Easter

Hello!

Hope everybody had a great Easter with family and friends.
I am a little late, but better late than never...

I finished this little Lizzie Kate ornament just before Easter. I always wanted to stitch this design and finally got it done!

It looks cute with my Easter decor.

Decorating for Easter is so much fun! I love to look at all the pretty spring things at the stores. So many temptations, but I am controlling myself very well. When you live in a small place, you have to, or the clutter takes over.

And here is the chocolate/coconut cake roll I made for Easter. Delicious and very rich!
Got to go now...so many things to do.
Have a blessed week!

Ana Paula.

Saint Patrick's Ornament, French Cross Stitch, and a Shadowbox.

Hello!


Just stopping by to share a little ornament I finished last week.

This is a design from Lizzie Kate. It was fast and fun to stitch.

I hardly have any Saint Patrick's decor. Every year I try to get a little something, but nothing at the stores tickles my fancy.  I need to make a couple more ornaments, or maybe a little Irish clothespin doll.

For now, that will have to do. Got a succulent inside, and some split peas.

I have a couple more things to share.
First, this lovely French pattern. I got it around Christmas.

So pretty! You can get at The French Needle online store.

I can't wait to make something using these patterns! I am just crazy about French designs.

And this is a shadowbox I got at Home Goods a while ago.
I picked some cute thing I had to display in it.
The bobbin lace butterfly is from Brazil, as the little doily. My Mom made the doily many years ago.
The origami dress was made by me, I love it!
The Flower Fairies postcard I got for Brenda's 5th birthday party. Just so sweet!

Thanks for visiting!

Ana Paula.

Halloween Rules

Hello!

I finished Halloween Rules a couple of weeks ago. Life has been so busy, only now I had the time to post it.

It was stitched on 14 count aida  tea dyed by me. The fabric is a bit darker than it looks on the picture. I stitched it with DMC and made lots of color changes.

I also made changes on the space between the designs. I think it looks less busy this way.

I chose to finish it similar to Christmas Rules that I finished last year.

I used black ric-rac to trim and  a metal hanger. For the back, I used the black and orange polka dot fabric pictured.

The light inside my apartment is not good, I always have to take pictures outside.
I love this hanger I found on Etsy. It gives it the perfect finishing touch.
To be able to finish this, I am late on my other stitching. And now it's time to start making gifts and other things to prepare for Christmas. I will see how it goes.

Have a Happy and safe Halloween!

Ana Paula.

Back to School

Hello!

School started yesterday.  Life is back on it's old routine.
It's very hot right now in Southern California. Because of the drought, we only are allowed watering the plants twice a week. My little garden is not doing very well, but is surviving.
Hope you are enjoying your end of Summer. Here we still have some hot weather ahead.
I have some things to share since my last post. It was way back in June!
First, my Flip-it Stamps  cross stitch ornaments.

Here are July and August. I made some color changes on both. I am just so excited to finish my little collection. I am late this month, still need to start the September ornament!

 

I finally made a patriotic table runner for my sideboard. It's a simple one, made with fabric I had at home. I am trying to use the fabric from my stash, instead of buying more.

This is Mason, I don't remember if I posted him before, but he is too cute to not share. He is a Boyd's Bears cookie jar, but I never put cookies inside him.

This little flag pillow I made with scraps and tiny star buttons.

Another Cross Stitch finish.  This is "A Very Merry Summer" from JBW designs. It was on my to do list for a long time.

Three new clothespin dolls for my  collection! I just love to find the right accessories for each one. This time, I had everything in my craft "stuff".

I had great plans for baking with Brenda this Summer. But, most days were just too hot to bake.
We managed to bake a little, including a peach pie. Brenda made an small one all for herself.

Don't you love the many beautiful knit pumpkins on Pinterest? Some are made from old sweaters. Since I had no old orange sweater, I found some orange yarn and knitted one. It was very easy!

And here is my latest project. A pie carrier for my gingerbread loving friend.  I had this fabric in my stash. She loved it!
That's all for now. Hope you stay cool wherever you live.
Have a great day!

Ana Paula.

Happy Easter!

Hello!

I was able to finish two more ornaments.

First, this Lizzie Kate April Flip It Stamps. I changed the colors a little, and really like it!
It's stitched on 14 aida  oatmeal with DMC floss.

The next ornament  is this cute design from Prairie Schooler -  Just hatched. I love the little chicks walking back and forth. I finally stitched this one! I used DMC floss using colors I had on hand.

 I am glad I finished both  just in time for Easter.

 

They look cute with my Easter decor.

This year I got a new idea for a display.

I should spray paint this 3 tier thing white...I think it will look better.

I used moss, some English tin eggs I got on e-bay years ago, a little nest  and birds from Michael's.
The empty spots were filled with silk violets and ivy. Two of my favorite cross stitch ornaments give the fining touch. The top ornament was made by Carol. It's a small masterpiece.

I had a birthday in March, and here are a couple of the gifts I got. I was crazy about this book since I saw it at the library. I just had to have it! So many cute projects in one book. Many craft books these days have only a couple of projects that I want to make. This one is different...hard to decide what to make first.  I got the Willow Tree "abundance" figurine from a dear friend. I love it!

Now my three little flower girls live on a  shelf  above the computer. Aren't they cute?
Anyways, that's all for now, I need to make some preparations for tomorrow.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a wonderful Easter!

Ana Paula. 

Christmas Rules Finished !

Hello!

Here in Southern California is sooo hot! Right now is 92 degrees.
School started for Brenda and things are getting back into the normal routine.
I tried hard to finish my Christmas Rules before school started, but it was not possible.  So, I finished it today!

I stitched it on 14 count aida with DMC. I made some changes on the colors and also changed the space between each design. I chose to stitch only the simple border that comes on the patterns to separate the designs, skipping the "box" that half of the charts had. I think it looks less crowded this way.

It was fun to stitch. I love all the little details.

I finished it as a wall hanging / bell pull. I have some hangers that I got years ago on e-bay.  Unfortunately I only had one part on the right size, but I love it!

To finish as a bell pull, I cut a pice of Christmas print fabric of the same size of the stitched piece.
After that, I ironed interfacing on the back of the stitched piece and on the back of  the Christmas  fabric.  The next step was to sew red Ric-rac on the stitched piece around three sides, leaving only the top one.

 Now, pin the two right sides together (the stitching and the Christmas print) e sew using the Ric-rac stitch as a guideline. Trim the seams, turn, iron, and fold the top inside about 1/2 inch. Now, fold the top to the back, about one inch, depending of the kind of hanger you are using, and stitch it by hand.

 

Now, just insert the hanger, and it is ready!

 

Since this is a long piece - mine is about 30x7 inches, I found this finishing style to be very affordable and easier to store, what for me are two very good reasons to do it.
If you find my instructions hard to understand, the Twisted Stitcher has a great tutorial on her finishing blog.

Have a great week, and Happy Stitching!

Ana Paula.