Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Finishes Framed....




I wanted to share pics of the way that my sweetie framed my finishes for me. I just couldn't be any happier with the work that he did. He always amazes me with his ability to look at a piece of my needlework and "feel" the way that a frame would accent it the best. (I especially love the lights that he drilled into "Deck the Halls" and his perfect red and white candy-stripes on the snowman box!) These are the gifts for my mom's neighbors...I must admit that it was a wee bit hard to box them up and send them away - I just adore them and think that I might just be re-stitching them for me eventually! :)
Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! (I give thanks that calories don't count on turkey day!!!) :)

*Sharon

Saturday, July 19, 2008

A Christmas Finish



This is my first Christmas gift finish for '08. It's Lizzie Kate's "Warm Wishes". My Mom asked me to make something "Christmasy" for her neighbor (who loves birds and snowmen) - so I thought this would be a good choice. I still have two more gifts to stitch (for my Mom at her request- she has wonderful neighbors!) and then I need to get busy on Christmas gifts for MY neighbors!! :)

Thought I'd share...Keep beating the heat!! :)

*Sharon

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

My stitching buddy - -


I thought you might like to see who's beside me every stitch of the way - - this is our little sweetie and she's always sure to be my "stitching shadow". I don't think I've put many stitches into a piece at all but where she's cuddled up as close as can be. She's a Japanese Chin and I just can't say enough good things about this sweet little breed. Now, if I could only get her to chase away those darn frogs - what stitchers call mistakes - (we have to rip-it, rip-it - get it??) :) , she'd just be perfect!
Oh - and you'd NEVER guess her name!!! :) I'm not making this up - her name is "Tea-Tsu". Knowing me, you just knew I'd have to sneak in the "tea" somewhere, right??? :) :) :) (and no, I'm not "tea"sing about her name - that's what it really is!!!! (sorry, couldn't help it!!) :)
Thanks for letting me share a moment of your day with you. I love the comments so very much -

*Sharon

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

We Love Tea...


Yes, we do!!! I loved the process of stitching this piece...the colors are a perfect match for our kitchen/eat-in area. This hangs on the wall right above our table where we eat most of our meals. Hubby framed this one - I love the little circles he cut and the little teapots that he chose to put into those circles. (Click on the photo to pick up the details). I think the framing really helps this piece come to life. I just love that this is a "hobby" that hubby and I enjoy creating together! :) Hope you enjoy the picture -thanks so much for all the lovely comments - they just make my day!!

Have some tea for me, (sweet and iced, please - I'm in the south, ya know!!) :)

*Sharon

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Framed and a Finish!!!



My darling hubby was able to finish framing our wedding gift this week-end. I think he did a nice job. I wish the matt showed better in the picture - hubby chose a wonderful textured matt that's SO soft - a perfect choice for this design. I also like the frame he chose. (Only problem is he got very ambitious and framed it before I had a chance to clip off a couple of extra loose "ends" off the back of the piece before he framed it -ugh). Oh well, I appreciate his help and support and maybe not too many people will notice my couple of little "tail" threads. I HOPE!!!!!! I just didn't' have the heart to ask hubby to un-do his work for me to "fix it". I've learned a valuable lesson - I will "clip" as I stitch from now on, for sure!!! At any rate - I LOVE my framer!!

I found some time to finish a piece from my new stash. Lizzie Kate's "Tea for Two". This was such a fun, fast finish. It will be a fun fit into my tea-themed kitchen.

I'm so grateful to say that Ian is feeling SO much better! We'll be hitting the courts again this week for some short practices. He isn't cleared for competition yet (he's very competitive and very fast when he's on the court - his tennis nickname is the "Ianator" - so he needs to work back to that slowly as he continues to recover. We've been doing lots of walking to build back his endurance - hopefully we'll be back at blasting balls before too long! Hmm...maybe I should challenge him to a game while he's in thia "weakened" state - this may be my only chance to get a win in against him!! :)

On the homemaking front - I have to bring treats to church next Wednesday for a marriage class that hubby and I are taking. I'm taking some chocolate cherry brownie-fudgy treats and I was thinking of also taking some of those small-size muffins in lemon poppyseed. I have the recipe and a small muffin tin - but I have no idea how much batter to put into each "little" tin to make a "little" muffin. Anyone know?

Homeschool is still a fun adventure for our family. Yesterday for math, I had Ian choose 4 cities in the US at random (One from the east coast, one from the central US, one from the west and then one on the west coast). He then had to figure the milage and then calculate how much the trip would cost in gas according to the national average price/gallon. He was suprised at how "low" the cost was until he remembered that it had to be "round trip". He also had to figure out how often to stop, (hotel prices), the estimated cost of food and the costs of attractions that he'd like to visit on his "imaginary" trip. He was shocked at how quickly costs can add up. Next week, for his "real life" math lesson, he'll be doing a grocery list and keeping track of those expenses...one lesson he WON'T ever be asked to do? Keep track of Mom's stitching expenditures!!! :) :) :)

Have a Totally Terrific Tuesday!!!!!

*Sharon

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Stash, Glorious Stash!!



After the rough month we've had, AND finally finishing the wedding sampler (I'll post another pic of it when it's finished being framed!), I decided to treat myself to a bit of stashing. What a wonderful time I had!!! :) The hardest part was in deciding just how much (or how little), I could afford to stimulate the economy.
I settled on just a few "must-haves" - but I am SO happy with my choices. I got "Home of a Needleworker", "Bless This Home", Lizzie Kate's new "tea" designs, (I'm a shoe-in for anything tea!) and a cute Heinzit "Flip Flop" pattern that will be perfect in one of our powder rooms that has a "beach" theme. Unfortunately, I had to place an order for three other designs that were "out of stock" and some specialty flosses that I need - but hey, that will give me an excuse to go back and fondle some more when I pick up that order, right? Life is good!! :) :) :)
My needle is itching to stitch - so I'll keep this short! Thanks for the comments - I really appreciate your time and kindness! Also, keep up the lovely works on your blogs - I love visiting!!!!

Happy Stashing and Stitching!

*Sharon

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

A Finish! (Almost!)


I can't even begin to say how happy I am that I almost have this project finished! I have no idea why this little sampler was such a "chore" for me. I love the colors and I'm happy with the way it's turned out - I just felt like this was turning into a "forever" project almost from the beginning. Maybe it was because I've been so tired w/ the anemia and then struggling w/ Ian being so sick...whatever the cause, I'm happy that it only needs a few little personalizing details, a good ironing and a few beads and I'm on to something new!!! I placed an order for a wee bit of stash that I'll be picking up tomorrow. First on my list is a project that I've wanted to do for a LONG time...Country Garden's "Home of a Needleworker". i just feel so free knowing that now I have some time for some personal stitching that's just for "fun" with no deadline. Mainly, I'm just looking forward to some serious "stash fondling" w/o a time constraint over my head!

The second couple that we know that are getting married this year DOESN''T want a stitched wedding gift. They aren't "in" to "artsy-craftsy" things and wanted to let me know before I put time and effort into making a gift for them. Their entire home is going to be decorated in a very stark, modern, sleek black and white - so something "homemade" just wouldn't fit. I was so grateful for their honesty. It'll be SO much easier to buy something off the "Bed, Bath and Beyond" wish list! :)

Ian is easing his way back to health. He's still very sore and hasn't been cleared for tennis yet (bummer!), but I do see improvement everyday. I am so very thankful that my sweet little fellow is healing!

We're back into our normal homeschool routine. We're right in the middle of the "middle" ages. He now knows that the One hundred Years' War didn't really last "100" years, and that "The War of the Roses" wasn't really fought over flowers. :)
We also just ended a science study of machines and motion. He thinks the laws of motion are really cool. He did make the comment that gas prices are breaking the first principle law of motion. I asked what he meant and he said, "what goes up, must come down. Gas prices just keep going up and up and up!" Ha ha ha! :)

I've so been enjoying visiting everyone's blogs and keeping up w/ the talents that each of you share. Keep up the good work!!

Have a wonder-filled Wednesday!

*Sharon