A hodgepodge of everything!

Hello fellow bloggers!!!
This is a little bit late, and a jumbled up post, but I'm glad to be sharing it with you!

I visited one of my favorite little local shops, "P is for Primitive", located on the Square in Canton, MS.  Lisanne has a few antiques in the front of the shop, but the back is primarily for rug hooking supplies.  She has gorgeous wools, but there's not much there for me, other than DMC threads!  In the front, she also carries sweet little ornaments and seasonal decorations.  I went back to get the precious watering cans I talked about in a previous post.  They are so cute and are perfect on my Spring tree!  Don't you just love the sweet little bead "water drops" that come from the spout??  And I couldn't leave without that darling primitive Spring bunny, which now graces the top of my tree!

Since I last posted, I've been to Memphis again!  I found several fun things to purchase, and I just hope I'll get them stitched one day!  I love those tart pan stitches from Plum Street Samplers, so I had to buy both of those, plus the pans!  I also got some pretty red, white, and blue floss, because I'm itching to stitch some patriotic stuff!

I also attend my annual state music club meeting and this year is was in Columbus, MS.  It was a fun time, with wonderful music and great food!  I stayed in a B&B, which I haven't done before!  It was a fun time and I loved my gorgeous room in this antebellum home, the Cartney-Hunt House.  Isn't it beautiful?

I have turned in my last exam and picked up my cap and gown for Friday night!  YAY!
Yes, I will have my Masters on Friday night!  Hahaha!  You're all invited!

When I got home from my lovely trip to Columbus, there was an exciting-looking package waiting for me!  I looked at it and ripped it open, all at the same time!!!  Inside, I found something nicely wrapped in tissue, and a beautiful envelope!    Inside the envelope was a beautiful handmade card from Annette (California Stitcher).  Isn't it gorgeous???  I cannot believe that she took the time to make that beautiful card for a "56 year-old graduate"!!!!  

 

Well, then I had to rip open the larger package, and I couldn't believe my eyes!!!!  Annette made a fabulous music-themed project bag, just for me!!!  I absolutely love it!  I am so thrilled and humbled by her kindness!  Oh my goodness!!!  The fabric is so beautiful and she has a piano charm on the zipper and eighth notes charm where she put my initial!!!  I just love it!   If that wasn't enough, I unzipped it to look at the lining (which is the beautiful music fabric) and there was more inside!!! She made a sweet matching needle book and I just love it, too!  It has a little music charm inside!  Then, to top it all off, she included the wonderful Mardi Gras mask chart she had ordered from New Orleans!!!!  I am ecstatic!!

I am so touched~thank you, Annette!!!  You are so lovely and a precious friend!  Thank you again so much!!!

I will post photos from graduation after Friday night.  I had portraits done today!  Hahaha! I also had my photo made with my piano teacher, and I am pleased to have that!  It took 3 years, but the time has really flown by and it's been such a joy!

Thank you for stopping by, and please come back again soon!

Frances

It's Almost Easter!

Hello, friends!  Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, and that means Easter is next Sunday!  This year is really moving along!

I guess this means it's time to show my Easter Tree!  I've had it up since the St. Patrick's tree came down.  I've always loved sweet bunnies and lambs, so Easter decorations are darling to me!  This year I have cross stitch, bought ornaments, silk flowers, palm crosses from previous Palm Sundays, and some precious little things my son made when he was young!

In the right photo, you see a cute "hatchling" with a purple bow, designed by Sharon Welch, and located here.  The sweet brown and white bunny is a Prairie Schooler from A Prairie Year # 13.

I love the fat little orange carrot--I pulled it from some chart--I don't remember which one, but it's easy to find Easter charts with carrots!  I used some precious Easter fabric for finishing, and some egg printed ribbon!  At the bottom of the photo, you can see one of my son's little toilet paper roll bunnies that he made for our place cards one year at Easter!!!  They're getting a little smashed, but I still put them out--best place to save them is on the tree!

I must have really liked this bunny, because I stitched it twice!!!  They look different, though, so I hang both!  I found it here, and it works up quickly!  The one on the left is on linen, and finished simply with ribbon stripes.  The one on the right is on green aida and finished with lime and pink flowered cotton and some left-over pillow trim!  The hanger is attached with hot pink bunny buttons!

Here's a cute sheep that's part of a larger freebie by Jardin Prive, found here.  I used a button/lace edging and added a sweet sheep button on the right side of the lace.  This sweet variegated pink bunny is one of Homespun Elegance's eggs in Spring Eggs I.  I was afraid I couldn't sew an egg shape at the time I made this, but I have made several since then!!  

The sweet little yellow bunny on the left is a freebie from Kirsten Schmidt but I cannot seem to locate it online...The sweet egg-shaped hot pink Easter bunny is a freebie from Sylvia, located here. 
In the right photo, you see the sweet sheep again.  The darling egg shaped bunny with pink rick rack edging is part of a freebie from Val's Stuff, found here.   The cute little pink Peep pattern isn't online any more, but this one is probably the closest thing to it!  I used a hot pink bunny button and a carrot button to attach the hanger ribbon.

On the upper left, you see a peach flower from Prairie Schooler Spring Miniatures.  I added a little bee button and used some green African print fabric with it.  The sweet green bunny in the center is a freebie by Alexandrina and located here.  It's finished with cute dotted ribbon trim.  The two sweet turquoise rabbits with the ruched ribbon are by Nouveau Encore Designs and located here.  I used only the rabbits from the chart.  You see some crochet-looking carrots on the tree--I didn't make these!  They came from the mark-down shelf at Tuesday Morning a few years ago--I think they are precious!

I did go to Memphis again at the end of last week.  I did buy more things...I may need an intervention!  It's been so much fun, though, so I'll probably go back again soon!  I'll show you my purchases on the next post!

Thank you for visiting!  I hope you all have a happy and blessed Easter!

Love,
Frances

Much Fun To Share!!!

Well, I did get to go to Memphis because my husband had an important meeting to attend. It has been cold here but no snow in the center of the state, where we live.  Heading north, we did actually ride through some snow.  I KNOW that many of you will be laughing at the photo of the "snow" below, but you must remember.....this is Mississippi, and we don't get several feet of snow like some of you do!  HAHA  It was pretty, though, and the roads weren't icy (main problem we get here) and the drive was easy!  I did take this while I was driving...a big No-No, but I wanted to be sure and get a snow photo before we drove away from all of it!  LOL

We drove up on Thursday night and stayed in Tunica, MS, to break the trip in half!  How pitiful is that?  Since his meeting was at 10am, we would have needed to leave at 5:30am to get to Memphis on time....better to stay in Tunica, at one of the casinos.  Some of you may not like casinos--I don't really have an opinion either way.  MS got them and they were first located in Tunica, which was the poorest county in the entire US.  This was a big economic boon for them, and our state, so I just choose to view the positive of it all.  Our room was lovely--wasn't sure when we drove up because it's a little bit plain on the outside, but the rooms were quite nice.  Throw in free food and it made for a very pleasant evening.  I did put in a $20 bill in a slot machine, and it ate it up and didn't spit out anything AT ALL!  It took less than one minute...it was no fun at all!!  I brought my laptop and went  upstairs to work on my midterm exam that is due Tuesday.  I finished it, and that was a much better way to spend my time!  HAHA

We got up the next morning and ate more free food before heading out to Memphis.  We got there easily and I left my husband at the office, which is about 2 miles from Stitchers Inc. on Poplar Avenue.  This is their website, which doesn't contain much info.  But don't let that fool you...the store is great!!!  These photos aren't too good because they're taken with my phone, but you can see the TONS of merchandise that is available, and this is only a tiny bit of what is in that store!

They are a Mill Hill (some kind of special dealer--they have everything Mill Hill).  This is a portion of one wall of kits.  They have many more than this!  If Mill Hill makes it, it's there!

They have a beautiful selection of stitched models EVERYWHERE!  This is not a good photo, but this is a glass case full of lovely models.  They have an expert finisher--the finishings are really pretty up close!!  

(I think that's some type of fan or something, stuck up in the middle!  HAHA  Just ignore that!)  

They also have a ton of needlepoint canvas there--handpainted--and they have the yarns, etc for it. So beautiful!!  Those needlepoint models were exquisite!!  Really pretty!  The models are all over the store--this is just the glass case by the front door.

Of course I had to buy things!!!  I decided to get a bunch of beautiful threads...They have whatever you are looking for.  I took several of my charts and pulled threads for them. These colors are so beautiful!!!

I also found several charts to pick up!  Some were even in the sale bin--my FAVORITE place to shop! These are such fun and I know I'll love stitching these!  It may take a while to get to everything, but it will be so much fun!

This was a fun, quick trip, and we both enjoyed it!

Thank you for stopping by and please come  visit again soon!

Frances