Summer Postcard Blog Hop

Hi friends! My pain has barely gone down. :(  I went to the pain management PA on Tuesday. She really poked, prodded and pushed. This is why I am still suffering. Percocet is getting me through. Unfortunately stitching while on percocet guarantees stitchy mistakes. puh!

I have not one, but two lovely stitchy pictures to share with you on my Summer Postcard from Mouse!

I am not familiar with either of these designs.  So fantastic!

And here is the message on my postcard from Mouse:

dear stitchy friend ... 

the sun is out,

the sky is blue .... 

my needles in my hand, 

how about you ???

wish you were here joining me :)

 

love mouse x

I was sent this postcard because I took part in the Summer Postcard Blog Hop sponsored by Jo. You can join too if you like! Just have a look here. :) Thanks Mouse! Thanks Jo!

I wanted to share with you a surprise that arrived in the mail for me yesterday.

A lovely lavender pillow filled with lavender. Didn't Jacquie do a wonderful job?! It is backed with a wonderful purple fabric too. Thank you so much Jacquie! I certainly was taken by surprise. :)

That's it for me today friends. I am trying to get better. I hope you have an excellent weekend. :)

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Cutie

Hi friends! I am having a rough week, due to pain. I thought I would show you the little magnet I made up for my mom though.

My mom has a new kitten. They are not sure if it is a boy or girl yet. Pretty sure it's a girl. ;) So far the kitten is named "Cutie". We have been over to see it once. I realized after I gave this to her, that I did not make enough white under the chin. No matter. My mom loves it. That's the great thing about making up things for my mom. She loves it all! =)

Cutie is stitched one over one on a mystery sage green 27 count linen. I left the eyes unstitched so the green showed for the color. She has light green eyes, this color. She has the most wonderful white whiskers. :) I used a sweet gingham ribbon I had saved from June, to frame the magnet with. This is a freebie you can find right here. I changed a few things on my kitty.

I am beginning a new stitch. The garden needs weeding. I just can't do it now. I will be stitching today. And reading. Need to recover.

I hope you have an excellent day my friends. Some of you are not doing so well. I am praying for YOU. Actually I prayed for all of you my friends today.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

The Gorgeous Ort Box

Hi friends! Beautiful day here. We had a wonderful Fourth. :) I received the most fantastic gift in the mail all the way from New Zealand yesterday. Our friend Lee had giveaways celebrating her 5 years of blogging. She had chosen my name for week three. I leave her lots of comments, and she chose a frequent commenter that week. :)

I had always "planned" to make an ort box. Never got around to it. Now I do not ever have to. Look at this lovely ort box Lee made just for me. =)

 Lee tells me that "the little ladies round the sides have been adapted from a Victoria Sampler freebie design- 'Angela' angel ornament."

This one above may be my favorite. It is so hard to choose. Although she is in pink and has brown hair and all. ;)

Which one is your favorite? Aren't the ladies just superb? Are you seeing the teensy, tiny stitches? And their precious, little bullion stitched curls? FANTASTIC! Thank you so much Lee. I will definitely be using this collapsing, hexagon shaped ort box.

I am finishing the second 'American Strawberry'. Just a tiny bit left to stitch. I knew I would not get them made into strawberries before the Fourth. That is okay with me. I am glad to have two of them finally stitched up. I will make them up shortly. Hey, I am still hearing fireworks going off in the neighborhood, in the evenings when I am stitching on it! ;)

I made up a little gift for my mom I will share with you next time.

I am also still working on the french knot Henry a bit too. I am almost out of the main color of Anchor floss. It looks like I may have to get it online. The closest LNS I purchased my Anchor floss from closed last year. I called the next closest LNS to me, and they have closed. I called a small craft store in a town we used to live in, not all that far away, and yes, they too have gone out of business. Sad.

Well, I am off to pray and prepare for church this morning. Then we are all going to a family reunion and picnic at a park in West Allis where I grew up. =) The weather is great and I look forward to time with cousins I do not see often.

Have a great day in the Lord my friends. Thanks for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Taste Summer Winner

Hi friends! It just keeps on raining around here. And the temperatures rarely are hot. It will only get to about 74º today. Our parade and fireworks are tonight. Not expecting rain tonight!

I finished stitching the first American Strawberry by Prairie Schooler and began the next one.

I could be further, BUT the book I am reading is awesome. It is the second book Ted Dekker ever wrote. He has written close to 50 now. I have read most of them. I decided to go back and read the ones I missed. This was written in 2001. Our library system doesn't own it, but they tracked it down for me and borrowed it from a library in Illinois for me. :) The book is called Blessed Child.

Today is the day to draw a winner for the Shepherd's Bush pattern 'Taste Summer'. The random winner is Meari! Meari is going through very difficult times with her parents right now. I am praying for you and your family Meari.♥ When you have the chance, please email me your mail address.

I had a special request after my last post. I had shared with you all that I was the miniature bride for my Auntie Bernie and Uncle Gerry's wedding 40 years ago. Jo asked if I had a picture of it. Well sure I do! Here is one you weren't expecting.

I was 5 years old. I had just found the box the baker used to bring the wedding cake to the reception in. I noticed there was some frosting inside that box. ;)  The photographer spotted me.

Today I plan to read, stitch, watch the parade and fireworks. How about you? I hope your day is wonderful whatever you are up to my friends. :)

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Love One Another With A Pure Heart

Hi friends! A beautiful summer day here. It is sunny and very warm at 91º, but there is a nice wind too. We went to my Auntie Bernie and Uncle Gerry's 40th wedding anniversary party yesterday. I have not seen them in a few years. Auntie Bernie suffered a stroke 3 years ago now. She now is wheel chair bound, but still sharp and herself. Still, it is hard. I was their miniature bride 40 years ago. ;) I was 5! It was a very, very nice party. I made them a sampler commemorating their love. It is called Love One Another With A Pure Heart. I got it from my Leisure Arts book, Faithful Inspiration.

I made it smaller than the pattern calls for. I stitched mine on off-white 28ct evenweave, one over one. The date of their wedding was to be on the bottom also, but since Auntie Bernie's name is so long, I had to get creative and redesign and rearrange things.

I also did not add the beads called for in the border. I think it looks great as is. :)

I am currently stitching American Strawberries by Prairie Schooler. This is how far I am though.

Don't think I will have this one and two others I want to stitch up done by the Fourth! ;) This is a pattern I have been wanting to stitch though. I told myself to just do it! This pattern was a gift from sweet Maggee.

If you want a chance at 'Taste Summer' by Shepherd's Bush, take a look at my last post here, for the giveaway that ends on the 3rd.

Brian and Emerson are enjoying the World Cup. My kind of soccer is this:

tee hee! ;) This is one of my Alfred Mainzer poodle postcards from my collection. Love them.♥

I hope you are enjoying yourself in whatever you are up to these days. Take care my friends. Hugs to you!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Taste Summer

Hi friends! I finished up 'Taste Summer' by Shepherd's Bush last week. I waited to  post about it til this Blogger Bug was over and done with.

I bought this sweet kit at my LNS, when I still had a LNS over a year ago. The picture on the pattern front shows this finished in a white weathered box. I chose to simply make it a pincushion. So of course I had to make a few red, white and blue counting pins to put in it. :) I love the fabric I had on hand for the backing.

I stitched it with the given threads on the given 32ct Light Sand Linen, two over two. There are hardly any threads left, and I used the linen up, but I would like to offer this pattern to one of you. You can have the threads too. They won't get the whole pattern stitched, but at least you can use some, and use the others to match colors if you like.

 So if you are a follower of mine, and you would like this pattern, tell me so in a comment on this post. This will be open to anyone, anywhere, as the pattern is small enough to send in an envelope, thus keeping postal costs down. =) I will draw a name in one week, next Wednesday, July 2nd.

I am stitching up a gift for my Aunt and Uncle for their 40th Wedding Anniversary on Sunday. Almost done now. Then to frame it. It will get done.

Glad you stopped by today. Have a wonderful week my friends.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

A Few Things I Have Been Up To

Hi friends! I can finally share with you the gift that I made Jacquie for her birthday. I had to borrow the picture from Jacquie's blog, as I forgot to take one.

Yes, I gave her two teas that I like and I made her some counting pins. But this would be the first card that I have ever stitched. I received the kit to make this Margaret Sherry 'Birthday Bunny' card from our friend Lee last year. This is also the first Margaret Sherry design I have ever stitched up. SO adorable. Had a hard time letting go actually. Sweet, sweet, sweet.  I am happy to say that Jacquie was quite pleased with her surprise birthday gift. =)

I made up this little magnet very quickly. Miss Madeleine even helped in it's construction.

I used this cute, little pattern. I sometimes warm the oven up just the tiniest bit, and then place bread dough in there to rise. Well, the different medications I take for pain sometimes dull my memory. I have forgotten more than once to check inside the oven, before heating it up for dinner, and OOPS! So I got to thinking that this simple bread magnet placed over the display panel on the oven would remind me of my bread dough. ;)

I had spied over the last few months these adorable, teeny, tiny wooden spools on Carol's and June's blogs. I just knew I needed some. Got me some. ;) Guess I am kinda weird, because this is the first thing I made with one.

I used a scrap of 25ct white linen and DMC to make Mabel and Henry. =) What am I gonna do with this 1/2 inch creation? Who the heck knows?! But it's cute!!!

Be back soon with a Shepherd's Bush Patriotic finish and I will give away the pattern too. :)

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Dog Days of Summer