A Scarlet Letter Challenge, Advent Calendar and Update

Hello my lovelies!!

Thank you again for all your lovely comments on my last post!! I do not have a heck of a lot of stitching, nor finishing to show you.  This weekend was quite busy with church, making borscht, cleaning and organizing.  Hopefully next weekend will be the time to finish my ornaments.  I have two Christmas ornies to finish and two other finishes to actually finish.  I hope the finishing fairy bites me quick because time is a ticking!!!

Quick word about Christmas cards...I will be organizing the cards and addresses today and hope to mail them out by Friday!

Some blog news - I'm participating in a couple of online ventures and am quite excited about them.  One, I will be a part of Jo's Advent Calendar.  My day is the 24th so keep an eye out for that. I missed it last year and am really happy to be a part of it this year! Two, I'm taking part in Nicola's Scarlet Letter Challenge.  She is celebrating her 50th birthday and the prizes are unbelievable!! Even if I don't win a prize, I don't mind because I'm very excited about starting Hannah Brassington in the New Year.  After finishing Jane, I've been feeling a little off not stitching a sampler.  As much as I love my TBF and Knotgarden, stitching a sampler is so comforting to me that I need to be working on one at all times. I hope to finish Hannah and may be able to start Marion Robertson in 2013.  I have high hopes!!

I've posted the photos before but here's a reminder of what they look like.  I am awaiting the supplies for Hannah.  Talk about expensive! AVAS silk....sigh....I had to do it though.  Never worked with the silk and want to give it a go.  

Hannah Brassington

Marion Robertson

I'm also going to be part of a Random Act of Stitching Kindness, hosted by Angela from Hooked on Stitches.  It's my first time being a part of any sort of exchange/RAK.  I did send out a few RAKs this year and really enjoyed doing that.  I wanted to send out more but then life got in the way.  With being a part of a group, I think it will give me the focus and the push to stitch and finish smalls.  I am pretty excited about it and am already thinking of what to create!! 

Lots of firsts for me this year! I think 2013 will be a great year for stitching!

I didn't forget about the Red and Cream Aida draw.....4 people entered (I wish I had 4 pieces of red aida to give away!)

The winner is.........................Rosey175!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will email you Rosey about your win!

Want a stitchy update? Here's TBF (lots of nasty Kreinik) and Titus:

Luckily he's a gentle boy and doesn't claw my stitching....although I did move him away right afterwards.  He really loves to plop onto my stuff doens't he?!?!!!!

Big Hugs

Anne

Uber Late TUSAL and IHSW

Hello everyone!!

A big warm welcome to my new followers! Thank you for joining my blog!!

I have finished my first reports last week and so happy that they are done!! I may have a few little things to fix/edit tomorrow but that's it! Now it's the homestretch to the holidays!

I would like to send out big hugs and a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who commented on my completion of Jane Philpott. I truly appreciate all of your comments and still have many to reply to!! I hope to get at them today after this post.  I also want to visit blogs too but just opened up the reader and....GASP it's at 1000 + posts!! I hope to conquer some of those posts today!!

Here's my uber late TUSAL pic.

As for IHSW, well, that was report weekend, so I didn't stitch a lot.  I did promise Joyce a Chatelaine SAL and I managed to get just a few stitches in.  Very abysmal progress.  Dear Joyce stitched a whole butterfly! Way to go girlie!!

I also stitched a bit on Tea Bath Fairy. The filling in of the tea cup is taking awhile!!

This weekend, I stitched up two ornies and will be finishing them hopefully next weekend.

Noel by 123citriouille stitched with Victorian Motto's Nan's Red

Prairie Schooler's Partridge in a Pear Tree
Stitched on 28 ct lugana with DMC threads

I loved stitching both designs, especially the Partridge one.  I will try to finish it as a triangle ornament.  Hopefully that will work out.

As for Christmas cards, I have a couple of people I will be sending out cards to in the next little while.  If anyone else wants to exchange Christmas cards with me let me know! I love getting cards in the mail other than bills!!!  Just email me and send me your address!!

Also, I have some pieces of Aida that I will never use.  If anyone would like them, leave a comment saying so and I will do a mini draw and mail it out before Christmas.  I'll give it a week, or until I do my next post.  Here's the cream and red aida cloth with Titus. And no, he isn't being given away!!

Titus giving you all a fond farewell!!

Hugs to you all!!!

Anne

Epic Finish: Jane Philpott!!!

Oh how I've missed blogging and all my stitchy friends!! It's been three weeks since I've done an update and boy do I have a lot to show you!!

Last night, at exactly 7 pm, I put the final knot in a bird's eye on Jane Philpott!! I started this big beautiful gal in January for Becky's BAP Challenge, and I'm so happy I've finished her yet sad at the same time.  It's a malaise of sorts.  I'm sure others feel this way too once you've completed such an epic design.  As I said to my husband, she's been with me for so long I don't know what to do with myself now.  He was amazed and pleased about Jane, but then he asked "When are you going to work on that Tea Fairy?" Sigh!! Anywho, here's Jane and the wonky, satin-stitched snake.  He's sort of kinky....lol!!!

HAPPY DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jane Philpott started January 2012
Finished November 11th, 2012
Stitched on 36 count linen
Vicki Clayton Silks

The kinky snake..he needs to eat something to help out that  smallish part

The 1 over 1 stitching took an age to do!!

I hope to get her framed before Christmas because I want her displayed right away!! Goodbye dear Jane, I loved every minute stitching you!!

I have some other stitching updates to share with you.  I haven't finished anything Christmasy yet, however, I have started two designs.  One is barely started so not worth showing you. It is from the new JCS magazine, which I'm finding a lot of cute designs to stitch.  The other design is a freebie from 123 citrouille that I've been wanting to stitch for awhile now. I am using Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe's Nan's Red on some unknown linen.  I'm loving how quick this is stitching up!

I already have the fabric and trims ready for a finish! After this one is completed, I have a few more lined up ready to go.  I'm hoping after November 23rd (when reports are due), I will have more time for stitching and preparing for Christmas.  Watch this space because I may have a few things to give away too!!

So after my husband mentioned Tea Bath Fairy, I decided to pull her out and start working on her again.  Might as well get another BAP WIP finished right?!! Here's where I'm at with her.

Knotgarden has been coming along nicely too.  I can't wait to get to some of the specialty stitches!!

I also added some more patterns and fabrics to my stash...like I need to right?!!! What's a girl to do when there's sales and stuff on? So I finally found my gray fabric!! YAY!! Thank you to everyone who gave me tips.  I can't believe I didn't know about the DMC colour equivalent on 123stitch.com.  It was very useful! Along with buying some gray fabric, I couldn't help myself to purchase LHN's Baked Goods.  I've seen this little ornie stitched a lot on many blogs and have always loved it.  Can't wait to get this one going too!!

Some more samplers to be stitched at one point in the future.  Much to my husband's chagrin, I will have a sampler wall!! He really winced when I said that last night! Lol!! He actually said "We can't have all our pictures on the walls full of your stitching!"  Okay...we will see about that!

This one I've admired on Melissa's blog for awhile now. 

I love the massive flowers.

Marly from Samplers and Santas inspired me to purchase Sarah. She stitches a lot of samplers in this style. I love the simplicity of Sarah Pelham. 

Wait...not done! HAED had a massive 50% off sale last weekend, so I took advantage of it and bought two patterns that I probably won't get to for years, but whatevs!! I've always loved William Morris's tapestry designs and think this will be amazing stitched up! 

This little QS I'm thinking of stitching for my mom at some point.  I think it's beautiful and we'll see how "quick" it is to stitch!!

So there you go! A "wee" update on what's been going on with me.  I hope to catch up with blog reading once my reports are done.  I should be working on them right now....oh I'll get to them later on today.  

Big hugs to you all! I'll leave you with a cool crow picture I took on one of our Autumn walks.

Titus says good bye!!

IHSW and Some Finishing!!

My weekend of stitching was not too shabby! Although I was busy, I did get some time at night to stitch on Jane.  I managed to finish two pieces too and prep for more finishing for next weekend!

Jane....just the snake and 1 over 1 verse to complete! I'm getting so close!

Plum Street Samplers "Coffee Bean Christmas Tree" I didn't have the rusted bells but I think these turned out nicely.  The green gingham I used for the backing.

I finally finished Le Chalet des Perelles using that perle cotton stuff and some pretty silk ribbon from Vicki Clayton.

My two Autumn pieces.

While I was working on my smalls, look what the mailman brought me!!

My first Prairie Schooler Chart!! Woohoo!! Although I'm a wee bit late getting this, it'll be great to stitch more fall designs for next year.  Now I am trying to choose some cute Christmas ornies to stitch. 

Thank you all for your suggestions on getting "gray" linen.  I'm going to try both Zweigart and WDW and see what I end up with.  If neither are gray, I may just have to do some dyeing of my own!

Hope you all had a wonderful hermitty weekend and that you enjoyed my finishes! I hope to finish some more next weekend...fingers crossed though since it's getting close to report time!

Hugs 

Anne

TUSAL and Pre-IHSW!!

Hello everyone! 

Oh how I've missed you all and your wonderful blogs!! I've been trying to pop in every once in awhile but it has been difficult to keep up right now.  I know you all understand.  My job has been wonderful, however tiring.  November is fast approaching and I will be writing reports soon.  Actually two tomorrow!! The kids are wonderful and they are all I am thinking about. My husband and mom tell me to take some time for myself, and I should I know, yet I cannot help it!! 

I realized the other day... Tuesday to be exact, that it was a New Moon...which meant....

TUSAL TIME!!!

So here are my orts!! There are a lot more than last month's.  Somehow I got some stitching done?!?!

Poor Titus...being teased with threads.

I had to cut this photo session short because after this photo, Titus almost ate some of the threads!!!

Hmmm...my last post was just before Thanksgiving.  I should probably show you a picture of what we had.  We also gave thanks for many things...I love this time of year!

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful...can't believe it was two weeks ago! Wow how time flies!! Here is our delicious dinner that my Aunties made us!!

I also received the most beautiful picture from my Auntie, a very talented photographer.  My header photo is hers too. We are trying to find a special place to hang it.

Love birch trees! They make me so happy!!

I should have taken a photo of my Jane for a pre-IHSW shot, but I didn't.  Instead I'll show you some stash I received. I ordered some Gray Jobelan and wasn't too happy that the "gray" was actually taupe.  Not that I don't mind the taupe, I WILL use it, but I really want some gray jobelan or some soft linen.  Can anyone suggest a linen/jobelan/monaco fabric that is an actual medium to light gray???

The "Gray" is on the right and the blotchy Creme Brulee is on the left, my first LHN chart!!

I also ordered some R & R Reproductions Creme Brulee 40 ct and noticed some brown blotches on the fabric.  I asked the lady at 123stitch and she said it's part of that fabric.  Of course she offered me to return the linens if I don't want them...but I'm too busy to package and mail off stuff! Plus I figure why not use that fabric for some coffee dying or a prim design??! Right!?

Here's Titus getting into the mix of things!!

Okay I'm off now...need to finish my pillows I'm making!

I'll update on Monday! I'm hoping to get a lot done on Jane!!

Hugs to you all :D

Anne and Titus

Forgot to add this adorable picture of Hamish