HoE LHN Exchange from Marie has Arrived!!

You will not believe what an incredible package was waiting for me Monday morning when I arrived at my office! Marie P sent me the most exquisite stitcher's caddy she stitched for me for the HoE Little House Needleworks Exchange! I was overwhelmed with how beautiful it is - beautifully stitched and expertly finished! Marie stitched the limited edition "Attic Needlework" which I so wanted when I saw it but was unable to get. This beautiful piece would have been more than enough but she didn't stop there - she also included Victorian motto hand-dyed flosses, needles, and a lovely new pair of scissors :D inside the caddy, as well as coffee and a package of ribbon and lace trims. To say she spoiled me would be an understatement - Marie, once again, I thank you for this gorgeous and generous gift!

HoE Freebie Exchange

As usual, I'm lagging behind....I have needed to post several things to this blog but have been really busy doing other things so I will try to get this caught up today. Now, where was I....? Ah, yes...I see I haven't posted about the last exchange both sent and received. I did post to the HoE blog but never managed to get it up here so here we go.....

First, I want to share the wonderful package I received for the HoE Freebie Exchange from Mercy. She sent a beautifully stitched and finished pinkeep - my first one - using a design by one of my favorites, Barbara Ana. Mercy's stitches are perfect! She also sent some wonderful goodies - three zippered mesh bags (great for projects), a magnetic notepad, two skeins of DMC Variations floss, cherry blossom-scented lotion, a nail file, a beautiful piece of overdyed fabric and two new charts that I didn't have yet - "Joyful Summer" by Country Cottage Needleworks and "Hand Over the Coffee" by Barbara Ana. Here is a look at the entire package:

And here is a closer look at the pinkeep:

Mercy has much better pictures on her blog, including a close-up of the beautiful ribbon bow and silver heart at the top - take a peek!

AND....

The same day I received my freebie exchange from Mercy, I got my package for the exchange mailed off to my partner. It took several days longer to reach her than the 3-5 business days that the International Priority Mail was supposed to take, :o( but it could have been worse - at least it arrived in good shape. My partner for the exchange was Carol R and I stitched one of my own charts for her and used it to top a wooden box that I lined with black and white gingham. I saw on her blog a pinkeep she had made for herself that she was very pleased with so I tried to make something that would match or at least co-ordinate with it. It was the first time I had topped and lined a box and I was pleased with my first attempt but it certainly took longer to do than I had expected. Carol seemed very pleased with it - I hope she will enjoy using it.

She has much nicer pictures of it on her blog here. Hmmm...maybe I need a photography class....?

Olga's Gone Stitchin'...!

What a treat for me! Olga (Olenka's Stitches Blog) stitched one of my designs for her partner in the Hooked on Exchanging Freebie Exchange and emailed a photo of her finished piece to me. Her partner in the exchange, Mylene, posted she received her package yesterday so it should be okay to post a picture of it now. I am so honored that Olga chose one of my designs to stitch and finish - she does the most beautiful, creative and professional-looking finishing! Check out her blog to see what I mean! She stitched one of my favorites, "Sorry... Gone Stitchin' " - I hope Mylene enjoys it as much as I enjoyed seeing the picture and reading Olga's email and blog post. Thanks so much, Olga! I hope to see more of your work soon!

A Photo from Fred

I had a nice surprise in my e-mail today, a photo from Fred showing the Ort Bag she made with one of the Needlework Set charts. Thanks, Fred, for stitching one of my charts and for taking the time to share the photo as well! You can see other projects she has done by visiting her blog, Un Monde En Couleurs - check it out!

Summer Sizzles Scissor Fob

I know it seems a little early to be thinking of summer, seems like spring has barely gotten started, but it is already getting hot around here so I think it's time to post a summer fob. The stitched sun could easily be replaced with a sun button or charm if you prefer. I would recommend stitching on 36 ct over 2 or 18 ct over 1 to keep it a good size for a fob or you may have an ornament instead! This is a revision of an old chart from several years ago and I'm much happier with this version than the old one.



I'm also posting an update of the old chart that was designed for a firecracker embellishment or sun charm.

Nine Lives and Quilt Cats Scissor Fobs

Sandra visited my blog the other day and left a nice comment so, of course, I had to check out her blog as well. She was busily working on a Cat Quilt with nice batik fabrics - the colors are luscious and I can't wait to see it finished! In the meantime, the quilt blocks really caught my fancy and since I don't quilt, I converted them to cross stitch. I charted numerous designs based on them, in varying sizes. I will probably post several of them over time but for today I'm posting just two of the small size ones suitable for scissor fobs (aren't you surprised?!?) The colors are just for charting purposes only - by all means, choose the colors you like, especially overdyes as they will mimic the batik fabrics of the inspiration piece! Need to be inspired? Just visit Sandra's blog, especially this post.

NINE LIVES SCISSOR FOB



QUILT CATS SCISSOR FOB

More Tweaks

I have added a list (with links) in the sidebar of all the free charts on my blog. It makes it easier to go straight to the charts without having to scroll through all the entries and is faster than searching the labels. I know some people aren't interested in the blog, just the free charts, and this should save them some time. Thanks for coming by!

More Spring Cleaning

I have spent some time cleaning up the links on my blog. I've added some new ones and have deleted the ones that no longer go anywhere. I've also added more labels to the posts, especially the ones with charts, so it will be easier to find what you are looking for. The ones with photos of stitched charts now have links to the charts themselves. I will be adding new links to websites and blogs - there are many more I visit than I currently have listed - I just get to them through other links, but I thought I would try to start listing more of them here so they are easier for others to find and enjoy.

Spring Cleaning

Yes, you are in the right place! I decided that it was time for a little spring cleaning. I've been blogging (sporadically, I must admit) for over a year and it was time for a new look. I'll keep tweaking things for awhile until I get it the way I want it. I also need to update all the links listed, adding new ones, deleting dead ones, etc. I'll try to post a few charts, too!

Photos to Share

I had a nice surprise in my email today. Alexa sent some photos of the Smaller Octogon Snowflake Fob that she stitched and finished. Thanks so much, Alexa, for sharing your finished work, which is beautifully done! And I love the artistic nature of the photos themselves. She and Faby have a knack for making the photos extra interesting - I'm doing good if I even get a picture in focus. (Case in point - see my cat's photo in the sidebar - sigh...) I hope you will take a peek at their blogs, you will enjoy the visit, I'm sure!