My ISHW week-end

 I did manage to get some stitching done I also worked on my candy box I lined the inside with skeleton fabric from Joann Fabrics, I used the ricrack from Victorian Motto Samlper Shoppe, I love this trim, The Prairie Schooler pattern I finished in august. I found the box at a second hand store it was a wood jewelry box.

This is the Shepherds Bush Forget Me Not I finished stitching this earlier  but did not have the right frame, I did not want to use a mat, I found the frame at a second hand store, I realize I need to take it apart becaues there is now a wrinkle I need to take care of darn.

I put the finishing touches on this last week, this is a gift for someone special, I  have painted the frame and need to find the right mat before I can finish this and send it off. ( Sorry about the wrinkles)

I do have one more finish but my camara battery pooped out so I will post a picture matbe tomorriw or thursday.

Happy stitching and blessings

Catherine

Just a few things

Good day to all my followers and welcome to my new followers, I am happy you are here.
I have afew pictures to show some stitching some not, I am a stitchers at heart but do lots of beading.
I took a class last month and did a bracelet from Becky at Becka Beads, she does ship if you need something.
Thgis is a pattern from Adele M. Kimpell @ Bead Dreamers here in minnesota, Adele granted Becky the right to teach a class, I love this bracelet, I never thought I would do anything in gray, it looks so pretty on my black blouse on the cuff.

Up Next is the Touch Me bracelet this is also a bracelet class from Adele M. Kimpell from Bead Dreamers  in minnesota, I love this bracelet I was the only one in the class that did two colors, I am daring I guess, it is so soft and fun to touch hence the name, it is an easy stitch, I plan on making some for christmas.

 

 

I have shown you the front and back because you do a peyote stitch first and then add the black and white beads, I love this bracelet it is by far my favorite.

 

 

This is Blondie looking at my StitchersVillage page for some reason she likes the black bird I tried to get a picture of her touching the screen but everytime I opened the lens she turned to look at me and dropped her paw. She is my little helper, if you donot belong to Stitchers Village please pop over I have a button on the side bar of my page, they play bingo twice a month and have other fun things to do.

Okay I tried to rotate this picture but have no luck so sorry you have to turn you head, this is a Chessie ans Me I started this some time ago, this is one of my up for a fifteen challenge I should post on that site.  28 count fabirc unknown  type, threads a mix of DMC Weeks and Sampler threads.

I love this little frame and it fits the stitching very well, I stitched this last april but did not have a frame I liked so I went  looked at the second hand stores until I found one I like, I think the star button looks good it looked so plain without matting so I thought the star would add a little to the space.
I love the Homespun Elegance patterns they have a bit of whimsey and charm.
I stitched this on 28 count something or other fabric I am not sure I use lots of my rements for stitching smalls.
The threads are all the threads called for, they are the some Weeks and some Samplers I love doing the Delivering series, they are adorable.

This is what we came home to one day a little while ago, Blondie must have been very upset with us, before we leave in the morning we give her three little morsels of treats to make sure we have not locked her in a closet or out the door, and with my Husband being in law enforcement, he thought it was funny to show this to me, I get a kick out of him he can be so silly sometimes, this was one of them. She thinks toilet paper is the thing to take her aggressions out on.
This week-end is IHSW and I plan on getting lots of stitching done, donot forget Stitchersvillage is having bingo on the 22 of oct. you must be a member to play I have won three things from the bingo nights.
Happy Stitching
Blessings.
Catherine

 

So Sad today

Cathy from Pumpkin Patch and Co. passed on to our Lord today, how sad it is to have lost such a beautiful soul.
I am praying for her Family and hope the transition is easy.
I sit here with tears in my eyes because she was so young and fought such a battle, sometimes Our Lord needs to take his Children home early.
She is now in no pain and I am sure she is enjoying her life hereafter.
Blessings to Cathy's Family.

Catherine

A Great Retreat and lots to show

Good day to all my followers the ones that comment and the ones that just follow, I thank-you with all my heart.
I was on a wonderful retreat at the Belisle Ranch in Wisconsin from 9/24 to 9/27, the Ladies I was with were such a great group, I had the pleasure of meeting some new faces and what a joy they were, my tablemates were Mary from Minn. and Cathy from Iowa.
We had lots of giggles and great food.
Cathy and I spent an  hour and a half in the indoor pool and fifteen minnutes in the hottub, then a shower and dinner that was sooooo good and cooked from scratch.
The owner her son and daughter-in-law are wonderful host and hostesses, I also had an hour long massage oboy oboy oboy it was totally awsome, Jeff does a wonderful job giving a message, I slept like a baby.
They have horses and cattle and a house cat that is such a lady she loves to be around and help with all our stitching.
I have to give a thank-you to Gloria for arranging this wonderful week-end.
Hello to Julie who  I have not seen for almost two years, I sure miss her.
I also want to give a shout out to Jan wow what a ball of fire, she is a hoot I could spend another week-end with her she had me in stitches.

now onto some of the things I have been doing, first is a very small penny rug, I started this the retreat week-end and finished that same week-end. I love this little guy.

Next is another stitch I finished at retreat this is a Chessie and me  The Gift Is Small, I love this pattern I just wanted to put it on a wooden box to carry some of my stitching tools, however I covered up a little of the frame around the edges of the fabric. I stained and finished the tool box myself.

 

Up next is a small  stitch from Cherry  Hill Stitchery, I did this on 32 count (I am not sure of the Fabric) just something from my stash, one over one, I wanted a small wol scissor fob and this will do the job.

 

 

 

 

This is something I started on my ISHW week-end and finished I love this owl I will finish it maybe this week-end into a needlebook this is from The Cats Whiskers What A hoot is the pattern.

I am not sure of the fabric this is another piece of fabric I found in my stash however it is 28 count.

 

 

 

 

I have started a new Chessie and me  The Hallow-Wee House, I hope to have it  finished this week-end.

This was kit I bought at Stitchville USA my fav stitch shop.

 

 

 

 

I plan on starting a few Homespun Elegance ornaments this week-end wish me luck.

I have been busy with alterations and some bead work which I will show next post, I have a bracelet class this saturday and a Church Festival to go to on sunday with GG my Mother, another chicken dinner and bingo oh yah.

Have a pleasant fall week.

Blessings.

Ctherine

Ishw Weekend

I did get lots of stitching done, I cannot show you pictures because the battery in my camara is pooped out, so I will share the pics next blog.
I still have pictures from august Guild Retreat.
First up is the beautiful thread keeper from LaRue, she made these right in front of us all, she used some kind of epoxy that had no fumes, they are adorable, I was kind of jealous she had these and never dreamed I was going to get one, I love it LaRue.

Next up is the little box with a needle from Carol my roommate, she is from N.D. I did not expect to get such lovely gifts, thank-you Carol I love them both.

I had a wedding in the middle of my ISHW my Husbands Niece got married, she was a stunning bride, she was such a tomboy growing up and now a beautiful woman.

I did make it to Mass on saturday evening in the middle of the wedding only because visiting Aunts and Uncles wanted to go, otherwise we would have went  on sunday.
I also took a bracelet class on saturday morning, now I am not the best beader but this bracelet was my favorite of all the things I have beaded.

I love this bracelet I just need to add the fringe which will be done maybe next week.

I also wanted to show you the pattern and threads I won at Guild Retreat, I know I know I am jumping around alot but I am after all an airhead.
Lizzie Kate ABC Lessons, I would never have bought this but now that I have it I am in love with it, I plan on starting this next week.

Next I have to show you what came in the mail yesterday, from Conny from Holland, this is an exchange from the Blackbird Designs Exchange site, I love this adorable pillow, Conny did such a beautiful job her stitching is beautiful, I am a nut for trim and she did a beautiful job with this.
Thank-you Conny I love it, it will go on my shelf in my living room.

This coming thursday I am off on a week-end retreat in Wisconsin at the Ranch, I was there in march and loved it.
I have made a little something for the owner she is adorable and this reminds me of her, tell me what you think of this Tilda Angel.

I am off to the hottub for a half hour and then I need to watch the new show The Goldbergs.
Blessings to you all.
Catherine
 

Another Lovely Day

I have today off, it has been a very busy day, up early, makr the bed shower put my mask on so I donot scare people when I am out to lunch or shopping.
I took my wonderful Mother to Appleebee's for lunch, over to Cub Foods to get grocery's, then sent her home to rest, you see she is ill and I try to spend as much time with her as possible, she has COPD all because of smoking fopr 50 some years, now she is paying the price, for so many years she said she felt fine and now three years ago she ends up in the ER and on  02  24 hours a day, I worry about her everyday her diet is horrendous, I cannot tell her not to eat these things like cupcakes and donuts because I know her days are numbered, I can hear the volume of fluid in her lungs even over the phone so sad to sit and watch a Family member slowely die, I have lost two younger Brothers and a Father because if smoking, my Brothers had lung cancer and my Father died from complications from smoking he too was on 02.
I beg of you if you smoke please stop as soon as possible, it is so hard being a nonsmoker and watching a Family member suffer health wise and to be the only one with no health problems.
I am glad I never even tried  to smoke or do drugs, almost 63 and not on any medications, I am sure my day will come but so far I am in good health except for my over weight, but the doctors are not worried about that.
Now on to better and more fun things, I have been stitching my fingers almost off, I have made a felt penny rug, this is a pattern from a magazine I found in my library of stitching and craft magazines about two years ago, I cut it all out but never stitched any of it together, I modified it a bit as you see in the picture, I didnot put all the points around the edges, I thought it looked a little overwhelming, I also put only on tooth on the cats mouth to make it look like they were scared.

 

So what do you think I love this table runner.

This is a picture of the sunset over Buffalo Lake in Buffalo Minnesota in august, I was at the Needlework Guild Retrteat the first week of august, it was a blastI have posted other pictures from retreat but not all of them.

I have to tell you a great story about the kitty's you see in this picture, I had the most wonderful table mates, Carol, LaRue and Sue, we had so much fun, there was a destash table in the entry of the retreat center, Sue found some things she had fun with all week long, no one at our table knew  (except Sue) what was happening with the cats you see,  Sue somehow put a cat on the table each morning, Sue asked everyone who was doing this, noone knew, on saturday someone made a litter box little bowls of food and water and of course a mouse with a sleeping mat for the kitties, we had such a laugh about this, I am so thankful i was able to sit with these wonderful Ladies.
Don't you just love the kitties.
 Well I need to go now I will post more pictures of the retreat soon, and show you the wonderful thread keep LaRue made for me she was generous with her creations and gave out many of these lovely thread keepers.
I am leavving for a Senior dinner for thr Seniors from our Church.
Have a great stitching week-end.

Blessings
Catherine

 

A Retreat Post 2013

 Welcome to all my new followers I hope I donot bore you with my posts.

 

I was at the Minnesota Needlework Guild Retreat from 8/7/2013 till 8/10/2013, I should have been there until sunday but had to leave on saturday evening Mike became very ill at church during Mass on that saturday, an ambulance had to come check him out Father Victor called my cell to let me know,  I was lucky enough to be only fourteen miles from home, the Retreat was at the Kings House Retreat Center in Buffalo, just east of where I live.
I had such a great time, the ladies were a hoot at my table, I sat with three lovely ladies that were from North Dakota and one from Minnesota up north.
The picture on the side  is from Elaine, she knows I have a fetish for buttons and somehow knows I love the colors pink and lavander, she stitched this herself, it is lovely, thank-you Elaine. (not sure if she follows my blog)
She made this just for me, her work is perfect such wonderful stitching.

 

Secret Sister Exchange 

At retreat there was a Secret Sister Exchange, this is  like a Secret Santa game, you are given a name that needs to be kept secret until the reveal on saturday night, however I did not follow the direction closely, I did look in my retreat information and that is the info I was missing, you were to give a small gift each day starting on wednesday, I gave my Secret Sister all hers in one big lump, I gave her a lovely box from Joann fabrics with a bow and magnetic closer in the colors of purples and lavanders, a Blackbird Designs Pattern, a pin in the shape of a heart made with felt and a zipper, chocolatess and a plastic project bag that I cross stitched Elaines initials on and attached to the bag.

The Secret Sister I had was great at picking out things I like, the note pad is something I use daily, I love the Mary Englebreit  pin cushion is so sweet, I love trims and the Spring Simple Treasures is so cute I will work on that soon, I have never owned a Vera Bradley now I do, I love it along with the tin box and tape measure, the zipper bag on the bottom is so cute I am so lucky to have done this exchange I will do it again next year if they have one.

This is a Bareroots pattern I finished at retreat, I just have to finish the other candle mat this week-end, this is about 6 inches across and all done by hand, I love working with wool and making penny rugs.

These are a couple of things that greated me in my room, there was also a metal drinking  bottle which I love because I hate drinking out of plastic.
My Roommate was a lady that was so  gracious and lovely, we  hit it off right away she is a beautiful needlepointer, she was working on a project for her daughter.

The food was good and lots of it, we had a lot of fun sitting with different ladies each meal, it is fun to learn about other peoples likes and dislikes.

I took a class from Lynn Payette, she is a hoot we talked about women in the service, she was in the Navy, she is a very interesting lady to talk to.
I took her San Antonio Angel class it was well worth the money. I will finish her sometime soon, I just need to do a little repair on her arm.

The above four pictures are from the destash pile at retreat I did take lots of stuff and dropped off  lots of patterns,  I  sure made a haul when I looked through the pile, I know I donot need anymore stash but how could I resist the Quaker Boo and the Jenny Bean Christmas patterns along with the rest of my finds.
I will be adding another post this week-end of some other things from retreat.
I hope all is well with you all.
Gods Blessings to you.
Catherine


 

My Winnings

I am a member of the Stitchervillage, I play as many games as possible on this site they have games often, the site would give you a list of words and you would pick 15 out of 30 and wait for game nite, on game nite you go into the chat room and play, now I am not a winner  I have played several games on Stitchervillage, the format has been changed, now it is Bingo, you get a Bingo card and play that way, I was a winner last month a big winner, thank-you to Stitchersvillage for the prizes I won, and here they are.

Mixed Berry Cheesecake with threads, fabric, beads and pattern, I love this lovely little kit, I will start stitching on it at Needlework Guild next week. (see my bingo card) yahoo.

I am such a Another Button Company fan I was so surprised to win this kit, everything is including, even the stitck pins, I plan on working on this on saturday after mass and dinner.
If you are not a member please check the site out http://stitchersvillage.com
There is a chat room with many stitchers that are a hoot, chat usually starts about 19:00 I donot get to go to the chat room often due to work, but I do try.
There are also sites to visit and shop, a place to show what you have worked on and many other things to be involved with.
On wednesday next week i am leaving for Retreat in Buffalo, Mn. This is put on by Minnesota Needlework Guild, I have never gone before to this retreat so am in wonder of what I will find  at first I thought it was expensive, but found out it is not so bad the teachers fees are included in the price along with lodging and meals.
They have a Sisters Of The Heart exchange, I did sign up for this, I cannot show you what I have made and collected right now because this person may be a follower of mine and she would see what i have done, I really want it to be a surprise.
Well I am working at home this week again and need to get to work, have apleasant week-end with lots of stitching.
Blessings
Catherine

Nancy is having another givaway read on

Nancy at http://victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.com is having another great givaway, please pop over and enter, this is a big givaway, 100 followers will win a gift.
I have bought and used Nancy' threads they are wonderful, for the price you get double the amount of threads as a regular skien.

Happy Stitching