Picture INTENSIVE Post!

Well dear friends I'm having ONE of those days. You know that type, you get up with such *great* intentions and one way or the other, things start happening beyond your control, and you want to SCREAM?! Well that has been the day I've had today...and it's just past noon....so I have a lot more hours of the day to fill before I can lay my head down and start fresh tomorrow!

Anyway, although I'm having *one* of those days....my best buddy the Postman brought me smiles in envelopes :0)
TODAY was a GREAT mail day, if nothing else!

First off: dear Sylvie, I found out, is my Seasonal Exchange Partner for the year! Here is her Summer exchange to me:

Summer Exchange ~ Seasonal Exchangers BB ~ Summer 2007

Stitched by: Sylvie

Design: DMC freebie

Finished as: Backpack

Isn't this just as cute as a button? It's a beautifully crafted backpack, made by Sylvie's own hands! Thank you so much Sylvie, my daughter has already talked me out of it! LOL! She talks a good game! She's already wearing it to the library! So it's definitely being used well and the stitching is so lovely! Thank you so, so much :)

Second Up: Here is the Seasonal House Exchange from the SBEBB board. I chose an Autumn house and my partner Chris made me this:

Season of Plenty ~ Seasonal House Exchange SBEBB ~ 2007

Stitched by: Chris

Design: LHN Season of Plenty

Finished as: Flatfold

Isn't it gorgeous? I really, really love this :) I love Autumn to begin with, and I've found that flatfolds are really great decorating piece for seasonal things! So Chris hit it on the head when she stitched me a LHN design (I think everyone knows I'm in love with their designs! LOL) and it's a flatfold, plus in my favorite season! LOL! Great job Chris! I don't know if you studied my blog or if you just have great luck, but thank you!!!! I love it all!

Extra goodies that Chris sent with the Seasonal House Exchange!

Thanks again Chris!!!

Next Up: A bunch of belated birthday gifts....now this is REALLY getting embarassing! But do I have a super set of friends or what?

Hardanger Doily from Cathy B.

Dear Cathy B. made me the most lovely, exquisite piece of art! Cathy you didn't have to do this at all, but boy do I appreciate it! I have it setting on my wee little curio cabinet shelf and it looks so darling! You do exceptional work! Thank you so much my friend :)

Barbara sent me some lovely finish fabric and ribbons in my favorite colors "Yellow"! Barbara, you did NOT have to send me anything either, but I do so appreciate that you thought of me on my birthday. Thank you so much! I am lucky to call you friend :)


MaryKathryn sent along to me a skein of Belle Soie silk in the scrummiest of green colors, a lovely Celestial Seasonings postcard, magnet and tea pack in a flavor Raspberry, that I would have never tried and now I have it on my shopping list, because, I LOVE IT! Thank you MaryKathryn for sending these special items :) I was lucky to get to know you better during the Birthday Bloggers Exchange! I am glad for this, for I find you a wonderful person inside and out :)

OK lastly I have to show you some of my very own stitching!

Little Critter's Exchange ~ SBEBB ~ Summer 2007
Stitched by: Vonna
Stitched for: Amy who chose "bunnies" for her critter :)
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Design: Elements taken from "Morning Berries"
Finished as: Wooden Box Top

Inside - lined and padded

Outside painted with crackling medium and distressed/antiqued

along with the extra bunny buddies that I sent along :)

Ok, well now off to play with all my new goodies. I'm still stitching on gifts/exchanges/rr's and nothing to show yet. The deadlines are fast approaching I'm getting a little nervous. But hopefully all will turn out right....until next time....

Critters and Such

Look at this scrumptious, delicate needleroll that I received for the Lil' Critters Exchange on the SBEBB!!! AND guess who stitched it for me? Why....dear Carol!!! Isn't it just gorgeous?! I had requested Sheep! You know it is funny...but Carol put sheep on my fob and I thought...how wonderful that she knew I liked them! Then I thought...had I mentioned to Carol that I liked sheep?! Now I know how she knew! LOL! Sneaky you Carol! Little Flock Needleroll ~ Shepherd's Bush ~ Freebie Pattern circa 1991

Threads: DMC

Fabric: French Creme Linen

Stitched by: Carol

Goodies from Dear Carol

Thanks Carol, I love the needleroll and the extras were just cream on the milk! :) I love it all!

I'm on autoship with Down Sunshine Lane for the Country Cottage Needleworks Thread Packs and the Praiseworthy Stitches Threadpacks...so a bit of stashing was done this month! You can also see there AMAP's Stitcher...YEEHAW! I've been wanting this one for quite awhile and dear AmySC made it possible for me to get it with a sweet gift certificate for my birthday! Thanks again Amy!!! These thread packs are really gorgeous! And I love that you get 5 skeins of Crescent Colours in every pack! It's a really great way to stash and I think it's economical too :) But you better ask my DH on his idea of economical...he'd say stashing is NOT economical! LOL!

Finally I received this in the mail from dear Donna she sent me a belated birthday giftie :) The summer whimzi and a sweet English schoolgirl sampler. Thanks Donna, you really shouldn't have!

Ok, that's all for me today! Thanks for all the sweet comments on my tutorial. Your visits mean a lot to me. Also just quick post on Fair and Square Friendship Squares Exchange ~ I'm moderating this board and it has had a successful first round. Please go on over and give it a gander. There has been some STUNNING squares exchanged. If your interested in joining take a look at the rules posted on the sidebar and then give me an e-mail! I'd love to have anyone that would like to join get in on the fun! The blog is located HERE

Thanks again, for your visits, your friendship and your comments all is appreciated! They all make me smile! Until Next Time....

New Tutorial

I've had so many people either comment or personally e-mail me to do a folding easel tutorial, that I did it today :)

I killed two birds with 1 stone! I finished something that's been languishing in my finish basket since 2005 and made a tutorial to help others out! I hope that you find it complete! The link is in my sidebar under Twisted Stitcher Tutorials or you can go HERE
If you have any questions...just let me know :)
Thanks!

SBEBB Seasonal House Finish

Finally I can show you some of my own stitching :)

Here's my Seasonal House exchange that I stitched for Judith. Judith chose an Autumn themed home and this is what I picked for her: Prairie Seasons - Autumn Cottage - Book #9

Fiber: DMC (my own colorway)

Fabric: my very own hand-stained 28 ct. evenweave

Finished as: a flatfold

Side View

Back view

I was happy to stitch something for Judith because she stitched for me on two different exchanges....so it was definitely my turn to return the favor. I believe that Judith liked what I stitched for her :) I am definitely putting this on my list to do for myself in exactly the same way. I love flatfolds...especially seasonal one, this way you can display them easily and then store them easily until the season returns. Yep, this one dear friends is on my list for me to stitch up soon!

Well I've been stitching away still, but alas nothing else to show you yet! I've had to work the last 2 weekends, so my weeks fly by and then my weekend to work is here too soon :(

I have to work one more weekend and then I'll have one off! Hurray! The summer is flying by....my kids have about 4 weeks of summer vacation left and then it will be back to school. Hum....then its back to a crazy schedule once again.

Hope you all are doing fabulous, and that you are having a great weekend. I wish you all well and hope that the upcoming week is filled with light and laughter :) Until next time.....

Lavender Rose Ramblings

Hello All...
Just a quick note to pass along. I have been contacted by one of Deb's friends, that Deb of Lavender Rose Ramblings is very ill with a serious infection and presently in the hospital and has been there for this past week. If you would like to send her a card whether through e-mail or snail mail, I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated. She told her husband that she wanted her Stitching Friends to know that she was ill and hadn't dropped of the face of the earth. So let's all shower Deb with a little love to help her feel better :)
I have contact information for her if you'd like to send her a card :)
Thanks!

And it continues!!

Well I sure do like having a birthday!! LOL! I've got three more gifts to share with you. First off, dear Amy gave me a $20 gift certificate to her shop Down Sunshine Lane for my birthday! Hip Hip Hurray! I met Amy through one of BeckySC boards and what a dear, sweet friend she has become. Plus she gives super service at her shop :) I'm a regular customer! Thank you sweet Amy for your gracious, generous gift...you KNOW I loved it! Thanks!

Next Up: my dear, sweet friend Marie sent me this super package!

There's a primitive electric candle with a hometown theme (love it!), her summer home is Vermont and she sent me some maple sugar candy (boy did I love it and it was just like what Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote it would be like in her book Little House in the Big Woods! YUM-O!), she also sent along scrummy silk threads in red/white and blue, some mints and a hank of 40 ct. fabric. Marie, you really spoiled me! AND I see that all our e-mailing back and forth you didn't forget that I decorate in the primitive country style! That electric candle is SUPER! Thank you...I love everything! But check out this sweet friendship piece that Marie did and mounted on a clear paint can....AWWWWW....how sweet! Friends in sunshine and in rain! Thank you so much Marie. You touched my heart with your friendship and we've definitely struck a cord with each other. Big hugs to you!!!

Lastly another sweet friend, Julie whom I met by her sending me an e-mail about blogging and how to set it up....boy am I glad that she asked me, because in Julie I have found another dear friend. Well dear Julie sent me these lovely items...Two Sunflower Seed charts, a LHN off of my wish list, some cute, cute freebies, some fabric fat quarters and a sweet birthday card as well. Julie, your friendship means a lot to me as well. Thank you so much!

Ok, well I can't show you anything I'm working on yet because well....it's for exchanges :) Plus I'm deligently working on my Neighborhood RR.....Margaret C....it's coming along....but I think I bit off more than I could chew on the pattern I picked. It is going S-L-O-W!!!! But I think it will be pretty once complete...if I ever get there. I finished stitching my Lil'Critters exchange...finishing it is almost done as well :) So soon there will be a post with my stitching!

Big hugs to my readers, my friends and anyone else out there that needs a friend :)

Until Next time....

SBEBB Summer Quaker

Received today from Karoline was the SBEBB Summer Quaker!!! Isn't this beautiful? A wee drawstring bag!

I love everything! The extras are sweet! My kids are in rapture thinging that they are eating candy from a foreign country! LOL! Thank you for your beautiful workmanship and sweet generosity Karoline :) It is much appreciated!

Sorry for the short post...4 kids are calling my name, so I must run! Thanks for the comments and visits! Until next time.....

Many Thank You's

Well I have many, many thank you's I need to shout out...so I'll get right to it :) First off:
Dear Jenn made me this lovely wee needle book. Isn't it darling? Here's the front with my initial and a sweet flower :
And here is the inside:

Thank you so much Jenn...she must really know me, because I adore just about any kind of flower and the color yellow is one of my FAVORITES :) Jenn, you made my birthday special with your sincere kindness and friendship! THANKS!

Next up: Ranae and I share the same birthday :) She's the first person I knew that shared July 5th as a birthday besides *Huey Lewis* of Huey Lewis and the News, and I really don't know him....I just had a huge crush on him when I was a teenager! LOL! Anyway....Ranae was the only *regular* person I knew that shared my birthday (since then I've found out that Sharon of Sharon's Cross Stitch Obsession...well her Mom's birthday on July 5 AND my new boss has July 5th as a birthday...wow to think I went 37 years without sharing my birthday...now the whole world wants in on it! LOL!) Well so when Ranae had commented a few weeks ago that her birthday was July 5 too, we swapped addresses to send each other birthday cards. This is what dear Ranae sent me...much more than a birthday card! First she made me this lovely tuck ornament for my kitchen which is decorated in Hen/Chicks/Roosters (also in yellow!):

And then all this loot! I got a beautiful Chatelaine chart, M designs dragonfly needleroll, three skeins of hand dyed floss, some cute wooden scrapbook sayings and the sweetest card! Thank you Ranae :) I hope you had a wonderful birthday! I love every single thing that you sent me! Thanks so, so much :)

Up next: A few months ago I happened across the most super stitching blog called A Stitcher's Finish Line. What drew me in was #1 she has stitched A LOT of LHN and CCN designs #2 They all looked so delicate, I wondered what she was using to get them to look that way - so I e-mailed her. Come to find out Susan (as I found out) stitches most of her things 1 over 1. After exchanging e-mails I decided to try it out myself. Since then I've found a love for stitching 1 over 1 and I've made a new friend to boot! Imagine my surprise when I walked in yesterday afternoon from a *hellish* day of work to find this:

Susan sent me LHN's new design Garden Pleasures with all the DMC's to stitch it, a huge bunch of fabrics in the SCRUMMIEST colors and prints and the wee two sheep project there that when I opened it, I found was this:

OUTSIDE FRONT

BACK SIDE

(love that sheep fabric!)

A Stitcher's Wallet a place for my scissors and needles all wrapped up with my favorite freebie design from LHN!!!

THANK YOU SUSAN!!!!! What can I say?! The card that was inclosed with this bounty of generosity said: "Vonna - Thank you for being so kind with me. Happy Birthday too!"

I don't know what I do to inspire such outpouring of generosity and friendship, but it brings me to my knees and fires a little fire in my heart to know that there are people out there that care for me! And not just by sending me gifts...I'm beginning to be embarassed :) I had LOTS of well wishes and e-cards sent to me for my birthday! How surprised was I to see this! That people took the time out of their day and routine to sit down and send me a note or card to wish me well on my birthday! Annemarie, Dawn, Michelle, Su, Julie, Harmien, Cathy B., there are people I'm missing I know and I don't mean to slight any of you! Plus all the many, many comments people have left to wish me well. All I can say is that your friendship and greatness humbles me. Thank you!

Finally I'd like to leave you with something from my own humble hands. I sure do hope this is clickable because my picture "fixing" is less than desirable. Anyway, I saw on the SBEBB board that Chris finally received my Summer Quaker. I was sweating this one as I mailed it early on June 25th. WHEW! All was received thankfully. So here it is:

Summer Quaker (motifs taken from Beatrix Potter's Quaker Sampler)

Stitched in a varigated Anchor color that I can't remember...sorry!

Finished as a pinkeep with fru-fru ribbon

I sure do hope Chris likes it. I started a Quaker for her 3 different times.....threw the first 2 attempts away and finally stuck with this one. I think it turned out ok.

Ok, until next time...hard telling when that will be as I have LOADS of stitching to do, nothing that can be shown yet. Big hugs, lots of love and I wish you all the best! Thanks for visiting and come again soon! :)

Birthday Goodness Continues....

Getting tired of seeing all my generous friends' presents? Well I'm going to have to bore you some more :) First up: Here's the lovely package from my dear friend Carol I just started posting to Carol's blog late last summer because the sheer amount of stitching that Carol does is amazing and she does such LARGE projects too! And now she's such an amazing fob maker that I always envied all the varied people (!) that get birthday fobs for the sweet Carol. Well Carol certainly made me a fob and here it is: Petit Moments Choisis....she stitche it in Ruby Red (July's birth stone!!).....and she told me that all the little motifs on there remind her of me (HOW SWEET!!) There is flowers because I have my flower gardens around my home, a wee little house for the Neighborhood RR that we are in together and a wee little sheep, because I stitch a lot of them! (and I love them....ever heard the saying "Ewe's not fat, Ewe's fluffy!" ?) It is a gorgeous wee fob and here's the back:

With a flower and our initials and one of Carol's little charms added to the ribbon cording that says "Handmade with love" :)

Now imagine my surprise when I originally opened the package and saw this:

GINGHERS!!!!!!!!! WOOT! Dear Carol sent me Maria's can you hear the angels singing?! Because my face must of went through about 10 emotions in 10 miliseconds! First disbelief, then wonder, awe, misting eyes because she KNEW I wanted them, gratitude, happiness and finally JUBILATION! What can I say Carol?! You are the most sincere, kind, generous, big hearted person...and I can't say "that I know" because I find that everyone in this stitching community is this way....but you are a Rose among the clover! Thank you so much my friend. You made my day and my birthday special!

Next up: Cathy C. was partnered with me for the Robin's Nest Birthday Exchange. And this is the glorious gift that she made for me:

Stitcher's pocket with my initials "VMP" in the most lovely green/blue thread...LOVE IT! When you open it this is the inside:

And then she sent a delicious pair of stork scissor a green/blue color with a matching fob to go inside my pocket!:

And here is the whole kit and kaboodle. I've wanted this Elizabeth's Designs pattern for a long time called Dear Friend....I can see me stitching this A LOT!, plus all the threads needed to stitch it! I didn't know Cathy C. at all and I've found her to be a warm, caring friend. I'm ever so glad I got to know you Cathy! Thank you for a lovely exchange and birthday gift. You've made my birthday very special and I shall always think of you when I use my wonderful pocket!

Now last but not least....I've become fast friends with dear Sandy. I just happened along her blog one day and I stuck :) I find Sandy to be a gem among gems. She's always smiling so happily in all her pictures she posts on the blog. She's beautiful too inside and out! She sent me the sweetest gift in celebration of my birthday and here it is:

Oh, I'm thrilled about this one...She sent me the Counting House by LHN, I've been wanting this one for a long time and I'm always buying stuff instead of it...but dear Sandy sent it to me with a peice of fabric to stitch it on and a hank of Silkweavers Opalescent Antique White Linen to boot! Dearest Sandy, your generosity and spirit touch my heart. I know that we've never met, and maybe never will, but you I am lucky to call friend. Thank you for remembering my birthday and sending me this special package!

Ok, that's all I've got to share today. As if that's not enough....right?! I'm almost embarassed by all this spoiling! I'm not used to having such generous friends around me! Thanks to everyone that comes and visits my blog, your comments and well wishes do not fall on deaf ears. I don't have a large circle of friends that live here by me, so knowing that I've got a circle of dear friends here on cyberspace makes me smile ear to ear. Thank you for everything you do, your words of wisdom, happiness and cheer makes my day. Oh, some have asked when my birthday is....well it's July 5....but we've always celebrated it on the 4th for some reason - I think because of course everyone is already together on the 4th. If we're talking about when I was born, my Mom would say it should have been July 3, for she was in labor July 3 and 4 all day, and finally at 5 a.m. on July 5th they rolled her in the OR to do a C-section, not knowing how I was at the time. So thank heavens I was fine :) My shoulders were to big to get out!

Today we're making a new flower bed! Pictures posted as soon as it's finished :) and this evening I'm having a couple of neighbors over for a small birthday supper / celebration. Should be a SWEET day :) Thanks again to my visitors and the three lovely ladies that are featured in this post! All of my friendships cemented over the internet makes me happy!

Happy Independence Day to my American friends! I hope the Yankee Doodle is tooting his horn during your day today!

Birthday Gift from dear Harmien :)

Hello All! The early birthday goodness continues! Look at what I received yesterday in the mail from my dear friend Harmien! Lovely isn't it?!

Little House Needleworks - Nature's Beauty

Finished as: Basket

When my dear friend the Postman came yesterday we all were outside playing, the kids actually playing and I *trying* to stitch :) Well the dear man pulled up to our curb but didn't go to the mailbox. That is my first clue that there must be something that won't fit in my mailbox, for I know he wasn't coming to sit and chat! Well he pulled out the package and handed to my eagerly waiting children, thrusting their hands in his face....we thanked him and he drove off....then I snatched the package out of my daughter's hands and went at it, for I recognized the handwriting!

Boy Harmien sure knows how to come through, yes?! This had to have taken Harmien a LOT of time not only to stitch this, but to do the exquisite finishing AND see the wee green square card? She stitched a flower from the design for it! WOW! And gave me the sweetest little notepad to boot! Words cannot describe how astounded I am to know that she stitched this way back in early spring, just for me and my birthday :) What a wonderful person you are Harmien, and when it comes to friendship, she wrote the book!

I love everything about it, as I know Harmien *knew* I would. Not only did she pick my favorite designer, BUT she picked a lovely finish. I have it in my foyer for all to gaze upon it's loveliness! I stood and stared at it for a LONG time myself! (and twisted it round and round to see how she finished it!) Oh, and you will see that dear Harmien had a hard time parting with this lovely...well I can imagine...but I want you to know Harmien, when I finished the Muscat Blue Sewing set...I had one devil of a time as well, but it did say "from VP to HR" so the deed was done! LOL!

Thank you Harmien, how can I thank you enough? Not only does your friendship hold a special place in my heart but I have this treasured goody to ever remind me of you! Thank you!!!

Until next time....