Freebie Friday: Falling in Love with Fall

I'm not going to lie, I LOVE fall. Its been hard though, being stationed in Miami these last 2 years. I miss "fall" ... the color changes, cooler weather, random hot beverages ...

My favorite holiday is Christmas and hubby's is Halloween, so we go all out! I have really been in the mood lately- taking out decorations, working on Fall/Halloween projects ... all while the temp steadily rises. Yep, the highs are in the 90s this week and I am hoping for a random cool front.

With that said, this week's Friday Freebie was super fun ... and slightly scary!

designed by: Glory Bee
Pattern found at her blog: Glory Bee-Free Boo Chart

Stitched:
September 2011

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

Floss:
Pattern Reccommendations for DMC
with the exception of pumpkin changed to DMC 722.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Freebie Friday: Spring Revisited

As I get ready to face the challenge of seasonal decorating with the assistance of a toddler, I thought I'd pay homage to spring (and maybe summer for some) with this fun freebie. .

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.



designed by:LizzieKate
Pattern found at: LizzieKate's Cross Stitch Freebies
Stitched:
April 2011

Material:
(towel) Charles Craft cotton ShowCase Towels with a
rectangular 14-count Aida panel
(table runner) Charles Craft 14-count Aida Table Runner

Floss:
DMC, suggestioned colors


Until our next cup of tea ...

Freebie Friday: Flip Flops Rock!

Sorry I didn't get to post last Friday. My husband and I went to Disney WOrld to celebrate his 30th birthday and our lil Monkey stayed home with his Nana who came to visit. It was a great chance for us to finally have some "couples time". This week's project is one that I had so much fun doing. I absolutely loved this pattern when I first saw it!! Its actually a single pattern that I broke into to two pieces for a towel and a bookmarker. I repeated some of the colors that I liked and made it my own!

Original pattern ...

Here is my version ...

designed by:Janlynn
Pattern found at: Janlynn's Free Cross Stitch Patterns Page

Stitched:
May 2011
Material:
(towel) Charles Craft cotton ShowCase Towels with a
rectangular 14-count Aida panel
(bookmarker) Charles Craft lace bookmarker with 14-count Aida

Until our next cup of tea ...

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 ...

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 ...

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,

***Freebie Alert***:Halloween Tea

O.k. So I probably won't do this on a regular basis because I can't promise to always get something posted, but I am deep into holiday mode now that I am stitching Jamie's Christmas stocking.

I came across this Haunted Tea Party cross stitch pattern at Brooke Books Publishing and just HAD to share! I mean as a teacup collector all things "tea" intrique me, but this was just so darn cute!

I don't think I'll get it stitched in time for this year, but if you decide to stitch it, drop me a note and I'll post a link to your blog.

Happy Halloween fellow "witches with stitches",