Exciting Times Ahead !!!

I guess it's been a couple weeks now that my BFF Reina, sister Paula and I traveled to the middle of the State to attend a baby shower for my "adorable" daughter-in-law Jamie!! I've never seen so much "PINK" or so many wonderful and beautiful baby gifts in my life!!! It was so much fun! It took a van, an SUV and a car or two to bring all the "goodies" home. Son Harrison was overwhelmed with it all!!! Guys are so funny!!! This little girl will be the best dressed baby ever!!!

"Gi-Gi Anita" and "Mommy Jamie"

Besides cross stitching, I also love to knit. I wanted to make some special things for "Zoe" that might add a little "pizzaz" to some of her ensambles!!! Below is the ultimate "Box~O~Booties"!!! I tagged them all with fiber content and washing instructions.

"Box~O~Booties"!!!

I found the pattern for the "Heirloom Bootie" below in one of my Interweave Knit magazines and absolutely fell in love with them. I only had one finished at the time of the shower but wanted to include it in the box anyway. They are made of 100% Cashmere.....mmmmmm, SOOOO soft!(The mate is almost done!)

"Heirloom Booties" ~ 100% Cashmere

Below is a little pair of variegated pink booties laced with some soft "polk-a-dot" ribbon! Jamie likes "polka-a-dots" !!! This yarn was the only acrylic yarn I used. It is, however, awfully soft.

"Varegated Pink Booties"

I'm not sure that these are even wearable !!! but they were so cute I had to make these adorable "Mini Mary Jane's" anyway!!! They could just be a cute decoration if nothing else. Harrison could hang them from his rear view mirror!!! This yarn is Bamboo, Cotton and Nylon and very soft too!

"Mini Mary Jane's"

Below is a matching cap and bootie set. Made of 100% Cotton yarn, very pink and also very soft. I found some really sweet floral ribbon to use for the bootie laces and made a cute little bow and flower decoration on the cap.

"Sweet Baby" Set

Last but not least, I made this little soft yellow pair of socks for "down the road" a bit. Maybe 8-12 months of age. This yarn is Bamboo, Merino Wool and Silk...awesome!!!!!

"Party-Time Lace Socks"

All the booties are very stretchy so hopefully they will fit for a few months. Whatever the case, I had a ball making all of them!!! What else is a "Gi-Gi" to do while waiting the arrival of a new "Granddaughter"!!!

Until next time...... Stitch, Knit, Crochet, Draw; ......whatever you love, be creative!!! ~~~~~~~~Anita

Finally ~~~ A Spare Moment !!!

As soon as we're through with Nashville Market, preparations begin for our "Heartland Cross Stitch Shop Hop" held just a few weeks after. Therefore, not much time for blogging! Then after the Hop, I was busy knitting "little pink" things for our "soon to be granddaughter's" baby shower. More on that topic in another post!



We had a great Hop this year with the theme being "Christmas". I designed the border and the other participating shops designed the individual inner designs. Each shop then stitches the designs as they choose. We have always stitched and framed the complete sampler so we have a complete model for all to see. We also added buttons for a little extra "pazzazzz"! (You must attend the Hop and visit all the shops to get ALL the portions of the sampler. Sorry, the patterns are not available otherwise.) A great big "thanks" to ALL who attended making this event such a success!!!

"Border Close-up"

"2010 Heartland Cross Stitch Shop Hop Sampler"

Below is a booklet I released just in time for the Hop. It's called "Lovely Alphabet" and contains the upper case of all letters. I had previously sold each letter individually and decided to put them all together in a book. The reception was absolutely awesome!!! When stitched on 14 or 28Ct. these designs fit into these coasters shown in the photo below. They are also very "lovely" framed! This booklet is only available through our shop at this time. They are somewhat labor intensive so not sure I will release them to my distributors yet. (Maybe after I've gotten some more rest!!!)

"Lovely Alphabet"

I have always put together a special kit for each Hop and below is the "2010 Hop Kit". It is called "Deck the Halls" with 2 little ladies decorating their tree for the holidays. The design was packaged with the pattern and fabric, tied with an organza bow and a star ornament for your own Christmas tree! We also had some frames on hand for sale. A quick, cute stitch! (Just a little hint...this design will be implemented into a larger design to be released a bit later, in time for the holidays!)

"Deck the Halls"

In years past I have also had "handpainted" Sunflower items available to the "Hoppers" for sale. I've had several different shapes and sizes of snippet jars and a couple of different shaped magnetic needle cases. This year I thought since the theme was "Christmas" I would paint up a bunch of glass balls, tie some "Happy Holiday's" ribbon on them and they could be filled with "snippets" if you so desired! Otherwise, just hang them on your tree empty, just as lovely!!! They made a fun hit!!!

"Waiting for packaging!"



Each ornament was packaged in their own gift box!!!

That about does it for this post! Thanks so much for stopping by and hopefully I can do better in the future. There's just so much to do and the days and nights just seem to be getting shorter. What's up with that anyway??? We're having lots of rain these days here in Kansas so this withered little "Sunflower Seed" is rising up through the muddy soil and working on some new designs again!!!

"Happy Stitching" ~ ~ ~ ~ Anita

What's Been Flying Out The Door!!!

We've really been busy here at the shop since returning from Nashville. All our market orders are out and things are getting back to normal!!! I think!!! However, we're gearing up for the upcoming "Heartland Cross Stitch Shop Hop" which is Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 29, 30 and May 1. Mark your calendars 'cause you won't want to miss the "crazy fun that'll be happ'nin"!!!

I think we're all just about sick of winter so I'm going to start out with a new Spring design that'll be sure to lift up everyones spirits and get to thinking of new spring grass rising through the ground along with flowers, bunnies and lovely Spring colors. Just envision it in your mind and maybe it'll actually happen soon!!!

This first design is ofcourse from "Prairie Schooler"!!! What a nice mix of Spring things!!! Sweet ducks and adorable rabbits, a spring lamb and we can't forget some chickens!!! Quick stitches to "egg-on" Spring !!!

"Signs of Spring"

by Prairie Schooler

The latest edition of Hawk Run is here and it's fabulous!!! It's always wonderful to see the actual stitched models and photos can never due the piece justice. This is such a great design as you can stitch as many pieces of it as you like and make up your own sampler. Do each one individually and have 12 great pieces. I'm extra fond of this one as fall colors are my favorite. Love the "earthy" tones!

"Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow"
by Carriage House

This is a beautiful sampler that I got to actually see in Norden Crafts exhibit room. It's a "one color" sampler which stitches up much quicker and it was just beautiful. The wording is so wonderful!

"I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm"

by Heartstring Samplery

This is what we're all doing,"Waiting for Spring"!!! This little snowman is really cute and looks like he's preparing for Easter whatever the climate!!

"Waiting For Spring"

by Val's Stuff

Another cute little snowman from Val's. Seems like everyone loves snowmen, any time of year!

"A Little Bit of Snow"

by Val's Stuff

Looks like this little guy is preparing for the Spring rainy season!!! Everyone chuckles at him when they see him here in the shop!!! That's a good thing!!!

"LeggySnowman" by Heart and Hand

"I've traveled across both sea and land to collect needlework treasures so exquisite and grand." How wonderful is that!!!

"Schoolgirl Samplings"

by Blue Ribbon

There were several alphabet samplers that caught my eye at this market. This one from La-D-Da is one of them. One color on some great hand-dyed linen. I think these caught my attention partly because 2 year old Chloe has learned to recognize all letters of the alphabet now and was thinking how fun to stitch her an alphabet of her own!!!

"ABCD" by La-D-Da

This is another great alphabet! Love the extra touches to each letter and the border is so fun!!

"Wicked Alphabet"
by Primitive Needle

The following Blackbird Designs have been very popular here at the shop. They are ordered, sold and ordered again and again!!! Be sure to leave your name so we can reserve one just for you so you don't miss out! Honeysuckle Manor is a great book with soooo many projects for you to do.

"Honeysuckle Manor" book by Blackbird Designs

The next two samplers are the first of 13 leaflets to come. There is a diagram showing how you can put all these designs together into one large sampler. The 13th leaflet will have some extra designs that can be placed in the extra slots in this sampler. It will be oh so awesome when finished!!! However, you can also just pick the ones you love the most!!! Be sure to watch for the upcoming leaflets!!!

"Snow Garden"
by Blackbird Designs
(1st chart)

"Valentine Rose"

by Blackbird Designs

(2nd chart)

The following 2 designs are some really great small projects that make up in some wonderful pin cushions. You could also frame these if you prefer but either way they are quick to stitch, feel good projects!!!

"Blue Bird"

by Blackbird Designs

"Bird In Hand"

by Blackbird Designs

This is the 4th installment of Little House's ornament series. How cute is this?!!!

"Snowy Pines"

by Little House Needleworks

Here's a couple new designs from JBW Designs. One color stitching makes for a fast finish!!!

"French Country Butterfly"

by JBW Designs
"The Queen Bee"

by JBW Designs

Last but not least we have a cute pastel "Easter Samplings" from Lizzie Kate. Again, I'm really wishing for Spring!!! It can't come too soon!!!

"Easter Samplings"

by Lizzie Kate"

I know this has been long but there's just sooooo much to show! Obviously, I can't show ALL or stock ALL so if there's ever anything that I can "special order" in for you, don't hesitate to ask. If you want, you may cruise; http://www.hoffmandis.com/ or http://www.nordencrafts.com/. If you find anything there I certainly can order it in for you. (You cannot order direct from them) We usually have a fairly quick turn around so there's not much waiting time.

I hope you've enjoyed this latest edition of our blog. I certainly appreciate your visits and your comments are welcomed and much appreciated.

Here's leaving you with wishes for many happy hours of of creative stitching!!! ~~~Anita

"2010" Nashville Needlework Market Releases !!!

This year market was held in a MUCH newer Embassy Suites which was an astounding pleasure to be in! The rooms were larger, the walk ways were larger, and best of all I did not detect any mold growing in every nook and cranny. That was just the worst! Below are some photos of our room display along with a few decorations that we added.

This is a banner that I made using Weeks Dye Works hand dyed wools. We intended to hang it out over the railing but their planter boxes were much too large so we hung it inside our room. We got lots of great comments about it!!!

And, of course, we always display our State Flag somewhere in the room. It covers a TV that was never turned on!!!

We had a great "Nashville" reception with our 7, yes 7, new releases at the recent TNNA Needlework Market!!!!! It's very heartwarming to see the reactions to my designs from shopowners from all over the world. There seems to be more and more European shopowners making the long trip to purchase designs and supplies from all the vendors. It's difficult at times as some don't speak English (most do however) but they KNOW what they like and want which makes us all alike in that respect. Needleworkers are needleworkers no matter where we all come from. You can't get any better than that! Below are my 7 NEW designs:

"Some Days !!!"

R&R Linen & Weeks Dye Works

93H x 91 W

"Hope Is The Thing"

R&R Linen & Belle Soie Silk

249H x 162 W

"Sunflower Santa"

R&R Linen & DMC

80 H x 60 W

"Seasonal Bouquets"

R&R Linen & DMC

Individual: 55 H x 55 W

All Together: 120 H x 120 W

"St. Patty's Day"

7 Ct. Klostern & DMC

28 H x 200 W

"Happy Birthday"

7 Ct. Klostern & DMC

28 H x 200 W

"Be Wise"

R&R Linen & Weeks Dye Works

136 H x 136 W

Reina and I left early Friday morning and arrived without a single glitch thanks to Darin's "tom-tom" that we borrowed. There were several hilarious incidents when that "hidden voice" came out of nowhere and nearly ejected me from the car!!! We also found it funny that "She" does not like it when we need to take a "potty" break!!! We gave her a name but I probably should not reveal it at this time!!! She did deliver us to our "final destination" safely (which we are eternally grateful!!!) and we unloaded our vehicle to very nice 45-50ish degree weather. The roads were all clear and dry once we were east of KC and a little damp when we left Nashville but clear all the way home. Thankfully we missed the storm that hit Topeka again over that weekend.

All in all we had a great time and hope you enjoy seeing what we displayed in our exhibit. I'll post again soon with some of the goodies that we brought back for you all to purchase! Drop by the shop and pick up some of your favorite designs and supplies soon. Things are flying out the door. We'll be getting more things in in the next couple of weeks as some things had to be shipped. Thanks for stopping by and "Happy Stitching"!!! ~~~~~Anita

BUSY TIMES AROUND HERE !!!

I know, I know ..... it's been a long time since my last post. January is ALWAYS my busy, busy time. This will be short as I'm wrapping up all the loose ends in preparation for the:

"2010 Nashville Needlework Market"

Reina and I will leave EARLY this coming Friday morning for a few days of very fast paced work. I've had a "glitch" with my "printer dude" and with getting one piece back from the framer in time for photography. Yikes, I don't like to run that close to deadlines! I've set up our display at the shop for a working preview and have most of the patterns packed. Wednesday and Thursday will be the final pack-up. We've got it pretty much down to a tee after exhibiting for as many years as we have. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for us. It's just been such a crazy winter and guess what, it's snowing AGAIN this afternoon!!! UGH!

We'll have LOTS of "NEW" stuff for you to see when we get back to the shop on Tuesday. I know I'll still be unpacking things. Kathy will be taking care of things at the shop while we're gone so we'll still be "OPEN" and in very competent hands. Kathy has also agreed to care for "Betsy" while I'm away. Betsy LOVES her "sleep-overs" with Aunt Kathy and Uncle Morris!!! I think Muffin just tollerates her though!!!

That's it for now !!! We'll see you all soon with lots of pictures of "goodies" that we bring back !!! YIPPEE!!!

Happy Stitching ~~~~~~~~~~~~~Anita

"Happy New Year"

Snow, snow, snow!!! It's been quite a few years since we've gotten this much snow and such cold temperatures! My body definitely picked the right year for "the change"!!! I'm very thankful for my higher body temperatures at this point in my life, especially since the temperature was 2 degrees with a -15 windchill when I got up this morning!!! We have to look for the good in everything right???!!! The fireplace is blazing and Betsy and I are toasty for now!


The photo above is of our front porch taken on Christmas Morning. Two steps "up" but they are not visible! BRRRRR!!!! We still have not been able to get with our boys and families for "Christmas". My husband barely made it home before the storm hit. With a "little one" in one family and a "baby on-board" with the other family it wasn't worth the risk. Bill and I enjoyed our fireplace and some quality time together however! We'll all get together as soon as we can but for now safety is priority!

Above are some ornaments that I made for my boys, husband and grandaughter. Maybe I shouldn't be showing them since "they" haven't even seen them yet!!! Oh well!!! The hockey ornament is for youngest son Harrison. He played hockey for many years and I've been making this ornament yearly, changing the jersey color for each team he played on. Oldest son, Morgan loved nutcrackers as a youngster so he gets a different "Country" nutcracker. This year was Ireland! Granddaughter Chloe was a Koala Bear for her first Halloween so I found this darling Koala to make for her ornament. I stitched it on silver perforated paper and added a few beads on the hat to add a little more sparkle! The Prairie Schooler deer design is for my husband. I've been making deer ornaments for him the last few years because he and Harrison go deer hunting together. They were all very fun to make and I'm always anxious to start the "next years" ornaments!!!

Here we have a great little gift from my wonderful friend Reina! Our beloved Scottish Terrier "Watson" was a part of our lives for 14 years. He grew up along with our boys and was just the "most fun" dog ever!!! What a personality he had! Reina picked this design out of the 2009 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue because she knew I would absolutely LOVE it and I do!!! Watson really loved the snow and would stay out until his skirt and beard were frozen!!! Thanks Reina, I will love it forever!!!

I have another "spectacular" friend, Kathy, who made me this beautiful piece! It's perfect in so many ways!!! I absolutely love the "extreme" tails and wings on these crows and it has "SUNFLOWERS". How could she go wrong with this one?! The design is an older one by Workbasket called "Crow Flowers" . Love it, love it, love it. Thanks so much Kathy!

This is the peice I mentioned in a previous post. I really love this little design, "Joy to the World" by Heartstrings Primitives". It stitched up pretty quickly and I really enjoyed stitching it. A very nice Christmas decoration addition!

I stitched this Workbasket design over one and made it into a little ornament. It was very fun to stitch and I think it turned out pretty cute!

Think that's about it for this post. Thank you all for visiting my blog. I really appreciate it! Hopefully the weather will warm up before long, but if it doesn't, stay warm!

"Happy New Year" to Everyone!!! ~~~~~Anita

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

We're all counting down the days we have left before family and friends arrive! Wow, it won't be long now! I had a very busy day today and thought I would show you just a tiny glimpse of some of my favorite things!!!

Everyone, I'm sure, knows the "Hippopotamus Song"!!! A few years ago I came home singing this song just about every night since our local radio station seemed to be playing it constantly!!! I really love it and my husband secretly sent out my two sons and eldest sons girlfriend (now daughter in law) in search of a stuffed "Hippopotamus"!!! They searched high and low and this is what they came home with. Great job don't you think???!!! He's truly adorable and I make a place for him every year now!!! This year he sits atop the television!! I also wanted to show you some stitched pieces given to me by some very dear friends. They are very special to me!

From Reita

From Reina

From Kathy

Some of my most favorite tree ornaments were made by the boys in grammar school. The flower pot bell and grapevine wreath was made by Harrison, the styrofoam snowman was made by Morgan. The boys are now 28 and 21! The brass ice skates were given to Harrison since he played hockey from about age 10 through high school.

This next snowman was made when my oldest son was in pre-school. The tag reads: "Heidi & Peter Pre-K2"!!! He was then known as "Morgan H" as there was also a little girl named "Morgan Lynn" in his class! For the longest time whenever anyone asked what his name was he always said "Morgan H"!!! How cute is that!!!
The wooden wolf ornament below was given to me by Morgan when he was maybe a freshman. The tag says 1996 and it's made of olive wood. Very nice! Then below that is a wonderful stitched piece made by Harrison! I'm not sure how old he was at the time but he had decided he wanted to cross stitch. He obviously was too young to grasp the concept but I saved it none the less! A couple years later I ran across this piece and decided that I wanted to save it forever and thought a Christmas ornament would be just right for it. The neighbor boy even stitched his initials on it! I can still see both little boys sitting on the couch in our basement, needles in hand!
The little "tongue depressor loom" shown below was also a school project Harrison brought home one year! How cute is that!!! If you look closely you can see that he signed his name at the upper side. And, of course, another one of his hockey ornaments!

"Morgan's 1st Christmas" sled ornament was made by a family member and has been on our tree for 28 years now! The little soldier pull toy was also one of his first ornaments.

Several wooden ornaments below were given to Morgan by my mother for his first Christmas. And, of course, the bubble lights which both boys loved!

Now, here's a gift that will surprise most of you! I received this one year from my youngest son Harrison. I think he was 8 or 10 years old at the time. He was always a very mechanical kid. (The neighbor lady came across the street one time to have him start her lawn mower. He was young enough that he wasn't allowed to cross the street by himself!!!!) Anyway, he wanted to learn to weld and after a few instructions from"Dad" this is what he made me! It's a little hard to see in the photo but it says, Love, William, Morgan, Harrison. He cut out hearts, a Christmas Tree and our house. I made the frame and cut-outs out of barn wood from my Granddad's barn. I put some sponged red poster board behind the tin so the cuts would show better.

And, along the bottom it says "Merry Christmas Mom".

Today was my last chance to make my traditional iced sugar cookies that the boys love so much. Anyway, I think they love them!!! I didn't make as many as I usually do but I think there will be plenty. Husband now has diabetes and I don't need them (love 'em, but don't need 'em!) so what doesn't get eaten for Christmas will go home with the boys!

Mixing the frosting!

Cookies "lying in waiting"!

Color mixed in ~ Yellow for Stars ~ Pink for Santa's

Blue for Bells ~ Green for Trees

Sprinkles have been added and part of them put away!

Whew!!! what a job ~ they wear me out anymore!

Time to pack them up, throw them in the freezer till Thursday!!!

Betsy ~ Just waiting for a morsel to fall from the counter!!!
It's hard work being "floor monitor"!!!

Just have to wrap the gifts and I "think" I'm ready!!! Can't wait to see all the kids and experience the joy of Chloe's 2nd Christmas!!! Next year we'll have a "new" grandchild ~ So Exciting!!!

Here's wishing you Peace, Love and Joy throughout this Holiday Season!!!

~~~Anita