Saturday, May 21, 2011

"My Beloved's" - Finished!

Late last night, I put the final stitches into "My Beloved's" by Country Cottage Needleworks.  I was able to complete this project in just two weeks, which you will know if you are a regular reader, is quite an accomplishment for me. 







(I apologize for the hoop marks in the pictures; I generally don't press my finished pieces until I am ready to frame or otherwise finish them.)

I think if I were to stitch this design again, I would choose a color other than the green (Crescent Colors' Dandelion Stem) for the words; if it were a gift, I'd try to learn what color would match the recipient's decor. 

This was a great project to stitch, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Thursday, May 12, 2011

My Beloved's

What a beautiful day we enjoyed today!  Sunshine, warm temps.  Cassie sat in some of the windows, intent upon the scenery outside.  Unfortunately, I spent my afternoon entering receipts into Quicken, something I haven't done in months.

Contrary to what the content of this blog might lead you to believe, I do still love cross stitch.  I don't have a picture yet, but I finished the wedding sampler for Grace & Anthony.  I need to take it to Joann's or Michael's and choose a frame.  I also came across our 25th anniversary sampler; I'll take that to the store, too.

Meanwhile, I started a new project!  I began last Thursday, the day I got the injection in my knee, and have worked on it every day since.  I guess that's one nice thing about being laid up.  I chose Country Cottage Needleworks' My Beloved's.  It is stitching up quickly.  Please excuse the poor picture;  I propped the piece up on my computer to take it.


Sunday, May 8, 2011

Mother's Day Cards



I made Mother's Day cards for my mom, and my mother-in-law.  They are identical, except for the background paper.







Card recipes:

Paper:  1st card - from the "Lemon Flower" stack by DCWV
              2nd card - from the "Linen Closet" stack by DCWV
Ribbon:  Dollar Store
Stamp:  Anita's
Nestabilities:  Classic Ovals Small and Large
Silver Embossing Powder

Friday, May 6, 2011

Birthday Card

Things have continued to be difficult around our home, although we are hopeful things are looking up.  My husband had a bad reaction to the new chemo drug, which caused terrible pain and suffering.   (The condition is called Hand-Foot Syndrome, but Phil developed it under his arms from the crutches, on his hands, a small patch on his stomach, and one other place.   It looked like a horrible sunburn, which is now peeling.  You can see a picture of what his hands now look like on Wikipedia.)  Thankfully, he is on the mend, although the oncologist says it will be another two or three weeks before he is completely healed.  Needless to say, he will not be receiving any more of the drug.  And he's still wearing the immobilizing boot for his foot problem and must continue to stay off his feet as much as possible. 

This weekend, I am also off my feet, following my (I think) fourth Synvisc injection in my knee, so I thought I should try to catch up on blog posts.  First up is a birthday card I made for my mom, whose birthday was at the beginning of April.







I used another Stamp TV technique called Watercolor Spritz.  I will embed the video at the end of this post.  I chose to use watercolor paper, even though in the video it says you don't have to, since I didn't have any heavy white cardstock.  Here's my card recipe:

Stamp:  Vintage Labels by Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Memento Bamboo Leaves, Impress dye ink in Wisteria
Markers:  Impress markers in #7 - Pansy & #12 - Spring Green
Nestabilities:  Labels 4 & 8, Fancy Tags