Hunting time

Another deer season and the house is filled with hunters.  Four male hunters got 4 bucks this year.  Turned out to be a beautiful opening weekend for deer season and the lucky hunters saw plenty of deer this year.  Deer camp is annually held in our house even though I try with all my might to get the hunters to actually camp.  Like they would ever turn down a warm house, comfortable accommodations, and a hot meal for the cold outdoors. I don't get to be a "widow" during deer season because they never leave home.  But a girl can dream!

It is nice that my father-in-law, who is 76, can come to our house and hunt without having to brave the elements of deer camp.  That's one nice thing about hunting at home.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and happy crafting.

Stitched for the holidays

Like most crafters I am now in holiday mode and have been busy stitching things for the holidays.  I have a few items in my Etsy shop like holiday acorns and a Santa ornament.  I also just made these 2 pieces and they turned out really beautiful.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160504388074&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160504390754&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Hopefully I will be able to get more and more things made before Christmas.

Happy crafting and I hope the sales come for everyone.

Where does the time go?

I decided this morning to check out my blog only to realize that it's been 6 weeks since I've posted anything.  I can honestly say that I have been busy working on crafts but I've also been busy trying to find a job.  No luck with the job thing. : (

I decided recently to work on selling on Artfire as well as on Etsy.  Hope this helps me get some sales.  I was really hoping that fall and the upcoming Christmas season would bring many sales but I'm still waiting. 

Can you believe there are only 47 more days until Christmas?  Where does the time go?


You can check out my Artfire shop here.

http://www.artfire.com/users/StitchedbyPkay

My Esty shop is on this blog page.

Rainy Day

Another rainy day here in the Midwest.  What's a girl to do?  Craft something of course.  I did this beautiful set of acorns yesterday and they sold over night.  Guess I'll get busy making another set.  Hopefully today I won't draw blood.  Needle felting is an ancient craft in which you repeatedly stab wool roving over and over again with a very sharp barbed needle, up to 1,000 times, to mold the wool into shapes.  Unfortunately yesterday, while making acorns, I looked up at the television, while stabbing, and plunged the barbed needle right through my thumb.  Lesson learned.

If anyone wants a set of these colors, let me know through a comment or Etsy convo, I sell under the name stitchcrafts, and I can make you a set.  $20 plus shipping of $3.00.

Happy and safe crafting!

Fall is upon us

The calendar says that fall is upon us but the temperatures here in mid Missouri say differently.  It was a hot and muggy start to the week yesterday with temperatures topping 90 degrees.  In spite of the warm temperatures I am embracing the fall season.  I've been busy making needle felted acorns and pumpkins.  Today I finished 2 sets of needle felted acorn ornaments.  They turned out pretty cute.  Might have to hang a set of these on one of my 3 Christmas trees I put up each year.

 

Back to School & Branching Out

The kids are back to school and settled in so I've decided it's time for this old dog to learn a few new crafts.  I am hoping that branching out into a new craft will help my Etsy shop.  A couple of weeks ago I taught myself to needle felt.  I'm still working on it but so far I'm liking the results of what I've created.

The first picture has eight multi colored needle felted acorns.  The second picture has nine rust colored acorns and the third picture has two mini pumpkins with green stems that I needle felted.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy crafting!

First Full Week of School

Well, we moved our daughter into her dorm on Wednesday.  Was a scorching hot day to be trudging up and down 6 flights of stairs but she's settled in her room.  I couldn't stand it on Thursday, not hearing from her, so I broke down and texted her to see how things were going.  Thankfully she called me back and sounded good so that made me feel better.  I'm not sure who is suffering from the separation more, me or my husband.  He actually stopped by her dorm on Thursday to see her.  Big guy does have a marshmallow heart!

My son is settling into his second year of high school with his usual grumpiness.  He is not a big fan of school but I think he does enjoy the social aspects of it.  He'd never admit it though.

Now that my "babies" are back to school it's time for me to finish some of the pieces I've been stitching.  Hope to have a couple of new things listed this week.

Happy crafting everyone!

Busy Week

It's Back-To-School time.  That means for all of us mothers and/or teachers that we are winding up our summers.  I've spent the whole week running the kids for haircuts, clothes shopping, doctor visits, and early check in for college.  This is definitely the least favorite part of summer for my teenage son.  He's not a big fan of school!

Yesterday my daughter and I did her early check in at college.  Let me tell you that it was steaming hot on campus and we were both getting cranky way before we were done.  Now that we did that though she can just get her key on Wednesday and move right in to her room.  Yeah!

I'm beginning to feel the stress of her impending departure.  I think my husband is too!  We've both been moody over the past week and I'm pretty sure it's because our baby is flying the coop!  Hope things settle down for everyone when we get her moved in and have a few days to adjust.

Enjoy the time you have left this summer with your kids.  It goes by fast.!

Wonderful Weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  I did.  Celebrated my birthday on Saturday.  Which one, I think I will keep to myself.  On Sunday we had a family get together because my niece is home from Kansas with her 16 month old son.  It was the first time we had all been together since Christmas.

We had a great time watching my 2 great nephews (16 months and 13 months) playing with each other.  Did some swimming, visiting, and then ate the delicious North Carolina Pulled Pork my hubby smoked on Saturday.  Great time with the family. Can't wait until my other great nieces make their arrivals.  One any day now and another in November.

Busy Summertime!

Wow!  What a busy summer it has been.  My daughter is going off to college in a little under 3 weeks and who knew it would take so much stuff to move her into her dorm.  She is so excited about every little thing we buy for her college experience.  It's really cute and so much fun.

I have gotten some stitching done over the summer.  I added 2 new pieces to my Etsy shop.  I'm also working on another pattern I wish I could get done this weekend.  Stitching will have to wait a few days because we are having a party at my house for my niece who is coming home for a visit.  None of us have seen her since Christmas and now her baby is 15 months old and we can't wait to see them.

Before I sign off of here and get busy cleaning my house, I just wanted to show you a new photographer I found on Etsy.  Great stuff in the shop.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/perspectivephoto

Happy crafting everyone!

Finally got a piece finished!

I've been having a hard time finding time to stitch but I finally got a cross stitched piece finished.  It's an owl perched on a branch.  I finished it into an ornament with jute ties that I tied to an old tree branch.  I think it turned out really cute.

Our garden is finally producing more than weeds.  Picked our first yellow squash last week and picked our first zucchini on Saturday.  I'm making zucchini fritatas for dinner tonight along with some fried zucchini.  Can't wait until we get some tomatoes and eggplant.

Happy crafting!

Works in Progress

With summertime in full swing, I find myself jumping from one work in progress to another.  I guess because I have limited time to stitch with the kids being home and all the chores. 

This summer I am planning to teach myself a new craft called punch needle.  I'm excited to try something new.  I think I am also going to dust off my crochet things and take a stab at crocheting again.  This shop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/cmu55)    has the most beautiful hand knited hats and is inspiring me to give knitting and crocheting another try. 

Happy crafting everyone!

Feels like Summer!

It's been a while since I last updated my blog.  Mostly it's because with summer comes so many more chores for me.  Now that the kids are out of school, they demand more time from me all day instead of just before and after school.  Trying to squeeze in doctor appointments, dentist appointments, and shopping for college stuff.

A very wet start to spring has also kept me continually cutting our 6 acre yard.  I feel like I've got wheels on my butt from riding round and round the yard about every five days.  It takes me 6 hours to completely cut all the grass so I've spent alot of hours on the riding mower.  While riding around the yard cutting grass, I bag the clippings and then spend time mulching my garden in with the grass while pulling weeds.  Thank goodness we women are great at multi-tasking.

And of course there is the pool maintenace every day, hot tub care, animal care, and let's not forget my husband who requires as much care as my kids and pets combined.

No wonder I'm exhausted at the end of each day.  Finding it very hard to get any cross stitching done.  Maybe today since it's raining again!

Happy crafting!

Gradaution Party Was a Success!

Graduation came and went last week and my poor daughter had to walk her graduation with a temperature of 102.  She was dizzy, weak, and feeling horrible but after 13 years of school, she  didn't want to miss the big moment.

Saturday we had her graduation party and I'm happy to say that after recovering from the flu and a bladder and kidney infection she felt great.  Even the weather, which has been mostly wet over the last 2 weeks, cooperated.  Now it's time to enjoy her last summer at home with us before she heads off to college.

I'm thankful that the house and yard are all spic and span and I plan on cross stitching quite a bit over the next week.  All my creative juices had been pushed to the background so I could get ready for her party.  Now I'm ready to stitch.

Happy crafting everyone!

Sales on Etsy

This has been a really good week for me on Esty.  I've sold 3 items this week which is a huge improvement from the past weeks and months.  I'm so happy and greatful that my work is finally gaining some interest.  These sales sure bolstered what was turning out to be a really crappy week for me.  Monday night we attended a band banquet and got food poisoning, Wednesday morning I fell down a flight of steps, and then the rain has been a huge factor in setting back any plans for getting ready for my daughter's graduation.

The sales on Etsy have me doing a happy dance, at least mentally, since I'm so bruised from my tumble.

Happy crafting everyone!

Stormy weather

It's been storming here in mid-Missouri for the past 2 days.  They are forecasting 5 inches of rain for the area this week.  We needed some rain but not quite that much.  I went outside this morning in my pj's to start draining the pool cover of all the rain water, took one step onto the stairs leading off of the pool deck and promptly fell and slid down 4 steps on my left leg.  Now I'm bruised from my ankle to my hip.  Ouch!  Not to mention, even though no one saw me, a little bruising to my ego.  I'll be sporting some pretty bruises for my daughter's graduation.  Might have to wear pants.

Hope the weather is good wherever you all are.  If not, happy crafting on a rainy day!

Gooey Butter Cookies & Mother's Day

The weekend is over and I hope all of you had a Happy Mother's Day!  I did.  My daughter made me breakfast and gave me a new sautee pan and strawberry basket.  My husband gave me a movie and let me sleep in while he went off to work.  And my son let me give him a haircut and spent 2 hours weed eating the yard on Saturday.  All in all it was a very nice day.

My daughter and I made Gooey Butter Cookies on Sunday.  She has a band banquet tonight and the Senior class has to bring desserts in for everyone to eat.  Here's the recipe.

Gooey Butter Cookies (Everyone just loves them!)

1 stick of margarine
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 packaged yellow cake mix
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
powdered sugar for rolling cookies

Beat softened margarine, vanilla, egg, and cream cheese together until light and fluffy.  Mix in the dry cake mix.  Chill dough for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat cookie sheets with cooking spray or use parchment paper because these cookies will stick.

Drop dough by teaspoonfull in a bowl of powdered sugar and roll to coat.  Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until just starting to lightly brown.  Remove from pans right away or they will stick.

This makes about 40 yummy cookies.  I usually double the recipe since it is time consuming and they disappear so fast.


Happy crafting!

Wedding Season is upon us!

Since the wedding season is upon us I decided to stitch a pattern that features two wedding rings tied with a ribbon inside of a wreath.  There are 2 flowers also inside the wreath.  I stitched this same pattern for my niece and her husband when they got married and added a pretty frame to the present along with a check.  Makes a great gift.

Now I'm itching to stitch a Santa pattern.  It's a little early for Christmas stuff but I just bought it a few weeks ago and can't resist stitching one up.  Stitching will have to wait for a bit since I'm off to run errands.

I need to check out my garden today, too, and see if anything I planted last week is coming up.  Sure hope so.  I hate replanting things.

Have a great day!

Happy crafting!

Back to the old routine

Well my peace and quiet has come to an end.  Hubby came home on Tuesday night and kids are back in the house as of Monday.  I do have to say that I missed my husband by Monday night.  I just don't sleep well when he's not home in bed with me.  I guess since I've shared a bed with either my husband or a sibling all my life I just am not used to sleeping alone.

Along with everyone coming home came the mess.  I'm back into Mom, maid, cook mode.  That I didn't miss!  I love my family but you have to work a whole lot harder when they are home.  I have found time to stitch in short, little periods of time.  I'm almost done with a cross stitch wedding card piece. 

Check back in a day or so to see how it turns out.

Happy crafting!

Peace & Quiet

Wow!  What a long and peaceful weekend I had.  Hubby went fishing, my son went to his cousin's house, and my daughter worked and was out with her boyfriend so I had 2 full days all to myself.  I didn't have to cook a single meal and I loved it!  And cleaning house, who has to clean house when it's only you at home.  Apparently I am NOT the messy one around here.

I did find lots of time to cross stitch too.  Here's my newest item I finished and listed tonight.

Now that this one is done I think I'll log off of here and go pick out my next pattern.  I'll be able to stitch tomorrow too because hubby is still gone and kids will be at school all day.  Yeah!!  Loving the me time.  It's like Mother's Day came early for me.

Happy crafting!

TGIF - And my hubby is going fishing

Wow!  I'm exhausted.  My morning started off at 5 am with sending my hubby off to work.  I was in the garden by 6 am planting the 34 plants that he brought home.  Back in house in time to send kids off to school, back out to the garden, came in to get a drink only to discover my daughter's lunch still sitting on the kitchen counter.  I did a quick clean up and ran out the door to run errands and take her lunch to school.  Back home 2 hours later to finish planting the squash, zucchini, and cucumbers.  Hopped on mower to bag some grass clippings to mulch in the garden.  Then I headed into the house to do 2 loads of laundry, pack my hubby's bag, clean 2 bathrooms, sweep the floors, vacuum the rest, clean up the kitchen and then off to the bus.

Thank God hubby's off fishing for 4 days.  I'm taking a vacation too!  Planning on spending my time stitching to my heart's content.

Happy crafting everyone.

7 soccer games in 5 days and Prom, too!

My daughter has played 7 soccer games in 5 days and has the bruises to prove it.  She played in a soccer tournament on Friday and Saturday and then had to rush home to make it to her hair appointment.  I have to say that after slogging through the mud and rain for 2 days she cleaned up really well.  She was absolutely beautiful all dressed up for prom.  Her poor dad suddenly realized that his baby girl is now a young woman!

Prom is over and now we are awaiting graduation.  It's so hard to believe that she's already 18 and will be going to college.  Smart and beautiful, she got a full paid 4 year scholarship to college.  We couldn't be prouder.

New cards added to shop - What do you think?

I just listed 2 new cards in my Etsy shop this morning.  One is a Prairie Schooler pattern of a rose and rosebuds and the other says "Love Note" with music note hearts below the wording.

I'm already working on a new pattern and hope to get it done in the next few days. Is it too soon to start working on Christmas stuff?  I'm feeling the need to stitch up a Santa pattern. 

It's been raining here in the midwest for the last 4 days so I've had time to stitch lately while I watch the grass get taller and taller.  It is much needed rain though and I'm glad to see it.

Happy crafting everyone!

Things I've stitched in the last 6 months

Here's a link to my Flckr account where I have been posting pictures of what I've stitched.  I was really surprised today when I saw all the things I've stitched and finished.  It doesn't seem like I have a whole bunch of time to work on any project but I guess those brief moments add up.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stitchcrafts/

Happy Crafting!

Work in Progress

Deciding which pattern to stitch next is always the hardest decision for me.  I want to stitch them all.  I'm currently working on a rose pattern that I'm planning on turning into a card.

Part of deciding what to stitch is trying to figure out what buyers want.  I wish that were an easy question to answer.  Do buyers want flower cards, cute cards, event specific cards like for a wedding or birthday.
All my stitched pieces are put into a 5 X 7 tri fold card that also works as a mat so the card can be framed.  Instant keepsake or decoration.

Feel free to give me some feedback.  I'd love to hear from you all.

Happy crafting.

Super busy time of year for my senior daughter

Wow!  I don't know where my daughter gets her energy but she has been going and going like the Energizer bunny.  She had 5 soccer games last week, worked 3 shifts at her job, spent time with her boyfriend, all while trying to get everything ready for prom.  Thank goodness the college stuff is done for us.  She got a full paid 4 year scholarship to a private college because of her grades.  We are so proud of her and her accomplishments.

Wish I could put some of that drive into my son.  He's a very smart, easy going freshman who just skates by barely.  I'm sure he will accomplish a whole lot in life but he'll do it at his own pace.  My friends all tell me it's second child syndrome but I think it's genetics.  My father was called 3 day Bob because he was a slow, meticulous worker and my brother-in-law is blessed with that same turtle like pace so I guess my son comes by it naturally!

No matter at what pace my kids work, Energizer bunny or turtle, they are both great kids.

Stitching as fast as I can

I've been trying to stitch in all my spare time but cross stitching is not a fast craft.  I did manage to get 2 new items done Monday morning and listed in my shop.

I listed these 2 pinkeeps separately in my Etsy shop.  The long one is from a Prairie Schooler pattern.  I coffee stained it to make it look old.  The other one is from the same pattern but I modified it to make it a horizontal pinkeep.

Finished another piece but still struggling with Etsy shop.

With all the April showers here in mid-Missouri I took advantage of the drizzly weather and got another piece finished yesterday.  I also spent some time cross stitching on a primitive folk art pattern and hope to turn that into another completed piece in the next day or two.

This is a Prairie Schooler pattern that I made into an ornament.  It features a wren sitting on oak tree branches and a wren house.

I think it turned out pretty cute!

I've been trying to get more items in my Etsy shop because everyone in the forums seems to think that more items listed equals more sales.  Hope this is true.

Happy crafting!

Making time to stitch today!

Rainy weather here in the midwest is forcing me to sit and stitch.  I just finished a piece and listed it in my Etsy shop and am planning on finishing a second one to list later.  I'm loving these April showers.  It gives me an excuse to stitch to my hearts content.

I think this piece turned out really nice.  Might have to stitch one to go with my rooster collection.

Happy crafting!

Time to Stitch

I sure haven't had much time to stitch.  I haven't finished a few of my projects into completed items either.  With the beautiful spring weather calling me outside, I've been too busy working in all my flower beds to find the time to stitch.  Loving this weather though.  Sat through 2 of my daughter's soccer games and really enjoyed them.  In previous years we would be sitting in the rain, sleet, and snow watching the girls play.  So far so good this season.

Hope everyone had a great Easter.  We spent the day with my father-in-law who just migrated home from wintering in Texas.  Came home tan and relaxed.  Seems like a good way to spend your retirement years.

Happy crafting everyone!

Works in Progress

Here are a few of the pieces I've stitched up over the last week.  Now I'm trying to decide how to finish them.  I would love any input you would like to give.

I

  I was thinking maybe an ornament for this rooster piece.  It measures about 4 3/4 inches square.


 For the purple martin/birdhouse piece maybe a mini pillow for putting on a shelf or an ornament.

A Piece of the Past

I live in a small rural town in mid-Missouri and have lived here since I was 9.  I'm 46 now.  When we first moved to town 37 years ago the population was about 1,200.  We had 3 restaurants in town; 2 fast food (A & W and Dairy Queen) and 1 sit down restaurant.  As a teenager most of us in town worked at Dairy Queen.  My two sisters and I all worked there.  In fact my oldest sister and I worked there for about 10 years.  They paid really well, worked with our schedules and let us quit to try a career change, have babies, or whatever we were doing.  The owner always welcomed us back when we needed a job.

Yesterday they tore down Dairy Queen and now a piece of the past is gone for many of us.  I've been on Facebook with my friends and it's funny how everyone is reacting.  It was after all just a restaurant but to us it was a huge part of our lives.

Makes you remember the good old days.

How long do you stick it out before making a change?

How long do you stick it out with your existing Etsy shop before deciding it's time for a change?  I've had my shop open for almost 2 years and I do admit to having worked on it harder over the last 6 months than in previous months.  Still I haven't had any sales and I'm beginning to wonder when it's time to jump ship and change to something different.  But what?

It's time to do some research and think about expanding what is available for sale in my shop.  I love to cross stitch and finish my pictures into keepsakes and home decor items but maybe it's time to branch out.  Do I stick with what I like or try to figure out what will sell?  I'm more inclined to be true to my style and just branch out into non-cross stitched items also.  Hmmmmm!

Just some food for thought!

Happy crafting everyone!

Making your stitched piece look nicer

I just wanted to share a couple of tips that I use when cross stitching.  I always cut a length of floss to about 36 inches, separate out one strand and fold it in half.  Put the two loose ends through the eye of the needle and begin.  Come up through the back at your starting point, return through the front and as you pull your floss tight, slip the tip of the needle through the floss loop on the back.  This secures down your first stitch without having to stitch over loose ends.  You get a neater back on your stitched piece when you have fewer threads running under stitches.

The second thing I do is railroad my stitches.  When completing the individual X's,  I split the doubled floss with the tip of my needle on all my stitches as I go down through the fabric.  This makes each stitch lie flat against the fabric which covers the fabric better and you end up with a smoother looking piece.  This does take some practice and patience; and yes,  it is more time consuming than the regular jab method but I like the end result.

Happy crafting!

Housework or Stitching?

I'm so torn between doing my housework or stitching.  Cleaning house on a Sunday seems like a doomed effort with everyone home.  Seems like my family lives to undo my work as fast as I can get it done.  On the other hand, my cross stitch is calling out to me to come sit for a spell and stitch.

After thinking this through, I've decided to compromise and do the bare minumum of housework.  Clean the bathrooms, throw on some laundry, and vacuum up the visible dirt.  Then sit and stitch until dinner time.

Happy Crafting everyone!

Just Listed a Brand New Card

I've been busy stitching but took some time off today to complete some of my projects.  I just listed this beautiful flower card on Ebay.  I think it turned out really pretty.  Hope you think so. Check it out at the link below.

http://bit.ly/amfqX5

Now I think I'll get back to work on completing another project.

Happy Crafting everyone!

So much to learn!

I considered myself pretty computer savvy over the years but now I realize that there is so much still to learn.  Since opening my Etsy shop, Stitchcrafts, I've come to realize that in order for my beautiful handmade cross stitched items to be seen by the endless scores of people on the internet I've got to promote.  Wow!  I've got a whole lot to learn about promoting online. 

Forced by our poor economy and limited finances I'm having to learn how to promote my items without spending any money.  I now know how to tweet, am becoming better at using Facebook, and as you can see, I even have a blog.

Who knew it could be so much work.  Better go see what else I can learn to help my own cause.

Happy crafting! (and promoting)

Figuring out my Etsy shop

Here we are in the new year and I'm ready to work hard on my Etsy shop called Stitchcrafts. I opened my shop in 2008 but I admit that I didn't work at it. In 2009 I worked harder at my shop. I listed items, renewed items, took new photos, promoted it on facebook, twitter, and my blog which led to some sales but not as many as I had hoped.

But what to do? I've tried asking for advice in the forums but feel mostly ignored. I'm working on my photos but need some actual sunlight to get brighter pictures. It's hard to take a good photo when it looks like you live in a cave and it's snowing and 10 degrees outside. Now what to do?

Crafting is definitely the easy part of this endeavor! I have gotten about 14 items listed in my shop. Is that enough? We'll see. Back to stitching because if I ever figure it out, I'll hopefully need lots of items with which to stock my shop.

Happy crafting everyone!

Another snowy day in the midwest

Another day and more snow. Supposed to get 3 - 7 inches by Tuesday morning but if that is going to happen it better pick up the pace. We got a meager 1/2" overnight and they called off school. Now the sun is shining and it's not snowing. Kids are happy to have another day off. They had an early release on Friday because of the snow we got.

I did manage to get some cross stitching done in between
shoveling snow and unloading firewood.
These are 2 flowers I stitched.
I'm hoping if I stitch flowers it
will soon be spring.

Now I need to finish them into some kind of card or something.

Stay warm & dry and Happy Crafting!

Polar Bear Plunge

Yesterday my husband and I took my mom, sister and her hubby along with us to watch our daughter do her first polar bear plunge. The Polar Bear Plunge was done to raise money for the Special Olympics. My daughter raised $262 dollars.

It was 37 degrees outside by the time the people took the plunge. The water temperature was 36 degrees and as you can tell by the photos, we had snow on the ground. The looks on the faces of the hearty souls who were "freezin' for a reason" was priceless. They were all so shocked by how cold it really was in the water. It was so much fun to watch and I'm so glad we went.

My daughter and her friend both seemed to have fun because they were smiling from ear to ear when they came out of the water.

What a great thing to do for a good cause.

Now we are bracing for another snow storm tonight and all day tomorrow. Supposed to get 7 more inches of snow. Where's spring?

Snowing and Stitching

Another snowy day here in mid-Missouri. We're supposed to get 2 to 4 inches but after 7 hours of snow fall I think we have about an inch. Thankfully it's just warm enough that it melts as it falls and just can't seem to accumulate. I used to love the snow but now that I've got a teen driver, not so much.

Got up at 4 a.m. this morning with my hubby so I spent a few hours working on finishing a pattern I've been working on. I got 2 really pretty flowers stitched this week and will post pictures this weekend. I also spent a little time (okay, a lot of time) going through my patterns to pick out my next project.

Stay warm and dry!

Looking forward to a good year!

I'm looking forward to a good year with selling my cross stitch items. Cross stitching is a huge passion of mine and I love to turn the patterns into beautiful keepsakes. I'm hoping that this year I can get a following so I can share my creations with others.

My favorite patterns to stitch would be Prairie Schooler. I'm a country gal who loves her antiques, primitives, and country stuff. The Prairie Schooler patterns are just simple, rustic, beautiful patterns that turn into great home decorations.

I also love to stitch smaller patterns that I can place into cards that anyone can give as a gift. These can then be framed as a keepsake. I've given many of these away over the years to my family and friends.

Keep doing what you love to do!

Rabbit & Flower cross stitch card

I currently have this Rabbit and Flower card listed for sale on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160398815696&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Check out my other items too.

Thanks for looking.

New Year

I sure hope everyone is having a great start to their new year. Somehow I just completely forgot to blog for the whole first month of the new year. Wish I could say I've been too busy making and selling my craft items but that isn't the case. Just plain old forgot!

I have been busy stitching a few things but mostly been busy with the after Christmas cleaning that taking down the tree seems to spark in me. At least my house is cleaner.

Here are a few things that I did find the time to stitch. I think
these 2 turned out pretty cute.

Keep crafting!