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!

Happy Halloween!

It's going to be a cold, blustery fall day here in MN - hope all the little trick-or-treaters are dressed warm.

Yesterday, I received this beautiful pillow from Juanita as part of the USEBB's Autumn themed exchange. I think it is gorgeous!



I also received word from Tobie that she received the Autumn House exchange project that I stitched for her. This is Harvest Blessing from Country Cottage Needlework (slightly modified - I left the gate off of the bottom because I ran out of room!) As I think you will be able to tell - it's finished into a bell-pull.



Happy Halloween!

Red Desert Scissors Pocket - Finished!

I was home last night, DD had a friend over, and DH and DS were off goose hunting, so I decided to tackle the finishing on the Red Desert Scissors Pocket from The Cat's Whiskers. I've been doing this as a SAL with Lelia, Myrna, Barbara, Melissa, and Terri. I always find that it is easier for me to do finishing on the weekend when I'm more relaxed and less stressed. Turned out pretty good don't you think? Of course, the Gingher Lanell scissors is a perfect match for this needlework small. I plan to also make a scissors fob like Lelia is doing.



Nancy also has received her USEBB Autumn exchange from me. I stitched this HIH design and its finished as a decoration that can be hung on a doorknob or dresser knob.



Vonna asked how I mount the stitched pieces to the top of a box - I basically follow the same steps as if I were finishing a pinkeep or padded board (but just the front side) and then I glue the back of the finished piece to the top of the box finishing it off with cording and sometimes a bow (to hide the ends of my cording). Make sense?

Autumn Quaker Exchange

Today, Laurie in Iowa received my Autumn Quaker Exchange for the USEBB. I stitched a Workbasket design, slightly modified it, and mounted it to the top of a box. I painted the outside of the box and lined the inside with coordinating fabric. Sent a few goodies along for Laurie to enjoy too. Unfortunately, I only took a picture of the outside of the box.



Tonight I'm working on trying to finish my USEBB House Exchange project - it needs to go out in the mail tomorrow!

More Exchange Gifts

This week I've had two great mail days....let's just say I signed up for a "few" exchanges this fall. Yes, it has kept me busy, but for every stitched exchange gift that goes out the door, another one comes in. It's really been a lot of fun connecting with other stitchers from all over the world!

I received my Needlework Smalls exchange for the SBEBB on Wednesday from Karoline. Karoline stitched this lovely needlebook using a Drawn Thread design. I absolutely love it! She also sent some fibers from South Africa and some needles. Unfortunately, the chocolate was enjoyed by my children before I could take these photos!





Yesterday, I received my Autumn House exchange for the USEBB, from none other than Becky! I love receiving stitched items from Becky - she is so talented and creative. She used a Prairie Schooler design to create this autumn themed needlebook. She also sent a stitched tape measure (my daughter thought it was awesome!) and many other goodies!





I'm behind on my blog reading, it's been a busy week. I appreciate your visits and your comments and hope to get caught up with my blog reading this weekend!

Padded Board Finish

My sister-in-law and I took another finishing class yesterday - the padded board finish. The steps are similar to Karen's instructions for finishing a pinkeep, although we glued everything! I thought our finishes turned out quite good - don't you?

My ornament finish (Threads Through Time - JCS 2004?)


My SIL's finish (Lizzie Kate)

Progress on Red Desert SAL

I wasn't able to work on the prescribed evening this week due to some work commitments, however I did stitch a little bit on Monday, and a little bit this evening (Friday). My stitching is now completed. Will tackle the finishing next week.

Others participating in this SAL are: Lelia, Myrna, Barbara, Melissa, and Terri.

Exchange Received

I had the most wonderful package waiting for me when I arrived home today! My pink Quaker exchange arrived and to my surprise it was from CathyMK! (You might recall that I had stitched a pink Quaker exchange for CathyMK!) Look how beautiful this pinkeep is (the picture really doesn't do it justice!) It's really lovely. Along with the pinkeep were some fancy napkins, a bookmark, a pen and some really special San Man threads. The threads are in memory of little girl named Kaitlyn who only lived to be about 10 months old - I remember reading about this little angel on Harsha's blog several months ago. CathyMK - thank you for such a great exchange!




Also in my mailbox today was this sweet scissors fob. Awhile back I had offered to pick up the new Gingher scissors for a stitcher on Legacy that didn't have a Joann store nearby. Shortly after posting on Legacy, I then received a request from another stitcher asking if I would also pick up a pair of scissors for her. As it turns out, she was housebound, recovering from broken ribs. So being the trusting person that I am, I picked both pairs up and mailed them off. The first stitcher promptly sent a check; the second stitcher sent me an email and asked me to be patient, she would reimburse me soon. As it turned out, she wanted to stitch this fob for me and today I received the fob along with her check. Certainly not necessary, totally unexpected, but what a nice surprise. Stitchers are a special bunch!

Pictures Galore

Remember all that stitching I was doing a few weeks ago and no pictures to share??? Well, I just received word that two of my exchange gifts were received. Quite a relief too, they had such a long way to travel!

First, here's the needlebook and fob that I stitched for the SBEBB Needlework Smalls exchange. I selected this design because having made one for myself earlier this year, I knew that I could finish it and would not run into any problems. Design is from Cindy Valentine and it's called Apricot Elegance. Katrina in New Zealand was the recipient of this exchange:





Second, and one of my personal favorites, is the Autumn Quaker exchange for the SBEBB. Our theme was pink to recognize breast cancer awareness. I stitched the pink quaker medallion and mounted it to the top of a box that I purchased at Michaels, painted the coordinating stripes and lined it with pink ribbon fabric. This was my first attempt at this type of finish and I'm really happy with how it turned out. BTW, the quaker design is from the Beatrix Potter Sampler. This one went to CathyMK in Australia!



Finally, thanks for all your nice comments about the bookmarks. I don't have the printed pattern, I'm just basing the design off of a bookmark I had purchased at a craft boutique last year.

Our EGA chapter is stitching these bookmarks for adults who are learning English. In many of the literacy programs, the children receive rewards for the progress they make, but the adults don't always receive things. These bookmarks are going to be given to them to encourage them to continue reading and learning English. Many of them are Somali and Hmong immigrants who are trying to adapt to a whole new way of life. I think the bookmarks will acknowledge their progress and help them to feel welcome! Our deadline for submission was extended until January...is anyone out there interested in stitching a bookmark and contributing? If you send me an email at tadten at msn dot com, I will send you my address and would be happy to collect and submit on your behalf! With the date extension I know that I will be able to stitch more.

Well, I've rambled on long enough today. Have a good one. Thanks for stopping by!

Bookmarks for Literacy

If you've been following my blog since it's inception, you will remember that in October and November each year I stitch bookmarks. Our local EGA Chapter, St. Paul Needleworkers, collects them and donates them to one of the adult literacy programs in our area. Our group meets tomorrow night. I have these three hardanger bookmarks to contribute. I hope to get a few more stitched before next month's meeting!



I usually limit my posts to just stitching updates, but today I want to show you a picture of my famous "green jello". I'm famous for always bringing it to family gatherings. My family likes to give me a hard time about it, but in reality they are glad when I bring the green jello - they know that it is the only thing I can make and not screw it up! (I'm not known for my culinary skills; better stick with stitching. LOL!)



(BTW - that's my grandmother's hand beater in the background - I don't use it; it just happens to be sitting on my cupboard!)

Green Jello

2 small boxes of Lime jello
1 cup boiling hot water

Dissolve jello in boling hot water, let it cool just a little bit.

Add
-one 8oz carton of Creamy Cool Whip
-one small can of crushed pineapple
-one small carton of cottage cheese
-one jar of maraschino cherries sliced in half

Mix together well. It sets up quickly and voila, we have jello!

Progress on Red Desert SAL

Sorry it took me so long to post - Thursday and Friday were busy days. Here's the progress I made on this SAL project on Weds night. It's a quick and easy stitch!



Check out my SAL-mates progress: Lelia, Myrna, Barbara, Melissa, Terri