Border Work

Just cannot show much of what I have been stitching on today... all that secret stitching going on over here. But while watching The Holiday on the DVR tonight (loved it!), I did get a bit more of the border done on Serenity. I thought this part would take a while to stitch, and maybe even be boring, but I was wrong on both counts. You may have noticed I am a bit hooked on this sampler right now.

Annemarie tagged me to divulge my "guilty stitching secrets," as I believe she calls them. I must admit that I pondered this for a long time and did not come up with much. But, here goes...
1) Like so many others, I have way more stash than I can ever stitch
2) I have used the excuse of exchanges and gifts to go out and buy stash, even though I have always already had something very appropriate in my stash that I could have stitched for that exchange or gift...
3) I will avoid anything with a bullion knot in it
4) I take classes at festivals, and to date have never actually stitched any of those projects

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and Serenity **Mailed out SBEBB Rabbit's Big Day Exchange, and mailed out two gifts

Crazy Exchange for Katrien

Katrien let me know today that my return exchange gift for her has arrived in Belgium. I also sent her a pair of scissors, but they are not in my photo. Thanks, Katrien, for a lovely exchange :-)

Christmas Alphabet "K" Fob
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Putty Belfast Linen, DMC Floss

I noticed that The Cricket Collection has posted a new freebie - very cute!

And, that is all I am showing tonight. With December now on the horizon, I am busy with secret stitching.

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, and started a gift

Christmas Ornament Exchange for Marie

Marie has let me know that she received the USEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange that I put together for her:

ABC Santa Ornament
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Sage Jobelan, DMC Floss

On the back, I used my favorite holly fabric...

And here is a photo of the entire exchange that I sent for her. I studied her blog pretty well to try to choose items that met Marie's tastes. I am so glad that she likes what I made for her and sent to her :-) Happy Holidays Marie!!

Also, Cathy has let me know that she received my little birthday gift for her today. I stitched her a little pin pillow using one of my most favorite charts...

Blessed Be Pin Pillow
Plum Pudding Needleart
32 ct Driftwood Linen, DMC Floss

And finally... I was treated by the mysterious secret stitching friend from Belgium today too! This sweet mystery friend has been sending little envelopes with pretty skeins of Olde Willow Floss to several of us bloggers.... I just adore this color that was chosen for me! Thank you dear, sweet mystery friend! {{{HUGS}}} for you! (I think I may have figured it out... ;-)....)

No other stitching to show tonight... I spent the evening finishing my SBEBB Rabbit's Big Day Exchange project. It has to be in the mail by Friday!!

Stitched on today: Finished Rabbit's Big Day Exchange project, and stitched on a gift

Spectacular Mail Day

I had such a nice mail day today! Two dear friends have treated me to lovely ornaments for my tree!! Of course, we do still need to go out and get our tree, but with snow expected in a few days, I think Mike will go out soon and get one.

Thank you so much, Barbara for this absolutely stunning ornament! I was so thrilled to receive this today! Yes, it is so very me! It means so much to me to have this piece of your absolutely perfect stitching and finishing. I will treasure this always... and think of you every time I see it.
And.. thank you so much Sherry!! Sherry saw this ornament and said she thought of me. How sweet is she??! I love it Sherry, and it will also always make me think of you! I hope you are feeling better soon too.

Since I have been so fixed on stitching on my Rabbit's Big Day exchange project when I get home from work this week, I only managed to find a little time to put a few stitches in on Serenity tonight. I just love this one!

Want a good chuckle? A client of mine emailed this to me today... just open the link, click play and enjoy the fun - Animator vs. Animation :-)

Stitched on today: Started a gift, stitched on Rabbit's Big Day Exchange project, and Serenity

Typical Monday

It's a bit of a typical Monday around here. Of course, it was Houses of Hawk Run Hollow night. I had a late start on it as I was really enjoying working on the Rabbit's Big Day Exchange for a bit first. I see the light at the end of the tunnel now with this block. The house is relatively close to finished now and the counting is less :-)

What a rainy day... would folks in the southern US like some of our rain? We have been getting quite a lot of it lately...

Stitched on today: Rabbit's Big Day Exchange project, and Houses of Hawk Run Hollow **Mailed out a gift, SBEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange and USEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange today

What happened to DMC 3771?

OK, here is another weekly update of Spring Ride. She has a face now, and a shoulder too :-) I am almost done now with this page. I just have to add a few small flowers. Hopefully I will finish that next week.

I found it! Here is my photo of Nicole stitching while she was here this weekend - taking one of her very many cell phone breaks. Her boyfriend and her best friend called incessantly... ah, that is right! She is 16!!!! She really stitched quite a lot on Alice in Wonderland. She chose Silkweaver Karma Sparkle lugana for her project. But, I did not get a chance to get a photo of her stitching :-( She went home a bit early today to go home to study for a history exam tomorrow, and we forgot!

Nicole needs a skein of DMC 3771 for this project. We went to two stores, and neither even had a bin for 3771 anymore. Did they change it? Does anyone know? I plan to go through my floss this week and see if I can find her some... but I also figure some stitcher out in our vast world knows the answer to this... 3771 is still on DMC's website... thanks in advance for any help!!

Gosh, is it Sunday night already???!!!

Stitched on today: Started Rabbit's Big Day Exchange project (finally), and Spring Ride

PIF for Heather

I just got word that Heather has received the PIF gift that I recently made for her. Wow, I agonized for months over what I wanted to make for Heather... until I was lucky enough to get this OOP Garden Alphabet leaflet on ebay - then the right thing just (finally) jumped out at me!! I am so relieved to have this PIF finished - Heather is the last on my original list of PIF recipients, and now I have quite a few more to go (list in my sidebar)...
Garden Alphabet "H" Fob
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Putty Belfast Linen, DMC Floss

Ah, the trials and tribulations of ornament stitching! I realized that the ornament I made for the SBEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange had not one but two dried glue spots on the linen! Gasp! So, I tried to clean them off - several times, and it was not working. On my last attempt, the water soaked the linen to where the stitching started and my Cherry Wine Sampler Threads bled onto my Oatmeal Sampler Threads... and we just can't have that!! So... I spent a lot of time today restitching the ornament and then building it again. It is all set now!! :-) Then, back to Serenity for a little bit! I won't keep boring you with daily updates of it again for a bit... my rotation picks up again tomorrow.

I took a photo of Nicole as she was stitching earlier...but now cannot find where I uploaded it to my computer. I will have to keep looking. She says I can post a photo of her stitching tomorrow before she goes home. She is making excellent progress on Alice in Wonderland already.

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, re-stitched and re-finished SBEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange, and Serenity


****R.I.P. Joe Kennedy - this is so very sad!

A little more Serenity

All I have to show for today is another bit of Serenity. I was busy with secret stitching what other little bit of time I was able to stitch today. I spent a long time kitting up Lynne Nicoletti's Alice in Wonderland for Nicole. She just had to stitch it! And, she is here busily working away on it now. Nicole is the crafty one of my nieces. Such a joy.

Boy, I really want to find some quiet time without needing to fulfill stitching commitments so that I can catch up on your blogs..

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and Serenity **Mailed out a gift today :-)

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone who celebrates had a nice Thanksgiving today. We did - we split our day between our two families, and then we brought our niece, Nicole, age 16, home with us and she will be with us until sometime on Sunday - she enjoys getting time away from her sisters :-)

I heard from Aniza this morning that she received my Specific Designer (Little House Needleworks) Exchange. I am happy to hear it arrived safely in Malaysia! I had/have low confidence with this one. I was so loving the stitching on this one, and then when it was time to put my mattress together, the fusible interfacing on the long side strip fell out 3/4 of the way around.. sigh... I had to use a soft side and I don't care much for that. Then I realized that using #8 perle cotton for the whipstitching was not a great idea - a bit bulky. But all of that aside, the last straw was that the pincushion has an area of bunching up at the seam at the bottom that I have never, never, never seen or have had happen before. I was beside myself! Aniza, however, tells me there are no worries! I am showing the photo she has in her blog - it is much better than the one I took before I mailed it off to her... it shows everything I sent her too.

Small House Sampler Mattress Pincushion
Little House Needleworks
32 ct Putty Belfast Linen, GAST and Crescent Colours Floss

And, I spent some TV/wind down time with my stitching for a little while tonight... back to Serenity. I figured I would work on that busy leaf border little by little rather than take it all on at once in the end... as you can see by today's photo.

I am thankful for all of my stitching friends :-)

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Serenity

Starting Serenity

I decided to start a new sampler tonight. I know, I know. I should be putting Mermaid Heaven and 18th C. Band Sampler into my rotation again. But, after recently finishing both And A Forest Grew and Victoria's Quaker, I really wanted something new in my now pared down rotation. I chose to start Serenity by Examplar Dames. I fell in love with this chart when it was first released and enjoyed so much watching Edgar stitch this sampler. Margaret gave me the chart and all of the Crescent Colours floss for it for my birthday, and once I had it in my hands I just knew it had to be started as soon as possible. Well, the time is now! And I can tell already that I am going to love this one - a good replacement for Victoria's Quaker! I am using Lakeside Linens 40 ct Luna Linen. It is such a warm color and really compliments the vibrant Crescent Colours floss!! Stay tuned for more ... :-)

And thank you all so much for your lovely comments on Victoria's Quaker! So many of you now say you want to stitch it, and I look forward to watching your progress.

Beau is quite well today, thank you. All of my kitties are well. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and it is so nice to have a four day weekend ahead. We will have our niece, Nicole, age 16, coming up tomorrow and will stay with us through the weekend :-)

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends!

Stitched on today: Finished SBEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange project, finished a gift, and started Serenity

Victoria's Quaker is Finished

I finished Victoria's Quaker tonight :-) I just loved working on this one. Someone asked recently if I planned to also stitch the stitcher's set that goes with it. Maybe someday. It is not on my list for anytime soon. I did already stitch the scissor case, though, for an exchange a couple of months ago... This now goes on the list to get framed (hopefully) as part of my Christmas gift.

Victoria's Quaker
A Mon Ami Pierre
36 ct Sand Dune Linen, Hand-Dyed Fibers Silk
Stitched 7/31/07 - 11/20/07

Earlier tonight I came home to a lovely surprise! This really cheered up a mucky day - we got our first snow of the season this morning, and it lasted well into the afternoon. Not much to measure and it will melt in a day or two, but still.... yucky. But, dear Susan wiped that all away! Recently, I offered my November Birthay Needleroll chart up for adoption after I had used it, and Susan asked for it. I never thought about it again. I did not want anything for the chart, except for it to go to a good home where it would be wanted. I knew that goal was achieved and I happily forgot about the whole thing. Susan did not! She stitched me this beautiful little Peace pillow by LHN!!!! Her stitching is just perfect and I love how she used a four sided stitch instead of a whipstitch to put it together - very nice! Oh, and lovely chocolates that Mike shall just enjoy so much! Thank you Susan! As I told you, this was not necessary, but I just adore it and appreciate it so very much! And... happy belated birthday to you too! (Sorry about the blurry photo, I just realized how poorly it came out).

Thank you for all of the lovely thoughts and comments for Beau. He is very well today. Mike worked from home today and said that Beau ran around like a little kitten all day - he feels so relieved :-) I awoke this morning to him curled up beside me and stroking my face with his paw. He always does this, and to think that last night there was a fear that he would be leaving us soon... I shudder...

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, finished Crazy Exchange return gift for Katrien, and finished Victoria's Quaker

Secret Stitching... again!

I have decided to devote my evening to some much needed secret stitching instead of HOHRH... but, I do have a little something to share!

Today is Dianne's birthday, and the postal service pulled off a minor miracle and delivered my wee gift for her on time! This was a minor miracle as I only was able to finish it and post it off on Friday! I know Dianne loves Prairie Schooler and is trying to collect their series of charts... so choosing this little guy was a no-brainer! I am so glad you like it, Di! Happy Birthday! {{{HUGS}}}

Stick it Here Pin Pillow
Prairie Schooler
32 ct Olive Green Belfast Linen, DMC Floss

OK.... now I am off to try to finish my CE return exchange gift!! (Edited at 12:15 AM - this did not go as planned. I ended up at the emergency vet again tonight, for about three hours, this time for Beau. We discovered he was severely constipated, actually obstipated. Mike removed the fecal ball here - like a doctor in a labor room, what a champ he is! I took Beau in and waited on bloodwork and xrays for the longest time. I sat in the exam room alone for a good hour with nothing to even look at, wondering if they would soon come in to tell me he has liver disease, which was suspected by the vet. But, no, his values were good, his xrays were good. He does have a heart murmur, slightly elevated thyroid values and significant periodontal disease. He is back home and we need to watch him and keep him hydrated. I will have his regular vet follow up with him very soon. Beau, by the way, is my 10 year old cat... he is showing signs of aging)

Stitched on today: Started Crazy Exchange return gift for Katrien **Mailed off Christmas Ornament Exchange (Simone's Group) and a PIF gift today

Spring Ride is taking shape

It's Spring Ride night again. I think that now it is starting to take shape. I can see some of the girl's face and neck starting to take shape at last :-)

I finally realized why I am so far behind in blog commenting. I am not too far behind in reading, but am in commenting. My work load is increased - more new clients and much more new paperwork... and, a very large number of stitching commitments. So, I realize that I spend a lot of time with clients/paperwork at work (LOL - I think that is how it is supposed to be), and most of my free time at home curled up stitching to meet those commitments! Thank you again to those who still find time to comment in my blog. You are so appreciated :-)

Stitched on today: Stitched a PIF gift, and Spring Ride

More HOHRH

I spent a while today making ornaments for exchanges, and they really and truly are not my forte. I just don't have the creativity that I see others have with ornaments. Maybe practice will help. After that, I went back to work on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I find it difficult to really focus on this particular house block, so with my rotation being pared down for the next month or two, I decided just to put more time in on this one tonight.

Other than that, not a whole lot going on here :-)

Stitched on today: Finished Christmas Ornament Exchange (led by Simone), and USEBB Christmas Ornament Exchange, and stitched on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

Beautiful Gift from Harmien

I told you last night that I had received a stunning gift from a stitching friend, and now here it is. A few weeks ago, Harmien asked me if I would like some daylily seeds from her garden in The Netherlands. I immediately said yes, I would love some. I then sent her some seeds from my garden. Harmien's package took some six weeks to get to me, and I knew that Harmien was getting very worried about it. I thought that was very sweet of her, but was not worrying much myself. Seeds can always be replaced! But... clearly, what was really worrying Harmien was the potential loss of this stunning box she made for me, which was holding many packets of seeds! Clearly, Customs at one end or the other had opened the package. I hope they enjoyed seeing this box as much as I did :-) Oh, thank you so much Harmien! What a treat. As you can easily see from my entry, I adore this box. It is on my bureau with a treasured one from Becky right now :-)


Harmien stitched Acorns by Little House Needleworks/Crescent Colours. This just happens to be my favorite in this LHN/CC series! Harmien knows me well :-) It is stitched one over one and is soooo tiny.

And, I heard today that Ann, a long time reader of my blog who lives in Europe but does not have a blog of her own, finally received my birthday package for her. It still arrived in time, but took a while to get there because Ann moved and I had her old address. Ann spoiled me (and a few other bloggers) a few months ago with large gift boxes. She is a sweet and generous soul. Now that her birthday is upon us, it was my turn to spoil her!

Nature's Alphabet A Fob
Elizabeth's Designs
Silkweaver Belfast Solo Linen, DMC Floss

I remembered to take a photo of the entire gift package too. Ann had once told me that she likes oriental themes. I found these beautiful fabric quarters a few months back and stockpiled them away for her. She wrote such a lovely email, letting me know how much she loved all of her gifts. You are more than welcome Ann - have a wonderful birthday!! {{{HUGS}}}

I am blogging early today - I am doing secret exchange stitching tonight :-)

Stitched on today: Started Christmas Ornament Exchange (led by Simone) project **Mailed out a gift today

Eye of the Needle Exchange for Nancy

I heard tonight that Nancy has received the Eye of the Needle Exchange that I sent her last weekend. I had to take some guesses, as I could not get a good reading on Nancy's tastes. But according to her note, I did OK. Like many of us, she is also a Mary Garry fan. I figured I was safe with using a Mary Garry design :-) I am glad you are pleased Nancy!
Sew With Kindness Pinkeep
Mary Garry's Sewing Cabin
30 ct Natural Linen, GAST Floss

This time I also remembered to take a photo of the entire exchange before I packed it up. I sent bits of this and that, in hopes that some items would appeal to Nancy - she says I did very well with that - phew! I sent her hand dyed fabric by Sugar Maple Fabrics, a pair of Gingher stork scissors (classic design, seemed to suit the love of needlework theme for this exchange), a small kit by Victoria Sampler that will make a pretty pinkeep/pincushion/sachet(?), some pretty cotton fabric for finishing, an autumnal candle tart, and a copy of the chart (it is an old freebie, and I figured she would enjoy it). I am glad this exchange worked out well for Nancy :-)

Dawn was back out again tonight. Thanks for all of the wonderful comments about her. She truly is a beauty, and I am so happy that several of you are saying you feel inspired to stitch her! Tonight I finished the bottom half of her wing on the right side (except for some backstitching...), added a bit to other parts of her wings, and gave her the outline of her face/facial features and her arms. She is coming to life now! There is still quite a ways to go with her, though.

Oh.... and wait until you see! I received an amazing package from a wonderful stitcher today! It was already dark out (and rainy) when I got home today, so I will take a nice daylight photo of it tomorrow and share it with you then - this is something special, and I cannot wait to show you!

Stitched on today: Finished a gift, stitched on a gift, and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace

It's Dawn's turn again...

I noticed tonight that my current list of projects in my rotation is getting slim, mostly because I really need to finish gifts and exchanges. Also I figure it would be best to get as much done as I can on what I do currently have in my rotation. Make sense? I think so. So, I took Dawn out again tonight - worked on those wings! Oh, those wings! Lots of color changes in those :-)

I have found that I have a very increased work load right now, and I am again very far behind in blog commenting (I have been reading, though), as well as in email responding. I feel badly about that. Yet, I am in awe of those of you who visit regularly and even leave comments despite the fact that I only leave a few here and there, as I can... thank you. I appreciate your words so very much. And, I shall continue to try to visit yours as often as I can... and to comment. You are so wonderful.

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace **Mailed Deb's Neighborhood Round Robin to Nikki today

World Series Gifts from Staci

I received such a sweet package of gifts from Staci today!! Some may recall the World Series wager she made with me. Since the Red Sox won the World Series, she made me gifts. How sweet are these??!! Thank you Staci! The little red socks are just amazing - I could not imagine knitting anything that tiny! And your pinkeep is perfectly finished - funny, that is the chart I was going to use if the Rockies had won - LOL!!! A classic, for sure! And the thread winder - nice!!! Thank you, thank you!

And... coming to the end of Victoria's Quaker now...

Stitched on today: Started a gift, and Victoria's Quaker **Mailed out SBEBB Specific Designer (Little House Needleworks) Exchange today

Just a little...

Just a little to share today. I had the day off today (Veteran's Day... I did not mess this up like last month when I went to work on Columbus Day - this time, I was alert and aware!). Mike and I spent a lot of time together and I managed to get my haircut. I arrived at the salon only to find out that my stylist was out sick and they had tried to call me. I had heard my cell phone ringing in the morning, but I did not chase after it. They didn't leave a voicemail. Weird. But I did manage to get a nice cut from a lovely salon nearby. All set there. And, when I did stitch today it was mostly to finish the SBEBB Specific Designer (Little House Needleworks)Exchange - which I did finish. After that, I put a little time in on HOHRH, as it is Monday, while we watched some sitcoms on TV...

And now Lily has taken over Beau's new bed :-) Yucky eyes, I know! That is Persian Cat eye drip... looks like blood, but it is not. She is OK.

Stitched on today: Finished SBEBB Specific Designer (LHN) Exchange, and stitched on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

A little change of plans

I changed my stitching plans tonight. I was getting ready to work on Spring Ride when I realized I was pretty into a football game on TV and wanted to work instead on something that did not require much attention or counting. Houses of Hawk Run Hollow fit the bill perfectly tonight! And I figure it will give Karen a chance to catch up a little since she did not get to stitch on Spring Ride much the last two weeks :-) So.... the busy block is growing some more...

Here is the Mirabilia design in the new issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework. My scanner is not hooked up right now (all my ports are busy with other things), so I tried to take a photo of the page for you. Not the greatest photo, but you get the idea. It is called Victorian Christmas Eve. She is cute :-)

And, hello from Angus! He has been here on the floor in front of my stitching chair most of the night. He has a lot of fans who ask how he is doing. It is coming up close to a year now since his medical emergency, and he seems to be doing pretty well :-)

Stitched on today: Stitched on Specific Designer (LHN) Exchange, and Houses of Hawk Run Hollow

Finished Deb's Neighborhood Round Robin :-)

Tonight I finished my portions on Deb's Neighborhood Round Robin! Cross another 'must-do this month' off my list now!!! This round robin is in three portions, so I shall walk you through it.

The first section will contain the verse from Heaven Above by Midsummer Night Designs, according to Deb. She will stitch the rest of the verse in later. Deb asked us each to stitch our little spirit up in this area for her. She included Sampler Folk by Barrick Designs, and I chose to stitch this little lady with two blackbirds to represent my spirit...

Next is the earthly part of our existence, and Deb supplied several of the pithies charts by The Workbasket... I chose this one, Love Never Dies. I love it! This was a very, very fun house block to stitch!! (Deb's blocks are very large as she plans to do a lot of finishing work on this at the end - I think she is going to add bunnies, birds, critters, trees, etc to bring all the blocks together).

And, to finish off the neighborhood, Deb asks us each to stitch a tombstone and to embellish the cemetery a bit if we would like... I had to choose a death year for myself ;-) I chose to live to age 90 for the sake of this sampler :-) And I added one of the blackbirds that my spirit is holding up in the heavenly portion of the RR.... hope Deb likes that :-)

To give you (and Deb, of course!!!) an idea of how this now looks after myself, Karen and Bine (well, Bine will be getting this back - she was in the midst of a trans-Atlantic move when she had this RR) have stitched on it - very large piece of linen, probably is a fat half. Taking a photo of the entire project is a bit of a challenge.

I will mail this off to Nikki on Tuesday. The post office will be closed on Monday for Veteran's Day...

Stitched on today: Started my Specific Designer (LHN) Exchange project, and finished Deb's Neighborhood Round Robin **Mailed off my USEBB Eye of the Needle Exchange today

Harvest Time Exchange from Melissa

I received my Harvest Time Exchange from Melissa today. She sent a lovely package. I really love the JBW French Country series, and was thrilled to see that she stitched me a cube (so nicely made) using the Pumpkin design. I just love it!

And here is a photo of her entire exchange for me. She spoiled me with some really, really wonderful treats! She sent me La-D-Da's Harvest Angel off of my wishlist - I am very excited about this. I have been so tempted to order this chart a few times recently. Thank you so much Melissa!!

I heard from Dawn today that she has received my wee little birthday gift for her. She received it very quickly, and I had sent it on early... her birthday is not for about a week or so still. I noticed she stitches a few biscornus, so I made one for her too:

Berryscornu
Periphaeria Designs
28 ct Mushroom Lugana, Caron Fiesta Wildflowers, Copper Bead-It Beads

And, more progress on Deb's RR to show tonight :-) I have finished my house block and now just have my tombstone to do... and maybe dress this up a little more. I shall have to take a few steps back from it and look to see what else I can add. I know that Deb does not expect me to do more, but yet there are some ideas in my head...

Stitched on today: Stitched on a gift, finished USEBB Eye of the Needle Exchange, and Deb's Neighborhood Round Robin

Autumn Exchange for Myrna & New Mirabilia Sighting

Myrna has received the Autumn Exchange that I made for her. Myrna is my partner in the Seasonal Exchangers group, a by invitation only group in which we send one exchange per season to one stitcher. I was not at all thrilled with how the cording came together on my box, but gracious Myrna tells me she is pleased. Isn't she sweet? I don't think I will choose these boxes that have an inset in them again. I prefer the flat top ones like the Wee Autumn one I made a week ago. It allows for wrapping the trim around the side of the box and not the top - better for finishing off the ends ;-) Myrna will have a photo in her blog in a day or two of the rest of the exchange that I sent to her...

Acorns and Owls Box
Blue Ribbon Designs
Silkweaver 36 ct French Vanilla Swirl Linen, GAST Floss

It was time to take Dawn out again tonight. I had to pull a bit of my stitching out though - I used the wrong color braid blended with DMC... a little messy to pull out. But there is at least some progress with her this week.

And... a Mirabilia sighting! I received the January 2008 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework Magazine today. This is usually a poor quality magazine. Despite their comeback a year or so ago, CS&N just doesn't hold up very well and lacks stylish designs, for the most part. But this issue is different! Nora Corbett has contributed an exclusive project called Victorian Christmas Eve. My scanner is down right now, or I would have a photo up for you. And CS&N doesn't show it on their website, although the issue you see in the link is the correct one. The design is very sweet - a little Christmas Victorian girl with her muff encircled in a pretty garland. Anyhow, Nora Corbett/Mirabilia lovers will want this issue. (Surprisingly, I like two other charts in this issue - how rare! - a seaside band sampler by Jane Greenoff and the peppermint candy snowflake ornament that can be seen in the magazine link).

Stitched on today: Eye of the Needle Exchange and Dawn, Fairy Spirit of Grace