Hearts, Hands and House!

Greetings...Hidey Ho my dear blogging readers and friends! I was shocked this morning, when I looked at the calendar in my office, it is the 18th of August!!! My oh my where have the last few weeks gone??? Anyway, I wanted to post before now, but alas, better now then later, right?

Weather...Mother Nature has given us a small break in the extreme humidity...dew points have been down in the 60's rather then the 70's, which makes the low 90's at least more bearable. But now we need rain, not exactly in the drought zone yet, but it won't be long until we will. Grass is burning, ugh...hoping for some rain by week's end. My tomatoes are doing wonderfully, won't be long until I have a large enough crop to do some canning. Also the flowers are finally looking good, I had a time with the ones in the front flower beds, but they are thriving now. I want to wait a few more weeks, since the heat is so extreme to get some mums and plant them.I am so looking forward to Autumn!

Stitching...I have been stitching, well trying to everyday as usual and I do have a few stitchey pics to share with you! This is an unfinished exchange I did for a friend (Robin no blog). It is a complimentary design by Hands to Work and is titled Heart and Hand. I left off the bottom rows of alphabet.

All pictures are clickable to enlarge!

Hands to Work Heart and Hand
40 ct Lakeside Vintage Light Examplar
Belle Soie Mer Bleu with Poison Apple (for heart) Silks


Also some small progress on Sunflower House...

Blackbird Designs Sunflower House Loose Feathers #9
Stitched on 32 ct R&R
Recommended overdyeds GAST

I do have an ornament started and almost finished, but alas, it will just have to wait until next post to share with you!

Small Collection: I know that many of you have heard of or probably own a few pieces of FireKing...anyway, I had gotten a couple square containers with lids, in the Fire King pattern from my mother. I think she had them since they were brand new. Of course I always loved them as a child, thought they were so neat, especially with all of that intricate work on the glass. Anyway I recently found a cake pan and a pie plate. Also found a loaf pan, but don't think I have a picture of it. Here is the piepan and cake pan:

Wish you could see them better, it is hard to get pictures to show up all of the intricate patterns in the glass! I was happy to find these pieces. I need to take pics of my square lidded fire king dishes soon and show you.

Also I found this dish several months ago and once again the etchings in the glass aren't clear. I have no idea when it was made, nor by who, but it came home with me, because I knew that my Allie Bug would love it some day. The inside of the dish has a picture of Bo Peep with her sheep, and the outer edges of the dish have the alphabet going around! Love this dish, if anyone has any information about it, I would love to hear from you! I don't care whether it has any monetary value, I just think it is adorable and will be a great keepsake for my granddaughter! Would love to have information on the manufacturer, etc, though, thanks!

That is about all that is going on in my neck of the woods! Hope that you are doing something that you enjoy and taking each new day as it comes and enjoying it to the fullest!! I appreciate you visiting and reading through my post and leaving a comment! Your kind words make my day and I look so forward to hearing from each of you, thank you!

Be sure and have some stitchey fun today!

Love, Jan

Birthday Wishes and Pictures to Share!

It's Monday, the 26th of July and all day it has been my daughter's 31st birthday! I had a bit of a birthday celebration at the house yesterday afternoon! With the exception of my youngest daughter and her wee family, everyone else was here, even my parents! So it was a great day, full of celebration, fellowship, good eats, that left me with a satisfied heart at the end of the day! Happy Birthday to my dear Megan Brooke!! May you have many, many more birthdays, my darling one! Momma loves you enough!!!

Many of you have been experiencing a heat wave like we have around here of late! In fact, the entire summer has been a hot one and very humid! I have been trying to walk every evening, and sometimes with the horrid heat being so bad, I am unable to do that, which I need to do, and have grown to look forward to. So, guess I am really looking forward to Autumn...hope we have an early one!

I had a friend visit a few weeks ago, and she sent me this ever so sweet pincushion as a thank you gift! I was thrilled, it is Blackbird Designs Bird In Hand! Isn't it lovely? Thank you so much, Kathy!

 She also finished this little design that I had stitched, by Lizzie Kate, Work, Pray, Trust! While she was visiting, we went to Joann's and picked out fabric and trim and she created this little cutey for me!

Another special friend, Lizzy, blessed me with this Sweet Friendship stitched piece, which I had framed! I am so pleased with it, thank you so much, Lizzy!!!

I am so blessed with such special friends, my cup runneth over!!

Also back from the framer's is Little House Needlework's Brave Hearts, stitched on 40 ct Vintage Pearled Barley by Lakeside with the recommended Belle Soie Silks. A fun stitch, that I started a couple years ago and just finished, about time, huh? I love the molding on this one too!

Another small finish, that I stitched a couple of months ago and just got in a frame is Shakespeare Peddler's Count Your Blessings:

In other stitching endeavors, I am working on a bit of secret stitching, and also Sunflower House by Blackbird Designs. Also trying to get some ornaments stitched, before Christmas creeps up and I won't have anything stitched for friends or family! Must keep up the momentum! Here is one I just finished, designed by Brittercup Designs and titled 'Mine'...I think it was the title that enticed me, so cute!

Other then designing and I just had a recent release, Road Home, if you haven't seen it yet, please visit Tree of Life Samplings blog! I have three more I am working on now, and will most likely, by that I mean, I hope, will be released pretty close together, we shall see!

Thanks for your visits and especially for your ever so sweet and encouraging comments! Keep them coming, they mean the world to me!

Till next time, have some fun with your stitching!

Love, Jan

As Promised...

I am back with some pictures to share of my latest stitchings! One of them you have seen, but not in it's frame, the other you haven't seen at all, at least not stitched by my hands! I worked on it this winter, during my illness!

I am just so overcome with your kindness and compassion, thank you so much for ALL of the wonderful and heartfelt comments! Friends such as yourself were and are most beneficial and key to my recovery, and I mean that with all of my heart!

First of all, one of the two I just recently picked up from my framer's is Simply Live by Primitive Needle. It was a delight to stitch, but when it came to finding just the right frame for it, I was having a hard time, till I stumbled upon this one! I think it is perfect for it, and I am so pleased! It is hanging low in my office over one of my filing cabinets. Keeps me 'centered' while working and reminds me to keep life simple, slow down when I can and focus on what matters the most! I love it!

The second piece that I picked up from my framer's is by La-D-Da and titled Watchful Eye. I started this before Christmas and didn't finish it until a few short weeks ago. It kept me going through my extended illness and bedrest, and turned out to be quite meaningful to me! Isn't it something how what we choose to stitch at any given time, does affect what comes to pass? I did change the color palette a bit with this one, if anyone is interested in my changes, feel free to email me, I will gladly share! I have found that I stitch a lot of La-D-Da's and I love her designs but almost always change the colors to suit me better!

I do have a design for Tree of Life Samplings completed! It is titled The Sparrow and is now in the capable hands of one of my model stitchers! I am anxious to show you, and I know it won't be too long a wait until I do! It is a pretty neat design, one I am well pleased with and I think you are going to like it too! Stay tuned!

I have a trip planned for tomorrow, I am going to go and visit my daughter and family for a few days! Of course that means lots of precious and quality time with Allie Bug, I haven't seen her since the middle of February and I am really missing her! I will take a few pics to share upon my return, never fear!

I have a request for a special favor! I have searched high and low for a pattern by Sheepish Designs titled Alpha Birds and cannot locate it anywhere! I have Alpha Menagerie and Alpha Sheep, but not the first one in this set, and I am so wanting to stitch them! If there is anyone that can help, please email me at treeoflife50@verizon.net. I will gladly purchase it, trade for something, anything you request! And I appreciate the efforts, thank you!!!

Hey, thanks again, dear blogging friends, I feel your love and compassion and value you that more then you know! Thanks for being out there and letting me know you all care!!

Make some special fun with your stitching!

Love, Jan

I am SO blessed!!!

I truly am befuddled at how long it has been since I last posted!! Oh well, good intentions, crazy-time-speeding-faster-then-light days is my only excuse! It won't be long until Autumn, my favorite time of the year, hope it doesn't move so quickly, as the summer did.

I have been busy with designing and trying to get some organizing done around the homestead. Don't have much to show for it, the organizing that is, since most of the organizing is going on in my head only. Anyone else do that? I really need to get busy though with some of it, I have out of town company coming weekend after next and much to do!

I did start a new blog, for my design business, Tree of Life Sampling, if any of you would like to visit, the blog addy is: treeoflifesamplings.blogspot.com I will be posting updates, sneaky peaks, etc of the designs as they are released. I did post a sneaky peek of my newest design Quaker Silence. I will post a pic just as soon as it is framed and photographed! Hope you like what you see! I also have another one at a model stitcher's house now, and hopefully will have something to show you in a few short weeks!

The reason for the title of this blog post, is because I recently have been gifted with some beautiful framed needlework, from a very loving and dear friend. Robin (no blog) gifted me with A Bitter Flower Sampler from Birds of A Feather and I do believe that she sent the piece to Terri to have framed! That is before Terri lost her framer, bless her heart! It is glorious, as you can see below:

And another of the beautiful molding, close up:


Also not long ago, she stitched and framed another lovely for me, Black Willow Tree Farm by Carriage House Samplings:


I have been, between designing, formatting and packaging up patterns, doing Only One Ewe business and trying to keep the house somewhat presentable, trying to whittle a little away at some of my wips! I managed to finished LHN's Seasonal Saltbox series, and here is a pic:

And another straight on shot:

Little House Needleworks Seasonal Saltbox Series
40 Ct Lakeside Vintage Lentil
Crescent Colours fibers

I am close to a finish on La-D-Da's A Right Spirit and will share my finish very soon. I also hope to start La-D-Da's You Are My Sunshine, for my Allie Bug, so very anxious to start this one. Also hope to get a stocking started and finished for her, but with the way times moves so swiftly, I may need to burn the midnight oil to get it done! Also have put in a few stitches on Seven Days of Creation by Plum Street Samplers. So, I am managing some stitching, thankfully for model stitchers! You are the bestest!!

My lil Allie Bug will be coming for an overnight visit the 3rd of October! I am very excited, it has been since early August since I saw her last, and I know she is growing like a weed!

That's about it for now, hope to catch up with your blogs to see what you all have been up to. I am a couple days behind on my reading and commenting, but hope to remedy that very soon!

Thanks for stopping by, thanks for commenting, and thanks for visiting my new blog, second home away from home!!

Take some time for you, and put in some magical stitches!!

Love, Jan