The Return of the Fair & Square Exchange

After an extended hiatus, the Fair and Square exchange is back, and the latest round was a Patriotic theme. I was paired up with Rebecca (no blog... yet!) who is new to the exchange, and these are the lovely squares she stitched for me.

 Land that I Love by Lizzie*Kate

This is a "Now and Then" version of the chart.  The one Rebecca stitched is the updated version, so she included the chart so I could stitch the older version of it as well.  Thank you so much, Rebecca!

This is what I stitched for Rebecca... 

Happy Independence Day by Bent Creek

(city blanked out intentionally)

I took a slightly more colorful approach than the original, and use some metallic threads for the fireworks.  I also added in an extra star where the snap was charted in.

Rebecca mentioned she's been following my blog and was excited to be paired up with me.  I can totally relate - I've been paired up with fellow stitchers I've followed and it's so nice to "meet" and get to know them.  Hopefully Rebecca will start a blog soon, too!

A gift for Baby Nick

Bless the Baby by Lizzie*Kate

A few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised (thrilled) to see a package in the mailbox all the way from Japan. Inside was the beautiful piece, stitched for my son by the lovely Yuko.

Once again, I am blown away by the generosity and kindness of my fellow stitchers. When I saw photos of this piece on Yuko's blog, I never imagined it would be coming our way. (You really must see the pictures Yuko took - so much better than mine!) It's a beautiful piece and now hangs proudly in my son's room. It was such a sweet gesture, and really touched me.

I must confess, I've been feeling a little out of sorts about some personal issues. It's nothing major, and may even be a little bit of the winter blues. But it seems like just when I need it most, something like this happens - a sweet gesture, a little gift, a phone call, a card, a note. Something that makes me feel loved and appreciated, something that lets me know another person thought about me, whether they're next door or half a world away. And when you've been let down by people who care more about their own image and agenda, it's amazing what a lift you get from something like this.