Productive Day...

It was too hot to do anything outside today and I had plenty of laundry and cleaning to keep me busy inside.  In between all of the housework I found time to finish this Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers project.  The stitching for the box top was done last year.  A few months ago I stitched the alphabet that goes around the sides of the lid.  It's kind of funny, I have "2011" stitched on the top and "2012" stitched in the band that goes around the edge!

I'm not a big fan of painting, but I followed their instructions and used the techniques that Barb and Alma taught us when they were at the Stitchville retreat back in 2010.  The last coat was Bri-wax and you apply it liberally and then use a soft towel to take most of it off.  Reminded me of the movie Karate Kid - "wax on, wax off"...

It looks pretty good but I have to admit that I'm not 100% happy with it...I had never worked with Wonder Under before and it didn't quite do what it was supposed to do (might have been user error.)  I've got to let go and not be such a perfectionist!

Here's a shot of the box:

And here's a closeup of the side of the box, you can see how the paint is crackled:

That little acorn button was my own addition!

Before I go, I want to share with you two gifts that I received this weekend.  First, this cute pincushion from Wendy Jo.  The design is from Primitivebetty!  Thank you so much Wendy Jo; it was a nice surprise in my mailbox on Saturday.

And from my friend Judy (no blog) this cute little case for a stitch starter!  The fabric is from Blackbird Designs and the case was made by Belinda from Blue Ribbon Designs (she sells these on her Etsy site!)  I love it.  Thank you for this surprise Judy!

As much as I'd like to stay and chat (aka read your blogs) or stitch awhile longer in my chair, I need to head to bed.  I'm working the early shift tomorrow and that means the alarm is going to go off at five bells!

Have a great week.  Happy Stitching!