GABRIEL'S BIRTH SAMPLER

Good Saturday evening! It was absolutely gorgeous here in Michigan today....this is the kind of weather I could live with all year round. I had to post a picture of the birth sampler I am working on. It is for my sixth grandchild, Gabriel Joseph. It's funny...when the first three grandchildren were born, I had their birth samplers made by their baptism, now with 7 grandchildren, I am four samplers behind! Go figure! My son asked me if I was going to stitch a sampler for the rest of the kids, or if the first three were the chosen ones.... I felt bad, but laughed at the same time. It's kind of like pictures with your first born...tons with the first one and then they taper off with the rest...Looks like I am going to be busy for a long time. Have a great evening everyone!

BACK TO NEEDLE PUNCH!

I haven't done any needle punch in over a year, but I wanted to make something special for a friend at work who is leaving to start a new life in sunny Florida. Her husband has retired & their dream was to move to Florida to be with the rest of the family. She has decided to continue her career, as an OR nurse, in a hospital in Kissimmee. No retiring for her!! We were talking last week about how many pictures she had of her new grandbaby and didn't even have a photo album to put them in, so I decided to help her out! It's not a real "baby" themed album with the bright floral design I made, but it matches her sunny personality!

Best of luck, Jackie, in your new adventure! You have brightened the days of not only the patients that have been under your care, but you have also brightened our days! I hope you enjoy your new home..you will be missed!

CARD MAKING

Yesterday was my oldest grandchild's birthday, Karsyn. She turned 4 yesterday & she is the oldest of our seven grandchildren. I wanted to start making cards for those special people in my life. This is my second attempt at making a card. I think it turned out pretty good. I don't have a lot of materials to work with, only a few papers, ribbons, and embellishments & I am determined not to go hog-wild buying things. My son and his wife loved it...something she can save and hopefully enjoy for years to come. My next grandchild's birthday is in August, Olivia....I'll have to come up with something special for her!

Yes, yes...another hobby...I found that I really don't like to scrapbook, but I really love making cards! These are baby pictures of Karsyn in black and white.
I am planning on making cards from now on. I really hate paying $4 and $5 dollars for cards and I think cards should be special.

CHOCOLATE...PLEASE!

About a month or so ago at the Rocking Horse, They had this Whitman's Candy Box on display. It is from a pattern by "The Stitching Parlor". It is called, "My First Sewing Box and Scissors Fob". They didn't have the pattern in stock at the time, but I was able to find it in Florida. Well, when I went to the sale this afternoon, they had the box, linen, threads, ribbon, and pattern all in a kit...plus they had their 20% off sale. If any of you have seen this in person it is the sweetest little sewing box...plus, the candy box is filled with chocolate!!! How lucky can one stitcher get? I am planning on making this for my grandaughter Karsyn for Christmas. There is not a lot of stitching, but the design is beautiful..something I think little girls would treasure, whether or not they sew..it could also be used as a little jewelry or trinket box.

I am going to sell my extra pattern to anyone who is interested, because I don't need two of them. I will sell it for $6.50, brand new, never taken out of the package....just let me know. My email is eveningstitcher@yahoo.com. The candy box can be ordered directly from the Whitman Candy company online. Have a great evening!

CROSS STITCH FOR THE SOUL

Well, my earlier post about our beloved RED WINGS must have jinxed them...because we lost..boo hoo! But....this afternoon, before the game, I went to the one and only cross stitch shop near my home..The Rocking Horse in Farmington Michigan. They had their annual 20% off sale. So I picked up a couple of things. One being this little sampler from Little House Needleworks. I think it is just the cutest little design..I also bought some R&R reproduction, hand dyed linen. I left my items in the bag just in case the Wings lost and then I would have something to look forward to! These little treasures do seem to mend my broken heart (at least a little!).

BRINGING STANLEY HOME!!!

Well....no stitching for me tonight! We will be at our favorite hangout with the family and lots of friends cheering on our hometown team...THE DETROIT RED WINGS!! Hockey town may get a bad rap most of the time, but this is one time of year that it makes us proud to live near Detroit! We love our Red Wings (and our Detroit Tigers)and are hoping to cheer them on to victory!!!!!!!!!!!! My favorite....Chris Draper..

HERE WE GO RED WINGS...HERE WE GO!!! BRINGING STANLEY HOME!!!!!!!!

This month, the BLESTB group on Ebay, are having a Patriotic Pincushion offering. I am proud to be able to participate in an event with these wonderfully talented folk artists. Please type BLESTB into the search bar to view their offerings. You will not be dissappointed!

Finally, I finished my pinkeep to list on Ebay this evening. It is a sweet little needle book, inspired by Blackbird Designs. It is made of reproduction farmhouse blue, Civil War era fabric lightly stained with tea. Just enough to age it just a bit. I cross stitched the front on prairie cloth.

The six little strawberry pinkeeps are made of wool and reproduction fabric as well. I stuffed them with walnut shells, strung them on some vintage, red floss and then again aged lightly with tea. I love these little strawberries...there's just something about them that are so charming.

My favorite part! These are my spool holders. I just purchased the larger, wooden one last Sunday at a favorite antique shop in Allegan MI. It is already stocked full of threads, flosses, and needle packs. It looks like a lot of stuff...but I know where everything is. I find that I spend more time organizing and re-organizing than I actually spend on sewing!!

This is the other end of my sewing room. I just love the "Mercantile" sign. I bought it about 8 years ago at a wonderful country store in Newport MI that is now closed. The old wingback chair has seen better days...I bought is back in 1984 and just couldn't bear to part with it. It is still so comfy..I love sitting in it to do my stitching or watch TV.

After the demolition of my sewing room. I should have taken pictures of the "before'! It's amazing how much stuff one person can accumulate! Whoops...forgot to move my flip flops!