010.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T02:04:00.001-07:00

Witch, Witch, Where do you fly?
Under the clouds and over the sky.

Witch, Witch, What do you eat?
Little black apples from hurricane street.

Witch, Witch, What do you drink?
Vinegar and good red ink.

Witch, Witch, Where do you sleep?
Up in the clouds where the pillows are cheap.

- Anonymous -

Wishing you and yours a fun day tomorrow. HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Just a few pictures

2009-10-21T04:55:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone is well and enjoying a beautiful autumn.

It is busy around here at the moment as we are in the final stages of preparing our on-line stores for Christmas. That means many hours at the computer each day - so when evening comes I grab for my stitching or a good book and put blogging on a back burner. I do promise to visit everyone again soon and in the meantime will treat you to a few pictures.

'Dutch Beast' was completed this past week after 1 year and 5 months. What a great project this was and I love the result. I did make a few changes - included the name of the city we presently live in and changed the Fresian initials to my own. Thanks Annemarie for lending me "Letterdoeken" by Jose Sterrenburg.

'Dutch Beast' by Tracy Horner of Ink Circles
stitched 2/2 and 1/1 on 32 ct platinum lugana with DMC floss

Although my Janome is still giving me problems I have managed to sit down, relax and slowly but surely mount and frame another finished project. 'Pumpkin Patch by PS is now gracing my kitchen island.

Last but not least a progress picture of 'My Lady'

Hope to drop by and see all of you again soon.

Where has the time gone?

2009-09-30T04:06:00.001-07:00

I'm sure it was just yesterday that September was just starting and here we are - September 30. Hope you have all been keeping as pleasantly busy as I have. Here in the Netherlands September has been so lovely - little rain and plenty of sunshine.

DD and I felt we wanted a mother/daughter weekend so from the 18 - 20 we rented a cottage in a lovely wooded bungalow park on the Veluwe.

We left here Friday morning and upon arrival started our stay with a 9 km nature walk. About half way we stopped for lunch and then continued our walk/hike. Due to so much talking & laughter I think we took a few wrong turns somewhere along the way but finally wound up back where we had parked the car. I guess we have a better sense of direction than we thought. We were then able to check into our cottage and what a sweeheart it was - so cozy and comfy and so peaceful.

When we weren't out visiting places like Paleis Het Loo and Kroller-Muller Museum or biking in Park Hoge Veluwe we relaxed and enjoyed each others company, read, did some crossword puzzles, played a few board games including a new one for both of us (ever heard of Touche?), enjoyed good food and even watched 'Boer Zoekt Vrouw'. Who else here in Holland has a soft spot for Wietse?

It was Monday before we knew it and time to go home. We're already talking about where we will go next year.

My dear friend Lili knew I wanted to start a new stitching project to celebrate the weekend and that I wanted something with only one or two colors so she surprised me with 'My Lady's Quaker' by Jardin Prive. Thank you so much Lili - it was/is the perfect piece. I just loved the colors you picked for your's and am using the same - DMC 223 & 315. Hope you don't mind.

Jane's lighthouse is coming along nicely. When I first started it I was almost sorry I had offered to stitch it for her. The pattern is far from new and uses all kinds of weird look-alike symbols. I put it away for a while until we started talking about a visit there before the end of the year. The plans are not definite but I felt I'd better get at it and so far so good.

And now - 'Dutch Beast' - all completed except for the large Fresian initials. I didn't want to use the designer's grandmother's initials and have borrowed a book from Annemarie so I can put in my own. It will take a bit of planning and fiddling so I thought it best to leave this until the lighthouse is finished. 2009 has three more months and I'm still hoping to have both projects completed before the new year arrives.

Lastly a bit of framing. All those wonderful plans I had for mounting and framing one piece per week have not been working. It isn't because I haven't wanted to frame but my dear Janome is not co-operating. Perhaps I'm asking too much of him as a Sew Mini may not be strong enough for this type of stitching. My thread keeps on breaking when I'm zigzagging - and I NEED TO ZIGZAG!! The thing is that until three weeks ago I wasn't having any machine problems so of course I figured it had to be me, not Janome. I have done everything the instructions told me to do - new needles etc - but to no avail. Yesterday I just plugged away stitching by bits and pieces until it was done. It is very frustrating, especially since I'm afraid it is going to devour my fabric, but I'm pleased to be able to show you this result.

'Powell & Hyde St. Cable Car' San Francisco by Debbie Patrick
stitched in 2006 on 24 ct Aida with DMC floss

For those of you who have been following my blog from the very beginning - this is the very first cross-stitched piece I posted. Some day I must post pictures from pre-blog times.

Today autumn seems to have arrived - the sky is grey and it is drizzling on and off. Great weather for indoor activities. Perhaps more framing? Or maybe just some work on the lighthouse.

Happy Stitching!!

Working on dreams

2009-09-01T23:51:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to show you that I have been working on those dreams of mine.

'Romantic Reflections II' was a Christmas 2008 gift from my friend Berta. Although she couldn't know that I love stitching mandalas and adore the wine country of California (particularly Sonoma County) she picked the perfect gift for me - what a fun stitch. I picked up a frame at Zenos that already had a mat. Since both frame and mat were a stark white I decided to paint the mat and after layering three different colors felt it was perfect. Thank you again for this lovely kit Berta.

Romantic Reflections II

For those of you who know me well the frame chosen for 'Birds and Hearts' will come as quite a surprise. Although the picture may not show it properly - the frame is DISTRESSED. Now this is not the type of frame I would normally choose but while walking past our local Marskramer I discovered this frame on sale for 2 euros (down from 14.95) and just couldn't resist the good deal. I figured I would just paint it and it would be ideal for something in my 'to be framed' pile. Once I got home and went through the stitched pieces I discovered that the frame in its distressed state would be perfect for 'Birds and Hearts'.

'Birds and Hearts'

Last but not least an update picture of 'Dutch Beast'. It is coming right along and I am enjoying every stitch.

'Dutch Beast'

Hope everyone is enjoying a good week. Happy stitching.

I have a dream

2009-08-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

Actually I have several stitching dreams.

Dream 1
To mount and frame all the finished stitching which is currently patiently awaiting attention on a table in my home office. They have been placed there so that I will see them every day and feel guilty if I don't do something about them. There are 18 pieces left to be framed and I have bought 6 of the required frames. My plan is to frame one piece per week until they are all done.

Last week I still had 20 finished pieces but managed to frame two. These were both stitched in 2007.

'Mooning' Silly Snobs Designs from Imaginating, Inc.

'Easter Parade' Blackbird Designs

Dream 2
To finishing stitching my two WIPs by the end of 2009. These two designs are great to stitch side by side as when I get sick of all changing colors on the lighthouse I can pick up DB and relax.

Since the lighthouse is for my SIL and she will frame it herself I may be starting 2010 with only one piece to frame.

''Dutch Beast' Ink Circles
picture taken in June and have made some progress since

'Eagle Bluff Lighthouse' Brigitte Kozma

Dream 3
Along with Heidi continue with HarmAn projects. Although it is a good feeling to be able to start a project just for the sake of a new start I'm afraid that thus far Heidi and I are having a problem with not finishing each project ASAP.

My first HarmAn was started on August 1 and completed on August 12.

'Gingerbread House' Country Cottage Needleworks

My second HarmAn was going to be 'Second Story' but since I came up with these stitching dreams I decided that I'd better stick to something smaller.

'All Hearts Come Home' Hillside Samplings

Dream 4
From now on finish-finish each piece as soon as it has been stitched so that a new pile does not appear on my table.

Am I only dreaming?

Pictures of Gifts

2009-08-13T04:09:00.001-07:00

For my 6oth birthday last year my dear friend Lili sent me a gift certificate from Stitching Bits and Bobs. Lili knows how very happy I was with this wonderful gift but due to the move last summer I never got around to showing it to the world. I was just like a kid in a candy store and had such fun picking out patterns which are going to have a very special place on my Halloween & Christmas walls. You know I love them Lili - Thank you!!

From left to right:
- 'Grimm, Glum and Gloom on Halloween' Glendon Place
- 'Skeleton Crew' The Cricket Collection
- 'The Second Story' The Cricket Collection
- 'Santa's Workshop' Jim Shore

'The Second Story' is all set to be started on 28 ct Bluebell Jobelan. Rather than stitch the two parts separately I will stitch them on one piece of fabric and then decide whether to make it into a bell-pull or framed piece. Since the next HarmAn Day (a day when you are allowed to start a new project without feeling guilty about all your other WIPs) is this coming Friday I am planning to put the first few stitches on this piece then.

And now pictures of a few stitchy gifts I have made lately.

The first is a Halloween pillow for our pumpkin/kitty friend Annemarie which I made as a hostess gift for her for our recent Sip 'n Stitch. As always, this get-together was such fun and yes we truly did get around to stitching as well as doting on little Pantoef, gabbing, eating and laughing.

You may or may not remember that after I made my first pinkeep last December I had a draw for three pinkeeps to be made by me in 2009. They were mailed last week so I can now show them to the world. I know two have arrived at their destination and I hope the third arrives shortly too.

For Lil' Swee' P

2009-07-26T02:42:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished stitching 'By the Sea' for sweet little P. With all the quarter stitches required this project took a bit longer than I had originally planned (worked on it on and off for 16 months).

'By the Sea' part of the Collector's Series

from the February 2003 edition of Cross Stitch

stitched 2/2 on 28 ct ecru lugana with DMC floss

Oh my goodness - now I only have two WIPs. Is this truly possible? Decisions! Decisions! Do I keep it at two and try and get SIL's lighthouse finished by Christmas or do I start a new piece during our Sip 'n Stitch at Annemarie's this coming Tuesday? That would mean I could start a Christmas piece for myself. Must give this some thought.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

The Red Witch

2009-07-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

Although you may remember seeing 'The Red Witch' on my blog previously (2006) I didn't get around to framing her until yesterday and feel she deserves another viewing. Be sure to click on the picture to see her in all her glory.

'The Red Witch' by Mosey 'n Me
stitched on teadyed evenweave with DMC floss

Hope to have another framed piece to show you shortly.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Pictures of projects

2009-07-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

Well at least I'm not waiting as long between posts as last time. Of course with pictures to show you I just couldn't resist.

My first finish today is a gift for a little friend who adores anything that moves.

This design was adapted from the Jan/Feb 1990 edition of Cross Stitch & Country Crafts which my SIL was kind enough to give me when we were in Michigan in May. It is stitched on 14 ct antique white Aida with DMC floss. A real fun project.

Also finished today - 'Scary Scraps' - the SAL with Juls and Brenda. I saw this piece for the first time when Martha brought it into Stitcher's Paradise the day she was taking it to the framer. I thought this little guy was so cute and fell in love with the Twisted Peppermint Pink overdyed linen she had stitched on so immediately ordered the lot. What a fun SAL this was ladies - thank you!!

'Scary Scraps - the Mummy'
stitched 2/2 on 30 ct Twisted Peppermint Pink OD linen
with DMC, Needle Necessities & Rainbow Gallery threads

Now that I'm down to two WIPs it is time to start a new project (how can I resist?). I promised my SIL in Michigan that I would stitch the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse by the artist/designer Brigitte Kozma for their cottage at Wolf Lake. Lighthouses are the main theme in their cottage. The pattern was printed in the Jan/Feb 1988 issue of Just Cross Stitching which she gave me. Once again I'll be stitching on 14 ct Aida since I have a piece which is not only the right size but also the right color.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and relaxing and stitching as much as possible.

Three SALs and some Sippen & Stitchen

2009-06-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

If anyone is still taking the time to visit me after such a long absence - it is good to see you.

The past months have just been very hectic with various trips to the US from March through the beginning of May. In between it was catching up around here and of course enjoying life in general with DH and visits with our kids, relatives & friends. Many evenings were spent just relaxing with either a stitching project or a good book. I did manage to visit you now and again but never got around to posting myself. Anyway - here I am.

Let's start with the SALs. A year ago Berta, Felicity and I started our "Four Seasons Chairs" SAL. You may remember these wonderful women from my experience with "Frederick the Literate" - which I would have never completed without them. Again SALing was great and I am pleased to show you a year's work. Yes indeedy - my SAL is complete. Can you believe it? I've already purchased the frames and now only need the right vibes to actually mount & frame them. Thank you so much ladies - I hope we can SAL again.

The next SAL is our Halloween friend 'Scary Scraps'. Love! Love! Love him! Brenda, Juls and I are working on him but have no set finishing date - just a joyful journey. Scrappy is such fun to work on that when we first started I had a hard time putting him away. He also accompanied me on our trips and I must say is a wonderful traveling project. When we arrived home in May I finally put him away for awhile so that I could concentrate on some other things.

Finally my brand spanking new SAL with Annemarie and Heidi and - Mary Wigham. Please visit this site as the pattern is simply amazing. The three of us are all using different colors so it will be very interesting to see them side by side as we progress. Harmien & Heidi helped me toss my floss last Saturday (more about that day further down in the post) and this is what I finally decided on. For the first time I will attempt stitching 1/2 over 1 on 28 ct (yes Adele I'm finalling taking the plunge) antique white Monaco evenweave. The DMC colors I'll be using are: 333, 340, 905, 906, 907, 975, 976, 977, 3805 and 3806. Playing with these bright colors on my own is certainly out of my comfort zone but I think I'm up to the challenge.

...and some Sippin 'n Stitchin.

Last Saturday we had our SnS get-together at Harmien's. It was a perfect day - the sun was shining and the company was great. There were only three of us (hopefully there will be five of us next month - we missed you Annemarie & Barbara) but boy there wasn't a minute in the day where a moment of silence occured. Excuse me - yes there was - while we were eating Harmien's delicious chocolate cake and the Broodjes Mario we managed to dim it a bit.(LOL) It was such fun to see Harmien's house, meet her DH and kitty Kisse as well as see all the wonderful things she has stitched.

Since Harmien is always so creative I just had to get a little creative myself when making her a gift. I painted the box (purchased at Michaels) with Metallic Bronze paint. The stitching is a 2005 freebie from Aion Designs. I stitched it 1/1 on 25 ct creme lugana with Gloriana Red Clay silk (so lovely to stitch with - thanks An). Last Wednesday the stitching was complete and I was ready to mount and insert it in the box's window. That was when I made a horrible mistake - I cut it TOOOOOO small. Actually I stayed pretty calm, cool & collected (must be getting old) - no tantrums, no crying, no throwing. I just put it away for the day knowing that within 48 hours it would have to be re-stitched between cleaning house, shopping and cooking for dinner guests Friday evening. Just before our company arrived the stitching was complete and after they left at 10:30 pm and DH & I had done the dishes I mounted the sampler and viola - here is the finished product. I'm pretty pleased with the result and happy Harmien liked it. No I didn't throw the original stitching away - it will make a pretty fob.

Well folks, that's it for today. Hope your first day of summer (or whatever season this may have been the first day of for you) was as good as our's and a good indication of the coming three months.

Pumpkins in March

2009-03-30T00:47:00.000-07:00

While others are planting their pumpkin seeds for harvesting in the fall I have managed to produce pumpkins in March. I must be a creative gardener!(LOL)

'Pumpkin Patch' by Prairie Schooler
stitched 2/2 & 1/2 on 32 ct platinum lugana
with the suggested DMC floss">

In preparation for our trip to the US I started this project on March 6 (yes friends 2009) and had completed the small design in the top left hand corner as well as the top border before leaving home.

As all of my SP friends know I spent my Wednesday stitching hours gabbing and probably managed to stitch about five letters all day. After leaving Las Vegas I did manage to stitch a wee bit more.

Since the pattern requires only full stitches and is small enough to handle in small spaces I decided that this would be my travel piece and once we got home I put it away. However, I kept on thinking about it and how I really wanted to keep on stitching on this fun piece and within the next few days I picked it up again. My goodness - cross-stitching is my hobby (or should I say obsession?) and I should be stitching what I want, when I want. Don't you agree?

This past Saturday evening I put in the last stitch and I feel very satisfied with the finished piece.

I made one small change and that is one I would certainly advise anyone still starting this pattern to make. Rather than stitch the earth at the bottom of the pattern 2/2 I opted for 1/2 which makes the pumpkins a little more prominent.

Have a good week everyone and stay tuned as my next finish should be coming up within the week.

Thank you Alberta!!

2009-03-28T01:59:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful surprise to be awarded the Kreativ Blogger Award by my friend and SAL buddy Alberta. Thank you so much Berta - I feel honored.

The award guideline stipulates that I must now pass this award on to eight others.

As you can see in my sidebar I follow many wonderful and creative blogs. Actually you all deserve this award and I just don't know how I will be able to choose only eight of you. As this is a global community I have tried to pick people from different parts of the world. Here goes.

It is my extreme pleasure to pass the Kreativ Blogger Award on to:

Heidi
Helen
Juls
Karin
Lili
Lillie
Melissa
Wendy

The rules are as follows:

1. Copy the Kreativ Blogger Award on your blog.

2. Create a link to the blogger who has nominated you.

3. Nominate 8 other bloggers.

4. Create a link to these bloggers on your blog.

5. Leave a comment on their blog advising them that you have sent them an award.

Dutch Beast visits Las Vegas

2009-03-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

They say that the older one gets the faster time flies by but this is just ridiculous - my last post was was written nearly two months ago!!! The time has been well spent though - enjoying our children and catching up with old friends.

I've also done some stitching - concentrating mainly on 'Dutch Beast' by Ink Circles which I received from DH last year for my birthday.

This is such a great pattern and so much fun to stitch. The small designs on a sampler give a wonderful quick finishing satisfaction without the problem of finish/finishing each one. I have a looooooong way to go but as of today this is what it looks like.

Early this month DH attended a conference in Las Vegas and this 'Dutch Beast' (LOL) got to go along. We stayed next door to our own house which was rather strange but on the other hand it was great to see that our tenants are taking good care of our house.

Luckily one of the conference days was on a Wednesday, which is stitching day at Stitcher's Paradise, and it was so wonderful to see everyone again and even meet some new stitchers. They are such a great bunch of women and were so welcoming for this long lost stitching buddy.

Before 8:00 am B picked me up and after driving her granddaughter to school we stopped for coffee before the stitching day began. Brenda had offered to make my lunch and anyone who knows her will be jealous of the yummy salad from B's Deli. It was soooo good.

To celebrate all the wonderful times we have spent eating and chatting together I stitched a pattern from 'Dutch Beast' for her and made it into a scissor fob. Here we are eating pizza and drinking wine.

Then it was on to stitching and chatting. I had brought along 'Pumpkin Patch' by Prairie Schooler to stitch so I wouldn't have to spend my time counting rather than talking. I'll show my progress in a future post. To celebrate the March birthdays and my visit Jul's had made a delicious raisin cake from her grandmother's recipe - thanks Julie, is there any cake you can't bake to perfection?

At the end of the stitching day I went home with Adele and had a wonderful visit with her and her husband. I have never met anyone who stitches like Adele and it was so great to see her latest finishes which she also mats and frames - beautiful!!! DH picked me up there after the convention and the four of us spent some more time visiting.

When Adele and I first discovered 'Dutch Beast' we got such a kick out of Don Quixote fighting the windmill and laughed out loud at the bird pooping on his head. You guessed it, I stitched it for her to celebrate our friendship and finished it into a pinkeep.

Both pieces are stitched 1/1 on 25 ct lugana with DMC floss. They were such fun to stitch and I am so very happy that both of these dear friends liked what I stitched for them.

18th Century Birds

2009-01-27T06:49:00.001-08:00

Last week I spent every day at the computer getting all the bookkeeping finalized so that it could be sent to the accountant for her reports. Although I love bookkeeping and the wonderful feeling it gives when everything falls into place and balances (a bit like stitching a Mandela), at this time of year it is always great to know it's done (and correct of course). My goal was to have it sent out by the end of last week and lo and behold at 5:30 pm Friday my mission was accomplished.

In order to do some relaxing stitching during the evenings I picked up a WIP that I was stitching in one color.

Last year when I was looking through some of my old cross stitch magazines I came across this pattern. I can't remember that it caught my eye as something special in 1983, yet now I found I wanted to stitch it. The magazine does not give a name for the pattern nor does it mention the name of the designer.

Rather than stitch it in the colors suggested I decided to use just one color and here is the result.

18th Century Birds (sounds appropriate)
from the April 1983 issue of 'Handwerken met Steek'
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct 18th Century Red linen
with DMC 3865

The finished piece is approximtely 5 1/2 x 6 inches (13 1/2 x 14 1/2 cm) and rather than make it into a book cover as suggested in 'Steek' I'm looking for a pretty box so I can use it to decorate the lid.

Today the rest of my floss arrived for my 01/01/09 start. Recently I checked the re-stitched area and believe it or not - I did is correctly. Next weekend I'll put the floss onto the bobbins and then pull everything I need so that it's all ready to work on.

In the meantime I could pull out another WIP but first I have a small project I really want to stitch. It is a San-Man original - 'Grin & Share It'. Absolutely adorable and a quick stitch.

"G" is for Gorgeous and ...

2009-01-21T02:26:00.000-08:00

...GREEN!!!!

Introducing my first finish of 2009 - 'The Wicked Witch of the West'

Most of you will remember her from 'The Wizard of Oz' and many of you from Gregory Maguire's 'Wicked'. Wherever you know her from I'm sure you will remember having a soft spot for Elphaba.

When I visted Juls' home for the first time I saw this beauty gracing one of the walls and it was love at first site. I stitched Elphaba 2/2 on 28 ct overydyed (Carnival I believe) lugana. Thank you for the introduction Juls - she was such a fun project and I am so pleased with the result.

WWW was the last of my Halloween WIPs and I wanted to get her finished early in the year as Brenda, Juls, Martha and I are planning a new Halloween SAL starting 04/01/09.

Meet 'Scraps' I already have the suggested fabric - 30 ct Twisted Peppermint Pink overdyed linen and will be tossing my floss soon to make sure I have all the colors needed. This is going to be another fun project and I can hardly wait to start.

In the meantime I hope to finish a few more WIPs started in 2008 and perhaps even start something new. Since I have a few kits which will be stitched on Aida I thought one of these might be a great project for the final dark winter days. Will let you know what I decide.

One last thing before I make some lunch and get back to my bookkeeping - if you are an avid reader and haven't read Elizabeth Kostova's 'The Historian' do so. I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

First 2009 starts

2009-01-04T10:12:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year. I hope everyone's year got off to a good start and that 2009 will bring many good things your way.

It is exciting to see what everyone 'started' on 01/01. Every time I see a new design I think of how much fun we are all going to have this stitching year.

Personally I decided to combine my 01/01 start with the Me, Myself & I Neighborhood Round Robin I had signed up for. I chose a pattern which I received from my friend Mary last year and which has been calling me ever since. Here is 'Hometown Holiday' by Stoney Creek which I am stitching 2/2 on 28 ct overdyed 'Bluebell' lugana with DMC floss.

Enthusiastically I started stitching on New Years Day and after about 15 stitches frogged and restarted (just as enthusiastically actually). However 1 1/2 hours and many starts later my good feelings started to wane a bit. With about 25 stitches in place (I think!!) I put it away for the day.

Since I am waiting for some of the floss to arrive I've decided to let it rest for the moment and am now concentrating mainly on 'Wicked Witch of the West'. Stay tuned - I'll post a progress picture of her shortly.

This morning I decided I really wanted to start the kit I received from Berta for Christmas. I love stitching mandelas and this one is so cute.

The fabric is 28 ct 'French Lace' linen and the floss is also linen. I thought stitching with linen would be very difficult but so far so good. There is also gold & copper braid to be stitched with and pretty beads & a charm to finish it off. Although I just wanted to keep on stitching I decided to put it away till next Sunday so I can prolong the fun of stitching this piece a bit.

The clock just struck 8:00 pm so I'm going to put the coffemaker on and pull out WWW.

33 1/4

2008-12-30T05:56:00.000-08:00

This afternoon at 2:45 pm with 33 hours and 15 minutes left in 2008 I placed the last stitch on 'Autumn In My Garden'.

'Autumn in My Garden' by Nora Corbett
stitched 2/2 with face stitched 1/2 over 1
on 32 ct platinum Lugana with DMC floss

This project, which was started in June 2007 as a SAL with my friend B (Brenda finished her's that autumn), took much longer to finish than I had initially thought - not because I didn't find it enjoyable but because other newer projects got in the way.

Finally here she is - I'm so pleased with the result. Stitching the face 1/2 over 1 gives her such a delicate look.

Wishing you and yours a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a happy & healthy 2009.

The Joy That Christmas Brings

2008-12-23T04:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your friendship
You're a special joy to me;
Of all the gifts one might receive,
More special, none other could be.

The best gift of all was the first.
We all know this to be true.
And this year I've made a promise
To say "Thank You"
for this gift, and for You.

Your friendship is a blessing,
for which I'm truly thankful !

I wish for you the Joy
that only Christmas can bring.

- author unknown -

love, Margaret

Lovely Gifts and Pretty Finishes

2008-12-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day with the arrival of our son for the Christmas holidays and two (yes you read that right - two) finishes. More about those at the end of this post.

It is so good to have DS home and he, DH & I went out to one of our favorite Chinese (Indonesian) restaurants for dinner this evening. Now the men are busy catching up but I told them I just had to get this written before I sit down for a glass of wine.

The past few weeks have flown by and the gifty post I wanted to write last weekend was postponed until today. I simply must share the lovely gifts I've received with you.

Just look at this adorable box and the lovely handmade card which Alison
made for me. I love stitched houses and this one is so perfectly made!! I've already given it a special place in my office/hobby room. Thank you so very much Alison.

Our Sip 'n Stitch on December 13 was great fun and it was so good to see Annemarie & Harmien again. We probably didn't get as much stitching done as we had planned but oh well the word 'Sip' does appear before the word 'Stitch' which must mean it is the most important element of these days right?

Not only did they bring their stitching, friendship and laughter - they also came bearing wonderful gifts.

This pretty Mary Garry ornament was stitched by Harmien Isn't it great? It is my first ever Mary Garry. She also gave me the cutest little brown bag filled with all kinds of pretty finishing fabrics. I've already put one aside to finish my first pinkeep for the 2009 draw (yup it's already stitched - loved the pattern so much I just couldn't resist a small project). Below you can see the great fabric Harmien's used for the back of the ornament.

Annemarie gave me my first ever Gloriana French silk. It is a lovely Red Clay color and I feels wonderful. I can hardly wait to start stitching with it. She also gave me these pretty plaid fat quarters from Quiltshop 'Leur'. Now who can resist quilting when they've received such pretty fabric.

Thank you both so for making this such a fun day and bringing me these wonderful gifts.

And now for a few finishes.

'Four Season Chairs' - Summer
stitched 2/2 on 28 ct antique white evenweave
finished September 21, 2008

'Four Season Chairs' - Autumn
stitched 2/2 on 28 ct antique white evenweave
finished December 21, 2008

'The Poppy Lady'
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct opalescent lugana
finished December 21, 2008

'Pin' Winners

2008-12-14T00:47:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for entering my very first draw. It was so wonderful to see each new name appear and I was thrilled that 22 of you entered.

Yesterday Annemarie & Harmien were here for Sip 'n Stitch (more about that next time) and were kind enough to draw the three winning names. They are:

Staci - Snippets and Stash

Heidi - Needle Necessities

Diane - Ladybug & Bear

Ladies please email your snail mail address to me at stitchornostitchatyahoodotcom. Then the waiting game starts for you!! Remember I have until December 1, 2009 to get your Christmas pinkeep to you though I must admit I was so enthusiastic that I've already started stitching the first one.

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend. I'm off for some serious stitching.

Arrived!!!

2008-12-06T06:41:00.001-08:00

Yes my friends - our car has finally arrived!!! Yesterday DH left the house shortly before 7:00 a.m. to take the train to Roosendaal which is where the car had been cleared through customs. From there it was all the way back here to the dealer to check and make sure everything on the car was in order according to European standards (it's a Swedish car but with it coming from the US now these things need to be checked). Then on to more car checks & paperwork and finally at 3:30 pm he drove up to the house. Our Dutch license plates should arrive by the end of next week. What a great feeling to have your own car parked in front of the house again after 4 months.

As if that wasn't wonderful enough - today I received a package in the mail from my dear SAL friend Alberta. Not only did she send me a beautiful handmade card, a great picture of her & her DH & grandsons and a warm and heartfelt letter but she also included the most adorable cross stitch kit complete with a grapes charm. It is called 'Romantic Reflection 11' and designed by A Kats Eye View Needlework Designs. Now how could you have known that I love wine and the Sonoma Valley vineyards? Thank you so much for this lovely gift Berta. I can hardly wait to start stitching.

And here is the pincushion which has arrived at Alison's. Her new blog certainly needed a little something in celebration and I was lucky enough to come across the perfect pattern for her.

Pattern is freebie from Chaosatlanta
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct platinum lugana with DMC floss

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend everyone.

Christmas Stitching 2008 is finished

2008-12-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

And here they are - the last of my 2008 Christmas projects. Christmas stitching is always such fun that I almost feel like starting another one. However, I think I'll restrain myself and work on WIP's instead. Before you know it 01/01/09 will arrive and it will be time for a new start - yup a new Christmas piece.

These bookmarks were a fun and quick stitch and no finish-finishing!!

adapted from 'Gingham Christmas' by Just Nan

'Christmas Tree' by Scandinavian Stitches
from 2007 JCS Christmas Ornaments

And here is the grand Christmas finale for 2008. This was stitched for a dear friend who doesn't have a Christmas fob. Hope she likes it as I loved stitching it for her.

'Cranberry Christmas' by Prairie Schooler, Inc.
from 2007 JCS Christmas Ornaments
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct platinum evenweave

There really is some more pre-Christmas work to be done as three (oops - make that four) Christmas pieces which I stitched in 2007 still haven't been framed. It would be so nice to have them on our Christmas wall this year. But as Scarlett O'Hara would say "I'll think about that tomorrow". Now I'm headed to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on a yummy spaghetti dinner. Then tonight - feet up, a cup of coffee at my side and STITCHING!!

Win a Pin

2008-11-30T03:52:00.000-08:00

For the past year I have been admiring all the lovely pinkeeps which keep appearing on various sites. I read and re-read Vonna's instructions and still I didn't have the courage to actually make one myself.

After receiving the lovely 'Blessed Be' pinkeep from Harmien I just knew I had to attempt it and make my very first pinkeep for her. As always the stitching was great fun - but then came the hard part - finishing!!! Back to The Twisted Stitcher Tutorials which are fabulous and everyone should check out. But still I didn't feel self-assured enough to attempt it so I emailed the non-suspecting Harmien who gave me some additional practical & moral support and voila - MY FIRST PINKEEP.

'Winter Joy' by the Little by Little Design Co.
from JCS 2006 Christmas Ornaments
stitched 1/2 on 32 ct platinum Lugana with DMC floss

Now that I have my first pinkeep under my belt I want to do something else I have spotted on many blogs - a draw for a bit of personal stitching.

During 2009 I will stitch and finish three Christmas pinkeeps to send out. If you are interested in receiving one let me know in the comments section of this post on or before December 12.

On December 13 I will have three names drawn and will post them that evening. Remember these are for Christmas 2009 - you will receive your pinkeep sometime before December 2009.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T01:51:00.001-08:00

It's the time of year when we're reminded to give thanks.
Instead of waiting until next year to be reminded,
Let's make every day one of thanksgiving;
After all, each day is a unique gift.
So, give a hug for no reason;
Say I love you, just because;
Share a smile with a stranger;
Take the time to count your blessings;
Don't take anything or anyone for granted;
And end each day with no regrets.
Thank you, my friends and family,
For sharing, caring, laughing and crying with me.
I'm truly blessed to have each and every one of you in my life
And I am thankful you have allowed me
To be a part of yours.
May you and yours have a safe and memorable Thanksgiving.

- Author Unknown -

Welcome back Alison!!!

2008-11-16T02:21:00.000-08:00

The Crafty Squirrel

What a wonderful surprise this past week - Alison is back!

You will remember her from her previous blog 'Ali B Creations'. Alison has had a very busy time and hasn't blogged since late last year.

But she's back with a brand new blog (click link under picture). There you will find an update of what she's been up to and new crafty news. Be sure to visit her to welcome her back among us.

WELCOME BACK ALISON!!!

hugs, Margaret

Happiness is ..........

2008-11-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

.... attending Annemarie's birthday Sip 'n Stitch

Thank you for a wonderful day Annemarie. It was so special to be part of this wonderful celebration and once again spend a day with an amazing bunch of women. I'm so glad you like your gift. This was actually the very first CCN I ever stitched and it is a piece I framed myself. There are some more of these fun patterns in my stash just waiting to be stitched.

'The Tea Room' Country Cottage Needleworks
stitched 1/1 with DMC on 25 ct evenweave

.... finishing my first three Christmas gifts

from 'Gingham Christmas' by Just Nan
stitched with DMC on guest towel

'Joy, Peace, Love Blocks' from Stoney Creek 'A Christmas to Remember'
stitched with DMC and made into a bookmark

Christmas freebie from Creative World DMC
stitched on guest towel with Gentle Arts 'Mistletoe' which I received from a friend 2007

..... the fact that my next Christmas project is nearly finished

..... having two more Christmas projects planned

..... knowing the Sip 'n Stitch ladies will be here on December 13

This Says It All

2008-11-12T01:58:00.000-08:00

'Salon de Paris' Itzchak Tarkay

Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

BUT.........
Sisters are there,
no matter how much time and how
many miles are between you.
A girl friend is never farther away
than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life
will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,
praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the
valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk
beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,
daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended
family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and
neither would I. When we began this adventure called
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still.

Pass this on (thank you Juls)
to all the women who help make your life meaningful.
I just did.

Short and very sweet:
There are more than twenty angels in this world.
Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds.
Nine are playing.
And one is reading my blog at this moment.

Send this message to your friends
someone you love will surprise you.

Angel Ornaments

Happy Halloween

2008-10-30T02:47:00.000-07:00

With Halloween just one day away it certainly is time to drop by and 'witch' you all a fun day tomorrow.

When we left The Netherlands eight years ago very little attention was paid here to this fun day. Now I'm happy to report I see more decorated houses and from the neighborhood notice we received yesterday the Dutch children will be getting dressed for the occassion and out collecting treats. I wonder if any of them will have discovered the Sarah Palin look? (LOL)

We are settled in to our house and it once again feels like home. Now it's just a matter of our car arriving. I would imagine it has left China by now as it is supposed to arrive in Rotterdam on November 13. After that another five days or so to get it through customs and we will once again have our own wheels. Thank goodness public transportation is excellent in The Netherlands and we only have a short walk to tram, bus & train. On top of that we live about a five minute walk from a shopping center that has everything we need.

Harmien http://xstitch-nl.blogspot.com/ has spoiled me with this lovely housewarming gift which is now proudly displayed on our autumn table. Isn't it adorable and my goodness she is such a wonderful stitcher!! She also sent me sweet autumn notes which I of course immediately used. Thank you so much Harmien, I love your gift. I hope you don't mind the fact that I stole your picture.

There are other pictures I really want to share with you but they will have to wait until my next post. Now that we are all settled in that shouldn't take too long.

Saturday we'll be Sipping & Stitching at Annemarie's http://www.ortsandends.blogspot.com/ as well as celebrating her birthday. It is going to be such a fun day and Harmien, Barbara http://mainelystitching.wordpress.com/ and I will start our celebrations early as we are traveling together part of the way.

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween with lots of goodies.

Living in the land of tulips

2008-09-24T07:45:00.001-07:00

Dear friends,

September has almost come and gone and still I haven't written the post I promised when I left you in June. During the past months I have thought of you all frequently and truly meant to write but life just got in the way.

As some of you know DH and I have made a big move in the past few months. For those of you who were not aware of it - after living in the US for eight years we have moved back to Europe. There are a number of reasons for the move the biggest of which is the fact that our children live here and we missed them very much.

Two years ago we decided that we wanted to leave Las Vegas so we put our house on the market. That was the beginning of the housing slump and our house did not sell. This year we finally decided get a property manager who could find us a tenant for a few years, hoping that the market will improve during that time. Luckily a tenant was quickly found and they wanted to move in on August 1. In the meantime we were able to rent a home here which was also available on August 1. Now you are all thinking - well isn't that lovely - finally everything is falling into place for Margaret and her DH. I'm sorry to report that nothing could be further from the truth.

We arrived in The Netherlands on August 1 and received the keys to the house. Of course we knew that it would take until the beginning of September for our furniture and car to arrive but hey we aren't afraid of a little adventure. Along with our clothes we'd brought along bedding, plenty of towels etc and borrowed a few bits of furniture left and right from family & friends.

Our camping experience started on August 3 and has now lasted nearly two months. At first the container missed the ship in Long Beach and had to be re-routed to Los Angeles and thus left later than originally planned. From LA it was shipped through the Panama Canal to the Dominican Republic where it was supposed to be transfered to a ship heading for Rotterdam. Are some of you starting to realize what happened next? Our container was waiting for the ship to Rotterdam when hurricanes hit the DR. Ships did not enter the port there for the duration. The last we heard is that our container left the Dominican Republic at 3:00 am a week ago today and will be arriving in Rotterdam at the end of this week. It then has to be cleared through customs and will hopefully arrive in front of our house next Thursday. Oh, by the way - we were informed last week that our car still had not left the US. It was being shipped in a different container along with three other cars headed here. They had planned to ship via Houston, Texas - which was of course hit by HURRICANES - and the car had to be re-routed. Hopefully we will hear tomorrow when we may expect it.

Now this all sounds like some weird story that I've invented to amuse you. However, let me assure you it is the honest truth.

But I must tell you about the bright spots in these past two months. It is wonderful being close to DS & DD. We were able to spend a fun long weekend in Hamburg with DS and being in the same time zone just makes it so easy to call one another any time we want. DD & her DBF live in The Haag and we see her every week which is such a joy. Last night we had dinner at their house - delicious & fun. The very special part about being so close is that when you say goodbye after a visit you know you will/can see each other again shortly.

Being close to other relatives and longtime friends is also a plus and we are thoroughly enjoying that part of life here too.

And then there are the new friends!!!!!!!!!!!! Last week Saturday I spent an amazing day at Barbara's http://mainelystitching.wordpress.com/ along with Annemarie http://www.ortsandends.blogspot.com/ Harmien http://xstitch-nl.blogspot.com/ and Rachel http://acaliforniagirlingermany.blogspot.com/ Many of you have met them on line but let me tell you they are even nicer in person. We had such a fun time and Barbara provided such a yummy lunch. Everyone should get her recipe for potato-garlic soup - you have never tasted anything like it. Thank you so much ladies for inviting me in your midst and Barbara thank you for your wonderful hospitality. I'm so looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

Oh yes - I have been stitching but won't be able to show you a picture until our things are here. I have finished the summer and autumn chairs of our 'Seasonal Chairs' SAL and hope to finish winter before the container arrives. After that I'll put it away for a while and SAL the last chair with Bliss and Berta. I've also signed up for the Me, myself & I RR http://memyselfandirrs.blogspot.com/ which Vonna has been kind enough to set up. This is going to be a great new adventure.

A final note to my SP Wednesday stitching friends - I miss you all and the good times we had together. Although I may be far away I think of you all very often.

See You In September

2008-06-27T16:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I won't be blogging the coming months. Starting tomorrow our life is going to be very hectic for quite some time. Computer time will be very limited but I will certainly drop by to visit you when I can.

'Seasonal Chairs' Janlynn Corporation

Of course I won't allow myself to be completely away from stitching. On the first day of summer Berta, Bliss and I started on a new SAL. We hope to stitch each season as it comes. It just dawned on me that Bliss who lives in Australia may be working on a different season than Berta and I. What do you think Bliss?

Whichever season it is in your part of the world - ENJOY!!!

See you in September.

Presenting Frederick

2008-06-12T18:33:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday June 10 at 10:15 pm PT I finished the final stitch on Frederick. Oh my goodness - can you imagine - FINISHED!!! When someone asked me at SP on Wednesday how it felt I told them that it was just like the first day of school vacation - you have been waiting for so long for the day to come and then when it arrives you can't quite fathom the freedom you feel.

Frederick and I have been on a long journey together and although I loved him the entire time I must admit I often wished I had never met him. The first picture I have of this project was taken on December 11, 2006. At that time the top of the bookcase and the first three books on the top shelf were complete which means I must have been working on it for a while.

But all of that no longer matters - he's finished and I am happy and proud of him. If by some chance you have realized that Frederick does not have whiskers I want to assure you that he will have them. They will be a part of the mounting process in order to make sure they are nice and tight.

Thank you Bliss http://blissxstitches.blogspot.com/ and Berta http://busyhandshappyheart.blogspot.com/ for SALing with me and my friends at Stitcher's Paradise for caring about Frederick and motivating me to finish this project. Without all of you Frederick would still be a WIP.

Jane Austen luncheon

2008-06-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday 5 June 2008

To: Brenda, Juls, Martha, Pat and Margaret

Re: Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility Luncheon

Dear Friends,

How exciting that we are finally meeting for our long planned luncheon.

I look forward to seeing you all at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday 10 June 2008 at one of my favorite restaurants -The Cheesecake Factory in Boca Park.

Kindest regards,

Jane

Note: Thank you to http://www.jasa.net.au/jabiog.htm for my portrait

The Poppy Lady

2008-05-11T10:28:00.001-07:00

It is Sunday morning and since we are leaving for a short trip to Holland this coming week I thought I would let all of you know what I will be taking along to stitch during the loooooong flight.

The last time we were in Europe was 1 1/2 years ago (DD was here last November and DS this past Christmas) so you can imagine how excited we are. Of course we are looking forward to seeing other relatives and friends again too. DS will be flying in for the weekend so we get to have our whole family together for a few days.

Without further ado, here she is - Walter Crane's 'The Poppy Lady'.

'The Poppy Lady is warm and sensuous, representing the hot colours of a midsummer cornfield and hinting at lazy afternoons dreaming in the sun. Morpheus, bringer of dreams, is symbolized by the poppy.'

Oh how I wish you could see the wonderfully vibrant colors of this piece. Once again I am stitching 1/2 on 32 ct white opalescent lugana (my favorite fabric at the moment).

And here is the wonderful book which the pattern comes from.

DS and I are both big Jugendstil fans and last year for my birthday I received this great book of patterns from him. Right from the start I knew that 'The Poppy Lady' would be the first design I would stitch from this book. After starting it I also know that 'The Daffodil Lady' and 'The Anemone Lady' will not be far behind.

Also coming along on the trip is 'Sense and Sensibility' which we are currently reading for our RAL. I am looking forward to finishing it by the time we come home so that we can go out for our S&S lunch.

Before I sign off I want to wish Juls http://afairyprincessdreams.blogspot.com/ and the others attending this coming weekend's stitching retreat at her house a grand time. I wish I could be there but will be thinking of all of you.

Eletelephony

2008-04-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Eletelephony

Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant
-No! no! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone
-(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I’ve got it right.)

Howe’er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee
-(I fear I’d better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)

-Laura E. Richards-

Who else remembers memorizing this poem in elementary school?

Although I'm not certain why, I suddenly thought about it today and wondered if children were still enjoying this funny poem.

Not remembering the title I looked up 'elephant with telephone' on the internet (is there anything we can't find on the internet?) and there it was.

What I didn't know was that this sweet nonsensical poem was written by Pulitzer Prize winner Laura E. Richards. I also found out that her mother was the famous Julie Ward Howe who wrote the words for The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Hope you and possibly your children will enjoy it just as much now as I did then.

PS - In case you are wondering about the elephant at the top of the post - - also found on the internet. It is actually an elephant cell phone holder. Perhaps a modern day 'Eletelephony'?

A Suite of Nutcrackers

2008-04-18T16:32:00.001-07:00

This afternoon I put the final stitches on 'A Suite of Nutcrackers' - my 01/01/08 start. Although it isn't framed yet I just had to show it to the world. The image is not all that great as the piece barely fit on the copier.

DH loves it, which is good since I stitched it to compliment his nutcracker collection.

With a bit of luck I will have the 'Suite' framed within the next few weeks. As soon as I do I will take a picture of the framed piece.

Have a great weekend everyone.

What a yukky bike!!!

2008-04-17T09:38:00.001-07:00

I am currently in the process of going through many years of correspondence. It is a very sentimental journey as it contains not only the letters and cards received from relatives and friends but every card, drawing and gift created especially for me by our son and daughter.

This morning I came across this picture in a letter sent by my friend Lina (Canada) after her visit to us in The Netherlands in 1996. She and I were on a walking tour of Delft and came across this bike which had been pulled from the canal (yes that's me behind the bike).

Love those Prairie Schoolers

2008-04-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Well I certainly didn't think yesterday that I would be posting again so soon, but since I have some new pictures to share I didn't want to wait.

Today's mail brought the Round 5 Fair Squares Karen K http://karensaussieblog.blogspot.com/ stitched for me. Karen and I are both Prairie Schooler fans and we both chose to stitch a PC design for one another. Isn't this sweet?

Look at the other goodies Karen sent - a pretty "Patrick's Lucky Day" pattern and 5 skeins of green floss, a cool emory board and delicious West Australian wildflower honey and ginger toffee. If you look closely at the picture you will see that I have partially hidden the package with the toffee. That is because two pieces of the toffee have already been eaten. DH & I just couldn't resist. It is YUMMY!!!! Thank you so much for everything Karen.

Today I finished my 'Leap Year' start. The design is "Four Seasons" by PS and is stitched 2/2 on 28 ct country French linen Latte. The finished piece is 5 1/4 inches square. It was a joy to stitch as are all the PC designs.

Hope everyone is having a great week. I'll be by to visit this weekend and catch up on everyone's lives and projects.

April already?

2008-04-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

Hope you are all well and didn't get too many April fool pranks played on you today. Now on the other hand - if it was you playing the pranks I hope you had great fun. Personally I got off easy this year and didn't really hear of anything funny around town either. Much watch the news tonight though just in case.

In March my brother and SIL visited us from Abbotsford, British Columbia and oh what a fun time we had. I am the baby of the family and my brother who is second youngest is actually nearly 10 years older than me. Even though my siblings are so much older I have always had a great bond with each an every one of them. My brother and I reminised and re-shared all those wonderful experiences which bind us so closely. He and I both love to cook so many recipes were once again exchanged. The four of us had such wonderful quality time together and boy did we miss them when they left.

Now for a bit of stitching news. Although I have been working on several projects for myself, today I'll show you a few pictures of gifts as well as a recent Fair Square.

Fair & Square Round 5 was stitched for Karen K. in Australia. The square is a section of Prairie Schooler's 'Village Green' stitched 2/2 on 32 ct natural linen. The PS designs are such fun to stitch and always come out so well.

This fob was stitched for one of my SP friends, Anne P. Anne is a very petite & very stylish lady. She is soft spoken, has a heart of gold and loves/is loved by everyone. This little fob (about 1 inch square) just needed to be made for her. The pattern is a freebie from the back page of a Passione Ricamo catalog (thank you Juls) stitched 1/1 on 25 count cream evenweave with DMC 115. I am so very happy that Anne loved the fob.

The start of another gift. This is a design from Tantes Zolder http://myauntsattic.web-log.nl/ and represents the month of January. I am stitching it 1/1 on 25 count white lugana with DMC 797. These 'month' patterns are all so much fun to stitch that I'm already planning the next one.

Before signing off - a gift for all of you - a favorite recipe of my mother's which I made for dinner tonight.

Seven Layer Casserole

1 layer sliced raw potatoes

1 layer sliced or chopped onions

1 layer thinly sliced carrots

1 tin peas

1/4 cup uncooked instant rice

1 lb sausage

1 tin tomato soup mixed with 1 tin water

salt and pepper to taste

NB: I use frozen peas and carrots and that works perfectly.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 370 F (190 C) for 1 hour covered, turn sausages and bake uncovered for 1 hour.

Although we are personally not vegetarians I am sure this dish would be just as tasty without the sausage.

Oh, Happy Easter Day

2008-03-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

The tulips in the garden

Are wearing yellow hats;

The pussywillows by the brook

Have fur like any cats'.

The bee is honey hunting;

The robin's chirp is gay;

And all the world is singing,

"Oh, Happy Easter Day!"

- Unknown -

Where do I begin?

2008-03-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin? To everyone who is taking the trouble to read this post after my long absence - thank you for hanging in there. It was never my intention to be away so long but many things just got in the way. A few examples? Think of a week of plumbers, drywallers and city inspectors followed by CLEANING!! How about a wonderful week cruising the Mexican Riviera - rest, relaxation, good weather, good food and good company. Or a week when I came down with bronchitis that just wouldn't go away. Need I say more? But now I have some pictures to show you.

This lovely bag was quilted and made by my dear friend Ann. She did a wonderful job and I can tell you Ann that everyone at Stitcher's Paradise admired it and was more than a little jealous. The quilters among them inspected it from all sides and commented on how perfect your points are and loved the way you made the handles. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift - it accompanies me every week.

Yesterday I once again tried my hand at framing and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I bought the frame complete with mat which was sure nice. The statue and vase were purchased in Greece in 1975 during our honeymoon.

And here is my progress on "A Suite of Nutcrackers". This is such a wonderful piece to work on. It is being stitched 1/2 on 32 ct opalescent white lugana. IRL the colors are so much brighter.

This was my 01/01/08 start and is coming along so nicely that I think it will be my first finish of the year.

Please don't ask me how Frederick is coming along as he isn't. Of the three SALers I fear I will be the last to finish.

If you check my sidebar you will see that I have started a few other projects since the beginning of the year. In my next post I'll show you what I have done so far.

2008 Reading Goals

2008-01-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

This is the cute notebook in which I have been recording all the books I read since 1996. Oh how I wish I had started this earlier as it is so much fun to browse through it now and again and see not only how much I read in a year but what struck my fancy at the time. For those of you who have children who enjoy reading - set them up with a cute notebook to record everything they read. You'll never regret it.

Each year I start a brand new page and since 1999 I have also been writing down the date I finish each book. In 2001 I hit a record high of 82 books read. That was the year I joined the PW Book Club in Santa Rosa - a great time with great women discussing a wide variety of books.

Fast forward to 2007 where cross-stitching all but took over my life and my reading hit an all time low of 28 books including the re-reading of the first 6 Harry Potters.

My stitching goals for 2008 have been set (more about that in an upcoming post) but now it is time to set some reading goals.

Thank you Jaimie http://lavenderandlacestitches.blogspot.com/ for inspiring me to increase my reading this year and leading me to The Pulitzer Project site (link in sidebar under Stitching and Reading Groups). What a great idea to actually read all 81 prize winning books at your own pace.

So here they are - my 2008 Reading Goals. They are actually very simple and certainly very do-able.

1. Every other book I read will be one which I already own but have not read (Sorry HP you do not qualify). Our own library contains a wide spectrum of books bought throughout the years. We must have bought them because they appealed to us and now it is time to get my money's worth out of them.

2. Out of every five books I read at least one will be a Pulitzer Prize winner. We own a number of them and I have read about 10 but think a complete fresh start is in order and I will re-read these along the way.

3. The other two books in every five may be anything that strikes my fancy.

For anyone who is interested these are the winning books which I have read.
2003 - Middlesex (Eugenides)
2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Chabon)
1995 - The Stone Diaries (Shields)
1992 - A Thousand Acres (Smiley)
1983 - The Color Purple
1972 - Angle of Repose (Stegner)
1961 - To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee)
1940 - The Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck)
1939 - The Yearling (Rawlings)
1937 - Gone with the Wind (Mitchell)

Now I'm off to the library to choose my first Pulitzer. When I come home I will add the names of my first five book choices to this post.

Home again and ready to share the titles of the first five books.
"The Moonstone" Wilkie Collins - own book (01/30)
"The Bridge of San Luis Rey" Thornton Wilder - PP winner 1928 (01/10)
"Into Thin Air" Jon Krakauer - own book (02/08)
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" Khalad Hosseini - borrowed from Sandy (01/24)
"The End of the Affair" Graham Greene - own book (02/01)

Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday and have a good week.

And You?

2007-12-30T11:13:00.001-08:00

Once again Christmas has come and gone and I hope it was as enjoyable for you and your's as it was for us. Thank you for your Christmas wishes and the lovely comments on my Christmas post.

The New Year is quickly approaching and for me it is time to pay some attention to my January 1 start. Why a New Year's Day start you ask? Well it's like this. At the end of November one of my SP friends told us about a stitching tradition to start a new project on the first day of every year. Those of us who didn't know about this tradition could hardly wait to add it to our stitching rituals and of your course our whole group immediately started thinking/talking about what our 01/01 start would be. In the meantime we have all made our choices and they are as diverse as this great group of women.

Below is the picture which brought me to my new project. This is DH's nutcracker collection at the time it was removed from it's storage place. They were arranged in our front hallway for a picture prior to being displayed around our home. The collection has been expanded again this year as there are always so many interesting new nutcrackers to choose from and they make such great Christmas gifts. You will have to wait until Christmas 2008 to see the additions.

Suddenly it hit me. This past year I received a pattern for a nutcracker sampler from a friend when she heard about DH's collection. So here it is - my January 1 start.

The name of the sampler is "A Suite of Nutcrackers" and it will be stitched 1/2 on 32 ct opalescent white Lugana. Today I'll be preparing the fabric and pulling the colors so that I can be ready to place those first few stitches on New Year's Day. Exciting!!!!

And how about you? Were you aware of this stitching tradition? Do you have a January 1 start planned? I would sure love to hear all about it.

WISHING YOU ALL
A FUN AND SAFE NEW YEAR'S EVE
AND A
HAPPY 2008

The Spirit of Christmas

2007-12-23T18:21:00.001-08:00

The Spirit of Christmas

I have a list of people I know
All written in a book
And every year at Christmastime
I go and take a look
And that is when I realize
That those names are a part
Not of the book they're written in
But of my very heart
For each name stands for someone
Who has crossed my path some time
And in that meeting they've become
A treasured friend of mine
And once you've met some people
The years can not erase
The memory of a pleasant word
Or of a friendly face
So when I send a Christmas card
That is addressed to you
It's because you're on that list
Of folk I'm indebted to
And you are one of many folk who
In times past I've met
And happen to be one of those
I don't want to forget
And whether I have known you for
Many years or few
In some way you have a part in
Shaping things I do
This, the spirit of Christmas, that
Forever and ever endures
May it leave it richest blessing
In the hearts of you and yours.

- Anonymous -

Finally Framed

2007-12-21T07:43:00.000-08:00

Nearly a year ago I took a mounting and framing course. The teacher was fantastic and the technique amazing. I was all set!! However being the worry wart I am about things not being absolutely perfect I put off trying my hand at it myself and as the months passed and the finished pile of stitching projects increased I found myself unwilling to attempt my newly learned skills.

Several times this past year 'A' asked me when I was actually going to put her lessons into practice. About a month ago she suggested bringing a project over to her house and she would advise as I was working on it. I took her up on her offer and here are my first framed pieces.

The Tea Room was mounted and framed with A's guidance.

County Cottage Needleworks "The Tea Room"

'A' cut the mat for this reindeer but I mounted and framed it myself the following day.

The Workbasket "Quaker Reindeer"
JCS Christmas Ornaments 2006

A week later I mounted and framed this piece myself.

The Prairie Schooler 'O Christmas Tree'

I am thrilled to finally be framing my own pieces. Now all I have to remember is that practise makes perfect and just get at that large pile of stitching just begging to be framed.

Gifts and exchanges

2007-12-19T19:16:00.001-08:00

It is 2:30 a.m. and since I'm awake anyway this is a good opportunity to finally sit down and post. It has taken about a month and a half but I think I've finally caught up on all the work I had to put off during the time I had the UTI. Thank you all for your concern and good thoughts. I hope that the idea of time spent together out on the balcony was as much fun for you as it was for me. It is so good to share with friends.

To catch you up on all the stitching news at one time would produce a post no one would every finish reading so today will be dedicated to gifts and exchanges.

The biggest gift came first of all - a visit from our DD all the way from Holland. We had such a wonderful time chatting, laughing and reminising. We even managed to get away to Arizona for a few days and visited the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Montezuma's Castle. The weather was perfect for the time of the year and we had a great trip. It was very difficult saying goodbye but I realize that is all part of having grown children as they have lives of their own. What a joy it was to have you here E - we loved every minute of your visit.

November brought another special visitor - Deb http://lavenroseramblings.blogspot.com/. She was in town meeting her little grandson Jack for the first time and took precious time away from him to meet Juls http://afairyprincessdreams.blogspot.com/ and myself. We met up at Stitcher's Paradise early Saturday afternoon and let me assure you Deb is truly just as she appears on her blog - a tiny woman with a big personality. We chatted and shopped and chatted some more until the store closed at 4:00 p.m. and then moved on to Starbucks at the nearest Barnes & Noble and of course chatted some more. It was a wonderful afternoon Deb and a real treat to meet you in person. I am looking forward to seeing you again in May.

When I came home from the afternoon with Deb and Juls the mailman had delivered the most adorable little envelope with a Belgian stamp on it. Inside was a skein of Mistletoe floss by Sampler Threads and a card. I was thrilled to receive this anonymous gift and since receiving it have seen these wonderful envelopes popping up on many blogs.

Dear secret Santa - I thought I had it all figured out who you are but unless some very nice people are fibbing I guess I really don't know. Whoever you are - thank you!! Some day I hope to thank you in person.

In Round Three of Fair and Square Hannah http://hannahxs.blogspot.com/ was my partner and she made me the cutest square. I don't know how you figured out I love houses Hannah but I'm sure glad you stitched this for me.

Hannah also sent along some goodies which I am looking forward to using. The pattern is called 'Autumn Arches' and will make a great addition to my autumn wall. She also enclosed some lovely Weeks Dye Works floss which will be just right for this pattern. Thank you for everything Hannah.

Another great gift from a dear friend. Thank you so much Alison http://thesquirrel01.blogspot.com/for the lovely craft magazine. It has so many fun ideas and cute patterns and like I told you, the 'Seasonal Sampler' is sure to be stitched by next Christmas.

Alison and I are planning a SAL for next year. We are currently in the process of picking our pattern and I am looking forward to sharing the SAL experience with her.

The last picture for today is of my round 4 fair squares for Georgie http://whoomsa.blogspot.com/. The pattern is called 'French Inspired Heart' and is a complimentary pattern from The Gift of Stitching Magazine (yes you are right Lili, it is the same one. I love this pattern). It was stitched on 32 count oyster linen using Simply Shaker 'Old Red Paint' Sampler Threads. Georgie said that she loves hearts, birds, samplers and antiques. To me this combined all four.

The day before yesterday another wonderful gift arrived - our DS who lives in Germany. We are so happy that he will be spending the holiday season with us and we are all looking forward to a fun time.

I'll be back soon with some pictures of project progress, finishes and framing.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

PS Any mistakes made are due to the time of day. I'll re-read in the morning and adjust where needed.(LOL)

Soon

2007-11-18T15:12:00.001-08:00

'Bermuda Dunes, California'

Sharie Hatchett Bohlmann

Just a quick note to let you know that all is well here and I will be posting soon. However not before I have had a chance to visit your blogs and leave a comment. It's been hectic but fun around here. By the end of this week I should be able to post some pictures of gifts received and sent and ........ a progress picture of Frederick.

In the meantime pull up a chair and let's stitch together on this lovely balcony.

Have a wonderful week and will 'talk' to you soon.

Finally....back.....and pictures!!!

2007-10-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there still remember me after all this time?(LOL) I never thought I would go so long before blogging again but sometimes these things just can't be helped I guess. After my last post things did not improve with my UTI which left me little energy for much else. Today is the last day of my third set of antibiotics and hopefully my next visit to the doctor will reveal that it is gone. Please keep you fingers crossed for me.

Problem two was that for the past two weeks I haven't been able to upload any images. I haven't a clue what the problem was but today DH got it working for me again. So here are a few pictures I can finally share with you.

First up is the square Annemarie http://wackywanderings.blogspot.com/ stitched for me in the second Fair and Square round. Annemarie and I mailed our squares on the same day hoping they would also arrive on the same day, but I guess the US mail thought these were just too pretty and considered keeping them. Finally after more than a month on the road someone decided to be kind and Annemarie's package was in our mailbox. The squares are absolutely perfect from one Dutch person to another. The front is a Delft Blue tile of a tulip - what could be more Dutch? On the back Annemarie stitched not only her name, city and the year but decorated the corners with a pretty design of her own. Along with the squares she sent me one of her now famous floss rings with Wildflowers 'Firecracker' floss (red/white/blue - the colors of the Dutch flag) and the cutest card with a hilarious poem by Hans Kuyper. DH got quite a chuckle out of that too. Thank you so much Annemarie. I thoroughly enjoyed stiching this exchange with you and know I have made a new friend. Someday we will meet in person and I am looking forward to that day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Jula will feel better soon.

Fair and Square Round 2 from Annemarie

And here are the squares I stitched for Annemarie. As most of you know she is a translator and I remembered her mentioning that she enjoys translating romance novels. Now I ask you, what can be more romantic than a novel entitled 'Ladye of the Castle'.

Fair and Square Round 2 for Annemarie
from Just Cross Stitch June 2006

Next is the Fair Square which I stitched for Hannah http://hannahxs.blogspot.com/ for round 3 of our exchange. Hannah loves fall designs and colors so a pumpkin stitched with WDW Terra Cotta seemed perfect for her. It has been such fun stitching this square for you Hannah and I'm glad you like it.

Fair and Square Round 3 for Hannah
'French Country Pumpkin" by JBW Designs

And finally a birthday bookmark for my friend B.

Birthday Bookmark for Brenda
Freebie from 'Tante's Zolder' http://myauntsattic.web-log.nl/

Before I sign off - our DD will be arriving from The Netherlands this coming Saturday to spend a week with us. Yeah!!!!!!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

A proper post!!

2007-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to thank you all so much for your comments on "Happiness is...". Only true friends would take the time to react to such a silly post. I was just so happy that Fred 'himself' was finally completed - thank you for taking the time to celebrate with me.

My goodness that was quite a statement at the bottom of my last post: 'A proper post is currently in the making'. And where is this post you ask yourself? Started.....re-started.....DELETED!! So let's start over again and let me bring you UTD.

From August 20 - 24 we had company from British Columbia. Lina and I met many years ago when we were both working in Winnipeg, Manitoba and boarding with the same lady. All through the years we've kept in touch and she has actually visited us in each home we have lived in (LV is #7). After driving down to Monterey for a nephew's wedding she drove over to see us for a few days. We had a good time and did a lot of chatting and stitching. We also managed a day trip to The Valley of Fire which is absolutely gorgeous and certainly not something people expect to find when they think of the Las Vegas area. Actually it only takes us half an hour to drive to this great State Park. Here's a peak at a few things you can see while visiting The Valley of Fire.

- The Beehives -

and

- Petroglyps -

I had been feeling tired prior to Lina's visit and it just got worse during and after her stay. Well of course there had to be a reason and a visit to the doctor on the 29th indicated a urinary tract infection. "Oh well" I thought "now I know what the problem is all I have to do is take five days of antibiotics and I'll be right as rain again." Are you getting the feeling that this is not what happened? I will spare you the details but let it suffice to say that I had a very bad allergic reaction (inside and out) to the anti-biotics and although the doctor assured me that this is not abnormal I have been having a rough time. The cure truly left me sicker than the infection. Thank goodness I am one of those lucky women who has been blessed with a wonderful and caring DH. I don't know where I would be without him. Today I feel much better & hopefully the worst is finally over.

But enough of that - let's get down to the fun things in life - some stitching news.

This past Friday my Fair Square for Annemarie started on its journey. Personally I'm pleased with the result and I think (hope) she will be too. Once she has received it I'll post a picture and you can either guess what the theme is or if you don't feel like it I will let you know. Now comes the exciting part of checking the mailbox for my square from Annemarie. It has been such fun getting to know her a little better and realizing how close we lived to one another in The Netherlands is pretty special. Don't forget to drop by the exchange site http://fairsquares.blogspot.com/ now and in the coming days so you can see all the great squares as they arrive and are posted. Thanks for everything Vonna & Annemarie!!!

For several days when I was at my worst all I did was sleep & I certainly didn't have the energy to pick up needle and thread but thankfully the desire to stitch came back. I wasn't quite ready to tackle Fred on his black aida or Autumn so went searching for a simpler WIP to work on. Of course that wasn't too hard to find. 'Mooning' is ideal for stitching when your eyes don't focus properly. With it's bold colors and 2/2 on 25 count Lugana you can even manage a lot of the stitching without the OTT-Lite. This afternoon I finished this sweet little Halloween piece. IRL the colors are much bolder than they appear in the image.

'Mooning' from Silly Snobs Designs

Enough for today. No promises of a quick post this time but I do hope to write again very soon. In the meantime have a good week everyone.

Happiness is..............

2007-08-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

......finishing Fred's backside.

The image is grainy but at least it is proof that on August 28, 2007 I really truly completed stitching Fred himself. There is a lot more stitching to be done before the December 31 deadline but this gave me such a feeling of accomplishment that I had to commit it to my stitching memories.

A proper post is currently in the making.

Tossing for Annemarie

2007-08-19T08:05:00.001-07:00

Although I really should be writing a nice long post to let you know what I've been stitching I just can't seem to find the energy at the moment. It's not that I haven't been stitching but the progress on the SALs are nothing to write home about and the small things I've been working on I want to keep secret until they arrive.

I kept on asking myself what I could post and show so that you at least know I'm alive and kicking. Suddenly the idea hit me. When we were stitching our first Fair & Square round Annemarie showed us her toss and I thought that was great - information given but no secrets revealed. Well.........now that I'm stitching for Annemarie in Round 2 I just couldn't resist being a copycat (hope you don't mind). So here it is:

The linen is a 32 ct natural and the floss colors are: DMC 316, 500, 501, 833, 902, 924, 926, 950, 3726 and 3768. In case you would like a hint about what I am stitching I'll tell you that the design made me think of Annemarie's occupation (far-fetched idea perhaps but I guess I'm good at those). There is one color in the toss which may give you a hint about the theme of the square.

Thank You Dawn!!!!

2007-08-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

A short while ago I entered a draw which Dawn http://crafterscreations.blogspot.com/ was holding on her blog and too my great joy my name was one of the five her DH drew from the hat.

Today I opened the mailbox and there it was, an envelope addressed to me from Dawn in Arkansas. It felt a bit like Christmas opening this surprise package. Inside I found my first ever scissor-fob. It is a lovely bordeaux on white biscornu & like I emailed you Dawn I absolutely love it. As you can see I have already attached it to my stitching scissors.

Dawn also sent me some pretty DMC floss, the adorable Hillside Samplings pattern 'All Hearts Come Home' (oh how I love cross-stitch designs of houses) and a lovely postcard from Arkansas. Below you can see the entire gift.

Thank you so very much for these lovely gifts Dawn. You made my day an extra special one.

08/10/07 PS: After dinner tonight I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. What a fantastic final episode in this wonderful series. I know right now that within the next year I will be re-reading them all again.

Just slipped through my fingers

2007-08-05T08:55:00.001-07:00

Thank you all for your congratulations & lovely comments for our anniversary. They meant a lot to me and are a wonderful beginning to our 33rd year together. I owe most of you a visit to your blog and quite of number of you emails. By this time next week I hope to be up to date on all of that.

Where did July disappear too? I really don't know how a month can just slip through your fingers but that is certainly what July did. What have I been up to? When I look back I think - 'nothing in particular' but I guess I filled it with working, stitching and re-reading the first 6 Harry Potters. It has been great reading them all again in such a short space of time and seeing the whole story really evolve. This past Tuesday 'The Deathly Hallows' arrived from Amazon and today is actually set aside as HP day for me. Juls, who has finished the book, says it's the best of them all.

About 1 1/2 weeks ago I received the name of my partner for the second F&S round - it's Annemarie http://wackywanderings.blogspot.com/ and I'm very excited. Her posts are so enjoyable to read, her stitching is lovely and as icing on the cake - she's Dutch. Now as if that wasn't enough Annemarie and I have discovered that she was born and raised in the same village as my DH and attended high school in the city we lived for 22 years. Yes it certainly is a small world!! Your square isn't started yet Annemarie but I have a few ideas I'm tossing around in my head. Now all I have to do is pick the 'perfect' one.

Now for a July stitching update. Here is a progress picture of 'Autumn In My Garden'. What a fun and easy stitch this design is. With two SAL evenings per week I really think that finishing by Thanksgiving is do-able.

Frederick on the other hand, has been lounging in his bookcase again this past month. I guess I was just lucky that neither Bliss nor Berta had a lot of time available for the Tuesday SAL as I didn't either. However there are less than five months left to the December 31 finishing deadline so I'd better get stitching!! Shall we work on him again this Tuesday?

Wednesdays at our LNS have been spent working on Imaginating's 'Mooning'. Originally I started it 1/1 on 25 ct New Khaki Lugana but then decided that since the design is quite small (88 x 88) and I would like to either frame it or make it into a pillow it might be better to stitch it 2/2 on the same 25 ct. It's a cute little piece and ideal to stitch while chatting and laughing with this group of wonderful women. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have found them and only wish each and every one of you had the joy of a stitching group.

For those of you who have some hours left in your weekend - 'enjoy' and to all of you who have already started a new working week - 'have a great week'!!

M&M - 32 years

2007-07-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

Marinus & Margaret
July 12, 1975
Thunder Bay, Ontario

Please welcome a new blogger

2007-07-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Just a short note to let all my friends know that we have a new blogger in our midst - my husband Marinus.

Now Marinus will not be writing about his cross-stitching experiences as this is not his line of expertise. Instead he will be sharing The Netherlands with us from an ex-pat point of view.

Please visit his blog at http://www.bestdutchblog.com/wordpress/ and leave a welcome note.

Sunday update

2007-07-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's another sunny Sunday in Las Vegas and after reading everyone's blog this weekend, and hopefully leaving all of you a comment, it's time to sit down and bring you up to date on life here.

The past week has been very busy (workwise) but I did manage to stitch with friends at our local LNS on Wednesday and actually got quite a bit of cross-stitching done in the evenings as well. Like many of you I am also re-reading HP in anticipation of the final instalment. I'm only on "The Prisoner of Azkaban" at the moment so have a lot of reading to do by the 21st (you are right, there is no way I'll be ready in time).

All my stitching since the finish of Round 1 of Fair and Square has been concentrated on the SALs. I had hoped to have all the red books finished on Frederick by the end of June but as you can see I didn't manage to do that. Now I'm hoping to finish his leg and tail this coming Tuesday. So sorry for the crummy picture - he just doesn't seem to scan well.

And now the first showing of "Autumn in my Garden". Brenda and I will be stitching on her every Monday and Thursday evening and this week treated ourselves to working on her all weekend as well. What a wonderful pattern this is to stitch. It is one of those designs which becomes addictive and I have a hard time putting her away at night.

Once the 4th of July has come and gone I plan to start on some small projects which I've been planning for a while. They are always such fun to do and holding a small piece of fabric for a change is nice too.

This afternoon DH and I are going to see "Shrek The Third". They say it's not as good as the first two - will let you know. I would also like to see "Ratatouille" which I think must be hilarious.

That's it for today. For my Canadian friends have a wonderful Canada Day and to all the American friends have a happy 4th.

PS: We thoroughly enjoyed the movie - certainly just as entertaining as Shrek 1 & 2.

Fair and Square - Round 1

2007-06-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much Annemarie and Vonna for setting up and hosting this wonderful exchange http://fairsquares.blogspot.com/. For me Round 1 is now finished as Donna received my square yesterday.

So here they are. This is Donna's square for me. It is very cute and certainly not "cutsie" as she had initially feared. Thank you so much Donna. This first square will always have a special place on my friendship quilt.

And here is the square I sent to Donna. She likes antique & country designs so I stitched the Snapperville "Homestead" by Bent Creek.

This has been such fun and I'm looking forward to Round 2.

Note about previous post
Many of you thought I had received two adorable pincushions from Lili and that is certainly the way it looked on the picture but I must clarify. In order to show you the entire pincushion on one image I photo-copied both sides, cut them out and then placed these images on top of the rest of the gift. Actually I thought I was being pretty creative (lol) but guess I wasn't.

Mail from France

2007-06-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

This week the mailman brought a birthday package all the way from France!!!!

Lili http://anothercrossstitchaddict.blogspot.com/ has really spoiled me with her lovely birthday gifts. She made me a Spring & Summer pincushion which is absolutely adorable with colors so lovely and cheerful (the picture doesn't do it proper justice - the colors are much brighter). In order to show both sides of the pincushion I made photo-copies of each side first and then scanned the entire gift. It's been put with my favorite stitching projects so I can enjoy it daily.

Oh Lili, how sweet of you to remember my raving about "La Boutique" the moment it was introduced by CCN. I can hardly wait to start stitching it.

Lili also sent some wonderful Zweigart fabrics - a midnight blue cashel linen and dark moss green aida. The ideas for designs on these are already forming in my head.

I LOVE EVERYTHING!!!!! {{{Lili}}} thank you so very, very much for making this birthday so extra special with your lovely gifts and your wonderful friendship.

An old Friend and a new SAL

2007-06-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome back Gail!!! It's so good to see you are blogging again. Many of you will remember Gail (MS Stitch) and just like me have missed her for many months - well she's finally back at http://ramblingstitches.blogspot.com/ If you haven't met Gail before you should check out her site and her beautiful work.

On Friday Brenda came over for a wonderful day of gabbing & stitching and we started the SAL that we have been planning for months. We are stitching Mirabelia's "Autumn In My Garden". I'm stiching my lady 2/2 on 32 ct platinum Lugana with the required DMC floss. Originally I considered stitching 1/2 but with the piece being so large I felt that the 2/2, which is what the designer Nora Corbett suggests, would be a better choice. Now I do have some ??? about her face. Would it be a good idea to stitch that either 1/2 or 1/1 (DMC 948) in order for it to be more delicate looking? Any thoughts/advice on this are welcome. A lot of my time on Friday was taken up by gridding the top left quadrant so all I have to show at the moment is a bit of brown border and some brown hair. As soon as she takes some sort of shape I will post a picture.

Last week I noticed that Blackbird Designs has a new freebie and, being the BD fan I have become, just couldn't resist 'Spring's Notice'. It is stitched 2/2 on 32 ct oyster linen with DMC floss and the finish is only 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.

On the Fair and Square front - I'm almost finished and will hopefully be able to mail my square to Donna by the end of the week. Once she has received it I'll post a picture.

Now for a little non-stitching news. Last night DH & I went the the Clint Holmes muscial JAM (Just Another Man) at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre at UNLV. For those of you who don't know Clint - he is the son of an English opera singer and an American GI/jazz singer who met during WWII. His voice contains the best of both parents and his performances are fabulous. JAM is autobiographical and a wonderful show. What is extra special is the fact that his real-life sister (Gayle Steele - another fabulous voice) plays his sister in the musical. JAM is playing here for a month while they get the kinks out and will then move to London, England. If you get a chance - SEE IT!!!

Special note for D

It's hard to believe your year in China is almost at an end. Enoy these final days and experiences in Longyan and have a fantastic trip to Shanghai & its 'silk market' and Toyko. Your emails and pictures this past year have been fantastic and always make me feel like I am part of your adventure. Thank you!!

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Tomorrow I'll Blog

2007-06-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Things have been hectic around here since I last posted and although I've often thought "tomorrow I'll blog" it has taken until now for tomorrow to arrive.

Last weekend DH and I were in Atlanta for a conference for online store owners. We took the redeye on Wednesday arriving in Atlanta at 6:00 am. By 7:00 am we were checked in to our hotel and actually very tired (not much sleep on the plane plus a 3 hr time difference). We went out for breakfast and then decided we might as well take a short nap in order to enjoy the rest of our ‘free’ day. Up again at 11:00 and feeling very refreshed we set off on a short tour of Atlanta. We visited Olympic Park, the Coca Cola museum store (outrageous prices), the CNN studios where we took a fantastic tour (it is great to watch the newscasts now with the knowledge that you’ve been there), and the State Capital building which is very impressive. By that time it was late afternoon and although there were many other things we would have loved to see we felt it was enough for one day. The following three days were very intense with lectures & presentations from 8:45 am till around 6:15 pm. After that we would freshen up in our room and head out for a relaxing meal. Atlanta has some great restaurants and we enjoyed some fabulous food & wine. Sunday we flew home at 10:00 pm ET and drove into our garage around 12:30 PT.

This past week has been spent in catching up on work & sleep. But now it's weekend and time for some stitching updates.

This is the lovely birthday gift I received from my dear friend Brenda. I'm afraid my image does not do proper justice to this pretty snowflake. It is stitched with sparkley white floss (we all know how time-consuming that is) on dusky blue linen. She's even had it framed in a sparkley white frame. You may remember that B & I are stitching to decorate seasonal walls and this adorable snowflake will always have a very special place on my Christmas wall. I love it B!!

Welcome to the Tuesday Frederick SAL 'Berta http://busyhandshappyheart.blogspot.com/ Bliss and I are happy that you have joined us in our journey. I've managed to run out of two of the flosses and although Dimensions offers to send them I was lucky to have some help from an SP friend who knows that Dimensions floss is based on Anchor, so I'm taking the easy road and just replacing it myself. I don't know if I would do this with any other pattern but with all the small color areas the dyelot differences should be no problem.

And a finish - "High Hopes" by Just Nan . What a wonderful pattern this is and what an absolute gem to stitch. Helen you must re-start it and stitch 1/2 as I think you will love the result. I still have to attach the fountain charm and find a discreet spot for my initials and the year.

I'm sorry if this post is going on and on and will certainly try to write more often so that I don't have so much to tell and possibly bore you to tears.

For those of you who haven't heard about it please visit Fair and Square http://fairsquares.blogspot.com/ which Annemarie http://wackywanderings.blogspot.com/ and Vonna http://thetwistedstitcher.blogspot.com/ have organized and are hosting. Thank you so much ladies. When we returned home from Atlanta an email was awaiting me with the name of my exchange partner so I immediately started looking for just the right pattern for Donna. I think I've succeeded and am now busily stitching away on this fun project.

A special note to Gail (MS Stitch). It was so good to hear from you Gail as I've missed reading your posts. Thank you for your birthday wishes. I'm so sorry you were receiving inappropriate emails and can understand why you stopped blogging. Hopefully you'll be back soon and otherwise perhaps we can talk via email.

There's more to tell about projects which have been kitted and are ready to start but I think I'll leave that until next time. Now it's time for me to visit all of you.

Have a good weekend everyone.

A Birthday....Mine!!!

2007-05-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Now that our naughty Lili (you know I'm only teasing you my friend) has let the cat out of the bag about my birthday I might as well confess. Yes yesterday was the big day -- for the 59th time as a matter of fact. Thank you all for your wonderful birthday wishes - they are very special to me.

Thought I would share a picture of myself from long ago. I don't know exactly how old I was at the time but I do know that it has always been a favorite of mine. The cape was knit by my oldest sister who later saved it for me so that she could give it to me when I had children of my own. M was 17 when I was born and I think she did a wonderful job. Although she's much older than I am (I'm one of those after the war family additions) and was already engaged to my BIL when I came along, we have always had a great connection.

Yesterday was a lovely day with all those birthday wishes via telephone, mail, email (including a newsy long email from dear D in China) & the blog. I must admit I spent a great portion of the day on the phone with our children (Germany & The Netherlands) and family and friends from Canada, The Netherlands & the US. It is always so good to hear familiar voices and those of you who know me well also know I don't run out of conversation easily. That meant that as the day progressed people had spent hours trying to get through. I'm sorry folks and thanks for keeping on trying. DH bought me the deliciously fragrant "5th Avenue" by Elizabeth Arden, DS gave me Michael Chabon's "The Yiddish Policemen's Union' and 'Art Nouveau Cross Stitch' by Barbara Hammet (which I have already spent hours dreaming over) and DD & her DBF gave me Michelle Ferrari's wonderful 'Las Vegas an Unconventional History'. Ah they know me so well!! Last night DH took me to dinner at Binion's. I had a delicious lobster bisque followed by a tender filet mignon accompanied by a loaded baked potato & fresh vegetables and of course a glass of great wine.

A great day ..... life is so good!!!

Josie's Quilt

2007-05-18T15:10:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note before I run this to the mailbox. The square will form part of the 'Love Quilt' for Taryn G. http://lovequilts2007children.homestead.com/TarynG.html

Josie's Quilt
freebie design: Whispered by the Wind
http://hometown.aol.com/wispwindxs/freebies.html

Meeting Juls

2007-05-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

How many of you have had the pleasure of meeting a fellow blogger in person? Well after a year of blogging I can raise my hand and say: "I have and boy was it fun!".

Juls http://afairyprincessdreams.blogspot.com/ and I discovered this past February that we live in the same city, both love to cross-stitch and even frequent the same LNS - yet we had never met. Since that time we've kept in touch via our blogs knowing that the opportunity to meet in person would certainly come.

Last week I read she planned to go to Stitchers Paradise on Thursday to choose some fabric for a new project. Since I attend the stitching get-together there on Wednesday I asked if perhaps she could come then instead. And she could!! What fun it was to finally meet one another. Let me tell you a little secret - our fairy princess doesn't just dream of stitching - she creates masterpieces. If you visit her blog and scroll down to February 21, 2007 you will see her 'Cinderella' which graces the wall of SP. It is stunning!!

Juls, it was great meeting you and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Just a little piece of my own stitching to show. Thank you Isabelle for telling us about Maryse's patterns. So much love & care has gone into the designing of these gems and Avril was a joy to stitch. The stitching is 1/1 on 25 ct cream evenweave creating a sweet 2 1/2" square picture. Although I haven't quite decided how to finish this I do know I'll be stitching some of the other months in the near future.

Hope everyone had a good week and wish you all a wonderful weekend.

1548

2007-04-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

Does the title ring a bell?
Was it an important date in history?
Is it my street address?
Perhaps my age?
Nope - none of the above. According to the pattern there are 1548 'X's necessary to complete the bottom shelf of Frederick's bookcase - and I have stitched each and every one of them. Boooooooooring but DONE!! Not much point in a picture - hopefully next time.

Instead a picture of 'High Hopes" which is such a sweet pattern and a joy to work on. What started out as my Wednesday project at SP is now being picked up as often as possible. There is always something new to discover in this little garden which makes stitching it a real adventure.

For all the people in The Netherlands - I hope you are having a very festive Koninginnedag. This is always such a fun day for young & old alike. For each and every one of you who also has a day off tomorrow - I hope you are enjoying a wonderful long weekend.