New Home Ornament

Since DH and I bought our first house in June, I wanted to make a special ornament for our tree, and this is what I came up with:

JCS 2007 Ornament Issue - Deck the Halls by Julia Lucas Designs
stitched over 2 on 32 ct. fabric with DMC and specialty threads

I know - it barely looks like the version in the magazine, which is very nice, but I really wanted to personalize this piece. The most obvious change is changing the door from green to red, and yes, I really did take my DMC color card to my front door so I could get an exact color match. Same goes for the bricks. God only knows what the neighbors thought about the crazy lady holding stuff up to various areas of her house. I also added a brass kickplate and house numbers and left off the wreath treasure.

Oh, and the bushes are a little bigger because I screwed up a little and started them higher than they should have been, so I had to make some adjustments. (Not to mention there are no bushes beside our actual front door, but I consider it creative license). And while I was at it, I changed the Welcome to our name (blurred for privacy), and added our new town and the date at the bottom. Then I laced it and a pretty piece of red fabric with gold swirls onto pieces of cardboard, stitched the two halves together, and gussied the whole thing up with some lovely store bought cording.

And as long as I am on the subject, I'd like to address Julia Lucas Design's contribution to this year's Ornament Issue. At first glance, I thought it was a misprint and they put last year's ornament in again, but upon closer inspection, I discovered that this year's ornament was a window, not a door. Which looks an awful lot like the door from the 2007 issue. I'm just sayin....

Another contribution to the Bride's Tree

Okay, okay, so I stitched this piece about 4 years ago, but I only just got around to finishing it. I always knew I wanted to make it into an ornament, but sometimes the best laid plans....

Victoria Sampler Hearts of America - Hawaii
stitched over 2 on 25 ct. evenweave fabric with DMC and specialty threads

I stitched this as a gift for my best friend and her husband who were married in Hawaii, and I thought, what better way to incorporate the "heart" into their collection than to commemorate their wedding day on a heart shaped ornament?

I used the same fabric on the back and stitched their names and the date, laced both pieces on heart shaped pieces of cardboard (what a pain! but surprisingly easier than gluing once you get the hang of it, especially for non-heart shaped pieces!). Then I stitched the two halves together, and finished the edge with some fancy gold cording (that I bought. AND attached with hot glue. The horror!)

I know it's a little after Christmas, but the recipient is my best friend, and also still has her tree up, so there's a good chance that this will be hanging on her tree in Virginia by the weekend. Woo hoo!!! And only 10 more in their set to go!!

Ornament Finishing Binge

So I've been on an ornament finishing binge, and yes, my tree is still up, though I am forbidden to light it because it's in the front window and my DH doesn't want the neighbors to think we're weirdos. The reason I am leaving it up because nobody has ever really seen our tree. DH and I travel to the family - nobody comes here over the holidays, and so nobody has been able to enjoy our tree but us. I have a friend coming to visit (it was supposed to be this upcoming weekend, but we moved it to the following weekend), so we agreed to leave the tree up so that at least someone else could admire it.

Back to the ornaments I have been finishing. First up is the ornament I made from the squares that Claire G. sent me for the Christmas Round of the F&S Exchange.


I am not sure who the designer is - you'll have to check with Claire (and it's a good excuse to go over and visit her blog!) I originally bought a finishing form for it, but it ended up being smaller than I wanted, so I did it my own way, whipstitching the edges together with beads, and using a piece of cardboard on the inside to give it a little weight. I think it's just adorable, and while you can't see it in this picture, the sparkle of the beads around the edges really sets it off. (Photo is partially blurred for privacy)

And this little snowman is joined by two buddies on an ornament I stitched up in 2007 and just got around to finishing up this past weekend. (I know, I know)

JCS 2007 Ornament Issue
Winter Love by Sam Sarah Designs
stitched over 2 on 25 ct. linen with DMC threads

I used the same finishing technique as I did on the one above - whipstitching and cardboard. I originally intended to make a little pillow like they did in the magazine, but I thought it looked nicer a little flatter. On the back, I used the same fabric and stitched our name and 2007 in red thread, and used red seed beads for the edges. I also didn't use the recommended buttons - stitching in the hearts instead and skipping the cardinal button altogether. This was my first JCS ornament finish, and pretty much the reason I picked up the magazine in the first place.

And the cute little snowflake? One of many crocheted by DH's grandma. Our tree is covered in them, and it actually looks bare without them.

I finally finished them up!

I finished stitching these two ornaments for my niece and nephew right around Christmas, but just got around to finishing them into actual ornaments this week. A little after the holidays, but it's the thought that counts, right? Besides, they LOVE getting stuff in the mail, so I'll send them off to them this week for a nice little surprise.

This one is for my niece, Elizabeth. She is such a little girly girl, after my own heart. She loves princesses and has decided that we, along with our cousin Kerri, are all princesses. Naturally, she had to have a Princess Ornament to match mine. (I did hers in girly pink and green though)


It's a freebie from Cyberstitchers, available here. I used some small sequins and matching beads to fancy it up a little. Now I just have to finish stitching up Kerri's!

And this one is for my nephew, who is as enamored of knights as his sister is of princesses. He has quite a collection of play swords and shields, and I thought he'd love this. He actually helped me stitch on it a little over Christmas. I'd put the needle in the right hole and he'd pull it through. I was amazed that he sat still for as long as he did and took as much interest - he's only four. But red is one of his favorite colors and knights are his favorite thing, so that could have something to do with it! (Not to mention the boy LOVES to get presents, and I'm pretty sure he wanted me to stitch it faster.)


This is a freebie from Tantes Zolder, available here.

NOTE: The above link was updated 3/2013 as it appears the original blog is no longer online.

Home By the Sea is finished!

Home By The Sea by Designs by Pamela is finally finished!

Home By the Sea - Designs by Pamela
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. with recommended threads

I started this back in June while on vacation with the family at the shore, and finished it up last week. It's my housewarming gift to myself and my husband for our first home. I knew as soon as I saw it at last year's Online Needlework Show that I had to stitch this piece - it's perfect for us. I did modify the original to include our family name (blurred for privacy) and the year we were married. The year I stitched it (and the year we bought the house) is stitched into the piece itself. I had debated stitching our house number somewhere on the house, but decided against it.

I plan to have my husband frame it similar to the model with the hooks in the frame so we can hang it by the laundry room door in the kitchen (we come in from the garage through the laundry room, so it's the perfect place for keys and such).

And this piece is extra special to me because my six year old niece helped me stitch a little on it while we were down the shore, and again this fall when we were all at my in-laws for a weekend. She can't do the stitching herself, and she had a hard time with the holes on such a high count fabric, but she did a good job pulling the needle and thread through once I got it in the correct hole for her. (Boy, does THAT slow the stitching down, but it's so worth it.) She asked me, "Aunt Jenn, are you EVER going to finish that?" but she's six. She has a short attention span. I can't wait to show her at Christmas that it's all finished up and just waiting to be framed!

I've been a bad, bad blogger

But I have been dealing with a very serious Facebook addiction. Very serious, indeed, folks. Probably going to need rehab. (It's amazing what 20 years out of high school can dredge up out of your memories. Even more from elementary school! People I haven't seen in 30 years!)

But I simply MUST thank Sharon for her wonderful, wonderful package of goodies. Sharon held a giveaway in honor of World Diabetes Day and I was lucky enough to be the winner. Check out the goodies that landed in my mailbox!

All in my favorite color blue!!!! Sharon included some very cute charts, awesome threads, and some gorgeous blue fabric from Polstitches that I can't wait to stitch something on (I've wanted to try this fabric for a while now).

So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Sharon!!!!! I am so thrilled with your gift! And for those of you that don't know Sharon, stop by and pay her a visit. She's always eager to meet new stitching bloggers, so be sure to leave your blog address so she can return the visit!

Six More Random Things About Me

Tammie tagged me to name six random things about myself. I've already done it, but I don't mind doing it again, so here goes:

1. I love magazines, but not the clutter. I am fairly diligent about cutting out and filing pictures, articles, recipes, etc., that I want and recycling the rest. However, once I file them, they rarely ever see the light of day again until I purge. Which isn't often. I also like mailing articles to people I think would be interested. I have done this for years, and yes, I know it's weird.

2. Even when it is stinkin hot outside, I have to sleep with at least a sheet on me.

3. I never pay full retail if I can help it. I am a champion bargain hunter and almost always have a coupon code and/or a rebate program. If you are interested in the ones I use, email me.

4. If I have ever acknowledged or celebrated your birthday in any meaningful way, I probably remember it. I remember birthdays of people I haven't spoken to in YEARS as well as pretty much everyone in my current circle.

5. I cannot, however, remember phone numbers. There are exactly 9 phone numbers I can recall off the top of my head: our home and cells, my ILs home and FIL's cell. I can also recall my childhood home number, my grandparents (who have been deceased for ~25 years), my aunt, and my best friend's father's home number. I do not know my DH's work #, the numbers of any of my closest friends or family members. I only know their speed dial location on my cellphone.

6. For luck on my wedding day, I had a silver sixpence taped onto my shoe (I wore sandals) and a tiny horseshoe charm on my ankle bracelet. Our wedding colors, blue and silver, and our theme, stars, were selected because we're just that devoted to our Dallas Cowboys. (DH's uncle, a longtime Redskins fan, made a face when he figured this out.)

Fair and Square Christmas Round with Claire G.

My partner for the Christmas 2008 Round of the Fair and Square exchange was Claire, and she sent me the CUTEST little snowman that's going to become an ornament for our tree. Just look at how adorable he is!
Claire also included a beautiful Christmas card she crafted herself. It's quite stunning in person, and it's officially the first Christmas card I received this year.

Now, let me show you what I stitched up for Claire. In our initial emails, she mentioned her tradition of making gingerbread houses, which gave me a few ideas. But her faith and her church were very important to her, and I thought that would be something meaningful on which to focus. Claire said they they have a severe lack of homemade ornaments for their tree, so I wanted to make sure whatever I stitched could be turned into an ornament.

I chose to stitch Winter Church by Primavera Designs (a freebie you can find here). I thought it tied in nicely with Claire's preferences, and it also reminded me of going to church on Christmas eve for Midnight Mass. (Even though DH and I aren't particularly religious, I still find Christmas Eve services to be a gratifying experience)

I did french knots for the snow instead of the stitches, and used a silver metallic thread for the Christmas star. It is indeed a full star. (I perhaps did not photograph it as well as I could have. But trust me, it's all there.) And you can't really tell from the picture, but I had a little irridescent blending thread in with the white for the french knots.

I made a few other color changes as well, but I figured why not, since the piece is charted for Anchor Tapestry Wool Colors. Did you know there's just no good conversion to DMC from Anchor Tapestry Wool? So basically, I looked at the picture and came up with my own conversions, and I think it turned out quite nice. Even without the border, which I removed to fit within the F&S requirements. (The border would have made it far too big anyway.)

For my signature square (in which I have cleverly blocked out my full last name for privacy), I used a candle piece from my PC Stitch program.

Friday Feast #5

From Friday's Feast: A Buffet for Your Brain

Appetizer: Briefly describe your living room.

Our formal living room is really just waiting to be turned into a library. The carpet is beige, the walls are faux painted tan and blue (it was like that when we moved in. I'd never do such a thing) and the furniture is blue. There's a big window in the front, and the room is open to the dining room on one side and the staircase on the other. Eventually, the one complete wall will be lined wall to wall, floor to ceiling with bookshelves, the furniture will be replaced and the walls painted, maybe some shade of grey.

The family room, which is where we do most of our living, is painted yellow with a red accent wall. I hate the wall color. There's a fireplace on one end, hardwood floors, two south facing windows, and the room is open to the eat-in kitchen. Our newest furniture, a huge couch and loveseat upholstered in a brown chenile, is in there, as are our two fish tanks. This will probably be the first room we paint since we spend the most time in it.


Soup: List 3 things you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2008.

1. Get a new job
2. Start Paradigm Lost
3. Replace my car (probably not going to happen)


Salad: When you're online, what do you spend the most time reading/playing/doing? Suggest a site for us to visit.

Mostly I am on Google Reader, catching up on blogs. I also read email, the NY Times and the Dallas Cowboys website. There are a TON of links to stitching sites on my blog.

I believe all stitchers should visit and try to contribute to the Stitcher's Report Card. If your LNS is not listed, please contact the board administrator and ask her to add it. It's a great help for stitchers visiting your area to know where these shops are located. It's also nice to know which shops to avoid, or at least be wary of.


Main Course: What would the title of your autobiography be?

I don't really know. I don't think about these things. Once, for a journalism class, we had to write our own obituary. It was a very weird and disturbing experience.


Dessert: What time do you usually go to bed?

Sometime around 11. If it's an interesting news night, we might stay up for part of the news, but usually we're in bed by 11.

Economic Stimulus Package

aka Enablement.

In case you haven't heard, Anita is having a Needle sale. I placed an order yesterday with her yesterday, and can't wait to get it. The prices are excellent, and I stocked up on the bulk packages of petite needles, so I should be good to go for a while.

She's also got Carrie's Creations Threads for $1 a skein (I treated myself to a few) and several other overdyes as well. Definitely worth checking out, and did I mention she's offering free shipping for US orders over $65? And even if you don't manage to spend the full $65, her shipping prices are INCREDIBLY reasonable.

AND.....

She has scissors. Pretty scissors. I know. I'm just sayin....