I can't let this day pass without saying something. A year ago we were anticipating this day with great joy. This would have been Ben and Katie's wedding day. There were so many happy, exciting moments along the way, and those are the memories I'm hanging on to today. We are better for knowing and loving Katie. She was a strong, caring, loving, kind, generous soul...and the world was better for having had her here, even if it was way too short. She was the perfect person I had been praying for in a helpmate for Ben. The two of them were wonderful together.
Katie was just like a daughter to us. She included us in her life like we were family. She even took me with her when she went shopping for her wedding dress. She would have been a beautiful bride.
I don't ever want to forget Katie, and all the lessons she taught me on how to be strong, to fight the good fight, and how to be kind to others no matter what I may be feeling inside. So with tears in my eyes, I post this in loving memory of her. We love you and miss you, Katie.
Well....it's been a wild and wacky spring so far! I've been a busy lady, but in a good way I suppose. Let's get started with Gifted Gorgeousness. I've you've followed me for a while then you know on the 15th of the month we showcase what we have been stitching ... things we have been given as gifts (patterns, fabric, floss or even completed stitched items) or things we have stitched that we are giving away. Jo, over at Serendipitous Stitching, is our fearless leader and has the sign up page over here. She explains the rules there...but if you are interested in what others are stitching, you can see the link up page here where we all link our pages. It's never to late to sign up if you are interested!
I was given a pretty big bag of left over linen. They are the perfect size for ornaments and they came in a range of colors and counts. I dug into them right away and started stitching some of the ornaments I'm going to be giving away. So let's start there, shall we? I have even completed a couple already. These have all been stitched with linen I've been given.
First up is this little guy....a Brittercup design I found in a JCS magazine. It was a preview to an ornament issue. I have been looking for this pattern called "Mine" for a while and was shocked to find it when I was looking for something else (isn't it always the way?). I'll be stitching him a few times...haha. Here he is all finished up! He is a gift for a Facebook friend.
This is a design I found on the Victoria Sampler freebie page. I have stitched a few of her ornaments here, I just love the different stitches she finds to give her patterns a little zing! This was stitched for a Facebook friend who had a new baby last year, so his name is on the back with the date.
This is a JBW design I've had in my stash for quite a while. I thought she was pretty but never had the chance to stitch her. This will be a gift too when I finish it into an ornament.
This is a little penquin I found in the most recent JCS ornament issue. They said to stitch him on mint green, and so I have, but I'm not excited about the way he turned on on this color. I think I might stitch him again on light blue. What do you think? He was supposed to be a gift as well, but I'm going to tweak him a bit first.
My husband gifted me these three SALs, and I fell behind a bit trying to get some other gifts stitched. First is Wildflower Woodland Quaker by Tempting Tangles. There is only one more installment, I have really enjoyed stitching this one!
Another is this Blue Poppy Learning Sampler. I'm being challenged with some of the stitches on this one! Especially the Satin stitch, I really struggle with that one. I am still a month behind, but hoping to catch up soon! This is also a Tempting Tangles design.
The third is this called Through the Window by Ship's Manor. Each little window is another month, and there will be 12. When I get a chance I hope to get the border done because the windows don't take much time. I'll keep you posted.
The last one I'm going to show here is Sweet Nectar. I'm please to say I'm finally finished with this one. It is a gift for my Mom's birthday is in June. My next quest will be to get it framed. Wish me luck!!
That's all I'm prepared to show right now. I have some stitched that are going to be gifts so I'll have to wait a little while to show those to you. Once the SALs are caught up I'm hoping to work on some gifts for a wedding later this year. Stay tuned!
