Happy 2010!!!

A happy New Year! Grant that I

May bring no tear to any eye

When this New Year in time shall end

Let it be said I've played the friend,

Have lived and loved and labored here,

And made of it a happy year.

~Edgar Guest

I can't believe that in less than 9 hours from this minute, it will be 2010! Unreal isn't it? I counted up the list of 2009 finishes & it totals 54. That's not bad seeing as how they weren't ALL tiny designs. I did have a Mirabilia in there, a couple of Just Nan's and the like. Not bad, not bad at all. Too bad more of them weren't pieces I started in '08 or earlier! I hope to remedy that in 2010. (wish me luck!) ;-)

I wish all of you a happy, healthy, blessed and prosperous new year filled with much love & lots of stitching & stash! :-) Be safe & have fun - my evening plans are to stitch! :-)

Love & hugs - Happy Stitching!

Did you have a Merry Christmas??

I hope you had a great Christmas! Ours was nice & peaceful. We slept late, ate too much, had a nap, ate some more, slept again - and in between I did stitch & watch movies! I stitched an ornament that I still need to do the finishing on & post a picture to show you - the LE kit was a very sweet gift from a very kind designer.... more on that as soon as I can sit down at the sewing machine! ;-)

Ray bought me a digital camera for Christmas - a Canon Powershot - and it's RED! Here are some pics from Amazon - isn't it pretty? ;-) I had to order a Brown Microfiber Vera Bradley "Tech Case" to put it in - sure hope it fits. If not, guess I'll just have to use it for something else. :-)

OH, and he also bought me jewelry - RUBIES, my favorite! Very pretty set with ring, earrings & pendant. He bought it in Nov. (we were in Myrtle Beach) but I didn't get to wear it until Christmas Eve. It's so pretty!! See.....

(sterling silver & lab created stones, but that's perfect for me, I don't spend big $$ on jewelry!)

I have been stitching on a UFO/WIP, Lizzie Kate's ABC Lessons while listening to Diana Gabaldon's "Voyager". I finished part 1 last night & am very anxious to get back to it tonight. I have the first four books on audio... each is over 30 hours - that's A LOT of stitching time! ;-) On the stitching subject, I usually start some "big - new" project in Jan. I THINK this year I'm going to concentrate on finishing up some of my wonderful UFO's. I really do like them, just kept finding other things to stitch on. Hopefully I can finish one or two by the end of January. WISH ME LUCK!

OH, I took down my Christmas tree/decorations this afternoon & (gasp) vacuumed the living room, kitchen & everything else with ceramic tile, and our bedroom. For those that don't remember, I fell in Sept. while vacuuming and hurt my knee REALLY badly. It's still sore if I kneel on it, and I promise you today while I was vacuuming, it started to hurt. I know, it's probably all in my mind, but it really did hurt! LOL And speaking of why I'm telling you I took down my tree - I counted the stitched ornaments. I only had 119 or 120. I got mixed up & not sure if I counted one of them or not. SO..... think that's enough or should I keep at it? ;-)

Thanks for stopping by & Happy Stitching!!!

Ornament Received!

To receive an ornament exchange gift on Christmas Eve - isn't that great!?! :-) And if you think that's great, look at at the ornament - BOTH SIDES!!! Isn't it gorgeous? It's from Becky K from the ornament swap group we're in and she really stitched a LOVELY gift for me. I'm just thrilled with it - she put so much into this, both with the thought and with the stitching and wonderful finishing. It makes it so special, so thank you again Becky! I will treasure it always!

Happy stitching & Merry Christmas!!

A couple more finishes....

I have two more pieces finished & ready to show you!
First is Val's Stuff "A Helping Hand" that I stitched for a family friend. Donna loves snowman & birds/birdhouses & this little design is adorable (I think!). My mom gave it to Donna today & said she just loved it. :-) It's on a 32 ct hand-dyed belfast (can't recall the color at the moment) & uses DMC & WDW. The bird button was supposed to be red, but I changed it to white.... and I just might have to stitch this one again! :-)


And this is "Sew Peaceful" by Carol of iStitch. I think it turned out just lovely! Carol gifted me with this lovely design of hers & I couldn't wait to stitch it. :-) It's stitched on 36 ct Antique White Edinboro with Anchor floss and as you can see, I finished it as a cube. I was saving that roll of ribbon for something special, and this was it! I made two very small changes to Carol's colors - I made the birds all red and changed the hearts to red. Hope you like it as much as I do! Thank you Carol - so much!

I have 3 more ornaments stitched that I HOPE to get finished by tomorrow. Wish me luck! I also have one more special ornament to stitch (for myself) that I plan to do either tomorrow night or Christmas Day. You'll have to check back to see what it is though.... ;-)

Andrea, I hope you check in.... here is info on the 2010 retreat we talked about this a.m. There is lots of room so if anyone else reading this wants to join us, just let me know. We have LOADS of fun & you'll make some wonderful stitching friends! :-) Pals Fall Fling

Some stitched ornaments....

Here are pics of some of the ornaments I've done lately. The first one is a freebie by Carol, well, most of it at least! (HAPPY BIRTHDAY Carol!!) It's stitched on 36 ct. Antique White Edinboro with DMC. The "tree" fabric was given to me by Nicole earlier this year & I just love it. I decided to copy a finish Vonna had done for me last Christmas and here is how it turned out. I like it!

Next are two by Milady's Needle (the trees), Joyeux Noel is a free design that I will stitch again for myself, and again, the lovely freebie by Carol. The Joyeux Noel is done with a pretty red Anchor (sorry, don't remember the color) and it went home with Karen last Saturday. The Milady's Needle trees are stitched on 25 ct Antique white over 1 using 12 wt. Sulky Blendables thread - color is Forever Green. Have to say, I LOVE the thread. Can't wait to use it for something else. The tree on top when home with Faye last Sat. The other two (on the bottom) are on my tree!

See how good these next two pics are? That's because Nicole took the pics! lol I sent her this ornament on Wednesday & she got it yesterday. I forgot to take a pic of it so she did & sent them too me. I love this design by Tanya (The Sampler Girl) and plan to stitch it several more times.... It's on 36 ct Antique White Edinboro with DMC. Oh, and I used the same "tree" fabric Nicole gave me for the ornament I sent her. Just love that fabric!

And here is the last one (for now) that I mailed out to a friend today. I do hope the recipient will like it. :-) Once again, 36 ct Antique White Edinboro & DMC. Just love this design AND this fabric. I picked it up at a quilt shop in Myrtle Beach in early Nov. Looking forward to going back there... ;-)

And look at this LOVELY ornament - Nicole made it for me. She said we must have had ESP - because we both mailed ornaments to the other on Wed without the other knowing it! ;-) You can read on her blog the reason she made this for me - though I told her several times there was no need. BUT I'm so glad she did - I just love it! It's a Blackbird Designs from the Joyeux Noel booklet that was new this fall. Isn't it great! Thank you again Nicole! :-)

Now I'm off to stitch! I'm working on a Val's Stuff "Snowman" for a family friend that I really need to get done tonight so I can finish it & give it to her tomorrow. Then I have a couple more pieces to do & share with you between now & Christmas! I'd better get to stitching!

Thanks for visiting - love to read your comments. Happy stitching!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....

It should look like Christmas since it's only several days away huh? ;-)
Here is a picture of our tree this year. It's loaded with ornaments & I've probably added 5-6 more since this picture was taken. I just love ornaments! :-) We've had the same angel topper since 1987. Every year I talk about getting a new one, but when the time comes, I just can't. I just can't "retire" her - not now!

This little tree is my dining area is new this year and is full or stitched ornaments by friends/Pals. Maybe you recognize one or more of them? ;-) The crocheted angel is one Ray's grandmother made many, many years ago. She taught me to crochet too & I have been tempted lately to pick up a ball of thread & make some ornaments - just haven't done it.

This is a smaller ornament tree from Hallmark several years ago. I have a larger one as well, but I didn't get it out this year. I'm thinking about doing all Mill Hill ornaments for it - just love them & they're the right size I think! Again, these are from friends & a few I've stitched myself.

And this is a Christmas Cactus that my mom bought for me two weeks ago as an early Christmas gift. The blooms are a peachy/salmon color & I've never seen one this color - I LOVE it! The flash makes it look a tad odd, but trust me, it's very pretty!
I received another from a friend/DSL customer the other day via UPS it's red AND white and on my, it's as pretty as can be. I'd been looking for a true red and haven't been able to find one, so I was thrilled (and shocked!) beyond words when it arrived. Chris, if you're reading this, thank you again, so very much! I LOVE plants and your choice was perfect!!

I helped my mom wrap her gifts yesterday & need to get mine done today. I've never been this late in wrapping gifts, but I've also never had my mother had surgery 2 weeks before Christmas either. We've been busy with doctors appointments, spending a 12+ hour day at the hospital, and the list goes on. It's great though, mom is doing much better though she is still in some pain. The surgeon said on Wed. that the nurse must have pulled a little too hard while holding up her liver with something-or-other while he was operating. If the pain hasn't gone away by next week, she is supposed to call him. It was hurting her pretty bad while I was there yesterday afternoon, so I'm a tad worried. I just want to know where time went so fast? Wasn't my mom just taking me to the doctor a few months back? Now it's the other way around? My dad is grateful that I'm helping out, I can tell. And I'm glad to do it - it's just an odd feeling - some of you may know what I'm talking about?

Anyway - I have been stitching (more ornaments) and I'll post some ornament pics soon - maybe later today!

Thanks for stopping by & happy stitching!!!

Dear Fat Quarter Shop Santa....

Dear FQS Santa,

I've been a pretty good gal this year I think, trying to do for others and always saying please and thank you. ;-) And yes Santa, I know I have a lot of fabrics, but can one EVER have enough fat quarters? I didn't think so either!!!

My Christmas wish this year from The Fat Quarter shop is for L'Amour Fat Quarter Bundle by Sandy Gervais for Moda Fabrics. We all know I'm a sucker for reds and browns, and this is a gorgeous set of fabrics.

If the FSQ Santa decides to gift me with something from your wonderful shop, this is what I would love to have and I would be THRILLED to receive such a wonderful gift!!!

Thanks FQS & Merry Christmas,

Amy

PS- To all the other stitchers/quilters out there, be sure to visit the Fat Quarter Shop to let them know your Christmas wish & to shop - great place to order from!

What a WONDERFUL WAY to spend a day.... (lots of pics!)

What a great day with stitching friends! The ladies came over & we had a great time chatting & laughing, eating, exchanging gifts & ornaments, it was a great day, even though it is COLD here! ;-)

From the left (in blue) clockwise is Karen, Myra, Lynn, Miriam, Amy, Faye NC & Nicole. This is our "catch all" room that Ray says I have turned into a stitching room! lol Works for me....

Here are the gifts all ready to be "exchanged" - we had lists & had a name drawing, that way we got something we wanted (or at least I hope we did!).
Nicole had my name & look at this great basket filled with all kinds of goodies she gave me - fat quarters & ribbons in reds & browns, a bag of really great assorted buttons, a little box of Mrs. Fields chocolates, some cording for finishing, a lovely pin pillow that she stitched just for me, and a big ol' box of Whitman's in a collectors tin - a beautiful tin that I had never seen! It's all just wonderful!! Thank you again Nicole! :-)

Here is a better pic of the pin pillow - isn't it pretty?!?! I *think* she said the thread is Raspberry Parfait - whatever she used, it's great & I'm thrilled with it! :-)

It's a long story, but a couple of us ended up with two names & two gifts - and my other gift was from Miriam. Isn't this angel just lovely? On my list were "Angels & Nativities", among other things - and Miriam found a beautiful angel that fit both. This is an "Elements" angel titled "Christ Is Born" and it's beautiful - I love it! Thanks again Miriam! :-)

INSERTING IMPORTANT FOOD INFO HERE (lol) - OMG, you should have been here just for lunch & all the goodies that were brought! For 7 of us (and Ray had to eat too! lol) we had so many goodies it was unreal. MOST of it was homemade - by Nicole, Karen, Faye & Lynn. I'm sorry to say I just bought a cheesecake sampler & sodas - (and hey gals, I had a couple of bags of chips & forgot to get them out of the pantry!) LOL I guess it was all that other food taking up the island.... ;-)

We ordered subs (nice & healthy right?) so we could really eat the GOOD STUFF! Karen made yummy "veggie pizza sqaures" - it was SO good. I have been informed that my husband really likes this & wants it again. She also brought a chocolate chip cheese ball. A what you ask? Yep, a chocolate chip cheese ball. Trust me, it was DELICIOUS! Nicole brought iced & decorated sugar cookies that are super and Oreo Bark. Okay, everyone needs to try Oreo Bark, it was chocolate and chocolate and oh so good. Faye make Peppermint Bark and Lynn made chocolate covered pretzels and they were BOTH super yummy. How did we eat it all? We didn't (though we tried) and I think everyone went home with goodie bags - though Karen left all that chocolate chip cheese ball for us - YUM! I'm going to gain 10 lbs over the next few days - I can already feel it!

Back to the gifts/exchanges....

Next are two ornaments by Faye - the one of the left is from the exchange - the one on the right is a gift she brought for me. Aren't they as cute as can be?

Faye always does something clever with her ornaments - look at the tree charm on the back of this one - I love it!

And her packaging is also out of this world - I had the first one open before I thought to take a pic of it.... but she makes really cool tags (so does Karen btw) and uses neat bags & ribbon.

Next up is this pretty ornament from Karen! She does neat packaging of her ornaments as well. I need to take lessons from these two gals! ;-) I love the fact that Karen's initials & the date are on this one. I wish I had taken pics of all the ornaments - but of course, the camera batteries died before I got a chance. If you visit their blogs, you might see pics of the others....


And Karen brought each of us a gift she made - she made the Christmas crackers & inside were fobs - all were different - the pkg & the fobs. I got a Santa - isn't he cute? ;-) There was a reindeer, a penguin, and a few snowmen. ALL were really, really cute! Karen, I know you'll think I'm crazy, but I put the cracker & the fob on my tree! It looks really cute btw! Karen is very creative and comes up with some really great things. She does lots of beautiful cards & she *collects* lots of great things for her projects. I know I heard the word "hoard", but if you use it, it's not hoarding! ;-)

And Karen brought me a gift too - a beautiful spun glass Nativity ornament - isn't it pretty? I love it! As you can see, it's already on the tree... along with all the rest of them!

And last but certainly not least is a Willow Tree figure from dear Myra to add to my collection. This one is called "Friendship". Myra is a dear, thank you again my friend! :-)

I had a wonderful day with these super ladies - and I'm looking forward to doing it again soon! Thanks for stopping by - and Happy Stitching!

Lovely gift from Becky SC...

I received a lovely gift from Becky on Thursday.... isn't this beautiful? An angel on a tree....... and look at how she finished it - I love it - it's just wonderful, thank you again Becky! She also sent a really pretty pair of "copper" colored scissors - I'll have to get a picture of them & post really soon. I am blessed to have such dear friends.....

Thanks for stopping by & Happy Stitching!

Chiloe's Christmas Giveaway.....

Chiloe is having a fantastic giveaway for a beautiful Santa - click here to visit her blog & see.... I think Chiloe has the right idea about the spirit of Christmas, don't you agree? May your kindness return to you tenfold!!

Gift Exchange received....

This came in today's mail from Su. It's a cute SB Ornament and some hand-dyed fabric/threads. There was also a box of mint candies, but I guess the PO decided I didn't need them as they were more than a bit damaged. Oh well.... Thank you for the package Su, the ornament is cute!

Hope everyone has a great week ahead & happy stitching!

Do you know the name of this pattern? AND it's a giveaway too....

I fell in love with this when I saw it on Tatyana's blog this morning. I know it's by The Workbasket, but I don't know the name nor could I find it via any of the distributors. Can anyone help? She is having a giveaway for it as well, so be sure to sign up if you like it as much as I do! :-)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Happy stitching!!

***Edited to add - thank you Tatyana for the info on the pattern! (Seasonal Houses - The Workbasket). Hoffman still has it & it's $11 if anyone else wants one! The other 3 seasons are cute as well! :-) Thanks again & I would still love to win! lol

Gift for Becky SC.....

I stitched Shepherd's Bush "A Rosey Garden" for Becky and I *think* she likes it! :-) The lovely Jill Rensel mats come with this kit and I've always thought it was too cute. When Becky told me she didn't have any mats by Jill, I decided it was "about time"! :-) The pic is clickable for a slightly large view!

I have been stitching & I hope to have more to post soon. Hope to finish up an ornament tonight or tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by & HAPPY STITCHING!!!