Chocolates for Breakfast; Stitching for Lunch

A Soul Vacation.

2012-01-29T19:16:00.000-05:00

Dear friends!

Are you there?

Hello?

Anyone out there?

I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't.

Because, I've been well, less than enthusiastic about stitching or blogging for the past few months. Nope, nothing wrong, really. Just sluggish, I guess. I have been busy doing all sorts of things, most of which would not interest most of you so I won't bore you with the details.

Over the summer, Julie and I stitched "Soar" by Brenda Gervais of "With Thy Needle and Thread". We stitched it for my dear friend Sheila who turned 50 in October. When I showed Sheila the pattern she just loved it and it turned out to be a great 50th b-day present. I stitched the 1/2 on the left, Julie the right side. Sheila and her DD Meghan watched the Decorah Eagles last year with great interest and the sampler was the perfect remembrance for a milestone year.

Stitched on 32 count black linen with the called for fibers.

The only other thing I've worked on since last we met is Mary Gibson's 1824 Sampler from the good folks at the Haslemere Educational Museum, which I found on the Needleprint blog. I am stitching her on 36 count linen with various and sundry silk flosses. Some of the silks I had in my stash, others I purchased. As in the sampler I previously stitched from Haslemere, Marianne Wenn, I did not like the DMC colors they charted. So... a picking I did go.

Here's how she looks so far.

Isn't that tomato cute? I found it at a little antique mall and had never seen one with a built in tape measure. It's a sweet addition to my ever growing collection. Uh, back to Mary.... I don't know why she's taking so long except that the 36 count linen is not as easy to work on (for me - I do not know how all you 40 count fabric folks do it!) AND the upper 1/3rd of the sampler is kind of boring. All those different colored letters - blech! I do like how she's looking though and think she'll be a beauty when she's done. I am almost done with the top third and I think it will go faster as I move towards the bottom. I will post my conversion, if you're interested, but will hold off till I get to the bottom because I think I may change my mind on the silks I selected for the houses. We'll see.

Besides this minimal amount of stitching over the last several months, the other thing I've done is hit estate sales. Yeah baby. Retail therapy. I have found a lot of treasures but then, I go to a lot of sales. You really do, as the saying goes, have to kiss a lot of frogs. Believe me when I tell you that I have gone into some houses that should rightly be condemned. They were filthy, and stinky and just plain gross. Nothing to be had at those. Anyway, here are a few of my recent finds:

The Martha Washington sewing cabinet was not acquired at an estate sale but from a man at work whose wife had passed away. I was lucky enough to purchase this, fully loaded for $75. This is, by far, my most expensive purchase but also one of the prettiest.

Oh, how about that spinning wheel lamp?! Isn't it adorable? Kitchy and cute, I think and perfect for a craft room. I know, the shade is hideous but I'll find, or repurpose something. In the meantime, both things keep me company in my craft room. I had never seen a spinning wheel lamp that works and just had to bring it home.

I found these cute, little pinkeeps and what-not box at various sales. I love the mirror pinkeep. I have never seen one like it and thought it was fabulous. The back is very plain but the front is really detailed and interesting. They are all very small, as you can likely tell by the pins in the mirror.

The clam shell pinkeep is a soft suede type fabric with a drawn, or painted floral design on it. The little box to the left is a floral, tent stitched box.

The next couple of pics are of one of my favorite areas in my home. My parents gave me, for Christmas, this fantastic spool cabinet sitting below my samplers. It's made of oak and is in fantastic condition. The base was made at some later time to allow it to be used as a small table. Actually, my mom and I found it in our travels to Savannah and she kept it until Christmas when they came to visit. It's a treasure! The big cabinet to the left of that houses the vintage quilts I found this summer and some other goodies I've accumulated, as well. I will show you those goodies another time.

If you click on either of the pictures, you'll be able to see an antique salesman's sample, sewing table. I was so giddy when I found that I could hardly stand it. Again, not something I had ever seen before. I really do need to learn how to sew. I mean really sew; not just a straight seam but really understand sewing and how to put things together. Who said that? I must have had an aneurism just now.... Oh, I'm back to reality now. At the same sale in which I found the little sewing table sample, I also found these two beauties! Aren't they fantastic? The little one was, I think $8 and the big one was $12 or $15. I have no idea what the holes on the bottom of the big one are for so I stuck some scissors in it. The big one resides in the cabinet pictured above and the smaller one is still in my craft room.

The only other thing I have to show you today is some fobby things I made. I saw some very much like this on Pinterest and thought I should have a go at it. I love how they turned out. I thought I might use one as a necklace but that didn't really work for me so I'm using it as a scissor fob. A petite French dictionary, some old buttons and charms (the shoe is from a Monopoly game), an old thread spool and some wire, a little Mod Podge and Ta-da! Pretty cute, I think. I have given a couple of them away and have a few more to make as gifts.

Soon. Very. Very. Soon.

Are you on Pinterest? If not, check it out - it's pretty addicting.

It has been a very mild winter this year and I couldn't be happier! We finally got a bit of snow today and Rob and Sophie went for a walk. I have to admit, it was kind of nice seeing the white stuff come down. For a while, the flakes were huge and looked so pretty.

Sophie went out to play in it again after a couple of inches had fallen. Princess that she is, Gracie chose to stay inside where it's warm. She takes after me.

Thank you, dear friends for stopping by. Thank you to all that wrote to me, sent me emails etc. wondering where I was. As you can see, all is well. I will try not to be gone so long next time. I have a lot more goodies to show you; some estate sale finds, some gifts but all fantabulous!

When I got on line to do this post today it was about 11:30 A.M. and I got somewhat distracted because I started visiting blogs rather than writing a blog post. That is, for now, remedied. For those of you that I missed, I'll see you soon!

Be well.

Peace!

Terri

Savannah, Georgia

2011-10-02T14:14:00.002-04:00

Hello Dear Friends!

I got back from Savannah last Saturday night and my mom and I had an absolute ball! We stayed right in the heart of downtown and got to do and see a lot. A big part of that was due to Beverly, who is a reader of my blog. She contacted me and said she'd love to meet me and my mom in Savannah. What fun that was. Beverly couldn't have been sweeter and we all clicked and had a great time together. Thanks so much for all you did Bev! You could not have been a better ambassador for your great state! My mom and I are so happy to have met you.

I was hoping to get to meet Mel of Woolwoman fame while I was there as well, but that just didn't work out.... may be next time!

Here are some of the hundreds of pictures I took while in Savannah:

Bonaventure Cemetery Angels:
(click to enlarge any of the pics to see more clearly)

Loved the epitaph on this one!

Click to enlarge....

"She did what she could." Love it!

And this; an angel, not yet the winged kind:

Little Gracie died at 6 years of age and this life sized sculpture was done shortly after her death in 1889.

I LOVE cemeteries. The other cemetery I visited was this one:

Colonial Cemetery:

During the civil war, Yankee soldiers camped here. While here, they desecrated many of the tombstones, knocked many more over and were, as Scarlet O'Hara might say:

"Yankees! Dirty, rotten Yankees."

These stones, because they didn't know where they belonged, were put on this wall:

And, kind of samplery:

Okay, enough death... how 'bout somethin' pretty?

A dress and handbag in a shoppe window I really wanted to ~~try on~~ buy. Unfortunately, the shoppe was closed and I couldn't find it again... pardon my reflection.

A pineapple light fixture in a yarn shop (The French Needle) in Savannah that Melanie recommended. The shop was adorable and I love this light.
Must find one.

Now, back to the historic portion of this post!

A dentist's cabinet on display at the Visitor's museum.

I would love to have one of these in my home or craft room (I need a bigger room!).

The casting mold for the bird girl statue. The statue has been removed from Bonaventure cemetery due to so many tourists taking chips from her (shameful).

I really wanted a sterling charm of this statue for my charm bracelet but the only one I found was so tiny you could hardly tell what it was. Seriously, I think they'd sell a lot of these.... why not make one you don't need a magnifying glass in order to tell what it is?

Remember the famous Mercer House in the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil? This is the christening gown made for Johnny Mercer (one of the most prolific song writers in U.S. history) in 1909.

It was so delicate and beautiful! Probably a tad feminine for a boys christening gown today but the workmanship is splendid!

St. John the Baptist Cathedral.

One of the most stunning churches (in the U.S.) that I have ever seen!

The interior colors of the cathedral are just breathtaking.

Do not miss this if you go to Savannah!

One of my must visit sites was the Juliet Gordon Lowe house.

She was the founder of the Girl Scouts and, having been one myself, this was a must do tour.

This doll house was in the lobby and they let me snap a picture of it but pictures upstairs were completely off limits.

The pic on the right is my mom and me, after the tour, on the balcony of Juliet's house.

And of course, what would Savannah be without beautiful, secret gardens

and wrought iron.

Lots and lots of wrought iron!

We do not grow ferns like this in Michigan!

Doesn't that bird house remind

you of a certain PS pattern?

And the houses... the spectacular houses. There were, of course, some huge mansions but one of my favorite houses was this white cottage with a red, tin roof (which I absolutely LOVE). It was amongst some huge homes, around one of the squares, and I thought it was so quaint and cute. Wouldn't you love to sit on the porch and watch the world go by?

We peeked through a lot of garden gates:

Loved watching the birds play in

this garden fountain.

And this bird working on her nest:

We also ate a lot... and really enjoyed the Wilke's Boarding House

Don't get me started on Paula Deen's

The Lady and Son's restaurant - BLECH!

Okay, I've gotten myself started...

Do NOT waste your time or money.

SO not worth it.

If you want more info, send me an email.

Anyway, we really enjoyed the Wilke's Boarding House

This is me, Beverly and my mom after lunch.

There was an obscene amount of food and I ate like I would never see another meal.

(I know, I know. It looks it, too!).

I thought this was a really nice shot of my mom and Beverly at the park:

Gosh, we had such a good time!

Thanks, Mom for going on this trip with me! I needed to get away so badly and I can't think of anyone I'd rather go on a fun journey with, than you!

When we got back to Virginia, I took some pictures of my dad's zinnias.

Aren't they gorgeous?

His flower bed is FULL and they're all so pretty! The colors are spectacular and each blossom, like a snowflake, looks just a bit different. Don't forget to bring me some seeds for my garden for next year, Dad!

Please.

There are so many more pics I could share but I think this is sufficient, for now. Don't you?

I'm worn out.

Peace and Love,

Terri

Cut her loose!

2011-09-07T20:43:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it's freeing. Sometimes it's necessary.

And sometimes, if it just doesn't feel right, you gotta know when to cut a girl loose.

Maria Theresa Wilkinson; I'm talkin' to you!

At the KSSG (Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild) meeting a few months ago, a decision was made to make the guild focus project for the next year a sampler from The Scarlet Letter. There was much debate on whether we should all pick one we loved and stitch that and then have a great show and tell in the end. Or, should we, as a group, select a few and all stitch one of those. The final decision was to vote for your 3 favorites and the top three vote getters would be the ones we'd all choose from to stitch.

Let the jockeying begin!

photo borrowed from Wornthru which has an interesting article on jockey's silks.

The sampler I picked was of course, the one I thought the prettiest of the bunch from those we had to choose. I began the job of getting these talented KSSG women on my side. I politicked and cajoled and pleaded my case for the sampler of my choice.

I got the votes!

Julie did the same thing and she did quite well in the vote getting department, too. There may have been a little more persuasion going on by others but Julie and I were the ~~most aggressive~~ least subtle of the bunch.

We did it! Ours were in the top 3. I'm not telling you who was the best at the cajoling, politicking and pleading 'cause that really isn't the point of this story.

Okay, okay... it was Julie but she was on the debate team, after all!

I was only a cheerleader!

Next order of business was to place our orders. Oh no! The one I picked and politicked for is no longer available at the SL. So, the next best, in my totally biased, and not so humble opinion, was Julie's pick; Maria Wilkinson.

She looked pretty on the website and on the pattern picture. I loved the cottage, after all. But, when I got the pattern and pulled the threads and started looking at her, I no longer felt the love. She's not very symmetrical and her colors are kind of bland. I'm just not loving her. Oh, she's pretty enough.
But, she's just not as blingy as I thought she'd be.
She's a little boring, for me.
Gosh, I sound so shallow.

This is the gal I really love:

Mary Gibson.

Love.

Yep! Another beauty from the folks at the

Haslemere Museum

click here to order your own copy!

She's pink. She's red. She's bright and cheerful. She's got a great verse. She's got great houses.
She's got an Adam and Eve.

She's FABULOUS!!!

She practically sparkles!

Maria, you're OUT. Mary, it's you I truly love.

Here's where Maria ended up:

Sorry for the blurry pic - a new camera and the setting was off. But you get the picture - LOL

I spent last night cutting the start of Maria off and, sorry to sound brutal, I tossed her in the trash. I remounted the fabric on rods for my sweet Mary. I think the color of fabric will work well with her delightful colors. Now, I've just got to pull the fibers and get to work. My friend Melissa's start on Mary put me over the edge and made me realize how much more I loved Mary than Maria. Melissa is starting Mary from the bottom and working up. I will start at the top and work down.
See Melissa's beautiful start here;
Words and Blooms Blog

Maybe we'll meet somewhere in the middle!

The last sampler that got my blood pumping was also from Haslemare.
Remember Marianne Wenn?

This was not a great pic (a bit too sunny) but you get the idea.

Maybe it's the houses that I love. Regardless... I feel the excitement coming back.
What are you excited to be stitching?

Thanks so much for all your visits and comments! I've got some email to respond to and I will get to it tomorrow. I promise!

Peace!
Terri

A Self Imposed Hiatus

2011-08-28T15:45:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

It has been a crazy summer 'round here. So much has been going on that I've barely been able to keep my head above water. Hence, no blogging, no stitching (to speak of), not much of anything, really.

Well, except for retail therapy.

I've done a ~~bit~~ lot of that.

The retail therapy has mostly involved estate sales and the sale rack at our local department store. I bought a lot of great things at bargain basement prices.

I bought quite a few dresses and have enjoyed wearing them this summer, which is a kind of a new thing for me.

You see, I've always had really skinny legs. I mean, seriously, SKINNY and was always very embarrassed to wear a dress or shorts or anything that exposed them. People used to make fun of me; call me chicken legs, ask how those skinny sticks could possibly hold me up, even called me Annie Rexia. How I managed to cheer in high school is beyond me. It almost killed me sometimes - the embarrassment of having everyone see my skinny legs was torture. Oh, did I mention that I was a little bow legged too. Do you know how hard it is to stand in cheer formation and try to squeeze your legs together so they wouldn't look so bowed AND skinny.

Things like that made me the self conscious person I am today.

I remember that I had to wear a dress (mandatory) for a speech class I took in my freshman year of high school. I was more terrified of having to wear a dress in front of all the beautiful girls and their gorgeous legs (not to mention the cute boys) than I was to give my speech. My mom took me to get a dress and a pair of great shoes that I remember to this day. They were a tan sandal styled wedge (pretty high heel) and I loved them. They almost made wearing the dress bearable.

ALMOST.

Everyone still laughed at me and teased me that day. I'll never forget it. It was devastating and the effects have lasted into adulthood. I am still very self-conscious and am sure people are pointing and laughing at me, still.

But.... my son Tyler, at the beginning of the summer said to me, "Wow, Mom! You've really gotten some trunks from all the running you've been doing." It may be the greatest compliment I have ever received. At 51 years old, my son gave me the confidence to buy and wear dresses this summer. Lots of dresses!

It has been fun. Thanks, Ty!

Which is why these little treasures made their way home with me. Aren't they fabulous!? I just love how well they're made and of course, being red; they're perfect.

BTW, the pictures are not very good - I've lost my camera and these were all taken with my phone. I think they're going to be clickable but sorry they're not better.

But that's not all the retail therapy I did. Here, are some of the other things I've found this summer at estate sales:

I got this perfect KitchenAid mixer with original cover and book and attachments for $30. I thought it was a great buy. I've always wanted one (not sure why, I don't bake) and was tickled to find it at such a great price and in such pristine condition. I got this early in the summer and have yet to make anything with it other than mashed potatoes. I know... But, the mashed potatoes were AWESOME!

How about this beauty? It was also $30 on the last day of the sale.

It included the machine, a ton of attachments, instruction book and the cabinet and stool. Turns out this is a really good machine. A Singer 403 Slant-o-matic and it's in perfect condition. I know, I don't sew either. But it was $30!!!

I couldn't just leave it there.

I don't bake and I don't sew. What do I do???? Good question.

Here's a close up;

Yes! That is Elvis. He is in Michigan and lives in my basement.

God, he was a gorgeous man! Uh sorry, I was distracted (happens often). The machine isn't bad either, is it? These were the two most expensive things I bought at estate sales this summer. The rest of the things I'm going to show you were very inexpensive.

I found these cute scales (not at the same place) and there was no question but that they had to come home with me.

In case you can't tell, I put my silver thimbles in the egg scale.

I found the three big, red, bread tins at a local antique mall. They were all about $8 - $10 each and I think they look great stacked up. I've cleaned out my cabinets in the craft room and put things I don't use very often in the tins. I have done a lot of craft room cleaning and got rid of a lot of stuff I no longer want or use to make room for my new, old stuff!

Are you bored yet???? I'm going to show you some more!

I didn't buy this but I thought it was a beautiful machine.

Do you think the maker thought that calling it Cinderella and putting pretty graphics on it that the labor of sewing might make you feel better about the work you were doing? Maybe whatever you were making would turn you into a wondrous creature, just like Cinderella at the ball I don't, know but it sure is pretty!

This little vintage treasure was a gift from Julie.

Have you ever seen anything like them before?

The clothespins are so small and dainty.

I can't wait to go to Paris someday and take these with me to hang my beautiful lingerie on the line in my hotel room. Which will, by the way, be overlooking the Eiffel Tower

( a girl can dream).

I found this little, tin, hoosier cabinet at an estate sale and just had to have it.

I have it on the countertop in my craft room and think it's just the perfect, little thing to place some of my other treasures.

The Santos doll to the right of the cabinet was a gift from Rob. Isn't she beautiful!?

The other thing I found this summer was a lot of Desert Rose dishes. I can now say that I have a fairly large collection. I love them and use them everyday. Here are some of the not so everyday pieces I've gotten:

I've found a couple of fun flower frogs recently in addition to all the other ~~crap~~ treasures I've brought home.

These are all crystal or glass and are so pretty, I think. I especially like the tall one that looks like a tulip:

Oh, I also wanted to show you my collection of pincushion dolls. The latest addition to the collection is the baby doll in the gold, velvet cushion.

Isn't she sweet? She was a gift from Rob.

Her dress, on the bottom, looks like the green velvet that Scarlet O'Hara used to make her dress when she went to visit Rhett in prison.

The baby has aged well, her frock, not so much!

In case you're wondering where I store some of my treasures:

This is a little curio cabinet in the foyer of my home. I rotate things in and out of here but this is what it looked like today. I have four little sewing machines - the smallest is a timex clock (in front of the teal machine). Other treasures are from friends and finds at estate sales/antique stores. The little doll on the right was from my mom and the adorable schnauzer bank is a gift from Sheila.

Where do you keep all your treasures???

Finally, some stitching.

Here is my Mystery Sampler.

I just sort of stalled on it and just picked it back up the other night.

I don't like the color of the letters.

I didn't like how they looked on my fabric when I started but for some reason, I kept plugging away.

Idiot!

The color has not grown on me.

So... I will do something. What, I'm not sure.

I may change my initials to red and see if that'll be enough to help the other letters pop, which I doubt.. Or, I may just frog all the letters and pick another color to stitch them (but gosh, I HATE frogging and re-stitching). They looked great on the original Brenda did, but my floss and fabric are just too close together.

They don't stand out enough.

They're very blah.

I'm so mad at myself for not changing them from the get-go.

AAAGH!!!!

And, believe it or not, that's all I've got.

2 months of not blogging and this is it.

Sorry it's not a better post.

I will be going to Savannah, GA in September, with my mom. I needed a few days away and she agreed to accompany me. Any suggestions about must see things to do besides the standard sites? I can't wait to get away and see this historic, beautiful city.

Thank you so much for all the emails asking about me, I appreciate them more than you know.

I do have some wonderful gifts that I received recently I'm going to show you but that'll have to wait for another day.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!!!

Have a wonderful week.

Peace!

Terri

And the Winner is....

2011-06-29T21:06:00.000-04:00

You'll find out in a minute but first I wanted to show you some of the fun things I've found at estate sales recently (these are not included in the prize package).

Sorry.

This very cool wire frog to go with my utilitarian, aka "ugly" frog collection:

Aren't those wires coming out of the frog cool?

This was a quarter and some (Rob) might say I paid too much!

A pretty flower frog. This is a little more contemporary in shape than I would normally be drawn to but for $5 it was a no brainer.

Here it is with some flowers from some bush in my yard stuck in it:

This frame and map were marked $10 but on the last day of the sale, it was 1/2 off.

A great find for $5, if I can use it to frame a sampler.

We'll see.

If sampler friendly, $5 well spent.

If not, $5 wasted.

Here's another frame. This one was $5 to start so I got it for $2.50 (at the same sale as the one above).

Again, same statements from above apply to this one.

"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Demille."

I also found these sweet things in their original boxes.

The cake decorating kit didn't look like it had ever been used.

I gave it a good scrub, ran it thru the dishwasher and will use it to pipe in the filling for deviled eggs (because I make them so often - not!).

It was $2.50.

The little sewing machine I found on the first day of the sale but it was WAY overpriced at $75. So, I held my breath and hoped it would be there the next day.

After doing a little research, I still thought $37.50 was a bit high so I offered them $25 and they said yes.

It is now happily residing in my craft room.

Don't you love the graphics on the box? I just love it and all the bits and pieces (that's the table clamp in front) and directions were in there.

Love it.

Not a scratch or rust spot on it.

Perfect.

I found these old tins in the basement of an old home.

They were $1 each.

The big tin on top I just loved with the three different shaped spaces.

This was probably a $1 wasted as I don't bake, but I couldn't pass it up.

The little one in front has great graphics and it is now being used as a stitching buddy:

The round looking tin is a perfect place to store ribbons.

What do you think?

I also found this cute, little tackle box, in a great blue green/teal color which now houses all my wrapping supplies and scissors which may be used to cut paper:

Cute!

And finally, this little guy that I found at our local antique market in May.

Individual numbered stamps on a spinner.

How cute is that!?

All of these things were easily $5 or less except for the sewing machine!

I have found a couple of things for which I've paid more than $5 or even more than $25, which I will show you another time. There are two great bargains in particular that I am so thrilled with.

I know. I can hear you all going, "Enough of the junque you buy, already. Tell us who the winner of the drawing is."

Okay, here you go.

I tried my best to get a picture of the random number generator thingy to post here but it wouldn't cooperate.

So, you'll just have to trust me.

Okay, really, the winner is:

#21

Were you an early entrant or a late entrant?

Don't you always wonder if it's good luck or bad to be the first and/or last to comment on a giveaway?

Oh, yeah. #21 is.....

Kathy A.

Congratulations, Kathy and thank you so much to all of you that entered. There were 155 entries with one abstention.

It would appear that I am not alone in my inability to meet deadlines.

Today is an exception!

Thank you all so much for joining me on this blogging journey.

Stay tuned - I have another giveaway coming.

A darling dress company asked if I'd like to give away a dress to one of my followers.

Yes!!!

They didn't offer to give me one though.

But hopefully, you'll like it.

Stay tuned for details on that.

Until then, thank you all so much for participating.

Next time, I'll show you my progress on the

Mystery Sampler by With Thy Needle and Thread

(it looks just like everyone else's)!

Peace!

Terri

Promises Kept (Giveaway)

2011-06-22T13:36:00.001-04:00

Dear friends,

What can I say - I'm not the most timely person on the planet.

Oh, don't get me wrong; I hate being late for set appointments.

I am, for the most part, an on time girl.

Folks that show up late for things drive me absolutely crazy.

Don't they care enough about the other person's time to be punctual?

The drive to be punctual only seems to apply to events in which my physical presence is required; parties, doctor's appointments, parties, meetings, and parties.

This drive (which I blame on growing up as an Army brat) to be on time Terri has never translated to other areas of my life.

Deadlines I don't do.

I can't for the life of me get a card mailed on time - even though I set my calender to remind me well in advance.

I can't seem to make something for someone early enough for the gift to be timely. Believe me, I THINK about it months ahead of time.

I just don't DO it.

I'm pitiful.

The physical act of doing something early enough for it to make sense is just one of my many freak of nature nuances.

It's sad, really.

If I had actually mailed all the people whom I thought about sending a card to I could have single handedly kept the U.S. Post Office in the black.

Deadlines are not my friend.

So, what's all this blubbering about?

Well, I said in my last post that I'd post about my thank you giveaway last week.

I'm late.

What can I say?

I set a deadline and I missed it.

I'm pitiful.

But, if you've hung on this long, here it is:

This is part of it anyway.

The Ann Sandles Sampler pattern

A Longaberger basket with liner, protector and lid

3 skeins of NPI floss

Sajou Paris expandable, miniature book No. 2

2 vintage tape measures

Small tomato pin cushion

vintage buttons

vintage salt shaker with buttons

4 vintage clothes pins wrapped with scrap booking ribbon

4 vintage skeleton keys

A vintage screwdriver and oil can (great for punch-needle bases)

and of course, chocolate (not pictured)!!! YUM!!!

And, who knows what else I might add by the time I get around to drawing a winner.

So, are you interested?

If so, please leave a comment on this post only.

This is a thank you giveaway to those of you that have chosen to follow this

little blog of mine.

Truly, thank you so very much!

I'm humbled and honored that you're here.

I'm even more humbled, and I do truly feel honored and blessed, when you leave a comment for me.

It takes time, I know and I really do get tickled when I see your notes.

I think doing so is such a nice gesture. Again, thank you!

Anyway, here are the details:

This is open to all followers.

Doesn't matter where in the world you live.

Doesn't matter how long you've followed.

I MUST have a way to contact you.

I will not hunt you down

(as much fun as that might be).

One entry per person, please.

I will do my best to draw a winner on Wednesday, June 29th at a time of my choosing.

I will use a random number generator to pick a winner.

I will mail your package as soon as I can.

I will not be able to replace the package should it never arrive to it's new home,

so lets hope that doesn't happen.

If I don't hear from the winner with a mailing address in a week's time, I will re-draw.

That's it.

Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezey!

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my own Ann Sandles finish.

I really loved working on her and I hope if you win the chart, that you will love it, too!

Until next time,

Good luck

Peace!

Terri

The Ann Sandles Sampler

2011-06-11T12:27:00.001-04:00

Introducing Ann Sandles:

Ann Sandles

Reproduction design by "With Thy Needle & Thread"

Stitched on Lakeside Linen, 32 ct Vintage Butter Cream

2 over 2 with called for fibers

I loved working on this sampler and am so happy with how it turned out.

It has everything I love in a sampler all rolled into one;

a darling Adam & Eve, a fabulous, albeit funky, looking house,

an awesome floral border and pinks and reds throughout.

What's not to love?

I'm really diggin' the checkerboard house.

Check out the windows.

The threads are almost a mirror image of each other.

Amazing how that worked out, I think.

The cute, pumpkin girl pincushion I found recently at an antique sale.

Isn't she sweet and unusual? I love her.

The backstitching around some of the letters adds such great interest and visual appeal.

This is a pic of my what will be hidden when framed, signature block and the sweet scissors I got at an estate sale on Friday.

Got 'em for a quarter.

Yep, 25 pennies.

Cute, eh?

And finally, Ann Sandles all by herself.

No jewelry.

No accessories.

No makeup.

Just Ann.

(I wish I looked this good without jewelry, makeup and accessories!)

Isn't she lovely?

I hope I can find that perfect, final accessory (a frame) for her.

Here's someone else I truly love with all my heart:

Tyler is graduating from High School tomorrow.

Sorry, these pics aren't better.

Pictures of pictures never come out too well, but you get the idea.

Ty has had fun (too much fun some ((me)) might say) in HS.

He has done a lot;

he played baseball, he wrestled and he played golf,

he was in a few different clubs.

He partied and sometimes....

sometimes he studied.

Ty hasn't completely decided what he wants to do yet.

Well, I shouldn't say that. He knows he wants to go into the military.

He just hasn't decided if he wants to go the ROTC route or enlist.

He is anxious to serve but we are anxious for him to serve only after college and ROTC.

Keep him, and us, in your prayers.

Please.

Okay.... next week I will post my "thank you for following my blog" giveaway.

I can tell you it will include the pattern for Ann Sandles.

If you already have that, perhaps I can give it to someone else, should you win.

The thank you giveaway will be open to all followers regardless of where you live.

I have lots of goodies gathered to include and hope you'll like it.

I just have to get thru this next week and then we'll get to it.

I promise.

Thanks so much for visiting and for leaving me a note. I appreciate them so very much.

Speaking of that - are any of you still having trouble leaving comments?

On some blogs I can, on others I can't.

I get in a continual loop of inputting my info on some blogs (even this morning).

Irritating.

Truly.

Irritating.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

We will be busy with graduation and parties to celebrate.

This is always a busy and fun time of year.

Congratulations to all the 2011 graduates!

Peace,

Terri

Ann Sandles & Rock & Roll

2011-05-20T19:05:00.000-04:00

I am plugging away on Ann Sandles. This is such a beautiful sampler and I have to tell you - Brenda did such a great job with the chart. The cover is printed on heavy weight photo paper and the chart is also printed on heavy paper with color coded symbols.

I love it.

I hate when a designer charges a ton for a chart and then prints it all on really lightweight, cheap paper.

I think I'm going to hold my giveaway till I'm done with this sampler and then give away the chart as part of the prize package.

The colors in this sampler are so pretty, it's a joy to work on

~ when you're not frogging borders, that is! ~

click to enlarge, if you'd like.

I wasn't working on Ann last night 'cause Rob and I went to see a DETROIT LEGEND:

Bob Seger! He put on a great show - not much talk - lots of great songs. He looked pretty good - getting older but he still rocked the house. Not the best dancer either, but he sure can do a mean fist pump.

Ty took this pic of Rob and me before we left for the show - this is what 50+ year old rockers look like.... okay, Rob's only 48 but you know what I mean.

We have finally gotten some decent weather 'round here and everything is looking so pretty. I went for a run today and the scent of the crabapple blossoms was so sweet - they have such a wonderful fragrance.

Maybe nobody noticed how stinky and sweaty I was for the fragrance of the flowers.

You think?

This is the flowering crab in my back yard. I love it when the flowers start dropping off because it looks like snow in June. Hmmm... that reminds me of a time I left a club when I lived in Southern Illinois, had a little too much to drink, came out of the club with my gal pals and thought it was snowing.

It was June and the snow was the Cotton Easter floating thru the air.

I remember saying something like "It's snowing, itty, bitty snowflakes."

I digress......

This is my Miss Kim Lilac - ooh, these have the best fragrance, too.

Don't ya love my kitchy gnome? The one sleeping under the bush is a little faded so I had to get a new one this year. The blue bottle on the spike is to catch evil spirits. I have a few of them spread throughout the yard.

My rose bush is also looking very healthy this year.

I hope the healthy growth is indicative of the healthy and beautiful blooms it will have. Time will tell.

I hope your spring is going well (unless you're from the land down under - in which case I hope your Fall is lovely), that you are stitching and enjoying all the sweet fragrances of the season.

Peace,

Terri

They're Baaaa-ack!

2011-05-15T14:19:00.000-04:00

I got two things back from the gals (Cathy and Cindy) at Joann's, this week.

First up is the Farm Sampler.

I've posted all the details on this one before so won't bore you with that again (if you have questions, feel free to email me). When I was picking out the frame, Cindy was helping me, and I loved the red color of the frame but it just didn't have enough oomph, to suite me. We began looking at fillets and we found a couple of them that were okay but again, nothing really wowing me. So, Cindy says, "I think we may have some other fillets put away - let me see if I can find something." So, she and another associate go digging around in the rafters of the back room and come out with a couple of options. I thought the one we picked was perfect and there was just enough to work as long as Cindy, in her words, didn't screw it up!

She didn't, and I love it.

Thanks for going that extra mile, Cindy!

Once again, Cathy did a great job pinning -

it couldn't be straighter or more perfectly centered.

Thanks, ladies!

See the pretty carved detail of the fillet? You should be able to click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like.

I think it really adds to the piece while still maintaining the gentle simplicity of the sampler.

The next one I got back is Isabella Johnstone.

I loved this frame in the store, not quite as much when I picked it up.

The shop sample had a bit more green in it than this one does, but I still like it.

That'll be it for framing for a little while.

I just love bringing home new framing.

I am currently working on Ann Sandles and have made only minimal progress. I stitched the border at the top and down the right side and 4 flowers at the top when I realized I had a counting error (off by two, somehow or other).

Had to frog a ton and start over.

Blech!!!

I hate when that happens.

Ann Sandles

With Thy Needle and Thread

32 count LL Vintage Butter Cream

Called for fibers

That's all today, friends. It's a rainy, cold day here in SE Michigan.

We had a couple of sunny days and I thought we were over the yucky weather but nope.....

Thank you all so much for stopping by!

I'm in the process of putting my "thank you for following my blog" gift together and should have that ready to go in the next week or so.

It will include some of my fun finds, stitching related stuff (d'uh),

chocolate and not sure what else.

Stay tuned....

Peace!

Terri

Count Your Blessings

2011-05-08T17:29:00.000-04:00

The CYB pattern goes to Lynda at

http://acozyplaceforstitchingtoo.blogspot.com/

I will email you shortly, Lynda.

I'm sorry everyone that wants it couldn't get it but keep an eye on Lynda's blog;

I'm sure she'll have it done soon and will be passing it on after that.

I've started on Ann Sandles by With Thy Needle and Thread

and have the WTN&T Soar pattern in the wings ;-0

Pitiful attempt at humor, I know.

Thank you all so much for stopping by and leaving me a note.

If you have a blog and get a comment, you know how great it feels!

If you don't have a blog, you should start one.

They're great fun, not difficult to do (trust me on this)

AND

They're a great way to show and share (which we ALL love!).

I hope to show and share Isabella dressed in all her glory next week.

In the meantime, have a wonderful week

and

may nothing but blessings fall upon your head!

Peace,

Terri

Fun Finishes, Fabulous Finds and Fantastic Friends!

2011-05-03T20:18:00.003-04:00

I finished Isabella Johnstone last Thursday night! I was a little late coming to the Isabella party; I think my invite got lost in the mail. But, I am all for crashing a party every now and again and thought I should crash Isabella's, for sure!

Since doing a crash is always easier with a partner, Yuko and I decided to do it together.

Truth is, Isabella didn't seem to mind a couple of late comers to her party. Next time, I hope I get invited earlier. Really, I'm pretty fun at a party ~
lampshades notwithstanding!

you may click to inspect :-)

Ignore the date - the camera got all screwed up.....

Isabella Johnstone

Stitching and Antique Needlework Quarterly

Vol 59

Summer 2010

36 count fabric, DMC floss

I stitched her on 36 count fabric using one thread which created a bit of a dilemma.... it's hard to blend threads when you only use one. I tried using one color for the bottom of the X and the other color for the top stitch but I didn't love how that looked so I just picked the dominate color and went for it. I love how it turned out and I've already dropped her off to be framed. Picked a fun frame and can't WAIT to get it back. I hope it looks as good as I envision. Here's another shot, just because...

Check out my newest collection:

Shoe Pincushions!!!

I found the boy's shoe at the Ann Arbor Antique Market last fall when Sheila and I hiked out there one day. The little one in the middle I found at a little antique store, again, shopping with Sheila. The "buckle" on the front says "U.S. Capital".

The other woman's shoe on the left, Sheila found at an estate sale last weekend. The shoe is textured, and the buckle says "Statue of Liberty" and of course has the statue on it. I just love these and now that I have three - I have a collection!

Aren't those heels cute? High heels and pointed toe shoes - what's not to love?

Last weekend I visited Janice and Bob at their cute store in Marine City.

They own a wonderful antique/prim shop AND she has a great blog!

Prims by the Water Blog

She has great merchandise and tells great stories; top by and visit, sign up to follow her, too - she'll have a giveaway when she reaches 50 followers!!

Anyway, while I was there, I found two things I couldn't leave without.

The first is another flower frog. This is a big one! Here it is on my table being used in a most unusual way - it's holding flowers! Flower frogs actually make a lovely flower arrangement and not just a place to hold your treasured scissors!

I took this pic, with some of the flowers removed so you could see the inside of the vase with the frog.

The other thing I found, that I didn't even know I was looking for, was this awesome lamb cake mold. Thanks Bob!

It's made of cast iron, it's heavy and I think it's so cute. Now my cast iron bunny bank (she was featured in my pic of Marianne Wenn a few posts back) has a friend. So CUTE!

No - I won't be using it to make a cake. I can barely handle a cake in a normal cake pan, much less something like this. This little lamb is purely decorative!

My last pic of the day is this little piece I stitched but have yet to "finish" (a terrifying thought for me). This is a pattern by Shakespeare's Peddler called

"Count Your Blessings"

It is a traveling pattern and one which called to me.

It's stitched on a scrap piece of 36 count (I think) mottled fabric (a story for another day....) with threads from stash.

This has been a trying year and this is a sweet way to remember that no matter how

difficult a time we may be having, there are still blessings to be found.

Granted, sometimes you have to look really hard to find them, and sometimes they're hiding under a gigantic boulder, but they are there.

If you would like the opportunity to stitch this, please just let me know in a comment. If you don't say anything about wanting to stitch it, I'll assume you're not interested. All that's asked is that once you receive it, you stitch it in a reasonable amount of time, sign your name to the chart and then send the pattern on to the next person.

I'll pick a name next Friday. Who knows, maybe I'll have something fun to show you after the first antique market of the season by then!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all the comments you so graciously leave for me. You are the best and I so appreciate your time!

Ooooh, and thanks and welcome to my new followers! I can't believe I've got more than 400 chocolate loving, Fantastic Friends! I think this calls for a follower giveaway, don't you? I'll have to think about that a little bit (let's just hope the thinking doesn't hurt too much) but rest assured, the giveaway will involve chocolate from our local chocolatier.

YUM!!!!

Peace,

Terri

How do you spell Klutz?

2011-04-17T15:21:00.001-04:00

Yuko and I have been working on Isabella Johnstone as an SAL for the past few weeks. I finally got caught up last night and here is my progress to date:

(pics are clickable to enlarge)

I love this sampler - the cow just makes it, I think. But, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time at all, you know that I am a klutz with a capital K. We used to call my son, Tyler the Master of Disaster because he was so accident prone but really, I am the one that owns that title. I have spilt tea (I always have a glass of iced tea with me) on not only my own samplers but others, as well. Remember this incident with Deb?

Nightmare with Deb's Sampler

Or, how about the time that I left my Friendship Sampler outside and it got tossed around by a mild tornado? Forgetful and Klutzy!

Holy Tornado!!

Isabella wasn't treated quite that poorly but, bless her heart, she is now a tad stained. See the stains on the tree on the right and all the splotches on the right side?

It's Rob's fault.

We were leaving Virginia a couple of weeks ago to drive back to Michigan. Before we hit the road, we always stop for a sweet tea at one of the local fast food places. The two Master's of Disaster were sitting together in the back seat. Rob reached back to hand me my large, sweet tea and it tipped slightly and splattered on Isabella. I thought I heard her screaming in disgust and then I realized that no, that shrill voice was mine.

For REALS???? A tea spill on a sampler - Again! Are you Kidding Me????

I am hoping that because Isabella is being stitched with DMC that I will be able to wash the stains out after I'm done stitching. We'll see. There are many reasons (IMHO) to love DMC floss - washability is but one.

We were heading back to Michigan after participating in the Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond, VA a couple of weeks ago.

What a great time! It's always a treat to get to visit my parents but to do this run with my dad was extra special. There was but one, little problem. I was sick.

I'll spare you the boring details but the day we left my doc gave me a shot of something, a prednisone pack, an antibiotic and an inhaler for the wheezing I had developed. He told me he doubted I'd be well enough to participate by Saturday, but I was hopeful. I wasn't quite up to par by race day but there was no way I was not going

to participate.

I managed to complete the 10k (6.2 miles) in 1 hour and 9 minutes. No, I didn't

set the world on fire but I was able to finish without having a heart attack, so I was happy. Rob, Matt and Ty also participated and as expected, my dad and Tyler kicked my butt. My Uncle Charlie was there and he completed it as well. Rob and Matt finished together but Matt twisted his ankle somewhere along the line and limped in to finish.

No quitters here!!!

After the race we celebrated my dad's 75th birthday and all of us being together to participate in such a fun event just made it that much more special.

My mom found this sweet, little sewing box that she gave me when I was there. She is such an enabler and loves to help me build my collections! Isn't this sweet? I wonder if a woman bought it for herself or if her boyfriend or husband came back from Miami with this to give her? Can you hear the convo? "Honey, I'm home! I brought you a present. I wanted you to always be able to find a needle and thread and scissors to mend my shirts!" Do you think he'd have gotten hit over the head with a frying pan? Not the most romantic gift from a husband or lover but a great gift from my mother to me!

This is what the inside looks like:

Isn't it sweet? Thank you, Mom! I love it!

This past weekend, Julie, Sheila, Gretchen and I all went to Fort Wayne, Indiana for the Vera Bradley outlet sale. As we were headed down there, Julie said that her DD Meghan reminded her to keep her elbows up! When we saw this billboard, we had to stop for a picture...

We had a great time and did a little antique shopping on the way home. I found those sterling silver thimbles in the IJ and the sewing box pic for $3 each. I will put one of them on my charm bracelet.

Here are a couple of other things I found - nothing too exciting but I love the little spoons. They're great for parties to put in bowls of nuts or M&M's.

The spikey thing is a reproduction, I think, but I'll use it to hold receipts (which was it's intended purpose).

I found these old picture frames ages ago at a local re-sale store and snapped them all up since they were half off the marked prices. Aren't they pretty?

As you can see from the backs, they are quite old. The one that is the second from the left says Helen Irene Cavanaugh and is dated 1914. Don't you love the woman in the frame on the left in the ballet type dress? And that old guy in the black frame looks kind of like Alfred Hitchcock, bless his heart. Not sure what I'll do with them but will likely try to find a sampler to fit the little frame on the left.

Finally, I found a pink flower frog/bowl like the one Debbie gave me for my birthday. If it hadn't been so pricey, I would have bought it to give one of you. But $65 was jut too pricey after all the other shopping I had done.

I have started a new sampler as an SAL with Julie but there's not enough done to warrant a picture but perhaps next week I can show you.

Have a great week everyone! Thanks for stopping by and for all your wonderful comments. I so appreciate getting them and if you come by and don't comment, I appreciate you, too! I am almost to 400 followers - I can't believe it!

Thank you so much to all of you for tagging along!

Peace!

Terri

I love the ugly ones, too!

2011-03-27T13:01:00.005-04:00

I got Marianne Wenn back from the framer yesterday and really like the way she turned out. What do you think?

you can click the pic to enlarge, if you'd like:

I get my framing done at Joann's and I have to say that I think they do a really great job. There is one gal there that always does my pinning but of course, we never get to see that. The truth is, I've always wondered how well they did. On Friday, I stopped by Joann's to pick up some DMC floss and stopped by the framing counter just to see if MW was done. She wasn't, but the gal at the counter asked if I'd like to see what it will look like in the frame. Uh, yeah! Now's my chance to check out their mounting techniques! She brought it out, without the glass, and popped it into the frame for me to see. Then I asked her if I could see the pinning and she said, "Of course." I'm happy to know they do a nice job. The sampler was tight, without being pulled and it was perfectly straight. Thanks, Cathy!

Another thing I do quite often on samplers, but have never shown you, is to sign it below the area that will be visible when framed. This is a shot of the back of the frame board that not one soul will ever see, unless they decide to pop it out of the frame.

As you can see, it's not very neat and on this one I changed the size of my letters 1/2 way through. I wasn't liking the letters I started with, changed midstream and meant to go back and fix the first 1/2 but, I didn't care that much, so I didn't bother. No matter - it doesn't show once framed. Sometimes I will stitch some narrative about what's going on at the time I stitched a piece or sometimes, like this one, it's just my name. It's probably silly, but I sort of feel like it's my way of not misrepresenting what this piece actually is - not that anyone would mistake it for a true antique, necessarily. It's also my way of adding a bit of family history, or a document of world events that were happening, or important to me when I stitched this. The devastation in Japan hadn't yet happened when I finished MW or I would have stitched in something about that.

I've had a lot of emails asking for my thread conversion for MW so here it is - it's a bit disjointed so if you have any questions, let me know.

For the Dark Green in the verse; Collards (WDW)

For the lighter Green letters, I used SS GAST Chives.

For the vine above the verse, I used Cucumber (Also GAST, I think)

For the red, in the big flowers I used Schoolhouse Red (GAST)

but for the houses and the ladies cloaks, I used one strand of Schoolhouse Red and one strand of the called for DMC. It gave the houses and cloaks a very subtle color variation (and a little less of a red-pink cast).

For the edge border I used CC Blackbird

For the Blue letters and heart vine, I used GAST Midnight

For the light blue in the ladies aprons and the other blues, I used CC Shamrock

But for the light blue basket at the bottom I used SS GAST, Mountain Mist

For the bright yellow flowers, I used CC Ohio Lemon Pie and for the more golden colored flowers I used WDW Whiskey

For the faces, I used CC Country Lane

For the Green, outside border, I used GAST, Blue Spruce (also used for the ladies dress and basket fill in and the tree with the bird in it on the next to last band.

For the dark brown in the baskets at the bottom, the birds, etc, I uset GAST Dark Chocolate

For the golden brown colored baskets, I use WDW Pecan

For the darker pink in the flowers (by Marianne's name) I used CC Ladybug and the lighter pink is WDW Hibiscus

For the first row of fruit baskets, I used a DMC but don't remember the color but should have used Chives - it would have looked better, I think although they are very close in color.

I think that's it.... I should have been better about writing down the symbols/colors.

I was thinking the other day about frogs. While we're stitching, when those pesky frogs come to visit, we can't stand them. For you non-stitchers, frogging is when we have to rip out stitches that we've done incorrectly. We "rippit, rippit, rippit". Clever, huh? I wonder who first came up with that? Anyway, when they come to visit, we're not happy but when pretty frogs, like these come to live with us, we love it!

The green frog on the left I found a couple of weeks ago while antiquing with my BF Sheila and her daughter, Meghan. We found the top at one booth and a little while later, I spotted the green, base (looks kind of like a green, milk glass). I asked Meg to run back and get the green top and what do you know? A perfect marriage. Both pieces are in perfect shape and I just love it - the color is fun and funky! Because they weren't already together, each piece was inexpensive. The pink one on the right was a birthday gift from Deb (the queen of frog hunting) - so now I have two pink frogs! Thank you, Deb! The one in the back is white milk glass with a black frog top. I don't think they were meant to go together but they fit perfectly and I love the height of that one.

But, I don't just love the pretty frogs - I love the ugly (Oh, that probably hurt their feelings) ones, too. Calling them ugly wasn't nice so lets call them utilitarian! This is my utilitarian frog collection:

These are a bit easier to find than the super model versions and the basic ones, like these, are inexpensive. What I like about them is their industrial look, chippy paint and that they allow for a bigger pair of scissors to be displayed (note the full size Ginghers in the top frog). The spikey frogs are great to leave a note:

There are some really interesting wire frogs out there too but they are a bit more pricey.
Gives a whole new meaning to the saying "You have to kiss a lot of frogs...."

Our Guild Auction was a week or so ago and there were some beautiful things (as there always are). I only won one auction but I couldn't be happier with what I got:

BF Julie made this - I had no idea she was doing it. It's a BBD pattern (not sure what) and I love the black/grey color of the floss. The box and thread board are finished perfectly and she included the pretty scissors and floss. Love it!

As you may recall, Yuko and I are doing an SAL for "Isabella Johnstone". I have kept up pretty well till this week, and then, due to life just being extremely out of control, I haven't stitched too much. Frankly, what I did stitch (left border), I had to frog - as you can likely see in this pic:

I really love this sampler and can't wait to get to that sweet cow. I am going to have to do some serious stitching over the next day to get caught up!

I'm off to Richmond, VA next week to run in the Ukrops 10k with my dad. He is a seeded runner so I'm not in his group (nor should I be - he'll kick my ass) but I will be in it!! My doc finally said I can run as long as I stop and walk every mile or so and don't overly tax my heart. So.... I won't finish in the top of the pack - I wasn't going to anyway - but I will finish. I'll get there on Friday, run on Saturday, and return home on Sunday. This is about the quickest trip to VA I've ever made!

Hey! VCU (VA Commonwealth University), also in Richmond and my alma mater, is playing Kansas today in the NCAA tourny. Go RAMS!!!

That's it, friends. Thank you so very much for all your comments on my last post! It was overwhelming and I appreciate them so much! Welcome to my new followers - I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit and hope you'll come back often.

Peace!

Terri

Mariann Wenn is a Wrap!

2011-03-06T17:03:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

It has been a very quiet weekend 'round here. I was off work on Friday and no thanks to a bit of ice and rain, it was a quiet day. I stayed in and stitched for most of the day. Pretty much did the same thing yesterday and today. Oh, I came up from my hibernation now and again. I'd like to say I came up to do a load of laundry, cook a meal or something else productive but mostly, I'd come upstairs for a fresh glass of iced tea and then head back downstairs. I was on a mission. I start a stitch-a-long with Yuko today and I am not a gal that likes to have several, BFM (Big For Me) projects going at once. So, before putting stitch one on Isabella Johnstone, I was working furiously to finish Marianne. I finished her late this morning. Pics are clickable....

Ta-Da:

I am really pleased with how she turned out but she wasn't without her challenges. First, I didn't think that the colors charted looked much like the picture I saw on the Needleprint Blog (you can order the chart via the link). The colors are what I loved so I had to make some adjustments. Then, as I was stitching it, I thought something about it just wasn't looking right. A glance back at the color pic and I realized that the baskets weren't charted the way they appeared to be stitched on the original sampler.
This is how they were charted:

Solid, filled in baskets that didn't look like baskets so.... more frogging and re-stitching to get it the way I thought it should have been charted in the first place (sorry for the blurry pic). Looks way better now, don't you think? Marianne is stitched on 32 count LL, Vintage Exemplar with a mix of CC, WDW and even an odd DMC thrown in here and there. I ended up using more colors than the chart called for but I like the way it looks and can't wait to get her framed.

I got a wonderful package in the mail this week. I won a giveaway on Patty's blog and look what she sent me; a beautifully stitched and finished pin cushion to add to my collection and two skeins of CC floss in great colors! I love the thread color that Patty used on the pin cushion - it's so rich! Thank you so much, Patty - I am just tickled to death!

Thank you so much for all your comments on my last post! You're all, as I suspected, enabling romantics! No wonder I love you all so much! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go catch up on my blog reading!

Have a wonderful week and thanks so much for stopping by.

Peace!

Terri

Feminine and Flirty and Fabulous!

2011-02-19T17:55:00.001-05:00

Stitching pics later but first.....

If I were to have another wedding, this is what I'd wear. A vintage, embroidered wedding dress with pink sash and flowers. I saw this at a boutique/antique shoppe today and it nearly brought me to tears it was so beautiful!

I love it.

It's pretty.

It's Feminine.

It's delicate and Flirty

and totally Fabulous!!!

I really wanted to buy it.

I didn't. But, I wanted to.

Here are a few more shots of this beauty:

Bustled in the back, ready to dance with Prince Charming:

Look at the delicate neckline and the pretty, covered buttons.

More pink flowers on the train.... I'm still weak in the knees....

I'm in love.....

This would be a totally impractical purchase but I hated to leave such a thing of beauty in the store.

It was under $200.

I should have sprung for it.

I wonder if they'd come down?

I should have asked.

Where would I put it?

Impractical..... I must keep reminding myself..... Impractical.

But, oh, so beautiful!!!

If you buy it, don't tell me.

While we were in the store, I met the nicest man named Marvin. He and I were yucking it up a little bit and he tried this cool top hat on and I asked him if I could take his picture.

Isn't he cute?

Remember, if you're not having fun, it's nobody's fault but your own.

Marvin was having some fun and so was I.

The other vintage clothing item I found intriguing was this nightie.

I can't say it did anything for me (the color was YUCK) but it's the first one I've ever seen with a mink neckline.

Doesn't everyone need a little fur around their neck at night?

These goodies were all at a store called Vera Grace Emporium in Marine City, MI.

We hit another fun shop today too and the proprietors, Janice and Robert were there today so we got to chat with them. I met them a couple of years ago at another antique mall in Marine City and now they own their own place called

Back Porch Antiques. It's a really cute store, also in Marine City and they are super nice people!

Pay them a visit if you're in the area (tell 'em I sent you)!

Here are a few snaps from inside their shoppe:

Finally..... some stitching.

Here is my progress so far on Marianne Wenn. I am really enjoying working on it now that I've fixed my mistake.

Because I had to frog so much, I commemorated it with a poem (sort of):

I frogged the border on the left.

I frogged the border on the right.

I fudged it at the top and then I called it a night!

The blue is photographing really royal but it's a bit more navy than that IRL.

I will be stitching Isabella Johnstone along with YUKO but I had to order some fabric, first. It came today and I just love it. I asked JAN at Only One Ewe Needlework's to pick something for me in 35 count. She sent WDW linen in "Linen". Now I just have to email Yuko and let her know I'm ready to go.

Here is my fabric and floss along with the little project card I made:

Don't worry - the linen is on a piece of cloth, not directly on the patio.

Oh, yeah!

I got the super cute Singer Sewing Machine at Janice's shop today.

Thanks, Janice and Robert!

I hope you're all having a great weekend. It's windy and cold here but at least the sun is shining, so I won't complain.

Thank you so very much for stopping by and for leaving a comment, when you can. I am doing well and thank you all for your care and concern.

My lifestyle is going to have to change a bit (running, according to my doc) is out of the question. He didn't say I couldn't jog at a reasonable pace, though.... did he???

So... not sure yet about the Monument Ave Run in Richmond in April but I will definitely be there to cheer on my dad, even if I'm not running.

I'm alive.

Life is good.

I wish you,

Peace!

Terri

Scotties and Screw Ups and Pretty Pockets!

2011-02-07T19:28:00.001-05:00

Hello, dear friends!

Last Saturday, the Kindred Spirits Sampler Guild had a slumber party. It was hosted by Lynn at her beautiful home and we had a blast. Now, I know what you're thinking. Really? A bunch of women sitting around in their pj's stitching - whoa, yeah, FUN!!! But it was. It really was. Lynn's house is beautiful and she has the most amazing collections scattered throughout. We dubbed it the Victorian Secrets Sleepover - not that our pj's necessarily looked victorian rather than Victoria's but lets just say,

I won't be showing you pictures of us in our nighties!

Sharon, our guild president thought it appropriate that we do a little project to commemorate the event.

Lynn has two darling Scottie dogs so Sharon created this project for us:

But wait! These aren't just cute little Scottie's..... Look:

They're tape measures! As you can see, Julie and I forgot to add the tongue - and our stitching around them is all slightly different. Sharon has an eye on hers but I wanted to add a bead for an eye, but have yet to do it so mine can't see yet. The tape measure rolls back up using a little stick with the wooden beads on it that is hidden in the scottie. Is this the cutest thing ever???? The tape measure is made out of silk ribbon that we marked ourselves. This is also a pinkeep as you can see on Sharon's dog's blanket but Julie and I didn't bring pretty pins with us so we'll have to add those.

If you would like one of these little kits, send Sharon an email.

You can reach her at: justabcsampler@yahoo.com

She'll have to tell you the cost - I have no idea as it was a gift to those at the sleepover!

Thank you, Sharon!

I just love my little Scottie dog!

I was feeling pretty good about myself - having gotten a good start on Marianne Wenn. But what do you get for having foolish pride?

You get smacked right upside the head, that's what.

Pretty early on I discovered that I had an error, or thought I did but I couldn't find it but did I stop stitching - NO! I kept on going until I finished that last blue row of hearts and the extra stitch that is now really bugging me. I have been looking for the error, counting the black border row over and over again figuring that had to be where it was but couldn't find it. DEB found it in about 2 seconds just by looking at a photo I sent her and now, I have to decide whether to frog (a lot) or just keep compensating for my error. The S on the first row is one stitch over to the right which means the border is one stitch over to the right which means everything is off. But..... Deb just suggested a possible correction which should work. At least I didn't bring the border in too close which means I do have room. I think I'm going to go with Deb's suggestion to start the next row in the exact center and then work off that row from now on.

Brilliant!

Anyway.... I do like the way it's looking! I have already had to amend some of my colors. The brown for the dog and the gold were changed. I can't remember right now what I changed them to but if you're at all interested, I can post them again later.

Thank you all so much for your well wishes after my last post. I am doing fine - I see the cardiologist at the end of the week and hope to get back to the treadmill right after that. I'd much prefer running outside but it's just a bit too chilly and icy and I'm a clutz (as you all know). For now, the treadmill is the best I can do!

Oooooh, do you want to spend some money????

I can help.

After seeing a lovely stitchers wallet on Margaret's blog, I paid Natalia a cyber visit and I picked up one as well. Isn't this pretty? I just love the fabric!!!

So pretty in pink!

I love the colors and it's beautifully made. It is now the keeper of that pesky Marriane Wenn Sampler.

Thank you, Natalia! I love it!

Welcome to all my new followers! I so appreciate you stopping by and then choosing to become a follower - I consider it a great compliment! Your comments are appreciated more than you know and now, thanks to some help from MYRA I can actually respond back to you! Yeah!! Thank you so much for your help, Myra!

Please come back again soon!

Peace,

Terri

News and Farm Finishes

2011-02-03T10:37:00.002-05:00

Good morning, dear friends!

Did you know that tomorrow is Wear Red to Work day? It is a campaign by the American Heart Association to encourage awareness of heart disease in women. When I've remembered, I have worn red in the past but tomorrow - I will for sure!

I got home from the hospital yesterday after undergoing a heart catheterization with stint placement.

Are you surprised?

I am 51 years old (remember, I am the older woman) and my family has a devastating family history of heart disease. My mom's brother died before the age of 50, her mom died at about 50, my dad has had quadruple bi-pass followed by stints, he had a brother die too young and just this past September, my 49 year old (at the time) sister had 6, count 'em, SIX bi-passes (a record for her hospital in Florida).

My overall cholesterol numbers aren't bad but my bad cholesterol is not so good. When my doc heard about my sister, he ordered a CT scan for me and it found that I had two blockages, one between 25 and 50% and one between 50 and 70%.

He told me to quit running (for now).

Then he told me we needed to do a heart cath to determine just how bad the most severe blockage was. Well, the first one was at 50% but they didn't stint it and the second was at 70% so they did stint that one.

I went in for the procedure on Tuesday and got home last night.

I am feeling fine and expect to be back to work tomorrow.

I'll be wearing RED!

I don't generally look like someone that would have heart disease, I don't think. But I do. From the outside, I look pretty healthy but I guess what you see isn't always what you get, is it?

The good thing about getting to be in the hospital overnight and having such a great family and friends is that you get things like this:

This from my family with the note written by Matt:

And this from my office!

And this from my best girl friends. Yum!

Thank you all so very much!

I love the flowers and the fruit was SO good (it's all gone, by the way)!

The other good thing about being in the hospital is that I finished

The Farm Scene Sampler.

Handwork Samplers

The Farm Scene Sampler (Terri's version)

stitched on 32 count Vintage Light Exemplar

WDW and GAST fibers

(BTW, pics are once again clickable - I figured it out!)

The pattern for this was reproduced as it was found, I suppose, but I just didn't care for the fact that it was so obviously unfinished.

Here's the pic from the pattern for comparison purposes:

So, the areas that were not complete, I finished.

In addition to that I added a favorite verse from the Bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1 at the bottom, over one in a full cross.

I didn't chart the verse but I think it was meant to be because as you can see above, it fit perfectly.

Almost.

I added a berry to the right side to complete the line.

The farm scene at the bottom is stitched over one with a full cross except for the fields and fence which I did in tent stitch.

I love how it turned out.

Now, I can start work on Marianne! Yeah!!!

And....

I'll be wearing RED to work tomorrow.

Peace,

Terri

Farm Livin' is the Life for Me!

2011-01-28T15:31:00.005-05:00

Farm livin' might be the life for me if I didn't have to work so dang hard! I swear, who would have thought building and planting a farm was so much bloody work?

Yes, of course, I know that running a REAL farm is TONS of work and that our farmers should be given saint hood for all the back breaking work they do!

But, this is the sampler farm I'm speaking of. Anyway, I managed to get the main house up and built, the first grove of trees planted (it's hard to plant full grown trees, you know), a split rail fence built, the lower crops planted and by then I was EXHAUSTED. I thought when I began building the big, red barn that my Amish neighbors would be over to assist and that sucker would be up in a day. But, NO! They didn't show - not one single man did I see coming over the hill with tools in hand, ready for a hard days work. So, it's just me. Who knows when that barn'll get built now? Now, for all you sampler reproduction purists, don't cringe but, I am either going to finish the alphabet that is vacant in the last section or, I will add a verse about farm living, reaping and sowing or something like that in that blank section. I am also going to add some numbers after the & symbol in the second set of alphabets. I wonder why our young stitcher never finished? I'm always changing things up to make them mine and I don't know why this should be any different.

I HOPE to have The Farm Sampler completed in the next week.

I LOVE how small the house and farm lands are in comparison to the rest of the sampler!

But, here's where I have a confession to make. The house, the trees and the barn are all stitched in a full cross stitch (over one). But.... the crops and the fence are done in a half cross (also over one). Or, if you prefer the hoity-toity term for a half cross, I did the fence and fields in a tent stitch.

I don't think it makes one bit of difference, do you?

I just couldn't bear to do all that grass (I'm not even near the 1/2 way point) in a full cross stitch over one, so I cheated. There, I said it. I'm a farm cheater.

Don't hate me. ;-)

This weekend is Rob's birthday. He'll be 48 (yep, I'm the older woman!) and I know he'll just be thrilled to receive this:

I stitched this in honor of his mother and her family since most of the samplers around our house have my family info on them. I added the year of his mom's birth and death and then put Rob's Dad's initials in all caps followed by the children they had in birth order at the bottom. The buttons are placed on the glass to protect the innocent (his mom's maiden name). I think it turned out really great and I hope he'll like it. Don't worry - I did get him a gift card to a hockey store so he could buy new hockey skates, which he desperately needs (I know he'll like THAT)! This is Maude Eloise on 36 count something or other stitched with the called for threads. This was the SAL project for our Guild (The KSSG) this year and I'm so glad I've finished!

Finally, I am ready to go on Marianne Wenn. I sent the Navy Bean back to Lois at the Elegant Stitch (I just couldn't take the chance of ruining it by dunking it in coffee) and I received the Vintage Exempler today. LOVE it! I've also gotten quite a few emails asking for my color conversion so I'm going to list it here. If you post it anywhere else, it'd be nice if you let people know I gave it to you (send 'em to my blog - I love new readers!).

This is not to say that I may not change/add/delete as I begin working on this sampler but to me, these looked more like the colors in the picture of the sampler I saw on my computer screen (which is what drew me to it in the first place). I have gotten a lot of emails from folks saying they've ordered and plan to stitch this beauty, in addition to asking for my conversion. It will be fun to see everyone's interpretation of this because I haven't heard from one person that liked the DMC list that was provided. It was really bad, if you ask me. So, without further ado, Terri's Marianne Wenn Conversion:

Called for DMC Revised

906 GAST Chives 7074

725 WDW Curry 2220

312 GAST Midnight 0240

3818 GAST Baby Spinach 7050

433 GAST Dark Chocolate 1170

844 CC Blackbird

744 GAST Ohio Lemon Pie 7010

304 GAST Schoolhouse Red 7052

890 GAST Blue Spruce 0140

3761 CC Shamrock (you'd think it'd be green, but it's a light blue!)

3863 CC Country Lane

3713 WDW Hibiscus 2278

3706 CC Ladybug

842 WDW Pecan 1228

Please keep in mind that GAST threads (especially) tend to have extremely different colored dye lots so colors could be quite a bit different from lot to lot.

Hope this helps!

So, as soon as the farm is done, I will start on Marianne. I best not get waylaid from all the backbreaking farm work I have yet to do or I may never go back to it once sweet Marianne starts keeping me company!

By the way, anyone know why my pics are no longer clickable? I can't for the life of me, figure it out. For a while, I was posting by writing in word (that's where I got the cute font, Margaret) and then copying to blogger. Deb thought maybe that was why but today, I've don't my post the same old way I always have and still, pics won't blow up. I'm sorry, I know you really wanted to examine the over one full and half cross stitching!! Bummerr.....

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by, for all your comments (I do so love getting them!) and for your friendship, too!

Blessings to all of you!

Peace,

Terri

Tyler, Marianne and The Farm

2011-01-20T18:59:00.014-05:00

I don’t know how it’s possible that I can have a child that is 18 years old! Tyler turned 18 today and we are waiting for him to get home so we can celebrate his birthday. He and a bunch of buddies went to the Detroit Auto Show today (1/2 day of school) and, because of some unexpected snow, frozen roads and SLOW driving conditions, he was late getting home.

I remember the night he was born – it was Bill Clinton’s inaugural party and just before Tyler was born at 11:30 PM, we were watching Bill and Hillary, Al and Tipper dancing in celebration. I mostly remember thinking that Al looked pretty goofy dancing but then the contractions started and the laughter was pretty much over.

Fortunately, Tyler has given us much joy over the years and has made us laugh (and cry too, on occasion) a lot the last 18 years. One of my favorite memories of him is when he was about 6 years old. We went to VA Beach and he and Matt found a bottle in the ocean that had a treasure map inside. They grabbed the bottle, hiding it from all in sight and ran back to the beach to show their dad and grandparents. We immediately began searching for the buried treasure, obviously left by pirates long ago. The boys were digging frantically in the sand, beachcombers were gathering around to see what was going on and suddenly, the boys pulled out a chest full of glittering treasure! It was loaded with silver dollars, gold coins, pearls, chains and other treasures! The gathering crowd was astounded and the boys were jumping up and down with glee and Tyler exclaimed, “This is the best day of my ENTIRE life!” Pure joy.

This is not a look of pure joy:

Happy 18th Birthday, Tyler!

The bottle he found is, as you can likely tell, a salad dressing bottle that I had managed to hide in the back of my bathing suit as I walked into the ocean with the boys. I set it afloat and of course, Tyler found it. The map we had made the night before out of a paper bag we had crumpled and torn and stuffed inside the bottle. The chest was stuffed with coins, jewelry and other treasures from my parents. We still have all the “treasure” and Tyler still has the map and bottle in his room – a sweet reminder of summertime fun!

A message in a bottle.....

The Map:

I am still chomping at the bit to get started on Marianne. But, there was something bugging me about it. I was absolutely in love with the image I saw on the screen when I first saw that sampler pop up. But when I pulled the DMC threads, I just wasn’t feeling it. Could the colors possibly be that far off? They were not the rich, jewel tones that I love and that I felt like I had seen on the screen. I tried to make them work by pulling similarly colored threads using Weeks and GAST (see previous post), thinking the variation would help but frankly, I still didn’t like it. So, back to the drawing board I went. And, after about 1 ½ hours of playing with fibers, I THINK I have it right. What do you think?

If you’re planning on stitching this, let me know - I’d love to know how many of you, like me, just couldn’t stand it and had to stitch her. I’d also love to know how many of you pulled the DMC colors and thought YUCK!!!

One more note about Marianne: I’m waffling on the fabric – it is LL Navy Bean and while I like it; I’m not loving it. I think I may dump it in a vat of coffee and see what happens. Is that crazy? The fibers actually look really good on it but I don’t know if I really like the green/gray cast it has. I know I wanted something more vintagey looking and this isn't it. If I start stitching, it will be too late to do anything ‘cause the fibers will run if I try and stain it. I don’t know…. Someone tell me what to do! Maybe I should just order something else..... any suggestions? I hate not having a store nearby to look at fabrics.

Finally, I’ve made some miniscule progress on The Farm Sampler. Do you see the mistake? Yep, two E’s. Because I HATE frogging, I thought about leaving it but because there’s not that much to remove, I’ll frog it and be happier in the end, I’m sure. I thought the black letters were getting boring - just wait till I get to that over one grass!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I have a few comment questions to get to and I’ll try to do that this weekend. Thanks so much for leaving me a note – it really does make putting your thoughts out for all the world to see, worthwhile. Thanks!

Peace, Terri

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2011-01-17T14:28:00.013-05:00

Brrrr…. We are having a major cold spell. Yesterday it got up to a whopping 18 degrees (farenheit) and today is not much better. Rob and I went out and about for a bit and went for a walk on the ~~water~~ icey lake in Anchor Bay. Rob wanted to take the car for a spin but I was only willing to walk on water – did not want to drive on it. Although I have to admit, I have done that. It wasn’t one of my brighter moments especially since the boys were very young and in the car with us. I can just hear my mother: “If everyone jumped off the mile high bridge would you just blindly follow?” Apparently, I would. The world needs Indians too you know; not just chiefs. After all, I did always enjoy a good game of follow the leader!

See the cars and the ice shanty's way out there? I might have ventured out there had it not been so bloody cold. I think with the wind chill it was something like 2 degrees. Brrrrr……

The only thing I can think of that might be fun about this kind of an outing, is sitting in the shanty with a fire and lots of alcohol to drink. You guess the guys out there are trying to escape? From what????? What could be so bad that you’d actually go out and sit in a wood shanty, on the ice, in absolutely frigid weather? Granted, most of the shanty’s are heated but still. Okay, I think most of the guys out there are drinking (a LOT), too. That MIGHT make it tolerable, for a little while. Then again, nah. Yeah, I did try ice fishing once. Never again. My feet froze, I didn’t catch anything and the spiked hot chocolate just wasn’t enough to keep me interested.

Just for fun - 'Yeah, I know this post isn't all that fun but let's pretend - just for fun, here's another shot Rob took of me looking back toward the dock (which got cut off) and the natural grass line of the lake:

And, just in case you think this might not really be a lake check out the Swim at your own Risk sign. This is the dock that's supposed to be in the picture above. sigh.....

We had lunch at a great little restaurant in town and I'd show you a pic of what I ate but I'm kind of embarrassed about it. Okay, I'll show you but I don't want to hear a thing about the dangers of fried food, of all those carbs or anything else! I warn you, this isn't pretty (it was delicious, though):

Mmmmmm.... look at all that deep fried goodness!

Yep, 3 giant pieces of beer battered catfish with mini potato pancakes (and yes, that's sour cream on one of them). YUM. Oh, and right before this little heart attack on a plate, I had a bowl of chicken and dumpling soup. Embarrassing.

Uh, yeah. I ate it all.

God help me.

While we were enjoying our meal, looking across the water at our Canadian neighbors, the U.S. Coast Guard ice cutter came by. The ice was impressive but the cutter, even more so. Check it out:

And here, is a shot, looking across the water, at our Canadian friends. See the Maple Leaf flag, or L’Unifole’ blowing proudly in the wind? Pretty, eh?

I do have some stitching to show you!

I am making decent (for me) progress on my Farm Sampler. The alphabet is almost done - two more lines of big, rice stitch letters, then the border on the right and finally, down to all the over one at the bottom. I am really enjoying this piece although I'm a bit sick of the black letters.

Ooops, a few berries still need to be filled in, I see.

I have Marianne (see previous post) all ready to go. Almost. I don't have scroll rods long enough so had to order some from Kay's Creations. I can't stitch with that much fabric without rods. I have converted the DMC colors to a combination of WDW, GAST and CC's and think the varigation in the threads will be pretty. I will be stitching her on Lakeside Linen's Navy Bean. The colors by themselves, look kind of funky but the overall effect is going to be awesome (I hope).

Here are the DMC called for colors and the substitutions I made. I think they match up pretty well and will give the piece a little more interest.

Called for DMC:

My conversions from what I had in my stash plus 3 of the DMC's for which I didn't have a suitable match. I'll find something next time I go to the NSLLNS.

I Can't wait to get started but now I have to wait for scroll rods and truth be told, I'd rather finish my Farm Sampler before getting started on this. I don't like too many projects going at once. I will, I'm sure, have to throw something small in just to get the satisfaction of a completion every now and again while working on this. A few of you eagle eyed gals noticed my size calculations had to be wrong in the previous post. You are correct! I took the measurements right off the paper and I guess they did measure this on 28 count fabric over one. I'll not be stitching it over one. Mine will be over two on 34 count fabric so it's going to be another big one when finished. Yeah!

Thanks so much for stopping by and for all of your sweet comments and emails. I love hearing from you and I read and appreciate each and every one. It's a good thing knowing that you're out there and reading.

I hope I haven't bored you too much with all the outdoor and food pics but like the header says, this isn't just a blog about stitching!

Peace,

Terri

Hyperventilating!

2011-01-10T17:50:00.010-05:00

Have you all seen THIS?

Pics may be clickable - may not be ~ no clue....

Anyway, isn’t this GORGEOUS?! I was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw it. Had to have it immediately and couldn’t look up my paypal info fast enough. Absolutely couldn’t wait to send my money to the UK! You know how it is when you see something you absolutely MUST HAVE (this is not a want, this is a must HAVE); waiting is not an option. Ever. So, I ordered, and when I got home today, there it was, all 13 pages of sampler pattern just waiting for me. It is not nearly as big as it appears. The stitch count is only 237 x 232 and it measures 8.46 “ by 8.29” when stitched on 28 count fabric, which they recommend. I’ll be stitching Marianne on 32 count something, just as soon as I finish my little Farmhouse.

Marianne is brought to you by the lovely folks at Needleprint (click on Needleprint). For a mere $15 US, you can own the pattern to this beauty! The great part is that the proceeds from the sale will go to Carrow House Museum, Norwich where this is housed. Yeah! How great is that!? If you've not been to their beautiful blog, head on over - it's full of beautiful eye candy and loads of information, too!

There have only been two other samplers that when I saw them I thought “I HAVE to have that”. The first was "And They Sinnned", which Deb (click on Deb) introduced me to. The minute I laid eyes on it I knew I had to have it. I began stitching this in Feb 2006 and finished it in September of the same year. Although it was fraught with all kinds of frustrations, I enjoyed stitching it and was thrilled when I actually completed it. I stitched it on 32 count fabric so it’s a tall piece. Including the frame it measures 16 ¾” wide by 57 ½” tall.

The other one that really hit me like a ton of bricks was Mary Allen, The Village Square Sampler. I fell in love with this one immediately and ordered it about as fast as I did Marianne! This is also a biggie (again, done on 32 count) and measures (with the frame) 26 ½ “ long by 26” wide.

I can’t wait to get started on beautiful Miss Marianne and will be ordering fabric ASAP but in the meantime, I will finish my Farmhouse Sampler. Here’s the progress so far:

Truth be told, I’ve frogged more than I’ve stitched, I think and you know I don’t frog if I don’t have to! I did the left border at the KSSG Guild meeting yesterday and apparently I can’t count and chat at the same time. Like that’s news??? Had to frog the left side and start over. Then, if that weren’t bad enough, I stitched the border around the alphabet (in the middle of the sampler) across the top and down the side in the wrong color. That had to be frogged ‘cause the color was ick. I swear, I thought it was icky when I was working on it but do you think I double checked? Nope. D’uh! Oh well, I love this piece and can’t wait to start on the over one. I had thought about doing this on a higher count fabric (for me) but only had 32 count in my stash that was large enough. This happens to be 32 count Vintage Light Exemplar by Lakeside Linens. I love this fabric and think the colors will be beautiful on it when it’s all done. Of course, if I have to keep frogging…..

What caught your eye that you absolutely hyperventilated over couldn’t wait to order and start!?

Tell me!

Tell all of us!

Perhaps it'll set someone else's heart aflutter, too!

Peace,

Terri

First Finish in 2011

2011-01-08T17:02:00.005-05:00

As I was wandering thru blogs at the beginning of the year, I was astounded at how many finishes some of you have. I looked back over my year and while I did have some decent finishes, I did not accomplish as much as I have in years past. That’s okay – I was in a bit of a stitching slump for a few months and didn’t much feel like picking up a needle. But, this little beauty helped reinvigorate my desire. This is the Maude Eloise 1891 Sampler by Blackbird Designs. This is my favorite of the series. I love the jewel tones, the checked house and the flowers and stars! In fact, this piece almost looks kind of quilty to me with the stars and star shaped flowers.

I stitched this in honor of Rob’s mother and so I changed it up a little bit, as I am prone to do. Instead of putting the date on the far right by the willow tree, I chose to put her birth year and the year she died just under the house. I stitched that over one thread and really like how it looks. Then, at the bottom, I added Rob’s father’s initials in all caps and his and Irene’s kid’s initials (in birth order) in lower case. Now Rob has a sampler of just his family, all his very own! I stitched this on some fabric Drema at Needlecraft Corner picked for me but I don’t know the name. All I specified was a 36 count fabric and I think what she picked is perfect. The rest of the sampler was stitched with the called for fibers and as charted, except where I screwed up. I am not a big fan of frogging so I usually try to make my mistakes work. Not sure my big goof works but I’m leaving it. Oh, it’s the vase on the left – that flower hanging around the vase handle is supposed to be up a little bit. Not sure how I screwed that up…… counting is difficult for me at times!

A little close-up shot:

My next project is going to be The Farm Scene Sampler by Handwork Samplers. This is just a simple, sweet sampler but the wonderful white, farmhouse scene at the bottom looks so idyllic that I just love it. The farm scene is all stitched over one so it gives the piece an interesting looking dimension, I think. The bottom section of the alphabet area was left empty by our young stitcher (name not known) so I think I’ll try to find an appropriate verse to stitch in that area (probably over one as well). The model is stitched on 32 count fabric but I’d like to do it in maybe a 36 count, if I have some in my stash. I’m off to go stash diving soon!

Here’s a close-up photo of the photo on the chart – sorry for the glare….

How’s that for a short post? I know, I’m usually so long winded! But, there is nothing too exciting going on ‘round here so short it is!

Thank you for all the fab comments on my last post. I always love to see a new comment and really appreciate the time you take to leave one! I hope you all have a great rest of the weekend and that your coming week is a good one.

Peace,

Terri

Angels Among Us

2010-12-20T08:21:00.011-05:00

There are, on occasion the most wonderful sites to behold. Events that restore your faith in humanity and give you a moment to reflect on the miracles that come with this blessed season.

Yesterday, I was on my way to the airport to pick up my niece who is visiting from Florida for Christmas. Before I could get going, I had to stop at the gas station to fuel up for the ride. As I was pumping gas, a woman, not much older than myself, began lifting the garbage can lids, rummaging thru the trash for cans to redeem (in Michigan, and a few other states, soda cans are redeemable for a dime each). I did not have any cash to give her and I’m sorry to say that I didn’t think to go into the attendant to even buy her a cup of coffee. But, a young man, about my son’s age (late teens, early twenties), looking kind of "ganster" in dress; low slung pants, hoodie with the hood pulled over his head (granted, it was very cold) and driving a pretty beat up looking car, walked over to her. He gently tapped her on the shoulder, spoke very quietly to her and she followed him back to his car. He lifted the trunk of the car and gave her two big bags of soda/beer cans to take with her. It was a simple, sweet, and oh so kind gesture that it brought tears to my eyes. This young man, an African American, reached out to help an older white woman and he did it without anyone else paying attention. I wanted to walk over and tell him how touched I was by his gesture but he drove off before I could say anything. I got to witness this small but significant kindness by a young man that most would have looked at and made many incorrect assumptions. He is obviously an angel among us! I would be willing to bet that the young man doesn’t tell anyone about what he did – I wish I could tell his mom - but I wanted you to know. Two women were touched by an angel yesterday…. it was a blessing.

Have you been touched by an angel? More importantly, have you been an angel in someone’s life, lately?

As a last post for the Christmas week before it gets too crazy 'round here with all the company, I thought I'd show you my holiday decorations since I've so enjoyed seeing so many of yours.

These are my Buyer's Carolers that my mom gave me years ago to represent my family. Julie gave me the Santa holding a bag of Virginia Peanuts which are near and dear to my heart (and stomach) - there's nothing else like 'em!

I hope the pics are clickable but lately they haven't been. Not sure why?

A feather tree with Hummell Houses gifted to me by my mom:

A couple of favorite pictures of Matt and Ty and more holiday "stuff": Note to self - add some garland or greens or something - it looks pretty bare....

Coffee table in the living room - love the picture of Tyler holding the lights:

A favorite night light:

Jenny Bean and a small Feather Tree:

Yet another Santa night light:

Did I mention that I love Santa's:

It's kind of an obsession:

On top of the foyer closet:

The foyer shelf above the front door:

On top of the kitchen hutch:

On a kitchen shelf:

On the bookcase at the top of the stairs - another Hummell village my mom gifted me:

The basement sports tree:

Even "The Babe" in the basement needs a little Christmas:

And what else but a Santa night light on the basement bar:

Wishing you and your families a joyous, full of wonder, Christmas.

Peace,

Terri

Anyone still out there?

2010-12-13T12:22:00.017-05:00

Dear friends,

After a long, much needed break; I am back. Maybe not at full tilt but back, none-the-less.

It was a long summer and a pretty excruciating fall, and while I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say that I have never felt more personally challenged, overwhelmed or exhausted. Yes, it's finally getting better, so here I am. I got so many notes from friends wondering about me that I am a bit overwhelmed by it all. Yet, I am so grateful. If I didn't respond to you individually, please forgive me. Like I said, I've been very overwhelmed. But... enough of that.

On to more fun things!

I seriously had not stitched in months - nothing appealed to me, so I decided to get a couple of things framed instead. I mean, what's more fun than that? Although I do miss my old framer and all her vast selection of frames, I do think I got a couple of pretty ones picked out.

In fact, I'm happy to say that Jo-Ann's now carries a few Larshon Juhl mouldings, which are my all time favorite!

Ta-da!

BTW, pics used to be clickable to enlarge but no longer appear to be - I've been away too long to know how to fix that.... sorry!

On the left is the Sally Spencer Sampler from Birds of a Feather and here she is a little more up close and personal!

and

Be Kind and Be True Sampler (googly eyes and all), from With Thy Needle and Thread, which is on the right and here is her close up!

I love how both of them turned out and can't wait to get them hung.

You may notice that all the Christmas packages are wrapped in white paper. In my meager attempt at frugality, I vowed that I would wrap all presents in the paper I got to go in my large paper cutter which you can see below and read about here:

http://chocolates4breakfast.blogspot.com/2010/04/is-it-strawberry-season-where-you-are.html

I found some ribbon I thought was really pretty and have just gone to town. I think the black & white and red & black ribbons are pretty, festive and elegant. I've been doing very well with wrapping as I buy so I won't have a bazillion presents to wrap the night or two before Christmas. My other attempt at going green this holiday season is the way in which I'm wrapping all the "stocking stuffers" (in quotes 'cause most don't fit into the stockings)! These are the grocery bags from our local produce store, Nino Salvaggio's. I just love the graphics on the paper. Whenever Rob goes to the market for me, I remind him to get my wrapping paper - plastic just won't do! I did have to use a couple of the strawberry bags from their summer bags but that's okay, they're red and I like that pattern as well.

What do you think?

About a week or so ago, I did finally decide to start stitching and what I eventually picked up to work on is the BBD Maude Eloise 1891 sampler. The KSSG is stitching any one of the BBD Remember Me series patterns as the focus project this year. I had been working on a GH Adam and Eve Sampler but the colors were just blech! I love the muted colors of those type samplers when they're done but they are not the most uplifting to work on. So - in the UFO pile that went and I've started on Maude.

Now these are the colors I love! Bright, cheerful and just what a girl needs to help pull her out of a funk. I am going to stitch this with Rob's mother's name in it as I've yet to do one for his side of the family - it has pretty much been me-me-me and my family! Time to do one for his family. I will do this in honor of his mother who passed away too soon and is greatly missed.

As you can see, if you click on the picture, I had started stitching her maiden name into the roof but got it off center so had to re-do it. Man! Take a few months break from stitching and look what happens - I forgot how to count and/or center something.

We got our first "big" snow of the season yesterday. Unfortunately, it was also the day of our big KSSG brunch and Christmas party. I got there a tad bit late because the drive was nasty going but it was even worse coming home. Anyway, the idea this year was to bring a vintage sewing item for which you would only spend about $15 and then we'd do a round robin swap. Those who participated were thrilled, I think. I took one of those pin cushion dolls that Deb ended up getting - she'll have to show you a picture - I never took one.

But.... look what I got from Nadine!

I LOVE it!

Don't be jealous.....

A victorian Owl Pincushion and Scissor holder! How CUTE is he??? I could not be more thrilled and I don't know how Nadine could stand to give it up but trust me, it has a very good home! Unfortunately, the weather was getting bad so the party broke up kind of early. Here are a few shots I took out of the car window while I was driving home - it was foggy, icy and yuck. Don't worry, there was nobody around me when I took these pictures, really! Okay, a few cars in front of me, maybe but not too many..... honest!

I want to show you a few other treasures I found this summer/fall when I was out and about. The first is a pair of mother of pearl opera glasses. Aren't they pretty? A good friend of my mother's, Judy, gave me the bird book a couple of years ago and I thought the opera glasses were just the thing to set on top of the book.

This now sits on a table by my back door so I can check out our feathered friends a little more closely and look them up if I need to.

The other two things I got this summer will go with my vintage sewing collection I seem to be amassing. The first is the red velvet, victorian sewing box - It is missing a few of the items that should be in it, but I love it! The other item is a wood, round, pyramid pin box I found when I was in VA this fall for a class and was out shopping with my mom.

Pretty!!!

One last thing to show you... I have been doing a bit of running lately and would like to eventually be able to run a 10k. I think I can do a 5k no problem but am still working on the 10k which I hope to be able to run with my dad (who will kick my butt) eventually ~ maybe this summer or next spring. Anyway, I have decided to grow my hair out a bit so I can pull it back when I'm running. Here's the progress so far....

I know, it's by no means long yet, but is longer hair too much for a 50+ year old? What say you?

Okay.... that's all for now. I will begin making the blog rounds shortly and am anxious to catch up with all of you. Thank you for your patience and for all of you that didn't drop me during my hiatus, I am most grateful. For those that actually began following me during my personal drought, I thank you as well and welcome you with a joyful heart! I will get around to visiting your blogs soon!

May God bestow many blessings on you and your families this holiday season and may you find

JOY

Peace!

Terri

Finding your Smile

2010-09-27T19:42:00.013-04:00

Dear Friends,

Before I get started, I want to tell you how sorry I am that I have been out of the loop for a while. My life spun out of control this summer (and not in a good way) and I am still recovering from it. Things are getting better - slowly and I have wanted to get back to blogging but just haven't been very motivated. I owe so many of you thank you notes (hover over names to see if there is a blog link) - Loraine, Andrea, Robin (no blog), Mylene and Melissa and will get them out soon, I promise. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for you generosity, love and understanding. I have lots to catch up with all of you and will be doing that in the week or two to come.

Do you remember the line from City Slickers where Billy Crystal's character says he went out west to find his smile? I felt like I did the same thing with our trip to Utah this past week. You'll see.....

Have you ever utilized an on-line dating service? Did you have success? Nah, I'm not looking for one but I was thinking that blogging is a bit like a dating service. We are attracted to men (or women) for different reasons, aren’t we? We like them because they’re smart, they’re witty, kind, generous and hopefully, attractively packaged. We are attracted to blogs for the same reasons. Those blogs that we all know and love feature all the attributes we’d like to see in another person, I think. I’ve often wondered with a dating service whether the reality of the date would match the expectation. I don’t know. But, I do know that the people behind some blogs I love really did live up to my expectations!

I went to the Shepherd’s Bush retreat in Utah, last week. What a thrill!!! The retreat was fun and believe me, I came home with lots of stash. But, the very best part was meeting and spending lots of time with friends I’ve gotten to know thru their blogs. They ALL lived up to (and surpassed) my expectations. Julie and I left Michigan on an 8:30 AM flight for Utah early on Tuesday morning (Sept 21^st). We wanted to take an early flight so we’d have the full day to buzz around that first day and visit with our new, old friends (Deb came in on a later flight). Julie (no blog... yet!) and I shared a beautiful suite at the Escala Lodge with Loraine, Jolene and Kathryn (no blog, yet).

Looking out of our balcony (pics should be clickable):

This place was gorgeous! The first night, Julie and I both woke up at 3:30 AM (5:30 AM our time) and couldn't go back to sleep. We went out and sat on the balcony and watched the stars in the sky. The sky was the most beautiful shade of deep blue that seemed to be lit from behind it was so luminous. That spot is the only place I've ever been where I really felt like I could see and feel the earth moving. It was spectacular!

Anyway, while Loraine, Jolene and Kathryn all knew each other, they had never met us, nor us them. Meeting these wonderful women was such a thrill! Sweet Loraine, whom I’ve grown to know and love over the last couple of years, is just as her blog would lead you to believe. She is the most cheerful, talented and upbeat, glowing from the inside out kind of person I may have ever had the privilege to meet. Jolene, as you may know from her wonderful giveaways, is the most generous person ever. She spoiled me rotten and is the type of person who gets obvious joy from doing for others. Kathryn was our gourmet cook! She fixed most of our meals and did so with a cheerful heart and her fun and silly personality. She prepared the most amazing dishes for us: salmon in pappiere’, squash bisque soup, chicken over rice pilaf with the most amazing and decadent sauce, pizza, gazpacho soup, omelets and more! All the dinners were homemade and absolutely scrumptious!

Also staying at the Escala were our good blogging friends Cari (who really is “Simply Fabulous”) and her sister’s Cathy and Joan (no blog). Oh, my gosh! These gals were a ton of fun and they were exactly as I expected. Cari is gregarious, hilariously funny and was exactly as I imagined her to be. I am sure that she and I could get in a lot of trouble together (sorry about the spilled soda, Cari - you all know it had to happen to me at least once during the trip. No stitching was harmed.... too much!). Cathy was also very funny and couldn’t have been sweeter. Their sister Joan, a little more quiet than Cari and Cathy was just as sweet and kind and I felt like I knew her well after only a few minutes! I can imagine what a laugh filled home they had while growing up! We also met Cari’s good friend Karen who attended the retreat and Julie and I ~~latched onto~~ joined her whenever possible. Karen was a lot of fun and had a great pair of red cowboy boots that I’m still coveting!

Yep, had all this been set up by a dating service it would have been on one of those commercials that tells you how successful they are at matching people! What fun! Here are a couple of pictures of the group. I’m sorry but this pic was taken late into the evening and most of us were pretty tired……

From left to right: Julie, Deb, Jolene, Moi, Loraine and Kathryn.

This is a pic with me and “the sisters” as they came to be called, along with Karen. From left to right: Joan, Simply Fabulous Cari, Moi and Cathy with Karen sitting (no, she wasn’t that vertically challenged) in the bottom front. I absolutely loved these gals and can't wait to see them again!!!

Here I am with Jolene and Loraine who are the sweetest people ever and I love them, too!!!

The final picture (worthy of sharing) is this one of Cari, Cathy and me. We got ready to pose for this picture and I said "Okay girls, chins up!" Cari and Cathy quickly informed me that the best way to hide those chins is this delicate little pose. What do you think? Does it work?

Finally, I have to show you all the goodies that we were gifted. From Jolene and Loraine we got the most beautiful appliqué bags that were made from an old army blanket. They were all done in different colors that the girls thought matched our personalities. Aren’t they gorgeous? We carried them throughout the week and got comments and complements everywhere we went. Inside the purse were a ton of patterns from Hidden Heart Designs (Loraine’s business), and a wonderful little pocket of stitching essentials including pink scissors (what’s not to love)!? They also gave us wonderful pincushion that they punched and attached to a ribbon so you could hang it and a small pair of scissors around your neck. I love it!

This is a more accurate representation of the color of the bag:

I wanted to show you a picture of the wonderful pin cushion Jolene and Loraine made but I can't find it..... if one of you girls packed mine by mistake, please let me know. I'm distraught!

Cari, Cathy and Joan gave us these really pretty bags with a pretty flower on them that Joan made for all of us. Inside were these wonderful goodies:

A pincushion, a pin made with bright cheerful buttons, an awesome finger ring pin cushion, and old spool of thread, an old key and a vintage clothes pin. Is this not a great gift?

Here they are, all lined up in their pretty glory:

There is so much more to share…. Of course we visited Shepherd’s Bush and dropped a bundle of cash but we also visited Temple Square and the Brigham Young house and to say it was inspiring would be an understatement. We spent several hours in this area and got hit by a bit of rain but the fun of the day was not dampened one bit.

Here are some pictures from around town and at Temple Square:

The statue of Christ and the Creation at the Visitors Center:

Carvings on the banisters and furniture at the Brigham Young house:

Utah is the beehive state, after all. You just KNOW I had to come home with a beehive charm!!!

This water tower wasn't anywhere near Temple Square but it has a great old, green color, don't you think?

We had an absolute ball! I am sure that this will not be our last retreat together as we all felt like long, lost friends after the first few minutes!

I also got to meet some other famous bloggers; Valerie and Katrina and lots of other wonderful ladies, too! This was so much fun and I highly recommend it. Thanks to Julie, Loraine, Jolene, Kathryn, Cari, Cathy, Joan, Karen, Deb and all the other fabulous women I met, I found my smile - it was in Utah. Who would have guessed?

Thank you!

Peace,

Terri

Collections....

2010-08-15T14:09:00.015-04:00

Dear friends,

Are you a collector? What, in your mind, constitutes a collection? Is it 2 pieces of something? Or, do you have to have 3 of any one type thing for it to qualify? In my mind, where there are 3 like items, there is a collection.

I have LOTS of collections! Today, I thought I'd show you one of my most treasured collections (since I have zippity-zilch-zero stitching to show).

My Charm Bracelets.

I wear them all the time and always get comments and/or compliments on them.

When I was confirmed in our church, at the age of 11, my parents gave me a sterling silver charm bracelet with an ankh cross on it. This was the start of my charm collection. I have been collecting charms for it ever since. This bracelet, in many ways, tells my life story, which I suppose, is what charm bracelets often do and is what makes them so personal and loved. I am still collecting for this heavy weighted beauty and so it continues to grow and tell my story.

I have charms from when I lived in Korea

I have a charm from the Cowboy Hall of Fame

Charms from Disneyland and Disney World

A charm from England commemorating the Queen's Silver Jubilee

A hula dancer from Hawaii

A sunflower from when we lived in Kansas

A tri-corner hat from a family trip, when I was a kid, to Williamsburg, VA

Initials of the boys in those funky people figures from a recent trip to Williamsburg

There are cheerleading charms

An antique banjo from a trip Rob and I took to New Orleans

A baseball for Rob - he's a huge fan and should be your "phone a friend" should the need ever arise.

A hockey player for Matt

A Golfer for Tyler

This bracelet, more than any of my others tells my story. It is one of my most treasured items and could never be replaced.

~ click on the pics for a bigger view ~

But, there are more. When Matt was born, Rob gave me a gold charm bracelet with a baby buggy to represent Matt's birth. When Ty was born, he gave me gold baby shoes to commemorate him. I love this bracelet and it has continued to grow as well. This bracelet has a guitar from Nashville

my high school class ring

an Apple gifted to me by my mom when she and I went to New York

a "slipper" from Hawaii

a small basket to represent my days of selling Longaberger Baskets

hearts from Rob.

This is another of my most treasured pieces of jewelry and it means more to me than I can tell you. The bracelet that Rob originally gave me was a small, dainty one that was getting weighted down by my big charms. For our anniversary, quite a few years later, with the help of my mom, he found this big, chunky, antique bracelet for me on ebay. I had all my charms transferred to this one and I love it. It's big, chunky and jangly! All things I love!

You know, if I consider 3 of something to be a collection, there must be one more coming...

This next one was given to me by my mom (she is a part of all of these, isn't she?). She had started one for herself that represented my dad's army career. He loved the army, loved serving and would serve today, I'm sure, if they'd have him. They should take him - he's more physically fit than most 40 year olds I know. But, I digress..... This bracelet represents his wonderful career. I loved hers so much she did one for both me and my sister. We love them! Included on this bracelet are:

A jeep

a saluting officer

a paratrooper (he jumped out of a LOT of planes)

a pistol

an officers hat

a steel pot helmet and of course,

an American Flag!

Isn't this special?

What do you collect? I'd love to see it!

Rob and I went out and about yesterday in the thumb area for the garage/antique sale trail. I found a few things I'll show you later. This is what Rob found:

NO!! I wouldn't let him bring her home!

Thanks for stopping by and for reading and leaving me a comment. It's so nice to know you were here!

Have a great week everyone!

Peace,

Terri