Valentine Blog Hop

 

Happy Valentine's Day! Welcome to the Valentine Blog Hop. What am I talking about? Head over to Jo's blog to see what I mean. It's Secret Stitching Sweetheart time. Participants sent a heart/love theme photo to Jo. She mixed them up and passed them out for us to hide on our blogs. Then we hop through the links to find our secret stitched piece. It's always a fun excuse to see a bunch of beautiful blogs.

Each blog gets to share a beautiful piece we have received in our email. Look at this...

Look at that beautiful heart and the adorable little birds. I can't wait to see who stitched up this beauty. Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you are spoiled rotten if not spoil yourself. We all deserve it.

Advent Blog Hop Day 4

 

 

Welcome to Day 4 of the Advent Blog Hop

a wonderful blog event setup by the lovely Jo this wonderful time of the year. Stop over to follow her links to all the different blogs through every daily door.

We are off on a mini vacation. Traveling safely home today hopefully. So I have setup this post to publish Monday Morning. The purpose of this fun blog hop is to share a photo of something Christmas or winter themed we have stitched. Let's have a look...

2019 I stitched up this Snowman Mill Hill Kit. I attached it to a Christmas tree my Grandfather had made and my mom had painted with snowy paint...

I really love how it turned out. I have some pieces I am looking forward to doing in December. Here's hoping I will have another finished piece to share soon.

The topic for discussion this blog hop is Santa Stories. Jeremiah never really liked the sitting on Santa's lap at the local mall. So one year he was devastated because he didn't want to do it again. I came up with something I am still proud of. We had a big talk about how Christmas is all about Magic. The Santa at the mall is just a person who tells the real Santa what you want for Christmas. But if we sit in our home and sat together as a family we can talk to Santa ourselves. The magic let's Santa know. So Jeremiah wide eyed talked to Santa out loud about what he wanted. So did we. Jeremiah is now 25 and still talks about the magic of Christmas. The magic of Christmas is still very important to us. We don't put out our presents until he can't see them. In our tiny cabin it was a little harder. But we made sure he wasn't awake until presents were out ready for the first glance Christmas morning. I love the magic of Christmas morning. This year we are focusing on the experience of making Christmas our own after losing my mother in October 2021. I think last year I was still mourning her and trying to have the Christmas she would have wanted us to have. This year we are making new experiences and making it our own. December is not even here yet and I am so excited. (Writing this November 27th) I hope you can all make Christmas exactly what you want it to be. Hugs and Big Love for our home to yours.

Halloween Blog Hop

Welcome to Jo's Halloween Blog Hop

First make sure to go to Jo's wonderful blog to start the journey of collecting letters.

When you reach the end you will have a phrase to send to Jo. It's always a great time and gets you to visit possibly new to you blogs. So let's get to why you are here.

First I can share a spooky Mill Hill kit I just finished today, Lunar Trick. I love the way it turned out. Now you need a letter...

C is your letter. Now head over to your next stop https://tickledpinkinstitches.blogspot.com/

Advent Blog Hop Door 10

 

I get the pleasure to be Door 10 on Jo's Fantastic Advent Blog Hop. If you don't know what I'm talking about head over to Jo's Blog for a starting point. 

My job is to make a post featuring a photo of something I created with a Christmas or Winter Theme. Let's see...

These 6 Christmas Pal Ornaments are one of my favorite Christmas themed finishes. I made them into individual cubes after finishing the stitching in 2015. They now found a perfect home on our middle beam at the cabin. I just got 2 new Winter themed patterns to do soon...

I have fallen in love with gnomes lately. I just ordered the fabric and will start both of them when they arrive. These just couldn't wait for Santa to come haha. Sorry Santa. 

We are also asked to write about What's for Afters? I'm glad she explained this. We call them desserts. Even though I'm trying a new life style to lose weight we have a horrible creation called Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball. It has Philadelphia Cream Cheese and lots of butter. Then mini chocolate chips. You can dip with graham crackers. Jeremiah prefers to just use a spoon. We only have it a few times a year. Christmas being the biggest one. So I told Jeremiah I promised we would still have it. He laughed and said there goes that new life style haha. I also love Chocolate Covered Cherries this time of year. Then I sit around and complain about how miserable I am haha.

Have a very Merry Christmas! Thanks for stopping by on your hunt for the next door.

Easter Blog Hop

The lovely Jo has set up another lovely blog hop to join in. This one is an Easter Blog Hop of course. If you stopped here first please head over to Jo's blog to start. You follow the links and collect letters to make a phrase. Then tell Jo what phrase you have found. We are also supposed to share a Spring or Easter themed piece we have stitched. 

First here's Jo's Blog for the starting point

If you are here in order here is the letter you are looking for...

 S in case you can't see it.

Last let's look at a piece I recently finished with a Spring theme...

Spring Time from New York Dreamer I just finished February 28th.

Now I will send you to the next blog for your next letter. Have a great hop...

http://www.marysthread.com/

 Have a very Happy Easter!

Secret Stitching Sweetheart

The lovely Jo has a fun thing for us to participate in for Valentine's Day. 

First stop over to Jo's blog here...

http://www.serendipitousstitching.blogspot.co.uk/

There you will find a list of blogs participating.

 Hop around and find where your project went.

I get to display this beauty...

Can't wait to hear all about this beautiful piece.

Let me know... did you stitch it?

Easter Blog Hop

Hopefully you are hoping along collecting letters. If not head over to Jo's blog to start at the top of the list.

If you are collecting letters. Let's get to the point right...

N is your Letter

The next blog is - http://sewingafterseven.blogspot.com/

I'm stealing last year's photo since yep....no time still.

I hope everyone has a fabulous Easter!

Follow up Secret Stitching Sweetheart

I've been so busy this week I still haven't been able to hop along the Valentine blog hop. But I wanted to do a follow up post. 

The beautiful piece I was lucky enough to share was Tiff's...

Her Comment: Yay! You got mine. This is stitched for my DD on perforated paper and was a free design from the Durene Jones Facebook page. It was a fun and enjoyable stitch. Happy Valentine's Day! 

My piece was found here...

 

I used last year's Lili of the Valley Feb Fairy girl. She was just perfect for this love theme don't you think?

I've been working away on 99 Bottles. I doubt I will finish it up in February and that's fine. I think I will continue the half hour a day till it's finished. This weekend is IHSW (International Hermit Stitch Weekend) and we are staying home. Well we have to run out and get groceries Saturday but we'll do it fast haha. So I'm hoping for a lot of stitching time. I need to finish up the February Year of Celebrations piece. Have a great weekend!

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

 

Happy Valentine's Day! I love love every day of the year today is the day we are told to celebrate it though. So we are enjoying the excuse to get away. My sweet hubby and I are hiding at our cabin for a weekend of relaxing and movies. I hope you find something fun to do either with your loved one or love yourself a little extra today if you are single. 

The lovely Jo is hosting a fun blog hop called the Secret Stitching Sweetheart. First things first go to Jo's blog to see a list of blogs to visit. Then hop along and see all the beautiful pieces that are inspired by the theme LOVE. Not only will you get your eyes full of beauty but you should find the piece that you submitted and announce yourself as the Secret Stitching Sweetheart. 

I get to share this lovely piece that a dear friend of mine stitched. I love the way it turned out. I'll let her share the story behind it...

I will enjoy my search when we return. Have a great Valentine's Day! I'm sure we are. (Yes I setup this post on Friday afternoon haha.)

Advent Blog Hop Day 1

The lovely Jo who always hosts the most fun blog hops has done it again. Now it's time for the wonderful fantastic Christmas Advent Calendar. First things first Jo will have a post of all the doors on her blog so stop over there to see the list...

Jo's Blog

Each door will have something Christmas/Winter we have created and we were also asked to post about a favorite Christmas book. So here is my assigned door...

I always knew I was number 1. Haha. So I love Christmas but I haven't read a Christmas themed book in forever. So I figured a quick look into something I would like to read. I will warn you....I'm weird. I don't like traditional Christmas stories. I love Horror movies. So what about this weird book...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13505670-krampus

I've seen a Krampus movie and this book would be really fun to read. One review of this book said if you loved American Gods book this is for you. That really peaked my interest.

So now I will show you something Christmas/Winter themed I've stitched...

Earlier this year I finished off this little Hinzeit Merry Noel piece...

I also just recently finished this little peppermint Lizzie Kate sled...

I really look forward to seeing what everyone else posts. Have a great blog hop. Like it even needs to be suggested.

Happy Halloween Blog Hop

 

Happy Halloween Everyone! We are having a great time at our cabin. Fred had the whole week off. It's been fantastic so far and it's not over yet. I setup this post to participate in the Blog Hop. I hope everyone has a great Halloween. 

Let's get to it. You are here for a letter...

The letter is R. Now head to the next blog on the list...

https://needlepensword.blogspot.com/

 I've been stitching every day. I finished the 2nd Halloween Mini the Mummy Wednesday Night...

I'll be hopping along Monday when we get home. Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for stopping by. Take care of yourself. Don't forget to smile.

Easter Blog Hop

The wonderful Jo is hosting another exciting blog hop. It's a fun way to see different blogs and maybe even meet some new friends. This one is the Easter Blog Hop. First thing first go to Jo's blog to get the starting point. Then you hop through the posts to make a phrase out of the letters you collect. It's always amazing to see what Jo comes up with. I'm sure this one will be no different.

Each participant is to share something Easter or Spring that we have created. Give you a letter that we have been assigned. Last we give you a link to the next blog in line.

So first up my new finish...

This cute little freebie is available here. I stitched it up on a light blue evenweave I had in my stash. Here is the back of the little pillow...

Here is the letter you are looking for...

Your letter is a W.

Now head over to the next blog to collect more letters...
A Patchwork of Crafts 

Have a great Easter!

**Edited April 27th. The end phrase was Be Well and Stitch April. Perfect for this year's Blog Hop Phrase **

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop Update

Jo sure hosted another wonderful blog hop. I saw so many new to me blogs. Plus many many many gorgeous pieces on display.

So I wanted to do a follow up post...

Here is the direct link to the blog hop list. What a fun list to click through. You won't be disappointed.

The owner of the piece I shared has been found...

Hi Katie! It's me...I'm your secret Valentine. I'm glad you liked it. There is a very sentimental story that goes with it on our blog from last Valentine's Day. It's kind of long to post here but if you are really interested you can find it at the bottom of this page

https://stitchingfriendsforever2.blogspot.com/2019/02/

It's a music box and it plays my husband's favorite song. I set it out with his grandfather's pocket watch because the song is "As Time Goes By" from Cassablanca.

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day with your family. RJ 

I loved the story behind this gorgeous piece. That's my favorite part of our stitching. Why do we do it? What does the piece mean to you? Boy this one sure was a meant to be shared story RJ. Thanks for sharing. 

Then off I went looking for my piece...

 I decided to share a whole shelf of pieces I love displaying this time of year. They are from all different years. I love each one individually but boy together they make a beautiful display that I love looking at. I found my photo on display here on Jocodine's beautiful blog. 

Like I said another wonderful blog hop. I had no doubts it would be. I always enjoy the hops.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

I'm participating in the fun Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop. If you don't know what I'm talking about let's see if I can explain it. A blog hop is a fun blog event. Jo is a wonderful host of several blog hops throughout the year. This one is in honor of Valentine's Day. If interested we sent Jo a picture of anything we feel fits the theme love. She emails the pictures to a random participant. On Valentine's Day Jo will post a link to all the blogs that joined in. You hop through the list and find your picture. It's a great excuse to visit other blogs and maybe even find a new one to follow. Can't wait to see who all joined in.

So here is the link for Jo's blog...

http://www.serendipitousstitching.blogspot.co.uk/

Here is the beautiful photo I received to share...

I really look forward to the owner stepping forward and telling us the story behind it.

Have a fantastic Valentine's Day and great weekend ahead. We have a lazy weekend so hopefully that means lots of stitching time too.

Advent Blog Hop

The lovely Jo is at it again. Another blog hop. The idea is always fun. Hop around to different blogs and see what there is to see. This one is an Advent Calendar. Each day there is a door to lead you to a different blog. We are to share a Christmas craft we have done and our favorite movie with our readers. These blog hops are how so many of us have became friends over the years. So what do you do?

First head over to this post to get the starting point to all the doors.

I'm door number 2 this year as you can see.


So I love seasonal stitching. I just finished up a Christmas Jar from a Dimensions Kit...

The tag is hard to read in photos. Plastic canvas is hard to get a photo of I've noticed. It says Have a Happy Holiday. I have 3 of the 4 finished now...

I also finished this cute Mill Hill recently called Tree Shopping...

Perfect timing because just yesterday we went to the local tree farm and got our Christmas Tree...

 

Our favorite Christmas movie is a tradition we've had since Jeremiah was born. We watch National Lampoon Christmas Vacation every year with my Dad and Step Mom. This year Mom is going to come along with us so she will get to see why we love this movie so much finally. We quote it a ridiculous amount this time of year.

Well Happy Holidays to all. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it. I wish everyone a fantastic last month of the year. Thanks for stopping by. 

Halloween Blog Hop

Happy Halloween Everyone! Today the lovely Jo is hosting another wonderful blog hop. Start by going over to her blog to see the list of people that are participating...

Jo's Start Post

She has a list posted and you follow along and form a spooky phrase. Then leave a comment on her blog with the answer.

So you are here for a reason. You need a letter...

G is your letter.

Next stop is...

https://needlepensword.blogspot.com/2019/10/trick-or-treat-halloween-blog-hop.html

Good luck! 

I'm hoping to finish up my Halloween Biscornu today. We'll see. I'll leave you with a hilarious photo of Jeremiah and me dressed up in 2017. He is Deadpool and I'm an adorable unicorn of course.

**edited to add** The winning phrase this year was "A Haunting We Will Go" what fun!

Summer Postcard Blog Hop

The lovely Jo has yet again hosted a fun blog hop. This time it was a Summer Postcard Blog Hop. Throughout the summer months we have sent Jo an international themed postcard to share with someone else. She emails us a picture and the story of the piece to share with everyone on our blogs.

You should stop over to Jo's blog to see what fun thing she will host next. My image was shared on Aimetu's Stitching blog here if you are interested in seeing it.

Now it's my turn to share the last postcard for the summer...

The message is:
This is a Michael Powell pattern I had found in a Cross Stitcher magazine years ago.
I have stitched this twice. I first stitched it as a gift for my American sea glass friend Marabeth who had invited us to the States some years ago. As our first trip was cancelled just a week after booking the flight (the Hungarian air company Malev got bankrupt) I kept the gift till we found well priced tickets to book again. That took us two years and I had already fallen in love with the gift hanging on my wall so I stitch it again for my friend.
Hug
Ariadne from Greece

Thank you Jo for hosting and for Ariadne for playing along. It's been a lot of fun to see what each person has picked out to share with everyone. Here are the other people who have posted according to Jo's blog...

Aimetu's Stitching

Needle, Pen and Sword

Miniz Diary

Ariadne from Greece

Jocondine

Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop

It's time for another wonderful blog hop hosted by Jo. Stop over to her blog to learn more about this Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop. This time around we are sharing something Easter or Spring themed we have made up. Could be an old finish or a great reason to do something new. We also share a letter. If you start at the top and hop your way through the list you should get a seasonal phrase to comment on the post to Jo. It's always fun to see what everyone has decided to share for these fun blog hops.

First I'll share with you something I'm so happy to have finished up in time. I found this cute biscornu and just had to stitch it up to display with my other Easter goodies.

This fun biscornu pattern is a freebie available at the Hobbyloco website. I stitched it up on 14ct white Aida and my mom picked out the different DMC colors. She had a lot of fun picking them out.

                   Time for the letter you are looking for...

Hop on to the next in line...

http://tiffstitch.blogspot.com

Have a great Easter to all who celebrate!

**Edited to Add the Answer**
Jo gave us a hard one this time around. After collecting the letters we got...
Partir à la chasse aux oeufs
What in the world?!
It's French for To Go Hunting For Eggs
Great job Jo!!! Another great blog hop.

Sweetheart Blog Hop Part 2

Earlier today I posted for the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop. I'm back for a follow up post.

First off I received this beautiful piece to put on display this morning...

I'm not the only one that loved it. Several of you commented on loving the blues that she used. Here is the story from the person who created it...

Happy Valentine's Day! Guess what! I am your sweetheart and that blue heart is mine! The story behind this goes like this. I wanted to stitch something really fast for a lady I love very much who is having a great adventure with her health right now out of which we all hope she will come out stronger. So I took a piece of very low count aida and lots of left over vintage threads I had. I found the pattern on pinterest and made it in blue because the person it is for loves blue. I tried to turn it into a little cushion with not much success so it finally ended up into a hanging ornament for her and she really loves it. That was all. I am glad you enjoyed the photo! AriadnefromGreece!

Thanks Ariadne for participating so we could all see your beautiful heart shaped piece. Go to this link to find the pattern if you are interested in it.

I also very much enjoyed looking through the list Jo posted on her blog. What fun love filled posts and so many gorgeous pieces to admire. Then I found my piece on display at The Alchymyst's Study. I'm so glad to see so many people appreciated my picture. Here it is...

This is the piece I was so excited to share with you guys. I finished it like a tuck pillow where the tuck part is attached. I just love this finishing technique since it's shows the backing fabric on the front as well. I see many many more of these type of pillows in my future. My little pink dragon and pink Yoshi just had to join in the photo. They love hugs and kisses too.

The pattern is a freebie available at this site if you are interested. I seen it on Instagram stitched by a friend Pam and thought it would be a fun fast stitch and boy it was. When hubby and I was getting groceries at Walmart they had this material pre-cut and I just couldn't pass it up. Plus it was only 97cents! I love how it turned out. Exactly what I had in my mind when I dreamed of how I wanted it to look. So now you understand why I was so very happy about it.

Another wonderful blog hop in the books if you ask me. Thanks Jo for hosting.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Found this adorable dragon online at bing images to share with you all. How cute. Now to why we are here. Not only is today Valentine's Day but it's also a blog hop hosted by the lovely Jo.

Hop over to this post by Jo and get a list of people participating in the Secret Stitching Sweetheart Blog Hop. We are going to each share a beautiful piece that Jo has emailed to us. You hop through the list and find the piece you stitched. It's a really fun hop through beautiful love filled blogs. I will be back later today to share mine after it has been found and tell you all who stitched the one I'm displaying.

Now to the beautiful piece I received in my inbox...

What a beautiful heart shaped lovely piece. I can't wait to hear the story behind it. Now off to hop around and see all the love.