Calendar Poodle SAL

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Happy Valentine's Day!💗

Hi friends! Here is my Valentine finish I have to share. 💗Pledge of Affection🕊️ from Blackbird Designs.

This pattern was a gift from my best friend for Christmas. I left off the date and added a few motifs.

I stitched this on mystery 40ct linen over 2 with my own choice of colors and the called for 779.

💗🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️💗

I am still stitching Tetelestai by Quaint Rose Needlearts. It is taking a while since it is over one on 32ct. I really love it though. I am getting close to a finish.

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.  Psalm 16:5

Thank you for stopping by today. Have a wonderful LOVE-filled weekend. In case no one else tells you, you ARE loved!

Stitching and praying,

Vickie





Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Updates!

 Hi friends! I am still here! Just forgetful when it comes to posting on the blog.

This is a little birthday gift I made and gave to our friend Carol last month. 

I took this motif from Joy & Good Cheer by Brenda Gervais.❄️⛄⛄❄️Carol loves blue and snowmen. I stitched it with most of the called for DMC, two over two, on 35ct lambswool linen and finished in a two inch hoop.

💘February Cubby Shelf Display💘 Almost all of these are stitched over one.

💌💕February Corner Shelf💕💌

This is a heart I made many years ago. It shows our Mabel🐩 and Henry🐩 My friend Kirsten designed this pattern to look just like Mabel and Henry. 😍 This is very special to me.

This is the back of the red heart you see hanging above the little stuffed Henry. I made up several of these hearts and gave them to the senior friends that Henry and I visited in the local nursing home years ago. Henry is not able to visit people any more. He is too nervous now, and shakes terribly. That is okay. He made many, many people happy for years. They loved him. This heart was Jim's. When we went to visit Jim the last time, we found out he had passed. I asked if I could have his heart back. It was right there, hanging on his doorknob. That was the very, very hard part of visiting the old folks. The passing. You grow to love them and they love you. 😢

Even though you can see I have a VERY FULL Valentine's display, I have stitched another one. I can't help myself. I stitched Blackbird Design's Pledge of Affection. I just need to finish it into a pillow. That will wait a bit though. I am currently stitching Tetelestai by Quaint Rose Needlearts. I am not stitching it all in red though. I am stitching it over one on 32ct sand linen. 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God  Philippians 4:6

I gave Flossie a haircut ✂️ almost two weeks ago. Madeleine is in Hawaii, so it was just Flossie and me. Flossie has a "thing" about her front legs. So she tucked and hid them for quite a while, but I got them done in the end.🙃

You may have noticed over the almost two years that we have had Flossie her dramatic color change. For my non-poodle-owning friends, when a poodle puppy is a solid, many variables can affect what will become the adult coat. When a pup keeps the same color coat, this is known as "holding". However, many poodles 'clear'. To clear means when the coat fades or lightens to another color. A lightening of the coat does not necessarily occur evenly all over the coat, rather poodle color will often hold more on the dog's ears and the thicker guard hairs.

You can definitely see from Flossie's puppy picture the day she came home she was a red, little puppy! Her head is so pale now. Almost as apricot/blonde as Henry's! And her beautiful red ears are lightening. She has a different shade/tone than Henry. This is why I have not stitched her portrait yet. Her true colors have not yet developed!


A week ago I gave Little Henry his haircut.✂️🐩 I took this photo so you could see Flossie and Henry together for size reference. Flossie is a big girl. Henry is a frail, little, old man, at 15 years old and 5 pounds.

Madeleine is doing well in Hawaii. Her job is not hard and she is enjoying it. She has a lot of reading for school, as you would kind of think so for a Library Science Masters. She has three feral cats that hang out in her tiny, little yard. The island has a feral cat problem. I guess all of Hawaii's islands do. And there are feral roosters running around the island also. Not around her neighborhood, but she can hear them in the predawn hours. She had to get used to that! She has lizards in her backyard trees. 

I am so glad you stopped by today my friend. I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you for taking time to say hi. 

Stitching and praying,
Vickie
Henry only has one tooth, but he still will grab a bone sometimes and gum it for a while. 


Monday, December 23, 2024

Forest Bathing

Merry Christmas! 

🫎Forest Bathing🫎 by Pigeon Coop Designs. 

I LOVE this design and the entire Cross-Stitch In The Forest book! I stitched this as a Christmas present for my best friend Heather and her husband Kyle who just bought their gorgeous retirement home a few months ago. Their home is at the top of Wisconsin. They have bears, wolves, coyotes, bobcats, and moose in the area. There is an eagle nest on the property. There are many birds, with woodpeckers and ducks. I had a VERY hard time choosing which pattern I wanted to stitch for Christmas, but I finally chose this beauty.

I stitched it just as called for, on 14 ct Forest Green Aida with the called for DMC. This is an 8x10 frame from Hobby Lobby. I mounted it myself.

🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲

🎁This precious, peace angel (Birds of a Feather) came from  our friend Carol 

Thank you dear Carol for the gift of your stitching.🥰 I love this little angel so much. She is just beautiful and I cannot wait to make her into an ornament as I did with the other angel you gifted me last year (see the picture below). 🤩

🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

🎁This beautiful card, darling JBW pillow and Teresa Kogut fabric is from my good friend  Donna

Thank you so much Donna! 😘 That pillow is SO CUTE!!

💕🎄💕🎄💕🎄💕🎄💕🎄💕🎄💕

I am still stitching away on The Nutcracker Tree, however I made an error. ☹️ What I did was pick a VMSS floss from my stash that is over a decade old that is no longer being dyed and I WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH OF.  I am very bad at guesstimating. I always have been. I went with Madeleine to Michael's and she helped me pick a DMC that is the best/closest to my floss, VMSS Antique Pink #4. I will have to stitch the bottom half of the remaining motifs with the DMC. The first part of my X, like this: /  Then I will go over all of it with the VMSS floss to finish the X as usual like this, \. I think you understand. It will change the color a bit, but what can I do?

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  Luke 2:11-14

I hope you have a Blessed Christmas my friends! Thank you for stopping by during this busy time of year. God bless you. I have prayed for you today. 💕

Stitching and praying,

Vickie 





Friday, December 20, 2024

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! It is almost Christmas!

 Merry Christmas Friends! We had a snowstorm last night of at least 6 inches of snow, so a white Western Christmas here in Wisconsin.

❄️December Cubby Shelf Display❄️ Almost all of these are stitched over one.

💗✨Pink Winter Wonderland✨💗 I love pink for Christmas. 🤭Ha ha! Oops! I love pink every day! I have tagged my friends who gifted me these lovely pieces over the years.

🎄🦌🎄🦌🎄🦌🎄🦌🎄🦌🎄

🎄🛠️ Light Up Christmas🛠️🎄by Maria Diaz Designs. 

This pattern can be found in the November 1st 2023 issue of Crossstitcher Magazine. This is Emerson's Christmas ornament this year. 

Perfect for a carpenter, right?! I stitched it as called for, except instead of placing green seed beads, I confetti stitched in the same green color as the called for beads. It is stitched two over two on 32ct Water Lily linen. Emerson really likes it. 😊

🎄🔨🎄🔨🎄🔨🎄🔨🎄🔨🎄🔨

☦🦌❄️December Corner Shelf❄️🦌☦


Our cross stitch group had a Christmas lunch and and gift exchange. Lucky me! Look at this GORGEOUS hanging pocket my friend Barb created for me.

She customized it! It is totally PINK JUST FOR ME!!!! I could not love this more! Thank you Barb. I hung it on my Grandma's china cabinet. And thank you for the precious snowman you made with the nut mix.

My friend Beth loves sunflowers, so I stitched three gifts with sunflower themes for her for our annual Christmas gift exchange.

"Wild Sunflower" by Blackbird Designs was stitched on the called for R & R Creek Bed Brown, but I used 35ct to make it smaller. 

I used the called for DMC and made a lined stocking.

A Christmas Visit by Prairieschooler was stitched on 32ct natural light linen with the called for DMC.

Sunflower Sampler by  pinkernpunkinquilting.blogspot.com/  was stitched with the called for DMC and forgive me I stitched it so many months ago, I do not remember the count. 🤭

This precious sweater ornament was given to me by our friend Robin I love it so much! Thank you again Robin! 💗


"Au salon de coiffure" from the digital cross stitch book America! by Véronique Enginger. 

I stitched this two over two with the called for DMC on 32ct white evenweave. This is a Christmas present for my hair stylist Niccole. 🥰 I see her today and can't wait to gift this to her.

💇🪞💇🪞💇🪞💇🪞💇🪞💇🪞💇

This the gift give to me by Stasi. It is a nice piece to keep out longer than Christmas time. Thank you again Stasi!🐦

I am stitching on a pattern called The Nutcracker Tree. My goal is to get it finished by Orthodox Christmas, January 7th. I just may do it!

And Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior."  Luke 1:46-47

I will be back before Western Christmas with one more special post.  Take care and try not to frazzle out. I am trying hard!

Stitching and praying

Vickie



Flossie shamelessly begging from Brian at the table.


Tuesday, December 3, 2024

We're Back!

 Hi friends! We are back from our 🚂 trip to Cleveland, Ohio to spend some time with our son Jacob and our DIL Kristen. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade. It was built in 1890 and is so beautiful. 

If you care to see more antique pictures of this lovely landmark building, and learn a bit more, see HERE  

This is Jacob and I in The Crafty Ewe stitch shop in Broadview Heights, Ohio. 

He and Brian helped me pick out floss. 😊You can see the BBD pattern book I got and the flosses we chose. I was thrilled to find great linens, and everything was on the Black Friday Sale!

The picture of Jacob and I on the bench is of us at The Cleveland Museum of Art. A gorgeous museum which we did not finish. 

The last picture is all of us at their apartment on the last day. We had a wonderful visit with them. It was cold in Cleveland, but our hearts are still warm now.💗

I finished reading Watchdog by Laurien Berenson on the train ride there. I stitched L-O-V-E by Hands On Design on the train and in the hotel and it is done. I began the audiobook We Solve Murders by Richard Osman on the train and finished it on the train ride home. I recommend it!

I am now scrambling to finish stitched Christmas gifts. 

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  John 6:35

Thanks for stopping by today my friends! Have a wonderful week ahead. Stay warm!

Finishing and praying,
Vickie


Little Henry turned 15 on the 2nd!