Cross Country Stitching and An Exchange

Annemarie was wondering out loud on her blog why more stitcher's don't like Cross Country Stitching Magazine. I am a fan of this publication, and have been admiring the design below for a year or more. I know to some it probably looks cluttered and junky, but it really appeals to me. I hope that I'll actually be able to stitch it some day.


BeckyK received her first seasonal exchange from me yesterday. I stitched up this cute design from The Prairie Schooler. It is great being paired with Becky for this year-long exchange because we're both avid fans of PS, and they have some wonderful seasonal designs. Here are a couple pictures of what I sent her.



Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I really appreciate the comments that you leave; they really help to brighten my day.

Another Round Finished for the Little House Needleworks RR

I wanted to share the square that I just finished for the LHN Round Robin that I'm participating in. This particular piece belongs to Debbi (I don't think she has a blog). It was a fun one to stitch, but it seemed to take me FOREVER! It will now make its way to the talented Joan for her to stitch a square.



Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great week.

A Gift for Becky and a Blooming Amaryllis

I stitched this up for Becky two weekends ago and finished it this past weekend. It was my daughter's idea to finish it as a key hanger. I hope that the bright colors will bring a bit of cheer to our dear friend.



This second picture is of the amaryllis that Justine's boyfriend gave her when she was a freshman in college. She will be starting her junior year in August, and this is the first time that it has bloomed. We were all very happy about that, because for the longest time, it only had leaves.



Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy lives to visit my blog. I appreciate your kindness.

Zach Turns 7

Today is Zach's (our whippet) 7th birthday! My daughter Andrea baked special birthday cakes, using a dog-friendly recipe, for him. She found the recipe for the Peanut Butter Delight Cake online.

Zach resting on the morning of his birthday.

While the cakes were in the oven, Owen, our greyhound, trotted into the kitchen with his nose raised high. He was very curious as to where the delicious smell was coming from. He paced back and forth in front of the oven, excitedly, until he was shooed away by Andrea, who reassured him he would get a taste of the treats later on.

After the cakes were done baking, Andrea garnished her creations like any good pastry chef. The cake on the blue plate was for the birthday boy Zach, and the cake on the green plate went to Owen.

The dogs ate the cakes outside in the backyard in order to prevent a big mess. Owen instantly gobbled down his share while Zach daintily savored his culinary delight.





It was fun to watch them enjoy their treats so much. :) Even better, there are left-overs that will be enjoyed again with as much excitement as the first time.

Zach licking his crumb-laden chops.

Celebrate Summer

These are the squares I sent to Gaby for the summer round of Fair and Square. They were a joy to stitch!

I hope you are all enjoying the summer!

The Golden Touch of Goldie

We recently finished up the first year of Seasonal Exchanges on Becky's Seasonal Exchange Board. I was the lucky recipient of Goldie's stitching and finishing. Each of the projects that she sent had both specialty stitches and fibers in them. It was always a delightful surprise to open the exchanges that she sent. She's an amazing finisher as well, and each of her projects demonstrated a different style of finish. Here are photos containing the four lovely projects that she did for me.

I wanted to say thank you to Goldie for all the time and effort that she put into her exchanges for me, so I sent her a stitched decoration for the 4th of July.

Little House Needleworks Round Robin

I have never mentioned on my blog that I'm currently stitching in a round robin with seven other ladies.  I just finished the second round and I thought it would be nice to share a picture of the project that I just worked on.  This lovely round robin belongs to Nicki. She said that she wanted a house in the center square and I was happy that it was still vacant.   I decided to stitch the house from Home of a Needleworker Too.  I substituted DMC floss because that's what the group decided upon.

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you have a safe and peaceful Independence Day.

Fair and Square Round 7

I'm back from my trip to Michigan. We had a very nice time seeing all of my family there. The picture above is of my daughters and me posing with my nephew who just graduated from high school.


These are the squares that I stitched for my partner Daniela for the 7th round of Fair and Square. I mailed them to her in the Czech Republic two weeks ago. I hope that she's received them by now.

Thanks so much for stopping by to read my blog. I really appreciate your comments.

Two Lovely Pinkeeps

Last week I received two beautiful pinkeeps in the mail. The first one was for my wish made on the Make a Wish Exchange Board. My wish was granted by the lovely Carolyn who stitched and finished the pinkeep with the tree and the two sweet little birds beneath it.

The next one was a complete surprise and it came from Marie. She stitched and finished this as "Thank you" to me for stitching for her in the Seasonal Exchange Group. I've always admired Marie's work and I was so happy to have one of her beautiful creations to call my own.

I'm off to Michigan for a week to visit my mother and siblings. I've got my stitching packed so I know it will be a good trip.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you stay cool in all of this summer heat.

Birthday Flowers

I celebrated my birthday yesterday. It was a lovely day, but one key person was missing ... my husband. He is out of the country until the first week of June. He did send me a lovely bouquet of flowers and I also received a bouquet of beautiful tea roses from his family.

Thank you for stopping by. I wish you a safe and peaceful Memorial Day weekend.