Southern Snow and a Biscornu or Two

Well, the Southern states are now getting their share of the snow that so many other parts of the country have experienced.  Here are some photos I took just a little while ago from my front porch:
The dogwood tree that dominates my tiny front yard :

Some sweet daffodils under the dogwood trying desperately to poke their heads out.

The azalea bushes

 

And a close-up of the azaleas - doesn't the snow look like cotton balls balanced on the tips of the branches?

Kinda feel like I need to get out the sack to pick dat cotton!  And it is still snowing - I do hope it stops before power lines start coming down.

The postman was so nice today - lookit the biscornu I received from Michelle for January for the Please Pass The Biscornu Blog Exchange.

Exquisite - no?  and the reverse:

 

 The design is Rhodes Butterfly Biscornu by the Sweetheart Tree.

Last , here are photos of the biscornu I sent to Gillie in the same exchange.

  

Lately, it seems all the biscornus I stitch are large - lol!

 The Design is a freebie - Moonlight Serenade by Papillon Creations that I stitched with 3 colors of DMC Variations.

Thanks for visiting today.

Friday 56 - 5 February 2010

The Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!
 

The book closest to me is The Elusive Bride by Stephanie Laurens.

She screamed, loud and long as she whirled and fled.

Nothing beats a good historical romance for relaxed reading.  And Stephanie Laurens is one of the best, IMHO.  Each of her books stands alone, but they are interconnected, and part of the fun is spotting characters from previous novels.  The Elusive Bride is the second in her latest series, The Black Cobra Quartet.

Thanks for visiting today.

Needle Book received

Renee let me know that she had received the Needle Book I "angel" stitched for her for the Tiny Treasures Exchange group.

 

It's stitched over 1 on 28 count natural colored linen and trimmed with some lace I had in my stash.  Renee loves red, and I love the traditional red and white on natural linen, so the color choice was easy.  It also pays tribute to my love for abcedaires.

 

The needle pages are also linen, and I satin stitched and fringed the edges.  The lining is a cotton white on white that I had in my stash.  It ties closed with 1/4 inch white ribbon.

Needle Books are addictive - I've one more that I angel stitched for another TTE member to show you once she receives it.

Thanks for visiting today.

Baking and Another Giveaway

I took a wild hair (as my Mama always says) and baked some Chocolate Chip Cookies - here they are - fresh from the oven.

I've always wondered how home bakers get their cookies all even and perfectly round - mine always come out many different shapes and sizes - which leads to my DGSs spending much time trying to pick out the largest!  However they are shaped - they are mmm-mmmm good!  Now I've some bananas that are very over-ripe - that means it's time to make some Banana Bread.

Loretta is having a giveaway over at her blog - and it's a goodie!

She is very generously including the needed DMC floss and the fabric (25 count linen) as well as the chart.  You have until 13 February to enter, and she'll be drawing one lucky winner on 14 February.

I plan to change the background tomorrow to match the new month - just have to decide what to use as a new header.  I'm sorely tempted by the latest pic of my currently youngest grandchild (got another one due in March!) - because, to me, it's a classic:

Thanks for visiting today.

TTE Scissor Pockets Sent and Received

Over at Tiny Treasures Exchange, our current exchange is for a Scissor Pocket or Case.  We do not send to the same person we receive from - and who we send to is kept a secret until the item is received.  Both sides of my exchange are complete, so I can share pictures. 

First, the case I received from Lori: 

  Isn't it adorable?  and I love the stork scissors - I have a pair in "silver", so can now add these gold ones to my ever-so-slowly growing collection.  Thank-you so much, Lori!

And the case I sent to Andrea:

 

  

  

I had a hard time letting go of the peacock scissors - they are so cute - but Michael's only had one pair - so off they went to Andrea, where I know they will have a good home!

Thanks for visiting today.

The Friday 56 for 29 January 2010

The Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The book closest to me is Beyond World’s End by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill, one of the Bedlam's Bard series, which takes place in the same universe as Lackey's SERRAted Edge series.

Cautiously, Aerune sought allies, but even in this extremity, the Sidhe had battled one another, as if seeking to do the humans’ work for them.

I really like Mercedes Lackey's tales of Elves in the modern world, and I'm looking forward to reading this one.  It was so hard to just turn to page 56 and count down the sentences for this post!  But I don't need to start reading this just yet - I still haven't finished Summoned to Tourney, and these books really need to be read in order.

Hopefully, I can get back on track and publish a 56 post every week - I apologize for missing last week, and I'll try to do better.

Thanks for visiting today.

Giveaways

These are in no particular order:

Sharlotte over at The Happy Needle is giving away this adorable strawberry - just leave a comment to be entered.  But hurry - you only have until Sunday, 31 January.  BTW,  I love Patti's comment that strawberries are called dorsies at her house!

Lots and lots of stash is to be given away over at Calico Prairie.  Another one that ends Sunday, 31 January.  This is just one picture of about eight (I said it was lots of stash - weren't you listening? lol!) 

Julie is giving away  four cross stitch magazines - one each to four lucky winners.  Only one of the four is pictured.  Yet another that ends 31 January.

And for more giveaways than you can shake a stick at - click on the picture to visit One World One Heart - where 579 bloggers (thus far) are participating in a huge international giveaway.  Be sure to read the post - it explains the theme - "The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet." - and how wonderful is that?

Thanks for visiting today.

Comment Approval

I have a question for everyone: Do you feel inconvenienced by having your comments appear only after approval?

I decided from the beginning to require approval for two main reasons - first, to make sure I saw every comment and second, to make sure my blog wouldn't need constant vigilance to remove objectionable material.

So, what are your feelings on comment approval?

Your comments will be visible after blog owner approval - lol!

Thanks for visiting today.

TUSAL 2010-01

It may be late, but here it is! For the TUSAL, I chose an empty Yankee Candle jar to use this year - and at the rate that I'm generating orts, it may still not be big enough! I can't show most of my stitching (I've been working on exchanges), but I can show you Fa La La by Plum Pudding Needleart:
I stitched this on a mystery 11 count aida, using four threads. It's an oatmeal color, shot thru with gold threads, and I thought the snowman would show up nicely. It didn't really, so I added some back stitching to define it. I wish you could see the sparkliness of the gold threads - it adds a lot of appeal. I may yet go back and add some gold beads to the pine needles. This turned out BIG (about 5" x 5"), so I'm going to keep the finishing simple - backed with some coordinating fabric and probably use cording on the edges, with maybe a couple a tassels at the bottom corners. This little ornie probably accounts for half the orts in my TUSAL jar - stitching with four threads generates a lot of waste!

I've the finishing to do on the Scissor Pocket / Case for TTE, Too, and I want to finish it this evening so I can get it in the mail tomorrow. Then hopefully I will get stitching on a biscornu for Please Pass the Biscornu, and before the end of the month, get started on my first PIF. Whew- lots of stitching to do!

Thanks for visiting today.

The Friday 56 – 8 Jan 2010

The Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The book closest to me is The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury.

Hoping she wouldn’t get spotted, she slipped between the rows of diners, her palms wet with apprehension, her eyes searching for any sign of Evelyn or her pursuers.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Snow? No!

Despite a weeklong prediction of snow by our local meteorologists and the National Weather Service – this turned out to be a non-event.
Yes, we had some pretty fat fluffy snowflakes, and even a little sleety-looking stuff. But our temperatures remained above freezing, and everything melted as it hit the roads.
So it’s work and school as usual tomorrow, and my secret longings for hours of uninterrupted crafting time will be unfulfilled.
It’s halftime for the BCS Championship game, and I want to go back and see the end. Roll Tide!

Thanks for visiting today.

TTE Too Humbugs Sent and Received

I received this adorable humbug from Ronel, Isn't that chick cute? I love the beaded red coxcomb and all the blue beadwork on his back and wings. Much more sparkly than the picture shows.
Ronel also included some goodies for me: three packs of Madeira floss (I am sooo looking forward to trying it out since I've never used it), beads, fabric and large stickpins, as well as a postcard and sweet little note.
I sent this teeny humbug to Liz (no blog), and because it simply cried out for it, the teeny tag and teeny bookmark as well. The humbug is only 1.5 inches (~4 cm) and the bookmark is only about 2 inches (5 cm) tall/
I had bought a remnant of this fabric (I think it's Mary Englebreit - but I'm not sure) some time ago intending to make myself a project bag. I decided to use it to make Liz a quilted humbug project bag. (See my house canisters in the background - that's where I got the color scheme for my blue and yellow kitchen - lol!) I still have enough fabric left for a project bag for me, if I ever get around to sewing it!In the second picture you get a glimpse of my craft room in the background. It's still a work in progress - and quite messy as you can see. The wall on the right has three cupboards that I use to store far too many craft supplies. The wall on the left has cabinets that I re-purposed from my old office and has three of my sewing machines set up and ready to go. That's a really recent addition - and the countertop is a new one purchased to go in my craft room. The table in the middle is elevated to a convenient height for me to use as a cutting table, and has roll around drawers tucked under it. Right now my ironing board is sitting on top of it, because I was doing some finishing on Needle Books that I'm angel stitching for TTE Too. I desperately need a counter top ironing board - there's no room for the full size one in my craft room! The desk will have a computer on it - if I ever get it cleaned off!Those windows face South - so I have wonderful light all day long (when the sun is shining, that is!). As I finish sorting out the craft room, I'll take more pictures of it's features.

I may be spending quite a bit of time in my craft room over the next few days - the weatherman is predicting snow tomorrow (schools here are going to be closed in anticipation) and since we are not set up to deal with snow here in the southern USA- we just huddle in and wait for it to go away!

Thanks for visiting today.

A Belated Happy New Year!

Wishing you and all your dear ones a Bright and Happy New Year.

May you spend lots of time with loved ones.

May you fulfill all your goals.

May you be blessed all year long!

Hugs!

TUSAL, At Last

Here it is - a week late, but, as you can see, quite full. All those lovely red, green, black and gold orts at the top are because I was inspired by Carol, and her ornament a week self-challenge. So I printed out a couple of dozen of the charts I have been collecting for years, planning to stitch one ornament a week. But once I started stitching - I couldn't stop!

This one is trimmed and the backing fabric cut - but not yet sewn. I had this filed under cross stitch quilt squares, but don't have the author's name.

I know this was a recent freebie - but at the moment I can't recall the site and my printout doesn't say.
This was actually the second one of this chart that I stitched - altho I started it first - I wasn't paying close enough attention and started stitching the flowers in green instead of the called for red - so I stopped and started again correctly, finished it (and gave it away), and then picked this one up and finished stitching it with the red and green switched - and liked it!
I adore this little penguin - altho I just noticed I didn't stitch his eyebrows (isn't wonderful how you notice these things in photos?). I didn't stitch the white on his belly and his eyes since he is stitched on white - a case of the "lazies".
Just a simple candy cane - but I think it's rather pretty.
An alphabet tree - I've done several of these in the past, altho this is the first time I've stitched this particular chart.
And all I've got done on my little Christmas tortoise is the outside backstitching - something different that I'm trying for the first time that I saw suggested here. He should be called Slow as Christmas, don't you think?

I've stitched all of these on 14 count aida, cause I have lots of it in my stash. WalMart used to carry an inexpensive brand, and I bought lots of it when they were clearancing the cross stitch supplies.

I'm sorry that I can't provide links to the freebie ones above. Some of them are no longer available, some I don't have author info on and on two of them, the websites no longer exist. When I first started saving freebie charts that I found on various sites, I had no idea that 10 or more years later I would have thousands of charts (printed and saved to disk) and that I wouldn't remember where I found one particular chart. Nowadays I make the effort to include the website in the saved chart's name, if the author of the freebie hasn't included it on the chart. And I'm trying to remember to put my info on the freebie charts I design.

Thanks for visiting today.

Christmas Wishes

Wishing you and all your dear ones a most Happy Christmas!