A Giveaway that will end on a happy note

You might remember when my family and I took a vacation a few years ago back home to Pennsylvania.  While there we visited an Amish sale and I was able to purchase an Amish handmade comforter.  Since then I have found out that the Pennsylvania Amish are one of the biggest producers and handlers of puppy mills.  I am totally disgusted with what I have found out.  Because of this I have decided to giveaway this comforter to anyone who wants it here in the U.S.  All I ask is that you pay for shipping because it is quite heavy.  I can't give you a shipping price but I'm estimating between $20 and $40.  Please leave a comment on this post and include your email address so I can get in touch with you.  I will let this run until Easter Sunday at 9:00 EST and then randomly  pick a number.  Here is a picture of said comforter.  I didn't take definite measurements because it's a bugger to get off the quilt rack but I know it will cover the top of a full size bed.

I think in all good conscience not one of you good ladies would want this comforter so a lady on facebook gave me the perfect solution.  I am going to cut this up into doggie size blankets and donate them to a shelter.  I think the puppies that these bring comfort to will appreciate them very much.  

Barbara

Spring Has Sprung?

What is going on this year with the snow?  Friends and relatives in Pa. received about 9 inches of snow and we are having mornings down here in Florida in the 40's.  That's just not right!  We always called the last snow of the season the onion snow......that's a lot of onions!

I have two finishes to share with you.  The first one is Wooleminia by Plum Street Samplers.  When I first pulled the colors I was not thrilled with them.  I love peaches but I'm not a peachie color person.  I was sooooo wrong.  I don't think I could of chosen any better colors than they did.  The fabric that it's lying on is what I'm going to use for the finishing.....I just have to make up my mind how to finish it.  I have a round frame but the opening is too large so I thought of making a mat using the fabric.  We'll let it stew for a few days then decide.

The next one is called Daffodils by Jeannette Douglas but as you can see I changed them.  I really don't like yellow so they are now lilacs.  It will be made into a little pincushion using the fabric it's lying on.  This pattern is in my store if your interested.

Now for the question of the day.  I've always thought that the linen Primitive Hare dyes with the words very interesting so when my LNS picked up some at the Nashville Market I just couldn't resist.  But my problem now is "What Do I Stitch On It?"  The patterns that she has done on it really aren't my style so now I have a quandary as to what to stitch on them.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them with me.  I purchased a fat quarter so I have enough for a large design.

Tomorrow we get the results of my hubbies Ct Scan and I'm very anxious to hear what they say.  I've got this funny feeling that they are not going to be able to do anything and they have now destroyed his eyesight about the same way as his hearing....by just ignoring it.  I don't know if I told the story about how he lost his hearing but it was quite simple.  He was in the hospital for other reasons and he kept telling them that he was having a lot of trouble hearing and that it was getting worse.  Not one doctor did a dang thing and now here he is 13 years later totally deaf.  I think his eyesight will probably go the same way.  We'll complain and no doctor will do anything.  Do you hate doctors as much as I do?  I have found only 1 doctor who really cares about my hubby and his problems and that is Dr. Henry Levin, Gastrologist.  He is the only one that takes the time to talk to him and even though DH is deaf, Dr. Levin makes sure he understands what he is saying to him.  The rest just talk to me and mostly ignore DH.  But they sure to talk when it's time to be paid, don't they!

I had a nice surprise last week.  My dear Grand daughter, Grand Son In Law,  Hubby and the two little rascals took me out to dinner for my birthday.  I prefer to call them Anniversaries of my birth.  Sounds better doesn't it?  Then yesterday they surprised me with a Tiffany hanging lamp for our dining room.  I've always wanted one but just never seemed to get around it.  They found a vintage one and John will rewire it before it gets hung over our dining room table.  They are such good kids and I'm very proud of them.  I will post a picture once it is hung.

Well that's about all for this week.  They just seemed to go faster and faster the older I get and I don't like it.  Whatever troubles you are having I hope leave you alone this week.

Blessings, Barbara

Good Monday Morning

In between loads of laundry I thought I'd tell you what's been going on in our little corner of the world.  Well hubby had his CT Scan this past friday but we probably won't get results until we go back to see doctor on the 26th.  Meanwhile, he still has double vision which comes and goes and I'm still taking him to and from work everyday.  It gets boring but you do what you have to do.

I have a finish to share with you.  It's the Jeannette Douglas one I started last week and it worked up really fast.  I'm not sure how I'm going to finish it but I'm thinking a box lid but I don't need anymore boxes so I'm just going to hold onto it.  

I also started "Woolemina" by Plum Street Samplers and she's turning out quite beautiful.  I decided not to use the CC colors they wanted and just went with DMC and I still like it.  I have a round frame that she will be put in when finished.

I hope everyone has a really great week with no troubles knocking at your door.

Blessings, Barbara

Two finishes....YEA!!!!!

Good weekend ladies.  I hope everything is great in your little corner of the world.  Not so hot here but I'll tell you about that later.  I have two finishes to show you.  The first is a freebie from CEC and I just loved doing this little owl.  He's stitched on a mystery blue linen using DMC and I finished him into an ornament.  I attached some little bells at the bottom and inside there is a music box that plays Jingle Bells.  All in all....I love him.

Next up is another freebie but this one is from Ink Circles.  It is stitched on a pink hand dyed linen (lost the color name tag) with a new thread from DMC called Coloris.  I love stitching with this cotton thread and the only place I have been able to find it is HERE at Embroidery.com.  It's $1.54 a skein and it comes in many colors and there is even a matching chart that shows you what DMC colors are used in the making of the hand dyed Coloris.  The one I used on the pincushion is Hydrangea 4504 and it's just beautiful on this pink linen.  I was lucky enough to find lace and a button at the Sewing Studio that match really well so I'm pleased with the finished product.

Don't know if you've seen the new sheep scissors but I just couldn't resist them when I saw them at my LNS.  She had them in a basket and I bought 2 pairs of them and one has been sent to a dear friend.  She hasn't posted about them yet so I'll keep quiet.

My next project is from Jeannette Douglas called "Spring Wool Pincushion".  I love her designs but sometimes her colors just don't thrill me and that's how it was with this one.  The pattern comes with the hand dyed wool to use but I changed them to silks in colors that I do like.  

Now for the bad news.  I said that DH was having cataract surgery and it went well and he ended up with 20/30 vision in that eye.  Last Sunday morning he gets up and is seeing double.  It's not the normal kind where you see them side by side....his is one on top of the other horizontally.  I called the doctor's office immediately and they said to come in first thing Monday morning.  Did and the doctor (not the one who did the surgery) said everything looks good.  That maybe sometimes nerves have a hard time adjusting to the new vision in the eye operated on.  He also made a comment about a mini stroke that I did not care for.  He saw his regular doctor the next day and he also said the eyes look fine and he ordered a CT scan of his brain.  Now this coming Monday he is scheduled to have the surgery on the other eye and I'm scared spitless.  What if this surgery makes his vision worse?  I drove him to work and back for 3 days this past week because he can't see right to drive.  He could cover one eye (then he doesn't see double) but then he has no depth perception and that's not good for driving either.  I just don't know what to do except Pray.  When he had his lung surgery he made the comment that he was never having any type of surgery again because something always goes wrong.  Well this proved him right and he's not a happy man.

Well that's all for now.  I hope your days are filled with lots of stitching time and good memories are made with your loved ones.

Blessings, Barbara

Some Updates

It's beginning to look like Spring down here in Florida and I hope where you live, it arrives soon also.  Our azaleas are in bloom and I'm getting ready to purchase some Plumbego to plant in our front yard.

Monday DH had his cataract surgery and everything went great.  Before the surgery he could hardly make out the large E at the top of the chart.  Today he has 20/30 vision in that eye.  He's thrilled with the results.

I have two finishes to share with you.  First is a Shepherd's Bush tiny design called appropriately "Spring".  I found a cute little frame at Michael's and I like the looks of it.

The second finish is the BBD I had been working on last post.  I loved stitching this one except the lettering which was stitched over 1 thread.  I'm not the greatest at that but I did my best.  Sorry for the creases....haven't gotten around to pressing it yet.

I also want to mention that I am very saddened by the death of Rev. Billy Graham.  I thought he was a terrific man and that the world just lost a great soul.  

Blessings, Barbara

I forgot to add that I've added about 23 Australian Inspiration Embroidery Magazines to my Patterns for Sale area.  These not only have embroidery patterns but also a lot of them have cross stitch also.

Days go so fast....

I don't know about the rest of you but I feel my days are going by so fast.  I saw something on Facebook this morning that really made me feel old.  It's the 30th anniversary of the movie "Dirty Dancing".  Wow!  I remember like it was yesterday when that movie came out and my friend, Elaine went to see if about 50 times.  I had great fun teasing her about her crush on Patrick Swayze and now that sweet man is gone.  I just don't like how time seems to fly faster the older we get.  Okay so now that I've brought everybody down, let me show you what I've been up to this past week.

One I did finish the BBD design I've been working on.  I love the colors and just at the end I noticed a mistake.  Did I rip it out.....heck NO!  

Then I started another BBD and finished that one up really quick.  It's a fun stitch but I decided to stitch this with DMC and I'm not real thrilled with the colors that they chose.  By the time I  noticed how dark the one was, I was already half finished and I wasn't changing all of it.  You can tell by looking at the house and seeing how hard it is to see the windows and door.  I didn't finish it into a pillow like they suggested because that is one thing I stink at.  My pillow making isn't the best and a heart shape turns out looking wonky every time.  So I just made a stand up.

I then started another BBD (I think I've become obsessed with BBD) called "Fond Hearts" and I love the colors in it.  I'm stitching it on cream 28ct lugana with some of the recommended colors.  It only calls for 4 colors and I had 2 of them so I improvised on the 2 pinks.

I was wondering how many were going to stitch the new series by LHN ..... Farmhouse Christmas.  I got my fabric and first pattern the other day and I've decided to stitch it with DMC and not the overdyed threads.  I know mine will look a little different but that's okay with me.  Also, did everyone see the border that they came out with for when you stitch them all on one fabric?  It's HERE and scroll down to see the PDF download.  This is how I'm going to do mine and I'm hoping to start it this week.  I want to try and keep up with the monthly patterns....wish me luck.

Well that's about all I've been up to this week.  I wanted so badly to cast on the stitches for my shoulder warmer but just ran out of time.  To all of you, thank you for stopping by and I hope your week is just chocked full of surprises....good ones that is.

Blessings, Barbara

My New Project

I hope everyone has been doing well and surviving this winter and looking forward to Spring.  My bougeanvilla bush was getting out of hand this past summer and it was so big I wasn't able to cover it.  Needless to say I have to cut it off now at ground level and let it grow back.  One good thing about living in Florida is that everything grows very fast so I imagine by the end of next summer it will be well established.

I have been in a Blackbird Designs kind of mood and I started one of their oldies.  Live Each Season is the name of this one and I'm stitching it on a 30ct. primitive green with the requested overdyed colors.  I've had this design for years and years and really never looked into it but since I started it I'm loving the colors.  They go from rich burgundy to a light sunny yellow.

Next on my list to do's are also Blackbird Designs.  The first is a small heart and it's called My Heart is Home and that will be done on a natural linen using the 2 colors of DMC floss.  I was hoping I would have this finished by Valentine's Day but alas it's not to be.

And the final one in my "to do" box is Strawberry Garden.  I'm going to do this one on flax 28ct linen using the overdyed colors it calls for.  I love this design but I absolutely HATE making lazy daisy stitches and this one is filled with them.  I'll trudge thru because I love the design so much but it will be brutal.

I was able to finish Pumpkin Spice Farm but I haven't done the finishing part yet.  I was going to last weekend but the ills got me down and I just wanted to vegetate.  Here it is with the chenille braid for around the outside of the pillow.  I dyed this using food coloring and a little crushed walnut stain.  It matches the stitched pumpkin pretty close but I think I'm going to give it a second dip in the crushed walnut stain.  It's not "dirty" enough for my taste.  The small flowered fabric to the side is what I will use for the backing.  

I'm getting the urge to do some knitting so I was looking thru Ravelry and came across this design that I found very interesting.  It's knitted in the round and has shoulder shaping which will help it lie very nicely on the shoulders.  I'm going to make this out of a Sirdar yarn I have which is called "Colourwheel" and is 80% acrylic and 20% wool.  It has a nice soft feel to it and the reason I want to make this is alot of times at night while I am sitting here stitching, my shoulders and arms get chilly but it's such a bother putting on a sweater or a shawl so I thought this would be just the thing to keep me warm.  

Well that's all for now except to thank each and every one of you who visit me thru my blog and see what I've been up to.  I am grateful for all the sweet ladies I have met thru here and I count you all as my friends.  Please everyone have a safe weekend and enjoy your family and loved ones.

Blessings, Barbara

Who Likes Doctors?

Not Me!!!!  I think I mentioned that I haven't been feeling very good well yesterday morning I woke up with a horrible ear ache.  I'm thinking I have an ear infection because my hearing in that ear is down about 50% and it hurts down into my throat.  My hubby and I both have appointments with our family doctor on Feb. 5 but I'm thinking this had better be checked out before then.  I call and the nurse tells me, after I explained about my symptoms, that the doctor has no openings and that I'll have to wait until the 5th.  Now I ask you, why bother having a family doctor when you can't get into see them if you are sick?  Believe me when I say that is the question I will be asking him when we see him on the 5th.  I called an urgent care center near our home and I have an appointment for tomorrow at 11 am.  Needless to say, I have no good for doctors and never will.

I've been working steadily on my Pumpkin Spice Farm and I have an update to share with you.

This is working up pretty fast and tomorrow I am hoping to dye the chenille trim (orange) for around the pillow or however I decide to finish this.  If I don't use the trim for this design, it will always come in handy for Halloween.  

I stopped at a new store today on my way home from drug store.  It's called "The Black Sheep" and it's been around for years but now it's under new ownership.  She doesn't carry cross stitch but she does have a fantastic array of fibers.  Her specialty is needlepoint which is very popular here in Florida for some reason.  I think it's too expensive for my taste and I hate the fact of having to fill in every stitch.  Right?  She is just around the corner from me so that will come in handy for when I'm looking for that special thread.

Well I'm off to pamper my ear and my throat.  I hope they will be able to do something for me tomorrow because this is getting to be a bother.  Know what I mean?

You'all have a great week and I will post again when I have pumpkin farm finished....hopefully this week.

Blessings, Barbara

A finish and a find

Good evening my sweet stitchers.  I so love passing on great info about things I have come across and this past week was one of them.  I have trouble with shoes fitting me correctly.  Mostly I wear different types of flip flops because they are easy to fit.  I don't own one pair of enclosed shoes that didn't kill my feet until I came across these.  You might of heard of them....they are called Tieks and I love them.  I came across them on Pinterest and did some digging and reading reviews and decided to purchase a pair.  I received them today and they are wonderful Italian leather that just forms to your feet.  They are hand made so they are a little pricey but if they fit and don't give me sores, to me they are worth it.  They come in a wide range of colors and patterns and I purchased the taupe color so they will go with anything but I'm thinking of buying some of the different colors.  Here's what they looked like when I opened the main box.

A pretty teal box with a flower wrapped around it.

The shoes inside folded in half.

They come with a little black bag so you can carry them in your purse.

They also come with a larger bag so that you can wear your flats to work or wherever and then carry your heels in the extra bag.

Unfolded and ready to wear

On my feet and loving them.  Here is the website if you are interested.

Online Shop

I have a finish to share with you.   I did the Hats off to Uncle Sam by BBD and wow was that a quick stitch.  After so many years of stitching I just don't have any shelf room left so I didn't make the wooden hat that they give directions for.  I also changed how I finished the pin drum.  I used a navy blue print and found a brass star that I tied on with some twine.  I filled it with crushed walnut shells and it has a nice weight to it.

My next project is by my friend Kathy at Hands On Designs.  It's called Pumpkin Spice Farm and I'm stitching it on 28ct. Sage Jobelan using the threads that came with it from Romy's Creations.  I had never stitched with these before and I'm finding them very nice.  I highly recommend them for any project.  Here's what I have finished so far:

It has some very pretty colors in it and I hope you can make them out in the picture.

Yesterday was a day of adventure.  Peyton, John, Little John, Zane, hubby and myself went to Disney Animal Kingdom.  Needless to say today I am exhausted.  We had lunch at the Rainforest cafe and Little John loved that.  At least once an hour they make it look like there is a thunderstorm happening inside the restaurant and he loved that.  The reason I wanted to go was to see the Pandora part that is made after the movie Avatar.  I so loved the colors in that movie and I wanted to see if Disney could duplicate them.  Boy did they ever.  We went on a boat ride inside caverns that had the most stunning colors I have ever seen.  I wasn't able to take any decent pictures and that broke my heart but I still have them in my memory.  We all were tired at the end of the day but it was a happy tired.  Today the aches and pains are letting me know I over did it.  I do have one or two pictures to share with you.  It's one of my hubby and myself standing outside the Pandora land....

....and the huge "tree of life" that has all different animals carved on it.  It's huge and very beautiful.

Well that was my weekend and Sunday will be a day of rest.  My body so needs it.  I hope you all have had a most fantastic weekend so far and that it continues right into next week.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out what I've been up to.

Blessings, Barbara

It's Cold Again!

I don't see how I lived in the north for all those years because I am freezing here in 50 degree temps.  Either it has to do with blood thinning or just old age.  I'm voting on the second one.  To all of you who are still suffering under this last cold spell.....stay warm.

I have a finish to share.  I started this last weekend and I really got it finished fast....at least for me.  It's a BBD design and it really doesn't have a name.  The title just says "Necessity Box and Strawberry".....but I didn't make the strawberry and I finished it into a pillow.  I have to laugh at the names of the fabric and threads I chose...Gingerbread 28ct. and it's stitched with Crescent Colors Cherry Cobbler.  Sounds yummy doesn't it?

I've had that cotton print fabric for years and finally got to use it to make the pillow.  My motto:  Never throw anything away because you never know when you might need it.  This has gotten me into trouble several times with trying to find room in my sewing room for storage.

My next project is another BBD design called "Hats off to Uncle Sam".   I love how they have it finished and I'm not sure if I want to attempt it or not.  I'll wait and see and make up my mind later.

I'm stitching it on the called for fabric but am using different threads that I have on hand.  

Thank you all for stopping by to see what I've been up to.  Have a fantastic week and again, stay warm.

Blessings, Barbara