I'm Back!!!

Sorry for the long absence....I was having some technical difficulties (which means I really need to read the manual for my camera!) I am getting ready to go to stitch night at my friend's house and I wanted to get these photos logged on before taking a ton more tonight! Above is one of my WIP's. It is Needle and Thread by Little House Needleworks. I could not resist the cuteness and the love of stitchiness that this chart provided.
You know how you go along and go along not spending money "frivolously?" Well, all of a sudden I just went nuts and bought another needle minder. I can see how these can get totally collectible! Next up on the to buy list is the Christmas candy cane needle minder for my Christmas stitching.
Karin finished this beauty by Hinzeit and got it framed. Can't wait to see it in her house!
Remember our Bring Three, Pick One project back in January? It is where everyone brought three charts from their stash and we all voted on which one they should finish by the end of the year? Debbie finished!!! And this is one of the most gorgeous pieces ever!!! I must add it to my short list! It is Hornbook Alphabet Noir by A Mon Ami Pierre done with Bell Soie Fallen Leaves.
Close up!! I love that little girl!
Karin finished the companion piece to the one above and had it framed. What a great little grouping this will be!!
Barb had her Drawn Thread piece framed and it is stunning!
Barb finished the August and September Drawn Thread monthly checkbook covers. Look at the amazing work she did on the leaves and the flower petals!!!!! Wow!
Barb had another framed piece to pick up. This is Elizabeth's Garden by Kathy Barrick.
The aforementioned September.
This is Dutch Tulips by Carriage House Samplings as stiched by Barb. Now, I have this chart, I have started this project, and now when I see it started by Barb I am in a frenzy of love for the whole thing!!! Lucky me!!!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend full of fun times, family, friends, stitching, reading and just all around happiness! See you soon!

Another Sunday at Inspired Needle

Yesterday was Sunday stitching at Inspired Needle. As always, it was completely fun and totally relaxing. My friend Lorie was able to go with me this time. She is a long-time stitcher who is getting back into the swing of things. As has happened to many of us in our mid-life she found that she needed a bit of magnification unlike the good old days when we could stitch with just our plain old eyes!

So, armed with some glasses and a magnifier she is back on track. This was her first visit to Inspired Needle; so of course she was overwhelmed with all of the great products that Cathy has. I bossed her around and told her to find one great little project that she could get all excited about to start with. She found the lovely piece pictured above called Deck the Halls by Little House Needleworks. I love this project; especially the peppermint tree. Putting this one on my to do list also.

Our usual group was spread out to the four corners of the Earth! Gals were in Colorado, California, Michigan and home with family. So it was a much more laid back day than usual. Usually we are bouncing off the walls and being very loud about what we must stitch right that instant!

Above and below are two great pieces that Linda C. finished. They are both by With Thy Needle and Thread. We are very lucky she brought them with her so that we could feast our eyes upon them!!!

The piece above with the bunny riding the crow is Linda's favorite piece that she has stitched. I can see why! It is so cute and the frame that it is in is perfect!!!

Below is Flag Day. I have the chart for Flag Day and I had better get going on it. Love both of these pieces!

Brenda came, which is always a treat. I love, love, love her enthusiasm about stitching. Look at the beauty she finished recently. So gorgeous! This is a detail of Mary's Best Handwork by With Thy Needle and Thread (sense a bit of a theme here?). See a couple of pics below for the whole work (Blogger is not putting these pictures in the order that I would like them in and you may have noticed, that the font sizes are not cooperating either!).

Here is Bloom by Linda C. This was a chart in a recent Just Cross-Stitch issue. It is so cool!
Linda M. completed Three Faces of Eve by Prairie Moon. This is a very gorgeous piece.
Here is the entire Mary's Best Handwork designed by With Thy Needle and Thread and worked by Brenda.

Another perfect day was had!!!

2012 Year of Smalls

Confession: Most of my days are spent daydreaming about stitching. What I am stitching now. What to stitch next. What my friends are stitching. What is new from the designers. What is the next chart I want to buy. It is pretty obsessive really. I am counting on the rest of you to back me up that this is not completely weird behavior, right?

So, there I was at work....it was kind of slow so I had a few minutes to think to myself and I was reminiscing with myself about my current WIPs (all of them big projects) and thinking how I really need to do some Christmas ornaments and how I want a basket of darling small stitched items like my friend Karin has; and then all of a sudden........
.....it came to me! Great idea....I can combine my obsessing about new charts with combing through my stash to find lots of "smalls" to stitch. Then, just to up the obsessive ante up a bit, I thought I could declare next year the year of smalls!


That way I could spend all the rest of this year planning, obsessing, looking at and looking for new smalls to stitch. I thought the whole thing was quite brilliant really.
Of course, I rarely stick to my own rules; but this sounds like a fun rule. I could pick one big project to work on a bit between smalls. Pictured in this post are some charts that I would like to add into the mix next year.........Anyone else in with me???

Calling All Cars

I was very innocently blog hopping today and I came across this amazing beauty on Lisa's Cross Stitch Paradise - it is called American Girl and it is an OOP Brightneedle chart from a book called Small Samplings.

Everything about this design speaks to me. The colors! The girl! The flag! Her hat!

I am wondering if any of you might have this chart and might be willing to lend it to me? I promise, if you agree to lend it, I will guard it with my life!!!! I know this is an extreme favor....most of the time I can get these OOP images out of my head, but not this one!!!!

EDITED TO ADD: I found it!!!!!!!! Thanks everyone!!!!

Secret Ops

I busted into my friend Jayne's house last week so I could see some of her gorgeous stitched pieces and sneak a peak at some of her stitching stash!!!! Let's just say, a good time was had by all! Above is one of her finished BBD pieces. Love it!!!!
Here is another totally fab BBD piece. I think I definitely have to stitch this some day. If it also talked about needing to read before the day is complete it would fit me to a T! Isn't the stitching and the framing on this piece just gorgeous??
We found this little number in Jayne's stash and I immediately commanded her to finish it! So cool!!!!
Here is another almost finished beauty! Can you imagine having this up and framed around February 14???
Here is one of my all time favorite BBD charts! I have it. I need to get going!
Here is a new addition to the Jayne stash.
Sorry that these pictures are out of order; I can't figure out Blogger's photo order right now. Above is one darling little piece that I covet!
I am totally ape over Flax Fields by Carriage House Samplings!
Look what I got!!!! My friend Barb went hunting for this out of print chart and found one for me!!!! I am so excited. It looks like such a fun and relaxing stitch.
Here is a new addition to Jayne's stash. Love him! Love Primitive Needleworks too.
As you can see, I was perusing everything!!! Love Jayne's scissor fob and scissors!
I will have to go back when it is really sunny so I can take another picture of this fabulous wall of stitchy goodness at Jayne's house!!!!!
Barb finished the June and July Drawn Thread checkbook covers. The fireworks on July are amazing!!!!
Love the leaves on the trees on the June piece.
Isn't this little gal darling? She is in the current issue of The Gift of Stitching which is an on-line stitching magazine.
Makes you want to pop up some corn and turn on a movie doesn't it???
Here is a Barrick Samplers chart which was in Jayne's stash. Love it!
This is our group summer stitch project, A Basket of Flowers by Stacy Nash. Some of the girls picked really vibrant summer colors for this piece. Can't wait to see how they turn out.
Here is a chart that both Jayne and I have....I love it!! Have to stitch it soon.
This is Sachi. It is an old chart by La D Da. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him!!! I think this might send me into an elephant frenzy!!!

It is good to bust down your friend's doors to get in there and see what they have isn't it??? Very inspiring!! Thanks Jayne!!

Happy Hearts on a Friday Night

I crashed the newly formed With Thy Needle Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler stitch night at Inspired Needle. I say crashed because I am not stitching that project (although by the end I will be crying into my DMC because it is going to be gorgeous!) No pictures of the samplers; because everyone is still working on the border (part one). There were some beautiful finishes to be seen though.

Above is a very dear piece by Jardin Prive that Barb did. Below you can see how it will be finished as the top of a box. Please note her beautiful stitches. That is talent people!

Here is Linda's finished and framed Red, White and Bloom. Sigh. Perfection. It screams summer! It really is a happy piece.
Above is Barb's finished Forget Me Not sampler by Drawn Thread. Wow! Look at the roof. Amazing.
This little birdie is by Shakespeare's Peddler. It was stitched beautifully by Linda and Cathy (owner of Inspired Needle) framed it for her!!!! I covet this.
Above and below are two more finishes by Barb. Lovely Christmas sentiment and a beautiful Quaker sampler.

Here is an update on Linda's BBD Land of the Free. Stunning!!!! Those girls are always designing the coolest stuff!

Happy Weekend! I am currently stitching on my current obsession, Thirteen Colonies by Little House Needlework. Pictures soon.