Happy Valentine's Day

Isn't this a great Valentine? Reminds me of Mary Engelbreit. I thought I'd post some of the photos I've seen of the different versions of my Valentine freebie. The one below is from Ruth:
This one is from Heidi:
This was done by Debra:
And this is from Monique:
I'll edit this later to get the links to their blogs but I'm on my way to Phoenix so don't have the time now. I just wanted to post because it's been a lot of fun to see how everyone has made this freebie their own. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Heaven Above

Here's my latest release I call "Heaven Above". I have a friend who has seen many of the things I've been designing lately and she feels I'm working through death issues which is probably true. My favorite part of this design is the sun which my own son designed for this piece after seeing my poor wobbly attempts at trying to create one. Hope you like it!
P.S.
I've had some requests to post the supplies for this piece so here it is:

Fabric:
40 ct Sand

169w X 228h Stitches
Size:
8-3/8w X 11-3/8h in

Threads:
DMC
676
3021
3750
3779
Gentle Arts:
Dried Thyme
Cranberry
Pink Azalea
Briar Rose
Fragrant Cloves
Melon Patch
Pomegranate
Antique Rose
Harvest Moon
Barn Grey
Apple Cider
Dungarees
Weeks Dye Works:
Cadet
Whiskey
and one Crescent Colours:
Plum Paisley

Shakespeare's Sonnet designs

Lorraine and I had breakfast this morning to unveil the ornaments we stitched for our Shakespeare's Sonnet Challenge. Actually, these are bigger than ornament size but we decided we can change the rules as we go. She chose Sonnet 55:

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone besmear'd with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lover's eyes.

I was stunned when she pulled out this gorgeous remake of a Ewe and Eye and Friends piece:

This so perfectly represents the spirit of the sonnet not to mention it's beautiful. I chose Sonnet 105:

Let not my love be call'd idolatry,
Nor my beloved as an idol show,
Since all alike my songs and praises be
To one, of one, still such, and ever so.
Kind is my love to-day, to-morrow kind,
Still constant in a wondrous excellence;
Therefore my verse to constancy confined,
One thing expressing, leaves out difference.
'Fair, kind and true' is all my argument,
'Fair, kind, and true' varying to other words;
And in this change is my invention spent,
Three themes in one, which wondrous scope affords.
'Fair, kind, and true,' have often lived alone,
Which three till now never kept seat in one. I designed this piece and tried to make it look Renaissance-like. Not sure if I accomplished it but this was a fun challenge for February and we already have March's assignment so stay tuned...

Used bookstore

I love our used bookstore. I've been gradually taking items like these there all month and now it's over $200 later and I have cleared space and made some money to boot. Such fun, the only problem is I use my trade credits and bring home more stuff so that extra space I cleared is already filled.

Living in a Sampler World

I made this as a tribute to the sampler makers of old. I wondered what it would be like to be a real person living in a world of samplers so I cut out a photo of a real Victorian lady and another of a lady I found on an antique sampler. They are chatting near a sampler tree and sampler house. The sampler lady holds a sampler bird and there is a sampler butterfly in the tree. This was my first attempt at something like this and I learned a lot and have made notes of what I would do differently but I think it turned out nice and I have it sitting on top of my piano.

And ANOTHER thread winder set...

Lorraine's ornament

Lorraine and I had the big reveal yesterday of what we each stitched in our Dicken's themed ornament challenge. Her inspiration was this quote from A Christmas Carol:

"In half a minute, Mrs Cratchit entered - flushed, but smiling proudly - with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top."

She used a Maureen Appleton design with quite a few changes including the quote and the silver heart charm. The photo doesn't do it justice as there is metallic silver thread running through the pudding. My ornament is here:

Another thread winder set

This time I used decoupage to add some vintage patriotic images to the piece. I really like how it turned out in person. Seems when I take photos it's like looking at it under a microscope so I see every little imperfection! This box is a different shape than the last but still ony 2 1/2 inches.

Today's Project

I decided to try and make my own clipboard. I didn't have any wonderful sampler paper so just bought a few sheets of decorative paper, a little ribbon and this is the result, front and back.

Thread Winder Set

I shamelessly copied Liberty Hill's idea for a thread winder set. Since I don't paint, mine isn't as lovely as theirs but I had fun making it anyway. The little box is 2 and 1/2 by 3 inches wide.
The stars to wind the threads are some cheap wooden ones I had from a long ago Christmas project. If I were to make more I would use some that are the nicer, heavier wood.

This is the inside. Along the outside of the bottom is a small leaf and branch pattern and the outside of the top has checks.

New Designs

I have two new releases. The top one is called "Twin Peacock Sampler" and the bottom is called "Forest Song". Both are done using plain old DMC. Hope you like them!

My Dickens Themed Ornament

Lorraine and I are stitching an ornament a month with a theme. I chose Charles Dickens as the theme for January and she will choose the theme for February. I wimped out on stitching the Curtis Boehringer ornament of Scrooge. I really couldn't see myself enjoying stitching that piece so I chose this one from BOAF though technically that's not the exact quote from A Christmas Carol. You should see how sparkly this is in person, as usual the scan doesn't do it justice.

Interesting verse

I've never seen a verse like this. This is a sampler from ebay: snipurl.com/171b9

Good people hear my doleful tale
In plaintive accents though tis penned
A once loved wife no bewail
And griev to think on her sad end
She was youthful virtuous bride
Her age it was but twenty two
By murderous hands alas she died
She left on earth an orphan to

In child bed anguish she was slain
By Doctor Ross’s unskillful hand
Who thinks not what amount of pain
A victim to his skill can stand
An inquest at the Queens Arms on furnacehill
Prov’d but too true she’d had foul play
And that twas he that did kill her
I never shall forget that day

A post mortem and inquest did advance
To shew what twas thast caus’d her death
Twas as vile presumptuous ignorance
That robbed her of her earthly breath

The jury heard with careful ear
The evidence before them brought
Twas such as scaree’er did appear
Before in any other court

A guilty verdict then was given
Which all the world I think should know
And as’tis register’d in Heaven
It also shall be here below

Twas gross neglect and want of skill
Coupled with the Jury animad version
Hoping alsa no more he’d kill
But go to college and learn his lesson
O’er life’s career he’s cast a gloom
Mark’d by poignant grief and sorrow
And sent from earth to early tomb
A victim to neglect and hurry

Can he withstand the orphans gaze
Robb’d of its dearest earthly treasure
Or compensate in years or days
The suffering grief that’s void of measure

Valentine Freebie

A friend sent me her version of the Valentine freebie and I love it, love the colors and fabric choices. It's fun to see the differences.

Sweet as the Flower

Here is the finished version of the freebie I posted last week, my only change was not stitching the Apple Cider in the flower centers. Freebie is here

Cool clipboard

Look at this cool clipboard I received from a friend. Both front and back are decoupaged with an antique sampler and the clip part is covered with different ribbons tied in knots. This was made by Etc. Etc. Etc and their website is www.etcx3.com

I went to look at the website and they don't show the clipboards but do have other interesting accessories. You can email them at etc.etc.etc.@cox.net

7:15 this morning

We've been in Mexico for the past few days. The above photo was taken at 7:15 and it's the moon about to set as the sun was about to rise. I haven't seen that before and it was beautiful to see the moon cast a glow on the ocean so early in the morning.
And here is DD posing along the shoreline a couple hours later. All the tourists were gone, New Year's was over and it was quiet and peaceful our entire trip. We celebrated my MIL's 78th b-day, enjoyed the sea life, the ocean waves, conversation and a little stitching and reading for me. I'll post later what I was stitching. Lorraine and I are stitching an ornament a month with a little twist. We are choosing a theme each month and have to find an ornament to match the theme. This month it's Charles Dickens.

Look what I made today

I got this idea from a craft book by Charlotte Lyons. I cut out two hearts from a shirt box, paper mache'd them together and then glued on the decorative paper and added the ribbon. I'm amazed how easy to was.

Sweet as the Flower freebie

Now that Christmas is over, I thought I'd post a freebie that would be great to give someone for Valentine's Day. I charted it for Gentle Arts threads. The red is Antique Rose, the green is Dried Thyme and the brown is Apple Cider. I charted it for Sand linen 32 count which makes it 3 x 3 1/2 inches. Enjoy!

Japanese Dolls

For Christmas we spent part of the day with my sister-in-law and her family and my mother-in-law in Mesa. My mother-in-law gave my daughter a very special present this year, some Japanese dolls she brought back from Japan after spending a year there in 1953. My daughter seems to be the grandchild carrying on her love of Japan and will be spending a month there in July.

May Peace and Joy be with you this Christmas season.
I thought I'd post a few vintage nativity postcard images for your enjoyment. Merry Christmas.

And a bowl full o' elves...

Each year I change around my Christmas decor and this year I put many of my vintage Christmas pieces on the mantle. Above are some Christmas girls from the late '50's. One is a bell and the other a candle holder.

My entry way always remains the same with stuffed snowmen and a garland on the bannister full of snowman ornaments.
These are some vintage snowmen salt and pepper shakers. The santa and sleigh behind them are one of the few pieces left from my childhood as is the gold pixie/elf. I received that from a friend back in 2nd grade and it started my collection of Christmas pixies/elves as seen below in what I call my "bowl full o' elves". The big guy in the center is named Leonard and is quite a bully with the smaller elves.
I've had the white elves for a while and was thrilled to find the big pixie with the polka dotted suit a few months ago. He fit right in.
Have a Merry Christmas everyone.

Lizzie Kate's Blessings of Christmas

I've been neglecting my poor blog lately but thought this was a good time to post the Lizzie Kate Blessings of Christmas designs that my friend Lorraine and I stitched and finished for The Attic Needlework's breast cancer charity auction. She stitched six and I stitched six. The auction was a few weeks ago and the ornaments brought a total of $435.

The tree is up...

Seems to have taken forever this year to get our tree up, we still have ornaments to add but I snapped a quick photo this morning of the kids. Merry Christmas!

Sweet Bird

My latest release is called "Sweet Bird". I used an old sampler verse "Sweet Bird thy bower is ever green, thy sky is ever clear, thou hast no sorrow in thy song, no winter in thy year".

It is stitched on 32 ct Sand Dune linen with Crescent Colours floss: Wavy Navy, Desert Mesquite, Tartan Plaid, Whatley Woodlands, Old Oak Tree, Zach Black and Apple Fritters. It is done totally in cross stitch. Hope you like it!