...represented by many different things, depending on circumstances, mood, season and all the endless possibilities in life. Grab a cuppa as this will be one of my longer posts in a long while. There will be lots of photos and some stories too.
Today, Happiness looks like this:
(1) Picking up a couple of beauties from my framer.
The first one is Sarah's House from Blackbird Designs.
The photos above are darker than the what it looks like in real life. It turned out much prettier than I'd expected!
The next piece is Mary Ann Myers from Little House Needleworks.
Originally I had a frame at home I'd wanted to re-use. It had a deep green tone like as in the alphabet. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the frame was too narrow so I had to find a new frame. However, I really like how this distressed white frame looks with Mary Ann. It totally lightens the mood of the piece and makes it much more playful.
The bit of sad news about the framing is that my framer is going out of business! I caught her in her last days. She is hoping to be hired elsewhere so that she can keep working. I do hope so! She's been in business over 20 years and I've gone to her for all of my framing!
2) the latest kit from The Lady's Prim Club arrived in the mail this week! Check this out!
I love this piece! So pretty! This club is hosted at Dyeing to Stitch.
3) We have just had our first hit of early summer weather! Talk about getting high on sunshine! On Monday we had sun but also wind and it was chilly! It gradually warmed up during the week so this weekend we are in the 23C/73F weather zone - perfect!
Here are some scenes from our garden last weekend...
The above is shot from our back lane, complete with aged and rickety fence! Love all the bluebells. I like the little bit of 'wild' in the lane.
The photo above is our boy's food patch in its second season. When he returned from Germany, for some reason, he asked if he could have a little patch to grow vegetables. So we dug up this patch. The swiss chard is from last year! There is an artichoke that was planted last year but didn't produce anything. However the plant survived and maybe this year will be better. There are also 2 blueberry bushes. He has already planted seeds in the beds and you can see little carrot ferns coming up in the foreground.
This is a stump of an old apple tree. We took down the tree a few years ago. For some reason this last year it's gotten these (fungi?) things growing on the side. Looks really cool, I'd thought!
4) A Decision made based on honouring myself, instead of pleasing others. Huh, you ask? Well, without going into great gory details it's about my work situation. I have been working long hours, putting a lot of myself to accomplish a lot of good which was acknowledged with appreciation. However, it was not enough to remove the constant possibility of always being let go with one week's notice for one reason or another. I decided then not to renew my contract after May.
Happiness is finally making up one's mind, knowing from where that decision has come from, and stepping into the unknown future without fear. Already I feel a bit lighter having made that decision.
5) My favourite little primula. I've had this pretty little plant for many, many years. Finally last year I divided it, keeping my fingers crossed that the division will take. This year, yes, I am rewarded with more flowers than ever!
Well, that's me for another post! I'm heading out to play in the garden soon. One of the pleasures of being in the garden is to hear the many different birds with their songs. We have a nesting pair of chicadees again this year in our little bird house! It's always interesting to watch and listen to them as they go through their rituals.
Thank you for visiting my little corner. I hope you are enjoying some lovely weather as well. Have a wonderful week!
Surprise! This time, it didn't take me a 5 month absence to finish a piece and post! Here is Mary Ann Myers 1867 from Little House Needleworks.
I was greatly relieved to finally get her finished yesterday. You will notice that I made some changes. I didn't stitch a couple of branches or leaves above the white flower in the center. I also couldn't stand stitching the over-one's. It's the equivalent of nails on the blackboard for me. I had wondered what to do. In the end, I finished her name and date and fudged the rest with the little diamonds. I figured there is enough stress in my life right now and besides, stitching is meant to be fun.
I am very pleased with how she turned out. Next weekend I will take her to the framer's and it will probably be another week or two before I get her back, so I am guaranteed some material for posting in May!
Yes, I have continued to be extremely busy with work. I will say no more of that for now, other than I think of that children's story of the little train "I think I can, I think I can, I know I can!" Chug-chug-chug I go. When I finish this post, I will be on my other (work) computer and do a few hours before I go to bed!
I have been absent on blog-land and occasionally peek into your blogs. I just want to say a general thank-you for all those who keep on stitching and posting! It's lovely to see all your wonderful creations! Speaking of which, here's my latest obsession:
This is Sarah Chapple 1831 from Shakespeare's Peddlar. I borrowed this photo from her site. I Love this! This is totally me.
If you are thinking "how is she going to stitch all those over one's if she hates them?" Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I am thinking of hunting around for other shorter verses so I can stitch over two. (And, if you are wondering, I do use a magnifier.)
Well, that's at least one post for me for April! Thank you for visiting! Have a wonderful week!
First off, I want to thank you for your kind comments and encouragement while I go through this bumpy patch of work?no-work? Oh, there's more and I'll tell you in a minute. Second, even with making little progress on my stitching, I appreciate that I have new followers almost every day. I scratch my head a bit but I do appreciate your interest!
So, no stitching was had at my house this past week. However, I did work A LOT (at my job) so I had the good fortune to bring home this little mouse to my house! Meet Little Ted, my cross stitch mouse!
I love how his little left shoulder is holding the needle and floss. Actually,doesn't he look like he's doing the boogie-woogie? He's so gorgeous. Here are a couple of more photos.
Little Ted comes from the house of "Mouse Droppings", from the hands of Mama Susan! You can see more (and better) photos on Susan's blog. I just love him! Thank you, Susan!
Now, I will show you some watercolour from the book that Little Ted is sitting on in one of the photos above. The book was something someone donated at the library and I got it for 50 cents. It was without a jacket. It's called The Doyle Diary, published in 1978. I haven't read the story but I just liked the illustrations.
The style of illustration is "old-fashioned", isn't it? I don't think we see much like that anymore. I just love it though!
So, work - you'll laugh at this as that's all I can do. I found out that I may be cut from the project due to budget reviews. Ahhh, well, if you are scratching your heads, I can't blame you. I will just "go with the flow" and see what happens. I have been working a lot and will again this afternoon. I'll work while I can, and stitch when I can.
It's time change today. I loathe losing the one hour. It takes my body at least one week to adjust to it. Before I go down the path of griping, I'd better end this post! ;-) Thank you for visiting and be careful driving tomorrow - the day after time change, statistically, there are more accidents!
To start this post - the winner of the February Giveaway is:
Congrats, Theresa. I will get the charts out in the mail in the next few days.
I've been crazy busy
with my new project at work, hence the title of this post. Yes, back to longer days and a bit of
working on the weekends (like later today!). Oh well, it's a short term thing. Meanwhile,
not much stitching to show this week. However, I am recycling some old
stitching photos to show you (cheating, I know).
The above is Dainty Housewren, by Carriage House Samplings, I believe. I just love this design. The one below is The Tulip Sampler, by Examplar from the Heart.
Have you been watching out for the new Nashville releases? There are lots of lovely things! I've ordered the following from Needlecraft Corner. The photos are from her site.
The photo above is from Plum Street Sampler - Victor and Irina. Love, Love, Love it! I think I just about have the whole series though I've only stitched one (Olga).
The photo above is from The Scarlett House - Rachel Howell. BEE-UU-Ti-Ful!!! I know it will be awhile till I get a chance to stitch her but I can still hold it in my hands and dream!
I was also pleased to see new designs from La-d-da, Blackbird Designs, Stacy Nash, With thy Needle and Thread, to name just a few! Lucky us!
I will leave you now with a photo of the hellebore in my garden. They give such nice colour at this time of year!
Well, that's me for another week. Thanks for your visits and your comments - I really appreciate them and they help keep me posting each week! Take care!
As I type this, it's late Sunday afternoon. It is POURING rain outside. We had a magical day of sun (and wind that blew the clouds away) yesterday; now 'tis but a dream.
I have made some progress on Miss Mary Ann Myers but not as much as I would've liked. I will tell you why in a minute. For now, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Isn't that the oddest looking flower in the basket? It's supposed to have two green things coming out from the top. Maybe they are supposed to be branches. I'm skipping them for now as I'm not sure I like them. Other than that, I think she is such a pretty design!
Thank you for all your kind wishes in your last post. I was feeling awful for awhile. A lot was due to the fact that I might lose my work and it turned out to be true last Monday - they cancelled my project. *sigh* So, it was a lot of waiting and worrying to hear that news. At least when the decision finally came then I could start looking for other work.
The oddest came on Thursday though. Because I had a few days' notice I was scheduling good-bye coffees or lunches with people. Out of the blue I decided to schedule a coffee with someone I'd worked with years ago (at the same company) and she said "this is weird to hear from you, since as of last evening, someone had to quit on my project, are you interested in the work?"
So, I am back on the horse, so to speak, and I've been told I will be very busy for the next few weeks! How funny things turned out!
Here's something else that will make you laugh. In the wee hours of this morning, I had gotten up as I couldn't sleep (not uncommon). I usually just go sit on the couch and read and usually that will help me sleep for a couple of hours. I dreamed.
I dreamed this most wonderful technicolour dream. We had moved to live in a place that was part of a resort. There was waterfall, there were gorgeous sunsets, and you know what was my thought while I was dreaming? I have to take photos and blog about this!!! True. Then I thought I would have to invite you all to come and visit me in this island paradise. In the dream I really felt like I was there, you know that kind of dream? When I woke, I was a bit disappointed. I wondered why I had that dream. Then I saw the scarve that I bought yesterday to brighten my otherwise grey rainy days.
See what I mean?
Have you noticed any upcoming Nashville releases that you like? I have! I am always looking forward to seeing new releases from market. Actually, I await them with both excitement and dread. The dread part is only how much of a hit my piggy-bank will or can take!
Have a wonderful week! Remember there is still time to enter the February giveaway in my last post!
Hello, my friends! This will be a short post. I haven't been feeling well and have not done much stitching so no updates to Mary Ann this week. By the way, I'm so glad you like her!
I am going to pass on a couple of never-used charts with the Love theme for February.
Simple rules:
- Leave a comment on this post that you are interested in this giveaway.
- Make sure to provide an email address where I can reach you. If you have a blog, make sure there is an email address attached.
- Tell me what you are currently stitching or reading. I'm always interested in finding new things!
I will pick a winner at the end of February.
Sorry for the short post. Hopefully I will be back with some progress on Mary Ann next week. Take care!
Greetings on a almost-sunny Sunday afternoon!
Please welcome my next victim project on my scroll frame. When I first saw the design on Diane's blog, I knew I would have to stitch it. I'd wanted to stitch something different in colour - this one goes into the Blue/Brown/Creme combination.
I am using all the recommended silks and linen. At first it was weird to stitch on this 28 count (or maybe 30?) linen but I really like the effect it provides to the design. The colours of the silks that Diane chose are just gorgeous together.
I was struggling with this when I first started stitching it but then I realized I was NOT enjoying the audio book that I was listening to. It took a few more tries before I finally settled on a classic - The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot. Ahhh, the idyllic countryside of England... it's very soothing.
Question for you - when it comes to borders, are you someone who has to finish the borders first before you tackle the rest of the sampler? I very rarely do that. I am what I call a "relative" stitcher. So, if I am stitching the bird on the left, let's say, I will count that it is the right number of spaces from the border and the flower and the basket. "It's all relative".
The reason why I asked is that I had to frog the right hand side of the border a bit and then I wonder about how stitchers take to doing borders, if there are any tips and tricks.
It is a long weekend here as it's "Family Day" here tomorrow. Woo-hoo! More stitching and fun to be had! Daisy is keeping my stitching chair warm. Yes I sit on a regular chair as I need to sit up when stitching with my scroll frame. The soft comfy chairs are hard on my back and don't work at all for my stitching.
Doesn't it look like Daisy is listening to my audio book too?
Well, that's another post for me. I see I've gained a few followers lately - welcome!
Thank you for your visits. Your comments have helped enable me to keep on stitching (yes, work is still full of crazy-makers)! I hear there's been a lot of snow back east - for those in the cold, I hope you are keeping warm and snug. Take care!
