I'm Back!!! ;)

Hello!  :)

I'm so sorry for my absence. After the push to finish the Christmas quilts and pjs I needed a break. I don't know why I always do things at the last minute. I just can't start on them early. This year I'm going to try to do that. We'll see what happens later in the year. ;)

Now, after my long break, I'm well rested and ready to get back to my creative endeavors.  :)  The International Hermit & Stitch Weekend gave me the perfect opportunity to do that.

This weekend I started on a new cross stitch piece. I'm stitching the "Special Delivery" bunny on the cover of this Cross Stitch Crazy magazine.

I got the chance to work on it Saturday and Sunday. Here's my progress so far . . .

I've gotten most of the white,  although it's hard to see in the picture, and most of the pants done. Here's another picture that may show the white better . . .

I'm stitching this in memory of Daniel, one of the boys who lost his life at Sandy Hook Elementary School. I'm doing this and 7 other pieces through the Facebook group, "Xstitch for those impacted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shootings". In December I volunteered to stitch pieces for 7 of the students who lost their lives, and 1 for the school itself. That makes 8 total that I've promised to stitch. I wish I could do one for everyone who lost their life but I think 8 is all I can handle.

The stitched pieces will be collected and made into quilts for the school and the families of the people who were impacted by this horrible event. They are to be stitched on light colored 14ct Aida. They already have lots of people who are stitching pieces. I'm not sure if they still need more cross stitchers or not. I do know that they are also looking for people to make the squares into quilts. So if you're interested in helping out please check out the group here.

My plan, which is always subject to change (I am female afterall), is to stitch one or two pieces for this cause, then one or two for myself and alternate until they are all done. I choose some fun pieces to stitch that I believe fit into what the parents have said their kids liked. It really gives me joy to be able to do something for the people who lost so much in this tragedy.

I will be back later this week, I promise, with more stitching updates and hopefully some other stuff that I have going on. Thanks for hanging in there with me!  ;)

Until next time . . .

I'm Still Here!

Hello!  :)

Yes I'm here! Really I am! I've been working hard too! The problem is that I can't or I'm not ready to show you what I've been doing yet. I figured I'd better stop in and let you know that I'm still alive and breathing so no one would worry.  ;)  Besides . . . I missed you!  :)

So what have I been up to? For the most part I've been working very hard hand quilting my "My Favorite Things" quilt.

Of course this isn't a new picture. I want to wait until I finish it to show it to you. I hope you will hang in there with me and be patient. I worked on it all last weekend as part of the

Even though it wasn't cross stitch it was LOTS of stitching!  ;)  I finished all the quilting on the blocks and the flowers between them that I started on last week. It took quite a while as there were many blocks and LOTS of stitches! Here's the picture I showed you last week of how I was stitching them . . .

I also managed to quilt all the strips between the rows yesterday. I actually ran out of white perle cotton and hand to run to JoAnn's and buy another ball of it. I couldn't believe I got it all done in one day!  :)  When I finish this post I'm going to start quilting the borders. I'm hoping to have them finished quickly. My plans are to finish them by tomorrow afternoon and put the binding on tomorrow night during the

It's always fun to sew together on Friday Night with people just like me all over the world! If you'd like to participate just go to http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com and sign up and sew.

So if my plans go as planned I'll have my quilt finished tomorrow night!!! I hope, I hope, I hope!!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me!  :)  I'm really loving this quilt and can't wait to be done. I have to admit that I've already been using it even though it's just a work in progress. Sometimes as I sit and stitch I get tired and take a little cat nap under it. It's so warm and cozy already!  :)

During the last week I've also been working on a few other things too. I had to sit down and put the finishing touches on my Fall Exchange piece for my Stitched With Love Exchange that went out Monday. I love the way it turned out. I can't show it to you though until I get the okay that everyone has received their gifts. I actually received my gift and goodies today! I love all of it! Of course I can't show it to you yet either.  :(

I also made up a couple of blocks for my monthly quilt block exchange. These blocks were for August and September (yes I was behind) and are the last of the year long exchange. They were sent off and should be arriving to my partners soon. After they're received I will be able to show them to you. I received my blocks from one partner but haven't from the other one yet.

If you're still with me thanks for hanging in there. Hopefully I'll be back soon with lots of pictures and things to share!

Until next time . . .

A Hermit & Stitch Weekend

Hello!  :)

So sorry I've been gone so long. I've been creating here and there between sicknesses. Seems each of the 3 of us has been sick a different week. I guess that's kind of a good thing.

This past weekend, already almost a week ago, was the International Hermit & Stitch Weekend.

I did get to participate. I actually finished up one project and started another. I'm unable to show you either one of them though since they are both for swaps. I can show you what I received in the last swap I participated in. It was the "Tea in the Garden Exchange" over at Stitched With Love Exchanges. You can go here to check out the gallery of what everyone received. Here's what my partner Mindi sent me . . . 

I had to borrow Mindi's photo since I forgot to take a group picture before I split all the items up. (I hope you won't mind Mindi.) I was surprised by a fabulous package with 3 stitched pieces! How awesome is that?!!! She also gave me a notepad, stickers, hand-dyed threads and some caramels (yum!).

Mindi did a wonderful job on all the stitched pieces. The first one is a Little House Needleworks design that she finished in a tray. It's so awesome!  :)

Here's a closer view of the stitching. She changed the colors to suit me and she did a great job! It's perfect!  :)

The next piece is a little pin cushion she made with elements from original design. I absolutely love it! I started using it immediately and haven't stopped.  :)

The last piece was a little fob she stitched up, again with elements from the original design. What a great way keep a theme going! She did a great job! Don't you just love that tiny pink rick rack?!!! I know I do!  :)

Thank you so much Mindi for your kindness and generosity! I love everything you sent and smile every time I look at it!  :)

My partner this time around was Lisa M. from New York. I sent the following garden themed package to her . . .

A stitched and quilted piece to hang, a pattern, paper, needles, threads, buttons and ribbons. Here's a picture of just the stitched piece I sent her . . . 

It's a Homespun Elegance pattern called "Delivering Posies". I pulled colors from the stitching for the fabrics. I really love the way it came out! It looks much better in person too!  :)  I liked it so much that I stitched another one for myself. I haven't gotten mine quilted and finished yet but I have the fabrics waiting until I get around to it. Here's a closer view of the stitching . . . 

I hope you enjoyed sharing in my exchange goodies with me. One of the items I finished up for the hermit and stitch weekend was my project for the Animal Antics exchange. I sent it off Saturday and my partner should have it already. I hope she likes it!  :)

Until next time . . .

My Hermit & Stitch Weekend

Hello!  :)

I had a wonderful, successful Hermit & Stitch Weekend!  :)  On Thursday and Friday I worked on Lizzie Kate's Halloween Mystery Sampler and finished part one.

For the rest of the weekend I worked on part two. I didn't manage to finish it but I'm almost there.

I just need to fill in those leaves at the bottom and then I'll be ready for part three. It won't be released until the end of month or beginning of next month. I can't wait! Then I'll be able to see what the whole thing looks like. Thanks for visiting!  :)

Until next time . . .

Friday Night Sew-In & Ort Report

Hello!  :)

I had a wonderful Friday Night Sew-In Stitch-In last night! I managed to finish up part one of the Lizzie Kate Mystery Halloween Sampler. Here it is . . .

There are some straight stitches that will go in the triangular border. I'll add those later since I'm using a hoop to stitch this. I'm now ready to start part two.  :)

Yesterday was the day to share my ort's. You can read about them here . . .

I've been adding lots of threads to my jar. I'm finding myself pressing them down more now, as the jar's getting pretty full.  :)

This weekend is also the . . .

I'm going to keep on stitching and will be back Monday with a report of all the stitching I get done over the weekend.  :)

Until next time . . .

Christmas in July! :)

Hello!  :)

Merry Christmas in July!  :)

Are you feeling it? I wanted to do some Christmas things this month and thought I'd miss out since it's already so late in the month. I decided I'd better get busy!  :)  For this month's Hermit and Stitch Weekend I decided to stitch some Christmas designs. It's a good thing too because it's been way too hot here and my air conditioner went out Sunday. Can you believe it?! The guy finally came and fixed it this afternoon and I was very grateful. I don't like heat! My feet swell up, I sweat a lot and I'm just absolutely miserable. Anyway getting back to Christmas... I love Christmas! I love everything about it! I choose a few designs to work on this weekend and got busy stitching and thinking about Christmas and cooler weather!

The first design I worked on is Lizzie Kate's "Winter Wishes" Snippet.

I stitched it on a 28 count Ultra Very Light Antique Blue over two threads. I switched some of the colors. I really love the way it turned out. Here's a closer look (not a great picture... sorry) . . .

I started "Winter Wishes" on Friday and finished it Saturday. Of course I had to start another one right away so I picked up the "Christmas" Flip-It by Lizzie Kate.

I stitched it on a 14 count Light Mocha Beige Aida. I only switched a couple of colors on this one. Here's a closer look . . . 

I still need to add the angel charm to the top of the tree on this one. I finished this design on Sunday. Then I moved on to another. I just had to keep going! Plus by this time it was very hot and I had to keep thinking about Christmas and cooler weather!  ;)

The next one I picked up was "Smells like snow..." by San-Man Originals.

It's a pretty simple design and very cute! The snowman was a little tedious and took some patience but I keep going thinking snow . . . snow . . . snow!  ;)  I stitched it on 28 count Ultra Very Light Antique Blue over two threads. I kept all the colors the same. I still need to add a carrot (button) nose to him.

Isn't he adorable?!!! I finished him Monday (today) afternoon. What do you think I did after he was complete? Of course! I picked up the next one and got busy. This is as far as I got on it before the air conditioning guy arrived.

This design will remain a secret until it's finished. So far it's a great start. I'm stitching it on the same 28 count Ultra Very Light Antique Blue over 2 threads. I'm loving this color!  :)

I was definitely a stitching hermit this weekend. I managed to complete three small designs and start on a fourth and survived the heat! If you'd like to see how others spent their Hermit and Stitch Weekend be sure to go here to check it out!

Until next time . . .

ORT's ~ Exchanges ~ Hermits ~ Stamps

Hello!  :)

I'd like to share my ORT's for July with you . . .

You might be asking yourself, "What are ORT's?" Well let me tell you!  :)  They are the old ratty threads that are leftover when stitching. As you know I've been stitching pretty non-stop lately so my jar is pretty full! There are lots of wonderful colors in there aren't there?! Sharing my ORT's is part of the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (how fun is that?!).

Next I'd like to share some exchange goodies with you! I took part in another stitching exchange over at "Stitched With Love Exchanges". I'm really enjoying participating in these exchanges! Thanks Lainey! No one gets to share what they sent or received until everyone has received their package and Lainey tells us it's time to share. Then she posts all the goodies everyone sent and received on the "Stitched With Love Exchanges" blog. You can view all of the goodies here.

This last exchange was a Patriotic one. Here's what my partner April sent to me . . .

Isn't it fabulous?!!! I was so happy when I opened my package!  :)  I love Americana stuff. I actually used to decorate my whole house with it. Now I've toned it down but still have some pieces around. I've actually already stitched the pattern she gave me up into a pillow for the 4th which I shared with you previously here. I also use one of the ribbons she gave me on one of my "Celebrating Red White & Blue" quilt blocks here. I love all of it! Thank you so much April for your kindness and sharing your talents with me! I really appreciate it! Here's a close up of the stitched piece she did for me . . .

I'm planning on doing my bathroom in Americana very soon and this will be hanging on the wall in there year-round. For now it's sitting on a table in my living room. It makes me smile every time I see it!  :)

Here's what I sent to my partner Kim . . .

I was really happy with how it all came out. I hope she was too!  :)  Here's a closer view of the pillow I made for her . . . 

Does it look a little familiar to you? It should! I made one for myself for the 4th and shared it with you here. I also stitched a bigger version of the same design and put it on a block for the "Celebrating Red White & Blue" blog hop which you can see here. Can you tell I like this design?! I love hearts and I love patriotic things!

The next exchange is a "Tea Party in the Garden" exchange. I am preparing a "Garden" package for my partner and I will be receiving the same theme in return. Actually I haven't really started yet. I've been swamped lately. I finally did sit down tonight and ordered the pattern and supplies necessary for the piece I will stitch for my partner and also a couple of extra goodies for her.  :)  It should come quickly as I ordered the items from 123stitch.com and they usually ship items pretty quick. They have great prices and low shipping too! It's one of my favorite places to go for my stitching supplies!  :)

Speaking of stitching . . . this is the weekend for the next

I will definitely be participating and stitching this weekend. I'll be back on Monday to tell you all about it!  :)

Before I go I like to tell you about some items I'll selling over at eBay in case you're interested.

Do you like to stamp? Don't you just love Stampin' Up! stamps?!!! They're absolutely fabulous! I used to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator until a few months ago. I had to give it up as I just didn't have as much time for it anymore. I have lots of great stamps and other items in my personal stash. I've found myself needing to raise some cash pretty quick so I decided to part with some of my lovely, cherished stamps. 73 sets of them to be exact! (Don't worry I still have more! I know!)

Anyway I'm telling you this because I thought you might want to get some of these awesome stamps for yourself. If you're interested you can check out my eBay stamp auctions here. They all end on Monday, July 23rd (or sooner if you use the "Buy it Now" feature). If you do decide to purchase any of them please let me know you came from my blog and I will include a special surprise for you with your stamps! Just a little gift from me to you to say "Thank You!" (My auctions are only available to those in the US . . . sorry!) Have a Great Weekend!  :)

Until next time . . .

My 1st Hermit & Stitch Weekend

Hello!  :)

I participated in my 1st, of many, International Hermit & Stitch Weekends this past weekend. It was lots of fun!  :)  I really enjoy sitting back and creating with floss and fabric. It's so relaxing and rewarding. I started & finished this on Friday . . .

I've been working on all 12 of these Lizzie Kate Stamp Flip-It's for the last month. I began with June and
on Saturday I started and finished the last one, May. Yea!  :)

 Now I just have to decide on fabrics and make each month into a little pillow. I can't wait to see how they all turn out!  :)

On Sunday I began some patriotic projects. I need to complete one for an exchange I'm participating in and want to make others for myself. This one is for me . . .

I love the way it came out! I'm not sure if I'm going to add more to it or not. The pattern calls for a tri-colored border with stars but I don't think I'm going to add it. It also had the words, "Love for Liberty" but I'm not sure if I want to add it or not. I'm leaning towards adding a button to the blue field and then leaving it as is. What do you think I should do?

All in all I had a great stitching weekend! I will definitely be joining in again next month! Now I'm going to go check out what everyone else worked on!  :)

Until next time . . .