My gift from Laurie

I could hardly believe it when I opened my BASG gift from Laurie!
I think it is the most beautiful thing!!!!!
And knowing that it was from Laurie, a dear friend of mine made it even better. I could not help but get tears in my eyes, I was so touched and love it so much.

She did the tiniest work. Gorgeous work. I just love birds, I'm sure you've all figured that out by looking at the things I've done.
And flowers! OMG! Yes, flowers, flowers, flowers.

A favorite book of mine is The Secret Garden. I read it as a child and loved it.
My grandparents had the most beautiful gardens and as a child, I learned all the different kinds of flowers.

I love what Laurie created and I love Laurie!!!!!

BASG Gift Exchange

I belong to the Bay Area Sampler Guild (California) and each year in January, we draw a name.
We then have all year to figure out what we would like to stitch for that person's Christmas gift, which gets given at the holiday party in November.

Lucky me got Ria, a wonderful friend of mine.

She put on her little hint paper that she likes purple and gold.
Well, I knew she liked knots. And she had taken a trip to Scotland in the spring. And she carries her stitching in these mesh project bags.

I love to make things that have a PURPOSE.(haha I'm thinking of Steve Martin in The Jerk)

So I found the purple mesh bags. Took it apart at the side seams. Stitched the design on linen band. (I first tried to stitch on the mesh. Oh forget that! The gloss the mesh had made it SO DIFFICULT to see, even under the magnifier, so banding won out.) 
Once stitched, I  put it all back together.

I think she really liked it.    :)

Here I am!

Oh I have lots of pictures to share with you! 
Soon though. Right now I'm working on something I found in my mom's things. This is a Blackberry Lane needle book she had started. I finished his back and have been working on the front now.

If you look closely at him, I added some sparkly royal blue filament.
And if you know me, you know I always have to have a bit of sparkles!!!!

Goatie

Tip: if your backyard gets too overgrown... get a goat!
Its easier on your husband than making him cut it down, grind it up and haul it out!
And then... there's the extra bit of FERTILIZER!
Win win!!

Happy Holiday Weekend

I've got an update for you!
See, I really *have* been doing a bit of stitching. With kitten in lap, as you can see from below. She's learning properly to lay in the lap and not bother my thread.  (I only had to extract her hanging body and needle-like claws once from my picture). haha

It was my birthday on the fourth. This was really a nice birthday. I must say it was the most nicest one I've maybe ever had. The cards I received were so touching.  And lots of nice messages on my facebook page (which I never go to, but think now I must just to say thank you to everyone). I guess I must have been nice this year! lol

Next week makes the one year makes that my mom died. sigh
I miss her but I'm doing ok. I'm just sure she visits me all the time.  :)

She's growing!

I love this little baby sooooooo much! I've never had SUCH a sweet little kitten. And she even sits in my lap while I stitch, like a good girl! Though... she did pounce on Eleanor and I did have a stitch or two I needed to fix as she hung there on it. lol

OOPSIE!!!!!

HA! Do you ever stitch something the WRONG COLOR on an accident? Mannn, I sure did. LOL Nearly the whole thing. And because its one thread over one on 32 count, the X's are soooooooo tiny that I can't even remove them with my needle. (that would be 1024 X's per square inch, just to get an idea of how many X's I removed...lol)Do you know it took me nearly SEVEN HOURS to remove them?! Wow. I had to use my verrrrrry sharp tipped tweezers. Those awesome ones that aren't even made anymore. Why do they quit making awesome things? What WERE they thinking?! Pfffffft what was *I* thinking stitching all that house with the wrong thread color... I briefly thought about making it a purple house instead of the intended beige house, but nooooooo, it MUST be right!