More than just Cross Stitchin'

Saturday, April 17, 2010

One of Three

Here is one of the three cross stitch pictures that Tracey made for Jody when each of her boys were born.

This one was completed when Owen was born.

Now lets get a little more up close and personal.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Beary Cute

Cross stitch was held at Jody's house this week. When you enter Jody's home, it's like entering a rustic gift shop. It's always filled with the neatest bric-a-brac.

Upon entering, you are greeted by the many items that Jody has displayed in a simple - yet eye catching way.

This display is Beary Cute - A rustic ladder draped with a handmade quilt and intertwined with grapevine. And to top it off, what is more fitting than a cuddly bear to welcome you. Jody loves rustic. Jody loves bears. Jody loves gingerbread men. Stay tuned for future postings of her gingerbread collection that sits on her kitchen counter. Adorable.

Here is a snipet of the gingerbread man quilt that Jody's sister made for her. It's displayed upon entering the kitchen. How appropriate. I'm guessing with the stitches holding him in place, that gingerbread man won't be running away as fast as he can.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Peek-a-Boo

I got the hint Tracey :-) -- and I finally got my computer back .... here is the Easter picture that Tracey spoke of that she stitched for me while I was stitching her bunny in the basket.

It was really hard to take the picture because I have it framed with glass and no matter what angle I tried to take it - I got a glare. But I think I finally got it well enough for you to have a look. It was stitched on Navy aida cloth and it matches my kitchen so that's why I have it under glass.

I have a thing for faces. I loved stitched pictures with faces. I don't know why, I just do. So I fell in love with this picture the instant I saw it. It reminds me of something I would see on a vintage postcard (which I also love ! )

The Easter eggs are coloured, the sun is shining and it is a gorgeous day, so I am off to play in the sunshine now.

Happy, or should I say HOPPY Easter!

Bonnie

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Busy, Busy, Busy...

As a bunny... or is it busy as a beaver??

Any hoooo, I want to apologize to all our readers for the lack of posts lately. Bonnie's computer had been sick at the doctor's. Thankfully she now has back at home with her as good as new. Maybe she will get a chance to post a pic of her Easter cross stitch that I stitched for her ?? (hint, hint...)

Hubby and I have been hard at it, trying to get the last part of our reno done (painting, cleaning and such) so we can move back in and give my Mom's house back to her.

Needless to say, the stitching has taken a back seat, but I'm sure once the renovations are complete I will be able to relax in our new "sitting room" and stitch till my heart's content. Oh wait... by that time things will be popping up in the gardens and it will be time to be digging in the dirt and working outside. Oh well, it was a nice thought while it lasted!

Here's a taste of what we have been working on the past 3 months:

"BEFORE"

On our way to:

"AFTER"

I will post more pics later when we get to the finished product!

I hope the Easter Bunny will be able find his way to us this weekend, since I'm not sure at what house we will be sleeping when he visits! :^)

Happy Easter everyone!!

Tracey

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Hippity, Hoppity...

... Easter's on it's way!

This pretty piece was stitched in 2002, when we decided to have an exchange and stitch something for one of the other members in our group. (I was stitching something for Bonnie, and she for me.)

I chose this pattern which was a leaflet from Leisure Arts, which I think was adapted from an antique postcard. We had a year to work on the piece, and we exchanged our finished pics in March 2003. I just loved it! (I'm not sure if Bonnie felt the same way while stitching it though... the basket nearly drove her crazy!!) Oh, and this wasn't the first time Bonnie was a "basketcase" while stitching... we had an exchange similar to this one years before that, and wouldn't you know... the picture I picked for her to stitch for me that time also had a basket in it!! If we ever decide to do an exchange like this again, I'm sure Bonnie will throw my name back in the hat if she's the one to draw it out! :^)

Seriously though, I treasure it Bonnie, and I proudly display it in a place I can look at it each and every day at Eastertime each year.

Tracey

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Spring has Sprung !

Spring is upon us and Easter will be here before you know it. I put up a few decorations on the weekend and I can't wait to get outside and into the gardens.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Looking For Spring

Now that we've had a few milder, sunny days I think I am getting in the mood for spring.

Bought some tulips... got out the sunglasses... thinking about putting the winter boots away (now that might be jumping the gun just a bit.)

I wanted to share the latest piece I got back from the framers. (Thanks Neale from the Thread & Eye. I love it!)

"The Seasons" by Bent Creek

This was a really fun stitch, and the best part is you can leave it up year round.
Can't wait to officially move into the season that is stitched second from the left :^)

Here's to even more sunny days ahead!!

Tracey

Charlie Brown

Growing up, I had a pet monkey named Charlie Brown. Actually, he belonged to my sister and he came to live with us in 1966. You were actually allowed to have monkeys as pets then and if you can beleive it, he was ordered from an ad in the back of a magazine. Charlie Brown was a squirrel monkey (just like the ones in the Telus commericials).

Everyone in school loved when it was my turn for 'show and tell'. You will see in some of the photos (if the slide show downloads for me...) that he used to wear diapers. Eventually, he learned how to take them off. We had a rope strung across the kitchen from end to the other. We kept a piece of papertowel on the floor at the end of one rope and that's where he did his business. His rope provided many hours of entertainment. At bedtime, if mom and dad were not home when it was bedtime, he would sit on his roap and cry out until they returned.

If I was crying, Dad would put him up to my face to lick away my tears. He would dangle from my hair and lick from one eye to the next. It alwyays made me stop crying. He would play outside and every once in awhile he would swing from tree to tree and end up down the street at the neighbours.

Often you would find the monkey lying in the cast iron pan on the stove. The pilot light from the gas stove provided him a warm and comfy spot. He would also sit on top of the lamp shade for warmth, and if you ever heard a 'pop' - you knew he peed on the lightbulb. It happens...

Charlie Brown used to sit on the wall phone.... until it rang. That was always funny. He brought many years of amusement to us all and I miss him and his antics.

Bonnie

Warm hearts ... and warm toes!

Well since we are talking winter, let's talk about warm hearts ... and warm toes.

A few years ago at Christmas we had a gift exchange. Ironically, both Anita and myself had the exact same idea for a present. We always open our gift bags at the same time, and it was really hard for me to keep a straight face when I saw that Anita had had the same gift idea as me and while she explained that she thought slippers would be a good idea, that way we could carry them in our bag with us at all times. Anita had knit slipppers for everyone and made a little draw-string pouch, with our names embroidered on it, to keep the socks in.

Then they all opened my gift bag and we burst out laughing. I knew how much everyone loved snowmen, so I had stitched faces on white slippers and added a carrot button for the nose. Well we weren't finished with the laughter because I thought we should get a picture with our slippers on. So then we were all sitting on the floor trying to get different positions in order to get everyone in the picture at the same time. We tried sitting up against the wall and taking the picture of our toes all pointing up to the ceiling and then I said, nooooo - that will show the snowman's face upside down. Someone said... (and I won't say who...) "Good point, let's think of something else. What if we lay on our back with our feet in the air - you know... like if our feet were ON the ceiling"

Well then the faces would still be upside down wouldn't they. Spontanious Laughter.

We had to think of something else. It was decided that we would just stand toe to toe in a huddle and we would take the picture from above in order to get everyone in the picture. Sounded like a good plan right?

Well... not if you have a protruding belly and/or big boobs. After the inital light-headedness subsided from sucking in our bellies, we had to deal with the shadow from the boobs.

So we stood in our huddle, adjusting, wiggling and laughing with our arms around each other while we tried not to tip over. It was about that moment when Anita's daughter walked in on us, which of course added to the laughter when we saw the look on her face.

Finally the photo was taken and our toes are doubly warm.

Bonnie

It all started with a tea towel...

Quite some time ago when I was perusing the Dollarama, I came across the cutest autumn tea towel with a teddy bear dressed up like a scarecrow. It immediately reminded me of Jody and I thought 'I'm going to get that for her', and then I thought... why not get one for everybody? And so I did and it was a hit.

From that point on, it's no surprise to any of us if there just happens to be an occasional 'mini gift' exchange on Cross Stitch night. Once when Jody hosted in February, she gave us all a tiny picture frame with a 1" x 1" opening. I had no idea what to do with mine, but Tracey knew immediately. Because it was Valentines day, Tracey stitched a heart.

Mine sat for a good number of months before I could figure out what I could stitch in such a tiny area and not copy Tracey's idea. And then one day it hit me; Jody loves snowmen. I would do a snowman in the frame that Jody gave me. But.... do they make snowman patterns for less than 1" x 1"? I couldn't be bothered looking, so I winged it. And voila! A happy smiley snowman face. I think it took longer to write this posting than it did to stitch that happy face.

We'll have to get a picture of Tracey's heart posted after her renovations are complete as I expect it's packed away for now.

p.s. I wasn't allowed to Blog today unless I cleaned my house. It's half cleaned; consider this half a blog.
Bonnie