Fair & Square 4th of July

Here are the squares and goodies that I sent to Darla. She received them yesterday so now I can post photos!!! This was a really fun stitch! The pattern is called "Liberty Ewe" from Crescent Colors. Inside the fabric "firecracker" I put some glittery threads as the "fireworks", and the variegated thread sticking out the top was to simulate a fuse for the firecracker. I think it looked better in my head, but you get the idea.
These are the squares that Darla stitched for me. She does very nice work and I think I need to get busy putting together all the squares I have received so far!

I have a couple of other finishes that I can't show just yet. They are for exchanges ;-)

I have added a new list to my sidebar. "Things I've Learned Since My Husband Left". My husband started a one year remote in Korea in March and I am learning as I go how to fix things, and who knows what else I will learn over the next nine and a half months!

I need to get busy stitching because I have a few more exchanges I need to finish up! Have a great day!

I'd LOVE to stitch that!

Here are the projects I have recently started. The top right is my Ultimate Needlebook SAL through my LNS. It started last Fall. I started too, but decided I didn't like my fabric, (too light), so I changed it and started over a couple of weeks ago. The finishing class is in July. Think I'll make it?
Top left - I went to a guild meeting in Idaho because they do a lot of fun stuff and I don't want to miss anything. So I bought the newest SAL they are starting right now. "Love & Wisdom" by Drawn Thread. They will stitch parts of it between meetings, and demonstrate some of the stitches at the meetings so it will be lots of fun to do. Of course, I started it right away. Don't want to get behind on anything else, lol.
Center project in the pink binder - The latest SAL though my LNS. It is a French Sampler and it will officially start next week. I went ahead and picked my fabric and threads. Can you tell I was in the mood for PINK?
Right in front - "P is for Paradise". My LNS owner designed this alphabet and I offered to stitch a couple of letters for her. I really need to get my needle in gear because what you don't see are all of the smaller works in progress that are for all of the awesome exchanges I have signed up for. So far, I am keeping up with those. So far...
About the previously mentioned yardwork. I did it myself. Saved some money AND have a sense of pride in the fact that I have not received any yard tickets. I live on a military base and we have standards, ya know (LOL). My goal is to not get any yard tickets while my husband is gone. Now if I could just figure out why I have a pansy plant blooming in my front lawn and not in the flower bed.
Have a great day!

Fair & Square Round 6

Yesterday I received my squares from Monique. They will make a nice ornament for my Christmas tree, don't you think? I am very excited because she also sent me a counting needle set, made by her. She sells those and many other neat things in her etsy shop. The fabric will be perfect for some over one stitching that I want to do and believe it or not, this is my first skein of dinky dyes thread. I will definately have to find a special project to try it. Thank you so much!!!

I'm Just Trying To Do My Part, President Bush!

Will you just look at this? Do I have any will power at all? Evidently not. I just had to have these. I hadn't purchased the fabric for "Where My Heart Blooms" so, it's here. I bought fabric and threads for a couple of small projects from "With Needle & Thread". One will be a birthday gift for a dear friend so I had to have that, right? The cool purple scissors are for another gift. The additional Blackbird charts - I looked through the album at the yahoo group site. Need I say more? Oh, and the blue fabric. It is for a major do-over on my Ultimate Needlebook. I will show pictures of that next time. The only mistake I made was in trying to "use what I have" the first time. The fabric was just too loosely woven and I hated how my stitching looked on it. So today I found the perfect fabric and am happily stitching away....

Have a great day!

Resistance is futile!

I was at my LNS for the stitch-in Friday night and there was talk of a "mystery" sampler. Blackbird is doing a mystery? Yes, you have to have all the charts from this years Loose Feathers program and at the end there will be a diagram for a seventh sampler using parts from the six charts in this years program. Key words, "mystery", "must have all the charts".....I was thinking, I don't have those yet, and I sure as heck don't want to miss anything. So, here are the first two charts, AND I decided I had to have this book. I have seen way to many cool things made from the charts in this book so I had to have it too! Can I please buy more time to stitch? PLEASE? I am supposed to be doing the yard work since dear hubby is gone for a year. I keep thinking, I wonder if it would be worth the money to pay someone to do it for me so I can stitch. How much stash money would I be giving up? It's just not fair to have to make that kind of decision, I tell you! I mean, check out the additional stash that came in the mail this week! I love clearance sales.

I did manage to get some stitching done this week, too. Three small projects. The "Grow Old With Me" design will go on the cover of a small scrapbook and become a gift to my hubby for our anniversary next month. The other two are LK freebies that I just felt like stitching. I have tons of small pieces of linen and I thought it would be fun to match them up with some small freebies and see how many I can get used up and stitched this year. I am also challenging myself to do the finishing work. I have been reading BeckyBee's blog and WOW!!! What an inspiration she is!

There is also a contest for you to check out on the Stitch Pink blog. All you have to do is leave a comment, but please take a minute to read about all of the great pink things you can stitch and support Breast Cancer Awareness.

Have a great day!

Needles & Hooks

Still no paperback books, but then I wouldn't have these lovely finishes to show you! The Rose Sampler is by LHN and part of a SAL for the group I am in. The knit dishcloths and a couple of the crocheted scrubbers are for my hubby. The rest of the scrubbers will be set aside to be given away some time. I love to have a stash of handmade goodies for thank you gifts and such. The little "Peep" fob is from a Prairie Schooler freebie and I put that together last week, too! Have a great day!

More Stash!

My order from Everything Cross Stitch came on Saturday. Everything I ordered was on sale so that was very nice. I also signed up for their newsletter and they sent me a welcome coupon. Which should help to explain the order I placed Monday...

Anyway, these are two of my most favorite designers. I have loads of their patterns and use them for stitching exchanges and gifts. I am currently working on Rose Sampler (LHN) and am more than half way finished. Over the weekend I had to crochet some bookmarks for another exchange I was in and like a space cadet, I forgot to take a photo before they went into the mail. When I make more, and I will, I'll be sure to take a pic to show you. I love to crochet, expecially quick small projects. Right now I am knitting some dishcloths for my husband. He is doing a remote assignment in Korea and asked me to knit him some cloths and crochet some scrubbers. I will take a pic and post it here before I send them to him.

Did anyone see "The Memory Keepers Daughter"? I just had to watch it. I bought the book quite a while ago but never got around to it. I am afraid that my "to read" stack is more like a three-dimensional list of movies I want to see when they come out. Of course, there are books that will never be made into movies so eventually I WILL have to read them to find out what happens. Well, the movie was very good and maybe someday I will be able to compare it to the book. Maybe.

Have a great day!