It might be Spring...maybe...

So yesterday was nice and sunny ...and today is warm-ish, but not sunny and the rest of the week looks nice-ish with no frost warnings ...so I take that as a harbinger of Spring...and to celebrate that I went to 2 greenhouses today. I only bought a couple of plants and I'm not putting anything in the ground yet but it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. I had a $5 off coupon for the first greenhouse and it expired today...gotta spend it!! Bought 2 small Queen of Hearts petunias... they look like this...mine are just buds...

And I got a perennial called Crocosmia Lucifer...

Mine isn't budded yet. I got one last year and it was so pretty... deer resistant and it attracts hummingbirds.

I picked up a Escargot Begonia...

I'm treating this as a houseplant. I bought that cute bird pot last year...it looks nice in the sunroom.

And I bought two more David Austin rose bushes to replace the one that is totally dead and the one that is 3/4ths dead...gotta dig them up. I selected Benjamin Britten...

And Lady Emma Hamilton...

As always hope springs eternal that these will do well and I can keep the deer from eating them. I got into a conversation with another shopper at the 2nd greenhouse...he was looking at roses too...and he recommended a new to me product called Deer Out ...you can see it here on Amazon... it is peppermint based...he said it doesn't smell bad and it works well. He said he even has hostas... I love hostas but have avoided them as they seem to be candy to the deer. I'm gonna try it.

By this date last year I had already bought flats and flats and flats of petunias and marigolds. I had my window boxes planted by April 24 (go back in the history and you can see them). Well this year I decided I shouldn't start so soon as everything peaked and faded early...seems like Mother Nature heard me and has made it impossible for any early planting. This coming week is the first week we don't have morning frost/freeze warnings. I saw signs in both greenhouses saying it really isn't safe from frost till May 15...Mother's Day week...and I know that...I've been told that my by sainted Grandma since I was knee high to a shovel. But I'm itching to get started. The guy who sold me the roses was a horticulture student from Univ of Cincinnati...he reminded me it is too early to plant these bushes... so I'll put them out in the sun everyday and drag them back into the garage every night for another week or two... I hate being patient...

On the stitching front I am almost done with Notforgotten Farms' Tis Spring...

I added ecru and topaz stripes to the hem... still have to finish the basket...sow/sew some grass around those carrots under her feet and plant the tulips. I'm more than ready to move onto something new... a new project that doesn't have a female character wearing an enormous article of clothing...

Have you been following anyone who is going to do Stitch Maynia? You can check out the Facebook group here... the plan is to start a new project everyday for the first 18 days of May... some people only do the first 15 days... others are breaking out UFO's and some are going to monogamously stitch on one project for Maynia. It sounds like fun to start a bunch of new projects...but then my Catholic guilt of not finishing kicks in ... and that would torment me...which wouldn't be fun at all... so I think I'll pass. I've got a bunch of Pineberry Lane pieces I'd like to do...most aren't real big...and I got a bunch of new charts from With Thy Needle & Thread  to go along with the stash of Christmas and Halloween charts from Lizzie Kate... I don't need to start 15 new projects... I need to finish one or two...along with several quilt projects and the new curtains I want to make for my kitchen and the 3 pairs of jeans that need to be hemmed...etcetera...etcetera... etcetera... you get the picture...

And speaking of pictures... I have more... I freshened up my new book shelf unit in the living room... banished most of the bunnies to plastic bins and broke out a lot of birds...

A smattering of cross stitch pieces and plates and birds and bunnies... Spring stuff...

I want to add the Notforgotten Farm Bunny to this display....hopefully this week.

I want to thank all of you who've left such lovely comments... I'm not doing well replying so I'll cover some stuff here. I was asked about the floor in the sunroom... it is carpet tiles from a company called Flor...you can check them out here. I've bought from them before ...the carpet comes in tiles about 20" square... you can cut them easily with a razor knife or a rotary cutter. My handyman, Dan, cut around the threshold and into the corners  and around the door opening and made it look like a custom job. The project took 28 tiles and he laid them all in about 90 minutes. They aren't stuck to the floor but to each other with a large adhesive dot that you place at the intersection of the tiles. If one gets soiled you can lift it up and take it to the sink and clean it off. They are made from a high percentage of recycled materials. Each patterned tile is unique so you are going to get a scrappy random look which I like. They feel good under foot and make the space feel like a room not a porch.

The Big Dude adores the porch...as soon as I open the door he's out there claiming his space on the sofa...however the color of the sofa...beige...shows every hair he sheds...and I'm getting tired of cleaning up every day. So I'm going to artfully throw some quilts over the sofa...it will add color and  hide the cat hair...hopefully... I figure then I can just shake out the quilts every now and then...will show updates when I get the quilts bound and arranged... another project on my list.

Well I'm not doing dinner with my son and daughter-in-law tonight...they have other plans...and I'm not really cooking, just heating up some stuff. We have leftovers from a excursion yesterday to Lexington/Nicholasville for Sonny's BBQ... I  LOVE Sonny's... I first ate it on vacation in Florida over 30 years ago...and then I lived in Albany Georgia for a while and ate there several times a week. The location we visited is about 90 minutes one way but it was sooooo  worth it. Brought home some ribs, chicken, sliced pork, brisket, beans and cole slaw...should have a nice spread tonight for me and my younger son.

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday... and I'll spend some time there tonight looking at what every one else is up to. Hoping for a quiet week where I can stay home and work on the many many many projects I have. My goal is to finish one project each day...hem a pair of pants...put a quilt binding on...finish a cross stitch piece...dig up a dead rosebush... wish me luck!!

happy stitching-
carol fun

A Slow Sunday Stitching where I compensate for only posting once a week by showing lots of pictures...

Another crazy week blew by me... there was lunches with friends...and dinner with friends...and going to see the King and I with friends... nice to have such good friends!   Most of the week I jumped from project to project...finished a pair of socks (no picture...they are in the wash)...started a new sock project, 3 times... think I have a plan now. Worked on cross stitch projects...tried to finish the giant bunny  from Notforgotten Farms ... didn't happen... here's where I am now..

I'd say that dress is a little more than halfway done.. I'm going to add some stripes toward the bottom of the dress like Donna Rae at Flannel Jammies Farm did. Doing all the blue is mindless but it got boring so I veered off into some  little stuff....

I stitched this freebie piece called Wee Crowned Maiden by Pineberry Lane which you can find here.

She is quite petite...on 32 count she's about 1.75" tall and wide... the entire pillow only stands about 4" tall. Now I changed all the colors and instead of a crown I gave her hair and added satin stitches on the hem of her dress.

Also I stitched this piece which still needs to be finished...

This is just the little lady from the Pineberry Lane chart titled "Except this Posey from a Friend"...which you can see in its entirety here.   On 32 count, she is a whopping 2" high counting the tulip and a smidgen over 1" wide. I plan on finishing her similar to the Wee Crowned Maiden.  Both of these were lovely little diversions from the enormous blue dress... not sure why I thought doing another ginormous piece of solid clothing stitching was a good idea...that yellow skirt  on WTN&T Needle and Thread piece (which you can see here if you don't remember it) should have taught me something... but it didn't... I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree sometimes...LOL

So while I should have been stitching on the bunny  there were other shiny objects that caught my attention.  Yesterday I was in a finishing mood so I did finish a couple of pieces that were already stitched. First this oldie but goodie by Lizzie Kate...

I stitched this piece last year and put it aside ...I think  Spring had already passed by the time I got done with it. I like the chart but wished I'd stitched it on something brighter and lighter...the two-tone mat behind the piece is my attempt at brightening this up and tying it in with the quilt behind it.

Then I finished this piece which was a portion of the chart Tansy Yarrow Rue from Pineberry Lane.

I couldn't get the corners  squared the way I wanted them, so I pinched them and tied little floss bows on them instead. If you enlarge the pic you can see the shaded rickrack... don't know where it came from but I really like it.  I may stitch this one again in its entirety someday... I do like the chart but right now I just want to stitch some smaller pieces to decorate with...and speaking of decorating here are those finishes so far in my 3 tier tray...

and the requisite closeups of each level...now this is a new tray...a smaller round one that I picked up at Hobby Lobby for half off...

top tier...

the little bird has a clip coming out of it that is attached to the bottom of the Lizzie Kate piece and the bow fills in the empty space...

the middle tier...

the Wee Crowned Maiden with no crown graces the middle tier  with some bright mini tulips I got at Micheals and that little tulip plate which I vaguely remember buying at Yankee Candle years ago.


the bottom tier...

The lady with the rake from Tansy Yarrow Rue ...a wooden bird with a patchwork wing ...got it last year at either Joanns, Micheals or Hobby Lobby and more tulips...I love those tulips ...they coordinate great with the quilt I finished last year...

Big Dude approves...

But wait...there is more... I finished the Delivering Posies by Homespun Elegance... found some buttons in my stash and the clip board frame came from Hobby Lobby...

I "Priscilla-fied" this one with some lovely yellow gingham ribbon and a yellow fabric mat... I did that because I'm displaying it with a flock of yellow birds...

and since we're talking about yellow birds... I have quite a few of them...and a bunch of turquoise ones too but that's a story for another day... this is the center piece on my table...

I love the tray but still haven't gotten around to painting that handle... sigh...someday... the birds are left over from Easter... I removed the colored eggs, found these guys a nest and added that cute little chick that is hatching...a 99 cent salt shaker from the gift shop at Cracker Barrel...I've found some really cute decorating pieces there...check it out when you are eating there. That leafy base came from IKEA...it is a square with different leaves attached to it...makes a nice base for a display. IKEA is another place with interesting decorating ideas. I'm lucky to have one close to my house...about a 15 minute drive. I walk around there about twice a month...you get lots of exercise walking the two levels and I swear I see new stuff every time I go. They change room displays quite often so I'm always finding new things I can't live without...they know me well...LOL

Well the weather today here is dreary, gray and wet... I suppose that is better than snowy and cold which others are dealing with. We had a couple of nice days last week... 80 one afternoon...I've been able to sit out on my new sunroom porch and I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! 

Here we are together stitching and chilling...

And here's the Dude chilling solo... I've found him in this spot several times this week... I think he likes the new space as much as I do.

Well I need to wrap up this photo extravaganza... we are doing a belated Easter celebration tonight...prime rib...and the meat thermometer/timer just dinged... dinner will be served at 6pm.

Hope next week brings nicer weather to all of us and lots of time to stitch and knit and quilt...

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts ...

happy stitching-

carol fun 

I don't think the bunny knows what she's talking about...

The weather has been all over the place this week... some nice afternoons and some cold snowy mornings and some rainy gray days...and it looks to continue for another week... twinter just keeps hanging on.

I did get some stitching done this week... a finish and a new start...

First, the finish...

Needle and Thread by With Thy Needle and Thread

I am so happy with how this turned out. I had enough floss to finish the skirt and I like the blotchy splotchiness. The "vintage"buttons came from my stash and I stitched the little spools of threads in satin stitch. You can see the details more clearly if you make the pictures bigger.

and I'm very proud of the needle that the little bird is holding...one ply over one thread...

As soon as I got the last stitch in this piece I whisked it off to the framer... it should return in about 2 weeks. I can't believe I stitched this start to finish in 12 days...can you tell I was over the moon about it? It is going to be part of a display in my living room this summer and then hang in my craft room the rest of the year... too wonderful to put away!!

And a finish means a new start... I saw this piece on Donna Rae Barrow's Floss tube channel "Flannel Jammies Farm" which you can see here.  I saw the piece in the background and just loved it. I asked her the name of the designer and chart which she graciously shared with me. This is  "Ah tis Spring" by Notforgotten Farm. I got the pattern here on Lori Brechlin's Etsy shop.   

What I have stitched so far...

This is 32 count linen I painted with Rit Tangerine dye. This chart uses all DMC flosses.  I changed the bunny's dress to  597 and stitched the words in 730 instead of the called for 610. I believe there is a small error in the color key which I ignored... the carrot is charted in 783 which is a golden yellow... I used 921 which is a copper-y orange and also a called for color in the piece. I think the symbols for these colors have been transposed...anyway I like the nice orange color. I also substituted 712 for the collar and cuffs of the dress instead of 644.  As you can see there will be a LOT of dress to stitch...but it should be easier than the big skirt of the last piece as I will be using a solid color instead of a hand dyed floss. Once I get the whole dress outlined I won't have any counting to do...yeah!!

And progress has been made on my new porch... Dan my handyman hung the blinds today and now it feels like a room... I love it!!! He also laid the carpet tiles and did a waaaay better job than I could have done...here's a couple of pictures... it is hard to photograph as it isn't a big space... about 7' x 10'... cosy...

The sofa and the bench and the yellow end table all came from IKEA... the bird  art piece came from Hobby Lobby... the carpet is from Flor. I have plans to paint the top of the wood bench... 

I sat out there a couple of times last week...the light in the afternoon if the sun is out is wonderful... the new windows keep the porch pretty warm and quiet... I love the quiet!  Dan took the storm door off of the front door today so now the space flows nicely from the living room.  There is still some detail painting to do... I'm having the concrete window sills painted to match the windows... a nice taupe... and there are shutters and a window box to add to the front. Hoping for improving weather in a week or two for the outside work...and I want to get a nice bird feeder and a bird bath too.

And since the bunny said "tis Spring" I did a little changing of the slipcovers on the living room furniture... swapped out the beige velour ones for a nice cream linen ...  I got a bargain on the cream linen ones I'm using in my living room...$20 for the entire 3 cushion sofa and $20 for the chair...that is not a typo... both slipcovers were only $20 each...there is more than $20 worth of fabric in one cushion. Don't know why they are so cheap...thought they were discontinuing them but they were still there last week when I went to IKEA.

Downstairs I  changed the red linen one in the sewing studio to a lovely yellow gingham check ... they weren't the bargain the cream linen was but I just had to have them. I love the IKEA Ecktorp furniture as the slipcovers are easy to change. 

I considered using this yellow gingham cover in the living room but with the yellow accent tables it was a bit too much yellow for even me...LOL

Lots of running around to do this week...why is it that the older I get the more I just want to stay home?.. preferably in my jammies.  I'm thinking that perhaps I can block out a week in May to do that...and by that time it should be warmer and I can work in the yard...and sit on the porch  and stitch and knit... What did Jane Austen say?  "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."  Such a true statement!!

I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday...and since it is almost 11pm as I'm typing this,  perhaps I can get a few stitches put into the mis-informed bunny...that would be nice...

hope you have a great week ahead of you...

happy stitching-

carol fun

Happy... Easter/April Fools/Slow Stitching Sunday...

We've really loaded up today with things to celebrate, haven't we?  Hopefully you are having a lovely Easter celebration with NO April Fools jokes and have time to slow down and stitch a bit too. My day is very low key... went out to dinner with my older son and daughter-in-law last evening as they were doing ham at her mom's house today. The four of us will have an Easter celebration next Sunday with our go-to favorite, prime rib. In the mean time, my younger son and I are doing a nice beef stroganoff meal...meat's already done and when we get hungry I'll make some egg noodles and bake 2 ears of corn on the cob...fruit/salad/rolls.... meal complete.

This Peek a Boo Easter Bunny mini quilt is gracing my back door...the one everyone comes into the house through. He is a foundation pieced pattern from Center Street Quilts  and you can see the pattern here on Craftsy. It comes 6" finished  or 12" finished. I made the 12" one and added borders on 3 sides...and the felt eyeball are my addition too. I haven't done any foundation piecing for a while but I do enjoy the precision of it. Now this block took me waaay to long as I dithered about each and every piece of "low volume" background I added...not that my low volumes are very quiet. The yellow dotty fabric was a 1/3 yd cut I got from Joanns (I only know that because it said  so on the selvedge)... it wasn't the quality I'd put in a quilt but for this it was fine and those dots and colors just yelled Easter to me (it's ok ... I only listen to the good voices in my head...LOL)

And this past week  had me doing more running around than I planned...lunch out with a friend...shuttling my son to a volunteer job...and a lunch with his dad...and lunch with a friend...and his other job...and there was shopping for the new porch room... two trips to IKEA in two days.  I got a 3 piece sectional outdoor sofa that fits nicely into the corner of the room and will let me sit and watch the traffic and the world go by. My carpet squares came too...and I think I've figured out how to arrange them with minimal trimming. I hope to get them on the floor this week...and I hope the new blinds arrive too. Once I've got them installed I'll take some pictures. I did sit out on the porch yesterday and stitched a bit. It was a bit chilly still but I did enjoy it. I'm really looking forward to the blinds so I won't feel like I'm sitting in a department store window.

Also this past week had lots and lots and lots of stitching time...listened/watched my beloved Cincinnati Reds lose their first two games of the season. It is touted as a rebuilding year... again... and I suspect there will be more losing than winning... but I'm still a fan.  As for the stitching here is where I'm at with Needle and Thread by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle & Thread.

I worked on the leaves and the birds and the other motifs until my CC Queen Bee floss arrived bright and early Thursday morning...and I've been stitching with a vengeance  every since...

I'm loving  the CC Queen Bee on the skirt... I'm stitching it in blobs and blotches to get that splotchy look. However I'm concerned that I may run out of floss. What you see here is just a few plys less than one 5 yard skein... I bought two but I think it is going to be close...so this morning I ordered another skein. I'm not sure  about her hands yet... I substituted GA Apricot Blush for her skin instead of the called for CC Perfect Piecrust... the values may be too similar with Queen Bee...may have to frog the hands ... as there is no way on God's green earth I'd frog all that Queen Bee!!  And I'm even happier this week with the painting of this linen... I am soooooo happy happy happy I won't be stitching all that grass.

Now even though I like the splotchy -ness of her skirt the thought did cross my mind last night that perhaps I should have stitched the skirt in a nice DMC. Hmmm... I know the fancy flosses seem sooo... I don't know... fancy and special...but there is something very comforting about DMC... all that uniform color and the ability to pop out to Joanns or Micheals and pick up another skein or two, easy peasy, does have its advantages.  Perhaps next time I have a piece with a giant amount of solid stitching I will have this thought before rather than while I'm stitching... perhaps...

Well I hope you are having a lovely Sunday... I will be linking up with Kathy's Quilts and then I'll have my feet up and my needle threaded and I'll be Slow Stitching on Sunday...

happy stitching-
carol fun