Forgot to post IHSW

I am so sorry I have been so slow to post again, I did have a very product IHSW week-end, I only broke for eats and church.
I did get alot done, I am going to a Chessie and Me Retreat put on by Stitchville USA the first week-end in april, I finished all the pre stitching for the friday evening class, we will have something else to do on saturday and sunday.

I also started a Himespun Elegance ornament for Christmas this year, o.k. I know it seems a little early for ornaments but I need to get this done beacuse I have about 10 more ornaments to do.

I went to a great reatreat in feb. the ladies there are so nice lots of good food and great times I made heart pin cushions

Cindy our moderator for febuary retreat found the greatest little books with markers and note pads, Cindy finds the greatest stuff for retreat.  I have already used the pointed markers in my stitching, thank-you Cindy.

We also play a dice game and steal from other stitchers if we get doubles, I love that Cindy does this game every retreat it is a hoot.
I also did finish a Shepherds Bush Boo To You, I know it is a little early for halloween, I just wanted to get this done,  so sorry about the wrinkles.

I was given this pattern a couple of years ago by Cindy at october retreat, thank-you Cindy.

I made 9 little bluebirds for a retreat that I went to last week, now I was not going to go

 but I read about the Belisle Ranch in Range Wisc. and just had to go, not only was this a great place but the ladies there were wonderful there were 7 of us, the Ranch served brekfast family style and dinner was a sitdown at a very large farm table.
Chris C. made scissor fobs for all of us, she is very talented and sooo sweet,  I love that they are made out of old thread spools, she had the fobs by our plates at the evening dinner on friday, I got a green one which is one of my fav colors, on saturday she had small thread pallets from the Silver Needle, sitting by our plates, thank-you so much Chris for these great gifts, arn't they adorable.

I even had a massage one hour long, I slept straight through the night not once did I get up, that says something abut the massage.
I met three new ladies that were a hoot, the story's they told were a side splitter, oh so funny.
I went to church with the owner of the Ranch, on sunday, it was lovely she drove, we stopped at the dollar store to buy Easter candy, got some good deals.
This house has 9 bedrooms and eight baths, there were horses to ride, a large swimming pool  indoors with a slide and a hottub, I went swimming, with Gloria and Susan and had a blast.
While there,  three calfs were born one did not make it, the mother was a first time mother and the owner said this is not unusual to have a first time mother lose a baby.
On sunday Mike left for a SOTA conferance  Special Operations and Training Association (Law Enforcement)I miss him so much almost a week without seeing him.
Well I am letting my  Dunn Bros. coffee get cold, I will insert pictures this evening when I get home.

Happy Easter to those of you
who celebrate this Holy Season.
Happy Passover to those of you who celebrate Passover

Catherine

Welcome to all my new followers, thank-you for hitting the follow button, hello to my other followers who have been with me for a while.
I need some help, I am old not so old that I should forget simple things like how to enter my followers link to my sidebar, as I sit here eating my english muffin and drinking my latte, I think about how hard it is for me to get this thing done I have tried numerous times to enter some links to mt sidebar and have failed terribly.
CAN SOMEONE HELP?
All I need are some simple directions, maybe it is a problem because I am on the road 4-5 days a week and just want to reast or I donot know why.
Well anyway that is all I ask.

I forgot to show you the valentine cards I bought for 2.00 dollars apiece, I went to have my ears lowered and a color (after all I have been a white head since 18) so many colorings under my belt.
A Lady has been making these beautiful card to make a little extra money.
I am now prepared for next Valentines day, the cards are blank inside so you can write your own sweet message.

This is my little Blondie, she tried to lick the rain drops off the window, she tried for about 10 minutes and finally gace up, as you can see there is snow on the ground and this time of year we get all different kinds of weather,  after the rain it turned to sleet and then snow, my wonderful Husband was up on the Minnesota Canadian border when this mess started, he is home safely now.
I will post new pictures on monday of the project I am working on it is the prestitching for the Chessie and Me Retreat that Stitchville USA is putting on.
I love the pattern but did make a mistake which I will explain on monday, its only a small mistake but not worth ripping out, I think I will just say to everyone at thr Retreat donot drink wine and stitch things happen.
Well its now time to stitch I did sign up for the InternationalHermit and Stitch week-end.

Happy Spring

Catherine


 

My Blackbird Design Exchange to Lisa

I am so happy Lisa has recieved her exchange piece from me,  I live in cold Minnesota and Lisa lives in Australia where it is warm.
I had fun stitching this piece it is from the Blackbird Designs Thank-you, Sarah Tobias booklet, I love the color and design so much I am going to make one for myself.

  I stitched it on an unknown fabric,  a piece I had leftover from another project, I think it was 30 count, I used Weeks threads and Gentle Arts threads, the box came from hobby Lobby, I tell you that they have the best products I only had to do a little light sanding, otherwise the box was in excellant condition, I did order more from Hobby Lobby.
The stain is just an inexspensive stain from the craft store, the wax finish is the same stuff Alma and Barb use on their projects.

and here she is, I hope you like what I did for Lisa.

I had fun doing this box, I filled it with crushed walnut shells, I had a hard time looking for the crushed shells last year for another project, you can find them at any pet store they are a lot less expensive if you buy them from the pet store.

 

 

I want to show you what my wonderful Husband bought for our Anniversary to me, I know we donot have our Love date until june, but he had to buy them they go so fast on Amazon, he is so sweet, I put on my wish list on Amazon what I want and he saw this and ordered them for me, I love You Michael, thank-you.

I have already started on a small bag from one of the books (Tildas Summer Ideas) lots of pimk colors I will post a picture later this week or on sunday.

All four books have lots of projects I am in a tizzy to do, the little birds book has a fat round bluebird I want to do, I will start working on it this evening, I also want to make the felt trees from the F la la la Felt book.

I think I will be very busy.

I did buy a streacher bar to work on the beautiful needlework project I won from Edgar, I tried to do it without a streacher barr not a good idea tension gets off.

Today it is a balmy 21 degrees so far,  I am hoping for 35-40 degrees that would be warm compared to what it has been this winter.

Keep you fingers stitching and Happy St. Patricks Day to you, I will be wearing the green on sunday, I am half Irish.

 

Blessings

Catherine

An Exchange and other things

Last Friday I took a class at the Shops At Rush Creek,  this is a jewelry tree, this is a shop that has  guest teachers for almost all classes, they have everything from stain glass classes to working with cement and making water fountains, it is an amazing place.
The teacher was Colleen and she was just so adorable.
Very patient with me because I had so many problems with the soldering.
She had a few plates and silver ware to choose from, o.k. mine is a little primitive and does lean a little but its mine and I love it a very easy thing to do.
Look on Pinterest they have all kinds of fun things like this to see and get ideas from.

My most exciting post is this beautiful Pin Pillow from Lisa V from the Blackbird Designs Exchange, I am thrilled with this lovely Pillow, Lisa sent a note saying she had to finish it all by hand because her sewing machine broke down, well I have to tell you she is an expert sewer, the finishing is positively beautiful.
Lisa's stitching is excellant, the lace is so sweet, I am going to display this in my living room with a few other Blackbird Designs Exchange from the past, thank-you Lisa I Love It.

Not such a great picture of a bracelet I made at Beckas Beads in a small town east of my hometown, this was done in the peyote stitch,  we added what ever we wanted to on one end of the finished peyote square ( well almost a square)and then glued onto the metal frame.
This was such a fun class I plan on buying more bracelets and making gifts for family members.

This is another one of those projects that was started by someone else at retreat, I bought it at the stash auction last feb. ( I think I have OCD Obessesive Disorder) HELP, I did coffee dye it today after work so sorry I did not iron it I will; show a picture after it is framed.
I donot normally work on this kind of project its just that it needed finishing, some of my retreat friends follow my blog they will laugh I am sure.

We had a great time at retreat Cindy and Marsha our moderators do a great job every oct. and feb, good food great givaways and lots of fun times.
I want you all to know I am going nuts with all this snow we are getting so someday visit me at the loony bin, please bring chocolate lots of chocolate.

I gave up three things this year for Lent, chocolate, pepsi and lemon cake from Starbucks Coffee Shops, Mike says I am hard to live with not really if he would just stop teasing me with chocolate, what a terd he is.
Easter Sunday we take both of our families out for Brunch, and then I can come home and have chocolate and pepsi, I am sure Starbucks will be closed.
Well the alarm is going to be going off about 03:45 a.m. so I must get to bed, now I will have lots of nightmares about that darn chocolate. HELP

Happy St. Patricks Day to All.

Catherine