Freebie Friday: Bird House

Here is another one from Penelopis. I absolutely love her work! I loved this birdhouse and thought it'd be great on a kitchen towel. When I was done, I decided to make a matching potholder - my first! It was not easy, but I like the way it turned out. I think I want to do an other towel with 3 birdhouses at different levels now, but it'll be later if I do.

designed by:Penelopis
Pattern found at: Penelopis' Cross Stitch Freebies

Stitched:
July 2011

Material:
(towel) Charles Craft cotton ShowCase Towels with a
rectangular 14-count Aida panel
(potholder) Charles Craft quilted 8” x 8” terry
potholder with 14-count Aida pocket

Floss:
DMC 535 (grey); DMC 648 (light grey); DMC 3716 (pink)

Until our next cup of tea ...

Freebie Friday: Luck of the Irish

Happy Freebie Friday! This was a fun one for me and it took me a while to realize I hadn't posted this one yet. I don't remember when I first found this designer but she has such adorable patterns. When I decided to stitch a towel for each holiday this year, St. Patrick' Day was a no-brainer, this was the first choice. It did take me a little bit to decide if I wanted to alter it, and in the end I decided to add the second clover because I absolutely love these Charles Craft waffle weave towels. So this is it ...

designed by: Cosmic Handmade
Pattern found at her blog: Cosmic Handmade-Free Charts 2008

Stitched:
March 2011

Material:
Charles Craft diamond terry weave towel with
a 16-count Aida border

Floss:
Pattern Reccommendations

Until our next cup of tea ...

Freebie Friday: Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon

I always say that there is no such thing as "too much pink", but I think there is one intance I'd love to see pink disappear and that is when we find a cure ... no prevention ... for breast cancer.

This week's Freebie Friday is a beautiful Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon provided by Artecy Cross Stitch.

This is a personal one for me because it is not just the pink that draws me to this ribbon, but the of the fight and determination that I saw in my grandmother and family when she waged war against it when I was in college. I watched as she quietly battled this war while our family rallied to offer love and support and in the end, she won - no, we won. I can't imagine what it would be like not to have her with us, to share with her the stories of our little boy and the promises we make to him to let him see "Ma & Pa's horses" next time we are home in Texas.

The great thing about this free ribbon is that designer Tereena Clarke has allowed stitchers to use her pattern to create pieces for donations for Breast Cancer Research. So stop by and peruse the great patterns at Artecy Cross Stitch.

designed by: Tereena Clarke, owner and designer, Artecy Cross Stitch
Pattern found at: Artecy's Cross Stitch Free Patterns

Stitched:
July 2011

Material:
Charles Craft cotton ShowCase Towels with a
rectangular 14-count Aida panel

Floss:
Pattern Reccomendations

P.S.: Check back soon, I have (with the permission of the designer) altered this pattern for something special!

Until our next cup of tea ...

Freebie Friday: Whimsical Cup

This whimsical cup was a free pattern I found on Michael's craft site in the projects. I stitched this tea towel as one of the first "house" projects after George and I were married.



(closer view)

designed by: Alice Okin for DMC
Pattern found at: Michael's Projects: Cross Stitch

Stitched:Sometime between 2005-2007

Material:
Charles Craft cotton ShowCase Towels with a
rectangular 14-count Aida panel

Floss:
Pattern Reccomendations

Until our next cup of tea ...

Freebie Friday: Fun with Fluer de Lis!

So this was a towel I stitched April and didn't get a chance to post. I really love Fluer de Lis- which is kind of a rule growing up in Louisiana, along with eat crawfish and go to LSU ... I'm not much of a Saints fan though ...

Anyway, my kitchen is grey, white and pink and I found this freebie when I stumbled across a blog called Penelopis' Cross Stitch Freebies! She has so many beautiful freebies - mostly monocromatic - that have that French feel (to me at least). There are crowns, vintage ladies, and birdcages, high heel shoes, etc. Very French chic!

Well this was one of two Fluer de Lis that I found and just had to start stitching right away. I like the pop of pink - which was a bit of a last minute decision. What do you think?

designed by:Penelopis
Pattern found at: Penelopis' Cross Stitch Freebies

Stitched:April 2011

Material:
Charles Craft Banded Huck Towels with 14-count
woven-in Aida band

Floss:DMC 535 (grey); DMC 3716 (pink)

Until our next cup of tea ...

Quilting for Sanity!

Now I know that it has been 2 months since I last posted and I must say I feel bad, but I have been keeping busy. I have gotten a variety of projects completed, my craft stash is in the process of being organized and I am currently looking for a part-time job while chasing a very active toddler!

Recently, my husband was deployed and I decided it was time to get some projects organized and on the road to completion. Here is one of my favorites:

I fell in love with this burgandy paisley fabric and a complementing striped one in JoAnn's a few years ago. Originally it was to be for the dining room but when we inherited my husband's family furniture the dining room was complete! So just before he left on this last deployment I decided to make a simple 9-inch square quilt ... and maybe pillow case with any extra fabric. After doing the math, I realized I could make a nearly 5-foot square quilt ... with blocks on both sides ... if I was efficient and ...well, I'm a military wife, I sleep efficiently!

So I went to JoAnn's to find some additiona fabric (conviently located across the street from my gym- talk about incentive). There I found 2 complementing fabrics, a brown and a green, that didn't compete with the busy paisley and striped ones.

I came home and cut down the fabric one night after the baby went to bed. The deployment (thankfully) was only a few weeks this time and there was a lot of unplanned things, like the baby getting sick, family coming to visit, mutant mosquitoes attacking the baby causing his face to swell ... well you get the idea. So I didn't get to start sewing on it until the week hubby returned. Luckily, the large blocks and easy "patterns" allowed me to finish it over 3 days- a total of 9 hours. Each side has the same blocks, but in a different pattern.

"Front"

"Back"

When I completed the front and back measured 54-inches ... and you know me, I need even numbers, so I decided to add 6-inches of border. True to my luck they only had the brown fabric left, the green was gone, so I decided to get a tan that I had originally looked at but felt that a brown and tan might make the quilt a little too "dark". My luck didn't return when I get to the register and realized I was one coupon short of the items I had. Not too bad since the price was good already, but I realized when I was working out before going to the store that so far all of the fabric had either been on sale, on clearance or purchased with a coupon. Darn! So close to a "half-price" quilt!

Well, I still have to add the border and find someone to quilt it for a price that won't leave me short on diapers or milk, but I'm kind of excited! I'll post photos when I get it completed ... hopefully soon.

(BTW, I'm well aware of the irony of making a quilt in the middle of summer ... in South Florida!)

Well, off to work on another quilt!

Hello Spring!

Wow! It's been a while since I posted, but I've been keeping busy ... not only with the baby and life as a military wife in general, but I've managed to get some projects done as well.

A few years ago I had found this Spring Flower pattern by Lizzie Kate. In anticipation of Easter, I had the time to alter it a little with some of my favorite Spring colors and created this table runner.




(corners)


(center)

I started it at the beginnig of April with the goal of getting it complete for Easter ... I finished it the Saturday before- talk about close!

After Easter, I decided I liked it so much I wanted to make a dish towel with the same pattern, though I altered it a bit.



Here is the sample photo posted with the pattern link at Lizzie Kate.



Well, now that the baby is asleep, I'm headed off to work on a quilt for the guest bedroom ...

Until our next cup of tea ...

Just the numbers, please!

Military life has a way of forcing you to look at life through a different pair of glasses. Time is measured in deployment cycles, friends are characterized by the military installation you met them, and a house is designed around what you were able to find when you moved. The important things are determined by what you take with you versus what you allow the movers to take ... in hopes that you'll see it again in less than 6 weeks!

Now this is what I've become accustomed to, but the other day I notice a similarity between military life and crafting. Now, I know you're probably thinking, "Where is she going with this?"

Well, as a military spouse, you often learn to cope with the stress, seperation and rollercoaster life ... for me, I participate in a variety of crafts ... cross stitching, quilting, scrapbooking and organizing.

Well, the other day, while hubby was finishing up a conference somewhere to the north of us (which being in S. Florida could be anywhere, I guess!), I went to Lowe's to finally get the pegs for the bookshelf that had gotten lost when we moved here 15 months ago. With a baby soon to arrive, it was not a priority at the time, and life since then has been a little hectic. So I finally got around to it because with hubby gone, I had planned to box up most of the books which were from when I was finishing my masters and the leftover "professional development books" he had from the Army but he isn't using at this assignment. My goal was to use it for books on the top and organizing crafts on the bottom.

So anyway, while I was there I was looking at paint samples which I use in the house book (another story) so that when we are buying furniture, moving, etc. I can make sure that everything is matching as close as possible. So the associate asked me if I was looking for a particular color.

"Oh, I'd been thinking about painting the kitchen," I said, though it wouldn't be until our next move.

"Well, what color are you looking for?," he asked.

"DMC 535, is what I want for the walls, but its accented with 3716," I replied, not even thinking about it.

After a moment of silence, I turned and looked at him and the confusion on his face was evident.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said with a laugh, "I've been handstitching some kitchen towels. Its a medium grey and a light pink."

"Oh, he said with a laugh, "well, those are over here."

I thanked him and grabbed a sample or two of the grey. "I guess you think I'm a little crazy," I said, as I turned to go get the furniture pegs.

"No really," he replied. "My wife picks colors by shoes designers. At least you're makes sense."

I walked away laugh and thought to myslef, I'm sure it all seems to make sense in our heads, its once you say it out loud that you start to wonder ...

Until our next cup of tea ...

While away, a crafter will play ...

So I know I've been away a while, but I've got a lot of things going on. Among other things, I've gotten a few projects completed.

One goal that I had this year was to stitch a kitchen towel for each holiday. They usually only take a few days to make so, here's a look at what's been keeping me sane ...

This was a quick Valentine's Day towel. I stitched much of it while I flew to Houston for a quick weekend trip.



This one was a favorite. It was actally a freebie pattern from Accent's Inc., called Jester Face. It didn't have a color legend, you were able to pick your own colors and make it unique.



This one was a fun one. It was another freebie from Penelopis' Cross Stitch Freebies. Its a wonderful site with BEAUTIFUL patterns, I think she's got some amazing stuff and can't wait to get more done.



I did it in the bright pink that I have splashed throughout the kitchen. Eventually, I'd love to do white on a soft grey for my office. I think it would e so pretty in white frames. If anyone has suggestions for where I'd find some fabric, please let me know.

Lastly, this one took a bit of time. First I had to convert the colors from specialty threads listed on the pattern, then I was stitching on it intermittently as I was stitching the others because its "fall-ish" and its hard to get in the mood of "darks" when Spring is just around the corner. Eventually, I'll do a few more in the freebie series and as soon as I find the website, I'll post it.



Well, I'm off to get more blogging done (on our family site so my parents can see pics of their No. 1 grandchild!)

Happy crafting,

Monkey Business ...

Wow! Its been a while since I've posted on here hasn't it!?!

Well a lot has been happening ... Our little guy has celebrated his first Christmas and first birthday. Unfortunately, I didn't get his Christmas stocking finished, but I'll post and update on that later. I did get to finish some other things for him.

First, this was part of his Christmas stocking ... its a towel and (will) have a matching bib. (I'm having trouble finding all white toddler bibs. They all have stars or some other design on them that I have found either girly or baby-ish!)



He absolutely loved it and dragged it around for a while. Thanks to Meari @ Meari's Musings for finding the monkey pattern for me! You don't know how much I love it! I'm trying to think of other projects to use it on!

For his first birthday this past week (2-9) I made both a towel and bib for him!









Well, I'm off to clean a little so I can do some more crafty stuff when lil Monkey takes his afternoon nap.