Ladies and Gentlemen - The Bee Man has left the q-snaps!

Hello Stitching Friends and Buddies! All I can say is....the Bee Man has been officially completed, and I am ecstatic....because, if I don't think so myself - but it is just gorgeous! I put the final stitches in, and I just sat back and stared at it and thought....shiver me timbers that's a beauty! So to tantalize your inner stitchiness here's the final pictures:

In The Bee Man's Garden
Designer: The Goode Huswife

Fabric: 40 ct. Silkweaver's Purely Primitive Newcastle Linen

Fibers: DMC

Started: 4/5/09

Finished: 4/29/09

Stitched for: my someday sampler wall

To be: framed

Now what???..... Well I have LOTS and LOTS of patterns, things already kitted, some already started....NO! ME? can you believe that? No, I know you can't....but hmmm....I'd really, really love to start the only other Colonial Garden Series pattern that I have in my hot little hands at this moment. Cathy B sent me "Plant Virtue" and its only 71 W x 119 H....I could maybe get a good start on that sometime today and get it knocked out....we'll see. In the mean time, I have TONS of finishing for clients I need to get working on too. So see never any idle hands 'round here...that's for sure....

So to my finish box.....goes Mr. Bee Man! I'm not going to frame him right away, as I want them all of them (the Colonial Garden Series) framed in antique (looking) black frames - all the same - all at the same time and all on the same wall. So it'll be a while. But in my finish box Mr. Bee Man will have friends, I have my Petit Lettres Rouges, Earth Day Sampler, State Fair, random other smallish finishes... all awaiting framing or final finishing or framing.

Well, that's it for me today....can't burn daylight (or school time hours)....so until next time....Love and Best Wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours! XXxxxx

Blue skies with white clouds on summer days.

A myriad of stars on clear moonlit nights.

Tulips and roses and violets and dandelions and daisies.

Bluebirds and laughter and sunshine and Easter.

See how He loves us!

~~Alice Chapin~~

Thirteen years ago today....

This man.... Decided to take me home and love me forever.....

Which resulted in......

If he only had known what he was in for..... :)

Happy Anniversary to my love!

How's the Bee Man?

Hello Friends! I fell off the face of the earth again ;) It's that time of year....

Last time I blogged, I said I hoped to have "numb butt syndrome" last weekend, by working on the Bee Man. Well I didn't work on the Bee Man at all in fact, I didn't stitch a lick all weekend, I did get to go on my date with my hubby though and that was very nice. I sort of just goofed off all weekend, one of those weekends where I really can't tell you what I did...but I did it and then it was Monday.

So....this is where I left Bee Man the last time I stitched on it:

And.....here it is today after stitching on it:

Design: In The Bee Man's Garden by The Goode Huswife

I'm stitching....... this one on 40 ct. purely primitive by Silkweavers and the color is much more true to life in picture #2. It's a nice fabric that I bought on a whim and sure am glad I did. I think that I will stitch all of the Colonial Garden Series on 40 ct. purely primitive.

So....that does it for me for today. Maybe I'll get in another post before the weekend, who knows?! So until next time.....love and best wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours! XXxxxx

I have learned that to have a good friend is the purest of all God's gifts, for it is a love that has no exchange of payment.

~~Frances Farmer~~

Blackbird Designs ~ Petites Lettres Rouges...

Hello Friends! Long time no post....lots of business going on 'round here....

Yesterday.... whilst I was browsing through my Google Reader, I happened across this lovely freebie contest posted on Blackbird Designs ~ One Stitch At A Time blog that Alma keeps. You all can click on over there and get yourself set up too ;)

I've had my Granny on my mind a lot lately....and instead of using the young school girl's name that was charted, I used my Granny's name and birth year. I used light, medium and dark values of rusty coral colors because Granny's favorite color (or one of them) was coral. So anyway.... I printed the chart off, picked my colors and fabric and here it is 24 hours later:

"Petites Lettres Rouges"

by Blackbird Designs

Fibers: DMC (3830, 355, 3777)

Fabric: 28 ct. "bake and basted" coffee/tea stained by moi

Started: 4/15/08

Finished: 4/16/08

I love it....and it will be the perfect addition to my "someday sampler wall".... in fact.... I like it so much, I'm thinking on doing my paternal Grandma's name in another sampler using brown values for the color. Then....if I do her name, maybe I should do my husband's Grandmother's names? Hmmm....thinking on that....

Yesterday.... I received in the mail a lovely RAK from Jill. She sent me a wonderful plastic handled box filled with note cards, a handmade marking pin (love those!), a set of DMC boxed colors and this nifty Fiskars Hand tool....it is the most wonderful thing! It has a measuring tape, thread snipper, stuffer, oh my....just lots of things! I think there are 13 different "tools" on there...I'd never seen one and am just tickled pink with my new toy that sweet Jill sent to me! Thank you Jill, you are a dear :o)

I guess my friends....that this brings me to the end of the post....I have this weekend off and hope to endure a severe case of numb butt syndrome. :o) I also am hoping that my DH will take me out on a date....I think I can convince him if I try really hard ;)

So until next time....love and best wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours! XXxxxx

Dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:

compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline.

~~Clossians 3:12~~

Penny Rug Completion...

Hi people, it's me again.....

Ok, I know I said I wasn't going to blog any more this week but THIS needed a blog entry:

My First Penny Rug

Started: April 5, 2009

Finished: April 7, 2009

I'm pretty doggone pleased with how it turned out! So much so in fact....that I purchased 3 more penny rug kits and a wool hook rug kit :o) I have visions of every flat surface in my home having some sort of rug on top of them - much to my husband's dismay...........but why settle? Forget what you Mama told you, more really *is* better ;)

Thank you... for your visits and the comments that you leave me, they make me smile! Now back to the Bee Man....

Have a Blessed Easter....and Until Next time, love and best wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours! XXxxxx

All the things in this world

are gifts and signs of God's

love to us. The whole world

is a love letter from God.

~~Peter Kreeft~~

My Crafty Weekend...

Happy Monday Friends :) I had a crafty goodness weekend and I'll be happy to show you how I spent it....I stitched on The Goode Huswife's ~ "The Bee Man's Garden" and here's where I ended up on Saturday evening:The Bee Man's Garden

Designer: The Goode Huswife

Started: 04/05/09

Fabric: 40 ct. Purely Primitive Newcastle linen by Silkweavers

Fibers: DMC

On Sunday.... I worked on these:

What are they you ask? They are appliqued wool "pennies" for a Penny Rug....I've always wanted a Penny Rug, so I just bit the bullet and started one. I love the colors so far, and I nearly have all the pennies done, all I have to do is put the backing on them and lay out a pretty arrangement and sew them together and I'll have a table runner. Sweet, huh? I have big ideas about more of these now that I have successfully started one :o)

So there's my weekend :o) I'll not be blogging again this week since it is Holy Week. My family and I will be attending many Masses this week in honor of the sacrifice that was made for us to have eternal life. I will remember all of you as I fast and pray. I would be honored if you would remember us in your prayers too.

Until next time.....love and best wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours. XXxxxx

In the beginning was the one who is called the Word.
The Word was God and was truly God.
From the very beginning the Word was with God. And with this Word God created all things.
Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was created received its life from Him, and His life gave light to everyone.
The light keeps shining in the dark, and the darkness has never put it out.
God sent a man named John who came to tell about the light and to lead all people to have faith. John wasn't the light, he only came to tell about the light.
The true light that shines on everyone was coming into the world. The Word was in the world, but no one knew Him, though God had made the world with his Word.
He came into His own world, but His own nation did not welcome him.
Yet some people accepted Him and put their faith in Him. So He gave them the right to be the children of God. They were not God's children by nature or because of any human desires. God himself was the one who made them his children.
The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From Him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us. ~~John 1: 1-14

Some of us know the story of his death, but if you don't I urge you to read: Luke 23, Matthew 27, Mark 15 and John 19 - if your heart is open it will change your life ~ He shall make all things new.

Father, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.

Jim Shore...

Happy Friday Friends! :o)

Yesterday....my Mama surprised me with an Easter Gift it was the Easter Basket by Jim Shore and here it is:

Isn't it pretty :o) She said she wanted to get me a surprise for Easter and because I'm always good to her (like I'd be mean) and because I've done good on my diet (24 lbs. to date!). My first Jim Shore piece was St. Frances that My MIL gave me for Christmas...my collection has grown by leaps and bounds as you'll see:

St. Frances (excuse the toys...)

St. Nick

Pig

Cow

Holy Family

That's all for me today....back to my regularly scheduled stitching (I hope....) Bee Man's Garden is still on my frame...and it's growing ;)

Until next time.....love and best wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours! XXxxxx

Two are better than one...for if they fall, one will lift up the other.

~~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10~~

In the Village...

Hello Friends! :o)

A big THANK YOU ....to all of you who answered my questions about the Colonial Garden Series by the Goode Huswife. I boldly e-mailed Anne and she replied saying that her next volume of patterns coming out in September was going to be of the Colonial Garden Series! But I really need to say a BIG thank you to Lynda who *graciously* offered the entire series of the Colonial Garden samplers to me. Lynda says she stitched them all and has them framed and hanging in her dining room! I'm thinking Lynda needs to take a picture of her lovely samplers and post them on her blog! Don't you? What do you say Lynda? Lynda started blogging not long ago, but obviously she's a prolific stitcher! Thank you Lynda your generosity, stole my breath away - literally!

I've spent some time in the village.....and sadly I STILL haven't gotten that block #12 done :o(
I've been stitching and stitching, but filling in that entire block is taking some work. I've only finished in the village blocks #1 and #2....some time back (like 2006) is when I started that village. Pretty sad, huh? But here's my progress to date (maybe by the end of April I'll get this block completed):

Yesterday .... I started Bee Man's Garden by the Goode Huswife, and I got a pretty good chunk done, but I'm too lazy to take a picture....next week, for sure you'll see a picture. I purchased a yard of Purely Primitive linen from Silkweavers and have just been holding it back waiting for the *perfect* things to stitch on it. Well now I've decided that all my Goode Huswife Colonial Gardens will go on this fabric...it's in Newcastle 40 ct. So far it is stunning!

Yesterday... I also got a call from my LNS - they had a client that wanted something finished. She was "vacationing" here in Bloomington (her son lives here) and she is leaving Saturday morning. They said "no pressure" but if I got it done they'd be able to give it to her prior to her leaving....so I got my *rear in gear* and finished this - isn't it darling? Not the greatest picture...but it's a wallhanging (using my new technique) with a handsewn ruffle all around the edge:

So...that's the story of my life - consider yourselves up to date! Thank you again for your visits and comments, they make me smile!

Until Next time.....love and best wishes, as you count your blessings and your stitches, from our house to yours! XXxxxx

Friendship is a gift from God

that's blessed in every part....

born through love and loyalty...

conceived within the heart.

~~unknown~~

The Goode Huswife...

I need help! And I know that you all out there are knowledgeable beyond belief :)

Last summer I was gifted with a pattern in an exchange:
It was The Good Huswife's "In the Bee Man's Garden". Well I love it, but I recently was kitting it and I realized that this is #1 in a Colonial Garden Series that the Goode Huswife put out with folky verses written by Thomas Tusser in the year of 1597. (OH NO...this is not good...a series...and I love the verse...oh no...I feel a bit nauseated).....

My questions are:
How many of these existed - and do you know the titles? (and of course they are now "out of print" and now like a fire burning in my blood to know more about and find these samplers!) I just hate this when there is this unattainable thing that you discover and want. Now, a couple of things I do know is: that "The Bird Tree" was one of the Colonial Garden patterns and "One Seed for Another" was one....does anyone know the others??

Does anyone have one of these ellusive patterns that they are done with and would like to trade for my Bee Man's Garden when I finish it? Anyone have one they want to sell that is in this Garden Series? Need some stuff finished? I know a finisher that would love to trade work for said patterns. I'm like a rabid dog now....I. MUST. FIND. ALL. COLONIAL. GARDEN. SERIES. PATTERNS. BY. THE. GOODE. HUSWIFE. THAT. IS. NOW. OUT. OF. PRINT. OF. COURSE. ! JUST. MY. LUCK. AS. USUAL. TO. BE. A. DAY. LATE. AND. MANY. CARDS. SHORT. OF. A. FULL. DECK.

:) PLEASE HELP! *invision sad puppy dog eyes* I just need to know more about these....thank you!