The Depths of January

A finish!!!  Excuse the wrinkles.  This picture proves to me that I need to take the time to iron things before I photograph them.  Tisk Tisk!!!!  I started this a long time ago and it was sitting in one of my many piles of WIPs.  It was very close to finished so I pulled it out last weekend and finished it.  I think it was the satin stitches on the spools that were psyching me out.  But, lo and behold, they were fun to do and I think they look so cool!  This is a club piece from Country Sampler.  It is from the first year they started the Prim Sisters Club and the designer is the always fabulous Pineberry Lane.  She kindly designed a very similar piece that you can find on her Etsy site here:  Proper Sisters School of Needlework.

I love, love, love her people!!!  They are the very definition of Prim!  I see from looking at a close-up of the piece that I need to go back and trim some ends.  I don't want them showing through after framing!

I am also a big fan of the upper case and lower case alphabet together.  It just reminds me of a being a kid and warms my heart.

I have the feeling that if you live anywhere other than the always warmer parts of the United States that you are dealing with the cold and snow.  As I am typing this I have a blanket over me at the computer!!!  The only way I can cope with it all is to head home every night and jump into the flannel sheets with a book!  This is the current status of my nightstand.  Truly, an embarrassment of riches.  These are all the books that I have received as gifts for Christmas or bought over the last few months.  The cards that you see are from Christmas, my birthday and our wedding anniversary....they all happen right around each other. 

Wishing everyone a wonderful cozy Sunday!!!!!

Looking for a chart!

I have a dear buddy who is looking for this chart........she described it as a D. Morgan chart called I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas. She thinks it was a kit by Needle Treasures.  It holds special memories for her of being in Michigan and cutting down Christmas trees with her family.

If anyone has this chart and wants to sell it or knows of any place we can find it....please let me know. Thanks so much!!!

EDITED TO ADD: THANKS TO LORRIE, WE FOUND THE CHART!  THANKS SO MUCH!

Crafting with Mom

Every year in December my Mom and I plan a day together.  Usually we go shopping somewhere quaint.  This past December I planned a day of crafting.  Especially when I saw these amazing kits on Little Pink Studio.   They are made from an old book and included were lots of little vintage trinkets and ephemera. 

I was immediately attracted to the Joan Walsh Anglund image on the little book which Ceri of Little Pink Studio used to make these kits

I also ordered a few other little things like the sheets of Christmas buttons.

This little place card is an example of the darling vintage finds in the kits. 

I used some spare Christmas scrapbooking papers and ribbons to make my first page of the book.  I am planning on adding pages when the urge strikes.  I want to incorporate copies of family Christmas pictures too.  My problem is that my stitching urge is stronger than my stamping/scrapping urge at this time.  

I pulled out my stitching while Mom kept on crafting.

She made some darling cards!!!!!!!!!  What a great day it was!  Thanks Mom!!!

2014 - Year of the Christmas Ornament

So, after our Christmas party at Karin's house I decided that 2014 is going to be the Year of the Christmas Ornament.  I have not worked out my rotation yet, or how just exactly I am going to do it....but of course the first thing I did was to kit up some ornaments.  In fact, just two short days after the party I enlisted some help from Karin and Linda at Inspired Needle where we had a little kitting frenzy.  It was wildly fun!  

Karin and Linda kitted up Farmhouse Christmas.  I am going to get this one the next time I am at the shop because I have been obsessing over how cool it is since they kitted it.

 I purchased this darling little chart that I am going to make into an ornament instead of a thread holder. 

 One of my pals got this chart.  So cute!!!  (By the way, does anyone know when SB is going to announce information about their retreat??? There is a 3% chance I could go and I want to find out about it!!!)

 I brought along a bunc of back issues of JCS Christmas Ornament issues to kit up a bunch of the ones that I like.  I displayed them to narrow down the possibilities and ask my friends to pick which ones I should start with.  I don't know if you can see it on the left hand page of the bottom magazine....there are marks by some of the ornaments.  There is an L and an N.  My Mom and I do this with certain magazines that we pass back and forth.  I put an L by the things I like and she puts an N (for Nancy).  It is really fun to look back and see what we liked the first time through a magazine. 

 Okay, Karin might make me take this picture down, but I think it is totally cute.  We told her to show us how excited she was by our kitting frenzy!!  This is how excited we get people!  Pure joy!!!

 I kitted this one!  I have loved it for years!!

 Kitted this one too.....and have already stitched it!  Will show a picture soon!

 I forgot what this was for, but it sure is a pretty picture.

All three of us kitted up this darling ornie from Homespun Elegance.  I am almost done stitching it.  We changed the red that is called for to Licorice Red as per Karin's suggestion.  We love to really think about the fibers and fabric we are going to use.  It is half the fun!!!

2013 Best Books List

Another year of reading comes to a close.  Books, books, books....How I love them!!!  If I don't read everyday I get crazy.  Here is my list of the 10 best books I read this year!!!!!!! 

I highly recommend all of them.  You can click on the title to be taken to a link about the book.  Please let me know what your favorite reads were in 2013!!!!

1.  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

2.  Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

3.  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

4.  Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

5.  Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

6.  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

7.  The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne

8.  Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink

9.  This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

10.  Run by Ann Patchett