Wizards and wonderful mail

First...finished!

SamSarah Designs, "Baubles: W is for Wizard"
stitched on 28-ct. Newport linen
with floss substitutions

 I just love these little guys.  I think I will have them framed (when I have a bit of money saved up, who knows when that will be) and then hang them near my shelves full of Harry Potter books!

Secondly, I received some absolutely delightful mail today.  I won Meggie's 200-follower giveaway over at the Cross Stitch Cottage, and the package was in my mailbox this afternoon!  Her little bunny is exquisite.  And the stash....yay!  I think my favorites are the Joan Elliott book and the flosses...how can I NOT love a color called "Pixie Dust"?!?!?  Thank you so much, Meggie!

 The bunny does not yet have a name - I thought I'd give my Wee One the honor of naming her.  (So don't be surprised if her name ends up being something like "Stripey Bunny."  LOL We're still in that literal naming phase...)  For now she is sitting with my ort jar in my stitching nook.

 

And here are all the goodies Meggie sent!  Isn't it lovely?  And I promise, I took the snips away from the bunny right after the picture was taken -- we all know bunnies aren't to be trusted with scissors!!  As I said, I'm absolutely thrilled to have the Joan Elliott book and the flosses, and while some of the other things aren't my typical style, I've found a few that might come in handy for gifts and such.  Thank you again, Meggie!

Kathy!!!

There was a package in my mailbox yesterday, and it was from Kathy!  She sent me Just Nan's "Summer Stroll" pattern which she had just finished stitching, AND she included one of her lovely aprons!!!  The green apron with the blue rooster is now hanging in my kitchen.  Thank you so much, dear!  (Now I need to get cracking on making an apron for my daughter!  I have part of one "cut out"/salvaged from a old shirt of mine...)

Also, I've decided that I might need to put Melville aside for a bit.  The owners of my daughter's daycare are selling the business (we met the new owners last week, they seem perfectly nice, and all the teachers are staying, so the day-to-day operation probably won't change much at all), and I'd like to stitch something for them.  Miss Carolyn and Mr. Jerry - as the kids call them - are such sweet people.  I was having trouble deciding between "Plant Love," a Lizzie Kate design from The Gift of Stitching, and "Bloom," an older freebie from Country Cottage Needleworks.  And then I had a thought!!  I could do "Plant Love" as one of my infamous drawstring bags, and then make "Bloom" into a little potpourri pillow to slip inside!  Because Carolyn and Jerry HAVE planted a lot of love, and it is wonderful to watch it bloom in the children.

A fly-by thank you!

I got a lovely and unexpected little package in the mail today - thank you, Kathy, for the pretty red flosses!!!  I think the GAST Buckeye Scarlet was my favorite.  I just might have to start something new and Valentine-y, just so I can use it!

I can't believe it myself!

But the baby sampler is DONE!!!! Woo-hoo!The pattern is entitled "Butterfly Buggy Birth Announcement" by Fresh Threads Studio. It was published in the February 2010 issue of The Cross Stitcher (US publication). I stitched it on 25-ct. baby lotion lugana, and - as always! - made a few changes. I substituted my own buttons and ribbon, and probably most significantly I added 5 stitches to the bottom area so there would be room for our daughter's full name. (Her last name *is* on there, I just covered it for privacy reasons.) I like birth samplers/momentos to be as complete as possible...you never know where they will end up! That is why I write out the full birthdate as well. I know for you Brits, 3/4/2010 would be April 3rd, not March 4th.
I'm going to call Jill Rensel on Tuesday. I'm so excited!

And I'm so embarrassed, I forgot to share what arrived in the mail...last week? The week before? Eeek, I can't remember! Must be Mommy Brain. Kathy sent this lovely scissor fob as a thank you for stitching on her neighborhood round robin. It was my pleasure, Kathy!! And the fob is beautiful. Maybe I'll think of it as the "key" to your neighborhood...so I can drop by and visit your lovely seaside village! LOL Don't worry, I wouldn't do so unannounced. :) And you've inspired to get my neglected village out and try to finish that last empty square...