Two Posts in Two Days

You're going to think I'm running a fever - two posts in two days! Truth is, I am kind of run down with the "crud"; it's forced me to slow down and stay home this weekend. Actually, it's a good weekend to be at home. We are finally receiving some snow here in Minnesota - about 12 inches so far and it's still snowing! Here's a picture of the trees behind our deck.



This weekend is the Christmas Ornament SAL and I was so excited to have time to participate. I received this lovely pattern from Barbara and have been looking forward to stitching it. The design is from The Needle's Content and it's called Christmas Ornament 2001. I used the indicated WDW fibers and stitched it on a piece of 28ct linen (Desert Sand) from my stash.



I'm hoping to spend some time this afternoon/evening stitching on my Game Board Sampler from The Drawn Thread. It's been neglected for a few weeks. Kim recently finished hers and it looks fabulous!

Have a great day! Thanks for visiting!

Needlework Update

My oh my, it has been a long time since I last posted! I haven't completely neglected my stitching and I've got the pictures to prove it!

First, let me share with you an exchange piece that I received in the mail today from Dawn. This was for the Winter Wonderland exchange on the SBEBB. Our stitched design needed to include a snowman - as you can see, Dawn stitched this colorful snowman and finished it off into a bag! She did a great job finishing!



Second, here's a birthday gift that I sent out earlier this week to Jenn. Jenn was my assigned stitcher on the Stitching Bloggers Birthday group. The pinkeep is a Lizzie Kate design (one that I am particularly fond of; I've stitched it before!) I also sent Jenn the latest Britty Kitties chart (released at Nashville) along with a few other goodies.



Third, on the Friends Gather Board, I challenged my fellow stitchers to stich up one of the LHN/CC Thread Packs during the month of February. Last weekend I stitched up "Peace" (it's from the Scripture Thread Pack series). Not sure how I'm going to finish this one - I'm thinking maybe into a pillow.



Finally, I joined Myrna and Vonna in stitching Home of a Needleworker by LHN. This is my progress after one night of stitching (a long night!)



As soon as I finish up some other updates on the computer, I'm going to be reunited with my stitching chair and try to stitch up this month's Christmas ornament for the ornament SAL!

Thanks for stopping by!

Needlework Smalls Exchange Received

Christine recently received the needlework smalls piece that I stitched and finished for her. I wasn't quite sure what to send and then settled on this design from Samplers and Such - it's been in my stash for a long time! This was my first tin topper finish too!

One More Post for Today

Check out the beautiful needlebook that I received from Patti today. This was for the SBEBB House Exchange. The design is stitched over one and it is amazing! Patti finished it with lovely coordinating fabric and silk ribbon. I love it! Of course there were a few other goodies including the LHN/CC Threadpak "Cherries", a Prairie Schooler chart, a project fabric, and some lovely fabrics! Thanks Patti!

Just When You Thought it Couldn't Get Colder...

Yes my friends - the temperature today dropped to 17 degrees BELOW zero! I heard on the radio that we have gone 63 hours with subzero temperatures. It's cold. Although the heatwave has started - the temperature climbed to a balmy zero at 4pm today!

I learned today that Leena received the SBEBB House Exchange that I sent off to her last week. As I told her, I really had a hard time parting with this one. I love LHN designs and this one is no exception. Plus, it was my first ever flat fold! I don't know why I've not tried this finishing technique before! I'm glad that Leena is happy with it.


Little House Needleworks - Woodland Sampling

See, I really have been stitching...

Baby, It's Cold Outside

It's a good thing that I have a lot to do inside today, because going outside will not be fun. It's 8:30am Sunday morning here in MN and the temperature is minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit. For my international friends I did a quick conversion, that's minus 23.89 Celsius. Brrrr!

I have a project photo to share - Cari received the From My Heart exchange package that I sent to her.

Some of you have seen this Hardanger suncatcher/ornament design before - it's one of my favorite designs to stitch! I made Cari a heart shaped scissors fob too. Hope she likes it.

Have lots of housework and laundry to do today (it's okay though - remember, I like to do laundry!) Hoping to get some stitching in tonight during the Super Bowl game.

Have a great day!

Two Exchange Gifts Received

Yesterday, I received a package from Julianne for the USEBB Valentine Exchange. She sent this beautifully stitched pin cushion. Julianne did a great job on the finishing. Along with it, she sent some red print fabric, a Lorri Birmingham scissors fob kit, and a birthday cross stitch card kit. Thanks Julianne!



Today, a package from Judith was waiting for me when I arrived home. Judith had my name for the SBEBB Needlework Smalls exchange. She stitched this biscornu for me and said that it was her first one! She did a great job.

Tagged

Recently, Rachel tagged me - I need to tell you six weird things about myself. Well, this should be easy...

1) At work, my closest friends call me "Bette" - I will answer to Bette too!

2) Note that "Bette" is spelled with an "e" and not with a "y" - just another weird little thing.

3) I love to do laundry.

4) I hate to cook - my sister-in-law wanted to buy a sign for my stove that read "For display purposes only" - she didn't buy it because her mother thought it would be mean. My family and I thought it would be perfect for me!

5) I don't drink coffee, but I love coffee flavored things - coffee flavored candy, coffee flavored ice cream, etc.

6) I'm a neat freak - everything must be in its place.

So there you have it. Six weird things about me.

Over the weekend I completed the finishing on three exchange gifts; they are now in the hands of the US Postal Service. I'm trying to finish a Hardanger curtain panel now - will try to get a picture in the next day or two.

Oh, and by the way - I have an ornament finish to share too, the SAL was this weekend. I'll try to snap a photo tonight.

Have a good day!

Frustrated

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still around - just haven't had much time for blogging. I've done a little bit of stitching, but can't show pictures yet.

Have you seen the new designs from The Cat's Whiskers?

And what do you think about the LHN/CC/Kelmscott Designs collaboration to be released at Nashville?

Pay It Forward #1

I mailed out my first PIF gift this week and forgot to take a picture of it! Drop in at Katrina's blog to see it. As many of you know, I enjoy stitching Hardanger too, so I sent Katrina a small Hardanger doily, stitched in shades of pink (Needle Necessities overdyed pearl cotton) and used the leftover fabric and floss to make her a small scissors fob.

While you are there, take a look at her first finish for the year. She personalized the Bent Creek Spring Snapperland by adding a cute little old lady to the chicken coop block to remind her of her grandmother!

Quaker Exchange Received

I thought I was going to be better about blogging more regularly in the New Year; that hasn't exactly happened yet, has it?

Helen received the Quaker exchange that I sent to her. It's from the With My Needle "Quaker Schoolgirl Needle Necessities" booklet using Ackworth Quaker motifs. I used an antique white Belfast linen and Crescent Color's Blue Moon thread. Pretty cute, don't you think?

First Finish for 2007!

As promised, here's a picture of peaches. I had stitched all but the large cat and the border last fall, so this was quite easy to finish the other night. Not sure if I'll make this into a little pillow or a pinkeep - it's going into the finishing pile for now.

LHN/CC Peaches



I also worked on DT Game Board Sampler today. I hope to stitch two squares per week. Today I stitched the little robin and the house to the left. A group of us have a SAL going - let me know if you would like to join us!

The Drawn Thread - Game Board Sampler


Planning to work on my SBEBB house exhange piece tonight. Today I mailed the Winter Quaker exchange piece and my first Pay It Forward. Forgot to take a picture of the Pay It Forward piece!! Once it is received, perhaps the recipient will post a picture on her blog!

Off to stitch some more. Have a great evening!

A Few Final Pictures

I realized that I had a few more pictures of finishes in December that I had not shared with you (they were gifts). I was pretty busy stitching ornaments all month!

This ornament that I sent off to my cousin. It's the Sweden Heart Ornament from Victoria Sampler:



And, here's the LHN ornament from one of the recent JCS Ornament issues:



Last night I finished "Peaches" one of the LHN/CC collaborations. I had started it in October and then put it aside with all of the holiday stitching that needed to be done. Will try to post a picture tomorrow night. Thanks for stopping by.

Welcome 2007!

We're enjoying a quiet day at home today. The winter storm warning only amounted to about two inches of snow, much of which has melted today with the warmer than normal temperatures we're experiencing here in MN.

I promised to share some pictures with you - on Saturday, I received a package from Barbara. Barbara sent bookmarks for my local EGA's service project - Bookmarks for Literacy. The bookmarks will be given to adults who are learning to read. Our final turn-in is at the January meeting - I'll update you later this month on the total number of bookmarks we collected. As you can see in the picture, in addition to the four bookmarks stitched by Barbara, I managed to stitch two additional Hardanger bookmarks. Thank you Barbara for contributing to this worthy cause!



Barbara also had my name for the SBEBB Winter Quaker exchange. The only requirement was to keep with blue and white colors. Barbara stitched this lovely scissors fob - I love the reindeer design!!! Then she spoiled me with several other goodies. I'm particularly taken by the pattern for an ornament from The Needle's Content - I won't be waiting until next Christmas to stitch this one!





I've done quite a bit of stitching in the past few days - stitched and finished the Winter Quaker exchange for my exchange partner, also stitched and finished the first of my five Pay It Forward gifts. Looking forward to getting both of these mailed during the week.

This week a group of us is re-starting our Drawn Thread Game Board Sampler SAL. You may recall that several of us were working on this last year about this time. Things kind of fizzled out in June. Well, we're back at it again and even more determined to make good progress on this project. If you are interested in joining us, just send me an e-mail.

Best wishes to all of you in 2007! Happy Stitching!

Happy New Year!

Many of you have already rang in the New Year! Here in Minnesota we are still anxiously waiting. We're under a winter storm warning so it is a perfect evening to be at home. We usually watch movies or football and snack on tasty hors du oeuvres all night. I'll be stitching, so I'm happy!

Check back tomorrow for some pictures - I received some bookmarks and a lovely scissors fob from Barbara.

Wishing you all the best in 2007!

Pictures

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday week. I worked on Tuesday and part of Wednesday and now have been enjoying some time off on Thursday and today. Spent quite a lot of time organizing my stash yesterday and have been doing a little bit of stitching today.

I realized earlier today that I had a few more pictures to share with you. These are some projects that I was working on in December and they were gifts, so I couldn't post the photo right away.

First of all, I stitched this Indiana needleroll for a stitching friend that I've been corresponding with for three or four years now. It was her birthday in December (hi Jan!) This is an older chart from Eventide designs.



I also needed a stitched gift for our EGA chapter's holiday luncheon. For this event I stitched the Minnesota needleroll by the same designer. This chart is also from Eventide designs.



Finally, I want to show you a picture of the clock I gave to my sister-in-law for her birthday in November. You'll recognize the design - LHN Quilt Time Sampler.

Happy Holidays!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. It was a very busy weekend for me. My oldest, Patrick, turned 17 on Saturday (Dec 23) so we started the weekend off with a birthday celebration first! As some of you may know, I sing in the church choir. We had a three hour rehearsal on Saturday morning. Then between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I sang at three different services. I'm looking forward to the New Year holiday which will be much more restful!

Drawn Thread Game Board Sampler - A number of us have decided to re-start our SAL that we were so diligent about last year (until about June). If you would like to join in the fun, send me an e-mail. I'll be contacting those who I know are interested soon.

I'll return to more regular blogging more after the holidays!

Here's a picture of an ornament I finished right before Christmas for a special friend:

More updates...

Several packages arrived in the past few days!

First, an ornament from Janine as part of the Shepherd's Bush exchange. She also sent several skeins of lovely fibers and stitched a bag for everything too!



Second, an ornament from Kath as part of the SBEBB exchange. I love this design from JBW. Kath's finishing is superb. She sent several goodies including a Kiwi ornament!


Last, and certainly not least, the Winter Blast exchange from Myrna. The design she selected cracks me up. Pay close to the instructions on the front of the design!!!




And you might be wondering what I did last Saturday? Well, I met Monica Ferris - in the flesh! Cool hat, don't you think?

Update - Long Overdue

Here's an update on some of the recent exchanges I participated in:

This lovely snowman ornament came from Toni (not sure if Toni has a blog?). Anyway, I think that the carrot nose sticking out just above the scarf is so cute. She looks kind of cold to me...Brrrrr

Vonna notified me today that she received my snowman needleroll for the U.S. Exchange Board's Winter Blast Exchange. The design is from Heart in Hand and the chart is called Winter Fobs. Believe it or not, this was my first attempt at hemstitching!

Then I also received word that my exchange partner for the ornament exchange on the Shepherd's Bush board received her package from me. She is fond of Santas and that's why I stitched this Homespun Elegance design from a recent JCS Ornament issue.


Last but not least, I received this lovely ornament in the mail this week from Karen. Karen had an ornament giveaway drawing posted on her blog a few weeks ago and I was one of the lucky winners. I am thrilled to have this little stocking - Karen's finishing is perfect! The pattern is from Sigrid's Designs.

All of my exchange gifts for 2006 have been received; I look forward to participating in more exchanges in 2007. I'm also looking forward to starting my PIF stitching gifts. I have a few more Christmas gifts to finish yet and will share pictures over the next week. Hope you all have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Sorry!

I apologize for being mostly absent lately; 'tis the season I guess. I've been swamped at work and swamped at home. I'm working on finishing a couple of last minute gifts....there just aren't enough hours in the day! So, if you don't hear much from me between now and the end of the year - don't worry!

THANK YOU! Many thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes - the notes on my blog and the e-cards and the little gifties- you all made my day. Thank you all for your friendship!

Ornaments - yes, I do have a couple of pictures to share. First of all, Leslie received her ornament for the USEBB exchange. I had been wanting to stitch this one for a long time and thought that it would be perfect for Leslie. Don't you love the candy cane tail?

Chessie & Me - Candy-Cane Cat, 2004 JCS Ornament Issue


Second, Tessa received her ornament exchange on the SBEBB board. This is one of my favorite designs to stitch (some of you might recognize it as I had stitched a few of these last year.) Her favorite color is red and I thought this was well suited to her preference for more traditional type ornaments.

Nordic Needle - Simply Scandinavian Hardanger Ornament, 2003 JCS Ornament Issue


One more ornament is making its way across the Pacific...I'll post a picture when it arrives. This weekend I need to mail my package for the Winter Blast exchange and I have to complete the finishing on a gift for my EGA chapter's holiday luncheon. Then I will be caught up for awhile! Whew!

Enjoy what is left of the week. Thanks again!

You Make Me Feel So Special...

Thank you all for the nice birthday wishes. Tomorrow is the big day. I'm planning to work as usual, but one of my very best friends at work is taking me to a concert tomorrow evening - the St. Olaf Christmas Festival. This festival can often be seen on public television and is quite famous nationwide. It's very difficult to get tickets but I've got connections - my friend is a graduate of St. Olaf! It will be a grand evening and I am really looking forward to it!

Another surprise in the mail today - Carol sent me one of her special scissors fobs! It's a Brightneedle design and her stitching and finishing are both perfect! The little charm where the ribbon is attached says "Made for you!" She stitched our initials on the back. I'm honored to have received this from Carol. I enjoy visiting Carol's blog and am always amazed at the projects she's working on and how quickly she manages to complete them. Thanks Carol!



It's been a busy week thus far, but tonight I will finally have time to get a little bit of stitching in. I have a needleroll that I'm working on but can't show it to you yet - it's a gift for a special friend.

Hope you have a great evening!

Stitching Friends are Special

This past year has really been fabulous - I have enjoyed getting to know so many stitchers out there. Your friendship and your encouraging words are always so appreciated.

Another friend honored me with a gift today - look at the beautiful bag that Karen stitched for me! This is the front side; the backside includes Karen initials and "06" to mark the year. The bag is beautifully lined with coordinating fabric; in the bag were the lovely gifties you see pictured. I am touched by Karen's kindness - thank you!



I have another picture to share with you - I had received Myrna's name for the Pinkeep exchange on the US Exchange Board. She received the pinkeep yesterday. As I told Myrna, I was in the mood for something kind of whimsical, therefore the wild colors. I think it turned out pretty cool and I think Myrna likes it!



Hope you are all having a good week. Is it Friday yet?

Nordic Needle Retreat

Is anyone out there in blogging world planning to go to the Nordic Needle retreat? You can find out more information about the retreat by clicking here.

I went for the first time two years ago and had a blast. I'm planning to go again next April. It's a four-day retreat and they really do a nice job. Three classes are included in the cost materials for the classes are extra). I'm planning on taking the classes on tassel making, canvaswork, and intermediate hardanger. Last time, the participants came from all over - including Canada and Bermuda!

It sure would be fun to meet some other stitching bloggers there!

An Exchange, A Gift, and Other Updates

I'm sorry that I haven't been too regular about posting lately - it's just that time of year! We have several birthdays in our family at this time of year; there are the holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's; the kids are full swing into their sports now (hockey and basketball); and so there just aren't enough hours in the day with everything that is going on!

Thank you to those that signed up for my Pay It Forward challenge - I believe I have five now - Heather, Katrina, Mary Kathryn, Laurie, and Angela. Angela - please email me (tadten at msn dot com) your snail mail address! I'm anxious to get started on these after the holidays!

Yesterday, I received a lovely pinkeep in the mail from Marie as part of the USEBB Specific Finish exchange. We decided to do pinkeeps this time. Along with the pinkeep Marie sent some recipe cards, some floss bobbins and numbers, and a wonderfully scented candle. Thanks Marie!



When I arrived home last Wednesday, there was a package from Becky in with the mail - of course I immediately thought that Becky must have had my name for the pinkeep exchange. To my surprise, it wasn't an exchange at all, but rather a birthday gift from dear Becky! (Officially, my mid-life crisis starts next Thursday, Nov 30 when I turn 45!) Becky sent a beautiful needlecase and a Quaker sewing case. They are both stitched with the same autumn colors and are truly works of art. Thank you Becky!



I am blessed to have connected with Becky about a year ago - and I am also blessed to have so many other new friends as a result of blogging and the exchange boards. Thank you for being one of them. Have a great weekend!

Joining the Bandwagon

Well, I'm jumping on the Pay It Forward bandwagon. It's a cool idea; I don't know why it took me so long to decide to join in. Anyway, I signed up to receive a handcrafted item from Barbara, so now in return I will share my love of needlework with five of you. Here's how it works:

Pay It Forward

The first five people to respond to this post (via the comments section) will get some form of needlework made by me. After you comment, please email me your snail mail address (tadten at msn dot com). I'm going with a 365 day deadline, but will try to get the items out much sooner than that! There is a catch, of course, the way this works is that if you sign up, you have to blog this as well and continue sharing.

Anyone out there interested?

Thanksgiving Exchange Received

Myrna was the recipient of this Autumn themed pillow that I stitched for the Thanksgiving Exchange. I thought that the fabric really made the design pop!

Thanksgiving Exchange from Myrna

I received a package from Myrna on Friday; this was the Thanksgiving Exchange on the USEBB. I love the way she finished this piece. Here's a picture of the front; please go to Myrna's blog to see a picture of the back. The verse on the back reads "Thankful for Stitching Friends". Myrna has become a great friend, as have many of you this past year, and for that I am truly grateful. In true Myrna fashion there were lots of other goodies in the box which I will very much enjoy. Thanks Myrna!



Have a great Sunday!

Don't Worry - I'm Still Here

It may seem as though I've fallen off the face of the earth - not true...today I was busy recording a CD (not me alone, but with the two choirs that I sing with at church). We're using the CD to raise funds for a new organ. At any rate, there were rehearsals all week and today was an exhausting day. I'm going to try to read some blogs and hopefully will post a real stitching update for you tomorrow! If you are reading this, I hope you are getting lots of stitching done!

Autumn Quaker from Cari

I received the most delightful package from Cari today! I love receiving from Cari because she does the most beautiful stitching over one.

In her package is a beautiful scissors fob with a Quaker design stitched in WDW/Chrysanthemum on Antique Ivory Linen. Also enclosed is a matching Gingher Lanell scissors and some gorgeous fabric from Lakeside linens.

It's just beautiful Cari - I love it! Thank you!

Bookmarks for Literacy

My dear friend Lelia sent these bookmarks to me. They will be going to my local EGA chapter's outreach program - Bookmarks for Literacy. (More info on this program on my posts for Oct 15 & 17). Aren't they beautiful? The one in the middle is a Prairie Schooler design. I'm hoping Lelia will tell me how the outside two were constructed - I may try to make some of these myself for the program. Thank you Lelia!