Finishes and exchanges!~

First I would like to thank Becky K for the beautiful pinkeep she sent me in the Christmas Ornament Exchange!! I just love it (you know I LOVE LOVE LOVE reds!~) This cute JBW design was done using DMC floss on some linen from her stash.. Her finished pinkeep is beautiful! Thank you Becky! It is perfect~~~
I was the lucky recepient of this cute Halloween pillow made by Amy V of Florida at this past weekends PALS Fall Retreat in Myrtle Beach SC. Everyone had a great time making new friendships and renewing old ones! The pillow fit right in with my Fall goodies on my kitchen table!~ Thanks Amy, I just love it~~~

I also recieved 3 Christmas ornaments from the table. They are all so cute and made by Rene, Susan NC and Linda S...That cute little reindeer captured my heart and I love Bent Creek and anything Quaker...so, Cha-ching...I was an instant winner~~~

My entry into the exchange was the pinkeep by Monsterbubbles out the JCS 2009 Ornament issue. I LOVED this piece although it was funkier than most things I make....I found my beads at the local craft store and they really did accent to little squares that border the partridge and pear...When Fiona was the recipient it made me so proud....

Here are the three ornaments I submitted for the ornament exchange...The little beaded tree was fun to make...The sampler one is by Threads of Gold and the quaker piece by Legacy Designs is in the 2009 JCS ornament issue. They were all fun to make and I know they will all be happy in their new homes!~

Here is a snap of the ornament I mailed to Lynda in the Christmas Ornament exchange...I sent it out on Oct 19 so it should have been delivered by now....It is Workbasket Quaker Christmas using Crimson and Hunter by Weeks on Summer Khaki linen.... It looked rustic so I finished this one off with twine and few silver beads...Hope you enjoy it Lynda!!!

Well, sorry if this post seems jumbled up a bit...I am tired and need to get that long awaited cup of coffee to soothe my bones....Hope everyone is having as much fun as I am getting caught up in the spirit of holiday stitching..... I think I heard 59 days till Christmas.....YIKEEEES!~ Happy stitching everyone~~~ Love ya'll!~ Faye

A sneak peak and progress on Halloween Hornbook Sampler...

Well, I have been missing in action from blogging for a couple weeks but have been really busy!!! I have a snap of a few of the ornies have managed to stitch...Today is finishing day!! My family and friends so enjoy a handmade ornament or pinkeep for the holidays, so whe I received my JCS Ornament issue, I got busy! Now that I have the house to myself, its on!~~
Not being the Halloweenie orangie kind of girl like many of you, I was awestruck when I saw this Halloween Hornbook Sampler by Plum Street Samplers! I had to convert the colors to GAST but there is nearly an identical match in GAST for each Belle Soie listed. It is done on 40ct Sand linen and really is prettier in person than this snap is showing...I just wanted to show my progress and let you know this is truly one you will have a hard time putting down. Thank you Paulette Stewart for all the beautiful designs you contine to give us!!

Well I am off to the craft room....Pinkeeps, ornies and needlebooks await me!! Have a beautiful fall weekend everyone! Make a mug of something warm and push your needle through that linen!! Love to all, Faye

September goals met~!

I am happy to post that I am into block 4 on SoHRH...Well, except for filling in that WHITE house on block 3...What a bugger and I afraid I am going to soil my little white stitches...so, I moved onto block 4...I had promised myself to do a block a month and started Aug 20...I am ahead of the game, but I know I will be doing several Christmas items and exchange pieces in Oct.... The 40ct fabric has been nice to work on and I am using DMC floss... This piece really has been alot of fun!!

I had also made the committment to work on some of my old WIP's....Here is the La-D-Da "Red House"I had started WAY back in 2002....was over half done, so I finished it off...It is on 32ct linen using the specified DMC flosses...I enjoyed making this one even if it did take YEARS~~ You guys know what I'm talking about!!lol

Lastly, I received this beautiful exchange from Darla on the Fair and Square Exchange....I love the beautiful verigations in the floss...She did not specify, but I think it is Dinky Dyes...Thanks so much Darla! Your work is very nice and I will be putting this one in a pinkeep for sure~~

Well, got to get in the kitchen to finish cooking dinner for my family...Hope you guys have a great weekend...Enjoy these fall days and nights...Its finally cool here in the Carolinas with low humidity...My favorite time of the year!! And thanks for visiting my blog you guys..I value the comments and all of your postings as well. Like I do for my first graders, I am giving you all a big thumbs up!~ Take care and happy stitching, Faye

How lucky was I today when I got home and saw that I had a package from Jill of "purple peacock"??VERY NICE Jill!~ I love the beautiful pinkeep she made for me as part of the LHN Exchange. She used 28ct Antique White Linen and DMC 115...And finished it into my favorite~~ For those of you who might have been lucky enough to recieve something from Jill, you know what an expert finisher she is...Jill, I love the saying (perfect for me!) and love love love the color red!~ Thanks again for making my day!~~

Now, an update from my craft room....I made the BOLD move to pull out my WIP's and just see what in the world I have on hand...I had read on several blogs that fall is "nesting" time and so I jumped on the bandwagon to inventory my own WIP....I have 19 wip's and let me tell you, I was afraid it was much more......Sadly, my oldest is from 1986 (yikees!)...the ABC's by Jean Farish...Remember Jean you oldie moldies out there??? Anyway, most of the WIP are from the 1999-2002 era.....most are unfinished Threads of Gold samplers....I and WILL be working on several of them this winter....especially those that are over half done....shame on me!~~

I have kept to my word with SoHRH and Quaker Lady....a block a month on Shores....am about to finish block 2...This piece is challenging on 40 ct but I am loving it! So, will keep you posted...

Well, must sign off to get dinner on the table guys...Have a good one!!!

Exchange pieces have been received!!~~

The most beautiful exchange pieces came for me in the mail this week!! First, Chris from the UK sent an entire box of goodies for the By the Sea Exchange with HoE2. There was Polstitches fabric, DMC floss, a Totes bag, pen, sticky pad and the most beautiful pinkeep! I love the Just Nan design and the blue fabric was perfect. The mermaids even have silver needles in their hands!! Love this one Chris! Thanks so much for making this for me. You do excellent work!!



And if that weren't enough, I received a great package from Edgar in our Christmas Ornament Exchange. Edgars work is incredible as many of you may know. He chose a quaker design with red birds (perfect for this NC girl!~)...The design is by Praiseworthy Stitches and uses Belle Soie Scarecrow and Rose of Sharon thread....Beautiful job Edgar! I will cherish it knowing you made it just for me!! Thanks so much!

As we round out our lesson on friendship in school this week, I can honestly say how lucky I am to have all of you in my circle of stitching friends..Whether you are in one of my exchanges or private exchanges,just drop me a one liner comment on the blog or are a stitch friend I email with, I truly cherish every comment and compliment knowing we are friends through our love of stitchery. Thanks friends!!

Psstt...There is a cool give away on Deb's blog, Thread Gatherer....Cool that is if you are hoping for a great "frog" to hold your scissor collection in...! Check it out!~~~http://threadgatherer.blogspot.com
...Faye

A week of friendship!

Can I just say how sweet, innocent and hilarious first graders can be! Our lesson the first week of school always centers around friendship and how to become someones friend. Little 5 and 6 year olds truly have to be shown how friends treat each other and what you need to do to be a good friend to others. Its always something MOST know about, but it always seems like there are some who need to be shown....A very enriching time for us adults in the classroom because we see the little ones getting to know one another and how hopefully this is the building block for a lifetime of good friendships...

This leads me into a very big THANK YOU to Cathy B of "With Needle and Thread"...Cathy read my blog a few days back and saw that I had commented that my LHN kit had shorted me in my brown floss...She emailed me and very graciously mailed me the floss...and even included some "reds" to add to my collection.....I have not actually met Cathy nor have I spoken to her on the phone...she is a friend I have gotton to know through this wonderful forum of blogging and stitching. Now THAT is what friendship is all about! We as a collective group are so fortunate to have one another...So to Cathy and all my stitching friends, Thank you being out there for me!!

Have a great weekend and make contact with a friend that you may or may not have talked to in a while....or spend time with your best friend like Phillip and Truffles are doing....Oh, and happy stitching everyone!! Faye