Stitch from Stash - May

Hi everybody!  I've been SO busy this month that I haven't even had time to update my blog.  In fact, so busy that I FORGOT about the May Daily Treats at the Silver Needle that I told you about last month.  I didn't remember them 'til I saw it in last month's post just now.  I guess I didn't need anything... well, unless something wonderful shows up during this last week of the month! : )

The nice thing is that I've been too busy to shop, so I have a $0 spend month, and, even better, I finished my Precious Moments and a page of my HAED Nativity, so I get some "extra" to add to my virtual budget! WooHoo!!

Month: May 2015
Spent: $0
Earned: $23

So my balance forward is $100.88 + $25.00 for May + $23.00 for finishes = $148.88

Precious Moments (for Charity)

O Holy Night

HAED Nativity - Starting on Page Four

My HAED has been getting most of my attention lately - to the detriment of my Stoney Creek piece.  But I find the HAED to be so relaxing to stitch, and I'd love to make it across the top of it sometime in the next year... LOL!!

I think I have a theme going here... here is the Dimensions Kit that I'm stitching on right now... : )

Random.org says that the L*K Spring Alphabet chart is going to visit Alyssa. : )  I'll be in touch, or if you read this before I get the email sent, you can send me your address so I can get it in the mail.

Back to stitching!

Tricia

YOTA - May 2015

Hi everyone!

Just a little bit of progress to show on my project this month.

Here's the before...

And here's the after.  I worked a little on the bottom of the robe and on the donkey.

Thanks for looking! : )

Tricia

{Stitch from Stash} February

Hi everyone!  It's Stitch from Stash reporting time again!  Here are the basics...

Month: February 2015
Spent:  $ 0
Earned: $16.00 for Stocking Finish

So my balance forward is $20.88 + $25.00 for February's Budget + $16.00 finish = $61.88

Here's what I've been working on this month...

Stoney Creek Oh Holy Night

I'm still working on Oh Holy Night for about 30 minutes most mornings, and I'm seeing progress!! 

Then my finish for the month...

Stoney Creek Winter Sanctuary Stocking

And the newest WIP I took out of my bag.  I have to stitch on this in the daylight right now because I can't see the blue thread on the blue fabric!  So my evenings have been spent on the next piece instead.

This piece is from the Cross Country Stitching magazine, and it doesn't look like much so far, but it took me three or four nights to stitch that sign.  I think there were 1000 stitches of 822 in it!! : )  I'll outline it tonight and write the words and I'll feel like I'm half done with the piece.  OK, not really, but it really was a big chunk of solid stitching!!  It would have been worth $4 if it were a finish! LOL!!

My goal for February was to try not to spend anything and I didn't.  WooHoo!  We'll see how I do in March.  I really don't want to spend anything this next month either, but I'm afraid I am going to be wishing for something Spring-y soon!!  I'll have to remember that and pick up a few patterns to work on next Spring when I have a little extra real money. You know, real money vs the virtual budget that I have available! : )

Thanks for stopping in!!

Tricia

Mid-February Update

That's me up there, shaking my head in disbelief.  I was so excited to show you the stocking finish in the last post that I forgot to share a picture of this AMAZING pillow that showed up in my mailbox last week from Carol!  She sent it along with a chart I had lent her.  Oh my, I was THRILLED!!  Her workmanship is amazing and her friendship is treasured!!

THANK YOU, Carol!!!

In stitching news...  I've continued to work on my Stoney Creek Oh Holy Night in the mornings.  Here's my progress for this week...

I worked on the Precious Moments piece for a couple of nights...

But then I had an "I want to work on aida" night when I just needed something easier to work on with no fractionals and easier counting, so I started a piece I've had in my stash for awhile from an older Cross Country Stitching magazine.  Now that I've started it - on my absolute favorite fabric to work on... 16 count natural aida... I don't want to finish the Precious Moments piece.  I just want to work on this instead!!  Oh, well!  They are both from my stash, so I guess stash progress is stash progress!! : )

I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

My First 2015 Finish!!

WooHoo!!  The stocking is finished!! : )  It's all ready to be ironed and made into a stocking for next Christmas.  YAY!!  Tonight I'll start on the next WIP in my pile  - this sweet Precious Moments piece...

I want to send it to Love Quilts, so I probably won't do the words.  I have just a tiny bit of her face and her done at the moment, but I'm hoping I can finish it this month!! : )

Thanks for stopping by!!

Tricia

YOTA Update - February

Hi everyone!  I'm back with my YOTA update!

When I checked in in January I was here...



Now, after a month of stitching 1/2 hour in the morning (or so... there were a few days I didn't because of some shoulder issues...) I'm now here...

It is SO exciting to see progress on this piece!  I hope to have it finished by the end of the year!

Tricia

YOTA and Mid-January Update

Hi everyone!

Today is the first Year of the Acronym (YOTA) update!  I've been working on my chosen piece - Stoney Creek's O Holy Night, that I started back in 2012. I decided that I would stitch on it for about 30 minutes each morning and see how much I get accomplished.  Here' my before...

And here's my after...

I'm so excited to be working on it again.  It will be so pretty!!

In non-YOTA stitching I've been working on the Stoney Creek Stocking that I would like to have done for Christmas this year.  I've been working on this one for about 2 or 2 1/2 hours each night and I just finished the bottom page yesterday.  Maybe I can come close to finishing it this month!!

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Tricia

Stitching Fun and Frustrations!

Hi everyone!

Do any of you have trouble with stitching a certain designer's work?  I just LOVE Lizzie Kate and Little House Needleworks and Country Cottage Stitching designs, but every time I stitch one of them I end up frogging and frogging and frogging.  Every. Single. Time.  Why is that???  They are not hard charts.  There are not a lot of color changes.  They should be easy relaxing stitches!!!  Take this lovely little piece here.  Notice where I stopped??

Yes, the bottom of the X.  Only when I picked it up again, I assumed it was the bottom of the Y and so that's what I stitched.  And then I stitched the Z and the little tree under that and the little house under that....  You get the picture. : )  Sigh.

I think I need to stick with pieces like this instead...

I just love how my HAED Nativity looks!!   I worked some on the Mini Mailbox, too, but I think I'll save pictures until I have something to show you other than a blob of pink.

Here's my progress on the Stoney Creek stocking.  I'm enjoying this one, too, for the most part!

My daughter has been after me to make out my Christmas wish list, and I'm adding a few charts and some fabric here and there.  How fun!  And Nancy keeps posting more Christmas giveaways which is fun, too!  Here are a couple more of my favorites...

DAY THREE - Floss

DAY FIVE - Hand-Dyed Fabric

DAY SEVEN - $25 Gift Certificate to Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

Have a splendid day!  

Tricia

A New Page Started!

I've been recovering from whatever cold/flu thing got me a couple weeks ago, and since I couldn't do this...

I decided to rest by stitching!

I worked a little on my new Christmas kit...

And added a few letters to my LHN Necessities Sampler...

And worked quite a bit on my Stoney Creek Stocking...

Then I played a bit setting up my new box with my HAED projects..  Isn't it pretty??

Here's the inside...

And this little box holds all the extra threads I needed that aren't on bobbins yet.

I just adore my new little Vera Bradley Kiss and Make Up case.  I have it filled with all my stitching necessities and I can grab it and take it with wherever I happen to be stitching. 

So I stitched a little bit on my HAED Mini Christmas mailbox... (which will look like a big blob of pink for quite awhile!)

And I started a new page on my HAED Nativity!  I've stitched around 11,200 stitches, and just started page 3. : )

Christmas movies start on the Hallmark channel on Friday, so I should be getting more stitching time in soon!! : )

TTFN!

Tricia

Mid - October Update

It's raining here and I have chocolate chip muffins cooking in the oven, so it seemed like a good time to update my blog.  I think I've decided that cross stitch is one of my comfort foods. :)  No, I don't eat it, but if I'm feeling a little low I love to look through my stash, window shop online, or make grand plans about next year's stitching.  I might actually even stitch a little! :)

Here's my update...

Page Two of HAED Nativity is finished! WooHoo!!!

The toe of the stocking is finished and I've worked on the band.  Little by little!!

Just a quick letter here and there when I need a stitch I don't have to think about too hard. : )

I've been having a needtobuysomething urge lately.  First I saw this...

... which is SO me.  I haven't bought it yet, because I am not sure I should have 2 HAED's going on at once, but I love it and would love to stitch it!

Then I saw this...

...which looks so fun, since I love Christmas stitching.  I didn't buy that either.

Then I saw this Petite Dimensions Gold kit on eBay.

Another sweet Christmas stitch.  I did buy this one.... : )

My Stitch from Stash account is over $100.00, I think, so I might cave in and place a small order just to get it out of my system.  But as soon as I say that, I am paralyzed, because I can't choose what to get.  LOL!!!  Should I start another HAED?  Should I just get fabric and floss and kit up a bunch of charts in my stash?  Should I buy the Christmas kit up there?  Or the two charts from my last post?  Or should I get one of those Vera Bradley Kiss and Makeup bags to stash with all the stitching goodies I always wish I had with me?  Or should I call Shepherd's Bush and see if they would kit up a fob for me with aida, since I'm allergic to linen???

Decisions, decisions!  I'm going to go ponder....

: )

Have a splendiforous day!

Tricia

{Stitch from Stash} September Update

Hi everyone!  Are you as excited as I am that it is fall?  I love Autumn!!  I like to stitch and watch/listen to football games.  I like the pretty leaves and the beautiful colors.  And I like that Christmas is almost here!!! :)

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Stitch from Stash month.  This has been so fun for me so far.  I enjoy seeing all the projects we are pulling from our stashes, and I'm enjoying making a dent in my own!  Here's my update this month - and sorry if the pictures aren't that great... The lighting didn't seem to catch them right this morning!

I stitched another column on The Nativity.  I'm at 5% now!!! WooHoo!

I finished the chart I picked up at Cecilia's Sampler this spring... Lizzie Kate's Thankful String.  I stitched it on 16 count sparkly fabric.  LOVE the sparkle, but working with it made my hands itch, so I glad that I was only doing a little piece. :)

Finished a little PS design for a gift...

Finished a Sheep Virtue (I'm not doing the border on this one...).  I'd like to make it into a bag for a Christmas gift.

Finished a sweet ME doggy ornament....

And worked some more on the toe of the Stoney Creek Stocking.

Here's my accounting for the month...

I started with a balance of $98.98 + September's allowance of $25.00 = $123.98

I looked at a couple of charts over and over again, but I didn't buy them, so all I spent was $0.47 on a skein of DMC floss.  So my balance forward is $123.51.

Want to see some of my "almost boughts"?

Imaginating Harvest Light

Imaginating Got Snow Reindeer

I'm sure I'll get both of them eventually... I just can't decide which one to stitch first.  I love the colors on the first one, and I just love the cute expressions on the reindeers' faces in the second one!

 Happy FALL!!

Tricia

{Stitch From Stash #4} April Update and Giveaway Winners

Hi everyone!

It's been a whole month since I posted, so this is going to be a long one!!

You might want to grab a cup of coffee... : )

FINISHES:

I visited Faith's blog a few week's ago and saw that she had gotten this chart free from Stoney Creek and I ran right over and ordered one.  I had to pay shipping, but that doesn't count for our SFS total - Yippee!!  (I think it is free through the 21st, so you still have a few days to get it if you'd like to!)  I used threads from my stash, so it is in totally different colors from the original, but I like how it turned out.  This was my vacation stitch while DH and I were on vacation last week.  I thought it was a perfect choice to work on in the weeks leading up to Easter!

WORKS IN PROGRESS:

Bunny Baby is coming right along, but she's on hold at the moment until I finish my other vacation stitch...

 L*K Spring String... using my own colors.  

STITCH FROM STASH UPDATE:

Well, I did spend some $$ this month!  We were able to stop at Cecilia's Samplers in Branson while we were on vacation.  I really was good, though!  I came away with 4 pieces of fabric for future projects, the LK Thankful String and the cute bunny needleminder that is living on one of the AMAZING bags that Annette made me...  I'll tell you about that in a minute!!

ANYWAY... Here's my report...

Balance Carried Over:  $55.89

Plus April's Budget:  $25.00

TOTAL AVAILABLE:  $80.89

 Expenditures:

Cecilia's Samplers:  $50.00

Total Carried Forward:  $30.89

Total spent through April Report:  $69.11

SWEET GIFTS

Sweet Annette from the California Stitcher gifted me these AMAZING stitching bags, the matching needlebook and two Mary Englebreit ornaments.  I feel SOoooooooo blessed!!  I packed the bags up right away with all my projects for vacation.  They are SO cheery and I love the orange!!  You can see the smaller one a little better in the picture above. : )  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Annette!!!

All right, if you've stayed with me that long you deserve a prize!  Here are the three Sheep Virtue

GIVEAWAY WINNERS

Love - Anne

Gratitude - Mel

Joyfulness - Simply Victoria

Be sure to email me your addresses, ladies, so I can get these out to you!  I hope I can do some more giveaways and give some joy back to you all.  You are such an encouragement to me!!

Happy Stitching!

Tricia