Ornaments and Blogging Blahs

I love being part of the blogosphere, but some things have changed lately that encourage me to avoid blogging. 1. I can't figure out how to blog straight from Picassa anymore. (Louisiana Man fixed that) 2. Whenever I upload pictures, suddenly they are all on top of each other, and I have to go in a separate each one. (got fixed somehow) 3. The right-hand sidebar is way, way down at the bottom of the blog. I looked it up on help, and it instructed me to look at link by link to see what the problem could be. Gee, thanks. (Now that is suddenly fixed too!! What is going on? This morning I had to scroll all the way down...Oh, for crying out loud!) (Now it is gone again! AAARRRGGGHHHH!)

Anyway, I have been stitching like..like...like a what? A house a-fire? A banshee? Do banshees stitch?
Next week homeschool starts back hard and heavy, so this week I am indulging in all my fantasy stitching!
The first picture is an WIP ornament from the November/December 1991 Just Cross Stitch. JCS has been publishing ornament for a long time - I have '85, '87 and '88! I love looking back through the older issues (older? I graduated high school in '91!!!) and seeing how the designers have honed their styles over the years; I also lament designers no longer designing. This issue seems to have left off the designers' names. It is fun to try and guess the designers, but they are only guesses. I wonder if the above is a Sheepish Designs, or Nostalgic Needle, or ... Any guesses?

The design below is definitely Sheepish Designs from the 1999 JCS ornament issue. It was designed for a dark blue (gunmetal?) linen, but I used what I had on hand (wood violet) and adjusted the colors a bit.

Who can resist Prairie Schooler? Such classic designs that never looked dated! This is 'Cranberry Christmas' from the 2007 JCS ornament issue. I think I might try to back this one with felt.
This is a Brittercup design from the JCS ornament issue 2006. I stitched this for our puppy dog Hektor, and plan on backstitching his name on the stocking.
This design is so obviously Homespun Elegance! I found this leaflet on e$ay a year or so ago. It is 'Colonial Celebration I' from 1990. There are 10 designs, and I would like to stitch several of them. This design is called 'Williamsburg Couple.' Louisiana Man and I went to Savannah on our honeymoon and again this year for our 15th anniversary. I thought this would be a good commemorative ornament for those trips. I need a wider ribbon for the edging - the turquoise floss I used for stitching it together shows! (I didn't want to waste a color I use frequently just for binding!)
I have always loved this series by Shepherd's Bush! This is the ornament for the JCS ornament issue 2006. I am just using overdyed threads I have on hand. I keep thinking it looks very Americana!

I am going to hop on the treadmill and read a bit more of 'Ross Poldark.' I started watching the mini-series on Ne$flix. It is very dated (an odd complaint about a period piece!), but still enjoyable. I like the book even better, and there are seven more in the series! It has to be a fantastic read to keep me on the treadmill - if only I could stitch and walk!! :)

Getting Ready...

Notice how I put the Halloween-y cross stitch BEFORE the Christmas one? Attention, business I saw on Green Street! Take down your Christmas wreath! It just looks plain silly in October!!! But this Raven design by Plum Street Samplers might stay up year 'round!

I just put the last stitches in Shepherd's Bush's "Far Away," that was published in the JCS December 2001. I might do a BBD Halloween next- if I can stay awake! Last night, Nutmeg had a friend spend the night - I can't imagine how little sleep they got! The little sisters did not get a slumber party, but they got bowling and vampire teeth and seemed pretty happy with the deal!

Rainy, Chilly Day

I finally finished the "Scottish Companion Sampler" published in The Gift of Stitching (digital) magazine. I changed the green and the brown. I just could not resist doing this when I saw the boating scene at the bottom!

I started and finished this a couple of days ago. I don't know why really, probably because it was designed by Darlene O'Steen. It was in an older JCS ornament issue. I kind of like it and kind of don't. And now I see I haven't quite crossed all the stitches.

WoooHooo! Look at my amazing progress on "Far, Far Away" by Shepherd's Bush! I started it last night, but really I feel to yucky with allergies to stitch. I also want to stitch the next band to hide my threads under, but did not have that color.

Last, but never least, is Merlin. Can you guess what that is hanging out of his mouth? Look at the bottom of my last post for a hint! ;)

Always time to stitch!!

This has been a crazy weekend already! Today, we celebrated Buttercup's 5th birthday with a pool party. I am completely exhausted! I did manage to work on and finish a few things in the past few days. The first is an old freebie from Sheepish Designs named "Here, Kitty Kitty." I added some different stitches and took out some windows. The next design I freehanded inspired by Mary Jenkins book, "House and Garden Samplers." There are not any actual charts in the book except for a few house outlines, but the photos are inspiring.

And this Shepherd's Bush design is waiting for buttons. I may try to stitch a bit on Adam Alone today, so I can move on to the next item in my rotation. Not that the rotation stops me from working on and starting other designs that catch my fancy! I am so tired - will I be able to watch BritComs tonight?

Sheepish Progress

Good Morning! This is my progress on Sheephish Design's 'Against Every Sin.' It is a pleasure to stitch! The colors are beautiful, and I love stitching with one thread. The next picture is 'Baby Bug Ball' by Shepherd's Bush. I had it ironed and ready to go to the framers when I noticed I was missing a rose button. I never manage to take my things to the framers so this was quite a blow. I was actually in the car with it when I noticed it. This one will go in my younger daughter's room where there are lilac walls.

Michele